new book & beautiful fabric collection...

i am always looking out for new books with cute patterns and/or ideas?  'sew what you love' from tanya whelan is coming out in december, and i can't wait...  so many lovely items to sew.  wish it were sooner for some christmas gifts... but no worries, there are always other birthdays and holidays next year!  you can pre-order them now from amazon or barnes & noble.
 

is this lovely?  this is tanya's new collection!  this picture is from her flicker
site, and you can see it and more here. 

her new fabric collection, sugar hill, is coming out in december as well (pictured above).  definitely visit her blog for a chance to win both some fabric and her new book at grand revival designs.

it just made me feel cozy and comfy just looking at the colors and designs of the fabrics.  i can't wait to make something with them!

apron. check.

after the review of my 'to do' list for 2011, i had to get busy... so, i found an apron that i liked online at one more moore.  it was fun to make, and i had some cute fabrics left over from other projects.  my daughter came over today and modeled for me...

i think it is so cheery and fun.  it is definitely time to bake some cookies in my new apron. off to the kitchen...

raspberry lovin'

 
my family loves raspberies.  year's ago some friends of ours gave us about 5 raspberry shoots which we planted beside our house.  it has grown into a large area which we pick our raspberries from each year.  this year the raspberries came in a little later than usual, and we are still harvesting into october.  usually we are all done by the end of september.  this has been a weird year... but, none the less, they are still delicious.  this weekend might be the end of filling our freezer with these yummy berries. sad. 

let's make a stocking...

i was surfing from one blog to another this morning and ended up at purple panda quilts.  it is a great blog with lots of wonderful ideas... and she is part of a movement to make stockings for foster children in central virginia for christmas!  how fun and wonderful is that?  so, i have attached the link to the right and will be starting to plan my stocking to donate.  how about it?  you want to make one, don't you?  let's do this together!  check out the link for all the information on 'stockings for kids.'   christmas is really just around the corner.  i am soooo not ready! but, starting out with a something like this will definitely get me motivated.  this year, i am hoping to make presents for my family and friends.  yeah, yeah, i know... i need to get busy! so, here i go... 

2011 goals...

i was thinking this morning... what exactly were some of my creative goals for 2011?  I remembered that I had posted some of the fun things i wanted to complete back at the beginning of january.   here they are...

another baby quilt (for another friend)

a twin quilt (or two)

some cute aprons

a carry bag (preferably with a lesson from sew to speak)

several floorcloths 

something crafty with felt

so, how am i doing so far?  well... completed 2 more baby quilts here and here. check. made a couple quilts here and here. check. made some handbags here and here. check. learned how felt is made and made some felt balls. check.  

cute felt balls...

with that in mind, i am going to focus on making some aprons (wanted to do that as christmas gifts anyway), completing several of my floorcloths (did make one for sew to speak, but want to make some more), and would like to make a large travel bag which i found a pattern for...  how much time is actually left in this year?  i know how it flies by, so i better get on the ball.  cleaning the house will just have to wait.  this is important stuff, right?

the end of a season

my little guy is now a senior in high school.  how did this happen so fast?  i told him to cut it out and stay small a little longer, but he grew anyway.  hey, being a mom is tough business.  and here we are this past weekend at his two last matches of his high school career.  (and the two nastiest days in ohio).  he is a wonderful young man.  and we have really loved going out to all his matches watching him play.  here are some of the final moments of his golfing career on a high school team (but not the end of his golfing career, i hope!)...

he's a ham. period. 

does he look cold?  nice shot anyway...

hole #18, par 5, second shot...

and his third shot... almost an eagle to finish the season!! an awesome birdie.

 i am going to miss walking around the golf courses, watching one of my favorite guys hitting amazing shots (and some not so amazing).  we have been through this with our other two great kids (in wrestling, tennis, and lacrosse)... so, this is just the beginning of the 'lasts' for the year.  and the beginning of his life as a young adult.  i am proud of him already.

designing daughter

last week, my daughter decided she wanted to make a quilt... so, she ordered some beautiful fabric called silent cinema by jenean morrison which quickly arrived on saturday afternoon from hawthorn threads (fyi, they have a ridiculous amount of fabric to choose from).  she arrived at our house at about 6pm excited to see her fabric.  who isn't excited to see and touch the new fabrics they ordered, right?

then she started surfing pinterest to find a design she had 'pinned.'   she found one, but it was a smaller baby quilt, and her plan was to make a full-size quilt.  so, what is a new quilt maker (she has made one baby quilt so far) to do?  design her own, of course!

she based it off of the quilt she liked, came up with the measurements, color order, and was ready to cut the fabric by about 8pm!  soooo, we spent the evening cutting all the pieces so she would be ready to start sewing sunday morning.  and that is just what happened.

by noon, she was about half way done!  i helped with ironing and a little of the sewing.  and by 5pm, her quilt top was done!  how amazing is that?  it turned out beautiful as well...

next visit she will be completing the back and then... hand-quilting!  she is amazing!