The long return...

Forewarning: This post is loaded with images. If you come here to read primarily about quilts, feel free to scroll all.....the....way....down.... Otherwise, be prepared to read all about my family.

I inadvertently took a long Christmas break. It's been two weeks (!!) since my last post. I don't blame you for being annoyed - I am slightly annoyed too (only at myself). But I'm back now, and one of my New Year's resolutions is to be more constant with my social media opportunities.... so here's to that!

We have only had one ornament calamity this Christmas. Sadly, it was a dear one....

I should be knocking on wood right now, since the decorations have yet to come down and be put away (hopefully later today). This is my youngest's Christmas ornament from two years ago, and she was overly eager to help decorate the tree. Glass ornament and hard floor met, and tears resulted from mommy and daughter. I really need to grow up when dealing with these kind of things.

Remember the quilt that I finished in the last post? Had I mentioned that it was a gift for my Dad? He had asked for one, but had been told that it wasn't going to happen for Christmas.

This look makes the extra work to surprise him totally worth it.

I don't know how it is with the men in your life, but I find it difficult to elicit a large level of excitement from them over gifts they have received. So, with the photographic evidence from the picture above, and the picture below, I will chalk this Christmas up as a success in the "eliciting excitement over gifts" category.

This is my husband expressing his happiness over the box of cigars that were brought back from Dominican Republic for him by my parents.

While at my parents, my sister took the opportunity to try out the new equipment for her camera that she got as a gift. I happily obliged by allowing my children to be photographed....

Khyler

Campbell

Graydon

Scarlett

Our Christmas days (we have three days to celebrate with different families) were spent happily in the most predictable ways. Eating, visiting, playing outside, hunting for a gift in an elaborate scavenger hunt my wonderful in-laws planned, playing games.....

And overall relaxing..... (a sleepy boy, what is better??)....

The week between Christmas and New Year's was spent doing as little of the activities that resemble normal life as possible. I treasured the days off with the kids, and made a point to steer clear of the sewing room (as much as I love quilting, I needed the quantity of time with my family).

We spent three nights, including New Year's Eve, out at sled camp. I can't help but relax when I'm there. Last time we hadn't brought the sleds out, but this time we had five. We took the kids on a trail ride to see Kakwa Falls. I didn't bring my camera along for fear that it would get broken (I'm not such a great sledder and didn't trust myself not to crash the sled and in the process wreck my camera... Writing this down makes me feel a little silly...). The falls were frozen, and since I didn't have a camera, go here to see approximately what they looked like. For some reason, I had expected them to look like water falls perfectly frozen straight down, without that huge pile of ice leading up to the top. I guess I hadn't put too much though into it.... You learn something new every day.....

The kids thought it was fun just to sit on the sleds....

And pretend they were racing off into the great unknown on their own.....

My parents came out to spend New Year's Eve with us.

And we made sure to teach the kids some important fire safety and outdoor skills (aka fireworks at 8:30 pm).

Our New Year's Day brunch.... Tower o' Pancakes.

That's all I have for our Christmas break. Now those of us who live in this area settle in for the long hibernation that lasts until the snow melts in April....

Now, finally, for those of you who scrolled all the way down for the quilty goodness. This last week has been a stretching one for me on the creative end. I took on a quilt intended as a birthday gift for a friend, ordered by her husband (who felt very proud of himself for knowing she wanted this). I love custom projects, and I love a challenge, but once again I found myself questioning my sanity while attempting to quilt a queen size quilt on a standard machine. I can only handle a queen size about three times a year, because by the end of it I am ready to never see a sewing machine again! Okay, that's exaggeration..... That feeling goes away once it is done and I see the finished product - beautiful as always (sorry if that sounds braggy). I learn something every time that I stretch myself, though... so I think I need to keep on making it difficult for myself.

The finished quilt - picture taken before the sun had come up since it came out of the dryer half an hour before this picture and had to be delivered half an hour after this picture. Talk about cutting it close...

Final measurements were approximately 100" x 100". Mammoth. This is why there is no full picture of it. I learned something else too - I don't have a 100" x 100" spot in my house to lay out a quilt. That makes life interesting when one is trying to baste a quilt by stretching it out on the floor. Mental note made....

Here is a detail of the binding. I tried something new - the zig zag. I'm digging it. You?

