"I don't like tomatos but I love ketchup"

...said my 7-year-old daughter. 

It's true. 

(Photos completely unrelated to content.  You'll see.)

 

I have some of those odditites too.  Here are my top 5:

1.  Gladys from Texas said it best but I echo her sentiments all the way: "I love Jesus but I drink a little."

           I DO love Jesus!  I also married an Italian that makes amazing wine.  We combine the two and life is good.

2.  I love quilting but stink at garment sewing. 

          I tried to step out of my box at Sewing Summit and try my hand at sewing a skirt and pajamas.  Neither has seen the light of day yet.  I've been home a week and contemplate what should become of them.  The seam ripper will be busy, that's for sure.

3.  I love people but gosh am I an introvert. 

        Introverts recharge or get their energy from some alone time.  I completely agree.  I really, really, really love my family and friends but if it's 1pm and I haven't had some down time... I get cranky and put myself in time out. 

4.  Selling a house is stressful but I love kicking everyone out and cleaning "just incase". 

       Open Houses, showings, appointments... I love them all.  It's a tad crazy getting everyone and the dog out but hoooo baby do I love having a good excuse to finally get all that slime off the surfaces.  Mostly I've just been painting over everything.  The cleaning was too intense!

5.  I love writing but blogging is hard.

Until the app arrives that downloads my thoughts in blog-form, this will probably be a little inconsistent.  I don't know who said it, but "I don't know what I think until I write it down" is funny but true.  When I am struggling with a spiritual matter or something is just bugging me, it really helps to just write.  RIGHT?!   But sadly I don't get to write at the computer nearly as often as I'd like.  I have three little kiddos, homeschool, and a little quilting business.  Even if no one ever reads this space (which is very likely!) it's so healthy to write. type.  whatever. 

So there's a little bit about me.  I was recently inspired to be a little more vulnerable in my blogging.  After attending Sewing Summit last week, I still think that's a good idea.  I've often held back on things I want to say so as not to offend anyone.  I've never been sure how much of my personal life to share. 

Well hopefully you'll journey along with me on this here road as I process those things over and over.  It's good to be back. 

Scenes of Summer

I was really excited to make a quilt for a local out of her sorority tshirts.  About 99% of the time I send the quilt in the mail and never get to see the recipient or their reaction to their new quilt.  Well this is one of those rare opportunities where I got to meet, plan, and give the finished quilt to the new owner.

I really liked the back with her sorority's... I wanna say... name?  Chapter?  Section? Grouping?  I don't have a clue what they're called.  Obviously I was not in the Greek scene back in the college days.  One extra drinking commitment would have probably killed me.

Taking the summer relaxation thing to a whole new level, Nino is really duding it up these days.  His new favorite word is "awesome" which is usually accompanied by the phrase "check it out, mama".  Yep.  My little dude is perfectly boyish.  We were able to cut the surfer hair when hubs went out of town but it didn't take the surfer out of the boy.

My garden!  It actually looks like a garden!  Last year was SUCH a bummer.  No rain, crazy heat, and a lazy gardener did not bode well for my little seedlings.  This year however we were pretty confident that it could only get better.  And it has!

Awesome, check it out!  haha.  I see a ton of tiny tomatoes right down there.  And the pole beans are actually growing up the poles!  I find it quite interesting when they do what they're supposed to do.  I mean, how the heck do seeds know that they are supposed to climb instead of bush out?  I realize that's like a 3-yr-old question, but you gotta admit it is rather amazing.

Even the dog is impressed.  Owen doesn't know what to think of me.  Even the compost was so awesome that a few zucchini plants sprang out of it.  Hello!  I will probably come to regret this soon as they are huge stinking plants that are taking over my sweet little carrots.

And finally it was (probably) our last Independence Day parade here.  We're thinking of selling the house and getting some land.  I mean, we can't let all this gardening prowess go to waste!  Where's my tractor?

Anyhoo, we updated the banner one (last?) time to reflect the 45 years our neighborhood parade has taken place.  The rain held off just long enough so that we could all come together to leisurely stroll down Braewick, wave to our fans, and jam our faces with a few cupcakes.  My parents came in town for the event and were not disappointed.  It's everything a small Americana parade should be.  Neighborly chatting, kids with 7 lollipops at a time, drippy watermelon chins, kids braving their new bikes without training wheels... There are even some super ambitious families who dress up as famous American heroes.  Oh it is all kinds of wonderful.  We're such suckers for these things that we'll probably come back for it next year.  I DO have sign responsibility, after all.

Wishing you a very happy summer.  Frankly I'm more of an autumn person myself.  The Ohio humidity and mosquitoes aren't so great.  So it's fun and all but I'll be in a better mood when the temperature eases back down to 70.

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!