Kindergarten Book Quilts (Bloggers Quilt Festival Entry)

In the reading program at my children's school, the kids learn about a different letter each week, and during Q week, they read some stories about quilts.  I offered to help the class make a quilt of their own.  I gave the teacher a couple options that I thought would be easy quilts to put together that would have the kids involved in some way. 

I'm using this as my second entry in the Blogger's Quilt Festival at Amy's Creative Side in the Group/Bee division.

Title:Kindergarten Book Quilts

Made by: Me (Polly Carlson)

Size: Approx 30"x30"

Division: Group/Bee Quilt

Techniques: Home Machine Quilting

She chose the book quilt option.

I figured as long as we were making one for the teacher to keep in the classroom, we'd also make a duplicate quilt for the elementary school librarian.  She's a wonderful librarian and has been especially nice to my bookworm kids.

I-Spy...A Unicorn (Blogger's Quilt Festival Entry)

If you're a regular of my blog, then you've seen this quilt before, but I've decided to enter it in the Blogger's Quilt Festival at Amy's Creative Side in the ROYGBIV division and that requires a new post.

Title: I-Spy....A Unicorns

Made by: Me (Polly Carlson)

Size: Approx 42"x56"

Division: ROYGBIV

Techniques: Home Machine Quilting, freezer paper stenciling, fabric printing.  There are 2 or 3 duplicate squares, but otherwise, each print is different.

I made this quilt for my newest niece.  My brother and his wife choose pretty unique names for their kids that have meanings and stories behind them.

This baby will get to hear stories about unicorns as she grows up, so I thought it would be good to incorporate unicorns into the quilt as I could.  (My next job for them is to come up with a stuffed phoenix for their oldest child.)  The only trouble was that this was the only square that had a unicorn on it.

So I started having a little fun and added a few.   I used fabric marker and some paint to turn a few horses into unicorns.

I also used some freezer paper stenciling to add a few unicorns in some other places.

This Way and That Quilt in Rocket Lauch Club Fabrics

I have a new favorite go-to quilt pattern...the This Way and That Pattern from Sister and Quilters.  (You can either just purchase the pattern or you can choose your favorite prints from their shop and theyll put together a whole kit for you.)  This is super fast to sew together if you're an experienced quilter and is an ideal quilt to start with if you're just learning.

I had some extra Rocket Lauch Boys by Sarah Jane fabric left over from making Anson's Giant Hexies Quilt (which I still have to finish).  I fell in love with the fabric because it features boys doing such fun and brainy activities...boys...rockets...math and physics equations...I'm in love with this print (which unfortunately is getting hard to find since it was released several years ago, but you can still track down most of the prints on Etsy).  I was trying to figure out who would appreciate the print and realized it would be perfect for the baby Eric's sister and brother-in-law are expecting since his brother-in-law majored in physics.

The rockets just want to blast off the quilt and right up into the sky...

I used fewer squares...and fewer prints.  I just have 5 prints plus a double dose of the dark blue rocket boys.  Using so few fabrics made it a little tricky to figure out a good layout (I think I spent more time switching around the squares trying to get the layout perfect than I did actually sewing the top together.

If you're looking for a fast pattern, this is it.  I sewed it a little different than the directions by using strip piecing and sewing strips and then cross cutting.  That mean that I couldn't be quite as choosy with the direction of my prints, but it sewed up SO fast.  Most of my prints had a definite "up", so I just made those go every which way so there is no particular "up" to the quilt.

I ended up with a few extras squares, but my sister-in-law wanted a small quilt the right size for tucking around the baby in his stroller or carseat.  So instead of adding the extra squares onto the quilt, I made a small doll quilt for baby's big sisters to use.

Repost: To all you Other Mothers

If you've been a reader for a long time, you might recognize this post...I wrote it two years ago...and reposted it last year...and I'm reposting it again this year, because I know how hard Mother's Day can be for some people and I want all you "other mothers" out there to know you are thought of and loved...

So here's to all you amazing Other Mothers...

...I'm thinking of you.

Especially my kids' birthmoms...who gave me the ultimate gift...their most precious treasure...

I'm so glad they're a part of my life and my kids' lives.

I'm thinking of all you other birthmoms out there who get to see or hear from your child...

And I'm thinking of you birthmoms who wonder...where they are and who they've become...

I'm thinking of you who considered adoption and chose to single parent.  And I wonder how that little baby is...

I'm thinking of all you foster moms...

And single moms...

And moms who have angel babies waiting for you in Heaven...

And all you who desperately want to be moms, but aren't yet...

And all you moms who love your children who struggle...

Mother's Day used to be hard for me.  Not just because I didn't have kids...but because I didn't know if I would ever have kids. 

Seven Eight Nine years ago for Mother's Day, Eric and I told our parents that we had started paperwork to become approved for adoption.  Six Seven Eight years ago, I celebrated my first Mother's Day as a mom.

I.   AM.   SO.   BLESSED. 

If Mother's Day is hard for you...I'm sending a hug...and thinking of you. 

Progress on Dr. Seuss, Paper Airplanes and More

Like many people my sewing and crafting seems to come in spurts depending on how much time I have and how the creative juices are flowing.  I've been on an upswing the last couple weeks.  This week I'm taking a bit of a forced break because I'm scoring SATs.  (Yes...if one of your kids took the SAT a week or so ago, I might be reading and scoring their essay over the computer.)

But I'm still squeezing in some sewing since I can only do so much scoring.  My friend's son wanted to make a quilt for his teacher who is about to have her first baby.

