WIP Wednesday - 1.18.12

(side note: still can't believe it's 2012...)

Finished projects (since you last saw me) - 

- Rob Peter to Pay Paul quilt (more to come)

- Steiger's big boy quilt (more to come)

On the table - 

Since Amanda and I are going to go sew for a day with Anna Maria Horner (yes, you heard that right), she's been on my mind.  I've also wanted to make Scarlet the little "baby in the hood" jacket...so I'm going to get started.

Garment sewing scares me, but I might never have a baby girl again, and I simply must take advantage of her cuteness.  I'm curious though -- I can't decide which size to make -- the measurements for the 0-3 mo. are a 21" chest, and the 3-6 mo. is a 22" chest.  Scarlet is 3 months old and measures 18"... which size should I make her?  (Length is the same for both).  I'll probably go bigger... I just hope she can wear it now!

- Bee blocks

I need to wrap up making my late bee blocks.  This one is for Angela, and almost finished.  Melissa wanted paper piecing -- I need to figure that out!

- Adding borders to this, and learning how to write up a pattern

I've decided I'm just going to jump in, and see what happens.  This quilt will be on our bed (hooray!), and I hope to publish the pattern.  I'm also going to do a quilt along with it I think...  It really is so beautiful!  I can't wait to get it quilted.

Awaiting Quilting:

- Nicey Jane blocks

- Christmas quilt

Awaiting more cutting/piecing:

- Chubby stars

- Heirloom frames

- French Kisses

- Pure baby quilt (his one year birthday is next week -- I need to move this to the top of the list!)

- Countless others I'm not counting. :)

This week's stats:
Completed projects - 2 (not technically completed this week, but I'm counting them anyway)
New projects - 1

Currently in progress - ???  I'll have to get a total count for next week.

Linking to Lee's!

all I want to do.

She really is quite charming.
And time consuming.



Last week, at her three month appointment, she was coming in at thirteen pounds.  What I'd like to know though is, if I am responsible for all thirteen pounds of her, then why haven't I lost that myself???

I'm also really excited to cut in to this pretty bundle...



I've been a fan of French General since its inaugural line, the first Rouenneries (and Amanda can attest to my "healthy" French General stash)... I'm stalking Fat Quarter Shop for them to post their yardage.  This will be my first dabbling in real pattern writing (if I can figure out how to make it work)... I've done the test blocks, and am hoping to get this thing whipped out (which depends entirely on the darling pictured above) and written in to a pattern.  I'm also hoping to be able to access some of my pre-children intelligence to get this all explained and diagrammed... you know, because children really do steal our brain power. :)

Happy Tuesday!

Smitten - Blogger's Choice Bundle

My daughter's name is Scarlet after all, so I had to go with red.

The collections are:

Flower Sugar by Lecien, Etchings by Moda, Northcote Range by Moda, Fleur Rouge by Anna Griffin, Maman by Cloud 9, Urban Cowgirl by Moda, and Children at Play by Michael Miller.

I hope they don't mind my loose interpretation of "solids," but if you hang out here long enough, you'll know I like wovens, so I hope the pin-tuck counts.

If you want to enter this great contest over at Quokka Quilts, sponsored by Fat Quarter Shop, go read this post, and link your entry by January 15. :)

You know, I hope fatquartershop gives all us bundle makers a coupon code... because well, I'm going to want this fabric even if we don't win. 

Thank you 2011.

You made my dreams come true in the form of a sweet little girl.

Scarlet Grace was my best finished project of 2011.

And here are a few more:

I might feel bad about the fact that my WIP/UFO list is far longer than my finished projects list for the year, but that little girl above explains it all.  I am not great with sewing during the first trimester, third trimester, and/or before baby is sleeping through the night.

For 2012 --

My goals:
- to publish a pattern (or 2 or 3)
- to tidy up my out of control stash/WIPs by actually completing a good chunk of projects (in other words, I wanna be like Kelly) ;)
- to make a couple King-sized quilts
- to learn to knit (thanks Amanda!)
- to learn to can (again -- thanks to Amanda)
- to start some regular school time with my big boy
- to simplify my house
- to remember that we have one income, and stay within our means
- to continue to delight in my big man, little man, and little girl

Thanks for sticking with me through a slow blogging year!  I have no doubt my productivity will pick up with the number of consecutive hours Scarlet sleeps.

