a quilt for jane.

Jane was born at the end of september, so I'm finished just in time for her two month birthday. whoops.
Better late than never, I guess! And I happen to really love this quilt, so hopefully it will have been worth the wait!

A big thanks to my hubby, my special assistant, for holding up the quilt for me to photograph while the kiddos played on the playground!

Getting Sew-cial.

This weekend I took my very first sewing class. It. Was. Awesome.

I have been reading Victoria Findlay Wolfe's blog Bumble Beans for as long as I can remember. Recently she has won best in show at Quilt Con and put out a new book on her technique, which she calls "play."  So when I heard she was coming to my local quilt store, I had to be there!

I was too starstruck to take many photos. I really kept to myself in my own little corner, for the most part. But I did meet a few people (they all knew one another already) and best of all, I learned a ton! I can't wait to find the time [when my kids are off to college?] to finally finish the quilt we started in class. . . if only I weren't kidding!

The quilt hanging in the background was the project for the day. I barely made a dent in it!

Victoria holding up one of her amazing quilts.

Another work in progress.

Look at all of the tiny pieces that make up each flower!

Paper piecing one arm of a Lemoyne Star on yellow pages.

My star.

One of my blocks.

Where I left off. . . so fun!

friday, phew.

I'm not sure where to begin today. There is so much going on in our lives, our home -- and in the world; holy cow! it's all too much to process. 

Last night I went to the Kindergarten orientation for Andy's would-be school if we stay in this district. First we met some of the teachers, the principal, the school nurse; then we watched a slide show of what the typical day in kindergarten looks like. And then we got to tour the classrooms. That was when it hit me. In only a few months from now, no matter where we live, Andy is going to get on the bus and ride off to kindergarten.  He will officially be a "kid." Not a baby. Not a toddler. Not a preschooler. And I cried. And so did ALL OF THE MOMS I was sitting with. Something about seeing that classroom turned us all into piles of mush. And here I go again. 

My baby is growing up, and there is not one thing I can do about it. It really is a lot to process. 

In other news, we have our first open houses this weekend -- which I am feeling good about -- but it is also overwhelming. We want the house to sell so that we can move forward; but it is scary. It's scary to leave the familiar. To know we will have a time limit to find a new house. To know we will be upending our kids. To not know anyone in the new neighborhood that we can rely on. So wish us luck. The floors are so clean you could eat off of them, even if your name isn't  Rowan or Henry!

And finally, since I had no computer over the weekend and for the beginning part of the week, I have no fun links to share. But here are some pictures of a project I finished up recently. Its a baby quilt for a good friend, and I think it's cute and happy and just what this space needs for a boost on a day like today! 

 Have a great weekend, and maybe we will have some good news to share by Monday! Fingers crossed!!!

friday. phew.

My taskmaster has been keeping me on schedule with the new quilt, so we officially have a finished top. This weekend I'm hoping to finish the backing and get the whole thing basted so that I can start quilting next week!

inspecting my work.

So, here we are, the weekend again. What are your plans? We are going house hunting -- an exciting and terrifying prospect. Not sure what else is on the agenda, but to be honest, for me, that in itself is enough! Hope that you have a beautiful weekend, and I'll see you back here on Monday. 'Til then, here are this week's link loves to keep you busy:

• Check out this amazing cut-paper art. So intricate and vibrant! (via design sponge)

• Here's some great news for me! Say your goodbyes 24 months earlier than originally planned. . .

• A list of ways to bring art into everyday life.

• This guy really, really loves his Pentax 67.  And he's awesome.

• Did you see this New York Times article? Baby dolls that look so human they could fool even Michelle Duggar. (thanks Tom!)

what I'm making.

Tom's been working hard, traveling a lot. So I've been using the time that he's been away to be productive. I've been making lots of fun things, including a quilt for Rowan's bed that I've had in my mind for quite some time. Here's a peek. . .

Sewing at night is always most productive with a glass of wine.

The best part is that Rowan is super-excited about it. Every time he sees me cutting and sewing he wants to know if I'm working on "his quilt" and asks me to lay all of the blocks out on the living room floor so that he can check my progress!

Another bonus, the project has been approved by Abe Lincoln!

I'll keep you posted when I have the whole top assembled. My goal is to have the entire quilt finished and on his bed by the end of March. . . fingers crossed!!

another one.

You may remember the quilt that I made for baby that I mentioned a while ago. I finished it back in January, and really didn't think about it again. . .

front

back

with brothers on top

. . . that was, until last week.  See, last week I had a really hard time sleeping and would find myself obsessing about things in the middle of the night to the point that I would end up in a sweaty panic. You know the kind  -- where your heart pounds irrationally and you can't even talk yourself into recognizing how not a big deal it really is.  Things like, what on earth are we going to name the baby if it's a boy?; and, how the heck am I going to get to the hospital if Tom is at work when I go into labor?; and also, is that quilt I made really soft enough for the baby to sleep under? As you can see, the level of severity really runs the gamut, but they all had me freaking out equally at one point or another.

So, we finally have a name (thank goodness!).  I still have no plan for getting to the hospital other than praying that I go into labor either before Tom leaves in the morning or after he gets home from work. And, I made a new quilt.

front

back

with brother on top

So I guess two out of three isn't too bad, because I've been sleeping much sounder this week.

andy's quilt.

Andy's quilt is finally done, and I think he really likes it! Here are a few pictures of him relaxing in his "spot" with his new, cozy cover-up!

a quick glimpse: baby's quilt.

Here's a sneak peek at the quilt that I'm making for baby. It's full of color and fun! I really love the way that it's turned out, imperfections and all. . .

I'm in the process of putting the binding on. I'll post a picture of the finished quilt very soon!