fabric junkie blog

beautiful block

2011-07-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

I did it! I finished my 1st single girl block and it's pretty hot if I do say so myself! See, isn't she a sight to behold?

~please forgive the crappy iphone photo~

Not really a big deal, I admit. I'm really just so relieved that sewing these curves didn't kick my bootie. And if I can do it, you know it's a piece of cake! I was pleased to find that they weren't intense, tight curves...so no accidental pleats or puckers. And the dark chocolate solid I chose was a great choice...love it greatly!

After I finished my beloved block, I started thinking about where do I go from here...do I want all these blocks to be identical. Oh, how simple that would be. So, naturally, I decided not to do that. However, I was in no way interested in coming up with a new layout in the same painful, confusing, over-thought manner of the 1st block. I'll explain what I decided to do next time with a photo of block 2 when it's complete.

ring for Single Girl

2011-06-20T07:07:00.000-07:00

So far this summer I've gotten darn little accomplished in the way of sewing - makes me a bit grumpy if I think about it for long so moving right along...
We've pretty much retreated indoors as the temperatures here are setting records this summer already...it's disgusting. The days are passed with energized conversations among me and the babes (typically concerning something the youngest has done to, yet again, offend the older ones), the Q&A game (Mom, would you cry if I died? Mom, can we move to China so I can go to ninja school?), and endless games of name-calling, pointing and laughing at each other, & (my personal fave) tattle-telling....it is just so much fun, hahaha.

We've also done a little of thisand this...Lake Murray just south of Ardmore.

And I've finally started my Single Girl Quilt. I got a ridiculously wobbly start, getting super confused about how many of each template to cut from which fabric. Somehow I figured it out after I forced my brain into a very uncomfortable and intense place of concentration and focus. I'm making 12 blocks (twin size quilt) so I basically need 12 of each template and fabric and there are 31 templates. Seems simple, right? Whatever. Originally I thought I'd cut out all templates first, but became impatient to see some rings coming together so I threw out that plan and started sewing...more cutting later of course. So far, here is what I've comleted.
(sorry, bad iPhone pic...I'm a lazy photographer at times)

I know, it's nothing to brag about, but looks pretty wonderful to me : ) Still undecided on the background color - brown would be nice I think. And I should mention, in case it's not obvious, the ring is just the 4 quarter sections lined up together, not sewn together. That would certainly be embarrassing (though not surprising).
I feel like that tiny sliver of orange dots there at the bottom is hardly enough so I'll probably be switching it (and a couple others) around for future rings. So you see, abandoning the cutting to sew turned out to be a good choice.
As suggested by Katy, I'm organizing my templates and cut fabric by using envelopes marked with the template piece (i.e. "A) on the front of the envelope.
Another good bit of info regarding the proper lining up of the fabric before stitching is described by Megan over on her blog. Since the fabric edges are cut at an angle rather they shouldn't be lined up in the typical fashion...good to know, right?!

So there's my update on the SG Quilt Along. Hope you all are starting to work on yours. Share your progress at our OKCMQG Facebook group please, otherwise it's just me and Cornelia quilting along amongst ourselves. If you're not an OKC Mod Quilter and would like to sew along with us you are welcome to do so. I'll post updates here along the way.

Thanks for stopping by!

Single Girl Quilt Along!

2011-05-27T07:02:00.000-07:00

I've been admiring the gorgeous Single Girl quilts (a quilt pattern by the amazing Denyse Schmidt) on flickr for a while now...
like this beauty using the highly coveted Flea Market Fancy collection
this one in Anna Maria Horner's lovely Garden Party
and the darling original by Denyse.
Just too much yumminess for me to resist any longer!

I decided to do it with friends, my OKC Modern Quilt gals, as a quilt along to help me keep on truckin' once I get started. And because I haven't sewn curves much at all, nor have I worked from a quilt pattern before, I thought the collective wisdom of the group would be helpful and fun : )

It's almost time to get started...yay! I have my fabrics ready...that was a pretty big step since we need 31 (or 36) different prints. Next week we'll start cutting and see how far we get. There will be no deadlines, we'll just work at our own pace so don't worry if you don't have a pattern or fabrics yet. If you're in OKC check with Quiltworks for a pattern...Verlinda just ordered some for us for those who still need it. Any questions?

Have a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend!

a show, a tomato, and kung fu

2011-04-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

This week is among the busiest I've had in a long time...maybe ever. And it's not over since Easter festivities are still ahead. Mama needs one more good night's sleep, preceded by a hot bath, possibly in conjuction with a glass of pinot grigio. Yes, that should do it.

The main event took place last night...my modern quilt guild's (OKCMQG) 1st modern quilt show!
I have to say, it was quite fabulous and super inspiring! My quilting pursuits have taken a backseat to sewing kids' clothes lately. Now I really, really want to move quilting back up front again...just another week of sewing for custom orders and then some yummy quilting!

This quilt show was just the beginning of some great events for our group!

Other busy-ness was just all the kid activities...piano, karate, basketball, 5th grade academia...oh.my.gosh. insane. All that on top of planning and executing the quilt show was just some kind of crazy.

My little angel-straight-from-heaven, Sam, earned his next belt in karate this week...yellow!

Mr. Bedford, Sam's awesome karate teacher, tied his new belt on for him.

A couple of weeks ago Sammy sang a solo in church...he is a pretty cool little dude. We really like him : ) Now I feel guilty for not featuring my other little people...always the guilt...but they'll show up soon, don't worry.

