Christmas

I didn't make any gifts this year, but Asha got a beautiful coat completed with a hat, a hand warmer, and gaiters for her doll from Aunt Kim. The coat is fully lined and the details are amazing. There is nothing that tickles my sewing fancy more than gifts like this. Thank you, Kim! You are the best!

Scott got me some sewing books. I didn't know I wanted them, but I haven't been able to put them down. There is so much more to learn. He also got me some Project Runaway DVDs. I love it that he likes to watch them with me.

I got some fabric from Japan that I can't wait to turn into clothes. They are mostly lawn and double gauge for spring and summer.

Here is a glimpse of our crazy Christmas morning. Quinn is sporting the safety goggles from the Black and Decker Junior power tool set Santa got him from Costco. Quinn usually doesn't play with toys (He prefers kitchen gadgets and electronics we forget to put away.), but this authentic looking set has fooled him. The sounds the drills and saws make are pretty real, and Santa got a bargain for only $20.

We had a special Christmas dinner with Scott's parents and Scott's sister's family. Scott made roasted duck, oyster dressing, butternut squash risotto, and ginger cake topped with whipped cream for dessert. Everything was just delicious, and we had a great evening together.

100 Quilts in 100 days

That was a long break from this blog.  I picked up a stubborn cold in Hawaii, and hadn't had the energy to do anything but the minimum.  While I wasn't feeling well, I missed my mom like never before, and wished I lived closer.  I guess that is what happens when you get spoiled and spend the whole summer with her.  Don't worry, though.  I am feeling all the way better.  My spirit is back up, and I am ready to create! 

Here is my new project.  It is a twin-size quilt.  I finished the top today.    

         

Our church is having a big quilting summer, where they are trying to collect 100 home made quilts to donate to the local shelters, Community Action, etc.  That is just what I needed to get the courage to cut into the stack of Heather Bailey fabric I sat on for a couple years.  It was liberating.    

 

The following two pics show what I inherited from my mom's fabric stash.  I can't wait to see what I can turn it into.   

We love the summer evenings here in Pullman.  We eat outside, and then work on the garden.  Here is a picture of the kids when Scott decided to squirt them with the water gun right before dinner.   

Japan Report: fabric purchased

The wonderful thing about sharing the same hobby as your mom is that she will walk all day in and out of fabric stores with you, tell you all about the different fabric and give you suggestions for projects, pay for all the fabric, and thank you at the end for the fun day.  I have the best mom.  We had so much fun!

Here is the Japanese fat quarters I got.  My mom got the same selection, so I can't wait to see what she makes with her stack.    

We didn't forget the backing fabric either.  Can you tell we love strawberries?
Some fabric for clothes.  The brown on top is a fine cotton for a dress, the purple is a liberty for a blouse, the cream is a double gauze for night gown, and the bottom is a denim-like knit.  
I have seen many Japanese sewing blog moms sew skinny jeans for their girls with this knit, so that is what I am going to try.  

Scott pointed out that my mom is one step ahead of me in the repentance process of the fabric addiction.  She has admitted.  She also has about four times as much fabric... after my mom and I did a "clean sweep (TLC)" of her work space that is.  Tomorrow I will show you what I inherited from her after the sweep.     

Back from Paradise

We flew back very late last night from my brother's place in Hawaii.  We thought it would be really hot there, but my brother lives up on a hill and the breeze kept us nice and cool.  Beach, water park, late night visits to the Flowrider, hiking, Polynesian Cultural Center, running, cousin camp, and fun shopping kept us busy and happy.  When we were home, the kids were busy preparing for the talent show.  Erika, my brother's oldest, led her siblings and our kids and came up with a fun program.  I'm looking forward to the next reunion just for that.  It was so good.  Scott was spoiled by an unlimited food budget from my Mom, and barbecued some great dishes on my brother's new charcoal grill.  The highlight for me was the scallops wrapped in proscuitto.  He also made his apple pie (pictures here, scroll down a bit) three times upon request.  We finally got to meet my sister's fiancee, Daisuke, and were impressed!  We can't wait to have him join our family.               

Here is some fabric my Mom got me in Hawaii.  I never get tired of the beautiful prints.   

This is our first harvest from our garden.  

We worked on it tonight.  The pumpkins were trying to take over.  

Kai is still our garden lover.

Knits from Fabric Fairy

I enjoy seeing pictures of fabric people purchase online.  I can see the fabric in a natural light and it gives me a better idea of the colors and texture.  So, here is my contribution. 

