Sew Jess Quilts

Every year since 2009 I have set a reading goal for myself. My goals in the past have ranged from roughly 100 to 200 books a year. And I'm pretty good at hitting those goals. But as for this year I have decided to give myself some leeway as I will have two little girls to care for come March. For my overall reading goal I want to read at least 50 books. And of those 50 books 26 books will be part of a challenge I'm taking part in on Instagram #26BOOKSwithBringingUpBurns. There are 26 different categories and I will be picking books throughout the year, since I can never pick a list of books at the beginning of the year and stick to it. I am going to try and read them in order, but reserve the right to go out of order. A book you own but haven't read A book that was made into a movie A book you pick solely because of the cover A book your friend loves A book published this year A book by an author you've never read before A book by an author you love A book a...

So this year, I decided I was going to make a lap sized quilt for each of my nieces and nephews. So that gave me 6 quilts to make right off the bat. Then I found the perfect fabric to make a quilt for my father-in-law and my mom had requested I make a quilt. That's 8 quilts for anyone who's counting. It is a good thing I started in May! Plus sewing during my first trimester was really tough since I usually sew during Nora's naptime and that became my naptime as well. I was so thankful to hit that second trimester and get a burst of energy and start creating this quilts. Without further ado here are the quilts that I created for Christmas 2014. Pattern: Jelly Roll Jam by Fat Quarter Shop, with modifications to make it bigger.  Finished: 60"x 60", May 2014 Pattern: Lazy Daisy by In Color Order (Jeni Baker) Finished: 58" x 72", August 2014 Pattern: Lazy Daisy Finished: 58" x 72", September 2014 Pattern: Lazy Daisy Fi...

So last year I started doing a word of the year instead of the traditional New Year's Resolutions and it went pretty well. I few times I stumbled along the way, but I think I did a much better job of living for today and I am learning see each day as a fresh start. This has really helped with me being a stay at home momma. Some days are just hard. Nora and I can butt heads some days, we can both be just so stubborn. But luckily I have an amazing Hubby who will let me leave, take a break, and come back a refreshed momma. And learning that just because yesterday was bad, doesn't mean today has to be bad as well. As I've been trying to find a word that I want to be my focus for 2015, life has been a little bumpy. This pregnancy is really starting to wear on me, I'm always achy, I've been sick, and have been trying to figure out what the next step is for our family. Well needless to say I have been feeling like God is telling me to EMBRACE my life RIGHT NOW. Em...

After a year of sewing mostly for gifts to give to others. I have resolved that 2015 will be devoted to mostly selfish sewing. Of course I will still be making a few quilty gifts here and there, but not to the magnitude I did this year for Christmas. I mean I have to give myself my slack, I will be a momma of 2 little girls come March. And my sewing time is going to greatly be reduced, but it will be well worth it in the end. While scrolling through Instagram a few days ago I came upon the #SewMyStash2015 hashtag and was immediately intrigued. After looking at Leasa 's idea, I decided to join along. The basic idea is to pull fabrics from our stash when starting a new project and have our stash fabric cover over 50% of the project. Now I don't have to biggest stash, since I did use a good bit this year for my handmade Christmas gifts. I still have quite a few projects that I've been planning out and know I can pull from my current stash! In addition to my part...

It is hard and well not so hard to believe that Nora is turning 2 today! The last two years have been a blessing and a challenge. But even those challenging days, I still can't imagine life without Nora. She is full of spunk, personality, fearlessness, stubbornness, giggles, hugs, and kisses. And I just know that in a few short months she will be a wonderful big sister. Happy Birthday to our awesome little girl!

I love Noodlehead bag patterns! So far I've made a few Super Totes and Divided Baskets. So I knew I wanted to make the Poolside tote. It just took me awhile to get around to making it. I already have plans to make another one, once I have finished all of my Christmas sewing. I think this would be a great sized bag for my hospital bag when baby #2 arrives. I think the cutting and interfacing took more time than the actual sewing. So once the cutting and interfacing is done this bag comes together so quickly. I managed to cut out and interface during Nora's naptime and sewed the bag up once she was down for the night. This is such a nice sized bag for a weekend getaway. Plenty of room for all of the necessities, with room to spare. The exterior I used some Essex Yarn Dyed Linen in Denim and all of the accent and lining fabric is from Tula Pink's Moonshine collection. (Which I must say is one of my favorites!). This time I made the pocket a slip pocket, since I didn...