new things in store

We're under construction! Hang in there a bit!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Hehe... not sure how to start the post...

So I'll start in the middle. (I'm a complicated gal.)

I've had boring appointments, taken the kids to the dr a couple of times and had a trip to the DMV. Exciting stuff. The DMV by far was the best experience. I had to renew my license (two months late, oops). I was in and out in 20 minutes. They asked me if I'd like to renew for four or 8 years. Me being the laziest person in the world, chose the eight year renewal. So I'm good until 2022. Is that a real year? SERIOUSLY??? 2015 is hard for me to comprehend and it's only a little over a month away. That was a shock to the system.

Update on my CI (Cochlear Implant) upgrade- I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!! It only took a few days for it to feel like a favorite pair of shoes. Very few issues to be tweeked and music sounds so much better now. I've also been using a gadget called a ComPilot, which works with both hearing aids and CI's. I can pair it via bluetooth to my smart phone and I can listen to music and answer phone calls. (I don't answer phone calls except my dad. Yick. Phones. Don't love them. Text me!) I've never been able to use headphones well, so the Compilot has been fun for music. Overall I'm super happy with the upgrade, it was well worth the struggle with insurance.

Market is keeping me busy. I've had several custom orders over the last few weeks, as well as several sales. I'm all out of king and queen quilts so it's slim pickings lately. I've got lots in the works but time is not on my side. Sometimes I feel like I can work non stop for days with not much to show for it. Other weeks I'll have a ton of finishes (and few pictures because again, I'm a complicated gal!)


I bought this book...


I'm a big Nancy Z fan. If my mom didn't teach me, Nancy Z probably did. I remember being in about 3rd grade and watching her show for the first time on PBS. I remember seeing her and asking my mom why she looked the way she did. It wasn't an insult, I was young and genuinely curious. My mom explained that Nancy had Bell's Palsy and that she was just as normal as she and I were, she just looked a little different.

I remember my mind sort of went *BAM!*I was literally mind blown. Here was a nice lady, with a slight imperfection, on national TV. She wasn't embarrassed or shy about it. She didn't try to hide it. It was there and that was so cool to me. At the time I was trying to hide my hearing aids to fit in. I didn't know anyone else that was deaf.I realized she probably didn't know anyone else with Bell's Palsy either. She didn't need to fit in, instead, she made her own place. In my book, she rocked. I started learning to sew about that time and Nancy continued to inspire me to this day.

Back to the book! The pictures and directions are spot on, and I love her take on modern quilting. Lately I've been really feeling the mod quilting vibe but I haven't jumped in quite yet. I think I may have to start with the "heartbeat" quilt and get my feet wet. I'll let you know how it goes.

I'll see yall later, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Funky Friday

What a week huh? I'm sure it's been as busy for you as it has for us.

Good news- I've received my cochlear implant processor upgrade!

Bad news- I have to get it programmed and that won't happen until Tuesday.

Good news- I'll be able to hear better and I can even get my implant wet!

Bad news- My current processor broke. Communication is hard.

Good news- I've got closed captions and a patient family.

Bad news- I can't go to market tomorrow.

Good news- Paul is going for me!

Bad news- Microwave broke.

Good news- I have a stove.

Bad news- my kids don't use the stove.

Good news- We got a new printer!

Bad news- Need a new laptop.

Good news- ITS FRIDAY YALL!!!!!!!!!!

<3

me

Wacky Week!

When you have a family as large as ours, the good and the bad come fast and furious. We've learned to roll with the punches and make the best of it, even on our worst days.

Read on after the break!

Sunday in the sun!

And welcome to homeownership!

This is what I woke up to this morning. I didn't even see it at first! I went to take a look at the tomato plants and I thought, "hmm.., that tree looks deader than usual..." Then I realized it was actually laying on the roof. The tree had split off about 4 feet up the trunk and was just hanging from the roof. Paul ended up climbing up to push the tree down and the fence got bent in the process. I'm glad it wasn't any bigger than it was! The roof wasn't damaged so we're safe there. The fence will need a little mending. I think we'll just get the tree chopped up and use it in the fire pit.

