Fifteen Minute Challenge - Week 16

I've spent way more than 15 minutes in the sewing room every day this week - it's Christmas Crunch Time!

Tuesday - basted the Grinch

Wednesday - pieced Rudolph

Thursday-Monday - quilted the Grinch, made doll clothes

Monday - borders on Rudolph

So far the Grinch has diamond cross-hatching. I haven't decided if I want to do a couple of extra lines in there. I think it'll depend on time - I need to get Rudolph basted today so I can quilt while the Dude is at school. Rudolph's quilting will be even simpler than the Grinch's, so if I get done by Friday, I can add lines to the Grinch.

 I tried drawing the extra lines, but, um, I can't draw with a mouse. I think it will look good {with thread} so I hope I have enough time.

I'm going to spend this week's 15 minutes prepping the binding for both of them, so they'll be good to go by next week. Oh, crap, I need to be ready for Christmas by next week! Okay, I need to spend 15 minutes each day ordering presents, and 15 minutes each day baking cookies, and 15 minutes wrapping presents, and...

Check out how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces!

Fifteen Minute Challenge - Week 15

Last week was crazy busy, after two weeks of really busy, after a month of busy. But, our squadron holiday party turned out to be a lot of fun, and I have a list of what to do better next year.

I did get a little bit of sewing in the meantime, and finished the Advent Calendar.

Tuesday - added borders

Wednesday - nothing {drove to Wichita for a keg}

Thursday - added borders, cut backing

Friday - nothing {holiday party}

Saturday - quilted

Sunday - added binding

Monday - pressed the Grinch for basting

 

 The back is just muslin with simple quilting. It'll never be anything but a wall hanging, so I don't see the point of a pretty back!

One member of the family is really looking forward to tonight.

The Advent Calendar is from the Moda Bake Shop tutorial. Charms are from 12 Days of Christmas and Merry & Bright. Flying Geese and binding are from my mom's old stash.

Check out how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces and more fabric projects at Fabric Tuesday!

Fifteen Minute Challenge - Week 14

This week was all about the Advent Calendar. And then we started celebrating it with the church dates, but our online Advent calendar doesn't start until Dec. 1, so the Dude is thoroughly confused. So we're going with the Dec. 1 start date and I have a little more time to finish the Calendar.

On the wall with no border to keep Days 21-24 in place, no threads clipped, no quilting, no washing to remove the embroidery guidelines...

Tuesday - embroidered 4 days

Wednesday - embroidered 4 days

Thursday - embroidered 4 days

Friday - embroidered 4 days

Saturday - embroidered 4 days

Sunday - embroidered 4 days

Monday - sewed rows together

Between the holiday and having a bad cold, I didn't do much sewing, so it was easy to leave the machine set up for embroidery all week and just line up new numbers each day. Which didn't bode well for actually getting things done other than the embroidery. Doesn't life know I don't have time for a cold during the holiday season?

Check out how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces.

Fifteen Minute Challenge - Week 12

My fifteen minutes of Christmas sewing were the only non-craft-show sewing I got to do this week, so I'm very grateful for the forced opportunity to do some piecing.

Tuesday - pieced Rows 1 & 2

Wednesday - pieced Rows 3 & 4

Thursday - pieced sashing, Rows 1 & 2

Friday - pieced sashing, Rows 3 & 4

Saturday - nothing :(

Sunday - pieced all rows together

Monday - pieced backing, started plan for borders

It definitely needs a skinny red border to tie it all together. Then I have green and white Grinch-y fabric for the back, of which I can cut 3" borders. I think. I need to double check my math before cutting!

As leaders and enders, I pieced 2.5" squares for the Christmas Stars.

So now I have a box full of those to press and add as a border. Which needs to be done before I can start the Advent Calendar, which will be made of the leftover charms.

Check out how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces!

Fifteen Minute Challenge - Week 11

This is the week that I finally started Christmas sewing! Or at least planning it...

Tuesday - measured Grinch motifs and created a plan

Wednesday - measured Rudolph motifs, created a plan, ordered fabric

Thursday - cut Grinch motifs to size

Friday - added border to Christmas Stars, decided on second border

Saturday - ironed, started cutting Grinch sashing

Sunday - cut Grinch sashing

Monday - laid out Grinch

And here's what the Grinch will look like! Minus borders, of course.

