Short-Attention-Span Syndrome

For the last two days, I’ve been planning out another quilt sampler.  I’ve been browsing patterns, magazines, my fabric stash, etc…  for block/fabric ideas.   Then, something bad happened.  I sat down in my sewing room and looked at all the quilts in progress within arms reach.  Hmmmm.  Isn’t the first stage of dealing with a problem recognizing the problem?  I know this can’t be the scientific name, but I think Short-Attention-Span Disorder pretty much covers it.  I need to focus!!  And finish this:

Or this:

Or this:

Maybe this:

And definitely this one:

I’m thinkin’ I should hold off on the sampler quilt.  Just for awhile. 

Stormy

Quilting with Red White and Blue

If your anything like me, you quilt according to the season.  In the Fall and Winter I make cozy warmer colored quilts.  In the Spring, all the soft flowery fabrics get pulled out. And, for summer it’s usually reds and creams.  But this year, I must be feeling extra patriotic.  I pulled out a red, white (well, cream), and blue quilt kit I bought years ago called  “Chippewa Nine Patch”.  The quilt and the fabric, Prairie Paisley, was designed by Minick and Simpson, who always have the greatest fabrics in these colors.  Unfortunately, my quilt doesn’t quite look like this:

It looks more like this:

Holy guacamole!  There are 25 – 81 patch squares.  No wonder I love it.  I’m hoping to get it done in the next month.  Ha ha ha!  I’ll have so much time to quilt when all the kids are home from school.  ROFLOL!  No seriously,  I really want this one done.  But, until I can show you the finished pictures, I found some other awesome red, white and blue quilts to get you in the patriotic mood.

This gorgeous Irish Chain quilt is from Suzy's Sewing Basket.  She sent it to a soldier in Iraq which resulted in a volunteer effort which delivered more than 6,000 quilts to wounded military personnel and their families.

I am totally in LOVE with this patriotic quilt from Cluck Cluck Sew.  She did a block tutorial for this quilt last year.  I going to have to give this one a try.

This beauty was in American Patchwork and Quilting seven years ago!  It is also another one of my UFO’s.  I bought it when I was a few days away from delivering child number four.  No wonder I never finished it.  One day….

Now I need to go sew, so I can enjoy my own patriotic quilt.

Stormy

My newly painted dining room

I’ve had two red dining rooms in the last six years.  I like red and I seem to be a little more daring in my choice of colors for the dining room.  But recently,  I’ve really wanted my house to be more calming.  (Five kids all home from school for the summer. Go figure….)  So, the upstairs bathroom got redecorated in blues and greens.  All the red came out of my bedroom and was replaced with creams.  And, the biggest change was my red dining room.  I liked it, but never really loved it.  It was just too much.   I had a big room and felt like I needed to fill it up with knick knacks.  Not anymore!  I found a gorgeous blue, painted the walls, and took out all the stuff.  Much better.  You be the judge.

BEFORE

 

AFTER

Now, I find my kids drifting towards the dining room to do homework.  I walk through it just cuz it makes me smile and to get a whiff of my Lemon and Lavender Scentsy I turn on almost every day.

  Now, if I could just convince my oldest daughter to let me repaint the red bathroom!

Stormy

Daisy Buttons

I finished another UFO this morning.  Hooray!  Hooray!  I believe this was the oldest UFO I had.  I’m not even sure when I bought it.  I just remember pushing around one of my daughters (not sure which one) in her stroller through Joann’s (before I knew about the difference in fabric quality) and cringing at the price of all that fabric.  Yes, this was my very first quilting project!!  I saw the free pattern in a flyer, loved it and went to the store to buy everything I needed to make the adorable quilt in the picture.  Little did I know how long it would take me!  Originally, I thought I bought it to make for daughter  three, but yesterday I pulled out the project sheet and the date on it was 2001!  Ahem…. before she was born.  Oh well, if it weren’t for my snooping daughters poking around in my sewing room asking for things these UFO’s would never get done.  So daughter three, here’s to you (and for you) for bugging and nagging me long enough to finish this long time in coming quilt!  Daisy Buttons…….

One of my favorite things about this quilt is the pink backing.  I love how it stands out against the mostly yellow top.

I’m also a big big BIG fan of striped binding.

I think this may be the happiest quilt I’ve ever made.  What could be more cheery than buttons, flowers, pink and yellow?

Stormy

Little Cars and Trucks

There is nothing as little boy as cars and trucks.  Whenever I’m in the grocery store and I walk past the toy aisle with the matchbox cars, I get a little twinge.  There are four years in age between my only boy and his little sister.  We had lots of good quality time together.  I can’t think of a time we went to the grocery store when we didn’t come home with a matchbox car.  Picking out a car was the highlight of the trip.  Now, my little buddy just turned 7, is soon to be a second grader and isn’t as excited about a matchbox cars as he used to be.  But, I still think of him whenever I sew little boy blankets and quilts, and how fun it was to play trucks and cars.

My little guy………..

He’s growing up too fast!

Stormy

Hexagon Pillow

What better way to practice for my hexagon quilt than to make a hexagon pillow?  Hexagons have always scared me a little, so I have never tried to make one.  But, when I was in California last month, I visited a cute little quilt store called Cotton and Chocolate Quilt Co.  (They are going to be featured in the next Quilt Sampler Magazine!)  The store owner, Marilyn, was there and she gave me lots of helpful tips and advice on how to make  hexagons.  She even has a tips and techniques booklet she has put out that gives you step by step directions on making a flower garden quilt.

So, after many reassurances that I would actually be able to make a flower garden quilt, I bought a kit and her booklet.  But, I wanted a little practice first.  I needed another pillow for my bed, so I gave it a shot.

It was much easier than I had thought!  Although, it did take me a few hexagons to figure out how to keep the paper pattern centered on the back.  I chose not to blind stitch around the flower, but to sew 1/4 inch in from the outside edge.  I wanted a more quilted look to it.  I think it turned out pretty cute.

The fabrics are from the ‘Fresh Cottons’ and ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ lines.  The pillow is a perfect finish for my bed makeover!

I think it will be quite a while before I can show my finished hexagon quilt, but I will be working on it slowly and surely!

Stormy

Lemon Zucchini Bread with Lemon Glaze

One word.  Yuuuummmmmy.  I pin lots of recipes on Pinterest, but have not tried to make any until today.  I love zucchini bread and I love lemon.  How could I not try it??  So, I felt I had to pass on this fabulous recipe.  You won’t regret it.  It is found here at Nancy Creative. 

Give it a try.  You’ll love it.

Stormy