WIP Wednesday - time for catching up

Summer is in full swing here and things are finally starting to settle down a bit. I realized this morning that I haven't posted a WIP Wednesday in...well...forever!  I actually have several things to share and my posting is further behind than my projects - which is nice for once!

My last update was February.  Yes, February.  I'm such a slacker...  So, I'm going to go beyond what I've done in the last week...but don't worry, I won't let the post get that long.  :)

In Progress

Oh My Stars QAL:  Yes, the actual QAL finished a long time ago, and I still only have a few stars.  I've completely changed direction here, though.  I've exchanged the white backround I was using for a dark gray.  Can't remember the color...one of the Free Spirit ones.  Still using Terrain and I've managed to create quite a stash of it in the past few weeks.  Fat Quarter Shop had it half-price and I also snatched up some at a local fabric shop.  I may qualify as a hoarder now.





Paintbox Quilt:  Squares are steadily coming in from my TwitterB group.  Only a few more outstanding.  I'm going to have to supplement with my own blocks, but I'm good with that as I need to dig into my stash to make room for new fabrics.  :)





Tangled Webs Pattern:  Still working on this, but I have made a big decision.  The pattern will be FREE.  I've debated it for several weeks and "decided" I should charge for it because of the time involved, but it never felt right.  I've grown my skills thanks to the generosity of other bloggers and I feel that my first pattern should be a thank-you gift of sorts.  So...be watching for my pattern soon.  :)

Sherbet Socks: The initial motivation for learning to knit was socks.  No matter what time of year, my feet are always cold.  I hate cold feet.  I want knit socks.  Warm, toast, colorful knit socks.  Well, I've finally (five months later!) started a pair.  I love the fun colors. (BTW - the pic is old...they are halfway down my foot now. )  :)








Sewing Room:  Work has started on finishing up my sewing-room re-do.  All of my stuff is out of the room and I hope to finish pulling border down tonight and paint tomorrow.  I made a little schematic on Monday so I could play around with furniture placement.  (I told y'all I'm a little OCD...).  The back page is the room - to scale, of course - and the top is my furniture pieces.  I then cut them out and move them around.  Like a puzzle, I guess.





Finishes

Charmed Prints Quilt:  I actually finished this in April, but haven't posted.  Pics and a full write-up soon.





Prince Charming Quilt Top:  I finished my Quilt Top last month in hopes of having the quilt done in time for Tula Pink's visit.  No such luck on finishing the quilt, but she did sign the label I made.  Now, to get to the long arm!





Tropical Tote:  This was last week's easy Saturday project.   The boys left on a two-week trip to Michigan and I needed some sewing therapy.  Tutorial will be up next week.






and finally.... Baseball!  We finished up the Spring baseball season on Friday.  Both boys' teams finished in second place in their divisions.  So proud of them and all of their hard work.  They both want to be pitchers and are well on their way.  It's wonderful to watch them excel at things they love.  :)






Would love to hear what you've been up to... don't forget to link up with Lee!!







 

oh my ... stars!!

I know - what a terrible play on words.  But, I have stars!!  Well, sort of....  I have fully trimmed, ready-to-sew stars.  I finished them last night, so they are now patiently waiting to be sewn so they can join their lonely mama-star in the finished pile.  (Yes, I still technically only have one star finished.)












These are the first set of the Oh My Stars! quilt along and I can't wait to get started on the next set.  They all look so beautiful.

I've also managed to finish two TwitterB blocks... my last ones, sadly.  I can't believe we've gone through the entire year!   Linda sent a beautiful butterfly fabric, so I played up the aquas and yellows.  She asked for Scrappy Hedgerow Blocks, using Elizabeth Hartman's tutorial. 




Charlene sent some Amy Butler Soul Blossoms and asked for a block using Elizabeth's Mod Mosaic tutorial.   




I was last in the group, so my fabric went out last week.  I asked the girls to make... wait for it... yes, an Elizabeth Hartman block.  Are you seeing a pattern here?  Hmmmm.

The block I chose was the Paintbox Quilt Blocks.  I sent out some solids based on the "Fresh Tints" palate by designseeds.




I also asked them to make siggy blocks to add to the back.  Can't wait to see what the girls do with it.


School is going well. I actually had a stats-free weekend and it was wonderful. I cleaned out my sewing room closet so my father-in-law could start on making some shelves...and he finished them yesterday! I'll have before and after photos to show soon.

On the yarn front, I still haven't finished my beginner's scarf, but I've started another set of gloves and a Honey Cowl.  I'm using Berroco Boboli.... oh, so soft!!!  I can't wait to get this one finished.  Looks like I'll be keeping my pattern of starting a bazillion projects and finishing none.  Just like my quilting.  :)




A local shop is having a yarn sale through Friday, so I'm heading out today to see what I can find. I've never been there before, so it should be fun!

