Home Life :)

It's still nice and quiet here, and we spend a lot of time inside...
The kids do love the snow, but they also like being inside. Miss V and I have started reading a longer book, and she is enjoying it so much. I like it too, the special reading time. Little A hates it. He's too young for it still....poor little A.
And, looking at this picture, you could argue that I should spend some time cleaning instead of reading silly stories and spending way to much time on the computer.

I did a little sewing. This is my January block for SC2, it's for Beth. Those fabrics are so pretty, I would never have picked them out myself (not before seeing them IRL anyway) but I just love them!
That's one of the things I like about Quilting Bees. Working with many kinds of prints and colors.

Speaking of colors.....I am in a group on Flickr called Self Portrait Friday. The idea is to take a picture of yourself every friday and post it in the group pool. That's 52 pictures in 2010. Of me. The thought is, that by the end of 2010, we should be more comfortable taking (and posting/seeing) pictures of ourselves.
I am not sure it will work. We'll have to wait and see. This is my picture for last week. I love my hair, but...I wish it would just be either blond or red. What would you call this??

Slow days

There has been a lot of indoor activities at my house lately...
Miss V loves her Hello Kitty MuffinsGame. It's amazing to see just how much more fun a board game is, if it features your favourite character :)
I wonder if that would be true for chess as well??

We have made some homemade pizza. My kids like olives - and lots of them. When thinking of how many they ate while putting toppings on the pizza, I am amazed that there are any olives on the pizza at all!
I have been spending a lot of time resting, due to some health issues, and sitting at my sewing machine has been to tiring. So I have started knitting... I think this will be a scarf for my dad, maybe for Christmas?!
How is that for an early start on Christmas presents. Lol!

I have done a little sewing. I am in a quilting bee on Flickr, called Row 10.
10 of us are making a row (instead of a block) each month, and the recipient will join her rows to make a row quilt :)
This is my block for Sarah. She requested red/lime as the dominant colors - green/pink/white as less dominant. She is going to make a Christmas quilt and I think it will be gorgeous! You can see the other rows on Flickr.

The plain spoken is all ready to sew....I just need a little more energy, then I'll get to it ;)
I love these colors. Maybe I'm procrastinating so I'll get to keep it myself?

To-make in 2010

One of our dear friends' birthday is coming up. And you know me....any excuse to go fabric-shopping :)

I got these wonderful solids on sale. Even better! I am going to use red for binding -I think. We'll see. Maybe I won't be able to finish on time, as there is a lot of stuff keeping me from my sewing machine these days.

But if I don't finish in time for the birthday, that's ok, we'll get another present, and I'll get to make and keep the quilt ;D

I did sort of ok reaching my quilting goals for 2009.

A quilt for both my children to put on their beds (check)
A sampler for me using fabrics from the wonderful Anne (didn't make it)

So...50%! I did do a lot of other sewing, you can see some of the finished projects here, and some of the quilting bee blocks here.

As far as 2010 goals....I want to:

Sew curtains for our living room
Put together my SewConnected 2 top and finish the quilt
Make myself a sampler quilt from the fabrics from the wonderful Anne
Make a picnic quilt (preferably before summer!)

...better stop here. I am also in a couple of quilting bees, so I have some fun times ahead :)

Happy New Year

We had a great New Years Eve! I hope you did too!!
Charles cooked the most delicious 3-course meal for us, and the kids were thrilled to see the fireworks. It is pretty amazing to sit on your own couch at home, and watch the fireworks :)

The kids and I had decorated a little. We made this garland, based on Purl Bees New Years Eve Garland. Only we used craft paper and Miss V's pretty tape with stars on it, instead of using felt and the sewing machine.
I like it. I am saving it for next year! Miss V is very proud of how it turned out. And she did put almost all of it together.

Inspired by the paper garland, I decided it was time to finally make the fabric flag garland I have been wanting to make for...erhm...well....years!
I managed to finish it while Charles and the kids took a nap! I like how it brigthens up my kitchen window.
I used store-bought bias binding. The flags are 2-sided, turned and topstitched. I like it.

