Stitched with Love

It's done!  My daughter's quilt is finished!

We'd hoped to finish it a couple of weeks ago.  It probably could have been done but life got busy.  

We worked on it when we could.  And, then, she had move and start the new school year at her new college.  I've put lots of hours into it over the past couple of weeks to finish it.  And, I've used lots of band-aids.   I cut myself pretty bad with the rotary cutter one day.  I'm still wearing band-aids for that one.  Ouch!  And, I kept poking myself with pins.  Ugh!  I'm not usually so clumsy with sewing.  But, I made it through.  This project was worth every moment, every drop of blood, every bit of sweat, and every single stitch I put into it.  It represents the amazing and close relationship I have with my daughter, my enormous love for her, and a new chapter in both of our lives.

As we worked on plans of what she would need in her first apartment and how she wanted to decorate, I mentioned the idea of making a quilt.  She loved the idea.  And, she loved a set of fabrics I'd bought several years ago.  We just needed to find a few more fabrics and a design.  We ended up making a simple patchwork of squares.  It worked well for our limited quilting experience, the short time we had to make it, and for the look she wanted.  The fabrics have a bit of a retro feel and the colors are exactly what she's into right now.

This is the front...

And, this is the back...

I like to give the back a little something special so the quilt can be reversible.  We had just enough fabric left over from the squares to make a few more rows.  We placed the strip of colors toward one end so that they'd lay across, near the foot of the bed.  It will add a splash of color at the end of the bed and not be covered by all the pillows.  I wasn't able to find yarn in the pale green color to tie the quilt.  So, I ended up with a darker green that matches the dots.  In the end, I love the tufted look it created.

This project would not be complete without the love our sweet Duchess added.

She was around for every stage of it's creation.

She was in charge of quality control!

She thinks we did a purrrfect job!

She knows because she did a little testing before it was delivered to my daughter.

She loves it!

And, so does my daughter!

It added more color and pattern to her apartment bedroom.  Her room at home is mostly white with pale colors and a shabby chic look.  She's been adding brighter colors to her apartment for more of a cottage kind of feel.  I think it's really cute!   Check out those pretty flowers she made and hung over her bed.  They're made with old sheet music.  There are three of them in different sizes.

I think the quilt will add a warm smile to her heart whenever she sees it and wraps up in it.  This will be a wonderful reminder of how much she is loved.  Especially during those days or moments when she might feel a bit homesick or have an extra challenging day.  This is a big step in her life and this should help ease the transition.  Not to mention how much it has helped me.  It feels like a great big package of love and comfort that I was able to give to her as she heads off into this next big adventure of life.  :-)

Time to Tie

We didn't quite meet the deadline we'd hoped for finishing my daughter's quilt.  But, we worked hard on it when we could.  We cut and cut, spent hours figuring out an arrangement on the loft floor, and row by row we sewed them together.  She worked from one end and I worked from the other with two sewing machines whirring away on the studio work table.  We had just enough squares left over to do a little something for the back to make it cute on both sides (I'll show that later).  Then, she had to leave for school.

I worked on the back side last week and made an oops!  Uh oh!  I cut a little too much on one section. I'm not sure what happened.  But, I think, I'll be able to make it work.  I tweeked it a bit yesterday and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to make it work out okay when it's time for the binding.

Today, I finished layering the two sides with the batting, lining it up as perfect as I could, and pinning it.  Then, I pulled out the quilt stand from my studio closet.  My mom bought it at her church rummage sale a few years ago for a really cheap price...maybe $5.  I used it once but it's been a while.    So, I wasn't quite sure how it was supposed to go together.  I dumped out all the pieces on the floor and scratched my head.  Hmmmm?  But, I got the legs put together and eventually figured out the rest.

This is the only bit of directions that it came with...a small line drawing on the side of the box...

I got the quilt on the stand and ready to tie.

Next came the decision of which thread to use for tying the quilt together.  The knots are going on the back side...where the little polka dots are.  It looked green until I tried to find a color match of thread or yarn for tying it.  There weren't even any sewing threads that came close.  I bought the three best options I could find and brought them home to have a better look and decide.

