June - The Roller Coaster Month

June has been an interesting month - lots of ups and downs.

My husband was supposed to go on a short trip, but ended up shredding an engine and being stuck in Guam for nearly two weeks. {He had three other engines to land with. Clearly this was not an emergency. I like denial.}

Since this was a mere 20 days after getting home with the Little Man, I was going slightly insane by mid-month. Not to mention, no "babysitter" = no long arm rental time = delay in finishing a customer quilt.

But woo - the up! A customer quilt!


A running t-shirt quilt - and I think I did a fabulous job. ;) {My AYOLF goal.}

I also ventured cautiously into the world of branding and hired a designer to do my logo. I'm slowly working toward understanding my Facebook page and blog as a business. Don't worry - it'll take all summer.


I also finished a t-shirt quilt for Lori - just a sneak peek, full post will be Friday. With professional photographs! {Because I mailed it to her.}


Worked on a Tennessee Waltz for my aunt - the first border, an "extension" border is done. {My NewFO.}

Kept steadily cutting Ripples and Reflections. O.M.G. So much cutting! I thought I would cheat and just cut step 1, but so many of the steps overlap pieces. I need one Fabric 4, Piece B, for Step 1, then four more in Step 6, and the last three in Step 10 - or something like that. So I need to cut everything...and I really don't know how to organize it.


Put extension borders on Summer Drinks. I wasn't sure on this, but I think it's the perfect way to finish it off.


Finished the star blocks for Cardinal Charms and started piecing the rest of the quilt. I laid it out and thought about making more star blocks {six seems paltry} but I really like the 10x12 layout. So I'm sticking with it.

{And yes, the colors will be spread out. Just threw them on the design wall/floor to check layout numbers.}

Since we're halfway, here's six months of Churn Dashes. Not too many darker ones, but this month is red, so there will be some darker tones added. Overall I'm really happy with these!

Oh, and I made a skirt! A very simple maxi skirt, but I followed instructions. And my fabric wasn't stretchy in the same direction as the instructions. So my waistband had no stretch...plus I measured after eating pasta, so everything was just a little off. ;) I ended up sewing a casing, picking out the side seam, and putting in elastic. Little extra work but it fits fine now! And the foldover waist hides the extra stitching.


There was also school finishing and national park visiting and half marathon running and lion feeding and inappropriate dam joking. You know, summer stuff.

Linked:
BOMs Away Monday @ What A Hoot
Design Wall Monday @ Patchwork Times
Linky Tuesday @ Freemotion by the River
WiP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced
Rainbow Scrap Challenge @ SoScrappy
Scrap Basket Sunday @ Kim's Big Quilting Adventure
Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric
A Year of Lovely Finishes
Fresh Sewing Day @ Lily's Quilts
NewFO @ Cat Patches

May - The Family Month

A little earlier this month, when my husband said he was going to take the Dude to see Godzilla, I said the good movies don't come out until May.

It might have been May 16 when this conversation took place.

So... I also didn't notice May was pretty much over by this morning. So this is a bit rushed during my precious Daniel Tiger distraction time.

Finished

Cat Tails - and my family! My AYOLF for the month.

Piecing

Running T-shirt Quilt - all but the two hardest blocks are pieced! They require very careful cutting, so I saved them for last. And I need to wiggle around the color placements to break up the darks.

Weekly Churn Dashes - a lovely set of green. It was hard to choose this month; I really like my greens!

Cardinal Charms - my NewFO - I started this Christmas quilt as my leader/ender, since it's easier to have out than Celtic Solstice.

Other

And I made a running skirt for the Portland Rock'N'Roll Half Marathon...a mere 7.5 days after getting back from Korea. YEAH. That was insane.

Other than that, this month has just been getting to know my toddler and making this new family dynamic work. We're slowly getting there. Most things are good, other than communication. And I know that will come...eventually. And since most other things are good, I can't really complain.

But I'd really like him to learn "more" and stop slamming his plate on the table.

Linked:

Rainbow Scrap Challenge @ SoScrappy

A Year of Lovely Finishes

Fresh Sewing Day @ Lily's Quilts

NewFO @ Cat Patches

End of Month Report - April

This will also suffice as my weekly report, since I haven't done much worth reporting. Ah, the joys of prepping a house to sell.

Family: the black cat started an extensive chemo program at OSU, and is responding really well to it. Every minute of cuddles is worth my entire fabric budget.

The Dude was Star Student this week. I think his brainwashing is complete.

And after a yard sale this coming weekend, I think the house will be ready to go on the market. Deep sigh.

Adoption: our agency's first cases of the year go to court soon, so we should have a better idea of the timeline soon. Meanwhile, our I-864 got lost, so I'm copying tax returns...again.

Running: another month, another half!

Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon - 2:33 and a PR for Lori! We did shots of vodka at mile 6.4...which was about 8 am. Obviously we take running seriously.

I made the sparkle skirts, mostly because Team Sparkle doesn't have a rainbow one. They were...less than perfect. The rainbow "fabric" has zero stretch to it, unlike the colors. If I had to do it again, I'd make casing - it's just as easy as zig-zagging the elastic to the fabric.

Other sewing:

I finished piecing the top of the fireman t-shirt quilt, and it's about 75% quilted. Should be done by the end of the week...which is not quite by the end of April, but pretty close.

All of the quilting is done on the Fractured Four Patch, and the binding is prepped, but it's in the queue behind the t-shirt quilt, so it waits.

I also said I would finish Boardwalk, Cat Tails, and Saturday Sampler - all of which were hardly touched in April. {Boardwalk had brief moments as leader/enders.} I seriously underestimated the amount of work the house would take. {Go ahead and laugh.}

Sadly, didn't even cut any green for my Rainbow Scrap Challenge. And I only did a NewFO if you count the fireman quilt...technically it was started in April!

Goals for May:
1. Quilt Rainbow Sherbet - and delivering it to my MIL at a wedding...Mother's Day weekend...

2. Finish the fireman quilt and Fractured Four Patch.

3. Start/finish another running t-shirt quilt. {Momma's gotta pay for chemo!}

4. Finish one of the above mentioned tops. {Boardwalk, Cat Tails, Saturday Sampler...one of them...any of them!}

Linked:

Nothing But UFOs
A Year of Finishes
Getting It Done
Year of the Finished Project
Just Three

Fresh Sewing Day @ Lily's Quilts
NewFO Challenge @ Cat Patches 
Rainbow Scrap Challenge @ SoScrappy

Fifteen Minute Challenge @ Life In Pieces

WiP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced

WiP/FMC - More Other Stuff

Another week of "other" sewing, and the stress of it all sent my poor machine to the repair shop. Luckily I finished almost everything first, and spending a couple days with my secondary machine has confirmed my decision not to bring my secondary machine this summer!

Dresses {McCall's 5613}, top {McCall's 6022}, shirts {applique} and shorts {McCall's 6022}

A ribbon blankie divided

Fifteen Minute Challenge 

I cut hotel kits every day this week - thank goodness! I'm down to one kit {the mason jars} to be finalized before we leave. And it feels so, so good to have these all settled and waiting for me.

Non-Quilt-Along

 Finished my husband's offensive t-shirt quilt. And...if you want to vote for it, the nomination form is here, and mine is #338. ;)

Quilt-Alongs
Fat Quarter Stars - 6/12 blocks - none - in the packing box
LQS Saturday Sampler 2012 - 12/36

 LQS Saturday Sampler 2011 - on summer hiatus

My Precious Quilt Along {Shoe Boxes} - no new boxes since Monday 

 

Untouched This Week:  

Chunky Log Cabin

St. Paul's Cross 

Awaiting Binding:

Big Blue - binding attached to the front. I should, uh, probably fold it up for the hand-stitching on the car ride. Before it gets cat hair on it. 

 

Adoption:

Application Submitted - 2/12 

Home Study - in progress - almost all the background checks are in!

USCIS paperwork - completed & waiting on home study to mail

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 1

In Progress: 8

Linked:

Work in Progress Wednesday

Life in Pieces' Fifteen Minute Challenge

Make it, Wear It 

Wip/FMC - The Other Stuff

This week has been consumed by Other Stuff.

We went to a wedding in New York this weekend. The only thing the Dude remembers is "seeing" the Statue of Liberty. From Battery Park. We actually went to Times Square and the 9/11 Memorial, and he doesn't recall either of those.

At home, I've been working on a pile of Other Stuff - clothing for a friend, pillowcase dresses, squadron baby blankets, pillow shams. Nothing difficult, but lots of little stuff I need to check off my list before leaving.
Note: when working with a directional print cut on the fold, one of the patterns needs to be flipped and cut on the other side of the fold. Good thing I thought to check before cutting!

Fifteen Minute Challenge 

I didn't do very well at the FMC this week - Thursday-Sunday was the wedding, with no sewing, and I didn't get a chance to do anything yesterday. There were a few sewing related things going on, but no kits cut. My list of kit requirements is winding down - which is good, because I leave in less than two weeks! 

Non-Quilt-Along

Started quilting my husband's offensive t-shirt quilt. Not all of it is offensive! {Just most of it.}

Quilt-Alongs
Fat Quarter Stars - 6/12 blocks - none - tossed into the packing box
LQS Saturday Sampler 2012 - 12/36

 LQS Saturday Sampler 2011 - have a plan for the center, but on summer hiatus

Swoon A Little, Swoon A Lot - top done!! Finally!! Too big for my fence picture, but you get the general gist of it. And the general gist is AWESOME.

