Chrysalis Quilt Part 1

Saturday, I had the good fortune of being alone from about 3pm until 11:30pm. Bobby was working and the kids were off at sleepovers (one with a friend, the other with Gramma & Pa). So I sewed! I finished some baby shower gifts for a cousin (to be posted next week, just in case) and I finally started a new quilt. I bought these charm squares a few weeks ago and got some Kona Bone to accent them. I knew I wanted a lot of white space to accentuate the Chrysalis fabrics, so I went with a wonky log cabin style. At first, I thought I was being silly by using so many pieces of the white fabric instead of just 1 wide strip on each side. That certainly would have been quicker. However, I kinda like the look of the seams showing through. I think it adds dimension. I plan on using all 42 charm quares, each in its own 12" square, to make a twin sized quilt. I really like the idea of having quilts available throughout my home for us to randomly use whenever we want, either on the couch for snuggling or on our beds for extra warmth. Now the dog will be able to have all the fleecey throws for herself!

WIP Wednesday (2/9/11)

Wow! Wednesday again! Here is my work in progress for the day... Mermaidens (and Mermen) from the Wee wonderfuls book.

I just love these little guys! Unfortunately, the numbness in my hands makes it difficult to finish all the hand-stitching right now, so it's very slow-going, but I'm getting there. These are going to be a 1st birthday gift for my cousin's daughter whom I adore soooo much! The fabrics are vintage quilt fabric that I got from my grandmother. She probably found them at Goodwill or something, but they worked perfectly for the look I was going for.

Also, I have been working (again, slowly but surely) on my string quilt pillow covers. See my previous post for a pic of the pillow progress. More progress next week!

Pillow Progress

A little progress has been made. I finished the quilt piecing for the top of one of the couch pillows. It took longer than I expected (about 1/2 hour per block), but I'm not really in a huge hurry. I do want to baste the tops to some batting and quilt some straight lines before I assemble the actual pillow cases.

I also have 4 mermaids to finish. Those would be quick & easy were it not for my assumed carpal tunnel. OUCH!

It's weird. As much as I want to sew, I keep being lazy about actually doing it. My sewing space isn't ideal and I hate having to pull things out and then put them away after an hour of sewing. Plus, my husband tries to get a little sleep during the day thanks to his overnight job, so I have to be quiet. Someday things will be better and I'll have some space all to myself, where I can just shut the door and not worrying about "cleaning up". Someday...

Wednesday Work

On this oh so snowy Wednesday (the 6th one in a row here in Maine) I finally got my "sew-jo" back. I started making my first string quilt blocks. I plan on making 8 total, for my 2 couch pillows. The living room really needs a little brightening up and I think these pillows will do the trick. Now, back to work!

QuiltStory's Block Party Contest

I think I'm going to try something new. I need some inspiration to start creating things and I really would like to start making more quilts. I read a ton of quilting/sewing blogs and I am in awe of all the wonderfully creative, crafty and inspirational people there are out there. So I'm going to attempt to make some quilt blocks. Fun & funky ones. Creative ones. And if I can win some prizes along the way, then more power to me! I just want to make things. And maybe this is the motivation that I need.
QuiltStory's Block Party Contest
Wish me luck and creativity!

Dreaming

I'm dreaming of winning a book and some sew-alicious goodies from Camille, here on her blog, Simplify. She wrote a book (LOVE), and designs fabric (double LOVE). And she's giving away some of her scrumptious goodness. So I had to leave a comment about my dream and then blog about it. I just dream of being able to get up in the morning, send my kids off to school, grab some coffee (or tea, as I am cutting back), and head to my sewing room (don't have one). Then, after sewing all day, I'd like to sell what I make and supply my family with extra income. That's it. Nothing big, really. I can do it, right? Sure I can!

Yikes!

Wow! I can't believe it's been nearly 3 months since my last post. Sheesh! I'm a slacker. I have been quite busy with the holiday season, making lots of things, and getting a new job. As I type this (at work...) I have many ideas running through my head and lots of little people to make things for. Hopefully I will find the time to sew in the new year between my kids, my husband, my job, and my life. See you in 2011!