In a blink of an eye....

...almost two weeks have passed. AH, spring quarter.

Here's what I have been meaning to tell you about!

I received this beautiful little quilt from Ginger of Paisley & Polkadots in the Four Seasons Quilt Swap for Spring. Ginger was inspired by a bib of her daughter's -- and I have the same bib for Jaxon in blue! Kismet! I can't decide what my favorite part of this quilt is: the sweet pink hand quilting around the squares or the pieced back that makes the binding pink AND green. Thank you so much Ginger, I love it!!


And speaking of sweet gifts, here is a collage (because the pictures came out so poorly) of my Mother's Day gifts. The necklace on the left was made for me by Jaxon at school. Wooden beads + finger paint + glitter = gift goodness!! The necklace on the right is from Charlie and Jaxon (and I assume the pets) and was purchased from The Vintage Jewelry Box on Etsy. The bottom shot is of a tote bag and notepad (and sweet Jaxon) from my sister–in–law. The bag is super cute and the perfect size for carrying Jaxon's things to and from daycare.


And here are a couple more works in progress. If only I could finish something....

A sneak peak of my Ohio Sky quilt, began in class and finally assembled. Now I need to add the border and the top will be done.

One completed square of what I am calling my funky star quilt. This was begun WAY BACK when I took an online quilt course and I just now have the confidence to start assembling. I would have 6 more squares to show you but something is up with the tension on my machine. *sigh*

For those of you stateside, enjoy the long weekend. I have lots of grading to do, but first we have tickets to see Indiana Jones tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to the film, but I think I am even more excited to visit a movie theater!

ANOTHER Black Hole

Don't worry -- I wasn't swallowed by a black hole. Our film premiered at the film festival, I survived multiple awards banquets (AH, Spring Quarter...), and I spent a couple of evenings last week interviewing students for a summer project. Things should slow down *slightly* (besides grading) before the end of the quarter. I logged into Google Reader and I have over 500 new entries in the blogs I subscribe to!! I am way behind.

Here's a little of what I've been up to...

This will soon be a belated wedding gift, the back is ready to go, just need to baste and quilt.

My Aunt Beth starts her new job this week, and unfortunately her favorite bag has the logo of her old company. She asked me to do something to cover it. I embroidered her initials on some matching fabric, turned the edges using Steam-A-Seam and hand stitched it to the bag. Here's a closer look:



Mother's Day gifts...the ones on the left are sewing kits, on the right just pin cushions.

This is the quilt I made for the Spring Four Seasons Quilt Swap. I might have been a little too ambitious on this one, but I still think it's cute. I haven't heard from Nicole yet and it's been a couple of weeks so I hope she has received it.

In my next post...the beautiful quilt I received in the FSQS, my first quilting class and the resulting blocks, and my Mother's Day gifts! I leave you with my sweet boy trying to wink at me.

Contrast.

Wednesday:
Home with Jaxon. Massage. Sunny, clear skies. This Song. Sewing. Outside Play. Grilled Chicken and Fresh Veggies. X-Files. A good day!

Thursday:
Work. Meeting. Teach a class. Meeting. Lunch meeting. Meeting. Meeting. Our film made it into a film festival. It's not done. Hair coming out in clumps. Not good.

I had this guy to keep things cheery, though.


In other news, I attended a meeting of Etsy Team Columbus to learn about good ways to stage merchandise and take photos. Thanks to Michelle at Luxury for hosting! I did a little practicing in the nice weather yesterday. Still not sure how to best capture these things...

Here are some samples:







And my order from ruralFABRIC came today...half yard cuts of all the fabrics in Amy Butler's Midwest Modern -- Ohio Sky palette. Beautiful!

An unexpected break

Well, I didn't mean to take a month-long blog hiatus, but it happened just the same. Things were (and continue to be) extremely busy at work and I've been trying to finish up a giant pile of UFOs. It's pretty bad when you get phone calls asking you to update your blog!

