wee woodland | a quilt for Frances

Matt's sister's friend is pregnant, due with a baby girl in December. I actually started working on this quilt for her when I found out she and her husband were trying to get pregnant a while back and picked it back up again recently so I could finish it in time for her shower this past Sunday.

All the fabric is Wee Woodland by Keiko for Moda... it has the most adorable little mushrooms, snails, and squirrels all over.

I used a charm pack for most of the quilt top and bought an extra yard of the teal stripey print to fill in the holes.

The backing is a yard of one of the white prints covered in multicolored ferns and mushrooms, plus more of the teal stripe, and I bound it in the stripe, too. What can I say? I love stripes of any stripe.

I quilted alongside the seams of each charm square on the front which gave the quilt a nice crinkly texture. I don't usually quilt so many lines but I knew it would look nicer that way. Most of the time I get lazy and try to quilt as little as possible. Does that make me a bad quilter? Probably.

A little handwritten label completed the project. I'm hoping to order some real labels soon! Just working out a few details and then I'll be the proud owner of some personalized ribbons :)

And I couldn't resist one last little gift to go along with the quilt - two onesies that I embellished with little pockets! They make me want to add pockets to everything. 

P.S. Speaking of babies, it's crazy for me to think that at this time two years ago I was a little over twelve hours away from meeting Ezra for the first time! Can't believe my little guy will be two years old tomorrow!

it's a plane! | a quilt for Will

Another quilt finish! I've been whipping them up lately. This one was for my friend Keri's son Will who is almost two months old now. His nursery, although a blank slate as of now, will be decorated with a vintage airplane theme in mind, so I picked up a US Navy commemorative fabric that I found on Etsy.

The pattern is a modified large log cabin block, and when I say modified I mean I calculated my measurements wrong and had to make it work. Oops! Math was never my best subject.

I chose graphic red and blue fabrics to complement the airplanes - some chevron, polka dot, and a weird red pattern that reads as a stripe that I think is Flea Market Fancy. When I came up short with the design I had sketched I decided to add some red, blue, and tan seersucker, too. I couldn't believe how soft the seersucker made the quilt - so much more cozy than regular quilting fabrics and absolutely perfect for a baby. I definitely plan on using more seersucker in my quilts.

The back is a simple patchwork using scraps from the front. I think almost all of my quilt backs end up being scrappy. It's always fun to deviate from the pattern on the top and come up with something completely unique while using up some of the scraps!

I quilted along either side of the seams of the log cabin squares to echo the pattern on the top of the quilt, so it looks pretty random on the back. 

Stripey bindings are one of my favorites, and this red seersucker didn't disappoint. Hopefully Will is as happy with his quilt as I am!

elephants and polka dots | a quilt for Avery

Yesterday I said goodbye to this pretty quilt and sent it off in the arms of a mama awaiting the arrival of her second daughter. I think this quilt is my favorite one yet (I always seem to think that), but I know it's going to be well loved.

Thanks to my brother for helping me get a few shots of the quilt while we were out shopping last week :)

It was inspired by little Avery's nursery - soft yellow and pale gray with an elephant motif. I loved picking out the fabrics for this beauty. They're all from Pink Chalk Fabrics and fabricworm.

 Simple gray binding ties it all together.

And if any of you are wondering, I used this pattern from Fresh Lemons. Now on to the next baby quilt! This season has me busy busy busy...

on Block Island

We just got back from Block Island last night and I'm still getting organized. Even after just a two day trip it seems like I have so much to do. The fridge was empty and needed filling, Ezra was running low on clean underwear, and it looks like a small toy store exploded in our living room. I've tackled a few tasks today, but I wanted to share a few photos from our trip before I forgot.

We visited this guy at Abrams Animal Farm as well as alpacas, goats, a half zebra/half pony, and lots of other exotic animals. Ezra loved feeding them from his hand, and seemed oblivious to the ducks trying to eat his fingers along with the feed.

Of course we had to visit Mohegan Bluffs and the Southeast Lighthouse. We biked there from the house we were staying with my parents, and once we arrived we trekked down over a hundred steps to walk along the ocean.

Although we had a nice couple of days there, it's definitely better to visit during the summer if you want a good selection of restaurants and to be able to shop. We ate at Mabel's and the Mohegan. I look forward to visiting again. Have you ever been to Block Island?

hello weekend

Anyone else wondering where fall went? It's almost 80° here! We're not complaining though... we're soaking up the sun by playing tee ball in the yard. I hope the weather stays nice this weekend because we have a few outdoor activities planned... apple and pumpkin picking (finally) and a trip to the Scituate Art Festival. I'm also helping to lead a girls retreat tonight, so I'm sure I'm in for a late night! Tomorrow I'm hoping to do a deep clean of the house and then we're celebrating Matt's mom's birthday (check out last year's celebration right here). And if I can squeeze it in, I hope to finish this quilt. What are you up to this weekend?

- can you spare a minute or two? go here and vote for my mom's quilt... scroll down and check the box next to "Jodi's Sampler"
- did you know you can make an omelet in a Zip-loc bag?
- cool illustrations of J.Crew's Spring 2013 line
- one of the best things about fall: layering
- and how to relish autumn. on it.
- really cute care packages: one and two
- gah! an elephant on a bicycle! I want it.
- some thoughts on style. I concur.
- and some brilliant thoughts on getting ready for baby

If you have one, enjoy the long weekend, and I'll see you back here on Tuesday!

image via The Yard

what to do with Brussels sprouts | fall cooking

Hey! Happy Monday! Sorry, but that seems to be the way I always start my posts at the beginning of the week. I don't use the computer a lot of the weekends, if at all, so I feel like I'm reentering the world of the internet and a cheery greeting seems necessary. Please forgive me if I repeat myself!

Anyway, this post is reminiscent of my past menu of the week posts which almost always went live on Mondays. With fall upon us there are tons of new recipes to try - everything hearty and cozy and always delicious. Brussels sprouts are not a vegetable I would usually eat, but they're in season so when my mom gave me two pounds from the garden I decided to experiment. Here are three stellar sprout recipes you should have in your repetoire... 

whole grain spaghetti with Brussels sprouts and mushrooms - Giada never lets me down, and this recipe is no exception. How can you go wrong with crème fraîche? However, I highly recommend skipping the salt and pepper at the end of the recipe and seasoning to taste instead, or else you run the risk of your dinner being severely oversalted. (I originally found the recipe in Weeknights with Giada which had lots of other yummy recipes... definitely worth checking out!)

Brussels sprout lemon pizza - We love pizza around here, but we tend to stick to the same old toppings - usually pineapple or peppers and onions - so when I saw this recipe in Whole Living a few months back I dogeared the page for future use. I couldn't believe how amazing the lemon slices were, so don't skip them!

salmon and Brussels sprouts with ginger scallion sauce - I tried this recipe from Dinner A Love Story a while back and wanted to bring it back into the rotation. We have salmon a lot but I never do much with it, so this is an easy way to spice things up.

Do you have any fall recipes that I should try?

image via Martha Stewart