keepsake moments

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Now She’s Six

Birthday party for the other six year old grand.

It was a mixed day for sure. Hot and sunny then a rain shower. A garage sale at my sissy’s to start the morning off.
Then the first half of a soccer game. Then the birthday party in the middle of the downtown antique festival. Another sissy there.

The birthday was at a painting boutique in the downtown antique district that gives painting canvas/art lessons, host group canvas painting parties, and hosts birthday parties.

All the birthday guests and parents let the artist come out in themselves. The mermaid was the theme for the day.

Surprisingly, this was not the first for most of the kids. It’s kind of a popular thing right now and some of the quests have been to other painting parties. That’s why they’re such up and coming artists I guess.

Here’s her mom tending to the party guests. She said it was so easy to just book the place, bring a cake and sandwiches and chips and let the birthday party start. They have always done the birthdays at their house, but the kids now know what’s out there as far as parties go.

Of course the food, cake and presents were just as much enjoyed.

All the artist and their paintings.

Happy Birthday Brooklyn!!

Thursday, October 4, 2018

A Quilting Mini Series: Sail Away

Isn’t this just perfect for a little boy in a new house with a new bedroom who wanted blue for his room but his mom chose gray and a touch of orange and the whole family loves the water and boating?

Its going to be great for my 6 year old grand. I think he will like it. I think his mom is going to love it.

I have another quilt in the works for him which is a dirtbike theme with a fabric photo print of him on his dirtbike. But when I came across this sailboat quilt online, I had to switch gears and go with this. I’ll finish the dirtbike one shortly.

I stood in the fabric store googling quilts on my phone to on a project. When sailboat quilts popped up, I knew immediately I wanted to make one. I down loaded the pattern to my phone in the fabric store. The fabrics started coming together with sealife, star fish, crabs, fish, whales, shells, and anchors with blues, grays, and a touch of orange. I couldn’t wait to get started.

It was started and finished just a few weeks ago. It was easy and quick and fun to see it become real. It’s in the group of one of my most favorites. The backing is all sailboats in the matching colors of blue and gray.

While I'm on a roll, I should make another one with the left over fabric and change the layout and look .

You can get the pattern here:
chrome://external-file/AhoySailor-Pattern.pdf

While It doesn’t have to be on the bed, it would be good for a snuggle up on the couch, or build a fort, or under a tree for a picnic, or take on the boat for a nice daytime nap.

I'm very happy with this one.

Friday, September 28, 2018

A Quilting Mini Series: A Quilt Along

Everything you need to know about quilting you can find online. I’m following a Facebook quilt along group testing a quilt pattern. I’m a tester. This quilt isn’t particularly my style. There are too many small pieces and HST’s (half-square-triangles). My oh my! I didn’t like them at first, but in the second week I’m getting more comfortable with them.

Sarah, the designer calls it The Fall Quilt. I can guarantee mine will not turn out like this. Mine will have a look of it’s own, and not on purpose. This is the look we’re suppose to be going for.

Week 1 in the quilt along was creating just the tree. My tree had 2 mishap leaves. But I did go back and correct them in week 2. And I need to shave off some of the tree trunk. It should be nice and straight.

Week 2 was the borders and big corner leaves. So far the fabric is all from what I have from previous projects. The instructions are for a 52” square lap quilt. But I want at least a twin/day bed size. So I will add my finishing touch at the end to accommodate my liking.

I’m all caught up on the quilt along. Just waiting for week 3 instructions. Week 3 is another round of some form of leaves. And then week 4 is the final week of the quilt along to finish and presentation to the group on their FB page. I’ll be glad to finish it. I’m not a fan of this pattern process. But I do like the look of it.

Thursday, September 27, 2018

A Quilting Mini Series: Country Moo

This Country Moo quilt was made from a cow fabric print and blues and browns and whites left over from other projects and turning it into a country farmhouse look.

Some quilts I make for a purpose. Some are made just to make or to try a new method. This quilt was just made for the cow and the blues. Looks a bit crowded or busy with the fabrics. But has a country farm look. Hi

I did purchase the backing fabric and of course the batting and more thread. It takes a lot of thread to put together a quilt and then to quilt it. I spend a lot of time winding bobbins. It takes like 5 bobbins or more just in the quilting process, not counting the sewing of the quilt top. Just a little FYI there.

This Country Moo Quilt was just finished about a month ago. There are several quilts waiting in the wings to be quilted. I’m on a roll so I’ll have quite a few to tell-all show-all in the coming weeks.

Quilts are made to be used. I wash and tumble dry them when needed. And there are brand new, never used quilts stacked away that I’m saving for a rainy day.

Monday, September 24, 2018

A Quilting Mini Series

I dabble in many hobbies. Some die a sudden death, because I’m not good at them. Other hobbies have stuck with me thru thick and thin like quilting. I’ve been around quilting/quilters my entire life. Only natural I took to it. So the next few weeks I’ll tell-all show-all about my recent quilting activities. Recent posts show a few quilts from this year.