I didn't make as many Christmas presents this year as I did last year, but I made these Box Wallets for my nieces. It's a KeykaLou pattern. Very easy to follow, if you need a great bag pattern, I would recommend one of hers!

Did I show you my Christmas present? Charles gave me this Bernina multi-tool for Christmas. If you want to see what all the gadgets are, go here.
I love it, it's the coolest multi-tool I have ever seen ;)

And I have finished Katys spiderweb block for SC2 for (ACK) November, so I am starting 2010 without being behind!
How great is that?!

I will be back with soon with quilting goals for 2010....do you know yours??

Merry Christmas

I made an I SPY for A for Christmas. I used the "Turning Twenty" pattern and made the blocks 12" square. I like it :) And more importantly, so does A. I especially like the binding!

I tried to use as much dinosaur fabric as I could in this, it's hard to find dino prints here, but much to my liking A refers to this quilt as his Dinosaur-quilt :D I even put a label on it!!

Miss V also needed a quilt for her bed, and I have been promising her a princess quilt for a very long time.
Sometime in November this conversation took place:
Miss V: Mom, I am looking forward to Christmas sooooo much!
Me: Yes, I know
Miss V: Especially because at Christmas I'll get my princess quilt
Me: Really??!! (slight panic and disbelief)
Miss V: Yes, mom! That's why I can't wait!

So I started sewing!!

This is the front, the panel was giving me a hard time, I have never worked with one before. Miss V loves it, that's a success if you ask me :)

I tried some spiral quilting in the purple border - fun!

Both kids were happy with their quilts, and so am I!!

We had a very happy Christmas, I hope you all did too.
Little A and I have been sick for a little over a week, though, so that slowed everything down a bit.

Now I need to see if I met my sewing-expectations from last New Year, and decide on my goals for 2010!

I hope you and your loved ones had a very merry Christmas!

One month to go....

...and I haven't made any Christmas-presents yet!!! I have made a softie for my good friend who is having a baby...

....and I have been fabric-shopping. I won't show you all the fabric I bought, for some reason I hoard fabric when I am too busy to sew!

Oooops...the photo is upside-down!

I have started the princess quilt for Viola. This is a picture of the quilt-top. It had me so confused, I never worked with a panel before.

It's a little too pink-and-purple-and-glitter for me, but I am pretty sure Miss V will love it ;)

I finally finished my 8two8 quilt. And I love it!

I love the backing fabric, the dots are happy-happy-happy..

I quilted some spirals in the sashingstrips, and squirly-squirls everywhere else.
This is a picture of the finished quilt. I like it so much. Can you tell?!
I am going to try to get back into blogging, but I am having such a hard time getting into the new routine. I miss you. And I miss sewing. So much.

Changes in our routine..

September is Johns month in SewConnected 2. He has chosen to make a house quilt inspired by Ingrid Press. I made him this little house, and is was so much fun to make, I'm thinking he'll probably get at least one more from me :)

There has not been a lot of sewing going on here for a while now. As you know, I finished my studies and started working full-time. But there has been changes for the kids too.
Miss V started a new daycare in August, and A will be joining her this coming monday.
These are his new slippers, he is very happy with them

Charles is busy writing his PhD, so he has to work most weekends. The kids and I are having some good times at home, we have to make it extra special, so we don't miss Charles so much :)

The kids' favourite lunch (besides McD or BurgerKing. Lol) is homemade pizza. And if you ask them, there is no such thing as too many olives on a pizza.

Too bad for me, I don't like olives :)

Charles had given the kids these chocolate ladybugs, they thought it was fun to pretend they could play with the ladybugs on the tablecloth. Lol!!

So.....I am hoping to get a little sewing time today. It's sunday morning, and Charles is off to work right after breakfast. So maybe a little sewing time while A naps? Or maybe no sewing for me today....we'll have to see!