ALYOF Feb Goal

So, I need to finish this quilt.
By Sunday.

It's for a lovely friend who is getting some major surgery on Thursday.  (Sending healthy vibes his way; he's one of my favorite peeps.)
My husband and I are feeding his cats.

I want this be on his bed when he comes home to recuperate.






....And I decided to hand quilt. What the hell was I thinking?

I've used up most of my comma stash, but for a few bits.  So worth it for this gentle man.

Oh, and I have to sew three powerpuff costume mods tomorrow.  (didn't have a ball needle for knits)

Tired.  But I got the lighting board programmed today.  And I don't have strep.

so...wooo?

Also, a peep of the Economy Block completed. Better pics of all the quilts coming post class play.



linking up to:

Two finishes!

I'm trying to whittle away at play related projects.  I'm supposed to load the set in Sat, but since school was canceled right in the middle of the HS musical, the theatre schedule has become a tad insane.
I'm hoping I can load in by Sun.  Otherwise, I have even less time in the theatre with the set and a cast of 30.  Nope.  Not panicking.  Too tired to panic.

I made these:



Husband thinks I should make and sell cyclops hats.
I also have a wolf hat all done but sewing on the ears.

My snow days have been spent sewing and sleeping.  I have some kind of an ick.  Feeling like it's a virus, maybe.  If the fever comes back, I'll go get checked for strep.  My 1/2 nap yesterday turned into 2 hours.

Also, telecommuting hubs means I can't sew in the room with the TV.  Which was not all that bad since I had some hand sewing to do.

Finishes:

The Feathers QAL quilt!


This was my Jan ALYOF goal.  DONE!!!
O.M.G.  one of my all time favorites.  I backed it in a fleece blanket.  It's so so soft.  Kind of med weight but warm.  It's even more lovely now that it's been washed, but here's the pre-wash picture.

I need the weather to be nicer to do an official photoshoot.

Luckily, I'll have TWO quilts to shoot.  I also finished my Economy block quilt, which my husband is now calling S. Fl Trailer Park.  It's kind of awesome.  I have discovered a renewed love of leopard.  Honestly, it didn't really ever leave.  (I'm pretty sure I had a pink and silver leopard print scarf in the 80s.)  I really wanted a leopard flannel for the back, but struck out.  I used a crazy fuschia tree pattern instead.  Photos of that one when it's out of the wash.  (Where it is now.)  I hand quilted around the first two layers of the block with perle on each block.

I've got a third quilt I need to finish and baste this weekend.  It's for a friend going in to surgery next Fri.  I'd like to give it to him before he checks in for surgery.  Nothing like a deadline.  Geesh.

I'm headed to the musical tonight.  Time to regroup, but happy to see some of my old favorites on stage again.

Linking up:

Fabriholics update.

I can't seem to stop trolling the sales....or the massive destashing going on on IG.

That said, I've resisted something mightily.  Sort of.

I chopped up my AMH field study stash, using it for 2 quilts....an economy block quilt (which I'm currently adding some perle embellishment to) and a Feathers quilt.

Confession:  I bought some flannel to back the economy block quilt.  I really really wanted to back in a leopard flannel, but I couldn't find any.  So, it's got some fuschia timeless treasures flannel I found on sale on etsy.

I backed the Feathers quilt with a microfleece blanket.  (I bought two at Target to experiment with.)  I totally love this.  It was a beast to quilt.  (I pinned the crap out of it.)  I should have cut the binding at 3 inches to take the increased seam allowance and the bulk of the microfleece.  Lesson learned.  It was REALLY hard on my hands to sew the binding on.  I still have to wash it, so pics are forthcoming.  I cannot wait to snuggle with it.

Confession:  I bought some AMH blue leopard for the binding.  I thought I could get it at my closest LQS, but they didn't have field study.  I ended up buying a yard.  I fully plan on using the other 1/2 yard to bind something else.  I love it so.

I dug up some old comma yardage, matching solids, and charm packs.  I have a quilt coming soon.  It will be a mosaic tile.  It has to get done this weekend, as I need to gift it by next Fri for a friend getting surgery.  I haven't finished the top or the pieced back.  It will clear out my comma stash, I think.

Confession:  I bought a bunch of blue solid and red solids to finish the tops of the Madison Quilt and the Red/Purple quilt.  I have an idea of how I want to layout the sampler blocks.   I may have over bought a bit because I don't trust my maths entirely.  I figure if those end up in my stash, I'll be ok using them up.  I also bought a couple cream FQs for bee blocks I need to make.

So, that's it.  I'm exhausted.  I've been knitting like mad.  Costumery...I've posted on IG.

Linking up!

Blarg....just blarg.

Fun things that happened today:
1.  I had to explain Tina Turner to 6th graders.  (A colleague couldn't believe I forgot about the Thunderdome.)
2.  I'm choreographing "Proud Mary" as a dance number in Hades.  It's glorious.
3.  When told one of my favorite hams that she needed to "work it," she replied, "Oh, I'll work it...you just need to tell me how far to work it."  Love her.
4.  There may be Tardis sound effects in the play now.  Also, got to share this:

I love that I have Whovians.
5.  I had french bread pizza and ice cream for dinner.