The embroidery floss was the best match for the polka dot side.  But, I worry it might not stay securely tied because of it's smooth/shiny finish.  The crochet thread was too green and might be too smooth too.  So, I went with the Sugar N Cream.  The color is a pretty good match for both sides and I think the knots should stay together better with the more textured cotton.  I'm splitting the four ply into two and it's working pretty well.  I'm alternating between making stitches from the top and cutting and leaving the ends on the bottom side, and then laying underneath to tie the knots and trim the ends.  It's much easier on my back to go back and forth.

I'm seeing the light at the end of this quilting adventure and I really do think it'll be done soon.  I can't wait to have it finished, folded, and ready to give to her.  She's really excited and I think it's going to look great in her apartment bedroom.  I think she'll feel lots of love when she looks at it and she'll have great memories from working on it together.  I know I will.  :-)

The Scoop

I think it's time for a post with the latest scoop on things I've been blogging about over the past few weeks...

The Quilt
My daughter and I finally finished cutting all the fabric squares for her quilt last weekend and have been sewing and sewing.  It's coming along...just not as fast as we'd planned.  We've been busy this week with other stuff too.  But, I'm still hopeful that we'll finish it in time.  I'll be sure to post pictures.  I promise!

The Tufted Headboard
We've put this project on hold.  We priced out all the supplies this week.  It turns out that it'll cost a lot more than we'd expected...around $80!  Foam is expensive!  We're not sure how well it would turn out since we've never made anything like this.  We're thinking about it and trying to decide whether to chance it or see if we can come up with an alternative that's cheaper and just as cute.  We bought fabric for it last month but we got a deal...only $3 a yard.

Parking Ticket
Remember that parking ticket I whined about?  We had parked at the beach, in a parking lot and received a ticket that said we were in violation of parking in a red zone.  The curb was not red.  There were no signs that said we couldn't park there.  We were parked completely legally.  We even talked with other people there...even the lifeguards and they all agreed...we were innocent.  It was so wrong that they would give us a ticket, knowing that we hadn't done anything wrong.  Well, we fought it and WON!  Yay!  We're VERY happy about that.  They changed it to "officer error"!

Smog Test
All the error codes finally cleared on our car and it passed the smog test to renew the registration.  But, a couple days later the "check engine" light came on again.  Ugh!  I guess we'll have to take it to the dealer to have the computer "flashed" with the correct programming.  What a pain!  It runs just fine but this will have to be fixed before it needs another smog test in two years.

Post Op
I had my post op doctor appointment today.  I've been feeling great and the doctor was happy to hear that.  I was hoping to hear that the results of the biopsy showed absolutely nothing wrong.  But, that wasn't the case.  Luckily, it isn't the "C" word!  Whew!  It turns out that I have "Complex Hyperplasia without Atypia".  Say, what?!  I know...long words, huh?!  It means that my uterus is trying to be an over achiever...it has wayyyy too many cells.  It's what's causing the overly thick walls and wonky cycles.  It has a small chance of turning into cancer.  So, the doctor recommends progesterone therapy for 10 days per cycle, for six months.  It usually clears up the problem and it shouldn't come back.  She gave me three options for the hormones...the synthetic kind that insurance will cover (with a co-pay) but doesn't have a very good reputation for being safe; a bio-identical one that insurance might partially cover but it's suspended in peanut oil and absorbs so fast into the body that it causes unpleasant side affects; or a bio-identical one that is compounded, isn't covered by insurance but should only be $35-40 per month, and has the least amount of side affects.  Guess which one I picked!  The last one.  It makes the most sense and probably won't cost much more than my co-pay would have on the first choice.  Even though the cancer risk is minimal, it makes sense to eliminate the risk or, at least, reduce it.  I'm sure not looking forward to taking any hormones though and dealing with possible side affects.  Ugh!  I can only hope it'll be like my surgery was....dreaded but turn out to be painless and I'll feel great!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  I'll have to have a biopsy in six months to see if it worked.  But, it'll be a different procedure this time and can be done in the doctor's office.

Yarn Therapy
I know...I didn't talk about this before.  But, it was in my mind all along (and, some of you highly recommended it...wink wink) that I'd take myself to the yarn shop for a little yarn therapy and buy something pretty after my surgery stuff was over.  Well, it's not totally over but the surgery is and with the news of the biopsy and hormones, I needed it.  In fact, I just might need more therapy sessions over the next six months of added hormones!  ;-)  Right after my doctor appointment today, I stopped in at a wonderful yarn shop in Fallbrook, "Labors of Love".  I'll try to take some pictures of my new yarns (yes...I bought more than one skein...I bought three!) over the weekend and post them.