And, now, I'll leave you with my other little bit of goodness...I didn't kill my produce yet.

have a nice day

2011-04-16T05:44:00.000-07:00

I am so upset by the mean-spirited comments and tirades hurled across the online quilting community these days. I really am, but somehow I cannot stop reading. You can bounce off one blog over to another effortlessly and almost endlessly to hear the criticisms aimed at "modern" quilters and their creations. It's not just in the quilting community of course. Sadly, this is typical behavior among humans across the board....the judgement. How we dress, how we parent, where we choose to buy groceries....it's all up for judgement from our peers. Such is life I suppose, but I do not like it.

Here's the thing people. If you can't say anything nice, then shut the hell up! It's time to be a grown-up and show just a little restraint with your mouth. Nothing good comes from posting a bunch of negative commentary about the aesthetic value of someone's work. It's not just the blogger's words getting that negative vibe out there, it's all the comments following in which a cheerleader of the blogger adds a few, often dirtier, digs at the poor recipient of the judging.

Let's keep it classy out there people. Check your ego and your heart before you get out of bed in the morning. Having your "dander up" and spewing ugliness out across your blog is not very attractive. Hey, we all have our opinions...I could certainly list all the quilts I think are ugly, but who cares what I think? That is just so middle school to spout off ridicule and make a person feel bad. Fortunately, there are way more friendly peeps out there than mean ones, but to you bullies out there I say let's build each other up, let's root for each other, let's be respectful. It's like we were taught in preschool...be nice and play well with others!

library love

2011-04-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

Isn't it so delightful to find books at the library and have them all to yourself for a few months? No, I actually don't keep them quite that long, but I usually do have a nice little fine. Often the kids are to blame...books disappear into the strangest places in their bedrooms. So I went in a couple of weeks ago (for website building books...yea, right like that's ever gonna happen) planning to pay my $2.60 fine, but of course I have no cash. I whip out my bank card and was told that they actually have to pay $3.00 for a credit card transaction so I should just pay when I have cash sometime. That is so ridic. I picked up these little sweeties yesterday and paid my fine with cash : )Other excitement this week...Steph and I made a nice little discovery after the OKC Modern Quilt Guild meeting on Saturday. While taking the trash out the back door we just happened to notice a box full of brand-new "Sherbet Pips" fabric...Aneela's fabric line from Moda. Yay, my LQS picked some very cool fabric and I'll be waiting anxiously for it to be out on the showroom floor!

little joys

2011-03-29T12:03:00.000-07:00

So far it's been quite a gloomy week weather-wise, but thankfully I shook off it off (after fully embracing it yesterday) and am feeling some energy and enthusiasm. I'm fairly certain that getting some decent sleep and starting the day with a chocolate protein shake rather than vanilla is what made the difference.
I'm so proud of myself for sticking with my fitness aspirations for an entire 9 days now...this is huge for me. Luckily I'm finding little things that actually make it, dare I say, enjoyable? So here's a very brief list of the little joys:

~walking or running in perfect synchronicity. I found that some of my fave tunes are perfect for a brisk walk...Cee Lo Green "Forget You" (my family's personal favorite these days), Gaga "Bad Romance", Earth, Wind & Fire "September", Feist "I Feel It All". You have any beats you love for getting your exercise on? Tell me!

~best snack that I never thought I would try or like...EDAMAME! Have you had this? Get it frozen or fresh, steam it for 5 minutes, sprinkle with sea salt, squeeze those cute little beans out of the pod and into your mouth. It's high in protein and pretty much addictive.

~salsa! It has hardly any calories...slather some on the grilled meat of your choice for lunch. I have a special affinity for Herdez Mild...until summer when I can make it from fresh veggies.

My little business is rolling along pretty well. It's been so fun to scope out wonderful fabrics, plan and create fun new outfits that people like and are buying : ) I just finished up this sweet little thang and listed it...
click here to see my shop

and how about these beauties - they inspire me so....

Hope you're finding things that inspire you too!

mojo

2011-03-19T11:47:00.000-07:00

Holy moly, am I ever motivated here all of a sudden! I think spring's promise of growth and fresh starts combined with my recent and very depressing revelation in the Victoria's Secret dressing room have inspired me.
2 fabulous things are going on with this fabric junkie this week!
After 39 years of eating as I please (lots of fried, lots of sugar) I have kicked-off what I hope is a long-lived new phase involving calorie counting, protein bars, and fitness...very low level so as to avoid sweating and pain, ick. Armed with tips from my husband and my sis, and in conjuction with the "Lose It!" app on my iPhone, I am determined to get my a$$ in shape...this is just ri.dic.u.lous. I'm over it, gross. With 4 lbs. already gone after just 6 days, I'm feeling quite inspired. Wish me luck! Oh, and please share any tips you may have...any favorite low fat/low carb snacks or recipes.

The 2nd fabulous item of news around here is the return of my sewing mojo. I'll take it while it lasts and run with it! I have a few super cool and stinkin' cute projects on the sewing table and fabrics have been ordered for even more fun stuff. For a limited time I have these 3 beauties available in custom sizes and they will be listed in my etsy shop very soon...order via etsy or paypal at 3blessings4us@cox.net.

shabby skirt and tank set...$45 free shipping
(fabrics will vary but still fabulously shabby and fresh!)

swanky capri set....$50 free shipping
lemon martini peasant and bloomers....$45 free shipping

sprouts

2011-03-07T09:02:00.000-08:00

yay! Spring is coming - it's almost here and we are so ready for it. Sweet little things are sprouting...

and blooming...

and that makes us happy!

Spring approaches and we look forward to a little less of this...

and a little more of this...

my moment

2011-03-04T07:55:00.001-08:00

okay, I'm going to ease back into this space so long neglected. It's not that there isn't enough time in my life to get a blog post cranked out. It's not that my life is so boring that I have nothing good to share here ...well, it's partly that. In the spirit of easing back in, today's post will simply be...

