The Museum of Natural Curiosity

A couple of weeks ago some of the cousins got together to go to the Museum of Natural Curiosity.   This is a new museum in our area -- it's beautiful and fun.  It's also quite crowded.  We'll have to go back because Andrew wanted to spend a lot more time in each room than most of the cousins.  I love seeing my kids and their cousins play together.  I never grew up that close to my cousins (geographically, otherwise I'm sure we would have had a great time.) So it really makes me happy to see them play together.  

Here are Jacob, Andrew, and Eric spinning the Giant Water Mover in the water display at the museum.

And Tanner with Max, Matthew, and Isaac trying to build a house during a great earthquake!

And Eric, Jacob, and Andrew throwing marbles onto the giant spinning record.

And Jacob and Eric starring as the floating heads.

There were many other great activities, the favorite being one I didn't take a picture of -- the giant climbing area.  It warmed my heart to see the older cousins helping to keep track of the little ones.  That way I didn't have to stand at the bottom and worry, or worse, climb through the maze to keep track of them!   

Oh, what do you do in the Summertime?

Each year as the school year ends, I get anxious about what I will do with the kids at home all day.  I don't know why it makes me nervous -- I've always stayed at home with them and before they started school they were home all day.  And Tanner still is 3 days a week!  But I still get nervous.  So I make plans -- nice, organized, not too complicated plans.  This year I made little tickets intended to be completed within a month.  Each ticket had an activity for the kids could complete -- things like Read 20 minutes, Serve someone, Play catch outside, etc.  Anything to get them away from video games and TV.  And if they finished their sheet of tickets, we would do something "fun" as a reward.

Well, our "tickets" still have not been completed -- the month goal has become the summer goal.  And if they finish their tickets before school starts in a few weeks, I will still take them somewhere "fun" -- you know, one of those loud, germ-filled places where kids jump, run, and yell a lot.  And just writing this I'm seeing the flaw in my plan -- I was probably subconsciously sabotaging the project just so I didn't have to take them somewhere "fun".  

It was a good plan.  And maybe I'll try it again next year -- but their reward will be a giant Ice Cream Sundae or something.    

We did get out a few times, though.  Some of my favorite moments were the good ol' classic summer activities:  

Running through the sprinklers:

A Lemonade Stand:
One of Andrew's friends came and got him one morning to help with a lemonade stand.  A couple hours later when we went to buy a 25 Cent Kool-aid, I was surprised to find the kids enthusiastically waving their sign -- all dressed up as a hamburger, Spongebob, and Mario.  It was awesome!  And in that two hours hardly anyone had stopped!  But they were having a great time -- even showing great feats of strength -- lifting each other in the air, pogo-stick jumping, and other eye-catching tricks.  Luckily, their persistence paid off and customers came.  I tell you, it was awesome.

Swimming Lessons:

And after 3 years, I finally managed to get my kids back in Swimming Lessons.  Tanner got to play at the Splash pad while Andrew and Eric had semi-private lessons.  They had a cool teacher who was very encouraging and said they made great progress.  Then Tanner had "group" lessons -- even though it was pretty much semi-private too since there was only one other boy there most of the time.  He had fun too, as you can see from his very proud face as popped out of the water in that last picture.

Blue Herringbone

Shhhh....this is a quilt that I will be giving to a sister, but I don't think she reads blogs much so I'm sharing it anyway.  My Friday Finish is made from Joel Dewberry's Modern Meadow fabric.  This simple, slightly wonky quilt took me much longer than it appears.  Originally I planned on doing a different pattern with large, oblong blocks.  But after cutting the pieces and laying it out I decided it wasn't the look I wanted.  Eventually I decided to cut it up further and created this.  It's hard to create something for someone else....but I'm hoping the style is right for my sister.  I think she will like it. 

What I learned:

1.  What you have pictured in your mind does not necessarily exist in your quilters mind too.  :)  I asked the quilter to stitch a herringbone pattern.  When I picked it up I was silently disappointed that the quilting lines weren't closer together.  But I realize I didn't communicate that.  Once I bound the quilt, I liked it a lot more.  Phew.

2.  I need to start making bigger quilts!  Sometimes when I piece them I feel like they're pretty big....big enough.  But often when I finish I wish I had made it bigger.  Most of my quilts have been throw size for one person.   But I'm going bigger with my next quilts.

3.  This would have been a good quilt to use the QAYG method here.  I thought about it, but didn't.  Darn.  I knew I wanted to put sashing in between so wasn't sure how to deal with that (getting the lines to meet up at a point.)  Looking at it now I wish I would have just used the QAYG method and skipped the sashing...then the quilting would have been what I wanted and it wouldn't have taken much more time (and less money.)  If I make another one I'll try QAYG.

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts for Finished it Up Friday.