He picked out the background fabric and she was going to bring her son over to choose some different scraps to make something similar to Becca's Bird and Bunting Quilt.  As soon as I saw the background fabric, though, I knew it was perfect for some of the Children at Play by Sarah Jane I had left from Anson's quilt.  My friend and her son agreed and we decided that a paper airplane instead of a bird would be the perfect choice considering the theme in the fabric.  (It's hard to tell from the picture, but three of the prints have paper airplanes in them.)

We've got the top finished and I'll show her how to quilt it the beginning of next week. 

While my friend was sewing her quilt, I cut into the Dr. Seuss fabric I ordered from Sisters and Quilters.

Their This Way and That quilt pattern was so easy when I tried it with my last quilt (that I'll show you soon), that I decided to use it again.  I still need to put a border on it, but otherwise the top is done.  This one is destined for a Histio Heros fundraiser our neighbors are organizing.

And I was blown away at the amazing box of fabric Patty from Granma's Treasures sent me this week to use in I-Spy and other charity quilts.  This picture really does not do the fabric justice.  Granma's Treasures is currently getting a complete update and will be reopening  under a new name in about a month, so I'll get to introduce her as a new sponsor then.  Until then it's driving me a little nuts to have to spend so much time scoring essays instead of playing with this new fabric...but the essays help me justify the time for playing with fabric later.  I've already got some fun plans for that yard of yellow banana fabric...I've been pulling all the monkey themed squares out of my I-spy stash...

Soap Box Moment...

Okay, this post pretty much me on a soapbox...sorry!  And it's not even a super well-timed soapbox since there aren't really any elections coming soon, but this is when I'm thinking about it.  For the last while, our school district has been trying to pass a bond to build a new school.  We have three schools in the district and they're all bursting at the seams with nothing but more growth on the horizon.

A bond ran in November and failed...by 15 votes. 

They ran the bond again in February.  This time a lot more people, including our family, got more involved in getting word out.  After all the regular votes were tallied the day after the election, it was winning by ONE vote, and there were still 18 "contested" votes that someone needed to look at to see if they could be counted...and then add them to the tally as well.  We just found out a couple days ago that the final official count showed the bond passed by TWO votes.

I think everyone who helped this bond pass can stand back and say THEY made a difference.  Without ever single effort this would not have passed and our kids would not be getting the new school they need.  Getting involved in politics and elections and going door to door to talk to people about politics and elections is WAY out of my comfort zone, but I did it anyway...and in this election, I can say it made a difference.  I also did a few things that were inside my comfort zone like design Facebook picture messages and the design of the door-hangers we passed out.

So get involved...find something you're willing to take on and do it.  Write letters to the editor, help put up yard signs, get the facts out, talk to your friends, distribute fliers, make phone calls whatever.  What one person does CAN make a difference.

Okay...that's the end of my soapbox. :)

Now I'm hoping they'll let me make a quilt to help decorate the new library...in two years...definitely more in my comfort zone...

Last Minute Teacher Appreciation

I've seen teacher appreciation ideas flying around like crazy on craft blogs for weeks...and I still didn't plan ahead for anything...but we've managed to pull together a few things.

I saw some fun ideas for decorating teachers' doors.  I talked to Katie about the idea and she thought puzzle pieces would be fun.  I cut out the puzzle pieces for her, but she took care of getting her classmates to sign their names on the pieces before school and during recess.  She got a class list from her teacher so she could make sure she had everyone's names included.  Then the went over to the school extra early with Seth and Becca all on their own to tape them to her teacher's door.  (Anson wasn't quite ready to head over, so he and I went over a few minutes later to pick up Becca...kinda nice living next door to the school.)  I was really impressed with how much Katie took charge of the project.

I haven't done anything official for Seth's teachers yet, but I think I'm going to write a letter to the principal, like I usually do.  They have just been amazing with him this year.  Last week they were studying Q and they read some stories about quilts, so I volunteered to help the class make a quilt.  I'll have more details about it later, but each child got to choose their own fabric, and we were just able to take a completed picture of them with their quilts today.  Their teacher will keep one for their room...and another lucky person gets the second one, but I won't say who since it hasn't been gifted yet. :)

Being a former teacher and being married to a current teacher, I'm a big believer in showing your child's teacher how much you appreciate them, but it really doesn't have to be anything big.  I still think the absolute BEST teacher appreciation gift is a letter to your child's teacher and/or their principal.

I've also let my kids pick out flowers for their teacher before.

And there probably isn't enough time to get one of these made by tomorrow, but it could make a fun and easy end of year gift...art with a mat signed by the kids.

I-Spy Skirt

This is a little skirt I made for Becca's birthday.  She asked for an I-Spy Cake, so I thought this would be something she'd enjoy for a long time that would go with her theme.

So far every time I've participated in an I-Spy swap, I sign up for double spots...that way I've got plenty of extras to make hospital quilts from and if there are squares I just really, really love, I can put one in a quilt and put one in something like this.  I tried to remember some of Becca's most favorite squares from when she was sorting through them with me...or squares that just seemed especially girly.

(If you like the snitch necklace she's wearing, you can see more details about it here.)

Becca just turned 4, but she's really more of a small 3T size.  The skirt is big enough that will will fit her for a long time...so you can kinda use that to judge how big to make one of your own.

Here's what you'll need to make your own. 
44 4'' I-Spy Squares
1 1/2'' wide elastic long enough to go around your child's waist plus 1/2 an inch.
Thread, scissors, sewing machine, etc...ya know all the stuff you normally need to sew.

Here's how I did it...