I'm still here!

Hello,

Yes, it has been forever since the last time I blogged. Please forgive me though. I have been through job changes AND bought a house!!! Thus my sewing room was all packed up, moved across town, and re-setup. Before I could set up though kittens were born in the 'sewing room'.. That delayed things a bit more too obviously. But the kittens hav

e moved on to wonderful owners and the sewing room is in full swing. So, let me show you what I've been up to....

This is a cross stitched wedding monogram. The pattern is from the book A Rainbow of Stitches but in the book the monogram was done in all color. That would have bored me about 10 stitches in so I picked lots of colors that blended with our new living room and reminded me of our wedding (one month from our first anniversary!). So this is what took care of the 'sewing bug' while we were moving. FYI, if you like modern cross stitch you will love the Rainbow of Stitches book!

I have had many friends/coworkers that have recently had babies. Thus I have been making many baby quilts! I love making baby quilts because since they're so small it doesn't (usually) take months and months to accomplish. I love the challenge of making something that will perfectly fit into the nurseries and homes of the new little babies..

This 'stripey boy' quilt was given to my coworker for her baby James. I've made at least 6 baby quilts in the past 6 months but I don't have pictures of them all.. Oh well.

Another thing I did recently was I signed up for the Modify Tradition Swap. I had always wanted to do a block or quilt swap and decided this was the one to do first! I made a quilt for mommymae. I was inspired by summer and her favorite color is yellow. I hope she likes it!

I received a beautiful quilt from melodylynn! This picture is one she uploaded to the Modify Tradition group.

Thank you Melody!

Well, with all of this said I'm off to the sewing room to make my sister-in-law another maternity skirt! : )

Inspiration

1. modern munki munki martian quilt, 2. "All Squared Up" Quilt - Back of Top, 3. pillow swap sneak peak in progress, 4. Not available, 5. Sunflowers, 6. Flea Market Fancy Quilt, 7. Completed Pinwheel Quilt, 8. mod quilt 014, 9. Sunshine Squares, 10. Flying Geese Quilt, 11. MOD, 12. Amy Butler Mini, 13. Random Ohio Stars, 14. Star Light Star Bright, 15. Quilt made by my sister, 16. Stripey Baby Boy Quilt

Getting back to work!

Hello again,

So, I need to just accept that I'm just not a frequent blog-poster. The news here is that I had the flu. It's gone now but it certainly knocked me off my feet for a while - literally. I'd been saying that I wanted time to just do nothing.. Well, I got that! And quickly decided that 'nothing' is really boring. Who knew day-time television was so terrible?

Also, I got into the Handmade Holiday show! Whoohoo! I'm quite proud of that. But now I'm quite scared too! I just need to plug along on making inventory. It's not until mid December. I'm sure I'll have enough done. I'm not planning on having a truckload of stuff or anything. We'll just see what happens! But, while I'm thinking of it, if anyone wants to comment about their favorite color combos (especially in the kitchen/dining area of life) feel free to let me know! I'm so afraid of making things in the totally wrong color schemes! I'm not trendy enough to know what's cool.

On another note, I recently went to a farm very close to where I live called Lavender Fields Farm. Such a sweet place. I bought a big ziploc of dried lavender to put in little sachets made from bitty scraps.. Ya know, for your closet or 'unmentionables' drawer? ; )

And to end the post, I'll put up a picture of what's recently been on my work table - lots of oven mitt tops! Now I just have to turn them into real oven mitts... Someday..

I tried! And keeping busy sewing!

So I applied to the Handmade Holiday show today that the Richmond Craft Mafia is doing. We'll see what happens!
I'm excited about the prospect of doing a craft show. I have been building quite an inventory now. I really need to get my butt in gear and put some stuff on Etsy! Baby steps though for now..
On to what I've been working on lately. I have now joined the teaching staff at the shop! So I have lots of samples to work on!I'll be teaching a class about "Circular Patchwork". I'm using very bright flannels paired with fun bright cotton prints. Lots of pinked-edged-circles going on!
Also, my mom knows a few people who are expecting a new addition to their family. I recently pieced this baby quilt. She said the expecting couple like the beach. It sure is beachy!! I hope it's not too bright!Well, I have more pics but I'll save those for another post. For now I have to go get a shower and get ready for work!

