Even Busier Than Before

I don't know that there are many people who read this blog, I can hope that there are, but for those that do you are probably wondering where I have been. If I thought I was busy a few weeks ago, I am even busier now, and don't have regular access to a personal computer, so the blogging has been put on hold. My sister had to have her gallbladder taken out unexpectedly, and things on the medical front with the boyfriend are not going as well as we had hoped either. So its been a very busy couple of weeks. That being said, I have been sewing a lot in the evenings, and whenever I do make it back to the blogging world, I PROMISE I will have some pictures of new quilts. Pinky Promise!

If you're the praying type I would appreciate any prayers sent our way over the next few weeks. Thank you in advance!

Lots of Small Projects

Between work, and everything else going on in my life I haven't managed to get as much done as I would like to, but I still have accomplished a lot.

I pieced the quilt top for my sock monkey baby quilt, and finished the blocks for my Positively Retro quilt, and got two trick or treat bags sewn (they still needs handles), and 2 throw pillow covers sewn and quilted that match the Old Glory Throw I handquilted for my boyfriend several months ago.

I also managed to get up early today and bought the batting, backing fabric and binding for the Postiviely Retro quilt, and sock monkey baby quilt. I'm going to try a pieced back for them. We'll see how that goes.

This is my To Do List (It never seems to get any shorter!)
Piece backings for 2 quilts
Make binding for 2 quilts
QUILT 2 quilts
Make handles for Trick or Treat bags
Get (good) pictures of all my quilts
Finish cutting for my (2nd) watermelon quilt and piece the top

I'm not sure when I will have time to do all of this, and I just keep adding to it.
I ordered fabric for a Halloween quilt after seeing this quilt. I love all of Amy's quilts, but this one is one of my favorites and I'm going to try and somewhat replicate it for my couch by Halloween.

The list of projects I want to do is growing much faster than my list of completed projects. Here is a sneak peek.
1. Halloween Throw Quilt
2. Christmas Throw Quilt with 3. Matching pillows and possibly 4. matching tree skirt (So I guess this counts as 3 seperate projects, even if they do match!)
5. Purle quilt for my cousin's daughter (this needs to be done before she starts back to school, so this should really be moved up the list)
6. Chair cushions for my dining table.
7. I was wanting to do the Mario Quilt Along over at Cut To Pieces, but that may have to be saved and filed for a time when I am less busy.
8. Another fall table runner, seeing as how I gifted the last one.
9. Maybe some Halloween pillows to match the Halloween throw
10. Numerous Christmas gifts I haven't even begun to list, and should because I know that I won't get them done if I dont.
11. A throw for my dad
12. Some lemon and lime felt coasters for my sister

And that isn't even all of it, that is just what I can remember!

 But let me leave you with something I DID get done.

Busiest Week Ever

As I'm sure you have heard, the midwest and eastern United States got hit with one heck of a storm a week ago, and that is where I have been. I work for our local electric utility here, and since Friday I have been working 10 and 12 hours shifts EVERY DAY. I am exhausted. Mentally, emotionally, physically. Not to mention I am fairly certain I have developed an ulcer because of everything that has been going on.

In good news, I am going to have a fantastic paycheck, and that means, when I do actually have the time I can buy LOTS of fabric and make LOTS more quilts. I also did manage to finish my bandana picnic quilt. (Please excuse the horrible pictures, I am too tired, and in my pajamas to take good pictures, but I am determined to get better pictures of all my quilts soon)

I will leave you with these pictures, as I am going to bed and sleeping as late as I can in the morning :)

Start to Finish in a Weekend

I started cutting one of the baby quilts last Friday evening after work, I finished hand sewing the binding on the back Monday evening (while sitting, once again, in a hospital room). Yay for finished quilt, boo at hospital again. We are hoping (but it is getting hard at this point) that the doctors will be able to actually fix the problems so that we can both get back to a normal life of doing fun things together and enjoying being a couple, and eventually make plans to get married. It is hard to imagine planning a wedding with the fear of him having to go to the hospital at any given moment.

But back to the quilting, I love this quilt. Absolutely adore it. The machine quilting is getting easier, I am learning more and more every day. Only 1 pucker in the whole back of this quilt. Still perfecting the bobbin tension and getting my speed more consistent. All in all I love quilting on the machine now. It is also much easier with a small quilt. I can't express how much I love the salmon Kona Solid in this, and the back. Oh the back! A Denyse Schmidt dot via my local Joann Store. I am smitten.

I started quilting my surprise quilt last night. I will post pictures when I am back to my regular computer. Its hard to balance work, quilting and hospital visits, nevermind blogging and taking pictures of quilts!

Cutting, Cutting, Cutting

I didn't get much done last weekend, not nearly as much as I had hoped. I have started cutting fabric to make a second watermelon quilt, I also managed to stich up some nifty sleeve things (for rolling up and holding your sleeves) for my boyfriend for work. So he won't have to keep tugging at his sleeves when its hot. They sewed up in a matter of minutes, and now he is requesting them in different colors too! I also got some red and blue fabrics prewashed for a picnic quilt I am working on. That idea I will share when it gets under way. The fabrics I ordered for boy and girl baby quilts came yesterday so I spent last night cutting the fabrics for the baby girl quilt, all from Michael Miller's Children at Play line by Sarah Jane. I got them here. The boy quilt fabrics I got from the same website, but they are Funky Monkey from Moda by Erin Michael with a few other prints thrown in. I am super excited to start on that quilt, but hesitant to start cutting those fabrics. I absolutely adore sock monkeys! I also managed to get my pieces squared up for the picnic quilt I am working on, and I have some more cutting to do for the watermelon quilt I am making for my sister (since I sold the other one!) and also some more cutting on my retro quilt that I have been toying with. Lots of Works In Progress, and I gather from reading other quiting blogs that this is nothing out of the ordinary. I'm going to end up driving my boyfriend crazy with all the fabric I have!

Here are some pictures from the watermelon quilt cutting!

Zero Progress

After everything I managed to finish last week, I have not worked on one project all week.

Well, I have a little. I cut out some fabric for Raggedy Annies, and stitched on the face for the last doll I made (over a month ago) who was patiently waiting, faceless, on the couch.

My boyfriend is home, out of the hospital and feeling much better, so we have been enjoying spending time together outside of a hospital room! Yay for that! And we'll be taking a day trip tomorrow to go fishing, so the quilts I have in the works and all my other projects will be on hold until Sunday. Although I'm almost dying, not having something to work on. Hopefully next week I will have some pictures for everyone (if anyone reads this!)

Two finished quilts

I managed to not only finish my table runner this weekend, but also my watermelon picnic quilt. Its amazing to me to have started the watermelon quilt 3 weekends ago, and to have only worked about 6 days on it and have it completely done. I don't have a good picture of it yet, but as soon as my boyfriend gets out of the hospital I plan on having him drive me out somewhere nice and hold it while I take some pictures (he doesn't know this yet.) So my next few projects include, but are not limited to, finishing several raggedy Annie dolls, which I spent this evening working on a little while, my Positively Retro quilt I started cutting fabric for last week,  2 or 3 baby quilts, as well as making some pillow covers to match my American flag quilt, maybe a table square for someone special, and about a dozen other things floating around in my head. I will leave you with this picture until I can snap some with my actual camera, but for now it is bed, seeing as how its back to work tomorrow.