Oops.

It seems I am making apologies for disappearing all the time, so, my first order of business is to vow to not make apologies anymore.  It must be tiresome to read, and it is certainly tiresome to write.  I may blog every day, I may blog once a year.  I’m sure no one else cares that much, so I’m going to stop making excuses for myself.  If I’m gone for a while, well, I’m not even going to comment on it anymore, unless there’s something of interest in the reasons I’ve been absent.  In this case, there are not.  I just didn’t feel like it. 

But, I’m getting back into wanting to, and I’ve made a few cute things that I want to show off!  First, I made my sister-in-law a matching set of burp cloths, onesies, and a hooded towel that I made using  store bought onesies, cloth diapers, and a bath towel and embellished them using some fabric from Jenean Morrison’s California Dreamin’ line.

I love these fabrics because they are so bright and perfect for a little girl without being too obviously girly, if that makes any sense.  All of these projects were really simple, and I found a lot of satisfaction in making up some things that were so adorable without having to kill myself to finish them. 

I also made this quilt for her, that I had started before I know if she would be having a boy or a girl, but figured the fabrics and colors would work for either.

I used my fat quarter pack of Anna Maria Horner’s Good Folks collection.  I quilted it with straight diagonal lines.  I didn’t think that a free motion stippling would really match up right.  I really like how the lines came out, but I HATE straight line quilting.  That doesn’t mean I’ll give it up though, because I really like the look of it.  This quilt was kind of hard to give up, but hopefully Simone will like it and get some use out of it once she arrives!  It measures about 36″x36″, I used Kona Lime for the binding, and the back is just pieced together from the chunks of the fat quarters I had remaining. 

After the sewing of last week, I haven’t ventured back into the sewing room, but I’m thinking on some other projects that will hopefully coincide with having some desire to create.  It doesn’t hurt that my awesome friend cleaned up in there while I hemmed her curtains!  It is fabulous, and I’m afraid to mess it up again, but it sure does make it easier to sew when you don’t have to remove a million piles of junk to get to where you need to be!  I’m going to make a real effort to keep it straight!

I’ve also been a very good girl, and have not bought any fabric in quite a while.  I’m proud of myself!  I keep browsing the internets to find something to buy, but nothing is really striking my fancy enough to take the plunge.  So for now, I’ll just keep stash busting!  It feels good to use up some of my stash even though it hurt my heart to cut into some of these fabrics!  I must admit though that once they are made into successful projects though, I enjoy them much more than when they are sitting untouched in a drawer, so that’s a relief.

Until next time (whenever that maybe be…)!

Hello.

Well, it’s been a little while since I’ve posted, I guess.  I’d love to tell you that I ran away to Charleston and never came back.  Sadly, though, that is not the case.  We had a lovely trip, too short though–as vacations always seem to be.   

It’s been quiet at home.  Just settling back into the routine.  Why is it that a short vacation seems to throw everything off?  House cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry.  Or maybe I’m just blaming my laziness on vacation? 

Little sewing has taken place.  I did finish the Drunk Love inspired block for Sharon for the bee.  It’s late, very late.  But will be in the mail shortly. 

I’m still working on the March block.  I had my idea, but then couldn’t make the math work out.  Adrienne, if you’re reading, I apologize for the lateness, and will get my butt in gear posthaste. 

I have another quilt almost finished.  We’re in the hand binding stage, and now that Murphy is a little less of a pain (in some ways!) I can manage to do it during TV time and not feel guilty about keeping the dog locked up.  In related news, it seems sewing might pick up a little now because Murphy seems to be doing ok with having unsupervised time out of the crate.  I wouldn’t leave him home alone, but Jack and I can easily be doing our own things and not have to worry about Murph every single minute. 

I was inpsired by this the other day, and I had a stack of fabrics, and coincidentally a matching solid, so I starting hacking away last night.  I don’t know why I started another project when I have so many other to finish, but the design is pretty simple so hopefully this will be a quick top to get out of the way. 

This weekend is promising to be beautiful here, so perhaps I’ll get a few pictures taken to show you. 

