Threaded Mess

True confession: I am an extremely. big. slob.

When it comes to sewing...

I tend to cut, piece, and trim with reckless abandon...

I dump my scraps in big cheese ball containers until they get so full that I'm forced to go through them and organize...

I toss pretty much everything in a pile...

I do keep my shelves and drawers fairly organized but once it's out of the drawer or off the shelf there's no telling where it will end up...

As messy as I am, I can usually find just about anything I'm looking for. In fact, I have a harder time finding things when I clean up because I forget where I put things for "safe keeping". I do eventually clean up when things start falling over or get in the way of whatever project I am working on.

All this is just further proof of why I consider myself a Threaded Mess...

Happy Quilting

Liz is Having Twins

My big (sorority) sister Liz and her husband Norm (aka Jum) are expecting twins!

  

To celebrate the occasion, Liz's friends and family threw her a shower and I was invited. I went down to stay with Liz the night before so I was there to help out with some of the food preparation, setup, and to take poorly lit pictures.

I was so excited to learn that they are having little girls and that their nursery will be in pinks and purples. I used the nursery color scheme as a theme for the entire gift.

I packaged Liz's gift in a pink and purple book tote from Barnes and Noble with a big pink bow:

Inside the bag were two classic tales, Peter Pan and The Secret Garden, and two little quilts for two sweet, little girls.

I know the blue throws things off a bit but I think the girls will love Wendy's adventure. Also there were no coordinating Barnes and Noble leather-bound classic books in pink that were the same size as Secret Garden. Such is life.

I decided to make the twins some patchwork car seat quilts since Liz's mom was making all the bedding for the nursery. I made one more purple and one more pink but a couple of prints appear in both quilts:

The backs are the same solid pinks and purples as you see bordering the squares on the front. I used this technique for the 2.5" squares as practice for the larger quilt I plan to make someday soon. I think Liz really liked them, but I am hoping the twins will grow to love them!

Happy Quilting

Oak Grove Silent Auction 2011

This year I decided to make a more simple quilt appropriate for a child or baby rather than a more traditional and sophisticated quilt like last year.

I am hoping the Oak Grove parents will LOVE splurging on this beauty:

quilt modeled zombie style by my MIL Ann

I used my all time favorite Amy Butler print, Honeycomb in aqua, for the backing and this cool yellow and yellow-orange print I found at my local Hancok Fabrics for the binding. It reminds me of Sashiko stitching and I love the unexpected touch of yellow! The quilt finished at around 42"x54" which I think will be a perfect size for a kiddo to snuggle under.

I hope it finds a nice home later this month when it is auctioned off at my mom's school.

Happy Quilting

UPDATE: This quilt wasn't the big hit I was hoping for. I'm a little upset about it. My mom thinks it's just the economy but I am more inclined to think that people don't understand the value of a well made quilt vs. a 'blanket'. She ended up buying the quilt for $40 and I am 'buying' it back from her by making her something custom for her house.

Thankful

As some of you all may have deduced from some of my previous posts, my husband and I became pregnant with our first baby a few months ago. Sadly, we miscarried in September. This is the biggest tragedy our marriage has faced so far. We were heartbroken, but our faith in God and the love and support from our friends and family helped us through.

When I came across the quote above, it really struck a chord with me. Most people I see on a day to day basis don't know about the weight that is sitting on my heart, or that I am taking a 'fake it 'till you make it' approach with my smile. At the same time, the same could be true for the people I see day to day. We all carry burdens in some way or another.

Holidays are always tough for me because I think about the loved ones who are no longer with me and and all my hopes for the previous year that haven't come true yet. I fear this year will be much the same. I'll be thinking of our loss, of how my belly isn't growing because of the baby I carry, how we're not picking out things for the nursery...

As a way to ease my own grief, this holiday season I am going to try to focus on what I am thankful for, and start hoping for next year. 

I am thankful for my husband. He is such an amazing partner in life, dedicated to providing for our family, so appreciative and supportive of everything I do, and so loving. He's my best friend.

I am thankful that God has put so many wonderful family members and friends in our lives who knew just what to say and do to ease our grieving hearts. 

I am thankful for my relationship with my family and with my husband's family. Love abounds.

I am thankful for my church community, both in Northern Virginia and South West Virginia. We are rich in prayers. Going to church every Sunday has really strengthened our marriage and enriched our lives. 

I am thankful for the doctors and nurses who provided me with medical care throughout our pregnancy, miscarriage, and aftercare. There's no doubt in my mind that they did everything they could for us. They were even able to tell us that we were pregnant with a baby boy. All along we were thinking it was a baby girl and had even named her Allison Grace. When we found out the news we decided to change his name to Alexander Gabriel. A strong name for a baby in Heaven.

I am thankful for quilting and that I am able to give back to my community through my hobby. I don't think I ever had a 'you are called' moment like some people do. Still, I feel like quilting both heals me and that I am able to help/heal/love others in my own way by donating my work to charities or giving quilted gifts to friends and family.

I am thankful for 'enough'. Enough money in the bank, enough food in the pantry. I have a roof over my head, a job that pays the bills, a car that gets me from A to B. Not everyone can say that.

I am thankful I live not just in a house, but a home. There is a difference. My home with my husband is filled with the wags and loving licks of our sweet black lab Lucy, has comfy places to rest, displays artwork made for us, or I made, or my husband and I picked out together, has rooms and things for entertaining our friends and family, a kitchen to cook together in, and spaces to create and play in.

I am thankful for this prayer as it has helped me through many a tough spot:

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

I am thankful for the blog world as it is an outlet to share my life and be a part of others. I doubt I would have met so many wonderful people and learned so many wonderful things otherwise. Thank you for stopping by to read here and for your comments you've left me. Today is a particularly heavy sharing day for me, but I hope you all won't mind. I have some great posts in the works and they are almost all quilt related. I promise.

I  hope I can continue to be thankful for all the blessings in my life. I hope that one day soon my husband and I will be blessed with another baby. I hope I can continue being a good wife, daughter, sister, friend.

I hope that I have enough strength to overcome whatever battles the next year brings.

I hope I'm kind to everyone I meet.

Happy Thanksgiving

Quilt Blocks for do. Good Stitches

I was a little behind on my blocks for do. Good Stitches but thankfully everyone was understanding.

These blocks are going to Lindsay (more info here) for September:

And these are on their way to Kat (more info here) for October:

Now I just have to make my November blocks and I will be all caught up!

Happy Quilting