My ultimate apron

I mostly made this apron because I had bought the fabric ages ago and I was bent on wrapping up a few unfinished projects.

The large piece of the apron is an 1850's repro fabric, and I threw an 30's print on there to serve as a pocket. The pocket is designed around the size of recipe card that I have in recipe note card box, and holds it exactly. I think that's pretty perfect. I also put a little pleated ruffle on there made of out some modern black and white striped fabric.

Fabrics from many different time periods coming together in one project is not always a great idea, but I think I'm sorta getting away with it here.

This weekend is the Alden Lane Nursery Quilt Show. It's just over an hour from our house, but I really want to go. They hang all the quilts out in the beautiful garden and they blow around in the fresh air. Not sure if we will really make it there, but if you have the chance, it is quite cool to check out.

Reading my way through the house

What do you do when you're nursing?

Well, I'm not talented enough for knitting or quilting, since I need some balance for the baby. Instead I've been catching up on all the magazines that I usually don't really have time to get through.

Ready Made is of course my new favorite.

In the current issue they mention this very cool make your own t-shirt shop in LA called Fresh Pressed. I'd like to stop in there sometime on a future visit. I think even kids would enjoy making their own T's.

KioskKiosk is also featured this month. They are having a Hong Kong theme, so all items are from there, and even have a sale going on right now. They pick up every day items that are cool and useful and offer them on their site. Everything from kite string to a welding mask (who doesn't need one of these?).

Oh, and above is a photo of the birthday crown on my husband's adorable head. He's so sweet to like my funky projects! I think he makes a darn cute model too.

Psycho Sew

First of all, a HUGE thanks to all of you for your sweet and kind comments about the new baby.

We are still having so much fun with our new little Daxton, and he has easily stolen all our hearts. Even our 3 yr old is in love.

All it took was a little nudge in the right direction, and I had a crazy list of low hanging fruit projects I could easily finish.

Here's my wild list of all the things I decided to finally put to bed:

1) Sew up feedsack pillow for the booth (done, see above in all it's glory). Handy to tuck under an elbow for nursing comfort.

2) Finish apron that I bought fabric for ages ago (done).

3) Sew 34 stars on husband's birthday crown (done).

4) Block chevron scarf - yes, it's actually done, folks, and I was crazy enough to start another one in blue. Can only block half of it at a time due to it being long, and my ironing board being the spot of choice.

5) Fix sad curtain hanging on window of front door with unfinished edges (done, thanks for shaming me into it, Katie).

6) Finish making table runner for dining room table out of reclaimed kimono fabric (half done).

7) Put sleeve on newly acquired 1930's trip around the world quilt (off to work on that now if I don't pass out first).

I think all of this means that I'm starting to finally feel a bit more like myself these days. Recovery from having a baby is still a slow process, but I think I've started down the path at least.

Oh, and if you are ever in San Jose, California, I must encourage you to check out Flower Flour for breakfast, lunch, or snack. They make some incredible baked goodies, lunch yummies, and a very mean latte. Bonus that I can walk there in about 5 min.

The place where it all happens

Is there one single spot in your house where all the excitement seems to happen?

In our family it is without a doubt our booth.

When we got it we were thinking it would be handy for breakfast, but it has become the hang out spot for dinner, reading, naps (if you can believe that!), and even small quilt group sessions.

I started a small doll quilt wall behind the booth, and still trying to make more quilts to go up. I just remembered a tiny 1850's basket quilt that I picked up ages ago at an antique shop, and it has the perfect colors to join the rest of the grouping.

Tonight I took some 30's feedsack fabric and started a pillow cover for a small throw pillow that will go in the corner.

What part of your house do you end up living in the most?

New baby bliss

What could be better than having a newborn baby in the house?

Hmmm, let me think here...um, yeah, nothing better.

Tomorrow is Daxton's 1 week birthday, and it's hard to believe he's been here that long. It also happens to be my husband's birthday as well.

He'll be 1768 weeks old.

My big online splurges for the week include adorable nursing tank tops for both me and my sister by Larrivo, and birth announcements ordered from Tiny Prints.

