House Quilt

So again- I'm like a broken record.  I so want to be a blogger and somehow cannot find the time to do it.  I know I need to make a priority and I just haven't.  Even if I posted at least once a month I would be happy but I can't seem to do it. Here I am back again but I have some beautiful quilts to show to the world so here I go again.

Earlier this year my father went into congestive heart failure- he was under sedation for over a week and after all that on Valentine's Day her had quadruple bypass surgery (he has new tubing he says could last another 20 years).  The process was long but he is back home and recovering quickly and of course he is quite back to his old self.

So what does a daughter do when she is 1000 miles away with five kids and can't get down there to be any kind of support at all- she quilts of course.  So the Newest quilt to my collection is my HOuse Quilt.  I was inspired by the one over on Tallgrass Praire Studio's blog and since my dad is a realtor I thought it would be the perfect gift for him.  He is always cold now too so it serves a purpose well.

I had a lot of fun letting go and wasting fabric.  All the houses were freely pieced.  The middle one with the pointed roof my 9 year old son designed and help contruct- he is a Harry Potter Fan and it looks a little like the Burrow.  I quilted in all different ways and the housed have clouds, grass, stone walkways etc.  It was a lot of fun and I actually finished it and took it with me to Florida when I went in April.  My dad now snuggles up under it.

Quilts I took to Florida

 So I took the five boys with me to Florida- yes I drove there all by myself- yes I am crazy and yes I am still alive. Here are afew of the quilts i finished for some of my family in FLorida.  Owls and pears baby quilt is for my sister and her soon to be new baby boy.  It is a simple improv square within square- really fun fabric I just had to use and I thought a new baby boy it would be perfect I also threw in some wonderful KONAS in.  I wish I had kept it for myself.

 This quilt I made for my sister in Law last year and I finally finished it and gave it to her- it was a simple square within a square block but it was made with this really cute array of musical intrument fabric I had gathered.  She is a musician.

This last little baby quilt I made for a new little niece Joylee.  She is as cute as a button and I had this very pretty aviary charm pack that I was waiting to make a sweet baby girl qilt with and so Joylee is the lucky recipient.  I felt very accomplished.  Some of these quilts had been hanging around way too long.  Florida was a lot of fun and my sewing machine enjoyed the trip there too!

Green with envy- Modern Quilt Guild Challenge

I really want to be a better blogger but it never seems to work out for me- of course I have an excuse- my computer was dying and it was horrible to work with it until it finally gave up the ghost and we had to buy another one. 

Here is a fun quilt I made for the monochromatic Modern Quilt Guild Challenge.  I didn't win but it is the first quilt I have ever truly finished for myself.  So in the end I am a winner!

Happy New Year and I start again

Hello again- yes I know I am a terrible blogger and I hope to remedy that, maybe I should have a schedule but if anyone knew me you would be peeing in your pants laughing because I never live by a schedule and i actually don't like them but I find with five kids I never have time for anything and I am always exhausted.  In fact because of the days prior to Christmas I was running around like a wild woman, I pretty much slept through Christmas- I mean literally my husband had to make the Latkes on Christmas eve and read the Christmas story all by himself to the boys.  Even on Christmas I had to take a nap and he had to finish up dinner.  To him a big Thank you!
On to the more important stuff like the sewing and crafting- I have of course made way too many plans for my crafting Christmas and of course I did not get all of my hopes and dreams made but there is always this year I think I will start this month and have a Christmas Craft Day.
First off- I made these adorable lunch totes for the kid's teachers- of course filled with goodies.  I couldn't find a pattern I like so I kinda of created my own and I love them!

So on Christmas Eve I spent the day sewing potholders for some friends and neighbors- it was a ton of fun and I used up a lot of scraps- of course there are more and more scraps.  We also had this wood bowl made for our neighbor who cut down some trees in their yard this year and gave us the wood- we finally finally sanded and sealed it. the bowl was made from the trees they gave us- i didn't explain that very well.  We also gave them tons of homemade goodies including Grandpa Larsen's famous peanut brittle. 
Later that day David asked me for a potholder and I told him we had given them all away.  I never seem to have much that I make for myself.

Been Gone too Long

I realize this summer when the boys were all home- that having 5 kids at home all day really is not condusive to sewing or quilting or crafting or sleeping or reading or anything I would like to be doing and it especially isn't condusive to blogging.  I like blogging but I almost never have time to do it. I am a little behind

I am doing a quick post about some of my teacher gifts I made at the end of last year and as I am scrolling thru the photos I am still missing one, but I must press forward.  Here are two cute runners I made a really adorable churn dash block (and I almost kept this for myself) and a cute black, white and red quatrefoil block one. the Teachers loved them. 

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Modify Tradition Sampler Quilt

I finally have a picture of it- this is my Modify Tradition Quilt Along Quilt top.  I haven't quite decided what I am doing with the back yet plus I have too many projects right now that take precedent.  I love the way it turned out and I am so excited about the finished top.  It was so much fun to take modern blocks and make them something fun and modern.  I also used fabric only from my stash.  I dream of the day it is actually completed.  But alas, I must move on and keep dreaming.

Remember Connecticut

So it has been long enough- the month of March was fruitful but also full of trial- I don't mean big tragic and life changing trial- I mean where has the time gone- between my husband being on call- school stuff- spring flooding into my basement I am glad to see March go.  I did do some quilting though.  Lets get on with the good stuff and stop the murmuring.

A wonderful family in our church ward moved in March and I wanted to make them a quilt that they could remember Connecticut.  So I created a sampler quilt aptly named "Remember Connecticut".  I chose blocks that I thought would have some meaning.  It was fun to peruse through quilt block after quilt block pattern.  I thought I would have until June to complete this project but they bought a new house and sold theirs, it happened so quickly it became a mad dash to the finish and here is what the end results were.

Frienship Circle

Scrappy Heart (LOVE)

Log Cabin (hearth and home)

State of Connecticut Block

Yankee Charm

Spools (she was a quilting friend)

Hill and Valley

Flying Geese

This is the Back

As you can see one of the blocks I don't have a picture of it is called ocean waves.  This quilt is scrappy and it was a joy to make and my friend loved it - I hope she always remembers the love that grew in Connecticut.