25 hours in a Day

I need more time in my days. I’m pretty darn efficient, and focus on the task at hand, but I always have more I wish I could have accomplished by the end of the day.  I am grateful that Sean still naps for two to three hours a day and goes to school two days a week.  That’s handy and allows me an opportunity to do my chores buutttt…..

I’ve been wanting to post some new photos up here for, oh, I don’t know, eight months?  Seriously. It hasn’t been a priority. So now I’m home, and I’m sick and Sean is with his grandmother. Seems like a fine time to work. Maybe.

I need to add photos of my newer quilts, but found some of these while going through all my files.

I made this quilt for Sean when he was born. It sits on the end of his bed. He doesn’t use it a lot, which makes me sad, but maybe one day.

This was the 2008 paper pieced block of the month at Intown Quilters. Original design.

My friend, Elizabeth, emailed frantically one day. She was a month or two away from having Eliot, and the person that was going to make her a baby quilt fell through. Of course, I couldn’t tell her that I wouldn’t help. So she sent me some swatches and the cool giraffe minkee for the back of the quilt and Voila! I bought some cotton prints that coordinated with what she sent me and magically a quilt appeared.

This quilt is the 2009 Block of the Month at Intown Quilters. Original design.

Dresses I made for Izzy

This quilt is a masterpiece! It’s Jacqueline de Jonge’s pattern Be Colourful. It took several months for me to piece, and I had Regina Carter to the quilting. She did a superb job! I love this quilt and am proud that it was accepted into the East Cobb Quilt Show this fall. It’s a judged and juried show. Wish me luck!

And last but not least, I designed this quilt and it was published on the cover of Better Homes and Garden Quilt Sampler. The shop was a feature shop in spring 2007 – just before Sean was born, though the quilt was made the previous autumn.

Out with the old

My dear friend, Ro, was saddened that some quilt photos were missing from my blog. They are older quilts that haven’t quite made it onto my blog – that requires time. I’ve been wanting to add them for eons, but just haven’t found (er, made) the time. So today, while the tot is sleeping, the dog isn’t fussing and my head is on (relatively) straight, I decided to get busy.

Here are pics of some of my favorite quilts:

This quilt won a blue ribbon at the Georgia State Fair in 2006. It is named Firecracker because my husband kept referring to it as such. It’s a favorite of mine. The pattern is Judy Neimeyer’s Fourth of July.

Here is a detail:

Terrible photo of this quilt. Yes Ma’am Damn! Won three blue ribbons at the 2006 Georgia State Fair:  one for best piecing, one for best machine quilting and a blue ribbon because it’s awesome (my words, not those of the judges)!

The quilt was name for my friend, Taffy. Taffy tells me I was “raised right” because I always say ma’am when responding to her. Taffy is in her early sixties, so it seems to me that it’s a polite reply. Taffy is a quilter and got me onto a batik strip pieced kick.  I took all my odds and ends of batik strips and stitched them together, cut the pieces into squares, then triangles, then assembled the parts.

Yes Ma’am is one of my favorites! It is an original design.

Here is a detail:

Ode to Insanity was appropriately named so because I took 10 1/2″ squares of fabric, cut them into four 5  1/4″ squares then cut each of those squares into quarter square triangles. I then matched the quarter square batik with a quarter square of black fabric to make my half square triangles. I stitched, pressed and trimmed each square individually. I’m certain there was an easier way to make the quilt, but I tend to be a glutton for punishment when quilting, so I enjoyed the project. Ode is an original design.

Here is a detail:

and another:

The quilt, Around the World My Way, was based on the book Circle Play by Reynola Pakuisch. The quilt is an original design. I made it to showcase my collection of Oriental fabrics. The quilt is 90 x 110 and adorns the bottom of my bed.

A detail:

and another:

A Gaggle of Geese is an original design used for a block of the month program at Intown Quilters in 2006. It’s a bright, happy quilt that I am now using to teach my Tri, Tri, Tri-angles class at IQ.

Here’s a detail of the quilting:

Bohemian Purse Girl is an original design and the quilt was featured in the February 2007 issue of Quick Quilts magazine. The quilt was made using fat quarters from Anna Maria Horner’s line of fabric, Bohemian Line.

Shine on little shoes, shine on

My girlfriend, Marnie, has four year old twins. One of twins, Alex, is a purse girl. She loves shoes, clothes, purses, you name it. Recently she found some bejeweled Converse shoes that were outrageously priced. Marnie called me to see if I could reproduce the shoes.

