Dead Simple QAL.

I picked a palette that wasn't in my comfort zone.

I kind of like it.

I've got some flannel coming this week to back it in.
Anyone out there use flannel in on the back?
Do you use batting, too?

I've got another simple one in the works....

I'm a caretaker for a 3x6 hive! Super excited.
Also, I have a giveaway in the works....ssshhh. I'll say more soon.

Trying to keep trucking...

but my tummy is having words with me today.

I'm hitting the list:

Prep for conferences (mostly done)
Powerpoint for a presentation
New Bee Block
Skill Builder crazy quilt block

Skill Builder paper piecing block

I'm now totally caught up!

Purchase makeup/food for student showcase
Cut up charm squares for Gen X swap
Cut up charm squares for my swap
Cut to charm squares for color wheel swap
sort and pack charms for color wheel swap
Finish cutting squares for Dead Simple QAL
Hit post office Mailed Gen X charms, Pincushion for swap, and Stocking!

Even though I've knocked out a lot....I still have a BIG list for tomorrow.
I've got rehearsal, a presentation to start and semi-polish, a board to build in my room, and shopping.
That bee block may have to wait a bit....

I've been a bit unproductive this week...

at least in the way of craftiness.

It's been a crazy week with my students.
Conferences have started.
I'm gearing up for 2 dance shows.

Today, we went to the zoo. I got to feed an elephant!

I finished my pincushion package for my Sewn Spaces Swap.
It's wending its way to my partner tomorrow.


I made my first stocking for Stockings for Kids.


I have more Xmassy (yes, that's a word in my world) fabric left, so I am going to try to make a couple more.

I got bee block fabric from a New Bee on the Block member.

Weekend "to do" list:
Prep for conferences
Powerpoint for a presentation
New Bee Block
Skill Builder crazy quilt block
Skill Builder paper piecing block
Purchase makeup/food for student showcase
Cut up charm squares for 3 swaps
Finish cutting squares for Dead Simple QAL
*phew*

Voting is open!

I'll be posting some other project pics today...as soon as I find a battery that's charged for my camera.

Sarah's posted voting for the Eternal Scrap Bag Challenge!
Go vote! (For me if you are so inclined...or for one of the other fabulous ladies!)

OOps....I was featured yesterday!

My project for the Japanese Scrap Bag Challenge was over on Sarah's yesterday.

If you click on over there, you can actually see my bellydance costume for the Dec show.

Say hi to Sarah if you stop on over! It's a fab group of creative ladies!

finally finally

done with cutting up fabric and packaging it
for my Nov Sew Bee Blissful blocks.

I'll be mailing my hoop tomorrow (a day late) as it requires dealing with an actual person because of the customs form.

Still to do:

New Bee block (fabric just arrived)
2 skill builders (I'm behind)
extra bit for pincushion swap


Catching up is unlikely til Thurs.

I meant to post yesterday...

I spent the weekend with The Pirate in Savannah.
It was my first time visiting the city.
It definitely won't be my last.

Highlights:
The Halloween dog parade
Walking and walking and walking
Ice cream at Leopold's

Fountains and cemetery statues

Finding a burger joint (that has a branch in Atlanta) that doesn't give me hives. (THIS IS GLORIOUS...and cannot fully be appreciated if one has not been rendered incredibly itchy by trying to eat fries cooked in the same fryer as one's nemesis...onion rings.)
A fireplace and a king sized bed with my own balcony!

I have lots and lots of pictures still living in the camera.
(And 2 new fat quarters for my stash from french-knot.)

Tomorrow...I have much catching up to do.
My hoop for the Misfit swap is almost done...I have to attach a back and prep it for mailing. So, it may go out a day late. I HATE THAT. I'm so anal retentive with deadlines, but this one I just couldn't make...and I spent most of tonight (once i got back) trying to put finishing touches on the front.

Coming soon....I'll be on PingsandNeedles tomorrow, I think. Voting opens on Wed.
I have to do my winter sewing list inspired by Sarah over at FairyFace Designs.

a bit belated...

I went to Kentuck last weekend.
It was folk arty and fun!

Here's a few glimpses:










It was fun! I'd definitely go back again next year.

Been busy...WIP Wed.

I *Have* been sewing.

Just not on quilts

I'm trucking away at my Hoopla for my Misfit Quilters partner.

I started cutting up fabric for Sew Bee It (my month is Nov). Turns out I'm short on some fabrics....order in, waiting for delivery, trying to mail them out Mon or Tues.

