Happy New Year

A day late I suppose, but January 2, 2010 is kinda cool. The date 01-02-2010 is a palindrome. It is the same forwards and backwards. It may not seem that impressive, but there will only be 12 in the 21st century. The last palindrome date was 10-02-2001. Before that, more than six centuries passed since the numerals last aligned on 08-31-1380. That is my useless knowledge for the day.

I will leave you with photography by my palindromic child. :)

 

See you around in 2010!

Lucky Me!!

Have I mentioned that I have the best BFF ever?? No?? Well, I do. For example: A few months ago I joined a block party. Basically 12 quilters form a group and each month the group collectively makes a quilt for one of the members. The online version means that on your month, you send everyone in the group fabric and they make you quilt blocks. For the other eleven months you simply wait for fun packages of fabric to arrive, make quilt blocks, and send them back. (there is a button in my sidebar that links you to our block party blog if you want to follow along. I have also been posting pics in flickr) Well, November was my month. It was also the month that I got to go visit Janelle and her family and quilt my little heart out. While I was there, Janelle asked if she could make the quilt blocks for my block party quilt. I am so glad I said yes! Look at these gorgeous blocks!




Aren't they great??? And then to top it off, she made me what is possibily the cutest pear pincushion on the planet.



I am a lucky girl! Thanks Janelle. My pins would still be homeless without you (and since I don't seem to keep quilts I make, I would be cold too) oh, and I guess the quilt blocks are pretty nice too. :)

Where did October go??

I blinked and October was gone. Now we are heading full speed into November. Time really does fly, but before I move on to Quilting retreats, Birthdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, I wanted to show off a little October crafting.

Jelly roll skirts are becoming a bit of an obsession. I know I must look like a one trick pony, but really, how cute are these (the skirts........as previously mentioned, my children refuse to model clothing)

Did you notice the sock skeletons they are holding?? That was a major distraction this month. The tutorial, by Robert Mahar was on Martha Stewart (plus, Robert Marhar actually tweeted my skeleton family. Yup, I am THAT cool). They are so fun and easy, we made almost an entire family of them. A mommy is still on the request list, and there has been talk of Santa hats to keep them relevant for a few more months! :)

I also decided to tackle costumes this year. I always say I will, then run out of time, but this year I also promised to make one for my neice, so there was no opt out. I am glad. They really weren't hard to sew, and the girls looked so cute!

I like to think about dressing up for Halloween, but by the time I get things done for the girls I am over it. This year, the girls asked if I would dress up......I didn't go all out, up here is my "nod" to Halloween.

Jeremy on the other hand, prepares for months (oh yeah, that is a real mustache! LOL)

 And, despite my mother's encouragement for it to stay, the "stache" is now gone. 

How was that for picture overload??

Now on to Novemeber. I have a few swap assignments to get done, and I signed up for a PIF exchange too. (um, yeah, I know am a bit behind on the last one I did, but I swear, it is not forgotten, and you will get a package VERY soon! LOL) Add to that a trip to Ontario in 9 days (ONLY NINE DAYS!!!!!) Aurora's birthday and Thanksgiving, and I have a full month ahead of me. Let's see if we can go for a record and get 4 posts this month! ;)

Pillow of the Month- October

I like giving gifts. More than that I love making gifts. There is something so satisfying about creating something with someone in mind. My only problem is time. There is never enough time. My mom had a birthday in July. She was out of town, and I was out of time. Then I had a stroke of brilliance. Pillow of the Month Club! My mom is a retired school teacher. Since she no longer has a classroom to decorate for holidays and seasons she decorates her house. My kids ADORE this. There is always something new, fun, and relevant to the season to look at. So I thought, why not help out. I bought two 14 in pillow forms and decided to make a set of pillows each month. Now, I was going to do this early and start with patriotic pillows in July. That didn't happen. I had grand plans for some sunflower theme for August, and had some fun ideas for a apple or back to school theme September. Those have all been filed away for the coming year. I could jump on it early, but who are we kidding?? The first installment of the Pillow of the Month Club is October.

These pillows were so much fun. I used a Spook Takular charm pack and 4 strips from a jelly roll, but you could also just use a jelly roll. The back is an adorable spiderweb taffeta I bought for Aurora's costume. I had considered making this a tutorial.....and I could still do that, but really, it isn't rocket science. If anyone wants some direction let me know.

The remainder of the jelly roll is becoming skirts today......after I shower. I might show off the results (I will need a willing model or two). I also have another long term project I want to share. The hexagon bug bit me, and I have been neglecting all knitting in favor of english paper piecing. I am thinking if I work hard I should have a quilt in about 20 years. Stay tuned. ;)