Q is for...

Quilts.
Here are my current works in progress.
(There are 9!)

Red Cross


Falling Oaks


House of Girls

Modas

what I have left to add to the modas

(seems like I will never get this one done-there are 1200 blocks)

gee's whiz quilt (my husband named this one. he doesn't appreciate the gee's bend quilts and he can't figure out why I would want to try to make something similar.)

inspired by these

this is just a quarter of the quilt...it's huge!

scrappy 9 patches (some of these blocks-ones not shown-are ugly, I don't know if I should throw them out or try to make them fit in with the not so ugly ones.)

hearts all around

I have all the hand applique done on all 36 blocks

log cabin half-block

I might make one more block and make a doll quilt out of these.

log cabin scrappy challenge

I thought about starting another quilt today...

I have the sickness.

O is for...

Orange.
It is my current favorite color.
(Favorite colors matter in my household for some reason.)
I really, really love it.




Love these oranges.

Oreos. I don't dunk them, though.


P is for....
Parker, my easy going, silly, laid back little boy. I love him lots.
Paper. I collect it. Like a lot of other craft supplies.
Purses. I don't particularly like making them, but I love having lots to choose from.

Tomorrow is Q. I'm looking forward to it. Go figure.

L is for...

Legos. We have over 3000 of them.
The kids spend hours playing with them.
Lego time for them = sewing time for me.

Laptop. I especially love it on a cool day like today, sitting under a quilt, blogging.
Oh, yeah.

L is also for lists. I love to make them.
M is for Mountain Dew. I have one almost every morning for breakfast.
(It's terrible, I know.)

N is for Naps. For the kids, or for me...it's all good.

F is for....

Fabric.

I have lots and lots. I have put myself on a fabric buying ban, seriously. And my husband is in firm agreement. Nothing like moving your stuff to take stock of all the stuff that you have. A LOT of supplies (and not just fabric) in this household. So, while it may not be in effect for the rest of the year, I will not be buying (many) supplies in the near future. Just to finish a project. That's it. (Are you all going to hold me to it?)

G is for grapes, guacamole. Yum. But not together.

H is for home. It's not a house, but it's where your family is. Cliche, sure, but it's a hard lesson I am in the midst of learning. (I'm trying to be content living in an apartment. It's a stretch, but I am getting there.)

I is for ice cream. It tastes especially great with warm peach cobbler. (I was baking with my boys today.)

J is for JUKI.

I love my sewing machine. I had never heard of the Juki brand until I started shopping around for a new machine. I would buy another one tomorrow if needed. This baby is great. It sews like a dream. Worth every penny. And then some. A decent machine does make a difference.

K is for Kevin. My wonderful husband. I won't get too mushy here, but he is so good for me. I love him. LOTS. I joke with my sister, "Is it possible to be infatuated with someone after 10 years?" He and I had a great get away this past weekend. We enjoyed some much needed alone time. First time in years. It was wonderful. Thanks for all the anniversary wishes.

More alphabet madness tomorrow. Thanks for reading and for your comments. I appreciate each and every one.

E is for....

elated!

My husband and I are celebrating our 10 year anniversary tomorrow. Woo-hoo!
My sister is watching all 3 of our children for the next several days (isn't she sweet?) so my sweetie and I can go away for some much needed relaxation.

D is for...

Denyse Schmidt. My all time favorite quilter. I love her book, and after making a quilt modeled after one of her designs (below), I have to say that she makes it look deceptively easy.

Dressers. I would collect them if I had the space. (Well, I'd collect any kind of furniture, if I could.)

Dairy products. I love 'em all. Butter, cheese, milk, oh, my. (My dad and my brother are dairy farmers, so I need to support them.) I now live in America's Dairyland, where they hand out cheese curds and chocolate milkshakes at the parade. How wonderful is that?!

Decorating. I love it. I wish I was better at it. I can't wait to get into another house to start the process all over again. (By the way, we finally had our first house showing yesterday-after 2.5 months on the market. They liked it, but have a house to sell themselves. We have another showing tomorrow morning, too. I can't tell you how relieved I am that something is finally starting to happen on that front.)

Daughter. After having 2 sons, it is wonderful to have a girl, too. She is going to give us a run for our money, being a determined little one, but she is so special. I am looking forward to having girl time with her. She already helps me sew by pushing the auto cut button on my sewing machine.

C is for...

corn nuts
corn chips
corn on the cob
yeah, I am corny. (sorry, I couldn't resist the pun)

creating

crochet

cardmaking

cloud watching

{notice that chocolate didn't make the list? I much prefer salty over sweet.}

and something I am sooooooo thankful for, especially today: air conditioning.

B is for...

my boys

my boys on bikes (this starting to sound like a Dr. Seuss book)

buttons

barns

books (and IKEA bookshelves)

{I am currently reading this book.}

and blocks, for the kids, of course.

a little late to the game

I'm joining in on the alphabet meme thingy going on because I am feeling not only blog burnout, but burnout all around. I am going to be adding my own twist: I will be listing some of my favorite things, just to narrow it down a little bit.

A
Artwork from my little artists. (I know I posted this picture before, but I love it. And to be honest I am too lazy to take a new photo and post it.)


Apples.

Apple picking at the orchard with my (very excited) boys.

Autumn. I love the season and almost everything about it.

Avocados.

Alphabet (children's) books.

Architecture.

And of course, my little A. This photo was taken a few months ago. I have this photo on the desktop of my computer. It makes me smile every time I see it.

One of my favorite TV shows: America's Got Talent.

Wanna play along? What are some of your favorites?

log cabin scrappy squares

48 down, 40 to go

resourceful

Problem: Need a pretty wrapping solution and quick. No wrapping supplies (still in Michigan) and no time to run to the store.

Solution: Sew up a fabric strip left over from the backing, and tie it up all pretty with the label of the quilt showing. So wrapping and a gift tag, all in one. I may do this all the time. Presentation is important, and this did the trick.

By the way, my mom-in-law LOVED the quilt.

patchwork obsession: part 13

This quilt will be going to my wonderful Mother-in-law today. I was originally making it for myself, but decided I need to give it away. If I decide to make another one for me, I have plenty of pink fabric on hand.

Here is the backing fabric...I love the back and binding...more so than the front.

Here are a few of my favorite parts of the quilt...

There are no puckers in my quilt. None. This surprises me and I am so happy to report that I am a much better quilter than a year ago. Hurray for progress!
We have a family reunion to go to today for my husband's side of the family. Thankfully, the weather has cooled down a bit, so maybe giving a quilt as a gift in July won't seem quite as crazy.