Hopeful Homemaker

Half Birthdays

July 30, 2013 jennifer Parties

Today we are having a half-birthday party for my 5 year old. Her birthday is just a few days before Christmas and last December we had conflict after conflict arise which prevented us from having her party near the actual day. We settled on a half birthday party, but on that day we were at a family reunion so it was bumped back another month.

I’m both excited and relieved that we’re getting this done. Never has a party been talked about, dreamed about and planned for by a child in our family for SO many months.

Yesterday morning she was kind of hovering nearby as I got ready for the day so I asked her what I could do for her. Her reply: “Um, I just have a question I needed to ask you. Are you going to work your hardest today?” I burst out laughing and assured her that indeed, I was. Then she asked, “And are you going to stay up really late to make sure everything is ready?”

Oh my. She has definitely been thinking about this for too long.

It will be a good first learning experience for me with celebrating this way. I was a little worried at the response I would get from the parents of her friends, but some of them have birthdays during the holiday season as well and their memories are of never having a party. It looks like everything is going to work out just fine, and we’ll see if her half-birthday turns out to become a new tradition.

Have you ever celebrated a half-birthday with a party? Have any suggestions/insights to offer?

Jennifer

Whales!

July 25, 2013 jennifer Quilting and Sewing, Stitching

I wasn’t kidding yesterday when I said I’m loving the nautical trend, and that’s largely because it’s a style I’ve always loved. I’m one of those girls who pretends that she lives by the sea even while surrounded by mountains. I like seeing the nautical trend reach farther than the coast because the coast is awfully far away from me!

Last year I purchased the book Seaside Home , compiled by Susanne Woods. It is full of sewing and embroidery projects that are all inspired by the sea. I used the beach crab pillow pattern to make this chevron Christmas pillow for my sister, so this isn’t my first project taken from it.

I used the Whale of a Pillow pattern to make these doorstops. I stitched them on canvas material with DMC floss 311 (six strands) and backed them with a home decor weight nautical print I purchased forever ago. I stuffed them with some batting and added what I had on hand to make them heavier – pea gravel, washed and dried.

Now there are five of them, all stitched with a different colored star, waiting for the first hint of cool breezes when summer begins to fade. I’m excited to have something to prevent all the doors from blowing shut when we throw open the windows. I must also say that these whales bring a smile to my face. They are a quick stitching project and I’m making more for something we have coming up.

What do you think of the nautical fashion/decor trend? Is it growing on you?

Jennifer

2 comments beach, blue, stitching

Anchor Quilt Top

July 24, 2013 jennifer Quilting and Sewing, Uncategorized

A few weeks ago I went on a search for a pattern to piece an anchor quilt block. It seems that nautical style is really trendy right now and I’m liking the look. Everything I found was an applique pattern which wasn’t what I wanted. I sketched an anchor, did the math, and created my own pieced anchor quilt block.

Then I made 19 more, including one from Essex yarn died linen in black.

I especially love that black block, the way it makes everything stand out.

I’m giddy with excitement about this quilt top. Each block is 14 inches square, so the entire thing measures approximately 56 inches across by 70 inches long.

Lots of little seams. A bit tedious, perhaps, but not difficult. Tutorial coming soon! In the meantime, I’m working on a backing!
*UPDATE: Tutorial is finished! You can find it here.
Jennifer Linking to Freshly Pieced

14 comments anchor, anchor quilt, quilting

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