Lorax Started

I thought that this Lorax fabric was so cute when it came out....and, finally I broke down and bought a fat quarter bundle on Ebay or Etsy for a great deal.  I decided recently that it would be a great birthday gift for my son, who will be turning two in September.  He has so many toys, and our house can't take anymore - so, I'm making him a blanket instead.  (I bought him the movie too, which just came out last week - so I got a good deal on that too!)

So, I've been working away on it....watching TV shows on my iPad in the background! :)

I bought the Lorax fabric (from Robert Kaufman Fabrics) in the earth color story - but, they also have it in brights too.  It came with 9 fat quarters and a panel with 10 squares on it.  I wanted to cut up the panel in some way, so I chose to make some wonky squares.  I added to those some additional wonky squares - some with 1 border and some with 2 borders.  I will post more on how I did it when the quilt is finished.  

I now have the 36 squares done, just need to trim them down to the same size and sew them together.  You can see I have started that on the bottom row.  They are more like rectangles than squares - 9" x 12.5" is what I am trimming them down to.

Hoping to get it off to the quilter by this weekend.  We'll see how well I do with that! I've learned that I can't keep projects laid out on the floor for too long before they get thrown all over the basement by the kids.  Then, I have to start arranging again - after I find all the pieces - and it never seems to go together the 2nd time around.  Besides, I can't procrastinate too long - otherwise, I'll get stuck buying more toys for his birthday present instead!

Family History

Well....it's been an awful long time since I've been able to post here.  I've been doing "summer" stuff and haven't had much time for sewing.  We went on vacation to Minnesota for a week, been spending time with our friends/family, and camping some too.  So, we've been busy!  It has been hot here - but, then again, I think it has been hot everywhere this summer.  It is brutal!

I've also been spending a ton of time sorting through old family photos and trying to get them organized.  When my Grandma passed away she left boxes and boxes of research she had completed on our family tree, as well as photos.  It has been a puzzle to try to figure out who is in each of them.  Especially the really old ones.  Why did they not label photos???!!!  There are stacks of photos, papers, and notes all over my office floor right now....seems like it always takes a mess to get organized!  I'm making progress though.

Taken in 1958, my Grandpa with his Five Children

In the process of getting the photos sorted, I've also been trying to figure out the missing pieces in the family tree.  My Grandma really enjoyed doing the research - she went on bus trips to Salt Lake City to do research there and typed up all that she had found.  She was planning on making a book for our family to keep, but she didn't get it completed.  So, I now have the goal of getting the photos and family tree information printed in a book for my whole family.  I plan on using Blurb to make the book, but I have a long ways to go.  I think it will take me forever!

My Great Grandma, Alyce, and
my Great-Great Grandma, Mary

In my conquest to get this finished, I have met some long lost relatives through the genealogy websites.  We've been corresponding now, and they've actually helped identify a lot of missing people.  Who would have thought!  It's exciting when you get it figured out after you've been staring at the same person in 10 different photos for days and don't know who they are or how they fit into our family.

Sod House built by my Great-Great-Grandpa in Nebraska,
who migrated here from New York in ~1890. 
I can't even imagine living in this place!

So, after weeks of doing this, I think I may need a break.....