The Stitchin' Bee - April Block

I finally got my April blocks for this quilting bee finished! This was hard to do, at first, just because I didn't really know where to start. Kelly, our queen bee for the month, sent us a whole bunch of bright colored fabrics and one piece featuring a comic strip. She is calling this her "Dysfunctional Family Quilt" which will be used as a beach quilt since her family frequents the very nearby beach in Florida. Our directions were that we could design any kind of block we wanted, as long as the comic was visible. And boy, are some of the ladies talented. you can check out the Flickr page for the group to see what some of them came up with. Talk about pressure to perform!

Anyhow, I had started off designing a block, which needed to be 12.5" x 12.5", made of four smaller 6.5" square blocks. This took me while to design, and account for seam allowances and imagine how it was all going to work. Then I made some prototype blocks so that I wouldn't mess up on the fabric Kelly gave me since that was the only material I had. Once satisfied, I made the blocks that did not have the comic strip. With those blocks in hand, I imagined how it would look with the final block and just wasn't feeling it. I think it would have been too crazy and too much going on. Since I didn't want to cut up the other blocks, I tried to think of what I could do with the remaining fabric, and some pieces from my own stash. This is what I came up with.

"Thanks babe, Mother'll never taste the arsenic!'

I made the square, by bordering the white/lavender dot fabric with the dark purple. The mini-pieced border is made of a strip of (unfinished) 1.5" squares and (unfinished) 0.75" squares, in the order of 1.5, 0.75, 0.75, repeat. Then another bigger dark purple border, finally outlined by 3" triangle squares pieced together. Finally, I appliqued the comic to the center of it. It's a bit wonky. I don't think I have ever done such fussy cutting and sewing ever before. I was definitely out of my comfort zone. But I am pretty proud of it. When I showed it to Ryan, he was definitely impressed that I came up with that. His reaction was really quite sweet actually. Anyhow, this was very challenging for me, but also very fun and I have already learned a lot! I am looking forward to Lisa's month next and what her assignment is.

Since I didn't cut up the other blocks, I sent them along as well since Kelly can still use them maybe somewhere in her quilt. There was one fabric that had brightly colored circles (reminded me of beach balls) about the size of 50 cent pieces. I cut some of the full circles out and appliqued them to the center of each of these "beach ball blocks".




These are 6.5" square blocks. These pics were snapped post applique- so some of the blocks still have indentions from my little quilting ring. I was too lazy and tired to get out the iron, fire it up and iron them out, when they were going to be folded up and put in a baggie for the mail. sorry.

This has been an adventure and I am looking forward to the next one.

This week has been crazy and I am exhausted. My weekend plans? sleep. Hope you are doing something more exciting!!

Myla's Quilt

It's done. The quilt for my future-niece. Whew. I don't know why this took me so long, because nothing about this was hard to do. Well nothing except resigning myself to the fact that with 160 little squares, I am not going to have perfect seams and some are going to be a little bit off and that's the beauty and love of homemade, handmade treasures. I showed a sneak peek of the quilt top a while ago, then it was time for making the quilt sandwich and doing the quilting, which was done by machine. I pinned the three layers, every other square, to keep everything together, taut and in order. Baby was very helpful throughout the entire process, like playing with strings, attacking my foot when I pressed down on the sewing machine pedal, jumping up onto my workspace to make sure I was doing everything correctly, chewing on quilt pins and especially testing out quilt softness and snuggleness. He was my quality control.

It's my little helper! (being a good helper)

The pattern: Alicia Paulson's Ollalieberry Ice Cream Quilt

Here is the "finished" quilt, complete with binding. The binding is a sweet pink gingham. Oh man, I hand-sewed the binding to it and could not wait to get it finished. Those (like Lisa) who do hand-quilting are very loving and brave souls. My fingers, even though I had a thimble, were definitely feeling it. Even more so, was my patience. The thing is, the fabrics for this quilt are not pre-washed, because you want them to shrink and get all crinkly when it's done. This also covers up all those little imperfections I was being so picky over. All I wanted to do was throw this baby in the washer and hot dryer to observe the magic. So you can imagine how I was was feeling as I was stitching on that binding, one stitch at a time, by hand. BUT, when I did finally finish and it came time to put it in the wash, boy was that the moment of truth. All I had running in my head was, "are you sure you want to put this in there? Are you positive it's not going to fall apart, and that you did everything right?" I know, it's ridiculous. It was definitely a trust-your-skills moment. But I am so glad I did. Because what came out was absolutely lovely, and I was all smiles over it.

The pattern called for a muslin backing, but I opted for some snuggle flannel. I figured it would be a little bit warmer for those chilly Oklahoma winter nights. It's white with baby blue flowers.

