miscellany monday

I'm feeling quite random this morning, so I thought I'd play along.

(1) I need to do better about eating breakfast in a timely manner. I wake up hungry, but the kids get up when I do, so it's difficult to feed myself. A brilliant friend of mine recently told me that if it's five hours after you wake up, it's not really breakfast. Thanks, Gini!

(2) I'm dying to do some sewing. There are many projects I'm anxious to start. Another quilt, a skirt for me, a dress for my niece, another mei tai baby carrier or two. . . Maybe today is the day!

(3) The start of the week always gets me excited about the possibilities. I know most people moan about Monday's, but I don't usually. I'm a SAHM, and I love my job!

(4) The hummingbirds have been reckless and abundant around here lately. If I can ever get a decent picture of them, I'll post it.

(5) Typing is significantly more complicated with a baby in your lap "helping."
I know I'm not alone in this observation.

(6) In a town the size of mine, it's always wise to assume when going to Walmart that you will, in fact, run into about half a dozen people that you both know and haven't seen in 8-25 years. It happens. Often. Ask me how I know. Maybe next time, I'll clean up a bit after housecleaning before Wal-marting.



Have a great week, and don't forget to check out lowercase letters and link up your own random Monday thoughts!



-Susan

Baby Quilt

Well, I'm finally posting about the baby quilt I made in May.
Yeah, I know. I'm a bit behind. Better late than never, right?




I do not pretend to be an expert sewer (um, eww, how about sewing hobbiest?), and I certainly don't pretend to be an expert quilter,
but I'm really happy with how the quilt turned out. This quilt is not perfect, but is was made with a lot of love. I thought of that sweet baby with every stitch
and every seam ripped and re-sewed ;-)

I just love the carrot fabric. I don't even know why- orange is not one of my favorite colors. But I was smitten with that fabric as soon as I saw it. I came across eleven yards of this fabric at my favorite thrift store. No, that is not a typo.
I bought eleven yards. The quilt is backed with carrots, too.
The green swirly fabric came from a dress I bought that didn't fit.
Thrifting and repurposing are two of my favorite things.

Vintage sewing machines are another one of my favorite things.
This was sewn on two of my vintage machines. It was pieced on my Atlas Deluxe.

Yes, I did have it threaded properly to sew, just not to photograph.

I quilted it on my 1973 model Kenmore that was given to me by my mother-in-law.


The pattern is a very simple diagonal which is great for
my short periods of time when I can sew.
Anything more complicated and it might take years for me to finish!



My favorite machines were made in the 1950's in beautiful colors.
I also have a nice old treadle that I enjoy using.

Anyone else out there have an obsession, I mean um, fondness, for vintage sewing machines?

Hope you all are having a nice weekend!

-Susan

Surprises

I'm terrible with surprises. Apparently, it's genetic. There is a family story involving my great grandmother, Mammie, getting a gift for her mother. She borrowed money from her brother to buy her mother a cold meat fork. It was delivered on the train and Mamie was so excited that she announced the gift before she had so much as picked it up, much less wrapped it or waited for the event.

Sadly, I'm the same way. I simply cannot hide surprises from my immediate family. The only way I can manage it at all is if the gift recipient doesn't live with me. I managed to surprise my sister for her birthday, but she lives three and a half hours away from me, and I don't talk to her daily.

Which brings me back to the quilt I made for my friend. According to the Post Office, the package should arrive today. And I am just vibrating with excitement! I want to post pictures! I want to know how they liked it! I want to see pictures of their new baby!

Yet, all I can do is wait for a call or an email. With a new baby at home, I suspect another baby gift is not the focus of their day. Snuggling a sweet baby is and should be their focus, but I still want to know if they have gotten it yet. . .
They live a time zone over. It's later there. Do you think it's too early for the mail to have run?

I know. I'm hopeless. Maybe I should try to make some surprise something for my hubby for lunch. It should keep me occupied at least for a little while.

How can anyone keep a surprise a surprise? Did I miss a class in school?

Baby Quilts

I came. I saw. I quilted. I also planned, pieced, and bound. I just finished my first quilt. It's a baby quilt for a friend's baby boy. The baby was born on the 26th, and the quilt was finished today! Since my friend may be a reader of this blog, I'll delay posting pictures until I get the package to them. I've been working on this quilt off and on for a couple of months although the actual time spent on the quilt was probably less than 15 hours total. It's a very simple diagonal pattern. It's not perfect, but I am very pleased with it overall. I hope my friend likes it. It's going in the mail this weekend.

So, I've been thinking quite a bit about quilting lately. Every aspect of quilting is far more complicated than I imagined. Each of my kids received a quilt as a baby gift. They couldn't be more different. They are both beautiful, well-made, and made with love. I've loved each of them as long as I have had them, but I think I appreciate the amount of work that went into them a bit more now.

Above is Stinkerbaby's quilt. It was made by our egg lady. We didn't find out if Stinkerbaby was a boy or a girl before her grand appearance, so the quilt is suitably gender neutral. Our egg lady, Lucille, was in her early eighties when she made this quilt. She's still around and kicking, but she doesn't quilt anymore. It was sewn entirely by hand and tied instead of quilted. She was so sweet to put so much time and effort into this baby quilt, especially since we hadn't known each other long when she made it. I love my egg lady!

Here is Bonus' quilt. It was made by my dear friend, Gini's mother. We knew Bonus was a he before he arrived and my friend knew I that I am a frog lover. It was machine pieced and quilted. The whole thing is so beautifully done it's amazing. Each stitch is perfect. The intricacy is astounding. I smile every time I look at it. Bonus loves to stare at the front or the back and try to pick up the frogs.


Here's a closeup of the back. It's cheerful and beautiful, just the way a baby quilt should be.

Some quilters are real artists. I'm not, but I am encouraged that I can quilt.
And if I can, anyone can!