Weekly Progress - Home Again, Home Again...

...jiggety-jig!

Before I left, there was a lot of this...

{from the top of the Department of the Interior - my dad scored us a tour, including the Secretary's private office}

{Smithsonian of Natural History...he wanted to see the "cursed diamond" - and then the History Channel was banned...}

{Caterpillars at the Smithsonian}

{the Mall}

{Carousel}

{National Zoo}

And there was a whole lot of packing and driving, which meant there was not a whole lot of sewing. In fact, nothing was done except for Big Blue.

Fifteen Minute Challenge

  Still Big Blue's binding, every day until it was finished on Friday! {And then, no breaks from the packing and driving.}

 

Finished:

Big Blue...like, totally finished.

 

And now I have this...

...that somewhere has my Picture-Perfect Polaroid Block Swap materials...that I absolutely must unpack and finish immediately.

 

No Progress:

Central Park Sudoku (sashing & borders)

Fat Quarter Stars (6/12 blocks)

LQS Saturday Sampler 2012 (15/36 blocks)

LQS Saturday Sampler 2011 (12/12 & center) 

Chunky Log Cabin (13/20 blocks)

St. Paul's Cross (2/42? blocks)

 

Quilting/Basted: 

Bad Romance

Fall-gyle

Layer Cake Quilt Along

 

Joining:

Vintage Holiday Quilt Along

Adoption:

Application Submitted - 2/12 

Home Study - approved 5/12

USCIS paperwork - mailed 6/12
Home Study to Korea - 6/12
Referral Accepted - 6/12

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 1

In Progress: 11

Stash Report - Week 32

One last new quilt store before I leave Virginia...Kelly Ann's in Warrenton. Very small but very quaint and friendly.

I bought the bottom fabric, Timber by Jessica Levitt. I've never heard of it, it's not at all what I typically stash, but I had to have it. There is zero logic to my fabric choices sometimes...

The top fabric is from Joann's and for my Wrapped in Hope quilt - the kid requested Marvel heroes. I have some Spiderman, but I'm having the worst luck finding Avengers! I know where I can get it online, so I'll try one more local store before giving up.

And then there's my reward for cutting my sister's Yellow Brick Road - she chose the size for 24 fat quarters and I got the six leftovers! Guess which color my niece doesn't want...?

I also have the cutting leftovers...a whooping 1.25" from each FQ. Not even enough for a log cabin strip!

And in the finishes, one teeny tiny finish...

 Big Blue!

I already counted out the top. The backing was 120" wide, so it doesn't look that impressive on the outs. But the 450" of binding helps!

Used this Week: 4.26

Used Year to Date: 78.15

Added this Week: 2.75

Added Year to Date: 133.34

Net Used for 2012: (55.19) yards

Big Blue Finish!

What do you get when you combine 450" of binding a really slow handstitcher?

A finish that's a long, looooooooong time coming.

Seriously, I think my sister picked out the pattern 18 months ago {from a friend on Ravelry, I believe} and I've had the fabric for almost a year.

I finished the top right around the Super Bowl this year, which is how it finally got a name. It consists of 90 Hunter's Star blocks, in Dutch Wedgewood by Windham Fabric and Kona White.

{It has been cat loved.}

It is 105x115", which is 10" bigger than king size.

 It's waaaaaaaay bigger than a queen size bed.

It was quilted by Paula, because there's no way I would have even attempted this size. We decided to use a plain white backing {in order to avoid piecing it...not a whole lot of 120" backings out there!} But we chose blue for the thread, so when she turns back the quilt, you get to see the pop of color.

I highly recommend the ruler if anyone attempts this. Everything cut neatly and fit neatly together, even with the eight seams meeting in the star. There's a bit of waste with the original directions, but I figured out pretty quickly how much smaller I could cut the blocks and still come out okay.

Now I kind of want to get my Hunter's Star top quilted!

WiP/FMC - Lots of Little Things

So, where to start...?

How about...we accepted a referral for this little guy!

His name is William WooYeong, he's ten months old, and we have about a year to wait until we get to bring him home.

So that's my favorite little thing...but I did do a lot of other little things this week.

Finished:

Nine-Patch Snowball {Well, the top, at least.}

Fifteen Minute Challenge

 I decided to do Big Blue's binding while supervising the Dude's daily homework. {Which is one worksheet page..but also torture. Apparently. And often takes longer than fifteen minutes.}

I've forgotten how nice a hand-stitched binding looks. Need to do it more often. Anyway, I stitched every day but Sunday, and I'm done with 2.5 sides.

In-Progress:

Layer Cake Snowball Fight - all ready to be assembled!

Central Park Sudoku - really doesn't look like it's changing, but all the blocks are in rows, at least.

LQS Saturday Sampler 2012 (12/36 blocks) - despite screwing up my block last week, I could still make this set by switching the green and brown...and then I miscut the green. That's a six-piece 3" square to make into HST on the top of the green pile. Attractive.

