15 Minute Challenge - October 30th

I'm a bit fuzzy this morning.  Drama Teen had a late volleyball game in Tulsa last night.  Add in the hour drive home and it was close to 10:30 before we walked in the door.  As My Guy remarked as we were getting on the highway headed home, "At 10, the car becomes a pumpkin and I revert to a mouse".  From the back seat Drama Teen added, "And I'll be dressed in rags".  The conversation went downhill from there, so we'll leave it at that. 

It's crunch time at work, with lots of end of the year deadlines.  I had to work late on Friday and most of the day Saturday.  Add in the volleyball game last night and finding time, even just 15 minutes, to stitch just didn't work out last week. 

I'm not sure what happened Wednesday night, probably just too tired to climb the stairs.  So only 3 days out of 7 did I make my goal to stitch 15 minutes.  I made up for a lot on Sunday as I sewed most of the afternoon and evening.  Still not one of my better weeks. 

No volleyball this weekend, but DT has two games next Monday night.  So I better get my sewing in early this week.  I'm thinking it may have to be embroidery on Wednesday night as I'm sure I'll be on candy duty for Halloween.  Though I think DT will be around to help this year, at 13 we've decided that she's too old to trick or treat. 

How did you do at finding some time to sew/knit/be creative over the last 7 days? 

1. Kate 2. amanda

3. Lesley 4. Thea

5. libbyQ

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Monday Design Wall - October 29th

The weekend was way shorter than normal. Working on Saturday really put a crimp in a number of things.  Thankfully, working on Saturday isn't something I have to do often.  I did take most of Sunday off, just spent some time on a bit of housework in the morning.  Quite a bit of sewing happened Sunday afternoon. 

Those half square triangles that were on the design wall last week are now being sewn together in sections. 

Evening Star
Pattern from Calico Carriage
Designed by Debbie Maddy

Section one is complete, section 2 is almost done.  This project goes together pretty fast.  If I get time in the sewing room this week, it could be pretty close to being a completed top by the end of next weekend.

Progress was also made on this month's UFO project.

 Scrappy Stars

Pattern is Folk Art Christmas Stars

by Robyn Pandolph

The pattern calls for 35 of these little stars. Not quite half way there yet. 

Remember the Sofa Quilt?  It's been my leaders and enders project for the last couple of months.  I'm finally getting enough pieces done to start assembling the "B" blocks.

The Sofa Quilt

Pattern is Nicole's Sofa Quilt by Judy Laquidara

(available here)

Hopefully by the time the Evening Star is together, all the "B" blocks will be done and then the Sofa Quilt can take center stage on the design wall. 

That's it for my design wall this week.  Now click on over to Patchwork Times to see what's decorating other sewing rooms. 

Stash Report - October 28th

It's been a rough week.  I spent most of Friday night yesterday working on a report for work. Unfortunately my contribution is a bit bigger than anticipated and the additions were more than I was able to get done yesterday.  So, I sent my edits on to the primary author as he had plans to work on it today. I dreamed about the thing last night, so obviously I really need to take Sunday as a day of rest this week.  After a bit of housework, I'm definitely taking the afternoon off to sew.  I need the sanity break!

The stash report isn't too bad, I can only think it would have been better if I had gotten a chance to sew yesterday. 

Used last week:  0.49 yards
Added last week:  0 yards

Used for 2012:  35.72 yards
Added for 2012: 319.88 yards

Net stashed for 2012:  284.16 yards

At least there was nothing added last week.  I still have a gift certificate from Hancock Fabrics that I need to use before the end of the year.  So I'm sure there will be some new additions between now and then.  My goal is still to focus on using more fabric.  Maybe I'll start another new project today, that usually helps improve the outgoing numbers. 

That's my stash report for this week. Hope you are close to meeting your goals for the year as there is not much of it left.  Which if you are not close to your goals means that it's almost next year and you can hope for an improvement in your stash management skills (or you tweek your goals for next year to match your performance this year).    Check out all the other end of year stash management tactics posted over at Patchwork Times. 

