Whew, Still trying to get back.

2 inch  rainbow squares Crib quilt machine stiched and quilted with a crosshatch.

Toothbrush (weave) Basket

Whirlygig Doll blanket in Bright pink.
Machine stitched and hand tied.

Whirlygig Doll Quiilt
Machine stiched and hand tied with Chenille backing

Vintage strawberry shortcake custom curtains for the girl's room.

Custom panel shorts made from old jeans and canvas ticking for the boy.

Custom shorts made from twill pants  for the boy.

Take care,

Paintbox scrappy quilt.

 This quilt was started last March and finally finished.   It measures 49 x 52 inches.  This is a summer weight quilt lined with flannel. 

  I lined the back with primary colors from my scrap stash and used binding that I had made from the backing.  

The quilting was a spiral square within each square.

I've been side tracked for the last few days

.... working on gifts for upcoming events. I enjoy sitting on the couch with Brody at night and stitching under the glow of the hermit crab tank while they move things about in their tank. Yes for those of you who don't know we are now the proud owners of 3 hermit crabs that were saved from eminent death. More on that in another post.

I've been working on a double whipped running stitch and practiced on a sampler for a while before doing on the scrappy star pillow. It went together easily and I am quite happy with it. I did however find out that some of the greens fabric used in this star and in the "Hanna" quilt were never color set and had a lot of bleeding in the wash.



I woke up this morning upset at the dye bleed and knew that it was going to bother me and I would fret over it especially since the wedding is today and this is the gift. I went to the store to get carbona dye corrector and prayed for the best. It did take out the bleed but unfortunately it took out some dye from other fabric within the quilt and on here. Live and learn.

I've been going through all of our clothes and these next few weeks are focused on Brian's closet. I've been making panel shorts out of jeans that were thrifted this summer adding elastic waist bands, which is much easier for an eight year old. At this age he has little interest in what he wears and has no concept of what is" cool" in a surfing town... yet.

For Miss Kaiya it's all about tattoos and princesses, so we came up with the knee princess. The Body Crayon Book is a big hit with the little kids that come here to play. Today will be rainbows and butterflies before cousin Matty gets here to hang with them while we head to the wedding. The Princess and the frog movie is her choice for tonight. I'm sure the boys will be thrilled.

Take care,
Kendra

"Don't set sail on someone else's star”.

Or so it is said in an African proverb.  When reading this quote I had an a-ha moment. I'm sure you've had one of your own at some point during your journey. This is precisely what I have been doing for a long time now. 

I have recently started to reevaluate my life and the things that are important to me.  I am closer to 40 than I ever thought I would be.  You see my mother always said  I  was lucky to live past 16 because I  was such a smart ass.  I still am by the by and am fine with that thankyouverymuch!

 Many of the things that I  thought were  important over the years have slowy faded away and become clutter.  Lots of clutter.  Clutter in my computer, my closets, my head, my relationships and  really in every aspect of my life and home and I have been facing it all head on.  I have collected  so many different things in my crafting quest, and life in general, if i were to be honest;  I lost sight of the things that were important.   My family, my children , myself...

I have been trying to make myself step out of my comfort zones and try new things and in doing so I have found so many things that I actually enjoy doing such as quilting vs. garmet sewing, hand sewing vs. machine sewing and even embroidery.   None of these things were ever a point of interest before.  During these moments of quiet stitching I have started to listen to myself and to my surroundings.  I'm not perfect and I will never be the perfect person , mother, crafter, blogger... insert any other appropriate title here, and that's okay.  Just doing it  and living my life day by day with laughter and love  is enough.

Trying to figure out a design for the star, finally decided to use a variation of 3  different patterns and adding my own twist.  ( Old table finally gone!!!!)

This table, as crazy as it seems has really changed the flow of our house and I am in love.  It was a garage sale purchase this past week and made me really pair down my "craft" excess in this room.  No more clutter.  No more folding chairs.  No more fighing for space No more trying to "make it work.   Real family dinners and gatherings at the table have been lovely.  Kaiya calls the arm chairs the "king and queen thrones" and only grown ups can sit in them.  It's good to be queen. 

 

These stars a part of my first ever "quilt as you go" with a hand quilting extravaganza!

 lots more of embellishment and more quiet and reflective moments with my kids as they too try their hands at sewing and embroidery

The clutter is starting to disappear.  The bluebird of happiness has come to roost here once again  and I'm looking towards my own star these days.

