Time for an intervention....

I've sat down and had a chat with myself.
Self, I said, you've got too much stuff.  Too much stuff to clean, too much stuff to organize, too much stuff to keep track of.

So, I'm putting a halt to a bunch.  Declaring 2014 the year of declutter.

What does this mean?

Well, I'll be making some lists.  I've got a few goals I want to put into play for myself for 2014.

1.  I'm joining Jess on her Fabriholics Anonymous pledge.

I'm on a stash holding pattern from Jan 1 until at least June.  I may make an exception on this, notably the Stash Bash in April.  But that will be my one exception.  Yes, I can buy backings if it means I cannot otherwise finish a project, but that should be (given my current supplies) about all I need.

Part of it is motivated by the fact that (sad face) I think I'm going to have to resell my ticket to the Fat Quarterly retreat in London.  I was super excited about going.  It was going to be my 40th bday celebration, but family expenses (including having to go to at least one summer wedding this summer, car issues) are going to eat my budget.  Even if I could go on my own, I don't feel right going and not being able to bring my hubs along, too.  So, I'm waiting until the end of January to see if some miracle occurs (hello, universe, lottery win?) before I give up the ticket but, as of right now, I just don't think I can pull it off.  One of my friends suggested selling some of my quilts, but I don't want to try hinging it all on that.  I'm going to try to put my savings from 2014 toward a possible run at the FQ retreat in 2015.

2.  I'm making a list of books to read.  I've not been reading enough books this past year.  I love books.  I need them back in my life.  (Well, technically, they are there...sitting in piles and on shelves, languishing unread.)  Going to start low, with a list of 25 for the first part of the year.

3.  I need to clear out some UFOs, both sewing and knitting.  There are too many bins in my house.  I need to knit sock pairings for singles hanging out in drawers.

4.  Cleaning out the bellydance gear.  I'm going to get back into the routine of dancing again in 2014.  That said, I still have too much gear.  I'm not looking for restaurant gigs.  I need to find a newer dancer looking for costumes.  I have a closet that is full of stuff.  That needs to end.

5.  Losing some weight (yeah, that's a kind of emotional clutter.)  I lost a bunch last year, and I need to get back on track.  I got a Fitbit as an early Xmas present.  Anyone else in blogland use one?

6.  Clean out my closets.  I actually splurged and bought a bunch of new shirts this year.  I need to clear out stuff that doesn't fit and/or modify gear to actually fit/get rid of stuff I won't use.

7.  Make a summer for me.  That may be my present to myself for my 40th.  If I can't go to FQ retreat, I want to carve out learning time for me.  That means designing some of my own challenges for the summer.  While I love doing QAL and trying new things, I really really want to design my own sampler.  Maybe not with the intention of leading a QAL (although that could be fun), but to try my hand out at my own designing.  I had a rather long, interesting conversation with one of my best friends (who is an artist) and my husband about my work.  I don't see myself as an artist.  (The corollary of that is that I write an hour long play every year, and I don't see myself as a writer either.)  I got called out.  I also got called out on not being able to part with my work (other than gifting it) because I don't see it as perfect enough for people to buy.  As a result, I have stacks of quilts around my house.  Some of them are gorgeous.  I literally cannot rotate them fast enough to use them all.  I need to find a place of balance.  Maybe some venue to sell some quilts.  (Ack, just saying that is triggering a crapload of "they're not/I'm not good enough to sell them" internal dialog.  Blarg.)

This is going to demand some kind of schedule.  I haven't figured out what it looks like yet.  That's on tap after I finish writing that class play.  (Two scenes down, a WHOLE bunch left to still develop....deadline Jan 1.)

So, I'm putting it out into the universe.  I've said it out loud.  Now I just have to do it.  Anyone want to join me?

Pattern Testing for Lynne!!! WOO!!!

I hit the lottery!




I love pattern testing.  I got picked to test one of Lynne's new quilt patterns.

If you haven't met Lynne Goldsworthy before, you really should!  She blogs over at Lily's Quilts.  Not only is she incredibly talented (and has a book out and is a member of the fatquarterly.com team), she's also incredibly lovely and welcoming to new bloggers.  She hosts a Fresh Sewing Day and a Small Blog Meetup once a month.  I met a lot of people that way when I first started out.

Anywho, I ramble.  Look for the pattern to become available in January over at Lynne's and for a quiltalong!  I'm going to have to make at least one more.  This pattern was kind of like chocolates.  I can't eat just one.  This quilt had curves, but I made the biggest sized blocks out of the variations of the quilt, and the curves were super easy.  Plus, the quilt looks amazing.  And, it's FQ friendly for those of you trying to clear out some stash for next year!

Lynne calls the pattern The Tube Quilt.  I've been calling mine "They're Always after My Lucky Charms."  It's the green, people.

I quilted it using organic straight lines. I could lie, peoples, but my straight lines will never be perfect, and I've learned to embrace it.

Here's the back:



I used up the fat quarter bits to make a panel for the back.
I used Aurifil to quilt it.  Love the leafy green I found.  (Must remind myself that a fabric diet won't include thread...)

My husband loved this one.  (All the green (his favorite color) might have something to do with it.)  I might have to make a bigger one for the bed, or I might have to make him one to replace the horrible Hawaiian shirt one I made for him early on in my quilting days.  (He's been using the Turkey Hand quilt on his side of the bed.)  I *may* now have an idea for his bday present.  Ooo..isn't the first anniversary cotton?!  Yay!