However! Piece of unasked for advice- If you have a dead tree in the yard, get rid of it before it falls on it's own. The damage and repairs could be much more stressful than getting someone in to fell a tree! This tree was actually on my neighbor's property line but since it's so close to us, we're just going to deal with it. No harm, no foul.

Later in the day we took the kids to their grandfather's house today for a swim and burgers on the grill. I think they stayed in the pool for a good 3 hours straight. Bedtime should be easy peasy tonight. Catfish is crazy about the water. His nickname fits him perfectly! Even with just 2-3 inches of water in the tub he can make a huge mess. When he saw the pool today his eyes got huge and you could just see his little brain working... "This. Is. The. Biggest. Bathtub. EVER!!!!" By the time he got out he barely had the energy to eat. He was asleep in the van as soon as we left Grandpa's street.

Today was a nice chill day. Soon we'll be back in school, homeschooling and so many other big things changing around here. I'm looking forward to most all of it but I might need someone to remind me of that when I'm in the middle of all the chaos!

Much love!!!!

The red dress

Don't get me wrong, I love making quilts. There are a bajillion trillion patterns I haven't tried yet, still waiting on my "to do" list. Buuuut.... A few weeks back I was looking at my fabric stash and I thought, "I want to sew something different." And I realized I have this DARLING 4 year old baby girl that had almost zero mama made dresses. So I decided I would sew not just one, but TWO dresses at a time. So she'll have one and since she doesn't have a twin, I'll sell one also!

So without further ado (ok, hang with me here. Just a little more ado!) The first shop dress, in red polka dots.

I love simple, easy to wear styles. Aralyn loves all things dressy and all things polkadots, so this dress was a hit! The arms and neck have a bias trim, and a simple bow closure makes getting in and out a snap. The dress is fully lined and perfect for a size 4-5. Pair this dress with your favorite longsleeve tee and leggings for super adorable fall wear!

Want it? Get it here in my shop.

Thanks for stopping by. :)

The Farmer's Market is back in full swing!

Yesterday the Farmer's market was opened for the first time this year. I wasn't as prepared as I had planned to be but you know how that goes... plans, smans. Babies, family, LIFE sometimes has to take priority over goals and plans. I did have a few new things but boy oh boy was it a reality check when I hung my sparse collection of quilts! On the other hand, it felt really good to know that almost every single thing I made last year sold almost immediately!

Here's a peek of my booth. It's not much but it's a "preview" of things I want to add to the booth as well as more quilts. I know, I know... you can stop rolling your eyes now... I know I don't need more things to do, but sometimes I need some downtime between quilts. It's fun to switch back and forth between small projects and larger ones, so yes, I NEED to do this! Like I said before, my quilts are SPARSE!!

I can't tell you how much I LURRRRVE the wreaths. Gosh they make me happy! I'm not a huge Valentine's Day fan (the hubs is way awesome about showing me mad love every day, so we really don't need a special day) but this is just so... awwwwwww!

Here's a close up of another wreath I made, same burlap just a slightly different bow and hanging on me very own front door. It's probably not going to come down for a good, long while, I love it THAT much.

I don't love my front door. Hopefully It will be making a huge change soon, because EWWWW. It's poopoo brown, painted and that glass is a weird dirty shade. It's impossible to whiten it, so blah. *Maybe* with tax refund $ we'll be able to change it. Maybe. I hope. Pray for my door yall! ;)

I'm rambling so I'm going to wrap this up. I hope yall are having a wonderful Sunday! If you're in the south we've got some beautiful weather going on. No jacket required today! WOOT! (Yes we had the ice storm last week. Yes it was really bad. Yes you can make fun of us but only if you've been down here during an ice storm!)


Much love.


Kristy

My Zen 2014

“When walking, walk.  When eating, eat.”
~Zen Proverb

This is something I've struggled with for most of my life. I often find myself rushing though one project or activity in order to move on to the next. We live in such fast paced, instant gratification culture, where success is based on how much we've accomplished vs how we've appreciated the journey to those accomplishments. It's no wonder many of us don't stop to really think about what we're doing as we do it.

