Beginning anew

I am starting a new job this Friday. I cannot express how excited I am to be starting this venture. I have been so excited that I have forgotten to work on the Soda QAL.  All I have managed to do is get the squares laid out and organized into rows.

I wanted to work on it yesterday but I had blood work done and honestly it knocked me out.


Hopefully tomorrow will be the day to finally start getting them put together. And finally start attaching some petals.

Misplaced

I have lost the cord to our camera.  I have turned this house inside out and upside down and cannot find it.  


This should move me to further organize the house and do some cleaning, but it doesn't.  All it moved me to do was continue to sew and do some dusting and straightening .  Plus some laundry and dishes.  


On another note, Maybe it's time for computers to have an SD card slot.  

Wishing for a Break

Not from projects. From this insane heat.


Don't get me wrong, I like summer,however I'm more of a fall girl myself. Georgia during fall is nice. It's not cold, but nice and cool with beautiful colors. I also get to show off my hand knit scarf collection.


This week between working, getting started on the Soda QAL and trying to avoid heatstroke I had no time to even attempt a post before today.


All my squares are cut and in a neat stack on my coffee table. My fur babies have shown no interest in them and likely won't till I need to work on them. I traced all my petals onto my fusable webbing with some help from the hubby.


I went one step further and went ahead and ironed the webbing onto the fabric and have started cutting them out. Hubby took care of all the ironing for me so I need to make him something special soon.


I still have 400 petals left to cut out. Sounds like it's time to watch a BBC miniseries.

Friday!

And things are somewhat together..... Somewhat.... Kind.....  We've been to Jamaica and back. Had a fantastic trip 

Hubby and I had a blast hanging out at this late night lounge that overlooked the ocean. We liked it so much that we went there ever. single. night. 

We spent a good amount of our time at the pool or the beach.  It was so very relaxing and calming.  I am now somewhat spoiled since our time spent in lounge chairs was spent with much reading and several naps. Also, beverages were continually refilled without my ever having to get up!

This was a perfect anniversary trip for the two of us and one we wish we could repeat every year.  We both turned our phones off stuck them in the safe and didn't pull them out again until we were leaving.  We didn't take computers with us either.  It actually felt really good to disconnect and focus on each other.  The resort we stayed at was a couples only resort and the entire place was set up for romance.

I have never swam in water as clear and beautiful as the waters in Jamaica.  The views were always agreeable. We did not want to come home. 

Once we did it was back to work on craft projects. 
I have my fabrics for the Soda QAL and they are pictured below.  They're cut too.  I decided to get a little ahead so that I can take my time cutting the petals (still haven't bought my fusable web yet). Hopefully tomorrow's store run will have my supply list finished and I can start drawing my petals and get going on cutting the 445 petals (oh deer Lord that number gets me every time). 

And in case you didn't notice I joined another QAL.  It's a Super Mario Brothers one over at Cut to Pieces.  It's going to be interesting!

I have had the weekend off thankfully and it has been very blissful.  Hubby and I are getting ready to go to the Caribbean a week from tomorrow so between figuring out travel/pet arrangements for that I have been using my weekend off to sew. A LOT. 

Yesterday I spent the day washing, ironing, and cutting fabric.  Today I continued to wash, iron, and cut but I added sewing into the mix.  As stated before I am going to participate in the Soda QAL that my good friend Allegory is hosting.  I picked up  my lemon yellow fabric for my Lemon Fizz quilt and cut the squares from 5 of the fabrics I picked.  I got an early start on it since the QAL starts on the 11th and I will not be here. I don't think I can convince my house sitter to work on it for me (nor do I want them to).  

Today I finally did something with the Marcus Fabrics Itty Bitty Bella Fabric I've been holding on to. I had no idea what to do with it till I found this pattern from Michael Miller. This is just the quilt top and it needs to be trimmed but that is a project for another day.  I really do like this. I'm not a pink fan but I got the fabric at a huge discount and couldn't resist since I knew I would make a baby quilt out of it eventually. Might try to sell this one to support my fabric/yarn habit. 

