Kite Construction

Nathan had a long nap today, so I was able to get the sashing and outer border of the Kite Quilt done.

Productivity Makes Me Happy

Amy's Challenge got me going and I finished both baby girl quilts AND got a block done of my Kite quilt.  I love it when I'm actually productive- it always seems to be when I'm the busiest, too.  I don't know how that works, but hey, I'm not complaining.  Happy Monday, everyone!

 Here are the previous posts for full pictures of the Lady Bug Pinwheel and the "Cotton in the Log Cabin" quilts.

A Movie & Some Quilting

Last night my hubby and I watched Eat, Pray, Love, and it was not one of his favorites (he said he couldn't empathize with the main character because she kept just giving up instead of working on her relationships- among other things- I'm sure if you asked him he could go on and on about what he didn't like about the movie).  Anyway, the good news is that the movie was long enough for me to get the binding completely finished on the baby girl quilt.  Here she is:

Lady Bug Finishes

This week for Amy's one-thing-one-week-challenge I wanted to finish the binding of Emma's quilt and start the binding on the second baby girl quilt.  Despite a crazy schedule this week I found time to quickly bind her quilt.  Joel had Monday off, so he put together the baby bouncer and bassinet.  We're just about all set for our baby girl- although let's be honest, we're perfectly content to wait until she's due in April.  No sense in rushing the newborn madness.

I'm hoping that when things settle down a little this weekend that I'll be able to completely bind and finish the other quilt.  We'll see how it goes.

Mormon Bloggin' Mommies

I read this article today called Why I Can't Stop Reading Mormon Housewife Blogs and it seriously made me laugh....for a couple of reasons.  1- I'm Mormon, 2- I'm currently a stay-at-home mom, & 3- I love blogging.  However, most of the stereotypes don't really fit me.  I guess they think of Utah moms that are married at 18, under-educated, uber craftsy, and have a rose colored life of perfection.  I got married at 27, have a Masters Degree (that I've used in the real world), grew up on the East Coast, and have only recently started staying at home with my son.  While I do love to quilt and cook- these are all relatively new hobbies of mine and those who knew me in high school know that I was not even remotely close to being a June Cleaver meets Betty Crocker meets Wonder woman (can you imagine what she would be like?).
I do confess to absolutely loving my husband and son, and for the most part I have no complaints about my life- It's definitely not perfect, but I rather enjoy it.  I liked working and I like staying at home - I don't think there's anything wrong with either.  One day I would like to teach again, but until then I find ways to stay up to date in my field.
Meanwhile, I blog mostly just to amuse myself.  If nobody read it except for me I would still do it, because it's a fun way to chronicle life.  I figure I might as well share about it while I'm experiencing it.  So, for all of the people that left crazy comments under the article about polygamy and that type of "happiness" not being real, I am here to tell you that it is possible to actually be happy with your life and still be a Mormon Stay-At-Home Mommy.  And no, my husband does not have more than one wife. I don't think he could handle any more than just me.  :)

"New" Batting Options

One problem about quilting is that it can be an expensive hobby.  My friend yesterday told me a really cool thing- back in the day women used to use their old quilts as the batting of their new quilts.  You can actually use any old quilts or blankets for batting- just cut off the binding.  My friend had this old quilt for me to use.  I was really excited to try this.  It's even already technically quilted, so I don't have to worry about how close my top stitching is on my quilts. 


I used it for my two baby girl quilts.....it gives it a little extra texture and thickness.  So far I'm a fan (and my wallet is as well).

Mind Boggling Dreams

I'm usually a Jane Austin- British drama sort of girl, but every once in a while there's a movie that just messes with your mind and just blows you away.  Inception is one of those movies.  My brother and dad had been talking about this movie for a while, so we rented it and holy cow, I don't know how anyone could be creative/twisted enough to come up with this plot.  It just kept getting more and more complex.  We even stopped the movie a couple of times to make sure we were following it completely.  The ending even leaves you hanging.  If you like intense, twisting plots with a lot of mental exertion then this movie is for you.  I don't think I'll ever think of dreams the same way again.  This movie is a secular version of Hugh Nibley. :)

Gender Unknown

I have a number of quilting projects in the works right now, but I have to be a good girl and wait until payday next week to get the batting I need for Emma's quilt and the white fabric for the kite quilt (I cut all of the other 2" squares this week).  In the meantime I have a couple of other quilts that I can start.  My trainer from my mission in Spain is having a baby, and the funny part is that her due date is only 2 days away from mine.  Of course my "momma" from the mission has a special place in my heart, so it's time she gets a quilt.  This is their 3rd baby and they have one of each, so they're waiting to find out the gender.  This presents a slight problem for me, because usually I would just wait until she has the baby to make the quilt, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to be busy with a baby of my own at that point.  Uni-gender quilts are pretty hard to come up with, so I have decided to avoid this problem by just making 2 quilts -- one for a boy and one for a girl.  I know that it won't be long before the other quilt will be needed by someone else.  

 Today I put together the quilt front of the girl quilt.  (Nathan had a couple of sweet naps and my husband was engrossed by football playoffs, so I was one productive chiquita). 

 I love these fabrics.....I had to do a couple closeups, because you miss the details when you show the whole quilt.