house of krom

2012-01-26T08:07:00.001-05:00

i sewed something!
i'm making a pillow with the fabrics i posted yesterday.
don't know if this heart will make the final pillow,
but at least i started : )

wordless wednesday

2012-01-25T09:55:00.001-05:00

wordless wednesday

2012-01-18T09:58:00.000-05:00

wordless wednesday

2012-01-04T09:31:00.000-05:00

ready for the new year

2012-01-01T09:17:00.002-05:00

These are my completed sewing and quilting projects of 2011. Not very impressive. I did however finish a lot of quilt bee blocks - over 50! Between homeschooling and my husband's health issues this past year [he's recovering nicely!], sewing wasn't a high priority.

But this year should be better! I am participating in NO bees this year. First time in several years. While I will miss the interactions, I look forward to focusing all my sewing energy into making exactly what I want to make.

week in review

2011-12-24T09:59:00.002-05:00

i went to our annual homeschool group's moms' christmas brunch.
i always enjoy making something for our white elephant gift exchange.
this year, i just made something that was simple and quick.
then i packed up my sewing machine and put it all away.
i was sick off all the clutter.
trying to decide if i want to set up a better sewing space in my bedroom.
i know. i know. i just moved it all out in the family room,
but now my sewing space is too small.

we visited my sil and her family for our nephew's birthday.
brought free gifts from our citrus trees.

received some mail goodies.
more on that in another post.
hopefully.

marguerite and i spent the day with friends
dipping things in chocolate
yum!
then marguerite spent the night there
and zach stayed home with my mil
and billy and i went to dinner to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary!

marguerite spent friday throwing up.
and it was quiet awhile before i had a shower ; )
plus i'm gearing up for 52fridays
which is weekly self portrait challenge on flickr
helps me get over my disdain of seeing pictures of myself

some books i've finished lately.
click on the picture to take you to flickr
if you would like to see my very brief reviews.
or you can just take my word for it that i like all three of these.

let the crafting begin!

2011-12-08T09:01:00.002-05:00

alternate title: our fall/winter vacation has begun

a few months ago, while we were in the thick of homeschooling, i finished up the sewing for my free piecing swap for molly and also my bee ff blocks. then i packed away my sewing machine. when it was sitting out all ready to go, i was feeling the pull [sometimes the guilty pull] to sew when i knew that i didn't have time for it.

but this week started our break from school until the new year, and my sewing table is finally cleared off of all non sewing stuff. i am ready to get going! maybe today.

each year my dear friend katie and i make christmas cards. it's such a joy to spend an evening each week having dinner at her house and then working on cards together. lots of laughter and even a few tears are shared between us. and while we work on our cards, our friendship deepens.

i haven't made my card list yet, but i made 39 cards. i know some will cherish them and some will think it's a waste. some will realize how much effort goes into making them and some will chuck it into the garbage after the holidays are over without a thought. but i make them for me. the act of making them gives me pleasure. those who love what i make are the icing on the cake.

finished

2011-10-10T09:21:00.002-04:00

i told you i was going to sew like a mad woman! i finished up bee ff and the free piecing study. all of these blocks are for molly, my free piecing partner. i still have to make my own blocks for those two swaps, but it's ok with me to wait. when i started both of these swaps, i didn't realize how busy i was going to be this year. homeschooling is taking up a large amount of my time and leaving very little sewing time. my plan is to not sign up for any other swaps for the rest of this year and next year so that i can focus my sewing time on completing my own projects.

hold me to it!!

not really wordless wednesday

2011-10-05T17:33:00.002-04:00

beeff for lynn
and except for my blocks for my month
i'm done!

sewing vacation

2011-10-03T16:56:00.002-04:00

that would be a vacation to sew not a vacation from sewing.

we only take about 5 weeks off from school during the summer, so through out the year, we take a week off here and there and then a big chunk of time from thanksgiving until the new year.

i am terribly behind in my two swaps [beeff and the free piecing study]. so this week i'm sewing like a mad woman trying to catch up. actually this is the last month for both groups, so i'm hoping to finish everything. besides school, their is a lot on my plate right now. i'd like to get these finished and maybe put away my sewing machine for awhile. we'll see.

today i sewed some simple curtains for our family room and a simple scarf for marguerite. i might have to borrow it myself if i can convince myself that i'm a scarf wearing person.

i also sewed some star blocks for lynn for beeff.

i started off just cutting and sewing willy nilly. very wonky. hmmm, maybe i should measure my pieces first before sewing them. what a novel idea.

here are a few more that i actually took the time to measure before cutting my fabric.

think i need a few more wonky ones. i can't decide if i'm just a rebel, just a lazy butt or i just like variety. maybe a bit of all three?

free piecing study - september - churndash

2011-08-31T15:32:00.002-04:00

or is that churn dash?

ready for a tute that is full of bad photos and lots of rambling? ok. let's get started.

i started with a 12.5"ish square cut into a wonky grid ala this tute. i pin so i can remember how the blocks go together.

cut some fabric for the churndash part. if i were to do this over, i would cut larger pieces for triangles. cut the bars to fit the middle side pieces.

sew the bars onto the middle background pieces. the top left shows one that has been sewn but not pressed open. the top right shows one pressed open, but oh look, i made a mistake and have to redo that one because i wasn't able to cover the background piece. *speaking of mistakes, i sewed all four of these wrong the first time. nice. then when i had figured out what i was doing (forgive me i had just gotten out of bed) i then sewed two wrong just like the one shown. nice. i spent a few quality minutes with the seam ripper before continuing.* the bottom left shows one pressed open but not trimmed. the bottom right shows the square flipped over and trimmed. use the background fabric as your template to guide you where to trim.

the top left shows one flipped over but not trimmed. the top right shows one flipped and trimmed. the bottom left shows trimmed and opened up. the bottom right shows the excess background trimmed off now we don't need it for a cutting guide.

same process with the corners.

lay everything out in it's proper place and sew together.

and voila! a wonky churndash block that just barely squeeked into a 10.5" square. and i wish i had made the triangles bigger.

did you notice that i made mistakes and had to rip out seams and resew?
did you notice that i wished i had made the triangles bigger?
did you notice that i barely made it to the desired size?

free piecing people!

free piecing is a learning experience.

and while i was sewing (and seam ripping), i realized that this is a pretty fussy method with the wonky background. sewing with squares would be easier. but if you are trying to achieve an extra wonky look, this is a way to do it.

quilted pillow

2011-08-07T09:14:00.002-04:00

a dear friend is turning 40, and her family gave her a surprise birthday party. i wanted to make her something special because she is a special friend.

it was nice to work on a small project and be able to complete it so quickly. yay summer. we're starting school soon, and i will miss getting so much done.

i have never made a quilted pillow before, and i knew that the top would shrink once it was washed from all the quilting, so i zigzagged around the edge of the unbound top and washed and dried it. i'm glad i did! it shrank so much that i had to chance from a 20" pillow to an 18" pillow because it was just a tad smaller than i needed it to be.

18" x 18"
machine pieced, quilted and bound
with a simple, envelope opening in the back

i didn't have a gift bag big enough, and there was no way i was wasting money on one either. so i stitched one up with my sewing machine and some newspaper. took me less than 10 minutes to make, and it was a hit at the party. a new way to recycle! yay!

overnight bag

2011-07-22T08:42:00.002-04:00

now that we are in the full swing of summer, marguerite has a lot of sleepovers. i've been meaning to make her a overnight bag. she picked out the fabric a month or so a go, and i finally got around to sewing it. glad i did because she's spending the night at a friend's tonight. and i made i plenty big to not only hold her clothes but anything extra she might want to bring.

almost wordless wednesday

2011-07-20T13:22:00.001-04:00

bee ff for anita

still playing catch up

2011-07-15T08:02:00.002-04:00

april's free piecing block for molly

anita's blocks for bee ff for june

i'm in two swaps this year: bee ff (bee of flickr friends) and sarah and molly's free piecing study. they both are to end in october, but i think i'm going to try to finish them up before summer ends. i've had more time to sew since we finished school last week. that way when school starts, i can focus all my attention on homeschooling if i want to.

wordless wednesday

2011-07-14T08:19:00.000-04:00

a day late : )

free piecing study - july - block 2 - basket

2011-07-09T09:12:00.002-04:00

for our second block of july, we will be making baskets. i first saw these in the Freddy & Gwen Collaborate Again book. there are some great basket quilts out there such as this and this.

first cut a background piece at least an inch longer and higher. then cut a basket shape and a handle piece which is cut on the bias. that handle i cut turned out to be too wide to manage. i suggest cutting it about 1" to 1.5" so it is easier to work with.

put the basket on the background piece and cut to fit the basket. piece the basket fabric into that piece.

for the handle, fold the edges to the center and press. no need to be super precise.

the top piece on my ironing board is the first handle i cut. because it was so wide, i couldn't get it to shape right. the second handle i cut was much narrower. to get the shape, iron and pull and iron and shape and iron and pull. keep manipulating it until you get the shape you want for the handle. but remember, it needs to lie flat with no wrinkles and puckers. i held down one edge with the iron and pulled and turned the piece with my other hand moving the iron further and further and pulling and shaping at the same time with the other hand. sorry. it's hard to explain.

lay the handle on the background and see if it "fits" the basket. once you are happy with the shape, pin [i know, i almost never pin] the handle onto the background and machine applique the handle down.