Also today I pieced together my Lorax quilt.  I've had the blocks done for about a week now and I had to buckle down and put it all together.  It's the biggest quilt I've ever worked on. I still have to add two more borders. 

I hope to get some more quilting done and eventually get all my fabric gathered for the Soda QAL.  I need to buy about 8-10 more fabrics to have what I need.  I'll include pictures of that in my next post. 

 I'm late. As usual. I just going to include photos that highlight our trip. We were there from Friday morning to Tuesday evening.  We had a really fun time saw fun stuff and had a blast hanging out. 




Saturday we went to the zoo where the most entertaining were the California Sea Lions.  They were barking at the guests and kept pushing each other off the rocks.  

 I had no idea central park was SO BIG.  We found a big giant rock that the boys insisted on climbing. As you can see here darling husband was so excited to climb to the top and have his picture taken.   

 We went to F.A.O. Schwarz to look at toys and they had this HUGE kaleidoscopic that you could stand in. That's the top of it. It was really cool. We also saw Spiderman and Captain America. 

They also had a make your own Muppet workshop. Sadly I wasn't able to afford a new Muppet. 

This is my brother and his new fiance Katelyn. They got engaged the first night we were in NYC.  We went out to a really nice place one night and had the best steak. 

This is darling husband and I that same night.

We went to the American Museum of Natural History which was so much fun.  Especially the dinosaurs. Shark loving Curtis was so excited to see this shark jaw he made me take his picture with it. 

Also, while we were there I did pick up a FQ bundle from Purl Soho.  CUTE! I have no idea what I'm going to do with it but I added them to the stash. 


Tomorrow promises sewing time!

Home again

I am home from NYC. We had a blast and took a ton of pictures (Which I will post either tomorrow or Friday). But for now I just have to make it know that I'm joining a QAL. Wish me luck!

P.S. It's hosted by Allegory

Major

HOLY DUCKS GUYS! I TOTALLY WROTE A 130 QUESTION EXAM TODAY!

I'm excited about that. Major accomplishments especially with googley eyes from dilation drops. I have a slight allergic reaction from them and have an even stronger allergic reaction to reversal drops. Imagine three days of dilated eyeballs, yeah.... I'll take the one day of revoked driving.

So in addition to being super productive in the paying job side of things I was also productive in the quilting side of things. My gift baby quilt is currently in the dryer and once it's done I will mail it off to the baby who will cuddle it. I will post pictures once Momma has received it.

Aside from that I should mention that Felicia Day mentioned Fallen London on The Flog (you must watch) and I played it all day.  That is not an exaggeration.  I literally had to drag myself away so I could buy groceries so Hubby wouldn't starve.

I also knitted on the birthday surprise for a bit. Thank goodness Allegory is a fellow crafter and understands that sometimes birthday gifts are late.  Ahh the life of a crafter!

Slowing to a Crawl

Seems that I can't get enough done lately.  Hopefully once I've gotten through finals I'll be able to focus more. 

Progress is being made

Slow though it may be.  Like I said, finals man. They're killing me and my free time.  

We have new living room furniture which has given us a much larger couch and a HUGE chair that I am plotting to use for my hand sewing, sketching, knitting, cross stitch, and other relaxing crafting stuff. I have to share it though with the crazy little obsessive kitty. As soon as I sit down in it she sits behind me all stalker like. I'm pretty sure she thinks this is now her chair.


More crafting will take place soon..... I hope..... 

Happier times

Well yesterday's post was quite a downer I know.  I was feeling especially sad last night and decided to write about it. Anyway, today is happier and better.

Behold progress!!!!  I have finally trimmed, and taken the first step in binding the overdue baby quilt.   I plan to at some point finish it and have it washed so it can be mailed out tomorrow.  


So glad to have made some amount of progress I feel less like a lazy bum now.  


Been going over my 50 in 2012 list and it's very very sad. Take a look.

