Tuesday, October 1, 2013
15 Minute Challenge - Do you need a break?
October usually brings cooler weather our way. In a couple of weeks the leaves will start to change. The fall foliage should be glorious this year since we've had ample rain all summer long. Besides all that Drama Teen and I have reason to celebrate the first of October. Today is My Guy's birthday.
Since DT has an away game tonight, we celebrated last night. Happy birthday My Guy!
The new month also brings a new fostering your creativity theme. This month's topic is "take breaks". First there's the, "I need to stretch and walk around" break that you need when things are moving along and you are so close to a finish. Then there is the "It's not working and I'm frustrated" break when you really should walk away from the sewing machine for a while. We'll talk about both kinds of breaks and how to make the most of them in subsequent posts.
The break I took last week when I only managed 3 days in the sewing room, really paid off this week.
Seven out of seven. A really good week on the stitching front. I even spent a couple of sessions working on a new project, which was a lot of fun.
So how did you do this week? Did you stitch or take a break?
Since DT has an away game tonight, we celebrated last night. Happy birthday My Guy!
The new month also brings a new fostering your creativity theme. This month's topic is "take breaks". First there's the, "I need to stretch and walk around" break that you need when things are moving along and you are so close to a finish. Then there is the "It's not working and I'm frustrated" break when you really should walk away from the sewing machine for a while. We'll talk about both kinds of breaks and how to make the most of them in subsequent posts.
The break I took last week when I only managed 3 days in the sewing room, really paid off this week.
Seven out of seven. A really good week on the stitching front. I even spent a couple of sessions working on a new project, which was a lot of fun.
So how did you do this week? Did you stitch or take a break?
Monday, September 30, 2013
A NewFO for Design Wall Monday
It's the last day of September, already. Just three more months in 2013. It's been a busy year, which may be one reason why it seems that time just flies. This weekend was Drama Teen's last volleyball tournament with the Freshman team. Just three more games before that season ends. But she'll go straight from that to the high school swim team. Then we'll start club volleyball in January, just before swim competition ends. So 2014 isn't going to start off any less busy.
If you don't know what a NewFO is, you should check out the challenge page over at Cat Patches. I had hoped to be able to start Drama Teen's Batik quilt, but we haven't got the final layout worked out yet. So I looked through my patterns to see if there was anything else I wanted to start this month. A few months ago everyone was making Scrappy Trip Around the World quilts from Bonnie Hunter's pattern (which can be found here). I loved how all those quilts looked and really wanted one of my own. Since my scraps are getting out of hand that seemed like a good project to start now.
I made one block to test out the instructions. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to go truly scrappy or pick three colors for a controlled scrappy look.
That's it for both the design wall and the NewFO this week. Check out Patchwork Times for more design walls. Then hop over to Cat Patches to check out all the new projects.
I've been in the sewing room a lot the last week, but you can't tell it by what's up on the design wall. I'm working on the Log Cabin blocks for Back to Square One, as well as more half square triangles for the Road to Brenham project and triangle in a square blocks for the Christmas Angels quilt. So not much new up on the design wall. I have finished three more Scrappy Star blocks this month.
Scrappy Stars is my oldest UFO and has been my leaders and enders project this month. I don't have room for the other 32 finished star blocks on the design wall right now, but this is what they looked like back in February.
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Pattern is Folk Art Christmas Stars
by Robyn Pandolph
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The other block that is up on my design wall is September's NewFO.
If you don't know what a NewFO is, you should check out the challenge page over at Cat Patches. I had hoped to be able to start Drama Teen's Batik quilt, but we haven't got the final layout worked out yet. So I looked through my patterns to see if there was anything else I wanted to start this month. A few months ago everyone was making Scrappy Trip Around the World quilts from Bonnie Hunter's pattern (which can be found here). I loved how all those quilts looked and really wanted one of my own. Since my scraps are getting out of hand that seemed like a good project to start now.
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| Pattern is Scrappy Trip Around the World by Bonnie Hunter. Pattern can be found here. |
I made one block to test out the instructions. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to go truly scrappy or pick three colors for a controlled scrappy look.
