Category / Texas Lovely

by Bethe

Scrappy 9-Patch Quilt for my Mother-in-Law

One of my biggest goals for 2013 was to finally make a quilt for my mom and my mother-in-law. And I’m proud to say that I was able to accomplish both – one while horribly sick with morning sickness (love you mama) and the other while I was nine months pregnant and big as a house (love you, mother-in-law).

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I chose the scrappy 9-patch pattern for two reasons: (1) I’ve never tried it before and had been hankering to give this pattern a whirl – I just love the look of scrappy quilts; and (2) this pattern really has no pattern, which meant almost no getting up and down off the floor with this giant belly of mine. Quilting is a lot of work physically, and I just wasn’t as mobile as normal, so this quilt allowed me to do almost everything on my sewing table.

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I almost named this my Steve Jobs quilt, simply because I listened to his biography on audio books while I sewed. That book is amazing (and 25 hours). With every quilt I make, I can tell you what book I “read” or TV series I watched while doing the work.
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For the front fabric, I used a Moda jelly roll (again, it saved me time on cutting), and because it was so traditional, I wanted to do something absolutely nutty on the back. I found this fabric at Joann’s and immediately fell in love. It’s one of my new favorites in my stash, and I have enough left over to use it again sometime.

I bound it with this adorable polka dot fabric that I’ve had in my stash for years and never used. It matches perfectly and reminds me of a tie I bought my dad as a child.

MIL quilt 1 I am so thankful to have such an amazing, godly, FUN mother-in-law, who welcomed me into her family and treats me like her own daughter. Thanks Ann (MoMo to the grandkids) for being so wonderful, and happy birthday!

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(PS – It takes every ounce of my being to take pics at this point… 39.5 weeks pregnant. But, I want to be able to look back at this year and remember the good times… even if I was carrying around a TON of water weight. And baby weight.) Plus, my mother-in-law looks fabulous.

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Interested in seeing my other quilts? Click here. Interested in seeing what’s offered in my online shop? Go visit me on Etsy!

by Bethe

New prints & a bedrest update

I’ve spent the past few days hanging out on the couch and in bed, watching TV and, well, designing new prints. The longer we wait for Wrenn to arrive, the more action this blog and my Etsy shop is going to see. If only I could sit down at my sewing machine and quilt… I’m going through some serious withdrawals.

We got good news from the doctor. They ran some more tests and things seem to be less worrisome than originally thought, so I’m off the “only get up to use the restroom” bedrest and instead on the “spend most of your time lying down but at least you’re allowed to walk around your house” version of bedrest. Which is good because I would have lost my mind on the other one.

I’ve had braxton hicks contractions since Sunday, and Thursday night they got really intense and 5-6 minutes apart. I really thought it was time, but they never got to that magic 5-minute mark required to go to the hospital. I slept a little that night, but spent much of the night up with pain. Friday… nothing. And so we continue to wait for that precious baby girl to arrive.

So, back to the prints – I designed two new prints for the shop this week. Both are available for instant download for just $10 each. This means as soon as you purchase it online, you’ll get a link to download the file so you can print it yourself – I’m hoping this adds some convenience (and speed) to my shoppers.

This print was inspired by a quote Mr. Right sent me a few months ago. I’m a bit of a reformed feminist, and it’s very important to me that I teach Wrenn that she can do anything she sets her mind to, but that she should also always conduct herself as a lady, and a humble one at that. It’s an important balance.

Lady

(Available here)

And this print is inspired by the scripture I’ve been meditating on all week. We’ve been studying David Platt’s new book in our Sunday School class, and he talks about duty vs. delight when it comes to our faith. I’ve been praying all week that God would help me to take a new delight in his Word… and thus this print came to be.

Her-delight

(Available here)

And one more thing… Texas Lovely now has a Facebook page! Do me a favor and go “like” it – I’ll be posting discount codes and links to new products.

by Bethe

My very own quilt: this time it’s my turn

I’ve made dozens and dozens of quilts, but I have never once made one that I could keep for myself. I’ve been too busy giving them away as gifts or selling them to pay for more quilting supplies.

