QUILT ALONG WEEK TWO: CUTTING AND IRONING

Hopefully you have everything you need collected so we can get cutting!!

• rotary cutter
• cutting mat
• straight edge
• 35-40 clothing items
  

Instructions:

1. In total, you will need sixty (60) 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" squares from the clothing. This includes a 1/4" seam allowance on all four sides of each square.
   
2. If you have a piece of clothing that you want more than one square from (preferably patterned, not plain white), start by placing your shirt (or other item) on the mat and line up your straight edge on one side.
3. Measure 4.5" and cut through both layers with the rotary cutter.
4. Continue cutting (through both layers) so that you end up with two perfect squares.
5. Some items have a portion in particular that you want to use in your quilt. Like this onesie that my friend Sabrina sent me when Storey was born. Gotta include the adorable "S."
   
6. Again, I measure the 4.5", but this time I make sure that the applique I want included is centered in my square. I also want to make sure that the edges of the applique aren't close to my seam allowance (1/4" on each side). Using my straight edge and rotary cutter, I cut out the square. Go ahead and cut through both layers.
   
7. I won't need the back piece of this particular onesie because it is plain white, but it is up to you whether or not you want to keep the other square.
   
8. Keep in mind as you cut that you may want to have squares with buttons, snaps, and pockets on them from the clothing. It adds a little extra texture and personality to the final quilt. If you look closely at this picture (click on it to enlarge) you can see both snaps and buttons.
9. In total, you should cut 60 squares from the clothing
10. ***The instructions above do not include the big square in the middle, instead you are using four squares for the middle. If you do have a favorite outfit that you want to use in the middle, cut 56 of the smaller squares and ONE 8.25" x 8.25" square for the very middle.
    

Now move on to cutting the filler squares from your solid cotton or flannel fabric. You will need forty-four (40) 4.5" x 4.5" squares.

1. Take your washed fabric and fold it in half, making sure there are no wrinkles (you may want to iron it flat). Then fold it in half again, giving you four layers of fabric, and line up your straight edge 4.5" from the edge of your fabric.
   
2. Cut through all four layers with your rotary cutter, creating one long strip.
3. Open up the fabric so that there are only two layers. Using your rotary cutter, cut off the edge of the strip to create a straight edge before starting squares.
4. Cut again at 4.5", making squares. Do this along the entire length of your cut strip.
5. Continue cutting this way until you have 44 squares of solid fabric.

Now, I forgot to mention this last week (sorry!!) but there's one more step that you must do before we can get to sewing next week. And one more thing to buy.

You need lightweight, iron-on Pellon. You can find this behind the cutting counter at Joann's and in most other fabric shops. Basically, it is a stabilizer and you are going to use it to iron on to the back of all of the knit fabric squares. This is important because most baby clothing is made of stretchy material and you don't want it to stretch as you sew the squares.So pick out the knit squares, and iron the pellon (with a no steam iron) onto the back of all of them. You will have to cut off the excess with a straight edge and a rotary cutter. PLEASE DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP-it will make sewing your whole quilt top together much more difficult.

Once you have ironed and cut the excess off your squares, you are done with this week's assignment!!

Supplies for week three:

• sewing machine
• 60 cut clothing squares
• 40 cut solid squares
• white thread

Get ready! We're going to be making a quilt top!!

Finished

185 flags for a custom wedding order. The bride is using them as centerpieces and then the guests will wave them as the new couple leave the reception (in lieu of rice or the ever popular sparkler).
I love it.

I've been thinking....

Why do we have a child that doesn't deal with change well (i.e. stays up until 1AM or later every night for three months after moving into a new home) when it seems we are doomed to move at least twice a year?

Why do I feel LESS healthy since I've started exercising again?

More importantly, why am I suddenly having trouble sleeping? Is this normal?

Why did Jakson decide at midnight to scream for 45 minutes straight because "water parks are scary" (???)?

Why haven't I lost any weight yet? Seriously, it's been like a whole week.

Why do my children begin fighting to the death every.single.time I'm trying to have a conversation on the phone?

