o tannenbaum

when larissa and lisa started their quilt-a-long last year, I had good intentions of joining in. unfortunately, I only got as far as purchasing beautiful fabric from my favorite amish quilt shop.

this fabric sat...and sat...and sat, until I added "Christmas quilt" to my list of projects to tackle during my ADVENTure.

I'm over the moon happy with how it turned out! this project was definitely a labor of love for me. you quilters who whip up amazing masterpieces in just two days amaze me!

this slow moving process was enjoyable from start to finish- from the fabric cutting, to piecing and sewing, to (all that) the ironing. but my most favorite part was hand sewing the binding! thanks for encouraging me to do that, lisa!

here are my project details, links, and personal notes.

:: fabric ::

choose fabric you LOVE! I spent a lot of time with these fabrics and probably wouldn't have finished had it not been for my love of the fabric. I used a total of nine different patterns from this collection: moda fabrics, basic grey: figgy pudding; pattern numbers: 30182- blue, 30183- blue, 30185- white and multi, 30186- juniper, 30187- red, 30188- brown and blue, 30189- juniper

:: skills ::

I had to learn from many friends to complete this project. heartfelt thanks to all of you for sharing your talent and knowledge!

* layout and quilt pattern: oh, fransson!; charm squares baby quilt

* quilting basics and inspiration: the jolly bee, jonquils and ladybugs, oh, fransson!, stitches in play and stitching under oaks

* a local machine quilter did the "O Tannenbaum" pattern

* this quilt binding tutorial helped me finish it off

:: details ::

* finished quilt size- 45 1/2" wide by 48 1/2" tall

* I added two rows of quilt blocks down the back of the quilt to increase the width.

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life,

to mind your own business

and to work with your hands.

-1 Thessalonians 4:11 NIV

cre8.

the past few weeks, our house has been filled with activity, as mark and I checked "to do" items off our lists. we've done time consuming projects like (finally) painting and decorating the downstairs' family room area for the boys to easier projects like (finally) ordering 5x7 photos to fill picture frames. we kept each other moving toward the finish line with words of encouragement and by finishing one project at a time.

{because it's our first day of school...} remember newton's first law of motion? an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. I can say I've been at rest.

I've always considered myself a finisher. that is until I was hit with the feelings that came after kris' death back in may. then something happened. I got stuck. do you ever get stuck? ever feel like you just don't have enough time or a project is too large or you don't have the skills to finish? if so, don't loose heart! you can finish those projects!!

here are a few of my finishing tips:

* make a written list of projects taking up space in your mind and consuming mental energy

* pick the most important task for you to finish to feel like you've made progress

* begin working on that one item for 15 minutes

{don't discount 15 minutes! you'd be amazed at what you can complete in that amount of time!!}

* as time permits, add time to the project in 15 minute increments

* don't focus on perfection, focus on completion

* celebrate each and every finished "to do" with a large check

* once you're moving...pick the next task and repeat

while many of our items were house related, I had plenty of things I wanted to cre8 as well. these are 8 of my favorites:

1. back-to-school card cre8tions

2. an idea that turned into a new fall decoration

3. a dropped stitch scarf

4. a set of laundry room curtains

5. a craft room curtain

6. an original lego cre8tion

7. pillowcases for connor.

8. and (the most important) part of the downstairs' family room

happy finishing my friends!

it's a swap thing

I'm a new sewing student. I'm much more comfortable knitting, cross stitching, or making cards than starting a sewing project. but in an effort to stretch out of my comfort zone, improve my skills and have some fun, I joined lisa's napkin swap. my partner requested colors to match her olive green kitchen and burgundy adjoining room. knowing that I would never be able to match the olive green, I chose this fun cooking fabric for julie:

being the novice that I am and having a less than helpful joann's cutter, I purchased more fabric than I needed. so I ended up with eight adult napkins and four smaller sized for her kiddos. I enjoyed the process and hope their new owner enjoys using them at the dinner table.

packaged and ready for the mail...those life savers are just a little sweet treat for the kiddos.

and a bonus for me...my napkins arrived on Saturday just in time for dinner. thanks julie!!

finish week::precious pillow

many, many years ago (when I was in girl scouts...that gives you a clue to how long ago), I made my first stitch project. our leaders had us stitch "I am Special" on a thin piece of loose weave (gauze like) cloth.

I have held onto this project ever since. I remember storing it in my bottom dresser drawer between yearbooks, when I lived at home. and then transferred it to my hope chest, when I got married. a few months ago, I went searching for my sock monkey, and found it again. I brought it out and began making mental project plans.

have you ever wanted to do something but just not known what or how? that has described this project for me. I obviously wanted to make it into something even more special...I've saved it for nearly thirty years! and something inside of me knew it could be something wonderful...I decided on a pillow for my craft room.

follow the journey with me ...
::I knew the fabric was too delicate alone, so I fused the piece onto white muslin
::trimmed the edges
::mapped out a plan for my fabric backing
::sewed it up
::attached front to back
::stuffed my pillow
::and hand stitched the opening to close.
I cried when I showed mark the finished piece. have you ever done that? been so proud of yourself on the inside that it spilled out?

mark insisted that the pillow be displayed in our living room, not the craft room downstairs. so for now, it sits on our petite antique rocker in the living room. a long overdue finish is now complete and making me smile with pride at every glance.

finish week::5 minute burp cloths

in preparation for two new baby girls to enter our life (with a cousin and friend having babies), making things in baby girl pink has been on my mind. when larissa shared the tutorial for what she was creating for a baby in her life, I knew I could handle the 5 minute burp cloths. she is a master at tutorials, so I'll let her post give you the step by step. I'll just share my photos and mods.

my modifications:

*I chose Quilter's Flannel to be the center fabric on the cloths. Quilter's Flannel is so, so soft and perfect for a baby's face to rest on!

*I made my side folds 1/2" with a 1/4" seam allowance.

*I cut a thin strip of my favorite flannel and placed around the stack of three diaper cloths. I then stitched the two pieces together with a button and embroidery floss.

our two baby gifts are now made and ready to share!

finish week::sleep well

back in December, I pulled out my sewing machine for the first time in many, many years. I've never felt comfortable sewing. it may have been the perfectionist in me, but looking back, my first projects were all garments that made the learning process totally frustrating! with encouragement from lisa to try again and inspiration from larissa to make a quilt top, I made it a personal challenge to begin learning how to use my machine in the crafting arena.

my first adventure was successful! I made this stack of pillowcases (all except the bottom cloud case...mark made his own) one afternoon before the holidays. three for my "guys" and three for Christmas gifts:

you'll notice that I said three for my "guys" and not "four for us!" I totally missed the opportunity to make myself a holiday travel pillowcase. so after Christmas, I purchased this pink holly fabric for myself and the other for my sister. she's a pink and green kind of girl who loves flamingos, so you can guess which one is hers!last week, the fabric had been screaming at me long enough...I sewed them up! happy finishing everyone!! **you'll want to visit lisa's blog to download her simple pillowcase pdf.**