That's it for both the design wall and the NewFO this week. Check out Patchwork Times for more design walls. Then hop over to Cat Patches to check out all the new projects.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Stash Report - Week 39 of 2013
It's almost 7 AM and it's till dark. That's a sure sign that we've moved from summer to autumn. You often can't tell by our temperatures as they were in the 90's on Thursday and Friday. The shorter periods of daylight are the biggest tells of the new season. I'm not ready for the cold and snow of winter, so hopefully we'll have a few weeks of fall before it gets truly cold.
On the stitching front, I've been busy this week. Even so, there's not much to report. I usually count my fabric as out once a block is finished. Lots of block assembly going on, but only a couple of finished blocks this week.
Used last week: 0.22 yards
Added last week: 0 yards
Used for 2013: 58.07
Added for 2013: 157.83 yards
Net Stashed for 2013: 99.76 yards
Nothing in this week, so that's good. I'm still hovering just below the 100 yard net stashed mark that's become my revised stash management goal for this year.
That's it for the stash report this week. Click over to Patchwork Times for more stash management talk.
On the stitching front, I've been busy this week. Even so, there's not much to report. I usually count my fabric as out once a block is finished. Lots of block assembly going on, but only a couple of finished blocks this week.
Used last week: 0.22 yards
Added last week: 0 yards
Used for 2013: 58.07
Added for 2013: 157.83 yards
Net Stashed for 2013: 99.76 yards
Nothing in this week, so that's good. I'm still hovering just below the 100 yard net stashed mark that's become my revised stash management goal for this year.
That's it for the stash report this week. Click over to Patchwork Times for more stash management talk.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Indulgence and Quilting ADD
I'm off work today and no one else is home. My Guy is off on a business trip and Drama Teen is at school. I always feel like I'm playing hooky when I'm off like this. Especially when there is stuff going on at work that's already had me spending an hour writing business emails this morning. However this is the one day left this month that I don't have a single meeting scheduled. So it's pretty much take my day off today or loose it. So even if I have to check the work email regularly, that's a small price to pay for having some time to just play in the sewing room. So from now until 4:30 PM when I have to go pick up DT from volleyball practice, I'm having a mini retreat in my own sewing room.
So what's on the retreat schedule? I'm not sure yet. I need to press Mon Ami and it's back then package those up so they can go to Trudy for quilting. Drama Teen has been dropping subtle hints that I promised her a new quilt for her bed so she could redecorate her room. I need to scan all the fabric so she can play with the layout in EQ. She has a very certain look she's going for.
Then there's this,
the pieces for 5 different quilts laid out in front of the sewing machine. This is my version of chain piecing. (Or maybe it's proof that I really do have quilting ADD?) I prep a certain number of blocks for each project then just do the stitching in assembly line mode. On the far left is the beginnings of the Log Cabin blocks for border number 4 of Back to Square One. Next are the HSTs for one Neutral Gem's block. The next pieces are the Triangle in Square blocks for the Christmas Angels quilt. Forth in the line up is more HSTs, but these are for Road to Brenham. Finally, the last red and beige pieces are in progress flying geese for my current leader and ender project, Scrappy Stars.
Decisions, decisions. Maybe I'll just give into my ADD tendencies and do some on each. For now, I'm going to crank up the music (Nickelback for now to keep the energy high) and go do some stitching. Hope you are having a great day in your corner of the world.
So what's on the retreat schedule? I'm not sure yet. I need to press Mon Ami and it's back then package those up so they can go to Trudy for quilting. Drama Teen has been dropping subtle hints that I promised her a new quilt for her bed so she could redecorate her room. I need to scan all the fabric so she can play with the layout in EQ. She has a very certain look she's going for.
Then there's this,
the pieces for 5 different quilts laid out in front of the sewing machine. This is my version of chain piecing. (Or maybe it's proof that I really do have quilting ADD?) I prep a certain number of blocks for each project then just do the stitching in assembly line mode. On the far left is the beginnings of the Log Cabin blocks for border number 4 of Back to Square One. Next are the HSTs for one Neutral Gem's block. The next pieces are the Triangle in Square blocks for the Christmas Angels quilt. Forth in the line up is more HSTs, but these are for Road to Brenham. Finally, the last red and beige pieces are in progress flying geese for my current leader and ender project, Scrappy Stars.
Decisions, decisions. Maybe I'll just give into my ADD tendencies and do some on each. For now, I'm going to crank up the music (Nickelback for now to keep the energy high) and go do some stitching. Hope you are having a great day in your corner of the world.
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