fears

I am afraid.
nothing scary, but it holds me in its grasp and I stress...

After reading this post by Anna of Noodlehead fame--I don't feel alone.
not completely.

This was my comment on her blog after reading this:

"i fear wasting fabric...the fabric industry is so cruel...it turns over fabrics too fast and just when i get the nerve to use my beloved fabric it goes OOP and i can't get it anymore. i stand stuck in this place.
my husband does not understand.
nice to know that someone else does :)"

note: OOP means Out Of Print.
as in done.
gone.
finished.
nada.
a bazillion dollars on Ebay for the world's last remaining fat quarter that someone else is selling because they were smarter than me and bought lots so now they can share it and get their projects done.

hmph.

yes. it's the strawberries all over again.
why do I obsess?

My hubby asures me "we can buy more fabric.
They will design fabric that I like just as much. take it one project at a time."

Problem is that it takes me MONTHS to finally begin a project and then the amount of fabric I have limits my creativity.

Fabric is expensive!
I don't want to waste it!

'cause once it's gone. it's gone.
so sad.

Hubs said to me the other day,
"you're getting a nice little stash of fabric now. Great for creativity."

umm...yeah.
except, no.
practically every piece of fabric I have was bought for a purpose.

It's not a stash.
It's a hoard.
waiting it's turn.
hmmmmm.....
time is also a problem.

I'm not entering any more quilt bees so that I can work on my own stuff.
promise.

what's that?
no I'm not crossing my fingers behind my back.

Swaps don't count do they?

hmmm.... could someone pass the strawberries please?

TO BE CONTINUED...

QUESTION?

I have so much to blog about and yet so little time....

but I have a pressing question.

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Preparing for my month in the Great White North Bee...

and I'm undecided...

Does the blue play?

or does it take away?

are the stripes too much?

hmmmmmmmmm.........

(please note that these are not pieced blocks, they're just staged so I can get a concensus)

edit: thank you to everyone who commented and emailed.

I decided to keep the stripes but nix the blue.

Instead I added in some golden corduroy to warm it up a bit.

I'll update you once my blocks start rolling in :)

crafty endeavours

WARNING:

photo heavy post ahead!

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This month I have been focusing on getting things done!

Since having #3 I've been sneeking in sewing time when I can...

and not blogging at all because all my spare time has been spent sewing or cuddling a newborn :)

first up: Bee Blocks

Made these 3 blocks using Denyse Schmidt's Hope Valley for Beth.

She is on for the last month of our Teathered Threads 2 swap.


can I just say that nothing is better to work with than the quality that comes with designer fabrics--and I don't even like Hope Valley!

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Next up:
Blocks for Ruth that were due in August....oops!
also for Tethered Threads 2.
We got to use fabulous fabrics designed by Laurie Wisbrun for Scarlet Fig fabrics
Heaven!

Ruth had us use a new method of piecing that had you leave the first piece half unsewn and then sewing it at the end...

very cool.

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This is a table runner I made for my secret sister at church.

it was our revealing night where we find out who our secret sister was for the year and I had won these fabrics at guild and decided to make something fall-like for her.

I used a tutorial by Anina at the Twiddle Tails blog for the Strippy Runner.

Easy Peasy!

I wasn't able to give it to her in person and she made a point of thanking me at church the next Sunday and giving me a thank you card--so I guess she liked it :)

I didn't like these fabrics at all but then went shopping for the binding and made the back from my stash and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it!

Now I want one!

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lastly,

I made a doll quilt for an auction fundraiser at my daughter's school.

I made it to be 14"x 17" and after quilting and washing it measures 13" x 16"

Using a http://www.etsy.com/shop/scarletfigtutorial by Amanda Jean from Crazy Mom Quilts
for this cute pillow and case!

The fabric was from my SIL (thanks Kit Kat!)

and was slated for another project, however I decided the little house was just too cute to have sitting in my stash so I chopped and diced and made it nice :)

I still have a bunch of houses so this is not the last time you will see them.

