Gettin' Back in the Groove

Several of you know why I've been absent for the last couple weeks, so I will spare everyone the details. I am glad to report that I am feeling a lot better. I am so missing playing with fabric and sewing!!! I hope to have some cute projects done soon and have another Sewing Makover post with progress pictures.

Look for posts about these topics coming soon:

* My Misfit Quilters Hoop Swap (I'm about 90% done!)

* Cutting Table construction and tutorial!

* Scrap Splat Challenge for Thomas Knauer Sews and Generation Q Magazine (I'm #3 on the list!) More about it here too.

* Extreme Sewing Room Makeover updates

* Holiday Projects

* Clothing Projects

Sweetwater Week at Crazee Corners

I'm guest blogging over at Sharon of Crazee Corners blog again this month!! I feel so honored that she let me guest blog again. So glad that I didn't mess it up last time! Well, this is Sweetwater's month. I'm going to talk about using their Sunkissed line. I really was on the fence about this fabric and hadn't really planned on buying any.

*gasp* I actually said that and am being featured, how dare I?!?!

Please trust me and keep reading!

Well, as I was saying, I wasn't going to buy any. That is until, Brie and I created Misfit Quilters and we had our first doll quilt swap (DQS). I had Selina's name and the colors in Sunkissed matched the colors that she likes. So, I gave in and bought a fat quarter bundle of Sunkissed. I was kinda worried I wasn't going to like it and then what was I going to use it for after I finished the doll quilt. I got my package, opened it, and was amazed by the fabric. I LOVED it!!! Wow, how could it be that I was so on the fence and decided I wasn't going to buy and now I'm in love with it? I love how the fabric also had words with definitions like grow, sprout, hope, and sunshine just to name a few.

Each of the blocks in the doll quilt was chosen because they had a meaning that went along with them. You can read those meaning in this post. Now all that is left is to figure out whan I'm going to use the rest of my fabric for!

Happy Sewing!

My 100th Post

How exciting!!! It's taken me a lil bit to get here, How awesome!

I don't have anything crafty to to say in this post. I wanted to use this post to thank my followers. I am really thankful for every one of you! (Mainly for putting up with me!) So I wanted to reward just you with a giveaway. No commenting, extra following, or anything other than being the awesome people that you are. So without further ado, I'm heading over to Random.org to pick a winner.

*drumroll*

*I picked the winner counting top to bottom, left to right from my friend's section at the right. --->

 

Congratulations Jessa of Doxie Noodle!!!

Email me your address and I'll have a special something mailed out to you!

 

I think every 25 posts I'm going to have a special something for one of my awesome followers! Just to thank you for being you! So Stay Awesome!

Happy Sewing!

Angel Baby - Updated

Now, this has nothing to do with quilting, sewing, or anything crafty. It's more of a personal post. Totally understand if you don't want to read it.

5 years ago at the beginning of this month would have been when our second child would have been born. It was and is still something that bothers me. This child became an Angel the week of Christmas 2005. I still vividly remember a dream that I had just 2 weeks before this happened. I was holding the hand of a small child (maybe 2 yrs old) with downs syndrome and we began walking up a staircase that seemed to go on forever. When we made it to the top of the stairs there was this older man who reached out his hand to the child. I was hesitant, but felt a comforting warmth and he told me it was ok. The child took the older mans hand and walked away with him through a door. I could hear the laughter of many children playing behind that door and felt reassured that the child would be happy and safe. At that time I didn't understand what that dream was about. It wasn't until I found out that my baby had died inside of me that I had this feeling that it was God trying to reassure me and prepare me for what happened. I am at peace knowing that my baby is in a good place.

My problem is I haven't been able to accept that my cousin would be allowed to keep her baby. She continues to pronounce (or whatever) that she is a Christian/born again Christian. So according to the Bible her child was conceived in sin (pregnant out of marriage...making her a hypocrite) and I had to lose mine. I have since wavered in my faith. I had found out in early January that I had lost the baby we moved back to Kentucky in March (the day after my cousin got home from having her baby). Everyone was so happy and flaunting the baby all around and seemed extremely offended that I refused to hold the baby. Apparently everyone seemed to have forgotten I had just lost a baby. I think that has added to my hurt. I can not get past that and I don't know how to move on to a more positive view. I know that it is both irrational and illogical to blame her, but that is all I can seem to do. I know that if I had that child, we wouldn't have had our oldest daughter. I have never wished we didn't have her, instead we are very thankful for having her.


