WIP Wednesday

Where has the last week gone? My camera is a cheap-o Kodak dealio and requires a plug-in charger for the battery (which got lost in my move, heaven help me) so I don't have much new to show you, but I'll do my best with photos I can find online to illustrate what I'm talking about! (Holy run-on sentence, Batman!) As you know, I finished my Kaleidoscope Quilt from Don't Call Me Betsy. My first ever Quilt Along and I finished it! It was such a fun pattern to make and I so appreciate the time she put into doing the tutorials and taking the time to comment on everyone's photos in the flickr stream. I will definitely be joining another one of hers if she does one in the future. I also have made progress on my Synchronized Squares quilt from PS I Quilt. I am seriously tempted to use it as my main Quilt on my bed, but I will have to take out the Zoo Animal print from Central Park, since that doesn't really scream 'romance'.

This is the binding for the quilt. I actually have made more progress than this, but my camera needs to be charged first before I can get some pictures posted.

I am starting a new project today for my sons, Kolton and Sam. I bought some adorable fabric from Michael Miller (Beep Beep and Toot Toot) and I am going to combine it with scraps to make THIS quilt that has a tutorial over at Cluck Cluck Sew. How fun is this? My hubby is in the s.l.o.w. process of making a bunk bed for the boys and I can't wait to see how these quilts will look on it!

"Toot Toot"

"Beep Beep"

I am going to combine these main fabrics with scraps of reds, browns, blacks, blues etc. to make it really scrappy.

Well, that is it for WIP Wednesday this week- go check out the others who are linking up over at Freshly Pieced!. One project finished, two in the works. Hopefully soon I will have some new pictures to post. I guess this means I have to clean my house thoroughly to find my camera charger, eh? *sigh* maybe my new project will have to wait a day or so! In happy news, my local Bernina quilt shop is having their usual 5th Saturday Everything-30% off sale this Saturday! Good thing we have a Christmas fund already in place, because that's how I'm paying for all that goodness! I'll show y'all my booty after I go shopping (provided my camera works, of course)

~Happy Sewing!~

Kaleidoscope Quilt Finished!

Oh, happy day! I actually finished this one on time! I went a little bigger on the dimensions to make this a small picnic quilt. We were able to break it in yesterday during the Pioneer Day celebration in Logan. I am really happy with how it turned out. I wish it was a tad bigger, but it fits our little family well enough for a parade or picnic.

Mr. Polka Dot Apron and Kolton snuggled up for a nap before the parade

Kolton and Sam munching on chicken nuggets (got it all nice and crummy!)

Aaaaand, here she is!!! I used scraps from (I don't know where) for the border and binding, but the rest is all Bliss by Bonnie and Camille for Moda and Kona Snow.

The back is all sorts of scraps left over from the front. I went a little nutso but I am actually really happy with the result! As you can tell, I quilted along the white portions of the front (sorry, it is really wrinkly from the heat and being sat on in un-mowed grass). I think this quilt will get lots of use this summer!

I am linking up to "Fabric Tuesday" at Quiltstory today- go check out the other fun projects going on!

~Happy Sewing!~

WIP Wednesday

Seeing as I've missed the last couple WIP Wednesdays, I feel I should have WAY more to show than I do, but I'm doing as well as can be expected with all this gorgeous weather we have been having :D To start with, Bits O Blocks is FINALLY finished!! I just need to give him a wash and deliver him to the proud mama!

I'm still on the fence about the border, but I think with the Kona Coal as the binding, it downplays it a bit.

This is my first attempt and making a creative back for a quilt and even though it is pretty basic, I'm still pretty darn happy about it!

Here is a close-up of the quilting I did. I just went along each row of blocks and I think it made the back look pretty fun and funky.

In further news, I am ready to put my quilt top together for my Kaleidoscope QAL and I'm really happy with it so far. I didn't have enough Bliss fabric to make it into a picnic sized quilt so I used some scraps (the brown polka dot) and I used Kona Snow for the white. I can't wait to get it done in time for the Pioneer Day celebration we will have here on the 25th. There will be booths and a candy cannon and fireworks, so it should put my boys into paroxysms of happiness.

The colors in this picture turned out a bit weird, but if you know Bliss, then you get the idea!

And last (at least for today), I have started piecing my Synchronized Squares together at last. I was a bit bummed when I checked my computer one day only to find that she had posted the final directions for the QAL with a notice that the drawing for the prizes would be within 24 hours of that. I had started piecing it together but knew I couldn't finish it AND post a picture of the completed quilt top within 24 hours (boo) so I put it aside and focused on other projects. I {heart} Central Park and can't wait to see it all finished! It is total eye candy and my son is having the best time helping me put together each block. I will post pics as it comes together a bit more. Wow, I have been pretty busy! Go over to Freshly Pieced and see what everyone else has been up to!

I'm baaaaaack!!!

Please excuse my prolonged absence! Life has been a bit insane :D We finally cleaned out our storage area and I have been up to my armpits in boxes (most of them full of stuff to donate- why do I hold on to so much crap?!). I am also trying to take advantage of the lovely weather we have been enjoying with my boys.

Sprinklers are Kolton and Sam's new obsession!

Not to mention I have been busy chasing after this little munchkin!

His hands are doing much better, but as you can see, he still has a lot of tightness from where they put the grafts, so he has to wear a splint every night to keep his hands from curling up permanently.

