WiP/FMC - Packing Again

Here we go again...

And it's the big one - to the East Coast and saying goodbye for a while.

...and then to New Jersey for the weekend. Just in case I haven't spent enough time in hotels recently.

Before packing up, I worked on my Spongebob blocks, and forgot to take a new picture since Monday. They're not done, but they're pretty close!

 Of course, I can't find the borders that I know I cut before I left. Luckily the Dimples fabric should be easy to find...but annoying since I know I have five yards of it at home!

16/24 nine patches done. Next step is the snowballs, and like I mentioned on Monday, I'm going to have a little Snowball Fight next month. 

And since it's Christmas in July around blogland, I'm going to get a layer cake of Joy and snowball that up during the Fight, with alternating color corners. 

If you want to follow along, you need a layer cake {or (42) 10" squares} and one yard each of two colors. Or two yards of one color. Or 5/8ths each of four colors...but let's not get too crazy around here.

 

 And I got a bit bored and started some blue bowties. 

In-Progress-But-Not-During-Hotel-Sewing-Month

Fat Quarter Stars (6/12 blocks)
LQS Saturday Sampler 2012 (12/36 blocks) 

LQS Saturday Sampler 2011 (12/12 & center) 

Chunky Log Cabin (13/20 blocks)

St. Paul's Cross (2/42? blocks)

Big Blue (hand stitching binding)

Adoption:

Application Submitted - 2/12 

Home Study - approved 5/12

USCIS paperwork - mailed 6/12

New Projects: 1

Completed Projects: 0

In Progress: 9

DWM - Summer Drinks

Ha, remember when I said I was going to get this done last Thursday?

There's a LOT of seams to press. So not quite done yet, but it's getting closer.

Oh, and Kate pointed out that the colors remind her of lemonade. And pink lemonade and green tea...my favorite summer drinks! And so the quilt has a name.

And on a completely different note...

I'm nearing the end of the nine patches, and that means I have to start the snowballs. I'm not a huge fan of snowballs - tediously sewing one corner after the other, and double, of course, to get that bonus HST.

So... I was thinking about hosting a "Snowball Fight" in July. Just a little series with snowball inspiration, and a link up {with prizes!} for anyone willing to throw some snowballs with me. Anyone interested?

WiP/FMC - Back in Cali {For the Moment}

I'm late on posting - yesterday was both my husband's birthday and his "check" ride for the new airplane! Yay, he passed! Congrats, he can deploy! Sigh. We have one weekend left, so we're determined to do something fun.

Anyway... Other than the fly-back-from-Vegas day, I've managed to get some sewing time in. {Even if it was trimming/pressing/snipping HST dog ears during a Pawn Stars marathon.}

{Don't you love the hotel bed spread?}

Almost done with my Spongebob blocks. I'm not sewing them a block at a time - I sewed everything into pairs. Next into four-patches, then into blocks. Hopefully will be done by the end of the day, since today is laundry day.

And nine patches as the leaders and enders, still!

In-Progress-But-Not-During-Hotel-Sewing-Month

Fat Quarter Stars (6/12 blocks)
LQS Saturday Sampler 2012 (12/36 blocks) 

LQS Saturday Sampler 2011 (12/12 & center) 

Chunky Log Cabin (13/20 blocks)

St. Paul's Cross (2/42? blocks)

Big Blue (hand stitching binding)

Adoption:

Application Submitted - 2/12 

Home Study - approved 5/12

USCIS paperwork - mailed 6/12

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 0

In Progress: 8

DWM & Quilt Story Feature!

One of my favorite quilts is being featured on Quilt Story today!

I started this way back in the summer of 2010, and finished it in March 2011. I knew from the beginning that the pink and butterflies would end up here, in my niece's bedroom.

{Charm Pack Quilt Along / Design by Freckled Whimsy}

And if you're new here, welcome! Thanks for stopping by! 

