wonky windows #16.

a window into our wonky world...
the mister and i love fruit. not fruits and vegetables. just fruit. we occasionally eat vegetables, but it is fruit that finds us in the grocery store four or five days a week. mostly we eat bananas, strawberries, pineapple, nectarines, and apples. but a few months ago we added watermelon. don't get me wrong....we always enjoyed watermelon, we just did not consume it that often. now i happen to be a lucky lass, because i am married to a championship watermelon picker. okay fine, he has not ever won a championship, but if there were such a contest, i would bet a lot of money that he would come out on top. he honed his skills in the fields of lesotho, so the grocery store with plenty of pickings is no match for him. we always got the lovely little watermelons, which according to this ny times article, are called "personal melons." right-o. they are about the size of a honeydew melon, seedless, taste delicious, and fit nicely into the refrigerator. oh and the mister and i can consume one in less than 24 hours.

the twenty-eight pound monster.

as of last week, those personal melons are old news. we have now regressed into the world of seeded (gasp!) and gigantic watermelons. last week the mister brought home a giant that was probably close to 20 pounds. ummm...we ate the whole thing...in 6 days. today, the mister was not feeling so bashful. he bought a 28 pound behemoth that is so gigantic it will not fit inside of the bag he was planning to use to keep it fresh. are we having a party? uhhh..nope. sharing with seven other families? uhhh..nope. this massive gem is just for the two of us (well three...pringle is a hungry little one). this leaves me wondering...is it possible to consume too much watermelon???

sew baby sew.

the moment i found out i was pregnant, i started planning my sewing projects. since i love to design and sew bags, i knew that i would make our diaper bag. for months i pondered all manner of tote bags, debating the merits of various accoutrements. and then i talked to my mums. she mentioned that my brother and his wife use a backpack. i firmly explained that i am NOT a backpack person, hence i would NOT be using a backpack. she gently pointed out that using a backpack means your hands are free, but at my further insistence that i would use a tote bag, she dropped the issue.

fast forward a few months. one afternoon, upon arriving home, i realize i have my school bag (tote), gym bag (tote), and two grocery bags (totes) to carry upstairs. eek. in order to simplify the carrying process and avoid two trips, i carried my school bag like a backpack and grabbed the rest in my hands. it was this moment when i realized that, as per usual, my mums was right. a backpack would be a whole lot easier when i need my hands to carry important things like my BABY!

needless to say, all my months of designing the bag in my head went right out the window. luckily i found this glorious backpack design on the internet and some fabulous plaid fabric. i did not actually use the pattern, but i did use this bag as inspiration and then made my own pattern. of course, i could not do simple things like a basic flap. oh no...my flap is a zippered pocket with a magnetic closure. and why have a flat pocket on the front, when you can have a zippered pouch pocket? i spent some time calculating with paper and pencil, then cut out the fabric, and then started sewing. it was a daunting task. there was definitely some cursing, oodles of whining, a lot of action for the seam ripper, and settling for some moments of less-than-perfect sewing, but, it is officially complete.

 naturally, you cannot have a diaper bag without a travel changing pad and a wipes/cream case. so i made those too. now i am on the prowl for my next project. i already made burp cloths, changing pad cover, nursing cover-up, crib sheets, and oh yeah...the quilt. i wonder what is next.

THE quilt finito.

a rather startling event happened this weekend....i finished the quilt. not one step, or two, but the whole durn thing. that is right kids. the quilt is done. finished. fertig. finito. just as i was starting to think that i would never ever complete this monumental task, i bumped into a whole lot of motivation and voila. success. this must be nesting, because lots of other things have also happened in the last seventy two hours, but that is a story for another day. for now, the quilt in all of its glory.

we are still awaiting the fabric from the mister's family in lesotho. yes, it has been a loooong time. six and a half weeks. ugh. luckily the quilt's design allowed me to finish, while leaving a space for the missing pieces (those pieces are included in all of the quilt "counts").

forty six contributors sent  fabric from five continents: north america, europe, australia, asia, and africa; five countries: united states, germany, australia, united arab emirates, and lesotho; and twelve states: arizona, california, colorado, florida, georgia, idaho, illinois, new mexico, new york, rhode island, tennessee, and virginia.

since many of pringle's well-wishers sent more than one cloth, we had sixty-four fabrics to work with. as much as possible, i tried to include a large and a small circle of each contribution, which resulted in a grand total of NINETY NINE circles. 

in keeping with the spirit of the circles, i added loops to my favorite meandering quilting pattern (the white lines looping all over the fabric is the quilting). i cannot tell a lie...i love the way it looks.

we are still in awe of the number of people that sent fabric for the quilt. family from around the world. friends from childhood, college, peace corps, and work. some folks we have never even met in-person, others we have only met once or twice. but no matter how new or old the friendship, it has been amazing to discover how loved our little nugget is, even before her/his arrival.

to everyone who sent fabric, this quilt's for you, from you, because of you!!! THANK YOU!!!