Quarter 2: Finish-A-Long Projects

You'd think I'd remember to write my post for the 2nd Quarter of the FAL over at She Can Quilt, but of course, I'm doing it last minute again. :) That's just how I roll right now I guess. ;)

Anyway, I'm so excited to have some of the projects from last quarter off my list, but I also have some new projects to add. Let's see how I do this quarter. I'm hopeful!


Here's my list in no particular order:

Quilts:

1. Mabel's Quilt. Just waiting to be basted. I've been holding off on this because I'm so nervous to quilt it! I got both of the boys quilts professionally quilted, and they look so good. I don't want hers to be any less amazing. I really wanted to quilt flowers on it, which I might still do, but I think I'm finally ok to just do what I'm good at and make it look good rather than try something I'm not good at just to make it comparable to the boys quilts. Anyway, I think she'll love it if I can finish it. :) For some reason I really don't want to crawl all over the floor to baste it right now. Hm, I wonder why that could be?! ;)

2. Kaleidoscope Quilt: I need to piece the back for it. I want to do it like the back of this quilt, but with the colors/prints I used on the front. It's just been a matter of going through my stash and pulling out all those fabrics. I really should just get this one out of the way... it's been way to long!

3. Mood Blues Quilt: I need a lot more blocks before this is finished. This quilt is stuck at about the same spot as the kaleidoscope quilt - it's just a matter of pulling fabrics for it and doing it. I have 20 blocks (all made by my bee members... one year ago?). They finish at 10" x 10", and will (almost) all have a yellow strip in the center with blues and greens. I think it'll be gorgeous! (I just pulled the blocks out to look at them again. I think seeing them and having them out is a good plan for actually making progress on them. Maybe that's my problem, I put things away and they get forgotten about!) Anyway, I'm thinking if it finishes at 60 x 70 (is that a good size?) Then I need 42 blocks, so just 22 more to go. That's not so bad I guess!

two blocks are missing from this photo.

4. Giant Granny Quilt: I actually wanted to pull this one out last night and work on it, but I resisted and worked on some of the projects that I already have out instead. I need to start finishing more instead of project hoping and not finishing any at all. I found the perfect backing for this one, and I'm so excited! I was going to make it as a floor quilt/rug type thing for Mabel's room, but I just might have to keep it for myself. :)

5. Nest Quilt: Ok, I have too many unfinished quilts. I don't know why I say "I quilt" because I don't think I make enough quilts to qualify as a quilter. lol. I've been thinking about this lately, and it kind of makes me laugh. I don't know what I do... but I don't think quilt is one of them. ;) Hoping to change that. :) This quilt and the Giant Granny are two quilts I want to write up patterns for. I think that's been my stopping block for them... there always seems to be that one extra step that puts everything on hold. Every project seems to have it... maybe if I realize that I can stop getting stuck and just finish things. :) crossing my fingers.

6. Ok, I think this is the last quilt: Baby Quilt #4. I have the pattern and design all worked out. I think even though this baby is coming NOW, I'm not even going to worry about it until I get these other quilts out of the way. Every child has had to wait a little while for their quilts, Mabel being the longest now, but oh well. At least they are getting one right?! :) I think this would be another fun quilt pattern. (Can you tell I really enjoy making patterns? I have yet to make a quilt pattern though, so I'm a little intimidated by it.) Anyway, it's actually really quick and easy!!

Are you tired of looking at all these yet? I am determined to knock all these constant repeats off my list this quarter!!!

Other Sewing Projects:

7. This Starburst Mini. I really need to finish this. I already quilted it, but I am now wishing it was bigger. I also don't know if I should make it a pillow or a mini quilt. What do you think?

8. Knitting Roll. I don't know why I stopped working on this. I'm actually really close to being done with all these 1" HST's. This is craziness. That's all. ;) I think I have 5 more rows?

9. Travel Duffel Number 2. I didn't realize that I was supposed to prewash my jute when I made my first duffle, and now I'm just waiting to get that washed (wow, I'm starting to feel really lazy with all these hangups. lol.) before I finish this second one. I'm a bit nervous to wash my first one now and hope it won't get totally ruined! I need to blog about these two and put in my two cents about the pattern... it's a fantastic end product, but there are definitely tips and things I want to remember for future times that I make it. (I'm not so fond of vague patterns. I bought it 2 years ago. Maybe it's a better pattern now? I don't know. I know a lot of people are making this right now. I'm curious.) Ok, anyway, that's for another day. I might also make one for the hubby if he ends up wanting one. I think he'd like to have his own. :) I did buy enough jute for a third.

