Press Pause

Earlier this week I learned that quilt #2 

was to be delivered this friday!

That gave me only 4 days to pull it off.

So, quilt #1 was put aside for the week.

I'll get back to that one next week.

I used my Brody pattern and copied borrowed this color palette

from the lovely Sew Katie Did.

She made a fabulous triangle quilt some time ago and 

I have been drooling over it ever since!

Anywhoodle, back to the matter.....

this quilt is for my brother in law
(I'm 1000% positive he will not see this post).

He's all young and single and hip and cool!

I'm hoping that he'll find a girl he's crazy about 

and use it for some quality snuggle time.

Tomorrow, I'll be binding, wrapping and delivering it.

Cheers!

The shame!

CONFESSION:

I don't normally make any Christmas presents.

none.

I feel horribly guilty about this when I see 

all of my quilty friends making such lovely things.

Christmas is pretty stressful on it's own without adding to it 

the anxiety of sewing late into the night 

every.single.night.

So I just don't.

But that all changes this year!

I am making, not one, but two rather large quilts 

for loved ones this year.

First up.....

the Giant Vintage Star Quilt

I spent some time on Saturday basting this quilt

since it was horribly cold and gray outside.

I have had these fabs on ice for the last 2 years.

I won't say who it's for just incase.

Now it's time to get busy top stitching!

Thanks for popping in :-)

Winners!

Hi all!

Sorry i didn't post the winners yesterday.

They are....

#11 Kristen

#128 Kadybug

#138 Linda

#157 Debra Lee

#250 Stephanie

I have sent you all emails to confirm your 3 three choices.

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Have a great Sunday :-)

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!

Hi there Sew Mama Sew-ers!

For Giveaway Day I am giving 5 lucky winners

3 digital patterns of their choice!

All you have to do is leave me a comment 

and tell me which three you would choose.

If you are a follower you can have an extra entry.
I will announce the winner on December 8.

Thanks for stopping by!

p.s. Make sure that you're email address is linked to your blogging profile.
If it is not, please leave your email address in your comment.

Dreary

The weather here has been so cloudy and gray

It has been near impossible to take good pictures!

I suppose you'll have to settle for these....

After reading everyone's feedback

(very much appreciated!)

and after long periods of staring at this quilt 

I decided to go with striped binding.

I am really happy with this decision!

It was just the definition that this quilt needed.

And luckily, my girl was really happy with the final product.

I hope it gets spit up on aplenty!

Must be crazy....

Man, I am really slacking on the technology front!

Life is crazy busy and I just haven't had 2 seconds to sit down at the computer.

Aside from the usual holiday hustle and bustle (as 

well as my boy's crazy game/practice schedules) I decided

to take a custom order.

It's probably not the best time to do it but I couldn't resist!

I love working on projects where I have 

a lot of creative liberty with the fabrics.

Especially when they are baby quilts.

This quilt has bit pieces of Garden District, Nicey Jane, 

Vintage Modern, and Marmalade in it.

She wanted a very simple pattern with lots of white in it.

I'm really torn!

Should I bind this quilt with white binding?

Or should I use the yellow stripe?

I'm a huge fan of striped bindings buuuuuuut.......

It feels like it might be a real shame to interrupt all of that clean framework.

Thoughts anyone?

Black Friday!

Hi everyone!

Shall we get Black Friday started or what?

All of my patterns are 40% off starting now until midnight Sunday

Go here to get your shopping on!

Patterns will download immediately upon purchase.

Coupon Code is BLACKFRIDAY40

I took your advice....

I took a break from my Bella Granny Squares quilt.

Maybe, just maybe, I will love it when I pull it back out.

Thanks for your suggestions :-)

In the meantime, I pulled out the leftovers from this project

and sewed up a simple patchwork quilt for my shop. 

I only have 1 quilt left in my store.

I feel like I need to hurry up and produce a bunch more!

The first time around, I really felt like these fabrics 

needed a touch of black 

but it just wasn't right for the photo shoot.

So I just had to make another one 

so I could put that notion to rest!

I backed it in Cream Seaside 

by October Afternoon

Quilted it with wavy lines.

