{Things I love}

Denyse Schmidt has a new line of fabric at JOANNS, of all places! You'll find it under the label "DS Quilts" and there are a plethora of prints, in 2 colorways. These were the 5 prints I loved the most so I grabbed them up!
I know... Joanns! Which means you can use coupons too!


Eli is not a thing that I love, but a little boy that I love! Today he was wrestling with my granny square blanket and I had to snap a few shots. At one point he was rolling around on the ground with it wrapped around his waist. Don't worry, I was keeping an eye on him. But as you can see - he won the match!

The newest thing I love... finding cute baby shoes on Ebay for cheap!
I found, bid, and won these Keen sandals for Eli for a mere $9.53! Most of the auctions for similar sandals were ending between $18 and $20 so I consider this a deal!
(This particular listing spelled it "Keens" with an (s) on the end so I think that's how there were only a few bids... gotta love typos!)

What are you loving these days?
Oh, and can you say SPRING?! There's another thing I'm loving!
Even though we've had over 12" of rain this month alone, I'm still loving it!

{THAT quilt}

Commissioned quilts can be difficult, at times. That's why I've only ever agreed to a handful in the 3 years I've been quilting. This quilt was NOT difficult, and do you know why? Because I loved all the fabric, the design... pretty much everything about it. And it was on the small side, only 35"x45". So very doable, and enjoyable to create!

This side was inspired by Rita over at Red Pepper Quilts, but I didn't use any solids like she did.
Ever wonder how to make strip quilts without all the strips going curved? Check out Ashley's mini tutorial, she's got some fabulous tips! Not to mention a gorgeous new baby boy, Max!

Its rather hard to see, but I did straight-line quilting in sets of 3, going the long way.
I really like how that turned out!

The other side (not really the back, as I consider it a 2-sided quilt) is really fun, and was inspired by this block that I received from one of the girls in a virtual bee I was a part of via Flickr.

{I've said it once and I'll say it again - if you've never joined a quilting bee, virtual or otherwise, you need to just do it already! Don't know where to start: check out this thread}

Washed and extra crinkly!

I rather adore the green Katie Jump Rope binding.

While I was taking photos of the quilt, I couldn't help but notice the pear blooms on the tree in the garden. I hate this tree because it blocks all sunlight into the garden, but at least it looks pretty for a few days, eh? I would chop it down in a heartbeat but it would smash the fence... thus, it must stay. grrrr
Or maybe there's a way to kill it... must google that!

Finally, Eli. It was a windy chilly day.... and we thought a ride in his new wagon would be fun.
I didn't bring a winter parka for him, of course, so a huge hoodie to go over his spring jacket did the trick.
And did I mention he's walking?! He is. Everywhere.
And he's not far from running, too. Yikes!

What have ya'll be up to? Lots of quilting and sewing I hope!

{Quilting}

Quilting is now finished and its time for binding!
I used masking tape to make nice straight lines... easy, right?!

The girls and I are heading off to the Quilt Festival in Cincinnati today!!! I'm really looking forward to it ~ my first ever visit to a quilt show!

Sneak Peek: Baby Girl Quilt

I'm working on a commissioned baby quilt for a new little girl to arrive later this spring, and I must say, I'm really enjoying the process!

I've been given a bit of freedom to design this quilt and I'm using this quilt and this quilt block as inspiration... as the mom-to-be really liked the look.

A finished quilt is soon to appear!
(finished size will be 35" x 45")

What's on your sewing table this week?

The Birthday Boy!

1 year old already! Where did my baby boy go?