Close up of the piecing. The quilted lines are purposefully very organic and randomly spaced (I guess I feel like I need to point out the purposefully part so that you don't think I can't sew a straight line for the life of me).

I'd like to do a post with a collage of all the quilts that I completed in 2010. My goal (or last year's New Year's resolution) was to finish 20. I know I passed that goal, but I don't know by how many. This year I plan to try new patterns and techniques, as well as expand my online presence. Any requests for things/quilts you'd like to see?

I've learned so much these past three months - that's about when I got quite busy with custom orders. Timing, my likes/dislikes, my kids' ability to put up with my work schedule..... The learning curve has been steep, and there are a few people that I could not have coped without as I added this sometimes full-time job to my already full-time stay-at-home mom position. My sister, Erika, has often insisted (against my protests) that I drop off a kid or two at her house so I can get my work done. My mom has randomly picked up a child or two and dropped off miscellaneous groceries. My dear friend Dara (please check her out here) has been a faithful ear for venting about home-based business start-ups. And Krista, whom I think of as a sister, has fully acted like family and stayed my friend even when I haven't had the time to act like one.

I'd like to thank you, my readers, for simply reading my ramblings... I like this thing we got going.

More soon....

One.... (and zero....)

I hope you're ready!!! Christmas Eve is here! While most of you may be waiting for tomorrow for the celebrations to really begin (or at least this evening), we've already opened our presents! We will be making appearances with extended family over the next few days, so have declared Christmas Eve as our official Christmas "Day". So the gifts are being enjoyed, and we are having a cozy family day together. We are going out for Chinese food in a few hours (something you can't do on Christmas Day in this town), and then to the Christmas Eve service. Splendid!

I finished my dad's quilt this morning - quickly stitching the binding on while Nathan was checking in with work. Phew!! I'm not quite as happy with the quilting as I'd hoped to be - I had a bit of pulling and skewing, but washing and drying it took care of most of the problems. My dad has to love it 'cause it came from me, right? I sure hope so!

Merry Christmas to you all, and may your days be filled with family, friends, and fun!

Two...

(Let's pretend this was posted yesterday, 'kay?)

Remember this stack of fabric?

It was supposed to be a Christmas quilt for me. I had promised myself that I would make a quilt to keep... and I broke that promise :( I have come to accept the fact that this quilt will not get made before Christmas - in fact, not until February with the orders that I have booked. Will I make it in February, or wait 'til next November and then try to fit it into my too busy schedule? I have my suspicions, but I guess time will tell.

I think I'm ready for the big day... you??

Five...and four... oops!

So, you may have noticed that I missed a day in my Christmas countdown. Or maybe you didn't. Yesterday was one of those days where the plan you wake up with in the morning is not the plan that your day ends up following. Not that I want you to feel bad for me - not at all! It was a good change of plans. My husband had to make a hotshot pickup and invited the kids and I along for the 10 hour drive (5 there, 5 back). Since our kids are excellent travellers, and my Christmas list is fairly under control (just waiting for a few more packages, all other gifts are wrapped under the tree, Christmas baking is just not really happening this year), I was able to change my plans and take off with the family. We spent the day in the truck listening to hilarious podcasts, singing Christmas songs, and (less this is sounding too perfect and idyllic) letting the kids watch movies. I hope it's one of the things that our kids remember when they are grown - the fun travels we were able to take.

Today from sunrise to sunset (that's only 5 1/2 hours on this, the shortest day of the year), was spent at my mom's, just for the fun of it. And, thanks to my mom, I came home with more Christmas baking than I had intended to have in my house this year. Aren't moms the best??

I also managed to get this quilt basted.

Yay! Only a few more hours 'til this one is DONE!! I basted it while visiting with my mom and sister, and had to put up with a considerable amount of heckling for the amount of pins I use. But I am a heavy pinner convert. There is nothing like the ease of quilting when there are multitudes of pins holding that baby firm. Yup.

Alright... supper time... I better go figure out what that's gonna entail!

Nine...

The countdown continues.... Here is today's project (and tomorrow's, and the day after tomorrow's...) - my dad's Christmas or birthday quilt, depending on when it gets done! These small stacks of squares are just making me so happy right now, I almost don't want to start sewing them together. I am making a checkerboard quilt for him - each alternating square will be white. So I sewed strips of color to strips of white and have cut them into these squares. Now I'm gonna sew those suckers together into strips again. I think it will work up fairly quickly, so a Christmas finish date is most likely possible.