And, since I'm busy posting the latest...
I finally saw an orthopedic doctor a few months ago for severe pain that had developed in my left shoulder.  It had gotten so bad that it hurt terribly to put a shirt on over my head, put dishes away, even hold the steering wheel.  And, not just an ache kind of pain but really sharp....like close to a 10 on a 1-10 scale.  It was awful!  The doctor felt pretty strongly that physical therapy would help.  Luckily, it's been working pretty well...at least with my forward range of motion.  It has improved greatly.  But, I still can't raise my arm out to the side, above shoulder height.  Ugh!  I saw the doc again this week and had some x-rays to be sure there wasn't something wrong inside that was causing it to get stuck.  Luckily, it all looks pretty good.   The doc seemed pretty pleased with my progress and recommended more therapy...instead of shots or surgery.  Yay!  I've been working hard and pushing into the pain to get results.  I hope it'll take me all the way back to a normal and pain free range of motion.

That's the latest scoop on what's going on around here.  Maybe I should pour a glass of wine and celebrate all the good news....and, ease my mind about the upcoming hormones.  ;-)

Have a wonderful weekend!  And, stay cool!  We've been in triple digit temps all week...hoping for a cool down very soon!

Simple Things Mean So Much

I gave my mom the quilt today and she loved it!  She even got a little choked up.  I didn't expect that.  But, we've had a tough year with the loss of three uncles, a cousin (her nephew,) and her brother has been in the hospital for weeks.  When things like that happen, we tend to look at life a little differently, family means more and so do the little things...like a kitty quilt.  My dad's eyes watered up when he opened the gift I gave to him.  It was a picture frame with three pictures from a recent visit from his sister which I just found last year after losing contact for decades.  It was a good Christmas!

Kitty Quilt

A few months ago, my parents decided to give up the RV lifestyle they'd lived for over 10 years and move back into a house. They needed to furnish their new home and I helped out by giving them an antique bedroom set that I had leftover from transforming our guest room into a craft studio. That meant I needed to empty out a dresser full of fabric. I loaded it all into plastic storage bins and was determined to keep it to three. But, they were a little bulgy...


There wasn't anything I wanted to get rid of. So, I needed to do some stash busting. The bulgy bins were just what I needed to finally get the inspiration to do something with some quilt squares my mom had made and given to me years ago. Since she had put time and effort into making them, she must have liked them. So, what about using them to make her a Christmas gift? Seemed like a good idea to me. There were 16 cat blocks, a little pattern book and a bag of buttons for eyes.


I went through my stash to try and find coordinating fabrics to finish it but had no luck. The fabrics were from the 80's and that made it challenging to find colors that worked. I ended up buying a solid blue that matched a blue in most of the cats. I used it to outline the blocks. I also bought some cute green print fabric from a local quilt shop that I had planned to use for a border. But, by the time I had put all the blocks together, it was so large that I didn't need a border. It would have looked adorable on the back with the leftover kitty block in the center but I didn't buy enough.


I found a thick, furry fabric that I used for the backing and batting all in one. It was wide enough that I didn't even need to piece it! I tied the layers together with white crochet cotton and bound the quilt with more blue fabric. The furry fabric feels really nice and it looks good too. I think this quilt will be nice for her to curl up with on the sofa in chilly weather. It's soft and cozy.


It's all folded up and ready for wrapping. I hope she likes it!


My fabric stash didn't go down with this project because the cat blocks were replaced with green print fabric and a little leftover fur. But, hey, I tried. And, I'm not giving up just yet. I have fabric for a couple of quilts and some garments that I'm anxious to get started on. I wonder if finishing those will lessen the stash enough to close those bins? At least, those kitties won't be staring at me anymore when I look through my stash!

Sneak Peek

Here's a sneak peek at what I started working on yesterday afternoon. It's a knitting needle organizer thingy. I'm using left over fabrics from a quilt I made last year and some antique lace. I'm so excited and having so much fun. I have a lot left to do on it and I have a busy day today but I hope to have more to show very soon.

Have an awesome day!