One other thing.  Every since Anna Maria Horner’s Little Folks Voile came onto the scene I’ve been salivating over this fabric.  Not only that, but everything I’ve read tells me that this fabric is amazing.  Now, I’ve been pretty good, and haven’t really bought any fabric in a long time (except for a few necessary–I swear!–items).  I’m really wanting to snag some, but feel guilty buying fabric right now when I don’t NEED it, you know?  And this stuff, while I’m sure it’s worth the price, is more costly than your average quilting cotton.  The question is, what do I do?  Any guidance would be appreciated!

Just some ramblings.

Little No sewing has taken place.  I’ve been busy.  Or lazy.  Or some of both.  This past weekend we had a visiting pup, Murphy’s littler sister Enzo.  Seriously, way littler.  I don’t know if I mentioned, but at his last appointment (a week ago) he weighed 57 lbs.  He is only 6 months old!  How much more growing will he do?  Enzo, meanwhile, is barely 30 lbs.  It’s kinda weird to see how different they are in size, but at the same time share so many of the same characteristics!  It was a busy weekend to say the least, but at least the weather was decent so we had lots of outside play time.  I don’t have a great picture of them as they didn’t even stop moving for 5 minutes the entire time, but here is a little something for a size comparison at least. 

Murphy will be going to Enzo’s house for the duration of our Charleston trip.  Hopefully he behaves himself!

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A friend posted this video on her blog today.  It’s awesome.  It makes my heart happy.  Check it out.

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I’d like to thank everyone who reads my measly little blog.  I know I don’t respond to every comment all the time, but it really makes my day everytime one pops up!  So, Thank you so very much.

Don’t tell my mom…

I may have had two gift cards to Joann’s. I may have gotten bored yesterday afternoon. I may have purchased thirty or so dollars worth of yarn and crocheting paraphernalia.  Again.  What is with me and the yarn?  I may or may not have mentioned this before, but I have a habit of buying yarn, starting projects, never finishing said projects, and then buying new yarn and repeating the same cycle.  I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on yarn in the last 10 or so years, I’m sure.  I’ve sorta finished about 2 small blankets, and a few scarves.  I recently gave away two 13 gallon trashbags full of yarn.  But I still bought more yarn.

I can’t help myself.  And I’m really liking this cotton yarn.  Especially because it was 2 for $5 at Joann’s.  I got it in the yellow, green, cornflower and white.  I’m working on some granny squares.  That actually move rather quickly.  I wanted a hand working projects, and yes, I’ve had the hexagons going for quite a while now, but I’ve sadly lost interest.  I’m trying to get it back, but I think that’s the problem I have with these larger scale hand sewing projects, whether it be sewing, knitting, or crocheting.  They take too long.  So I get bored.  Because that’s what I do.  Not so much bored of the craft, but of the pattern, fabric, yarn, what have you.  I love the hexagons, and there’s something very satisfying about them to me.  But that fabric I was so in love with?  I hate it now.  And the pattern I’d started?  Totally not thrilled.  And I can’t really take it out and start over since I’ve already removed the hexagons as I’ve sewed it up.  I guess at some point I am going to just have to finish it up, and I guess it can be a smaller piece, and I guess I’ll just have to get over myself, suck it up and finish it so it isn’t a total waste.  I’m really trying to resist starting another hexagon project, telling myself that it’ won’t be any different this time.  I’ll still get bored, and I’ll still never finish, and a year from now I’ll be writing the same post as this one. 

Am I the only one with this problem? 

So, in the mean time, I’m trying to commit to these granny squares.  I really like how they are turning out, and I’m able to do them pretty quickly, so maybe it’ll be a blanket before long.  At least a small one?  I’m hoping that on our vacation next week I’ll knock some out on the car ride.  We’re going to Charleston, SC with my parents.  Site of our honeymoon, almost 3 (?!) years ago.  It’s gonna be 8-10 hours in the car, surely.  I get carsick with things like reading and sewing, but maybe if I get the hang of it and don’t have to stare at it the whole time I can make some progress. 

More than anything, I’m looking forward to a change of scenery, and I love road trips.  Plus, Charleston is so beautiful and the food is so good!  And maybe this time we won’t be so exhausted from the wedding festivities that we’ll be able to do a little more exploring.

