Another project completed!

If there's one thing I've learned by being a new mom, its that free time is a precious commodity.  Before the LO arrived, I had oodles of free time and I'd fritter it away watching TV, surfing the net and doing generally nothing worthwhile.  Now I value that time so much that I make good use of every moment.  I'm actually...get this...*finishing* projects.  Um...wow.

My latest completion is a quilt for my wee nephew.  Well considering he's already almost as big as my 3 month old son I suppose "wee" isn't the most fitting description.  But the quilt is wee, and so I felt compelled to finish it ASAP before the munchkin outgrows it!  Now that my own LO has finally consented to nap during the day on his own, I've been piecing the top together bit by bit.  And then my darling husband agreed to tend to him for a few hours the last couple of Saturdays so I could really crank it out.  And at last its done, just in time for our visit to my brother's house today.

I love the way it turned out and I must give a shout out to Gypsy Junk for her input when I selected fabric.  She discovered the monkey head fabric, which really makes it.

Better late than never...

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, I purchased fabric to make my dear cousin a lap quilt.  I chose the fabric according to her tastes, cut out the squares, and then stopped.  I grew weary of sewing and took a very long break from that hobby.  For fifteen years, those squares have been sitting in a plastic tub with the rest of my fabric stash.  For the first couple of those years, I got a yearly plea/guilt trip from my cousin about her missing quilt.  "Where's my quilt?" she'd say.  To which I'd shrug and reply "I'll finish it someday".

Well, someday has come.  During the process of turning my sewing room into the nursery, I discovered the squares and thought it might be nice to start a project that had nothing to do with preparing for the baby's arrival.  And today, aside from a small repair to the edging, the Cousin Quilt is finished.

I'm rather pleased.  This is my first quilting project in 5 years, since I made a quilt for my newborn niece.  I'm finding myself having a renewed interest in sewing (or at least quilting) and I already have a quilt ready to piece for my new nephew who is scheduled to arrive near the Winter Solstice, and I almost have enough pink & purple scrap strips to make my darling niece a "big girl bed" quilt for her 5th birthday in February.

But in the meantime I shall wrap this quilt up, with a little note that says "Better late than never" and give it to my cousin as her winter holiday present.  She'll be so suprised!  I know she's long forgotten this project.

Speaking of late...today is my due date.  Baby boy has been baking for 40 weeks and is not showing any sign of wanting to make his grand entry into this world.  Even though he's not officially late for another day, DH and I are going a little crazy with the waiting.  I have dreams about holding his little hands and cuddling him.  I want to meet him, and start our lives together so badly.  Has anyone ever been pregnant forever?  I certainly hope he will not be as tardy as the cousin quilt.  ;)

Driptacular

It took a day of planning, a day of working (and getting sunburned) and about 10 trips to OSH. But the drip system is IN. It still needs some tweaks - a new sprinkler head here, some drippers there - but the raised beds can now be watered with the turn of a switch. We didn't put the timer on yet - but eventually we will. The system runs along both sides of the patio beds (I need to install watering devices here - I tried bubblers, but they put off too much water. I think I'm going to replace with drippers. Then over our retaining wall - unfortunately the cement went too deep to go under it. Then it t's off and one branch goes behind what I'm calling the three sister's beds, and in the other direction it's going to our main raised beds. We are now ready to install the gravel in our walkways, and then other then planting, maintaining and harvesting - I think that we'll be done with projects in the back yard for a while - at least until after the house is painted.

I also managed to get a nice chunk of the spare room done - the ceiling! My least favorite part of painting, behind the sanding. I bought the yellow paint and it's very cheerful. Tonight I need to caulk a few little spots on the baseboard (we are getting lazy and not replacing the baseboard in this room) and then tape it off so I can paint the walls. I should be done by the end of the week - at least with everything but the trim. Yay! Then I will have a sewing room, which will be good because I have some projects I'd like to start on.

I want to make a patchwork duvet cover. I figure that it will be like making a quilt with out the tying and batting part LOL. I have tons of quilt scraps, some of which came from fabric from my great-grandmother's dresses. And I've always had kind of a love affair with calicos. I don't want any color scheme or pattern. It will be completely 4 or 5 inch squares of whatever random fabric I have and whatever fabric catches my eye at the fabric store. Harder this way with no pattern, because you can't do strip quilting (Have I ever mentioned what a genious Seamstrix Art is?)...but fuck it - I like the old fashioned random squares quilts alot and I wants one. And making it duvet cover style will please the hubby.

The other crafty project I need to start on is chemo caps for my auntie. She has brain/lung cancer and her hair should start to fall out from the treatment next week. Gypsy Junk suggested it, and I checked with my cousin and she thinks it would be VERY well received. I'm going to go now - and finish my project audits hopefully soon so I can search for patterns.