another set of baby stuff

My little sister's BFF is preggers so she asked me to make some baby stuff. Katie is decorating the nursery with a sports theme in an Americana color scheme. 

So off I went to Joann's, found some colors to match the bedding and made everything I could squeeze out of a few yards of fabric and into a long weekend. 

A quilt, complete with baseball fabric, sweet polka dots and dashing plaid. Oh, and a cute fleece baseball mitt and ball. It's made out of polar fleece and very soft.

The backing is a matching flannel. 

To match the quilt: 

Fabric cubes.

Baby shoes lined with polar fleece (the baby is due in January in Michigan)

Two bibs with terry cloth backing.

A tag-along blankie. Backed with the flannel from the quilt.

And two curved burp cloths to match the bibs. Backed with flannel and absorbent as hell for that slobbering ball of baby. 

Also, I finally finished my Hedgerow socks, and I love them so much! The second sock took me forever to finish, but I'm so glad it's done. I wore them to bed last night because they were so comfy, and boy was I glad I did - it's been getting very chilly here at night! Fall is certainly here, loud and proud, and making me wish I had spent more time at the pool this summer. Alas, here comes the cold weather and with that means I need to start wearing socks again. What's a girl to do when she needs new socks? Knit them, of course. It's a curse.

I'm planning to cast on tomorrow while we travel to Michigan via aircraft. Nic is watching the puppy dog so I have to go pack his overnight bag. Yes, a weekender bag for a dog. And we need to pack for the weekend too. Forecast in Michigan? Colder than here, I'm sure. 

What do you wear to a wedding in October? Oh, that's the reason we're going home. My cousin is getting married and Curt is playing at the ceremony. So we have to look extra spiffy. 

So anyway, what should I wear to a wedding in October?

God Is

I saw this video on Matthew Paul Turner's blog and loved it enough to share.

Yup, that about sums it up. 

And if you've never visited Jesus Needs New PR, please do. I find it highly enjoyable. And for all you crafters out there, check out his wife's blog, The Mom Creative. She is an amazing scrapbooker! 

I've been working all weekend, long, busy shifts at the restaurant and I get to do it all again tomorrow. Plus the second job I've picked up at the ice cream store after my lunch shift is through. But more about that later, I've already stayed up way too late!

Stolen Trailer, Please Help!

I don't know how many people truly read my blog, but this is worth a try. 

This morning while driving to work, I noticed the trailer we just bought for the band was missing from its parking spot. I called Curt right away, he rushed home from work, called the police and filed a report. The lock we had on the hitch was lying on the ground, cut apart, so it had obviously been stolen. There was all our merchandise stock in there, plus a few other random things we were storing (a garbage bag full of alpaca fleece!) Curt also filed an insurance claim right away, but it will not cover everything.

Curt's manager said this has happened to two other bands he works with, and each time the trailer was recovered. We are keeping an eye out around town for it, hoping they haven't driven it out of state yet. If you live in the Nashville and surrounding areas/states, keep an eye out.  

Here are some specs: 

6X10 Enclosed Trailer 

Brandywine/Maroon color 

Freedom brand 

It's a flat top with a side door, ramp door on the back side. 

Brand spakin' new, no license plate, no nothing, we just bought this a few weeks ago.  

If you happen to find a trailer that looks like it might be ours, contact me here or email brittneydanderson[at]gmail[dot]com. 

First person to find it will be rewarded :)  

Thanks, and I will keep you posted. I'm feeling very optimistic that it will turn up soon and we won't have to worry about this anymore.

Sending and Received (Part 2)

It was my grandpa's birthday a week or two ago and I was sending a package their way anyway, so I wanted to include something for him. I decided on a nice cable hat, and used this pattern. If you check Ravelry, there are obvious issues with the decreases. I didn't even bother reading the pattern at that point and just decreased as I saw fit. It turned out pretty darn cute and hopefully he will enjoy wearing it in the coming months. It's not super warm, but I think it will be the perfect hat to wear during the fall and early winter. Maybe for Christmas* I will make him a nice fleece hat to take him through the bitter Michigan winter.

I used I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby and US7 dpns. This yarn is cheap and soft and perfect for quick, simple projects like this.

For my grandma, and my grandpa too, I suppose, I included a crocheted dishcloth and scrubby.  I used this pattern, here it is on Ravelry, with Sugar n' Cream yarn. The pattern was quick to crochet, easy to memorize, and should prove to be a good scrub because of the texture from the tulip stitches. The scrubby was just two crocheted circles stitched together for some added omph. If you ask me, one can never have too many handmade dishcloths.

For my secret pal last year, I knit 12 dishcloths, one for every month of the year. I think they are a perfect little gift, especially with the matching srubby. Not to mention I have cotton yarn coming out of my ears.

Tomorrow I will send the hat, dishcloth, mitts, socks and messenger bag in one big package, and they can find their way from my grandparent's house. 

Today my DQS7 came in the mail all the way from Greenwood, Ind. I had to laugh when I saw that- my best friend lives there and our last home was about an hour away from Greenwood. The quilting world is such a small circle when you get down to it. 

Look how cute this butterfly is, Jamie did such a nice job appliqueing and quilting it! So cute, now I have to figure out where I want to put it :-)

I'm slowly finishing my Hedgerow socks (link here). I turned the heel on the second sock and have made it about an inch or two into the foot. I was feverishly working on these during Feedback weekend and made some great progress. I've been working on them between other projects and in bed before I fall asleep. They will be finished by the time the cooler fall weather comes around and I actually need to wear them. This pattern is quickly become a favorite of mine and I will most likely knit another pair in the future. 

*I'm trying to start making my handmade Christmas presents right now so I will have them all ready by the time Christmas rolls around. I'm thinking lots of hats, mittens, scarves and mini quilts. Things that aren't huge undertakings, but still cute/useful and hopefully appreciated because they were made with love by me :-) 

What are your favorite handmade gifts for adults?

Sent and Received

Not too long ago I won a contest over at John's blog and this week I received my prize: an embroidery book plus a hoop, floss, and towels to try it out on! How great is Quilt Dad?! He's hosting a quilt-along right now, so if you've never checked out his blog, now is the perfect chance to join in on the fun. He makes really great quilts, has great taste in fabric, participates in just about every swap known to man, and seems like an all-around great guy. Thanks so much for the package John!

So of course I couldn't just let all those supplies just sit around - I started embroidering that night- drew myself a little owl, stayed up way too late, finished it the next day, and yesterday I threw it into a little mini quilt.

Looks pretty darn cute with all those Anna Maria Horner fabrics if I do so say myself. I still have to sew on the binding, it will be brown with blue circles.

My little cousin Jelena knows how to suck up and get exactly what she wants from anyone and I just can't say no to her, she's so sweet. Last year I made her a horse quilt to match her new horse room (photo above). She wrote an essay about it in school and gave that to me; it was so cute- misspellings and all. So when she asked me to make her a bag for school, how could I say no? Her requirements: tie-dye, peace sign, hearts, pink, pockets inside for pencils and stuff, and it needs to hold her lunch bag and shoes.

Voilà:

I used freezer paper to stencil in the faux-tie-dye heart/peace sign.

Adjustable strap so she can grow into the bag.

The front inside has two big pockets, kind of hard to see in this photo. I used a magnetic closure on the flap. Those things are stronger than I expected! The top has an open zipper to keep everything safe.

Inside the bag (sorry this photo sucks, my camera was dying) has a zipper pocket and a couple spots for pencils and other little things.

I hope she likes it and I hope it works well for her. I have to stitch up the inside lining and then I will send it off to my grandparent's house with some other goodies for another cousin. Also, it was my grandpa's birthday and I want to make him something to send, but I can't figure out what kind of handmade gift a grandpa could want. Any ideas? I was considering knitting a hat, but I'm just not sure.

I sent my DQS7 out today to my partner. I hope she likes it because I really had nothing to go on - she has very few pictures in her photostream and NO favorites! I love the way the quilt turned out, and I hope she will too.

Labor Day

Happy Labor Day.

Labor Day weekend marks the first time Curt and I played a show together. It is, in fact, how we met. I was a freshman at Anderson University, he was a sophomore. His band needed a cellist, and I played cello. It was a match made in Heaven, but not quite on Earth at that point. See, I was dating a guy from high school for almost a year. When Curt and I first got together to rehearse, his roommate joked what if I was the girl he would marry. No, Curt reported back, she has a boyfriend and he wasn't the least bit interested in me aside from playing with the band.

That was five years ago, obviously things happened and he changed his mind, because he's stuck with me now. I played that Labor Day show with the band, and a few more after that, but the music changed and Curt kicked me out of the band. Thankfully I really don't have a desire to be in the band, other than the occasional tambourine clanging, but he won't even let me do that.

Let's take a photographic walk down memory lane, shall we?

Playing with the band in Jan 2005?

School dance, late 2004 or early 2005?

Happy New Year 2005

Summer, I don't know when, probably 2005

At some beach in 2006 maybe?

Engaged - June 19, 2006

Engagement photo- fall 2006

Wedding day, June 15, 2007

My graduation in May 2008

At a wedding in August 2008

Christmas day in Australia, 2008

Disney World, spring 2009

Leann & Jacob's wedding, July 2009

My how we've changed, and I think for the better. My hair used to be super short, now it's much longer. Curt's hair used to be long, now he keeps it short. I've lost weight, he's gained (but he's losing it now). It seems like we just met, yet feels like we've been together forever.

What are your Labor Day memories?

Feedback

Warning to my normal readers, there is no crafting in this post, it's about music stuff, there's a lot of links, it's probably not that entertaining, but something really exciting happens at the end. So yeah, skip to there if you want to read a good story.

This past weekend, Curt & I - plus the band - attended a conference called Feedback in Franklin. It's an opportunity for Christian musicians to not only showcase their talents, but also attend seminar-type sessions on everything from stage presence to publicity. There were all kinds of industry people there presenting, answering questions, and judging the music showcase.

We figured - eh, a chance to play for some people, and maybe learn something new about the biz. The guy putting it on invited Curt to come, so we didn't have anything to lo$e. The seminars were really interesting, I learned a little and made some nice connections. I don't know if I've mentioned it here before, but I majored in Music Business with a Public Relations minor. This weekend was a great refresher in all things music and reaffirmed my desire to work in the industry. Now if I could only find a job....

Curt rounded up the band, a couple of them came down from Indiana, and we found a new drummer here in Nashvegas. They rehearsed Thursday afternoon, everything sounded great, we packed up and headed to the first night of the conference. Erwin McManus had a lot of really great things to say, I can't wait to see what the future holds for him and his team.

Friday we had seminars with Brett Manning and Tom Jackson who are both experts in their fields. I enjoyed hearing both of them speak, but after each session I felt a bit like I was part of a live infomercial. Yeah, they run businesses, and yeah, we did buy some product, and yeah, I do love a good infomercial, but at times it felt more like a sales pitch than genuine help. Friday night Matthew Paul Turner spoke, which I really enjoyed. If you've never been to his blog, you must.

Friday night was the first half of the showcase .. loads of bands and artists played and let's just say it was a little rough. Not that they were bad, they just weren't good. I'm a pretty harsh critic when it comes to music, so I may be way off base. But I don't think I am. I should say the stand out of the night was a band called Fairgreen. They were really solid, put on a good show, and seemed like cool guys to boot.

Saturday was full full full of sessions about Twitter, blogging, social networking, publicity, radio, on and on. It was a really long day of sessions, like, too long. But really great information and I know a few people learned quite a bit. Thank goodness.

Okay, here's the excitement you've been waiting for ... or skipping to...

Saturday night was Curt's chance to perform, they were fourth in the line-up. First few bands went, all is well, our turn next, load everything onto the stage-everyone is set to go, test the mics- good, test the monitors- check, test the track- click. Click, going through the system. No backing tracks, just click. Switch the lines? No, not working, the computer's not sending out a split track.. Sound guy panics, Curt starts to panic, I feel the urge to vomit. Try a couple other hook-ups, still not working. Time is ticking (12 minute limit) so they ask the next guy in line to take the stage. Poor guy, but he did his thing and it was our turn to try again. I still feel the urge to vomit, I was so nervous.

The guys from Fairgreen had a little mixer, which was the perfect solution to the problem. Plug it all in again, test the track- success. Alright, here we go, time to really rock. Song starts, playing, singing, sounding good. Then CRASH - out of no where, the keyboard stand collapses and Curt's keyboard hits the floor. F-word. I was paralyzed in my seat. Curt's eyes all but flew out of his head. The other guys just kept going, and without missing a beat, Curt squatted down and kept playing his keyboard from the floor.

When I finally came-to and realized what happened, I ran up to the stage to help, yet upon my arrival, I found there was no way I could do any good by myself. I looked at Curt- no help, he was singing like nothing was wrong, looked at Adam (guitarist)- he was laughing at me. I had visions of me, pumped with adrenaline, lifting the keyboard myself and holding it there for the performance. The keyboard weighs about 65 lbs, I weigh about 105 lbs - it wasn't going to happen.

After what seemed like an eternity, a couple guys joined me onstage. We lifted the Motif, tried to set up the stand- wouldn't stay up. I thought we would have to hold the keyboard for the rest of the performance. Luckily someone with a clear head suggested chairs. Yes, chairs, thank goodness for quick thinking. Someone grabbed two chairs, set them on stage, and we set the keyboard on them. Much lower than where it normally sits, but gosh darn, I wasn't the one holding it up.

The entire time I was up on stage, I was in shock while still being aware that I was on stage and should probably exhibit some sort of stage presence. So yes, I bobbed my head to the beat. Still can't believe I did that. I can't wait to see the video of the whole thing happening. I'm happy someone caught it all, because words just cannot portray exactly what happened.

After I returned to my seat and finally took a breath, I realized it would be a good idea to at least video Curt playing on his chair-equipped keyboard so we had some proof that this nonsense actually happened.

So I give you: Curt playing his Motif on two chairs.

Despite the delayed start and the s#*t hitting the fan floor, the guys won the showcase thanks to quick thinking, a great recovery, a solid performance, and the grace of God. Their prize includes a publicist, radio promotion, photo shoot, a producer for an EP, booking and management, plus maybe some other stuff I can't remember.

Curt & I have been surviving on cereal and $1 party pizzas for the last couple weeks because rent was due and Curt wasn't getting paid until Friday. Work has been slow at the restaurant, so I haven't been making enough to make much of a dent in any bills. I'm not putting all our eggs in this showcase win, but boy am I glad to have a little reassurance that maybe, just maybe, things are looking up.

Finished Objects

And one not finished....

My Doll Quilt Swap 7 is finished. I stitched on the binding to the back and added a label. Now I just have to send it out in the mail :-)

I really like adding quilt labels, yet I've only done it a couple times. I'm definitely going to go back and add a couple to the quilts I have laying around my house.

Fingerless mitts for my cousin, to go with the socks below. She sent me two skeins of Paton's Kroy Sock yarn and there was almost a whole skein left over from the socks, so obviously I had to make some cute mitts!

I used this pattern, Mitt Envy on Ravelry.

Hard to see in these pictures, but the little cables are so cute. And I am officially addicted to cables, can't wait to make more hats and mittens experimenting with new cable patterns.

Here are the "yoga socks" for my cousin. She does color guard at her school and wanted something to wear while practicing that would provide a little warmth while still being able to move around without sliding.

These turned out really well, but possibly on the big side. I hope Kaitlyn doesn't mind the little extra space, because I think they are pretty comfy and will be well-suited for dancing around in. Next time, I will only cast on 52 or so stitches so the ankle is a little tighter. For other modifications, check here.

This is my recession hat - I am using all stash yarn left over from socks, hats, mitts, and everything in between. It's all Knit Picks with one exception (leftover Kroy sock yarn from the yoga socks). There is Knit Picks Palette, Imagination, and fingering weight Bare that I dyed. You can really tell what my favorite knitting-color scheme is from these leftovers and I love the way it is coming together. All that's left is continuing decreases to the top. I've been working on it here and there while watching TV and relaxing at night and it's come together quite quickly.

The only con to this project? All those loose ends inside... ugh.

I also took some time the past few days to super clean my sewing area (which is also our living room space) and now it is so gorgeous, I just haven't taken pictures yet. I'll be sure to snap a couple and post about my space on a later day.

Tonight Curt and I are going to a little concert downtown. A friend from work is preforming and I'm looking forward to seeing all my co-workers outside of the restaurant. We probably won't be able to stay late (Curt has to get up very early to lifeguard) but it will be nice to get out of the house.

What are your plans for Wednesday night? I don't think there's anything great on TV Wednesday nights.. that's saved for Thursdays. On a completely random side note: Some shows I am really looking forward to premiering this fall: Glee, Heroes, 30 Rock, The Office, Community.. that's all I can think of right now, but I am so sick of summer programming, fall is my new favorite season.