There are 5 complete blocks but only 4 fit in the picture. This is just to give you a better idea of where all that yellow is headed.
So far so good. I’m one fifth done and worried I’ll run out of fabric. I suppose I’ll have a better idea after the next stack of five. If worse comes to worse it will be a 4×5 rather than 5×5 and I can live with that too.
I found another dinner size plate yesterday, not by Johnson Bros, but close, it is Stafforshire. It’s a dark brown transfer and the plate is in pristine condition.
I also got these on a whim. Well, more as a knee jerk. I mean, for $1.99, how could I resist?
Amazing! No, they aren’t Lacoste alligators, they are dragons, and I believe they are the Canadian version. The cooler version.
And after some very careful consideration, I’ve decided to sew them onto everything I make, as a tag. I don’t know how many there are but I do plan on counting them, right after my coffee.
I got a really great quilting book that most of you that are into this sort of thing have probably already read about elsewhere, Modern Log Cabin Quilting. Let me reiterate, it’s wonderful, full of seriously beautiful quilts, simple and perfect. My favourite one is purple and blue and it’s SO gorgeous that it makes me actually like purple. And blue.
Here is a partial pile of fabric I have saved for a future log cabin quilt I’ve been dreaming about. You know yellow is my favourite colour.
I can’t remember what all is in this pile, some Jay McCarroll, Tula Pink, Kate Spain, Lizzie House…it’s all from The Workroom, for sure. Gorgeous, huh? Initially I wanted an ALL yellow log cabin (with purple centre squares), but the McCarroll fabrics changed my mind and now I’m adding light turquoise and pink too. Oh, man. LOOK at that paint splattery fabric, it’s stunning!! I got another bundle of fabrics in the mail yesterday, 12 fat quarters plus a full yard of yellow. So, I think I have that end of things covered. Now to find more purples and accents!
(Also, because my fabric stash is starting to look a bit overwhelming, I’d like to do a fabric swap with like minded friends, if anyone is interested, lemme know!)
Since learning how to make zipper pouches a couple weeks ago at the workroom, it’s pretty much all I do/think about. They are a fast, easy project and use up small bits of fabric that we all seem to have hanging around taking up precious crafting space. I know I have made more than this (one got accidentally left behind in Virginia but it’s being mailed back) so this is really just an idea of what I’ve been up to:
They all have stuff in them, yes.
Speaking of fabric scraps, I sorted all my small bits and pieces by colour today and actually tossed some of the smallest, least useful, pieces:
They went into three separate ziploc bags, red/orange/yellow, green/blue/purple and brown/black/grey/white. I know, even to me it seems funny to use plastic bags when I’m clearly obsessed on zipper pouches, but that’s the way of the crafter. Ziplocs are my friends, I use them constantly.
Ok, and before anyone asks, I won’t be posting instructions for your very own pouches here or anywhere. I paid Karyn to teach me how, I supported a local business and I got out and rubbed shoulders with other crafters and had lots of fun doing it. If you look I’m certain you will find similar patterns and instructions pretty much anywhere, but I won’t do it here. I don’t think she’d mind me selling pouches I made using her pattern though, but I will ask first.
In exciting mail news, I got my zipper order from etsy. I got a mix of colours in different lengths (and some small bits of cute fabric for small change purses) and I’m super happy!! The smallest ones are only 3″, so cute!
Sorry. I realize these pictures aren’t the greatest. I’ll try harder next time.
Shannon cast a bunch of Ari’s Barbie faces the other day so I got to work painting the smallest one as a zombie. The eyes were drilled out and I sewed it onto my jacket and I think it looks totally adorbz.
It’s scary AND cute. Just the way I like everything in my life.
Speaking of which, I was recently looking at various cross stitch samplers and thought, really? What the hell! I think I could do that! So, inspired again by my favourite 8-bit artist, I came up with this:
I have NO good idea for what to do with it, it’s small, like the actual sewn part is about 3″ square. Blah.
Blah!
Ooh, and guess what I found at Walmart!??!?
I know, right? Not perfect but still!
Another toy I made using a pattern from one of the Aranzi Aronzo books.
It’s pinned onto my judy that’s wearing my favourite Barbra Streisand wig. Also pinned are the certificate of authenticity for my engagement ring, a tank top pattern cut from a shopping bag, small pink Easter bunny toy, the small bird mola from Panama.
Mostly? I love my life.
But mostly sewing. I mean only sewing.
What I am willing to reveal:
Mug rug (it’s cutesy-poo, I know, but nicer than the coffee stains that were beginning to get a little out of control on the armrest beside me):
So it’s quilted by hand, did that during the Oscars. Yes, I love Heather Ross. I’d use her fabrics exclusively if I could afford to.
Then there’s this:
They’re all sewn now, all 90 of them (!), flags for bunting for Jana’s upcoming wedding. I can’t actually go so I did some work for her instead. Almost as good as being there? Well, no, but my blood, sweat and tears will be. And she gave me all the leftovers so I made yet another quilt top with them.
But. But but but. I’m not willing to reveal-yet-that quilt. Nor the other three quilt tops (one’s finished but it’s small) that I made in the last 2 weeks. A preview though:
Doesn’t tell you much of anything, right? Once I figure out who’s getting what (or not, maybe I’ll try to SELL something!) I’ll post proper pictures.
So it looks like it’s been 2 weeks since my last update, sorry. Where does the time go? Frankly, I don’t know. I mean, I have made 4 quilt tops (and finished one completely including binding), sewn 90 triangle flags for a bunting (they are 6″ across, 9″ long and not quite finished yet) had work meetings and seen a bunch of movies.