 Which brings me to this. My cousin is having her second child's baby shower the same month that would have been my child's birthday AND on the day that would have been my late grandmother's birthday. I was very close to my grandmother and I believe I was her favorite. I feel like this is a double slap in the face. I can not bring myself to go. I'm going to make a quilt for the baby because I know that it isn't the child's fault, but I can not be there to celebrate the pregnancy of another illegitimate child on my grandmother's birthday.

I have thought about this and I just can not come to a reasonable answer about this. If any of you that have actually read this far, have suggestions I am open. I need an unbiased opinion. Also, don't worry about hurting my feelings. I do try to have an open mind.

2:58 pm Addition to above:

I just wanted to thank Beth again for your great email. I thought over that as I was at the dentist and it seemed to have helped lift some of the fog I was in. I know this needs to be resolved and I am struggling to find a productive way. I've stepped back several times trying to look at it from all angles and perspectives (being the problem solver I usually am), but I think it's just so personal that I am having a hard time letting go of the hurt. My husband tells me a lot that I am the most open minded of my family. It's just crazy how I can't seem to get over this. :-(

Poor, Neglected Sewing Room

Life that crazy, unpredictable aspect of our existance. Because Life Happens, it's going on two and a half weeks of no sewing. I think I'm going into major withdraws. I need to get out of this funk! After months of not looking or going to Pinterest, I got sucked into it's wormhole a couple days ago and went on a pinning spree. So go check out my boards, there are lots of recipes, Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas ideas, and some cute tutorials.

I don't have any sewing pictures to share with you, but here are some pics of a few things that were going on.

DD#2 and Hubby are building a wall in the front. It's been slow going since the weather has been in the 100s. It's looking really good now at 4 stones high.

Lil Man was out with us that day too.

We got our new kitchen/dining room table in. It's a German eckbank (or Corner Bench). Our first table in 10 yrs. The one we had been using was a hand-me-down from his parents. The long and short benchs lift up to have a small storage area under them.

The girls had to have pink cowgirl boots when we went to the farm store. DD#2 has worn her everyday since we bought them. She loves them, as you can tell from her expression.

My Misfit's Doll Quilt Swap quilt came in the mail with some AWESOME goodes from Amy at The Needled Fig. I already have it hanging up in my sewing room (one of the few times I've been in there). DD#2 had claimed it as hers. She had wrapped it around herself like a skirt saying it matched her shirt. I took it away when she went to sleep.

My fabric finally came for my next dress. I am going to be using this with the Meghan Peasant Dress from Jennifer at SisBoom. I can't wait to get started! I am going to use the cap sleeves with this one.

I have a pretty purple-ish rose on my rosebush!

Well, that's all for now. I can't wait to sew something up and show it off to you all!

Happy Sewing!

My "PIGS"

Just learned a new acronym that I thought I'd share with you. "PIGS" stands for Projects In Grocery Sacks. I thought I'd share my PIGS with you. I get bored easily distracted burned out sometimes and need to move to another project. My resolution this year is to get get my projects completed and not buy as much fabric until I do. Which is really really hard to do!

I have some PIGS corraled in a pin under my cutting table. Here they are all nice and cozy. These projects are for a later date and are in various stages of progress.

 

Here are some piggies keeping warm under my sewing table. These piggies are on the top of my list to get done before Christmas.

 

Here is the current piggy that I'm working on. Although I might have to put it up for a lil bit because the satin stitching along the applique is making me go crosseyed. Oye!

Now it's your turn. Show me what PIGS you have. Put a link to your PIGS post in my comments so I can see yours.

Tales of a Dead TV

Well, our TV died on us a couple weeks ago so we've been using out computer monitor as a substitute TV (which it is actually a 32" TV that could be hooked up to a computer) until we find a replacement. So I have not been able to upload any pictures since the card reader for my camera is on the desktop and I have no clue where the cord is for the camera. I have been working on some cute fabric postcards, a few Halloween decorations, and just started a Wizard of Oz quilt at a Christmas gift for my mom.

My craft room is slowly coming together (still have boxes in here that need to be unpacked). They are mainly "pretties" waiting for a curio cabinet to be put in.

I recently took the Homemade Pledge (as you can see by the link on the right). Although I am going to be hard pressed to get them done, I am feel a lot more peaceful and calmer. Maybe it's the fact that I won't have to fight the crowds rushing to get my last minute shopping done.