dear santa...

dear santa,

you and i both know that i have tried so very hard to be good this year...i worked hard to care for my husband when he was sick for three months this summer and to pass the cpa exam (which we both know i did) and to give to others and think of them first. although i am not always perfect, i do believe that i should get a special treat from the fat quarter shop.

i do not want much...just a simple little jelly roll is all that i ask for. please, please, please send me the simple abundance jelly roll by bonnie & camille...here is a picture to help your elves out!



thank you so much santa! i will have cookies and milk waiting for you!

renee

image courtesy of the fat quarter shop

quilting for peace...

i was so excited to read that sew, mama, sew is starting a quilting for peace team!! i am so excited to be involved and help those in need.

you can choose to either make a quilt for a child through wrap them in love or make a cloth grocery bag to help reduce the usage and waste of paper and plastic bags, or both!!

it should be a lot of fund and rewarding to know that you are helping others and our environment!

if you are interested in joining the team as well, please see the following post.

a tree skirt...

before i get to showing you my tree skirt, i was very excited to find out today that i won the giveaway on so much for my plans...!! YAY!! thanks emily! i can't wait for my fabric to come in the mail!!

last night (after much pressure from the dh) i finally completed the tree skirt for our christmas tree...and it is even 18 days before christmas! i am so happy with how it turned out, and i do have to agree with my husband that the tree looks much more complete with it.

pattern: amy butler's tree skirt
fabrics: generic white felt, figgy pudding glacier red white, figgy pudding silent night white (lining)

a closer look...

i love the over-sized buttons!!

a quick look at the lining...

i have a few more of amy butler's christmas projects on my list...hopefully they are completed at some point, but for now i have to go clean my sewing room. it looks like a tornado went through! guess i have not taken the time to clean it up since we got back from thanksgiving! oops! :)

p.s. - i also went to the library today! so exciting!! i should have been a librarian...maybe in my next career. i got three books to read this month. i will let you know what i think about them as i finish them.

irish flood quilts...

have any of you heard of all of the major flooding happening in ireland? apparently this type of flooding happens in ireland once every 800 years. it has been reported that as of november 21st 18,000 households were left without water in Cork, Ireland's second city - and forecasters warned of more heavy rain to come.

because of this recent devastation and the amazing number of people in need, irish quilting magazine is collecting donations of 13 1/2" disappearing nine blocks, quilts, and group charity quilts. the blocks will be made into quilts by irish quilting magazine and all finished quilts will be donated to those in need.

if you do not quilt or simply lack the time, the magazine is also accepting donations of batting and backing for use in the quilts they will be putting together.

please see irish quilting's flood quilts and blocks page for patterns and information of where to send your donations.

i am going to try and make a few blocks in the next few days. i miss helping those in need. i have been so busy this past year that i have not had the time to stop and notice others...it is about time that i change that!

image courtesy of p.s. i quilt

o, christmas tree!!

i have had these pictures to post for quite some time now. everywhere i looked there seemed to be these cute little christmas trees made out of feathers, and i thought to myself, "surely i can make one of those." well, not only did i make one but two!!

i am very excited at how well these turned out. my only problem now is where to put them. maybe i will take them to my office to make my cube a little more cheery...
here is both of them together...

and a close-up of the smaller one so that you can see the detail.

i have a bunch of christmas projects going that i am almost finished with, so hopefully i will be posting some more soon!

the time traveler's wife by audrey niffeneger

well, i actually finished this one in time to return it back to the library without a fine! i have been so bad about that lately...oh well...guess i am supporting the city of fort worth.

this was a marvelous book! i loved the way that time jumped back and forth and you had to keep guessing as to how the pieces all fit together. it was a beautiful story about being patient and remaining steadfast and true to the one you love. about how love can stand the test of time - past, present and future... i do have to say that i did guess the traumatic part at the end and how it happened before i got there. it happens...

i would love to see the movie even though i know it is going to be a let down...they always are. it is a recommend for anyone on vacation looking for something to entertain yourself while on the beach or by the fire.

for my next book, i will be reading on the road by jack kerouac. i chose this because my local library will be discussing it on the 19th and it is on the modern library's 100 best novels, which i am trying to get through at some point in my lifetime. i hope to have it completed by the 19th so that i can participate.

i was telling my husband last night that i have felt more like my old self than i have in a long time. i am back to reading like crazy, which between grad school and the cpa exam that is something that i have not done in a very long time. i also started running again last night. i am training for a 5k on nov 15th. i was so proud that i ran 2.5 miles last night. we will see if i can do at least that tonight. here's hoping!

p.s. - i have been doing some sewing but nothing yet to show...maybe soon!