I missed telling you about my birthday, a blizzard, and lots of Easter candy. I also added a few more entries in the "Books Read in 2008" list on the right!

The blizzard actually hit on my birthday. All plans were canceled for the weekend, but it was still a great day. Charlie watched Jaxon all morning while I sewed, then we played outside in the snow for a bit. In the evening we braved the weather to grab dinner at the local Mexican restaurant. And Charlie and Jaxon got me a necklace off my Etsy Favorites list similar to this one by GreenSpaceGoods.

Here is a picture of me and Jax in the snow. The ground was bare three hours before this:


During my sew-a-thon I made this for a friend's birthday (she's a math teacher):


And cut quite a few diapers and wipes cases (which now only need grommets):


I have a couple of baby sets almost ready to go for my Etsy shop, plus I made this one for a school fundraiser. I thought it was a silent auction but I found out later it was a raffle so I hope the person who won this is happy! The baby's best friend blanket is sock monkey fabric backed in red minky, the diapers and wipe case and burp cloths are sock monkey flannel. I have another set like this in yellows ready for the shop, and a larger blanket in pink monkeys that still needs binding.




Finally for tonight, I just finished a quilt top I've been working on. I am completely in love with this fabric. It's all Two Young Street by Prints Charming except the turquoise inset and striped corners. I haven't decided how to quilt this yet, or even what to back it in, but the colors make me happy! I also have another quilt in progress that I keep modifying, and so I need more fabric.


I saved some things to share with you later so I won't take such a long break!

P.S. I have a slight obsession right now. I made a resolution to watch every episode of "The X-Files" and the first movie before the sequel comes out. When I made that resolution I thought the sequel came out next Christmas, but it is actually this July. I've watched at least one episode a day (and on my birthday a lot more than that). I am almost through season 2, which means I have to average about one season a week until the movie hits theaters. Side effect: I am now highly paranoid and see conspiracy theories everywhere. I may need to take a break!

Cold Weather Fun

We've had lots of snow and ice this week, and we have all stuck pretty close to home. We've had lots of comfort food, a little crafting, and a lot of playing.

I finished three embroideries for blankets this week:

The two pirate-themed embroideries are for a new blanket design, the travel-themed one is for a baby set I am making.

I also had my first Etsy sale! I was very excited to see the email -- then I saw that the buyer was my sister. That still counts, right??

I had an email from Lucy inviting me to take part in a recipe round robin. I'm typing up the recipe for the email, I might as well share it with everyone!

Here is the yummy dinner we had Friday night:

Slow cooker chicken, oven roasted potatoes, green beans and sourdough bread. Jaxon wouldn't eat any of it!

Slow cooker chicken
1 small chicken (3 pounds-ish)
salt, pepper, paprika

1. Wad three pieces of aluminum foil into 3 to 4 inch balls, and place them in the bottom of the slow cooker.

2. Rinse chicken thoroughly in cold running water and pat dry. Season with salt, pepper and paprika and place on top of aluminum foil balls in slow cooker.

3. Set the slow cooker on high for 1 hour, and then put on low for about 8 to 10 hours.

That's it, and it is super yummy. I've done lots of variations including a garlic rub with slices of lemon.

Oven roasted potatoes
1.5-2 pounds of Redskin Potatoes
Olive oil
Onion Salt
Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Clean and cut up potatoes into 1.5-2 inch chunks.

3. Place potatoes on one layer in a casserole dish (I use a 8" x 10" pyrex dish)

4. Drizzle with olive oil and then season to taste. Stir to evenly spread seasoning and oil.

5. Cover (I use aluminum foil) and bake for about 1 hour. Uncover and bake until browned (about 10-15 minutes).

Super duper easy and everyone (except Jaxon) is happy!

We also played in the snow today.

Jaxon and Samantha enjoy their favorite toys: sticks

Jaxon tries to make his first snow angel

Our prize for coming in: Hot Chocolate with marshmallows (chocolate marshmallows for the grown ups!)

Success!

