crafting with burlap

This spring has been pretty busy, but we took some time out this afternoon to make some beautiful burlap flowers for Tristan and Brooke's wedding that is less than two weeks away.  The flowers were quick and easy to make thanks to this blogpost that I found.  If you love burlap you should definitely give it a try...I am already dreaming up a new summer wreath or centerpiece of my own.

In other crafting news I have been working on a surprise quilt, here is the plan and I will put the finished product and its details up when I finish.

Let's get one shot of Abby in, I feel like she is never the star anymore!  Isn't she pretty!

This crafting/photography/blogging break brought to you by a good nap by little C.

-melissa

Beth's Birthday Quilt

Remember several months back it was my very dear friends birthday, you know back in January! Well for her birthday this year I promised to make her a quilt.  But first I had Jay's quilt to finish and then a baby blanket or two and a first birthday party to plan, well guess what... I finally finished it!  It was only three months late, good thing she is so patient with me!

This quilt was really tough for me.  It was not the quilts fault at all, she really picked out a very simple pattern.  It stated on the pattern that it was classified as a weekend quilt and I believed it!  I told Beth when we went to buy the fabrics that I thought I should have it finished in roughly a week.  That totally did not happen, not even close.

It turns out life really got in the way of my quilting, don't you hate when that happens.  Jay was really busy the past month and it seemed that every time he went out of town C managed to get sick somehow with either teething or a double ear infection that just would not go away.  So every time I went to quilt I had baby fever brain and kept making stupid mistakes.

I had a couple of down times, but kept on persisting because it was for Beth.  I like to think about the person I am making the quilt for when I am sewing.  It helps me to keep going if I know I am making it for a loved one or a loved ones wee baby.  This one really took a lot of love to finish.  If it was for anyone else (yes, even you Jay) it would not have been completed.  But it was for Beth and I do love her so!  So it eventually was finished .  Way later than promised.  But finished with love.

I hope she enjoys snuggling with it in this lovely 90 degree spring we are having in Va!  Love you Beth, Happy Belated Birthday!

we're still alive and walking

Hey everybody. It's been a while since we posted anything. To make a long story short, we have been really busy. I've been traveling a bit and Melissa has been using her spare time to work on some quilting for a couple gifts we have coming up. Things ought to slow down here soon and we'll be back in full swing, but until then, enjoy this video of Charlotte. She learned a new trick and in a lot of ways it's been keeping us busy here lately. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSny4jEaCLM

fail.

Have you seen this graphic on pinterest?

I hate it.  Bad.   Really.  Every time I see it, it digs under my skin a little.  I hate when someone tells me that I can not accomplish all that I want.  I hate it even more when I realize it myself.  This weekend has been a little like that.  I had really big plans, and I did not succeed.  If I had not set myself up with a goal, it would have been okay, but I did.  And I failed.

I never want this to be a blog that only shares the lovelies of our life.  The fun times and the success projects that we do here and there.  So I thought it necessary that I share the failures as well.  I also can not stand when people complain, so hopefully I will be able to walk the tight line between honesty and whining/self pity.

This weekend I had three goals. 1. Keep the baby alive while Jay was out of town.  2. Serve my shift at Chalk up the Town with Charlotte on my back in her backpack carrier, without people gawking.  3.  FInish Beth's BIrthday Quilt.  Yeah, that quilt that was given back in JANUARY!

I should feel slightly successful because, C is still alive and pretty happy might I add.  We went to Chalk up the Town, had a great time and I do not think many people thought I was crazy with C on my back.  The last goal is where I fail.  I was just not in my groove this weekend.  I need my groove to sew. No groove, no sewing.  I started the weekend with one of my favorite movies, Mona Lisa Smile while I attached the required letters to the back of the quilt, it took the whole movie, but I think they look super cute.  I assembled the back of the quilt, penny strip and all on Saturday morning, made my quilt sandwich and was ready to roll.  Only I was not rolling to good.  I completed a couple passes and it didn't look right, tore it out, tried again..times three.  Finally got it right and quilted about an 1/8 of the quilt before Chalk up the Town Saturday afternoon with plans to finish it that night.

It turns out that carrying a baby for two plus hours can really wear on you and make your back and neck pretty tight.  Saturday night is when the fail started to happen.  I first had a little melt down and gave up on the quilt for the night.  I can not quilt when I do not feel perfect.  I know that some people may wrongly think that I am really good at sewing-not so.  I just have to much confidence and jump into things to quickly.  In some ways in life it has been helpful, in other ways not, and I am sure  it has given Jay loads of headaches.

So, Sunday morning I continue quilting on Charlottes first nap that was from 7:00-9:00.  She napped so early because she woke up at 4:45.  I blame that on part of my self destruction.  When I got home from church and looked over my progress I hated it.  I did not like how I quilted it, I did not like the length of stitches or the tightness.  It was not good, so I watched some Yard Crashers.  After my little break I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and got it together.

I practiced a little, got all the kinks out and was actually really enjoying myself.  I was cruising!  Loving the design, even beginning to sing a little.  Got more finished in thirty minutes than I had over two hours the previous two days.  I was really fleeing confident.  I had found it, my grove!

And then my needle broke. Ha!

I do not have any more, so I have to run out when C gets up from napping.  I guess my groove is on hold for now.  Life lessons, as soon as you get overly confident (and sing while you quilt) your needle will break!

-melissa