I sewed my bellydance bra (for the Nov show) at rehearsal yesterday.



I sorted the color assignment for the swap I'm running. (Pssst. They are posted on flickr if you are in the swap and didn't notice it yet.)

That's it.

Oh, and laundry. Yup...I'm that exciting.

oops

I still haven't downloaded my pics.
I spent the evening mostly grading.
There are still (I think) 9 spots open in the Black, White, & Grey charm swap.
Please come on over to our flickr group and fill out the form if you want to join in the fun and haven't yet!



Edit: We appear to be full right now. Email me if you want to be put on the waitlist!

Wooo...got back from Kentuck!

I ran away for the weekend to the Kentuck festival in Tuscaloosa, AL, with one of my best friends.
I'll post pics tomorrow.
I have to download them from my phone.

It was blast.
I am very tired.
I'm behind in my cross stitch plan for the Hoopla.
Blarg.

Friday finishes!

Got my NuBee blocks finished and mailed off:


I attacked a 241 bag from Noodlehead.
It's been on my to do list for a while.
I'm going to a festival tomorrow and wanted a new bag.
You know...one that is the right size.
I wanted color...something juicy and bright to go with my fall wardrobe earth tones.
Once I saw Pernilla's Journey, I KNEW that was it.

I added some sour apple Kona to it.
Someone somewhere blogged that it took only 2 hours to make. Um...not me.
It took me about an hour to cut up all the pieces.

It took about 4-5 hours to apply the interfacing and sew.
I thought I was done about 4 hours in...then the tension went crappo on my last top stitch, resulting in crazy loops on the inside that had to be ripped apart.
I love it.
the front:

the back:

a close up:

Love it. Love it. Love it.
It's big enough for my stuff and my epi...and I made the strap long enough to wear across the body.

I'm adding it to Celebrate Color's listings.

My only wish was that I could have had an elephant in its entirety front and center, but I only ordered a half a yard, not taking the size of the repeat into account.
I still got the edges and the moon face, so I'm happy.

Add to my joy! I won charm squares left over from Courtney's at monpetitlyons fall quilt.

Her quilt is quite fabulous, as are the pieces I got. Some Heather Ross! Luscious fall colors!

I'm debating pillows...or adding some more stash and making a quilt.
Gah. Or pouches.
sooooooooo fabulous!

Added:
I made these for gifties for 2 ladies I'll be hanging with at the festival.



Ok...I'm done. If you want to sign up for the Charm swap, there's still room!

Played catch up again...

Done today:

New Bee Block for Oct.



Neutral and Not Block for Nov.


Chose my block for my upcoming bee month.
(I'm keeping it a surprise, I think.)


Yay! My fabric arrived for the 241 bag. (On my list for tomorrow.)
I already had some fat quarters, but I need 2 bigger pieces for the bag...
(This is a pic from an order from The Intrepid Thread...you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see which ones I ordered to make the bag out of...oooo, bad grammar.)


Caught up on my Skill Builder (but I'll have it back on my to do list tomorrow when the next block goes up):


I posted my pouch for the Pretty Little Pouch swap, my quilt to Project Linus, and the two bee blocks going abroad.

Still to do:

Hoop for Hoopla (I'm actually scared I might not get this one done in time for the swap. It's taking me WAY longer to cross stitch than I thought....the design was my choice, but it's my second one...the first design was started and then axed.)

Nubee blocks (2)

241 bag

There are still spaces in the Black, White, & Grey swap if anyone is interested.

WIP Wed....9.12.11...100 quilts for kids!

I've got one going in the mail tomorrow.
My plan is to mail out a bunch of stuff tomorrow afternoon.

To Mail:
New Bee Block
Neutral and Not Block
Pretty Little Pouch
a quilt for my hope to be future in-laws
100 quilts for kid quilt to Project Linus

A huge thank you to Sachiko over at Tea Rose Home for the giveaway that I won...I used some of the fabric to make this quilt!

So....I still have to sew the bee blocks.
I'm also a week behind on the Skill Builder.
Also on tap:
a pouch for a thank you gift
Cutting fabrics/packing for my bee month over at Sew Bee Blissful
Beginning a presentation for an upcoming conference....
Oh, and sewing a 241 Noodlehead bag...which may not happen til Fri if the fabric arrives late tomorrow.

The plus side is that I don't have to work tomorrow and I'll all but one test caught up on grading.

