Today's Priorities

It's another yucky, dreary day in West Virginia.  

Overcast & grey.  

Too cold and wet to go outside.

Too hard to get motivated.

While drinking my coffee I figured I'd better get a list going of the things that need some attention.

Now, I'm not talking about laundry and dishes and making beds.

Those things can wait...as long as I manage to get a shower before I have to pick the kids up from school.

Here are some of the "important" things that need to be worked on:

I did manage to finish the quilting on Colleen's Quilt and I even got the binding put on.  Now the binding needs basted and hand stitched.  Her birthday is on the 25th and I'd like to get it in the mail to arrive on time.  She doesn't live far, but she has had a rough year and you know as well as I do that its just a lot of fun to get a box in the mail...especially one that isn't expected!

Speaking of birthdays & boxes in the mail, Did you sign up for my (and my blog's) Birthday Giveaway?  Well, hop on over and leave me a quick comment! 

I have been trying to get that Little Blue Bag finished for quite some time.  It is still just waiting to have the final seam slip stitched closed and it will be ready to go.  I think I keep putting this one off because I don't like the looks of my hand stitching.  It always seems to end up as a whip stitch and looks really ugly.  I'd love some suggestions!

Then there is my knitting.  Thing 2 wants a scarf and its taking FOREVER!  Its just a basic knit stitch, but its really boring and it takes forever to even get an inch done.  Oh, well, Just Keep Stitching, right?!

I have the first sock ready to turn the heal and the second one is catching up.  I'm trying to make them as close to the same size as possible.  My last pair was a round or two off and one looks shorter than the other when Morgan puts them on.  I keep telling her that the socks are perfect...I made them, how could they not be?...and its her leg that is the problem.  Yeah, she's not going for it.

The little mug rug is probably going into the Birthday Giveaway goodie box.  It's a little bit of who I am and what I love.  The color red, Civil War reproduction fabric, Jacob's Ladder (my oldest son is Jacob & this was the first block I attempted on my own).  Anyway, there will be a few other goodies included as well, but this is a start.

Since I've managed to get in a little computer internet time, I'm going to go poke around and see who I can link up with today.  I'll come back and let you know where I end up!

Hope you have a good one...and that the sun is shining on you!

~Kristy

Oh, I forgot the most important project...Thing 1 has had a little problem with his snake's stuffing coming out.  It's been hibernating in my room for over a week now and I think it's about time he moved back in with my Little Guy!  

I've been having some really weird dreams since the snake arrived...

WIPs 3/7/2012

Only 2 projects made progress this week. 

Well, I did work on my BOMs, but I am going to update that progress on Mondays now.  You can check this weeks progress here.

I am linking up with Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday.

1. Fun & Done: I now have all of the rows assembled.  They now need to be top stitched before they can be joined together.  This is a project that I have committed to working on every weekend until I get it finished.  Hopefully it will be done by the end of this month.

2.  My 2nd Satchel for 2 is finished.  It matches that lovely Kindle sleeve that I posted last week.  I love it!  (And, I am working on a tutorial for the sleeve!)

Well, I am off with the twins today for a field trip to the state museum.  Wish me luck!

WIP 2/29/2012

My big finish for this week is a Kindle sleeve.  I was just messing around with some scraps and had that wonderful Ah-ha moment that resulted in a lovely little sleeve for my beloved Kindle.

I have a Quilt Monster friend that is pushing encouraging me to do a tutorial, so I will be adding that to my WIP list.  Because this was not the intended final product, I have to try and remember just exactly how I got to this lovely little sleeve.


So, here's my update for the week:


1.  Cinnamon & Nutmeg: Progress!  All of my fabric is cut.  I can start sewing whenever I want.  This one is going to have some new techniques for me (cutting on an angle) and I always hesitate on new when I don't have another person standing right there to blame double check what I am doing.  It has been way too long...planning to start sewing this week.

2.  Prairie Paisley HSTs: No Progress

3.  Jelly Roll Jive: No Progress

4.  Fun & Done: No Progress, BUT I am committing to work on it every weekend.  This weekend it will be Saturday since the hubs is working OT.

5.  Pinwheels In My Garden: No Progress

6.  Jelly Roll Sampler:  Progress!  Blocks 1, 2 and 3 are completed.  Block 4 is cut and on the mini design board (I need to make some more of these).  Thanks! to Bee in my Bonnet.

7.  Kristi's T Shirt quilt: No Progress (I need to get more stabilizer.)

8.  Craftsy BOM:  No Progress (The new lesson should be up tomorrow.  I hope.  Foundation paper piecing.)


9.  Farmer's Wife: Progress!  I only made one block of the "Big Dipper" because I wasn't crazy about it.  I got out my stash and found some other fabrics to use.  I've chosen some blues, browns and golds for the next 3 blocks.  Plan to get those cut and pieced this weekend as well.

