WIP it - slow restart

This weekend I had planned to get a lot of work done on my 100 Day Hustle list. Always with the good intentions. And then this happened:

I mentioned it on my to do list on Monday. I keep thinking a squirrel is going to jump out and on to my shoulder. I'd be cool with that as long as he doesn't bite me and lets me take his picture. As of today, maintenance has been in ONCE to look at the hole, but has not said anything about when they plan to fix it.

With all the other things that have happened in this building (a murder, a bat, loud neighbors, smoking neighbors, drinking neighbors and drug deals) I've decided that I'm going to make a better effort to find a new place of residence and that any money made this month is going into a moving fund. Moving is more important than a new sewing machine. With that said, this beauty was just listed on etsy today. I'd love to make and list more of them, but my yarn stash is hurting at the moment. I do have enough for a couple more though, a creme and maybe a striped one coming soon.

Now let's get on with my WIPs.

finishes:

• burgandy cowl
• brown bear hat (sold)
• zipper wallets
• card holders for aunt

in progress:

• greeting cards for aunt
• creme cowl

no progress:

• sewing machine cover
• Lucy - Lucy's Crab Shack quilt
• BQA
• bow ties
• Bernadette - granny square quilt
• Sally - simpatico fabric

With the holidays coming up quick, we are about to start getting busier at work so I'll probably be working more again. I'm not sure what's going to happen to my sewing and creating time, but I'm not really looking forward to it. It's what helps to keep me sane.

{to do} - meh

Last week I linked up with Kelsey of Kelsey Sews for her 100 Day Hustle. I'm looking forward to the challenge. I'm still in a bit of a creating funk, but did get a few things done this weekend. I planned to get more done, but late afternoon I was taking a nap and woke up to plaster falling in my living room. There's a nice big hole in my ceiling. Nothing major, but still weird and it screwed up my momentum because I ended up having to clean up the mess and got distracted. Hopefully it's a quick and easy fix. I don't particularly care to have people in my apartment when I'm not here.

• piece together Simpatico top
• finish greeting card order for aunt
• work on blog design for new blog
• start purging craft area
• crochet a few hats

Question, when you're piecing together blocks and things, what color thread do you use? Does it coordinate  with the fabric or is it a neutral color? I've been using grey lately or sometimes I use whatever is in my machine because I'm too lazy to change it. I figured no one would see it, so it doesn't really matter.

I don't really have anything to show for Fresh Sewing Day. I'm sure I've completed some projects, but it's late and they're eluding me. I do know I did a lot of fabric cutting though. Does that count?

Linking up with Lily's Quilts for Small Blog Meet. 

And if you're not busy this week check out these blogs:


Oct 2
         Martha from Weekend Doings
         Melissa from Sew Bittersweet Designs

Oct 4
         Catherine from My Life in Binding
         Patricia from Quilting Lines

{to do} - 100 Day Hustle

I'm switching up my to do list a little bit this week (and posting it a day early). Kelsey of Kelsey Sews is doing a 100 Day Hustle challenge. Saturday, the first day of fall, marked the beginning of the last 100 days of the year. This challenge is to get all your projects done by the end of the year in order to start 2013 with a clean slate. I thought I'd join up and see what I could get finished. Here's my list:

• buy batting for Lucy, Sally (Simpatico fabric), Q4K x 2, Bernadette (granny square quilt)
• quilt and bind Lucy
• piece, quilt and bind Sally
• piece, quilt and bind Bernadette
• piece, quilt and bind sewing machine cover
• get shop stocked for the holidays
• make at least 10 bow ties
• make at least 10 hair bows
• complete aunt's card/card holder order by the first week of October

Most of my list will depending on being able to buy batting to finish them up. I may end up adding more things to it later because I like to stay busy. Wish me luck and then come join us!

WIP it - birthdays and new quilts kinda

I've been stalking the mail man for my package of fabric from Skye Reve Fabrics. I can't wait to get it so I can cut into all of it. I've already got a couple of ideas what I'm going to do with all of it. I'm pretty excited.

finishes:

Lizard's birthday was this past week and it totally slipped my mind. I spent the weekend whipping up her gift so I could get it in the mail. She'd been hinting that she wanted a bubble stitch cowl. Well, not really even hinting. Out right saying SEND IT TO ME!!! Crazy girl. I decided to keep with the red theme and made her a fat mouthed zipper pouch and a little wallet I just came up (see below).

I was looking at this old beat of wallet of mine and thought, I bet I could make something similar. And I did. It's funny. Now when I see bags and wallets and things I look at the construction and say...hmmm...can I make that and would it be worth the time. This little wallet took me probably half an hour to put together. The top corners bug me a bit though. I want the zipper to be able to open all the way up. How do I fix that? There are no corners to clip.

