Design Wall Monday

Not much was accomplished this weekend. That is the way it has been going lately, lots of items on my list, hardly anything crossed off!  Here is what I have so far.

First border option

This is what originally had in mind when I was designing this quilt. When it was all laid out I didn't really like it. The borders are too light compared to the center and they don't compliment each other well. 

Second border option

Even though you can't see the whole picture I like this one the best. Look at the one complete section with the gray curly thing and the feathers, that section will be repeated around the quilt. 

Maybe someday I will have a "real" design wall!  Until then I will have to work on the floor and have the pieces scattered everywhere and the occasional dog toy in the mix!  

Head over to Patchwork Times for other quilty goodness!  Happy quilting!

A Little Bit of Fun

During the last week the girls and I had a little bit of craftiness going on!  They have been really interested in sewing so I printed off some sewing sheets and let them go for it!  These sheets are just to let them practice sewing on a line and turning a corner. They didn't use thread but they absolutely loved it!  

Little K was a bit apprehensive about using the sewing machine but once she got the hang of it she couldn't get enough. In fact she had to sew something "real" together. Since we have an abundance of fat quarters she sewed a few together and was completely proud of herself. 

Little A wouldn't be left out of the loop but she practiced her cutting ability, since it was practically non-existent. 

She cut out little square letters and did a pretty good job. Now I have little pieces of paper littering my floor because she wanted to do more and more!

I guess they are my children or just want to be involved in what I am doing because they love to start projects!  Now if I could only teach them how to finish!

To Knit or Not to Knit

I have frequently linked up with Patchwork Times on Design Wall Monday. And if you have never visited her site she is not just a quilter, she may be Wonder Woman!  She is not afraid to try anything, from raising chickens, to knitting and much more.  So in the spirit of Judy I have tried knitting. I have crocheted in the past, not very well, but I can read a basic pattern and make a few things. I have never tried knitting. I don't remember either of my grandmothers knitting or seeing my mom knit so I have never had the desire. 

After reading Judy's blog and all the stuff

she knits I wanted to give it a try. I love the idea of homemade socks but once I looked at a pattern and saw that I would have to use 4 needles I was immediately intimidated and gave up any notion of knitting. That is until yesterday.  For some reason yesterday was the day I was going to learn how to knit, so I did. I found an easy dishcloth pattern, ran to my local grocery store (yes, my grocery store has a whole section dedicated to crafty stuff) and grabbed some circular knitting needles and my adventure began!  

We were traveling north yesterday afternoon so I had to teach myself in the car. Thank goodness for good cell service that allowed me to watch a few YouTube videos along the way!  Since I picked an easy pattern I only had to learn how to cast on and the knit stitch, and whatever I didn't know I looked up or made up!  Here is what I have so far, please remember this is my first project!  

It kind of looks like it could be part of a bikini!  I really don't know what I'm doing, but I am on the decrease now. This next question will show what a beginner I am! Do you have to knit both left and right?  I cast my stitches on the right needle but every video I could watch showed the stitches in the left. So I just reversed the stitches and knitted in reverse until I had all the stitches on the left, then I knitted until I had them on the right and then continued back and forth. In crochet I would just flip the project around and then continue working from that side, but I have no idea how to do it in knitting!  Someone please straighten me out!  

Other than that it has been kind of fun, but them again I am one of those people who love a challenge. Hopefully I will learn more so I can do it the "right" way. Who knows, maybe someday I will attempt a pair of socks!  As for right now I'm having fun. 

I'm linking up with patchworktimes.com with this post. I can't figure out how to make a link to her site on my phone so if you want to go there you will have to go old school with cut and paste. Have a good weekend!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July to everyone in the United States!  We are grateful to live where we do and have what we have!  

Our family attended a local concert last night and parade this morning. 

We enjoyed catching candy and watching our three little ones dance. Thankfully it was a little overcast and not as hot as earlier in the week. 

My dad used to own a bicycle shop when I was younger. He would sell Schwinn bicycles exclusively and we always used these sacks on the 4th of July. 

This is the last year we will have these sacks. We have depleted all the reserves my parents have. Twenty three years after my dad sold the store they are no more. 

Last night we went to the park and attended a concert by Charlie Jenkins. It was great and fun to be with a lot of the community. My sweet sister made shirts for my our girls!  

I only snapped a pic of 1 of the 5 girls in their shirts. They were so excited to wear them last night and they loved them so much they wore them again today!  It is a white t-shirt with slits cut in the side and a wide ribbon wove through it. They turned out pretty cute. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend!  I'm planning on taking a nap this afternoon and hopefully finish my quilt!  

What Now?

I've been working on my latest design and I finally have the center finished. 

Now I just need to figure out the borders. I want to do something a little different. Usually I would have a little border and then a wider border of the paisley type print for the final border. 

This quilt needs something different, something special. I want to incorporate the appliqué pieces, but I'm not sure about in between the appliqué border and the center. I'll keep playing around and hopefully come up with something fabulous!  

Fancy-schmancy Wrist Rest

Try saying that title 5 times fast!  

I'm trying to work on some college stuff, but I had to quickly share this pic. 

Pancho thinks he has to be right by me. So I have turned him into my wrist guard. It really isn't that comfortable or helpful but I just let him snooze on. 

I'm not getting a lot done anyway. I am kind of stuck and I'm never productive when this happens. Sometimes I wish I wasn't such a perfectionist when it pertains to school stuff. I wish the perfectionism would move over in other areas of my life, like cleaning the house!  

Oh well, wish me luck!

Thankful

I know we all have things to be thankful for and I am guilty of taking things for granted. One thing I am very grateful for is my parents and in-laws. They both live around the corner from us and we love it!  They may not love how we ask for favors at the last minute, or how we don't visit as often as they would like but we love living as close as we do.

Each set of grandparents loves our kids so much. Check out this cute pic of my parents and my kids. This was taken last weekend in Panguitch. We were enjoying one last treat before heading home. 

Today I am thankful for all the help and support my parents and in-laws give our family!  

I encourage you to find someone you are grateful for and let them know. You just might make someone's day a little brighter.