trim the two background pieces and sew together. done!

two tips: first, the wider your basket, the easier it will be to fit the handle. second, a narrower handle piece is easier to manipulate that a wider one.

here are a few baskets i made a couple of years ago for a bee:

remember you can wonk it up by changing the angles on the body of the basket and by shaping the handle asymmetrically.

free piecing study - july - block 1 - wonky house

2011-07-05T09:07:00.002-04:00

while i was playing catch up on my free piecing study blocks, i went ahead and did july's blocks too. first up is a wonky house. there is a great tutorial linked in my side bar! i love making houses and don't know if i will ever tire of making them.

i haven't linked several months of the study. life has been busy with homeschooling and life in general. but you can check out the flickr group to see what the other months are.

playing catch up

2011-07-03T10:31:00.004-04:00

marguerite was away at summer camp this past week. we are still doing school, so zach plugged away at his work since he is pretty independent now. i spent large blocks of time sewing. so refreshing.

january's free piecing study block for me

march's free piecing study block for me

march's free piecing study block for me

april's free piecing study block for me

may's free piecing study block for me

may's free piecing study block for me

june's free piecing study block for me

i made all my blocks first. my reasoning was that if i made molly's blocks first, then i might take forever making my blocks. but if i make my blocks first, i will still make molly's blocks in a timely manner because i don't want to disappoint her. some how procrastinating on my own stuff doesn't bother me.

now to make molly's blocks!

oh! and i made july's blocks, so i will put those up this week. i made a little tute to go with one of them.

wordless wednesday

2011-06-29T09:06:00.000-04:00

wordless wednesday

2011-06-22T08:07:00.000-04:00

my sewing machine isn't getting any action

2011-06-09T09:18:00.003-04:00

poor thing
poor me
but i still dream about making quilts
some recent flickr favorites:

treasures

2011-05-18T07:35:00.002-04:00

a day with my mom
my mom teaching marguerite to quilt
my kids getting along
time on the beach exploring tide pools and
finding sea shells and beach glass
an evening out for just me
dinner at a friend's home
a steak dinner with veggies from their garden
a walk through their garden
filling up a tray of fresh picked veggies for our family
a game of scrabble
and being sent home with the newest book by charlaine harris
(don't you judge me!)
kids in bed when i get home
a wonderful day full of treasures

bee ff + stars

2011-05-02T09:44:00.002-04:00

This weekend, I was able to get some sewing done. When I don't sew for a long time, I forget how much I love it. It makes me happy. These first two blocks are for lu for our bee ff group. That's bee of flickr friends. Lucinda asked for veggies to go in a garden quilt.

I also sewed Sarah's stars for her bee ff month. I love sewing stars, and was eager to use a new tutorial that Jenny posted in our free piecing study group. It was fun to dig through my scraps again.

On Sunday, I stopped by Joann's to check out the Denise Schmidt fabric. ehh. Didn't grab me, or at least not enough to spend money on it. But I am thrilled that Joann's is carrying more designer fabric. I bought some Kona yellow instead. One of my goals for myself is to do more charity quilting. I thought I would make a baby quilt with scraps and continue on with the star making.

Molly

2011-04-18T12:55:00.002-04:00

meet molly, our newest addition. we bought her from a family who could no longer keep her. they had rescued her a few months ago.

from what we can tell, she's a chihuahua. though i wouldn't be surprised to know that she has a little something else in her, maybe dachshund. she's about 2 years old and has had at least one litter of puppies.

she's a real sweetie. she fits right in to the family. we love her so.

wordless wednesday

2011-04-13T13:33:00.000-04:00

fort matanzas

2011-04-07T11:43:00.002-04:00

last friday, the kids and i went to visit my mom for the day. she lives less than two hours away from us and just south of st. augustine. we decided to go visit fort matanzas. it's a tiny fort with just a few cannons and a few beds. it was used to guard the matanzas river. no one has ever died there, and it was never fired upon. it is located between a barrier island and the intercoastal waterway, so we got to ride a ferry over to see it.

we checked out the sleeping quarters and shimmied up a latter through a very narrow hole in the roof to look out over the area. beautiful views!

back on the main land part of the park, we enjoyed a boardwalk nature trail and climbed the southern live oaks. i think my kids enjoyed the climbing best ; )

side note, one of my favorite types of pictures to take of my children is showing the scenery large around them. i think it leads to beautiful pictures.

first quilt of the year

2011-04-06T10:07:00.002-04:00

yeah, i know. it's april.

stephanie, a good friend of mine, is having her fourth baby and her first girl. we've been friends since our first borns were babies. she is kind and encouraging. and i love her. she loves dachshunds, and that love encourage me to get a dachshund several years ago. and i do love my penny.

i knew i wanted to do this pattern when i learned that stephanie was pregnant. but i love i spy quilts for babies and children, so i knew i would put an i spy twist on it. the pattern is found in dare to be square quilting. i thought i could just wing the pattern. ha ha. i recommend following the instructions, because i had more than one tim gunn "make it work people" moment. but i love the final quilt, and stephanie told me she does too. and that is all that matters.

40ish" x 40ish"
machine pieced, quilted and bound

there's been some talk among a few of my friends on how to get a quilt from me. some friends have no quilts from me, some friends have one quilt from me, and stephanie has two quilts from me. here's how it works. if you have a baby when i'm not completely overwhelmed with life, you will likely get a baby quilt from me : )

1.2.3.

2011-03-20T10:48:00.002-04:00

1. Thanks for the responses on the last post. I don't know if I truly expressed what I was trying to say. So let me try again : ) We each need to know what size stash we need/want for whatever "season" of life we are in currently. And we need not to be ruled by guilt over what we keep or give away. If you love the challenge of using up tiny bits or ugly fabric - great! If you don't - that's great too! Just don't feel like you need to take up someone else's convictions.

2. It's birthday time around here for me and my baby. Well, my baby just turned 10. What a sweet girl she is. She overheard me recently saying that birthdays as adult women kinda suck. (gee, i hope i didn't use that word in front of her!) Nobody cares about our birthdays as much as our mothers do, and once we are grown, birthdays just aren't as special anymore. My husband (whom I love very much!!!!) just doesn't seem to care about my birthday as much as I do. Anyway, my daughter has determined that this is going to be my best birthday yet. So we'll see what she has planned. she's been quite busy with her secret planning and making. Her sweetness has made my birthday extra special so far.

3. What blog reader do you use? Or do you use another method to keep tabs on your favorite blogs? I've been using google reader, but it's been dropping/forgetting/losing some of my favorite blogs posts. It makes me wonder how many posts I have missed. Anyway, I need a new system. What do you recommend?

got your steel-toe boots on? cause i'm steppin' on toes today.

2011-03-14T18:26:00.004-04:00

an old picture of my scraps and my two children. one of them is completely buried - his hand is sticking out.

a friend shared a picture of her growing stash recently, and the comments on it made me think of this blog post that i've been meaning to write. but first let me ask you a few questions.

did ever buy a shirt (or other garment) that you love? it fits perfectly, you love the print on it, great price, etc? has that perfect shirt ever gotten to small, it's not so flattering, or it's out of style? what did you do with it? did you make it work? did you wear it anyway? did you stuff it in the back of your closet with similar things because you could never get rid of it? or worse....did you buy it and never wear it and never will? *gasp*

have you ever bought a piece of furniture that you no longer love? or doesn't match your decor anymore?

has someone ever given you some hand me downs that were perfectly fine, but they just weren't your style? did you keep them?

well, what did you do? did you have a yard sale? did you pass them on to a friend? did you donate them so a charity could sell them for money? or did you keep the item determined that you spent (or someone spent) hard earned money on it and that you would make it work?

now what if the said item was fabric? i see so many people hold on to fabric that they no longer like. fabric that may never make it into a quilt. fabric that could be passed on. i'm not saying it's wrong to hold onto fabric. but be realistic. do you have the space? do you like the challenge of using "old/ugly/no longer love" fabric? or will it sit and never get used?

can you view your fabric like other items in your home? are you willing to get rid of it if it no longer fills its purpose? many of us have bought fabric with the best of intentions of using it and then haven't. i have for sure. but i have a limited space for my sewing/quilting supplies. i've become more cautious in what i buy. i don't buy for "someday", or "it's a good deal but i don't know what i would use it for but i'm sure i'll come up with something", etc. i've tried to buy only stuff that i love love love and/or for a particular project that i will be starting soon.

are you willing to set limits to your stash? and i'm not endorsing a small stash or a large stash. you need to decide what is best for you. a shelf. a cabinet. a closet. a room. i think above all else, quilting/sewing is a pleasure. if our stashes give us guilt, then we should be able to relieve ourselves of that either with more thoughtful purchases or more thoughtful donations. or both.

if you are willing to donate a shirt you no longer love, why not fabric?

how are your toes? did i step all over them? feel free to blow a big raspberry in my direction and go on your merry way. these are just rambling thoughts out of my head.

ps don't get me started on saving "crumbs"!

pps want to give away some fabric? post it on flickr or on your blog. some people will even pay you to ship it to them. or be extra generous and spring for the shipping yourself. call it a "giveaway" and someone will think they have won something.