However, I have not completely given up on sewing! I am on a mission to add some brightness to my house. When we moved in 6 years ago after building this place, tans and browns and blacks and other earth tones were very 'in'. Now, I am dying for some color and don't have the moolah to paint, so I am sewing up some color instead!

Plain white curtains using Kona Snow and Fandango by Kate Spain on my back door.

I am making some new pillows for my brown couches. I used some leftover scraps from JoAnn's as well as Fandango by Kate Spain.

I love how it brightens up the living room a bit!!

I also FINALLY finished up the very first quilt I ever pieced! I started this puppy 8 years ago when I decided to learn how to quilt. There are so many obvious mistakes, but I am so proud to finally have it finished! I gave up on sewing shortly after this and didn't pick it up again (at least the quilting aspect) until this year. I have been sewing costumes for our community theater for years, but it is so nice to have been bitten by the quilting bug again!

And last, but certainly not least, I have cut all my fabric for the Kaleidoscope QAL and began putting it on my design wall (aka- old shower curtain!). I am also in the midst of piecing together my Synchronized Squares QAL blocks. So, though I haven't been blogging, I am still happily sewing away!!! I promise now that things have calmed down a bit to be more on top of my posting. In further news, my Bits O Blocks is being bound today and will be (hopefully!) available to see tomorrow!

~Happy Sewing!~

A few small projects

Well, after getting home from my trip, I really had to buckle down and finish unpacking my house and getting things in order. I have been known to sew despite the mess, but I prefer a nice clean environment in which to create! Yesterday, I worked on my sewing room and as a reward at the end of the day, I decided to whip out a couple things for my kitchen. I love my kitchen in this house! It is a beautiful 'cherry cobbler' red with honey gold knotty alder cabinets that my hubby made. Well, I've made about a hundred towels and pot holders for everyone I know, and none for me, so I decided to chuck my 11 year old pot holders and make some new ones (didn't use a tutorial for these, just went with it!) along with a hand-drying towel I made using THIS tutorial from Pin.Sew.Press.

Isn't that fabric so cute? I got it at JoAnn's a while ago. It was the only bolt there, and it was printed crooked. Now, it could just be me, but I don't think I should have to pay full price for something that is not printed correctly, because any sewer worth their salt knows that if you mess with the grain of the fabric in order to get a design centered or straightened, it will go all wonky. Therefore, I pitched a bit of a fit when they wouldn't mark it down for me (Okay, I really just said I was disappointed, but that is a step for me) and I had a coupon anyway, so I just got a little and figured that a small project like I was doing shouldn't be too bad, and in reality, it wasn't. It does pull a little strangely, but overall I am happy with them. I really wanted to get enough to make me a new kitchen apron, but with the strange direction of the print, there was no way it would work (unless the fabric had been 60% off, then I would have made it work ;D )Sooo, there we are! New kitchen goodies! More projects to come soon!

~Happy Sewing!~

Tempting...

Well, I'm back from my wonderful mini vacation! We drove down to Mesquite, NV on Wednesday (about a 7 hour trip), then spent Thursday in Las Vegas (just my sisters and I, mom and grandma stayed behind to hit the slots), and then cleaned my grandma's trailer home on Friday (holy BUCKETS! The woman has been a heavy smoker for her whole life and while the place was kept very clean, that stuff really sticks to everything, so much scrubbing was involved!) and drove home on Saturday! It was a whirlwind, but still some time away from home and responsibilities. Now I am pumped to get caught up with my life and back to my projects. Now, I am wasting away my time on the computer and stumbled across this Quilt Along:

(the button does not want to work here, so THIS is the link to the QAL)

It sounds like a wonderful opportunity to try out different blocks and learn different quilting styles. The way it works is like a Row Robin quilt. Back in the day, women would start with a row on their quilt, and then pass it on to another lady who would add a row, and on it went until the original lady got her quilt back. This is similar, other than you keep your original quilt the whole time, but five different quilt bloggers have designed and added their own row tutorial, one which will be revealed every Monday for five weeks!! I'm on the fence, but it seems like one I can make happen using just scraps and three yards of background fabric! How do i say no?? Anywhoo...I have lots to share with y'all later, but I'm off to get some unpacking, laundry and cleaning done. Am I the only woman who scrubs her house before going on vacation only to have it destroyed when I get home? Yeesh.

~Happy Sewing!~

Well, today is Sew Modern Monday at Canoe Ridge Creations and I thought I'd link up my Bits O Blocks quilt progress :D Go check out all the fun linkies and get INSPIRED, people!

Also, I just entered to win a FQ Stack over at Jaybird Quilts courtesy of Pink Chalk Fabrics. I love the thought of free fabric. It just makes me (and especially Mr. Polka Dot Apron) happy! If you love free stuff as much as I do, you should go check it out! Lots of fun happening in blogland. I'm going to post my WIP Wednesday on Tuesday (I know: GASP!) because I am going to be spending my Wednesday HERE:

VIVA LAS VEGAS!!!!! My sisters (I have four) and mommy and grandma are all going down to clean out my grandma's trailer home in St. George, UT and we are going to take a couple days to hit the strip! I think I've earned the right to be a geeky tourist and laugh until I pee with six of my favorite gals. I am also getting some Cortizone injections in my neck tomorrow (BTW, my spine in my neck grows backwards, weird, eh?) so I will do my best to post my WIP's but I cannot guarantee it. Anywhooo, I hope y'all have a super week as well!

~Happy Sewing!~