Catching Up

April was so good to us! 

My oldest and youngest both had birthdays.  We gave Isabella  a sewing machine for her big day.  My husband and I set it up at night while they were asleep.  She woke up to find it on her desk and was very happy.  Whew!  I was afraid she would be disappointed.  If she was, she never let on.  :)



 

 

 

I also entered my first quilt show.  It was a very last minute thing.  The Akron Modern Quilt Guild made a very small appearance at a local quilt show.  I suggested using QuiltCon colors so that we would be cohesive in our approach.  I was inspired by the world around me: Akron!  In the spring and summer we often see the blimp many times a week.  After living here for 10 years now it is still exciting to hear that low hum in the sky and look up to find it hovering right above us.  

 

 

 

 

 A very good friend recently had twin boys!!!  Although she deserves a new car or something, I only managed to make her some pillow covers.  I really like the modern edge they have and am pleased with how they turned out.

Also in April (told you it was a great month!) my mom came across some ancient unfinished embroidery.  It belonged to her great grandmother so it's well over 100 years old.  The muslin is very fragile but I'm so excited to work on it.  It has that beautiful old musty smell that about knocks me off my feet every time I open the tin it was stored in. 

Originally I was hoping to finish it up for my mom for Mother's Day but that is never going to happen.  Maybe next year!  We made her a sweet little pillow instead.  (pics to come after she recieves it)

And finally, we really had a lovely time at a tea party with my mom while she was visiting.  It was a beautiful Victorian tea room that my daughters just loved.  They each got their own teapot and dainty tea cup.  I was so proud of them for bringing their best manners.  That's a lot of pressure for a mom:  little kids, breakable things, and kick-butt manners.  I was sad they didn't have wine because I really could have used a glass to calm myself.  Chai was the next best.

So thankful for my kiddos making me a mom.  Happy Mother's Day to all my mommy friends out there!  It's a wild ride but glad I'm on it. 

Once a month blogger

Well incase you can't tell... I'm totally in love with Instagram.  It's just so... insta.  So if you like seeing pictures of quilts and cute kids head on over to my page there.  Of course I'm thepincushion. 

 

So it's been a super wackadoodle fun beginning to the year.  I think I've done 15 quilts so far?  Yep that 's wackadoodle.  But thank goodness they've been really fun quilts to make! 

Here are some memory quilts for two little guys from their baby clothes + mom and dad's pajamas.  I chose the granny square quilt pattern for one and a rainbow for the other.  Seriously.  I love how they turned out. 

 

 

 

Thanks for the pic, Kate! 

After that my very best good friend asked me to make the bedding for her two girls.  A perfect change of direction of working with two little boys' quilts.  Yin and Yang!

We worked together to get ruffles, stripes, and that light flowy airy feel without being too juvenile.  I think they turned out well... let's hope the girlies do too.  Never made a ruffle quilt before.  I'm not gonna lie.  I loved it.  Ever since since having my own little girls to cohabit with I am like a 7 year old all over again.  Pink! Ruffles! Flowers! It looks like my daughter is my interior designer but nope, I pick out and hang every one of my "whimsical" art pieces.

I digress.

Sometimes this sewing thing (hobby? job? fun little time filler?) can feel like work.  Wait, let me rephrase that.  Almost never does this sewing thing feel like work.  Well maybe when I have to baste a quilt or something, but that's about it.  As long as no one asks for batik in their quilt, I'm good.  

But then there are times when the sewing thing is off the charts ridiculously fun.  Like making bedding for my friends' babes.  Or a client orders a wedding quilt and then comes back (after an appropriate amount of time!) for a baby quilt.  I am often pinching myself and thanking God I get to use needle and thread to grow relationships with people.  It's really the coolest thing out there.

Little Charlie was born a couple weeks ago and she is also getting a quilt chalk full of pink and girlie.  I really like working with bright, saturated colors.  Hopefully baby Charlie does too!  I often stumble into my sewing lair early in the morning with my cuppa Chai and need crazy bright fabric to help pry open the peepers. 

A series of quilts you will see a bunch of in the next few months are my stars quilts.  A very good friend adopted two precious girls and my gift to them were new quilts.  She already had two biological kids so quilts all around!  Honestly I hope to get them done before they go to college. 

Here is quilt one for the youngest.  I used all Sherbet Pips.  While assembling the quilt top I starting to question myself how in the world I came up with such a brilliant idea to give a 3 year old a mostly white quilt.  Yeah....

When I became a mother I made a bunch of weird rules in my head... no binkies, no TV, and NO commercially licsenced crap on or near my children. 
Ahem.

But if it's in the form of a quilt, it doesn't count, right?  Gramma got the jammies so that also doesn't count. 
And TV is ok if everyone in the house is sick and whiny. 
Binkies... I think I actually TRIED to force it in my middle daughters mouth to get her to stop crying.  She hated it and opted for 4+ years of finger sucking anyway.  Me and my orthodontist are going to be BFFs I'm guessing. 