Check out how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces!

Fifteen Minute Challenge - Week 10

The Halloween Edition!

I devoted most of my 15 minutes each day to this dress.

Tuesday - hemmed skirt, added tulle

Wednesday - ruffled skirt top, added trim

Thursday - sewed sleeves

Friday - added hourglass to spider costume

Saturday - bodice trim and thread clipping

Sunday - re-strung spider legs together

Monday -pressed & cut out Grinch motifs

It was nice knowing I only had to devote 15 minutes to the dress each day - it kept me from being frustrated with the ruffler before I got to easing the sleeves.

And can I just say that four layers of tulle makes any ordinary dress awesome?

The dress was for a friend's daughter, as Shirley Temple from Stand Up and Cheer. The pattern is a 1961 Simplicity dress - sometimes the thrift store really rocks with their pattern selection.

Friday and Sunday, I repaired this costume. It's thirty years old - my mom saved it from when my older sister was a spider. The Dude didn't want to be any old black spider, though, so I had to add the hourglass on the back. Without screaming while Googling pictures of black widows.

And now that Halloween is over, the Christmas sewing begins!

Check out how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces!

{And also other fabric projects at Fabric Tuesday, and more costumes at Make It, Wear It Thursday.}

Fifteen Minute Challenge - Week 9

Even though Kate is having a challenge to work on Christmas things, I'm still far enough behind that this week's 15 minutes were devoted to a Halloween project.

I'm making this pattern - a 1961 Simplicity dress - for one of the Dude's friend's little sister. She's going to be Shirley Temple from Stand Up and Cheer.

Since my in-laws were in town this past week, my 15 minutes on this dress were about all I got in the sewing room! But well worth it - I think the costume is going to be great.

 

Tuesday - read through pattern

Wednesday - ironed fabric, laid out pattern pieces

Thursday - laid out pattern pieces

Friday - cut pattern pieces

Saturday - cut pattern pieces

Sunday - transferred pattern markings

Monday - sewed darts, bodice

I should be able to finish the dress easily within the next week, with the added bonus of not getting frustrated with a step because I'm not devoting all my time to it.

Also in the coming week, I have to add the red markings of a black widow to the Dude's spider costume. Unfortunately, this means I have to Google black widow pictures.

Check out how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces!

Fifteen Minute Challenge - Week 8

I think what I learned from reviewing this week is that I'm completely unfocused right now. Which, considering I have the Holiday Marketplace in November and Christmas in December, is a bad thing.

I'm only making two simple quilts for Christmas - but I had plans for a lot more stuff for HMP and I haven't started anything.

Tuesday - measured motifs on Grinch panel

Wednesday - sorted charms for iSpy bags

Thursday - cut borders for Christmas Stars

Friday - Cub Scout patches

Saturday - sewed borders on Christmas Stars

Sunday - covered box in burlap

Monday - Girl Scout patches

I need to find my focus, and fast! I have two Halloween costumes to work on - one a full Shirley Temple dress; the other is minor repairs on the Dude's spider costume.

After that, it's 15 minutes of Christmas until the quilts are done. Covering a box in burlap? Really? What was I thinking?

Check out how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces!

Fifteen Minute Challenge - Week 7

I rocked my fifteen minutes this week, finishing two projects in the allotted time.

Tuesday-Friday I worked on my LQS Saturday Sampler block. Which, nice block, bad color choice. I hate when the pattern puts the larger-scale brown in small pieces. It's okay for fussy cutting 2" or so squares, but not in HST.

On Saturday, I pulled out a Halloween project from last year that just needed binding. Better late than never, right?
Halloween is my favorite holiday, and the Peanuts special is my favorite Halloween show. (Because there's so many other options.) So when I saw the book panel at Joann's, I had to grab it.
Of course, it's not printed straight, which made the piecing very difficult, and I ended up abandoning it just before Halloween last year.

