Make it go away

The view out my bedroom window this morning.

It's feeling like December now.
 And, to pour salt on my wound, I woke up to Walking in a Winter Wonderland playing on the radio.
I am not mentally prepared for this.

If it wasn't so pretty, I'd be in a bad way.

Halloween Re-cap

 October has come and gone. 

I don't know about you, but I am feeling a little bush wacked.

At our house bush wacked means tired.

According to the on-line dictionary it means, "to fight a guerilla in the woods".

No guerillas.  No woods.

Just a lot of kids (mine, primary & school), and Halloween madness.

 I am feeling the after effects.

 The kind of madness that transformed this soccer crazed boy...

  Into this...

TinkerBELLY.

 

I never want to sew with stretchy, skin colored fabric again.

Tricky stuff.

Pirate costumes were a little easier...I just made the vests and skirt.

And the blessed little witch costume.  All I had to do was pull it out of the old costume box.

I whipped up some trick-or-treat bags last minute (Halloween afternoon - I tend to procrastinate). 

This one is a wonky Halloween version of the birthday tote I made for my owl loving daughter.

Even though it was busy we had a lot of fun. My husband had the day off work which was a real treat.  Sometimes mama needs a sidekick...especially when there is so much going on. We went to the costume parade at the school, helped out with two class parties, toasted pumpkin seeds, made yummy rolls and homemade chicken noodle soup.  The weather was so nice I actually volunteered to take the kids trick-or-treating with my good friend and her kids while my husband passed out candy. Usually I stay home to keep warm but this year we didn't even need coats.  We woke up this morning to much cooler temps. and rain that turned into snow so we lucked out.  It definitely feels like November now. As long as it doesn't feel like December anytime soon, I'll be OK.  I'm not ready for that kind of madness yet!

Our little witch was bush wacked too.

Bloggers Quilt Festival: French Dreams Quilt

I have been doing some experimental quilting...scary times at the Hideaway House.

The ingredients:

• 3 floral print night gowns found on Clearance sale at Old Navy (size XXL for more fabric). Please, tell me I am not the only one who occasionally purchases an odd clothing item for the fabric alone!

• 1 polka dot sheet set found on Clearance sale at Target (you've seen it before and you'll be seeing it again)

• 1 Simply Shabby curtain panel (forgot to take a before picture)

• A Michael Miller Eiffel Tower print that was sent to me by mistake, and I was told to keep it (Bonus!)

• A few of my on hand favorite solids (Ash, Celery and another gray)

• One very questionable (& rough) pattern drawn up by yours truly.  Its reliability had never been proven, hence all of the pre-stated ugly step-sister fabric selections.  In other words, I didn't want to risk the good stuff (me, of so little faith!)

Mix them all together...

The result, although not perfect, is better than expected for an experiment!

Next time I try this pattern, I might even risk the good stuff.

Although, I must admit, these motley fabrics are kind of growing on me.

The name, French Dreams, is in honor of its nightie origins, with a little dash of Eiffel thrown in the mix. :)

Ooh La La.

Vintage Baby

I have a new little niece.

She came into the world early Sunday morning while the rest of us were still dreaming.

It has been a while since I have held an infant in my arms - I can't wait to meet her.

We are so happy for my brother & sister-in-law and their growing little family.

  

I used some of my favorite, vibrant, vintage sheets to make this little quilt for her.

 I wish I knew more people expecting babies - quilts this size are a pleasure to make.

A bright and happy quilt for a little soul who has already brought happiness to so many.

Welcome to the world Ginny Kay!

Lone Star

Last week I managed to cross another UFO off the list. The Lone Star is quilted, bound, washed and smelling heavenly.  Pulling a crinkly new quilt out of the dryer is my favorite moment in the quilting process.

I used a mix of fabrics - mostly of the French General variety and a couple from JoAnn's, including a Denyse Schmidt (yellow). The back is from a cotton sheet set I found on clearance at Target...you'll be seeing more of it soon.

The quilting is a bit random in places (made it up as I went along), but I love how it looks on the back  - like a giant, lime green, polka dot snowflake.

.

Now, let me tell you the story of how this little lone star came to be...

Last month, my cyber friend, Des, invited me to a quilt retreat with this group of talented (and hilarious!) ladies, none of whom I had ever met in real life. I only knew her from the internet. Scary, huh?! I had a complete out of character moment and decided to be brave and go.  Shocking.  I can be a bit anti-social, so this was a big step for me.

(view from the back porch)

The retreat house was in the middle of Idaho farm country with no neighbors in sight.  It was beautiful...until I had to drive down the dirt road and park in the pitch black of night to get cell phone coverage, then it was just plain spooky. Country dark is a whole lot darker than suburban dark. I couldn't see a thing.

There were a lot of lone star quilts and triangle star quilts in the works, so I jumped on the bandwagon.  I rarely use patterns, so following detailed directions was a little tricky for me.  Fortunately, Kathy was there to help me navigate - she is a lone star super-hero.

 I bet this front porch never looked so good!

They were definitely not lonely stars.

My Soul Blossoms quilt found a Soul Blossoms friend.  I guess you could say they are soul mates.
(both made from jelly rolls!)

Amazingly, these quilts look even better up close. These ladies know how to work a long arm!

I had such great time!

Branching out of my stubborn comfort zone to meet new people and make new things was a good thing.

The food was good too!

And the neighborhood...

Pretty cool - as long as it was light outside.

Something Shabby

One of these quilts is not like the others.
One of these quilts just doesn't belong...

It has texture:  chenille, soft corduroy, linen and minky.

Rounded corners.

Ruffled edges instead of a traditional binding.

And all hand quilting. 

This weekend I raided my stash of ultra feminine fabrics to make my youngest daughter a little throw quilt to go on top of her bed.
 Her room decor is shabby chic so I wanted something to compliment that look. 

Not my usual style, but her style.

 My boys are saying I never make anything for them. 

Maybe next time it will be something their style.