50 in 2012

1. Strip Quilt
2.Steampunk Dress
3. Homemade Handbound Journal
4. Glass Etching on my Pyrex (names)
5. Mesh Produce Bags
6. Wristlet Knit Design
7.Re-Upholster Chairs
8. Altered Puzzle
9. Mail Holder for wall
10. Felt Owl Plush
11. Fridge Magnets
12. Initial in buttons
13. Button Shadowbox
14. Monster Wreath
15. Magazine Roll Picture Frame
16. Christmas Ornaments
17. Watch Gear Necklace
18. Wool Dryer Balls
19. Homemade Gift Tags
20. Cat Tepee
21. Button Brooch
22. Jewelry Hanger
23. Mini quilts for the cats
24. Homemade Bath Fizzies
25. Knitted Bracelets
26. Zipper Necklace
27. Christmas Shadow Box
28. Afghan (crochet)
29. Bird’s nest necklace  
30. Button magnets
31. Scrabble Tile coasters
32. Homemade Citrus Scrub
33. Perched Harmonies Necklace
34. Homemade Soaps for Gifts
35. Marble Tulle Necklace
36. Learn Quilling
37. Learn how to make felted sculptures
38.  Hand stamped Plant Markers from Spoons
39. Lego Themed Jewelry
40. Homemade Christmas Stockings
41. Fabric Buttons
42. Awesome Pumpkins for Fall
43. Anthropologies inspired Bobby Pins
44. Felt Hairclips
45. Fabric Crayon Caddy
46. Random finds Charm Bracelet
47. Homemade envelopes for cards
48. Fabric bracelets
49. Recycled Hardware Necklace
50. Cover my Molsekines with Fabric
If you are counting. That's 4. A total of 4 projects completed. I need to get busy and soon.

Sweet Baby

My sweet baby Angus passed away Wednesday afternoon. After surviving a spinal stroke and recovering like a champ Tuesday night he was found very weak and rushed to the ER vet.  He didn't respond there or to the steroids given to him at his regular vet the next morning. He was with the vet that afternoon when he passed away after a seizure.  The vet guesses that he had a brain tumor.  Either way my heart is broken and I will miss him greatly.  He was always a great knitting buddy even when he insisted on destroying expensive lace yarn (to him it was a toy).  

Pet lovers alike all understand how much a part of the family these fuzzy buddies are.  Peace out my Angus, you truly were one of kind. 

No words

The Easter weekend was not a happy one for me and my clan. My cousin Zach Clark passed away the day before Easter April 7. He was like a little brother to me and I will miss him terribly.

Hug your loved ones and tell them how much they mean to you as often as you can. Life is short and not a guarantee

That sad moment

When my Darling Husband informs me that he doesn't know the book "The Monster at the End of This Book". Are. You. Kidding. Me. For reals. However I will not continue on that sad state of affairs.

This week is a crazy insane busy week for me so projects are going into the background.

But first! An update!

Still knitting in the black hole. I find myself getting itchy working on this. I work on it for about 30 minutes and then just looking at it makes me itch.

I've found that when working in a black hole it helps to knit something comforting and/or fun. This time I decided to go with comfort. This is one of my favorite scarf patterns to knit. It's a simple lace that I can memorize so I can carry it wherever I go. This one I will more than likely try to sell for the Fall. It looks a little scrunched right now but once it's blocked it's quite pretty.


My new yarn catalog arrived today so I can hopefully get some Christmas planning done.

Finally some quilting. I started working on my Lorax quilt. I got the borders put on all the panel pieces and two of the patchwork blocks done. But nothing else has been accomplished. I also need to baste and quilt the baby quilt I've been making for a baby due on the 16th who decided to be born a few days ago. Oops.

Hopefully I'll be able to make at least a little progress this week even with the crazy schedule.

Oh deer

I got TAGGED!!!!

By none other than bestie and the woman who got me addicted to quilting (thanks for the expensive hobby BTW) and laughs with me about pretty much everything. P.S. I hope one day we write a book together! So Allegory here we go.

1) Do you and yarn get along? (I ask 'cause me and yarn just make knots)

yes. yes we do actually. The relationship is debatable sometimes but for the most part my lace knitting and inability to say no to intricate projects that will eventually reduce me to tears speaks of my unconditional love of yarn and it's many incarnations. Now to just relearn how to crochet and be a hooker again!

2) How do you feel about Legos?