Schedule? Coasting...

Hello,

Yes, yes. I have not given up on this blog. I hope y'all haven't given up on me!

I've actually been quite busy - that's the problem. Whenever I'm not at work I'm working in the sewing room! I just need to get myself on a personal schedule. When to take walks, when to clean the house, and when to sew things. I've mainly sewn things and cleaned a VERY little. Walks and exercise need to enter the picture soon though! "Happy pounds" have hit me quite hard.. Ya know.. After you get married and you know that the man you love loves you no matter what? I heard about these just before the wedding. I guess it's like the "Freshman 15".. Yeah, well, need to get a hold of that!

Anyways, that's my ramble for now. I'll show you some pics of what I'm sewing on. That's what the "coasting" is about. I've made a fair amount of coasters lately.

By the way, John took the third picture. I need to start taking product photos to put on Etsy.. He did a night of practice and took some really good ones!

And speaking of the hubby... We went camping last weekend with our friends Brad and Sumona in Loft Mountain. Really fun! The next picture cracks me up! Especially since he's the least violent and least scary person I've probably EVER met.

And one more sewing picture for good measure. I'm (slowly) working on a batik (of course) log cabin quilt in all blues/greens - light vs. dark. The strips are 2.5" so each block is.. er.. too lazy to get a ruler.. 14" square I think? Hopefully when it all comes together it'll look like the waves in St. John.. Ahh..

Lastly, why the heck is it that whenever I load a picture to the post Blogger puts it at the very top AND inserts extra paragraph breaks between each paragraph. I hate computers sometime. I'll just blame it on my ancient laptop and keep wishing for a Mac.. No, really, any advice would be appreciated!

Another Wedding Show and Tell

Well, I suppose I'll post about another handmade item from the wedding. I need to take pictures of what I'm currently sewing on for a post about that.

Bridesmaids outfits are always a tricky situation. I always feel bad for folks that have to buy a very particular dress that isn't really the type of thing that can be worn again. And in my case, apparently red was not 'in' this season (oops - I've never been style concious..) So eventually the decision was made to make skirts for my sisters! My sisters and John's sister (my now sister-in-law!) were the bridesmaids. I love all my sisters and was grateful they all wanted to be a part of our wedding. And even better they were excited to get handmade skirts!

In this picture from left to right is Tasha McKelvey, Melissa McKelvey, me, my wonderful hubby, Martha White, and Molly Lynch.

So I found three different red and white fabrics at the shop. They were all from the same line so they went together really well. I used the wonderful pattern from Indygo Junction called "Great Fit Gored Skirt". Each lady picked out a white t-shirt they liked. I think they were all comfortable through the event and it still looked great! To add to the outfit, Tasha also made adorable ceramic red flower necklaces for each lady!

For lots more pictures from the wedding you can go to my hubby's Flickr site or Melissa's Flickr site!

Thanks for reading! I'll be getting on with posts about 'real life' soon!

More Show and Tell

Shwew. I have to admit, I've been a bit busy. The big news is that I have officially resigned from my government scientist/outreach job as of yesterday. I don't know how I feel about it really... I'm excited to start my next adventure (erm, if you don't know, I'm working at Quilting Adventures full-time and attempting to create a home business - DawnStitches). But I did like the agency I worked for and definitely liked the people I worked with. So, yeah, I'm just at a bit of an emotional peak. I'll work through it - especially with the help of my super supportive hubby!