Why can't I come up with some sort of discipline tactic that is actually effective?

Why is Storey so dang loud? Or rather, what did I do to deserve this?

If my neighbors are going to smell up my house with their cooking, can't they make something that smells good? Does anyone else with a townhome/apartment have this neighbor-stench problem?

When will life EVER calm down?

Life's mysteries.....

A leafy goal

I eat a lot and I exercise a little. And by little I mean I walk around Target pushing a cart full of clearance items and two screaming children at an extremely fast pace. That's about the extent of my exercise.

But I am determined to turn over a new leaf.

My new leaf looks a lot like a gym pass. Along with a tiny house, we also moved into an area with a cheap recreation center nearby. My excuses in the past regarding exercise have been A)the nearest gym was out of our budget and B)Jakson likes to have meltdowns when I leave him (remember that little diagnosis of separation anxiety?). And since running on a treadmill with a child attached to one leg wasn't exactly an option, I tended to opt out altogether. Now Jak will be attending school three times a week, leaving me with three less excuses. And about 40 extra pounds to lose.

So, I am going to give it a go. I used my pass for the first time today and am shockingly out of shape. Target doesn't do much for your heart rate apparently. I also stepped on the scale (after making sure no one was spying over my shoulder) and, well, let's just say my metabolism doesn't seem to be working as well as it used to.

I'm hoping to keep up the exercise momentum and dust off (literally) the Tae-bo VHS tapes tomorrow (no school for Jak on Tues). I'll be sure to keep the blinds closed so as not to scare my new neighbors.

I don't think you'll see me running a marathon anytime soon, especially since that sounds as fun as taking a road trip with Storey (which is worse than getting poked in the eye with a needle), but someday I'm hoping to be able to jog a mile without stopping for a Twinkie break or two.

Mmmmm....Twinkies.

Please note: In my PJ (pre-Jak) days, I could not only run a mile without stopping for a Twinkie, I could run circles around the Twinkie and then eat said Twinkie without gaining one ounce. Just wanted to clarify that I used to be fit. I have "let myself go" as they say.... Darn kids.

QUILT ALONG WEEK ONE: COLLECTING CLOTHES

This is going to be the easiest week long assignment-getting together the outfits that you want to use for your quilt. Remember that they should be clothing items that you don't mind cutting into squares eventually (don't worry, that part doesn't come until next week).

At first I was a little wary about cutting up some of Jak's clothes, especially the onesie he came home from the hospital in, but I realized that I wasn't going to be doing anything else with it and it would be put to much better use incorporated into the quilt.

In total, you will need between 35-40 clothing items for your quilt. These can be anything from pants to dresses. One parent even had me use her daughter's first school bag (it was machine washable and made of cotton fabric) in her quilt! Possible items that you may want to use-sweaters, dresses, scraps of a lovie blanket, scraps from clothing you have sewn for your child, pants, onesies, shirts, jackets, nightgowns, sleepers, Halloween costumes

When choosing clothing I would stay away from the following things:

• anything scratchy-this is blanket after all
• anything NOT machine washable. This quilt may turn into your child's favorite blanket and you don't want to have it fall apart after the first wash
• any kind of tulle or chiffon fabric-difficult to cut into squares and sew into the quilt
  
• big coats-the thickness will make it difficult to sew

As a general rule, I'd try to keep with normal clothing items that your child wore-these will usually follow all of the guidelines above.

Once you collect your clothes, you'll need to start gathering your supplies for Week Two.

You'll need:

1. Rotary cutter and mat-you can buy these at Joanns for pretty cheap with a coupon
2. A straight edge-a metal or plastic ruler (not a measuring tape) will work fine for this. If you want to buy an actual straight edge, they also sell these at Joanns and other craft/sewing stores
3. 1 yard of solid flannel or cotton for filler squares (squares that are not from clothing) WASH YOUR FABRIC BE
   

--if you are going to use flannel, be aware that flannel tends to bleed color despite several washings-I learned this the hard way. In my opinion, you should only use white if you are going to use flannel. I like the flannel because it is soft.
--you may want to use a colored solid cotton if a lot of the clothing in your quilt is white. It will also bleed, but won't usually bleed after one washing.
--I wouldn't recommend using a patterned cotton fabric for the filler squares. It tends to become too busy looking. You'll have a chance to add fabric with some personality when we get to the backing of the quilt.