free piecing study - march - girl + star

2011-03-02T20:00:00.004-05:00

some of you have been asking for the next block, and i hesitated to tell you. i know some of you will just take off running (or sewing, in this case) with out waiting for a tutorial. which is fine. but...this study is not about finishing first, it's about taking the time to think through the process. to learn how to look at a block and figure out how to piece it. with these tutorials, i'm not only laying out the steps for you (which i'm sure you could figure out how to do!), but i'm wanting you to think about how to add some character along the way. when everything is straight and orderly and perfectly measured, it gets a little snoozy. when you take the time to add a little wonk, you also add visual interest. i don't want to ever make a quilt that you can look at for just a few minutes and have seen all that there is to see. that is probably why i like to use LOTS of different fabrics and even use i spy fabric. and one more way to add some visual appeal is to wonk it up a bit in the piecing.

the first block of the month, is a girl block. i know you have seen lots of these blocks out there, and they are fun!

let's start with the bottom part of the dress. notice that when i cut pieces, i tend to not make them exactly the same "measurement". i know that i will always whack the extra off, so it's just quicker.

make the hands and sleeves. just eyeball the proportions.

make a head. "wow that's a large noggin!"

look, her head is smaller. i like to make the parts a little large, and then adjust when i put it all together depending on how big i want the block to be.

ta da! all done. there are many ways to give your girl personality. a shirt and skirt, or pants instead of a dress. add some wonky angles to the dress. change up the leg angles. give her shoes, hat, or hair. i'm sure you will come up with some fun blocks!

and for block 2, a star block. there are lots of tutorials out there for wonky stars:

silly boodilly's wonky star tutorial
quiltville's maverick stars
sew take a hike's twinkle twinkle wonky star tutorial

i've seen stars with blocks in the center also.

i don't have a tutorial for stars, but here are a few pictures of a star in progress that i made a few years ago.

- remember, i like to make things larger and whack off the extra
- also remember, that with angles, you need to consider that a lot of the "point" gets used up in the seam allowance.

have fun! can't wait to see your blocks!

free piecing study - february - heart

2011-02-17T13:35:00.003-05:00

disclaimer - i've been sick for a week, but i really wanted to get this tutorial done. so it is probably full of typos and such. i'm sure you'll understand. right? right!

i've had hearts on the brain ever since seeing this and this and this. aren't they fab? most tutorial for hearts have a seam down the center of the heart. and it bugs me that i have to match up that seam. ugh. but after studying the hearts in those pictures, there are many ways to make them! and i want to share with you the way i made some.

basically you have a seam across the heart and then you whack off the part that doesn't match up. that's my kind of sewing!

start with a squarish or rectangular fabric for the heart and slice it into two pieces with one larger that the other. the larger piece will be the bottom of your heart.

now cut a background piece a little taller than your heart piece. do you see it? it's an upside down house roof! that was the aha part for me. now cut out the bottom part of your heart and the corresponding background piece.

now use the triangular background piece for the top of the heart. look! another upside down house roof! and sew your roofs (i mean heart pieces) together.

now use some more of that background triangle piece to cut some smaller triangles.

sew those triangles on, and sew the top and bottom halves of the heart together. trim the sides so you add some shape to your heart and sew on some background pieces to the sides and top to frame your heart. you can add additional logs to the block to make it larger.

a heart for molly!

hope the tutorial is useful to you!

...............................

i've heard mentioned a few times since the start of the study two things. first, "i can't seem to free up and put angles in my blocks." second, "free piecing causes waste." i think these two thoughts are connected. maybe you're not cutting on angles because you are thinking of the waste. yes, free piecing does cause some wasting of fabric. however, it is the price you pay for not having to worry about points matching. it is also the price you pay to have a block that has more personality. i will gladly pay this price. will you? if it truly bothers you, just use scraps for your free piecing. you won't mind the waste so much and you'll be using up some of your scraps!

wordless wednesday

2011-02-16T20:13:00.000-05:00

one flew out of the scrapbox

2011-01-24T15:50:00.002-05:00

look what flew out of my scrap box! a mondo bird for molly!

........................................

my daily focus lately - keeping my mouth shut and thinking before i speak. why can i be so thoughtful with my written word and so careless with my spoken word?

free piecing study - january - block 2 - log cabin house

2011-01-23T13:30:00.002-05:00

long time no see, huh? school started again, and ballet and piano did too. and soon soccer - ack! life is busy, and sewing time has shortened. also we've been moving some stuff around in our house, including my sewing stuff. but i'm all set now!

i must say that i'm thrilled with the interest in our free piecing study. my husband was a little surprised that that many people are interested in what i'm doing. don't get me wrong. he loves the stuff i make, but i don't think he realized what a huge crafting/quilter community is really out there.

today i made my partner, molly, a log cabin house block. her colors are lime, aqua, pink, red, orange and black/white. there is a tutorial over in the sidebar for the log cabin house. to me, a log cabin house is a log cabin block with a roof part thrown in. the overall block still looks like a log cabin. i took pictures while sewing this morning, and i thought i would share them with you and share a bit more of my process.

i started off buy digging through my scrap bin looking for a balance of her colors reminding myself that i was sewing for someone else and to stick to the color palette and leave the i spys in the box.

when i sew with scraps, i like the piece i'm sewing on to have a straight edge for my stitch line to follow. if it's a small piece (3" or shorter) i generally use my scissors to make that straight edge. i also use my scissors to trim the extra off before i press my seam open.

if it's a longer piece, i use my ruler and rotary cutter to make the straight edge.

keep sewing logs on your block. notice how i adjust the angles of the logs. i like to give just a little wonk. i don't angle every log. some people like really wonky. it's up to you. then cut a roof for your house. now, you need a background for your roof. you can cut a background from one piece of fabric like i did in the tutorial.

or you can use two different fabrics. you could even piece some fabric together for the background piece. i happened to have this triangle piece of citrus fabric in my scrap bin leftover from another house. fits perfectly with no trimming at all!

i cut a piece from a square of fabric by laying the roof on top of the fabric and using it as a guide to cut with my ruler and rotary cutter.

sew the roof piece onto your log cabin and trim the sides leaving 1/4" on each side for the seams. i originally planned to have my log cabin with the orange log on bottom. but i switched it around because the green log would interfere with the green background piece of the roof making the house look skinnier than i wanted. you're probably thinking "huh?" after making lots of these houses, i have found that if a log near the background of the roof is the same color, it "disappears" into the background and makes the house look skinnier and the roof look like it hangs over/past the house. it's just my personal preference. [just sharing my thought process here]

sew a few more logs on, and you're finished!

want to join? share what you've made? find a partner? see all the wonderful blocks made so far? pop on over to the group!

free piecing study - january - block 1 - mondo bird

2011-01-01T11:40:00.003-05:00

catchy title, huh?

this month we are making two blocks - a mondo bird and a log cabin house. next month we will make one block and then continue alternating the number of blocks until the end of the study. today, i will show you how i make a mondo bird. let me remind you that what i share in the blog is how i make blocks, not necessarily the right or only way.

mondo bird? i like to put black and white stripey legs on my birds, and i named them in honor of mondo from season 8 of project runway.

i had a few questions about what fabrics to pick and how many. i picked two plus black and white. molly picked 5 plus black and white. it's up to you. you could go completely scrappy if you want and maybe use one strong color to tie them all together. i picked pinks and oranges with black and white.

with the mondo bird block, i always need the picture in front of me otherwise i forget what i'm doing next. this pattern was originally in a book. i saw a quilt that someone had made from the pattern, and i new that i wanted to make some birds too. simple paper pieced patterns are wonderful for free piecing. it's like a road map. it tells you about how big of fabric pieces you need, where the pieces go and in what order to piece them. kinda like paint by numbers but we're painting outside the lines : )

after you select your fabric (i ended up using two more pinks), you can cut your fabric. i cut out a black and white wing shape roughly in proportion to the size of the block. i would have cut it bigger, but i was limited by the width of the piece of fabric i had. notice that i cut a width of orange background fabric to match the wing. you probably want specific measurements for cutting. sorry. knowing how much to cut is part of the learning curve that will eventually become easier. i often have to cut more fabric because i under estimate how much i need. i always ere on the side of too little and often just squeak out a block. you can ere on the side of too much and then just add the extra to your scraps.

cut two rectangles of "breast" fabric (i used pink) to sew onto the wing. i also cut a black triangle for the beak. what a honkin' beak! but a lot of fabric disappears in the seam allowances of triangles. the pointier the triangle, the more fabric you lose. and now sew! cut off the extra background fabric that will be under the new fabric when you press it up. you might want to check if you sewed on enough fabric first - just turn up the fabric you just sewed on and see if it covers the bottom fabric. if it does, cut off the extra bottom. if it doesn't, seam rip that fabric off and start over with a bigger fabric or adjust where you put it on the wing.

now press your fabric pieces in place.

trim up your pieces. cut a breast piece slightly larger than the wing. sew it on. press.

lay your wing over the background piece you cut to accommodate the wing. cut a rectangle atleast an inch longer than the wing. then with the wing sitting on top of the background fabric, lay your ruler over the wing, line up the edge of the wing with the ruler, cut the background fabric to match the wing. throw the background fabric piece that was under the wing into your scrap pile, and sew the other piece onto your wing.

and press.

