Snippets...

Growing!

Crafting!

Quilting!

More Quilting!

Loving!

I've been quilting!

I've been sewing a lot this last month (thanks to a challenge in my online quilt group!) but have been slacking at the blogging.

(ugliest table runner EVER! Started 5 yrs ago for some unknown reason- at least it's finished!)

(horrible cell phone pic- Addy's bed size quilt top!)

Kiddo's spring break was last week, so we packed up 2 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs and a cat for a 12 hr - one way! - road trip for the baby to meet the rest of the extended family! Also included last week, a quick side trip without kiddos to the Paducah AQS show- YAY!

(also- side trip to the winery!)

(check out that attractive family!)

I'm hoping to have lots more to share soon! Next on the sewing to-do list is binding on a baby quilt (well, top and fleece back) that has been waiting for said binding for almost a year... oops!

The last of the leftovers...

Finally, I finished the last of the 3 planned baby quilts from the orphaned mystery blocks!

Obviously, they're all similar, but I managed to separate the blocks into 1 boy, and the 2 girl baby quilts. 3 quilts down from ONE old project- YAY!

Weekending!

Maybe I should change the name...

of the blog to 'Tara Slacks Off...' SORRY!

But I'm sure most of you realize how an infant cuts into sewing time, and boy does it! But I still sneak in bits here and there. Mostly on Tuesdays- a small group of friends has been coming over most Tuesdays and my dining room turns into my own personal little sweatshop (except, you know- they take the finished items home LOL)

This is something I finished yesterday! The blocks are still leftover from the same project as the last baby quilt (2 posts down). The pink chair is a TJ Maxx find and was too adorable to pass up- and since I have a girl now, I'm justified... except for the fact that she doesn't sit up on her own yet, but we'll get there (right?) :D

And Target is my new favorite fabric source! A $7.99 flat sheet will back TWO baby quilts-- so much cheaper than a trip to the quilt shop, and it's a good weight for it. Hubby sometimes loves my odd purchases.

nook Cover - Part 2

BUT- I think I actually like this one! The other (post below) was a little bit too tight although you can't tell in the pictures, and I had to take it out of the pocket to get to the touch screen. This one is working out much better, but I had originally done the pocket again, realized that THAT was what I wasn't liking, and un-sewed a bit and put in the corner things on the bottom as well.... WHEW- 2 days gone figuring out how I wanted this thing, but it's done and usable now! And, I can acess all buttons, screens, and even the charging port without removing it from the cover, yay!

Mini Project

So we stopped by the bookstore the other night for hubby to grab a book, and I came home with a nook! Naturally, it needed a cover, so I whipped this up yesterday. It serves the purpose, but I think I want to do another and make a few changes... (note to self: STOP using 'good' fabric on the first attempt at making things with no pattern!)

I have a plan!

Well, of course it's a plan for a quilt, silly!

It involves this pattern:

(available here)

and this pile of fabric:

and it will be be-a-utiful!!! I'm waiting for the pattern to arrive and need to purchase background.

- Fun Fact- this stack includes pieces from all of Amy Butler's lines (quilting weight anyway), way back to 'Charm'!

For a friend...

Another quilt completely from my stash! The blocks are part of a collection from an online mystery a few years ago... I have enough left to make 2 more quilts this size in more girly colorways! The backing, binding, and even the batting were all from my stash :D

This quilt will be going to a soon-to-be-born baby boy, who I hope gets lots of love and enjoyment from it!

The boy...

New...

A new project and a new finish all in one weekend!

I had been debating the Sew Liberated book for awhile, and went for it a few weekends ago. Life got in the way as I was collecting the odds and ends needed for the 'Capture the Moment' camera bag pattern in the book.

Finally, as of yesterday I had all I needed after a last minute trip to pick up some interfacing. This was needed because I decided to use a cotton print instead of the called-for decor weight for the contrast pieces. After spending most of ny non-baby time yesterday sewing, I was able to finish it up this morning after getting our oldest on the bus!

The main body of the bag is a dark brown courdoroy that I managed to find online for $2.99/yard (!!!) and the print is from Amy Butler's Belle line... love it! It fits my DSLR perfectly, and holds an extra lens and my external flash as well.

No quilty update- but where we've been...

Ah, definately no quilting right now!

We've had quite the ordeal going on for about a week now. Addy, our 2 month old, began to be congested last Wed (Feb 3). At her already scheduled checkup the following day, her pediatrician checked it out, said he heard a bit of fluid in her lungs, but that it was just a virus that would have to run it's course... That same evening (Thurs, Feb 4), I took her into the ER in the evening because she wasn't feeling better and seemed to be running a slight fever. They said the same, but did do an RSV test which came back positive. We were told to use saline drops and suction to keep her nose clear, and to follow up at her regular Dr. the next day.

