Sorry I've been AWOL.

My computer's been having issues and had to be reimaged.

I'm also still in evaluation hell.
As in writing them.
Like 7 pages and a narrative for each kid.

I have been working on them when I can...as in, when I have a functional laptop.

Closer to done than not done at this point.

And, I'd soooo rather be sewing.
I did take a break today to bellydance.  So, so glorious.

I will try to put up pics.  I have a ton to upload and post.  Tomorrow.

Right now, I still have to make the bed and deal with a diva dog who will be pouty that he can't be a bed dog because he needs a bath and a shearing.

Done:
Infinity scarf
Orbit quilt
Heal quilt (and mailed!)

Further along:
Scrappy Trip...it's currently a mere 48" square.  Should I make it a baby quilt and wait for someone I know to have a girl, or should I add borders and make it a throw?  Help me out.  I'm stuck on that one and need to finish it up.

Also, if I can hit 200 peeps, I have a giveaway to do.

Happy Mother's Day, y'all!

Official May Goal

For the Year of Lovely Finishes, my May goal is to finish the Heal Circle's do.good.stitches quilt.

I really have no excuse for not having it done, other than some of my mojo seemingly evaporating post Stash Bash.




It's on my to do list.  I have two quilts to baste tomorrow.  Going to start quilting it then.

I started working on my clutches.  I have the linings cut and sewn.  I'm working on the embellishments of the outsides today.  I want to wait until it's not wet to do the gluing, so I can do it in the open air.
Anyone ever Scotchguarded bags before?  Does it screw up the metal if you do it at the end?

Wedding update:

This one sucketh.  Hard.  I was testing a new lipstick for the wedding.  It had aloe in it.  I thought it would, at the worst, make my lips peel.  Uh.  No.  It sparked a rash on my upper lip that made it feel like it was on fire.  (The one time I ever got my brows waxed, it felt like this.)  Ow.  I got lucky that the PA at the derm fit me in today.  Steroid creme for a 5 days.  Ow.  So, my perfect red wasn't so perfect.  Blarg.

Have any one seen my sewing mojo?

Because it appears to be missing.

I, in fact, did not sew all weekend.  The last thing I finished was my I love the 80s swap item.

I'll post pics as soon as I hear my partner has received it.

Frankly, I'm tired.  I'm not sleeping well or easily.

I'm trying to juggle wedding planning with writing evals...and then last week, my laptop died.

It was resuscitated, but froze up over the weekend.  I got it back today, but no one can give me a clear answer as to why it is being weird.

Things I have accomplished:

Honeymoon hotels booked
Transport sussed out on that bit

Crayons for wedding favors mailed to mom (and rec'd unmelted!)
groom and groomsmen's ties ordered
wedding ring for Pirate successfully gotten
attempt to grow nails before ceremony begun
little gift bags ordered
library card catalog drawer for guest book stuff purchased
part of bridesmaids' presents ordered
hair flower ordered

I still have to make the clutches for the ladies, baste/quilt/bind the Heal quilt, and baste/quilt/bind the Orbit quilt from Stash Bash.

I made some scrappy trip blocks but discovered that I must have miscounted and in no way have enough blocks to make more than a small throw quilt.  So, hrm.

The finish line to my FAL list seems to be drifting farther and farther away.
Blarg.

So....May goal.  My May goal is to finish the Heal quilt because it needs to go to someone in hospice and holding on to it is making me feel like a bad, lazy person.

Honestly, for the FAL as well, I'm not seeing getting much more off the list.  I have 16 down.
I will at least finish:
the 3 clutches, the Heal quilt, the Orbit quilt, the infinity scarf, and the HST Project Linus quilt.
If I can hit 23, it will be a major achievement.

I'm going to try to power through a bunch Thurs-Sun.  I don't have much free time after that.

Blarg.  If you find my sewing mojo, please return it to me by Thursday.  I kind of need it back then.

Thanks....

Covert Robin!

I'm sorry this is so late.  It in no way reflects my excitement over giving or receiving the Covert Robin.



What I sent:

A roll of un-paper towels to Bonnie over at Fishsticks Designs.

I'll admit, y'all, I was a tad intimidated.  She's an amazing sewist.  Designs her own patterns.
She also has a focus on conservation/minimizing waste.

So, I thought and thought.  Then I found a cool tutorial on un-paper towels.

I got to try out some new skills.  I'd never sewn with terry cloth before.  I hadn't put in snaps before either.  That was WAY harder than I thought it would be.  (I used one of those hammer it on dealies.  Next time, I might try the plier/squeezy tool.  I was just worried my hands would be too wimpy.)

Bonnie's pictures are far nicer than mine.  Check it out on her blog in action.  Here's my subpar photo:




I also sent her a journal because I feel I must share my lust for journals with others.





I got an amazing package from Cindy over at Spin the Bobbin.
I've met her at the Atlanta Modern Quilt Guild.  She made me a gorgeous clutch for my wedding!



In all my to do list, I never had a clutch for myself on the list.  Now I don't have to!
Also, she knows of my love of all things Tula and sent me some Salt Water.  I HAVE to do something with that kraken.