now sew your beak on. this is one of the trickier spots. you will either end up with a honkin' beak, a sliver of a beak, or a perfect beak. takes practice. and remember - there is nothing wrong with using your seam ripper. i see the seam ripper like an eraser. nothing wrong with erasing. we're not perfect. i sewed my beak piece on at an angle to put a little wonk into my bird. then i trimmed off the extra. then press.

do you see the top point of the top pink triangle? your seam will be 1/4 inch above that. i keep that in mind when i am placing my beak.

this picture shows where i trimmed everything up to add the top background piece. when i trim, i lay my ruler 1/4 inch from that top point of that top little triangle. before i cut, i pivet my ruler around on that point to see how it affects the size and shape of the beak. when i'm satisfied, i cut. then sew a background piece to the top. and press.

the legs are the next tricky part. only tricky if you are trying not to waste fabric.

when you are free piecing, until it becomes second nature, a lot of thinking is involved. you have to think a step or two ahead. is the part you are sewing now (for example the legs section) big enough to fit the part you have already sewn (for example, is the background fabric long enough to fit the body section of the bird?)? it's always ok to add more fabric, but you don't want lots of smaller pieces sewn together when you could have thought ahead and used a bigger piece. did that make sense?

then sew the rest of your background on. i always make my blocks a little bigger and cut the extra off. i try not to be too wasteful. some of you might be cringing at the thought of waste. here is my reasoning: if the part you cut off is big enough to use, put it in your scrap bin. if the part you cut off is too small, then i call that piece of mind. it's the "price" i pay for not driving myself crazy trying to be perfect. it's a price i will gladly pay.

as i sew along, i keep checking the size of my block to the size i want it to be finished. again, this is part of the learning curve. to me, the bird i made is too small for the block. and his legs are too short. i don't like how he floats in the middle of the block with so much background around him.

so i did a little seam ripping and a little cutting, and added a "wonky" border of pink. i find it more visually appealing. i always make my blocks a little larger and cut the extra off. i don't have to worry if my block is big enough.

here is the back. i wanted to show you that even though we are free piecing, we still should sew good 1/4 inch seams, press well, and trim threads! we're free piecers not sloppy sewers!

now make one for you and one for your partner. or two for you if you don't have a partner. need a partner? check out the flickr group in the study partner thread. i would love to see the blocks you make using this tutorial! please post them to the flickr group!

i'm not going to write a book or sell patterns. i'm offering these tutorials free for you to use. but my big ego does like credit, so please link to this tutorial if you share about it. and please don't sell my tutorials. this should be a community of sharing and learning not a few quilters making a buck at the expense of others. gee, did i just get out my soap box?

hopefully the other tutorials wont be so long. the bird block is a trickier block to make. the other block we are making this month is the log cabin house. i have a tutorial on flickr for that already. check the sidebar for the link. i do plan on blogging about that block with some more tips about free piecing if you want a little more guidance.

have fun! let me know if you have any questions!

sarah and molly's free piecing study

2010-12-30T11:50:00.003-05:00

molly of country hill and i are starting a free piecing study in the new year. each month we will "study" one or two new blocks. we will make one of each block for ourselves and one of each block to send to the other. we're starting in january with two blocks and when we end in october, we will have 30 blocks (15 blocks we made ourselves and 15 from the other) total. enough to make a quilt!

i thought i would open it up for a quilt along if anyone is interested. i know a few people who will be joining in, so i will open up a flickr group to post your pictures in as well. i will post how i make the block(s) for each month. if you are curious about free piecing, i will also be showing how i free piece. i know some of you are intimidated by the whole process, and i hope that this study will help you.

you are welcome to do some or all of the blocks or just check in on how to make each block. i'm not taking signups, but i would love to hear if you are joining, and i would love to see your blocks in the flickr group. i will keep a list of posts in the side bar for easy reference. if you are joining, you can make double the blocks or pair up with a friend and make them together. molly and i are making 10.5" blocks (seam allowances included). you can make your blocks any size you want. i will suggest not going smaller, because i think some of the blocks will be hard to do in a smaller size.

disclaimer - i did not "invent" free piecing. i have been greatly inspired by gwen marston and tonya ricucci. gwen has many books that i highly recommend. some are out of print so check your local libary. some are in print so check amazon or another book seller. tonya has a great website including tutorials and has just published a book on how to make free pieced letters. i got started free piecing by following their techniques. but you will find, that once you start free piecing, your brain takes over, and you develop your own way of doing things. techniques that i show here on this blog are how i do things, but know that i originally started with gwen and tonya's techniques.

we will get started next week!

wordless wednesday

2010-12-29T11:47:00.000-05:00

made in 2010

casserole hot pads - round four

2010-12-22T08:31:00.000-05:00

for my mom's birthday.

casserole hot pads - round three

2010-12-21T09:20:00.002-05:00

this one was for a "white elephant" gift for a brunch for the moms of our homeschooling group. we were to wrap up something from our home. we were also to bring 5 dozen cookies for an exchange. i decided to spend my baking time sewing instead. the gift exchange was the type where we take turns, and when it's your turn you get to pick a new gift or take someone else's. i took someone else's : )

now i need to make a few more of these.

wordless wednesday

2010-12-15T15:17:00.001-05:00

doxie boxies (boxer doxers?)

2010-12-08T09:48:00.002-05:00

did you know they carried fabric at target now? they don't sell yardage cuts. they are very trendy. instead of jelly rolls, charm packs, and layer cakes, they offer small, medium, large and extra larger boxers. they even fold them up into nifty little packages with a bonus button front and center. maybe they are marketing to the growing male quilter population. whatever their marketing strategy, i know i needed these.

how could i resist these dachshunds?! i love black and white prints. plus its a small scale print (which i like). they are like black and white dachshund polka dots.

i wasn't sure of the measurement conversion, so i bought the extra large. after disassembling the cute packaging (they even sew it into a fun shape!), it equaled about half a yard of fabric cut into convenient smaller sizes. some for my stash and some for my scraps. win win!

as with most trendy fabric bundles, you pay a little extra. these boxer bundles were $5. you pay the same price for all the different sizes, so i recommend the XL. more bang for your buck.

and because i know some of you always want me to read the selvedge to find the fabric designer, the maker of these cute dachshunds are merona. but you wont find any selvedges on this fabric. part of the cute packaging is they put a label instead. clever aren't they?

every once in awhile, even some big names get in on this boxer trend.

casserole hot pads round two

2010-11-25T07:45:00.002-05:00

two more hot pads [inspired by these], made for my sister in law and her daughter/billy's niece. we'll see them both today when we travel to billy's niece for thanksgiving.

now i just need to make a few more. : )

happy thanksgiving to all my american readers! this year i made and sent out thanksgiving cards instead of christmas cards. i only will send out a few christmas cards (5 or so!), and i already have those made. i love being ahead!

map quilts

2010-11-24T09:27:00.002-05:00

my sil casually mentioned how much her son loves to look at the map fabric on the back of his placemat that i made for him, and wouldn't it be nice if he had a full sized map : ) that was my cue to make him one. so i decided to make one for him and his brother to share. since i was at it, why didn't i make one for my great-nephews to share too.

"boy my quilting's all over the map lately" hee hee hee. couldn't resist.

these quilts were yesterday's project in between fixing meals and laundry. it was nice to quilt something smaller, but my quilting got a little squirrelly with no guidelines. i really like the solid backings. i used contrasting thread so that it would stand out more. near the end of the second quilt, i ran out of bobbin thread. i was too lazy to wind another, and i heard tim gunn's "make it work people" and just used what i had. then that one ran out. ha! so then i used another color to finish.

while working on these quilts, i had plenty of time to think about quilting. one thought was about perfection in quilting. i've blogged about this before, and i've seen several other bloggers post about it recently too. for me, there are two types of quilts: show quilts and quilts that get used. i would be more concerned by perfectionism if i knew that a quilt was going to hang in a show or be published in a book and if i was following a pattern that had precise points and corners. just because i'm not concerned about perfectionism doesn't mean i'm a shoddy sewer. i sew a good 1/4" seam, quilt with a good sized stitch, and put on a secure binding.

i'm mostly a liberated, free piecing quilter. i've only shown one quilt in a local show. and if i show more, it will be to show that even if we aren't perfect and precise, we can still produce a beautiful, liberated quilt.

i make quilts that are meant to wallow with the kids and the occasional dog on the couch, to snuggle a child in bed, to love and wear out. i like to say that i don't make perfect, show quilts - i make snuggle-on-the-couch-awesome quilts.

casserole hot pads

2010-11-23T08:45:00.002-05:00

if a placemat and a hot pad were to get married and have babies, they would have beautiful casserole hot pad babies.

after seeing these hot pads, i was completely inspired to make some for gifts. this first batch were for my good friends - stephanie, katie and michelle. we've been friends since our children were little. we have a standing agreement that no matter how much time passes, we will pick up wherever we left off with no hard feelings. they are great and i love them dearly. and every once in awhile we manage to have a girls night out. last night we went to outback for dinner and then spent the rest of the evening in target. thrilling, huh? we spent so much time laughing.

i plan on making a few more of these for gifts for family members. i need to get crackin' since i want to bring a couple to give at thanksgiving. right after i work on a cape and two map quilts....

later! back to my sewing machine!

what? you want to make your own? ok, a few details: finishes at 9.5" x 13.5", one layer of insulbright batting in between the front and back layers, machine binding. these would have been a lot faster if i didn't dig through my scraps to make the tops and i didn't have children to feed and clothe.