So, yeah, I'll stop babbling now and start showing..
The picture above and pictures below are of the 'signature quilt' I made for the wedding. Yes, yes - still talking about the wedding. I made quite a few things for it so there still may be a few more posts about all that.. : )

The quilt was based on a Bareroots pattern (#51 - Flower Quilt and Pillows). I added some more squares and didn't embroider all of it. I left quite a few places as blank muslin for people to add their signature and congratulatory messages. Everyone wrote such nice things!

I was afraid people would be hesitant to write on this but in the end I think they enjoyed it! Now I just have to make time to quilt it! Phoebe had a 'scathingly brilliant' idea that I embroider the Shakespeare sonnet (#18) that was read at the wedding around it on the red border.. Mmm.. definitely need to make a chunk of time for that!

Okay. Now for Show and Tell - Part 1.

Hello,

Yes, we're back and getting into the swing of things again. Or trying to at least. : )

Now for some show and tell. I'll start off with the Mariner's Compass wedding quilt I made for my husband and me.

John and I took these pictures at Meadow Farm/Crump Park. We're very lucky to live so close to this great park. A taste of country living without having to travel too far.

This is a queen-sized (or a bit bigger... there's somebody around that is occasionally a blanket hog..) Mariner's Compass. The compasses are foundation paper pieced and the pattern is from Showstopping Quilts to Foundation Piece by Tricia Lund and Judy Pollard. The sashing was modified to have three strips (with a nine-patch in the corner). More pictures of this quilt can be found on my flickr.

I need to take care of some things around the house. I promise to share more soon! For any of you interested in seeing some photos from the wedding please see my sister Melissa's flickr.

I'll be back soon!

Don't give up!

I just wanted to say hello to anyone out there still attempting to read this blog.
John and I are married! Thus, I have plenty to share about the wedding and all the handmade goodies that went into it. So, bare with me. I'll try to start posting soon!

More sewing.. of course!

I am continuing to work on finishing the 'wedding quilt'. I think I have to paper piece one more block and then need to do quite a bit more curvy bits. BUT, soon I get to pick out the sashing fabric. I'm going to do what the pattern's designed for - two strips of sashing with a four-patch in each color.. So some kind of dark and light is brewing in my mind.. The picture above is one of my favorite blocks-to-be.

Just because it's so darn cute I made a Chubby Chicks quilt. Amy made one a little while ago and it inspired me to make my own!

I used Amy Butler fabric for the chicks, muslin for the background, and a floral batik for the pinwheels and borders. Not the best picture so I'll post more once I do the quilting!

Really that's all the sewing pictures for now.. Today was somewhat springy again. Whoohoo. Last week when I was whining about the lack of spring my future hubby brought me a beautiful bouquet. Am I lucky or what?

New Camera! And WOP's

For anybody that doesn't know - WOP=Work in Progress. Yes, it's true - I have a lot of them but I'll focus on just a couple.

First of all, I bought myself a fancy new camera. Too bad for Circuit City that they're going out of business but great for me that I bought a new SLR camera (Olympus - E420) for pretty cheap! So now I have even fewer excuses for my slack blogging habits!

Without further ado...

A preview of the "wedding quilt" I'm making for John and I. I guess it's a wedding quilt because I'm hoping it will be done by then and will adorn our bed after we get married!
It's a Mariner's Compass paper pieced pattern. I'm wondering if it looks TOO nautical but we like the colors and it's been fun to piece (even if some certain people think paper piecing is the devil, I quite enjoy it!).

This is truly a wedding quilt because it will be our 'guest quilt' instead of having a guest book. So, anyone that will be coming to the wedding - be prepared to write on this! Oh, and here's my plug for complete honesty - if you are not invited to the wedding, please do not be offended. We are going to be keeping it quite small for several reasons.. Anyway, some people have expressed they might be scared that they'll 'mess it up'. We'll have scrap fabric to practice on so go for it!

I'm embroidering approx. half the blocks with flowery motifs but the rest of the muslin areas will be free for the signing.

