Every year I swear to myself that next year, I won't be hauling ass ('scuse my French) right before Christmas, trying to get gifts done.

Yet every year, I'm in the same mad rush to finish or get things off to longarmers or the post office. C'est la vie I suppose - tis' the season to be frantic!

This season I've been trying to finish quilt tops and work on Etsy orders for those gifting my handmade infant scale slings for the holidays. (...and a sale right now, 15% off with the code SALE15)

midwifery infant scale sling, by Sew at Home Mummy on Etsy 💕 Buy handmade 💕

One of the quilts I've been working on I can't show you - I'm bound and determined to write a pattern for it, so it's on the hush-hush right now. But, I'm just working on piecing the backing today so I can drop it at my friend Sarah's longarm (she's @sparklesaxdesigns on Instagram) so she can finish it off for me and get it ready for binding.

I've also been working on some other handmade gifts, one of which I'll give you a tiny sneak peek of (in case the recipient is reading...):


It's a thread catcher container, with the tutorial from The Sewing Chick. It's the first time I've tried using a stiff interfacing (Peltex 70*) - the pattern calls for duckcloth but I thought I'd kick up the stiffness a few hundred notches (go big or go home, no?) I tried cording for the first time with a thick leather cord I picked up for $5/100yards years back and never had a project I could figure out to use it on - I like the contrast of the navy against the orange.

I love it so much I've added it to my to-do-list for myself. And I think I'll need 2! Why not, I deserve it, right? I'm planning on making sewing machine covers from some Bonnie and Camille I've been hoarding for years, so I think I'll make matching thread catchers. And maybe pin cushions. Selfish sewing, right?

So! What are YOU madly sewing right now? Tick tock, tick tock! (I don't even want to think about how many days are left until Christmas...)



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This'll be a quick one - I'm madly trying to quilt this beaut while writing this blog post, all while the kids are (supposed to be) napping.

I hear banging and thumping overhead from one bedroom, and singing (mostly of Disney princess movie tunes) from another.

Recently, The Chicago Modern Quilt Guild and its members were invited to participate in a few special exhibits for the upcoming Rosemont IQF show in Chicago this April, and I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring for one of the categories.

I've been working on this project - and I won't show all of it - but it's been a ton of fun to work with all of these retro, atomic age textures:

More on this soon. The deadline is fast approaching, I'd better move my butt!

Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced today for WIP Wednesday!

Right!

So I'm a list-maker. Through and through.

Back in December, I made a list of goals of which I'd like to accomplish in 2016 with respect to my quilty habits.

Here's the post, but basically, this is the list:

1. Complete a quilt for myself! 2. Complete at least one UFO quilt project 3. Earn at least $1000 in online surveys toward a longarm 4. Enter at least one quilt in a show
In order to keep myself accountable, I made up that little graphic at the top of this post and then plopped it over in my sidebar with that list staring me in the face every time I log on to the ol' blog.
and - 
Oh ya, notice something???? I've already checked something off! I entered my Color Wheel quilt into a show for February. We will see. 
I've also been working on something else for the Chicago IQF show - with submissions due Feb 12. I better move my butt!

I have been working a teensy bit on my sewing space over Christmas.

My mom is here visiting, and she's absolutely crazy about organization - and gets me motivated to plug away on my space whenever she's here.

I've been meaning to put a shelf above my front basement window since we moved in last February, where I could display my little stash of precuts (mostly Bonnie and Camille, Kate Spain and V and Co. hoards).

Mom helped me to get the shelf up since my husband has been out of commission since back surgery in December.

She even picked me up a few little decorations to make the shelf pretty - a "HAPPY" sign and a cute little star marquee.

She's also been sorting through my stash, and slowly, I've been adding some of the things I don't need to my Etsy store (check out my destash there! Gooseberry and Wrens and Friends to name a few...)

I'll be adding more to my destash there soon. I have to pare down, and, it's all going in to my longarm fund. I'm bound and determined to buy one. And like I said in this post {here}, if you're not using it, sell it!

As well, I finally got my swap quilts up - one from Rossie Crafts and the other from @sheenarichmond on IG. I think they look awesome beside my pixelated sewing machine.



Well, my sewing space is a continuing WIP. It's going to take me years to get it to where I want it, but that's okay. I'll make it my own, make it perfect in my eyes!

Linking up to Lee at Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday.

January will see my first finish of the year - I'm off to a good start. I have been sewing up a little somethin' somethin' for a Fat Quarter Shop Quilt-Along, celebrating their top tutorial videos for 2015!

I chose to play with their Fractal Quilt pattern, and I've been having a lot of fun with it. I decided to simplify the quilt and add more negative space. The quilt will be for my mom's living room and she wanted something simple, yet cool.


I've been using some Riley Blake polka dot basics paired with some Kona Iron.

The quilt features the Creative Grids non-slip Kites Plus ruler - and I can see myself getting a lot of use out of this ruler in the future. I cuts kites and the side and top triangles needed to square them up. Very cool.

I'm participating in their blog hop on January 15 - I hope you'll pop back to see what I've cooked up with this beautiful Fractal Quilt pattern from FQS!

I'm linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced today for Work in Progress Wednesday - head over there to see what others are up to with their WIPs, and, make sure to check back here next Friday to see my finished Fractal Quilt!