April Calendar Block

Since today is the last day of April I thought I should get my April Calendar BOM done.  

I think these look so fun together.  

This is the reason I have been able to sew lately.  My cutting mat and ironing board have taken over the dining table.  I also have a care package basket hanging out where I keep shipping supplies and gather stuff to send to the Hubs.  Keeping my fingers crossed no one stops by unannounced.  

Yesterday my sweet friends helped us celebrate killing the first month of this separation.  A very pretty cyclamen plant now brightens my kitchen table, and a basket of fun things gave us lots of fun things to enjoy and do in the coming months.  How bright and cheerful are these?  

I feel a zippy pouch coming on....

Tomorrow is the first Farm Girl Friday.  I am very much looking forward to this sew along as it will last through the rest of this separation.  It will be like my own little countdown.... by the time I have all of the blocks sewn I should have my husband back!

Puppy Love

Today I worked on my Snapshots quilt block. 

I managed to make block four, mow the yard, homeschool the monster, and get groceries today.  I would like the rest of the week off.....

Probably that isn't going to happen.  

But these blocks are killing me with their cuteness.  

Fear- What Have I Done?

There is something you may not know about me..... I sleepwalk.  This is a new to me thing, as I have only been doing it for the past few years. (I think)  Most of the time I wake up while I am getting back into bed, or I wake up stuck in a corner, or stuck on the foot-board of the bed. 

Then one morning the Hubs was laughing with me about my flying out of bed and the conversation he had with me as I walked around doing fake things with my arms and making absolutely no sense.  I didn't recall any of it, and here I felt secure about always knowing after I had been up.  

Now I have a fitbit which tells a different story, because I put it to bed and sometimes in the morning I see I have taken 45 steps in the night.  I have googled sleepwalking and worried... I wouldn't eat or leave the house would I... OF COURSE NOT!

Then today I went to grab the mail and in it I find normal mail, but then there is an envelope from Fat Quarter Shop.  I haven't ordered from Fat Quarter Shop!  And after I am sure I haven't, I start to wonder.... or have I?  Could I be fabric shopping in my sleep?  How the heck did I pay for this.... My husband will not believe I was sleep shopping.  I think I am in deep trouble.

So I open the envelope, and find I at least have great taste!  Then I read the order and realize a very sweet friend sent it to me.   My friend Julie sent me the next Kate Spain!   

So my Kate Spain collecting continues!  

Thanks so much Julie, it was a very sweet surprise especially after I realized I wasn't in trouble.  I cannot wait to play with this paradiso!

Interim Quilt Holder

Maybe I should make smaller quilts for a little while. 

Same 'ol Quilts

I am still over here working away on my Miss Kate quilt.  

This week I enjoyed stitching on the porch while it stormed.  It was wonderful.

 My Horizon top is nearly finished. I have two of the borders on now, but I can't help dragging my feet.  I don't want to mop.

Kate Spain Fabrics- my confession

I have joked around about how many Kate Spain fabric lines I have loved, and sewn with.  But it is serious.  As I was looking through the past 6 years, I noticed a couple of quilts that I didn't even know where her fabrics.

*The Fandango was one of my earliest precut purchases.  I used it for the Pat Sloan run quilt along back in 2010.  It lives with a friend.

* The 12 Days of Christmas was a jelly roll (probably my first) that I used following a Moda Bake Shop pattern.  This quilt is well loved every year on my sofa.

* Verna wasn't a precut I bought, but two prints I used for one of my all time favorite wall hangings - you know the one my husband knows I love so much he had it replicated on my BIRTHDAY CAKE once!  I am still hoarding this fabric I used on the back. (Seriously, I can't use it on anything, nothing is worthy.) 

*Honey Honey is the line I used to make two baby quilts for nieces back in 2013.  I had one charm pack, I bought coordinating solids and did the square in a square with white sashing.  This is still my favorite way to use 1 charm pack.

* Cuzco was a charm pack I bought along with solid charms packs to try a disappearing nine patch.  I gave it away last year.  It lives with a friend.

* Sunnyside was a layer cake I bought because I NEEDED it.  I ended up using it to make a quilt my mom wanted to gift.  

* In From the Cold I bought on a whim last November and I whipped mini charm packs into table runners for my in-laws.  I don't know why I didn't take a photo when they were finished and quilted.  I could have sworn I did.

* Daydream is the line I wanted but didn't buy.... but then on our trip to The Bakery at the beginning of the year I picked up a couple of charm packs.  I decided they would be perfect for a baby girl, so just recently I whipped up the baby quilt and gifted it.  The baby is due any day I believe.

And that leaves me with my Horizon quilt which is currently by my machine waiting to be worked on.  I am KEEPING this quilt!  Did you notice that I only kept the Christmas quilt?  Isn't that odd?  I love her fabrics, yet I keep gifting them!  The Horizon I am going to keep!

As for the few lines I missed out on... Central Park, Terrain (which I still kinda think I did buy and sew), Good Fortune, Solstice... I think I have picked up prints from each line here or there and didn't pay attention. 

Either way, I think it's obvious I've been a fan. 

I do NOT own any Paradiso.  

Yet. 

Here and There

I squeeze in time here and there.

Eight days later I have the blocks sewn together.  

Now they need to be squared up and I need to cut my sashing pieces.

I am working on the borders now on my Miss Kate quilt.  I have four straight lines around the thin green border planned, then what to do in the larger floral border?....it baffles me.  I feel like I should buy a template and go that whole route, but you know by now I am WAY too lazy for that, so I will have to see what I come up with.  

On the Horizon

With my Miss Kate still having a couple of weeks of hand quilting to do, I started something new.  I wanted some patchwork! 

I pulled out my Kona solids for my Horizons charm pack.   

It took me all week, to find moments here and there to cut the solids.

Who knows how long it will take to steal moments for the sewing.

That's alright.  I'm in no rush.  I just want something to do here and there.  

Placemats

I quilted and bound the Garden Project placemats last night.  

They are adorable on our little kitchen table where the Monster and I eat. 

The matching pot holders are great!  I love quilted pot holders much better than store bought, but I only have one pair that my cousin made me years ago, and they are Christmas-y.  

The backing was in my stash.  It's perfect!  The blue solid I used for the binding was leftover from the Monster's new quilt.  What luck!  

I am in love with them!

Garden Project

Last week my good friend Kris dropped off a bag of pick me ups.  Some really pretty and delicious cupcakes, and a wonderful charm pack!  

The cupcakes were gone quickly.

Today I was feeling antsy, and decided to put that charm pack to good use!  I wanted to make placemats for the monster and I to use while it's just the two of us.  Dinnertime is a sad time of the day for me because I miss my husband so much, but hopefully these placemats will cheer me up.  

The charm pack yielded two placemats, two pot holders, and a few squares to go in my leftover charms box.  

I am going to find backings and dig around to see if I have any insul-bright.  It was a great afternoon project.  

I am still quilting my Miss Kate.  It's nice to have something portable.  I can take it to karate, or out on the porch, and it keeps me company at night when I settle in to watch tv after the monster is in bed.   I am loving this.