Some good news!

Just wanted to share some good news from the Quilt Dad household ...

My wife was admitted this week to the PhD program at UNC-Chapel Hill! This is something she's been working towards for years, and I couldn't be prouder of her.

What does this mean for me? Two things:

First, it is likely that we will be moving some time this spring or summer to Chapel Hill. We live in Cary now, which is about 40 minutes away from Chapel Hill, but with our twins starting kindergarten this fall and with my wife having a more flexible student schedule, it seems to make a lot more sense for her to be close to the kids rather than commuting from home. Plus, we LOVE Chapel Hill, so no complaining here! We're very excited about returning to the "scene of the crime" (we both went to undergrad at UNC, met there, I proposed there, we got married there, yada yada yada ... and the rest is history : )

Second, her returning to school will most definitely put a bit of a crimp in my fabric budget. OK, mild complaning about that one ... {harumph harumph}. But it will all be worth it in the end!

So stay tuned for more updates as we begin house hunting, etc. You know that a dedicated studio space is at the top of my wish list!

And to keep this post somewhat quilt-related ...

I'm a bit smitten with this fabric line. I haven't gotten my hands on any yet, though. If you've made any projects with it, I'd love to see it! Let me know ...

Massive winter storm warning here in NC tonight ... should be an interesting weekend ... ... ...

A late-day wish ...

... to all of the moms and grandmas out there ...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

And a special Mother's Day wish to the beautiful, generous, and supportive Mrs. Quilt Dad, the world's best mom and my biggest fan ... without whom none of this would be possible:

Happy Mother's Day!! I love you!

Guess who's back?

Hello, everyone! It's me, Mrs. Quilt Dad. This past week I've been on Spring Break from teaching. It's been absolutely wonderful having a full week off, and I even convinced John to take a few days off from work, too! I also took this opportunity to get back on the sewing machine and do something to take my mind off of life's everyday tasks.

My best friend has been asking me to make her a bag for a very long time now. Between my return to working this past year and juggling life in general, combined with a crippling indecision about selecting just the right fabrics for her, I've just been putting it off. I've purchased some fabric here and there in an attempt to motivate myself ... to no avail.

I finally found my inspiration on Friday! John had to pick something up at our local quilt shop,Wish Upon a Quilt (hi Cathy! I loved your store!), and I tagged along. There I found the most beautiful Amy Butler fabric, and I was finally bitten by the bug once again. Paired with Amy Butler's Birdie Sling pattern, I had found the perfect bag for my girlfriend!

With Spring upon us, and because my friend works in a predominantly male, corporate environment, I thought this pretty, feminine and joyous bag would be just what she needed for our bright, sunny NC weekends.

The pattern was relatively easy, though definitely more time consuming than I expected (or remembered). Still, I started this bag after the kids went to bed last night and finished it up right after lunch today. (Thanks, John, for keeping the kids occupied all morning!) It was great to get back into making bags like this and the next item on my list is to make one for myself!

Here are some pics ... now back to you, Quilt Dad!

{Quilt Dad here ... I have definitely gotten my mojo back since my last post and I've been sewing up a storm. More on that soon!}

Things Received in December

Thanks so much for your warm welcome to Mrs. Quilt Dad in the last post. She had been wary to write a post thus far, but really got into it and LOVED checking the comments to see how everyone responded. I hope it won't be too long until we get her back with another guest post! (Although I guess I'll have to surrender some sewing machine time so that she can make something else to blog about. Hmmmm ...)

December was such a crazy month in the Quilt Dad home that I just realized I forgot to post about some of the things I received leading up to the holidays. So crazy, in fact, that I even took pictures of these things, uploaded them, and edited them ... then promptly forgot all about the final step of blogging about them. Until today.

First up, I received the giveaway prize from Michelle that I had previously blogged about. Along with the four embroidered squares, Michelle sent some additional festive holiday fabric, ribbon, and chocolate (yum!). The four charm packs pictured are my own, shown here because I think I will combine the sweet embroidered Santas into a quilt with these Merry & Bright and Holly Jolly fabrics. For 2009. Maybe.