Here is an example of each-red cotton fabricwhite flannel

Please let me know if you have any questions as you get started collecting clothing. Post them in the comments section below-chances are other people will be wondering the same thing!!

Week Two Instructions here.

Grab the Baby Clothes Quilt Along button and spread the word!
"

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ANYONE IN? BABY CLOTHES QUILT-ALONG

I used to have boxes of baby clothes for Jak that I was holding on to merely for sentimental reasons. They didn't serve a purpose and were taking up room on a closet shelf. Right before Storey was born, I put together a quilt out of the clothing that reminded me the most of him. The outfit he came home in, the first pajama pants I ever made him, a shirt his Grandma gave him, things that I really treasured. Now I have a blanket that takes up a lot less room than those boxes (and is a lot cuter)!!For the past two years, I've been collecting special clothes in a bin for Storey's quilt and I'm ready to get started with the project.

Want to make one too?
During the next five weeks, I'll be posting instructions each Monday with that week's "assignment". I've broken up the steps into manageable portions so that despite a busy schedule, you'll be able to get each part done. This way as well you can ask questions and post comments as you work.The weeks will be broken up into the following sections:
Week 1: Collecting clothes (week 1 instructions will be posted tomorrow afternoon along with the supplies needed for Week 2)
Week 2: Cutting and ironing
Week 3: Sewing the quilt top
Week 4: Putting the quilt layers together
Week 5: Binding the quilt

Even if you are a beginning seamstress, this is a great project to start with. You don't need to know anything technical about sewing and I'll provide detailed instructions and pictures to help along the way. Not only that, but your friends will be so impressed with your finished product!!
Anyone interested in quilting along with me? If you are, please leave a comment. Thanks! Can't wait to get started!

I will be updating this post will all of the quilt along posts, but you can also click on the "quilt along" tag at the bottom of this post to see all related posts.

WEEK ONE LINK-Collecting Clothes
WEEK TWO LINK-Cutting and Ironing Clothes

Spread the word by posting the Baby Clothes Quilt Along button!

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The wall that anxiety built

On the trip back from Houston-Wilson's Arch

About a month ago, we took a little trip to IKEA to grab a few things. Before eating our ridiculously cheap IKEA cafeteria meal, Jak and I headed to the bathroom to wash our hands. The bathroom had some crazy state of the art hand dryer and since Jakson likes electronic gadgets, I thought he would find it fascinating. What a mistake.
I stuck my hands in to show him that it came on automatically and he suddenly lost it, ran screaming from the bathroom, and wouldn't come near me for another 15 minutes (did he think I had a portable torture hand dryer hidden behind my back?).

Fast forward two weeks.

We had been in the car for 6 or so hours, driving to Houston. Jakson needed to go potty, so we found a gas station and Zak took him in. Only a minute later they came back, Jakson screaming, kicking, hitting. Zak explained that the bathroom was really dirty and it freaked Jakson out. Totally understandable. I like a boy who is disgusted by a mess.

Does that mean he won't leave one?

So we found another, less filthy looking gas station down the road. It was my turn to take him in-but despite the cleanliness, he still would not go to the bathroom.

Getting a little frustrated since he obviously needed to go, we decide to try another tactic-he's a boy, all the world is his toilet. In the car we tried to pump him up for this great adventure. Peeing on the road! What fun! He was excited, but once go-time came, he claimed it was "too scary" and refused.

We stopped three more times, offering a water bottle to pee in, rocks to pee on, but nothing.
No matter how much it hurts or what he wants, once he hits the wall anxiety has built, he can go no further. At that point (about 8 hours), he was writhing and moaning like a dying dog in the back seat.

Doesn't make for a very pleasant trip.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.

