May is my Month!

Forget the holiday season, New Years, or even my birthday month. I live for May. Everything good in the world happens in this month. It's the warm weather, the long daylight hours, the kids playing outside, the start of wedding season, the graduations, the vacations, and- most important - the wedding anniversary! I'm trying to savor every last drop of it!!

I'm starting May out right by diving into a vibrant sewing project. I love the fabrics - so fun and new -- and the pattern is one of my favorites:

If everyone would stop having babies around me, perhaps I could post it on etsy (but seriously...somethings in the water here and everyone is having little ones). Speaking of babies - we get the baby question a lot. I guess being married for almost two years, people think it should be #1 on your priority list. But never, never have I gotten the question from my grandpa. But he finally said it today --- "Ya'll need to stop running around, settle down, and give me a great-grand baby." It's hard to argue with that....but I want a house first!!

So, I plan on spending the next 12 months trying to get this guy to commit to a house:

Wish me luck! He seems to get cold-feet about house shopping :)

Desperately Seeking Energy.

Weekends can be frustrating, sometimes. It seems I always make a mental list of what I want to do , but just end up mad at myself by the end of the weekend for not accomplishing them. I'm so tired during the week that these odd-jobs must be pushed to the weekend, but I'm plagued with catching up with sleep and wanting to recover from the work week on Saturday and Sunday that this vicious cycle of unproductivity is created. If someone has a good idea on how to get house things done, I'm all ears.

I mean, we still have boxes that remain unpacked from our January move. I've got pictures leaned up against walls because we haven't hung them yet. And my closet....well, my closet is probably going to be the death of my marriage. Hangers are currently a foreign concept. And, I dare to admit, that sometimes the pile of clothes on the closet floor must pass the smell test to see if they are clean or not. Maybe its time to invest in a housekeeper. Do you know any free ones??

Austin is going to be out of town next weekend, so perhaps that is my opportunity to show that I can be a decent weekend housewife. He would probably go into shock if he walked into the house and everything was in its' proper place. If nothing else, one weekend of being good would probably buy me enough brownie points for another couple months of slacking off.

Maybe I need energy pills. Maybe I have some sort of energy deficiency. Maybe God really meant that day 6 and 7 should both be days of rest.

Green on Hump Day

Quote of the day: When arriving home, my husband's reaction to my outfit - "Ya know, green just isn't your color." Got to love his honesty.

It was one of those days where you have a pile of work to do, but 8 hours later - its still there. I know I worked today, but somehow didn't manage to be productive - or at least productive in the right areas. These four day work weeks are great, but sometimes I would just rather work to make sure it all gets done. Pathetic, eh?

In other news - I'm officially joining the 21st century. Yes, I'm putting away my 1985-style phone (texting is about as high-tech as this gadget gets) and upgrading to my generation's hand-held drug of choice....an iphone. I know I'll be addicted. I know Austin will never make eye contact with me again. I know my fingers will be sore from downloading apps. Dear sweet Jesus, I just can't wait.

I'm not going to lie - I love the social media gravy train. I made not be exceptionally good at it and I'm definitely not up on the newest cutting-edge tools. But I've got my blog, Facebook, twitter ( follow me @aprilpantall), Linkedin account, and even that ancient of ancients Myspace. It's all just a ploy to feel relevant :) If I had money to burn and time to spare, I'd even go after that Master's in Social Media. Yep, not kidding.....you can read about it here: http://www.labnol.org/internet/masters-degree-in-social-media/8072/

Maybe even a Ph.D. in tweeting.

Until tomorrow, live in love.

-April

All you need is love :)

I've decided not to pursue sewing as anything more than a hobby. So, I'm rededicating my blog to my general ramblings :) "Sew in Love" can represent many other things than my love of sewing pieces of fabric together - it reflects the idea of reaping what you sow. So sowing love - whether in my marriage, friendships, or community -- will be my pursuit.

I'm currently enjoying the last hours of a wonderful three-day weekend. Our favorite house guest, Mr. Steve Golden, came down and spent Valentine's day with us. Steve recently visited Haiti and was in the country when the earthquake occurred - so we had the opportunity to hear about the things he experienced. Steve is currently waiting to go back to Haiti this spring to hopefully continue efforts at the orphanage he was serving at the time of the earthquake. The orphanage is supported by U.S. churches and housed 80 children of all ages before the earthquake. It's currently unclear how many they will end up supporting in this aftermath. There have been estimates of over 1 million orphans now in Haiti.

While Steve was down, Austin bought another Jamie Oliver cook book--so the boys made a wonderful Indian curry dish for our Valentine's Day dinner together. The boys always cook up a storm when they are together. (My most memorable meals was the dish they made for my 22nd birthday - amazing rice pilaf. Who knew?) Let's just say we like to eat when we are together :)

Austin also got me a Kurt Vonnegut biography for Valentine's day. Vonnegut is one of my favorite people. If I had a dinner party with anyone from the past or present - I think it would include Vonnegut, Tina Fey, Joseph Smith, Andrew Jackson, Paul McCartney, and William Shatner :) I digress....