This was taken kind of late in the afternoon's fading light, with flash.

The truly finished quilt! The bluebonnets here are blooming like crazy. I don't know how I have lived here almost five years and haven't had any pictures of the blue bonnets until now. I love them. Every time I drive on the freeway, or are going somewhere with Ryan and see a patch of them I go, "Oh, look at the blue bonnets!" every. time. I think he thinks I must be crazy, and may very well be tired of looking at them himself. But I don't care. They make me happy. All flowers do really. It is just breathtaking when you see whole fields and embankments covered in them.

picnic style among the bluebonnets. . . lightly laid it on top since i I didn't want to smoosh them.

The quilt wasn't finished-finished until I made her name patch with birthdate, since this is her baby quilt after all! I made her name in pretty rose pink floss, following a trace of her name onto cream-colored cotton. I used a pretty Word font to write her name. Then I made an oval (or as best I could) and bordered it with light blue, light coral and finally chocolate floss in a running stitch, and appliqued the patch using the pin-turning method.

Myla Denise
12. 5. 2009

Momma bird loves Baby bird

There was a little hole, where one of the seams came apart. So I made a little patch to cover it up. I think it's really cute. One of the prints, Alexander Henry, that I used in the quilt has the little birds in it, so I traced their outline onto the cream fabric and embroidered them with various colors and stitches to decorate them. This way, they still "match" the blanket.
Even thought there are so many cute and pretty fabrics in this project, I think my favorite print in the whole thing is that sweetly dainty white one with the pink flowers in it, just to the above right of the bird patch. I really wish I had gotten more of it. I want to say it's "le Fleur Prairie House" or something like that. But when I first saw it, I remember having distinct images of Laura Ingalls and her sisters running through the prairie grass on their many adventures. Those were easily some of my most favorite books growing up.

The quilt is in the mail and on it's way to be delivered to Jenny tomorrow. I am so proud of this one!

Donderdag

Thursday. In Dutch. That was yesterday, and I so appropriately finished a little bit of something....here's a sneak peek.

"Thursday" (you can click on the photo for a closeup)

I am making some special dishtowels for a special someone. These are a la Alicia Paulson's (are you surprised?) Pleasant Dish Towels. She has a free pdf pattern for them, but I decided to make my own Dutch-themed ones for the week. I got artistic and did all the sketches myself! I have been having a lot of fun with the embroidery. It doesn't require much thinking, just following the outline I have already sketched and traced onto the fabric with my needle and thread. Plus having different stitches to do keeps it from getting too monotonous. I think French knots are my favorite to make so far, and I know I haven't even begun to learn all the possible stitches. Anyhow, this towel is not complete yet. I have some pretty blue fabric prints to trim the border, so I'll get to that when I get to that. I'm not really in a rush.

Those purple blooms are, I think, wisteria. I saw them when coming home yesterday, the vines climbing all over this old oak tree alongside the road just bursting with all this beautiful purple. So I rode my bike over (it was such a pretty day) with a little bag and cut some for my little photo op. =) They are fragrant, but not so heady as lilac, and that's why I think it could be wisteria. I could be wrong though! Aren't they pretty? I love purple. . . maybe that has to do with one of my Dad's nicknames for me, Sugarplum. Wisteria and lilac are on my "list of plants for my garden" to have one day, if my location allows for their growth. Anyhow, I am trying to be better about styling my photos . . . I'm learning! =)

I love to. . .

Wash my face. I know. Is that lame?
During the Superbowl, they aired some commercials for L'oreal's new Go 360 Clean skincare line. I don't know if these aired before because I don't have or watch TV. This line features a little "scrublet", a gentle little scrubber thingiebobber. The guys all laughed and thought it ridiculous. But I secretly wanted one. I hate using washcloths to wash my face. I just don't like leaving a wet, dripping cloth to dry and get everything else wet. It gets so humid here, that it often does not dry, and you're left with a mildewy towel. eewww. definitely not washing my face with that. And I feel like my palms/fingers just don't clean as well. So, I promised myself that I would wait until my current bottle of face cleanser was gone, because I am one of those girls. you know, the kind that sees a new beauty product, then buys it, and has a whole stash that she never ends up using, taking up all the space in her bathroom. I hate seeing all that stuff around. It makes me feel guilty, like I'm really high maintenance. But really, I'm not. Anyhow, I finally got it last weekend. And I love it.

the scrublet =P

I got the orange one. It's a foaming scrub cleanser. yeah, you're probably thinking, "geez, a scrub and scrublet? Does this girl have any skin left on her face?" I do. And it's soft. And my skin feels cleaner and my pores smaller. Plus, I loved the smell of it. apricots. it's like a fresh summer day, sun a-shining and birds a-singing. a near-spiritual experience, twice a day. for five bucks. (maybe the guys were laughing for a good reason) So yeah, I love to wash my face. You should try it, you will too. Now, I wash my face just for the heck of it. Ok, maybe not that much. But at least now it's fun.