the siren song of scraps

2010-11-22T08:37:00.002-05:00

when the scraps are dumped out, no one can resist the call of them. the dogs want to run around in them (thankfully they didn't yesterday!). marguerite starts laying out blocks on the bed carefully choosing each piece. zach comes in and just stares with a look of glee on his face. i ask "do you want to dive in them?" he answers "yes." i say "go for it." the kids spend a few minutes rolling around in them, covering themselves in the scraps. you would think it was a pile of $100 bills. i kick the kids out, and marguerite gets zach to promise that next time he will bury her. then i get busy sewing up those casserole hot pads. all the while, thinking about all the other possibilities that are hidden in that scrap pile.

how i plan on spending my holiday vacation

2010-11-21T11:49:00.002-05:00

among other things.

now that school is finished!!!

since i've hardly had time to sew during the school terms, i plan on making up for it now. we are moving all my sewing stuff out of our bedroom very soon, and i need to get a few projects done before thanksgiving. first up, some casserole hot pads inspired by these.

so i'm hitting the scrap bins and sewing up some log cabin house blocks.

finishing up the term

2010-11-18T08:48:00.003-05:00

grammar with zach. we're using analytical grammar - love it! dry as all get out, but it really gets the job done.

this is the last week of our first term of the school year. we will be taking off from thanksgiving until new years - yippee! since we only take off about five weeks in the summer, we are able to take a long holiday break now. we will still be doing some reading and a math worksheet every now and then. we are looking forward to enjoying the holidays without to much thought about schooling. i see lots of picnics, parks, museums, crafts, baking, wii, holiday movies, friends, family, and sewing (for me!) in our near future.

math with marguerite. we're using MEP. love it. and it's free!

so, we're trying to finish this week strong in our school work. finishing up lots of library books to be returned (good thing since i'm on the librarian's naughty list). making plans for the spring when we will continue with term 2 and term 3 (for a total of 36 weeks of school). putting all our paper work in order for our records.

are you ready for the holiday season?

wordless wednesday

2010-11-17T08:31:00.001-05:00

placemat quilt swap 4 - sent

2010-11-14T09:00:00.002-05:00

alternate title - process post

i've seen on other blogs, quilters writing about the process of making a quilt. instead of "here's my latest finish", the post is about the process of thought and/or technique of making the quilt. there's even a button to add to your blog in case you are interested in joining. the process pledge also encourages us to show works in progress. and since this was a secret swap, i only shared a little of the process.

ready for some honesty?

kim/bahamadawn and i decided that we would swap two placemats. she mentioned that she liked my houses, birds and words. she also mentioned that she liked red + pink together and blue + green together. the first placemat i made was the red/pink house one. it was like i was on auto pilot and using a formula. sadly, i didn't put much thought into beyond what fabrics to use. i have made so many houses that i could almost make them with my eyes closed. and it shows in this placemat. (sorry kim)

being busy, having less time to sew, getting ready to go on vacation - with all these reasons, part of me thought that i could just whip these placemats out and move on. well, after finishing the first one and realizing i didn't have time to make a replacement, i knew i would have to put some thought into the second one. i couldn't just plug fun fabrics and a few blocks into a formula and be happy.

i started thinking about all the placemats that i have made. out of my favorite ones, why were they my favorites? i like lots of fabrics, a scrappy look, a slightly chaotic look, a balance of color, a full design (not lots of empty spaces). i like my placemats (and quilts) to be a visual feast. something you can look at more than once and still "find" things in it. maybe that's why i like i spy fabrics so much.

now look at placemat #1 again. hmmm. didn't meet my requirements. no wonder i'm not thrilled with it. it's a bit of a snooze. see that rectangle of different red fabric up in the left corner? that was the last part of the piecing. i think it was my attempt to liven up the placemat.

now for placemat #2. after deciding on the main elements - word + bird and blue/green, i used lots of fabrics. i decided to put a little orange and a little black and white into the mix. i admit that i picked "joy" for two reasons. it was short and i didn't know what to use even though i poured through kim's pictures and her blog. after i made the bird and "joy", i realized it needed more. hello tree. after laying all that out, it needed some filler. instead of a "background" fabric, i pieced together some strips to put on either side and down the middle. that filler catches the eye instead of blending in. while making the filler strips, i tried to balance out the colors with what was already in the placemat so that no one spot was heavier in a particular color than another. do you see how the black and whites in opposite corners balance each other? and the orange in the bottom left balances the orange in "joy"? and even with that orange and black/white, the overall placemat still reads as blue and green. lots of color, a scrappy and chaotic look, a balance of color and a full design. done!

there you go. my process. making these placemats and writing this post have clarified for myself how i think when i am making a quilt. i hope you enjoyed a glimpse into how i make decisions when piecing a quilt.

kim, it was a pleasure making these for you. even though i'm not thrilled with placemat #1, i still like it. if i had the time to make it over, i would have.

...............................

this was not a post where you reassure me that my placemats are good and not to worry about placemat #1. this was a post to show my thoughts. i'm sure we all go through liking and disliking our quilts. it happens. not every quilt can be spectacular. i don't want to get to a point where i am always trying to out do my last quilt. yes, i want to improve and grow, but i also want to make quilts that make me happy. my goal shouldn't be the oohs and ahhs and people marking pictures on flickr as "favorite".

placemat quilt swap 4

2010-11-11T09:08:00.002-05:00

look what arrived yesterday from kim/bahamadawn! we decided to swap two placemats, and i asked for one of the placemats to be for marguerite. marguerite loves dogs, and she loves this placemat featuring our two doggies.

the other placemat was for me, and i'm loving lime, aqua and orange together lately. and you all know that i love houses : ) look! she included a lighthouse - fun!! yummy polka dots and fabulous quilting. love it!

and kim even sent some extras! a book about birds, fabric and a wine bag.

thanks for a great swap kim! we love our placemats and goodies!

now if only my placemats to her would arrive.....

wordless wednesday

2010-11-10T08:47:00.000-05:00

sewconnected quilt

2010-10-30T11:35:00.002-04:00

i think i shared this quilt with you during a wordless wednesday this summer but then never talked about it. in 2009, i participated in sewconnected virtual quilting bee started by john/quiltdad. virtual quilting bees were just becoming the rage when this was started, and i was eager to join when john asked me.

i think i was the only wonky weirdo in the bunch since i didn't care about matching up seams and points, i had (have) an obsession with houses, i didn't follow or collect the latest, trendy, quilting fabrics (give me some scraps!), and i was a big lazy butt about not sending out fabric to everyone. hopefully i added spice and whimsy to the group. i'll keep telling myself that.

for my blocks, i asked everyone to make a wonky log cabin house block using a tutorial that i put together based on a block i saw in Freddy and Gwen Collaborate Again. i also asked everyone to use their scraps. i was a little shocked to find out that some people didn't save their scraps. what?!

i finally had time to sew this summer. and this quilt was in the queue. when i laid all the blocks out to work on the layout, i was a little worried. i thought it looked like a hot mess. but i knew that i loved scrappy quilts, and that it would all work out. for the back, i used some state fabric to represent that we were quilters from all over, and i used the piggies because i needed it in a quilt that we were keeping. all from stash. quilted with my favorite loopies with hearts quilting, and i pieced together leftover bits of binding to bind the quilt. my family was pleased that we were keeping this quilt.

coon hollo

2010-10-29T17:10:00.002-04:00

we went with our homeschool group to a local corn maze. i was a little leery because the few corn mazes we have gone to in the past have been pretty lame. but i was pleasantly surprised.

the maze was interactive by having punch card stations, and if you filled you card you could trade it in for a lollipop. it was a little tricky! several didn't find the elusive #5 station.

there were hay rides, barrel-train rides, tire swings, pedal carts, a few farm dogs and lots of other things to do with all the friends. we will definitely go back next year!

on another note, i'm sending out thanksgiving cards this year instead of christmas cards (doesn't it sound wonderful to be done with that before thanksgiving and not have to think about it?!). i was able to snap a nice picture of the kids to enclose in the card. yay!

thankful thursday

2010-10-28T10:08:00.002-04:00

placemats from carol/mamacjt from last year
hot pad (we use it a milk jug mat every morning) from kristin/knitonequilttoo

i am thankful for...

- a family vacation to the beach soon.

- marguerite being on the mend. this cold will finally be done with our family!

- a working washer and dryer. nothing's been wrong in that department. i'm just thankful for them.

- only one more soccer game before the season is finished.

- beautiful weather, even though it's been hot. i'd take hot over cold any day.