The curse is broken -- third time's a charm. I have finally successfully completed a swap -- Julia liked the quilt I sent her, and I received a quilt this week from Lucy. Look how cute:

Title: "Frosty Window" (Can't you just hear the Christmas Waltz)

Thanks again, Lucy, I love it! Also she sent me some homemade olive oil soap -- just what my dry skin needs!

This turned out to be quite the "handmade week," or maybe "Etsy Week." I ordered Charlie's Valentine's Day gift from Etsy seller daisymay, a hand stamped sterling silver key chain with Jaxon's name and birthdate.


I got a belated Christmas present from my MIL, from Etsy seller Keys and Memories.


And I am now an Etsy seller! I used Tuesday's snow day to upload the pictures I had taken ages ago and list some items. Check it out: http://modernjax.etsy.com

And finally, Jaxon spent a day this week lovin' on the pets. Too cute!

Snow Day

Okay, so it's not an "official" snow day -- the university never closes. But every school district for a 60 mile radius is closed due to inclement weather, and the steady snow we are getting now is supposed to turn to freezing rain; so I have made the executive decision to cancel classes today. It was a tough decision. I had good things to talk about (and show) for both classes today, everything was planned -- but I hate driving on wet icy roads.

I have plenty of school projects OR sewing projects to keep me busy. I did complete two custom orders in the last week, so those are off my plate.

The first is a blanket for a man I work with and his wife who just had a baby. The faculty will give this in our meeting on Friday, I hope they like it. They both hold doctorates in Geography, so I think they'll like the wireframe globes (can you tell they're globes in the picture??).


The second was a custom order for twins. The client saw my blankets at Pattyfair and loved the space theme set. She asked for the original rocket blanket for boy twin, and I made a version (with a purple back and Alien/UFO embroidery) for girl twin.



I have a couple more projects near completion (maybe I'll finish today!) and I have to figure out what to do about the laundry. The dryer died this weekend. Good thing I washed all my new fabric at the end of last week!

Fabric and Chocolate

Everything in life is a little better when you have a big fabric sale and some chocolate, right? I think so.

The quilt shop near my mom's house had a big sale on Super Bowl Sunday. They had different specials every hour and you get 20% off your entire order! We went for the first hour when fat quarters were 10 for $10. Woo hoo. Here are the 30 we pounced on:


And I also picked out some yardage (1/2 yard and one yard pieces):


Clockwise from top left: Three pieces of "Two Young Street" from Prints Charming (I love this fabric, it has such a nice feel tot it, and fabulous colors); two pieces of "Every Iota" from Robert Kaufman; three pieces from Jackie Shapiro's "Botanical Pop" by Baum Textile Mills; and three pieces of Joel Dewberry's "Aviary" by Westminster Fibers.

Now I have plenty of projects to work on, I just need to find the time!

Also, Julia received the Four Seasons Winter Quilt I made, and she likes it! Yeah! I had high hopes when I read in her last blog entry that she likes lime green. Also, I included in the package some fun little Christmas decorations and some Buckeye candy to represent Ohio, the Buckeye State.

The Buckeye tree is the state tree of Ohio and it yields an inedible nut, also called the Buckeye. Thus, the Ohio State Buckeyes (and their mascot, Brutus Buckeye, a guy with a really large nut as a head. THAT'S comedy).


We make candy Buckeyes here in Ohio, a mixture of mostly peanut butter rolled into a ball and dipped in chocolate. Super yummy. Julia and her sons enjoyed the candy, so I thought I would include a recipe so you all can make your own!

Peanut Butter Buckeyes

1 1/2 cups peanut butter (smooth)
1 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (can substitute milk chocolate)

In a large bowl, beat together the peanut butter, butter, and vanilla. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until the dough begins to look dry (you may not have to use all of the powdered sugar). Roll into small balls (traditionally 1 inch, I usually do about 1 1/2-2 inches) and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet.

Press a toothpick into the top of each ball (to be used later as the handle for dipping) and chill in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate chips (I microwave). Stir frequently until smooth.

