Farewell little Lime

It's the 13th already?  So much for my cute attempt at blogging via Advent stocking calendar.
I left off on the 5th, my birthday, and was planning a grand post about the guys I live with and how much I love them..

Instead of blogging about it, I spent the day with them instead, basking in their attention.  It's good to be loved.
I also worked on the binding of the Lime quilt, finishing it later that weekend.  On Monday I took it to the post office, and now I'm just waiting to hear if it has arrived.

 

It's been a while since I had a finish to share, so I'm linking up today with CrazyMomQuilts. 
This quilt is huge, the biggest I've ever completed myself, so I had a heck of a time getting a good finish shot. 

(Laugh here, please.  Then feel sorry for my husband who was stuck in this position as I tried and tried to get a better shot.  He refused to go outside, it was too cold and I was in my pjs..)
You can see most of it in this basting shot:

Or check out the beauty shots in my last post.
And now that that's finished, I can work on our Christmas quilt.. it's coming along pretty well-- I've shared peeks on instagram but hopefully I'll have a post ready here in the next few days. 
Happy Friday, Everybody.  And enjoy the 13th~

Strings with Lime

I have been making a quilt this fall for a 4 year old I have never met.  Her mom asked me to make it and I couldn't say no.  This is my first commissioned quilt.   I posted a bit about it at the beginning, but this quilt has really dominated my sewing time over the past 3 months and I'm happy to finally  have time to share some more of it.

I have loved working on this quilt.  It measures 80" x 87" and it is the first full sized bed quilt I have made and quilted myself.  I've done kings and twins, and plenty of throws, but never a full.  It's a shame I'm not keeping it, I really need a quilt on that full sized guest bed...

 

 The back is Sketch flannel in Royal and it is amazing!  I may just be a flannel back convert after this one.  I pieced Madelyn's name into the back-- the letters are about 4" high.  I hope she likes it.

 I cut and attached the binding to the front today, and plan to spend blissful hours tomorrow hand stitching it down.  That sounds like the perfect way to spend my birthday~

The quilt has taken me longer than I expected.  Is it that the foundation string piecing was more involved than I remembered, or my free time more scarce?  Either way, I made it as fast as I could.  Like every quilt, I learned a lot with this one.  It's the largest piece I've ever quilted on my Janome, and it fit just fine (for the record, I could probably do a queen..).  I underestimated how much thread I'd need to quilt it and ended up waiting in line at JoAnn's on Black Friday.  Never want to do that again (though buy one. get one free is a hard deal to pass up).  I also underestimated how tired I'd be at the end of each day, and how short Jack's naps would be.
When George was a baby, I remember getting a lot of sewing done while he napped.  Somehow I thought things would be the same this time around, but I'll tell you, the biggest shock I had this fall was how much I wanted to be with George when Jack was asleep.  If I'd turn on the tv and sneak off to sew, I felt guilty leaving him alone.  I missed him. 
Other moms of 2 or more can probably relate.  I spent so much time this year focused on the baby, feeding, changing, pureeing, packing and repacking the diaper bag, pushing the stroller.  I miss the feeling of George's hand in mine as we walk to school.  It's like I blinked and he went from being 2 1/2 to being 5.  I can barely pick him up and he doesn't fit in my lap anymore. 
Something has changed (is changing?).  I used to be me first.  A person, a woman, a Smithie, a quilter.  But now, no.  Now I'm Mom first. 
So this quilt took me a long time, but it helped me discover this change, see who I am now.  And I'm glad I can write that here, because I'm not sure non-quilters would quite understand.  I love this quilt, and I'm happy the end is near.  I hope to have it in the mail this weekend and let it become part of someone else's story.

Strings with Lime

I started a BIG quilt last month.  I've been posting bits and peeks of it on IG, but I think I'm ready for a real blog post.

I'm making a full sized string quilt in blues, turquoise and lime.  These are "my" colors.  So much that I just feel sucked into a very happy comfortable place whenever I work on this quilt. 

Strangely though, they were not "my" fabrics-- I am making this at the request of a blog reader (Hi, Lisa!!) for her daughter, and together we chose and purchased fabrics online (from Hawthorne Threads, amazing selection!!).  Lisa picked beautiful fabrics.  Amy Butler, Jennifer Paganelli, Lizzy House.  Gorgeous designer fabrics that I never would have even browsed because I have a working-class aversion to designer fabrics (and paying full price for them).  I don't know why I have this aversion-- I certainly end up spending the same amount of $ on lesser-known designer fabrics or down-right junk from the sale bins.  Maybe it comes from the days of thrift store shopping instead of getting my high school wardrobe at the mall?  Anyway, I was surprised at how much I ended up liking these fabrics, and grateful to Lisa for giving me an excuse to play with them. 

I'd say I'm more than half way done piecing the 48 blocks and I'd really like to have the top finished to show at the Bloggers' Quilt Festival at the end of the month.  Here's hoping the kids start going to bed on time..