Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Found!

Caleb was cut off from the computer and his iPod for the night, so in his desperate boredom he wandered around my sewing room, looking at stuff.

And he found my camera! There was much rejoicing! For some weird reason I had set it down on a high shelf that I don't use much. Huzzah! (see, much rejoicing)

Graditude Wrap

And with it I have the pictures of the Gratitude Wrap I made last week for my friend's birthday. I followed the tutorial by the wonderful Amanda Soule.  It's a fabulous little pattern - went together in an afternoon/evening even including a run to the store for some bias tape and three tries at using said tape!

Original Joel Dewberry Aviary in Pink (oh how I love his fabrics) for my friend who loves Pink.

Graditude Wrap

Cute plum gnomes inside!

Graditude Wrap

I had fun filling it with envelope stickers, 4x6 patterned scrapbook cardstock for notes, and a stack of hand made note cards.  My friend is always quick with a cute hand written note, so I thought she would enjoy the variety of stuff.

The bias binding - oh my.  The whole thing has rounded corners to make binding a little easier.....for those who can do it I suppose.  I am not one of those people.  I had all kinds of trouble.

Graditude Wrap

First I actually made my own double fold bias binding out of a pink stripe that I thought was going to be awesome.  Oh, when you cut bias binding strips from a sequenced stripe that has a specific direction, you have half of the pieces flowing the wrong way when you cut it while folded.  ahem.  Once it was finally done and ready to attach though, I hated it with the Aviary.  So I ran out to the store to see if I could find a good pre-made match and was happy to get this solid pink.

Happy as a clam I attach the tape as Amanda instructs and after one corner find I've missed catching a bunch.  Rip it out - pull out my binding clips - rig up the whole perimeter and try again very slowly.  Well I caught it all, but I stood there looking at it and hated it.  Seriously NOT GOOD at machine binding, it was wobbly and I could just hear Heidi Klum saying, "It looks Home Sewn."  Rip it all out again.  Measure and am relieved that I actually have enough left to try again without having to use the piece with lots of holes up and down the edge.

This time I opened up the double fold tape all the way, and kind of stitched in the ditch of the fold on the inside - trying to ease around the corners.  Yeah, not very good at the whole easing thing, either.  But at least I didn't hate it after once around.

Graditude Wrap

Then I folded it around to the front as if I was finishing off a quilt, and hand stitched that front edge with the ladder stitch.   It is much easier to ease around those corners with hand work.  But I was kind of wishing they were just simple miters.  I know how to do those!  Once I placed the final stitch I sat back and was very happy.  This was how I wanted it to look!  A final pass over both the front and back with the steam iron settled it all into place very nicely.

Graditude Wrap

I finished the whole thing off with some cards made with stitched on scraps. Very relaxing after the binding saga.

So glad Caleb found the camera so I could share the gift with you. I had such a good time making and giving it.

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Tuesday, August 23, 2011

My B-Becket!

On the bus for the first time to Kindergarten!  He's cute in the little uniform and so small....so a bunch of pictures to document the event.

Becket's first day
Dad is going to take too many pictures...

Becket's first day
Backpacks are fun

Becket's first day
I'll scrunch down like you, Dad.....

Already properly scuffed
...which gives his dress shoes the proper first scuffs!

Becket's first day
Running to the bus corner.

Becket's first day
Playing some Simon Says to pass the time.

Becket's first day
Waiting.....

Becket's first day
"We've been here like 20 minutes Mom"  Um, sorry.  Caleb's bus pulls away at least 10 minutes ahead of schedule every day.  I didn't want to miss it!

Becket's first day
There is a LOT of waiting during 20 minutes.

Becket's first day
It's here!

Becket's first day
The nice bus driver lets me snap a quick picture.  Becket looks happy!

I quickly hopped into the car and drove over to the church - only beat the bus there by a few minutes.  I hid and watched him get off - he looked happy and spoingy.  Then the bus driver pulled up and said they did great!

I hope he has lots of fun.

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Monday, August 22, 2011

Starts

My camera went missing sometime Wednesday after I took pictures of the cute Gratitude Wrap I made my friend for her birthday.  I have just about tore the whole house up looking for it.  I fear that it somehow ended up in the garbage - Thursday morning is garbage day.  Ugh!  It had a super nice SDcard in it for movies, too.

