Mini Quilt Monday

Look what i did while we were sitting around last night! I raided my scrap bucket, pulled some vintage sheet scraps and made the teeny tiniest quilt ever! Look how little it is next to the quilt foot!!!

I just wanted to see if it would work....would cutting fabric into 1 inch squares make me want to scream or would it make something way too cute! I had been thinking about doing this for a while but last night the moment hit me and I just went for it.

And little did i know that i was making the perfect sized quilt for my little quilting buddy.

I hand quilted it in under 5 minutes...the binding is what took some time. It measures nearly 3 inches square. There were lots of fiddly bits but the cuteness factor made it totally worth it.

*** check out the other mini quilt i made this week...i shared it for sew and tell over at Amylouwho's. Hello to anyone here saying hello from V and Co...thanks for stopping by**

Sew and Tell Friday

How does a week sneak up on one so fast? I have been a day behind all week, and nearly forgot that today was sew and tell. I had this in the works so i just got to sewing like crazy so that i could share this top with you all. I see a color trend in my life. The rooms in my house are blue and green...furniture...and the fabric colors i gravitate to are usually in the green and blue family somewhere. I wonder what a color says about someone?

My friend Deb, at Works in Progress, has been holding a charm square quilt a long. I was in!!!! What do you think Deb? She made a christmas charm quilt...so pretty. I really enjoy how diverse quilting can be and how different each persons quilt can be just because of the color and fabrics they use even when we use the same pattern.

I used a snippets charm pack and some other vintage reproduction fabrics that i had in my stash to get the total squares from 40 to 48...what Deb's pattern called for. I had to improvise in a lot of places on this one because i did not have enough of any one fabric, typical. I really really did not want to go to the store and buy more, so i just made do.

Today is sew and tell...good news Amylouwho is going to continue this through the summer with a little help...our motivation will carry on! Head on over and see all the other pretty's that are being shared. You are going to love everything. I am sure of it.

What we were up to Today

Our homeschool has not come up lately on the blog...but we are still here plugging along. We have been using random things to fill our history quota for the year. i never found something that i was totally in love with but, anyway, i digress...

today we revisited last years curriculum, Story of the World, and picked up at a random lesson and went for it! it was about the fall of Rome and the Celtic rebellion in Britain against said Romans. The lesson came complete with project/craft ideas and food suggestions.

The book suggested drawing our own Celtic knots. I originally was going to try to make some kind of banner with Celtic knot designs because i automatically went into 'how can i put this on fabric mode?'. But then it occurred to me, as i was running out of time before dinner, that i could make this easier on myself. Fabric markers plus inexpensive IKEA napkins equals new Celtic knot napkins/place mats for our feast!

We made a quick run to the grocery store to get some Celtic feast food....bread, chicken, berries and wine. Don't worry it is just sparkling grape juice. One rule, those barbaric Celts did not eat with utensils, so neither would we. Avery and Mitchell were beyond thrilled...i was purposely going to let them eat with their hands!!! it is the simple things.

These are the homeschool lessons that i enjoy the most but that don't come around nearly enough.

Presenting Wonderland

After much time, i was able to get this one finished...as i mentioned in a recent post, i procrastinate. I started this way back before Christmas with my friend Allison. Isn't the Wonderland pretty? This is the Strip this Quilt pattern by Green Fairy quilts.

Avery was my helper...she was a little short to hold this one all the way up, but we made do. I must have said something funny to her by the look on her face.

I quilted it in a soft brown color in a zig zag from top to bottom. Straight line. The wind was working against me for these pictures, but the sun was not lost on me. I am thankful for that!

Will it have a new home? Hmm....maybe? If i can part with it.

Fabric Dreaming!

Tonight we were sitting on the couch

Avery turns to me and says in a dreamy and wishful voice,

"Imagine if there was such thing as a quilt shop as big as a mall?!?!"

Can you just imagine? I love that girl. I love that she thinks and dreams about fabric already.