It's beginning to look a lot like baby!

Our baby is here!

Finally the wait is over.

Our little one has arrived and is just like an angel. We named him Daxton.

8 lbs 8 oz of love and affection. He's so sweet tempered and adorable that the family is crawling over each other just to get to hold him for a few moments.

Labor was short and as comfortable as one could hope for although at times it was certainly hard. It's always nice to have a supportive and comforting husband along for the tough parts.

Thanks to all of you for your happy thoughts leading up to the big event....all your well-wishes seem to have come true.

More news of our adventures with him soon. We all pretty much feel like we've won the lottery around here.

Our little boy is 3!

Yesterday our son turned 3.

It was a great day, and we all had a lot of fun. I even snuck a little nap in with him, which was a huge highlight.

I decided to make him a birthday crown after flipping through some of the projects that Amanda recommends in her book The Creative Family.

In my usual fashion, I didn't follow the letter of the law instructions. I used some twill tape instead of elastic to close it. I figured with the growth rate of my son's head, it would be safer to have it more adjustable, rather than less.

Also, I loaded up some glow in the dark thread and did a bit of thread painting so it would glow at bedtime.

He ran around all day in it, and was very proud of the fact that he helped me make it.

It was such a huge hit my husband asked me to make one for his birthday. I was not expecting that, but was very honored to make another one and he looks adorable in it too. I have yet to cut out all 34 stars to put on there for him. I think I can probably do it though before his birthday next week.

That crazy floating baby widgit started counting up the more overdue I become. Thank goodness the baby will be here soon, and pregnancy will be water under the bridge.

Becoming an Aunt

Today my darling little sister gave birth to our brand new niece.

The delivery was quick although (direct quote from my sis) "not fun". Mom and baby are as healthy and happy as can be. Personally I think this little girl is the cutest I've ever seen on a 1" by 1" cel phone screen, and I cannot wait to hold her/meet her. We will travel to visit as soon as our little one is here and able.

Note to self: Better finish that baby girl's quilt!

Our baby has yet to arrive, but the above amazing cross stitch is a gift for him from a family friend who does such awesome detailed work that it is a great honor to hang it on our nursery walls.

Also, if you haven't yet read Jennifer's post at Moving Hands about her brush with fame - Read: Meeting Yoko Saito in person!! - do check it out. I so wish I was there in person, I would just do anything to meet her.

Are you wondering as to what the floating baby widgit will do after my due date comes and goes, and the baby is late? Will there be some giant red warning sign flashing "Danger! Could arrive at any moment!" or something? I for one am curious...guess I won't have to wonder much longer.

Japanese baby quilt, boy version: finished

Days of hand quilting: 17

Yards of thread: way too many to keep track of

Viewings of movie The Holiday: 2 (one with directory commentary)

Quilting needles: 8

Used finger cots: 20

Having a baby quilt done before the owner arrives: Priceless

Quilts Japan #124 - the Yoko Saito issue

I cannot help but do a quick post about the issue of Quilts Japan that I just picked up.

It's issue #124, September 2008, and is completely packed with photos of the work of Yoko Saito (including cover shot). All of her work is done with Japanese taupe fabrics.

Patterns include bags, table cover, place mats, tea cozy in shape of cat, book covers, bed quilts, wall quilts, lamp cover, and even a cover for your house keys.

Could this be my most favorite issue ever? It's up there, for sure.

Cannot live without an issue of your own? Call Kinokuniya and subscribe!! They are willing to mail out subscriptions, which I think is very cool.

p.s. no baby yet!

Nani Iro fabrics

Looks like the waiting game continues here for me, and our little could-come-anytime-soon bundle of joy, with this being basically the -10 day mark.

Our first son was a whole week late, so I'm not expecting any amazing early arrivals, although in this heat, I certainly would not mind a slightly early or on time delivery!

Please think a happy 'be born soon' thought for both me and my sister's little ones, if you have a spare moment.

I have fallen head over heels in love with Nani Iro's fabric designs and plan on using the pink fabric shown above on the baby quilt for my sister's little girl, as border.