So that's the latest in my little sewing world. : ) Thanks for reading.

And keeping with my daily hope that when I wake up it will magically be spring....

Our first little daffodil - doesn't it look like it's cold?

Back from England! and still talking about Christmas...

Yes, I've made it safely back to the States after a two-week trip to England with my fiance'. We had a wonderful time! I may post more about it later but for now I want to catch up on what I made for Christmas. But, if you're dying to hear about England go to John's blog and/or his Flickr.

So, it was almost entirely a handmade Christmas this year (minus the IPod docking station bought during 'black Friday' for John)..
Both of my sisters received a handmade throw-size quilt.
This is the quilt I made for Tasha. It is made of Amy Butler fabrics and matching 'blenders' (blenders were largely thanks to Phoebe's wonderful eye for color!). The pattern is Scrappy Circles by CarolinaPatchworks. Very fun pattern. Hopefully this will go well with the couch Tasha will be buying soon from Ikea.

This is the quilt I made for Melissa. Her and her boyfriend recently moved into a brand new home and Melissa had recovered the dining room chairs in a brown and blue fabric. She gave me a swatch and (again with Phoebe's assistance) I tried to match it as well as I could. The pattern is In and Out by Blue Underground Studios.

Both of them seemed pretty pleased which was exciting.


This is what I made for my parents. It's a small wall hanging quilt. I bought a kit from Batiks Etcetera and tweaked the fabric a bit.. It's a pattern from McKenna Ryan PineNeedles. I did fusible applique and just quilted around to highlight some details. I was pretty happy with how it came out.

Well, unfortunately I think I'm getting sick so that's it for now.. Gonna go get some rest.

We're Engaged!!!

Yesterday John asked me to marry him! I was very surprised because I didn't think he would propose until maybe the spring at the earliest. But, he was sneaky and able to surprise me earlier than I expected. So, if you're interested, here's the story:

He came home Friday evening with a grocery bag which was only odd because we usually do most of our grocery shopping together each weekend. I asked what it was and he openly told me that it was for breakfast on Saturday morning. Sweet. Then he kinda rushed outside to the shed.. Again I asked what was up (man, I sound like I'm pretty nosey!) and he just said that he was putting back some tools a friend had borrowed. Okay. We had a nice night, met friends for dinner, and snuggled on the couch watching a movie (about a wedding nonetheless and he didn't let on at all.. although it was a very weird movie and in the end there was no wedding...).

Next morning he proceeded to cook breakfast in bed with all the fixins'. Such a treat! He was a bit quiet through breakfast but I figured we were both still just waking up and too busy keeping our mouths full of eggs and turkey bacon and biscuits.

He took the trays away and then came back to the bedroom.. I remember noticing that he kinda shifted his hands behind his back briefly but I didn't really think anything of it.. I kissed him, thanked him for breakfast, and told him I love him.. Then he responded with, "I love you too.. for the rest of my life" and then started to kneel down!!! My jaw dropped. He pulled out this beautiful wooden jewelry box, opened it to reveal a beautiful ring, and asked me to marry him!!

I was soo surprised I just started basically hyperventilating (in the best kind of way) and looked at the ring and looked at him and looked at the ring and looked at him... said "oh my god" quite a few times (oh, and I was crying tears of joy as well). Finally I pulled myself together enough to realize I hadn't said "yes" yet and promptly told him "YES" and I think I may have also said "of course!". And there you have it, we were engaged!!!!

After much hugging and both of us "wellin' up" with tears of joy he asked if I would like champagne to celebrate. Which is apparantly why he had snuck out to the shed - he had a perfect-sized bottle of delicious champagne chilling in a cooler outside. Perfect! Then of course while we were enjoying our champagne I asked him as many questions as possible about how he managed to surprise me so well. He'd had the ring for a while until he could plan the perfect time and situation. AND he had asked my dad for permission on Thursday. Awww!!