- daydreams of future camping trips.

and you? what are you thankful for?

wordless wednesday

2010-10-27T10:07:00.000-04:00

girl scouts

2010-10-26T15:45:00.002-04:00

marguerite joined girl scouts this year. and she is loving it. this past weekend, her troop went camping, and i went along for the ride. i wouldn't say all of it was fun, but the majority of it was.

beside regular camp duties the girls accomplished, the park rangers arranged a nature scavenger hunt, and we had time for some swimming. the day was warm, and the santa fe river was COLD! the girls had a blast.

and now that i have this camping experience under my belt, i'm ready to do it again! well, with my family. not sure how soon i want to camp with 13 nine year olds again.

monday monday

2010-10-25T14:01:00.002-04:00

did you miss me? this weekend, i joined marguerite on her girl scout camping trip. overall, it was a fun trip. it showed me how much i would love to go camping with my family.

this time of year gets really busy. i've learned that the whole year is busy, but this part is the busiest. when soccer winds down, and the fall festivals start, and i start thinking of our family vacation that is almost here. and let's not even mention thanksgiving and christmas yet.

along with all my other commitments, i need to get my placemats in the mail for placemat quilt swap. i've finished the tops but i need to quilt and bind them now.

it's been fun creating these.

what's been keeping you busy these days?

thankful thursday

2010-10-21T18:12:00.002-04:00

i am thankful for...

- breathing, and the medicine that is enabling me to do so

- the library. it brings us so much joy (see picture above)

- leftovers for lunch

- windows open to beautiful florida fall weather

- a family vacation in the near future

- playing hooky

- good friends to spend the afternoon with [hi stephanie!!!]

and you? what are you thankful for?

wordless wednesday

2010-10-20T13:45:00.000-04:00

thank you

2010-10-19T11:44:00.002-04:00

thank you for all the well wishes and suggestions regarding my asthma. i went to see my doctor yesterday, and now that i'm on some medication, i'm feeling a lot better. billy and i will still continue with our plan of declutting, moving things about, and deep cleaning. and billy bought me a dust mask to wear when times get dusty.

i also want to say thank you to all the lovely comments you leave on my blog. i usually don't have the time to respond to most, but i do appreciate them. and if you haven't figured out yet, i'm a horrible noncommenter on blogs. i'm trying to get better about that.

our pool has been on the green side lately. when it gets cooler and no one is swimming in it, it tends to get neglected. and occasionally we find a critter in it. this weekend, marguerite found this florida softshell turtle. after she rescued it, and named it pancake, we all had a good look at it. we have no idea where he came from. there are no lakes or ponds nearby, and our yard is fenced. it has been very dry lately and some water-needing animals are on the move. maybe a bird dropped it's dinner while flying overhead? who knows. billy took the kids to a pond that we visit often and let him go.

a snoopy fix

2010-10-17T11:25:00.002-04:00

remember this quilt i made for my daughter? well, last spring gonzo got a hold of it.

sometimes i hate that dog. and boy, was that day the worst gonzo hating day ever. i don't know if i will ever trust him. his list of destruction (mostly during puppyhood) is very long.

the weather has turned cooler here lately, and marguerite needed her quilt. and i needed to clean off my sewing table. (more about that at the end of the post)

i sewed a snoopy patch over the big hole. and zig zagged over it to catch the ripped batting. i should have put a square of batting in there too. oh well. the backing wasn't ripped thankfully. i don't think it's even that noticeable.

for the rip in the binding, i cut off the ripped part. sewed in a piece of batting to fill it in. then sewed down half of a patch to the back, then turned it over to the front and sewed that down. i don't know if that was the best way to handle that. but it works.

this patch didn't match. i didn't have any more of that fabric, plus it was going to show on the back no matter what. so i used another snoopy fabric that is new and not in the quilt at all. so i am pleased. and more importantly, marguerite is thrilled that she has her quilt back.

now i know there are some quilters out there that would have taken the whole quilt apart and fixed it so you couldn't even tell anything happened in the first place. i'm not one of those quilters. for a few reasons. i'm more of a tim gunn kinda girl "make it work people". that could be read as lazy. or practical. i don't have time to fix it like that. or the patience. gonzo might do it again. i'll put "he loved fabric" on his tombstone if he does. these patches tell a story. or maybe a warning : ) like a battle scar.

..............................
so for the "cleaning off my sewing table" part of the post. most of you know that i have asthma and that i'm allergic to dust. well these past few months, my allergies have been out of control. we went to alabama for a few days last month and i could breathe just fine. as soon as we got back into florida, my allergies started to kick in. as soon as we got back in the house, they were full blown. part of our house has really old carpeting which is adding to the dust factor. and my bedroom is in that part of the house and my sewing space is in my bedroom. plus our house has lots of clutter so it isn't the easiest to clean. plus i don't dust that often. it's a catch 22: i don't dust because it stirs up the dust and i breathe it in. but if i don't dust, my allergies get worse. so after several talks with my husband, we have come up with a plan. first, clear out the bedroom of as much stuff as we can including my sewing stuff so that it is quick and easy to dust and vacuum. then, we work on the rest of the house. to get the sewing stuff out of the bedroom, billy has to pare down his computer stuff to make room for me in the family room. which he has been working on bit by bit.

blah blah blah

all that to say that my allergies and my asthma have been in high gear lately. and totally out of control since i moved and dusted some yesterday. plus i have a cold that is compromising my breathing too. yesterday was really bad. i have never thought about breathing so much in one day. i thought i might have to go to the e.r.

mug rug received

2010-10-16T10:16:00.002-04:00

i received my mug rug this week from quilting barbie. it came on tuesday, and i was feeling sick that day and it brought me a smile. my kids were thrilled they were included. zach received some canadian coins and marguerite some stickers.

do you see the sweet little mouse fabric she used to wrap everything? she really did her snooping. we've had many pet rodents, and at the moment we are down to one pet mouse, ginger.

and i love the colors, and all the dots and different fabrics, and all the wonkiness of it. it's wonderful barb! and i know just the spot i'm going to use it. i'll even let my husband share it with me.

thanks barb for a great swap package - i love the mug rug! sorry i didn't post sooner about it, but i've been under the weather most of the week.

.................................

hi stephanie!!! *waving madly like a fool*

(for those of you who don't know, stephanie is a dear friend. we've been friends since our oldest children were babies. and she's one of those rare friends who "gets" me. one of those friends that understands that i have an internet part of my life and doesn't think i'm weird because of it. she understands that i have a need to create because she does too.)

thankful thursday

2010-10-14T15:49:00.002-04:00

i'm very thankful today!

- thankful that my cold only lasted about 2 days.

- thankful that i'm going out to a homeschooling mom's meeting tonight.

- thankful that my husband is still on board with decluttering bit by bit.

- thankful that it's only pinkeye in my son's eye and a small parasitic rash on his foot.

- thankful for a letter in the mail just for me.

and what are you thankful for?

wordless wednesday

2010-10-13T12:11:00.002-04:00

taken by zach

(i was sick yesterday, so i missed blogging. well, i didn't really miss it. but you know what i meant.)

what would tom selleck do?

2010-10-11T15:05:00.003-04:00

this fellow joined us for breakfast the other day. we always enjoy our small guests at meal times. we've learned to release them after the meal, otherwise they die on us.

green stink bug

billy and i have been enjoying the new tv series blue bloods this fall. tom selleck and donnie wahlberg are the main characters. in the story, tom selleck is the patriarch of the family. in the few different shows and movies that i have seen tom selleck, he is always easy-going and calm. he's no different in this show either. he parents with such a gentle manner. and while i don't think i should be taking my parenting cues from tv, i've been inspired by tom selleck's character. so as i go about my days lately, i'm reminding myself to be like tom selleck. speak gently, listen well, answer thoughtfully.

and now you think i'm a little looney : )

interseting where we find inspiration huh?

isn't she....pretty in pink

2010-10-10T09:57:00.002-04:00

i did some sewing yesterday. it felt so good. i finished up lu's row for row10. above is a signature block for the back of her quilt. she asked us all to make a girl block. aren't i cute as a girl block? empire waists always look good on me. and i'm so cute with stripy tights. not that i own any in real life. my head and hands aren't square in real life either. ha ha.

for lu's row, she asked us for square in a square in sherbert colors with a "filler block" thrown in. i chose to use a quarter log cabin. yes, i'm calling it a quarter log cabin! why do they call that block a half log cabin? it makes no sense! it's not half of a log cabin. it's a fourth of a log cabin. can anyone explain to me otherwise?

happy sunday to you!

a saturday haiku

2010-10-09T12:42:00.003-04:00

windows opened up
to the sounds of birds and breeze
as i sew a row

hello friday

2010-10-08T19:42:00.002-04:00

today was a wonderful day! gorgeous weather and time spent with lots of homeschooling friends at a park. one of the moms organizes an informal team sport once a month. last month it was a game of soccer. this month it was ultimate frisbee. so fun! the park also has a great playground plus a new skate park. marguerite had such a great time riding her scooter on the park, that she is lobbying for a skateboard. she and daddy are going to go shopping tomorrow : )

i haven't sewn much lately, and i always forget how much i love it. i was able to sit down after dinner last night to do a little sewing while kids were taking showers. these blocks are the beginnings of lu's row for row10. don't know what row10 is? click on over to see what we're working on. 10 of us sewing one row each month. and each month is for a different member. lots of fun!

thankful thursday

2010-10-07T17:09:00.002-04:00

i'm thankful for...

- cooler weather. the highs have been in the 80's all week.

- which leads to open windows during the day.

- which leads to hearing the birds sing and chatter as they go
about their birdie lives frequenting our feeders and birdbaths.

- my husband who is decluttering his computer area
so my sewing shtuff (yes i said shtuff. no, it's not a combo of sh*t and stuff. it's just fun to say.) can leave the bedroom.

- no soccer game yesterday.

- that today was the last day school for the week.

