Patchwork for Preemies

We all know that I don't do well being bored when Michael is away.  I end up going a little crazy which isn't good for anyone.  So during these times I tend to dive into all my crafts and projects. 

Well, last fall Michael was on the mainland for two months and I caught wind that the local military hospital here was in need of quilts for all the babies in the NICU.  I thought this would be a great way to use my love of sewing and also give back to my community.  So, I turned so my ever loyal facebook page and informed my few Hawaii friends at the time that I would be sewing and if anyone wanted to come join, they could.  Our first sewing day had four of my closest friends here, two of which had never sewn.  We raided my tubs of fabric scraps and made some beautiful scrappy quilts until two in the morning.  Two weeks later we had a second sewing party at my house and 14 people came!  Even though we were cramped in my little home we were able to make eight adorable baby quilts and made our first delivery to the NICU.  And this is how Patchwork for Preemies was formed!

Sitting here just over a year later I am amazed at how much the group has grown.  We now have over 100 members some which have never touched a sewing machine and others with years of experience.  We have to book the local community center on sewing days and generally sew for about 12 hours straight.  We try to make monthly quilt donations ranging for 8-12 quilts and have had the joy of seeing our tokens of love gifted to families within our local community.  It has been amazing receiving the support from the rest of the community and now we run completely off of donations and are in the process of making the group official through ACS.

I have met some amazing women through this group including Nikki at Lacey. To those new to the military life or struggling at a new duty station, I would encourage you to find a group to get plugged in with, a way to get involved.  That is how you will meet those people who will be there for you where ever life takes you.  

Crib Bumpers

So, I have been diligently working on the many projects I need to get done to complete the nursery and I feel like I have over 100 projects in the works but not many things complete.  Ahhh, so much to do before this little man gets here.....

Well, did I mention our theme?  We are doing the nursery based off the Pixar movie Up :)  This is one of our favorite Pixar movies and I love the characters, colors, and story line.  Because this is not a popular nursery theme we are having to make all the nursery things ourselves including redoing furniture, making bedding, wall art, and all the little accessories that will make the room complete. 

I don't want to post pictures of most of the projects until they are done but I did finish the crib bumpers yesterday. 

This isn't the best picture but I will post better ones once they are on the crib (which still needs to be completed...).  So my goal for the crib bedding was bold colors and prints.  I did the orange chevron on the outside, green stripes for the inside, and yellow polk-a-dots for the ties. 

I used the Nu-Foam crib bumper pads and the pattern that came with.  It made it really simple because the pads were already cut to size.  The ties were time consuming to make and next time I might just buy ribbon, and I would cut the panels a half inch wider just to give some wiggle room.  All in all I was really happy with then and cant wait to get them on the crib!

I'm Home

The past thirteen months has been a time of celebration, love, joy, heartache, and moments of uncertainty.  Just over a year ago I was blessed to marry my best friend, move across the country, and get a sample of what newly wed life could be like.  The time was wonderful but short. 

I am amazed to think of all that has happened in the past year.  I finished my last year of school and was able to participate in an eye-opening research project.  Michael has thrived under his new leadership responsibilities and nearly completed a second deployment.  So much has happened I am just overwelmed to think of it all.

This year has been a long journey but today I can say that I feel at home.  I don't feel like I am traveling any more, just trying to get through the next hurdle.  I am excited to be setting up our new home and eagerly waiting a phone call telling me when my love will be home.  After thirteen months we will finally be able to be newly weds.  After thirteen months we will be able to be a couple. 



I am so thankful for the support of all those who have encouraged us through this trying journey.  I am excited to celebrate the end of this chapter with you all!

Spring Break Projects

One of the things that I am super excited about spring break for is being able to pull out my sewing machine again and work on some new projects.  My only problem now is that I picked up some dress patterns the other day and don't know which one I should do over break because I doubt I will have time for all of them :)  So here are the pictures, let me know which one you think I should do!

My ACU Quilt

I finished my quilt this weekend.  It has been keeping my warm all day.  I like feeling like I have a piece of my husband close by me during this long deployment.  

Recycling 101

So I have had this idea for a while, but have only just begun to put it into action :)  When I came back from Texas I brought back some ACU pant legs Michael had cut off when he converted some old pants into shorts.  We come from a hippy town... We are all about recycling!  Anyway, I saw great potential in the fabric of those pant legs.  I have had this idea to make a throw quilt with some of the ACUs so that I can have it when ever I am missing my man :)  I finally got around to making my weekly trip to Joann's and with my mom's help I found some adorable fabric to pair with the Army greens.  I through a little bit of pink in there for good measure.  This is as far as I have come...

Obviously there is still quite a bit to do but I love the way it is turning out!  I am planning on framing it with two or three colors and most likely backing it with pink.  It is always fun to see what can happen with some old pieces of fabric.  I will post more pictures of the progress when I get time to work on it again! 

Aprons!

Just a couple of my most recent projects :)

Etsy

So with my renewed love of sewing I have opened my own etsy account!  This is filling up most of my free time but I am enjoying the distraction from all the other worries of life.  My two latest projects were aprons inspired by my love of coffee :) 

New Little Projects

What has been keeping me busy the past few weeks?  In addition to school and my internship I have picked up sewing again :)  This is a hobby I use to love to do with my neighbor and off and on throughout the years.  Anyway, I am having a blast trying my hand at some new designs and ideas.  Thought I would share some of my recent projects with you all!