Oh, I also made a Flickr page. You can check it out here. I think I also have a space for it in my happy places. There are some sneak photos up there, so you can check 'em out if you like. and leave comments. Every blogger, poster, person who shares something over the web loves to get comments and feedback. I was reading an article somewhere about blogging etiquette, and how one should leave a comment whenever they come across something that really piques their interest or moves them in some way. I've really tried to get better about that. Especially since I use Google Reader to keep up with all my favorites. With reader, you don't have the option to directly leave comments, you have to go to the blog page itself. I used to be lazy and not leave comments, but now I'm being better about it. Because I know I like to get comments. who doesn't? =)

Annnnd, I joined a quilting bee! Lisa (The Blue Dress) just started one, and asked me to be a part of the group! i'm excited. i'll get to be a part of 12 different quilts, one being my own. Each member, or bee, is assigned a month, and gets to decide on a theme for their quilt. They buy the fabrics, and send them to the other bees with instructions on how they want their blocks constructed. The bees then get to create the blocks and send them back to the Queen Bee for the month, who then assembles her quilt. Sounds like fun, eh? I'm looking forward to it. I'm sure I'll learn a lot.

Ok, that's it for now. I don't have much else to post about. i've been keeping busy with school stuff, and things are going to be pretty intense on that front for a while. I'll pop in and update when i can. Hope you all have a FABULOUS weekend!

For a Friend

My friend, Nikki, a former grad student in the department moved away up to Michigan last year. =( She got a job at a pharmaceutical company up there, and her fiance, Nick, is going to law school there as well. They both grew up in Michigan, so naturally, it made sense for them to go back home once they finished with school here in Texas. But oh how I miss my buddy.

There were so many hours of fun game nights, with margaritas and Scene It! (fun game) . While they are not as frequently held now, we always play this classic for game nights that I still have at my apartment. There is always a sad empty spot on my couch, and it's just not the same without them. I will never forget the time she and Nick convinced Ryan and I to finally check out The Oasis (where Nick proposed to Nikki [awww!]), a beautiful restaurant high on the cliffs above Lake Travis. The sunsets there are quite breath-taking. Anyhow, we made a big trip to go out there (it's a bit of a ways out of town) one summer evening. Sure enough, as we get there, huge rain clouds are moving in. We decided to take our chances. As soon as we sit down, torrential downpours had us soaked in seconds. We all laughed, and thought it hilarious something like this would happen to us during all the possible summer nights we could have chosen to go there for dinner. Needless to say, we did not get to see the sunset that night, but still enjoyed their great company and dinner. I cannot think of Nick and Nikki without thinking of that dinner. good times.
Nikki and I were also pool buddies, shopping buddies and the likes. I miss her, and the fact that there haven't been too many girls here in the department makes her presence missed even more. They are getting married this summer, and just bought a house. I knew had to send along some things as a sort of house-warming gift.

First I did some crochet produce bags. Nikki was here when I decided to take up learning how to crochet and knit. Remember that knit square I did way back when? Yeah, she was the second person I proudly showed it off to, in a sort of "Look, Mommy!" moment. As well as many of my other early projects. She thoughtfully picked up a knit and crochet magazine for me one day when she was at Barnes and Noble, so I wanted to do at least one gift of that craft for her.

two crochet bags: one dusty rose and the other heather grey cotton blend

The pattern I followed for these was from the Purl Bee - Whit's linen grocery tote. I love the Purl Bee, they always have such great tutorials on this site. I have done several of them, and this was another easy, relatively quick project. I hope they work out well. . . it looks like they can get pretty stretchy. She already has plans for riding her bike to the farmers market downtown and using them once it warms up. I'm glad she likes them.

I also did a napkin set, using this great tutorial. I'd made them before, for my sister Ashley. She is keeping hers in her hope chest. =) Though now, I'm kind of feeling bad that she got those particular ones. They were the very first thing I made with my brand new sewing machine, and pretty much making something on my own. ever. So they've definitely got all that first-time love and little mistakes going on. Nikki's set turned out drastically different.

front of the napkin. the back is a dark wine red, you can see a glimpse of it to the left of the top-facing napkin.

I am kind of confused by that picture. Does it look kind of blurry to you too? It's weird, some parts look clear, others blurry. maybe my eyes are starting to give out on me. It's my only one of a single napkin front so I had to use it. please forgive me if it's just a bad picture! I'm really trying to be better and more conscientious of the photos I take.