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off to sew some more!

Dear John...

(my mom and dad in the early years. My mother is still this beautiful.)

Your memory is never far from me.

Our new little man is so smiley and squishy and huggable and loveable.

Your heart would melt if you could see him.

I often think about the day you came to the hospital upon the arrival of our sweet princess (our first baby, your first grandbaby) into our lives.

I remember how you saw her and your eyes welled up with tears.

I loved that you wore your emotions on your sleeve (and yet it's something I don't always like about myself).

You loved her with out knowing her or feeling her kick for 9 months.

You loved her even though you weren't here everyday to see my ever-enlargening belly.

You loved her before she even knew she would love you.

because she was mine and you were her grandfather, you loved her.

Unconditionally.

Love is amazing.

Love is something I want very badly for my kids to know.

the kind of love you had for me and my brother and mom.

and the love that you shared with pumpkin.

She loves you still.

Your memory is engraved on her little 5 (and 3 quarters) heart.

We love you.

and miss you.

but mostly, we appreciate you and the love that you shared.

thank you for teaching me about love.

love,

your most beloved daughter

Gifted and received.

When you have a baby,

you get gifts.

It feels good to get gifts.

It also feels good to give gifts.

but not just any gift...

a hand made one...

gifted:

for the pincushion pass swap I sent some m&m's,

some Amy Butler fabric scraps,

and a one of a kind pincushion--

trust me--I couldn't duplicate it if I tried :)

Received:

This awesome

(HUGE)

pincushion in my fave colour combo

and some beautiful glass head pins

I'm loving swaps!!

So Fun!

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gifted:

one yummy lap quilt

for:
my mother-in-law,
whom I actually "like" and love dearly
(it's not true what they say about mother in laws you know...)

Fabric:
Cotton Blossoms by Bonnie and Camille for Moda

Purchased a layer cake wayyyyy back


this is the back that my hubby helped me with :)
thanks Honey!
This the front.
(before washing and drying)
this is it all crinkly and soft after being washed and dried.

Size:
54" x 63" prior to washing

approximately 50" x 59" after a trip through the dryer.

Received:
yup...she definately liked it!

A nice warm fuzzy feeling knowing that I've given something useful,
personal, loveable and sentimental.

and I made it.
All. by. myself.

from me.
to her.

no wonder quilters are the most generous people.
they've figured out that it pays more to give than to receive.

Although if you want to send me a gift I won't turn it down!

a big thank you!

Look at this quilt!

Isn't it fabulous?!

I just adore the modern meadow line of fabric

--how did they know?

Thank you soooo much, Tethered Threads 2 Block Swap ladies!
Thank you all so very much!!
I was shocked!
And it is sooo beautiful!
Honestly,
I'm not sure if it was the hormones or the surprise,
or just the deep heartfelt thankfulness,

but I started to cry when I took it out of the envelope.

Quilters truly are the most generous people.

They've made me feel so blessed to be a part of such a great group of quilters.

I've learned so much more about quilting by being part of a swap.

These ladies are talented.

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Little Peanut is doing well and growing so fast!

He's gained a pound in less than 2 weeks

and aside from being on a sleep strike last night,

he's an extremely contented baby.

You'll see more from me soon but for now I've got to go give a cuddle to my kiddos.

I have been very busy...

holding,

cuddling,

squeezing,

kissing,

cherishing,

and thanking the Lord for this little bundle of cuteness.

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Our new little guy showed up on July 23rd, 2010 at 12:20 am.

He weighed 7lbs 9oz and has big feet :)

2 hours of labour

(yes, you read that right)

and one push and we had our newest little man in our arms.

Our kids just love him!

What a blessing.

A lot of prayers, (my own and from others),

went into the making of a beautiful birthing experience.

There is nothing better than seeing the richness of the blessings the Lord doles out.

Nothing.

I feel great and am enjoying some downtime with the family.

but I'll be back soon with more details.

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And thank you to those of you that have encouraged me the last few months.

It means alot.