Happy Wednesday... don't forget to link up with Lee!

wip wednesday

Wow, it's been far too long since I've posted one of these. I guess that's a good thing, though, since I had a flurry of finishes over Christmas break. Believe it or not, I still have two quilts to show you! I don't yet have pictures, but that's what happens when you go into work at o'dark-thirty and leave again at o'dark-thirty. Maybe this weekend.

Grad-school is back in full swing and the stress has already skyrocketed.  I'm hoping it's just typical re-entry stress and that it will be gone in a week or so.  In the meantime, lots of chocolate....




In-Progress:  Oh My Stars and Bethlehem Star quilts.

I haven't touched the Bethlehem Star quilt and have only managed one star in the Oh My Star's Quilt Along.  One.  So sad.




Only 110 to go. *sigh*  I have the others in this "set" cut and the flying geese parts together.  Maybe I can get the blocks formed this weekend.


New Projects: Knitting and Sewing Room Makeover

I can't remember if I've shared this or not, but I started a beginners class with a friend Thursday before last and it's so fun.  Next class is tomorrow.  I'm supposed to have 10-inches done on my scarf and I have about two.  Guess what I'm doing tonight?  *cough*

first stitches (mine is the blue)

On the sewing room front, a friend of mine came over last Saturday and helped me get the ball rolling.  I'll be using Terrain as my inspiration fabric - there's a surprise.  The walls will be a light aqua/teal and we're re-purposing some old office furniture that was in our storage room (that used to be a home-office).   Next up: Cleaning out the room so I can paint.

Well, ok... next step is actually buying paint.  :)


Finishes:

I did manage to finish my latest iPad case and I've gotten an incredible amount of comments on it.  Once again, if you haven't checked out Faith's website you should check it out.  Fabulous tutorials for just about anything you can imagine.




And finally, thanks so much to everyone who voted for me in the Quilting Gallery contest last week and left such wonderful comments.  Jane's Black and White Quilt took first place!...y'all really know how to make a girl feel good.  :)

I'm working at Karen Gray's this weekend for one of her famously huge sales.  I hope all the locals will stop by.  I enjoy working for her and am actually in process of setting up my first teaching class there.  Woot!

Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced...for the first time in what seems like forever.  Hope you'll hop over there and do the same!




Happy Wednesday!

something new

It's so nice to be finished with *almost* all of my quilts - I finished FOUR over my holiday break.  FOUR!!  Ok, ok, one is still in binding mode, but it will be done in the next day or so, well before classes start.  However, in reviewing them as well as those I made last year, I noticed something.





Do you see it????   They're all SQUARES!!

Except for the pinwheel in the black-and-white quilt, all of the quilt blocks are squares or some variation on a square.  Oy!  Same is true for the three quilts I've just finished but haven't shown you yet.  Yup.  Squares.

As you can imagine, I'm ready for something different, so I've decided to join the Oh My Stars! Quilt Along over at Thought and Found.  I've been eying it for a while, trying to decide what to do and I've finally decided to jump in.  I can't stop thinking about it so, if I can't beat 'em, I should join 'em, right?

I'll be using my Terrain (gasp!) fat-eighth bundle with a few coordinating solids peppered throughout.





I purchased this chunk of gorgeousness way back in October and have spent quite a bit of time admiring it.  I did break down and use an inch or two of one of the purple fabrics for a zipper pouch, but otherwise it still sits, all bundled up in a beautiful little stack.

Now, I will say up front that I won't be going at the same clip as the others in the QAL.  Second semester classes start up next week, so I'm not committing to any big projects.  I've turned down swaps, bees, and even my church group on new projects.  I just can't do it. 

My goal is one star set a week (a star set is one 12", two 8" and four 4" stars) and if I miss a week then I miss a week.  Not beating myself up over this one.  No deadline.  No rush.  No worries.  It gets done when it gets done.  This project is intended to be a stress reliever and a (hopeful) reward to finishing surviving the Spring semester.   The quilt is for me, the time to build it will be for me and, likewise, I'll be going at my own little pace.  :) 

The only other thing I'm trying to do is dedicate Sundays to my Bethlehem Star quilt.  My father-in-law came over last night with a train table for my boys, handmade to our specifications.  Now they have an awesome place to build their tracks and a little scenery without messing up their toy area.  If you remember, he also made my cutting table (which I adore!) and the quilt is a thank you to him.  I must finish this.  Goal is October for this one.  The quilt is more tedious than I ever imagined, so I need a deadline to keep me on it.  Prayers welcome.  ;o)

I'll try to keep y'all posted as I go with some WIP updates on both quilts.  Please don't worry too much if I get quiet.  I was really stressed out last semester, so I'm trying to learn from my mistakes.  Shortening my to-do list will help immensely. 

Oh - and I still have three finished quilts to show you.  Eep!