10. Monogrammed Place mats. I'm struggling with these. You can read this post and help me out?! :) I also need to figure out what this new baby's name is going to be and make up the letters for it.

11. Numbers Fabric Book. I am SO excited about this. I am rather happy with how it's coming along and think the kiddos will enjoy it when it's done. I'll blog more about this one this week, but anyway, It will have the number on one side of the page, and then that amount of items on the opposite. It will finish at 6" x 6" closed. So it's not too big. It's been fun to work on, and a little quick. :)

12. Alphabet Book. I started on an Alphabet book before I had finished the lowercase letters for the My ABC's pattern, and only actually got a couple done. I'll either continue and make a book with these like the Numbers book, or turn it into a quilt, which I also want to make with these. :)

13.  Mug Rugs and Coasters. I did make some progress on this last quarter and got them all quilted. Now they just need binding.

14. Advent Calendar. I'm adding this because it is something I want to finish. Sometime. :)

Well, I was hoping to have less this quarter, since I finished up 4 projects last quarter, but it looks like I've added 5. oops. ;)

I also have a few other projects I want to start/make/finish, but I'm not going to add them here. Just make a list, because I like lists. :)

• Finish My ABC's Number pattern
• Make a new diaper bag. I already have the pattern and the main fabric picked out.
• I have a few other patterns I want to finish/put together, along with a few tutorials. Yes, I want to blog more, but it's not a high priority right now.
• Super high on my priority list: Swap items for Tiffany and Marika. We are doing a little private swap between the three of us, and I am SO excited because they are some of my favorite friends! So I need to get started and finished with their items. :)

Are you linking up in the 2nd Quarter FAL? 

Good luck if you are, and even if you aren't. :)

QAYG Placemats: Stuck...

I made these pieced letters a while ago (using My ABC's complete pattern - on Craftsy or Etsy). I really love them! I'm planning on making place mats with them, but the first one I started on, I am not loving. So much that I have completely stopped working on them. Ug. It's hard to stay motivated on something when you don't love it.

Here is the Jj that I started for Jackson. I'm really excited that we'll all have our own individual place mats, but I'm struggling and a little disappointed with this. I don't want to start the other ones until I figure this out... I want cute place mats, not ugly ones.

So here is my dilema/question:

What is the trick with Quilt-as-you-Go (QAYG). I don't have problems with the technique, but apparently I do with fabric choice and placement. As in...

• I wish the Jj stood out more and really popped! I think the letters are so cute, and I don't want them to be hidden.
• I really want to use these dish fabric in them, but is there a way to make the other colors of that print work? 
• Is it better to go monochromatic when making a scrappy QAYG look?  or how many prints/colors is a good amount?
• Should I add white, at least around the letters? Would that help them pop more? I really love white and think these could be rather classy, but being used as place mats for children, I'm a little weary as to how well the white will withstand the spills and messes.

Anyway, I'm a bit at a loss. I have an idea of how I could keep going with this, and maybe when I do finish it I'll actually really love it. I just don't have much confidence in it right now. lol.

If you have any suggestions for the future place mats, please let me know! I'd love all the help I can get! :)

Thanks!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

The Mr comes home today! WAHOO! 

(he's been out of town for 3 days now 

and it just gets more and more rough as I get more and more tired. 

Tonight will be the best night ever!) :)

Sewing Summit 2013!

Are you planning on attending Sewing Summit this year? I went last year and had a BLAST! It was so wonderful to get together with hundreds of other gals (and a few guys) who love to sew, quilt, learn, and just have a good time! The classes were great, the food was good. Nothing to complain about. ;)

Well, I HOPE you are coming! I will definitely be there. I know, because....