I think I can...I think I can...

10 days left...
The quilt top for Steiger's new big boy bed is complete and ready to be basted, quilted, and bound.

He picked out most of the fabrics, and I'm happy to say this quilt was an all stash quilt. :)

I pulled out my Christmas Bee quilt from last year... debating whether I want to try to finish it, but I think I will... (try that is)

I've decided that because she is too young to know any different, and this is the only Christmas where she will actually be inexpensive, Scarlet's quilt will probably wait... as it still needs borders and the rest.

Scarlet has become my little sewing buddy, as she has learned how to sleep in her swing. ♥ (Steiger never would)

I miss her when she sleeps (and have been known to wake her up at times), so this is nice, because I can still see her. 

Off to play with Steiger while Scarlet is still napping!

Merry early Christmas!

pink and red

A happy (belated) Thanksgiving from our family!

I haven't been sleeping much, but we are doing really well. :)  Thank you to those who have been checking on us!

Baby girl turns seven weeks tomorrow (wow).  She and I have big plans to hit JoAnn's and get a good deal on batting (hopefully there's some left!)

Lately she's working on her smiling (and Mommy's working on capturing it).





(and you can see how her eating every 2 1/2 hours around the clock is giving her a nice little double chin).

She's oh so snuggly...



and does the cutest little stretches.



(I swear, if anything gets me to have a third baby, it will be these adorable newborn stretches)

I've done a little bit of sewing (it's taken me about a week/block). ;)

This will be for Scarlet's bedding set.  (It's Moda's Sophie collection, paired with chenille)



My goal is for Steiger and Scarlet both to get new bed sets for Christmas... hopefully I make it!



And here's our recipe for pink salad (aka "Overnight Cranberry Salad")

1 lb. fresh cranberries
2-3 apples
1/2 lb. miniature marshmallows
1 c. sugar
2 c. freshly whipped cream

Core apples (can peel, but we don't).  Chop apples and cranberries well (I pulse them in a food processor).  Add marshmallows and sugar (I use less sugar than it calls for).  Mix together and let it sit overnight.  Next day, fold in the whipped cream... Delicious (and so easy!)

Welcome miss Scarlet Grace

Scarlet Grace
Born 10.7.11 at 5:27 am
7 lbs, 11 oz.  21 inches

Friday morning, I got to send the mass text message I've been praying to send -- "It's a Girl!  It's a VBAC!"

Miss Scarlet Grace was born Friday, October 7 at 5:27 am after a very fast, furious, and completely natural labor and delivery (was in transition before we got in the car, in transition for our 45 minute car ride and showed up at the hospital completely dilated...yay!)

My (incredibly skeptical) OB came in to the delivery room while I was crowning (I also had a midwife, who met us in the hospital parking lot, and played doula, and kept everyone away to let me labor down a little more until I really was feeling a spontaneous urge to push).

As I was pushing, I told everyone not to tell me what the baby was, because I wanted to find out for myself.

Seeing, and holding my little girl was truly the stuff of dreams come true... my own little miracle.  And thus her middle name.




I'll be writing up her whole birth story later, but in the mean time, this is our first family picture -- just a few hours after birth Friday (taken on my mom's iphone because our camera was MIA after the faster than expected onset of labor).  I was on a high all that day (and got no sleep).

Some of you have followed my story, and know I had invested heart, soul, and body in to doing what I could to let this birth go differently than things had gone with my son, and it all still feels overwhelmingly blessed.

Steiger loves her.

Big brother meeting her the first time

He calls her "his baby." (And he's the one who "knew" we were having a girl)

Daddy loves her...

But she's definitely Mommy's girl.

Thank you for all your love and support during this pregnancy!  I'll get pictures of her with her quilt soon (it rained yesterday)...

In the mean time, we're doing really well.... just the normal new mommy stuff (you know, sore bottom, sore boobies, and no sleep) to navigate.  I'll take it!  And I've decided pink looks good on me. :)

If you want to read our story from my midwife's perspective -- you can see it here.