Things are a little crazy right now - my husband deploys in a week and a half, and we're living in a hotel in California while he finishes his training. Which was also a hotel in Vegas for 10 days...but now we're back in CA. After he leaves, we're living with my parents in Virginia for the summer. But we're normally residents of Oklahoma. {Don't worry - I can't keep up, either.}

We includes my son, the Dude. And two cats - they're in Virginia right now, since they don't take well to hotel living. Oh, and in the midst of all this, we're adopting from Korea. Good times.

For the last couple of months, I spent fifteen minutes a day {thanks to the Fifteen Minute Challenge, which is run by Kate in OK...no relation!} cutting "hotel sewing kits" - quilts cut out completely, since I would have no space to cut yardage. I ended up with eight kits and already finished one spiraling HST top.

Apparently my kits are loaded with HSTs. I finished trimming 252 HSTs during the Father's Day Pawn Stars marathon.

Which are slowly becoming this, on my flannel{ish} tablecloth back design wall!

{It's the Lynnebob Squarepants block.}

Sunday Stash Report - Week 25

Let's start with the finish!

I had zero floor space at the Vegas hotel, so you'll have to look at the stained glass effect I got from {haphazardly} pinning it to the curtains.

It's about 35" square. I'm debating adding another row to the top and side - that would make all the corners end with the neutral.

But of course, I didn't bring the fabric with me and I have no idea where I bought it in the first place, so till the end of the summer, it's done.

On the other hand, while in Vegas, I got to do a mini-shop-hop and visit Fabric Boutique and Quiltique.

And that's all I bought!

{Oh, the restrictions of luggage weight and another two weeks in a tiny hotel room.}

The pattern is Boardwalk by Fig Tree & Co {already have fabrics picked out at home}; the book is Schnibbles Times Two {only two years late on this whole Schnibble thing}; the fabric is Little Apples by Aneela Hoey {to bind my as-yet-unmade Walk in the Woods quilt.}

Used this Week: 1.17

Used Year to Date: 62.49

Added this Week: 0.62

Added Year to Date: 109.61

Net Used for 2012: (47.12) yards

My Precious "Shoe Box" Blocks

So... I have 40 blocks from my most precious Objects of Desire honey bun...

Now I just need to decide what to do with them!

5x8 - long and skinny - 25x56" - table runner

8x5 - 40x35" - square(ish) baby quilt

4x10 - 28x50" - slightly too square table runner

10x4 - 70x20 - reeeeeeeeally skinny table runner

{I wonder what size my kitchen table is?}

I also have the panel back at home... Near as I can figure, one way uses 24 blocks and yields a 52x42" quilt. The other way uses 34 blocks and yields a 52x46" quilt.

Or, I could add a layer cake...or 4-5 charm packs...

Ah, decisions!

Linked:

My Precious QAL

WiP/FMC/DWM - Still in Vegas

You'd think Vegas would be exciting, right? We're pretty far from the Strip, and with no car and a seven year old, there's not much to do.

Except for the pool. I think the Dude is growing gills. We easily spend over three hours a day there. I've done a bit of hand stitching, but it's really too warm to have it draped all over me. Not to mention, the fear of the Dude splashing pool water on a 50 year old quilt!


{Did our tenth anniversary Ocean's Eleven-style, watching the fountains at the Bellagio.}

We did make it to the Strip a couple times, and saw KA, a Cirque Du Soliel show, last night. And I did manage to steal the car and visit a couple quilt stores one day when my husband was flying the night shift. By the way, Fabric Boutique and Quiltique - lovely. Just lovely.

We try to stay inside during the hottest part of the day, so I get some quiet time to sew. {In between rounds of Blink. Oh, so many rounds of Blink.}

I finished the Striped HST top. It was pretty easy once I had a "design wall" {flannel-ish back of a vinyl tablecloth} to keep track of the stripe direction.

Made nine-patches as my leaders/enders. They will be paired with snowballs.

And today, at the pool, I started the HST lines on the Spongebob blocks. I know, I make Vegas seem seriously exciting. Try to contain your jealousy.