I LOVE Legos. I always played with my brothers Legos and was a little jealous of my brother when he got Legos. I think they are great for kids and every kid should play with them (including the adult kids).

3) Worst sewing-related injury?

I sewed through my thumb nail and all while working on a wallet. I was fiddling with something and didn't realize my foot was hovering over the pedal. Now I put my foot behind my chair leg while fiddling near feed dogs.

4) I'm bringing over ice cream, what kind do I pick up for you?

I have such an odd taste in Ice Cream. My absolute favorite is Kroger brand Denali Extreme Fudge Moose Tracks. It's a chocolate ice cream with a fudge ribbon running through it. I hate Kroger but will make a special trip to get that.

5) Do you prefer to stick with one main fabric line in your quilts or mix them up?

I tend to favor cute fabrics, and Riley Blake and Michael Miller make the cutest fabrics around. Especially their polka dots. I am not against mixing though. My Lorax quilt though is all Riley Blake because it's all Seuss themed.

6) Triangles or squares?

Triangles give me a headache. Squares are so much easier but sometimes a block with triangles is a necessary evil.

7) Favorite animal?

Big cats of any kind. When I was a kid I wanted to be a zoo vet and specialize in big cats. I still feel attached to them. I want a hedgehog though.

8) Weirdest thing you've ever eaten? (The Mister took me out for gator today)

While I am willing to try new dishes, shows like bizarre foods make me queasy. According to my parent the fact that I enjoy Sushi is weird. For me personally I guess it would have to be a hot dog topped with Mac n' Cheese (try it and tell me it's not AWESOME).

9) City or country?

This is a question that asked of me while in college I would have quickly answered city. My reasoning behind it was that I wanted to be surrounded by all that the city offers without having to truly interact with people. As I have gotten older I have realized that the city is too dirty, too loud, too crowded and just too much for me. Once hubby and I got married we found that my parents were giving us 2.5 acres out in the middle of nowhere (literally not a stoplight for miles) I realized that more than anything My desire to not interact with people allllllll the time was more suited to country life. I am currently living in apartments and am tired of people surrounding me. I want a farmhouse, with a garden, and an apple tree, chickens, bees, a goat, a sheep ( I love wool), dogs, barn cats, and open spaces that my future children can RUN FREE and experience nature. I CRAVE an open space where there is no light pollution and a car only passes every half hour (if that). So in short, Country.

10) What's your favorite thing you've made (quilt or otherwise)

I have a hard time singling out something. I've made some of the most intricate lace shawls with hand placed beading, I've won prizes at the state fair for cross stitching and I've knitted an entire dress (not trying to brag I promise). Even though It's not made I can honestly say so far my favorite project is the one that isn't even finished. A quilt I'm designing for my first child (chill out I'm not pregnant, why is everyone asking me that lately? do I look fat all of the sudden?). I've started working on it and even thought I won't even start it until I'm actually expecting so far it's captured my heart.

11) How do you organize your stash?

which one? yarn or fabric. So far fabric is a small stash which is in a big bag. Yarn is in several bags in my closet (Hoarding craft supplied in an 880 square foot apartment is not easy I tell ya!). It's not really organized. When we build out house a place to organize my craft supplies is just as high on the list as a nicely spaced functional kitchen, and homeschooling schoolroom.

Ok people. Now you know my deep dark secrets!

Behold!

My complete and utter slacking skills! What can I tell, you they are out of this world!

I am so behind in everything. I've gotten into this rut of just not working on stuff. It's an epidemic. I'm slowly getting caught up in everything and had enough free time to quickly jot this down. The picture is a horrible picture of my most current distraction. The friggin black hole I'm knitting. And how ironic is it that the yarn happens to be black as well.

.

Every once in a while this thing makes me screech with frustration so that I throw it into the basket in disgust. Only to pick it up an hour later to trudge along.

My 50 in 2012 was great out of the gate. Slowed down lately but as soon as birthday gift and baby gift are done I'm jumping back in it to keep going.

I am gone for now. Diving back into the black hole! Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday!

