Fightin' Irish Chain Finished

So I did manage to complete the Fightin' Irish Chain I made for my Dad for Christmas this year.  I showed progress (and my doubts about finishing in time) before, so here's the nitty gritty details and some pics to show it off.

I used Dana's EXCELLENT tutorial for a Double Irish Chain quilt except I made it smaller with only 56 blocks in the quilt.

I ordered the navy for the solids and it's actually Kona Nautical but the greens and yellows (on the front and back) are all from my stash.  It was kinda neat to use all of these fabrics that I'd used to make things for people in our family or friends and show them to Dad. Another connection through quilting.  ;)

The quilt measures about 70" x 80" making it one of the biggest quilts I've ever made.  I almost gave in and made it smaller a few times, but Chris reminded me every time that big guys need big quilts and my Dad wouldn't want just a little lap quilt.  And he's right, I'm glad I stuck it out and finished this one at the planned size.

 

For the back I just pulled a bunch of green and yellow scraps.  I'd accidentally cut a few too many navy and yellow strips and squares for the "B" blocks of the quilt so I pieced some of those together and then just filled in with yardage and pieces of stash.  You can't necessarily tell in the picture but most of the yellows on the back aren't solid but small patterns.  I really loved the back.

I machine-embroidered a little shamrock to one of the open squares.  I just wanted to add that little extra touch.  

For quilting, I just sewed diagonally through the green and yellow blocks.  It actually shows up better on the back, making a diagonal grid.  Because of my deadline (I had to have it finished by December 20), the lines aren't quite as straight as I might like but again Chris reminded me that my Dad didn't give a hoot if the lines were straight or not.  Again, he's right.

I used a navy binding and hand-sewed it to the back of the quilt in the car during the 16-hour drive (over 2 days) to my Grandparents' house for the holiday.

My Dad did love it and my hope is that it brings him comfort and warmth.  May he know how much I love him and appreciate all that he's done for me in this small gift I've made for him.  :)

I would definitely make this pattern again.  Double Irish Chains are both classic and visually stimulating.  The simple design makes it great for using up scraps and the way the quilt comes together almost magically makes all the strip piecing and pressing and cutting seem worth it in the end.  Definitely check out Dana's tutorial if you're interested in making this quilt.  And she is by no means compensating me for my raves about it, I just like to pass on good tips and tricks when I find them.

I'm linking up with Amanda Jean for Finish it Up Friday.

It's the most Random Time of the Year??

Wonderful?  Random?  Those two seem to go together sometimes don't they?  Well, let's just say yes and get through this randomness shall we?

Ok--since the giveaway day post I've:
--Slaved away in the Santa Shop.  I'm wondering if there are labor laws for elves...  But really, I worked every day in our shop at school where we sell low-priced items for kids to buy for their families.  We live in a rural area with not much shopping other than Walmart and the Dollar Tree, so while we sell basically the same goods as those stores (as in the same things...) it give the kids a chance to buy gifts for their family members "on their own."  Some of the kids really enjoy the thought of doing their own shopping.  And some kids just buy stuff for themselves...

--Attended UF's graduation (Go Gators!) where Chris was honored as Distinguished Educator in Florida.  There were only 5 teachers in the state recognized.  They had to wear gowns and sit on the stage throughout the graduation.  But before the students were announced, each teacher was given a special plaque and the dean of the college of education read a little thing about each of them.  Chris HATES these kind of things.  He's the kind of person that says just let me do my thing the best I can and leave me alone.  I chose this pixellated photo from the jumbo-tron to show you because you can see where it says cheers and applause.  That's not the prompter telling people to applaud, that's the closed captioning telling you everyone was!  They announced that Chris has a near perfect pass rate on the AP World History class that he teaches and that, my friends, is a really big deal.  I am so proud of him and how hard he works, so to see others recognize him was so special.

Then we had lunch in the President's Suite at the stadium.  You know, no big deal, just lunch in one of the swankiest places at the university...  It was pretty cool.  :)

--Attended multiple karate classes with Oren.  He's learning fast now.  And loving it.  Chris was with Emma at pitching lessons.  Who knew the schedule filled up so quickly??
--Made HUGE progress on the quilt for my Dad.  I've got to have it done by tomorrow night...
--Made lots of Christmas goodies for the kids' teachers--spiced pecans, chocolate crinkles, cranberry-orange-pistachio rollups, thin mint Puppy Chow...and probably gained 5 pounds by sampling.  ;)
--Not run--at all.
--Went on a field trip to a local farm with Oren's class.  Yes, this is his second field trip this year to local farms.  Yes, we do live in a rural area.  Yes, many of our children are already familiar with things on a farm.  It makes me laugh.

Best part of the trip for Oren?  The hay fight.  Seriously...

--Watched Chris be named Teacher of the Year for his school.  Again, he hates this kind of recognition so to get 2 honors in less than a week made all of us giggle at his discomfort.  ;)

--Started quilting Dad's quilt.  I'm 3/4 of the way done.

--Slept like a rock every single night.

--Wondered how important sleep really is??  

--Wondered if I'd bought gifts for my entire family but not sat still long enough to make sure...

--Planned how organized I'm going to be next year when this time of year comes along. 

--Then laughed knowing I won't be organized then either.

--Thanked God for every second of this crazy, busy, full-to-the-brim life.

What have you been up to??

Up, Up and Away

I mentioned yesterday that I'd finished up my nephew's quilt that I agreed to make for his nursery.  My sister fell in love with the balloon prints from the amazing artist at Trafalgar's Square.

She ordered 4 of the prints, all with different colors and different animals long before she knew when there baby would come or what gender he'd be.

So when baby James arrived, she asked if I could make the crib quilt coordinate with these prints.  We batted some ideas around and I took her to JoAnn's to pick out the fabrics she wanted.  The nursery is gray, so she wanted that for the background.  We agreed on good old Kona Iron as Coal was way too dark and Ash seemed a little too light for the room.  She wanted navy accents in the room, so that was the perfect balance to the gray and then she picked 4 solids to match the balloons.

I apologize for the pictures.  I didn't take any before the shower so I had to rely on my non-quilt-blogger sister to take these for me!  And she does have a newborn to deal with too...

Her directions to me were gray background, navy border (she meant binding), and a big version of the balloons floating with James' name embroidered like I'd done on a few other baby quilts.  Other than that, she told me to use my judgement.  We considered adding one of the animals like he was holding all of the balloons, but she decided she didn't want that.

So I first embroidered James' name.  I just did a simple outline stitch and had it done in a day or two of watching TV at night with Chris.  Then I made the back.  She gave me no direction for the back whatsoever other than to make it match the colors from the front.  I wanted to try and use up as much of the fabrics we'd bought and the navy I had here, so I played on my EQ5 and came up with this basic design.

I actually really love the back and think it would make a great quilt top all in itself.  Like, I seriously want to throw my to-do list out the window and just make a giant version of the back.

I used the rest of the quarter-yard sections of the solid colors and then incorporated coordinating prints in each color to add a punch of fun.

Up next--the quilting.  I told her I thought it would look best to quilt the layers together before adding the balloons so the quilting really became part of the background.  I had it in mind that I'd quilt clouds all over.  But my machine did not agree.  Numerous times.  Seriously--my machine had NO interest in free-motion quilting clouds this past weekend.

So instead of giving up, I decided to go with a looser interpretation and quilt random lines across the quilt like wind maybe.  It was that or hand stitch the clouds and I really considered that option, but time waits for no man or baby shower so I went with the "wind."

Up next were the balloons.  I drew a circle onto Heat N Bond and then ironed that to my solid fabrics.  But then I cut out each balloon a quarter- to a half-inch bigger than the adhesive.  I wanted the balloons a little bigger than I'd originally thought and I thought the raw edge might add a little more whimsy.

So I sewed them down individually and then sewed down their strings.  Carrie wanted them to come together in a bunch but that was her only direction.  So I thought a lot about how to do that best and then just sat down and did this in 20 minutes.

Sometimes you have to plan things out and sometimes you have to just let creativity be in charge.  As I had to use my presser foot (remember my machine said NO FMQ) the balloon strings are a little pointier than I had envisioned, but you know...

Again--sorry for the pic quality.  I swear, that balloon is navy and not black!

My sister said she loved it at the shower and I can't wait to see it in the crib.  With school starting our baby visiting is definitely being cut short, so Emma and I are anxious to get some more sweet love for our special boy.

What are you up to this Tuesday afternoon?  We're off to Oren's Open House...  Ahh, the busy life begins again!

Just what the doctor ordered...

Hi y'all and Happy August!  We're home from the beach and content as can be.  We had a great week.  Oren managed to keep his cast mostly dry and sand-free.  We all managed to wear enough sunscreen not to get burned.  And we all managed to laugh a lot, eat a lot, love a lot, and have a great time together.

We got home Saturday night and had a special surprise.  My sister and brother-in-law became parents and we got to meet their sweet new arrival.  I'll wait till I get the OK to show pictures since it's not my kid, but I have to tell y'all--I am in love with my sweet nephew!!  He is so precious!

I am working on his crib quilt and can show off a work-in-progress of it.  My sister and I talked through a rough idea of what she wants and now we're texting back and forth to get it laid out before I start sewing.  Here's where we are right now. 

The white circles will be balloons of different colors and that mess at the bottom--I'm going to embroider his name there.  But again--not my kid, not my info to give out.  

I think this is going to be really cute when I'm done and there are a lot of non-Kelli things going on with it.  Applique, thread-drawing, quilting as part of the design, negative space...

I'm kinda excited to get it done and kinda scared to get it started!  :)

And on that scared note, yesterday evening was my first downtime at home in quite awhile and I wanted to sew.  But not get out a big project and put the weight of it on my shoulders.  So often my sewing lately has been to finish something--a dress for my class, bee blocks, old WIPs, quilts that need to be finished up, etc.  I felt like I never get to just sew for fun.

So I did.  I keep a bag full of 2.5" scraps.  Some are squares. Some are strips.  And I just sewed.  After discussing with Nicole the joy in brown-paper-bag piecing, I went for it.  

I decided to piece 12.5" blocks and then decide what to do with them later.  I assume this is like Amanda Jean's slab quilting that she has become famous for, but I have yet to buy her book.  As I mentioned, I feel obligated to finish my MANY unfinished projects sometimes and I let it hold me back from enjoying some good responsibility-free creativity and inspiration.

So far I've got 7 done and wish I could do nothing else but make these!!  

I don't have a plan for these yet, so I don't know how many I'll make or how I'm going to turn this hot mess of scrappiness into a quilt, but I'm purposely not worrying about that yet.

This is supposed to be fun and I want to keep it that way.

And it's way better than school shopping or cleaning house or admitting that Chris goes back to school next week and the kids go the following week.  YIKES!!!  Where has our summer gone???

So...what do you do when you feel like you're in over your head?  Do you keep plugging along or start something new?  And what what kind of sewing sets you free?  Improv?  Following a pattern so you don't have to make decisions?  Finishing something and getting it out of your sewing room?

Inquiring minds want to know...

Busy

Sorry y'all...but I'm busy this week.

I'll be back with your shortly.  :)

Take Care!

A trip to remember

**This is a personal post and not sewing/craft-related at all.  It is also picture heavy.  Feel free to move on if you're only here for the amazing sewing content.  ;)**

Last week was our vacation to the midwest that I had mentioned before.  We'd planned to drive to St. Louis to see the Arch, take in a Cardinals game, pick up my MIL at the airport and then visit my Grandparents in Illinois for their 60th wedding anniversary.

On the way home, we'd planned to drop my MIL back off at the airport and then take the kids to Mammoth Cave in KY and visit Chattanooga, TN to see Rock City, Ruby Falls, etc.

Our anniversary is 2 days after my Grandparents' and their 50th was our first.  We'd come to celebrate then too and then visited these places, so we thought it'd be fun to recreate the trip with the kids this time.

But...if you've ever heard the saying "If you want to make God laugh tell him your plans," I've got proof it's true.

We left early Monday morning and drove all day.  The driving was great until we hit mid Kentucky.  Then my Tahoe decided to just die on the side of the interstate.  It cranked back up after a few minutes and then died twice more in downtown St. Louis, always cranking back up after a few minutes of sitting.  Tuesday morning Chris left it at a nearby car shop and we set out to explore the Arch.

It was really neat.  The museum was great, full of American history.  We found out that Emma is a bit claustrophobic and did not enjoy the trip up or the viewing area from up top AT ALL.  She seriously was clutching Chris' leg and almost crying all the way to the top.  Oren, on the other hand, thought it was AWESOME and wanted me to take pics of EVERYTHING!!  :)

Word of advice--do the Arch first thing in the morning.  We got there right after it opened and didn't wait for anything.  We left about 2 hours later and there were hundreds, yes hundreds of people just waiting in line to get into the museum!

On a sidenote--I picked out my kitchen wall colors and Chris finally agreed.  I'd been wanting to boldly paint my large kitchen/dining room walls a Tiffany Blue, but our bedroom is right off the kitchen and it's painted in light aquas and Chris wasn't sure that would go together well.  But after seeing the old capitol building with it's patina-ed dome he was sold.  So...thanks to St. Louis for our future painting projects!