That Friday, off we went BACK to the pediatrician with the test results. Again- he told us to continue suction and 'keep an eye out'... Checked her oxygen levels which were fine and said again that he heard a bit of 'gunk' in her lungs...

Friday and Saturday, she stayed the same, actually perking up a bit Sat morning. Sat afternoon though she started spitting up quite a bit and later in the evening seemed to be breathing harder. When we noticed the breathing, which at that point wasn't horrible, but harder than she had been breathing, we headed off to the ER. At that point, it got much worse. The harder she was breathing, the more it wore her out, and it escalated. Five minutes away from the hospital she started wheezing, and at that point we made the decision to continue. If we had stopped, it would have taken longer for an amublance to get to us, so hubby hit the gas harder. As we rushed into the ER, her breathing had slowed dramatically and she was literally losing color by the second.

Following was the scariest moment of my life! 11 medical professionals rushed in (drs, nurses, emts) and got her stabilzed and under an oxygen hood. A call was made and a crew was brought down from the Children's Hospital in Birmingham, AL for her. Around midnight, she was loaded into an ambulance to the airport for a flight up. There was no room for either of us, so we hauled butt in our truck and arrived in Birmingham a few hours after her at 5am Sunday morning.

Thanks to lots of prayers and a very capable medical team, her lungs have cleared up nicely though it will take some time to fully recover. She has been off of oxygen for 24 hrs now and is doing very well. Her IV fluids were cut off this morning, and her eating is slowly getting back to normal, though she is still spitting up a bit (coughing fits tend to gag her, and up it comes).

We are so grateful for everyone that has been helping to get her back to her normal self, and we're currently holed up in a hotel in downtown Birmingham so that we can visit as often as possible!

Poor baby though- I think she NEEDS a new quilt after this and mommy has one in mind :P

PS- Brother Matt is doing well, though upset that he still hasn't got to see his sister (hospital is full so she's stuck in special care even though she no longer needs to be there). We've been taking turns keeping him amused, and the hospital has an awesome area for kids with basketball, games, ping pong, etc. I took a break yesterday while Daddy was at the hospital and we went to the Science Center (he IS missing school- I figured something educational/fun was in order LOL)

So little time!

There are so many NEW projects that I want to start... books, blogs- I'm getting ideas from all over, but feel like I have no time to do any of them.

And the UFOs... some days I feel like just purging that whole bin in my closet. The piles of blocks, half cut fabrics, and even mostly finished quilt tops that I just lost interest in. Hopefully I can motivate myself to sift through those and get some of them finished up, if for no other reason that getting them out of that closet.

Finally- finished product(s)!

I almost forgot how nice it feels to get something DONE! This top has been done since right before the baby was born. I managed to load it onto my frame a few days ago, and by quilting 15 minutes here and there, I got it done. I put the binding on this morning, and voila!

I made this adorable tutu today too! It's a little big for Addy right now (she is only 2 months old... LOL), but I have a feeling it will be perfect right around her first Halloween! Thanks to the fabric clearance at our local WalMart, the tulle was only 58cents a yard. I think this took around 2 yards, cut into 4 inch strips, then cut down into about 15 inch lengths. I had seen this tutorial in various forms around the web for a few years, and finally have a little girl to make one for... ahh, patience...

I QUILTED!!!

So, I didn't take any pictures, but I swear I finally did some quilting!

I loaded backing, batting and top on the frame, and got two whole rows done! Granted, it's a smaller wallhanging, but those 30 minutes were FUN!

I need to start carving out time to get back to my poor neglected sewing room...

Baby pictures!

Not that any one cares too much, but I like her, so you all get to see her!

I'm still not back to where I have time to quilt, but am trying my best to be patient about it... all in good time! And in the meantime, ideas are forming in my head :D

I'm also hoping this little one grows up to be a sewer, and in anticipation, I've started hitting the remnant fabric bin every time I'm at WalMart! She won't care about quality, and if nothing else, it'll be fun for her to toss around the house when she's a bit older. Matt has no interest in sewing or quilting (all boy there!) so I have to get at least one of my kids interested at some point.

New Year... New Resolutions

Now, whether or not those resolutions stick is totally another subject!

So, here goes the wishful thinking!

1. Get organized! We've moved 6 times in our 10 year marraige and have accumulated a crap ton of things. We try to clear out before every move, but it never works as intended. There are boxes of books (I think?) in my closet that literally haven't been unpacked since 4 houses ago. I think it's high time to start goign through this stuff and get rid of the things we don't use or want anymore.

2. SEW MORE! Well, maybe not a ton more time wise- hello new baby! But I would like to finish up some older projects and be a lot better at finishing the new projects that I start.

Ok... I don't want to overdo it at this point :P

So, from me to you- Happy New Year!!!