Pink Kitty Quilt - Finish

Kitty fabrics, pieced kitty blocks, and lots of pink! I know a little girly who is going to be super happy when she sees this. 

I let the fabric speak for itself with this simple patchwork layout. I used Here Kitty Kitty fabric from Alyssa Thomas supplemented by some other pinks I had in my stash. I pieced some large cat silhouettes to highlight the cat theme.  

The patchwork is straight line quilted following both sides of the seam lines. For the cats I stepped outside my comfort zone and tried free-motion-quilting. I only did the white background. I wanted to make the cats really stand out.

Psst this is only the second time I've ever tried FMQ! You know, besides practice sandwiches which really don't count. I am rather happy with how it turned out. Not perfect by any means but I will never get better unless I jump in and try it. I signed up for a Craftsy class and think it has really helped me out. Love Craftsy - I don't have to leave the house and can stay in comfy pants! AND replay the lesson over and over!

For the back I stayed with the pink theme with a little grey added in there for balance. Pieced backs are my favorite. I think they add some much to the homemade nature of a quilt. 

Now to wait for Christmas to gift this. It's going to be difficult....

Pink Kitty Quilt - Stitching

The past few days I have commandeered the dinning room table and have been stitching away.

 

 

Last night I while Mr. B was watching a documentary on Spinosaurus, I was finishing up the quilting on this lovely. It's meant to be a Christmas present but I don't know if I will have the patience to wait until then to gift it!

 

Postage Stamp Quilt - Progress

After some contemplation I opted to go with an alternate lay out. While I know the edge to edge postage stamp blocks would have made an stunning quilt I am so glad I changed it up. I did a happy dance as the star took shape over the weekend. Not just on the inside I did an actual dance of joy in my sewing room. 

But I'll let the finished quilt top speak for itself. 

The whole time i was piecing the star I was scheming on how to quilt this. I'm definitely going to give free-motion-quilting a go and there will be some straight-lines in there too. 

Now to find the perfect backing fabric, I think I will stick with the scrappy nature of the quilt and go for a pieced backing. I'm sure I'll be showing you more soon. I'm just to in love with this to put in aside for another project. Not to say I don't have several on the back burning. What quilter isn't without a stack of WIPs. 

Harvest Day and Family Photos

This past weekend my family converged on the Acres for some togetherness, pumpkin carving, food, and a photo shoot.

 

I've been going through and editing the pictures this week. If you follow me on Facebook you probably saw a sampling of them Saturday night. I am in love with the way they turned out. We had a beautiful day and picked a great back drop, I might be partial as it was in our yard.

 

 





Postage Stamp Quilt - The Beginning

Fall is officially upon us. It's time to get out there and cut back the gardens and rake the leaves. Ok, I don't rake, I mulch them with the mower. More accurately Mr. B mulches them with the mower, while I work in the gardens. You know we should really get started on that. But Mr. B has been working late most of this week and the sewing machine has been calling. It's a call I cannot ignore. 

Time for a scrap busting project, my bins are nearing the point of overflowing! I've been working on a postage stamp quilt. Each of those little squares finished at 1.5 inches. 

My intention is to make a large throw quilt. That would mean making 99ish blocks. I'm starting to think I might need to devise an alternate layout - still using mainly scraps! We'll see....

Had to share this nice shot of Mr Erwin. 

He's so handsome. 

Frolicking Foxes - A Finished Quilt

I love making baby quilts, it has to be my favorite type of sewing! It gives me an opportunity to try out new things and color pallets - with out committing to a full bed quilt. That and I know they will go to a good home and get to wrap a little bundle of joy in love. A quilt has become my go to gift to welcome little ones into our family and circle of friends. 

I enjoyed working with the muted colors in this quilt. I stuck with a simpler patter, the disappearing nine patch, to let the fabric shine. I just love the foxes poking out, adds a little whimsy. For the back I stepped outside my norm and tried using minky, a soft snuggle fabric. It went rather well, lots of pins in basting. I have a feeling it may become my go to backing choice for baby quilts!