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. (via Soulemama)

2011-02-12T06:45:00.000-08:00

I am attempting to renovate...sorry for the lameness!

hopeless hipsta

2010-08-19T07:34:00.000-07:00

discovered a super sweet iphone app for photography...lots of fun playing with it! It's called Hipstamatic. You can get these fun toy camera style funky retro images with lots of different options for lenses, film, and flash.

Sam with his ice-cream cone. Please pardon the mess in the back of my car...on our way to drop of some donations.

Old spools given to me by my homegirl, Christie.

Alex on his new board...looks like a 70's scene, love it!

Sweet Sam the skater dude.

fresh

2010-08-11T16:59:00.000-07:00

...off the sewing table!
Looking ahead to this autumn with all three babies in all day school, I think I just might be able to crank out enough lovelies to "set-up shop" in some form or fashion. Yay!
School doesn't start until next week, however still managed to get my stitch on...and with a few of my most favorite fabrics! Thought I'd share a peek with you.

I can't believe I did this...I cut into my beloved Heather Ross Horses. As the pieces came together I had no regrets. Only one problem...finding someone who wants to pay what this is worth to me LOL! The pocket is another yummy little print from Fig Tree's Fresh Cotton line...good old-fashioned sweetness! Don't miss the cherry on top...that pretty little vintage button on the pocket corner.
ohemgee...too much!

mood

2010-07-30T07:12:00.000-07:00

I considered the possibility that I might never be in the mood to put a blog post together ever again. But then this morning I found that I was in the mood...lucky you ; )

Life continues to be mostly interesting and quite entertaining...you will never hear me say "I'm bored." In my house, a typical 10 minute period goes something like this: Me thinking to myself "I sure hope I can go sew a little bit after I put this band-aid (the 10th one of the day) on Sam." Then a loud crashing sound as a glass (Sam's special Shrek glass from Burger King) gets knocked off the couch and shatters when my daughter, who is busy throwing up in a bowl, accidentally bumps it. I scream to everyone (including the dog) "Don't move! Stay! Sit!", get daughter settled down again, and commence sweeping up glass. This is where the interestingness hits a new level. I lift the corner of the rug while sweeping and out runs a lizard! And that is pretty much how things go around here most of the time : ) Sounds fun doesn't it? Can any of you relate?

Summer in Oklahoma is, to be accurate and articulate, gross...lots of mosquitoes, 105 degrees, and 105% humidity. But it's cool and bug-free (thanks to the lizard in the living room) at my sewing table : ) Here's what I've accomplished in the past couple of weeks:

For Baby Chloe...

Perhaps I will be in the mood to write up a tutorial for these baby boots some day soon...maybe, maybe not.

And for me...
a touch of shabby and vintage...the buttons are from a lovely stash of vintage buttons given to me by my sweet step-mom.

2010-06-03T09:53:00.000-07:00

Summer is in full swing here...the kids and I have had a great first-week-of-summer together. We're a little bummed about having to, almost certainly, change our big summer vacay : ( Of course, we're extremely bummed about the cause of it...the oil spill. So very troubling. We have other thoughts, maybe Colorado...is everyone going there now since we can't go to Florida?
So anyways, I just wanted to pop in to the ole blog and say hello, catch up a bit.
Besides hanging out with my 3 little party animals ALL DAY EVERY DAY I've been up to some reading, some sewing, & some purging. The purging is actually a bit exciting for me personally as it may lead to me having a pretty wonderful sewing space sometime in the foreseeable future...yay! More on that later.
As for the sewing, I'm currently working on a few quilting bee blocks, well actually I need to get 8 made by June, which is probably not gonna happen in a timely manner. Also, making an adorable colored pencil roll for my darling niece, Berkley, from this super awesome book...

It's almost complete, but not quite. I'll share a photo or 2 next time.

In other sewing news, I've lost my mind completely and signed up for two flickr swaps...The Scrappy Pincushion Swap and The Gathered Clutch Swap. Don't tell anyone, but I've never made either of these things. But I'm always up for a sewing challenge and can always figure out pretty much anything involving sewing, so no worries!
I mentioned I've been reading. That's because I finally went to the library (after a 7 month absence) to pay my huge fine. Turned out I did not even have a fine! I have no idea what's going on with that, but whatever. So we're back to invading the library every week. I read this book to the kidlets this week and we all really enjoyed it...you should check it out at your library.

winner!

2010-05-23T05:38:00.000-07:00

Danse De La Fleur is the winner!
The random integer was chosen using
http://andrew.hedges.name/experiments/random/original.html. I carefully counted (3 times!) the comments adding in 1 for someone who tweeted about the giveaway but didn't comment twice and subtracting for my own comment which doesn't count ; )
This was super fun for me so I want to thank all of you who dropped in and entered. I met lots of new blogger friends and received some great feedback about my beloved 1st quilt so this was a treat for me as well as for my giveaway winner!

giveaway!

2010-05-12T08:38:00.000-07:00

***GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED ***

I mentioned in a previous post that I would host a giveaway this week...so let's get that going! To celebrate the completion of my 1st quilt (http://amuse4me.blogspot.com/2010/05/its-official.html) I am giving one lucky Amy Butler lover a whole bunch of awesome bits of fabric! Over the past few years I have collected many, many prints from pretty much every line she's created prior to the Love collection. The winner will receive 45 different fabrics ranging in size from 5"-10" squares. Look at my quilt to see some of the fabrics...I didn't even use all of the prints that I have...should have planned a larger quilt!
If you would like to get in on this fun giveaway simply leave me a comment telling me what your favorite Amy Butler print is. If you feel like tweeting or mentioning my giveaway in your blog you can enter twice! Just leave a 2nd comment letting me know that you helped spread the word...the more the merrier : ) The winner will be drawn by some random to-be-determined method in...oh let's say 10 days which will be May 22nd. Be sure I can contact you or just check back here some time after that date...I'll post the winner's name.
Thanks for stopping by and playing!

accomplished

2010-05-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

It's official...I.am.a.quilter!

