Friday finishes!

I got yesterday off for Rosh Hashanah.
I got up at the usual work time to sew.

I want to give a quilt to my dance partner of at least 7 years.
She's facing surgery Tues for lung cancer. I know she's going to need lots of sleep, so I wanted something lovely for her to snuggle with...and for her to feel loved every time she wakes up.
I started Wed (and probably would have stayed up all night but I was worried I wouldn't wake up Friday for messing with my sleep cycle).
This took me most of the day Thurs.


It's so beautiful. The more I work with them, the more I love batiks.


It reminds me of images of space.

I decided that since I was handsewing already, I might as well keep going.
I bound and finished my girl version of the Across the Sea QAL.
It's going to a colleague (with my same legal name) who is having her very first baby.
I think she's picked a wonderful name (the same of one of my best friend's daughter...who I adore).


Although my quilting wasn't perfect, I love the crinkly goodness.

I think I have fabric picked for my Pretty Little Pouch fabric.


I have a plan. I want to see if she likes any of them more than others first.

I wish I had another full day of sewing available...
Still left to do (will be attacked in this order):
1. Japanese scrap bag challenge finish
2. finish 100 quilts for kids quilt
3. Pincushion
4. Pouch
5. Bee blocks
6. Hoopla

Just because...

I realized I never posted pics of my completed FTLOS package (the one I sent).
It was the first thing I have ever designed.
My idea was to create a pair of pillow, kind of a mod design.
I wanted the white space on one to be the color space on the other.
I like rectangles, and, since I'm not too experienced on curves, I stuck to what I knew I could do.



Here they are together:



I had to do math! (which I thought I was better at..*Cough*teaches math*cough*)
I didn't hear much back from my partner, but I know she got them and I hope she liked them.
Now I still have to master zippers.

Projects I've been working on...

I feel like I'm playing catchup.
Though I'm not sure where I'm trying to land.

I quilted the Across the Sea QAL quilt today. I was going to do echo quilting...and maybe that would have been a better choice. But I decided on straight lines.
I really hate my machine.
I didn't really have much in the way of choice...as I can't FMQ on it. As it is, I had a horrible time trying to feed it through the window bit. Clearly even the "lap quilt" is too big for it.
So, my lines aren't always straight...and the fabric bunched and shifted.
But I wanted it done.
and I'm hoping it gets a bit better in the wash as it's a gift.
For the boy version, I'm DEFINITELY not doing a pieced back along the lines of the first one.
I love the crosses on the back, but it was a b*tch and a half to try to get them to line up in my tiny tiny basting area.

Other projects:
I'm working on a quilt for the 100 quilts for kids. When it's done, this one will go to Project Linus.


I've selected some Wrenly for a Xmas present.


The Pirate helped me assemble this shelf thingie from Target over the weekend.

Now my fabric has a place to live....and the guest room is in theory usable.
(I still have a bunch of stuff to stuff in the closet should there be an actual guest.)

Still not done:
Skill Builder block
no progress on Hoopla
quilt for dance partner (layout done...sewing yet to begin)
Haven't decided yet on design for Pouch swap

Scrap Bag Challenge...

A while back, I made it past round one of PingsandNeedles Japanese Scrap Bag challenge.
I got my fabric about two weeks ago. It took a while to cross the ocean.

I used a pattern I'd had for a while but had never made...Tempest's Corset Belt.

I was terrified to cut into the fabric.

I tried making a prototype.


Then the concept of applying 80 grommets total made me throw that out the window.
(I still may go back and finish the red belt at some point.)

I spent most of my free time (Saturday) sewing and grommeting.
I cut up my fingers fairly well.
(This is why the bra is still in need of embellishment. I can't handsew til Friday or maybe Thurs if I get work off.)

The finished belt and unfinished bra:



I still have to pick music. And I am thinking of black dance pants and possibly a layer of a fringe belt under it...
I do promise to display the full costume by the deadline (most likely with me in it). Brace yourselves. And let me remind you right now that folks of all shapes, ages, and sizes bellydance. (Don't be expecting a 6 pack, unless I'm holding it.)

my poor fingers...

Well, I got the Across the Sea QAL pinbasted.
Not a good idea after cutting up your fingers from applying 40 grommets the day before.
My fingers are owie.
Hence, no work on the Hoopla today.

Still to do tomorrow:
Skill Builder block
Quilt the Across the Sea quilt?
lace up the bits of my Scrap Bag Competition piece
Make binding for bra edge
Start sewing quilt for dance partner (I want to try to get it done this week before she goes in for surgery)
TAKE PICTURES OF STUFF

Still on the to do list, just not tomorrow:
Finish quilt for 100 quilts
Start pouch design for Pretty Pouch swap
Pincushion for Sewn Spaces swap
Hoop for Hoopla

I just need to put off hand stitching for a few days til my fingers heal.
Owie.

Dad's quilt...

My dad loves color. He's got an eye for it, as does my mom.
How does that translate?
They collect art, and, art collections aside, their home is fabulous.
Right now, mine is just a mess.

But since the quilting bug bit hard this summer, I thought about making dad a quilt, a sofa sized one to curl up with.
See, he likes to nap on the sofa, usually sitting up.
But he claims he's just "resting his eyes."

I asked him what his favorite colors were to look at.
Interestingly enough, he picked my favorites: reds and purples.
I decided on some batiks and tried to decide what else to add to the mix.
It came down to a rich, fall palette....golds, reds, burgundies, and purples.
My favorites.


I'm going to have a hard time parting with this one.




It also seemed a fitting submission to Celebrate Color over at Stitched In Color.

Wish me luck. Dad's gonna love it regardless.

Hi, my name is Ella, and I'm a chronic project starter....

Because I'm not overcommitted at all...*Cough*
I finished dad's quilt. I need to trim up some loose threads and take pics.
That's on tap for tomorrow.
I'm starting my hoopla tonight.
I won a charm pack of Lola's Posies on Tea Rose Home and decided to make a quilt using Made by Rae's tutorial for 100 quilts.
Apparently, I need to sew to clear my head.
I decided NOT to pin baste the Across the Sea QAL quilt today...
see it was stressful and I was discombobulated all day.

This morning, I saw dark spots on the kitchen ceiling. I prayed the Pirate had somehow sprayed sauce there.
Nope.
Water marks. Soft spot.
See...now I'm stuck. It could be the roof (since it rained crazy yesterday) which would be the Association's responsibility...or it could be the plumbing on the floor above me, which would be my responsibility.
I can't find any wet spots in any of my plumbing...which I know doesn't completely rule out the plumbing issue.
But the spot doesn't seem to be getting larger.
Needless to say, I've been stressed all day, juggling phone calls.
Why does the universe always hit me with this stuff on a Fri?!

Also, any prayers/healthy wishes you want to send my dance partner's way would be much appreciated. It looks like lung cancer, but it appears to be confined to the spot on her lung, a quick growing tumor. She may or may not lose a lung...but her scan results at least look less bad than they could have. (I know, it feels weird viewing one tumor as a positive, but that's where we are at this point.) She gets booked for surgery soon. I've pulled fabrics to make my favorite disappearing 9 patch. I'm trying to get it done in the next two weeks. I love sewing, but I'd really much rather give friends quilts for presents on holidays rather than presents for healing. This will be my second quilt for a friend in treatment since the summer....

Tomorrow my main challenge is making my scrap bag challenge item....and at least grommetting some of the pieces.

And, I promise...pics tomorrow of dad's quilt. I want to get it in the light.