- friends.

mug rug swap

2010-10-06T17:01:00.002-04:00

i sent out my mug rug swap last week all wrapped up like a halloween package.

i showed you what the front looked like. my partner mentioned that she liked red + black + white combos. and she commented on someone else's bird mug rug. so i knew what i wanted to do on one side.

my partner also said she likes green and orange. i love green and orange! and she seemed to like halloween. she also mentioned that she likes butterflies.

i am usually a lame-o about sending extras, but this time i did pretty good. we weren't encouraged to send extras, but i couldn't help myself.

All of this was received by lynz. it was so fun to make and put it all together. and now i still get to receive a mug rug from someone. and the few that i really have my eye on haven't been claimed yet - yay!

...............................

and just for the record, the "bird bird bird" version i was referring to was the pee-wee herman version and not the family guy version. i heart pee-wee herman. did you just gasp?! don't you judge me!

bird bird bird. bird is the word.

2010-10-05T15:29:00.003-04:00

i've got nothin' else for ya

placemat quilt swap 4

2010-10-04T09:34:00.003-04:00

signups closed on friday evening
matching up partners today

fiestaware

2010-10-03T17:49:00.002-04:00

12" cake plate and server
lemongrass

pasta bowl and shaker
sunflower

i heart fiestaware
bought these today
macy's was having a buy one piece get another piece free
more of my collection here

daily allotment

2010-10-02T16:14:00.002-04:00

hello october
hello candy corn
even though candy corn was on the store shelves long ago,
i don't buy it until october
and then i dish a little out each day for each child
one child will eat them all in just a short time
even though she tries not to
one will savor them all day long
and hope that dad doesn't help himself

Pamela's Hope

2010-10-01T09:10:00.002-04:00

This is my sister-in-law Pamela. Billy's sister. I don't have any siblings and she is Billy's only sibling. And she has Multiple Sclerosis. She was diagnosed before Billy and I were even married. During the past several years, she has gotten worse. The demands of motherhood are taking a toll on her.

This weekend, her husband Mark and his sister and her family are biking in a 150 mile fundraising event. And I'm asking you to donate to her team, Pamela's Hope. I know in this economy, if you are like us, you don't have much spare money. But even ten dollars will help them reach their goal.

Thank you!

thankful thursday

2010-09-30T22:12:00.002-04:00

it's thursday
thursday night
a quick post before i turn off the computer for the day
since i'm posting everyday until the end of october
even when i don't feel like it
*ahem*

and no picture to put with it

but i am thankful
i try to be thankful everyday
here is what i'm thankful for today:

- going out to dinner with some good homeschooling mommy friends tonight. and i don't think we talked about homeschooling. the waiter turned out to be one of my former students from when i taught at a private school before i had zach. yikes!

- the weather was actually cooler. even had the windows open for a brief time today. until the AC turned on : )

- a trip to a new to us park with some friends.

- project runway is on tonight, but i'll watch it with my daughter tomorrow. so don't tell me what happens!!! lalalala can't hear you!

- a good day of homeschooling despite sleeping in until 9. oops.

- tomorrow is october. and i will get out some fall decorations this weekend. and buy candy corn. did i tell you i saw a display of christmas ornaments for sale last weekend in the mall? and it wasn't the hallmark store! wrong i tell you! just wrong! one holiday at a time please!

- tomorrow is friday. guess i'll be more thankful for that tomorrow. but i'm still pretty thankful for it today. school and a soccer game.

what are you thankful for?

see you tomorrow!

wordless wednesday

2010-09-29T09:37:00.001-04:00

proud to be a mom! proud to be the mom i am!

2010-09-28T16:02:00.004-04:00

i've had several conversations with other mommies lately about mommies tearing down other mommies. makes me sad. our children, their childhood, our motherhood is not to be used to boast, to put ourselves above others, to tear someone else down. being a mom is hard work. it's not the toughest job out there, but it is a tough one. mom's need encouragement. and who better to encourage us? each other!

natural child birth - child birth with pain meds
home birth - hospital birth
breast feeding - bottle feeding
family bed - separate beds
working mom - stay at home mom
single mom - married mom
homeschooling - public - private schooling
early readers - late readers
no processed foods - processed foods allowed
no tv/computer/video games - full access to electronics
wood only toys - plastic toys
vacines - no vacines
lots of extra curricular activities - no extra curricular activies
large family - small family
etc
etc
etc

we can draw all kinds of dividing lines. but aren't we fortunate to have so many choices available to us?

our family is clearly one side or the other on some of these issues. but on many, we are somewhere in between. as a woman/wife/mom/person, i make decisions with my husband based on what we feel is right for our family. not on what is right for someone else's family. i shouldn't have to defend myself to another mom. i shouldn't feel less of a mom because of someone else's choices. i will make mistakes. we all do. but for the most part, they are not truly mistakes. they are just things i wish i had done differently.

are my children happy? yes!
are my children being educated? yes!
are my children healthy and growing? yes!
are my children loved? yes!

proud to be a mom! proud to be the mom i am!

now, if you're the mom that is cursing out your two year old while standing in front of me in the line at walmart at llpm, then yes, i will have an opinion. will i want to scoop that child up in my arms and take her home with me? yes. will i do it? no.

...............................

see that picture at the top of the post? my children always get along. they are sweet and kind to each other. they always address me and others with respect. ha! while that is true sometimes, it's not true all the time. let us remember not to be discouraged when reading blogs too. my kids fight, my kids look rattie-tattie sometimes, my house has dust bunnies and cob webs, the dog might have just licked the butter sitting on the counter. but i'm not going to take a picture of those things to share with you : )

...............................

"and let us consider how to stir one another up to love and good works"
- hebrews 10:24

day 5

2010-09-27T14:18:00.002-04:00

of blogging.

i found this great black and white print at joann's the other day when i was picking out a fabric for something else. doesn't that always happen? i'm always on the look out for a good black and white. among other things. this is by heidi grace. the white is more of a dirty white and not a true white. and i'm trying to ignore the tiny colored birds in some of the cages.

look, homeschooling stuff again. see, i lure you in with fabrics, sewing and quilting, but then i stick you with some homeschooling stuff in the end.

this was part of marguerite's math today. i use mep for her. mep is a free, downloadable math program. i love it. and i love it for marguerite too. if i had found it sooner, i would have used it for zach's math too. as it is, i'm supplementing just a tiny bit of mep with zach's math. i'll save zach's math for another post. did you just groan?

one of the reasons i like mep is because it approaches math ideas from many angles. if you are learning about addition, there aren't just straight addition problems. it's designed to make the student think. not just plug numbers into an equation. it also starts "hinting" toward new ideas way before they are fully presented in the lessons. for example, marguerite hasn't really done any division and just some multiplication. but this was one of the "board" problems for today. it's taking a number and dividing it in halves, then thirds, then fourths. but there was no mention of dividing. it also gets the brain thinking about fractions.

anyway, geeky, mathy me loves things like this.

...............................

hi stephanie, michelle, katie and jill (let's see who's reading)

2010-09-26T10:45:00.002-04:00

look at me! day 4 and i'm still blogging ; )

remember how the mommy/homeschool side of me was warring with the crafty side? i know i can't change the number of hours in a day, but i should prioritize my commitments and time for myself. and for the most part, that isn't the problem. the warring comes in because of the use of my "prime hours." by prime hours i mean the time where your really charged up and are really productive. are you a night person or a morning person? i'm kinda both. i love getting stuff done in the morning and the evening. but that is when my family needs me the most. the afternoons are when i have some time to sew, but by then i don't really want too. the warring comes in because i would love to sew in the morning, but i know i couldn't homeschool my best in the afternoon. there are two things i'm doing to help remedy this. first, i started drinking tea for the caffine boost. this is a big deal because i really don't like soda, coffee or tea. but i decided on tea because i thought it was the healthiest choice. second, i'm trying to go to bed earlier. still working on that one. so hopefully i can start using some of those afternoon hours for sewing.

as it is now i sew mostly on the weekends. here is what i sewed yesterday.

it was in my to do sewing pile. not the someday sewing pile which is actually just ideas for future sewing projects. the to do pile is full of projects that are already started or piles of fabric set aside for a certain project (i try not to make too many of these piles). this robot fabric has been sitting on my cutting table for awhile. it's from calamity kim, and i knew right away what i wanted to make with it. a field bag! a field bag for our nature study and tree study. a bag to carry our sketchbooks, field guides, pencils, notebooks etc.

not only did the fabric pile get off my cutting table, but that pile of books is off my dresser. now i need to get some new sketchbooks and also put together our tree notebooks.

you didn't know this was going to turn into a homeschooling post did you? sewing and homeschooling in the same post!

just through every day observation my children have learned to identify almost every bird that comes to our backyard. that's somewhere around 30 birds! they are beginning to identify the bird calls now. i started an informal study of the trees in our area, but this year we will do a more formal tree study. it will probably last longer than this school year. that way we will learn many trees and also learn what they look like in all seasons.

see you tomorrow!