It's quite an accomplishment, though I feel a little embarrassed at how excited I am. My first completed quilt...yay!

Finally doing something in my sewing studio that will benefit my family...gotta keep my peeps warm and cozy!

This project was such a delight and I'm pretty pumped with the way she turned out...perfectly crinkled goodness! Showcasing Amy Butler prints from several collections, stunning gray Kona sashing, backed in Moda Bella white...joyful! I went with diagonal lines for the quilting with 3" between the lines...luckily I liked the way 3" spacing looked since that's the width of the only sewing ruler I have thus far. Of course I used my trusty walking foot for the quilting and easily followed along my lines of disappearing purple ink.

2 bits of wisdom I can offer the 1st time quilter:

tape all the layers down on the kitchen floor and then safety-pin it until you can barely see any fabric between the pins. You'll know you've done enough taping and pinning when your legs, hips, and back feel like they're on fire.

only draw a few lines of disappearing ink at a time...you know why?

To celebrate the completion of my 1st quilt I will be hosting a little giveaway this week. If you or someone you know loves Amy Butler fabric designs you just might want in on this...details later.

Now I'm off to get cozy with my gorgeous quilt on this blustery Mother's Day...hubby took the ducklings out for frozen yogurt so it's just me and my beloved quilt!
Have a super blessed Mother's Day friends!

sunday stash

2010-05-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

Joel Dewberry's Modern Meadow...

I won these beauties during "Quiltdad" John 's blogaversary celebration ~ still shocked that I won considering the number of entries : ) These prints are so lovely and I cannot wait to come up with the perfect project for them!

yesterday

2010-05-05T05:07:00.000-07:00

It's a new day and, if you read yesterday's post, you know I'm hoping for a little less drama than the craziness yesterday morning brought. My son is still not well, but haven't seen him this morning so we shall see. So after that PITA morning (the day continued along those lines though in a less dramatic fashion) I was slightly shocked (almost had an out-of-body-experience) when I found out something wonderful. There's this very unused email account I have and I had forgotten that it was linked to this blog. So out of the blue, after having ignored it for a few months, I realized that I should go check that email. Was that God putting that random thought in my head? hmmmmm.... I logged in (took 5 tries cause I couldn't remember the password) and there was the sunshine of my dark day (yes, I'm a little dramatic). I was the 1st of 16 winners in John's giveaway!
un.be.lieveable. And my prize....a FQ set from Joel Dewberry's Modern Meadow...woooohoooo! See photo above and drool with me ; ) ~photo courtesy of John's blog~
*I read all comments and savor them...if you left one, thank you...I'll be saying hello to you soon : )

craziness

2010-05-04T08:33:00.001-07:00

oh.em.gee....this day is wearing me out and I'm only 1/8th of the way through it : ( here's a brief venting session followed by quilty good tidings. Okay, not feeling great this week...could be worse and seems to be improving so there's that. This week is ca-razy at school for the kids...teacher appreciation week, 4th grade program, CRT testing...there's some pressure involved with these things. Today is bring-your-teacher's-favorite-flower-to-school day and I left the flowers at home (of course). So we rushed home got the flowers...whew! Then there is the ongoing saga of my 10 year-old's health...today, so far, is not a "feelin' good" day for him...and of course not since it's CRT today. I should stop there and quit being a whiner, but I won't. It gets even better. So I'm trying to get the preschooler across town on time (running a little late due to the forgetting of the flowers and having to run home and get them) and OF COURSE here comes a freakin' train. So I sit there and sit there and the stress level is starting to go up and up. Off we go and I think I really need to figure out how to work the cruise control because with this mood I can see that I have quite a challenge to stay at the speed limit and that's exactly when I see him...the police car hiding over there on the side of the road. And so OF COURSE I was going 60 in a 50 and here Officer comes with the lights on and I start crying and Sam is starting to worry about the whole ordeal so he starts crying. Now let me say, I am not normally a cryer but it was just too much in a 30 minute period of time for me to roll with it without tears. By the time Officer got to my window I could barely speak (okay, as I write this I'm starting to laugh at my pathetic self). Poor Sam, I was trying to tell him it really isn't that big of a deal. On the bright side, Officer just gave me a warning and asked me very gently to please slow down. Sam and I headed back home...he just was not up for school after that. He announced that if they do "good news, bad news" at school tomorrow he "definitely knows what he's gonna tell for the bad news" LOL! Hey, I'm good material if nothing else ; )
If you read all that, thank you...you are too kind.

Now for the happier part of this post...I have my Amy Butler little log cabin quilt ready to sandwich...wooohoooo! I'm loving it so far and hope I don't botch things up when I start quilting. Getting ready to go mop the kitchen floor as that is wear the assembly will be taking place. Surely I can handle the quilting part of this one (unlike the huge one for Sarah that I had to set aside for the time being) since I'm just doing straight lines. Wish me luck! Oh, and stay tuned cause when this little beauty is finished I will be hosting a nice giveaway for ya'll : )

Nonnie

2010-04-29T08:29:00.001-07:00

Just sharing something that is very special to me. My Nonnie's sewing cabinet...

and here she is posing with a Summer in the City charm pack in a tin box...yummy!