I chose that print because Nikki spent some time in Paris, and I remember her telling me about some of her travels in Europe. I've never been there myself, but this reminded me of that, with the fancy flowers, swirlymagigs (I can imagine this embedded in the ancient architecture, moldings, etc), French script, and Paris passport stamps.

with one of my plates

I am so glad she liked the fabric, and she told me she was really needing a set of napkins. They just got a new dining table and she said that they looked great together. As if I had seen their table and made the set accordingly. I don't know how I am so lucky with picking these sorts of things out!

the whole set and pouch

There are six napkins and a linen pouch to store them in. The tutorial is awesome, I was able to follow it on my own, with little to no prior sewing experience to make that first set for Ash. Next time I make these though, I think I will make the napkins a bit bigger. I have long legs and they had just a little extra over my lap. I don't think they could even begin to think about covering Ryan's lap, plus I like a nice big napkin. Half the time I'm using them to keep my legs warm anyways. =)

tucked away inside their pouch

Ryan was impressed when I showed them to him, he thought they looked like something you would buy at a department store. I made sure to be as impeccable as possible, but I thought he was being overly nice, because he loves me and is always complimenting me like that. I talked to Nikki after she got them, and she said that when she opened the gift, she and her mom could not tell if I had made them or not. I had attached washing instructions, but did not say if I had made them and they had a hard time telling the difference. Can't say that I'm not proud of that. =) So Ash, if you want a better version of that napkin set, just let me know, k? You can tell me if you want different fabric too. I can whip it out for ya.

The last part of the gift was a game, since they helped me establish game nights down here. It's the Werewolves of Miller's Hollow. I don't remember if I raved about this game yet on here, but it's awesome. It's for large groups (you need a minimum of 8, and can get up to 50!) and it is a lot like the Mafia game. I've never played Mafia myself, but others who have played both say that Werewolves is more fun. The overall point of the game is the same, but there are special characters and situations that add some nice twists and keep the things interesting. We love it here (we've even had a department game featuring the game and that never happens here), and it's spreading like wildfire at my sisters' college campuses. Since Nick comes from a family of 8 and all his siblings pretty much have their own families, I knew they would have enough people to play. This is what the game cover looks like. It's just a small box with a set of cards, and their is also an expansion pack. I have both, bought from Amazon and it's so worth it.

Get this game I tell you!


at the Iguana Grill on Lake Travis celebrating my 25th birthday
(me, Ryan, Chris, Nick, Nikki)

Congratulations on your new house Nick and Nikki! Hope to catch up with you guys in person sometime soon.

All About the Weekend(s)

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's weekend! I did. Our weather has been kind of cold, but I don't mind being cooped up indoors for a little bit. I did some not-so-spring cleaning. Washing the walls. and the base boards. cabinets too. REALLY good vacuuming. dusting. even those bits that collect so well on the fan blades and in the air vents. all the laundry. then I lit some lavender candles and did lots of sewing. That's why you guys got those tease photos of Myla's quilt. I had so much fun. I haven't gotten to do that much crafty stuff in a long time. Usually when I do things it's because I have to. I am leaving for a wedding that week and I need a wedding present. Or it's someone's birthday. You know. And while I do have a stack of things that I "need" to do (like Myla's quilt because she was born just over two months ago), things that are bugging me because I don't like having a bunch of unfinished things left around waiting to be given to that special person to commemorate that significant moment in their life, there isn't that big of a rush for when I get them done. Gifts like those can be given at almost any time. I put those deadlines on myself.
So I had a really fun weekend of sewing, because I decided to do so for myself. And now I'm wishing I could all the time. Maybe someday.
Anyhow, Ryan got me some great presents. Gingher goodies!

rotary cutter

I already had one, but it was the cheap-o one from Joann. It get's the job done, but it's not something that will really last. And when Joann has a 30% off sale for a President's Day sale, you gotta thank honest Abe (along with our many other great presidents) and let your man treat you once in a while. Am I right? This thing cuts so smoothly. I'm excited for when I'll have the time to use it more often. I'm thinking I'll send the other one to my sisters. To my knowledge, they don't have a rotary cutter and they only do light sewing, so I think it will suit them well.

Also, new thread snippers.

it's a cute stork!

I had snippers (emphasis had), some my sister Ashley got me, and they got lost when I brought them up to Oklahoma at Thanksgiving. I looked everywhere for them. sad. These guys will do as a replacement though. I love watching the stork open and close his beak as he snips my thread. I'm very easily amused.