10.  Satchel for 2:  No Progress...on either one...I thought I would do some finishing on the first one while I was in Baltimore, but had so much fun with the hubs that I didn't get a single thing done.  The 2nd one is still waiting to be pieced.

And I found these little lovelies when I dug into my stash...not sure what to do with them yet.

Finally, here are a few pictures of how I was treated on my birthday...

My wonderful first born made this beautiful cake for me...

...and even decorated the batter...

...and yes.  That is a blow torch used to light ALL of the candles!

WIP Wednesday

The only finish I had this week was the Satchel for 2 bag that I made on Friday for FNSI.  Well, actually it isn't completely finished since I am taking it with me this weekend to stitch up as we travel.

Current Projects:

1.  Cinnamon & Nutmeg (No Progress, although I did get my sashing fabric picked up.)

2.  Leftover Prairie Paisley HSTs (No Progress)

3.  Jelly Roll Jive (No Progress)

4.  Fun & Done (No Progress)

5.  Pinwheels in my Garden (No Progress)

6.  Jelly Roll Sampler (Progress: Block 1 assembled.  Blocks 2 & 3 cut and on design board.)

Sampler Block 1

Sampler Block 2

7.  T Shirt quilt (Progress: Shirts washed and cut.)









8.  Craftsy BOM (Progress: Ripped stitches and re-assembled Balkan Puzzle block.)






 9.  Farmers Wife (NEW Linked to Randy's Sow-along.  Blocks 1 & 2 completed.  I am making 2 sets of these and maybe a third in batiks.)

10.  Satchel for 2 (NEW Cut 1 pocket, but couldn't seem to process the scrappy fabric with the pattern instructions.)

FNSI: Satchel for Two

I've nearly finished the Satchel for Two.  I just have to close the opening left for turning.

  

I started cutting fabric around 430 yesterday and sewed until the older kids came home from a late movie.  (They went to see Woman In Black and really liked it.)  They got home after 1130...so that means it took me approximately 7 hours to make this bag.

  

 While I was sewing this was going on in the kitchen...

 ...I just love this little guy!  It makes me so proud to see them reading on their own.

I also found another stash of small HSTs.  These are Fig Tree Quilts Urban Indigo fabrics and a really cool tomato red (that I can't find anywhere...dangit!)  I now have 3 boxes of small (about 1 1/2 inches) HSTs.  They don't really go well together, but I'm sure that in no time, I will have more.  I really like star patterns & pinwheel patterns  and both of those seem to contribute to my collections.

Well, I need to get off my duff and head out to the Quilt Shop...I need to get crackin' on this Cinnamon & Nutmeg!

Finally Friday!

It's Friday!

And I've signed on to participate in Cat Patches: Fun Fact Friday Freebies.  Here is where you can find out how it works.  I think this will be lots of fun! 

It's also a Friday Night Sew In day.  This one is organized by Heidi.  This is my first FNSI and I am getting all of my stuff ready to get busy sewing later this afternoon.  I have decided to make a Satchel for Two bag from Fig Tree Quilts.  I received the fabrics and pattern for Christmas this year and I hope I can get it put together tonight.  

 I spent the morning looking for the pattern (How do you lose something that fast?! It hasn't even been 2 months for goodness sake!)   Here's what it looks like:

 After I finally found it, I made my templates (something new for me...I've never made/used templates before).

 I might try and get the fabric cut so that I can just zip right through this, but I also need to head out to the quilt shop to pick up my fabric for the Cinnamon & Nutmeg quilt.

Oh, and I started a new sampler last night.  I'm going to use some left over Jelly Rolls from  Fig Tree Quilt's Urban Indigo line.  I am also using Pam & Nicky Lintott's book Jelly Roll Sampler Quilts.

WIP 2-15-2012

This is my first blog linking to WIP Wednesdays with Freshly Pieced (there is a button on the left sidebar).  I hope it works...

I am currently working on 4 active projects with a plethora of fabric collections waiting for inspiration to strike.  Here they are in order of "Why isn't this finished yet?" to "Will I ever get this done?"

 This bag needs the lining stitched closed and it will be finished.

This is the "Fun & Done" that I started in November 2011.