I'M TEACHING!!!

ahhh! I am SOOO excited! I have been dying to tell anyone ever since I found out. I'll be teaching "Creating Paper Pieced Patterns". Last year at Sewing Summit, and before and since then, I've had people ask me questions about different aspects of creating paper piecing patterns. I had so much fun at Sewing Summit last year, and LOVE to teach and help people, that I knew then that I wanted to try and teach a class this year. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I am more than excited. (and nervous) I hope you'll want to come join me in my class!! And I look forward to hearing feedback as to any specific questions you have, or specifics that you'd like to learn when it comes to creating your own paper piecing pattern. I'm all ears! (and I'm super excited to help everyone create their own pattern that they can make into a quilt block, or whatever, that weekend! :)

Be sure to check out the Sewing Summit website if you haven't already to see who the other amazing teachers are. I am excited to see who the rest of them will be as well (they have only announced some of them so far). I feel a little out of place with such talented people, but definitely look forward to the experience. :) It's going to be another awesome year I'm sure!!

Hooray for a last minute finish!

I finished up one more of my original projects for the 1st Quarter of the 2013 Finish-A-Long over at Can Quilt! Yay! :) Unfortunately I can't find my camera (instead I found a yucky water bug trying to look for it. I think I'll look for it again later.) So bear with me and my camera phone picture. ;)

9 Reversible Drawstring Bags
Fabric: Top row left: Valorie Wells - Nest, 4 Amy Butler Bags (the 3rd has Michael Miller on the inside) Bottom Row are all Riley Blake, I don't remember the details. Except the shells, I don't remember what that is - not Riley Blake.  The pink one with the flowers and cherries (So Cherry is the line I think) really makes me crave strawberry ice cream. lol.

I used to sell these in my Etsy shop. I still have some there, but haven't made them for a very long time. (obviously since I started these ones over a year ago!) Anyway, they are fun and I love these fabrics. Once I find my camera I'll take some better pictures of them, and probably list at least some of them in my shop. (I have a hard time not keeping them since the fabric is so great! Especially the Amy Butler.) lol.

I hope you had a wonderful Sunday! :)

(I woke up to screaming children,

which makes for a very cranky mom.

I am NOT a morning person.

So I spent a lot of time sewing today to help me recover.

But otherwise it was a fantastic day!)

1st Quarter Finish-A-Long Finishes!

I know if I don't put this post up now, I'll forget and miss out. Are you playing along in the 2013 FAL? I have been so out of touch with blogging lately, but this is one event I LOVE. I love making lists, love crossing things off, love being able to see that I'm actually making progress on my pile of WIPs.  If you don't know about this yet, you should stop by She Can Quilt and read up on all the details HERE. The first quarter is just ending (last day to link up is tomorrow - hurry if you haven't yet.) And that means the next quarter will be starting soon after, and you'll all be able to see a repeat of pictures of everything I still haven't finished. lol. ;) Pretty soon I'm sure you'll all be rooting for me, just so you can stop reading about what I'm not working on. CHEESE :D

Anyway, you can find my original post here, with all the projects I had hoped to finish this quarter. I only ended up finishing three out of the thirteen, but that is pretty good I think. Even though I finished them all at the same time, it finishes up to be one per month. If I can keep that pace up, I'll have them all finished by the end of the year (plus one of course).


For a quick round up, here they are, with the link to the finished post (if you want to read more about them) underneath each.


1. Bee Block Quilt:

read more here.

2. Mabel's Car Quilt (that she does NOT want to use in the car. lol.):

 

 read more here.

3. Christmas Table Runner:

read more here.

I especially love how this one turned out after I washed it. I am really loving the straight line crisscross quilting design right now. (this picture is before I washed it.)

So there it is!

There are my finishes.

If you're new to these parts,

welcome and thanks for stopping by! :)

and good luck to finishing up all your projects!

It's that time again!

If you've been around my blog a while, then you probably know that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka, a Mormon, aka, LDS). I shared a post last fall about a few of our basic beliefs (you can read it HERE).  Anyway, the reason why I'm posting about this again is that twice a year (the first weekend of April, and the first weekend of October) we have General Conference. I love General Conference. Not only is it the only time we can attend church in our pajamas (heehee), but we get to listen to the words of a living prophet, apostles and other leaders of the church. If you listen with an open mind and an open heart there is ALWAYS something to learn, be uplifted by, or be strengthened from. They share so much wisdom about the family, life, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and more. It doesn't always fit right along side with the ways of the world, but that can definitely be a good thing. :)

Anyway, on the LDS website (LDS.org, or Mormon.org is a great place to get your feet wet and learn the basics of our beliefs if you are knew to them.) you can watch General Conference (click Watch or listen live on the sidebar), and as I went to look at it, they had this pretty cool picture explaining conference. I wanted to share it with you.