[no picture]

I crocheted up a couple more cowls. I've got a nice pile going that will be ready to send off by the end of the week. Then I can relax a little bit on the crochet before I start working on a new item and a bunch of hats. I'm running out of yarn though. this is not good.

I feel like this is more of a fabric necklace than it is a cowl. I used The Commuter Cowl pattern from Shannon of luvinthemommyhood. I had someone already ask if they could have it. I like the fabric so much I told them they'd have to fork over lots of dollars for it. This was pretty easy to make and I got to practice my  hand sewing skills. It doesn't fit the way I expected though. Also when you look on the right side of the picture in the fabric, I feel like ti's a little dogs face. Can you see it?

in progress:

Sally. I just came up with that name. It kept bugging me to call it that Simpatico fabric I won. I finally got all the squares cut out and some extra. I totally wasn't paying attention and cut to many, but it's okay because charm squares make nice 2.5 in squares perfectly. I was just going to do a regular layout of squares randomly pulled from a bowl to mix up all the patterns, but I don't want to line up seams so I'm going to offset each row a little bit. It's going to be a small quilt. about 45" x 54" I think.

[no picture]

More cowls. And that's all I really have to say about that.

no progress:

• sewing machine cover
• Lucy
• BQA
• bow ties
• granny square quilt - she needs a name. I feel like a granny style name.
• second Quilts for Kids quilt

There are still 3ish days left on the Pay It Forward handmade swap/giveaway. Don't forget to check it out.

WIP it - winner, winner, chicken dinner

So this happened this weekend. I ran/walked my first 5K. As you can see it was a color run called Color Me Rad. It was a blast! I still have a few blue spots that I've scrubbed and scrubbed and the color won't go away. UGH! Thankfully it's not visible in regular clothes. I can't wait to do it again next year.

Anywho, let's get on with what I've been up to this week:

finishes:

A couple more cowls to list on etsy and sent out to homespun. I've got an idea for another style that I plan to start working on this weekend. I want to try out a new stitch, but I'm still on the fence since it'll be a larger project and I like to keep larger projects simple so they're not as time consuming.

So I took off the top and bottom two rows with the random squares and added them to the back instead. I like it better this way. Now I want to make a large quilt, but with different fabric. Future project to start thinking about. Hmmm...

My charm squares for RL's Low Volume swap. You can tell which fabric is a little bit thicker. I can't wait to get back all the squares from everyone else. It'll be awhile though. I purchased my fabric from Hawthorne Threads. Great and quick service. Ordered Friday morning, shipped Friday afternoon and it was in my mailbox on Monday afternoon. It was my first order and I'll definitely be heading back to shop some more.

in progress:

I started quilting Lucy and then I ripped out the stitches and started quilting her a different way and then I didn't like the way it looked so I started quilting it a third way and then I decided I didn't like the batting which is an old poly blend from years ago so I ripped out all the stitches. (That was a helluva run on sentence.) I was half way done. So now we will wait until I can buy some new batting before we start over. It may be awhile though.

I purchased The Commuter Cowl pattern from Shannon of luvinthemommyhood a few weeks ago and finally found some fabric I'd like to use to make it. It's from Art Gallery. I can't wait to finish it up. The weather is starting to cool down and I think it'll be perfect.

[no picture]

I finally figured out what to do with the Simpatico that I  won from luvinthemommyhood and The Fat Quarter Shop. Charm square baby/lap quilt. Something nice and simple. Not sure if I'll keep it for myself or give it to a friend. Decisions, decisions. 

no progress:

• sewing machine cover
• BQA
• granny square quilt
• bow ties (though I did finally buy some slides)

I won two more blog giveaways this past week. SWEET!!! This is good for my fabric freeze. One was from Beth over at Plum and June and Christa Quilts and the other was from Faith at Fresh Lemon Quilts and Skye Reve Fabrics. I can't wait to get my fabrics in the mail. I was browsing Christa Quilts and had decided that I was going to use my GC to buy fabric to make another quilt for Quilts for Kids when I checked my email and found out I won the giveaway from Fresh Lemon Quilts and Skye Reve Fabrics. I felt like I was being rewarded for my decision to use my winnings for a charity quilt. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it. 

WIP it - that pesky job

I most enjoyed the four day weekend I just had this past weekend. It was lovely. Then I had to go back to work for a day yesterday. I didn't realize how much I'd rather be at home blogging and creating and how much time it all takes up. Something has to change. A lottery win or something so I an stay home and blog and create. Works for me.

finishes:

Finally finished with Beginner's Quilt Along blocks. I just noticed when I went to crop the photo of block 12 that it was wrong. And who cares? Not this girl. I'm so done with HST. I liked them in the beginning and now I pretty much want to kick them into oncoming traffic. I think more than 75% of the blocks had HST in them. It was way too much.