The "Fun & Done" has been modified at least 3 times now.  During the class, I decided to make it full size instead of the throw that it was designed for.  When I got it back out to work on last month, I decided that I would make 2 throw sizes for the twins.  I spent most of a day removing the 10th block from each of the five rows, which was not easy because of the way it was pieced together.  I figured that I needed two more rows to finish the first quilt and was happy at the thought of having one quilt completed.  Then Darren came home and he said he liked it too well to give it to the twins.  So, I am back to making it a "large" twin (it covers a full size bed)...but I refuse to try and add those five blocks back on!  So, it is about half way done.

This is my 2nd Jelly Roll Jive...I need to post pics of the first one...This one is basted and waiting for me to start the hand quilting.  I have not hand quilted anything so this is a pretty intimidating project for me.  It's ready...I'm not.

This is not a great picture, but I finished piecing this top in 2009.  It is a Kansas Troubles pattern called "Pinwheels in my Garden".  I used a KT jelly roll and yardage to make this one.  It is queen size and has some borders that are not visible in this picture.  I love this one and have backing fabric and everything...I just can't make up my mind on the quilting process.  I'd like to hand quilt it, but it would probably never get finished (...like I'm making progress on it now, as it sits in the bag...).  I'm afraid of the sticker shock if I ask for custom quilting, and I really don't want a standard stipple for it.

On Monday, I cut the center fabrics for my Cinnamon & Nutmeg quilt.  Yesterday, I stopped at the quilt shop and picked out the sashing and cornerstone fabrics.  I am excited to get going on this one since it has been sitting around the house for about 3 years.  I just love the colors!


Lots to do today...maybe I can squeeze a little quilting in before going to the grocery store...

WIPs

My biggest WIP is to get my blog in order.  I am finding all of these really great blogs by some really neat people.  I hope at some point this week to pick up buttons from the bloggers that have them and maybe find out how to create one of my own (I would appreciate any help with this :))

As for quilting & sewing projects, I am still working on my February blocks for Craftsy's BOM (click the button in my sidebar if you are interested).  I have finished (unless I go back and rip it again) the Balkan Puzzle block and am getting ready to put rows together on the Chunky Chevron block.

I finished the final stitches in two of my "Project Bags".  I am planning on looking into an etsy shop.  But for now, I am building a bag stash.

The finished bags.  There are now 3 done.

The WIP bag

 Still no progress on the Fun & Done quilt, although I did roll out the current row and press it just to be able to say I did something to it.  The main reason I haven't worked on this one is that I am too lazy to change out the thread.

I have my Jelly Roll Jive quilt basted and it is waiting for the hand quilting.  I'm not sure when I will get to that...

If It Ain't Broke...

I cast on John's hat last night and knit a couple of inches on it.
He's really excited and since he was such a good sport modeling Sidney's pink hat...I just couldn't say no.

This morning I decided to stitch up the small handbag that has been pinned and waiting on the ironing board.

...Broke the sewing machine...

...or not.  Just when I was ready to tell Darren that I needed a new one and that I was going to shop for one that does embroidery (something I haven't tried yet), I managed to finagle the parts and get it working again.

So, I finished stitching the handbag, pinned the 2nd one, cut pockets and handles for two others...and now I'm afraid to sew because I don't want to break my machine.  I really need to get the Monster Quilts finished for the twins...and I still have my red, white & blue Jelly Roll Jive to put borders on and take to Kelly on Friday night.

And let's not forget the Fun & Done that has been in a box since early November...

...but John has noticed that I haven't done any knitting on his hat and wants to know why...

UFOs

I am trying to get a handle on all of my UFO's.  Here are just a few of my bag projects and abandoned quilts:

So far, I have one small handbag that just needs whipped closed in order to be finished...

...two small handbags that are completely cut and waiting to be assembled...

...fabric collected for another half dozen or so handbags and/or expandable bags...

I also have the fabric and pattern for a new bag: "Satchel for Two" that I hope to get started on soon.

As far as quilts go, I need to finish my "Fun & Done" quilt that was started prior to Thanksgiving...

I need to quilt the lap size Red, White & Blue quilt that has been laying around for several years & finish the twin's "Monster Rag Quilt".  

Oh, yeah, I also have the Jelly Roll Jive that needs a border & sent to Kelly for quilting...

...and I really need to decide if I am going to hand quilt the queen sized "Pinwheels in my Garden" or send it to the quilter's as well.

There are also several projects that I have been collecting fabric for and have a pattern in mind; I have committed myself to making a T-shirt quilt for Darren's cousin and I have a wonderful collection of fabric that I bought at Myrtle Beach 3 years ago for making aprons (and maybe a new purse for me).

...And these are just the sewing projects.  I am also organizing my knitting, crochet & weaving projects.  

I wonder how long it will take before the newly organized UFOs become forgotten UFOs again...