van's quilt is finished!

Baby Van is now 4 weeks old!

So for his one month birthday, I gave him the quilt I made him...

I just finished binding it on Wednesday.

And there are a lot of photos so you can see just how crazy I went!

Since his daddy is a fan of all things traditional, (and by traditional I mean tattoos) I found some Sailor Jerry designs and made them into wool felt quilt blocks.

The swallow blocks took me the longest- about 8 hours each!

Dread Pirate Robins, of course.

Storm's a brewin.

Every quilt made as a gift needs a label.

(Really I just want him to remember how crafty auntie Jessica is.)

Holly at Elaine's Quilt Block did the machine quilting. I love the waves she did!

(She does this freehand, you know.) Amazing.

I fell in love with this fabric- it's what I based the whole thing from! It's also what is in the big blocks that are in between the detailed blocks.

For the binding I used my leftover strips from the tiny squares. It ties it all perfectly together.

When I finally sewed this all together, it was so off! And I kinda freaked out- but my mom saved the day and fixed it for me! Thanks mom!

I loved every minute of every month this took me to make. I know that Nan, Mike and baby Van will cherish and love it until it falls to pieces. (And then I can make a new one, right?)

While working on each block, I could just picture Mike as a father making up some of his famous stories for his son's bedtime...and Van will always remember those stories because he has something to hold onto, forever. I can't wait for that kid to grow up! And yet, he is growing too fast! We just saw him last night and he has some chub in his cheeks!

Wow. I'm a little choked up realizing that this is finished.

Definitely a masterpiece.

phew!

I haven't blogged all week! Probably because I have been busy sewing, of course!

Here is a sneak peek at what I have been working so hard on...

...a quilt for 2 of my bestest bff's Mike & Nan. They are having a baby in August- Yea! My first nephew! I can't wait! So I have been busy creating the coolest baby quilt ever. And since I am pretty sure they don't read this- I wanted to share it!

Strips sewn and cut ready for the next step.

This is one of 6 blocks for the quilt. I am crazy- this block alone probably took me 8 hours to finish. Phew. I am so glad to be done with the ultra detailed blocks! They look freakin amazing if I do say so myself.

Of course I had to change my mind about this project like 4 times before it was perfect. I had even bought and pre-shrunk all the fabric, then changed my mind and bought new fabric! The fabric I found was perfect- except for the fact that it was out of print- I talked about it in this post.

Anyway- that's what I have been up too all week! And will be this week- and I am helping my mom with a project too.

I will post more juicy photos later...

Hope you had a great weekend!

I stopped and smelled the flowers...

...only to sneeze a lot.

Our fence in the backyard is lined in lilac bushes. During the day, the whole backyard is soaked in lilac scent. It makes me sneeze. But it's lovely.

So I went out last night at dusk, and took some photos. The light was pretty low, so they aren't that great.

And I really, really wanted to re-shoot the dandelions. But I was a lazy ass today, appliquéing and embroidering in my comfy chair.

And before I knew it, evening was here again, and the downstairs neighbor asked if he could mow the lawn. I am mad at myself for not re-shooting them when I thought about it. I was too self-conscious to say, "but wait! Let me just snap a few photos of all the weeds in the front yard." Because I am still in my pj's with my uncombed crazy cat lady hair.

And now they are gone. Ah well. They were just weeds.

I have a new super secret project. It's not so secret. Just secret enough that I can't post photos of my progress cause I don't want to risk whom it's for to see it prematurely. You know, before it's finished. If I ever finish it. At the rate I am going, it's gonna be awhile. But I got pretty far today.

Have I ever told you how crazy I am? Well, I am crazy.

I took a small break today to get another Dr. Pepper out of the fridge, and I absentmindedly carried a piece of my work into the kitchen with me. I set it down, and before picking it back up and going back to work, I glanced at the clock, and had a thought.

"I have been sitting in there for how many hours? How in the world do I have the patience to sit and do this all day long?"

Because I love it.

Because I have the time.

Because I don't work at the frame shop anymore. I didn't sew at all while working as a framer. My mom had my sewing machine the whole time I worked there, because hers had died. All my patience for creative stuff was burned up at work- choosing colors, cutting mats, making shadowboxes. I loved it, and probably for the same reasons that I love sewing.

I love making things with my hands.

Mostly small things-and the smaller, the better. And when I make intricate and unique things for people that I love, well. It's even more rewarding.

I had coffee with my friend Bethany last week, and she asked me how I had the patience to make the super secret project. My answer was the same as here- I don't frame anymore. She said it made her feel better. (she owns the frame shop I worked at) I hope it did. And, just so you know, I don't have the patience to do this sort of thing very often. In the 2 months it took me to finish the super secret project- I had one good day. One day where I was right on the money, grabbing bright ideas left and right, making everything work together.

Today was another one of those days. And I am a little tearful that it's over. I'm not done yet! I have this little pile of done-ness. (and a whole bunch of piles of mess.) For over 12 hours of work, I expect more out of myself. I would burn the midnight oil, cause I am so on a roll- but I am out of 3 key colors of embroidery thread, and Danny is patiently waiting for me to come to bed.

I'm coming, darling. I'm coming.

'night.

newest obsession...

I have a new project that I am so excited about...

...and the fabric I chose just happened to be discontinued.

That didn't stop me from searching.

And googling, and clicking. And finally- then finding!

I found a jelly roll- strips of fabric about 2" wide, and 44" long. Perfect for my project. It's called Neptune, and made by Moda. I love it. Love it! Check back to see what I am creating!