Thanks, mom

I see my mom almost every day. We work together, and although I have moments of frustration, I know I'm lucky to have so much time with her.

Remember the pillowcases she made me? Well, I finally got around to taking some detailed shots of her embroidery and thought it was a perfect time to share, right before Mother's Day.

Just look at those lazy daisies. Incredible!

Mom is so busy, between work, and building a retirement house in the country with her sweet husband.

I know she spent hours on these pillowcases, getting them just right before the shower.

She has crafty aspirations, but never seems to find the time for execution.

I've already got them on our bed, and enjoy looking at the stitches in close detail.

Thanks, sweet momma!

A little of everything

While I still think setting the wedding date sooner rather than later was smart, I really miss my low-obligation weekends. Spare sewing/knitting time has been scarce these days, but I've managed to make a little progress.

I made some flannel pillowcases this week. I picked up this lovely Anna Maria Horner flannel from Pink Castle Fabrics. Luckily, my friend Chris (who I get to see in a few weeks!!) sent me a large scrap of another AMH flannel, which I used on part of the cuffs for a little contrast.

I've accumulated quite the collection of sewing/quilting books! The top few were Christmas gifts, and some of the bottom ones are from my grandmother's stash. There are a lot of fun projects and techniques that I hope to try someday soon! In this photo, you can also see my growing AMH Good Folks collection. I just adore this line, and have been lucky to find pieces here and there, through swaps and etsy purchases.

I've been knitting on a few gift projects. I have two knitting FOs that I can't share until they're received, so it should be a couple of weeks for those. BUt this hat is destined for Elliott's mom. She asked for a knitted hat, and I just couldn't refuse. I'm using some Sundara Aran Merino (from a holiday gift bag). This yarn is beautiful! I love the slight variations in color, and the texture is lovely. The pattern is Stephen West's Windschief. I've already started the decreases, so I should have it finished soon.

And a little Bella action to complete this post.

I wish you all a good week!
I vow to have my list of 2012 goals up before the end of the week!

FO: Avalon Squared and #500

My friends, what a fabulous way to celebrate my birthday today. This is post #500 on little old Jaceycraft. Woo! That's amazing. I know I'm talkative, but I'm impressed!
So, I would like to have some sort of giveaway to celebrate this, but I think I'll wait until the new year, especially since SMS Day was not so long ago (like, 2 weeks).

So, in the meantime, I can finally share my sister's quilt with you!

Here it is!! Avalon Squared. I've named it this for two reasons. The majority of the fabric is Avalon by Jay-Cyn Designs for Birch Fabrics. Also, as I was trying to decide on a pattern that would let these bold prints shine, I came across a quilt called Avalon in Material Obsession. So, Avalon Squared!

I backed the quilt with an old sheet from the linen closet. I'm glad I used a solid, so that the quilting can shine. I quilted each block a little differently. The block on the right with the pebbling caused many uttered expletives. I broke three needles while doing the pebbles. Odd, since Ella's Bohus Pillow didn't give me any such troubles. I'm guess it was the weight of the quilt.

I used Joel Dewberry's Herringbone for the binding, and there's also an FQ of his Woodgrain in the quilt.

The quilt is approximately 60" x 80", so it's a great couch-size quilt.

It really was hard to let this go. These photos were taken by Jill. I finished Thursday (just three days before Christmas), and then we experienced several days of dreary weather. Jill was nice enough to snap some pictures yesterday and share them with me.

I also made some pillowcases to go along with the quilt!

I know I mentioned this before, but Jill is an amazing sister. She has made my 30th birthday something truly memorable. I feel so lucky to have love, support, understanding and friendship in you.
Thank you again, sister!

And happy new year to you all! Thanks for being a part of this space with me.