I am also linking up to Go-Go Kim's SEWjo Saturday.

And to Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation.

Moving on....I finished piecing this block today.  I am in a BOM (block of the month) class at a local quilt store.  Of the 3 color-ways offered, I chose "Amish" solids.  We only have one more month left and now I need to start thinking about how I will put them together.  I just started piecing 2 sampler quilts I finished a while ago.  So after having deliberated on patterns for those quilts, I'm not in the mood to try and figure this one out.  But I'm glad I pulled them out and looked at the previous blocks again as it motivates me to start contemplating the layout.

Sunny Beach Quilt

What I have to show today is a summery quilt made with Lucy's Crabshack fabric.  When I first saw this line of fabric I really liked it.  It was the orange that attracted me.....a few pops of orange and I'm sold.

I followed the "Sunny Skies" tutorial by Missouri Star Company.  I love the 16 patches, and because the fabrics are beachy I decided to add some "sand" color in the Chevron blocks.

I tried out a new method of quilting -- new for me, that is.  I followed Maureen Cracknell's QAYG (Quilt As You Go) method. (For this method you actually quilt the quilt top blocks on individual batting blocks -- without the backing.  Then you sew those quilt blocks together, press, and finally add the backing -- sewing along the edges of the blocks.  So the back is not quilted as the front, but instead has a square grid.  Check out Maureen's tutorial.  It's cool.)  I love the idea of this method because the couple of quilts I've done on my home machine drove me crazy because I couldn't handle the bulk of the quilt and doing all that quilting at once (well, in a few sessions) seemed so long!  Breaking it into small quilting sessions sounds much more appealing.  Here is what I learned while doing this quilt:

1.  Quilt as you go....learn as you go.  I read the directions, which are really clear and detailed.  It's a great tutorial.  However, I decided not to just do straight line quilting.....instead I wanted to do a checkerboard pattern on each 16-patch and just a few lines on the Chevron blocks.  What I didn't foresee was that doing these simple patterns rather than straight lines....I was going to lose some stitches (and part of the pattern) in the inseam.  So I readjusted and started quilting to 1/4" from the edge, so the edges of the diamonds wouldn't be cut off.  Then....I realized that in Maureen's tutorial I was supposed to use a 1/2" seem to join the blocks.  Aaahhh!  Instead I used a generous 1/4" seem, which cut off the diamond corners, but hopefully it'll wash up fine.  I realize these lost stitches aren't going to be noticed by most, but it was something I realized I need to think about when doing this QAYG method.

2.  Better basting.  Also in the tutorial Maureen basted her blocks before quilting.  I decided my blocks were so small this wasn't going to be necessary.  The outcome is just okay.  It would probably look better if I had basted.  And if I could baste the backing on better it would help too!  I ran out of Basting Spray and tried to just straighten it as I went.  The result is some puckering.  But it's not horrible.    

3.  I'll try this again.  I really do love this QAYG method -- this time with the straight line stitching.  I like to change tasks often, so being able to stop piecing blocks and start quilting at any time was fun for me.

4.  Not my Style.  I am lukewarm on the finished product.  I gave a lot of thought to "my style" as I was putting together this quilt.  "Sunny Beach" -- not so much my style; "Overcast beach" would be more my style.  :)  I've decided I need to try and zone in on what I really love -- instead of just doing lots of cute projects.  But I'm happy with what I learned and still enjoyed making the quilt.  And I do think it would look very cute in someone's small beach house by the sea.  Anyone have one of those?  Maybe I can trade you this quilt for a weekend vacation! ;)

I am linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it up Friday.
I am also linking up to Sew Can She's Show off Saturday.

Family Reunion Review

I am so clever with my post titles, don't you think?  But if I tried to be clever while writing these I wouldn't get much done....so descriptive and to the point is what you get.

A couple of weeks ago we headed up to Rexburg for a family reunion with my parents, siblings, and their families.  The boys and I headed up a few days before Brian so we could spend more time with the cousins.  My sister, Marie, flew in from Seattle and we also took another sister, Susan, and two of her kids up -- it was so fun to have a full car with all those cousins/Aunts.

Dave and Allyson made this cool rocket launcher....you put some water in these 2-liter soda bottles, tip them over onto the pipe, then stand back, push the button which causes air to shoot up through the pipe, and the soda bottle shoots up into the air really high -- 100 feet???  Anyway, it was great fun for the boys.  They could have done that for hours.

We also went to Fat Cats and did some bowling and Arcade playing.  The pictures turned out pretty dark -- but still wanted to share.  Of course the kids are separated by gender....the girl table and the boy table.  :)

One afternoon we went on a little hike to Cress Creek.  It was a nice, paved trail with a beautiful veiw.     Eric fell and hurt his knee on the way up, so we stopped at the creek.  Grandpa stopped there too and we had a nice visit.  Andrew and Tanner continued with the rest of the group.  

Here is a picture of Tanner giving himself bunny ears.  Funny kid.  :)

When all the kids came back down the hill Grandpa quizzed them on the surrounding plants.  It was cute to watch him teach -- he was a High School Biology teacher....once a teacher, always a teacher. (:  

One morning we went to the Splash Pad.  I was disappointed I didn't convince Andrew and Eric to come along.  They would have had a great time with the older cousins.  Tanner enjoyed it a lot and it was so nice to have some older kids there to help when he got "stuck" at the top of the slide and stood there shivering for several minutes.  I would have had to get very wet had I climbed up there to encourage him down.  

James' family gave him a snow cone machine for Father's Day.  They brought it along and the kids loved having those snow cones right in the backyard.  I enjoyed it too --- yum.

A niece on Brian's side of the family is going to BYU-I.  We met her at the park for a while and visited.   She is such a nice girl and it was nice of her to take some time out of her studies/socializing to come and hang out with us.  Here is Brian, Tanner, and Katelyn riding the carousel.

The more scheduled part of our Family Reunion involved family history work.  Previous to getting together we were each assigned some names to research.  We were all researching the posterity of my Great Grandfather, John Frankman.  He died when my grandfather was only 3 and we have no pictures and know very little about him.  After finding some more names, dates, and information, Allyson and Dave wrote up life-sketches and gave them to us all.  There is such a special spirit about doing Family History work.  I really enjoyed the few hours I spent on it.  

We also spent some time in the Rexburg Temple with our family.  It was a special experience knowing the connection we were making to long gone relatives.  I believe my Grandfather is grateful that we care about his family, that they haven't been forgotten, and that he was smiling down on us from heaven.

Happy 4th of July!

I am writing this as I listen to hundreds of fireworks going on out there.  Brian took the older boys to watch the city firework show.  Tanner and I stayed here.  I'm hoping he'll fall asleep soon....but it is pretty noisy!

I wanted to write a quick post so I can link up to Crazy Mom Quilt's Friday Finish and to Freshly Pieces WIP Wednesday.  I have been overwhelmed with partly finished projects, so I picked this small project up and finished it.  It is a small wall hanging from a Quilts and More issue a couple of years ago.

I made a pillow with this pattern for my niece last year when she had a baby.  It was so cute so I thought I'd make myself one.  My boys aren't too excited about being the middle of a flower -- but I'll be hanging it in my sewing room so they don't need to love it.  :)  The one I made for my niece was my first Dresden block, this is my second.  It wasn't too hard, but I must have used a scant 1/4" seem rather than an exact 1/4" seem.  As a result the flower center was too big for my picture (which I printed on Ink Jet Fabric Sheets on my home printer.)  Since the flower center was bigger than my picture, I had to add the brown background to the center.  I think it actually added a little "ruggedness" to the flower and works well for the boys.  

Speaking of boys, we went to a parade this morning.  This has been a tradition for the last several years.  First up is Andrew...feeling too old to chase after the candy anymore, but still happy to get a few pieces while sitting and visiting with cousins.

Tanner was so cute dancing to the band music....and for each picture he made sure to give us an "awesome" expression.  Eric enjoyed the parade for a while, but was quite disgruntled about the fact that almost all the candy was Salt Water Taffy, which he can't eat because of some orthodontics in his mouth.  About halfway through, Eric had seen enough....but he tried to be patient.

Brian told me he took his first "selfie."  He did a pretty good job, huh?  Eric's doing a goofy face, as usual.  Brian looks great...I love that dimple!  ;)

This evening we had some cousins over for dinner.  The kids all sat on the patio.  It was so quiet inside that the adults stayed inside to enjoy some quiet.  :)  After dinner we walked over to the park and played.  It wasn't as hot as I thought it would be.  Yay.  A pretty low-key day spent with family.  A good way to celebrate the 4th.  

Salt Air Butterfly Effect Quilt

After 5 days in Idaho for a family reunion, then back home trying to catch up, I haven't been sewing much.  I am missing those few hours of alone time when my kids were all in school!

So I am hoping a quilt from Amy Smart's book Fabulously Fast Quilts is just that --- fast and fabulous.  I had a scrap bag of Salt Air fabric by Cosmos Cricket...mostly long strips.  So I decided to try the Butterfly Effect quilt.  I love the fabric but am still unsure if I chose the right pattern for it.  But I did enjoy using the strip piecing tips in the book and the tube method (that is probably not the technical term.)

Here is a crooked picture I took with my Kindle.  The computer is occupied so I am making do.  I am linking up to Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday and to Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation.

Grandma's Quilt

Recently my mom brought me some embroidered blocks of Grandma's -- some extras.  Grandma died more than 15 years ago, so this is a special project for me.  I've never done anything with Embroidered blocks -- there are 50 of them, 6 1/2 inches square.  I ordered some fabric from Connecting Threads, "Nana's Pantry".  The colors work well, which was a relief since I'd never seen them in person.  I was inspired by Crazy Mom Quilt's quilt here.  I would have never picked out this fabric, but seeing it in her quilt made me love it.

I'm still unsure of the design I will do -- either a block I'm not sure the name of -- it's the inside of the economy block -- kind of like the first picture below.  The blocks would be on point so the birds would not sit at a diagonal.  I've contemplated a Log Cabin too, but there are 50 blocks and more than one or two strips might just get too big.

Another thing I've been debating is whether or not I match the bird to the background color.  Does that make sense?  (Red Cardinal, Red background; Bluebird, blue background -- or do I mix it up?)  If you have an opinion, let me know.  (:

I can just picture Grandma sitting in her quiet, clean house, watching Lawrence Welk or Billy Graham, doing her embroidery.  She made a lot of embroidered quilt blocks which my mom made into wedding quilts for each of us.  Here is my oldest, Andrew, sitting in front of my wedding quilt -- it only shows one of the twelve blocks, but you get the idea.  Plus, Andrew is so cute I thought I better share!

Just a bit about Grandma - she lived across the street from us when I was growing up.  She smelled of Mentholatum and Coty's face powder.  She had the "gift of gab" -- something I didn't appreciate like I would now.  She had a great memory for details.  She knew everyone's birthday, childhood friend's full names, and war-time songs she was taught when she was growing up.  Sometimes I wish I could go back and visit with her again so I could really pay attention to all those stories, songs, and poems she told me.

Lastly, I will leave you with a cute picture of Tanner -- "peeling corn."  Whenever he sees corn on the cob he says "Oh yah!  I peeled corn with Grandpa one day!"  That was about a year ago, but he still talks about it.  Funny how clearly I remember doing the same thing with Dad when I was little.  (:

I'm linking up to GoGo Kim's Saturday Sewjo Party.

I'm linking up to My Quilt Infatuation party too!

Stars Baby Quilt

My brother and his wife are having a baby in October.  I have owned the Yoyo Mama Designs Antique Baby Quilt pattern for years, but have never made it.  So I thought it was about time.  I used all scraps from my stash.

I've decided to write something I learned from each quilt -- this is not to point out the imperfections, but merely to write it down so I'll remember those lessons next time, and maybe someone else can learn from my mistakes.  So here's what I learned when making this pattern:

1.  Use more glue!  Glue????  Yes, this quilt is done by gluing the squares to a piece of muslin; putting the quilt backing, batting, and top together; and then sewing the squares on.  It's a quick process which results in the cute raw edges.  But I found that as I ran it through my machine the little squares shifted.  Afterward I watched a video online that talked about glue basting with Washable Elmer's and then heat setting the squares.  I think I'll try that next time.

2.  Think ahead about the backing -- I bought a brown backing and then realized that I'd need to use white thread on the top...and ideally white on the bottom.  But since my sewing isn't super straight I was worried the white stitching on the back would look glaringly crooked.  I opted for tan thread on the back, white on the top...hoping it wouldn't be too obvious if my tension wasn't perfect.  So....I'm fine with how it looks but next time I want to think about the thread on the back before I buy the backing.

3.  It's fun to put a little Star Wars into the quilt.  I wasn't sure about doing this -- and hope that the little yoga faces won't scare the baby!  But I am glad I threw them in there and now the older kids can enjoy the "Star Wars blanket" like Tanner did.

So that was really wordy.  Not sure if it makes sense to any of you reading this...Allyson and Karen.  (:

I am linking up to Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts and to GoGo Kim's Sewjo Saturday.

Plus Quilt

I finished binding this quilt today. It is one from Camille Roskelley's book "Simplify".  I used a Jelly Roll by American Jane -- School Days.  Although this has pretty simple construction, all those little squares and rectangles took some time to sew together.  I started it more than a year ago, so I'm happy to have finished it!

Each quilt I make, I learn something new.  On this quilt I learned:

1.  I don't have perfect 1/4" seams -- oh, I already knew that.
2.  Pay attention to how white/cream a background is -- I picked out the backing and in the basement sewing room it looked fine.  When I brought it upstairs I saw that it was a much colder off-white (less yellow) than the front fabric.  Luckily, it's the back so not a big deal -- but it still kind of bugs me.
3.  Next time I want to take the time to "fussy cut" the cream/red binding so that the red lines go all the way around.  I thought about this but was too excited to just get it done.
4.  I love the dot-to-dot fabric in this one -- it takes me back to my younger years!

So here it is!  Yay!  I am linking up to Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.