I'm not the only one with Nani Iro on the brain...check out Moving Hands for more pictures/ideas. Mari used the pattern book to whip some dresses together that have also been on my mind for a while. I'm still too chicken to make garments, but these creations are pushing me to the brink of trying my hand at it.

35

Does 35 sound old to you?

Well, it does a bit to me, but I suppose I've earned it.

My family is gingerly helping me enter the 2nd half of my 30's by spoiling me in all sorts of ways. My little sister will turn 30 tomorrow, (our birthdays are only 1 day apart) and because we are both pregnant it turns out that we couldn't travel in order to be together this year. I do miss her.

Hopefully all you hip youngster bloggers won't give up on reading my little blog here now that I'm too old to qualify for the AQS Young Quilt Designer's award. And to the rest of you who have already made it past your 35th birthday, I'm right there with ya!

I came up with the cable above for use in the star portion of the baby quilts. I don't think I'll be using trapunto, since the quilts will be used by babies after all, but I'm tempted to do a little bit of it.

Let loose at the book store

I went a bit nuts in the magazine section last night at the book store.

I basically bought whatever magazines that were calling out to me, in order to gain some cheap thrills while I have some extra reading time on my hands.

The latest copy of Milk Magazine (fashion and style for kids) with English text included - who knew they offered this version?! - was calling out to me, so of course I took it home with me.

Artful Blogging Magazine also found its way home with me. Having this magazine in my hot little hands feels like a yearbook of sorts for all the lovely blogs I read on a regular basis. Represented here are pieces by Amanda from Soule Mama, Jude of Spirit Cloth, and many many others.

Ready Made was the last magazine to jump into my basket. I am going to subscribe to this one right away. So many DIY projects, ideas, and inspirational photos here. Current issue for Aug/Sept 08 has an antique sewing machine on the cover.

And for the pleasure of you uber-quilting-smartie-pants-nerds out there (like you, Amy) here's what I did after I washed the paper off of the baby quilt top:

1) Took the above photo since the light through the wet quilt made it look like stained glass
2) Hung it up to dry a bit since it was SOAKING WET...waited about 4 hours...
3) Put it on my ironing board and 'pressed it' (did NOT 'iron' it by running iron all over it, just pressed the iron down on each of the blocks)
4) Held it up, and said, gee, that's still pretty square - cool! I'll end up blocking it after it's quilted if it needs it.
5) Basted it by hand with batting and backing
6) Put in in my hoop and started to hand quilt it 'by the piece' which means you quilt lines just inside every seam where each piece is sewn to another piece.
7) FYI, looking good so far!

Going for the Gold

Visiting uncharted territory here, with embedded video. Did it work? For a self-admitted-techno-geek, I'm not sure why I'm scared to try this.

It's a clip of me washing away the paper from the back of the quilt. Oh so much faster/easier than picking off the non-wash away type.

One thing I did discover this time around - if you use it while working with very dark fabrics (see border!) you can end up with a hefty amount of lint afterwards on the darks, so wash well!

Couple of cute Olympic stories from our almost 3 yr old:

When he was watching swimming for the first time (which he LOVES) he was asking us why the swimmers didn't have their daddies in the pool!

Last night at swim lessons he decided to push off the wall backwards into the pool, just like the backstroke racers do. It was adorable, I cannot believe he came up with that all on his own.

By the way, do you have this stamp set by Yellow Owl yet? I really want both of them. That would so fall under the category of naughty/greedy shopping for self. Ah, temptation....

Maryann's Peace tomato

A friend from work gave me a Maryann's Peace tomato plant several months ago, and this is the first fruit to come off that plant. I cannot wait to eat it, I doubt it will last another couple of hours. Salt, pepper, basil, balsamic vinegar...mmmmmm!

I was just reading a copy of AQS Blanket Statements (recycled from my mom's quilting friend) and noticed a couple of very cool things.

First, there is a new International Quilt Study Center that just opened in Lincoln, Nebraska. I would love to visit there, and would be scared of the amount of time I could spend in their library.

