Come What May

May is my month for the Stash Bee.  I am calling my quilt “Come What May” for that reason and because it is kind of an “improv” type of quilt, I am just sewing together the blocks willy-nilly as they come in the mail and will see how it turns out.

Here’s what it looks like so far.  I’ve received blocks from Tanya, Miki, and Jenelle.

I also finished up my Aneela Hoey quilt.  The binding/borders are a little wavy, but it’s in the dryer right now and I’m hoping to get some better (less wavy) photos of it tomorrow.

I really like this pattern.  It’s by Sew Bittersweet Designs and uses 2.5” squares, so it would be a perfect scrap-buster.  I am so into scrap quilts right now, how about you?  I’ve spent every spare dime I have buying scrap packs on Etsy the past few weeks.  It was a great way to get some designer fabric I’ve never seen in real life.

I stippled all over this quilt with gray thread from Connecting Threads.  The back is Kona Ash, the borders are Alexander Henry Heath in a dark pink, and the binding is gray with white polka dots. 

If you look close, the fabric isn’t white, it’s the pale pink square dots from Sherbet Pips.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Deploy that fabric…

Is a new book I’ve seen making the rounds on the blog circuit. (By the way, I looked it up on Amazon and it is about upcycling/recyling military uniforms in different projects…)  I didn’t know anything about the book when I adopted its title as my new motto…and thus started shopping in my stash instead of ordering new fabric online!  I decided to deploy that fabric I have folded neatly on the shelf, stacked on a table, and then randomly piled up along the walls of my office.  No more buying!  I’m deploying that fabric and getting it out there doing the job it was intended to do…being a quilt, a skirt, a pillowcase.  I was on a roll this weekend! 

Esther helped me pick out some Halloween fabric at Joanns a few weeks ago.  I saw on another blog some cute Halloween pillowcases and knew my girls needed them this holiday.

Last year, I made them all trick or treat bags, even Veronica, who was just a bun in the oven at the time.

 

With their initials on the back (thank goodness we didn’t switch names at the last minute!). 

So this year each daughter got her own pillowcase.

Even though Ronnie is too young for pillows yet, I think she likes hers!

 

I got a lot of other sewing done this weekend, too, and will share more pics when I get the chance.

Finished Quilt Top

My husband was on travel for work the past week.  It was quite an experience taking care of three kids ages 5, 2, and 7 months singlehandedly for a week.  On the last night, after returning from the pool, I gave the kids a bath and was mentally patting myself on the back for being the most  awesomest mom in the world—all three kids had had a bath every day since my husband left, when my eyes rested on the toothpaste sitting on the sink counter.  I couldn’t remember the last time they had brushed their teeth—2 days ago?  3?  Oh well, I did a pretty good job!
I didn’t get any sewing done last week (or much sleep for that matter—thanks, Esther), but last night I finished up my sister-in-law’s quilt top and I think it turned out quite nicely.  I can’t find my measuring tape anywhere since my kids spirit them away every time they see it to play doctor, but I estimate it finishes around 60” x 68”, the perfect size for a couch quilt.  I am going to piece the back and have 3 or 4 blocks left over to include in the back, but I can’t get started on that until I find those leftover blocks.  I guess I need to straighten up my sewing room!

I love the way the quilt came out, and what I love even more is that every single fabric came from my stash except the 4 fat quarters of knitting-themed fabric I bought as the focal point for the quilt.  I think I might use solid black for the binding. 
Up next:  I have 2 more UFOs to get out of the way that are close to completion and then I’m going to get started on Crazy Mom Quilt’s star quilt from the MBS new book Fun Fresh Treats.  I ordered that book and the Farmer’s Wife book 2 weeks ago and have been ogling them every time I nurse my baby (which is still a couple of times a day, so I get to look at them a lot)!).