Not so fun:
1.  The two hours spent at the eye doctor.
2.  I have an infected duct in my left eyelid, and I have a minor infection in my right eye.
3.  It took an hour to drive home because of traffic.  (Should have been max 20 min.)
4.  I had to go to two different pharmacies to get the antibiotic eye goo.
5.  I have to use antibiotic eye goo.
6.  I still haven't ripped out all the paper from the feathers top.

That is all....

Life in Progress....

So, I'm not sewing as much as I usually do.  Maybe because I'm also reading and frantically knitting.

Can I please have more hours in the day?  I mean, I love my job, but longer days would be awesome....because I refuse to stop napping on occasion...ahem...almost every day.

I've been finishing stuff.

Now finished knitting stuff  (It all needs to be blocked.  I'm ordering a blocking mat.):

Red collar ( #1) Totally lucked out on this one.  Found some other alpaca, not the right weight but it worked doubled.


Mardi Gras scarf (#2)  Finished the scarf.  Not sure I like the three needle bindoff I used, but it will do.

Earthy Scarf (#3)  Ditto.  I have a friend this was intended for years ago...  She's going to finally get it.


Purpley scarf (#9) It's so gloriously smooshy.  I am loving it on cold days.


Fingerless gloves (#10)  Frantically finished these when I realized I couldn't find any gloves...and I had work on that incredibly freezing day the other week.


Pinky Scarf (#14)  same pattern as the others.  Found it and went to town.  My hexies have been languishing!


Baby stripes (#16)  sewed that puppy together.  Not perfect but hopefully a baby will like wearing it.  Now, to find a baby in need of a baby sweater....



Done:  7/35



Finished reading stuff:

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan


The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

Books finished: 2
Is anyone interested in book reviews?  Not that I'm promising amazing ones, but I can give you my 2 cents if you want it.

Finished sewing FAL list items:
None.  Not a one.  Waiting on some flannel for the backing of the economy block quilt.
Edit: It got here.  I got distracted by something shiny I'll hopefully share later this week.

Working on Feathers QAL blocks.  Going to try to back it with a fleecey blanket.  This will be an experiment.  Yes, there are two upside down blocks.  So NOT taking it apart to fix them.


Heal circle Jan blocks:


I love me a churn dash.

Classic Meets Modern QAL, Jan blocks, Polar bear paws:


My goals for this coming week and weekend:
Finish the 3 Cyclops caps for the class play.  (Bases done, still have to knit eyes and sew them on.)
Work on shiny project.
Baste the Economy block quilt and make binding.
Remove paper from Feather blocks.  It's making me twitchy.  I spent hours on it tonight and am only half way through.
Baste it.
Sew together the brown sweater. (maybe)
Start pulling fabrics for the 4x5.

Phew.  Still need me a time machine.  Tardis, mayhaps?

Reading List 2014

Since I seem to be a list queen, (I am not OCD, no, no), I figured, what's one more list?!

Here's my book list (and I'll give progress updates each month).

1.  The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

2.  The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

3.  Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks

4.  We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families by Philip Gourevitch

5.  Genius Squad by Catherine Jinks

6.  She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb

7.  Cane by Jean Toomer

8.  American Lion by Jon Meacham

9.  Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie

10.  My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk

I'm only starting with 10.  I'll keep adding groups of 10 as I get close to finishing a batch.  I feel like I haven't been reading enough.  I need to remedy that...and clear books as part of the clutter clearing....

ALYOF Jan 2014 goal

So, I can't resist the shiny at times.  I want to make all the projects NOW.

I've joined up on two trends.  One was the economy block along.


I made a top over the weekend.  Plus side, I used up some hoarded AMH Field Study.  Downside, I think I need me some leopard flannel to back this one.   (Upside, I have kona raisin I want to use for the binding.)  It's not cheating if it immediately comes and goes from the stash, right?)

But, that's not my goal for January.  I also started working on the Feather QAL blocks.  I decided to keep using up the Field Study.  I'm using the scraps from the Economy blocks and the rest of the bundle.  I'm going scrappy.  No set plan on this one.  I kind of need the improv-ness to keep me motivated on the paper piecing.  Got blocks A-D done.  I'd like at least stay on schedule for that QAL for the month of January.

Here's what I have done so far:



To be on schedule, I have to do blocks E, F, G and H still.

I'd love to be ahead of the game and up to I or J, but through H will still be acceptable to me.

Also, I wanted to put out there my goal of reading actual books more often.

So far, I've finished a Rick Riordan that was languishing for a long time.
I'm also almost done with The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood.  Update:  Finished it last night!


I have to knit like a fiend this month.  I just got some scentless Soak yesterday for washing and blocking!  On top of all the projects on my FAL list, I have to knit 3 cyclops caps for the play and paint flats.  Wooo.  At least the play is written.  I have to cast it this week.  I also have plans to chop off my hair.  I hate it right now.  Did I mention wanting to do all the projects NOW?