Deep breath, smile, keep the seam ripper handy and enjoy the journey.

What's up?

What's new with you?

Our ninth darling baby is already 5 months old, 17 lbs and 27 inches. I blame the boy's siblings. All that love makes them grow right? Well, he's a honker of a boy now! He loves kisses, especially kisses on his elbows. I have no idea why he finds that absolutely leg slapping hilarious but I can't stop. Baby giggles are so addictive! Every day I have to make him laugh until he snorts (the only thing he got from me was the laugh-laugh-laugh-snort-laugh-snort, the rest is all from Daddy).

And! I have a grandbaby. Yes, I know I look to young to have a grandchild, but obviously I'm not. She's been such a joy and only 2.5 months younger than Catfish, she's got a buddy for life. She is absolutely PRECIOUS! Her mama is absolutely amazing as a new mom. SO MUCH LOVE AROUND HERE IT HURTS!

The sewing room has been humming along. I got a new industrial sewing machine, which sews zoooooomgosh fast. Should I ever decide to quit sewing we'll turn that sucker into a go cart because wow. Major fast motor and technical stuff I don't really understand. Just take my word for it, It's FAST. ZOOOOOOM!

Of course.... it couldn't all be good right!? Not even 3 weeks after I got the new machine my longarm got jealous and killed the bearings in the motor. She's fixed now but she sure did give me some panic. She's a discontinued model and parts aren't easy to come by. Thank goodness we did find the parts we needed, even if it took some searching. The machine belonged to my mom before and was passed on to me... I have to say, I think we deserve bragging rights since between Mama and I we finished off an industrial machine in 20 years! That takes some serious sewing!

I decided to make a few Christmas things this year, so one thing I wanted to do was make a Modern Christmas quilt... turns out I cut out enough pieces for three quilts.... rather than waste them I've been sewing them up. Also I'm almost finished piecing a rainbow quilt. Just a few more strips and that will be done. Baby quilts going to the long arm and Christmas ornaments..... you get the idea! I'll post pictures once I get my phone back (Jesus is working on it out in Texas. I'm not kidding. I have full faith in the guy! ha!) I'll post pictures, updates and yada yada.... lets hope I don't let another few months slide by before we can catch up again.

Do you like the new layout? Suggestions? Thoughts? Ideas on what I should write about? I'm all over the place over here... give me some direction folks! (or I could ask Jesus in Texas right? If he can fix my S3 he can do anything yeah?)


Much love.... and don't forget to make the babies laugh till they snort... it will make your day, I promise!

Baby love

So I've got a little baby that is now 6 weeks old! He's not always grumpy but he doesn't like mama doing much else. We'll be back soon!

One of THOSE kinda days...

So I finally started painting today. All went well till about 1 pm, when hubby sent me a text telling me he broke his finger. More like crushed the tip, after it was cut through the nail. Ouch! He went to the dr and they bandaged him up. Since he was working on a water line break which was under a broken sewer pipe, they also gave him meds to (I hope anyway) combat any potential E.coli and other icky infections.

Then he locked his keys in the car. No Big Deal right? Call pop a lock and they'll take care of it...

Except he forgot his money. WHAT?

So I loaded up the kids and we were about to go across town to deliver some cash.

The sky looked really weird. I thought maybe a tornado was on the way. It wasn't.

It was baseball sized hail. About halfway to hubby's work a huge piece of hail hit the windshield and cracked it, from one side to the other. It sounded like the van was getting shot up. People were running for cover under anything they could find. We found a tree that kinda helped, a little to late.

Within about 20 minutes it was over, but damage was everywhere. Hubby's coworkers had broken rear windshields left and right. The local Wal-mart had to evacuate customers to the storage part of the building due to fist size hail coming through the sky lights. Insanity.

When Mother Nature starts her own snowball fight, it is not pretty.

In this picture you can see the hail has a core. It's like a super frozen bullet inside a softer ice. They were heavy. And since it was 77F degrees outside, a real surprise. it was over almost as soon as it started, but not before so much damage was done everywhere.