I grabbed the Chick-Fil-A cup from lunch, turned around and told him that he was going to pee into the cup. No horrifying public bathrooms, no "scary" wilderness. Just Jak and the cup.
(well, and me, and Storey, and Daddy, and the fact that peeing in a cup is quite revolting)

Heaven be praised, it worked. Jakson stood up in his car seat, peed in the cup, and then promptly fell asleep. Leaving me with a cup full of urine. Knowing that if I tried to dispense of it at 75 miles/hour, I'd end up with a face full of splatter, I gently put the lid back on, and stuck it in the center console cup holder where it sat until Albuquerque.

What a glamorous life we lead.

Uncanny

All I can think about during Project Runway is the fact that Heidi has been taking hair advice from a two year old.

Birthday Girl

Storey in her "pink" hat.

Storey kind of got the shaft this year for her birthday. We were in the midst of moving and I didn't even have time to hang up the birthday bunting.
Poor Storey.

Don't feel too bad for her though because the she still had the best parts of any birthday celebration-pink, princesses, and Pooh Bear.

Storey was excited about her new trike, complete with storage for all of her presents.

Storey at age 2:

• talks NON STOP. As in all.the.dang.time. Definitely a blessing and a curse (and such a switch from Jakson)
  
• loves He-Hore (Eeyore) and Pooh Bear
• has a crush on her dentist.
  
• suffers from a seriously wicked lisp
• is our own, personal parrot
• loves pink, but, much to my utter happiness, believes that the color red is actually pink (hence her "pink" hat at the top of this post). I have yet to correct her. Does this constitute as child abuse?
• has two volumes-loud and extra loud. She has absolutely no whisper voice. I blame this solely on Zak's sister Suzy.
• chatters constantly (such a predominant personality trait, it deserves to be mentioned more than once)
  
• continues to suck her fingers and rub her face with monkey's tail to self soothe.
• only has two front bottom teeth. It's very beaver-esque.
• talks to everyone-very charming when she wants to be
• loves to sleep-the only time she is not talking
• makes up songs and sings to herself (this trait I blame on her aunt Katy-it's very cute until the volume becomes unbearable)
  
• obsessed with everything her brother does-he is her idol
• can correctly name at least 10 different dinosaurs (see above)
  
• her favorite food (according to her) is cheese and her favorite movie is "Disneyland" (an old VHS Disney sing-a-long songs video my mom gave her that is taped on the rides at Disneyland--the songs are annoying and unfortunately, very catchy)
• is very bossy (as evidenced below-she's yelling at me to "sit down!")
  

Don't be jealous.

I've been neglecting the internets for the past two weeks.

Reasons: moving, craziness, no connection. And sitting outside of Starbucks in a car just to blog didn't sound all that appealing.

Exciting things have been happening around these parts though. Jakson knocked out another tooth (from here on out, he will be referred to as the Toothless Wonder), Storey is now too old to fly free, we have moved into a new (to us) and tiny home, and spent an enormous time at various doctor's appointments, only to discover that Storey too is anemic (despite her enormous appetite) and the Toothless Wonder may or may not be deaf in one ear. That would explain a few things, eh?

Stick around. There's more excitement to come.

I'm sure of it.

Dave Ramsey would be proud

Another long story made short:
We found a place to live.

It is small, but it is cheap and close to Zak's work and Storey refuses to sleep anywhere but in a dang closet anyway, so why do we need a bedroom for her?

I"ve been perusing blogs and design sites for ideas on utilizing small spaces. Basically, I'd like to fit an office, play room, three bedrooms, a living room, a dining area, and a kitchen into five small rooms. So yeah....I'm all about creativity at this point.

Found out that a lot of kids sleep in closets, although their closets are a lot more aesthetically pleasing than Storey's.

Ohdeedoh

OffBeatMama

Oh Happy Day

The best part? We can save, save, save for our next REAL house. I'm so done with renting.

Still hoping for a job elsewhere, still hoping to move soon, but for now, we'll move forward here trusting in the Lord's plan.

And hoping that Storey will continue to want to sleep in a closet for just a little while longer.