Overall, it was a great Valentine's day weekend. I plan on spending the rest with furry love of my life for the rest of the night while Austin has class.

All you need is love :)

End of Year Wrap-up

I haven't died....promise.

We are in the process of moving to a new house where I will be setting up a sewing studio (FINALLY!)

Between the holidays and baby showers, no productive quilt making has been occuring :(

I'm currently gearing up for 2010 which should include restocking my etsy shop and going to some craft fairs.

I hope everyone has a great holiday season - see you in the new year!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Sunday afternoons are by far my favorite part of the week. Usually they consist of naps and vegging out on the couch with the husband. This weekend unfortunately has brought the sickies. Oh yes...after weeks of avoiding sick co-workers, drinking my v8, and quarantining a sick husband....it has come for me. I am currently wallowing in covers with my neck heat pad, Emergen- C packs, juice, and Kleenexes....hoping for the best. Atleast I have my lappy to keep me company :)

To not be all Daisy Downer, I did have a good Saturday afternoon! My parents and I went to "Oops"- this great store in Tonitown, Arkansas (home of the Duggars from "18 Kids and Counting") that is just a huge warehouse of wholesale items that have slight imperfections (at bottom rock prices). They have carpets, lamps, home decor, Christmas items, floral stems and bushes....its like going on an adventure! I could literally spend hours in there. I spend $20 yesterday and got 5 candles, a foot-high statue of a Hindu goddess (we have an Asian themed office), a little statue of a fat Buddha (again, the Asian theme), and a plate holder. Happy girl :)

I went there several weekends ago and bought a vine wreath for around $6, swung over to Hobby Lobby and bought some picks and fabric and made my first attempt at a wreath:

This was also my first attempt at making fabric flowers--- it didn't turn out great, but it was good enough. (Those are supposed to be flowers and leaves on the top and bottom made from some scrap fabric I had)

It was a fun project -- and I can re-use the wreath year-round and find different picks. So I'm happy.

When my mom came by, she gave me two quilts to post on my Etsy site. She quilts also (she's been doing it a lot longer than I have, obviously). My mom used to make tons of clothes for me and my brother growing up. Each Easter she would make my dress, each Halloween she would make my outfit. She's a great seamstress- something I am horrible at!

She made two cute and traditional baby blankets (you can see more pics at www. sewinlovequilts.etsy.com). One for a girl, and one for a boy:

Same design, just different colors.

Well, I think I'm going to take a much -needed nap. Hoping to wake up tomorrow and feel rejuvenated. What did you do this weekend?

The Etsy Reveal - Sew In Love Quilts

Hey All,

Returning from my almost month-long vacation from blogging! And after several setbacks of timing and long-arm quilting issues, I finally have my etsy shop set up. I've posted my first two quiltling designs and they are now available for custom orders at : http://www.sewinlovequilts.etsy.com/

And what a perfect time to set up shop--Kelly over at Kelly's Korner (http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/), who has an adorable little girl, is hosting a showcase of all things handmade. Well, ladies, here it is:

Sew in Love Quilts - for your modern kid :)

These two designs are for custom order only currently. Right now I can promise the quilt will be made and shipped in 6 weeks or less once an order has been placed - so you'll definitely have it before Christmas :) I can only offer the time line of 6 weeks for the first 10 orders, so please go to my etsy shop and "convo" me to guarantee that I can get it done :) You can also contact me about orders at my email address: aprilpantall (at) gmail (dot) com

Each quilt is priced at $95 plus $15 shipping.

Both of these quilts are 35 inches by 46 inches - perfect for the crib, a play quilt for the floor, great for the carseat, or even a lap quilt for you!

The Garden Indie Quilt:

And what I lovingly call the "Pink Polka Paisley" Quilt

I'm hoping to add new items in the next few weeks that are ready made - check back for pics and updates :)

If you have any questions about the quilts or ordering - just leave me a message!

Speaking of shopping, this weekend is the arts and crafts fair here in Northwest Arkansas - can't wait to see what awesome things I find.

Weekend!

Who's happy it's FRIDAY? It's been an exhausting week....so I'm just counting down the hours until I am free for:

(We had to miss it last night b/c we were out and about)

PLUS

....and maybe even a little of this:

What are your weekend plans??

Polka Dot Pieces

The hubby is out at church band practice tonight, so what's a girl to do? I'm sure I can find a few things to keep me company on my "girls night in"......like:

and

I'm sure he wonders how I survive without him ;)

Plus, I've got a new project keeping me busy --I found some cute fabrics that included polka dots (one of my current faves!). Here are just a few blocks:

Hope to have it finished soon (and a better quality photo of the finished product)!

What projects are you all working on?

Case of the Mondays!