My Nonnie was my grandmother, but she was really more to me than my grandmother. Suffice it to say, she was more a mother to me in many ways than my own mother was, is, whatever. She passed away in December '08.

Nonnie taught me many things...how to stand up straight for good posture, how to approach a group of people and introduce myself, how to cut up a whole chicken, the virtues of Wal-Mart (some of you may be cringing about that one)....and many more things I can appreciate without even knowing exactly what they were. But the big one, the thing that enriched my life beyond all the other lessons, was The Sewing Lesson. Nonnie very patiently taught me to read a pattern, transfer it to fabric (lots of pinning and marking), get it cut out, stitch pieces together with a 5/8" seam, press all seams (never skip that!), finish it out nicely, and then wear those crazy M.C. Hammer pants with pride!
I sewed a few things soon after that, but wasn't hugely interested...must have been distracted with Duran Duran, making my bangs bigger, going to the mall and hanging out with Jenny. Fast forward to the year 2000. The sewing addiction started simmering and I started making baby things...cloth diapers in fun prints, baby blankets bound in satin, burpcloths, wipies. And now here I am 10 years later still making fun baby stuff and discovering the awesomeness of quilting. Nonnie really loved it that I eventually became such an avid seamstress.
All this to pay a little honor to my greatly missed, amazing Nonnie.

sunday stash

2010-04-25T05:53:00.001-07:00

For a few months I have noticed 'sunday stash' blog posts and photos on flickr. Today I found the group...love me some groups!...so I am now a sunday stasher : )
I have been in love with this collection since the photos from last fall's Quilt Market started trickling in...it's Sandy Henderson's Meadowsweet. Of all the lines that rocked the QM, this was my fave. I finally gave in and purchased a few prints yesterday at OK Quiltworks...serious swooning going on....

dancin' machine

2010-04-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post for this morning. I realized I had not shared this on my blog and you guys gotta see this! My little white boy just happens to have a thang for Michael Jackson performances. And here he is...the one and only...Sammy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8X4S0L5DO4

fancy

2010-04-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

lookie what I just ordered from amazon.com! I.can.not.wait!

did you all know about this stationery?

I discovered it when I was looking for this.....

Both of them are delightful and they're MINE...ALL MINE!

They will look glorious laying on my Nonnie's sewing cabinet next to my little stack of....

I've heard that this is a super cool book. Of course, it is...Denyse made it : )

pieces

2010-04-13T18:21:00.000-07:00

just some pieces of my day...

a rockin' song while driving the babes to school...I like my inspirational music a little rough around the edges. Never Alone finds me where I am right now...download it and turn it up loud!

Alex & Sarah brought home beautiful artwork from school this week...just have to share! These are totally getting framed and hung ASAP.

by Sarah...

by Alex...

Stopped in at a brick-n-mortar fabric (quilt) shop I had never been to and found something yummy...

...found myself completely smitten with the little spiderwebs and had to bring the charm pack home with me : )
If you're in OKC or nearby, the newly discovered quilt shop is The Savage Quilter on May. Yes I realize it's not a new shop...I'm prolly the last gal in town to find it ; )

lovely Amy Butler fabrics cut and ready for the rest of my little log cabin blocks.

And a better photo of the blocks completed so far for what will be my very 1st finished quilt!

Thanks for stopping by!

quiltery

2010-04-09T05:23:00.000-07:00

"Admitting you’re a quilter can be daunting: mention to someone at a party that you quilt and their eyes immediately scan the room, looking for someone they’re sure is a more scintillating conversationalist." -Linzee Kull McCray
I giggled when I read this bit of Linzee's Etsy Blog post on Modern Quilters at http://www.etsy.com/storque/handmade-life/modern-quilter-meet-ups-the-quilting-bee-comes-full-circle-7505/

Aren't these yummy? Here are the super cool blocks I received from my honeybees, way to go Beehive 1! You all are rockstars! Aren't these yummy?

Thank you Tiff http://tigglegiggles.squarespace.com/, Michelle http://michellesews.blogspot.com/, Karen http://www.badlandsquilts.com/, Donna http://differentmeasure.squarespace.com/, Amber http://oneshabbychick.typepad.com/one_shabby_chick/, & Jenni (blog TBA : )

So off I go now to crank out a few more of these little cuties...

blessed

2010-04-06T05:15:00.000-07:00

Time to catch up here!
Easter was wonderful...beautiful weather, swanky outfits, family fun, lovely worship, smelly eggs.

The hubby, who (or is it whom) I also like to call Mr. Incredible, surprised me BIG TIME! After driving "the hoopty" for several months following the wreck that totaled my Honda Odyssey, I received my dream car...Rockin' Ruby. Boy, am I ever blessed!
I couldn't resist putting this around my tag plate thingy...also a gift from Mr. Incredible.

As for my sewing and fabric addiction, lots of fun stuff happening there. Colorful baby bloomers & burpies and satin ruffle blankie just finished and delivered to my best customer (how did I forget to take photos?)
For round 1 of the little quilting bee I'm participating in, I completed and sent off 6 adorable whirlygigs to my fellow honeybees. See...aren't they so fun!?

So far I've received 4 blocks in my requested colors. I'll post a pic of all 6 when I receive the last 2. Now gearing up for round 2 with 6 new honeybees...such a blast!

