I Put the "Mini" in Mini Quilt

These small quilts go by many names - mini quilt, doll quilt, wall quilt, art quilt - but for these 2 darling clients (read: my neice and nephew) they are most certainly doll quilts.

My super-talented mom sewed up quilts for each of her 3 grandkids earlier this year and my sister asked me to create replicas for her kids' dolls. 

Sure.  Easy.  I love making small quilts.

That was before I realized just how small these pieces were going to be. 

I did my fair share of cussing, but they turned out pretty cute and really weren't too difficult once I got the hang of working with pieces about 1/2" big. Quilting was a cinch since they measure a whopping 18" x 23" and I had them out in the mail to the kids about 2 weeks after starting.  Here are some pics* (more here) of the finished pieces:

Just yesterday I got the most delightful package of hand-written thank you notes from both kids... melting my heart and making me forget just how tedious these quilts were.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*A note on the pics... they were taken at the same time and same place so I'm not sure why the coloring is so off**.  Must be my camera's way of telling me I am a sucky operator.
**The rainbow quilt is actually WHITE, I swear.

Whiney Wednesday

This morning started with waking up 20 minutes later than usual.  For a girl that gives herself precisely 30 minutes to get up, get ready and head out the door, this is bad news.

Jump in the shower.  Jump out of the shower.  Jump into some clothes.

Turn on the hairdryer and a quiet whirring noise is all I get.
Unplug the dryer.  Replug the dryer.  Try again.
Added to the whirring noise is a plume of black smoke.

Great.  I've owned this dryer for approximately 5 weeks.  WEEKS.  Weeks is not enough to have blown up my hairdryer but it is more than enough time to toss out the receipt and box.

A moment of silence please for both, the dryer and the wet hair attached to this whiner.

I Need Your Help, Dr. Internet Friends

Because I'm sick of going to the doctor for this, that and the other, I'll just ask you: What does it mean that my hands keep going numb at night? 

I wake up 3 - 4 times each nights and both hands are numb.  It only takes a minute to get feeling back and I go back to sleep but I can't figure this one out.  At first I thought I was just sleeping on them or something but it doesn't matter where my arms are - my hands continue to go numb.  It's been going on for a few weeks.

I did ask my BFF Google and it tells me it could be a variety of things but that, most importantly, I need to see my doctor. 

Hogwash.  My doctor is sick of seeing me and my never-ending string of "stomach episodes" lately and I hereby vow to go at least one full month before seeing my doctor again.  Which, btw, tmi, it cost me close to a grand to waltz into the hospital, poop in a bowl and waltz back out and then find out nothing's wrong.  W. T. F.

So here's where you come in, friends.

Any of you have this problem?  Heard of this problem?  Have any guesses?  Are you good at the Googles, interwebs and tubes and can you find an answer? 

Did you stay at a Holiday Inn last night and now you're a doctor? 

Enlighten me.

Bedtime Battle: Elliot 1, Mommy 0

Elliot's been a bear at bedtime lately from getting pajamas on to brushing teeth to getting into bed all before yelling and singing in bed in a valiant effort to keep himself awake for a solid 2 hours before his body gives up in exhaustion - it's a struggle every day that's getting older by the second.

Last night he asked to sleep in his clothes and being a battle we're not going to fight, Fred obliged his request.  Then laid down the law telling him no more special game time (read: trying to break the precious iPad) unless he can go to bed quietly like a big boy and not like the writhing baby he's been.

So, much to my surprise, he went to bed peacefully.

For a while.

About 30 minutes later I hear a voice pipe up from his room.

E:  Mommy?  Will you come in here please?
A:  What do you need?
E:  I want pajamas.
A:  Nope, sorry.  No pajamas.  You wanted to sleep in your clothes and you're supposed to be asleep so lay down and go to bed.
E:  But I want jammas.
A:  Sorry.
E:  But I want---
A:  Elliot James, what did Daddy say?  Don't start crying or there's truly no iPad games for you.
E:  (Very meek voice) But I want jammas.
A:  Nope, sorry.  Go to bed.
E:  I could take off my clothes.
A:  (Exasperated) Fine, do whatever you want, sleep in your underwear, I don't care, just go to bed.

I went in around 10pm to tuck him in and the kid's naked as a jailbird wearing only his Batman socks.  He might be stubborn (a trait from his father)(surely)(SHUTup) but at least he keeps his word.

Un-Funny, Sewing-Related Update

Flip flops mean summer.

Festive flip flops mean I'm ready for summer.

After finding this fabulous tutorial on Pinterest, I couldn't help but give my tired old flip flops a fresh look for the summer... and I love them!

Crafty me has been busy... I finished piecing the Bottled Rainbows quilt, made baby quilt #2 for my sister-in-law Steph, put together miniature quilts for my sister's kiddos, made these flipflops, put together a scrappy USA, built a clock from an embroidery hoop and buttons, finished 2 of the three commissioned t-shirt quilts, made the world's tiniest stitched handprint and perhaps most exciting of all - signed up for 2 Farmers' Market dates in July.

(Photos here.)

Phew.

I'm looking forward to our weekend of no plans so that I can quilt the two miniature quilts, piece the third t-shirt quilt, sew together two doll quilts and cut out another one, teach Stacey to embroider, and, and, and...

I hope yours is just as enjoyable.

I Want to be Your Real-Life Friend

facebook, I never thought quitting you would be such a big deal. 

I am glad to be done with the annoyances, mind-numbing activity of checking status updates and hurtfulness of people un-friending each other.  What I didn't realize - and how could I? - was how far off the grid everyone assumes I want to be.  It's as though quitting facebook was my way of saying I want nothing to do with your life.

And that?  Not true. 

Just because I don't want to deal with facebook doesn't mean I don't want to know - or should have the privilege of knowing - when things happen.  Pregnancies, engagements, ridiculous things our kids do, graduations, fabulous trips to far off places ... I want to know about this as much as any of your 247 friends.

So the next time you're talking to me and I don't know about the latest thing - just take a few seconds to fill me in instead of laughing at me and telling me I should "just join facebook to find out."  That's what FRIENDS do.

You Might Learn a Little Something

Because I really don't have anything better to talk about right now, let's talk about me.  Stolen from KAIT's blog, here are the ABC's of the lovely Ms. Anna Seckman.  But, to make it just-this-much different, I'm adding numbers 0 - 9 at the end of this... Watch out! I'm living on the edge.

A. Age: 33
B. Bed size: Queen is what I own, King is what I want.
C. Chore that you hate: All.  But mostly, dishes.
D. Dogs: Had one when I was little.
E. Essential start to your day: Weekends - a bowl of LIFE cereal
F. Favourite color: Gray
G. Gold or Silver:  Silver or White Gold
H. Height:  5 feet, 7 inches
I. Instruments you play:  Just one - the flute.  And I rocked that bitch.
J. Job title: Grants Manager and Benefits Administrator.  Exciting, right?
K. Kids:  No baby goats at my house.
L. Live:  Home, Sweet Home for me is Nebraska.
M. Mother’s name:  Judy, or mom
N. Nicknames:  Jess
O. Overnight hospital stays: Being born, Having a baby and Gallbladder
P. Pet peeve: Chewing with an open mouth and x2 if it's gum.
Q. Quote from a movie:  "I'm right on top of that, Rose!"
R. Right or left handed:  R-r-r-right
S. Siblings:  Two brothers, one sister; I'm #3 in the lineup.
T. Time you wake up:  When either the alarm clock or child blares in my ear.
U. Underwear:  I just bought some 'hipster' grannies.
V. Vegetable you hate:  Duh, all of them.
W. What makes you run late:  Running?  I don't run.  Pshaw.
X. X-Rays you’ve had:  Ankle, twice.
Y. Yummy food that you make: Meatloaf
Z. Zoo animal:  None.  I'm not a fan of zoos.  But if I have to go to a zoo and have to look at some sort of being, it'd be those adorable penguins.

0:  Bones I've broken
1:  Number of children I/we want.  No, seriously, just one.
2:  Perfect number of donuts for breakfast
3:  Times each year I get my haircut, on average
4:  Years at my current employer
5:  Times per day I check Pinterest 
6:  Number of 8oz servings of iced tea I've had today.  Jittery much?
7:  Years I've been married to Fred in August
8:  Times per day I use the word shit, or its variants
9:  Number of $1 in my wallet.  I think.
 
Learn anything?