But my husband won’t let me steal his quilt and I want one of my own, so I finally decided it was my turn. I found some great fabric – a jelly roll – on clearance at Joann’s that I just love, and I used leftover polka dot fabric from Wrenn’s baby quilt for the middle squares (I wanted a piece of her quilt inside of mine – oh the sappiness of pregnancy hormones). I’m almost finished whipping up the top.

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I was inspired by this log cabin quilt from one of my favorite quilting bloggers and simply studied the picture, and got to cutting. This is another great pattern for when you’re 9 months pregnant and completely whale-ish, because there is no real pattern or need to get up and down off the floor – you just add layer after layer as you go. I finally stopped when I ran out of strips of fabric. (however, this is a LOT of ironing involved)

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I’m going to sew these into a white background and will probably add a border to add some width/length. My hope was to finish this before Baby Girl arrived, but with this bed rest thing, there is no quilting allowed, so I guess I’ll wait and finish her after Wrenn gets here. It’ll be my first naptime quilt.

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Interested in seeing my other quilts? Click here. Interested in seeing what’s offered in my online shop? Go visit me on Etsy!

by Bethe

The big reveal! Wrenn’s Baby Quilt!

I’ve made a lot of baby quilts in the five years that I’ve had this little hobby of mine. But I must say that this one was the most special by far, because this time it was for MY baby girl and not someone else’s. Squeal!

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Mr. Right helped me pick out the fabrics, because we used them as a jumping off point for the rest of our nursery. The bright colors are a tribute to my man and his love of color. I probably have the only husband who has been to a quilting store… multiple times! Such a trooper, that man.

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I realize I’ve maxed out on my use of chevron, but it’s still my favorite pattern, and I wanted it for my baby girl, so she got it. Plus, I tried a few different patterns and this fabric just begged for chevron. (Yes, sometimes fabric begs to be sewn a certain way – it’s the truth.)

Speaking of chevron – I’ve had several people ask me for a tutorial on chevron quilts. Someday I will do some tutorials, but right now life is a bit nutty, so I thought I’d point you toward other people’s tutorials. I learned a lot of my sewing through blogs and YouTube, so never be afraid to just google something. Two ways to do chevron – or any triangle quilt –  are this way (my way is the first way they listed) and that way (I don’t do it this way, but it looks efficient so I may give it a try someday). Also, typically I cut my squares to 6 inches, simply because I like the finished look – not too big, not too small. They’re closer to 5 inches once sewn with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

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I quilted everything with white thread (I almost always use white – that way I can just stock up on it in advance) and I loosely followed a chevron pattern. I’ve found that quilts are a lot softer and more snuggly if you quilt them more loosely – the more stitches, the stiffer it will be.

I love this crazy zebra backing and bright turquoise binding. I wanted this quilt to scream fabulous and fun and not necessarily just baby.

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I hope this is one of those things she keeps the rest of her life. I still have the quilt my grandmother made for me when I was a baby. As I did my sewing I imagined my little blonde-haired girl dragging this all over our house, snuggling with it at night, and having it as a forever reminder that her mama loves her dearly.

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Interested in seeing my other quilts? Click here. Interested in seeing what’s offered in my online shop? Go visit me on Etsy!

by Bethe

Our backyard becomes the victim of more nesting

As I mentioned in a previous post, Mr. Right has been nesting even more than me. I was really concerned with getting the nursery put together, which he so wonderfully helped me with (since I can’t paint, move heavy things, etc.), and once he finished that, he moved on to the backyard.

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I came home from work one night to a surprise – he had finished building the pergola that we started last summer when we expanded our patio. Check out his handiwork – he did everything in one afternoon! My man is so talented when it comes to dreaming things up and then turning them into reality. While you’re at it, check out our monster urban garden he built last summer – we’re eating the best home-grown tomatoes in the whole world right now.

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You’ll notice he also put twinkle lights above our table because, well, I have a weird obsession with twinkle lights. If I could, I’d leave Christmas lights on our house year-round, but then we’d be those neighbors (actually, sometimes I wonder if we already ARE those neighbors). The twinkle lights make a bit of a chandelier right over our table – It’s my favorite part!

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Can you tell we don’t like to mow? We’ve slowly but surely filled our tiny backyard with flowers, patios, and vegetable gardens. One or two more summers and there won’t be a blade of grass anywhere to be seen!

And, while we’re at it, I thought I’d show you some other new additions, including our succulents (um, hello – succulent is code for cactus which is code for “okay if you forget to water for weeks at at time” – this is my new favorite plant!):

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Another easy plant to keep alive is moss rose – and it blooms the most beautiful, colorful blooms. The only drawback is that it wilts every night, so if you’re hosting a lot of evening parties, it will look like you’ve got a dead plant. But during the day, it’s breathtaking. I’m also partial to hibiscus, which reminds me of Hawaii.

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And then there’s our potted jalapenos, which I plan to wrap in bacon and cream cheese any day now. Yum.

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We have tried to spend every cool evening sitting on our patio, soaking up the new place. It makes me feel like I’m on vacation in my own backyard. Thanks to my Mr. Right for dreaming up such a wonderful escape for us!

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by Bethe

Surefire ways to slow down time

Have you ever wanted to bottle time? Make a moment last forever? Find the fountain of youth? Stop rushing through life? Put off that deadline just a little bit longer?

I have discovered the secret to making a moment seem like an eternity.

  1. Run on a treadmill for an hour.
  2. Go to the DMV or Social Security Office. Make sure your phone is dead.
  3. Have the stomach flu.
  4. Watch a John Wayne movie.
  5. Go to a classical concert with the lights off on a night when you are very, very tired.
  6. Go on a strict diet where you can’t eat any of the things you love.
  7. Get stuck in a traffic jam while you have to go to the bathroom.
  8. Have the guy you’re crushing on ask for your number… and then not call you for a week. (Ahem, Mr. Right did this to me, and it was the longest week of my life!)
  9. Go to Wal-Mart on a Saturday to just pick up *one thing* and wait in line at the check-out.
  10. Prep for a colonoscopy.

And finally, the very best way to make time stand absolutely still – be nine months pregnant. Every week  No, every day… becomes an eternity.

What about you? What other ways have you found to make time stand still?

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PS–I’m 37 weeks and 4 days and it’s like I just woke up this morning suffering from TOBP (Tired of Being Pregnant). I totally get what other women mean. I’m thankful that I’m still sleeping pretty well, and most of the time I feel pretty good. Just ready to finally hold my baby girl in my arms… and honestly, to not be pregnant anymore. It’s like I can see the finish line, but it keeps moving. So… close…

by Bethe

The nesting… it has begun

You all said it would happen. And you were right.

I have started nesting. Says the girl who planted flowers and weeded her flower beds at 6:30 tonight after a full day of work.

I have a to-do list a mile long, and suddenly I have the energy to tackle it. And the NEED to tackle it. This could be dangerous. Or really good, because between you and me, I sort of let some things go around the house while I was so sick. Six months of nausea equals some really, really messy closets. Don’t tell my mom.

So while I’m in clean out mode, I thought I’d do some spring cleaning in the shop. I’m ready to clean out some of my older prints, which means a sale for you. Check it out – I’ve knocked most of my 2012 prints down to just $5, while supplies last. There’s no discount code, I went ahead and just adjusted the price in the shop. Once these prints are gone, they’re going in the Disney Vault forever. I mean, they’ll be discontinued.

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Also, just a reminder that this precious little baby stroller quilt is still available in the shop and ready for a good home. If there’s one thing I love better than chevron, it’s polka-dotted fabric.

by Bethe

Letters from a crazy pregnant woman

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To my insurance company that won’t approve my allergy meds:

There is ONE allergy medicine this pregnant girl is allowed to take. ONE. And it’s not even that great of one. But it’s SOMETHING. And you won’t approve it. And it could take two weeks to get that fixed. TWO WEEKS. You realize that’s the equivalent to 82 pregnancy years.

Things that take less than two weeks: (1) A mission to outer space; (2) A cruise across the Atlantic; (3) Me finishing off a tub of ice cream because I’m frustrated with my insurance company.

To all of my single and newly engaged friends:

When you get married and it comes time to choose a bed, there is only one choice. The KING. Don’t try to be all romantic (and stupid) like us and buy the queen thinking it will help keep you closer together and give you more opportunities to snuggle. Sure, it’s wonderful most of the time, but then boom you’re pregnant and there’s just not room for you, your baby belly, your body pillow, the pillow wedged behind your back, AND your husband. One of you has to go, and the husband doesn’t like it if you choose the body pillow over him. (I love you, Mr. Right.)

To the owners of Sonic:

You are my very best friends right now. You and your cherry limeades and strawberry milkshakes and so many caffeine-free drink options. Bless you.

To the owners of Chick-fil-a:

I love you too. And your fresh-squeezed lemonade.

To the little girl in the elevator today:

Thank you for giving me a flower for no reason at all. You and your 6-year-old cuteness and your generous spirit made my day.

To the woman who is giving me a prenatal massage this week:

I think I love you more than Sonic.

To my cute husband who puts up with my extreme sniffling and my body pillow, and who takes me on impromptu Sonic runs and buys me cute new workout shorts when I outgrow mine (and his) and who is just so darn fun to be around:

You’re my favorite.

by Bethe

Mother’s Day Letter to Wrenn

Dear Baby Girl,

Yesterday was my first Mother’s Day… and it was because of you that I got that huge honor. You see, little Wrenn, it is the biggest honor of my life to be your mama. To carry you in my belly. To feel you kick from the inside – it’s like our own little secret that nobody else knows. I treasure those moments and look forward to them every single day.

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Baby girl, I prayed for you before I ever met your daddy. I prayed so many nights that God would give me a baby of my own someday. And that someday is here and He has given me you. Once I married your daddy, we prayed together that God would bless us with a baby. Before you were ever here, I longed for you and cried for you and waited and waited and waited for you.

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I cannot wait to meet you in two short months. There is so much to do before you arrive, but more than anything I can’t wait for that first moment when I get to see you, and meet you, and hold you against my chest and revel in the joy of being your mama.

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Your daddy spoiled me on my first Mother’s Day. I woke up to a gorgeous breakfast – you know your daddy doesn’t just cook – he makes every meal an event. He gave me a body pillow (such a comfort for this tired pregnant body) and a prenatal massage and one of his famously sweet love notes. Your daddy spoils me so, and I know when you get here he will spoil you too.

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We spent the rest of the day celebrating with both of your grandmothers, who also can’t wait to meet you. In fact, there are a lot of people counting down until the day they get to meet you. But of all of them, your daddy and I are the most excited. Sixty days left until your due date (July 12). The question is… will we see you before that, or will you make us wait? Honestly, baby girl, whenever you choose to come will be a huge celebration.

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Wrenn Olivia – you are loved. You are treasured. You are an answer to prayers. I can’t wait to meet you.

Love, your mama

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Thanks to all my blog friends who left me such encouragement on my last post. It meant so much to me. All of these pictures are courtesy of McGowan Images. To see our entire maternity session, click here.

by Bethe

Chevron Baby Stroller Quilt

I know I’ve told several people I wouldn’t be making any more baby quilts for the time being (except for Wrenn girl’s quilt, which I started on Saturday), but a few weeks ago I had a burst of energy and some leftover scraps from my mom’s mullet quilt. And so I whipped up this little guy in just a few hours.
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It’s a 29 inch x 29 inch stroller or car seat quilt – no batting so that it’s nice and thin and folds up to fit in your baby bag

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And of course, since gray and yellow are some of my very favorite colors, I had to go with the yellow backing. I just love all of these fabrics together – modern and sleek but also playful.

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This beautiful little quilt is available in the shop now – I hope she finds a good home! And, unless I get another wild hair, this will probably be the last baby quilt in the shop until after baby girl gets here. Probably.