Hot Days, Cool Trips

This is part of my herb garden. I have three half wine barrels that I've filled with soil and planted herbs in. This one has Cilantro, Basil, Orgegano, and Sage. We're loving having fresh herbs again! Yum! We've gotten spoiled the past few years with having fresh herbs in the Spring, Summer, and part of Fall. During the Winter I wonder why I bother buying dried herbs at the store. They have almost no flavor compared to the fresh ones.

More seeds have sprouted in our water trough garden and we even have a baby tomato. It's so exciting! I took pictures but it's not much to see yet so I'll hold off on posting one until the garden grows up a bit more.

It's been very hot here (over 100) this past week. Cool escapes have been nice....

My husband and I went biking along the ocean from Encinitas to Del Mar and back on Saturday while our daughter was at orchestra rehearsal. It was such a beautiful day down there. Ahhhh! I loved it. Yesterday I went on a fun trip with a friend to Carlsbad and Solana Beach/Cedros. It was so nice to be near the sea again. The weather was perfect. We walked around Cedros and browsed some really cool shops. We also visited some quilt shops and I fell in love with Amy Butler fabrics and patterns. Wow! They are so beautiful, colorful, and fun! I knew my daughter would love them so I showed them to her online and she's in love too. We hope to go take some classes this summer to make some of her great bags.

My second Easter Camo sock is almost finished. I didn't knit on it much over the weekend because of headaches and busyness. I'll probably finish it today or tomorrow. I'm inspired by our fabric outing yesterday and plan to head into my crafting studio/guest room to do a little sewing today. I have plenty of fabrics to keep me busy!

All the windows are open and the birds are singing. What a beautiful day today! Nice temps again. It should be in the 80's today and in the 70's the rest of the week. Sooooo nice. Perfect crafting weather for a solar powered, barometrically challenged gal! :-)

More Sunshine!

Ahhhhh......more sunshine and warmth. I'm lovin' it!!! I'm so happy the weather has improved...at least for now.

I'm not working on any new and exciting projects right now. Just working on my second leg warmer. I went to San Diego last Thursday to check out "Rosie's Calico Cupboard". I'd heard so much about it and had to see what all the talk was about. Wow! They had a massive amount of fabric. There were big sections for each color range (like yellows, oranges, reds, bright greens, drab greens, dark greens, blacks, etc., etc.). There were huge sections for plaids, flannels, batiks, novelty, reproduction, designer, baby, and on and on. The book section was huge too. And, one of the best parts was that their prices were less than all the other quilt shops. It was an amazing place! I'll definitely go back for my next quilt project...after I finish the ones I have now. On Friday I went to a quilt show in Hemet with my mom and aunt. It was small but fun. They even had a room with donated items like fabrics, yarn, quilt and craft books and magazines, etc. for a guild fundraiser. That was pretty cool. The magazines were a great deal at .25c to 50c. I was a good girl at the show and didn't buy anything. I enjoyed all the quilts and all the pretty fabrics though. Afterwards was lunch and a warm ride home in the sunny weather. Ahhhh. I realized that I'm doing more shopping and quilt show hopping than I am actually quilting. I need to get to work. Especially so I can buy more pretty fabrics. :)

Yesterday I got an idea in my head to google kitty sweaters. To my happy surprise I found a website with kitty sweaters and patterns. There's even a gallery of pics others have sent in of their cats in sweaters that they've knitted. Check it out on my side bar. The kitties look sooooo cute in their sweaters! :) I think my kitty might need one....not that she'll want it...but I might need to knit one for her. :)

Have a wonderful day!

Pretty Fun!

For my birthday last week I received a Visa giftcard with a nice amount on it and I've been havin' some fun! I heard there was a new quilt shop in Riverside and that they're having a big sale to make room for new fabrics...40% or more off of every fabric in the store! Well, I had to go! I didn't find what I was looking for but I did find these beautiful fabrics... (they're even prettier in person!)...


They don't go with our house...but that's ok cuz they are so pretty to look at...they make me happy. My daughter will probably end up with the quilt eventually cuz they are her colors. I just couldn't resist because the were so pretty and the price was soooo good. I got all the fabrics I need for the top, back, and binding to make a large throw/almost twin size for under $60 with tax. Amazing, huh?!