To Dr. Seuss! Man was a GENIUS! My Lorax quilt is now officially in progress. The fabrics are washing as I type this and tomorrow I plan on ironing and cutting fabric all day. As well as knitting on a super secret gift for someone. I need to also square up the baby strip quilt top I finished a few weeks ago but since I don't have a backing for it yet I've been putting it off. I have till April to finish it. Actually,that might come back to haunt me..... I think I'll go pay tribute to the Craft Lords now.

Angus.

Well things have been a little crazy lately. While pet sitting for my parents while they are out of town, Curtis and I found my cat (who lives with my parents) Angus unable to move his back legs. After rushing him to the Animal ER they determined that he has most likely had a spinal stroke. He's been on steroid shots since Saturday night and continued them today when we moved him to his primary vet.

Oh and he only has one eye. Cute right?

Needless to say I have cried my eyes out over this and am SO HAPPY he's not only feeling better but is getting better. He still doesn't want to use his left leg which is the worst one but he's able to move it now where it wouldn't even bend at all when we found him. He's been nothing but a sweet happy kitty during this whole deal and everyone taking care of him has remarked about his sweet personality. He's been himself this whole time which means he's not giving up. I'll update tomorrow with more news once I pick him up.

Progress

I am starting to make some progress. Still plugging along on my knitted shawl. Looking into making some yoga socks with some random sock yarn I have lying about.

Next on the list is a Lorax quilt. I picked up the first bit of fabrics today on my way home. This one is going to be a slow collection seeing that we are still saving for our super awesome trip this summer.

I am also working on a baby strip quilt but its a surprise so no pictures yet. The quilt top needs to be trimmed and squared up and I have to go look at some fabric for the back. I have rethought the original fabric I picked out for the back and in place of polka dots I'm using a solid.

I also have the fabrics I need to make a the second quilt for the cats. As soon as hubby is done with his set of projects that currently reside on the only table we have to use I will be able to put it together and try my hand at free motion quilting.

There is some tulle that needs to be worked up into some reusable veggie bags for the grocery store.

That's all for now. More pictures to follow as I begin getting things done!

Good news

I can now blog from my phone. Perhaps that means more updates! Short one for now though.

It's 2012!

Well the New Year is here and I have promised myself to be less of a slacker. That means more crafting, more writing (blog and otherwise) and keeping on top of life in general. So first I must post my 50 in 2012 list. It's some projects leftover from last year and some new ones.

50 in 2012

1. Strip Quilt
2.Steampunk Dress
3. Homemade Handbound Journal
4. Glass Etching on my Pyrex (names)
5. Mesh Produce Bags
6. Wristlet Knit Design
7.Re-Upholster Chairs
8. Altered Puzzle
9. Mail Holder for wall
10. Felt Owl Plush
11. Fridge Magnets
12. Initial in buttons
13. Button Shadowbox
14. Monster Wreath
15. Magazine Roll Picture Frame
16. Christmas Ornaments
17. Watch Gear Necklace
18. Wool Dryer Balls
19. Homemade Gift Tags
20. Cat Tepee
21. Button Brooch
22. Jewelry Hanger
23. Mini quilts for the cats
24. Homemade Bath Fizzies
25. Knitted Bracelets
26. Zipper Necklace
27. Christmas Shadow Box
28. Afghan (crochet)
29. Bird’s nest necklace
30. Button magnets
31. Scrabble Tile coasters
32. Homemade Citrus Scrub
33. Perched Harmonies Necklace
34. Homemade Soaps for Gifts
35. Marble Tulle Necklace
36. Learn Quilling
37. Learn how to make felted sculptures
38. Hand stamped Plant Markers from Spoons
39. Lego Themed Jewelry
40. Homemade Christmas Stockings
41. Fabric Buttons
42. Awesome Pumpkins for Fall
43. Anthropologies inspired Bobby Pins
44. Felt Hairclips
45. Fabric Crayon Caddy

46. Random finds Charm Bracelet
47. Homemade envelopes for cards
48. Fabric bracelets
49. Recycled Hardware Necklace
50. Cover my Molsekines with Fabric

Well..... that's it. I hope I can do better than last year as well as perhaps starting some new projects!