So fun and fast!

Now it can be found in my little Etsy shop.

I'm hoping to add more this month 

but with all of the added time I've been spending in my kitchen

I've had less time with my sewing machine.

Speaking of time spent in the kitchen.....

I finished my Whole 30!!!!!!

Some moments were very challenging, like the weekends.

And some moments were easy peasy.

I had a partner in the process and that is the ONLY reason 

why I made it an entire 30 Days!

I have another round of blood work coming up and I'm hoping

for stellar results.

I have had small portions of things like olive oil and apples

with no adverse effects.

I will continue to slowly add these things back in permanently.

Surprisingly I lost several lbs. and quite a few inches off my waist and hips.

I wasn't expecting that!

I would totally recommend doing a Whole 30 to anyone 

who is struggling with depression, anxiety, acne, PMS, joint pain,

allergies, asthma, diabetes,

etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. 

Here's the BUT...and it's a big one!

It doesn't take long for old habits to creep back in.

Apparently, I have not slayed my sugar dragon.

But I will continue to work on not letting my sweet tooth run the show.  

Anyway, there is a little update for those of you who have asked for reports.

Feel free to let me know if you have more specific 

questions or want more information.

Regrets

As soon as I finished my Scrap Vomit quilt

I was just dying to cut into my Bella!

I still haven't put my new bedding on yet 

because I wanted everything to go on together.

Silly I know.

So, I dove in and chopped it up into bits for 

a large Granny Square quilt.

But I'm just not in love.

This collection has so much repeat in pattern AND color.

It was near impossible to keep things from being too close together.

Now that the top is done I really wish I had added 

additional fabrics from my stash.

Initially I wanted to keep it clean and simple.

Without a lot of variety the Granny Squares pattern is a bit lost.

Maybe the Heath was a mistake too.

I normally go for a clean white to offset the patterns and colors.

But this quilt is going to sit at the foot of my bed and will likely 

meet a cheeto or chocolate candy in the near future.

White wasn't really an option this time.  

Oh well, it's too late now.

I might take this opportunity to do some experimental FMQ'ing

since I'm not head over heels for this quilt.

.........sigh

Back from the dead!

Boy have I been sick!

Dead sick!

Snow is officially on the ground here.

I seem to get really sick every time the seasons change.

So weird.

Anywhoodle, 

I finished my Scrap Vomit!!!!!!

This is a huge celebration for me because I lost momentum for a bit.

I may or may not have been avoiding my sewing room because of it.

The ironing, oh the ironing!

I truly don't know how Katy has made 4 of these already!

But I managed to power through

and I'm so happy I did!

This quilt means so much to me!

I love every single little 1.5" square that's in it.

Each piece has meaning or memory to it.

I'll be sending her out for proper quilting.

I wouldn't dare mess this one up myself.

I will treasure this quilt for all of my days!

Go here, here and here for more posts on this quilt.

A boy and his balloon...

Remember this guy?

He finally got his fancy photo shoot.

Katie does such amazing work!

Isn't he the cutest thing ever?

For this prop I made the wrap around the balloon and the quilt that he's laying on. 

It was really fun to work on!  

Katie always has the best ideas.

Aside from that, I did not attend the Sewing Summit this year

but I did pop in to see a few friends.

First, I grabbed Amber from the hotel and we went to 

lunch at the Blue Lemon and wandered around

Temple Square and City Creek.

This girl is funny! She basically knew her way around downtown better than I did!

I'm so happy that we got to play.

Then I had the pure pleasure of hanging out with Diane and Cindy 

who I met last year at the Summit.

I love these two ladies so much!

And I've gotten to know them both much better in the last year.

Visiting with them made me so sad that I wasn't going this year.

Now it's back to life as usual.

I am finishing up my Scrap Vomit Quilt Top today.

YAY!!!!!

I decided it wasn't big enough so I added extra rows.

And I'm cruising on my Whole 30!

I have made it through 2 weekends without any slipping.

It's been tough for sure.  

Especially when I smell the cookies baking on Sunday.

But I'm feeling so incredible that's it's worth the sacrifice!

