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Thursday, January 31, 2013

Another one bites the dust!

Or at least gets finished!

Good morning, superfriends!


Look!  Finished ADD quilt!  (Yes, it's actually done).  This is more a personal exploration of how my quilting feels sometimes.  A wonderful detailed plan, ideas.... and then it all stalls out when I come to the actual creation.  I know that people with ADD can concentrate very well when it's something that is interesting.  And I do - but sometimes... things just don't work the way they do for other people.  So here is the ADD quilt: the quilting gets less as it goes, and the binding... well... it just peters out.  Rather like my enthusiasm for a long project.  :)  This one is small, so I COULD accomplish it in a timely manner.

And of course I've started a new quilt.  I've got most of the fabric sitting in front of me right now, just need to cut and such.... we'll see how far I get. The best part is that I can use only fabrics from my stash - no buying of new fabric!!  I can start whittling down the stash again!  (That makes me VERY happy, as our stash is about to overrun the two long shelves we've set aside for it!) 

Work is gearing up with yet another project, and I will apparently be involved.  Which MAY mean working 6 days a week - I should find out today.  10 hour days, 6 days a week.  The overtime will be nice - but it will certainly cut into other things (Faire) if it happens.  I should find out today.  I am a little nervous, torn between Faire (which I love madly) and Work (which allows me to do faire).  Who knows....  I will after our 6 hour training session.  SIX HOURS!!! 

I bought myself a Kindle Fire for my birthday - inspired and urged by my parents' gift of an Amazon gift card - the perfect prezzie, really.  It's a wonderful thing, and I am enjoying the heck out of it.  The only downside - it's WAYYYY  too easy to buy books that way!  (Not a HUGE problem, but one I am going to have to watch!)  I bought three last night!

Anyway... more about quilts later.  I am going to be busy! 

Oh, yeah!  And I am working on Boston Molasses again!  Hooray!!

Oh!  (sheesh - the post that never ends!)  AAQI - The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative - is going to be ending this year.  Apparently they are really close to meeting their financial goal of One Million Dollars.  (Wow).  So they will only be accepting quilts for a few more months, and selling/auctioning them off for a few more past that.  So if you want to get an AAQI quilt and help support research, better look into it pretty quick!  Right now I've still only got the one out there, but there are two going out by next week.    Here's the link for those who are interested: http://www.alzquilts.org/  Go forth, look, buy, and offer support.

Okay, I think I am actually done with this post now. 

Shay

Monday, January 21, 2013

Monday finishes



Good morning, superfriends!  It was a good and useful weekend - much accomplished, and much fun had!  (Sunday was my birthday game afternoon, and it was fabulous!)

And, I finished BST!


BST rough shot

Here it is on the floor at work - I'll get a better shot this afternoon at home, I promise!  But here it is!  And BST is Binary Sleep Tight.  The black and green are in binary - 01110011 is the upper left hand piece.  That's an 'S.'  Reading down the first column is SLEEP, the second column is TIGHT.  Yeah... I'm a little bit geeky.  It's pretty enough without knowing that it's "written" in binary, which makes me even more happy.   The quilting - of which I should be able to get an up-close shot this afternoon -  is ones and zeroes.  The print fabric is a Timeless Treasures - Microchip, and fits quite nicely. I hunted FOREVER to find something appropriate for the background, and NOW I found about 4 different fabrics I could use.  But... I am pleased with this one. 

It's a nice, successful completion, and it makes me happy to have it done!  I also managed to cut and piece the top of my ADD quilt-let.  (Yeah, I know, it's not on my list of things to do, but it's LITTLE.  Really!)  All I have left to do is the quilting and binding, and that MIGHT be done by this evening!  We'll see.   Here it is, the ADD quilt.  The quilting will be... simple.  We'll see what happens.  I hope to be able to show it tomorrow, all complete and in its glory.



Currently my IPad is playing the Eagles' "Do Something" in my ear, and it's fitting... I want to be doing something - some quilting, some sewing, a lot of different things.  I want to get up and Do Something.  So I will finish my work, and then go home and do just that.  I am proud of myself though - I have finished the first part of my goals for the year - BST is quilted and bound.  Yay!

Shay

Plum and June



Saturday, January 19, 2013

Saturday working

Good afternoon, superfriends!  (Gosh, it's already almost 3pm here... where did the day go??)

Actually, it went into the past rather swiftly.  Bright and early this morning we got up, drove to Dallas to hit Perth Street - home to lovely fabric shops, wholesale and retail - so D could get the rest of the fabric for her costume for this year's faire.  And in a moment of sheer serendipity, I FINALLY found the perfect fabric for a quilt that I've been planning for quite a while.  In a shop that didn't normally carry quilting fabrics.  And it was cheap.  And it was a good quality - one that's normally 10-12 dollars a yard.  Five and a half yards of it.  So naturally I snatched it up!!  Yay for serendipity!

Once we got home - and yes, D managed to get all her fabrics (hooray!) - we cleaned for tomorrow's party.  And then... binding.  I'll finish the binding on BST tonight and post finished pics tomorrow.  Also finished my January block swap and got it off, and started on my next little quilt-let - I anticipate going back out to the forge tonight for a while and maybe at least get the top done.  I can quilt and bind it tomorrow morning before people start showing up.

But in the meantime, there's a little more cleaning to do, dinner to go out for (I'm taking D out since she scoured the kitchen!) and then binding and a little bit more cleaning.  And maybe dyeing of my hair.  Tired of the gray, and it's about that time anyway... time to start working my way into character for faire.