Quilting:

Bad Romance - lines all the way in one direction, third of the way in the other. So I unpinned so that I could free up the basting pins for...

Fall-gyle! I'm probably going to need a new category - Quilted Enough So That I Could Baste Another Quilt. Because buying more basting pins would be silly!

Joining:

Picture-Perfect Polaroid Block Swap - searching for a good charm pack, since I don't have access to my scraps!

In-Progress-But-Not-This-Week

Fat Quarter Stars (6/12 blocks)

In-Progress-But-Not-This-Summer

LQS Saturday Sampler 2011 (12/12 & center) 

Chunky Log Cabin (13/20 blocks)

St. Paul's Cross (2/42? blocks)

Adoption:

Application Submitted - 2/12 

Home Study - approved 5/12

USCIS paperwork - mailed 6/12
Home Study to Korea - 6/12
Referral Accepted - 6/12

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 1

In Progress: 11

WiP/FMC - New Routines

We are slowly settling into a routine here. It's actually a bit harder, since the only time the Dude is allowed at the pool is the time we avoided the pool in California. So my sewing time has to change, too. And there's a lot more distractions around with family wanting to do things! I'm managing to get some sewing time, though.

Fifteen Minute Challenge

I've been binding Big Blue for fifteen minutes each day...but this week, only Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Tuesday. At a rate of 30ish" per day, I should be done with the binding in 15 days! Ugh...I should probably do more than 15 minutes a day.

Finished:

Blue Bowties

These, by the way, were the runner up layouts. I think the wave would look better with smaller blocks.

 Three In Color Order bags for a friend. Yes, I skipped the colored top. Yes, you can't really tell that the one in the back is long and skinny...about the size of a wine bottle, coincidentally.

In-Progress:

Layer Cake Snowball Fight - corners are cut, layer cake hasn't arrived yet

Central Park Sudoku - slowly piecing the nine patches as leaders/enders

Nine-Patch Snowball - nine-patches are done, snowballs are in the works

Quilting:

Bad Romance

Joining:

Picture-Perfect Polaroid Block Swap - blocks are due immediately after I get back to Oklahoma. Insane? Yes!

In-Progress-But-Not-This-Week

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

In-Progress-But-Not-This-Summer

LQS Saturday Sampler 2011 (12/12 & center) 

Chunky Log Cabin (13/20 blocks)

St. Paul's Cross (2/42? blocks)

Adoption:

Application Submitted - 2/12 

Home Study - approved 5/12

USCIS paperwork - mailed 6/12
Home Study to Korea - 6/12

New Projects: 1

Completed Projects: 1

In Progress: 9

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

WiP/FMC - Forward Progress

When you stay home all week, you actually get stuff done! Surprising, I know. My house is pretty clean, too. And I'm caught up on paperwork.

Fifteen Minute Challenge 

I opened the charm packs I won for being awesome at the FMC, and divvied them up between boy/girl/maybe either.

 Vetted my decisions with the Dude. "What's wrong with the flowers? Flowers aren't 'girl.' I like flowers. And the vines are alien arms." Boys...

Anyway, once I figure out the proper number needed, these will be hotel-kitted-up with the white for reverse bowties.

I also finished the toy-border-four-patch-pinwheel kit, and started pulling tops and backing in preparation for packing.

Finishes!

That's right - plural!

Unnamed Baby Girl Quilt

Granny Squares

I pulled them both out of the dryer last night, so they need better pictures {and not in the dim morning light} before getting blogged.

Non-Quilt-Along

Made the top of my husband's offensive t-shirt quilt.

Quilt-Alongs
Fat Quarter Stars - 6/12 blocks - none - I should really toss this into the packing box.
LQS Saturday Sampler 2012 - 12/36

 LQS Saturday Sampler 2011 - still working away at the center

Swoon A Little, Swoon A Lot - sneak peek! All three rows are assembled, the vertical sashing is pieced and pinned to the other two rows, and the border fabric is ironed and awaiting final measurements.

My Precious Quilt Along - I unrolled my honey bun! And nothing horrible happened!

My original plan was to do a log cabin - after all, they're 1.5" strips. But after examining the fabrics, there wasn't enough neutral and contrast - I could only get 16 blocks, and that was with using stripes that were barely neutral. That left ten lonely strips!

So I decided on this elongated box thing. Two strips yield two blocks, alternating where the contrast goes. They're all cut and sorted for easy leaders/enders. 

Untouched This Week:

Chunky Log Cabin

St. Paul's Cross 

Awaiting Binding:

Big Blue - the status of this is apparently making my sister nervous. So I cut the 450" of binding. It will probably take me a week to press it, anyway.

Adoption:

Application Submitted - 2/12 

Home Study - in progress

USCIS paperwork - in progress

New Projects: 2

Completed Projects: 2

In Progress: 9

Linked:

Work in Progress Wednesday

Life in Pieces' Fifteen Minute Challenge