Owls+Polka Dots=My New Quilt

Here's a sneak peak at my next quilt. All of the quilts I've made so far I've given away as gifts. This one I've decided is for me. I'm loving these Alexander Henry owls! I'm using up some fabric scraps and some of my favourite polka dots and a gorgeous grey solid that my mother donated to the cause. This is my first time making 'log cabin squares'. It's a fun process (if you don't worry about the color combos too much...which I have to admit I have been doing). I've decided to simplify things by making my 'layers' within the squares using the same fabric. There are all kinds of amazing combos you can do. This quilt is my inspiration... though mine won't end up looking anything like that one.

Dummies

It's 9:45 p.m. Ian is still awake. Reading books in his bed. He grabbed a few of my books along with his own tonight without my knowing.... He's at this very moment reading 'Parenting for Dummies'.... I'm pretty sure he's trying to tell me something.

Honestly, you just can't make this stuff up.

The Jessica Quilt

I finally finished Jessica's quilt. It took quite a while because I had a really hard time figuring out what color I should  use to join the 'coin stacks'. I finally ended up choosing pink and I'm very happy with the way it turned out. I especially love how super duper cute my little 8 week old niece looks with it. That picture makes all of those hours SO worth it!

Seeds of Hope (and Fear)

My first pregnancy ended at 6 and a half weeks in grief, sadness and loss. My second pregnancy ended in joy, love, gratitude and never ending laughter (and let's not forget the fatigue!). My third pregnancy ended at 8 weeks just this past August in grief, sadness, loss, disbelief and resignation. My recent miscarriage was a blighted ovum (the sac grew but the baby never did). The irony is that the same day the miscarriage started, my mother and I took Ian to the beach. As we sat there watching him play in the sand, I told her how comforting it was that my hcg levels were exactly where they should be... several hours later the red streak of doom announced itself. A few people asked if the fact that there was 'no baby' was... 'comforting'. How do you explain that though there was no baby in my womb, there was in fact a very real baby growing in my heart? Baby Center tells me I would be 20 weeks this week (I can't turn off the damn weekly updates). But I'm not. I'm. Not.

We are still hopeful. It is a mixture of hope and fear. Sometimes there is more fear than hope, other times more hope than fear. Other times, there is nothing. No feeling. Just. nothing.

I'm just not sure how many more babies I can grow in my heart and never get to hold in my arms.

Weekending

Glorious Day

Today I had a glorious day. I had the day off and Ian went to daycare which left me with a whole 8 hours to myself. I cleaned, did laundry, made good progress on my niece's quilt, fixed the buttons on several of my winter coats, had a bath, did some work for my meeting tomorrow.... what a glorious day! It was so nice to do some sewing without feeling rushed or feeling guilty that I should probably be doing something else.

In general I have this sense of being rushed all of the time... like there just isn't enough time in the day to get things done. I noticed this feeling got worst after Ian was born. Almost like an internal 'alarm' was switched on and never turned off. It probably has a lot to do with the anxiety disorder but I'm getting better at managing it. I have good days and bad days (today was a great day!). I just need to keep reminding myself (as someone once told me) life isn't a 100 metre dash, it's a marathon that you take one day at a time...

ABCs

Great idea! I'm definitely going to make some of these.

http://ohsohappytogether.blogspot.com/2009/07/rag-quilt-letters-tutorial.html

Doll Quilt

I've been using up some fabric scraps and working on a few doll quilts. Finally finished my first one. I LOVE this quilt. I love it so much... I think I have to keep it! Maybe someday we'll have a little girl who will play with it...  That would be a wonderful blessing.

Flu Season

My baby is sick (he's still 'my baby' even though he's officially a 'toddler'). He's had the flu since Saturday afternoon. He's never had a fever this high and for this long before. In these days of H1N1 panic, the flu is a scary thing. I brought him to the Dr's today. She said he obviously does have the flu... but not H1N1... because he isn't sick enough. I was debating back and forth about whether we should have Ian vaccinated... but I think my mind is made up. I wouldn't want to see him much sicker than I saw him in these last few days... now to find the time to wait 6+hours to get the vaccine.... and we have to wait until he's officially 100% better as well.

I feel so very grateful that:

1. Ian doesn't have H1N1 and seems to be feeling a little better
2. We have such a kind doctor who takes emergency appointments with very short notice
3. We have a health care system that provides free care and free vaccines
4. Dr. White has tractor stickers which makes the whole Dr. experience a little less painful

Memories

Ian making memories with his cousins at Méme and Pépé's house on Thanksgiving weekend.

Cute top!

This will likely be one of my next projects (again for my niece Zoë).

http://candacetodd.blogspot.com/2009/08/ruffle-sleeve-top-tutorial.html

What a super cute top! What`s great is you could make it into a dress and change it up in a lot of different ways.

New fabrics

I just purchased a half yard of each of these fabrics. They are from the Michael Miller 'Tad dot' series. I love polka dots!