Lofty goals and grand promises

What's a new year without some unrealistic goal setting and crazy declarative statements?

This year I will:

1. Only buy the thread I need (and I will work on using a widely acceptable definition of the term "Need")
2. Finish and deliver my baby quilts in a timely manner ("Timely" being defined as within the first six months of the child's birth)
3. Blog more often than quarterly.
4. Read the directions to a pattern all the way through before cutting any fabric.
5. Organize my stash.
6.

Oh crap. Isn't this embarrassing (and typical...)? I apparently started this in January. Maybe #6 should be "I will only blog during months starting with "j". Must make up for lost time I suppose. I have been sewing though. Does that count for anything?

We're on a roll now!

That's right kids, it's not yet the end of January and I have finished not one, but two projects! That's half of what I completed in an entire YEAR last year. So what if neither of them are quilts and both items are for me? Don't rain on my parade.

Farmer's Market/Beach Bag
So very much love my new bag! It was reasonably easy to make, big enough to be useful, small enough to finish before I got bored or frustrated. I think I could actually fit a small child in it and, thanks to the nylon webbing sewn in to the handles, I think it may actually stand up to the weight. The only odd thing are the pockets inside. I was so intent on following the directions (sewing anything with three dimensional shape requires intense concentration on my part... the importance of spatial awareness rearing it's multidimensional head again) for the pockets that I failed to double check their usefulness. There are three pockets along one side, two at 5" wide on each end and one huge one in the middle at 12". Oh yeah, and they are 11" deep! Since it is supposed to be a Farmer's Market bag, the only (silly) thought that came to mind was a specialized cucumber pocket. Seriously, I don't know what else will fit in there. Asparagus? Carrots, but only a few? But I do really love the bag. Also happy to (smugly) report that I finished two random spools of thread on the piecing of this bag.

Front of Bag


Back


Inside (look close for the cucumber pocket!)


Dark and Stormy
Horrible thought the other day and I was purchasing batting for this project. Because I used batiks, I had to prewash all of my fabric. That means I also need to prewash (and therefore IRON) all of the backing fabric as well. PPPPPPPPPPBBBBBBBBBBTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHH.

Luc's Dinos
Luc has been watching me make quilts for other people for a while now. A few months ago, he asked me to make him a dinosaur quilt. Even though he has several beautiful and well loved quilts already, how could I say no? Keepsake Quilting had a darling set of precut dino shapes in a variety of fabrics. I ordered those and let Luc pick out some fun dino flannel for the backing. OCQ found some cute Michael Miller retro dino fabric for the front. I got the dinos and checked them out for applique ease only to discover, to my utmost horror, THEY HAVE NO STICKY STUFF ON THE BACK! Seriously? Who does that? Thank goodness Quilt Moxie and I went in on an entire bolt of fusible stuff a few years ago. (Yes QM, I STILL have my share of that) Once I get the dinos appliqued, it will go fast. I hope I finish it before dinos are out of fashion.

2011: The Year in Preview

Sew I am looking forward to a fun project filled year. A least that is how it is starting out. I have loads of ambition and hope Reality does not take too hard of a swipe at me, especially once the weather warms up and I get to use my new paddle board... But the weather has been perfect lately for my favorite indoor hobby. I am pleased to report that I have even finished my first project for the new year! I was the lucky recipient of an iPad this Christmas and wanted a fun cover for it. I found a nice looking one on line made of grey felted wool. It was a little pricey, but made of nice wool and looked very chic. But I wanted another color and the option to add a monogram or something personalized. They did not offer that and when I looked closer at the cover, I though to myself, "Self, I think we can make one of those!" So Me, Myself, and Quilt Moxie (brought along or technical, moral and coupon support) toddled on to the fabric store. Do you know how expensive 100% wool is (btw thanks Quilt Moxie!)? Sheesh. But totally worth it to personalize it. I had a vague idea of what I wanted it to look like, took a few loosey goosey measurements and off I went. I think it came out pretty well. I freehanded my initials on the front, hand sewed a flower on the back and used one of my fancy stitches to decorate the border.




What else... What else?
Lots of fun planned for 2011. I have my farmers market bag pieced and need some fusible interfacing. I accidentally bought sew in interfacing since I had the Wee One with me at the fabric store. So that project is on temporary hold, but I am pleased with the progress. Also finished piecing the top for Dark and Stormy. Am saving the quilting for a meet up in early February. The binding will be shoulder aching, but the recipient is worth it. I have a few baby quilts planned and am so excited that one is for my baby sister! I haven't picked a pattern yet, but am going to try to get it one by the time the baby is born. That's May. We'll see. So far, that's all I have planned. I received a lovely jelly roll of Fandango, but so far am jealously guarding that one for me. No plans yet.

Those who can, do. Those who don't, blog?!?

Sew, don't think it has escaped my wandering attention that I haven't posted since July. I hope my three faithful readers do not think that I have not been sewing since July. Ho no my little pumpkin muffins, I have occasionally and sporadically been productive, in my own way. It's just that when I have the time and motivation to sew, I don't have the time or motivation to do other things, like blog about sewing. You see my quandary, yes? I suppose I can provide an update on my previously mentioned projects.

Life Goes On (oh bla di)
Finished my living room quilt and absolutely love it. It is HUGE and warm and looks great hanging on the beautiful quilt rack my DH made for me in the wood shop. Slightly irritated that one of the beige fabrics greyed out in the wash, but I suppose that is one of the hazards of not pre washing your fabrics. It's really too bad that I hate ironing fabric so much, but I am in the process of getting over it (just the greyed fabric. I do not plan to ever get over my hatred of ironing).