In February, I started the OKC Modern Quilting Guild by way of www.TheModernQuiltGuild.com. I'm so excited to be connecting with modern quilters (so far no dudes in the group) and now maybe I can get this whole quilting thing figured out ; ) Thankfully the adorable Miss Erin joined me in leading the OKCMQG (boy, we need a cute little name to replace that!) Erin got the word out by way of Quiltworks (an awesome local quilt shop) monthly newsletter and we now have 48 members in our group...yeeeeehaw!
We are planning our first meeting for May. Interested in joining us or a MQG in your area? Check out those spiffy badges over there and click --->

Next on my sewing table...I cannot committ to anything so I won't even go there. I'll tell ya next time.

***if you are a quilter, sewist, crafter...leave me a comment or follow me and I'll follow the trail over to your blog...I love me some blogs!

destiny

2010-03-04T08:25:00.000-08:00

<----for your viewing pleasure...my gorgeous niece swanked out in some hand-made yumminess!

Boy, it's been a long time since I did some rambling here. I've been very busy doing a tiny bit of a million different things...so nothing is really done...that's how I roll ; ) But not for long! Oh the plans I have and have started and WILL complete! I have some awesome fabrics waiting to fulfill their destinies. Destinies such as pimped out burpcloths and onesies and blankets fit for a rockstar just to name a few. I'm playing around with photo editors and website building to get this goal within reach...not sure about the website building thing. Perhaps that complicates things too much at this point in the game. So maybe I'll just post my swankies here....we shall see.

I hope all of you are finding time to create, dream, or maybe just get a nap in...whatever your thang is, I hope you are doing IT!

So now I'm off to enjoy some of this gorgeous day before I pick up my sweet Sammy from preschool. Ciao baby!

head(er)less

2010-02-06T06:09:00.000-08:00

Yes, I realize I have no header on m'blog. But I am very thrilled with my sidebars now thanks to shabbyblogs.com! I'm working on that header...the size was all wrong so I have to resize her. I installed GIMP (is that the right name?) last night so I should be able to get the header thing figured out. I gotta make the place look nice for my 6 followers : )

So the winter blizzards and ice storms have come to an end (?) and the sun finally made an appearance yesterday...I was starting to slip into a cloud-induced coma. We did enjoy all those days out of school playing in and enjoying the lovely snow.

Our baby lost his 1st tooth! This was our very last very 1st lost tooth : (

If you're a die-hard fabric junkie, you'll enjoy looking at my sweet little stacks of Katie Jump Rope...aren't they cute?!

whirlygigs

2010-01-20T19:49:00.000-08:00

After the craziness of the holidays we have settled back into "normal" (thank God!), but it was kinda fun...the blizzard, the family get togethers, the new Nikon : ) I made absolutely nothing for anyone for Christmas...well, some delicious ginger cookies for the awesome staff up at the kids' school...but nothing was sewn for anyone at all. Actually very little sewing took place at all during December...it was a little sad. If gifts are to be hand-made I will have to begin sewing in August I think.

Oh, and there was this from my husband. If I put this on my Volvo wagon will I be a total nerd?

With the new year came a new sewing project...the 3x6 (6 blocks made in 3 months) Sampler Quilting Bee! This is my first bee and I'm so excited! In case you don't know, a quilting bee is where each person in the group sends the other 'honeybees' a block specially made for them according to their preferences...in this case the only preferences given are colors. So I could choose any design I wanted...and with my limited quilting experience that was a good thing. I have to say it was not easy deciding on a block...so many fun designs. But I did finally decide...WHIRLYGIG! I have now completed blocks for 2 of my fellow honeybees and they actually turned out very nice and correctly sized...I'm so glad my math worked out on this pattern.

Just finished a custom order from etsy for a very pretty black & white peasant top and now I'm down to 3 sewing projects...the quilt blocks, bedskirt and pillow shams for my homegirl Christie, and a full size quilt for my little Gracie-poo. I love that I can spend so much time sewing, what a blessed life I have here!

...fall...

2009-10-15T06:10:00.000-07:00

Fall is here and that makes me happy. My kids are now on fall break so we'll get 4 straight days together, following all these days they've been sick at home anyway. I have offered to give Alex and Sarah their first sewing lesson during fall break and they seem pretty excited...makes me happy. Another possible fall break activity is to go see 'Where the Wild Things Are'...that is sure to be some wild rumpus-y fun. Unfortunately, it's also sure to be quite germy so maybe we'll wear masks...or maybe we'll stay home. Cramming us into a theater with 100s of other people during the swine flu epidemic probably isn't a very good thing to do. And how can we eat our milk duds & popcorn and drink our Dr. Peppers with a mask on? Sam will probably cry if we don't go see it since he's known for weeks that it comes out this week. That will be sad.

But fall is a happy time and here's a bit of fallishness that made me smile this morning...a fabric giveaway! And such suh-weet fabric it is! Thanks to new blogger, Jenny, for hosting this.

http://cutsewironrepeat.blogspot.com/

Run on over there and see Jenny's pretty projects and give her a shout out in her comments. And come back and see me here soon...this giveaway of Jenny's just might be contagious : )

sickness

2009-10-13T07:47:00.000-07:00

I guess I've been too busy to blog...having 3 children, a dog, a husband and a serious sewing & fabric addiction keeps a girl hoppin' ya know! It's been a really good school year for the kiddos...until last week. Now we have sick kids and mama isn't feelin' so good either. Darn, guess I'll just sit here and entertain myself with the following...

1. Unfortunately, I stumbled on to a fabric swap group on flickr.com a couple of weeks ago. And unfortunately they introduced me to some 'off-the-radar' Heather Ross fabrics. And unfortunately, as it turns out, I HAVE TO HAVE MUNKI! But the good news is me and my psycho-fabric-disorder are in very good company...there are some who are sicker than me even!

