Pillow Swap Four - Cozy Winter Pillow

I must admit I have a love/hate relationship with winter. The kids still need to get from place A to B and I am not a fan of driving in the snow. Driving the 45 minutes back from Max's weekly soccer game last night, I realized soon I would be doing it on snow covered roads. The morning shuffle to school for all three kids is a bit more crazy when you add hats, coats, gloves and boots into the mix.

But for all challenges the snow brings I love snuggling in for the season. Sitting together as a family with a roaring fire, the little kids playing with blocks with Daddy and Max and I on the couch me knitting/hand sewing and him reading/small electronic device is just heaven. For this whole to work for me, I require cozy pillows and quilts to complete the picture. So when the velveteen came into one of my favorite fabric shops I knew that I had new plans for the pillow swap.

My partner asked for a pillow with lots of negative space, but other than that she was pretty open. She has young children and I thought a big cozy pillow would be fun. Anna Maria Horner's new Innocent Crush in the velveteen is amazing, buttery soft and so tactile. The colors are amazing and in my book it makes for one luxurious pillow. I hope my partner feels the same. I worry when I don't make a crazy over the top pillow, but I love the less is more approach and I am fairly certain looking a her blog and flickr stream this pillow will be right up her alley.

{Urban} Goods Swap - One Project Down, relief in this crazy life

Linen and Anna Maria Horner designs equal LOVE. Such a simple to make item, why haven't I been making placemats and napkins for our home, friends and family? Heather and Kerri organized another swap, {Urban} Home Goods as a follow-up to the Pillow Swap 1 and 2 to switch things up a bit. I have had such a great experience with the Designer Fabric Swaps and the Pillow Swap, so what a great opportunity to branch out a bit.

I almost passed on this one due to the vacation we just took and my horrible habit of not saying NO when asked to help out with things. As an individual I am WAY too overcommitted right now. Then enter the three kids - crazy. Max has a sporting game or practice EVERY night and day this week . . . he is SEVEN. We really try to not over schedule and then it gets away from us. Steve is traveling a bunch, coaching Max's baseball team and is busy himself. Then add in the two little kids . . . Ellie just turned three and Sam will be three at the end of May and they are CRAZY to take care of right now. If up to them I would be playing outside 24 hours a day with them or playing kitchen, dressing princess girl dolls in silly tight plastic outfits or in Sam's case making him oatmeal.

Okay back on track, but I must say just writing it down makes me feel better. Good thing no one really reads this blog . . . rumor has it my mom does, but she never comments so silent stalkers don't really get a say. The reality in this crazy life is being creative makes me happy. Yes I need to take time to exercise, play with the kids, make the occasional dinner . . . but flickr and these swaps make me happy. It is fun to think about things you can actually finish. Somehow I need the same fun pressure on myself to make things for us, exercise and just get things done.

How about the photos of the first project and then I guess I need to get back to the yearbook project since it looks like my happy hour (really it is almost three hours- naptime) is over. I hear Sam's sweet voice telling me he is awake and ready to party (read eat something, hard to believe the kid is so skinny - all he ever does is eat or ask to eat)

Check these out, fun huh? Mom is you are reading this, would you enjoy some simple placemats in these colors for Mother's Day? Karyn I know you are not reading . . . but what do you think?

Note to self: I think I would make them a tad wider next time. They are actually the size of all the placemats we have, but they could stand to be a little wider.

Note to husband: I love our Polish Pottery and boy would it be fun to have some more for my upcoming birthday.

Good Folks and Weekend Sewing

Whooo hooo, I made a dress from start to finish for Ellie on my own!  My sewing skills are starting to get better.  I love this dress and have been wanting to make it since I saw the tutorial here and then further motivated by Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross.  

It makes it even better that Ellie wanted to help me sew and then as soon as I put it on her, she ran to show Daddy her pretty sew.  (which I think means pretty dress mommy made for me!)

Love this fabric and I think it is my new favorite - Anna Marie Horner, Good Folks line.  KC Custom Fabric in Saratoga Springs has a lot from the line.  I really have been trying to use other fabric, but I just can't seem to get enough of this print.  It was in the quilt I just finished, a tote bag I am working on and this.  Fabulous, don't you think?

  

The shirring is done with elastic thread in the bobbin.  So easy and so fun!  

Ellie also gave it the play test.  She was up and down the playset, climbing the rock wall, sliding and swinging.  I think I will make the next dress a little longer, but for playing this is a great length!

This last shot is of her running away from me when I wanted to change her back into her play clothes, since it was a little chilly today for a sundress!

Three hours before the shower . . .

I finished this!  I must say I love, love, love it!  

I might even love the back more than the front.  I am pretty sure some more quilts with lots of white will be in my future.  I just love the look.  Clean.  Simple.  Courtney at KC Custom Fabrics did the quilting for me and the intersecting circle pattern matches the peony print perfectly.  In the past I have used colored thread, but on this chose white and again Loving It!

My friend Lauren is a very fun and hip mom.  I knew she wouldn't like anything too babyish.  I think she really loved it.  

Another thing I did on this, that I will be doing again is using solid color for the binding with a strip of a print mixed in.  It came out so fun.  The bulk of the fabric for this was the Anna Marie Horner Good Folks.  The green print is Meadow, the pink intersecting circles are Peony and the wonderful floral print is Azalea.  The solids are Kona and the other two prints are Alexander Henry prints.  

I think that does it for showers for awhile, but I do need to come up with something fabulous for my own children.  They got my first quilts and Max hasn't even got one yet, which he continues to remind me.  So finishing his baseball quilt is next on my list and then something lovely like this for my own little princess!

Why do I wait until the very last minute?

Why? Why? Why, did I wait until a week before the shower to make a quilt?  I have known my friend is pregnant for quite awhile . . . but yet panic has to set in before I get busy.  Chasing after my toddlers yesterday at Max's baseball game I did the math.  If you want to get the quilt on the long-arm to be quilted, it should have been on the list for at least a week.  Okay the pattern I had in mind for this one, not happening.  I opted for a strip quilt with fabric I have been hoarding, Anna Marie Horner's Good Folks.  My friend loves pink and green and I think the colors will be a lovely contemporary take on traditional baby quilt.  I love how the top and back have come out.  So off I will rush to my local quilt shop today to see if it can be put into the schedule, if not I will be machine quilting this one myself.  Stay tuned.

Love the three Good Folk prints mixed with Alexander Henry's woodgrain and pears.

I have always loved the look of a back with a strip of the piecing from the top, can't wait to see the finished product.  I thought it would be so hard, but really after trimming everything square, I just had to add a piece to the top and bottom to make the back big enough for the quilt sandwich.

I really hope the long-arm schedule can work for me!  The girls at KC Fabric right here in Saratoga do such a nice job and it really makes the quilt.  Also having to fit in the quilting of the quilt would set me over the edge.  I still want to make a pair of shoes, a diaper and wipe envelope and some bibs.  After making so much for my sister I can't just stop at a quilt, but maybe this time I will have to!