Holy Goodness, May is Half Over!

The spring is just flying by!  I've been too busy to post but here's a little current sewing mania!

Here is the current progress on the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt.  I'm trying to stay on track with two blocks a week but I'll admit, I'm slightly behind!  My goal is to finish this one before school starts back in August.  If you aren't farming and you feel compelled to, do it.  I don't really even like sampler quilts but this has been an amazing skill builder for me.  I'm a MUCH better quilter for having done this.  This is the 64 block mark!  I have 47 to go!

Also, on the table is a quilt top waiting for me to make the back and quilt it for a charity auction. It's made entirely of the reprinted Flea Market Fancy fabric cut into triangles!  I must say, I've struggled a little with the bias-y triangles but in the end, it's going to be fine.

I've also spent some time playing with random placement of half-square triangles on the placemats below.  I made the triangles and just started putting them together with little to no thought.  I really love how these placemats came together.  They are a wedding present!

And even though this picture is crooked and dark and hideous, these new matryoshka dolls are adorable!  This quilt is being made for a very special little girl!  Hopefully, it will be done this week!  I'll post finished pics.

AND....the big news is that my Little Red and Her Big Bad Quilt sold in my etsy shop!!!!  Now I can never say again that I've never sold anything!  I'm so blessed on this Mother's Day.  My family is a huge blessing in my life.  My mom is incredible!  My mother-in-law is wonderful!  And my step-mother is amazing!  AND...I have the two most wonderful children ever.  These people keep me going and I thank God for all of them.

Little Red and Her Big Bad!

This is my new favorite!  Well, at least this week's favorite.  Introducing, Little Red and her Big, Bad!  This quilt was made with charm squares from the "Walk In The Woods" fabric line by Aneela Hoey for Moda Fabrics.  I paper pieced the characters and then built the quilt around them.  This is monumental for me because it's one of the two quilts that I listed for sale on etsy.com today!  I've never sold anything!  But today, I listed this and the matryoshka doll quilt!  You can find the listings here!

Here are some photos of the matryoshka dolls again too!

No Time to Write...So Just a Picture!

Calling her "Half Dozen Cousins"

Sisters, Daughters, and Cousins

Last weekend's sewing projects were so girly!  First up was a dress for my daughter to wear in a wedding on March 23rd.  I know it seems a little last minute but I was afraid to do it too soon because of the rate at which she is currently growing:)   The bride's only specification was that she was to wear white, so this is what I came up with.  We loosely interpretted a pattern whose number I can't remember.  Then I did a lot of fitting and adjusting and ended up with this.  

This child has captured my heart in so many innumerable ways.  She brings me so much joy.  She is growing into such a marvelous human being.

Of course, then we had to shop for slip and shoes and under things!  It was pretty fun but my quilting bug was itching me something awful whilst I made the dress.  So we ended up the weekend (Sunday night) finishing these.

I think of them as cousins.  Girl cousins.  Playing dress-up.  

The matryoshka pattern is from bubble stitches available on etsy!

Monday night, I assembled their quilt top.  Apologies for the wrinkley photo!  As soon as she's quilted and the sun shines, I'll get a good picture!  I think she needs a name.  Something with cousins...

Ruby!

I finished a quilt last weekend!  The herringbone blocks are made from a tutorial I found at www.bijoulovelydesigns.com.  I fell quite in love with the blocks and decided to use them with my "Ruby" by Bonnie and Camille for Moda fabric collection.  I bought this collection when it first came out and have been petting it for quite some time.  Yesterday was finally pretty enough  to take Miss Ruby out for some photos so here they are!  

 My quilt helper wasn't tall enough!  

Still not tall enough but so willing to help!  "Hey, Mom, I have an idea!  Why don't you hold the quilt and let me take the picture?"   

Much better!  Photo credits to Tucker Skaggs.  Gracias!

What I Did When I Should Have Been Doing Something Else!

The house needs cleaned and the dogs need walked and the groceries need fetched and the car needs cleaned out and the dinner needs cooked so of course, I didn't know where to start and decided not to start at all!  This little matryoshka was so much more fun!

Sunshine On A Cloudy Day

Naming a quilt has never been my modus operandi but this one is getting a name.  She shall be known as Sunshine on A Cloudy Day.  This is a wedding present for a wonderful friend.  I am going to type up the thought behind the title and include it with the gift.  If you are married, you know that marriage is not always sunshine.  Sometimes it's gray, stormy drizzle.  Sometimes it's a downright hurricane.  On those days you have to look really hard for the sunshine and if you can't find it you have to make your own.  Here's hoping that, for my friend, the sunshiney days always outnumber the cloudy ones and on those really gray days that she can find the light even if she has to use her imagination!

 Quilt front

 Quilt back

 All rolled up and ready for gifting!

Oh, this one isn't like those!  A new quilt top!  Using the herringbone blocks.  It'll be finished soon and I'll be back with another post!