Foto Finish - Spooky and Creepy

Thankfully it's Saturday.  Unfortunately what I thought was going to be a carefree weekend filled with lots of sewing has become a work filled weekend due to deadlines.  Unfortunately, the deadlines aren't mine or they would already have been addressed.  Someone else waited until the absolute last minute to get a major report completed that needs to include some supporting work I did before I switched positions.  I'd blow it off, but there are major ramifications for the other individual if I do.   So rather than sewing, I'll be working.  Though at least I can do it from home rather than have to spend the whole day in the office.  That means I'll at least get some laundry done. 

On to much more fun topics.  Barbara has put forth "Spooky or Creepy" for this week's Foto Finish Post.  Just for something a bit different, I did a little bit of Photoshop editing and added some digital scrapbooking enhancement for this week's post (In other words, I couldn't find something suitable otherwise).  

 
The original banshee photo was taken at this year's haunted mausoleum at Drama Teen's school's Fun Night.  Since My Guy and I had to work concessions the whole evening, we took a walk through before it opened. It's hard to get appropriately spooky shots in broad daylight.  I used Photoshop Elements to cut the banshee away from it's original background, changed it to a black and white image, then saved as a png file.  I found a suitable background from My Memories digital scrapbooking software and loaded the banshee png file over the page.  I then used the opacity slider to fade out the banshee a bit. 

You can waste spend a lot of time Photoshopping images.  I try very hard to get the image I want when I take the photo.  However, it's fun to play around with images, especially if you need something for a special project, like a card or a T-shirt.  The company I work for has a "Lean Team Challenge" every holiday season.  It starts in November and ends in January.  The goal is to not gain any weight over the holiday and if possible maybe loose some weight.  But the emphasis is really placed on maintaining your weight.  My team's captain asked if I'd work up a logo for a team T-shirt.  The combination of Photoshop and the scrapbooking software allows one to do some pretty cool things.  Prototype 1 went out the team on Thursday.  I've got some feedback to incorporate, but it's shaping up to be a fun logo.

Well it's time to go put in a load of laundry, fire up the work computer and bang out those additions to the report.  Hopefully, I can get that all done today.  I'll be checking in on my "breaks" to see what cool creepy and spooky things have been posted over at Cat Patches.   

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Fall 2012

It's time for the fall installment of the Blogger's Quilt Festival, hosted by Amy of Amy's Creative Side.  This is the largest quilt show I get to attend during the year.  I'm certainly looking forward to seeing all the eye candy that will posted over the next few days and meeting lots of new blogger friends. 

My entry for the Fall installment spent significant time as a UFO.  In fact, this was a UFO that almost didn't become a quilt.  The first 3 blocks were finished in a class.  I didn't like them, so put the whole project away.  That was in 2005.  In 2009, I pulled out the box and still didn't like it, but decided to make 3 more blocks before I consigned those first 3 to the orphan block bin.  Adding a few new blocks to the design wall showed some promise, so the cutting and stitching continued.  I finally finished the project in July of this year. 

Pattern by Judy Turner and Margaret Rolf

From the Book "Successful Scrap Quilts"

This project was known as the "purple and yellow scrap quilt" while it was under construction.  When it came time to name it, the colors made me think of pansies, but My Guy was pretty adamant that was a really wimpy name for this quilt.  Someone suggested naming it Johnny Jump Ups, which is a common name for the viola tricolor.  Another variation on that nick name is Jump up and Kiss Me Jack.  My Guy's nickname in certain circles is Jack, so it just seemed right to christen this quilt "And Kiss Me Jack".  

The finished quilt is 77" x 94".  Trudy Lindemann quilted the top with a floral motif using a variegated purple thread.   The floral motif fits right in with name of the quilt.   

The backing is a rather bright purple and yellow floral that was found on the sale table.  It definitely carries on the bright floral theme from the front.   

I don't usually like to use light bindings, but the yellow binding on the dark purple border really framed the quilt nicely.

In the 12 or so years that I've been quilting, I've never entered any of my finished projects in a show.  At the urging of My Guy and Drama Teen, And Kiss Me Jack was entered into the new for this year "commercially quilted" category at the county fair.  

Definitely a surprise at how well it did.  Our county fair is pretty small, I don't think there were more than 10 entries in the whole class.  The monetary winnings were used to buy ice cream to celebrate. 

That's my quilt that almost wasn't.  Check out all the other beautiful quilts on "display" in the Fall 2012 Blogger's Quilt Festival. 

Best Categories:  Scrap Quilt, Two Color Quilt, Professionally Quilted