Take care,

Pot Holder Pass Round 2 -- Sent and Received.

My  Pot HolderPass 2 swap buddy  Teresa  has yet to receive her potholders as a result of  my tardiness and the Ielandic volcano reeking havok, but told me I could post some pictures of them (she wanted to be surprise, but gave in :) ) Teresa I  hope you like them and thank you again for your patience.

 This pattern is called " Honor & Courage"  from The Quilter's Cache/Marcia Hohn.   This pattern was perfect for Teresa's color choices which were red, green & gold.  it just seemed to make the colors pop.  They are all paper pieced which took some practise, trial & error and a bit of cursing.   I also wanted to make a finger pocket potholder as I still manage to burn my hands NO MATTER WHAT and thought it made them a bit more sustantial.  I think this may be my prefered method of  potholder construction in the future. 

The potholders I received were from Bahamadawn with fabric made in the Bahamas which she sent some extra with the potholders.  I love the whimsy of the owl and the yo-yos seem to evoke a smile everytime I walk into my kitchen.

   

 Thanks again ladies.  A big Thank You to Amy  for putting this all together.  I'll be bowing out of round 3 but will jump back into to more swaps in the future!

Take care,

Pluggin' along at a snail's pace.

It's been quiet on the blog lately as I've been slowly working on my long list of in Progress quilts and finishing up my pot holders for the Potholder Pass.  Round three sign ups are going on now if you're interested, just let Amy over at http://duringquiettime.blogspot.com/ know.  She's been a wonderful hostess and organizer  and there has been a great collection of works by some really talented people.    I will be bowing out of # 3 as  life at home has gotten a bit crazy. 

Wednesday we are taking a trip to C.H.O.P.S. to meet a  new Dr/surgeon who has specialized in Perthes.  I hesitate to say he will be Brian's doctor as I know nothing about him except what is stated in his Bio on the Hospital's website.  There is still so much we don't know and numerous opinions as to what stage Brian's perthes is in, that we are at least going to have another opinion to add to the ever growing medical file.  It was stated that he will be casted and have some sort of surgey on his right side sometime this year; hopefully this doctor  can give us something a bit more absolute.  The unknown is what drives me insane or to tears on any given day.  We are still unaware of what the insurance company is going to cover. They didn't think the wheelchair is medically necessary,so...

He has recently learned how to use crutches for short distance walking and for home use and some excercises to help his range of motion in his hip.   He will likely need a walker for ease of use when he's casted ( I'm hoping for a Scottish-Rite Brace) , because he just feels that the wheelchair and crutches are "too much work".  Some days are good , somedays are bad and it seems as though it's a constant battle concerning his perthes.  This photo shows him as a happy child, right after this, he purposefully ran himself into a wooden fence for dramatic effect, outside of the tiger's cage  and yelled "this is too hard!  I hate You! I hate perthes", while onlookers leered at us; the  terrible parents of that poor boy in the wheelchair, with their mouths agape. He wanted a reaction and got it in spades.  It sucks for him, and us at times.    It's extremely frustrating  to continuously explain to an active seven year old ( he's frustrated with continously hearing it) that while he is able to walk, he is unable to run or jump because it will cause further damage and pain. I hope for a lot from this doctor without really knowing what I'm hoping for, if that makes sense. Thinking some good thoughts and sending our way would be greatly appreciated. 

 We participated in my friend Kate's day for Case for Smiles this past weekend and had a lot of fun with the kids.  So a big thank you to her for all her hard work and planning.  Make sure you check her out.  

I currently have 6 quilts in the works 4 of these are scrap quilts and here are some pictures of  the two I'm working on lately. 

This is my version of Paint Box Quilt made of scraps.  I pieced and sewed long srtips of scraps together and rotary cut them in 6-1/2 x 6-1/2 blocks.  I still have to add on the purple panel and the outside sashing.

This quilt is of my own design, although I'm sure I'm not the first to ever think of it.  These are the scrap leftover cuts from the scrap string panels I used to make my stars. This will be crib sized when finished.  I've been practicing my free motion quilting and have been using  a Skillbuilder #1 panel described here by Anita over at http://bloominworkshop.wordpress.com/.  I need so much more practice. :)

Take care,