Baking and Baking :)

So how many pies do you need for 7 adults, 6 children, and 2 babies??  Why 6 of course :)  Yup, I have been baking this morning, but oh, how much fun it is to bake when you have company and fellow women in the kitchen.  We had a blast and the pies look spectacular :)

And speaking of baking . . .make sure to check back the day after the big turkey feast for some other "baking".  That's right, I have a new project coming out on good old Black Friday.  How many of you have fabric on your black Friday shopping list :)

Christmas Project - Check

Ya, I am finally starting some of my Christmas Project quilting.  I really scaled back this year as far as holiday sewing. I only have 3 "smallish" projects and now I can check one off.  I can also show you the project now because it is for my amazing Sister-in-law who is coming for Thanksgiving.  They are coming today!! (hence the need to finish the project :)  And since it is no fun to open Christmas decor on Christmas day, I am going to let her have this part of her present early so she can enjoy it throughout the whole Christmas Season :)

I won this adorable wall hanging in a giveaway back in the summer and was so excited.  I knew who it was for immediately, and then procrastinated 5 months to make it :)  Isn't it just so sweet!!

I debated back and forth between the idea of outlining the pictures or quilting the backgrounds.  In the end I decided on quilting the backgrounds.  I hoped that this would really make the sweet pictures and words stand out and oh do they ever!  They just pop!  I quilted a little (and I mean little) swirl.  I am so excited for how it turned out.  Don't you just love when the idea in your head turns out the same when you put it on the fabric!

Here it is all ready to go :)  I still need a little work on my bows, that didn't turn out quite the way I had planned in my head.  But after tying and retying, I decided this was good enough to go :)

Oh and don't you hate it when this happens!!  I did it not once but twice, on two different corners!!  Enter the seam ripper!  The second one was almost disastrous as I was just about out of the green thread.  I ended up with about 10 inches left.  That is cutting it a little to close :)

And last but not least, I can also check off my One Thing One Week Challenge.  Ya, I made a goal that had to be attained by Tuesday so that I know I would get it done.  Thanks again Amy for always giving us the extra push to get those stitching goals done!

We'll I did get One thing done

Okay, so I know most of the quilting world really gets busy on the weekends.  I always have plans to get so many projects completed over the weekend but it never seems to play out that way.

First, I sleep in (with 4 little ones climbing all over my husband and I).  And then there are normally errands to run.  If it is a week with a Kids Build we have to head over to Lowes, seriously, the kids really don't like to miss that.  And then there is always lots of games in the afternoon while the littlest take naps.  And before you know it, it is dinner and bed, and then I am normally so pooped I follow the kids to bed.

So ya, I don't end up with a lot of quilting time on weekends, but honestly, that's okay.  I am really trying hard to keep this whole quilting love balanced with family.  I know I don't always do the best (especially when I am close to finishing a project, It is just like a book, I can't stop until it is done) but I really am trying.  It's all about keeping things in perspective, right :)

Okay, so I think I am getting sidetracked, I really just meant to lead into the one thing I did this weekend.  So here it is :)

 I actually put this top together a few weeks ago.  It was my "guinea pig" for figuring out my pattern for Nature's Pathways.  I learned a lot :)  So what I did this weekend was find this adorable snuggle fleece for the back and attach it.  (ya, so like 15 minutes of sewing :)

I am so excited about it!  It is just a little mini quilt, I call it a car-seat-snuggie.   It is just the perfect size for tucking those little ones into their car seat.   I made it to go with my Snuggle Squares quilt (and with the scraps from that quilt) and both will be sent off to my amazing twin sister who just found out that her first little wee one will be a girl!!  I am so excited for her!!  Love you Jen!!

Nature's Pathways

We'll it never was beautifully sunny, but good enough to get a decent picture.  Introducing Nature's Pathways

I just love the way the sashings  pop out and I just can't get enough of scrappy bindings, Love them!!

Another view of my leafy vine quilting

The back.  I did mitered corners on the borders for the first time.  I really liked doing them:)

Ready to be snuggled and loved :)

I Need the Sun

I finished quilting up and binding my "Jo-Anne quilt contest" quilt this morning (and some of this afternoon).  You know, the earthy tones one that I will probably call A Nature Walk or Natures Pathways or something along those lines.  (by the way, thank you for all of the great suggestions, I really am having a hard time picking a favorite, but that is a good thing :)

Well anyhow, now that it is done I just want to get outside and take some wonderful pictures of the beautiful earth tones and Argghh, it is all muggy, wet, and nasty.  No sun at all, just total cloud cover and threating to rain again.

What ya gonna do??  I will try to get outside tomorrow and take some pictures because I really don't want to reveal the finished quilt with pictures taken inside that just don't do the colors justice.  So, I will leave you with a little sneak peak and show you the new quilting design I tried out .

I figured since it was all "nature-ish" I would try to create a "nature-ish" all over design.  I played around for a bit on paper and ended up coming up with this.  I'm going to call it leafy vine.  I did it rather small scale so yes, it took quite a while to quilt up but I am so super happy with the outcome.  Until tomorrow, Happy Quilting