Wooo! Linking up to Wednesday WIP and 100 Quilts for kids over at Swim.Bike.Quilt.

a SWAP!!!!

Black, White, and Grey Charm swap, to be exact.


If you click on the pic, you can steal the html code for you blog...I'm still learning how to post a button.

Inspired by Jennifer over at Ellison Lane Quilts and kind of obsessed with black, white, and grey right now, I thought I'd see if anyone else wanted to join in a swap.

Here's the skinny.
First let me apologize profusely for making this a domestic/US swap only this first round. I need to work out some of the logistics for an international one, and I want to have this one mailed out before the holidays, so...I apologize to any and all of my international peeps who wanted in on this.

That said, if you are interested in joining the swap and receiving in return 56 charms (2 of 28 different fabrics).

FILL OUT THE FORM HERE.

Post sign up and email of confirmation, follow these steps.

Step One:
Steal the blog button at the top for your blog. Join the flickr group.

Step Two:
Each participant (there will be 27 spaces) will purchase a yard (good idea to get a little bit extra) of quilt store quality 100% cotton fabric (No Joann's, Hancock's or Michael's please) in the assigned base color. Post fabric pics on flickr to avoid duplication. Fabric must be new and unwashed and must come from a smoke free environment.


Step Three:
Press your fabric. Cut the fabric into 56 charm (5x5 inch) squares.
A fabulous tutorial can be found here by Elizabeth Hartman.

Step Four:
Please place the charms in a sealed Ziploc bag with an index card, on which is written your name and as much fabric info as possible.

Step Five:
Mail the charms along with a SASE to the swap sorter by the deadline (Nov. 15).

Step Six:
Wait as patiently as possible to get the charms back. (I'll mail them as fast as possible, ideally a week, after I receive them all.)

Step Seven:
Do a little happy dance and then update that you have received your package on the sent/received list on flickr. Post pics of the items you make with the charms.

Iffen this all works as planned, there will be a larger, international scale swap in March.

Japanese Scrap Bag Challenge.

A few weeks ago, Sarah over at Pings and Needles posted a challenge.
A Japanese Scrap Bag challenge.
The winner gets a year's subscription to The Eternal Maker's Japanese charm club.
Being a fabric whore *cough* and free associating what I could possible make with a scrap bag, I typed in "a corset belt for bellydance" and added trimming a bra if there were left overs.

Um...nevermind that I don't usually sew my own costumery. I've made one circle skirt. It was very very heavy. I think I measure the waist incorrectly and had to keep adding panels.
I've also never applied a grommet before.

I did have a pattern that I'd bought long long ago.
Tempest's corset belt.
I lusted after her originals for a long time, but I settled on a pattern instead of being a big spender.

The pattern was really designed for someone with a Serger. I do not have a Serger.

BUT I WAS UNDAUNTED.
I tried a prototype. It's brocade. Which is really really slippery.
I didn't finish it after I realized it would mean doing 80 instead of 40 grommets.

I agonized over the placement of each scrap.
I grommeted until my fingers bled. Literally. I had to pull a few of them off and cut up my fingertips.

(As an aside, I found the grommet kit that used a hammer and a metal plate to be the easiest. The hand/plier thingie didn't have great results for me.)

How To Grommet:
Gather the following supplies:


Take the pointy awl and jam it through a premeasured spot:

How far you jam it through the piece might depend on your grommet size. For mine, I pushed it all the way in.

Remove the awl pointy bits and push in the grommet:

You may need to grab the scissors and trim the hole a bit.
Make sure you push the grommet through the hole as cleanly as possible...it will make lining things up easier at the hammering stage.

Line the grommet up into the base of the grommet maker:


Take the top of the grommet maker and line it all up:


Then grab this:

Tap on the grommet maker about 4 times. NOTE: IF IT SHIFTS, STOP. YOU DO NOT WANT AN OFF-KILTER GROMMET. Removing it with sucketh.

Ta-Da!!!! (It's not quite perfect because brocade is really hard to grommet, but you get the idea:



Anyway.....I'm sure y'all really want to see my final project....so....

Here's the finished product:


It's getting worn in a show in Dec. I still haven't picked out my music.

...And, because I promised the other ladies I'd model.....
Here I am:



I'll put up the link when voting goes live over at Pings and Needles. In the meantime, if you want to check out the work of the other fabulous contestants, you can see them here. I'd love to win, but, truth be told, I've had a blast regardless, met some rad women, and learned a lot!