image courtesy of amazon.com

in the woods by tana french

i finally finished this fantastic book this week. i bought it last december in the airport on a whim. although it has taken me almost a year to complete said book, it had nothing to do with the writing, plot line or characters...only lack of time.

this is one of those stories that i could read a hundred times over and still pick up little clues and details that i had missed the other 99 times. i love those stories...they always feel like something new and yet you also feel like you are learning more about an old friend every time you read them. i feel like ms. french was practically screaming at me who the killer was all along the story but i was never bright enough to pick up on it...i guess our main character wasn't either.

i don't want to talk much about the plot because i would hate to give it away to anyone who wants to read this book. i will say that i would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good psychological, who-done-it read. and if you are that person, go out and get this book now!!

next on my list: the time traveler's wife by audrey niffenegger

image courtesy of amazon.com

on to the next...

time to go on to the next quilt. i will be making a christmas quilt for my house. i just fell in love with this quilt when i saw it at the cabbage rose, and lucky for me, they had one last kit available!! :) it a free pattern from one of moda's new christmas fabric lines called figgy pudding.

don't you just love the fabrics!?! i am going to try and free motion quilt this one, so if i mess up, i would rather it be my own.

tonight is step one, and i will be pre-washing my fabrics.

i had a secret...

i had a big project that i have been working on that i had to keep secret...but now that the bride has her gift, i can show the quilt that has been taking up all of my spare time.

i made a wedding quilt for my cousin, carley, who was married this last saturday. it was my first quilt to make, so it had its share of bumps and bruises but overall, i am very pleased with how well it turned out.

here are a few pictures before it was wrapped to be given:
front
back
pattern: amy butler's decorative patchwork throw from in stitches
fabric: daisy chain by amy butler

my cousin, charli, is a much better photographer than i am. she took some really cute photos of the bride opening her gift. i hope to post those soon.

it was a fun experience, and i hope to make many more (only with much more time) in the future which is good because i already have four more in line to be made. two of them will be completed before christmas, another by april and the last one when i get around to it. i have fabric waiting for three of the four and a gift certificate to the cabbage rose to purchase the fabric for the last quilt! YAY! this next time i promise to give updates through the process because the recipients either picked out their fabric or don't read my blog!! ;)

i also have some knitting on the needles and finished my brother's hat but i will blog about that at a later date.

until then...

a finished hat for the winter...

i have been promising caleb a new knitted hat for almost year now. i started seriously working on it while he was in the hospital for his second surgery in june. i figured it would give me something to do while i waited. well, it is almost two months later and i finally finished it last night. (i have been a little distracted with other projects in the mean time...)

here are some pictures of my darling man modeling his new hat for me! i hope you enjoy!!


pattern: koolhaas by jared flood
yarn: debbie bliss, colorway: 05 (red), 2 skeins
needles: us 6 circular, us 8 circular, us 8 double pointed needles
raveled

a new tote...

so, when i said in my last post that i would be posting a project a day...i really meant every couple of days...or so...hey, stuff happens. but here i am again with a new project to share.

i am making amy butler's travel day tote. it is a pattern included with her softwares. i bought some really cute fabric at the cabbage rose last week and just knew that some of it needed to be a new bag for me!

here are some pictures for your enjoyment...


this is me getting ready to start...on monday mind you...i was so slow on this one, but i finally have all of my pieces cut out and have ironed all of my interfacing where it should go..what progress!!


both of these fabrics are by michael miller. the pink is for the exterior and the birdies are for the lining...i just &hearts little birdies!!


this fabric is for a bow that i am going to tie around one of the handles for a little something extra. this is not part of the amy butler pattern but i decided that it would be fun! this fabric is actually some from my stash that i bought last fall at hobby lobby. it is by brother sister design studio.

hopefully, i will have some pictures of the completed project to display this weekend...i hope.

until then...i am off to first friday knitting!

look ma! i'm posting...

i am such a bad blog owner!! i have left this poor little thing all to its lonesome for so many months! well, i am back from the land of grad school and the cpa exam. i might be pulled back into cpa exam land, but until i find out my score i am going to pretend like i passed and enjoy this time.

i have lots of projects going on. i am going to try and post one a day to see if i can get this little blog rolling again...

the first is a baby blanket that i am making for our new little niece. she came into this world on july 16, 2009. although i am a little late, this blanket will be nice and comfy for the winter.

the pattern is jared flood's new tweed baby blanket. i used the recommended yarn from knit picks and was surprised at how soft and yummy the yarn was for such a small price.

i am currently about 3/4 of the way through the center square. i am hoping to complete it at the First Friday dinner this weekend. only time will tell.

here are some pics of the progress so far...