Have you ever had a case of the Mondays? Between Statistics homework, a team homework assignment, and nasty nasty weather....I was just ready for it to end!! Every Monday at work, I try to find a new quote to write on a sticky note to place on my computer monitor for the week.....this week's quote definitely fit my mood:

"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing -- that's why we recommend it daily" - Zig Ziglar

Mondays sometimes leave me lacking motivation......but I get really motivated by Fridays :)

This weekend was great- I accomplished about half of my organizational goals (that's pretty good by my standards!). I also finished a top quilt and sent it off to the quilter. Here is the top quilt:

I'm hoping to get a new, more professional camera in the next several weeks. In the mean time, I guess I'll deal with my little digital camera and my favorite photographer:

(This is what you get if you ask my husband to take a picture of my quilt....an awesome glamour shot of him...and my quilt, kinda.)

This quilt should be ready for my October 1st grand opening of my etsy shop:

www.sewinlovequilts.etsy.com

Have a Terrific Tuesday!

Getting Organized

This weekend is going to be all about cleaning....aren't those the best weekends?

Since moving into our new place, we've been pretty good about getting everything settled. However, there's that one extra bedroom that has somehow been transformed into a "man cave". We're talking video equipment, sound equipment, and other electronic toys (not to mention a certain boy's laundry). I'm hoping we can fix it up into a nice office .....multi-use room....or even sewing room! This one would do......

I would love to use a place other than our kitchen table as my sewing area. Just in case the sewing room falls through, any other suggestions on how to keep your fabrics & supplies organized?

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

If only there were 30 hours in the day....

Stressed!

So everyday for the last week I have been kicking myself for not posting. Sometimes it just feel as though there are not enough hours in the day :)

The past few weeks have been hectic -- between trying to finish up my last few classes of grad school, housesitting for the in-laws, working, and attempting to see my husband for a few minutes every day -- the blog just got lost in the mix! So let's play catch - up:


Business cards came in. I've been hoarding them until my etsy shop officially opens - I don't want people to stop by and nothing be there! Which means we are down to : 16 days until the grand opening. In my rush to get SOMETHING posted for October 1st, I've got 6 topquilts that need to be quilted. I'm just living on a prayer that atleast a few get done in time (and not give them all away to friends and as gifts at baby showers!)


So...wish me luck! I'm going to take a breather tonight while the hubs is at band practice and go to my favorite place in the world so I can use this:





I love these weekly coupons....their stuff is already reasonable, so the coupon just makes it feel like Christmas. I'm going to try not to splurge and just find a cute bag for a quilt I'm giving to a co-worker tomorrow for her baby shower. I'll have to take a picture of the final product :)

Until tomorrow (hopefully)!
-April

Beauty and the Quilt

Happy Friday!


I finally finished one of my the baby quilts I've been working on. I'm happy with how it turned out. I didn't have a pattern for this one, but it was pretty straight-forward (forgive the pic - I'm determined to get more professional photos ASAP!) :



So, thinking I had such great luck without using a pattern, I decided to throw another one together with scraps leftover from this quilt and a few other projects. I quickly learned that I should probably stick with a pattern. And I learned that too many prints can be a bit too much. Austin lovingly called this quilt "Asian Pink Princess"....I think its just "ADD Punk Princess". (The pic doesn't do the colors justice, about it is quite busy):







Well...beauty is in the eye of the beholder....so alteast the hubby likes it!

So ready for a three-day weekend ---going to work on projects for all the baby showers coming up! (EVERYONE around me is pregnant....theres something in the water!). What are your plans??

Sassy Girl

I love making quilts for what I imagine would be sassy little girls. Not sassy in a moms-worst-nightmare kind of way, but little girls with attitude. I can just picture how any future daughter of mine is going to think she "rules the roost" - and she probably will have me & Austin wrapped around her little finger! I'm working on an a quilt that reminds me of a mix between punk & princess. Here's a few blocks I've got done. It may turn out to be a little busy:

Definitely just the beginning! We'll see if it turns out okay - hopefully it should be done by Sunday night - check back for pics!

One thing I'm so jealous of on other quilting blogs is the wonderful quality of their pictures. It's one thing to make a pretty quilt, but that has to be portrayed in pictures so viewers can get a true idea of its quality. My pics seem to be lacking in that area -- does anyone have suggestions for a type of camera to get professional quality shots?? (and something that won't break the bank??)

The Beginning

Hello World!

I'm excited to start a new blog for all of my sewing. Here's just a little info about me:

I started sewing last year by learning from my Grandpa, who learned from his mothers and sisters when he was younger. Since my first queen size quilt, I've been obsessed. After sewing a few baby-sized quilts for co-workers and friends, I found that sewing truley is my passion. My husband has been super supportive of my hobby, so I've been blessed that way :)

I wanted a way to share my work with others and to learn from more experienced quilters - so I'm setting up shop for my quilts. We are:

I'm busily getting ready for the opening of my etsy shop:

http://www.sewinlovequilts.etsy.com/

...which will have its grand opening on October 1st, 2009 (save the date!).

I ordered business cards yesterday...patiently awaiting their arrival. They match my obsession with zebra print:

I'm working on three girls' quilts with zebra print right now -- they look so sassy! Pics soon!

I'm excited to share what I'm working on, meet quilters, get advice, and sew sew sew!

-Sew in Love