My Precious Quilt Along {Shoe Boxes} - no new boxes since Monday

Untouched This Week:

Chunky Log Cabin

St. Paul's Cross 

Awaiting Binding:

Big Blue - binding made. Now starting the long process of attaching binding.

Adoption:

Application Submitted - 2/12 

Home Study - in progress - checking on background checks today

USCIS paperwork - completed & waiting on home study to mail

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 0

In Progress: 9

Linked:

Work in Progress Wednesday

Life in Pieces' Fifteen Minute Challenge
One Thing, One Week

Design Wall Monday - Week 30

I was going to make a joke about how this is my design wall...

But then this happened...

And now I'm too hot to be funny.

The actual design wall is Christmas Stars.

I was going to do a second block like this one, but now I'm thinking about just putting them together as they are. I like the middle star that I won't get by breaking up the blocks.
 I can still use the strips of 2.5" blocks I've already made in a border. I'm going to get something else for the first border, though. The white up there has roses and isn't very Christmas-y.

However, there will be no sewing, of the dress or the stars, until the AC gets fixed!

The cats have the smartest plan - get as flat as you can on the tile floor.

Preferably near a fan.

Check out more design walls at Patchwork Times!

Sunday Stash Report - Week 10

Finally, the one my sister has been waiting for.

Bought this:

Made this:

Seriously over-estimated the blue - the pattern (McCalls 8895) had the bodice in different colors and ribbons on the sleeves instead of the red fabric. So I have 3/4 yards going into stash (which is why I bought basic tone-on-tone blue.)
The dress went together so well that I bought another 1.5 yards of the red to make the cape. The collar fabric/interfacing came from my stash.

I also bought and used 0.25 yards for the Sweet Dreams binding. Backing was from stash.

Used this Week: 8.5

Used Year to Date: 30.64

Added this Week: 6.0
Added Year to Date: 45.44
Net Used for 2011: (14.8) yards

See? Told you the numbers would start moving! Thirty yards busted BEFORE fifty yards purchased!

Check out the others on Patchwork Times.

Pajamas that Touch the Floor

Disclaimer:

I measured the Dude the other night for these, and discovered that he has the same waist and chest dimensions as his four-year-old cousin - but he has 6" longer legs and is 9" taller overall. No wonder his pants never touch the ground.

Not any more, kiddo!

 Based on the Simplicity 8493 pattern. By based on, I mean, I still hate the neckline. I've tried it as a V, now as an oval... Maybe I should try it with the buttons originally intended in the pattern.

Want to be really scared? I use the pattern for size 2...and just made the sleeves and legs (a lot) longer.

Disaster in Progress - Week 1

I work so well under deadlines...

Due tomorrow:

Sweet Dreams just needs the binding. That'll be finished sometime this afternoon. Hopefully.

The Dude has PJ Day on Friday, and all his are 3" too short. Fine for home, not for school. Luckily I had the flannel on hand!

Due next week:

There is a row of the Charm Pack Quilt Along draped on every surface of this room. I'm just thankful I labeled each row, otherwise I'd really be in trouble right about now.

Unpictured is the pile of stuff to be quilted, which includes Bad Romance (oops, was that for Valentine's Day?) and a heart table runner (oops, was that for...oh, nevermind.)

My LQS is having a quilting retreat on Monday, and I think I'm going to go - mostly because that will force me to clean everything up and get organized this weekend.

Because right now I can't even find the ironing board.

Everyone else at Freshly Pieced is doing much, much better.

Christmas Pajamas 2010

This year, for some reason, I thought it would be cool to make six pairs of Christmas pajamas. I thought I was paring it down by only making bottoms, not tops.

I was still sewing Christmas morning.

And none of them are hemmed, even now.

These came out okay, but because of the way I folded the fabric*, half the pants have snowmen going the wrong way on the front and back.

*The "fabric" was king-size flannel sheets from Target. Hey, where else can you get that much flannel for $20? But, um, pay attention to the way you fold the flat sheet if you want the pattern to match.

For mine and my sister's, I used Simplicity 2414. And I hate the waist. What's the deal with the extra fabric above and below the casing? It bunched up weird. I'm thinking of adding elastic or something to make it more waist-like. 

My original plan for my husband and father's was to just add a couple inches all around. Except when my husband tried mine on (to see where I needed to add), I discovered...boys need more room in the crotch.

I ran to the thrift store and grabbed a PJ pattern for 64-cents (love you, thrift store!) Yeah, there's a big difference in the crotch. Slightly more than adding an inch or two here or there.

So the other three pairs ended up coming from Simplicity 5994.

And can I take a moment to give some love to my table? An entire pant leg pattern fits on there! (When it's clean.) IKEA, I love you.