So I spent most of the weekend, using some of my new tools in working on Myla's quilt. Sunday night Ryan and I went to the Alamo to see a movie. Jeff Bridges, one of Ryan's favorite actors, has a new movie out called Crazy Heart. I had no idea what it was about, Ryan didn't really either, but it was Jeff Bridges, so it had to be good. It WAS good! It's a musical , not like Moulin Rouge but more like Walk the Line, and it is country music. Jeff Bridges sings. So does Colin Farrell. What? not expected. I was pleasantly surprised, they are both really good, and the story was great too. I am sure Ryan will end up buying it when it comes out. I love films where the actors do things like singing and playing the guitar or other instruments. It adds a whole other dimension to them, and I respect them all the more for it, especially if they weren't very musical before the project.

They actually filmed a part of the movie at a Toby Keith concert in New Mexico in 2008, so it's a live performance. Pretty crazy. Take a peek:



We had some time to kill before the movie, so we went to Barnes and Noble. I went upstairs to the craft section to check out Alicia Paulson's book, Stitched in Time. She is the wonderful artist who wrote the pattern I used for Myla's quilt, and I love visiting her blog. It's definitely in my top three. I love her style, her writing, and she is a big inspiration for me. Everything over there just seems so magical.

Ryan ended up getting that for me too!

I'm such a spoiled girl.

This weekend, so funny how time always manages to fly right on by, was really nice too. Yesterday was absolutely GORGEOUS. It was about 75 degrees and sunny with a light breeze. Our first warm day of the year. Oh man, I soaked that up. Ryan and I went to a UT baseball game, part of their opening weekend. Emma and James joined us there (she is a first year in our group and my workout buddy). For someone who seems to fail to have an internal thermostat and maintain her own body temperature, it was so nice to wear a sundress outside and not need to be bundled up in warm-ups and a sweater. I even got a little sunburned on my shoulders.

However, I am confused. How can you go from that sort of weather to expecting 1-3 inches of snow tomorrow? Really, I just checked the weather, because it is brrrrrr. . . cold outside right now.

Ducks, and then a Tease

And so the hunting saga continues....

Once we had arrived in southern California, we celebrated my brother's birthday on Christmas Eve. We had a delicious home-cooked meal and the great company of family and a few close friends. Then, Christmas Day, we DIDN'T celebrate Christmas. I know, what's wrong with us? Well we didn't do Christmas in the sense of opening presents and all that. Why, you ask? As I am sure I've mentioned before, my family (immediate and extended) is rather large and we all celebrate Christmas together. At least in the good old days before everyone grew up and moved away. We also have the Secret Santa thingamagig which I mentioned when Ryan got his hunting gear. With this year being quite lean compared to most, we knew there weren't going to be a whole lot of presents, so the Secret Santa and white elephant exchanges were going to be a highlight. Oom Tiki and his girls were going to be with Kelly's family on Christmas day. AND, Tante San, who now lives in the great wet state of Washington, was in Vegas with Mem, who had to work until the 27th, but then they were going to come to see us. So we decided to hold off on all the present opening until everyone could be here with us and participate in the special events like old times. So, our "Christmas" was on the 28th. It was a good time, though not quite like old times since we were missing some people (mainly Alyss and Willem) but nearly everyone was there. Also, Tante San was flying out the next morning, so there was not enough time to make the big Dutch-Indo spread that she used to do. Anyhow, we were going to have another family classic, sate with spicy peanut sauce and cucumber salad, for dinner followed by opening presents on the evening of the 28th. Jopie took Ryan out to Salton Sea for duck hunting earlier that day.

With a morning that started at 3am, it was a trekker. I didn't get to go so I couldn't get any pictures while they were out there. But here's what I got when they came back.

seven birds total: 1 coot, 2 greenheads and 4 ruddies

Did you know Daffy Duck is a coot? Aw, sad. These aren't just from Ryan and Oom Jopie, the Robs also went with them (Jopie's friend Rob, and his son "little" Rob). Ryan got three of the birds. Actually, funny story. It seems that with duck hunting, you can't really just go out to the lake/pond and go hunting. There are clubs and special days, yadda, yadda, and certain times you should go to increase your chances of getting some birds. Ducks can be elusive creatures. Basically, you want to go on days when other hunters are out there, so that the birds they scare come flying over to you, and vice versa. OR, you want to go on a day that is cold, windy, rainy and basically, miserable. This is because the ducks will constantly be moving around to find a better place to sit on the water, and they might come towards you. However, the day that the boys went, it was sunny and was the hunting club's off-day. No one was out there (this is why Oom Tiki didn't go). Well Oom Tiki called one of his friends who lives/works? out there to ask him if he has seen anybody(my uncle and the boys) and the guy says, "No, it's been really quiet. There's no one out here. Well except for these two fat guys in a canoe rowing around the lake." Oom Tiki says that this cannot be my uncle because he knows that you don't want to be rowing around in a canoe! You need to be in a duck blind waiting for the birds to come your way. Oom Tiki relayed this conversation to all of us back at home since we were waiting for Oom Jopie and Ryan to return from the trip. They didn't have their cell phones on them while they were out hunting, and the drive back is through the desert and the boonies with no signal, so we had no idea what is was like until they returned and we got to ask them how it went. This was their response..." Oh, it sucked until we got the canoe out." At that point, we all just started busting up laughing while they looked at us cluelessly, because what could possibly be funny about rowing around in a canoe? Apparently Jopie took command of the canoe, rowing around to make the birds fly while the others got to shoot. Each of the other guys took turns sitting at the front of the canoe shooting and moving to different locations around the lake. Since there was no rain, wind or other hunters around to do that job, Jopie was a good sport and rowed around all day. Hilarious story though.