What's New on the Homefront

 

I was looking through my phone to see what pictures I had to share with you. You know kinda like a glimpse - here's what I've neglected to share with you for the past oh month-and-a-half.

 

I managed to get some canning in this year, despite the fact I let the garden go and the weeds took over. Weeds as tall as me. (YIKES) 'Twas not the year of the garden. But we did get some jars of dilly beans, some salsa, and pizza sauce. I also tried pickles using this recipe. Delish.

 

 

I've been sewing sporadically. Started working on some block for a sampler quilt. Also, a super top secrete project involving ALOT of pink that will be ready for it's big reveal soon.

 

 

Goose hunting opened a few weeks ago, Mr. B has been stalking the Canadians several nights a week. Did you know the season runs all the way into DECEMBER? Yeah, I'm already ready to have it over. Speaking of geese, anyone have any good recipes? I know that I'm going to make the bulk of it into jerky - we did that last year, but I'm willing to try something new. Also any recommendations on dehydrators? I'm going to purchase my own.

 

 Other than that not a whole lot. No house projects. We've been visiting family, watching football, family dinners, going to a crab boil, oh and my new little nephew arrived four weeks ago! Bad Auntie, no pictures.. 

Mommy & Me Photo Shoot

My Sista-in-Law and her little girl came over Sunday for a mini photo shoot. I had so much fun snapping pictures of the two of them. Thought I would share some of my favorites.

Love these Ladies. So blessed to have them in my life!!

Ruffle Cake

Growing up my Grandma always made the same cake every year for her birthday. An angel food cake with whipped cream frosting tinted mint green. It wasn't my favorite, not sweet enough. A fact I think I was more than vocal about on several occasions.

 

This weekend I made a cake with mint green frosting for my mother's birthday. I used a butter cream not whipped cream - I still partial to the sweeter frostings. As my family and I sat around the table enjoying our desert we reminisced about Grandma's mint green cake. I would love to be able to try it one more time. I know I would like it now and I would love to be able to tell her that.  

 

 

 

Peter Rabbit Baby Shower

I've been off the radar for a while, like a month. Yikes! You see I've been putting the vast majority of my creative energy in planning and putting the finishing touches on the most spectacular baby shower for an amazing mama-to-be, my little sista. 

 

 

 

 

Side note - see that corsage, those are itty bitty baby socks rolled up for the flowers! The little bump's daddy has some creative sisters.  

 

This shower has been in the works since, well, Easter when we first decided on a theme - Peter Rabbit. And found these invitations. Then the pinterest board was created and the ideas started flying. I love how all of the details came together to create a stunning event.

 

 

 

 

We were blessed with beautiful weather last Saturday - good thing, the shower was outside.

 

 

 

 

See that bunting hanging in the trees. I thrift some old sheets and my mother and I spent an entire afternoon sewing 225 feet of it. She ironed every single triangle - crazy I know. We also placed her in charge of chairs. Rather than getting the metal folding ones her and my aunt managed to wrangle dinning room chairs and benches for all of our guests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm in love with the details of drink station - with it's labled pitchers and mason jar cups. Let's not forget the paper straws! Mama lovers her Arnold Palmers, half iced tea half lemonade. So naturally we had both available. Oh and for us non-expecting ladies strawberry basil infused vodka.

 

 

 

 

A light lunch of chicken salad and cucumber sandwiches along with a few salads and fresh fruits and veggies was served.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course there was a plethora of deserts. There isn't a thing as too many desert options. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a beautiful afternoon to celebrate a beautiful lady and her soon to be bundle of joy. I feel blessed to have been a part of it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the Many Reasons I Heart Mr. B

I know the title of this post might be a little on the cheesy end. I shy away from public professions of how great (or not so great) my relationship is. I normally find those pictures on FB of the flowers that your guy sends you at work a little irritating. Perhaps that’s the jealous part of me, it’s been years since I got flowers at work; Mr. B. is just not that guy. But last night reminded me that there are gestures far sweeter than flowers at work or a romantic weekend getaway.  And so this post is what I hope is an entertaining story for you and a reminder for me.