Of course I’ll do anything for her and her children, so few Swarowski crystals, ribbon and glue did the trick. I took the shoes to Alex on Sunday. The twins’ birthday party was a blast and Alex chose her outfit based on what would go with the shoes. Is that cute or what?!

The shoes are on top of some receiving blankets I made for my cousin. She’s having a baby girl in January. Allison asked me what some of my favorite things were when I had a newborn. I had to say that one of my favorite gifts were some receiving blankets a quilter friend made for me. The blankets were larger than those you get at the baby superstore so swaddling was easier because I could wrap the daylights out of Sean. I called it making him a taco.

Allison is decorating the nursery in bright pink, orange and green so I thought the flannel I chose would work nicely for her. Now if I can just get the darn blankets in the mail!

Two for the Road

Yeah, yeah. Not talking about alcohol, but the two quilts I made for Susan. Over the years she kept all her sons’ soccer and basketball jerseys. I’ve assembled them into quilts for them for Christmas. I finished sewing borders on the quilts today.

You can barely see it, but in the corners of the quilt are pieces of a baby blanket. The green outer border will have all basketball and soccer patches on it once the top is quilted.

Quilt number 2.

I loved making each of these. Such fun!

I fall for fall

Fall.

The perfect season.

Cool, crisp mornings. Breezy afternoons.

You can smell it in the air.

Leaves are starting to change.

And I cannot wait to wear my new fall goodies!

I love fall afternoons. The weather is perfect to take Sean outside to play.  And, the mommies on the block turn it into cocktail hour. Vodka tonic, anyone?

Just in time to ring in the new season, I finished Karen’s quilt. The colors scream October wedding.

I hope she likes it!

Gotta run. The baby is up!

60 and sensational

A few weeks ago Karen surprised Rick for his 60th birthday with a weekend at the fabulous Ritz Carlton Reynolds Plantation.

Good food

great drinks

dancing

singing

fun with the family

(don’t we look like we are having fun?)

and much debauchery!

Okay, not that much debauchery.

In honor of the blessed event, I made Rick an autograph quilt.

This is my favorite block.  Efrosini, aka Max, is Greek, and she so appropriately signed the quilt.

Cool, huh?

DC or Bust!

We just returned from a week long trip to Washington, D.C to visit Grand Dad Rick and KK.  We enjoyed our trip and were happy to spend Rick’s 60th with him. Sean really had a blast. Peek-a-boo in the garden gate was among his favorite activities with GrandDad Rick.

Are they cute or what?

In addition to playing in the garden Sean and Rick had a good time chasing each other around the center of the house.

Gotcha!!!

Rick was a champ at dinner too. Sean is at an age where he won’t sit still. We did dinner out most nights, and it was tough. Someone was with Sean, or chasing Sean, around the restaurant or sidewalk outside our dining locale. There were many pick me up’s then put me down’s along with the occasional grunt, scream or shriek.  We learned that it is not fun to dine with a toddler and cooking in is our modus operindi until he can once again sit still.  He’d much rather run around and play with doors instead of eat.

Eating is for wimps. Until KK played “I’m gonna eat all your applesauce!” with Sean. He found this quite silly and fun. And, lucky for us, he also ate his applesauce. Funny how that works!

A trip to DC, well, anywhere really, is not a trip for Michael Murphy without a visit to a local museum. I was grateful not to have to join in this vacation tradition this year.  Generally speaking I enjoy visiting museums, but all boats and planes look mostly the same to me, so I don’t get the fascination.  Mike thinks all quilts look the same. I think all planes look the same. Guess we’re even!

Michael, Sean and Rick spent one afternoon at the Air and Space Museum. It looks like a pretty cool building, and there were many, many planes for the boys to see.

The Murphy boys had a good time, but I was happier to visit my favorite shops at Tyson’s Corner instead of looking at planes. Banana Republic and Nordstrom are my idea of shopping heaven! Top it off the following day with a trip to G Street Fabrics and a cup o’ joe and my vacation couldn’t get any better!

Our trip home wasn’t complete without making a stop in Richmond to see Laura and Jeremy.

Not pictured: Jeremy

The stop was brief, but enjoyable.  Laura and Jeremy grilled supper, then took us to Cold Stone for dessert. YUMMY!

An eight hour drive home was too much for Sean. At the NC/SC welcome center, Sean started to melt down. He wanted to stretch his legs, and we were happy to oblige for a half hour, then it was time to go.   Sean thought it was all fun and games that Daddy was chasing him around and playing with him until he realized that Michael was coming to get him to put him in the car.

Uh-oh!

Lady was glad to see us. I was glad to see the house, and a good night’s sleep in my own bed was delish!