I'm also showing you the tray that I keep on my sewing table. It holds all the odds and ends that would end up on the floor if I didn't have a place to throw them. A spare foot, seam ripper, hand sewing needle, my labels, containers of safety pins.... all get thrown in there if they are in frequent use. It keeps it close without being in my lap.

How's your Christmas shopping going? I think I'm done. No, wait... one more gift to buy for my brother. Yep, that's it! I spread out the gifts in my laundry room today to see if the gifts for my kids were "even". You do this too, right? Make sure that you haven't inadvertently over or under bought for one kid? They are all fairly even, but (and I do this every year) I want to buy more! We made a decision to keep things simple this year, and each child is getting something they really wanted... but I love giving (and the shopping, I love the shopping)!! We'll see if I can make it through the next nine days with my determination intact.

Here is what came in a package today. It's not the last package I'm expecting, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all the packages will come on time! I ordered this book for my son from one of amazon.com's affiliate sellers. My son has borrowed this book out of our local library so many times - I think every other time we go he chooses it again. Now it can be part of his permanent collection.

"Under a Prairie Sky" is beautifully written and illustrated. It thrills me that he loves this book so much (and that it's not some character from tv). The story has a rhythm to it, not rhymed, but lyrical and poetic nonetheless. I'm sure there is a word for that... but I don't know it. I sure hope he is as excited to receive it as I am to give it!!

Oh! Did you see all the snow through the window in the first picture? It's been really coming down here - oh! how I love it! The roads aren't that great, but it is just so Christmas-y! My favorite thing is having the tree boughs weighed down with 6 inches of snow, and seeing it through my front window.

I'm off! Gotta get something done to show you tomorrow!

Ten....

The final countdown to Christmas has begun. Wow! It always sneaks up on me. I've just sent out the final custom order this morning, and now can work on the projects that I want to give as gifts. I had hoped to finish all my orders on December 1, and each day that it took after that, one of my projects for my own giving pleasure got taken off the list. The things that I am not going to complete before Christmas are: cuddle size quilts for each of my kids, dolls from Wee Wonderfuls patterns for my girls, handmade ornaments, throw pillows for gift exchanges, potholders for stocking stuffers... the list goes on... and as I type this I am realizing it was a slightly over zealous list - even if I had gotten a December 1 start. Next year I'll start in June...

Since I am determined to enjoy this Christmas season (I'll relax, even if it kills me!!), I am only going to tackle projects from now 'til December 25 that I enjoy. And I'm not going to kill myself to get them done. There is a chance that a quilt top will be given as a gift, with the finishing touches to be put on it in the New Year. So there!!

Now for a glimpse at the final aforementioned quilt set, "Flannel Fields". The top is pieced entirely with the customer's sons' receiving blankets. Each quilt is very lightly quilted with straight lines, and then framed with a dark binding. The backing is flannel as well so the whole quilt is entirely cozy.

Now, you know I LOVE custom orders, right? (You DO know that, I hope!) I love making a quilt that I know is going to be loved, so it's nice to make one specifically according to somebody's wishes. But, although these quilts turned out really nice, I did not enjoy quilting with flannel!! It stretches much more than the quilting cotton that I usually work with, and there were times I wanted to throw my scissors at it :) ! So these flannel quilts may be one-hit wonders (well, there are two of them, so two-hit wonders). They did have a lovely drape and feel to them when they were finished, however - so maybe if I wait a couple of months I'll forget the frustration and try flannel again.

Now, on to the next thing - a quilt for my dad. He asked for a tv watching quilt a few months ago, but has been convinced that he is not actually getting it for Christmas. I'm hoping I can pull it off while keeping the promise to myself to enjoy the next ten days. We shall see.....

Still playing dressup...

This year, 2010, has been a good year for parties. There has been several that we have been privileged to attend, and we have never had more fun. Two parties in particular were super fun, and they had one thing in common - both required us to dress up as a certain character. This summer, we had a redhead party, where we had to come as our favorite redhead. Nathan came as a friend of ours, whom the party was in honor of. I came as our three year old daughter; she being really, really into the dress up phase. My costume required frequent changes between swimsuits, long dresses, and tons of jewellery (and lopsided ponytails). Oh! And awkward poses. That was my daughter this past summer.