The beautiful box the ring came in which is from "Brilliant Earth" who obtains their materials from fair trade.. And fine champagne!

Basically the rest of the day was spent getting in touch with our loved ones to let them know the wonderful news! Then we went out duckpin bowling with friends and family - which we already had planned for a belated celebration of John's birthday.. but then turned into birthday/congratulations on our engagement!

Oh, I suppose you want to see the ring? ; ) Of course you want to see the ring!

(Sidenote, fingers look really weird close up...)

Well, thanks for reading! We are hoping to plan the wedding for late summer. We'll keep you posted!

Oh, and for those who read this blog for the sewing news.. I have been sewing quite a lot recently.. Most items are Christmas presents so I'll have to show those later.. News soon from the sewing room! I'm too excited about being engaged to talk sewing! : )

Okay. Really.

I want to post more regularly. I really do. And then I found out that it's blog month.. or something.. It's really just an excuse to make myself feel bad that I have been a really bad blogger. No longer.. hopefully...

So, what's been up? Honestly, one thing keeping me from posting lately is that almost everything I've made lately is for Christmas.. I would hate to ruin anyone's surprise. And I would hate to know that from now until Christmas someone out there may think, "Oh no! Why would she think I'd like that?" or "Man, I hope that's not for me!" But, that's my self-doubter talking. Anyways, you all have to wait to see pics of what I'm working on. Unless you work with me at the shop and then you've seen me when I run in right before close soliciting helpful advice and hand-holding for my next step. Well, if the people they're for don't like them, I know some folks who do!

This picture is one of my potholders on Etsy.. Like? Wanna buy it? Oh, I am so shameless...

What else is up? John and I went to South Carolina for our two year anniversary. Very nice trip. It was good to go back there. I'm going to be hosting Thanksgiving. Eek! I'm excited though.. And I'm counting down until we go to England! Flying out Christmas Eve!!! But, oh no!? What do I wear to an English wedding reception? Should I buy something there? Suggestions?

Anyways, that's it for tonight. More soon.. And for old time's sake here's a pic of me sewing in Alaska.. with very short hair...

Machine Down..

I'm in sewing withdrawal. My machine was acting strange for a while lately so this weekend I decided (stupidly) to try to see what was going on. Amazingly, I got the thread to stop snagging but when I put it back together I put a screw in the wrong place... And then couldn't get it back out.. Magnets and ten tools later I decided to do the right thing and get a professional to look at it. Now I just hope I didn't screw it up too much. That machine's one of my favorite possessions!
Here's a pretty picture that brightens my day. The only thing that really grew well were the sunflowers. We (well, mostly John) ripped out the garden the other weekend because it's so darn dry.. It was only our first attempt and hopefully we can try our hands at a fall garden. Maybe some peas and greens.. We'll see!
I do have a pile of things I want to sew up as soon as I get my machine back. I took it to a very reliable shop (AllBrands) so I have high hopes.
See you soon!

Ok. I'm really back.

So, I'm sure very little people even started following my blog and now even fewer are.. Because I haven't been posting in a lonnng time. But, I'm really back now. I've been going through a lot of personal stuff lately that I won't even begin to bore you with. But, rest assured, things are much better now.
Things overall have been very good. I've gotten into a good routine with work and home (if only I could fit in some sort of exercise routine). I have even made time to sew fairly regularly. Which brings me to the exciting news that I am adding items to my Etsy store (which has only ever had one item in it and has been empty for a longg time). The first set is all the same color 'line' but I'm already working on some green/blue stuff.
Of course I'm very nervous that I'm simply going to end up owning a ton of potholders because I wonder if they'll be noticed in the amazing Etsy world. But, all I can do is wait and see. So, if you're interested go to www.Etsy.com and search for username dawnkristal. Or go to http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=36122
More soon.

Flickr Thang...

I've seen a couple of people (including my sister Melissa - click her link) do this Flickr/question thing.. So.. Since I've been really really bad and haven't posted I figured this would be a good way to get a post in..