...............................

thanks for all the wonderful comments you have been leaving! i don't get to reply to them all, but i do enjoy them all. well, not the comments from some asian porn site. but i don't publish those ; )

...............................

and on a completely different note, have any of you watched bbc's north and south? oh. my. it is wonderful! it's a mini series with four one hour episodes. i made the mistake of starting it at 10pm last night. i know. that doesn't jive with going to bed earlier. well, it was so good, i watched all four hours! i didn't go to bed until 2. which really doesn't jive with going to bed early. and now today, i'm trying to figure out when i can watch it again. oh my.

fieldtrip

2010-09-25T12:51:00.002-04:00

one of the changes i was thinking about for the blog is the content. so far i have blogged mostly about quilting. and while i love it, quilting does not take up the vast majority of my time. my kids do. if you didn't know already, we homeschool our children. this is our eighth year in this adventure.

while i don't expect this to become a homeschooling blog, it will become a blog about my life. i know several of you are here because i post about quilting, so you can just skip the non-quilty posts if you want : )

we follow a charlotte mason method of education. we read good books, explore our natural world around us, discover artists/musicians/poets, develop our skills in reading/writing/mathematics, and learn about the history of the world. along the way we deepen our relationships with each other and with our Lord. i cherish these times. ever thankful that our lifestyle enables us to homeschool.

yesterday we joined our homeschool group for a fieldtrip to a tae kwon do studio(?). the kids were given a demonstration and also a small lesson. they had such a great time. unfortunately there are not enough hours in the day or enough money in the bank to do everything we wish to do.

marguerite also had her first soccer game of the season. she and zach have been playing for several years now. this is zach and i on the sidelines watching the game in the rain. thankfully it didn't rain the whole time.

if you have any questions about our homeschooling, please feel free to email me at krommama at gmail dot com.

pirate quilt

2010-09-24T14:07:00.002-04:00

(zach and i were reading treasure island when i finally finished the quilt. a fun coincidence that the book cover matched the quilt)

awhile back i shared this photo with you on a wordless wednesday. now i'll share the words : )

i collected the pirate fabric over several months for a quilt for my son. then the fabric sat for months. then i made the blocks which then sat for several months. after i finally made the quilt top, it sat for several months (see a pattern here?). then i basted it and it sat for several months. then i quilted it and it sat for several months. then i said "the heck with it!" and machine bound it lickety split.

living in florida, there is just no rush to finish a quilt for summer.

and now that zach's is done, I need to repair marguerite's quilt. gonzo got a hold of it and put a few holes in it. Let's just say I was ready to ship gonzo off to the south pole.

...............

after announcing yesterday that i was challenging myself to blog everyday until the end of october, several friends took up the challenge for themselves too. fun!

decisions

2010-09-23T09:16:00.002-04:00

i'm participating in a mug rug swap on flickr. don't know what a mug rug is? in my mind, it was a drink coaster made out of plastic canvas woven with yarn and yarn fringe along the edges. something my grandma made 30 years ago. but i didn't know that the mug rug had been updated. it's a cute, little, quilted mat for your drink and a snack. so much better than plastic canvas and yarn. : )

above, will be the front of my mug rug. i'm calling him mondo in honor of mondo on project runway. have you been watching? marguerite and i are enjoying this season (although she's getting an education in what potty mouth words she is not allowed to say).

below, is the back of the mug rug. hopefully my partner will like at least one side of the mug rug. 'cause i don't have time to make another. actually sewing time is rare around here. i plan on including some fun goodies. i wish i could deliver this swap package in person. i'll give you a hint. it's travelling out of the country. off this continent no less. lucky package.

now for the "decisions" part of the post.

as usual, i'm having conflict in my life. inner conflict. homeschooling/mommy me is warring with crafty/quilty me. i have such a desire to create and sew right now. i'm bursting with ideas. but i can't. not to the extent i want to. there is a tiny, little, itty-bitty part of me that would love to send my kids to school just so i could sew and keep a tidy house. but the larger, more rational side of me realizes that my kids need me right now and that i really want to be here for them while they are growing up. i want to raise my children in the way we see fit. not the government. so once again, it's all about priorities and balance.

the other decision is about this blog. it's been horribly neglected. i wouldn't be surprised if i don't have any followers left. i want to continue. so i'm saying it right here: i'm challenging myself to post everyday until the end of october. you heard me. hold me to it.

so, see you tomorrow friends.

wordless wednesday

2010-09-08T20:43:00.002-04:00

summer sewing

2010-08-05T19:42:00.002-04:00

This summer I decided I was going to catch up on my swap sewing and also work on some projects that have been sitting. There are lots of ideas brewing in my head, but I don't want to start anything new until I get some of these other quilts and rows finished. I have notice with some of my online friends that when summer comes around they don't get as much sewing done because their kids are around more. Well, my kids are around all year long : ) During the summer, however, they don't need me as much. So I've been able to get more sewing done. It's been nice. Here is today's work:

I have one more word block to make, then I'll be able to put the top together. Yay!

wordless wednesday

2010-07-28T08:49:00.001-04:00

wordless wednesday

2010-07-21T15:37:00.001-04:00

wordless wednesday

2010-06-23T09:10:00.000-04:00

i spy houses

2010-06-19T09:44:00.002-04:00

for a dear friend's newest addition
we've been friends since our oldest ones were little
some friendships last through many seasons
and this is one of them

36" x 36"
free pieced
machine pieced, quilted and bound

2010-06-15T14:00:00.001-04:00

feeling quiet
finishing up the last few weeks of school
making plans for the new school year
enjoying the beginnings of summer with my family
and a wee bit of sewing

placemat quilt swap 3

2010-05-27T11:05:00.002-04:00

or pqs3 for those of you on flickr. Placemat Quilt Swap is a swap that I set up last year for swapping placemats. A very simple swap that runs when Doll Quilt Swap isn't running. For all of you (and you know who you are!) who can't get enough swapping.

This round, I paired myself with alexdk. That's one of the perks of running the swap. I get to pick who my partner is : ) Alex is a homeschooling mom like myself. And I thought it would be a fun swap. And I was right! We swapped a few educational things along with the placemats.

I asked for a boyish placemat with the intent of it being for my son. And Alex sent the perfect placemat with a little Canadian flavor. I don't think she knew that my son likes coins, so she really nailed it!

and the goodies she sent:

And here is what I sent Alex. She said she liked my houses and letters. So a house on one side:

and a word on the other:

She likes Snoopy and Peanuts too : )

It was a great swap, and I'm glad that Alex and I have gotten to know each other better. Thanks Alex!

wordless wednesday

2010-05-12T17:56:00.000-04:00

wordless wednesday

2010-04-14T21:00:00.001-04:00

row10

2010-04-08T09:36:00.002-04:00

I'm in a virtual quilting bee with 9 other fabulous quilters. Each month we make a row 60" long for one of the members. Each member gets to choose their theme/colors when it is their month.

The first month was my month, and I haven't made my row yet. hee hee. I asked for a Christmas theme in red and lime with hints of pink, green and white. The rows that everyone made are amazing. I need to lay them all out and take a picture.

The second month was Calamity Kim's month. She asked for a gnome/forest theme. Here is the row that I made for her:

The third month was for Tia. She asked for red and white cross blocks with tiny hints of aqua.

Next up is Upstatelisa's month, and she has requested Gee's Bend inspired rows in muted solids. I'm looking forward to it!

and just because I'm a curious bird (anyone read the pigeon books by

Mo Willems?), how many bees/block swaps/swaps are you in? I'm in two - row10 and placemat quilt swap. Some of you are in a lot!

ahhh, spring

2010-04-06T09:59:00.004-04:00

I hope you all are having a wonderful springtime. We had a great Easter weekend.

This is our last week before spring break! Hurray! I'm trying to get all my school planning and housework done, so that we can play play play (and sew) next week.

Happy Spring friends!

(Hi Stephanie!)

::pause::

2010-03-31T09:12:00.002-04:00

just popping in to let you know that i'm taking a blogging break.

"gee sarah, you haven't been around, so....duh! we knew you were taking a break."

yes, but now it's official. and i can "officially" stop thinking about my blog for awhile and feeling like i should post something.

or maybe i'll just post sporadically.

"duh again, what do you think you were doing?"

i'm feeling very non-committal.

"gee, i couldn't tell."

wow, you guys are harsh this morning ; )

see you around!

maybe

wordless wednesday

2010-03-24T09:06:00.000-04:00

wordless wednesday

2010-03-03T09:14:00.002-05:00

(the row10 for calamity kim edition)

i can't juggle it all!

2010-02-23T16:56:00.002-05:00

Lately I have felt overwhelmed with all that needs to be done. And all that I want to do. That's the kicker. I probably have plenty of time to do the things I have to do if (IF!) I didn't do anything else. But to be realistic, I need to find a good balance between the two.

I get frustrated with life, and then I notice that the "wanna do's" are taking priority over my "need to do's". Or even worse! Completely wasting time was taking over my list of priorities. It wouldn't matter if I had my priorities straight if I was wasting my time.

Well, I realized today that I was letting some things slip. Some of my normal day to day things were not getting done. And I was glad! I realized that I've been focusing on the important things - my husband, my kids, homeschooling, meals (ok, not house cleaning - oh well). And I've been letting go of some things - swaps and excessive computer time. I've even forgotten a few things - tumblr and facebook (I kinda hate facebook, I don't know why I was checking it so often).

I know I will deal with the "wanna do's" (and wasting time) taking over again, and again. But for now, I'm pretty pleased that things are a bit more balanced.

The pictures in this post are from this morning. Even though we had a busy day ahead of us, I was glad that we had the time to enjoy a toad Zach found before breakfast.