I don't know if you can click on it to make it bigger, but you can click HERE to see it in your browser.

In my post last October I mentioned a few other people that are also LDS. Since then I've found more people who also are, that you may have heard of. ;) Joel Dewberry - amazing fabric designer! Maybe you've heard of him. ;) lol. (He mentioned that he is a member during Sewing Summit last year). Following people on Instagram: Vanessa Christenson (fabric designer, pattern designer, blogger at V and Co.), Lizzy House (fabric designer, blogger, awesomeness). Camille Roskelley (fabric designer, she has a few quilting books, and a new Craftsy class, blogger.) Dana Willard of Made. I don't know if you've ever stopped by DeliaCreates.com, Delia is also a member. We actually were in the same ward (aka, congregation) when Neil and I first got married. Dinner and games with her and her family were always such a blast!! She's awesome! And a few more names: Heather Bailey, Sarah Jane of Sarah Jane Studios, Sandy Henderson, Allison of Cluck Cluck Sew...(and there are a few more that I think are, but I'm not super sure, so I won't share. Not everyone makes it so obvious.) So anyway, if you thought you've never met a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you may be surprised that there are more of us out there than you realize. ;)

So anyway, I just wanted to share with you, and invite you to come listen, watch, read along with us! There are four sessions (all in Mountain Time): Saturday 10 am-12, 2-4 pm, Sunday 10 am - 12, 2-4 pm.

I am SO pregnant...

and it's killing me. Literally, this baby is sticking so far out from my body, it hurts to walk, and move, and I was so sad when I couldn't dance with my hubby the other day because trying to lift my legs for those tiny steps was so painful. lol. Blah. Mostly it's just this week that's been bad, but I've been really tired too. I have less than 4 weeks left!! CRAZY! I can't believe it! (due on the 27th, but all my babies came at different times, so who knows!) I am ready for him to come, but not. I think I'm ready, almost, to not be pregnant anymore, but I don't know that I'm really ready to have another baby. Ok, I am so ready to hold this little baby, and rock him, and love him. But I'm not so ready to love him AND take care of three other children, and figure out how to balance my super cuddly needy girl who never leaves my side (she is going to be MAD when she realizes that she is going to have to share me with someone else. Unfortunately she's entered a hitting stage with her brothers, so I'm not looking forward to how she treats the baby when she wants me to herself. Fortunately her and Daddy have been having more bonding time, so hopefully she can rely on him a little more during the times when I'm preoccupied.) I'm also not looking forward to getting for little ones ready for church on my own (my hubby has meetings early for church, so he leaves before we even wake up), nor sitting by myself with 4 little ones during church (thank goodness for friends who already help me out). I'm also not excited for grocery shopping and other errands... but ok. enough of that. I am excited. And I think it will be a fun adventure, as it already is. I LOVE my family... I'm just in that last stage of pregnancy where being pregnant doesn't seem so fun anymore. lol. ok, enough ramblings. :)


March was a crazy month. I felt like I didn't finish anything, but I really actually made a TON of stuff! Yeah! I finished some patterns, made myself two shirts and a skirt. I made a dress and a shirt for Mabel, two ties for the boys, finished my travel duffle bag and am partially done with another one for the kiddos. An Easter basket for Mabel. I made two travel bathroom bags for the hubby and I. And whatever else I worked on in between. I've never sewn so many clothes in all my life! Definitely a record for me. I need to take some pictures, and when I get around to that, I'll do another week of finishes and just share them all at once. :) Hopefully I'll get to it before the baby comes. But no promises. :) (if you follow me on Instagram you've seen it all (in bad phone camera format) I'm @fromblankpages.) :)

Anyway, I can't remember what I was originally going to blog about. It turned into a bunch of ramblings. :) I hope all is well with everyone and wish everyone a wonderful weekend!! Oh! I do need to blog soon so share my finishes for the First Quarter FAL link up! The last day is the 7th! Don't miss it. :) 

And, just so I don't have a totally pictureless post, here was the Easter picture I was going to share on Sunday but never got around to blogging it. I hope you all had a beautiful Easter! :)

 The ties and dress I made for them! The ties were actually for St. Patrick's day, but I didn't finish them before church, so they became Easter ties. :)

They are total goof balls!