February - Just Three!

As 2012 was winding down, I had considered having a little "Finish by February" blog event, in which I listed my old WIPs that I wanted to finish.  But now I'm glad I didn't!  Because it's already February, and my to-do list is NOT shrinking.  

So last month's report!

January's goals:

1) Something old -

I published my Cosmic pattern!  It took a lot of brain work, but became something I'm really proud of.  

I am running a promotion on all my patterns (they're all 20% off right now), with a really good deal on the pattern and templates bundle.  It will run through Monday, February 4 if you want to get it on sale.

2) Something new - 

I've got a new design I'm playing with, that I'm having fun doing... using these fabrics.  When I was pulling them, I didn't realize they were such a rainbow.  The palette was inspired by Pantone's color of the year and some of their Spring 2013 colors.

I finished this quilt and have named it Starcrossed.  I will show it to you soon!

3) Chelsa's Scrappy Sprouts. 

 I'm so excited about this one.  Thanks to so many of you, I have all the blocks, and I was organizing them the other night, and need to find a lay-out.  But trust me -- they're so cute!

My backing fabric came for this today, and I seriously do not think I could be happier with how it turned out.  I want to send it for Valentine's day, so perhaps I will be quilting while the Super Bowl is on (though I doubt it, because I am a Niners girl) :)

Overall, I was really happy with this month's progress.  It felt like real progress -- part fun, part business, and part generous.

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February.

1)  Hmmm... I am thinking I want to finish my Chubby Stars.  I feel like it needs to be on my couch.  If not that quilt, then another old WIP.  Maybe if I do one/month I will get them all done this year. :)

2) A couple little swap gifts -- I am making a pillow for Crystal, and a surprise for some of my quilty ladies who will be gathering without me (darn high cost of plane tickets!)  

3) A super fun quilt that uses these:

This quilt is a complete fabric love project, and totally indulgent.  But tricky to do without a baby girl who is willing to leave Mommy's fabric alone.  I might have to leave the house for a day or so to get this one done!

OK. Rules.

1) Pick three goals or priorities for the month (overachievers are welcome, just don't rub it in to the rest of us) ;)

2) Make a blog post about it.

3) Link up here, and please mention you're linking here or add a button to your post (buttons are over there; you might have to scroll down ------>)

Go visit the other reports!  They're fun!

Link up!

(p.s. I apologize for all the repeats of pics in this post; I realized I have nothing original, and maybe *maybe* I will remedy that in the morning.)

All stages of WIPs

First up --

All my patterns and templates are on sale for 20% off until Monday in my little pattern shop or on Craftsy.
I also still have a giveaway going for my Cosmic pattern and templates bundle. If you'd like to enter, go here!

Yesterday, Krista at Poppyprint Creates blogged the Cosmic star block she made, and let me borrow her picture.  She used Lipari shot cottons, and different colors, and her results are quite stunning (not to mention her points; I can't tell you how relieved I was that the templates worked for someone other than me). ;)  

photo: Krista at Poppyprint Creates

It's quite a different look than all one print, and so inspiring!

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Now for the rest of my WIP report!  I've got one day left this month to finish my "Just Three" goals!

Still though, I find myself going in quite a few directions...

In the almost completed stage, I've got just a few more inches of binding left to stitch down on my "Starcrossed" quilt!

I'm piecing a stack of soft and pretty star blocks from Fig Tree's new Avalon line.

Something new - I've pulled a new stack and started diagramming!  The palette was inspired by this super cute book that Kelly sent me!

Linking to Lee's! :)

Cosmic!!! Pattern is ready

I did it.
I got my Cosmic pattern ready!

This is the front cover.

I posted about this quilt way back during the Bloggers' Quilt festival, but was stalled in publishing the pattern with the prospect of needing to learn a new software program.  But bit by bit, I got it put together in to something I'm quite proud of.  

