I was reading so much at the beginning of the year but that has definitely dropped off since I've started falling asleep too early at night to read before bed. I picked up a few new books at the library to add to my (very diverse) pile. Have you read anything good recently?

Labels: simple pleasures

My nephew was in town for the weekend so I spent some quality time with the sweetest 2-year-old I know.



This awesome truck is his birthday present, from Grandpa John's on etsy and is fantastic in person. Highly recommended if you need a gift for a little car-lover on your list!

Labels: etsy, family

I just found out about a work shower for a coworker that is tomorrow afternoon. I picked up a couple things at Target over lunch but was feeling just... wrong... about not including something handmade!



Easy burprags to the rescue. I took these great colored rags I'd picked up ages ago, added some fabric from my stash, and it was a project even I could handle, with my overwhelming desire to spend most of my time on the couch!



And aren't these elephants adorable??

Labels: quick fix, sewing

A little break in not on my September goals list - the annual United Way auction donation deadline at work snuck up on me so I made this little patchwork handbag.



Outer fabric is a charm pack, my first time using precuts. I love it! It's a practice version of one I plan to make for my grandma. It's too big for what she wants, but with a few tweaks I think it will be perfect for her!



There's a little vintage lace trim on the pockets and the straps and lining are fabric I got at last year's quilt show - salvaged and washed from an adorable quilt shop ravaged by Hurricane Ike.



Inspired by this bag on true up. I might be tempted to bid on this one myself!

Labels: bags, sewing

I finished the three quilt tops I wanted to do for Quilts Beyond Borders! Carolyn, who landed at my site while searching for QBB, has very generously offered to quilt them, and then when I get them back my mom has offered to handsew the binding. What teamwork!

Labels: quilting, sewing, wip

Sunday the in-laws and my mom decended to help paint the nursery. I've struggled to get a good picture - the color is so beautiful, even better than I had hoped.

A reminder of the before (from all of four posts ago):



And after:



I got to spend the day working on my mother-in-law's birthday cake and cleaning up the house. Yes, she helped paint on her birthday. We are so lucky to have family nearby so willing to help with these projects!!

Labels: homework

Last week was a week of undone laundry, a messy house, and frozen pizza type dinners. I don't know if it took me a long time to recover from our Labor Day trip to visit family or if my burst of 2nd trimester energy is already fading but I'm hoping it's not the latter! Anyway, it felt good to play with beads in my craft room on a quiet Friday evening to finish a long overdue project.



My Aunt Karyn got a new shirt ages ago and wanted a necklace to go with it. She picked out a piece of ribbon to match the blouse and sent it along as a color swatch - what a fantastic idea! She told me the necklace shouldn't be a top priority but I think I took her a little too literally. Finally, her necklace is winging its way to her.



Hopefully with her new granddaughter to occupy her she won't get a sneak peek on the blog!

Labels: jewelry

My cousin Megan is having a baby any day now (affectionately named Sweetpea in utero). Their nursery is brown and green, and when I saw this fabric, I knew I had to use it for their baby quilt!



It is Natureology by Studio e in brown. Normally I try to mix and match designers but this was so perfect, I had to keep it simple to show off the fabric. The finished quilt is 38"x44", perfect for playing on the floor.



The back is Kona cotton with a pieced strip. Quilting is in parallel lines perpendicular to the fabric strips.



To give proper credit, this quilt was heavily inspired by this one. Thanks, Ashley!



I used an Irish blessing on the label. I hope Sweetpea gets a lot of use out of it!


A tip for those using my label method - I got a set of colored fine-tip Sharpies, and some of the colors seem to bleed. Black and brown did okay but the two blues I've tried have some issues. So test before using on your final label!!

Updated to add: Miss Avery Camryn was born as I was posting this! Welcome, sweet new little one!!

Labels: 2009 Quilts, quilting, sewing

What is amazing about these completed baby gifts is not that I made yet more of these blankies, but that I used fabric I've been hoarding for so long! Heather Bailey Bijoux, and Anna Maria Horner Chocolate Lollipop. It feels nice to see them going to new homes!!

Labels: sewing

When I'm not spending time in my sewing room, I have been working in the room in our house affectionately named the junk room. Since in about four months we'll be calling this room the nursery, it needed a little help! I'll spare you the true before pictures, but here's how it looks after quite a bit of progress:



Just picture it with overflowing bookshelves, a bench press bench, and a lot more boxes. We just made plans to paint it next weekend so I still have a little more work to do!

Labels: homework

I can't believe it's already September! Since I did so well holding myself accountable for my August goals, I'm doing the same thing for September...



1. Family Projects - Karyn's necklace & Gma's handbag.
2. Three (yes, 3) quilt tops for Quilts Beyond Borders.
3. Red Barn quilt-along quilt top done & to the quilters (I'm outsourcing the quilting on this one).
4. Rainbow sherbet quilt top. That's what I'm calling the nursery quilt for now...

In addition, we also plan to get the nursery painted and are going out of town for the long Labor Day weekend. It's going to be a busy month!

August Goals:
1. How-to's for baby blankies and quilt labels are done.
2. Flutterby quilt is finished.
3. Rainbow sherbet fabric is cut!
4. Nine patches are done.

Labels: monthly goals, wip