In-Progress-But-Not-During-Hotel-Sewing-Month

Fat Quarter Stars (6/12 blocks)
LQS Saturday Sampler 2012 (12/36 blocks) 

LQS Saturday Sampler 2011 (12/12 & center) 

Chunky Log Cabin (13/20 blocks)

St. Paul's Cross (2/42? blocks)

Big Blue (hand stitching binding)

Adoption:

Application Submitted - 2/12 

Home Study - approved 5/12

USCIS paperwork - mailed 6/12

New Projects: 1

Completed Projects: 1

In Progress: 9

Linked:

Work in Progress Wednesday

Life in Pieces' Fifteen Minute Challenge

Patchwork Times

Fabric Tuesday

WiP/FMC/Just 3 - Still Transistioning

Guess where I am!?

I know, you totally thought California. I've bought so many one-way plane tickets that I'm sure I'm on a terrorist watch list. 

 But the husband got sent to an exercise in Vegas to finish his training, and like a good camp wife, I packed up and followed. 

Thank goodness the Dude is laid back. As long as there's a pool, he doesn't care what state we're in.

Anyway, sewing...

On Wednesday, I finished up the Shoe Boxes.

Now I need to figure out if I want to sew them into a table runner, a small wall quilt, or figure out if I can set them around the panel and get a little bigger quilt out of them.

Thursday, I packed up; Friday, I flew to Cali.

 My baby traveled in a beach bag from Target, strapped to a rolling frame. I thought about putting it in a small rolling suitcase, but we ended up on regional jets to Vegas, and all those little rolling suitcases were gate checked. My little beach bag still fit in the overhead bin.
I got a couple raised eyebrows through security - but hey, it wasn't 4 oz of liquid, so no danger!

{I did take the needle out for the flights, but kept the power cord in case they wanted me to prove it was a sewing machine.}

Saturday, we went to Lake Tahoe. Because, why not?

Sunday and Monday, I worked on the Striped HST quilt, with the Nine-Patch Snowball as leader/ender.Tuesday, I flew to Vegas. Sigh. Now to set up a new hotel room.

In-Progress-But-Not-During-Hotel-Sewing-Month

Fat Quarter Stars (6/12 blocks)
LQS Saturday Sampler 2012 (12/36 blocks) 

LQS Saturday Sampler 2011 (12/12 & center) 

Chunky Log Cabin (13/20 blocks)

St. Paul's Cross (2/42? blocks)

Big Blue (hand stitching binding)

Adoption:

Application Submitted - 2/12 

Home Study - approved 5/12(!!)

USCIS paperwork - mailed 6/12(!!)

New Projects: 2

Completed Projects: 0

In Progress: 9

Linked:

Work in Progress Wednesday

Life in Pieces' Fifteen Minute Challenge

DWM - Stripey Triangles

Settled in and sewing!

And man, isn't the hotel lighting great??

I'm planning on getting a flannel-backed tablecloth for a real design wall, because the bed is not cutting it. And this layout, while easy, requires paying attention to the stripe direction, so I need to see where I'm going with it!

This is the little table I'm sharing with my husband's studying. It's a pretty tight fit - the "kitchen" and door are a chair's width from the table - but we're making it work. For now.

Linked:

Patchwork Times

Fabric Tuesday

Sunday Stash Report - Week 23

I missed last week in the whole "drive to Virginia" thing, but I'm back! In, um, California!

We are mostly settled into the hotel with my husband. I haven't sewn yet, but I'm going to send the boys to the pool this afternoon so I can have some quality quiet time. Interspersed with doing my husband's laundry.

So no finishes in the past two weeks, but a couple of purchases and wins!

I won this vintage sheet fat quarter set from the My Precious QAL. Beautiful rainbow stripes!

I also snatched up some of the cream background fabric for my Saturday Sampler when my LQS put it back on the shelves. And, since they only had about five cuts of the backing fabric left, I grabbed one of those, too. So now I'm set to finish that...in the fall.

Used this Week: 0

Used Year to Date: 61.32

Added this Week: 7.16

Added Year to Date: 108.99

Net Used for 2012: (47.67) yards

Linked:
Patchwork Times