Yay! ZIppers!

I am not super scared of sewing them any more.
I'm not a master...but...
I SEWED TWO ZIPPER POUCHES TODAY!!!!

I made this one for my Pretty Little Pouch swap partner:


I hope she likes it. I'm pondering what to put in/with it.

I then kept up with the pouch mojo and made one for me.


I may or may not add some embroidery.

I didn't do any more bee blocks, make it to the post office, or finish my 100 quilt for kids quilt.

I also got to talk to my dance partner. She sounded really good. I may or may not get to see her tomorrow, if she's feeling up to a visitor.

I also ate Pad Thai, since today is Eat Noodles day.

WIP Wed 10.5.11...

I got some stuff done today.
Not as much as I planned because a meeting ran late.
I had to get zippers for my pouch for the Pretty Little Pouch swap.
Totally terrified of zippers.
*eep*
I got three blocks done for the Nubees:


I got most of the machine sewing of the binding for the 100 quilts done. Unfortunately, my bobbin went wonky and I have a row to rip out and redo.
I'll post pics of it when it's fixed.

So, on tap for tomorrow:
Finish Nubee blocks
Fix 100 quilts quilt binding
prototype for pouch
Sew Bee It blocks

slightly on hold:
monkey quilt
New Bee wonky star
picking block/cutting fabric for my bee month
Hoopla

What I REALLY need to do:
get my swap idea up and running ASAP

Linking up to WIP Wed.

Phew...

Okay, so I knew I wouldn't be sewing today. It was a back to back schedule.
Reg work, extra class I teach afterschool, then time for a 30 min nap, then an hour of dance class and almost 2 hours of staging a piece for an upcoming show. It was a blast.
Thankfully, I remembered far more than I thought I did of the choreography.
The first dance class involved fired. I had my candle holders prepped, but I make the executive decision that I was too tired to safely use fire.
I think it was a good call.
Maybe next week.

I got an update today from my dance partner's husband.
Her surgery went well. It appears not to be cancer.
Woooo!! She's got to recuperate. I'm sure there are more questions about what this indeed was, but this is good. She's doing well. Thank all of y'all that sent good wishes her way.

no sewing..

Today was spent running around.
Derm visit. (My skin is appearing to heal.)
YAY!
Then a run to get binding fabric for my 100 quilts for kids quilt.
Then a dinner meeting...until 9:30.
And I'm exhausted...
and on Benadryl.
I need to sew HSTs, but I'm afraid I'll mess up the cutting.
I feel cruddy because of the meds.
Blarg.
Tomorrow is a crazy long day.
Regular work, waiting for updates on dance partner, then teaching drama afterschool, then home to eat, then dance class, followed by a 3? hr rehearsal.
So tired.
that's why I'm not sewing today.
I wanted to...but I'm not.

Sunday...can't believe it's Sunday.

Here was my to do list, as posted yesterday:

1. Bra edge for Japanese scrap bag challenge
2. 100 quilts for kids quilt
3. House block for Skill Builder
4. Pouch design
5. Bee blocks! (for Sew Bee Blissful, New Bee on the Block, and Nubees)
6. Hoopla

Here's my to do list now:
1. Bra edge for Japanese scrap bag challenge

2. 100 quilts for kids quilt...still needs to be bound
3. House block for Skill Builder

4. Pouch design
5. Bee blocks! (for Sew Bee Blissful, New Bee on the Block, and Nubees)
(Nubee fabric pulled, block chosen)
6. Hoopla

I've got pics coming soonish...
edit: Pics added

September recap...

I got a lot done in September.
Three full quilts, I think.
A bunch of blocks.
I have a top partially assembled, a second Across the Sea QAL top done, and most of a charity quilt top done.

It was a good month, given that there was a camping trip and a return to school in there.

I still have a big "to do" list, just for this weekend even.

I got my pincushion done today.


I got to hand my quiltie gift off to my dance partner...and give hugs and talk.

I still have the following to do Sunday, all before dinner:
1. Bra edge for Japanese scrap bag challenge
2. 100 quilts for kids quilt
3. House block for Skill Builder
4. Pouch design
5. Bee blocks! (for Sew Bee Blissful, New Bee on the Block, and Nubees)
6. Hoopla

I'm also linking up to the Small Blog Meetup. I've found some awesome folks that way.

I have a charm swap idea in the works...trying to get the details sorted this week.
I might even have a giveaway planned when I hit 50.