Commitment and Accountability

Let me just start by saying that this is 

completely off the subject!

Back story: several months ago I posted a bit of a meltdown 

about my food allergies and eye hemorrhage and other such nonsense.

If you dare, go here to read more.

To make a long story short, I have become obsessed with food.

I can't really eat anything that is prepared by anyone else but me because 

my allergies are complicated, to say the least.

I have always loved to cook but now this regime is really quite easy for me.

I won't lie, in the beginning I might have grieved a little bit.

But life goes on.

After several months of being allergen free my blood work 

still wasn't coming back ideal.

At this point, my Dr. told me I really needed 

to cut Gluten out of my diet.  

But wait, Gluten is in everything!

So I said to myself, "Okay fine!  If I'm going to go Gluten Free 

then I am just going to go Paleo!"

So I grabbed a copy of this book and got started...

Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo

First of all, I'm not writing this post to sell you on this book.  

But I will tell you that it's hands down amazing!  

And it has really changed the path I'm on.

For the last 8 weeks I have been eating in this style and 

have seen some changes that I was dying for.

My blood work is coming back so great!  

My eye doctor was beyond pleased that the swelling in my eye has all but subsided.

Apparently, I'm in "remission" so he says

 whatever you're doing, keep doing it!

Other nifty little places I've seen change are as follows:

*I lost a lb. a day for the first week or so.  Now I'm at my ideal weight.

*I have more energy than I have ever had before, ever!

I used to feel if I sat down in the middle of the day I would slip into a coma!

*I sleep like a baby all the way through the night

*I am never bloated or gassy (TMI, this was a real problem before)

*My mood is stable and all symptoms of PMS have subsided

Okay, so that wasn't really a long story made short.

But it was the best I could do.

Here's where the commitment and accountability come in....

I'm taking the Whole 30 challenge!

I am not doing this to lose weight, although sooooo many people 

have experienced remarkable weight loss 

through this 30 Day Challenge.

It is my goal to clean up my immune system so I can 

start trying to bring back some of the healthier foods 

that I'm allergic to, like Olive Oil, Red Grapes and Apples.

This means no more reaching for a handful of chocolate chips 

after every meal, 

or eating a chocolate chip cookie (or two or three) 

on Cookie Day (Sundays) 

or indulging on Sushi on the weekends 

(the white rice is killing me)

for 30 Days!

Now that I've sad it out loud there is no going back.

If you've read this far I thank you.

This post is already a novel so I won't go into the details of the Whole 30 Challenge.

But you can check it out here, here and here

How's that for totally random!?!

Slow and Steady

....wins the race.

Is that how the story goes?

I have been working on this quilt for what seems like forever.

Last week, I took a lovely break off to make something much more simple.

Only three more blocks and I can put it all together!

I have been using this technique.

I highly doubt it's any faster

but it's pretty dang accurate!

Although, I'm not sure that a Scrap Vomit quilt even requires accuracy.

Isn't that the point?  Perfectly imperfect?

Anyway, she'll be done soon.

In other news, this big beautiful boy was born

He looks so cute all snuggled up on his quilt.

Really and truly, nothing makes me happier than to see quilts 

(that I've put love and time into) get used and abused!

Where's my purse???

I've had fun whipping up this super simple 

patchwork quilt for my bestie! 

This quilt is actually part of a prop for her newborn baby's photos.

Come Monday he'll have arrived.

Hopefully he's ready for his photo shoot!

I've sewn several things for her studio.  

if you're curious, This one was my favorite! 

This project was a much needed break from my current WIP!

This type of quilting is just pure instant gratification!

I can't remember the last time I hand sewed my binding.

I'm a huge fan of machine stitching binding on quilts that will go through the wash a ton

(which is pretty much the only kind of quilt I make)

This prop is going to be so much fun!

The quilt is only a small part of it.

I'll show you more later.

In other randomness, 

I can never find my purse!

Ever!

I make my kids late for things all of the time because 

I'm running around looking for my purse all over the house.

It's gotten pretty ridiculous and comical actually.

My kids don't think it's funny.

In this months HGTV Magazine I spotted 

this XXL Binder Clip that doubles as a purse hook.

I might have ordered one....or three!

Best $5 I ever spent.

I just thought I'd share.  

I'd feel a lot better if I wasn't 

the only crazy person who can never find her purse!

If you're as forgetful as me go here to get one for yourself.

Now, if only my office looked that cool......

Noteworthy

Hey everyone!

I swear to you, I AM sewing!

I have been working like mad on my Scrap Vomit quilt.

I am hoping to post pictures very soon.

I thought it was VERY worth mentioning that Natalie over at Craftin' Mechanic is giving away

1,000 2.5" squares!!!

That is almost enough to make an entire SV Quilt of your own.

Sheesh!  I wish she had posted that giveaway before
I spent hours upon hours cutting.
It's crazy!  Hop over there right this second.

Today I am taking a welcome break from teeny tiny  squares
to whip up a super simple patchwork quilt for a dear friend of mine.

Fabric play is too much fun!
Lately I have spinning in circles over all of the fun
fabric combos that I'm dying to work with!
I need more hours in the day.

A Good one!

Even though this getting older thing isn't my favorite

I still had a great birthday!

My hubs treated me to this fun bedding....

Gee, how did he know that I've wanted new bedding?

Probably because I curse my current bedding every time we make the bed!

I'm thinking it will coordinate nicely with my Bella...

Oh I'm so excited!

I can't stand it!

and I might have bought myself a present...

I bought this KitchenAid Food Processor just so I could 

make these Sweet Potato Hash Browns 

They are to die for!

My Mother in Law's birthday is the day after mine.

She is the most lovely woman.

She has been a wonderful blessing in my life.

Since she's tricky to shop for

I sewed up one of these fun Jane Market Bag's.

They call her the "Broccoli Lady" at her local grocery store.

So I filled it up with all kinds of fun produce and a loaf of artisan bread.

The leaves are starting to change colors here.

The nights are cooling off and I think I'll be 

wearing a sweatshirt to tonights football game.

I'm so excited for fall!

Birthday Sale and Vomit Remix

Hey everyone!

My birthday is coming up.

And since I'm somewhere in my 30's....I won't tell you where....

I am offering 30% off all patterns in my store.

Enter coupon code: BIRTHDAY

Today Natalie treated me to a celebratory lunch

and this stack of squares for my scrap vomit quilt.

She's the best!

I am making good headway on this quilt.

Read about this particular piecing method here  

I have, however, swapped out Block B for a pixelated heart that I drew up.

I'm super crazy about it!

I have enough scraps to make 2 quilts.

So I will definitely stay close to the original design in the next one.

I sort of had this silly idea of making 

his and hers Vomit, hee hee!

Here is a rough draft of my design.

Feel free to use it in your own Scrap Vomit quilt 

if you feel so inclined.  

Square's are cut 2"/finished at 1.5"

Each completed block measures 22.5" square.

And just ignore my odd scribbles and numbers.

They don't mean anything.

P.S. Sale ends Sunday night!

This coupon code is valid in my Big Cartel shop only

Inner Dialogue

I have been working on my Scrap Vomit quilt here and there

as bits of free time pop up.

The cutting is addicting!

I find myself saying "oh I'll just cut a few more...and a few more...." 

I have strictly stuck with scraps from projects that have already been made.

It's been a little tough to stay away from my yardage!

I didn't realize just how much all of these little pieces would mean to me.

I have racing thoughts the entire time....

"oh, that's from the boys bed quilts"

"this one is from Sasha's baby bedding"

"wow, I used some of this in my grandmother's quilt 

when my grandfather died."

"and this one is from Cait's quilt when I was 

giving her sewing lessons"

A lot of these fabrics are from the last few years.

I think I might go down to the storage room and 

try to find some older goods!

I sized my squares down to 2" rather than 2.5"

These squares finish at a whopping 1.5"!!!

I have been using Oh Fransson's Stamp Collection technique.

It's pretty fabulous!

You can learn all about that here!

Just look at these beautiful intersections!

There is no way that I could have achieved such perfect lines with such 

tiny squares without this method.

No way!  None!