Thank you, Lynne, for letting me pattern test for you!  I had a blast!  I hope I get to see you in person in July.

Dec ALYOF goal

I'm keeping it real.  There are a ton of projects I want to get done this month.

In reality, there are only three I have to get done, so I'm picking one of the three as my goal.

I want to finish my Penny Sampler.  I'm hand quilting it, and I am slow...





That is all.

Finished bits...

Now that my tooth has finally stopped hurting, I've been trying to get stuff done.

I did finish my November ALYOF goal, my scrappy postage stamp quilt.

Not only did I finish the one I planned on getting done in November, I finished two!


I also completed:

my NY Beauty bag


Heal circle quilt


Pouch for Bama


Pouch for Trollop


Pouch for G


Pouch for mom (still need to take pic)

Pouch for Karen


Secret gift (pic coming once it's mailed)

Secret gift #2 (ditto)

Heal Circle blocks for Nov.



Space quilt  (OMG the drama, one of the stars had bleeding...washed it 4 times with like a dozen color catchers and the star is almost white now)  I love the quilting on this one! I'll try to take better pics in the morning light. Thank you, Katy, for the rocket block!


the back:


I washed the wonky star as well!  No drama on that one.  It's going to it's home on Monday at a baby shower!


Pic of my Octo pillow cover:


I'm plugging away on my Penny Sampler.  I anchor quilted it on the machine and am hand quilting the rest.  I'm also pattern testing and trying to make 2 more quilts for Christmas!


Also trying to finish one more Meridian and the sidekick bag for me for Xmas.

Total so far on my FAL list:  22/32

Meridian Cardi!

I like to be pattern tester.

It keeps me stretching my skillset, and it combines my love of editing (*cough* grades so many papers and keeps assigning them *cough*) with my love of sewing.

My amazing friend, Rachael,  over imaginegnats, makes such cool kid clothes designs that my first response when seeing her kid Meridian pattern emerge was, "PLEASE tell me you are making a lady version!"

Thankfully, she was.

I'm not a huge knit sewer.  I did this on my machine.  My only issue had NOTHING to do with her patterns.  She's lovely and clear in her directions.  My machine, however, decided to eat of the sleeves...of course, AFTER  I had almost finished sewing it.

I hit it with some fraycheck.  What can I say, I had a second version in the works (planned to sew on Thanksgiving break), and I was too lazy to take the whole dang thing apart.

I can only say that my frowny face was mostly because it was HOT the day I took the pic, and my hubs wasn't home until the sun was bright.  I had trouble finding a spot where the sun wasn't making weird shadows on my face...plus, um, he NEVER warns me when he takes a picture.

So, here it is:
Meridian #1





I even used a cool bunny pin from my awesomesauce mom to close it.  It's super comfy.  It's coming with me on all my holiday trips.  Frowny lines not included.

Check out Rachael's version (and other pattern testers' versions) by clicking here.

EDIT:  NO, I AM NOT SHOWING OFF A BABY BUMP OF ANY KIND.  SUGGEST SO AND AN ASSKICKING MAY COME YOUR WAY.  Ahem, you know who you are, MR. A.

So, it's been longer than I intended...

and I honestly haven't done much since the weekend.

It's been kind of sucko.  Since Halloween, I've been to the dentist 3 times, had a filling repaired, had the height altered, then been told I just had to wait.

Um, yeah.  So the week of the filling at the wrong height triggered a crapload of TMJ/muscular issues.  I just got to the chiro 2 weeks later.  I will be icing for a while.  I went to a new dentist on Thurs, as I thought it was ridiculous that the first dentist never checked an Xray and hadn't gotten the height right on two fillings in a row.  (This time is was so far off, even the assistant commented on it.)

Can I just say that I HATE going to the dentist in Atlanta?  I love love love the office I went to growing up, so much so that I book my cleanings for when I'm visiting my parents.  I trusted him enough to repair a significant filling issue the week of my wedding....and I had forgotten I'd gotten a filling less than 24 hours after it had happened.  *ponders trying to import him*
I'm rather anxious about teeth and eyeballs...so this is making my anxiety issues flare.  So. not. helping.

So, I haven't gotten much sewing done since Sat.  Almost none in fact.  To be fair, I got a crapload of sewing done on Sat when I had a lovely day with Al from AThousandNeedles.





Update:  Saw new dentist on Thurs.  LOVED him.   Filling was *still* not at the right height, but he doesn't think I need a root canal.  I may have a sinus infection.
I have sewn bits of my Penny Sampler, but I still have to redo a block, do the diamond strip, and the two Dala horses.
Right now, my priorities are the Space quilt for a baby coming in a week or so, the Heal quilt, and the two postage stamp quilts.  If I can get those cleared off the deck, I'll have a lot of space cleared for other things....like finishing my Penny Sampler and some Christmas presents that need to be posted.
I *finally* have an Octo pillow case of my very own!  Lots of pictures, hopefully of finishes, coming soon.

Goal for Nov--ALYOF

I finally got a new travel machine!

Yay!

So nice to be able to move my sewing around the house.

I've spent the last weekend playing catch up on my Penny Sampler.  Pics will appear soon.

I also bellydanced today!  First time in a longer than it should have been.  Gonna be feeling it tomorrow.

I needed to choose a goal for November for ALYOF.

I want to baste, quilt, and bind my Postage Stamp Top (one of the two).  Twould be glorious if they both get done, but I'll settle for one.



Going to have a sewing weekend next weekend to try to get on top of Christmas presents, too!

Linking up!