A Severe Weather Alert for the People of Nashville

The Weather Channel app on my iPhone alerts me when there are severe weather circumstances, such as tornados, floods, storms, etc.

Or tonight, cold weather. Yes, the temperature could get down into the 20's and they feel the need to warn the people of Nashville.

And I quote:

"Unseasonably cold low temperatures expected tonight as a strong surface ridge builds across middle Tennessee tonight. Overnight lows will be 10 to 15 degrees colder than normal. Other than a few passing clouds, skies will be clear enough for temperatures to drop to around 20 degrees in most locations, and into the upper teens across the Cumberland plateau region. Winds are expected to become calm as the night progresses. Wind chill, the apparent temperature felt on exposed skin due to the wind, which in situations where the wind speeds are 5 to 10 MPH or even greater, can make it feel several degrees cooler than the actual air temperature, will not be a major factor tonight.

However, with the coldest temperatures of the season so far expected tonight, the following safety rules still apply if you plan to be outside for any period of time. Dress warmly and stay dry; this includes wearing a hat, a scarf or knit mask to cover face and mouth, sleeves that are snug at the wrist, mittens-they are warmer than gloves, water-resistant coat and boots, and several layers of loose-fitting clothing.

Do not ignore shivering, it is an important first sign that the body is loosing heat. Persistent shivering is a signal to return indoors. By observing the above safety rules, you have a good chance of avoiding the affects [sic] of hypothermia and frostbite.

Hypothermia, the result of an abnormally low body temperature, can happen with prolonged exposure to the cold. It happens when your body beings to lose heat faster than it can be produced, and prolonged exposure to the cold will eventually use up your body's stored energy. What makes hypothermia particularly dangerous is that when the bodies [sic] temperature gets too low, the brain is affected, making the person unable to think clearly or move well, and the person may not know what is happening and will not be able to do anything about it.

Frostbite is an injury to the body that is caused by freezing. Frostbite causes a loss of feeling and color in affected areas. It most often affects the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers, or toes. Frostbite can permanently damage the body, and severe cases can lead to amputation. The risk of frostbite is increased in people with reduced blood circulation and among people who are not dressed properly for extremely cold temperatures.

When traveling, remember the following safety rules. Check and restock the winter emergency supplies in your car before you leave. Do not rely on a car to provide sufficient heat, the car may break down. Always carry additional warm clothing appropriate for the winter conditions."

I've never seen something so ridiculous, are these warnings really necessary? Last night there was a warning that Nashville may get 1 inch of snow. One inch of snow!? My parents just got 10 inches overnight in West Michigan and no one batted an eye. There are only two states between us, but I can't believe the mystique surrounding snow down here. 

Curt had hoped to get away from the cold weather when we moved down here, but it looks like this winter may be a chilly one for Nashville and we'll just have to suffer the cold temperatures without the joy of a white Christmas.

these are a few of my favorite things

The week before Thanksgiving I spent all my free time making quilts and baby accessories. I had two orders and two sets to make for my family to gift. So I set to work, didn't go to bed for a couple nights, sewed and stitched and quilted until my fingers could take no more. When all was said and done, I decided to make one more quilt for my cousin who is having a baby girl any day now.

So without further ado-

This quilt was made to order for my friend Lyndsie. Her friend is having a baby girl and the nursery will be pink and purple flowers and butterflies. There is also a touch of lime green in the mix, and when I found these fabrics, I just knew it would be perfect.

I went with a disappearing 9-patch design. It's always fun to see the different layouts this pattern will make. With this one, I decided to make all the 9-patches the same, with the purple flowers as the corner pieces and the green in the center.

The back is this cute flannel flower print that I had in my stash. When I looked at the registry, I instantly thought of this flannel and knew it would match perfectly.*

The binding is this perfect stripe fabric. All the right pinks, purples, and lime green, with a little brown that will match the rest of their nursery set.

Along with the quilt I made a whole set of matching accessories. This is my favorite part - burp cloths, bibs, a tag-along blankie, onesies, and fabric cubes.

A closer look at the fabric cubes.. I made these on a whim for my sister's last set, and everyone loves them! I never knew they would catch on, but I have to admit, they really are adorable. I made these a little smaller, somewhere in the range of 1.5" squares, perfect for little girl fingers.

Here are the onesies- the green one is just a circle cut from the fabric, the pink is a cute butterfly. I love how both of these turned out, and I love a cute, simple onesie to throw under a little sweater or zip-up. Or pair them with a little skirt- instant outfit!

I love the way this set turned out and so did Lyndsie, I hope her friends do too!

This quilt I made for my cousin Sarah out of my scrap pile. I knew I had to go all out with the pinks, but I wanted to throw in a little yellow and green for a nice pop of color. Sarah is having her first girl after three boys, so we are all excited for some pink in their lives!

The quilt is a mix of pink and white solids, the pink dots and green are from Lyndsie's quilt, yellow from the quilt below, plus some Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, and some other random pieces. I cute 5.5" squares and then just laid them out randomly. I tried to make sure the colors were evenly spaced, but I love the random nature and freedom in making this quilt. I will definitely be making more of these patchwork square quilts, they are quite classic yet modern with the choice of fabric and colors. And I love the mix of solids and prints.

The binding is an Amy Butler Midwest Modern wavy stripe. Have I ever mentioned how much I love stripes for borders? Well, I do.

The back was another flannel from my stash, and a perfect match- pink and green flowers. I can't wait until there is a little girly bundle of joy to cuddle under this quilt, and I know Sarah is very anxious to finally meet her too!

The next quilt was commissioned by my dad for a co-worker.

They are doing a brightly colored jungle theme nursery, but I didn't want to over-do-it with jungle fabrics so I decided on semi-solid colors. And I've been dying to try a zig zag quilt, so this was the perfect opportunity.

The quilt is made with half-square triangles using a white cotton sateen. The colors have little prints and details- the top blue has tiny flowers, the green is a stripe, the orange is small dots (I think), and the bottom blue has little white and yellow dots. I love these colors together and the zig zag wasn't as hard as I imagined it to be.

I did have to go for a jungle print on the back to keep it a little in theme, and I just love those animals!

The binding is a yellow stripe, same as the green, just in a different color. I love both those fabrics!

The baby's mom also ordered a set of blocks with his name -Arjun- appliqued on them. There are also numbers and shapes on the other sides. I threw in a different blue with white dots to make a different print on each side of the cubes.

I also made two burp cloths, four bibs, and two pairs of shoes for baby Arjun. I love how all of these coordinate but look so cute individually.

They had their baby shower at work today and the mommy-to-be loved everything, but the blocks especially, my dad said. My dad's co-workers also loved the set, so a big shout out to any of you who have found my blog via my dad. HI Meijer corporate employees - now get back to work.

Not featured today is a set I made for my sister's friend, which makes me quite mad. I think she took it back to school with her before I could snap some photos. I'll have to talk her into taking a few so I can post them. It's also a jungle theme, but in totally different colors and I love the way it turned out. Sage greens and yellows with a pop of burnt orange- I wasn't crazy about it at first, but it turned out to be my favorite quilt in the end. I also made some burp cloths, bibs and shoes for her. I hope the mommy likes them all as much as I do.

I have so much fun making custom sets for people, if you are interested, please email me at brittneydanderson [at] gmail [dot] com.

To end- a picture of some of the ladies in my family, after our long day of shopping. My sister and I went early Friday morning to snag deals at Old Navy, Target, and Joann's. Saturday morning started early with breakfast at Cracker Barrel with all these lovely ladies. It's a long-lasting tradition that is followed by all-day shopping and a sleep over. This picture is after shopping, before sleeping, hence the PJs and tired smiles.

*Friday morning I stocked up on flannel from Joann's for $1.50/yd! I like to stock up when it's cheap like that and save it for baby quilts. I was able to use stash flannel on 3 of the 4 quilts I just made, which makes me so happy. When shopping, I look for basic color schemes and patterns, like jungle themes for boys, flowers for girls, or cute dots for gender neutral quilts. The flannel is wide enough to fit most of my baby quilts without piecing and 2 yards generally gives me enough for the quilt back plus bibs, burp cloths, shoes and a tag along blankie.