So yeah, my son has a Spot book that he lovingly refers to as "Pots" and even (melt my heart right out of here!) "Potsies".  POTSIES!!  So when I saw little Potsies in fabric I got it and made it into a quilt in about 38 minutes.  I bought two book panels and put some batting in the middle.  No books, just quilts.  That's how I roll!

Memories

It's been a memorable year already! 

 

It has been a very good start to my quilty year.  What an honor to get to work closely with others.  We start as strangers and end as very good friends.

 

This is a wedding quilt for Ellie and Mike.  They had some really fun guests sign their quilt squares.  Must have been a lot of Lion King songs as I kept seeing "Hakuna Matata", "Elton John was here", and "Can you feel the love tonight?".  Made for a good flashback and singing songs in my head as I sewed.

 

 

Monograms and wedding date appliqued on ivory sateen.  The bride loves pink polka dots so we found the perfect backing. 

I have been so thankful to share in the memories of my clients with weddings and also in death. It is so moving to make a quilt as therapy. Even though I don't usually know my clients, I still find great comfort in hearing stories of their memories and seeing pictures of what is meaningful to them. 

This sweet, sweet woman wanted to give memory quilts as gifts.  I can't think of a better gift to give (naturally!).  She took the time to consider who would like certain parts of the garments and style of backings.  It was so touching to hear stories and get to know this lovely family through their story of clothing. 

 It reminded me of my dad and our time in the garden, stacking the wood pile, and seeing his dress clothes for work. 

Melissa and I joined forces to create these seven special quilts.  It was very touching and so good to meet Laura who asked me to take on this project.  Thank you, Laura!  Hope to have a cup of coffee and hear more about your dear family someday.

 

 

Recently I got to make a cheery bright banner for a birthday girl.  I actually made a quilt for the little one when she was born and now she's having a birthday.  Aww!  It is two-sided but the letters are only on one side.  So they are able to hang it up in the playroom or bed room year round and turn it around for birthdays.  Sweet!

 

I do hope your year is off to a good start.  Looking back at memories and looking forward to celebrations is what the new year is all about.  Today our "celebration" was longer days, a little bit of sunshine, and a cupcake picnic.  Yes, sunshine in February is always a reason to celebrate.  Eat Cake!

It's been fun, 2012

Twenty-six quilts in 2012.  Nearly all of them were custom quilts which just totally warms my heart.  I'm so honored that people continue to trust me with their special projects that will one day be heirlooms for their family.  It is such a privilege.  

So before looking ahead, I thought I'd share some end of the year things I worked on...

A new Christmas tree skirt and table runner.  Quite nice to put together a project in the morning and have it completed by the end of naptime.  I have put away all the Christmas decorations except the table runner.  Guess I have to make another one now.  

I had high hopes of making a Christmas quilt for us.  I wanted it to include Nutcracker embroidery from The Floss Box on Etsy along with Kate Spain's new Christmas fabric, Joy and Aneela Hoey's Cherry Christmas.  

I was so very close to getting my 4 embroidered panels complete.  But this picture was taken Christmas night... didn't quite make it!  I'm still going to work on it and plan on cuddling under it next Christmas.  

Baby boy received about eleventy gagillion cars, trucks ("gucks"), and other things with wheels this holiday.  I thought it the perfect time to try out Ashley's tutorial from Film in the Fridge for her fabric buckets.  It was fantastic.  Just perfect for what we needed.  I think I'll make more for blocks, board books, and other miscellaneous things that get lost in the toy box.  

I also made some soft-bottom shoes for a lucky 6-12 month old.  Totally slacked in making shoes for the baby and now his feet are too big for them.  The pieces were cut out a long time ago, but I just now got around to finishing them... So they are for sale in the shop!

You may remember my Adam Pillow from last time.  Well mister man needed a bib to match so I had a lot of fun making this for him as well.  Backed with white chenille and a magnetic clasp to boot.  I hope he has many happy drools on it.

Looking ahead to 2013 now, this banner was my first finish of the new year.  Another custom order which was really fun to make.  Banners are always so stinkin' happy.  This was great and I will certainly be making more!  So great to have this bright burst of color here in overcast January.

A memory quilt for a special little boy from his jammies, clothes, and blankets.  He had a great idea with the rainbow and I have totally loved putting it together.  His brother also has a quilt coming but it will be completely different.  So excited to show you all when it looks a little more like a quilt and not a pile of squares.

Finally I would just like to share some sweet memories that we've made outdoors this winter.  It really is a special time to get outside.  It may be cold (oh it's for sure cold here) and totally inconvenient to get bundled up and go out... but it is so worth it.  The fresh air, the exercise, the treasures that you are bound to find....

These memories will last a lifetime.  I still have to force myself to go outside every single day.  It's my personal challenge.  Let's go explore this great big world! Then come inside and cuddle under a special warm quilt.  It's a win win!