This design features a large, graphic block that is part arrow and part star.  I used Laura Gunn's Cosmos fabric, because I thought the large scale blocks would complement the artwork in her fabric.  I love that this block would be good for large scale, focal prints, because sometimes you don't want to cut them in to little tiny pieces.

If you look at the back cover, you can find all the fabric requirements to make one of your own.

Included in the pattern are fully diagrammed cutting and piecing directions, full size template pieces, and a coloring page for planning (who doesn't love a coloring page?)  There are no 'Y' seams in the construction of this block, and the piecing uses a combination of regular rotary cutting and cutting from templates.  I have a small and full set of acrylic templates available if you would like working with acrylic more than paper.  The templates are clear, laser-cut, and labeled accurately.  (Templates will be shipped early next week).

Here is a shot of them, (as well as a peek at a new pattern I'm working on that uses one of the large templates.)

To clarify the templates:
- The large set includes all four of those templates shown above, and the red and gray pieces shown below.  There are two large kind of house-shaped pieces, and two smaller notched triangles.
- The small set only includes the two smaller notched triangles (shown in red, which are nice to have a template for).

The pattern includes all the full-size paper templates; you only need these if you prefer to cut with acrylic.

So there you go!

Cosmic. 

You can find the pattern here in my pattern shop, or on Craftsy. :)

To celebrate this new pattern, I'm offering 20% off all my pdf patterns, through the end of the month.  I'll also discount the pattern/acrylictemplate bundle by 20%.

If you'd like to enter to win this pattern and full set of templates, tell me what fabric line you'd make this quilt with or a favorite song you like to work out to.  Or find a fun way to entertain me.  Followers get an extra entry if they leave an extra comment (and no word verification here folks... no sirree).  If you buy the pattern, and then win, I'll refund your purchase. :)

Linking to Fabric Tuesday!

Scrappy Sprout Quilt Top

I got my Scrappy Sprouts quilt top done!

And it is just what I was hoping for... I love it so much that it's going to thrill me and hurt to give it away.

Though I'm not sure how to quilt it?  Suggestions?

I went with an Essex yarn-dyed linen blend in flax.  I think it was the perfect complement to the backgrounds on the blocks, has great texture, AND meant that I didn't have to create scrappy sashing.  I love how it turned out (and again -- this is why I have a stash).

The kids love it too.

Seriously, this happens every time I lay down a quilt or quilt top.

If you are wondering more about this quilt, or measurements for making a block of your own, you can find more info here.  Thank you again for all those who helped in making this blessings quilt!

Scrappy Sprouting

I finished up my Starcrossed top last night (yay!), and got up before miss Scarlet to lay these Scrappy sprouts blocks out.  I need to choose a vertical sashing (I'm thinking a soft white solid so the eye has a place to rest? thoughts?) and plan to off-set the rows!  I think I'm going to use this amazing AMH print for the backing.

This quilt is going to be amazing!  Thank you thank you thank you to all of you who contributed blocks for my dear friend. ♥ I just need to scour my sewing area to make sure Scarlet didn't lose any of them, because she really liked pulling these out systematically from their zip-loc bag.

(To find out more, you can read here!  And see many of the blocks here!)

Linked to Fabric Tuesday! and WIP Wednesday!

Starcrossed - WIP

This is what I have accomplished in 2013 at my sewing machine -- six blocks and some fancy sashing on 2/3 of a quilt top.

I was going for an Irish chain (which I love but have strangely yet to make) with sawtooth stars.

Maybe I'll get a little more done soon?  Trying to decide if I keep plugging away on this, or try to finish a quilt top I have??? hmmm....

Linking to Fabric Tuesday and WIP Wednesday.

January - Just Three

2013!
A new year; a new month; a new "Just Three." :)

I started "Just Three" because I wanted to fight back in my own head against the notion that I needed to get it all done, and also to give a way to link up with others who might be in the category of (choose the one that applies) -- "I am so scattered and need some direction" ... "Life/work/kids/all of the above keep me busy enough but I want to still quilt when I can" ... "I need an idea for a blog post" ... "I want to show off that I did way more than three" ... "it's just fun to share goals" ... whatever.  I started this when miss Scarlet was only 6 months old, almost sleeping through the night consistently, but I needed a little bit of structure.