Our other costume party was last night - our company Christmas party. Nathan went as Scrooge, and I as the Ghost of Christmas Past. So fun!


I'm still quilting too! I'm working on the last order before Christmas - a set of twin size quilts (probably my most common order this year). This pair is being made for two sweet boys, pieced out of their baby receiving blankets. Here's a peek of a pinned "Flannel Fields".


It will be quilted with... wait for it.... straight lines (what else could it be !?). Wanna place bets if I can finish both by next Wednesday (the promised finish date)? It's gonna be a couple of late nights..... yawn.....

Okay, I'm gonna quit procrastinating and go to work.... right after I check facebook... and my blogs.... and.... oh bother.

The Christmas Post....

I hope that you were all wondering about Christmas at our house.... if not, you're about to find out anyways!

I don't think that I overdo the Christmas decorating - there are very few seasonal knick-knacks spread out around my house, mostly because I can't stand the clutter. However, we do have six trees.... but it's not as bad as it sounds. Each of our kids "need" one in their room, so they each have a small tree. Then, there is one for the family room that holds all of our family decorations - the ones we have collected through the years. Lastly, there is the living room tree (aka my tree) - the nicely decorated one that matches the living room. Not too bad, right?

Here's a shot my son took of he living room tree.....


The kids decided to perform an impromptu Christmas pageant for Nathan and I, complete with intermissions and costume changes (the former was to have time for the latter - there were many, many intermissions). Here is Gabriel speaking to Mary. We must work on presenting properly towards the audience.

And one of the wisemen with his "treasure". I'm not sure if that's gold, frankincense, or myrrh.

I've been busy, busy, busy with the quilting lately - and I'd like to show you it... but most of it I can't. There were many custom orders that are meant as gifts for Christmas and I don't want to wreck anyone's surprise. I will show you this quick little pillow that I whipped together out of scraps from a basically identical pillow I made back in October.

It's leaning against the family room tree, and you can see some of the assortment of ornaments we've collected/made over the years.

Every year we give the kids a new ornament for their collection. Last year I decided to make their ornaments, and used these cute embroidery patterns from Wee Wonderfuls.

I color coordinated all the embroidered bedding with the kids' actual bedding, and made each character have the same hair color as the kid it was intended for, so each child new immediately which one was theirs. Then I backed them with a fabric from their quilts that I had made and attached a ribbon. So cute, and a great memory to have.

Here is a complete view of the family room tree. It looks so much more magical in real life! My favorite thing is to read in the evening with the glow of the tree's lights on my pages. Sigh.... If only there were more time for that.

We are quickly approaching my children's Christmas program at their school and I found that my two girls were lacking appropriate footwear.

Aren't these ones sweet? These are for the three year old. I love the little rosette on top.

And heels for the eight year old. Sniff, sniff..... I'm not entirely sure they'll fit, hence the tag still attached. Update: They didn't fit. They were replaced with entirely impractical silver "Hannah Montana" heels with fake diamonds on the top and open toes.

Well, that's all the Christmas goodness I have to show you for now. I called this "The Christmas Post", as if this would be the only one. That's quite laughable, since I tend to enjoy this season just a tiny bit, and will most likely not be able to keep from sprinkling the season's goodness into everything between now and New Year's. Please don't be mad...

Merry Christmas!!

Another set of quilts...

I've just finished another set of quilts - two quilts for two little girls. It's a fun challenge - come up with two similiar quilts that look good together, but are different enough to not be confused for each other. In this case, they are both quite different. The same fabrics were used in both, but with completely different results.


The set also included two coordinating pillows, and a set of curtains (not shown).

I'm loving the rustic backdrops lately, but perhaps you are getting tired of seeing my trashy fence?

Both quilts were quilted with straight lines, and I love the areas where the lines intersect and make the small crosshatch in the corners.

And now, a little Christmas spirit. We have about half of the Christmas decorations up in our house so far. The kids each have a small tree in their room, and a few other things to decorate their spaces with. My son thought he needed a nativity scene, but since there wasn't an extra one, he made one....

Sweet, isn't it? I think the red ornaments are just for decoration. Notice the star on top of the stable? Baby Jesus is in the manger between the two other lego people (aka Mary and Joseph). I love this time of year!! Three weeks to go!