1. Solat in Masjid Kristal, 2. temari sushi, 3. Me encanta observar, 4. Bosque by Twilight Star Trails, 5. bokeh & bubbles, 6. Gin Tonic, 7. Close up of the Town of Montrosse, 8. strawberry jellyhearts, 9. Upside Down Jellies, 10. simultaneousness…♫ little egrets - egretta garzetta - from bali ♫♫♫, 11. Moody Girl, 12. CBGB "homeless" grafitti (since it closed)

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd's mosaic maker).

The Questions:

1. What is your first name? Yes.. it's Kristal.. which is 'crystal' in a couple of different languages...
2. What is your favorite food? SUSHI! And this looks like a cool way to make it without driving yourself nuts trying to keep the roll tight.
3. What high school did you go to? Good ole Mathews.. I'm kinda sad noone has pictures of it on Flickr.. At least not on the first page
4. What is your favorite color? Red.. 'Nuf said.
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Mmm.. Johnny Depp.. There's a blurry face in the pic and someone thinks it may have been him.
6. Favorite drink? I've been really lovin' some gin & tonic lately.. Good summer drink. I do miss mojitos, but, alas, rum does not treat me nicely for some reason..
7. Dream vacation? "island in italy".. and lots of wine would be involved in that I'm sure. Cool pic.
8. Favorite dessert? I'm not much of a dessert person.. Unless it's Melissa's of course.. But I do like strawberry cheesecake.. And these things look fun but also like too much work..
9. What you want to be when you grow up? I always wanted to be a marine biologist. But these things (jellyfish) scare me too much. Really. Some of them can kill you.. Quickly.. That would suck.
10. What do you love most in life? Sunrises.. New chance every day.. And my middle name's Dawn.. And of course lately I love having a person to share my life with, much like these egrets.. I know, I had to get cheezy eventually.. Which.. Should have been my word (see 11).
11. One Word to describe you. I fretted over this one.. So I picked fretful - which I am.. Very often. I don't want it to describe me but it often does. I think I spend most of the time with a face like this little girl's.
12. Your flickr name.. Mmm. So now I admit I don't have flickr.. I just haven't gotten into it yet.. I will soon though... As well as blogging more soon..

Flickr Thang...

1. Solat in Masjid Kristal, 2. temari sushi, 3. Me encanta observar, 4. Bosque by Twilight Star Trails, 5. bokeh & bubbles, 6. Gin Tonic, 7. Close up of the Town of Montrosse, 8. strawberry jellyhearts, 9. Upside Down Jellies, 10. simultaneousness…♫ little egrets - egretta garzetta - from bali ♫♫♫, 11. Moody Girl, 12. CBGB "homeless" grafitti (since it closed)

Yes, finally, a post!

I know.. I'm awful.. I've been too busy reading other peoples' blogs to even bother with my own. Also, I've been rather busy in general. The man and I actually keep a calendar now, can you believe it?
So, first, a quilting picture..
This is a baby quilt I made for the man's boss who had a baby girl recently. I got it done the night before his last day at work before taking paternity leave. What? I've always been a procrastinator! On top of that, I'm too lazy to figure out how to rotate this picture.. I never said I was great with computers..

The man and I celebrated 1 1/2 years of togetherness (April 13.. I know that was LAST month) and I just have to brag and show you the sunny tulips he got for me!



The other exciting news is that we're gardening! I LOVE spring and I just can't help that instinctive urge to dig in the dirt. We're doing the Square Foot Gardening method. This way I'll try to keep from digging up our whole (rented) yard and think inside the box for a while. :) This is one of our 4x4 square foot boxes. The man loves that he got to get all sorts of tools out for this.. We're going to have two boxes. Just today we worked on filling up the second one with soil and put babies in the first box. Pictures of that soon.. I promise! Well, the oven is yelling at me to get the pizza out.. I promise I'll be better at posting!