The naps are gone!

My 4-year old twins have recently stopped napping. I know, it's a sad day. Nap time has morphed into quiet time. (Just typing "quiet time" in relation to my boys makes me laugh. I'm pretty sure they think "quiet" just means turning down the chaos a bit. Ah, boys! Gotta love them, right?) Anyways, attempting housework with the dynamic duo around usually involves them "helping", which I never discourage, but it also means very little gets done. They have much less interest in mom's sewing however, so their rest time has become my new quilting time. So the end of naps isn't a total loss.
Today I used my "quiet" time to piece together my Christmas scrappy trip.

I was originally thinking I'd quilt them all as I went along, but I think I'm going to let this one marinate a bit while I decide on a backing. Plus, that way I can dive into the next project Lisa & I have planned, which is tentatively set to be a string quilt. I've wanted to make one for a while & with Lisa as my sewing buddy, I know I'll actually finish it. (Nothing like deadlines to keep you motivated, right Lisa?) I haven't decided whether I'm going to make a Christmas string quilt (& thus knock out another one of the 7 I need by December!), or make yet another one to keep around our house.
Ah, decisions, decisions! I think the planning & design part is my favorite part of quilting-- I haven't committed to anything yet, & the possibilities are endless!
I'm going to go munch on one of these that the kids I made this morning & contemplate the possibilities.
Linking up to WIP WEdnesday over at Freshly Pieced.
Kate

Twin Birthday Quilts

Back in December I asked my oldest boys what they wanted on their new blankets & the answer was an overwhelming "TRUCKS, Mama!" These are just simple patchwork, but since most (ok, all) of my sewing is done is stolen moments & 15 minute snatches throughout the day, (not to mention my habit of starting 4 or 5 projects at once), I've been poking away at these since January. I finally finshed the binding yesterday & all that's left is to embroider their names. (I've found it's best to label anything I make/buy for a specific kid to prevent later property disputes.)

That's baby brother modeling the new quilts. He thinks every quilt finished is specially made for him!
I also found some time yesterday to cut these up:

Like every other quilter in the free world, I jumped on the scrappy trip bandwagon this winter. I loved the pattern & the process for the scrappy trips, & decided to make Christmas versions for my aunts. I have 7 aunts to sew for, so Lisa suggested I aim for one quilt a month & that's my goal. (Yes, I could have used the time spent cutting to embroider my sons' quilts, but my quilting ADD wouldn't let me work on one project.)
Finally, just because Let's Get Acquainted is about pets this week, here's a gratuitous shot of Felon, one of our 3 feline babies. (We also have 2 parrots & assorted fish.)

Happy Monday!
Kate