2. http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/ I know most of you have already known the pleasure of this eye-candy, many of us have enjoyed it 1st hand! But if you haven't, here's a small sampling of the tamer little gems...I kept it clean for the blog ; ) And if you don't mind a little naughty irreverance, run over there and get some laughs! The pictures are pretty funny, but the captions have me rolling on the floor.

'waldo is so much easier to find when he's out of the closet.'

'...Thanks for clearing that up for us all, it would have been awkward if i had to ask.'

'Don’t laugh! Maybe her granddaughter borrowed her Uggs and mini-skirt. Sometimes you just have to make do'

my 17 day plan for peace

2009-08-03T06:16:00.000-07:00

Right now it's very quiet in the house, I can complete a thought...it will be over soon. The 4 y.o. will get up and pounce on the dog and that will be that...the peace will be gone until bedtime is complete. So I'll savor this time with my thoughts, my computer, my morning news, my coffee and do some rambling.
As always, we have had a lot going on around here. Last week was VBS at our church and I was director of the preschool program. It went well, no babies got lost (for more than a minute) and they all had a blast. That was some craziness! 120 kids aged 3-13 invaded the church every evening. It was, as someone put it, 'fabulous chaos'!

Sadly though, my 9 y.o. had to miss the whole thing. The week before VBS, Alex had a bike wreck in the backyard and broke his collarbone...ugh! My Alex has been through a lot with his health and he is such a trooper. His shoulder seems to be healing well and surely by the time school starts (in 17 days) he'll be doing really well. See above, he's wearing his brace.

As I mentioned, school starts in 17 days...yes I'm counting down and I'm not ashamed. You know you are too! If you're not, you're either in denial or on some really good meds. How 'bout that sweet school fabric up ther...in honor of BTS month. I have the 1st week of freedom all planned out. It involves intense sewing and napping...bliss. We've enjoyed doing nothing together day after day, but time for a change of scenery.

One other wonderful event takes place during back-to-school week....Project Runway season 6!!
I may ramble a lot about that in the future so that's all I'll say about it for now.

Here's a sweet little set I whipped up the other day for a friend's baby. Isn't this the yummiest fabric (Paganelli's Flower Power)?! What a rockin' pair of pants these are...some dramatic ruffles on zebra. Oh baby!
Turned out super cool...what a fun project!

My moment of peace is long over, my attention is needed elsewhere...catch ya next time!

the lamest blogger on earth

2009-07-21T18:16:00.000-07:00

yes, that would be me. I just can't seem to focus long enough to sit in front of the computer and have anything interesting or coherent to blog about. Now, as I sit here being sick for the 5th day in row while the hubby attempts to handle the children and dog for the evening, I just might be able to ramble a bit. I sure wish I knew more about getting this blog pimped out real nice...I think it's a bit boring at this point and I never know quite where my photos will place themselves but whatever...I'll figure it out later when I'm in the mood to focus on it. It's all about the mood.

It has been a great summer and now it's only 4 weeks until school starts back up. We've done nothing in particular...no summer camps, no real vacationing...and that is okay with us. It's been great to go flitting about town on whim to movies or parks or stay home and run through the sprinkler or play Rock Band to our hearts content. Somehow I've managed to have no time to sew for my little business at all. But still getting my sewing fix with family and friend sewing projects. One of those being a delightful confection of taffeta and can-can netting...a flower girl dress. I have never sewn a formal dress before and it was quite a project let me tell ya! But it turned out to be quite lovely and was a fun challenge for me. Considering how long it took to make, I'll have to charge you $1000 if you want to order one ; )

The wedding was just wonderful and the married couple are very dear to us, sweet young things. Scott sang a couple of songs, Sarah was the flower girl, Sam the ring bearer, and I was just so relieved when Sarah and Sam made it down the aisle without shoving each other or racing to be the 1st one to the alter. They actually did quite well and were, of course, just freakin' adorable. My big boy, Alex, was in Albuquerque visiting Aunt Sheryl so he missed it. He really didn't mind except he did want to see the kiss...he's 9...that's so funny.

In addition to the flower girl dress I also sewed up some fun little gifts for a few people for bdays and father's day...coffee cozies. Those were fun and quick to make. I threw a Starbucks gift card in with each one and they were a great gift. Will be crankin' out a bunch of those this fall and Christmas I'm sure. And with my designs beginning to branch out beyond childrens' things, I have been thinking about changing my biz name. I thought it over for a few weeks and made my decision. Changing things like this is a bit of a hassle and I've also recently changed computers, email address and cell phone number...not fun. I'll be happy when it's all settled. So back to the biz name. My creations will now be labeled 'aMuse' instead of 'apronstrings'. Short and sweet and works for anything I'm in the mood to create.

Well, that's all the rambling I have today. I sure appreciate you stopping by to check on me...leave me a shout out in comments to let me know you did. Peace out, friend!

2009-06-02T17:57:00.000-07:00

If this rambling actually turns in to a post with more than a few sentences I will be shocked. We are in full-on summer break mode here and it's exhausting! The kids are already sporting sun-bleached hair, tanned skin, and that coppertone scent...love it, love it! I seek out the sunscreen that has that smell, you know that smell don't you? It's probably toxic but I still prefer it...it just makes summertime seem more fun. Brings back those carefree days...barefeet, sprinklers, gone all day with friends, the ice cream man, tons of kool-aid. Remember all that? Good times.

So with 3 kids home for the summer I have resigned myself to the fact that I will accomplish very little at the sewing table...unless I can find a super fun and super cheap babysitter. That is the reality, but another reality is that if I don't get to sew a little I will not be a very happy mama. I'm still working on a few summery things to have photographed on my lovely little muses and will list them as I'm able.