Dip frozen peanut butter balls in chocolate holding onto the toothpick. Leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top to make them look like Buckeyes. Put back on the cookie sheet and refrigerate until serving.

Enjoy!

The blahs of January

It's a good thing January isn't longer -- I would never get anything done!

I've noticed over the last month a lot of bloggers have been complaining that come January motivation seems to go. I agree! But I did complete a couple of projects I'd like to share with you.

I finished my Four Seasons Winter Quilt right on time. Here it is:

The front -- my first appliqued quilt!

A detail of the "gifts" beneath the tree -- my first hand quilting!

The back -- notice my first mitered binding!

All in all I think it turned out pretty good. I did cheat a bit on the size inadvertently. No side is supposed to be long than 20" -- this is 18" x 24". Realized my mistake after I appliqued the tree.

I hope my swap partner likes it!

Remember a few weeks ago when Jaxon was sick? All over me? Multiple times? Yeah, that was fun. I was wearing a cardigan sweater I have had for years -- cashmere from the sale rack. I put it in the washer knowing that it might not survive. It didn't, but I didn't want to throw it away.

The sleeve was getting threadbare -- the wash cycle sent it over the edge. It also ended up with a hole on the front.

I decided to use it on another Frenchy Bag from Amy Butler's pattern. It had been awhile! I made the handbag size with longer straps. The sweater was easier to work with than I thought it would be, and I am really happy with the outcome. I used fabric from the clearance rack for the rest.

Sorry about the weird perspective -- it makes the top look a bit wonky.



And finally, to wish you a happy February...Jaxon peaking through the eyeholes in his carb book:

Gettin' There

I survived the first week of the quarter. Only 10 more to go until Spring Break.

It was an interesting week, as it always is when the students come back from a long break. I sent an email to a student informing him I expected him to drop my class after not showing up the first day. He wrote back and said he's not going to drop, his afternoon nap was longer than expected and he missed class because of it. *HMPF* Let's all try that excuse with our bosses.

My crafty time was a lot less this week, but I made some progress on my Four Seasons Quilt. Before starting the quilt I went back and forth about the design. I liked my idea but wasn't sure the execution would be successful. I almost started a different design twice. I'm glad I went with my first idea, I think it is really fun!


I basted the parts of the tree to the background fabric with some Lite Steam-a-Seam (on clearance at our local JoAnn for 99 cents for 5 9x12 sheets. Are they discontinuing it? Perhaps I should see if there is any left...), and basted the "gift boxes" to the backing the same way (lining everything up was a bitch!). I layered all my pieces together and machine quilted on the inside edges of my tree pieces, creating a quilted tree on the backing. Now I am hand quilting the gifts and adding bows. Here's my progress:

Detail of the quilt front...looks a little smooshy in the photograph but just needs a warm iron

Detail of the quilt back...the label is one of the "gift boxes," you'll see it next time

The quilted gifts were inspired by my lovely quilt from Louise. She hand quilted leaves on that quilt, and I love how subtle they are. I don't think you can call the quilt I'm making subtle, but I liked the idea of using the quilting as a shape.

I've also been working on my Etsy shop. I took photos of everything I have left from Pattyfair, edited the photos and compressed them for the web. I did research into shipping and how much I should charge (Thanks Kathy!) and I went to the post office and picked up some envelopes and boxes. Then I realized that I should probably open a separate bank account for this. Not because I think I am going to make a ton of money, but because I would prefer to only spend on this venture what I profit from it, and that won't happen if I am using our family account. Also, my preference would be to use PayPal for payment and you can only have one PayPal account per checking account. Our current PayPal account uses Charlie's email and what a pain that would be! I can't get to the bank to do that until next week, so I won't meet my goal of getting my Etsy shop running this weekend. *sigh*

Etsy is addictive. I just popped it open and found three things on the front page to look at! I guess I should get back to work...I should be working on my homework, my quilt, or chasing Jaxon away from the pets. Poor Samantha!