Last weekend I had just found the last fabric for another set of fabrics I've been collecting (it's in the background and hard to see in this pic) and I'm ready to start that quilt too. Here are those fabrics...

And...well...I wouldn't want to get bored. Right? So...I also spent some birthday bucks on yarn for a vest I want to make. I finished that pair of socks I was working on so it was time to start a new knitting project...oh...I know...I have a few other yarny and fibery projects going but I did finish one so that means I can start another right? Wow! I do have a lot to do! But it's all fun! Yay! I really do think I have ADHD though cuz I'm constantly moving from one kind of craft to another and one project to another. But, I do get things accomplished...just not as often as I'd like...but I'm working on that...and having fun along the way. ;-)

Still no word on my hip. I went to the doctor this week but he couldn't tell me anything because my x-rays hadn't been read yet....that was a waste of time and money. Argh! Just when I think it's getting better it hurts a lot again, like yesterday, but it's not bad today. I sure hope it can be figured out soon and find a way to get rid of the pain.

Hippy Quilts...hee hee

I went to the "Road to California" quilt show last week. I went on my birthday which was pretty cool. The show was amazing! So many of the quilts just boggle my mind of how they were made and how much time it must have taken to make them. Incredible! It was extremely crowded but I think I saw the whole thing and all the vendors. There were a lot of beautiful fabrics and great stuff but I didn't buy anything. I can't think straight in wall-to-wall people to decide what to buy. I wish I had though. I can't get some of the gorgeous fabrics out of my mind and I haven't seen them in quilt shops that I've been in since the show. I'll keep looking though. This weekend I found the final fabric for my next quilt and definitely decided on a pattern...it will be a "mystery Sampler". It should be fun to see it develop. I plan to start on it this week. The show was so inspiring that everytime I close my eyes I just start seeing and designing quilts. Wow! Fun!

Other than that I've just been dealing with my hip that has been hurting sooooo much! I'm so sick of it! There are days that it hurts constantly and meds don't help much. I had some x-rays done last week and I will see the doc tomorrow. Hopefully it's just some dumb thing that some special exercises can help. I tried the chiropractor last week and it seemed like it helped that day but it hurt again the next day. Yesterday it was horrible. And, today it's not too bad. It's weird! And very annoying! I'm on antibiotics too for a possible sinus infection. My sinuses are so swollen that my teeth even hurt! Ugh! I'm feeling old lately so I didn't even think about my age on my birthday and I don't want to now. I'm still holding out hope that my hip and sinuses will be feeling great verrrrry soon and I can get back to my new year's goals of getting in shape...lately my shape is just getting bigger and softer.

Hopefully I'll have better news to post next time. :-)

Busy Fun!

Wow! Things have been so busy around here lately...but I managed to get the binding sewn onto my quilt this week. Hooray! That makes two quilts this year that I started and completed. It's such a great feeling of satisfaction. This one is the first one that I've ever made that I had professionally quilted after I did the piecing. There's a back side to it too...I figure that if I'm putting so much time and money into it I may as well make it two quilts in one. The back is mostly plaid with a big pieced square in the middle. I like it. I made this with Moda Charm Packs in the Chocolate series and yardage from the same line, except for the plaid. I made it to hang over our loft wall to add color and warmth to the living room. I'm really happy with it. In fact, I can't believe I did it! It's so awesome to see it with it's handsome quilting (leaves and vines) and the edging came out so nice. Ahhh! Fun! Besides that I've been so busy with my daughter's life. She's playing her harp in her high school production of "Midsummer Night's Dream" as a fairy. So, I had a costume to sew and lots of taxi service to provide taking her and her harp back and forth. Last week she practically lived at school as they rehearsed until late each night and then two performances. This week has less rehearsals so I've been able to see her a bit. There are two more performances. The kids all do a great job. It's a fun show to see. We were able to find some time a couple weekends ago to go out and take some pictures with her and her harp (something we like to do from time to time) and I got some pix of her modeling a shrug-vest thing I knitted. It turned out really cute. I'm just not sure if it's ok to post her picture on here. I know some people say it's not a good idea to do. Not sure why but I guess I'll go along with that, for now anyway.

I'm pretty excited about quilting after completing the binding on this one last night but I need to focus on other things. Especially since Christmas will be here before we know it. I need to really get busy on gifts. So....I think that's what I'll go do right now.

Happy crafting!