I figured out something that all the other clothing designers already know...I need to plan for fall already. Oh boy am I great at planning...such grand plans I come up with. However, it is just me and my sewing machines and we can only do so much these days. The planning is fulfilling though...I can do it as we are out and about doing all those summery things. I am hoping to show at a couple of craft fairs this fall and that has me excited. Are you a craft fair lover? Who isn't?! Now if I can just figure out how to get the booth of my dreams to be a reality...such fun plans.

May 2009....Sarah Grace bridged from Daisies to Brownies! And my boys got to play in a smelly, gunky pond. A good time was had by all!

My Muse

2009-04-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

I sent 2 pretty little outfits to a scrumptious little cream puff in Texas last week. This baby is so yummy you won't be able to stand it. Really. The fro'sting on top of her sweet head is almost too much to look at. But do look! And look, if you can veer the eyes from those cheeks, at her purdy clothes. These outfits are offered as customs in my etsy shop and I'll be running over there some time soon to switch out the photos. Waiting for the final pics from my photographer/sister. The photos I'm posting here are just rough drafts. My hats off and my deepest thanks to Cream Puff's mama, Kim, and to the rockin' photographer, my dear sister.

Enjoy!

I made stuff this week!

2009-04-18T05:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I FINALLY found the time and ambition to focus long enough to sew and list some new little sweeties for my etsy shop...yay! It is so hard to accomplish anything between my A.D.D. and other distractions (house, children, phone calls, internet surfing). So I stayed focused this week and made these purdies. I shipped the Pink Lemonade and the Rose Leopard sets to a scrumptious little angel, my muse, in Texas for her to model them. I cannot wait to see her (and her amazing 'fro) in her apronstrings! I will post the photos here when I receive them.

I have sew many plans for my fabric this week, but sew little time...ugh! Sam is still home with me 3 days a week and I get very little accomplished in the studio on those days, but one day I will be missing having a little one shadowing me all day (yea, right). But I am attempting a new goal for myself. I have so so so much fabric so I have this idea to sew up at least 5 dresses or skirts from my current stash before I order any of the new fabrics I'm obsessed with (i.e. Paula Prass's new line and Paganelli's Flower Power...oh my goodness, yum!) Really I have to do this plan...I have absolutely nowhere else to stash fabric.

Welcome to my world....

2009-04-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

I thought I should post a bit about myself, give some background info here. Probably should have opened the blog with the "about me" post, but I'm doing things jumbly with no real sense of order 'cause that's how I roll.
Let me just start by saying I am not a writer nor photographer. I follow lots of bloggers who are gifted writers and amazing photographers...I am certainly neither. I'm just a seamstress and fabric addict. My raison(s) d'etre here at "Ramblings...." in no particular order, are as follows: ~to join the blogging party...I don't want to be left out of the fun! ~to share info about my little bizness ~to tell stories ~ to brag or vent about my children ~to ask for input about who knows what. There may be more reasons, but that's a good bunch of it.

***photos are (top) Nonnie & me 1971...isn't she beautiful...and (bottom) Nonnie & Huffy in his "sharp" patchwork shirt 2008***

Here's a short & sweet bio:

I am a child of the 70's and a teen of the 80's and I have the musical taste to prove it. Born and raised in Oklahoma and don't mind it at all...nice place. My jobs have included dishwasher/terrible waitress at Pizza Hut, video store clerk, gifted barista (before it was so mainstream), something to do with unclaimed government checks (very educational), Montessori preschool teacher, and, now, mother and seamstress. I have 3 children between ages 4 and 9 (boy-girl-boy) and a wonderful husband of 15 years. Oh, and a dog...can't believe it but, we do.

So I learned to sew from my grandmother, Lanette, who was known by the family as "Nonnie." For me she was a mother and grandmother rolled into one amazing person and I miss her greatly. She was my biggest "fan." Nonnie taught me to sew when I was 13. I chose a pants pattern with a gussett and she loved to tell everyone that I chose such a complicated pattern as my first project...those were cool pants. Nobody else had anything quite like it....well, not until M.C. Hammer came along.

I sew as often as I am able...actually more than I should. The house tends to get a little too neglected as do the dog and the 4 year old when I'm on a sewing binge. I am working hard to strike a balance here...how DO they do it? If I could exist on frapuccino and much less sleep I'd have it all worked out.

Gotta go pick up the kiddos. I think my next post will be a list of things I love...that's the plan, but we shall see.

Sam's bestest day ever

2009-04-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

So the kids need new shoes. Alex wants checkerboard Vans, Sarah wants gold ballet flats, Sam wants the same exact kind of "slide-ons" as last year...camo with the army jet. Of course Target doesn't have the same as last year and I'm really hoping he doesn't decide he wants Vans because I'm counting on a $15 pair of shoes for the little guy. There are just no cool and cheap "slide-ons" around here at this moment...except for at Wal-Mart...on sale for $8, but mis-marked so actually $6. Hard to hate Wal-Mart at a moment like this. And Sam says this is the bestest day of his life so far because of his new robot shoes. Suh-weet!

new and confused...

2009-03-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

I have this notion...well I have 1000's of notions in my studio, but I have this notion (meaning thought or aspiration) for starting the blog thing. Maybe I can share a photo or 2 of a new design on my sewing table or perhaps an anecdote from my motherly musings. At this point I will be oh so pleased if this post shows up on my blog and if I can locate the illusive "add a photo" button. Cause maybe I might want to add a photo...in a few months...when I'm in the mood to blog again.

Oh goodie...found the button : )

Well, I'm off to relax or maybe to tweet for a minute first. Come tweet with me...iheartfabric.