Yup... it's that season again.  When quilting and costuming run hand in hand, and the days at work flow into the days at faire, and at the end of it you're exhausted but oh-so-satisfied!

I feel... accomplished today.  It's a good feeling.  And with luck, I can get all the binding done.  But right now, I think I'm off for a snack!!

Shay

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Thursday again.. already???

Good morning, superfriends!  It looks like it's already Thursday again, and that means I haven't been by for a week!  What's wrong with me??

Well... nothing.  I've been busy doing all sorts of things.  Quilting, working, planning, prepping, cleaning.  You know... life. 

The quilting on BST is almost done - two more sections to finish and I can bind it and call it done!  Which is good, since I'm trying to get it done by Sunday, so it can be on display for my birthday shindig.  And, you know, take pictures and show it here and stuff!  I am looking forward to having it done - I'll have something DONE at that point.  Progress is good.

I was working diligently on BST the other night and had a random thought.  Which became another quilt to add to my list.  I'm up to 90 quilts planned/in progress/done now.  I'll never catch up!


So, having said that... how DO people keep on top of all their ideas for sewing/quilting/various projects?  I don't have a clue.  I don't think I can!  I know I want to make this new quilt, but I want to make ALL the quilts!  (Or at least all the ones on my list).  How do I catch up to myself? 

I love quilting.  I love piecing, (not so much basting), and I love the process of quilting.  I am learning to accept that applique is pretty - just not when I do it.  Yet.  But my brain is rarely silent and keeps feeding me ideas.  I wind up with massive lists of quilts, too many ideas, and not enough time to work on them all.  Not by a long shot.  And I feel like it's my brain's fault, not my time management skills (which are actually pretty good most of the time).


This is my brain on quilting

When I was teaching, one of the first exercises we did (at the beginning of a school year, at teacher inservice), we took a test to find out our thought patterns.  I was in a group of 2.  Out of all the teachers at the higyh school.  We were... I don't remember the name of the test or types, but... it was an eye-opening experience.  The largest group had a series of arrows in a straight line: linear thinkers.  Another group had arrows and dotted lines - the intuitive leapers.  I don't remember all the groups, but ours - that lovely small group of 2 - had a dot in the middle of the page and arrows going in every direction.  It describes my brain pretty well, really. 

But it's not much good for catching up on my quilting!  Anyone have any suggestions?  (And plugging away works only so far.  I am plugging away on BST has got me almost done.  But if it takes too long, I get bored and go on to something else!).

Don't get me wrong - I am in no way disenchanted with quilting or the time it takes to make wonderful things.  I just... wish I could get things done faster.

And this post has spawned another idea.... this is getting silly.... but it would certainly be scrappy.  A quilt of chaos... no symbols, no order, no color-choice.  Just random snatching of fabric pieces from the scrap bin.  Stitch, iron.  Stitch, iron.  At the end, quilt, square up and bind.  Hmm... might be able to get THAT done this weekend...  *tears hair*  Not.  Enough.  Time. 
Shay

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Thursday in the Forge

Good evening, superfriends!

In my efforts to get more done this year, I have gotten (gasp) organized!  Each project still in the piecing stage has a box.  Oh, boy....

And I've at least gotten caught up on my December block swap.  Now I can start the January one with a clean conscience.  (I am so sorry it took so long, Carol!!) 

I'm halfway through quilting BST, and should be able to show pics of it soon.

But for now, I have a cropped sneak peek for Carol's block.  It's really a little more purple-y than it shows here, but I wound up liking the block!

 
 
Hopefully she will too!

Thursday, January 3, 2013

2013 Goals and Plans

I started making my list of things I want to accomplish on the quilting/piecing front last night....  I feel like I must be nuts.  Crazy, even.


BMF

On the "dear heaven I need to finish quilting this!" front, my goals for the year are:
1. finish quilting Boston Molasses Flood
2. finish quilting BST
3. quilt Crazy Diamonds
4. quilt my Dead Me quilt
5. My sister's quilt (need to do this one quick, too!)




Not too bad, except two are bed-sized quilts, and being done by hand.  *sigh*

On the "piece piece piece" front....
1. Molten Glass (currently in progress)
2. Wonky Sun Runner
3. Gatchaquilt (a brand new one that has leapt madly to the front of the line.  very pushy, it is).
4. Sun Phoenix (applique... why do I do this to myself??)
5. Hex Bird-Tree

And on the smaller scale list....
1. Complete all my block swaps in a timely manner
2. at least 2 more AAQI quilts.  (1 already planned....)

Now, looking at it, it doesn't seem like much.  12 items, 12 months.  But... I know me.  It won't work like that.  Even if it did only take me a month to hand-quilt a king-sized quilt (which is NOT going to happen).  We'll see if I can reach my goals.  If not, so be it, but I wanted to get it down in black and white so I can refer to it when needed.  And... it will keep me honest, I think.  I know other things will get added to the list, but this is my first of the year working list.

And of course, faire will be starting up soon.  The show starts in April, but we prep earlier than that.  And I will probably make a new bodice this year.  Nothing else garb-wise, but at least a new bodice.  And yarn things.  Because Penelope Weaver must have yarn things. 

So, we'll see how I fair on my goals.  Tonight - work on BST - it's smaller! and maybe on the Molten Glass.  We shall see.... (unless I pull greens and browns for the Hex Bird-Tree... See?  This is my problem.  Too many ideas, too little focus!)

Shay