WIP Wednesday the Third

Ongoing:

Stained progress

Oh, right. That's not the fabric I'm using for Stained... (See here.)

Instead, I'm working on making rows out of my 4-charm purple blocks:

I'm not certain, but I think my seam allowances are more uniform in the past couple days. I've started using my walking foot to avoid the stretching that caused problems earlier. So far so good.

New:

None actually started, just thoughts.

Finishes:
None. I do have my Rainbow charm swap ready to mail! (Does that count for something?) I can't wait to get them back! I've got lots of ideas - probably enough that I should have signed up for more charm swaps...

No (real) Progress:
Stained
Oh my stars
Purse for me
Granny squares
Farmer's wife

Would like to start:
Sew out loud
Single girl (with rainbow charms)
Foundation paper piecing for the terrified

Stats:
New Projects - 0
Completed projects - 0
Currently in progress - 6

Fail

My sewing plans last Saturday Sunday:
1. Go to Joann's and use 25% off your total purchase coupon to get additional bobbins and black Kona sufficient to finish my Stained quilt.
2. Load black thread and begin piecing Stained quilt.
3. Take pictures for show and tell.

What actually happened:
1a. Went to Joann's and picked out 2 more Denyse Schmidt fabrics (on sale) and Kona (not on sale). Decided to just go with the black on hand until it's gone and use 40% off coupon later for Kona. Found bobbins on the shelf that did not match the kind Audrey uses... Debated putting DS fabrics back and going home empty handed.

1b. Stood in line at cutting counter. Continued debabting whether it was worth the wait. Wandered over to check out prequilted fabric that someone else was buying to make a bag (no appealing designs). Noticed mock up of McCall's dress and made mental note to possibly go back for the pattern. (If we are not moving, there will be a wedding to go to in April.) Glared at everyone for being so slow.

1c. Inched through line at checkout. Continued to glare at everyone for being so slow. Texted college friend for distraction. Called parents, got voicemail. Noticed that Hersheys is now making aerated chocolate and that 1.44oz Air Delight cost the same as the regular 1.55 oz bar. Thought of my host family in Russia - the child of the house loved aerated chocolate (I got him some for his birthday).

1d. Detoured to library on the way home. Picked up adorable children's book featuring porcupines: A Balloon for Isabel.

2. Arrived home, still aggravated by poor layout at Joann's store and sloth-like employees. Agreed to start dinner whilst darling husband went to retrieve wine.

3. Worked on Purple Haze quilt instead of Stained. Took pictures, but did not upload. (Another reason this post is called, "Fail.")

How a blog becomes a...

Thanks so much Catherine!! I'm so pleased! This is my first blog award. It feels like a rite of passage in a way.






She really got me right - I'm always up to something new. (I tend to dabble - a little of this and... Oh, that looks interesting! So I'm off on another project.)

The Liebster is awarded to and by blogs with less than 200 followers. The name comes from the German word meaning darling or beloved. The award is really a chance to show appreciation for fellow bloggers by passing on the love. And it also means that you can draw some attention to blogs which you think deserve checking out.

I've duly copied and pasted the award onto my blog. Yay!

In turn, I am bestowing the Liebster Blog Award on the following bloggers. I hope you will visit them if you haven't already!

Allison @ Dreaming in Patchwork is thrifty (using up stash) and creative (tweaking a pattern to her liking). Be sure to check out the drunkard's path quilt she finished just a couple weeks ago!

Michelle @ The Quilted Tortoise has so many things going - clothes, bees, quilts... And she was the recipient of the pouch I made in the Mouthy Stitches swap! (note: in process of switching to blogger from wordpress.)

Rebecca @ Making Rebecca Lynne is witty and fun. Plus, she sews adorable things and hosts Thursday Think Tank (which I've been meaning to link to...)

WIP Wednesday the Second

Ongoing:
Last night I wanted to start sewing the sashing for the blocks of my Stained quilt; I have strips cut from the remnant of Kona black I happened to have (I'll probably have to buy more to finish between the blocks).