I really wanted Lucy to be the first quilt I completed, but it didn't work out that way. Sharky was my first. This guy quilted up quick. Binding was not included in the kit that Quilts for Kids sent to me. They made a suggestion on using the extra backing  to bind, but it wasn't working for me so I just used some extra fabric I had that just happened to match. I think it turned out pretty well. I'll post more pics of this guy later.

This photo is before top stitching, but these are complete. These are part of the order my aunt submitted last week. I had fun picking fabrics out of my stash. She'll have a nice variety to choose from for the teachers. My darn walking foot caused TWO needles to break within twenty minutes while sewing these up. I was not a happy camper.

in progress:

[no picture]

Since homespun has decided to pick up my cowls for consignment I've been going through my yarn stash so I can get some crocheted up and sent over. So far I've got 2 finished and I'm in the middle of a third. I'll probably send about 6 or 7 over.

no progress:

• Lucy
• sewing machine cover
• granny square quilt
• bow ties
• space invader pillow

Now that Sharky is done I should be able to get back to Lucy. I think I should be able to get her quilted up pretty quickly then I can start working on the granny square quilt. I also joined a Low Volume Swap so I'll be ordering fabric for that and cutting that up and sending it out. And then there's the Jack Attack Quilt Along. *smh* I shouldn't be joining anything that involves buying fabric but I have. I'll never learn my lesson. I've got some other ideas in my head too that I want to work on. Oi!

Fresh Sewing Day - August

All the pretty things for August, lots of pouches. Now bring on September and that lovely cool weather. Linking up with Lily's Quilts for Fresh Sewing Day and Small Blog Meet.

WIP it - keeping busy

I've had a lot of time off from work the last two weeks and have been doing my best to make the most of it. I've got quite a bit of sewing done for myself and other projects. I like being able to mark stuff off my to do list.

A friend and fellow crafter asked via a group we're part of if any of us had thought about getting our shops ready for the holidays. I hadn't really thought about it, but know I need to. I also need to obtain some much needed supplies. So sewing may start taking a back seat to crocheting. I'm also doing 30 Days of Lists again which means I'll be doing more paper crafting as well.

Anywho, let's get to what we've got done this week.

finishes:

Another zipper pouch. I forgot that I wanted to do some quilting on it and didn't cut it large enough to trim down to size after quilting, so I just did some light stitching in aqua on it. I planned to keep this, but then I changed my mind and decided to give it to my polish swap partner. The polishes fit perfectly in it. I hope she likes it.

Ignore my crazy hair. I remade this hair bow that was originally a bow tie that was too short, so I rigged it to wear as a hair bow for Sew Loco. I wanted to rework it and take of the bow tie slides. I like it much better this way. I'm tempted to wear it to work and see if my boss says anything. Our dress code is pretty strict.

I totally procrastinated and forgot when I needed to submit my contributions to Indie Gift Box. Thankfully I had some extras left from Sew Loco and was able and had enough supplies to put together 17 more of these and have them in the mail by this past Saturday. At one point though Betsy (my sewing machine) was being a jerk and I punched her. Violence is not the answer. It was then I decided to start looking into a new machine and added a sewing machine fund meter to my side bar. I hope I'm able to save up quickly.

in progress:

All caught up with Beginner's Quilt Along blocks. I'm tired of the HST. And triangles in general. The QST weren't too bad. I pretty much did them the same way I did my HST, which is not the way all the tutorials showed (draw a line down the middle, sew on both sides and then cut). Two more blocks to go. I really love that green fabric. I'm gonna have to buy more. It goes well with a lot of other fabrics.

I didn't know what to do with the extra fabric from Lucy, then I got the bright idea to make a pillow to go with it. I don't think I have enough of the multi dots though. Not sure how I'm going to deal with that though. I do have some extra orange flower fabric though. I think this will be fun on it's own as well

I FINALLY started cutting squares for the Scrap Vomit Appreciation swap. I think my partners will be happy to know that seeing as they sent me mine about a month ago. I still have a whole week to get the rest of them done. It's hard to cut scraps when you don't have a lot of fabric. I probably should've waited a few more months to join a swap like this. Oh well

[insert picture of Lucy here]

I got Lucy basted, but I'm kinda scared to start quilting her. The issues with my machine make me a little nervous, but I plan to just jump in and do it. I'll rip out the stitches if I have to. I'm ready to get her done.


no progress:

• sewing machine cover
• Q4K aka Sharky
• granny square quilt
• bow ties

Why do I have to go to work? Why can't this be my work? One day soon.