Next, there was the mention of a very interesting book that I haven't yet run into along the way: Childhood Treasures, Doll Quilts By and For Children. No idea if any of the doll quilt swappers have based their patterns on the quilts from this book, but it looks incredible.

An on a totally different topic, I bumped into this Etsy shop called Tinctory. This necklace is so awesome. I have not played around with smocking, but would certainly love to take a class someday. Until then, I will drool over the Tinctory creations.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my dear Dad's birthday. This is an old picture of him with his beloved Jag. I think he had to marry my mother because it was so unreliable he needed her to rescue him all the time.

Hope your day is great Dad, so sorry that I'm not there with you to celebrate in person. Maybe next year, when I'm less pregnant and more travel-friendly!!

I love you!
-Marisa

Olympaholics anonymous

Oh how I wish somebody would help me to exercise a bit of restraint these days. I'm a completely loose cannon.

Instead of going to bed on time, like a nice little 36 week pregnant woman should, I'm up until all hours glued to my couch cheering on our Olympic gymnastics team, swimmers, and divers.

When I caught myself watching Vietnam play badminton, I realized that some sort of addiction had set in.

I'm writing it off to final stages of pregnancy insanity. My recent purchase of 2 very large New York steaks for dinner will also fall into this category.

My last post had shown strips cut out, and they went into a little pencil holder project that I made for some friends of our son. The pattern came out of Last Minute Patchwork & Quilted Gifts. This book is of course a must have. If you don't have a copy already, HELLO! You need one. Author is owner of Purl, of course you knew that already, but pattern maker of this pencil roll is actually owner of Pink Chalk.

The fabric that I used for the lower part of the outside of the roll (I didn't follow the pattern exactly actually, I made the outside from 2 pieces of material) is my recent order from Pink Chalk. (Highly recommend ordering from them, very professional!)

Thank God my mom was visiting, and SERIOUSLY helped me finish these. I made a little boy version as well.

School's out!

Last week was my final week of working before maternity leave, so it was a busy one.

I have mixed emotions as working was helping me avoid all the new baby prep work that I'm starting today. So much for that lovely state of procrastination!

With 1 month to go before the arrival of our little one, so many things to do and also I have the incredible pleasure of spending more time with our almost 3 yr old. I think we'll head off to the pool sometime this week to cool off and goof around.

So can you guess what I'm doing with all those lovely little rectangles of Japanese fabric?

(Oh, I should also add that I'll be back to work again after the baby is a bit bigger, but for now I may actually have a little time to pretend I'm a stay at home mom!)

When quilters try to knit (AKA scary scary)

There are many brave souls out there reading the book called Last Minute Knitted Gifts and making the "more than 8 hour gift" called the chevron scarf.

For me (a slacker? a very slow knitter...and in order of priority, a quilter to be sure) this "more than 8 hour gift" is a bit closer to an "almost 8 month project".

I think I'm finally almost done with my beloved scarf. This was probably due to the twice/week swimming lessons, and my husband getting into the pool with our son instead of me (oh the things you get away with when you're pregnant!).

And speaking of lack of self control - I've had Pink Chalk on the mind, and ended up with a minor slip up of buying a yard of this. Oh so very pretty. Cannot wait for it to arrive in the mail.

Making progress, little by little

Making progress on the baby boy quilt this weekend. Tonight I just got the borders attached, so time to soak off the paper backing next, and then off to baste it.

My in-laws are visiting this weekend, so having a never-ending source of entertainment for our 3 yr old is probably the only reason I got anything done on it at all.

I was also supposed to teach my friend Katie how to crochet, but I think I was so bad as an instructor (even with book in hand!!) that she's going to revert to knitting. Yikes, that is so very pathetic. I really should stay away from yarn.

We did discover that the local knit shop now offers some beads in their back room, so that's sweet. I will return there to pick up a few things for attaching my world's tiniest pin cushions to the ribbons for hanging off scissors.

Have you already (like the rest of the world, apparently) shredded your toll house cookie recipe for this 'new and improved' BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe? I'm actually getting tempted to try it. Is this for real or just another internet myth?