Paper-Piecing for a friend

Have you ever tried paper piecing?  I just recently tried it - and surprisingly - it's so fun!  (I don't know why I thought it wouldn't be.)

I might have enjoyed it even more, due to how good it felt to sit down at my machine, since I was able to finally put down my paintbrush.  =)

I watched a few how-to videos, but when I tried it, I would get so confused with which direction the fabric would be facing, and how to figure out (from the back) if the paper was over the correct spot, and if it would cover the desired area once it was flipped backwards!  But then I watched a tutorial  (here) from Ellison Lane, it made perfect sense to me!  Loved her method!  And it made me fall in love with paper piecing.  Well - that, and this fabulous "70's Geese" pattern by Diane at From Blank Pages (available here on Craftsy).

 

I made it specifically for this friend I've gotten to know on Instagram.  She's the kind of person who is always doing thoughtful, giving things for others.  And yet sometimes I wonder how much is given back to her?  You know the type - devoted wife and mother, and faithful friend who's always there for you - always making and doing for others.  Ashley just moved into a new house which has a room just for her sewing stuff - and it has lots of bare walls.  I figured she needed to know how much she is appreciated (couldn't we all use more of that?).  And...she needed some help filling up all those fabulous bare walls.  =)



This pattern comes in several sizes.  I used the 18" pattern for this - and made it up into a mini-quilt. 

However, I'm thinking this would make a fabulous throw pillow, as well. 

I may or may not be making another one sometime soon.  You take a guess.  =)

Lately

Lately - it seems like I share most of our life through Instagram, rather than this blog.  It's so fast and in-the-moment. (I'm @julia_davis7)  But for all you who aren't on Instagram - here ya go!

 

Lately - I've traded in my sewing pursuits for typical summertime things... pool, parks... and some major painting and de-cluttering. 

I've been slowly working on a room at a time in our house, purging, de-cluttering, and organizing.  Getting rid of stuff is an amazing feeling, even though it's slow going for me.   I was inspired last year, by Sarah's 40 Bags in 40 Days concept (and her simple clear tips & tricks on how to go about it).  I never did get through our whole house last year.

Then a few months ago I stumbled upon Ann Marie's adorable blog, and she had some free printable charts and more motivation to get going...

So, I tackled our storage room first...

It's one of those rooms that's soooooo nice to have, but quickly becomes the dumping grounds for anything and everything.  I gave away/got rid of at least 8 trash bags full of clothes - 4 bags of stuff went to the Goodwill - and 2 big bags went in the trash.  Boy does it feel good to have it cleaned out.  Now let's see how long it lasts!

Lately - over the last 2 weeks - I re-painted our entire main floor, in Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter.  Its a soft greige (gray/beige) and holds it's own against the greenish daytime light cast through the new windows, but we like it at night also.  (this is all that was left of our 5-gallon bucket of paint!)

Lately - Jack's been having 4-H shotgun practices to get ready for the big County Shoot, so we spend every Thursday evening (just like last year) at the shooting range - and while he's shooting, the other little ones are playing with cousins and friends, eating a potluck dinner, and generally getting covered in dirt. 

Lately - the local (and free) splash-park has also been a huge hit... (and this is how Blaize smiles when he says "cheese".)

Lately - oh yes - Audrey lost one of her front teeth on Friday... and her other front tooth the very next day! And the tooth fairly only forgot 1 out of the 2 nights, which is an improvement for us!  I absolutely love it when my kids loose their front teeth.  I think it looks so cute.  But then I'm always a little sad at the same time - once they loose those baby teeth, their smile will never look quite as young again - just a reminder of how quickly the days are flying by.

So - that's what we've been up to lately.  How about you?