I also received my Holiday Booty Swap package from Sharon. Now see if you can follow this: I actually had Sharon as my secret partner in the Doll Quilt Swap (quilt shown here) while, at the same time and unbeknownst to either of us, she had me as her secret partner for the Booty Swap. Needless to say, I think we were both confused when we received packages from each other ... and sent packages to each other ... for two different swaps at the exact same time (cue Twilight Zone music ...)

Sharon sent an adorable little holiday quilt, "First Snow", that was prominently displayed in our living room throughout the season. Check out those awesome little snowflake button embellishments! Sharon included some great extras, like those homespun patches shown above. I can't wait to find just the right project to use them. Suggestions welcome!

Finally, there aren't too many of us guy quilt bloggers out there, so I want to be sure I support one of my cohorts. I believe all of us straddle the line between quilter and artist, with some falling more on one side of the fence than the other. Scott over at Blue Nickel Studios is one of those quilters for whom I believe the ARTIST side is immediately apparent. He's been making some really great quilts and quilt patterns lately for the nice people at Free Spirit fabrics, including new designs for Jay McCarroll and Anna Maria Horner.

One of Scott's fabric designs, "Punk Andy", is in contention for Fabric of the Week over at Spoonflower. Please take a look and CLICK HERE to vote and support Scott in his new endeavor.

Mrs. Quilt Dad's Coloring Totes

Tonight, we have a special guest blogger here at Quilt Dad! I'm turning the keyboard over to my beautiful, talented, brilliant and witty wife (heretofore known as "Mrs. Quilt Dad" -- we were going to use Quilt Mom but it seems that it's already taken) to talk about her handmade Christmas gifts! Besides, I thought you could all use a break from my ramblings ... ... ...

Hi, friends!

I've been following John's blog quietly since he first started his venture into the blogging community. As many of you know from his early posts, I was the original avid sewer in our house -- it was I who actually had to convince John to invest in our sewing machine and first became passionate about making homemade gifts (at that time, mostly diaper bags, purses, blankets and sock monkeys!)

Unfortunately, first with being a stay at home mom to three children (all under the age of 2 at one point, mind you) and, more recently, after my return to the workforce this past fall as an instructor at our local community college, many (all?!) of my hobbies got put on the back burner. Just like many of you, I suspect, it's difficult to balance work, hobbies, family time, household chores (and, oh yeah, I'm supposed to be working out, too!)

But after spending months eyeing all the beautiful fabrics John has purchased -- and all the fun, wonderful swaps he has participated in -- I finally got motivated to come back to my sewing machine. First, I had to kick John off the sewing machine (not an easy task -- do you guys know that he is 6'4" and built like a football player??) Then, I had to push aside all the quilting projects stacked on our ironing board (also not an easy task -- what have you guys lured him into??) And finally, I convinced John to do our regular runs to Target and various other Christmas errands with all three of the kids so I could have some peace and quiet to work. I'm heartless, right?!?

I've had this pattern for a coloring tote for a long, long time. I decided it was the perfect Christmas gift for the kids. Purple kitties for our Bevin, pink bunnies for Megan and puppy dogs for Sean, of course. Well, if the truth be known (because I know John would insert an editor's note here if I tried to claim otherwise), it had been so very long since I did any quilting that I asked him to do the initial quilting to save me some time and frustration. He's gotten so good at it (and so fast) that I needed him!

Here are pictures of the final products. They were very easy to make -- even for a rusty old sewer -- and the kids have enjoyed using them.....despite their initial reaction on Christmas Day to say "thank you" and then promptly throw them to the side. But, I'll just chalk that up to toddler Christmas excitement.

I'll keep you posted on future sewing adventures. I still have a quilt for my sister that I need to finish up (promised to her last year for her birthday). All that's left is the binding and I'm so rusty that the thought of it makes me want to bury my head in my students' papers! I'll have to get John to give me a refresher course.

Back to Quilt Dad...

Isn't she the best?? : )