And the baby is a...

BOY!!!!!!

I found out in the morning, and needing to hurry and run my kids' lunches to school (daylight savings kills me every year....We've been so sleepy in the mornings!), I decided to tell Addie and Ian the gender as a surprise when they opened their lunch. It was a hit!

All the kids were actually planning on a boy (it would make sense....girl, boy, girl...boy) but I think I was the most surprised.

So, baby boy coming in August. We couldn't be more thrilled to be adding another little boy to the family. It's all getting so real now!

I'm whistling a happy tune. It feels just right.

PS: Are you reading this in Google Reader? I'm assuming you've heard the news. It is to be no more. (insert pouty face). Make sure to resubscribe in a different feed! Don't want to lose ya! 

Spotted: CWkids

 

Well, spring IS around the corner. I honestly can't wait. I spent the day with the windows open, digging out closets and rearranging furniture. Best feeling ever!

Here's a dress that a reader sent over to me from CWKids.  She saw this in their catalog, and I'm so glad she told me! It's darling. And for you non-sewers, this is a great way to get some of my fabric ready to go. Such a sweet spring dress!

And speaking of spring dresses....since when did Easter creep up so fast! Yikes! Time to start thinking of Easter dresses. I'll know what I'm having by then too. I can't wait!

Are you making dresses this spring? Or buying? I'd love to see your ideas!

xo

Sarah

16.365 Take the time.

Hello Monday! Hello to-do lists, and getting back in gear after the weekend. Hello jumping in full force before I'm ready. Hello Laundry I didn't do over the weekend.

You too?

This is my thought today. And my 5 minute warm-up before working (did I tell you I'm working on another book right now?)

And I'm skipping ahead because I'm not posting every.single.drawing-a-day.

Taking a moment to be grateful for the little things.

xoxo

Sarah

New Embroidery & Pillow pattern

 

Maybe you've already caught this issue....or maybe you are like me and just picked it up yesterday at the store. I opened it up this Better Homes and Garden's issue to the page above and showed my kids without saying anything. Ian gave me a big hug, and then said "Mom, you have GOT to tell the store owner!"

It was so darling.

Anywho....

Camille Roskelley and Joanna Figueroa (two darling ladies who are such a hoot and super fun to laugh with twice a year at Quilt Market) host a Scrap Lab issue, and chose me as a guest designer this month! I was super thrilled to create an Embroidery Pattern for this issue, with instructions of how to make it into a pillow like the ones that I made for my booth last spring.

And look how darling their other projects are! It's always so fun to see what other designers do with my fabrics, and this issue is packed with darling projects.

You can pick up the magazine at the store, but Better Home has provided an online link where you can download the instructions to make the pillow and print out the embroidery pattern.

Thanks Better Homes for the shout out! Have fun stitching and sewing:)

xo

sarah

10 & 11 of 365 Drawings

I'm actually drawing every day this year! This project has been great for me. I actually can't show you a lot of what I'm drawing though. Mostly cause it's top secret:) But I am hitting pencil to paper, which is a big deal. Mostly cause kids and house and life demands so much.

These two are totally different: one was made 3 years ago, and I just brought it back to life, and the other, inspired by some designs I saw in the Mini Boden catalog this month (it's a good one this time...well, as always I guess.)

I know a lot of you have taken on the #365Drawings project. Would any of you like to do a link party? I'm not really sure how to do that, but pipe up and I'd love to keep you in touch with all the other artists who have joined in.

Cheers!

15 week baby bump

Thanks everyone for the well wishes the other week when I posted about our big news! And thanks also for the sweet comments and encouragement about my rough start to it all! I'm feeling SO much better. But I tend to have other complications with pregnancy, that I can only assume will be coming around the corner soon. All my babies wanted to come early. Too early. And while all three have been early (35-37 weeks) they all stayed that long because of either hospital stays or just good old fashioned bed rest. Here's to hoping this one isn't as intense!

In the mean time, I'm really loving this time right now with nothing too urgent going on. It's marvelous!

And I've decided. Pregnancy clothes are just so much cuter, aren't they?

Stitch Hospital

Remember how my 8 year old creatively got me to finally do all the mending? Well, we got it all done this weekend. And everyone pitched in.

I printed out some stickers for when they were all stitched up and ready to be released, the kids helped me sew up some Medic head wraps and....Ella just wanted to be a pet. How can you blame her with all the stuffed animals around! She's our comic relief around here, and our method actress too.

The kids set up beds, prepared shots (to numb the area before I dug in with a needle!) and took records of their names, procedures, and recorded when they were released.

We made white bandages to wrap their stitches when they were done, too.

The kids even came up with names: I was Dr. Stitch, Addie was Nurse Needle and Ian was Nurse Sew.

It could have been the most adorable thing they've come up with in a while.

Kenneth even got involved. I guess it looked like too much fun to hold back. He's really cute when he sews. Quite the MAN.

Poor Ella though. She got a little carried away, and may have caused more pain than comfort to a few of the animals. The poor bunny, actually.

And all was well. I still have a few more blankets, but I convinced the kids that hand sewing would mean no dinner.  They changed their minds pretty quick.

Are you like me, and have soft toys and socks and blankets that really could use a quick stitch?

Feel free to print these out and make some fun out of it.

Have fun mending!

xo

sarah

Pin & Flickr Friday: Dairy of Quilter

 

Do you follow Dairy of a Quilter? My friend Amy is always cranking out awesome stuff. She just made this quilt for a new baby niece, and I'm just in love. First off, I love hexagons. And knowing that I absolutely CANNOT sew hexagons makes this even more lovely. (It's so hard to get it just right!) And secondly, I love that this is a mix of my past two fabric collections (Children at Play and Out to Sea). And with the third coming in any day now, I think I'm going to need to make a quilt combining all three. With hexagons. But I won't sew it. Ha.

I've been a bit dormant in the fabric department since Autumn, and I'm excited to get back in the groove.

And I love sewing with my kids. Like today:  Addie asked me this morning if we could have a stitching party when she gets home from school. And I'm like "Sure! Let's break out the embroidery hoops, lady!" But she had a different mind. "No, let's get out all the stuffed animals and blankets that I've been asking you to mend, like all year,  that you still haven't mended?  I'll be the nurse and you be the Dr."  I kinda giggled and moaned all in the same moment. You know those "FAIL" moments as a parent? That was one of them. Guess we're playing Stitch Hospital today.

And speaking of fabric....I want to send you over to some lovely, lovely shops that are featured on the side of my blog here. I love purchasing fabric from the Quilt Home, Fashionable Fabrics, Fat Quarter Shop, Sew Modern, Crafters Vision, Quilting Garden, and Quilt Sandwich. Click on over and treat yourself. I'm getting the sewing bug again now that spring is inching in. Are you?

Happy Weekend everyone!!