Fabric Fairy didn't disappoint with their selection or their quality.  Their Marimekko swim suit fabric is to die for as well.  I am going to tackle that next summer when Asha grows out of her current ones.   

    

The top two fabric in the first picture, "Summer Breeze Floral Cotton Knit by Baby Nay" and "White Dots on turquoise Blue Cotton Knit by Baby Nay" are super, super soft.  It would make a nice baby layette or even a blanket.  I am going to make a night gown for Asha.    

The large and bold dots are going to be perfect for a fun summer play dress.  

 I can't wait to start cutting and sewing!

Quinn turned 18 months today.  He went to nursery for the first time last Sunday, and acted like he had always been there.  Phew.       

Alison's scraps become my treasure

Alison sent me a priority mail box packed full of her scrap quilting fabric.  She mostly makes clothes, so her scraps are pretty big.  I am seeing another Whirlygiggle Quilt using these cute prints.  Thank you so much!  (Kai took this picture.  I am bending down to get close to the fabric so Kai wouldn't chop my head off.  He got it after ten tries.).  

  

I few pictures of my boys per my family's request.    

Going green?

Adrianne had this great idea to make fabric bags that resemble zip-top bags.  They are good for carrying around gold fish, cheerios, animal crackers, and anything else dry.  So I made a couple.        

 

A thin strip of velcro keeps the food in.    

Here is some of the fabric I got with the money my mom gave me for my birthday.  I love the birds and the polka dots from this Moda Sweet collection.  Z and S fabrics is having a 20% off sale that ends today, so you might want to check it out if you haven't already.       

 

Fabric diet, ended

This is what I come home with when my hubby rents Wii for Friday night fun with the kids, and tells me to go shopping alone.  My seven month long fabric diet came to an end, at Walmart, of all places.                 

Time to check out the fabric shop

No, I haven't moved in.  No, my sewing machine is still in PODS.  But I can still buy fabric, right?  While Jerome was at a second cousins' birthday party and Asha was grocery shopping with Aunt Tamsin, I dropped into a cute fabric shop in the down town area.  The inventory was down from when I was there nine years ago with my Mom, but i still managed to pick up a few things.  

Christmas fabric from Moda, Winter.  I have always wanted a Christmas quilt, and I think this is the year I will get one.  I am going to use this pattern as an inspiration.         

Deals from the clearance rack.  Blue and pink ones were 50% off, and the white was 40% off.  

Scott came into the shop after he checked out the bike shop around the corner.  He was surprised to see Mr. McGrath there behind the counter.  It turns out that the owner was his fifth grade teacher.  He and his wife had bought the business 11 years ago and had hired people to run it while they both taught school.  Last year they both retired and started to run the fabric shop themselves.  I'm sure this is the kind of thing that happens a lot in small-towns like Pullman.   

Strawberry Freezer Jam

The strawberries are in season.  Some of my friends have taken their children to a you-pick farm in Carlsbad, but I haven't had the courage to pull it off.  Instead, Scott and I take our children to the farmer's market on Saturdays.  The strawberries are so sweet and full of flavor that we finish a flat before we get home.  

Adrianne and I had another project day today.  You guessed it.  We made strawberry freezer jam.  LOTS and LOTS of it.  We bought six 4 pound cases of strawberries from Costco, which made 36 cups of crushed strawberries.  Adrianne used Certo Premium Liquid Fruit Pectin, which called for 1/2 cup water, 1 pouch pectin, 4 cups sugar, 2 Tbs. lemon juice, and 2 cups crushed strawberries.  She made 8 batches.  Asha and Kai like to eat their freezer jam in a bowl with a spoon, so I tried the low sugar recipe for us.  I used 1 box of Ball No Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin with 1 cup of water, 3 cups of sugar, 2 Tbs. of lemon juice, and 4 cups of crushed strawberries.  I made 5 batches and ended up with 10 quarts.  We under estimated how much jam we would end up with and ran out of containers.  We emptied out my container cupboard, and even used a zip-top bag to finish the last batch.  

Adrianne made an amazing baguette bread from scratch with my new red cast iron pot.  Oh, it was beautiful and authentic.  There is nothing like a baguette fresh from the oven for dinner.  I could have eaten the whole loaf.  Wow.

Some fabric love.  I have some projects longing to come to life, if only I could get on with the cutting, not my favorite part of sewing.

Finally, a picture of our great babies that smile and coo as long as they are fed.  The older ones enjoyed water play in the back yard.