Ok. I loved Rango. I know I’ve been going on about it on twitter and Facebook, but for everyone else in the world? Go see it. Don’t worry about if you have a kid to go with or not, they won’t enjoy it as much as you anyway. I took Ari yesterday and practically gave myself a hernia I was laughing so hard. Maybe it was stress related, I don’t know, but I’m going to see it again, hopefully in the theatre. And it’s NOT in 3D! Woo!
And I also loved The Adjustment Bureau. It’s a smart movie about love. About waiting for love and being true.
We watch Bob’s Burgers each Sunday and I just said to Shannon how much I like it because it’s odd and funny and very silly. The voices are great, it’s a good show. Especially compared to the rest of the crap you get to watch on Sunday night. I haven’t enjoyed an episode of The Simpsons in at least 8 years. And I don’t like Family Guy and I loathe Cleveland. It’s awful.
I’m still going to the gym twice a week but I think I’ve lost the fever for it. My legs hurt when I use the treadmill and it makes the rest of my workout pointless. So yeah, I use the elliptical (or cross trainer as it were) and that hurts way less but still. And swimming is hard. I love the swimming part but I hate the wet hair afterwards part. And swimming caps don’t help. In fact, I don’t really know what a swimming cap is for.
Ok, so other than sewing like crazy (like, literally, CRAZY) I still do knit sometimes and I’m working on a couple other things.
I’ve also been enjoying cooking more lately, I often find myself thinking about how delicious roasted cauliflower is (very!) and what goes well with quinoa (almost anything). Shannon and I ate at Rawlicious last weekend while Ari was at her Oma’s house and I’ve been thinking about going back soon. I had this zuchetti thing, zucchini spiral shredded with tomato sauce all raw and I loved it. And then we shared a piece of ‘cheesecake’ and died and went to the moon. So very delicious, wow. So I’ve been thinking abut making that and then thinking that it’s the type of food best left to the professionals. Like sushi. And pad thai.
On top of everything I haven’t been sleeping much lately. Every night I go to bed and sleep for a couple hours then wake up at about 3:30 and stay awake for about 2 hours. Or longer. Then when I wake up for real for work or…sewing, I’m exhausted. I feel dead. I know why. But I feel more secure if I have my ipad in bed with me. RAH. It’s the IPAD’s FAULT!! But you know? When you’re like, ok, sleep time, good night pillow, good night duvet, good night ipad. Oh, what? Did someone tweet something witty? Is there an email for me? Grr.
Technology will clearly be the death of me.
Ok. I love you all. I’ll post real pictures soon.
And other stuff too, I haven’t stopped being busy this week, not even once.
First, as we know, Ali had her baby, who goes by Baby Clay. Or Babby Clay. And because she refused to tell anyone the gender before he was born, I was hoping for a girl so I could pass on the pink/orange/black zigzag quilt I made a while ago. Well. The good news is that she had him on a Monday, which is also my day off from work, so as soon as I got the good news, I got to work on a baby quilt. I had limited options but navy, green, black and grey seemed good for a boy.
There. Completely made in one day. It’s already been mailed and received.
Next up was my dear friend Libs’ birthday. I’d already made myself a pincushion using a block from knitty.com so I made a second and put a small quilt block on the back and called it good. This one is hers, front and back:
The yarn is mini mochi. It’s nice and soft and very cute. This one is mine, front and back:
Koigu yarn is the bomb. Ditto echino fabric. Delicious. And both were gifts from Libs!
Also, I made throw pillow covers to match my green quilt:
Made with scraps, mostly, a little new (the centre blocks) and the fabrics I’m using for binding (the orange pieces). The backs will be purple batik.
ALLLLLso, I made a couple toys out of an Aranzi Aronzo book, the middle 2 fellows:
Shannon got me thinking about toys and I’m glad I gave that book a second chance. I had to get new poly filler stuffing and I’m not in love with the new brand. I just don’t know where to get decent stuffing around here.
Valentine’s Day snuck up on me, so I hastily made a gift for my Valentine:
If you can’t tell, it’s a mini quilt, about 2′ by 3′, of an 8 bit picture of him. We’d been very much enjoying 8 bit art by Andy Rash and so I used his formula as the starting point. I mostly used scraps I had laying around here, but also got a couple fat quarters from Walmart (the blue backgrounds and the beige sand, dark brown beard/hair). I spent a lot of time looking at it and laughing my head off. And yelling at everyone to stop spying on me and my secret presents!
(Also an apology about flopping around and switching blog themes. I hate that, I get all confused when a blog I frequent suddenly looks different. The one I used for about a day-almost exactly like this one but purple and green-I loved and wanted to stick with but it didn’t have categories or a blog roll so I switched back to this one. Yes, I’m sure there’s an easy way to add those to a theme but I’m too old to start learning tricky stuff like that).
Well, I’ve been a busy bee, it’s true. And much busier and productive than I can post about. Here’s what’s poo, when you make something for someone as a gift and it’s finished and you’ve taken pictures but you can’t post them because they haven’t received them yet. Ali, I’m talking to you. And Libs. It’s torturous.
So between them and the shirts I’ve also put together a scrappy back for my green quilt. It’s not quite finished, I’m planning on getting some yardage tomorrow at the workroom to put a band at the bottom to fill it out to the right size. Or maybe a strip at the top and at the bottom, who knows. I’ve also made the binding for it, it’s also scrappy (surprise surprise!) different orange pattern fabrics.
The bottom edge has been evened out too. I’m very psyched for this quilt to be finished, then I can start thinking about my next big project.
I also organized my sewing area a little. There was peg board laying around here, in the laundry room, so I hung it up and Shannon got me a bunch of pegs and it’s fantastic. So nice to have easy access to thread and bobbins and everything useful.
Now I want more thread. MORE THREAD PLEASE!