I feel like a lot of my reports include more of what I didn't finish, than what I did but like many of the rest of the bloggers out there, I made a mosaic of the quilts I finished, and there were actually quite a few of them!

Who knew!?!  (click through to flickr to see more specifics/links)


Now without further ado -- here is last month's report:

1) Really finish Treasure Boxes, and donate! ♥

not done.  Moving on to next month's list.  The top is done.

2) A couple custom orders.

I have this one for baby Harrison up first.  They wanted a re-make of a quilt I made for my cousin's baby, with a Red Sox theme.  I was so happy with how the letters turned out (because I draw them by hand based on the Red Sox font).

I got the Red Sox quilt (#2) done!  (which reminds me -- I need to email Harrison's mama and see if he has made his grand entrance yet)

I still have a couple more custom orders I'll be working on this month -- hoping I have a good chunk of time to sew!

3) And my most important goal this month -- to help give my babies a Merry Christmas...and the big guy too.  ♥ ♥ ♥

This one was definitely a success.  Christmas with kids = SO MUCH FUN!

(And I finished my Christmas quilt in time too). :)

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January's goals:

1) Something old -

I know I need to finish that Treasure Boxes, but my goal is to finish up an old WIP in January.

2) Something new - 

I've got a new design I'm playing with, that I'm having fun doing... using these fabrics.  When I was pulling them, I didn't realize they were such a rainbow.  The palette was inspired by Pantone's color of the year and some of their Spring 2013 colors.

3) Chelsa's Scrappy Sprouts. 

 I'm so excited about this one.  Thanks to so many of you, I have all the blocks, and I was organizing them the other night, and need to find a lay-out.  But trust me -- they're so cute!

Your turn!  

Rules:

RULES -- Pick three goals for the month, and link up here! (You can do more than three if you prefer... I'm flexible like that... and goodness knows I have more than 3 things I'd like to accomplish this month!) :)

Go comment on other people's posts too!

(P.S. I'm linking to Lee's WIP Wednesday!)

Happy.

I say "Babies come first" often around here.  Or at least I say it to myself in my head... and to God in my heart.  It might come out with a sigh or a grin or a growl, depending on the moment.

But this picture I took this evening helps to remind me why.

I was trying to think of a New Years' Resolution tonight. 

I can think of about twenty off the top of my head.  I could even neatly categorize them from things that might give me back more of a waist, to things that might make me more fiscally solvent, to things that would build a business, to growing my spiritual life, to to making my home more visitor friendly.

But those little bunchkins... they were playing this spitting/squealing game, without any instruction or intervention from me tonight during their bath.

And I laughed at them and at myself.

"Babies come first Tracey."

And then I yelled for Jay to (please) grab the camera and bring it to me.  

I have about 20 shots of them looking at one another with various expressions of spontaneous glee.

I am smart enough to realize that the only resolution I really *need* to make is to remember that these babies come first.  And to let myself enjoy them.  And to appreciate that even though my waist to hip ratio is not ideal, my body grew those two little critters, and I should be kind to it (in both word and deed).  

"Babies come first."

Before my blog re-design.  

Or figuring out Illustrator.  

Or making another block for my new idea.

Or having the laundry all caught-up.  

(And if you're wondering -- no, tonight's dishes are not all done.)

So I suppose my resolution is the same as it was last year.

And the year before.

And the good Lord willing, he can figure out a way to continue to work on the growing of my heart and mind and spirit and servant heart and wifey love and cleaning habits and exercise and budgeting skills in the midst of that.

At least that is my prayer.

Happy New Year y'all.  I have many happy things planned for 2013.  Hopefully most of them will show up in this space soon, but it really depends on those two little squishy smilers up there.  ♥ ♥