Still Digging Out

Since my last post, almost 2 weeks, it seems, not a lot has been going on.  As you may know (or have heard) we got a second blizzard right after that first blizzard.  I ended up with a week and a day off of work!  Now, at first glance, this seems like an amazing opportunity, right?  Who can complain about a paid week off? 

Well, I can.  See, one or two snow days are cute.  And the snow days where there’s just enough snow to close work, but not enough to trap you inside for days?  Those are nice too.  Mostly, I was trapped.  Alone.  My husband had to go to work most of the days, for at least part of the day.  He has a Wrangler.  He could (sort of) get around.  My poor little rabbit was not going anywhere.  And so, you’d think that having all this free time you would get SO MUCH done.  Well.  All I got done was a lot of eating (junk), and a lot of lying around.  I was in this weird hibernation mode, and from what I’ve heard, I’m not the only one.  I got just a teensy bit of sewing done in the grand scheme of things.  I did clean the bathroom and the kitchen.  But that’s about it, aside from the shoveling and the shoveling and the shoveling.

My dear sweet husband told me that I shouldn’t have to shovel, that it wasn’t my job.  And you know, I’m not going to argue with that!  But this was too much snow to allow him to shovel all on his own, and he still had to go to work, too!

Ok.  I’m sorry for complaining.  But for all the people who are jealous that I got all that time off, well, please know that it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

(after the second snow, and that area by my car is only clear cause we dug out the day before.  and it was windy so the snow was blowing instead of landing in that little area)

I did finish piecing that baby quilt I mentioned.  And I even got a back made using the leftover pieces.  I had some batting on hand, too.  So I tried to baste it all up and quilt it.  I hate straight line quilting.  I can’t seem to get it right.  I don’t know if it’s my machine/foot combo, or my impatience, or the cheap batting, though I’m sure it has at least a little to with my poor idea of basting.  So, I’m ripping it all out, and getting better batting, and starting the quilting over again after a more thorough round of basting.

In other news, we’re on a major money-saving, debt-paying-off cycle, so I’m really intent to use what I have fabric wise.  I’m not saying no new fabric, but I need to make a major effort at using what I have before purchasing anything else.  I think it’s kind of fun actually!

Snow & Shoveling, Squares & Sewing

Well, if you have heard, we’ve had a blizzard here in Maryland.  It started snowing mid day yesterday, and finally stopped earlier this evening.  They even closed the University yesterday, so I got a snow day!  It seemed silly at first, but things really started to get bad around 4 or 5, so it was probably best, and I’m certainly not complaining.

These are various pictures of our snow day.  Including a picture of the path Murphy made for himself, and a gigantic snowman my neighbors erected while drinking their beers.

My husband managed to do some shoveling throughout the storm in an attempt to keep up with it, but the snow was coming down so quickly that it was a lost cause.  He tries to spare me the shoveling, which I really appreciate, but this was just too ridiculous to manage on his own.  We went out to try and dig out the cars after it finally stopped.  We at least got his jeep mostly free (not counting the 4 foot snow pile at the base of our driveway.  My car was not so lucky.

Anyway.  We’re snowed in.  But we still have power.  The winds were mighty gusty last night and this morning.  Many of the surrounding neighborhoods are spending their days and nights without electricity.  And lucky for us too, Murphy loves the snow!  It’s too deep for him to manage now–I haven’t measured but I’m sure it’s more than 20 inches, and probably over 30 in some places where it’s drifted.  I uploaded my first youtube video today of Murphy running through the snow before it got too deep.

Being snowed in gave me the luxury of some sewing time.  I think I mentioned the Anna Maria Horner fabric project I was working on?

Here is the progress on my crappy (yet functional) design wall. This isn’t necessarily the final layout in progress, but I’m trying to figure out placement, etc.  You know.  I am really liking it!  It will be small, 36×36 finished.  And I don’t know if it’s for a girl or a boy yet, but I think it can go either way.  Of course there are several floral prints, but the colors are masculine enough that I don’t think it will mater.  And I think that the mother will like the fabrics regardless.  What do babies care anyway, right?