I fished the older camera out of one of the boys' rooms and am grudgingly using it now.  I'm refusing one of the many SLRs Mark has gathered up in his hobby.

comfort August

It's my month again in do. Good Stitches and asked for blue/green greek crosses.  They were fun to make!

do good crosses

And I have most of them in already.  What a great quilt our group is making - I love all the different fabrics.

red blue cross start

I just had to start one myself - so there is a stack of red/blue crosses waiting to be joined together.

sashing experiment....

And on the cutting table I have some strips cut for a cornerstone/sashing experiment.   I always have trouble with them being nice and straight from end to end - so I thought why not piece a big stack and cut the whole row at once.  We'll see if the accuracy is better or worse!

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Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Sunny Spots

Sunny Spots

For my month as quilter in do. Good Stitches {a Charity Bee} I thought it would be fun to have everybody try out pieced applique shapes. I asked them each to send just the finished CD-sized circle, not sewn down, in sunny yellow/orange/green.

Sunny Spots

They only had to send two, but many sent MANY! So fun. A collection hang out on the back - they're wild and crazy, unlike the evenly spaced rows on the front.

Sunny Spots

Since all the circles had finished edges, it was easy to attach them to the whole cloth front. Oh, I almost forgot how pleased I was figuring out how to get them all perfectly spaced. With 5 rows and 5 columns I evenly folded the top and creased it both horizontally and vertically for each row. Then I just pinched the circles to find the middle and placed it right on each cross made by my folds. A quick zigzag makes sure nothing pops open for the child.

Sunny Spots

Some of my very favorite green made a cute binding. I'm hoarding that print in about three colorways. I love it so.

Sunny Spots

Hopefully these Sunny Spots will bring a sunny smile to a child. It was great fun making it! Thanks Comfort team.

Now just a tad of required 1st day of school talk.....Caleb is off to High School. First time he hasn't been a walker.

1st day

The bus was supposed to be there at 6:46(am! so early!) With the first day adrenalin we were out the door just a touch early, luckily. The bus pulled away from the curb at 6:40 - a few of his neighbor friends had to run a bit to catch it.

Thank goodness for the staggered start times for our morning sanity, Kenton doesn't really have to get his day started until Caleb is out the door. So as the bus was pulling out, Kenton was just starting his morning run. (He does it every day! On his own!) Anyway, as he turned the corner for his jog, the bus thought he was running to catch it and stopped. I yelled for him to turn around and run the block clockwise today. A good morning laugh.

1st day 7th grade

He's off to 7th grade.

Becket doesn't start until next Monday - we've chosen to send him to a private K-8 school. With a Different. Schedule. This will be a true test to my organizational skills this year. I'm aiming for no missed/forgotten days of school those 28 times when they're days off don't line up.

Gotta grab the browines, they're done. Yummy 1st day treat!

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Monday, August 15, 2011

OP {Docksiders} Acid wash?!

It must be all the family reunion stuff I did a week ago.  As I was falling asleep OP popped into my head last night.

Super old - very Cute playground

OP - Docksiders - Izod
{Had to have it all}
Everything else was Like Grody, Gag me with a Spoon.  Fer Sure, early 80's in south Florida, Wellington.  We were seriously it, at the pool - tennis club - polo field.  
Totally.....right!

Up the ski jump
Kenton went all the way to the top!  It is WAY high.  Ski jump in Iron Mountain.

Late 80's - moved north to Chicagoland.
Benetton sweaters huge.  Acid Wash jeans high waisted and tiny tapers.
Choose from Tiffany or Poison.

Gram and Aunty Loulou.
Gram and Great Aunty LouLou

I googled OP for the fun of it and find that it is exclusively now at WalMart(!) and I think I'm thankful that not too many photos are around of those late 80's high school years.

august stack

I did finish a little stack of toddler sized quilts.

More to share as school finally starts up again!
(Only about 45 hours away.  Not like I'm counting down or anything)

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Sunday, August 07, 2011

Argument of the Day

The Sun is a Star.

So does it follow that any star is a sun?

I am so glad we're home now and can banish the boys to three separate floors for a while.  Because even once you find the answer online they can argue the finer points and semantics for a Very. Long. Time.

Mmmmmm one more frosty mug.

The Iron Mountain A&W is the best!


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Friday, August 05, 2011

Ya Hey Der

The colors are amazing.

We're having lots of U.P. fun

I'll be back next week! 
With a belly stuffed by the pasty tour we're completing.

It's a moose!  No wait, it's just Caleb in the new hat he LOVES.





Shuffle board hop scotch