The ruddies aren't edible. While they don't taste very good, I think because they are mud-sifters, they have high levels of toxins in them. The coot is not edible either, but the greenheads are.

Can see that gleam of green on their heads?

You have to look hard, but it's more obvious in the photo of Ryan holding them. Their feathers, particularly the down on the their bellies, are sooo soft. Actually feeling what goes inside those down pillows and comforters lends a great understanding as to why they are so luxe.

daytime. aren't they pretty?

Don't worry. . . we didn't let that meat go to waste!

mmmm....Asian duck pizza.

Not the prettiest, but it sure was yummy. Ryan says this was the best pizza he'd ever had. While it was good, I don't know if I would go that far. I am sure his manly pride was having a severe effect on his taste buds. =) Duck meat is pretty strong and has a distinct taste, I don't think I'd ever really had it prior to this. I'm glad that we did something where the flavor was more diffuse, rather eating a whole stuffed duck or something. The greenheads are also fairly small, like a cornish game hen, once they are dressed, so there was not a whole lot of meat to begin with. We got the crust from Trader Joe's. So good. I'd make more homemade pizzas, except we don't have a Trader Joe's here. Guess I have to go exploring for a good equivalent.

Oom Tiki took Ryan out on another trip, with more "ideal" conditions, but they didn't get anything. Bummer. But that goes to show you never know what you're going to get. Ryan had so much fun though, and I know he's aching to go out with my uncles again in the fall. Thanks Oom Jopie and Oom Tiki for showing him such a good time!

This man is SO proud of these birds.

Want to see a bit of something I am really proud of? It's not quite done yet, but I worked really (like really) hard on it this weekend. My fingers are sore. I hope this makes you smile as much it did me!

sneak peek of Myla's quilt top outside

on the floor getting ready for a sandwich!

I'm about to burst with excitement to show you more . . . but it will have to wait. Don't worry, I have other things to share in the mean time. Happy Monday!

Brooklyn's Birthday!

So baby Brooklyn's birthday has been set. . . February 18th! She is in the upright position, so they have scheduled a C-section. I just found out that I was like that too, then turned and ended up being a week early. Maybe she will also turn and come early, otherwise that is when we can expect to see her! Can't wait.

As another part of her Christmas present, I made 12 burping cloths. These are just Gerber cloth diapers ($8.00 at Walmart), with some fabric bordered by a ribbon sewed onto them. This way, they are obviously burping cloths, and not a diaper! Wouldn't want to get those switched, even if it was washed. yuck. All in all, I'd say these are around $20 for supplies, and then time and love to make. But I think they are really special, and would love to get some cute burping cloths when I eventually welcome a little one . . . or I could just make them for myself.

There are two of each type of print. The ribbons may vary.

These were SO much easier to make than the ones I did for Nolan. For one, the diaper cloths were actually diapers. The ones before were just like, huge cloth squares. I bought the exact same thing. Maybe a lack in quality control? not sure. I had to resize his, which ended up being a lot more work. Erinn loved how they were so big though.

I think I am going to be making these for every person I know that has a baby. They are just that simple, and I think, practical. Question though: I made the fabric and ribbon strips go across the width of the cloth rather than from top to bottom. It seemed to me like you wouldn't want to rub baby's face with some ribbon since it can be a bit coarse. I've been asked why I didn't run these lengthwise. Makes sense to you guys, right?

Some closeups of the prints . . .


I love those dots. They remind me of sherbert ice cream for some reason. Oh how I am longing for some warm spring/summer days right now. We are COLD here. Like 25 degrees lower than our usual for this time of year. I was walking back to lab in sleet/ rain/ hail/ ice / craziness today.

Ugh. I need to pay more attention to my photos! Sorry I was in a hurry. The monkey is upside-down, but it says "little monkey". And the one to the left of it says, "sweet baby, miracle baby". I think all of these prints are super cute. The furthest left is a baby animal with its mommy (zebras, elephants, giraffes, etc.) I got all of the prints at Joann. Hmmm....don't mind the ironing board cover though. yikes. Maybe one of my sisters can make my mom a new one (hint, hint girls!).