Joy to the World

My heart is so heavy.  For families, children, and teachers.  Every where we turn we are reminded of how precious and fragile life is. 

We've had three porceline, fine china items break this weekend.  One of them my beloved Christmas dish.  One minute I was holding it and the next it slipped out of my hands and shattered on the floor.  There were countless tiny shards remaining.  It was impossible to fix.

It seemed poetic that so many unforeseen and un-fixable accidents occurred just after the news of precious babies and teachers losing their lives in an unthinkable manner.  Life is fragile. Life is precious. 

At church this morning, other mothers with young sobbed with me during the readings and prayers.  Our closing song was Joy to the World.  I thought it out of place and almost insulting that we could be expected to sing of JOY and the thrill of Christmas upon us.  We're hurting and frankly I want to be done with all the lofty expectations of a perfectly happy and blissful season.  There is so much pain in the world. 

But then we got to the third verse:

No more let sin and sorrow grow

Nor thorns infest the ground

He comes to make his blessings flow

Far as the curse is found

Far as the curse is found

Verse 4:

He rules the world with truth and grace

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness

And wonders of His love

And wonders of His love

Sin and evil seem to be winning the war right now.  My prayer is that others and myself will cling to what is good.  Know that the Lord is good.  He may seem distant and far away but He does indeed rule the world with truth and grace.  No more let sin and sorrow grow.

Blessings on you all, my friends

 

 

And incase you need some sewing-related things to look at for a break from all the sadness and sorrow, here are a few orders I've been working on: 

A is for Adam pillow for sale and ready to ship

A lovely rag quilt made for a dear friend who is expecting baby #2.  It is also boy #1 so he will be sure to have lots of time cuddled up in his new soft quilt this winter.  Red, navy, plaid, stripes... it's a very cool quilt.  The mama picked the fabrics and did a fabulous job of mixing the unexpectated in such a modern way.  Love how it turned out.

Pillow shams, patchwork, and cathedral window pillows to match a shabby chic quilt previously made for a client.  Ruffles, pom poms, and then super over-sized ruffles give the grouping a very romantic and shabby look.  These fabrics were mostly from Robyn Pandolph's lines. 

Finally I completed another baby bedding set which was a real joy.  The baby is expected in February.  I love the bright colors, vivid contrast, and overall happy theme my clients chose for this set.  I think it's so fun to get to know my clients through the fabric choices... the people who choose these types of color-saturated fabrics are generally super happy and become lifelong friends.   I'm completely addicted to custom orders because you really get to dig in and know your client. 

I pray for the babies that I sew for and their parents as I assemble the items.  My prayers are lifted up to the Lord that He will watch over them, bless them, and draw them to Himself as they grow.  That they will have compassionate hearts and want to serve their families and communities for the Lord. 

Keep praying for your children and those families who are missing their children this weekend.  They need a healing balm on their hearts.  Surround them with love.  Care deeply for those around you.  I know I have certainly slowed down my pace to play a little more and hug a little tighter.

Joy to the world indeed.

East Coast Swing

Did you know that the East Coast Swing is a really fun dance? I actually took a dance history class in college and loved it so much.  Now I can barely put one foot infront of the other without falling on my face.  Those were the days....

My grandpa with the girls.  He earned a Purple Heart in Iwo Jima.  It really was an emotional day.

Anyhoo, we took an amazing trip to the East Coast to watch my hero of a brother retire from the Army after 22 years of service.  He has been to Afghanistan and a whole host of other countries.  He's had quite a career as a soldier and the ceremony was befitting of that.

After that we thought it'd be a great idea to wake everyone up at 4am and hop on a train to NYC to visit Tracy.  After 18 months of emails and sharing experiences about our two girls and baby boys, we finally FINALLY got to hug and have a glass of wine on the quilt I made for baby Brody.

It was a great day.  There was wall-to-wall sunshine, not a cloud in the sky, the kids got along perfectly, the husbands did their job of hanging out and allowing the mamas to laugh, cry, and drink a little extra wine.  (Thanks, S and J.)   Everyone was so friendly - NYC felt like a dream come true.   We only had a few hours there before we took the train back to DC but every moment was savored and stored up in our hearts until next time.

Picnic, coloring, playing ... Love.
Thank you so much, Tracy for the warm NYC welcome.  It could not have been better.  It left us excited for the next trip and more time together.

Back at home I finished up a hip rag quilt for Amanda:

The back of the quilt:

Big girl admires her ring from the Tooth Fairy.  I wasn't really sure if we were going to do the whole Tooth Fairy thing but she had heard about it from another little girl and seemed so excited.  I guess that makes me a sucker!

Her tooth was so wiggly all summer and I kept wanting to do a blog post about Summerteeth.  But it didn't happen until we got to NYC.  Yep, she lost her very first tooth on a crisp autumn day in Central Park.  I don't know any correlating songs about that but it's a pretty cool memory.

Happy Autumn to you!  Hope you're keeping warm with your loved ones and handmade quilts.  :)