Summer Moments

There are many things that I love about summer but my favorite part is the time we spend in the garden. Our doggies love exploring each corner of the garden and even "help" pick the vegetables. 

How about you, are you enjoying you summer?

Happy weekend!

XX

Martha

A Picture... A Moment

Picking tomatoes from our little garden.

XX

Martha.

Quilt Finish: Summer Kaleidoscope

Happy Monday! It has been a while since I posted here (or visited your blogs). Sometimes it is a bit hard to balance work, life and all the other little things in between.  But after some crazy weeks I think I'm finally finding my balance again and finding time to create. Last Saturday I finally finished this quilt that I have been working on and off since last month.

Back in June when I started this quilt I had no idea of the direction I was going to go with it. I started by cutting the fabric in long strips  and sewing them together. I had just gotten a new triangle ruler so I thought I would maybe do some scrappy triangles alternating with solid ones. But after playing with the triangles on the design wall I settled on arraying the triangles to form hexagons and use Kona Snow as a background. I really like how the triangles look arranged as hexagons they remind me of the patterns you see through a Kaleidoscope. When it came to quilting it I decided to try something new: thus I settled on concentric circles. I've never done circular quilting before and I absolutely love the result. It did take a bit of time turning and turning the quilt and pushing it through the small harp space of my machine but it was totally worth it. I backed the quilt with flannel that I had in my stash which luckily coordinated really well with the top. 

I love this quilt so much. It has quickly become a favorite. Additionally the fabric was a  birthday gift from my mother-in-law. She doesn't sew so I think it is very sweet that she took the time to go fabric shopping for me so that make this quilt extra special. 

Thank you for stopping by!

*Linking up to Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts*


XX

Martha

Superheroes Quilt

Happy Friday! I hope you had a lovely week. I finished the Superheroes quilt I have been working on for my four-year-old nephew. This was an interesting project and a little out of my comfort zone from beginning  to end. Improv piecing is not my strong suit, but I had this idea of the superheros flying over the city landscape so I thought  imrov piecing was they way to go. Surprisingly it was easier than I had thought and the quilt top came together rather quick.

I chose to quilt it with random lines all over. The lines left by the impov piecing on the negative space gave me the inspiration to choose this quilting style. I think it really works with the overall playful look of the quilt. 

I'm so pleased with the way it turned out. The gray background provides the perfect background for the brightly colored characters and signs and at the same time it tones them down a bit. I just love it!

I can go on and on telling you about how much I love this little quilt, but the important thing is: did my nephew like it?... Oh yes he did! He was really excited... even though the day I gave it to him was a super hot day, he wrapped the quilt around him and told me -"thank you Tia, it is so cozy"- Oh that just melted my heart. Best thank you ever!

XX

Martha.

 

A Picture... A Moment

It is starting to look a lot like Christmas. Even though the weather today was cold and gloomy, my house felt  warm and cheerful. I spent the day working on some Christmas presents and enjoying the sight of these beautiful poinsettias my sister got me. How was your weekend?

Martha.

Work In Progress

As I mentioned on my last post, I started a new quilt. It is going to be a patchwork quilt for my dad. Blue is his favorite color and I want to surprise him this Christmas with a handmade gift. I have been on the look for blue fabrics for a few weeks and I finally completed a good selection: enough for the quilt top. Over the weekend I cut up the fabric and began piecing. I hope to make some more progress in the next few days and hopefully finish the quilt top next weekend. 

Have a lovely week!

Martha.

Mini is OK!

As I mentioned on my previous post, Mini and Mona visited their vet's office last Saturday; they were due for their shots. Also I discovered a few days back a lump on Mini's neck.  Although, Mini never complained or showed signs that she was in any pain, my husband and I wanted to have it checked out  as soon as possible. Their doctor, Doctor C., gently examined the lump and advised us that a biopsy was recommended... when I heard those words a million thoughts rushed in to my head. What if there is something wrong with my baby?  My husband and I immediately agreed to the procedure; as sacred as we were we needed to know to better care for Mini. The procedure only took a few minutes and Mini was very brave and stayed still the whole time. The hardest part was waiting for the results... Dr. C. was kind enough to give us the results as soon as the tests were completed and were were very excited to learn that Mini is OK! The lump turned out to be a benign tumor made out of fatty tissue. It is such a relief! Mini already has a heart murmur for which she needs to have constant medical care. I just don't want her to be sick.

We thank God our baby is OK!

Martha.

Nap Time

Quiet time after a busy morning... playing, eating and playing some more. What a bliss! Who doesn't want this life?

Martha.

A Day at the Beach

This past weekend went by so fast I didn't have time to finish all the projects I had envisioned. But that's OK! Instead, my husband and I gave ourselves a brake from household chores and spent a wonderful day at the beach. The weather was magnificent for this time of the year: very sunny with just a light breeze. We walked for hours and had lunch by the bay.

These are some pictures of the lovely things we got to see.

It really was a great weekend. We had a great time.

Martha.

The Begining...



Always make time to smell the roses....



After much hesitation, I finally decided to start a blog. Wow, I did it. I did it!

2011 has been a year of changes, loses and heart ache. I lost my mom this spring to breast cancer. It all happened so sudden and unexpected. I still can not believe she is gone. Her premature departure made me think how fragile life is and the importance of seizing every moment. For a long time I have been wrapped up in the routine of work and kept wishing I had more time be creative. However, I never seemed to find the time or the right moment. I finally realized that I have to make the time to do the things I love and enjoy life along the way.

Life can be hectic and overwhelming at times, but we should always make time to stop and smell the roses.

Martha