WIP it - good intentions

I had a whole four days off since last Wednesday and I planned to get A LOT of sewing done. I did, but not really. I fiddled with other random projects and reading and taking naps and running errands. It happens.

I'm trying a new format for this post to see how I like it. Let me know what you think. Also, I have not seen Herbert (the bat) since I showed him the door last week. I kinda miss him.

in progress:

I finished the top for the Quilts for Kids kit. All I need to do is quilt, bind and wash and it'll be ready to mail back. I could have quilted this up (I ordered a walking foot Wednesday and it arrived Friday, YAY!), but I wanted Lucy to be the first quilt I finished. This was so easy to put together. I'm thinking about copying the pattern to make another one to send at a later date. These would make a good day or weekend project. I think it's funny I finished the top right as Shark Week started.

LUCY'S TOP IS DONE!!! YAY!!! She was more work than I anticipated. I probably should've chosen an easier design for my first quilt. I wasn't sure what to do about the borders. Should I add them, should I not? I wanted the quilt to be a little bigger so I added them. I had a hard time getting a picture of it all spread out. I need to find somewhere to photograph larger pieces. Her back is done as well. I did a pieced back. Next up basting and quilting. I have no idea how I should quilt it. Suggestions?

finished:

Here are all the things I finished this week. Two wide mouth pouches, an arm band that holds my phone when I run and a wooden pendant. I plan to blog more about these items later. I'd intended to do it yesterday, but I went to the State Fair. I'm totally okay that I pushed off blogging to enjoy the fair. Oh the good food. I'll be cooking up some good food in the next week or so.

no progress:

• granny square blanket
• scrap vomit appreciation squares (well I cut a few, but not enough for me to call it progress)
• blogger's quilt along
• card holders for Indie Gift Box
• bow ties and hair bows

Yeah, those finished projects are what took up most of my time off that I'd intended to use working on the items that ended up on the no progress list. It happens. So many ideas that I want to work on. I feel like I need a white board or something so I can keep all my ideas prioritized and organized. Maybe I'll figure something out one of these days.

I almost wonder if no progress should go at the top of this post, then in progress and then last the finished items. What do you all think? How do you format your WIP posts?

WIP it - i'm a sewing machine

Ha! See what I did there? I got a lot of sewing and crocheting done this week. A LOT! This is what happens when you have the weekend off and don't leave your apartment except to grab something to eat and work out. I could totally do that every weekend. I don't mind being home when I have things to do.

Block 8 of Beginner's Quilt Along - I kinda wish that the stripes would've either all lined up nicely or where all wonky enough to not line up at all. I probably could've made that happen, but it would've been more work than I was willing to do. I'm not lazy, I just don't feel then need to do extra work if I don't absolutely have to. There was a lot more sewing that needed to be done.

Added four more rows to Oh Lucy! I didn't want to stop sewing, but knew I had to work on other things. I did ignore my hungry tummy for an hour though. She's much bigger than I thought she was going to be. Oops. Oh well. This one has been a learning experience for sure. Also, I think I will be naming all my quilts with people type names. I don't know why, I just think it'll be fun.

Quilts for Kids - This sucker went together quick. I finished most of the top except for the borders. I thought about doing them, but wanted to get some more work done on Lucy. I think part of why this went together so quickly is because I received the kit with all the parts already cut. The only cutting I did was for the four square blocks.  My only frustration at this point is that some of the cuts they made were uneven. It's okay though because I made it work. 

Made a few more card holders and added one to my etsy shop. I'll make a few more for this weekend as well. I've had interest from one person so far for one. Hopefully I'll get a little more interest in them soon. I think they'd be good for school. Keep your money and ID in them and throw them in your pocket or back pack.

I cut some 2.5 inch squares for the Scrap Vomit Appreciation Society swap. I have to cut 100. I've got maybe 20 done. I'm using up my scraps so if there's enough left for a 2.5 inch square it gets cut. Easy peasy. Not even sure what I'll do with the squares I receive. Maybe make a pillow or two.

I've finished another cowl and a few more hats for Sew Loco. A few more to go and I'll be ready for
Saturday. Anything left after Saturday I think I'll put up on etsy. I need to find some models for them though.

No progress on the sewing machine cover, the great granny square/baby quilt or the zipper pouches. I don't expect to make any progress on the sewing machine cover until after my fabric freeze is over...unless I win some fabric in a giveaway or credit to a shop or something. 

I did end up making a dress this weekend too. It's kinda see through though, so it either needs a slip or a tank and some leggings to go underneath. I ended up making it more difficult to make then it needed to be. Lesson learned.

Also linking up with Lily's Quilts for Fresh Sewing Day and Small Blog Meet, here are a bunch of things I worked on and finished this month. I think I got more done than I thought I would. A lot of crocheting too.