So we get back home, safe and sound. I was almost ready to go back to painting, just had to take a potty break and.... I heard it. "Mooooooooom....... Ollllllllllliiiiiieeeeeeevvvvveerrrrr... Paaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiinnnnnnnt......" Almost a whole gallon. Everywhere... table, floor, OLLIE!!! Poor baby. We scooped him into the bath, then we cleaned up the paint as quick as cleaning paint can go. I secretly hated the paint I had bought (it was goopy and didn't go on smoothly) so I'm sort of glad to be buying a different brand to finish the second coat. shhhhh. It would have been easier to throw it out. BUT

(Insert good news here)
I finished up this quilt for a customer. It's headed off to NY,NY next weekend!

I did my own version of a nautical themed quilt. I was going for a simple Pottery Barn look, which I think I did ok on. Most of the fabrics are stripes and plaid shirtings, which I absolutely love for boy quilts. I used a buttonhole stitch for the applique' work and machine quilted in a loop de loop design. My buyer was super happy and it's off to NY, NY for this quilt. It's headed to a new baby boy that was born this past January. I hope it gives him years of happy sailing dreams!

xoxo

kristy

Chunky Churn Dash is Complete!

I am currently obsessed with with Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville website!! The quilts are easy, use up tons of scraps and they're just FUN. If you don't follow her on facebook you really should. She's always on the go, so I get tired for her when I read her blog updates.

So here's my version of Chunky Churn Dash:

Click here for the Chunky Churn Dash Tutorial!

Normally I like to stick to slightly larger pieces, 2.5" being my favorite. This quilt uses 1.5" pieces at it's smallest, not to bad but definately got me to step out of my "big strips" box. I really enjoyed that! Now I'm not afraid to keep the smaller scraps for future use. I love how the triangle blocks offset the  churn dash blocks to look as if they are set on point. The whole quilt measures 86" x 86", perfect for a full size bed. I keep saying I need to go bigger or smaller, but my quilting brain thinks full size is perfect. 

Next up I'll be making a nautical themed baby quilt and finishing up a snowball quilt (posted about it before, have since redone the sample blocks). As of tomorrow we'll be painting the living room, entry way and hall, so not much sewing will be going on for me. Talk about "enjoying" Spring Break! Hope yall are having fun!

XOXOXO

Kristy

Snowball WIP

This week we've been doing some spring cleaning. So far we've cleaned out the junk that lives in the laundry room and the kitchen. It's amazing what we 'stash' thinking we'll need it soon, only to forget about it for months (or years!)

In the sewing room I've started a new snowball memorial quilt. Once the layout and colors are approved I'm going to hopefully whip through this bad boy and be done done done! I want to work on smaller lap/crib sized quilts for a while. They're easier to manage and much more fun for the ego. Nothing feels better than saying "ALL DONE!" after making the smallish projects to give my mind a break.

Here's a Terrible No Good Very Bad shot of the WIP-

The snowball blocks are the memorial fabrics, the squares are the fabric the customer chose. Lets hope this one turns out pretty pretty!

Have a great day and keep sewing!

I'm on a finishing line! Or, New quilts in the shop!

I HAD to. I've been following Bonnie Hunt at  Quiltville for-eeeeevah now. Her blogs and tutorials have taught me so crazy much, I have to go back and read through every so often as a refresher. I had bookmarked the "Scrappy Trip Around the World" but when the whole craze came through, I knew I had to make it RIGHT NOW. So I did. It was so. much. fun! Bonnie's method makes it fairly simple and I love that I could really dig into the scraps and get those used up. I could literally SWIM in my scraps, there's just to many. One quilt at a time and I'm hoping to dig my way out! So.
 Without further ado, I give you my version of Trip Around the World.

 My Trip Around the world is now available in my store, so check it out! 

Next up is my version of Chain Reaction, a pattern I picked up from Craftsy.com. This one went together ok, but if you like to slash and dash quilt, this one will require a bit more careful cutting. I really love the look of it, so sweet and girly! And yes, this one is available in the online store also!

Click here to shop for this quilt!