Pumpkin Madness
Thusly called because it involved pumpkins in the pattern and madness on my part. I have had a cute pattern for a fall table runner for at least 5 years now, along with some fabulous swirly pumpkin perfect fabric. I decided that 2010 was the Year of the Pumpkin Table Runner. Decided that several days before Thanksgiving, I did. Whatever, table runners are small, right? So what if my in laws were due for a visit and that meant I had to get my sewing stuff put away? I managed to get the thing quilted the day the in laws showed up. That left me a few days to hand sew the binding down. Which of course I left to Thanksgiving day. Thankfully my DH does most of the turkey day cooking, so I was free to finish the table decor.





I think that is all that I managed to complete in 2010. Add in the two baby quilts I made and delivered and that brings the grand total of completed projects to 4. Looks unimpressive written down, but sheesh people, I do other stuff too, like blog! Oh wait...

Confessions of a (Thread) Hoarder

Sew I think I last left you in the throws of my precarious binding predicament. Happy to report it all worked out fine and the BHP is officially complete. She will be posted to Baby Honey tomorrow. As Baby Honey is only 7 months old, I am quite pleased with myself.

I have an embarrassing amount of thread. This is for two different reasons: I am incapable of purchasing one spool of thread, even for a darning project. What if I run out? What if it is the exact shade necessary for some future as yet unknown project? It never is however, which leads me to reason #2: None of the thread in my possession is ever a good enough match (for me) to be used in another project. Recently, my obsession was granted a brief window of credibility. When we moved in to our house four years ago, I made throw pillows for our couch. I purchased 2 spools of rust colored thread (250 yd spools... 500 yds of thread, insanity!) for six throw pillows. Four years later, I still have very nearly two spools of rust colored thread. Enter the project for my living room that is using beautiful oranges, rusts, browns, and creams. the pattern is a raw edge applique, so I wanted to use a colored thread. New Project, please meet Thread Obsession. Since it is such a simple design and quilt plan, I am going to use the rust thread to quilt the blanket as well. Having saved the day once with TheObsession, I feel I am fully justified in continuing on with purchasing mass quantities of thread. Awesome pattern, by the way. If you can make it past the cutting, it is super fast from there. And this baby it HUGE for a throw.

Onward, upward and Joan Woodward

Sew, I took Mistress J in for a spa day to get rid of the squeaking. I am hand sewing the binding down on the BHP and plan to ship that out sometime this month. I have two or three UFOs I could work on, but that is no fun at all, especially when I picked up a new magazine at the craft store for a raw edge circle quilt. After I left Mistress J, I spent a nice long time at the fabric shop and left with a lighter wallet. In one weekend of Mistress J being out of the house, I have enough fabric for four new projects: two big people quilts, one little person quilt, and a new farmer’s market tote (which I am proud to say will be constructed entirely from fabric from my stash). Fabric is cut for my living room quilt, now titled “Life Goes On (Oh Bla Di)”, halfway cut for the second grown up one. Mistress J is due home tomorrow. Hope the excitement of new projects lasts long enough to actually sew a little bit.

Fabric for "Life Goes On"

Looks like it is going to be bigger than I expected (remember, I am spatially challenged. Finished dimensions don't mean much to me) given the amount of time it took me to cut 96 10" squares, 32 of those in to circles. But the circle ruler is super fun! Of course, the pattern is supposed to make use of layer cakes, but I already had the fabric for my living room quilt picked out and purchased. And I could not for the life of me find any retailer who sold layer cakes of just solid white squares, so I was stuck reducing 4 3/4 yards of "snow" to 10" squares. So it's raw edge applique, one colored circle appliqued to a white square for the A block and then the remaining "holey" fabric laid over a full white square for the white to show through for B block. Pictures forthcoming when Mistress J returns.

Farmer's Market Bag

I love, love, love these fabrics! I bought the blue flower print years ago, just waiting for the perfect project. The rest of the fabric is from my stash, most of which has been used in other projects. I love the continuity of using scraps from old projects in new ones. Reminds me of the love out there.

Don't Drink and Sew!

Sew… it’s been a while. About three months it looks like. I did give Beautiful Boy away to some very appreciative parents. :o) Took me a while to figure out the telescoping square quilting on the BHP (give me a break… I am spatially challenged and trying to work from a photo), but I finally finished the squares and the flower border. Last thing I made my squeaky machine (sounded like the shower scene in Psycho with every stitch) do was put the binding on. Enter Moral Lesson Of the Day: Don’t drink and sew kids. It never comes to a good end. I like to diagonally piece my bindings because that’s how some magazine told me to. I can’t blame the first misstep on the wine because I initially pieced all the strips stone sober. Instead of piecing each strip one at a time, I sewed two strips at a time, thinking I would save time. I had six strips to piece. After I trimmed seams and started pressing, I realized that the middle seam was backwards. $&#*%$& Ripped the seam out, whacked off the end and tried again. And again. And again. Could not wrap my head around the geometry. Threw the whole mess on the bed and left the room cursing, vowing not to return. Ever. Friday night, after a lovely dinner at home that included a glass of wine, I decided it was a good time to try again. Carried my glass with me to the sewing room and cleared my mind of any preconceived ideas of how this would work. Imagine, if you will, me standing in front of my ironing board taking deep cleansing breaths. Missed on the first try. Seam ripper and a swig from the glass. SUCCESS! The darn thing was finally right side out. HaHA! Plugged in the iron and proceeded to press the binding. Until, that is, I came to the next #($&@*&%^ seam. Yes. Backward. Seriously? How did I manage to do this AGAIN? Sheer stubbornness and wine induced single mindedness spurred me on to rip that seam out another 5 times before I got it right again. So kids, since I can’t be a good example, I will settle for being a horrible warning.

Telescoping Squares


Border... barely visible though the chalk helps