I’m getting more in the swing of sewing again, but it’s hard to find time, especially on the weeknights.  With Murphy being around, I hate to have him locked up in the crate after he’s been cooped up all day, and we can’t leave him unattended for more than a few moments.  We’ve given him a rawhide bone for the first time, and it’s a huge hit.  And it gives us a few extra moments peace!  I’m not really thrilled about the rawhide, but we’re keeping a close eye, and he just makes it all gross and gummy, and then we take it away.  Yuck!

So, that’s my weekend so far.  I think that the majority of the day tomorrow will be spent shoveling this god awful snow.  Send a little wish that Monday is a snow day!  And speaking of snow days, I heard we might get another 5 inches on Tuesday…what is going on, Maryland?

Have you seen them?

Check out the blocks I’ll be getting back!  I can’t wait to see them in person.  I’m really loving this project.  Aside from my mismeasuring/lazy cutting/inaccurate trimming issues, I am finding these blocks to be super simple.  I like that they can be improvised a bit, that the plan doesn’t need to be so perfect from the start.  I’ve made several blocks so far, as they really are pretty simple to make–especially the smallest ones.  I’m thinking that I’m going to make this quilt as big as I can with the fabric I have, or something that can be used on our bed.  Whichever comes first.  I don’t really plan to make this a proper queen sized quilt, but maybe something that can be used to at least cover on especially chilly nights.

Because these blocks are so addictive, I’ve been working on them with another fabric as well.  I have some Anna Maria Horner fat quarters from her Good Folks line (I’m dying to get my hands on some of that new voile, but I’m on a fabric freeze currently).  It’s been sitting in my drawer for months, and I didn’t have a plan for it.  But I’ve started with this, and I think the set should make enough jewel squares to make a small baby quilt.  I’m going for about 36″x36″ this time around.    I’ve made 3 12.5″ squares which I think will be enough or they will overwhelm the quilt, and now I’m working on the smaller ones.  I’m not exactly sure how to piece it all together, but I’ve got it up on my design wall and am going to fill in the holes as I go, to at least get an idea. 

 The plan for this quilt is to go to an impending arrival.  I don’t know if it is a boy or girl yet, but I think the fabrics will work ok either way, and I think they will definitely appeal to the mama.  It’s kind of a weird situation, but I want to do it anyway, so I will.  I can’t just keep making baby quilts and stashing them away, right?  Some of them will need to go!

My sister picked up a new charger for my camera, so we’ll be able to exit the pictureless post phase soon.  Now if only spring would come along with it’s longer days filled with sunlight…

Maybe I’m not a Total Idiot

I discovered something this afternoon.  I was working on a block my quilting bee quilt.  And my block was not coming out to the 12.5″ it was supposed to be when finished.  And this doesn’t make sense to me because I KNOW I cut everything perfectly.  I was even being super duper extra careful with my cuts and calculations.  Now, this has happened before, that I’ve cut things properly and they didn’t finish up the correct size, but I just blamed it on myself for being a lazy cutter and assumed that this is where the error had been made.

Today though, I learned that while I can be a lazy cutter, this is not always the case.  It seems that those times that I’ve blamed things on my lazy cutting or bad math when I was sure I did everything correctly?  Well, maybe I WAS cutting things correctly.

Now, what I’m about to tell you is still my fault, but it isn’t really entirely my fault.     My 1/4″ quilting foot is the culprit.  The quilting foot that is not really 1/4″.  Or, it is, but it isn’t when it’s on my machine with my needle!  And this is why I am typically coming up 1/4″ short on things.  It’s almost a perfect 1/8″ off.  This is really frustrating!  This is also, in a way, pleasing, because it obviously means that my cutting isn’t always so bad.  And yes, I should have noticed this before.  And yes, this is still my fault.  Except not entirely.  And yes, it is still due to my laziness seeing as how I never investigated things further.  But at least I can stop being so hard on my cutting skills.

So, my solution?  Get a new machine AND a new foot!  Ha.  Just kidding.  I wish.  My solution is to follow the little notch that is there on the plate (why I’ve been ignoring it is beyond me).  And maybe just abandoning the quilting foot now.  What’s the point if it isn’t helping me with measuring my seams, right?