I prepped the binding with flange as if it were piping or rick rack - I definitely don't prefer the flange, but I didn't want to go to the store.

The Peanuts backing fabric and binding are also Joann's. The sashing and flange are from Hobby Lobby.

Now I just need to sneak the ladder inside so I can hang it, but avoid replacing the light bulbs in the kitchen.

See how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces, check out more BOMs at What A Hoot, and check out more fabric projects at Quiltstory!

Fifteen Minute Challenge - Week 6

Finally, after two more fifteen minute sessions, I defeated the circle bag!

On Wednesday, almost the entire paper piecing class hovered over it during lunch, until we finally figured out how exactly the pocket side matched to the bottom to sew together properly.

Pattern is McCall's 6374, made about 2" taller overall.

On Thursday, I whipped together a pattern folder to go with it.

Which also folds into an easel for easy reading.

It tucks nicely into the bag for my sister to carry yarn and a knitting pattern.

And Friday-Monday, I was at my college reunion/mother's birthday party, so I got my daily 15 minutes in my hand sewing project, restoring my great-grandmother's quilt.

See how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces and check out more fabric projects at Quiltstory!

Fifteen Minute Challenge - Week 5

Circle bag. That's it. 

Fifteen minutes, every day, stitching, seam ripping, pinning, reading the pattern, throwing it across the room.

It is still.not.working.

I can't for the life of me figure out how to get the bottom together. I suspect, despite sewing that darn circle five times, I've got the liner attached upside down. And just when I finally got the circle in with no bunching.

I'm taking a quilting class tomorrow, so I'm taking the stupid bag to see if my instructor can figure out how to finish it.

And then the next time someone asks me to sew a circle bag, I'm going to say, "Sorry, I only make square things."

See how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces!

Fifteen Minute Challenge - Week 4

I didn't do as well this week... I sewed every day except Saturday, but I didn't work on any UFOs on Friday or Monday.

I've been using my sister's Hunter's Star as a leader/ender instead of one of my UFO l/e projects. Which is good for her, but not so good for me.

This week, I really need to tackle her circle bag, one step at a time, for 15 minutes. Because otherwise the instructions are far too frustrating.

See how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces! 

Fifteen Minute Challenge - Week 3 - & LQS Saturday Sampler Block 8

I must say, 15 minutes a day is a great way to do my BOM. I finished it in four frustration-free days.

I really like this block. Possibly because I didn't have to seam rip once. But I like the layout, too. It just...works.

So that took four days, then I sewed patches for a friend. Which is not something I like to do...hmm, perhaps I shouldn't have let the Dude join the Cub Scouts...

See how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces and check out more BOMs at What A Hoot!

Fifteen Minute Challenge - Week 2 - & LQS Saturday Sampler Block 7

Thanks to the 15 Minute Challenge, I got the borders on the Steelers Quilt painlessly! If I had tackled it in one day, it would have been more than an hour and very frustrating with all those HST seams. Bit by bit worked much better.

I also pieced my Saturday Sampler block from August during the first fifteen minutes of my sewing day. I still had some seam ripping, but it didn't seem as painful because I could catch my mistakes sooner when I checked it after fifteen minutes.

Well, most of my mistakes. The bottom is correct, with the green and purple HSTs alternating. The top, where they don't, is wrong. Argh! So I have some more picking to do.

See how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces and check out more BOMs at What A Hoot!

Fifteen Minute Challenge - Week 1

I wanted to do the 15 Minute Challenge, but I couldn't figure out how. I have seven hours a day to myself - of course I can manage to find 15 minutes to sew!

But then I realized how long the Steelers Quilt has been languishing without borders.

I didn't make my Saturday Sampler block this month because I was at a family reunion. It still needs to be made, but without any incentive...

And Frolicking Pinwheels? That's stalled because I haven't cut any 10.5" squares. That's the only reason.

Not to mention the pile of mending that I never seem to get to. I didn't wear my favorite brown slacks at all last winter because I didn't make time to fix on hem.

So maybe I don't need 15 minutes to sew. Maybe I need 15 minutes to sew on a UFO before working on something else.

So...

And just like that, the Steelers quilt is almost done.

See how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces!