Sleepy Morning

Good morning!

I don't know about you, but I don't feel very awake yet. There isn't really a good reason for this. By my calculations, I got about 8 hours of sleep. And I didn't even wake up because of nightmares like I did the night before last. Maybe it's the cold weather? It seems our annual week of winter has finally arrived in southern AZ and it's less than 40 degrees outside (I know, shocking!). It is set to freeze the next few nights, which probably means pipes bursting all over the city because we are never prepared for winter. Really. Two years ago we had a hard freeze and when I went to class in the morning, pipes had burst all over campus. There was a geyser of water outside the building I had class in that day. It was weird and kind of funny. Winter always takes us by surprise.

So what have I been working on? A bit of sewing, a bit of crochet. Well, maybe a bit more crochet than sewing. Although my crochet projects take less time than the sewing projects, so maybe it's about even. Anyway...

I finally finished some arm warmers for a friend for Christmas... Yes, I know. It's January. And I started these in November. For shaaaaame.

I also made myself a pretty scarf. I haven't woven in the ends yet, though, because I used a whole skein of yarn and it still doesn't feel long enough... now I'm debating whether I should be lazy and call it good or if I should just suck it up and go get another ball to make it the length I really want. Right now I'm leaning toward lazy because I feel sleepy. But I think I'll hold off on the decision making until I feel I've woken up properly.

What about sewing? Well, I did finish cutting strips for Mr. Hounds Tooth. But I won't bore you with more pictures of strips. I got distracted from Mr. Hounds Tooth by this:

This is the January block for the Sisters' Ten BOM over at Gen X Quilters. I don't know that I will follow along the whole year, but I had some time on my hands and a pretty fat quarter bundle of La Dee Dah, so I decided to take a break from cutting 2.5" strips. Since I only made one, I think this might be destined to become a pillow. But how nice will it look as a pillow?? I'm kind of excited about it. I'm also pretty pleased with the piecing. I'm getting much better with the accuracy thing :) 

But the most exciting thing I've done? I FINISHED A SKIRT. And it even FITS. 

I can't prove that it fits. Because no one was here when I needed to take pictures and I didn't want to mess with trying to set up a times and anyway... my hair is a mess and I haven't shaved in a couple of days because it's winter and my legs are hiding under jeans most of the time anyway and... Well. You get the idea. So you'll just have to trust me ;) I used some super cheap Joann fabric that I got on clearance. Because it was my first attempt at making clothes, I didn't want to spend a lot of money in case it all went horribly wrong. 

With a Christmas Amazon gift card from my sister, I bought a book called Sew What! Skirts by Francesca DenHartog. It's a nice little book that goes over the basics- how to measure yourself, how to make a variety of cuts and waistlines for skirts, how to add buttons and zippers, etc. I did an easy elastic waistline to start because I didn't want to attempt a zipper on my first ever skirt. That and I forgot to buy zippers. Next time I think I will use wider elastic (this is 3/4" elastic I actually bought for a costume a long time ago and forgot about- it tends to roll easily) and add more flare to the skirt. But I'm still so pleased with the results! It was so much easier than I thought it would be. Definitely a good introduction to garment making, which is something I would love to do more of in the future. I already bought a couple of yards of blue and white gingham that I plan to use on a simple dress. Maybe I'll start working on that this weekend :)

I'm feeling a little more lively now. Time to cut the coffee umbilical cord and face the day, I suppose.

Linking up to Finish it Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts!

Making (Slow) Progress

Anyone else feel like time is accelerating this year? I swear Christmas was only a few days ago, right? It's okay that time has been going by fast, though. I've been keeping busy! I spent most of yesterday cleaning and de-cluttering my house, which felt really good. I didn't finish, though. My bedroom is the place that needs de-cluttering the most. My boyfriend and I both have a problem with holding onto clothes a lot longer than we really need to, so my room is bursting at the seams with old clothes we haven't worn in months. It's a real problem. One that I plan to tackle this weekend.

But between the cleaning and spending time with friends who now happily live in the same town as us, I have been working a bit on my hounds tooth quilt. And by working on it, I mean cutting out all the many, many strips of fabric. Cutting is not one of my favorite parts of quilting, to be honest. I am so clumsy... I often nick my fingers with the rotary blade. I have no idea how this happens. I never notice when I actually get cut. It's only later where there is a smear of blood on my finger that I realize something is amiss. But I have gotten better at cutting. I haven't messed up a single strip (knock on wood!!). My first attempt at cutting strips was pretty disastrous. I could not keep the ruler straight and kept getting crooked, wavy strips. So frustrating! But now that I'm not so hopeless as cutting consistent strips, I can even throw on Dr. Who in the background as I cut without worrying about distractions causing super wavy strips!

Side note- does anyone else love Dr. Who? I only recently started watching it about 4 weeks ago on Netflix and have since fallen in love :) Once I catch up on the current incarnation of the show, I plan to start watching the classic episodes! 

I also got some very exciting packages in the past few days. My wonderful mother bought me a gift card to Fat Quarter Shop for Christmas and I bought this with part of it:

Les Amis by Patty Sloniger

Seriously LOVE this collection! Little animals make me happy. And I especially love owls, turtles, and foxes so this collection is PERFECT. I know I want to make myself a quilt with it. I'm thinking of using Elizabeth Hartman's Kitchen Window pattern from The Practical Guide to Patchwork. I bought this fabulous book in November but all the holiday madness kept me from trying anything out. This might just be the perfect project to start :)

I picked this up from the post office today:

Grecian Waters bundle of Kona Cottons

Isn't it pretty? This is what I'm going to use for my Skill Builder BOM quilt! I sort of wanted to pick out all my fabrics individually... but it was taking SO MUCH time. I was having such trouble making any color decisions and I was just getting frustrated. So I picked out a bundle instead and called it good. I'm super excited for the first block lesson! :D 

I have also been working on some crocheting... but I really prefer to take pictures when there aren't a thousand strings of yarn hanging out. That's probably silly, but oh well! Pictures to come later :)

Linking up to WiP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced! Maybe next week my hounds tooth quilt with actually have some pieces put together :) Hope you're having a great week!

A Little Finish

Do you ever have those mornings where everything just seems to suck? Like no matter what you do, you can't win? I felt like that this morning. I woke up with a sinus headache and my arm hurting. I have trouble with one of my shoulders and sometimes it flares up out of nowhere to ruin my day. But I got out of bed anyway and wandered out to the kitchen to get myself a much-needed cup of coffee. I was going about my little morning routine- letting the dogs out, getting the coffee going, refilling the dog food dish and then the water dish... and what do I do? Drop the full dog water dish so it makes a HUGE mess and gets my pajamas and feet wet. UGH. All I really wanted to do was leave the mess for later and crawl back into bed where it was safe and warm. But being a grown up (sort of... not really) I instead cleaned up the mess, poured myself a cup of coffee, and sat down behind my sewing machine to make myself feel better.

This may not have been the best plan given the state of my arm, but it did make me feel better! And a couple of hours later I had these to show for it:

Pretty little potholders for a house warming gift for a friend who recently moved into a new house. I LOVE this fabric! It's Everything is Nice. I love the little stand mixer and the little spatulas... And, of course, all the dots! Pretty, pretty dots. Finishing these made me feel so much happier.

And even better? I got to wear these while I was sewing:

I decided after all the holiday sewing and crocheting that I really needed to make something little for myself. And since it is ALWAYS COLD in the winter in my sewing/computer room because we don't have central heating, I thought these would be perfect. I used this pattern that I discovered via Pinterest. It was a really great, easy to follow pattern. And so quick! I finished them up yesterday. Now I have something pretty to keep my hands warm while I sew. 

So, a little bit of finishing going on here. Therapeutic finishing. I'm linking up to Finish it Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts. Now I am going to go look at other finishes to keep me in this calmer state of mind :) Hope you're having a great Friday!

2013- Let's Do This!

2013 already. 2012 went by in such a blur. Most of it was spent in school. I even took classes all summer just so I could finish by December! In hindsight, it was probably not the best idea to start my Master's degree 3 weeks after finishing my Bachelor's. But at least it's all behind me now, right?

But other than school, 2012 was a pretty good year. I started sewing again and even finished my first two quilts! I also crocheted quite a bit and started this little blog :) Another doggy joined my little family, which has been a bit of a trial with the potty training and the chewing of the furniture, but it is all worth it in the end because she is such a sweetheart.

One thing I have to share- the most awesome Christmas present! One of my best friends and, incidentally, my boyfriend's sister made this for me:

She designed and printed fabric for me using Spoonflower! AHHH! It's so cute! She drew my dogs on a purple background, combining my favorite things in one pretty fabric. She's the BEST. What am I going to do with it?? I'm thinking a cuddle quilt for the couch... But I need some coordinating fabrics first. And I have a few other things on the agenda before a get to it... So without further ado...

So what's in store for 2013? More quilts! I am going to use these pretty colors to make a hounds tooth quilt for my bed. The picture isn't the best, I know. The optimal time for photo-taking in this room isn't for another hour or so and I was impatient.

Moda Bella Solids- Aubergine and Natural

I absolutely can't wait for this quilt to be finished! I love hounds tooth and I love purple. You know what makes my boyfriend the BEST EVER? That he lets me put purple things on our bed and doesn't complain :D  He would probably let me girly up the whole bedroom without saying a word. But I won't do that to him. At least not now ;) This will be my first quilt of the year. Exciting! I might even try to quilt it myself. Maybe. And if I chicken out because it will be HUGE, I know of two local long arm quilters I could send it off to... We shall see.

Other exciting things! I am participating in a Bee, a Swap, and a BOM. Yes, I am just jumping right into the quilting community with both feet :)

The swap is the Low Volume Charm Swap organized by Lori H. Designs. I have never participated in a swap before, so it's a new and exciting thing for me. I have been admiring the low volume quilts around blog land from afar so this seemed like a perfect opportunity to get my hands on a wide variety of pretty low volume fabric to make a pretty low volume quilt. Would you like to see my fabrics?

Pretty little stacks of charms!

All sorted and ready to be sent off

The next thing I signed up for is the Newbee Quilters bee over at Threadbias. I saw this group on Threadbias and knew I had to join. I wanted to participate in a bee, but being a new quilter, I was intimidated by the beautiful bee blocks I saw around blog land- would I be able to make blocks as well? What if I messed up and ruined the bee? Very scary prospect. This was a perfect answer. A bee just for newbies like myself! Much less pressure. Now I just have to decide on a block!

And the last thing I have jumped into:

The Skill Builder Block of the Month by Alyssa at Pile O Fabric! I just found Alyssa's blog after seeing the info for this BOM on another blog I subscribe to and I'm so glad I did! This is the perfect way for me to practice my quilting skills throughout the year in a low pressure environment. I am having a bit of trouble deciding on fabric, though. I think I would like to have a black background like Alyssa, but maybe with shades of green, teal, blue and purple? I must spend some more time looking through photos and palettes and everything before I buy any fabric... 

So, there you have it. Quilts in the works, a BOM, a Bee, and a Swap! Plus other little things here and there... like finishing some late Christmas presents and a house warming gift for a friend. But I will talk more about those some other time :)

Linking up to WiP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced!

And Now, We Breathe

The holidays are (mostly) over and now it's time to catch my breath. It was such a fun year and everyone seemed to like their handmade gifts :) I barely finished in time. I was working on sewn projects almost right up until we left for Mario's parents' house and then I finished crocheted projects on the drive and on quiet mornings while everyone was digesting *delicious* breakfasts. I ate SO MUCH between Saturday and Tuesday, it is amazing I didn't explode or something. But everything was delicious! How could I resist tamales and beans and cinnamon rolls and cookies and pot roast and and and... YUM.

Anyway, here are a few of pictures of the things I finished between the last post and this.

Chibi Charmander and Owl

Polka dots on the inside. Skipped the pocket for time reasons.

Finished holiday quilt. Sorry for the photo- I had no one to help me!

I also made a pretty hat for my grandma, but I didn't get any photos of it before I gave it to her. Oops! You'll just have to trust me on the prettiness. I'm planning to make another Charmander and a Squirtle and Bulbasaur as another gift for a nerdy friend of mine. I will see him for New Year's so I guess I have the weekend to finish. Yeah. We'll see if that happens. I already have all the pieces done for Charmander, though, so he'll at least get that!

I'm sort of relieved and sad that the holidays are over. This is my favorite time of year. There are so many things to celebrate... my anniversary, Thanksgiving, my birthday, Christmas, New Year's. All in a little over a month and it's over! Every year I feel it is too soon. But at the same time, things have been so hectic and crazy, it is kind of nice to be able to sit and enjoy my coffee in the morning without worrying about all the things I have to do that day. 

But the new year will bring happy, exciting things! I interviewed for a job before Christmas and am now waiting for a background check to go through before my second interview. Cross your fingers for me! But if that one falls through, I should be getting another interview after the holidays. And I have applications pending at several other places. So I better enjoy my brief break from working full time while I can! 

I think this is enough for one post. I'll post again soon with some cool things I got for Christmas. I hope all your holidays were wonderful and that you also get a little bit of time to catch your breath before the new year! :)

Linking up to Finish it Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts!