Reclaiming Pins

this jar was empty after I basted the king sized rail fence

I made a bit of progress on the rail fence today.  Not too much left to do.  I think its time to pick a binding.   

risky

 Of course I could have got a lot more done, if I hadn't spent 15 minutes messing around.... and then I learned a big lesson about leaving my coffee cup a little too close to my trash cup.

that thread was meant for the other cup :(

 So sad to have a nice cup of coffee ruined.

it belonged in this cup

Lesson Learned

I spent about 90 minutes quilting today.

I've been working hard!  

My First Mini

my first mini

I've wanted to make one for a long long time.  The bare white walls in  my sewing area were screaming at me to make one.  So I did.  I used the scraps from the quilt I made yesterday.  

I think I'll finish it later today.  This morning I need to run to the post office, Fabric City, Safeway, and the commissary.  Yay I have wheels today :)

Chain Reaction

Some chain piecing today :)

 A few weeks ago we started potty training the monster.  He turned 3 in February and I thought he was finally ready.  Well, he was and took to it right away.  I mean RIGHT away.  He only has accidents when he sneezes or is throwing a fit, and he wakes up during naptime to go potty.  We couldn't be happier. 

 But there is one thing....He wakes up earlier now because he gets 'the call'.  Which means he wakes me up yelling, "ME GOTTA PEE" about an hour earlier than he used to wake me up.  So, I have been given an extra hour in the morning.  At first I just sat on the sofa slamming back extra coffee, trying to be prouder of the potty training than I was annoyed at the early wake up.  But after a couple weeks, I'm finally getting used to it, and this morning I took that extra time and put it to good use.  

It won't quit snowing :(

 I enjoyed the morning radio show while I pieced and ironed.  The view from my Juki is sweet.(Unless you look at the calendar and see its supposed to be spring.)

We agreed I wouldn't let this happen when the Juki moved into the dining room.

 Maybe I can get a hold of this growing problem with my extra time.  Thankfully the hubs hasn't mentioned it, probably because he's just that good to me, but maybe it's because he has been working so much and hasn't seen it.  

I can't show it yet..

So I got a quilt top put together.  I'll let you see it in a few months.

Tomorrow I get the car to go grocery shopping and run errands.  I cannot wait!!

A Flop of a Weekend

It really doesn't look this ugly in person

The hubs had to work this weekend. Fourteen friggin hours yesterday, hopefully not that long today but I'm not holding my breath. Really wonderful timing since the monster has come down with a horrible case of sass your mother every chance you get. I sound disgruntled eh?

With 6 inches of snow on the ground, and no car, the monster and I just bummed around the house. We streamed Shaun the Sheep and more Thomas the Tank Engine than any person should be forced to endure.

Today we watched more Shaun the Sheep, but I got something done! I managed to get the top assembled for a large throw. I keep telling my hubs its for one person, or another. But really it will be his Father's Day gift this year.

Almost 4 years ago. Aplena, Michigan

He is a foot taller than I am, and suffers with the 60 inch throws I prefer to make. But this throw is plenty large enough to cover him.

Homemade Soap

This orange zest homemade soap is the result of me watching Martha Stewart shows all week while avoiding the king quilt which needs to be finished. It was super easy to make this soap, and I have plans to make more.

I've been domestic lately eh???

Survey

Did you see the poll I added to the right hand side of my page??  Over there ---->

I would like to enter 2 quilts into the Black Hills Quilt Show, but cannot decide which one I should enter.  I am going to enter this quilt.  And I was worried all the other quilts will be traditional fabrics or designs,  So I wanted to enter another so the fresh flowers wont be all alone.  Is that ridiculous reasoning?   Probably, but its the way my brain thinks.  These are the 3 I'm considering.... 

The Monster's Stacked Coins

Christmas Chain

lemons and limes

Please vote!

Twenty Seven to go

45 blocks quilted... 27 to go. I have lost count of bobbins, its better that way.

I quilted for 75 minutes on Monday, and 60 minutes today.

I can hardly wait to add up the time it took for each part of this quilt's process.

To pacify my quilting boredom I thought I would showcase the current wall hanging. I'm considering entering it in the Black Hill Quilt Show in June. I might enter two quilts..... Which other quilt do you think I should enter??

Time

Quilted 30 minutes Saturday night after the monster went to bed.

Quilted 20 minutes Sunday afternoon while the monster was napping.

I haven't got much done, I had to refill the bobbins, and I cleaned the bobbin area of the huge lint globs. But sometimes you just have to walk away for a little bit. So I did.

When I picked up my table insert I bought this book from their bargain room. Several projects inside this book have found their way onto my to do list.

And these were on sale! Darn, I'll have to think something up for them!(not together in the same project of course)

Sweating Bullets

My sewing table insert has arrived! I am so happy. Secretly I was nervous. Waiting for the insert has been my excuse for not quilting the king size rail fence. Now that its here, I know the hubs is expecting me to get to it! WOOF.

Its kinda like being pregnant for 8 months, and in the home stretch you decide you might not want to do the whole labor and delivery thing. You try to figure out if there is a way to chicken out. But, I don't want to end up like that woman that was pregnant with a calcified baby for 50 years because she was too afraid to deliver(did you see that on TLC? crazy!), and have a 50 year old UFO waiting to be quilted.

So I loaded up 4 bobbins and went to it. It took me 45 minutes to quilt 9 of the 72 blocks. The monster was sleeping and the hubs was playing shoot the bad guys on the game machine, so no one heard me going back and forth between whimpers and curses.

The 9 blocks took 2+ bobbins.

Between adjusting the weight a million times, and reloading bobbin, I was sweating and realized its going to take a crap load of time. I'm 1/8 done and I think that deserves a little break. Maybe I'll do a few bobbin after supper.

No puckers thus far. Thats a good sign.

Happy Quilting Day!

Distracted

We finally bought a new computer last weekend. I had been threatening to pitch our old laptop out the window for nearly a year. It was time. After impatiently waiting for the hubs to load the old photos on the computer, I decided to give it a try. Well I succeeded. But all 18000 photos went into one folder. So I have been spending hunks of time sorting through 6 years of photos. I haven't touched the juki in days. I've been distracted by photos like this....

and this...

and this.

awwww. So incredible the monster used to be so small. So incredible that now he runs around in Elmo undies coloring the carpeting with a purple crayon.

Ahhh... only a few thousand more photos to sort.

Sewing Summit

The hubs gave me the green light! He is taking a couple days off of work to stay home with the monster. That means.. I get to GO!

I get to go!

I am beyond geeked!

I think it is going to be MEGA fun!

If you haven't heard of the Sewing Summit check it out.

The Old Red Barn Co Quilt Along Group is going to have a get together during the summit! How cool is that?!

This group has taught me so many techniques, and has kept me motivated. I really love this group!

Japan Relief Fund

This is my mother in law navigating the subway map during her visit.

Have you seen the quilt Oh Fransson! is giving away to get people to donate to the Red Cross Relief Fund for Japan? Go check it out and help out to enter. Her Tokyo subway quilt is a dream.

Reminds me of the first time I was trying to navigate the Tokyo Subway,alone of course, and I didn't realize the other side of the map was in English! I felt like a total dunce! (if you remember my little story about almost peeing my pants on the train and barely making the last shinkansen home... it was the same trip)

a costume parade in Misawa (Aomori Prefecture)

Please go help if you can. I lived in Northern Japan for 4 years, and I have to say, even if you have been to Tokyo you have to understand Northern Japan is totally different. These are people that are kind and live simple lives. Hard working folks. They don't live in modern big city digs like the people in Tokyo. These are farmers, and fishermen. And just the kindest people you would ever encounter. Really.

It is not HOT pink

I had been hoarding this Farmers Market by Sandi Henderson for a long time. Its really pretty raspberry pink. I made my sister in law and apron with it. I was so excited to share photos of this pretty apron I made, but wouldn't you know it, every dang photo I take comes out HOT PINK! I'm giving up. You'll just have to trust me.

I used this cute Micheal Miller Mrs. Perfect print for the pocket. I bought it online years ago when I couldn't sleep one night in Misawa. I haven't done anything with it. But I thought the woman stirring pink frosting belonged on the pocket of this apron.

The backing is just something I had in the stash cabinet. I think I bought it at Joann in Amarillo.

When I loaded the photo of the apron on the computer I instantly thought of this HOT PINK dance outfit from 2nd grade(I think) The year we tap danced to The Good Ship Lollipop. The craziest things pop into my head sometimes. I have weird sensory memories.

Day of Aproning

Sunkissed half apron for me!

I wanted to make a full apron with more shape, so I tried. Despite it looking a bit choppy in the photo, I like the way it looks. It just ended up really skinny. I might have an idea of who it would fit. Cause it fo sho ain't fittin me! Considering I didn't have a pattern, I don't think I need to beat myself over this blooper.

I couldn't get a decent photo of this one. I'll try tomorrow when my camera battery is charged. But I have to say the jumbo ric-rac for the towel loop makes me giddy!

I'll admit...

I had no business picking up these pretty Sunkissed prints yesterday. To make an apron I told the hubs.

Even though just the other day I pulled these fabrics out of the stash cabinet because I meant to make them into aprons long ago. What will I do with 5 new aprons? Thats a tricky question. Well, at least I don't hoard books anymore. Aprons will take up way less space, and be lighter to move. Right?

I found a jumbo spool of cotton to quilt the king size quilt. Maybe that will happen soon. I wouldn't hold my breath.

We are still tuning into the news often to see how things are going in Northern Japan. I know the thousands of Americans up there in Misawa are said to be cold and without power, but hopefully the power and steam will be restored soon. I just imagine all of those young families with no power or heat. If this had happen 3 years ago I would have been huddled with my 5 week old baby freaking out! So I can only imagine how scared a lot of people are.

And one of the nearby towns, which base residents frequent to go to the mall, fish market, or Toys R Us has been destroyed. A few of the most horrifying images you see on tv are from that town. It is very sad.

a broken heart

The beach in Misawa

the castle in Hirosaki

a festival in Misawa

Big Buddha in Aomori

For the place I called home for 4 years.

And the kind wonderful people that made my heart happy.

I will be glued to CNN all day. No sewing.

Finally

Remember when I made DOZENS of placemats for Christmas? Would you believe it, I didn't make my household even one set?! Maybe I was just too sick of them to want any. But for lack of having a St Patty's table linens set, I decided it was time. Now my table is adorned with shamrock placemats. Very festive indeed.

I decided to do a quilting pattern that was random lines turning back and forth at the edge. I like how it turned out.

Other things going through the Juki today... Some chain piecing on a new project...

Some blocks for another new project....

a pieced backing for the See Bass quilt... I was in the groove today!

And genius me I found a good use for the paper the batting bolt is wrapped in!