23 strips WOF

I pulled out my sewing machine, plugged it in and opened the little attachment case where my bobbins are stored. I only have 4... and they all have bits of other colors left on them at the moment. It seems wasteful to just unravel one, so that's another thing I need to buy.

red, dark blue, light blue and white

Since the first quarter of Rhonda's Finish Along is almost over, I pulled out the pieces for my purple haze quilt and trimmed them all. I started with 5" charm squares cut from yardage, but when I sewed them back together I had some trouble keeping accurate 1/4" seams, especially considering that flannel is prone to more stretching than the typical quilter's cotton.

I think chances are slim that I will finish this quilt by the end of the month as I had set out for myself in Jan, but at least I've made a bit of progress! And I've got one finish in for this quarter anyway.

New:
None!

Finishes:
None.

No Progress:
Purse for me

Stats:
New Projects - 0
Completed projects - 0
Currently in progress - 3 (or 7 if you count the things I have fabric piled for and/ or a few squares cut and/or the pattern cut)

Change is in the air

It seems spring has come early this year! I wore shorts today! This wouldn't be so amazing if I still lived in TX, but here... it's another story.

On the Gorge Trail

Another change may be coming soon - I'm hoping for it! I'm way beyond keeping that in check to try to protect myself from devestation if it doesn't work out... Wish me luck. At this point, the decision is out of my hands; my interview was last week.

Buttermilk Falls

Spliced

Well, even with my color coded layout guide for the Stained QAL, cutting has not gone quite as smoothly or quickly as I envisioned.

See my problem/ solution?

I'm not sure where/ how I went wrong when coloring, but when I went to cut this I found that 4 pieces were supposed to be 11" with the direction of the print! From a 1/4 yd cut off the bolt, this just isn't possible... So... I pieced just enough to make it work. I did my best to match the pattern and when all is sewn and quilted, I doubt the extra seams will be very noticable. (Don't tell me if I'm wrong, ok?)

My First WIP Wednesday

New:

A purse for me

Ongoing:

Stained QAL - layout

Stained QAL - cutting progress

Oh My Stars - background cut and ready to sew

Oh My Stars - foreground marked and ready to sew

Finishes:
None.

No Progress:
Purple haze quilt

Stats:
New Projects - 1
Completed projects - 0
Currently in progress - 3 (or 7 if you count the things I have fabric piled for and/ or a few squares cut and/or the pattern cut)



Via Deutsche Post:

Mouthy Stitches: One side

Mouthy Stitches: The other side

Isn't it gorgeous!?! Thanks so much Aylin! You did such beautiful piecing and picked great colors! I love it!

And thanks for the extra goodies! (I guess it shows that this was my first swap since I followed the rules and did not include candy or the like... Sorry to my partner!)

Perfect!

To Do:

I love lists! They're one reason I want (need?) a smartphone. I was going to show you my pile of scrap paper lists, but I thought better of it - not very photogenic.
Anyway, until the day I can justify paying for a data plan, little slips of paper are my portable project queue. As for a master copy, I'm going to try this.

 

Here's my excuse (up front) for not getting as much done as I hope to:
I signed up for an online course in electrical engineering that begins tomorrow.
(I'm sure I'll be able to come up with additional excuses as needed at the end of the month.)

Must do:
Buy yellow fabric and cut charms for this massive rainbow charm swap.

Purple Haze Quilt (in order to count for 1st Quarter Finish Along) - I still need to trim all my blocks, then assemble the top, quilt and bind.

Squaring up my blocks just seems so dull and daunting...

Oh My Stars QAL - I'm even further from finishing this one.

Next step: mark the diagonals...

I think my goal for the month is just to keep doing bits here and there. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Except that I believe several others have already posted their finishes to flickr. Oh well.

Stained QAL - Get cutting!


I complicated matters by choosing directional prints and buying 1/4 yd cuts from the blot instead of fat quarters...

Might do:
Sew Out Loud QAL - I haven't started any of these yet, but they are awesome! I do have some text fabric on hand...
Farmers Wife - I haven't started this either. Again, I've got fabric set aside for it.

Postage Stamp - Shouldn't be hard to keep cutting bits here and there. Hopefully I can participate in the April swap.

Granny Squares - I'm considering using some of my 2" postage stamp squares to try this out.

Fold and organize my stash by color