It's been a crazy busy December and I know I am not alone in the being busy department. On top of the loveliness of the Christmas season, Cotton Creek Mill is moving to a new building. I can't wait to share all about that when we are done getting settled. We will be reopening for business on January 3rd. Can't wait!!

Earlier this month, I celebrated another birthday. I am okay if they go by unnoticed, however, when blogging friends remember and send a precious gift...Well, being noticed is an honor. The first gift is from Capi who sent a Goody-Goody Binding Kit. Totally love it! 

Such a thoughtful gift from a thoughtful friend...Thank you, Capi!!

My friend Karen @In The Sewing Basket had this t-shirt made for me. Seriously! Is this not the best?! 

On the home front, baby Millie is now home. She was released last Saturday. =) 

Her big sister is happy to have her home for Christmas, as we all are. =) 

From my home to yours, I want wish you all a very Merry Christmas! =) 

It's been a crazy busy December and I know I am not alone in the being busy department. On top of the loveliness of the Christmas season, Cotton Creek Mill is moving to a new building. I can't wait to share all about that when we are done getting settled. We will be reopening for business on January 3rd. Can't wait!!

Earlier this month, I celebrated another birthday. I am okay if they go by unnoticed, however, when blogging friends remember and send a precious gift...Well, being noticed is an honor. The first gift is from Capi who sent a Goody-Goody Binding Kit. Totally love it! 

Such a thoughtful gift from a thoughtful friend...Thank you, Capi!!

My friend Karen @In The Sewing Basket had this t-shirt made for me. Seriously! Is this not the best?! 

On the home front, baby Millie is now home. She was released last Saturday. =) 

Her big sister is happy to have her home for Christmas, as we all are. =) 

From my home to yours, I want wish you all a very Merry Christmas! =) 

I am always on the look out for quick and easy patterns that are perfect for a quick gifts or donation quilts. Here are two that are great for using those fat quarters.

The first one is a free pattern by Quilt Taffy called Speedy Baby.  I chose to make two that are similar but not identical to donate to the NICU where my granddaughter Millie is being cared for. A mom with twin boys will love them, I think. =)

Quilt Taffy has another free pattern called Speedy Baby 2 that is a great way to use up charm packs that are hanging around. I have made both of these patterns many times and are great for beginners! 

Perfect Ten by Swirly Girls is a new favorite pattern of mine. I stumbled upon this pattern at work and my mind started swirling with ideas. First, it's a great way to use up fat quarters, but this pattern is also a great way to showcase panels. I don't know about you, but I never know how to use those panels. I have some in my stash that I am looking at with new interest! The following two quilts I made for shop samples. 

I didn't get a picture of this one after I added the borders. After the borders, it measures 60" x 72". Perfect lap quilt size and my favorite size to make.

This sample without the borders measures 48" x 60". Another nice lap size or a very generous baby quilt. 

I have two more Perfect Ten quilts made for the girls for Christmas. I altered the pattern a bit for them and I will share them when they are finished. 

Do you have a go-to pattern you like to use for quick quilts? Please share! 

I am always on the look out for quick and easy patterns that are perfect for a quick gifts or donation quilts. Here are two that are great for using those fat quarters.

The first one is a free pattern by Quilt Taffy called Speedy Baby.  I chose to make two that are similar but not identical to donate to the NICU where my granddaughter Millie is being cared for. A mom with twin boys will love them, I think. =)

Quilt Taffy has another free pattern called Speedy Baby 2 that is a great way to use up charm packs that are hanging around. I have made both of these patterns many times and are great for beginners! 

Perfect Ten by Swirly Girls is a new favorite pattern of mine. I stumbled upon this pattern at work and my mind started swirling with ideas. First, it's a great way to use up fat quarters, but this pattern is also a great way to showcase panels. I don't know about you, but I never know how to use those panels. I have some in my stash that I am looking at with new interest! The following two quilts I made for shop samples. 

I didn't get a picture of this one after I added the borders. After the borders, it measures 60" x 72". Perfect lap quilt size and my favorite size to make.

This sample without the borders measures 48" x 60". Another nice lap size or a very generous baby quilt. 

I have two more Perfect Ten quilts made for the girls for Christmas. I altered the pattern a bit for them and I will share them when they are finished. 

Do you have a go-to pattern you like to use for quick quilts? Please share! 

Millie is doing very well! She is over her birth weight, holding her own body temperature, and breathing on her own. What she needs to learn to do is learn to eat and suckle. For now, she practices on her pacifier and is being fed mother's milk through a tube to her tummy. I am so very thankful for God's kindness....

Meanwhile, big sister, Tally, has a new baby of her own to take care of. I think she is in love. =) 

Next time I will get back to sharing quilts! 

Have a happy Monday!

Millie is doing very well! She is over her birth weight, holding her own body temperature, and breathing on her own. What she needs to learn to do is learn to eat and suckle. For now, she practices on her pacifier and is being fed mother's milk through a tube to her tummy. I am so very thankful for God's kindness....

Meanwhile, big sister, Tally, has a new baby of her own to take care of. I think she is in love. =) 

Next time I will get back to sharing quilts! 

Have a happy Monday!

My daughter shared the news this summer that she was expecting another baby, due on December 23rd. A Christmas baby! Except, as babies are known to do, they surprise us and come early...Last night, at 31 weeks gestation, Amelia Jayne (Millie) was born and I had the privilege of watching her enter the world and hear her first tiny cry.

Millie was quickly taken away while they worked on her to get her to breathe better and get her into her new bed in NICU where she will be staying for a long time while she grows and gets stronger. 

She is so very tiny. 

Her stats: 3 pounds 2 ounces

15 ½" long 

Welcome to the world, sweet baby Millie.....

My daughter shared the news this summer that she was expecting another baby, due on December 23rd. A Christmas baby! Except, as babies are known to do, they surprise us and come early...Last night, at 31 weeks gestation, Amelia Jayne (Millie) was born and I had the privilege of watching her enter the world and hear her first tiny cry.

Millie was quickly taken away while they worked on her to get her to breathe better and get her into her new bed in NICU where she will be staying for a long time while she grows and gets stronger. 

She is so very tiny. 

Her stats: 3 pounds 2 ounces

15 ½" long 

Welcome to the world, sweet baby Millie.....

I grabbed up every second I could get to sit at my machine and make up these sweet spool blocks. It didn't take long before the top was all put together! No two spools are alike. I used 72 different fabrics from my expansive Bonnie and Camille stash. I added some yellow from other lines to give me more variety. The ribbon border fabrics are repeats of what are in the spool blocks. I was too lazy to look for 24 more fabrics for that part. =) 

As soon as I got that done, I grabbed up a Little Ruby jelly roll and began on the Patchwork Swoon quilt. As you can see, the blocks are pretty big, so the left over half square triangles were huge!

They were big enough to make a bonus baby quilt. =)

This quilt pattern works up really fast and I think it's a great use for a jelly roll. It would be pretty made up in many different fabric lines. 

My quilt tops are beginning to stack up. I need to get busy making some backs and get the quilting started on them. =) 

Have a happy Tuesday and fall, everyone!

I grabbed up every second I could get to sit at my machine and make up these sweet spool blocks. It didn't take long before the top was all put together! No two spools are alike. I used 72 different fabrics from my expansive Bonnie and Camille stash. I added some yellow from other lines to give me more variety. The ribbon border fabrics are repeats of what are in the spool blocks. I was too lazy to look for 24 more fabrics for that part. =) 

As soon as I got that done, I grabbed up a Little Ruby jelly roll and began on the Patchwork Swoon quilt. As you can see, the blocks are pretty big, so the left over half square triangles were huge!

They were big enough to make a bonus baby quilt. =)

This quilt pattern works up really fast and I think it's a great use for a jelly roll. It would be pretty made up in many different fabric lines. 

My quilt tops are beginning to stack up. I need to get busy making some backs and get the quilting started on them. =) 

Have a happy Tuesday and fall, everyone!

I have been way behind in getting my Sew Sweet Bee blocks done. Today was catch up day! I was a bit nervous sitting at my machine. It's been months since I have done any sewing. It was like riding a bike. You don't forget how. =) *whew*

The cake block was requested by Missy. You can see the other cake blocks that were made for her on her blog Missy's Homemaking Adventures. Now for a small confession. I made this cake block in the  Snapshots quilt along by Fat Quarter Shop, but I never finished the quilt, so Missy gets my block! I call that a win for both of us, I don't have an orphan block and she gets the block she wanted. =) 

Renee@ Sewn With Grace requested a scrappy maple leaf block. I love this block! Making a quilt full of them in fall colors is on my list. 

Lastly, Peggy requested a split 4 patch in Bonnie and Camille fabrics. Easy and fun! Here is where you can learn how to make this block. 

The next project I need to get started on is a store sample for Cotton Creek Mill by Cotton Way called Spool Sampler. I am going to use a mixture of many different lines by Bonnie and Camille. I have more than enough in my stash! When they are done displaying the quilt, it will come back home to live with me. =) The pattern shows two versions, I am going to use this one, the two tone version using prints instead of all solids. 

As for my kitchen, we are taking the month of October off. The rest can get done later since it's all cosmetic. We need the break, I should say, my husband needs the break! He has worked so hard and was such a trooper!

I hope you are all having a great Wednesday! 

I have been way behind in getting my Sew Sweet Bee blocks done. Today was catch up day! I was a bit nervous sitting at my machine. It's been months since I have done any sewing. It was like riding a bike. You don't forget how. =) *whew*

The cake block was requested by Missy. You can see the other cake blocks that were made for her on her blog Missy's Homemaking Adventures. Now for a small confession. I made this cake block in the  Snapshots quilt along by Fat Quarter Shop, but I never finished the quilt, so Missy gets my block! I call that a win for both of us, I don't have an orphan block and she gets the block she wanted. =) 

Renee@ Sewn With Grace requested a scrappy maple leaf block. I love this block! Making a quilt full of them in fall colors is on my list. 

Lastly, Peggy requested a split 4 patch in Bonnie and Camille fabrics. Easy and fun! Here is where you can learn how to make this block. 

The next project I need to get started on is a store sample for Cotton Creek Mill by Cotton Way called Spool Sampler. I am going to use a mixture of many different lines by Bonnie and Camille. I have more than enough in my stash! When they are done displaying the quilt, it will come back home to live with me. =) The pattern shows two versions, I am going to use this one, the two tone version using prints instead of all solids. 

As for my kitchen, we are taking the month of October off. The rest can get done later since it's all cosmetic. We need the break, I should say, my husband needs the break! He has worked so hard and was such a trooper!

I hope you are all having a great Wednesday! 

On Friday, our counter top was delivered! I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I am with it! We chose  (with the help of my dear friend, Mary Ann, and my precious sister in law Marci) Argento Romano by Formica with the edgings finish. It's stunning in real life! Getting it in the house was a real challenge since it was all one piece. Talk about heavy and awkward! The delivery man, Russ and I could not do it on our own. I am thankful my friend Casey was able to drop what she was doing and come help us. It's too bad I couldn't find someone to be our camera man and get pictures of that adventure! We heaved a sigh of relief that it fit perfectly.

Shortly after the counter was delivered, my sink was installed and hooked up. The sink is Swanston granite and I seriously love it! You can't see it in the pictures, but it has a tiny bit of sparkle in it and it makes me so happy! 

All day Saturday we worked on getting the backing of the peninsula installed, the toe kick and added the trim work.

 I have some caulking and touch up painting to do, but it looks so much better! Notice the yummy apple crisp cooling on the counter. Yummy!

Now that I have a counter, I can start to get things put in their place. I love being able to have my Kitchen Aide mixer out and ready to use. One of my new purchases for the kitchen was the coffee filter holder which can be found on Etsy. So much nicer than a box or plastic bag. Practical and cute! 

Friday night we ran our new Frigidaire dishwasher for the first time. Because I have never owned a dishwasher, I had no idea what to really expect. The one my mom had when I was a kid was so loud and you practically had to wash them before loading them in the dishwasher. It seemed so silly to me. We loaded up the dishwasher without rinsing anything to really test it out.  We turned it on and stood there waiting for I don't know what. Soon we were both leaning over and had our ears close to the door to see if it was working. Yes, we are goofy like that. Well, it was! It is whisper quiet and my dishes were spotless when it was done. I can get so used to this!! 

All that is left to do is the backsplash, the shelf over the sink for the school house light and the crown molding. I also need to buy chairs for the peninsula bar and do some decorating. All those things can wait a while. We need a break and now that the kitchen is fully functioning, there is no hurry. I can visit my sewing room and begin a project now! I have missed playing with my fabric. =)

Thank you for sharing this journey with me. I will post pictures when it is finally all done!

Here are the links if you want to go back to see the process:

Kitchen remodel part one

Kitchen remodel part two

  Kitchen remodel part three

Kitchen remodel part four

Kitchen remodel part five

Kitchen remodel part six 

Have a happy Monday!!

On Friday, our counter top was delivered! I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I am with it! We chose  (with the help of my dear friend, Mary Ann, and my precious sister in law Marci) Argento Romano by Formica with the edgings finish. It's stunning in real life! Getting it in the house was a real challenge since it was all one piece. Talk about heavy and awkward! The delivery man, Russ and I could not do it on our own. I am thankful my friend Casey was able to drop what she was doing and come help us. It's too bad I couldn't find someone to be our camera man and get pictures of that adventure! We heaved a sigh of relief that it fit perfectly.

Shortly after the counter was delivered, my sink was installed and hooked up. The sink is Swanston granite and I seriously love it! You can't see it in the pictures, but it has a tiny bit of sparkle in it and it makes me so happy! 

All day Saturday we worked on getting the backing of the peninsula installed, the toe kick and added the trim work.

 I have some caulking and touch up painting to do, but it looks so much better! Notice the yummy apple crisp cooling on the counter. Yummy!

Now that I have a counter, I can start to get things put in their place. I love being able to have my Kitchen Aide mixer out and ready to use. One of my new purchases for the kitchen was the coffee filter holder which can be found on Etsy. So much nicer than a box or plastic bag. Practical and cute! 

Friday night we ran our new Frigidaire dishwasher for the first time. Because I have never owned a dishwasher, I had no idea what to really expect. The one my mom had when I was a kid was so loud and you practically had to wash them before loading them in the dishwasher. It seemed so silly to me. We loaded up the dishwasher without rinsing anything to really test it out.  We turned it on and stood there waiting for I don't know what. Soon we were both leaning over and had our ears close to the door to see if it was working. Yes, we are goofy like that. Well, it was! It is whisper quiet and my dishes were spotless when it was done. I can get so used to this!! 

All that is left to do is the backsplash, the shelf over the sink for the school house light and the crown molding. I also need to buy chairs for the peninsula bar and do some decorating. All those things can wait a while. We need a break and now that the kitchen is fully functioning, there is no hurry. I can visit my sewing room and begin a project now! I have missed playing with my fabric. =)

Thank you for sharing this journey with me. I will post pictures when it is finally all done!

Here are the links if you want to go back to see the process:

Kitchen remodel part one

Kitchen remodel part two

  Kitchen remodel part three

Kitchen remodel part four

Kitchen remodel part five

Kitchen remodel part six 

Have a happy Monday!!

And now we have cabinetry! This is a picture of the work in progress. My hubby and a dear friend hung them and it went well. We really do like the bead board look, so we are sure about keeping them, although the company offered to send the ones we originally ordered if we want them to. 

It was a little nerve wracking to drill in the new cabinets to add the knobs and cups! I was holding my breath a lot during that process. I am really enjoying have an almost fully functioning kitchen. The countertop is on order and as soon as it arrives, I will be doing a happy dance! Getting a countertop means I will finally get my sink back!

For the small drawers, I chose to use reproduction green glass knobs from Look In The Attic to add a bit of glam. Love glass knobs!

In the upper corner cupboard, I ordered two lazy susans by Rev a Shelf from Kitchen Source  to help make the cabinet more easily assessable. Now things won't get lost in the back. 

The peninsula lights got hung up today. =)

What we have left to is the back splash, the crown molding and toe kicks to install. 

We are so close to being done! 

And now we have cabinetry! This is a picture of the work in progress. My hubby and a dear friend hung them and it went well. We really do like the bead board look, so we are sure about keeping them, although the company offered to send the ones we originally ordered if we want them to. 

It was a little nerve wracking to drill in the new cabinets to add the knobs and cups! I was holding my breath a lot during that process. I am really enjoying have an almost fully functioning kitchen. The countertop is on order and as soon as it arrives, I will be doing a happy dance! Getting a countertop means I will finally get my sink back!

For the small drawers, I chose to use reproduction green glass knobs from Look In The Attic to add a bit of glam. Love glass knobs!

In the upper corner cupboard, I ordered two lazy susans by Rev a Shelf from Kitchen Source  to help make the cabinet more easily assessable. Now things won't get lost in the back. 

The peninsula lights got hung up today. =)

What we have left to is the back splash, the crown molding and toe kicks to install. 

We are so close to being done! 

After sleeping on it and having my sister in law come over to see what we have, we have decided to keep the cabinets we received. The drawers are flat faced and nothing will be up against a wall with bead board, so we think it will work just fine and not be too much. She said she liked them better than what we originally picked out. Getting too many opinions can be an issue and the bottom line, we have to like it, right? Russ likes it better, now that he got over the shock of not getting what we expected. 

Thank you all for the helpful comments. =) 

Time to get some samples for the counter so we can make that decision!

After sleeping on it and having my sister in law come over to see what we have, we have decided to keep the cabinets we received. The drawers are flat faced and nothing will be up against a wall with bead board, so we think it will work just fine and not be too much. She said she liked them better than what we originally picked out. Getting too many opinions can be an issue and the bottom line, we have to like it, right? Russ likes it better, now that he got over the shock of not getting what we expected. 

Thank you all for the helpful comments. =) 

Time to get some samples for the counter so we can make that decision!

We got the cabinets today (yay!)

But wait... they sent the wrong ones!! 

As you can see, its a perfectly lovely cabinet, except we ordered mission style, not bead board. =(

Our kitchen walls have bead board, so having cabinetry with bead board would be bead board overload!! We didn't discover the mix up until after the store we ordered them from were closed, so we wait until tomorrow to see what the next step is to get this fixed. I am so hoping that we won't have to wait another 4 - 5 weeks for the right ones to be sent. On a positive note, it gives us time to make a final decision on the counter top. We changed our mind the other day about using the marble laminate and going with a mostly black counter instead. Looks like I have time to order samples! 

Some good news, the school house light I ordered from Barn Electric arrived and it is perfection! This will be hung above the sink, when I get one, that is. 

Here's to hoping the cabinet snafu gets solved quickly and without too long of a delay! Maybe I can start a quilting project now!  =)

I hope you are all having a good week! 

We got the cabinets today (yay!)

But wait... they sent the wrong ones!! 

As you can see, its a perfectly lovely cabinet, except we ordered mission style, not bead board. =(

Our kitchen walls have bead board, so having cabinetry with bead board would be bead board overload!! We didn't discover the mix up until after the store we ordered them from were closed, so we wait until tomorrow to see what the next step is to get this fixed. I am so hoping that we won't have to wait another 4 - 5 weeks for the right ones to be sent. On a positive note, it gives us time to make a final decision on the counter top. We changed our mind the other day about using the marble laminate and going with a mostly black counter instead. Looks like I have time to order samples! 

Some good news, the school house light I ordered from Barn Electric arrived and it is perfection! This will be hung above the sink, when I get one, that is. 

Here's to hoping the cabinet snafu gets solved quickly and without too long of a delay! Maybe I can start a quilting project now!  =)

I hope you are all having a good week! 

Work has slowed down a lot! We are now cabinet ready, so we wait until they arrive when the busyness will pick up once again. 

Walls are patched...

New ceiling fan...The pendant lights will be hung after the cabinets are installed. They would be in the way of the cabinet install if we hung them up now. We are trying to make things as easy on ourselves as possible!

The stove and dishwasher were delivered last night. I haven't tried out the range yet. The dishwasher is still in the box waiting to be installed when the cabinets come. 

Bigger view of the room with fresh paint on the walls. It's a lovely shade of yellow green called Fresh Willow. =) I don't know what I am going to do with my IKEA island. I love it, but there really isn't a place for it in our home...yet!

The basement door and trim have a fresh coat of paint,

as well as the half bathroom door and trim. Eventually, the trim in the whole house will be painted. It's in terrible shape and it's not special wood in any way, so I don't feel guilty painting it. It looks so much better!

We decided to not replace the whole kitchen door and just replace the window instead. This was a much cheaper and easier option. When the cabinets are moved in and installed, the trim around the kitchen door and the door itself will get a fresh coat of paint. No sense painting it now and have it get banged up when we move things into the house. 

I will be so glad when this project is finished!! The good news is the end is in sight! =D 

Work has slowed down a lot! We are now cabinet ready, so we wait until they arrive when the busyness will pick up once again. 

Walls are patched...

New ceiling fan...The pendant lights will be hung after the cabinets are installed. They would be in the way of the cabinet install if we hung them up now. We are trying to make things as easy on ourselves as possible!

The stove and dishwasher were delivered last night. I haven't tried out the range yet. The dishwasher is still in the box waiting to be installed when the cabinets come. 

Bigger view of the room with fresh paint on the walls. It's a lovely shade of yellow green called Fresh Willow. =) I don't know what I am going to do with my IKEA island. I love it, but there really isn't a place for it in our home...yet!

The basement door and trim have a fresh coat of paint,

as well as the half bathroom door and trim. Eventually, the trim in the whole house will be painted. It's in terrible shape and it's not special wood in any way, so I don't feel guilty painting it. It looks so much better!

We decided to not replace the whole kitchen door and just replace the window instead. This was a much cheaper and easier option. When the cabinets are moved in and installed, the trim around the kitchen door and the door itself will get a fresh coat of paint. No sense painting it now and have it get banged up when we move things into the house. 

I will be so glad when this project is finished!! The good news is the end is in sight! =D