SMS Giveaway Day Winner!

Thank you all for your overwhelming response to my Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day!  I tried to make it easy on you, and not make you jump through too many hoops, but it looks like I have gained a few new followers.  Thank you for that. Since I passed the 250 mark, I think I'll have another giveaway to celebrate, so stay tuned.  In the meantime I hope you enjoy my blog.  I do try to answer comments, but it was hard to do that with everyone for this post.  I did read them all and appreciate the clever ideas you gave me for entertaining my kids this summer!

Now, what you've all been dying to know.  Mr. Random take it away:

The sixteenth comment is Mary on Lake Pulaski who said:

This bundle is coming your way next week.  I hope you enjoy!  And I hope you enjoy yourself on your pontoon this summer!

Thank you all for playing along!

Weekend Dilemma

I have found a few minutes here and there to work on my Patchwork Prism Quilt over the last few days.  I have completed the aqua/turquoise hex ring and am now deciding if I want to do another ring in blues.

sick of these pictures yet?  I hope not!

The task seems so daunting.  At some point today I counted how many triangles it would take and I think it was 64, but I forgot to write it down!  I was afraid I may not have enough blues to make a ring this size, but after this pile accumulated, I think I'll manage (although there will be more repeats than the other rows)!  In retrospect green was the hardest ring to complete, and I always thought I had lots of green fabrics, but I guess I use them up fast.

However this stack of blues is so tempting and so is the thought of having a luxuriously big hexagon quilt!  So I'm thinking I might go ahead with it.  We'll see how adventurous I am tomorrow when I start cutting triangles. 

In other news, I finally had a moment to think about my quilt for the Handstitched Camp Modern Medallion Quilt and pulled these fabrics for it.  It starts tomorrow, so it is about time I got this figured out!

I hope your Memorial Day Weekend is full of family, friends, happiness and maybe a little creativity!  Thank you to all who serve or have served in our military, you are the real heroes.  And thank you to all the military spouses who fill their roles with a grace I couldn't fathom.  I have to give a little shout-out to my paternal grandfather, Wild Bill, who served with the US Marine Corps during WWII in the Pacific Theater.  I'll think of him tomorrow and play the Marines' Hymn - he always loved for me to play that for him (and Andrew's grandparents just gave us their piano when they moved).  Happy Memorial Day!

Prism Progress

I think we are supposed to be finished cutting and on to piecing in the Patchwork Prism Quilt Along.  No surprise that I am a little behind.  However, I am feeling a little better about it because today I had a big idea.

I am making it into a hexagon instead of a rectangle!  I know, I am probably not even close to the first person to do this, but it has me excited!

I also switched the one purple triangle that was still bothering me with it's lightness.  In the second photo, replaced in the top one.

This quilt is huge!  I was thinking of adding one more ring in blue/dark blue, but I don't think I can manage the size without taking over a room downstairs.  That's a bad idea because then I can't keep this guy away.

He was not happy to be excluded from the fun of quilt layout today, but, you know, it makes it darn near impossible.  He looks pathetic.  Now I am feeling guilted into taking him out for a run.

This would be why this quilt takes me so long.  Oh, so fun to grab every aqua fabric with reckless abandon.  Considerably less fun to fold and put all them away once the cutting is finished.  Ugh, still on the floor right now.

Art Project today was: Color Your Own Legs!

Mainly because this guy started crying because he couldn't carry the dragon beanbag on his head for very long.  Yep.  Made me think maybe I should put the fabric away and cook dinner.  I take my half hours of sewing when I can get them,  and even ninjago legos can't occupy these guys forever.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!!! xo,  Courtney

Bead Bags, CMQG and Summer Plans

Hope you're all having a great day today!  I have a few random things to share.

SMS Giveaway Post is here!  Remember, Giveaway Day ends tomorrow, May 25 at 8pm EST.

First off, tonight is our May meeting for Charlotte Modern Quilt Guild.  If you are in the area, you should try to come check us out tonight.  We are all bringing our favorite things for show & tell.  They can be books, notions, tools, patterns, etc.  Should be fun!  Hoping I don't leave with too many things added on my mental wish list.

Last night I whipped up a couple of bags for Beads for Courage. Someone at Presbyterian Hospital contacted Charlotte Modern Quilt Guild calling for these bags.  This newly implemented program is a big success already, but they are in need of more bags to store the beads and hang by the babies' bedsides.  The beads help the families see their challenges, happy moments & milestones in a very tangible way.  If you are interested in making a bag, the tutorial is right here.  It is a quick and satisfying project.  You may send them to Beads of Courage to distribute them or to Presbyterian Hospital directly in Charlotte:

Child Life Department
Attn: Elizabeth Gray
200 Hawthorne Lane
Charlotte, NC 28204

that's some bedhead on Will - wasn't improved much after combing either

Now, on to summer plans.  My boys were very clear in expressing their desire not to go to any camps this summer.  We have only ever done camps a morning or two a week for a month, so not a huge change, but I was feeling the need to come up with some new activities.  Particularly with Jack entering kindergarten, I want to make sure he continues to work on reading and writing over the summer.  I began to plan a little calendar with weekly themes and a mix of fun activities, art projects, cooking and field trips (you can see lots of ideas on my Pinterest Education Board).  I still felt it was lacking and that many things may be more trouble than they were worth.  I came across this post by Sew Liberated.  I have read Montessori books and blogs in the past and felt very overwhelmed.  When I read that Meg, a trained Montessori teacher, felt overwhelmed trying these methods in the home setting and endorsed the eBook, Montessori at Home, I thought this might be just what I needed.

I got to work reading for the last few nights and finally felt ready to try some activities today, the first official day of our Summer Vacation.  I went with an activity that was easy and didn't require me to go out and buy materials for.  Transferring.   As in, pouring water back and forth between two cups.  I know they always like to play with water, but I had my doubts that this would hold their interest for very long.  But, the book was clear on starting with Practical Life activities, even with an older child.   I demonstrated how they should fill their cups up with water at the sink, carefully carry them over to the table, pour back and forth, wipe up any spills and wring the cloth out into the bucket.  They loved it!

Once the water transfer activity was dying down I set up a washing station for them (moving from dirty to clean - tray of dirty things, sudsy water, rinsing water & towel).  They washed all the materials they used and their breakfast bowls and spoons.  Again, a huge hit.  They moved all the furniture back and put all of their cups, bowls, and silverware away when we were finished.  All told, it was about an hour and a half of good clean fun for them.  All the while, I was able to make and eat my breakfast and take care of some other household duties.  I never even had to remind them about wiping up spilled water.

So, this is not going to turn into a Montessori or home schooling blog, but I just wanted to let you know what we are up to.  I will probably have the occasional post about something I find worth passing along.  I know some of my readers have children or grandchildren and are probably happy to have a fun new activity idea once in a while!

Zakka Quilt Block

If you are looking for my SMS Giveaway Day Post, please find it here!

This weekend I finished my Zakka Block Quilt!  My first entry into Zakka Style Sew Along, but certainly not my last.  It seems most of the projects I want to make are towards the end of the book, and sew along.

I used free motion quilting on this one and it was probably my best experience with FMQ.  Not perfect, but my stitch length is getting more regular.  I did the design, I've always called it "cursive L's", free hand as I went, along each row.  I feel like I just saw a post where someone had a real name for this design, but I can't remember.

I used Kona Ash as the background and binding and built my assortment of blocks around the Sarah Jane Children at Play line.  It was fun to find some nice coordinates in my stash, one bonus of a growing stash, right?

The back is a large piece of the hopscotch print and the flowers, both in lavender with Kona Ash in between and down the side.  Not the design in the book, but one which I worked around what fabric I had left.

This little dress on the back might be my favorite part.  It is at the intersection of the two Ash strips on the back.

The little baby girl is due next week!  I hope she likes her quilt!

In other news, this came in the mail this weekend.  I was so excited and I couldn't even think who it could be from.  I think I skipped up the hill after retrieving the mail, positively giddy to open it. Turns out it was the ribbon I ordered from Piggy&Dirt on etsy after I saw the amazing things Katy Dill did with them in this post (looking at this picture I have no idea how I even got it, as my street name is not on the label - I guess the postman figured a package that pretty was worth some investigating to find the recipient).  The ribbon is really lovely, some of the softest and best quality I have ever seen.  Her parents have an amazing thing going on etsy.  Now I am just trying to figure out what else I can order so I can get a package like that in the mail again soon!

I hope you all are having a great week! xo, Courtney

SMS Giveaway Day!

********Giveaway is now closed, thanks!********

If you are a regular reader of mon petit lyons, welcome back! If you are new here for the Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day, welcome and I do hope we can get to know each other.  First things first, here is what I am giving away:

This is a fat quarter bundle of Wee Woodland by Keiki for Moda + an extra yard of ABC in Turquoise.  I hope you like it, I've been hoarding it for a while and figured it was high time to share it.

Okay, so now on to the about me stuff.  I live in Charlotte, NC with my college sweetheard (UNC - go Tar Heels!) and my two little boys.  When my husband has to work long hours or the kids are napping (almost never happens anymore) you can find me up in my little studio, sewing machine humming away.  This blog is mostly about what I'm sewing, but also some recipes, garden stuff and kids art/activities.  I have serious project ADD. Right now I am finishing the binding on a quilt for a good friend expecting a baby girl very soon:

The Patchwork Prism Quilt Along is another Work In Progress:

As is the Farmer's Wife Quilt Along (which I feel like I'll never finish):

In my garden this week hydrangeas are in full bloom:

In my kitchen I know we are just on the cusp of the local tomato season, which means Watermelon and Tomato Salad with Lime Vinaigrette.

Lately my kids have been wearing their Cars Board Shorts:

and making glorious messes with liquid watercolors and shaving cream:

I hope that gave you a little glimpse into the goings-on here at mon petit lyons.  You can see my finished quilts, recipes, or tutorials tabs at the top if you are curious to see more.

To be eligible for the Giveaway, just leave me a comment.  Tell me something fun you are doing this summer, your favorite fabric line, what you would do with the fabric if you won, or how I can keep my kids busy over summer break.  I'll let mr. random pick a winner, but you can be sure I'll have fun reading all your responses!

Best of luck to you! xo, Courtney

Aprons for Haiti

I finally had some time last night to settle into a project that has been on my mind for a while now.
I found Aprons for Haiti on facebook, through Rachael of Imagine Gnats.

I used this lovely tutorial from Cicada Daydream and the Botanika fabric from Paula Prass.  I am hoping to make a few more before the deadline, but as wonderful as this pattern is I may have to try a few more.  There are a lot of apron patterns popping up due to the popularity of this project - isn't that wonderful!  I am excited for Rachael's Artisan Apron pattern to come out on Pellon, and I'll add the link here when it does.  I love that it has pockets.

Source: http://imaginegnats.blogspot.com/2012/05/growing.html

Maureen Cracknell of has two cute tutorials here and here.   And I have always loved this Ruby Star Spring Apron from Whipstitch.  At some point I think I am going to make one for myself, too!

It's hard to read the project description and not want to make one (I took this from the facebook page):

PROJECT 17 :: APRONS FOR HAITI:
It is unlikely that the average Haitian woman will ever receive anything that is special and pretty, something just for herself. Daily life for the Haitian woman is grueling and backbreaking. Most have to carry 5-gallon buckets of water on their heads from miles away. Cooking is done in a pit in the ground from handmade charcoal. The few pieces of clothing they have are washed in the river and hung to dry.

To receive something as precious as an apron made with love from pretty new fabrics would go a long way in making a Haitian women feel special. We would love for you to join us as we sew and collect aprons for the women of Haiti!

Guidelines for Project Apron:
--Pretty-but-practical full or half aprons (nothing too frilly, ruffly or lacey)
--Washable fabrics only please
--Pockets are a plus
--You may include a handwritten note with your apron if you like. Someone will be available to translate when we deliver the aprons
--Please send all aprons to:
HAITI BY HAND
3333 Benton Road
Cedar Hill TN 37032
--Contact Rebecca at haitibyhand@att.net with any questions.