A little at a time

Over the last couple of nights, I've been plugging away at quilting the Project Linus quilt that has been sitting, basted, since the beginning of October.


Inspired by Leah Day, I'm trying something new. It's taking longer than I anticipated, but I think it looks fun. I'm also definitely expanding my skills, so that makes the additional time extra worth it.

Anyway, 12 blocks down, 8 to go!

Jane Stickle Quilt: E-7

Block number/name: E-7 “Bread Basket”

Date completed: January 4, 2010

Number of pieces: 39

Notes on block: I think I went about this block the wrong way. I decided to go ahead and piece it all, not really realizing exactly how many inset seams were actually involved. I’m less than thrilled with the result. It doesn’t look bad, but I know I could have done a lot better had I used some appliqué along with the piecing. Looking at it kind of drives me crazy now, but I know that once I’ve done a few more blocks, the frustration will fade from my memory and this will become yet another happy little block.

Jane Stickle Quilt: L-13

Block number/name: L-13 “Harvest Moon”

Date completed: January 3, 2010

Number of pieces: 12

Notes on block: I loved the prep for this block! It involved cutting out 5 squares and chopping them into quarter-square triangles. So quick! Of course, the block itself took a bit longer… as in the entire extended version of The Two Towers (or about 3.5 hours). I’m really happy with my work on this one. I did the appliqué using the freezer paper on top method, and was really worried about lopsided circle syndrome. But it managed to stay all happy and round. Yay!

A little gift

Yesterday, my son and I attended a friend's 3rd birthday party. This toddler is quite the artist and scholar (he is already able to write out the entire alphabet and numbers!), so a coloring wallet seemed like a perfect gift for him:


Have I mentioned how much I love this pattern? So awesome.



And I've already received an email back from his mom, telling me how much they love it. Yay!

Snip. Sew. Send. January

January is my month for the Snip.Sew.Send. virtual quilt bee! This means it is my turn to send out my block requests and fabrics.

Since I'm having a baby in April, I thought it would be fun to make a baby quilt. We aren't finding out the sex of the baby (I tell you, the suspense is killing me!), so I'm going with a sort of gender-neutral color scheme: rainbow!

These are my fabrics:


I've sent a different color grouping to each participant, and have asked that they include fabrics from their own stash if they are so inclined.

I've requested they create 9.5" log cabin blocks. They can be traditional or they can be wonky-- I'm looking forward to some variety.

As for potential layout, I'm kind of torn between a couple of options.


This one appeals to me because of the open center. I could to some kind of applique, or a spiffy quilting motif. But, it is a big expanse of white for a baby quilt. So I may end up trying something simpler like this:


We'll just have to wait and see how I feel when the blocks are all here!

I found some pretty nifty pictures in flickr and a couple of other blogs that really inspired me to go in this direction. Check them out if you get a chance, because there is some beautiful work:

Rainbow Cabins
Rainbow Block Quilt
Wonky Log Cabin Rainbow Scrap Quilt
Color Wheel Quilt
Wonky Log Cabin Inspiration mosaic

Woo hoo! I can't wait to see some rainbow blocks!

Jane Stickle Quilt: BR-5

Block number/name: BR-5 “Gay’s Glory”

Date completed: January 1, 2010

Number of pieces: 41

Notes on block: My husband is out of town tonight visiting friends. I miss him, but his absence did allow me to watch some guilty-pleasure television that I can’t really watch with him (Gossip Girl!) and I got to sit down and do a little stitching while doing it. All-in-all, I think we probably both had good evenings.

This block wasn’t difficult, but it did take four episodes of Gossip Girl (plus part of a Top Chef) to finish it. So it was time-consuming. But it was worth it.

2010! Holy cow!

Happy New Year!!!

The arrival of the new year tends to be a time of reflection for me. What did I manage to accomplish in the last year? What do I want to accomplish in the new year?

Last year, I made 4 crafty resolutions:

1. Stashbust—use at least 100 yards of fabric from stash.-- Sigh... I tried, and I feel like I did use a lot of stash, but I wasn't even close to making it.Fabric Stats 2009
   Fabric In: 133.960
   Fabric Out: 65.093
   Ouch. The stats don't lie. But, I did manage to finish (what is for me) a whole bunch of quilts, and I do feel really good about that!


2. Complete 3 UFOs.-- Nope. Not this one either. Though, I did pick up the biggest offender and made a significant dent in it (and I'm determined to finish it in the next couple of months!).


3. Make and donate some quilts for charity.-- well, I managed to finish one, and have another basted for Project Linus (oh, my... I just realized that it has been basted since October. Ummm... gonna get to that SOON!). I completed one quilt for Camp Korey. I also made some pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer. Considering all of the quilts I completed for others, I feel pretty good at what I managed to get done. I definitely hope to do more in this new year.


4. Keep up with my blocks of the month projects-- I struggled some, but I did keep up with my Jane Stickle blocks, and I also did pretty well with my Autumn House BOM (only have the appliqued borders left to do!). Unfortunately, my work on Playtime fell by the wayside. I look forward to picking it up and making forward progress again soon. I also signed up for a new BOM, Greenpiece, and I'm happy to say that I'm caught up with that one. Overall, I fell pretty good about this crafty resolution.

And now, some new goals for this year:

1. Use more fabric than I buy.-- I'm serious this year. I'm going to do it! Nevermind that I bought 18 yards of fabric today alone. (Gratuitous photo of pretty fabric below.)
   
   
   Santa brought me a gift certificate, and it was a once a year sale... I couldn't help myself! But as of this moment-- I'm going to start using it.


2. Make and donate some quilts for charity.-- Last year ended up being the "Year of the baby quilt," which meant I was sewing for all of my friends, leaving me little time to do much else. This year, I really think I'll be able to do more.


3. Finish some UFOS.-- "Some" means "at least one." Surely, I can do that, right? If nothing else, I have a coupon I have to fulfill-- so I know that one will get done!


4. Take better care of me.-- I've not been great about this lately. I really need to start exercising, get more sleep, and focus on healthier eating. I'm going to start by trying out the pregnancy workout DVDs my friend sent me (thank you, Mikki!). And no more fast food lunches! I can do this. I can.

I think these goals are realistic. And I think they're positive. I feel good.