Author Archives: ginabean

Dusting Off My Cowboy Boots…

Posted on January 12, 2013 by ginabean • 6 Comments


The stars at night are big and bright
(clap, clap, clap, clap),
Deep in the heart of Texas.

In a few short weeks, I’ll be making my way to Austin for Quiltcon! I am so excited. I was on the wait list to take a class with Angela Walters and they called the other day to say that a spot opened up in the class and I was in! Happy, happy, happy! 
Filed Under: Uncategorized

Good Stuff

Posted on January 10, 2013 by ginabean • 4 Comments
So I have this thought that I would like to highlight “good stuff” that I have or use in my workroom. I’m not a huge gadget girl, but there are things that I come across that I use when I am sewing or quilting that really help to make things easier. First up are Marlee’s Numbered Q-Pins. Last year when I went to a quilt show and Raleigh, I spotted these. They are great. They are pins with numbers on the end and they have sets with numbers 1-20. 
I think they were around $20 and so worth it. You can find them at quiltingpins.com. 
Filed Under: Good Stuff

Finishing at the Beginning

Posted on January 7, 2013 by ginabean • 6 Comments
My goals for this year are pretty simple. I want to finish a lot of the projects that I have started and stay caught up with quilting for my customers. 
My first finish at the beginning of this year is the Urban Candy quilt I pieced together a little while ago. Here it is all quilted and bound. It’s hard to see from the pictures, but I just did straight line quilting on it and I love how it turned out. 
Filed Under: quilts

Birthday Boy

Posted on January 6, 2013 by ginabean • 2 Comments

So this little thing right here turned 2 today. He was the littlest thing ever the day we brought him home. He came early and it was all I could do to get the little thing to even eat 1 ounce of milk. I had to use a dropper to feed him. The doctor called him a “wimpy little white boy”.  Now he is a big bruiser; as big as a three year old. Everyday he cracks us up and makes us laugh. Quite the personality this one has. Boy do I love him! 
Filed Under: my boys

Stacks Quilt

Posted on January 4, 2013 by ginabean • 0 Comments

 This is Amy Jo’s quilt. It is the Stacks Quilt from the book, Quilts From The House of Tula Pink. I quilted it for her just before Christmas. She wanted it quilted like it was quilted in the book so I tried to replicate it. These aren’t the greatest pictures, but it has x’s and lines and swirls. 
I hated to have to give it back to her. I also adore her fabric choices. Especially the Anna Maria feathers she used as her background fabric. Beautiful. 
Filed Under: longarm quilting, patterns, quilts

Nolan’s Quilt

Posted on January 2, 2013 by ginabean • 5 Comments
 Nolan is my quilt kid. He loves to snuggle under the quilts I’ve made. I finished putting this one together for him over the holidays. It is just a simple disappearing nine patch.

Filed Under: quilts

Weekender Weekend

Posted on December 30, 2012 by ginabean • 4 Comments

I started an Amy Butler Weekender Bag this weekend. I had forgotten what a pain this bag is to make. Actually, it really is not that bad…until you go to sew it together. There is just no easy way to do it. I wish I could figure out a way to do it without having to wrestle with it, but I don’t see a way. It came out okay, but I think if you really look at the bag closely you will see where the corners are a struggle. I have to put the lining in. That will have to wait for another day. 
Filed Under: bags, patterns, purses, sewing

Christmas Portrait with the Most Cooperative Kid Ever…

Posted on December 27, 2012 by ginabean • 9 Comments
I am being sarcastic, of course…
 
 He refused to sit in the nice chair, so this it the one from the play table in the waiting area.
 
 His dramatic reaction to the flash!
 
 More Drama, until I found Hersey Kisses in my purse…. which explains the next picture.
 
 
 Can you say, “Awkward Family Photo!”
 
At this point, the photographer wanted to change the backdrop and take more pictures. I told her I thought we had done enough. She proceeded to tell me that if I stopped now, “I would not get the whole portrait session experience”. OMG!!!lady. We just gave you the whole session experience. We gave the whole store the “Whole Session Experience”
 So here is more to experience….
 
 and here….
 
 and here…. How’s that for an experience?!?
 
She asked if they could have permission to use these images in their marketing. Oh sure, by all means, use these!
 
I was going to take him back in a couple weeks to get his 2 year old pictures made, but I don’t think so now. When he is older and is upset with me because I have all these pictures of his brother and not him, I am going to show him these and tell him this is why! (i.e. He is no different at the doctors office or the hair salon, hence the horrible haircut I had to give him.)
Filed Under: life, my boys

Urgent vs. Important

Posted on December 20, 2012 by ginabean • 4 Comments

I little while ago, a visiting minister at our church gave a sermon about putting the things that are important in our life aside for things that are urgent. Often times in our busy lives, we tend to put the things that are most important on the back burner so we can deal with the things that are “urgent”. Each day there is something pressing that “needs” to be done and I suppose it will always be that way. I feel like I am most guilty of this. For a while now, there has been this nagging voice in the back of my head repeating these words. “Is this important? Why am I doing this?”  The end of the year is always a time for reflection and with the tragedy at Sandy Hook, I seem to be particularly reflective. Those children were Fletcher’s age. Each day that I look at his sweet face and hug and kiss him, I can’t help but think about that. Today I am headed to the school to spend time in a first grade class room with 19 kids making gingerbread houses. Even though it is a moment I will cherish with Fletcher,  I cannot help but ache for the parents of the 20 children that won’t get to enjoy a similar experience. It is overwhelmingly sad. 
I know that this tragedy has made me more aware of the unpredictability of life and the fleeting moments that we all have and I am determined to put the things that are important in my life ahead of the urgent. 
Filed Under: life

Dear Santa…

Posted on December 8, 2012 by ginabean • 1 Comment
The Bob Timberlake Gallery in Lexington had their Open House today and we took the boys. Santa visits during the Open House and Fletch got a little face time with the big man. It looked to me like they were having a pretty intense discussion. Santa spent a lot of time talking with him. (Not your normal sit on his lap, smile for the picture, tell him what you want and out you go.) It was great! 
Filed Under: my boys