The one in the pink has the names and pictures of various animals (horsey, piggie, ducky, etc) including giraffes. Kelly's daughter, Brianna, squealed when she saw them. She loves giraffes.

all folded up and ready to be wrapped up with snuggle bunny!

I sewed these up the day that they were going to be opened (they were coming over for presents that evening). I couldn't have done it without Meryl. She was my pinning hero since the pinning takes the longest. She pinned while I sewed and we finished right on time. I love you Mem . . . you're awesome.

I can't wait for your birthday Brooklyn!

Brooklyn Nichole's Birthday Month

It's February! That means my new little cousin, Brooklyn Nichole, is coming this month! I am SO excited. I can't wait to see her cute little face, smile, fingers and toes. I am so sad that I won't be in California to see her right away, but I know my sisters will be taking lots of pictures for me. I am so happy for Oom Tiki and his family to welcome their new little one so soon!

I was not able to go to Kelly's baby shower so I had to get my gifts done in time as Christmas presents. First up, the snuggle bunny.

I like how she looks kind of vintage style baby toy. The yarn is Bernat baby softee in soft peach. I made her eyes and nose with brown embroidery floss. I used a free pattern from Lion Brand Yarn for her, the fuzzy bunny pattern. I used polyester fiberfill to stuff her head. That used to be the only fill Joann's had, but I was just there yesterday and discovered that now they carry a bamboo fill. It's more expensive, but from now on, that's what I am going to use. It's natural and SO much softer....very yummy for soft baby presents and stuffed animals.

The yarn isn't fuzzy, but it is very soft. And I think she turned out really cute. I hope Brooklyn loves her!

And, I know, I had said I would post about the hunting trips....like TWO WEEKS AGO. I don't know what happened...it's been a blur. I'll do it though, promise. =)

Aaron and Carmelita's Wedding Quilt

This past August, my cousin Aaron got married! I am so glad I was able to go up to Oregon to celebrate their tying the knot. It was such a great time with all the Oregon cousins....it had been over 4 years since I had seen some of them! I love my family, because no matter how long it is between seeing each other, whenever we get back together, it's as if we've never spent a day apart. GOOD TIMES.

I had the hardest time deciding what to get them for a wedding present, so I tried to go for something more meaningful and special. They were registered at REI, so I figured they love to do outdoorsy things. Ding! Then I remembered Erin's picnic blanket, and I thought that would be the perfect thing to make for them.

I had never made a big blanket like this before, let alone one that is a sandwich (top, batting, back). So even though it's not really a quilt (or is it?) it kind of is. I only had the week leading up to the wedding, and since the top is not a complicated pattern I thought it would be doable and that I could finish it on time.

I was unsure about what colors to do, but I thought purple, green and white prints would look nice together, and made me think of the beautiful Oregon outdoors.

I got the top piece and the quilt sandwich finished just in time to be able to pack it up in my suitcase and leave for the airport. It was that close. I finished it off by adding the ties while I was up there in the time leading up to the wedding, which ended up being late the night before since we were all running around doing errands. It was all so much fun. Since it was late though, the lighting was bad and I did not get to take any pictures of it so these photos come by way of the bride herself. Thank you Carmelita!

A closer image of some of the prints.
(Pictures will open a bigger viewing window when clicked)

Rather than quilting the sandwich by machine or hand, it is tied down at the intersections of the squares and in the center of each square with white embroidery floss.

The pocket

Each corner has a pocket on the underside for rocks to be put in to weigh them down. No blankets blowing over and away in the wind! GENIUS idea.

It's pretty much queen-sized . . . I made it considerably larger than the pattern called for, which could fit two smaller sized people. At least this one can be taken out on future family outings. =)

I am so glad that they loved it. I don't think I could have chosen a more perfect thing to make. When Aaron proposed to Carmelita, he took her on a picnic to the Oregon coast. Her favorite color is purple, and the wedding colors were purple, green and white. I had no idea!! Pretty awesome, huh?

I love you guys!

Coffee Cozies for Christmas

Man oh man has this week been stressful. Ryan and I leave for California on Sunday morning. That's less than TWO days away! It doesn't feel like Christmas yet....I don't know when it's going to settle in. I have so many presents to make and haven't done a single one. I had a big presentation to do at work today, so everything has been leading up to that as well as making some big decisions regarding what my next step is. But, in all of this, despite a few nights of tears my path has been set. I'll plan on starting to write my thesis late January to defend in May with the hopes of starting up a new FRI research stream and doing a sort of teaching post doc. Every time I tell someone what I am doing, it sounds so surreal to say it, that my days here are finally numbered. It's a good feeling though. And I am so excited about potentially working with the FRI - Freshman Research Initiative - (we still have to write proposals so it is not 100% that I have the job, but chances are good). I love their mission, and I love the people involved. Getting to work with them at the TA level the past couple of years has been a real treat, so I can't wait to see what actually being a part of the program is like.