Most of the quilts come from a vision I have and then evolve as I proceed. There are a lot of free patterns online that I do consider and use. Some traditional. Some with a modern look. And I like using fabric panels also like this.

The center large flower is the panel. There was also a coordinating fabric that I purchased, and then other fabrics from my stash to piece all around the panel.

The colors are bright and pop right at you to make a bold statement.

I really like the they yellow dot to keep the bright and bold look. Its a nice size of 68"x92".

There are several quilts waiting in the wings to either be finished or to be quilted. I’m on a roll so I’ll have quite a few to make and show.

P.S. A teaser for you: think sailing away, ahoy!, sailor boy.

Sunday, September 23, 2018

More Soccer

Still on the soccer field for a few more weekends till the season ends.

It’s the fall first day of fall, too. But couldn’t tell it with the temperature so hot and everyone sweating. And not a fall leaf insight.

Love my soccer star.

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

A Mini Series Coming Up. But First Soccer

Another round of spring soccer is in full swing with only one grand participating. The team players are extremely cute and say the darndest things. Two parents were yelling at their daughter to “get in there, kick the ball, go, hurry, hurry, get it.” The little girl turned around, with hands on hips, and yells back “I’ve told you I don’t want to play this game.” Yes, we all know too well that we want them together play. Maybe they really don’t want to play.

Anyways, so far this one is totally into his games. Luckily for all involved it’s only an 8 week season.

It’s an hour of running, kicks, saves, steals, out of bounds, scores, whistle blowing, and break time. Enjoy these pictures of my soccer star.

P.S. Mini series tell-all begins tomorrow.

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

A quilt in a week

One summer day a quilt was started. I needed something to do. I rummaged thru my fabric stash to see what I could pull together to make a simple quick quilt. There before me were pinks and greens and whites, with flowers and geometric shapes and carousel horses.

Large triangles cut to make diamond blocks became my vision. Fussy cutting the carousel horses to be sure there were no heads or legs or tails missing for the most part.
It was harder than it seemed to layout the design so each triangle was set the correct way. It took two days to cut, layout, and sew the triangles together to create the quilt top.

Day 4 was time for the batting and the backing of which I had none. A trip to Hobby Lobby solved that dilemma. Then the quilt sandwich was made. Top, batting, and backing. (Kinda like a PB&J sandwich). And aligned on the quilting frame,

The next 2 days and nights, in my spare time, was spent machine quilting it and then binding the edges.

The finished size 68” x 76” will make a nice twin size quilt and snuggly cover for a girl. I have a boys theme quilt in mind next, cause everyone needs a quilt.

That’s a wrap on a quilt in a week.

Sunday, August 26, 2018

Summer with then MawMaw, (again)

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My summer gig was spent with my little grands Monday thru Friday, 8-5, filled with all things a grandmother would allow and a parent wouldn’t. Yes. You read that right. Yes. The parents were in shock more than once during the summer. Yet, the parents have conveniently forgotten how they acted in their younger years.

So, just to hit the highlights of our summer days together:

Must make your bed before grandma lets you get away with murder. I am one of those who must make my bed every morning. My rule for the grands was we must make our beds first. The 4, 5, and 6 year olds became masters at bed making. Though it included standing up in the bed to fly the covers up and let them land on the bed 59 times to get it right.

I’m a stickler for sticking to schedule. We had to have breakfast by 8am. Because there was lunch at 12 and snack at 3 and parents were home by 6 and dinner by 7. And I was hungry at 8am so that was a good reason, too.

Why, yes, we can play ball in the house. Our summer was in excess of 100 degrees everyday. So unless we were playing in water outside, we stayed inside. With a small spongy nerf ball or a tiny McDonalds Happy Meal stuffed animal we played soccer or baseball in the living room. Proud to say not one thing got broken. But just so you know, their parents played ball in the house and did break a thing or two when they were younger and I was not home.

Mawmaw loves craft time. And so do the little ones. Especially if you let them use glitter glue, scissors, stickers, markers and not colors. I spent a lot of time defending why hair and floor and everything had shiny stuff on it to the parents.

Who doesn’t play hide and seek in the house? This has to be every kids favorite game involving running thru the house, screaming, and getting into places you weren’t ever allowed - like behind the drapes. We did occasionally do quite puzzles on the floor, board games, and I spy.

An hour a day was given to quiet time. The little ones spent their quiet time on their iPad. My quiet time was spent repeating “turn that down.” With 3 Ipad’s going it was getting a little loud.

Miscellaneous time. Two VBS weeks scheduled at 2 different churches. A day or two was spent at the movies. Looked forward to the pizza delivery guy a lot. Plenty of wet towels and wet swimsuits stacked up from water time in the hot sun with a slip and slide, a next neighbor who so graciously invited us over to her pool with her grandchildren, and making our own water slide with the hosepipe gushing down the swingset slide. A week they were all gone on their family vacations.

Then summer was over and school time came. 1st grade. Kindergarten. And Pre-K4.