And finally, a Map quilt! Kids, teachers and homeschooling moms luuuuuuuurve this quilt. It's great as a wall hanging or to toss on the floor for a geography lesson. (or three, because kids really love this one.) Of course I didn't make the print, but I did all the fancy pancy quilting on it, and I hand sewed the binding, so lots of love goes into these quilts also! 

Click here to shop Deaf Mama Designs for our Map Quilt!

Now that those are finished I feel a bit lost! I still have a few things I've  procrasinated on, but those will be done soon too... stay tuned to see what I can whip up next!

My valentines... you stole my heart!

To the tiny little bundle of baby boy kicking me in the ribs...
I love you for reminding me every day what a precious gift life really is...

To Ollie, my 13 month old little boy,
I love you for trying so hard. When you fall, you get back up. Pretty soon you'll be walking like a champ.

To Aralyn, my stubborn little girl, almost 3 years old now...
I love you for reminding me that snuggling on the couch watching cartoons isn't wasting the afternoon.

To Brett, my 5 year old and first boy,
I love you for being so loud and quick to laugh. You keep me smiling.

To Alexis, my silly 9 year old,
I love you for being such a good big sister and being as helpful as you are.

To Amanda, my 12 year old talker (talk talk talker),
I love you for listening and for all the hard work you do. I know you're going to be a strong woman some day.

To Anna, my quiet and sweet 13 year old,
I love you for being so graceful, in mind, spirit and body. Always my butterfly.

To Alliyah, my soft spoken, pink haired 15 year old,
I love you for the amazing woman you are becoming. Smart, beautiful and confident, the world belongs to you.

To Ashtyn, my first born,
I love you for making me a mother. You've taught me all I know and taught me I knew much less in the beginning than I thought I did.

To my husband Paul,
I love you for everything. You've taken a blended family and made it whole. You work hard every day to provide for us. You make me laugh, you cry with me and make me smile again. You've given me three beautiful babies in as many years and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you.

To my wonderful sweet, kind friends,
I love you for letting me be me, wacky and nutty and accepting me even when I'm not "the norm". That  means the world to me.

To my family,

I love yall because I used to think we were kinda weird. Then I realized we're the somewhat normal ones. Wacky or not, we stick together, laugh together and pray together. Thank you.

Cold January

It's been so cold in the sewing room that I've barely been able to get much done. Add in pregnancy and babies roaming the house, I'm flat out behind. I've pulled out my flannel shirts and layering on the clothes, so time to get to work!

Did I say "pregnancy"? I sure did! Baby #9 will be arriving in June and we're expecting a boy! The hubs is through the roof with happy as well as the kids. I'm loving the idea of another boy, with 6 girls and 2 boys, it's time to even the playing field a bit. :)

I hope everyone has been staying warm and having a wonderful, calm start to the new year. We had a touch of snow last week but it was gone by that afternoon. We don't get much snow here, so when we do, it's a real treat for the kids (and us big kids too!)

The market starts back in just two weeks. I'm not ready but I'll be there as always. Love to you all!

Twas' the Friday before Christmas....

And we've been busy! Today was the last day of school for the kiddos after a week full of late night studying, semester exams, school parties and general holiday mayhem. Now that Christmas is almost here, we can start to sort of clean settle down and start the cooking, baking and other fun holiday stuff!

I have managed to get a bit of sewing done, but again, you'll have to excuse my HORRIBLE pictures. Starting in the new year I'm going to attempt to take half acceptable pictures. I know I'm not doing myself (or the blog) any justice being all photolazified. (My new word. WORD) Till then, I present decent stuff, with turrible picture taking efforts. (I promise, I really do put more effort into sewing!)

This is a floor cushion for a friend's daughter. I hadn't properly stuffed it just yet so the piping was a bit off looking. I'll be making several more of these in the near future! I used this tutorial to make it and it was super easy!

I also made this simple dress for Aralyn. It's a vintage Butterick dress pattern which I've used for all the girls at some point or another. It has a lined bodice and zippered back. I took a bit of the bulk out of the skirt (and I slightly regret that decision) because the fabric is a little heavier than the normal dress/ cotton weight. Next time I'll just let it be bulky, because in our house, the more twirl power the better!