Meet my New Best Friend

This is me relaxing on the couch last night with an almost finished quilt...should have been a long time ago, but we all know already that i procrastinate. I was all cozied up so that i could use my new favorite sewing notion. I found this on spring break at a quilt shop up north. Meet my new best friend, Thread Heaven.

I already loved hand binding my quilts but now i love it even more. Thread Heaven keeps your thread from tangling and knotting up when you are sewing. It is amazing and makes such a difference. Your thread also moves a lot more smoothly through the fabric. If you can find it at a local shop i highly, highly recommend it.

Natalia at Piece and Quilt was asking what everyone's favorite, must have, notion was today....and this is mine for sure.

***For me, sitting with a quilt in my lap and taking the time to do some hand sewing is a peaceful thing. Not all may agree but i love it...it is soothing. What is your peaceful moment, your real life moments? Go over to Deb's at Works in Progress and share what peaceful moment is for you.**

Mostly Wordless???

I almost forgot the best part of the week...all the snow pictures. Most people head for warm weather during spring break but this little family tries to find what snow is left. Here is a few of the best shots from the ski trip.

Springtime Fun

As if we did not do enough on our vacation...we also took a day and headed to the zoo.

The weather was beautiful and the animals were so active and fun to watch...don't let this guy fool you right before we took the picture he was walking around, standing at the edge of his enclosure just staring at us.

We spent lots of time watching these two grizzlies....Avery kept saying that she did not like the bears but she enjoyed it just as much as me. Silly girl!

And then it was back to home where Avery, if allowed, will spend all day in the woods. Collecting moss, and rocks or building fairy houses. The weather was so great these last few days that Mitchell even got a little farmer's tan.

I have been struggling with sewing lately....lack of motivation and inspiration i guess. But i can feel it coming back slowly. Don't give up on me yet.

Gone North!!!

What did you do for spring break? We went north and then on a whim went further north. Chris wanted to get in a little more skiing before the season was done. This is the view from the top of Whiteface in Lake Placid.

This was the amazing view from our hotel room right in Lake Placid. It was amazing. Those things right in the middle are the ski jump towers from the 1980 winter olympics.

This last shot is a picture of the bobsled run all lit up from our hotel balcony. Cool right? we all had a lot of fun and i have lots more pictures to share. This is just the tip of the iceberg. I just wanted you to know that i am still here and have not fallen off the face of the earth.

Sew and Tell Friday

As you might know from old posts, i use Avery as my layout and design "consultant"...that way i don't go crazy trying to lay something out and then i won't change it because she worked so hard on it. It works for me! I think Mitch was inspecting her work...and it was definitely approved of.

The pictures are not great...it is pretty rainy and dark today, but it still shows what those strips turned into. It is very nearly about 55 inches square. not intentional...just had that much fabric to make that much quilt. It is bright and colorful. Maybe subconsciously i was willing it to be warmer with my color choices...and it just might be working.

I think i really like how the random placement of the white turned out...I have simple quilting plans for it....straight lines all the way!!!! And pins for basting for sure! The fabric is Jennifer Paganelli's bell bottoms. These fabrics were one of my very first internet fabric purchases from Randi at Fresh Squeezed Fabrics. They have been waiting to be created into something else, and this week it was their turn.

Of course this is headed over to Amylouwho's to share with everyone. GO over and see what everyone got done this week. i know it is all going to be amazing!

Through the Days with Mitchell

Does this make me a bad mom? look at that face...how was i to say no?

This is Mitchell praying for our first dead goldfish, Triton. The prayer was brief...he was a little too excited, in my opinion, to dump and flush that fish. Would i have taken these pictures if i did not have a blog?

Having a little veggie sushi, so that he can be more like Daddy. He was so confident until i opened the box and said eat it! But, i am proud to say, he did it. tried something new and actually liked it. I even ate some.

No picture to go with this one but it was sure funny...to me at least... we were going around the block today enjoying the nice weather...Mitch is on his scooter with a sweatshirt around his waist...he sees his shadow and then shouts back to me(with flair!), "I look like a Greek god!". He thought his shadow looked like he was wearing a toga. Only mitchell.