Thanks to all the lovely women who organized the Covert Robin!

growing to do list....

Seriously, y'all, my to do list is like a room of bunnies.  I turn my back for a few minutes...and there's a herd.

Which is not to say that I haven't gotten some stuff done.
(The wedding stuff just seems to keep multiplying...even as I tick off my list.)

What's done:

The Must Dash quilt has been gifted.  The dad teared up.




This was my April finish for the Year of Lovely Finishes.


I'll be linking up!

Other finishes:

I'm plugging away at my bags.  I had 14 on my to do list.  Got through a bunch and have a few more in progress.  I'm trying to finish my project for the "I love the 80s swap" to mail out Fri, so other pieces are on hold.

Here are the done ones:






I need to baste my Heal top and my Orbit top.

Here's the Heal:



I don't have a pic of the Orbit one on my camera yet.

I finished my Heal blocks for April.

and mailed my last 4x5 block for this quarter.





I still have a TON to do.  I've been dealing with wedding stuff still.  I have a crapload of crayons to finish casting and mail, hopefully with the swap item on Fri.  I want to mail them north before it gets too hot and they might melt.

I'm trying to finish up parent conferences this week...and not sleep too much because of my allergies.  I'm trying to retain my sewing mojo.  To be truthful, I really miss sewing with a crew.  I need to break out the big machine.  I started a quilt at StashBash to try to get more acquainted with it.  I'm ordering a low tension bobbin to see if I can overcome some of the FMQ trauma from before.

Also, my stack of quilts I want to be making now include:
A Retro Flowers
the Steampunk one from Amitie
The Marcelle Medallion
Tula's blocks


ACk.  Can someone make the days longer?

Stash Bash

I lucked out and got to spend an amazing weekend with some rad women at The Stash Bash.
Y'all, I will so be going back next year!
I came a bit late to the game on Friday.
I had a lovely table area with Jenn T. from Charlotte, Sonya (did I spell it correctly?), and Amy of Amylouwho.
Amy had some lovely Heather Ross, Sonya was working on a Nicey Jane, and Jenn showed some love to Sweetwater Hometown on her quilt.
I brought WAY more projects than I could possibly finish, even with some sweat shopping on my part on Sat.
I got bullied (cough cough) into instagram and have some pics up there.  I have yet to upload stuff from my phone and/or shoot pics of my projects...so I apologize for a no pic post.

Here's what got done:

a bunch tote bags (8...I brought 10, but didn't find the other 2 til I had assembly lined the rest and was ready to be done with them) *thank you, ladies, for giving me permission to NOT do the two hiding*

Pieced the Heal quilt top and made binding

Made binding for the Orbit quilt (which I finished putting together Thurs night in my packing anxiety)

Finished binding the Must Dash quilt (which is getting dried right now and gifted tomorrow)

Sewed up til the tube stage on my Scrappy Tripalong blocks

Screenprinted a few panels for a surprise for Trav (THANKS AMANDA!!!)

Got a lovely pouch from Tammy at Karamat in the Pouch Swap

Won a Harry Potter bag (WOOOOOO, again, that Amanda screen printed)

Got hugs from Jacey

Ate a lot

Laughed so hard with Elizabeth and the Birmingham crew  (Marla, Kim, and Katie)

Bought some more fabric

Oogled Jill's Tula stash and her ubercool tattoos

Met a ton of other folks who I hope I'll be able to keep in touch with...so nice to put real life faces and voices to blogs I've been reading (Safieh, Kelie, Beck, Amy...and so many more!  I'm sorry if I didn't put up your name...it doesn't mean I didn't have fun meeting you, I'm just crashing)

I came home and crashed.  HARD.
Not sure if it's allergies, the weather, or if I'm fighting another cold.

Wooo!  Parent conferences manana!

Just got back..

last night.
It was an almost four day fest of wedding planning.

Here's what was accomplished:
Dress marked for alterations (I may lose weight and not gain any.)
Shoes chosen.
Wedding cake ordered.
Menu planned at reception venue.
Schedule set for ceremony venue.
Rehearsal times set and rehearsal dinner time set.
Hair cut (and styles discussed with the stylist doing my wedding hair).
Paper flowers ordered for venue.  (As the ceremony is in a gallery, no live flowers for that bit.)
Final invite list set.
Future inlaws booked on airplane.

Still has to be done:
invites printed and sent.
guys still have to get suits.


I also got to see two gallery exhibits, eat chocolate almond frozen custard, and buy some really stay put red lipstick.  (I still have a mark two days later from where I made the test streak on my hand...and yes, I've washed them ALOT.)

I also packed/cut up projects for Stash Bash.  Anyone got a good idea how many I should bring?  Or any MUST PACKS I just can't forget?

I am now completely caught up on the Sisters 10 Modern BOM.
Holy crap, y'all.  I have NEVER used my seam ripper as much as these two blocks demanded.  I know now why I never do HST borders that require specific orientations.
No pics right now.  I'm going to pass out.  Spring break is officially over....