A little back story on the duck situation.

The ducks were evicted from the house this past weekend.  For the past few weeks they have been spending the majority of the day outside it the “play pen” we constructed last year. However, up until last weekend I was bringing them back inside for the night.  Saturday they spent the evening outdoors, in the “play pen”.  Why not the coop you may ask. Well, the duckies are still small and I don’t completely trust the geese with them yet. Everyone will need to be put in the pecking order, I’m just afraid it might be rather violent with the ducks being so much smaller. So the first few nights outdoors went well. I cleaned out the mud room and got rid of the wet duck smell.  (They won’t be making candles in that scent anytime soon!!)

Ok now that we are all up to date on the duck situation – I can tell you why Mr. B is truly amazing..

Last night we got home from work just after a storm had rolled through with more to come. It was still drizzling of course I had to check on my babies. They were stressed!! Poor little guys, they needed to get someplace dry and out of the rain. I know how ridiculous that sounds they are ducks, but they are babies and don’t have all their big feathers yet! The geese BTW seemed unbothered by the rain/storm, but they are used to it. But what to do? Where to put them? I had reclaimed my mud room and put away all the brooding supplies. The geese don’t like them so hanging in the coop over night was not an option. Perhaps if I put a partition in the coop to keep the geese from them…

I’m scouring the shed to find something that will work. By now it’s raining again and Mr. B has collected the duckies in a wash basket and they are in the shed out of the torrential down poor.  I found a piece of fencing that would work, but the geese would be able to see the ducks and would probably heckle them all night. So not ideal. Mr. B finds some plywood two long pieces about 18inches high. Not high enough, the ladies can jump that. So Mr. B quickly devises a plan and sends me to the house for the tools. Mind you it is still down pouring, the dirt floor in the shed is all wet and mucky, there is crap for light, and no decent work space. But he is going to MacGyver a partition out of what we have.  And that is exactly what he did. Using the ATV as a work bench and me holding the spot light he cut and built the partition.

The duckies were tucked in and happy to be out of the storm. They were all asleep within a few hours. The geese put themselves to bed at dark and didn’t even notice the babies on the other half of their house. Or at least I don’t think they noticed. There was no commotion in there last night.

A happy ending to the duck situation - and that my friends is better than flowers at work.

My Almost Ticket

Earlier last week I had a hair appointment. The salon I go to is in the ‘big city’ and there is no parking lot. I have to park on the street. Which is no biggy with Giselle, the only car that I’ve ever been semi-decent at parallel parking.  So I normally end up parking a block or two away. Well this there was an open spot right in front of the building. OMG Score!! This never happens to me, my lucky day!

I’m sitting in the chair, it’s been about a half hour by now. We’ve discussed the plan for the color and she’s applied the dye to my roots. Now I had worn pin curls to bed the night before, so my hair had some body to it. Well she had to brush it out to apply the dye. And you know what happens when you brush culries – bring on the frizz.

So I’m sitting in the chair with the dye in, just on my  roots so my frizzy hair sticks out like an afro. I have the black cap around my shoulders that they put on you to keep any dye and hair off of your clothes. I’m skimming through my people magazine catching up an all the celebrity gossip listening to the beauty parlor chat. The one stylist goes oh look someone's getting a ticket.

The gentleman next to me asks if it's the BMW. No not that one. Then I ask is it the MINI. Looks like it. It's parked in the handicap stall. OH CRAP. I run out, mind you I still have the cape on and my hair is frizzy craziness, to plead with the parking attendant. I didn't see the sign I tell him, I was just so excited about the great parking spot. I didn't see the sign hiding behind the tree. I say I'm so sorry; I'll move it right away.  

He tells me go ahead and move it. So I run back inside and grab my keys. The nearest spot I can find is two blocks way. I have to do the walk of shame back to the salon with crazy- dye-in hair. I get issued a warning.

Orange and Blue Churn Dash

 

I’ve wanted to make a quilt using the traditional churn-dash block for a while now. When I found out my cousin was expecting a baby boy I knew that it was the perfect excuse to do it. I just love the combination of blue and orange for little boys; especially with the bright white for a background.

I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process of making this quilt from fabric selection, the repetitiveness of piecing the block (cut sew press trim repeat), and the quilting. Ok not the whole process I’m not a fan of basting never will be. If anyone out there likes crawling around on the floor putting in handfuls of safety pins let me know – I got a job for you!

Once again I used the Juki to straight line quilt in a grid pattern using the seams as my guide. This has become my go-to quilting method lately. I haven’t given up hand quilting completely – I have one in the works right now. Maybe I’ll show you some teaser pictures of that tomorrow. But for now enjoy the simplicity of the churn dash quilt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

They're Here!!

So much for the New Year’s Resolution, you know posting twice a week. It’s been three weeks since I wrote anything new. YIKES! And it’s not like there hasn’t been things going on. Oh my goodness there has been house projects, gardening, crafties, egg incubating, just to name a few.  That’s just it I get so caught up in crossing things off my to do list, I don’t have the energy to stop and share them with you. Just want to sit on the couch and veg out. Season three of Game of Thrones is out on DVD, need I say more.

Last time we talked I was telling you about the bestest mother’s day present to date: the incubator and eggs. I’m sure you can guess form the title of this post that they hatched. Saturday morning we woke up to three little peep-peeps fresh out of their eggs. The other seven followed by the afternoon. The days leading up were rather intense, I was so impatient to meet them and hold the little fuzzies. First we could see the eggs wobble and we could hear them peeping. Then they started to crack. We could see their little beaks trying to push out of the shell.

I am amazed that all ten hatched. I mean this is our first time incubating and I wasn’t sure we transported them right and there were so many things that could have gone wrong. 100% hatch rate on our first try, impressive. I was hoping for  5 to make it. Mr. B was a great ‘duck daddy’ (his words not mine) monitoring the incubator and rotating the eggs.

The past few days I’ve been enjoying the babies. Right now they are still staying in the house with a heat lamp. It gets too cold at night form them to be out by themselves. The other fur babies seem to be adjusting well to the fuzzies. Gus is in love with them, but jealous if I seem to give them more attention them him. Erwin has been banished from the mudroom. I’m afraid we would want to play with them, with his claws out.

Monday night Mr. B and I brought them outside so they could help me in the gardens. Somehow I managed to be the one to turn the soil and do all the planting, while Gus and Mr. B laid in the grass and played with these cuties.

 

 

 

If you follow me on Facebook, you probably have seen the super adorable video of them in the tub. OMG I almost died from the cuteness.

Eggs in the 'Bator

I have the most wonderful, exciting news! We have baby birds!! Ok well not yet, they are still growing but in about 20ish days we will. Yup you heard me right still growing; they have yet to hatch. Mr. B got word of a soon to be abandoned nest, mama built it in the middle of a landscaping project.  Well he knew how sad I was over the fact that there would be no goslings this spring. (and he’s a softie he didn’t want to see them abandoned either)  He told the guy that we would come and pick them up.

So Sunday afternoon, Mother’s day how fitting, we drove to the farm supply store to pick up an incubator and then on to rescue some babies. All ten of them are tucked away in the ‘bator at a nice 99.5 degrees with 55% humidity and are being rotated twice daily. We candled when we brought them home and we will look again in a few days to check for growth. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

On the crafty front I managed to finish this pillow the other day from the leftover triangles from piecing the Starry Splendor quilt.

Frosting for Dinner

I made cupcakes last night! Guess what that means?

Yup frosting for dinner.

I promise it's not the only thing I had. We made chicken salad sandwiches. I heart chicken salad sandwiches don't you? We eat ALOT of sandwiches at our house. Cold cuts, grilled chicken, chicken salad, BLTs, veggie delites, pulled pork, burgers - turkey, cow, and bean. (burgers are technically a sandwich they are on bread). Toasted sandwiches, open faced sandwiches, paninis. On wheat, on rye, on pumpernickel, on sourdough, and my new favorite pretzel buns. Seriously if you haven't tried a pretzel bun go get some today, make yourself a sandwich, and nom-nom that thang. Or you could  make brats, I saw some pretzel hot dog buns at the store this weekend - i can just imagine how amazing a good brat with some grainy mustard would taste on the goodness of a pretzel bun. 

All this talk of the amazing-ness of the pretzel bun is making me sad. I packed the rest of the chicken salad and buns for Mr. B's lunch and all I have is a lettuce salad and no carbs.

Let's end with another picture of cake-cakes to take our mind off that tragedy.

Derby de Mayo with a Special Pinata

This past Satruday the Familia had our anual Cinco de Mayo celebration. Which morphed into Derby de Mayo seeing as the race was that day. It was a day of tacos, carnitas, salsas, mojitos and betting on the horses.

Of course there was a pinata, what feista is complete with out one? This year my little sista had the honor of brining it. She made it extra special, the contents of the pinata would tell us if her little bun was a boy or a girl; gender reveal pinata!  

I love these pictures of my parents' reaction.

Nana's face is priceless - you can really sense her excitement.

We are all looking forward to meeting the little man in a few months!

Eggs

How was your weekend? Did you get a lot accomplished?

We did manage to get a few things done. Along with getting in a fight with a garden rake and giving myself a black eye and Erwin knocking over my Easter egg tree and smashing the vase to smithereens at 3am Sunday morning - great timing!

Mr B and I put up a new fence around our patio with a gate this time, not one but two gates! More details and pictures to come later this week - when it stops raining.

We also candled all of the geese eggs, simple description and instructions found here. We managed to shoo the ladies off there nests and checked every egg to see if it was fertile. Out of 37 eggs - yes just over three dozen NONE were. (sad face). We then sexed the one goose that wasn't nesting, to the best of my knowledge she is a female. I think it is safe to say we have all geese and no ganders. I was rather disappointed. Oh how I wanted to have fuzzy wuzzy baby geese running around the acres this spring. Maybe I'll get the girls a beau for next season...

Sunday afternoon we had dinner at Mr B's parents. They have a robins nest just outside their window. At least they will get to watch some baby birds this spring.

Sunday Funday

A few months ago my sista and I took a photography class. One thing I took from that was my need for a 50mm lens for better indoor pictures, especially of people. It is able to let a lot more light into your photos.  

The Easter Bunny delivered. 

Thanks Familia for being my first models. 

Easter Buffet

It's hard to believe that Easter will be here at the end of the week. Especailly with the snow that was covering the ground when I woke up this morning. What gives Mother Nature? It's spring no more snow! We are done with winter!

 After Christmas, Easter is my favorite holiday. And with the winter being so long and cold I wanted to welcome spring into our house even if I can't open the windows just yet. So this year I took the time to decorate our dinning room.

Take a look!

I have to give a big thank you to my mum for sending me some of her extra decorations. Especially all the eggs! I enjoy being able to have an Easter Egg Tree.

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For the table we still have the burlap runner and the primitive box that Mr. B made me last fall. This season it's filled with faux yellow flowers, the name of which are escaping me right now. But we have a shrub in our yard that gets those exact flowers. 

Pink Plus - A Finished Quilt

I finished this up late last week. It has already been packaged and sent off to it's new home. 

I'm in love with this pattern and am already thinking about starting to stash fabrics for a bed size for me. I have had this pattern pinned on my quilty inspiration board for a while. I used the wonderful tutorial from For The Love of George for my dimensions and cutting instructions. Love it when someone has figured out the math for me!

For the back I used pink and yellow paisley print.

As I mentioned a few days ago I quilted this on the Juki. I am in love with that machine! I did straight lines in a grid 1/4 on both sides of the seems. 

Something extra special for the back. 

My labels came in a few weeks ago and this is my first chance to use them! Of course with a feather motif on them. Had to tie in the goose-girly somewhere.