Sean is like a Visa card….everywhere I want to be

Sean is a like  Visa card. He’s EVERYWHERE I want to be…

on a chair, the cabinet under the sink, the refrigerator, you get the idea…

wherever I want to be!

He certainly keeps me busy. I am surprised that I somehow find time to do anything.

Today I made Rice Krispie treats AND cleaned the house. Okay, well only the downstairs, but nonetheless, it’s still clean. Except for the desk. And that’s Mike’s space, even though you wouldn’t quite know it. I have managed to take over a corner or two.

A friend of mine had a little girl a few weeks ago. I haven’t met Ashley yet, but get to next week. I made her what I consider the easiest quilt in the world. A lot of bang for something so easy.

I have a few other projects that I am eager to start.  Don’t I always?

For the past three years I have made a  quilt for LifeLink of Georgia,

http://www.lifelinkfound.org/georgia.cfm

LifeLink is an independent, non-profit organ and tissue recovery organization dedicated to serving patients in need of transplant therapy and their families. I think that organ donation is such an important cause, and though I often find myself in tears while making the quilt, I am glad I do.

LifeLink has a ceremony each year and the quilt is presented to families that lost a loved one. Each family, or a family member, makes a block, then I assemble the quilt.  I couldn’t find a photo of any of the last few I’ve made. It’s entirely possible that I didn’t snap a picture. Silly me! I’ll be sure to do that this year. Quilt will hopefully be finished in a few weeks.

I am currently putting the binding on another quilt, too. Will tell you more about that one later.

Where the wild things grow

Kids grow like weeds.

Or peppers.

A group of us started a community garden a few months ago and we have our first bell pepper. I’m very proud of this little pepper. The whole garden really. And, it’s been great for the kids in the neighborhood too! Nolan, my neighbor Amy’s youngest son, found our first pepper! He was quick to point it out and I think the first pepper should go to him once it’s ready.

It’s really a glorious thing to watch something you love grow right before your eyes. Pepper or person.

A year ago Sean was a spikey-haried blob, and now he’s walking, talking, and letting his will be known.

He has a friend down the street, Izzy and they like to play together. Well, as much as children their age play together. More like, play in the same space. She’s five months younger than Sean. Izzy’s dad keeps telling Sean he can be her prom date, but I worry about what dad really thinks about letting his daughter go out with anyone. Even a “safe” date! Lucky for all of us that’s still a few years away!

Izzy and Sean were introduced to sidewalk chalk the other day. Sean thought it was tremendous fun to write on the sidewalk, the mailboxes. ME!!  I was covered in chalk! And little Iz had blue teeth! We tried to keep her from eating it, but she found chalk to be tasty. Or just different. Or both. At least she could wash it down with a swig of Sean’s water!

I’m almost finished with my latest quilt. I am quilting the borders right now. I have one side finished. Three to go! Once that’s finished I can start quilting my Sea Urchins quilt. I know what I want to do, now I need to find the time to quilt it. Hmmm. Maybe at the October retreat.  Maybe in my spare time. Maybe never.

Caffeine is my friend

I stopped drinking caffeine for a long time. Decaf coffee, no soft drinks.  Then I had a baby and I find that the afternoon boost is absolutely necessary. Instead of napping in the afternoon, I get a boost with my new favorite drug. It’s affordable. Legal. Tastes good as a latte or a diet coke. And, it keeps me going. By the time Sean is up from his nap, I’m ready to go again!  Off to the park. Playing with Gabe and Nolan or just running around the yard.  Once dinner is cooked and cleaned Sean is off to bed (well, shortly thereafter) and I can sew.

It’s my creative time, and while I wish I had more of it, I take what I can get. I am finally learning to prioritize.  And drink more caffeine. It’s tough to stick to one project, but I’m getting things finished. I promised myself I’d be a “closer” this year – I cannot start on a new project unless it was already slated to happen. I haven’t finished quite as much as I’d have liked, but this has kept me from having too many projects going on at one time (thank you Michelle Hiskey for the great idea!).  I do have a lot of quilt ideas and not enough time to execute. I have drawings everywhere so I can remember what I planned to do with scraps, or a particular fabric. Or, just because.  Or something looked cool. Or I found inspiration from the dove nesting on my deck.

I did just finish this pillow for Sean’s room.

Cute, huh?

This was an extra block from a project I was working on.  I decided a slightly different color scheme was more appealing to me, but what to do with the lone block? Oh, yeah! Make a pillow!  There are two black and white striped covered buttons keeping the back closed.

Now off to work on the next project. Or to clean. hmmm.