Next up I'll be completing customs. Once those are all shipped out I'll start on the new Chain Reaction quilt. I can't wait to get started! I'm thinking I may have to invest in some new fabrics, but who can complain about that right?

Meanwhile, I've got one more Saturday at the Market. I'm both relieved and sad all at the same time. I love the vendors, the visitors and everything about it... Yet I'm still needing a break. It's been a long busy year so a month to work on stock, chill with the kids on Saturdays and just *be* will be absolutely wonderful. 

I'm off to pack up for that last Saturday! See yall soon!

There are angels...

My heart hurts for everyone involved in the Connecticut shooting. Hug your babies. There are no promises for tomorrow, no guarantees. Every single day we have is a blessing. Use it wisely. 

Current Work in Progress!

Chugging along! Electronics are situated, camera cord in hand, modem has been replaced and new phone is on the way. We also managed to make it through a round of the stomach bug, some icky weather and a slooooow day at the market. No fun, no fun, but much better now, and Ollie now has THREE teeth to boot! (This is the kid who started rolling over front to back and back to front on the same day, later started crawling AND cruising within 24 hours, so of course he'd get three teeth instead of one. "Go big or go home" he says.)

Current work in progress

This is the current quilt I'm working on for a customer. It's a memory quilt, made from the father's clothing. He really had some fun tastes, and I'm a bit jealous of his spunk. I'm sure he would have been quite the guy to spend the day talking to over coffee and a doughnut. So this is the final layout, all ready to get sewn up (ASAP because I'm so far behind! Eeeeeep!) The other side has plaids and stripes, with gray borders. <---- as="as" be="be" before="before" christmas.="christmas." cool="cool" did="did" finish="finish" going="going" have="have" huh="huh" i="i" it="it" m="m" nbsp="nbsp" other="other" p="p" projects="projects" ready="ready" reversible="reversible" s="s" see="see" several="several" to="to" up="up" what="what">

I think the late night coffee is finally wearing off, so time for me to attempt some sleep! Don't forget, only 11 more days till Christmas!!!!!!!!!

This week was a wipeout!

What a bummer of a week! Mostly just first world problems but problems no less. The girls went back to school after the Thanksgiving holidays, so it was time to get back to work. I had planned on doing my first tutorial, sewing up some things for market and over all being busy. Then....

The modem started to bug out. Only intermittent wireless signals, no signal for the hardwired computer and the phone internet connection is expensive...
So, no blogging.

No big deal right? We can take pictures for the tutorial and get it all ready to go when the modem was ready, right? Right?? yeah... right... Then....

I couldn't find the cord for the camera. No cord, no dice. Can't charge, cant upload, nuthin. Ordered a new one, should be here any day now... so I could just take some shoddy pictures with my  phone camera right? ehhhh maybe... Then...

My phone slipped out of my pocket and Ollie the Toothless Teether discovered it before I did. Slobbering and teething ensued. My phone was/is soooooaaaaked. And gross. Smart phones are not smart, as in they should have an alarm when encountering damp/ wet environments such as teething child's mouth. After a good drying out it should be fine, hopefully by morning.

Moral of this story, It's not always easy to transfer what's in my mind into sharable content.  If it does happen to make any sense, I've still got to transfer it via computers and obviously, computers do not love me. (or my slobbery yet adorable 11 month old who still has no teeth.)

I'm not giving up, just taking a break. Lately I've been so *zonked* that I've not even wanted to get near the sewing room. THAT MUST STOP. Christmas is almost upon us, and I've got to many things to do. So tomorrow I'll be at market, Sunday is the family day and come hell or high water, Monday I WILL BE IN THE SEWING ROOM. Hopefully with a camera, a working phone and lovely babies with teeth and happy moods.

And ACK! Santa sent us Elf on the Shelf!! I can't tell you how excited I am to terrorize the children    start this new tradition! Our elf's name is Stivell (I know, I've never heard of it either. The two year old came up with it and trust me, she will NOT be having any say so on the names of any future siblings.) Pictures of the Elf and his mischief to come (assuming the camera cord gets here soon!!)

Love to you all!!


Kristy