Yesterday afternoon though, I realized that today was the last day I would have on campus to see Penny, Rachel and Jenna before the Christmas holiday since they don't work on Saturdays. They are the angels in the graduate student office who look out for us and make sure everything is squared away with our research and TA appointments (basically make sure we get paid!) and help us out with anything they can. Penny is like a second mom to us. She's so awesome, and really is like reason number 2 that I chose to come to UT. She's just the best. Then I came to the realization that I needed to do something for these kind souls....QUICK! Enter Erin Harris and her awesome coffee cozy tutorial over at House on Hill Road. You know, like those cardboard thingies you put on your coffee cups.
I made it my mission to have all of my presentation slides completed before I got home and then to make said cozies as gifts. Luckily I had everything I needed in my stash, saving me a trip to JoAnn in the limited amount of time I had. All in all, it took me 3 hours to make the three cozies, including selecting, ironing and cutting fabrics and batting, all the way to wrapping and writing the cards. NOT BAD!! And once you've made one and figured it out, its WAY EASY after. Seriously, if you need a last minute gift this is awesome. And the ladies absolutely loved them when they opened them this morning!

Incredibly easy coffee cozies, to keep the hot in the cup and not on your hand.
Penny got the pink/brown in top left.
Rachel got the aqua/pink one front and center
Jenna got the green/purple.

Gosh I can't get over how easy these are!!

inside view. Sorry Jenna's blends in so well, I covered my ironing board with the same fabric so that it's cover wouldn't be so distracting.

I didn't have a paper coffee cup, but I put it on my water squirt bottle so you can see it in action. so cute!

Sorry I didn't get a pic of the final wrapped product....forgot. I didn't have any good little boxes or wrapping paper, but I did have some tulle. So I laid out a small square of tissue paper (the better for hiding presents with my dear) on top of a square of tulle, placed the cozy in the center and gathered this up around the cozy . I finished and secured it with tied curly red and gold ribbon. Looked pretty awesome for something on the fly!

AND...the presentation went really well today. Now that that's off my chest, can't wait to get home, make some presents and start packing for the trip to Cali!

I hope everyone has a WONDERFULLY MERRY CHRISTMAS and a safe and HAPPY NEW YEAR!! See you in 2010!

Myla's bunny

Here are some pictures of the bunny I crocheted for Ryan's newest niece, Myla. She was born on Saturday morning. I made it for her while I was up in Stillwater. I had brought some yarn and materials to make the bunny on the drive up on Wednesday, but it just wasn't happening. First the yarn, while really nice (I still had a bunch of bamboo silk left over from Aunt K's hat) it looked kind of plain and since it was lightweight, the bunny was going to turn out being really small. Second, I got really sleepy in the car trying to crochet while Ryan drove, and I needed to be a good passenger and keep him company so I had to put it away. So for the rest of the trip...no more bunny making.

I had also brought some other yarn, a skein each of pretty cream and purple and I spent most of the day Saturday (while we were watching football)after Thanksgiving crocheting a hat. I ran out of yarn so I headed over to Hobby Lobby but they didn't have the same brand or colors, but they had TONS of other cute yarn so I grabbed some more to start that bunny again. I NEEDED to leave something with Jenny for Myla because I would be a bad future-aunt if I didn't. So, I proceeded with this project knowing full well that I would have to finish the whole thing before we left the next day. My mind was set and I was going to do it.
I grabbed the yarn and embroidery thread and headed back to the house. I started it at about 7pm and crocheted until 3am during which time I was able to finish the arms, legs and body. Then the next morning as soon as I got up and ate breakfast, I crocheted the ears, attached them to the body and embroidered the eyes, nose and mouth. I worked like a mad womane and even ended up with some blisters on my fingers but it was worth it because she turned out really cute! And the yarn, while already soft, is the type of cotton where you know it's going to get super soft with age, wear and love. I hope Myla likes it. I'm secretly hoping it becomes her "baby"....the one toy that kids cannot go to sleep or leave the house without.

It is about 12" tall, and is made of a variegated cream, light pink, magenta and brown cotton yarn. I'm forgetting what brand it is at the moment...I think it is Bernat cottontots.

I would definitely use this yarn again, it works up very nicely and is really soft.

it really is the perfect baby snuggle bunny

Isn't she cute?

isn't she cuter? her eyes are so big!

Jenny and Myla - you both look great!

Myla - she has the cutest little button nose. She's perfect

I took these last three photos from Jenny's facebook page. =)