That night we picked up the Tahoe (they swore there was nothing wrong with it and didn't charge us--ummm, thank you??) and walked over to the Cardinals game.  It was awesome!  We had GREAT seats, the crowd was awesome, and the home team was on fire!

Wednesday we picked up my Mother-in-Law from the airport and drove the 2 hours to my Grandparents' house in rural Illinois.  Yes, my blog is called Small Town Stitcher, but we got nothing on the area my Grandparents call home.  They have about a 30-minute drive to a town the size of mine.  I have a 30-minute drive to Gainesville, a big college-town.

Thursday evening, the whole family (4 generations) got together for a wiener roast and s'mores.  I am always reminded how important family is when we're all together.  My cousins and I have basically always lived 1000 miles apart, and yet, as children we were each others' favorite playmates.  We don't see each other but once or twice a year, but time and distance doesn't matter.  Family always comes first.

Friday evening we headed to my Aunt's house to eat supper there and let the kids play.  Around 8, Oren came out of the basement crying and holding his arm.  He'd fallen and hurt himself.  If you don't know Oren--he's a tough kid.  He'll usually shake off an injury and go on playing, but after 10 minutes he was still crying and holding his arm to him.  So we headed to the local ER.  And yep--he broke not one both both bones in his arm below the wrist and they said he'd need to have it set by an orthopedic surgeon when we got home.  They splinted it up and gave us some meds and sent us on our way.

So Saturday brought a subdued Oren, me with a stomach bug, our 11th anniversary, a party for my Grandparents' and questions about what to do about our trip.  We decided to just enjoy the day and leave early Sunday morning.  Chris had to drop his mom back off at the airport early Sunday morning and we'd just leave from there to come home.

My grandparents are an example for all.  Through 60 years of farming, working, raising children, and loving each other, they've managed the hard times and the easy.  They are loved by all who know them and I couldn't ask for a better example of how to live my life.

Sunday morning we started home.  After dropping off my MIL, we stopped for breakfast and within 20 minutes, the day got longer.  Oren got sick.  We don't know for sure if it was the Tylenol 3, a migraine, the stress of his arm and the trip or the stomach bug I had, but I imagine it was a bit of all of it.  He threw up all over himself (except for his splinted arm which he managed to avoid bless his sweet heart!)

We had to pull over at a gas station to clean out the back seat and strip him naked in the parking lot and clean him up and change him.  He ended up puking and sleeping alternatively for most of the rest of the trip home.  But I tell you that sweet kid never once complained or got upset.  It was a long 16 hours, and we were all thrilled to get home.

So we cancelled our trip to Mammoth Cave and Chattanooga.  We told the kids the family comes first and those places aren't going anywhere.  Both of them were great about understanding and Emma has been so good about helping Oren out with this broken arm and all the attention he's got for it.

We got in with the ortho on Monday morning and the angulation of the bones had fixed so they felt a cast was enough.  He's got a waterproof cast on until this Thursday (at least).  We go back then to check his progress.  There was no need for surgery or putting him under to set the bones.  It was a huge weight off all of our shoulders.



I have to say in all that happened, God was with us.  So many things could have been so much worse, but through it all, we were reminded how much He loves us.  I know this will be a trip we never forget--through both highs and lows, it was memorable to say the least.  :)

And that concludes the personal content...I'll be back to regularly scheduled programming tomorrow with a WIP post!

A Random 4th of July

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY to my American friends!  Ours is pretty low-key here.  We're headed to watch fireworks tonight, but the day we've spent together at home as we have big vacation plans coming up next week.

Why do they grow so fast???

As I mentioned last week, I'm on a mission to empty my WIP baskets.  In the last week, I've

• sewn straps on a dress for Emma.
• made a baby dress out of that poor excuse for a skirt
• hemmed and narrowed the shoulders on a cordoroy dress my Grandmother had made and never finished that fits me perfectly
• patched an old pair of Chris' jeans
• Sewn together a bodice and skirt on a dress I made 2 summers ago and never finished.  I've just got to add in the zipper and bottom hem and it's wearable.

Finishing all of these projects feels good.  I can now see the basket which is a huge improvement from this time last week.  And I've kept my sewing room clean by picking up after myself each time I come in here.  New leaf??  Maybe--I'm liking it.  :)

What have we been doing outside of my sewing room?

• I've run a lot.  I finished my 56 miles in June and am working on 50 miles in July.
• Chris is building the cutest little rocking chair!  He's got it all apart now while he's finishing it but I can't wait to show you guys the finished chair.  Here's a sneak peek from last week.

• Stayed inside A LOT--it's rained most of the last 4 days.  Yep--4 days.  Seriously, it rained for almost all of the daylight hours on Monday.  My driveway was its own mudpit.  I could have charged admission to some local rednecks for a fun afternoon.
• Oren got glasses.  He looks so cute!  He was having trouble seeing things clearly from far away.  I'd asked him about 20 times, but I guess he didn't realize it until I was with him and could say I can read that--can you?

I seriously just want to squeeze him every time he puts these on!!  I love this little face!!!!

• And I found this shirt for sale on GroopDealz...look familiar??  Sorry the pic is so small, the deal is expired so I can't get the pics to blow up any bigger.  The front looks exactly like the shirt I made for Em!



via GroopDealz

And what do we have coming up?

• Possibly no fireworks because it is coming down here again...  Seriously, like I just about jumped out of my skin the thunder crashed so loudly.
• A family reunion next week for my Grandparents` 60th wedding anniversary.
• Chris and I will be celebrating our 11th on the day of the party.
• My Dad will celebrate his 60th birthday the next day.  (We're celebrating my Mom's parents...)
• We're taking the kids to St. Louis on the way to see a Cards game and visit the Arch.
• We're taking them to Mammoth Cave and Rock City on the way home.

Lots going on...as summer always goes.  What are you up to today?  Do you have big plans for the 4th (if you're American) and what projects are you working on?? 

Linked up with Cindy

Nine

Nine years ago my world changed forever.  Unexplainably.  For the better.  Nine years ago this bundle of joy, of tears, of incessant crying and unbelieveable beauty was born.

 

June 2004

 Some days seem fraught with arguments, lessons and timeless moments of struggle.  Yet whole months and even years pass by before I am ready.

July 2005

Every Mom will tell you that parenting is the hardest job ever given to anyone.  I would agree.  There is no textbook or google search that tells me if I’m making the right choices.  And sometimes I don’t.  And sometimes I won’t know for years if I’m right or wrong.

puddle jumping 2007

I see this beautiful creature in front of me each day and I want to make her life perfect for her, yet I want her to struggle enough to know she’s earned it.  I want everyone to be nice to her and love her as much as I do, but I am so proud when I see her stand up to injustices in life.

self haircut--summer 2008

I want to strangle her when she does things like cut her own hair to resemble Joe Dirt and then be proud of it.  Or argue with me because she is so my child that she can’t stand to believe she might be wrong and now I’m fighting with a version of myself.  Or refuse to keep her room or even her seat in the car clean.

First Day of kindergarten--2009

I want to put her up on my shoulders and parade the world to show her off when she’s the only 3^rd grader to make Straight A’s all year.  Or be chosen as Citizen of the Year, or win a bike for reading the most books in 2^nd grade.  Or be voted class president.  Or stand up to a bully and put her in her place for hurting others when no one else would.  Or know her limits and turn down honors because she knows she can't do it all at the age of 9.

Little Queen--Homecoming 2010

I want to shield her from the drama that comes with being a girl and bickering with other girls.  I want to shield her from the hurt that comes with living in this imperfect world.  I want to take all of the insensitive people that would knowingly or uncaringly hurt my precious child and show them how it feels.

But I try to let her learn.

Emma is her own person.  She makes her own rules.  She is a combination of her Daddy and me.  And yet, she is herself.  She feels no need to conform most of the time.  She’d rather play alone than live by someone else’s rules.  She is determined to make her way in this world and no one will stand in her way.  She is a dreamer.  She is a fighter.  She is Emma.

Haircut after donating to Locks of Love--June 2011

Nine years ago yesterday, Chris and I became parents to the most beautiful gift God had ever given me.  He gave me the gift of a daughter.

 

Spring 2012

He gave me the gift of Emma Grace. 

I pray each day for this beautiful gift I call my daughter.  I pray that she will continue to push her boundaries. I pray that she will continue to grow, physically, mentally and spiritually too.  I pray that she will chase her dreams (but am afraid for her to go to far from home).  I pray that I will be strong enough to let her go, to encourage her when I’m afraid to let her try.  I pray that I will always see that what I dream for her may not be what she dreams for herself and to know the difference.  I pray that God will take my special girl and make a special woman out of her in time.  But I also pray that time will slow enough that I can enjoy each day before that with my baby girl.

Easter 2013

I am truly blessed and my cup runneth over mightily.

Happy Birthday Emma!  We love you more than you will ever know.