In other news, I’ve got all the fabrics packed up and ready to go off to be made into beautiful blocks by other people.  They’ll be going in the mail tomorrow.  It’s about time, right?  I can’t wait to see what comes back!

I’d show you a picture, but I still don’t have a battery charger for my stupid camera.  This is the downfall of rechargeable batteries, right?  If I did, I’d also show you a picture of the block I’ve made up for this quilting bee quilt.  I think that’s what I’ll be piddling around with for a while.  What I wouldn’t show you though, is a picture of a top secret project I’m working on!  You’ll all have to wait for that.  So don’t go asking any questions!

My Sister’s Quilt

Here are a few pictures of the quilt for my sister.  I used my collection of Heather Ross Mendocino, and Kona cotton in Azure.  Basically I just cut strips the width of the fabric, sewed them together and put on a border in the solid.  For the back I just used leftover pieces to make up the back.  I chose a simple design so that it would sew up quickly (the top at least!) and to showcase the designs.  For the binding I used some dots from Heather Ross’  Lightening bugs line.  She loves it, and apparently her pup does too!

And speaking of pups, here is a gratuitous shot of ours:

And a Bee update:  All the fabrics are in.  I’m working on cutting them.  I’ve got 3 solids, plus the eight patterned fabrics.  I had picked out a fourth solid, but it isn’t working for me now.  The cutting plan is to cut each fabric into strips of about 6-10 inches wide and 18 or so inches long, and then give everyone an assortment of fabrics.  This should everyone ample fabric to make a block.  I’m gonna leave it up to the girls to make whatever sizes they want, just ask that whatever they make finishes at 12.5″.  How does that sound?  So that would be the equivalent of 16 3.5″ blocks, 4 6.5″ blocks, or 1 12.5″ block.  Or, any combination of those.  So.  That’s the plan.  Of course, I’m nervous that I’ve screwed up somewhere and there won’t be enough fabric, but I think it will be ok.  And if it’s not, hopefully I’ll be forgiven!

A Finish!

I actually finished something.  It’s a miracle!  No, seriously, it is a miracle.  The puppy has put a serious dent in my in front of the TV sewing binding time.  Basically, he’s made it impossible.  Unless I can feel not guilty about leaving him in the crate for the duration of a movie (and can convince the Mr. to watch one with me!).  I may have mentioned way back when a quilt I was making for my dear sister.  I had finally cut into my Heather Ross Mendocino fabrics, and came up with a pretty simple design.  By her birthday (at Thanksgiving time) I had it all put together and quilted, and just need to finish up the hand sewing part.  Which I just finished Saturday while watching (500) Days of Summer.  So, the quilt is off to her, and I didn’t take any pictures because I can’t find the charger for my camera battery and just wanted it gone already.  Hopefully she gets a chance to take some so I can post them here soon.  Until then, you’ll just have to forgive the lack of pictures. 

In other news, the Hope Valley has arrived and it is even better in person.  I’ve been practicing some block construction on some different fabrics so I can estimate how much fabric to send each girl in the Bee.  I don’t want to under do it, but I don’t want to over do it either.  This block within blocks (or whatever you want to call it), Is not hard to do.  In fact, it is rather easy.  Until you come to the part where you’re doing your last border and you keep cutting everything 1/4″ too short.  I’m not sure what’s wrong with me.  I think it’s because I’m trying to be stingy with the fabric I’m using because I don’t have too much of it.  But because I keep making mistakes, I’m not really saving myself any trouble, or fabric, so, I need to just loosen it up! 

I’ll have those fabrics out by the end of the week.  If the solids haven’t come in in the next day or so, we’ll just do without for this portion of the project. 

In other news, unrelated to sewing, check out Hotspur.  Up and coming DC area band.  Catchy tunes.  Fun to listen to.  Talented guys.  Nice, too, from what I hear.  They’re playing a few shows coming up, including the 9:30 Club on February 5.  Which is cool.  Really cool.  I love the 9:30 club.  I’ve spent a lot of time there in my youth, and even now when I go and I’m the oldest person there except for the parents hanging around, I love it.  But anyway.  Hotspur.  Check them out.  Support local music!  Or, if you aren’t local, support DC music!