I have joined a Simplicity Sew Along with Suede.  The sew along is for a bag, and it looks like so much fun.  I've gotten the pattern, but I have to wait a bit before I can get the supplies I need, so right now I am auditioning fabric to quilt for the bag itself.  I wonder what I will finally pick

A No Sewing Work Day

I've had a hard time staying on task again, it seems if a project takes more than just a few days, I'm needing something new, so today was one of those days.
Yesterday I cut a set of sheets into curtains for my daughter.... a little bit of a challenge but not all that hard, and done in one day. 
Another 30 minutes on the Beatles quilt, the hardest part is almost done and I'm getting excited to see how the rest of it turns out as well. 
So today I was determined to continue on the momentum of last week, and get some things done.  The energy didn't lend to that however, and I ended up doing just a few things.
I listened to two webinars this morning.  The first one from Bernina, showing some ways to add texture to your fabric, and the second one from MixedMedia, showing an artsy side of maps, and different graphic maps.  Nicely interesting, but not something I think I am interested in doing right now.  I worked on Alex's sweater during both podcasts and got almost 10 rows done, plus some written organizing of my projects list.
I think now that might have been my downfall.  Once I start organizing, I don't know how to stop.  I did make it into the sewing room, but the Beatles quilt had no appeal for me today.  I was sad, but I just didn't want to pick it up.  I want to get the mending bin empty, so I did some sorting, trying to find the right zipper and listing the projects that I hadn't listed yet.  Then I grabbed the top project... a skirt that needed a drawstring.  It didn't take long to do that.  Next in the pile was some fabric that needed to be ironed and sorted.  That job done, I decided the pockets for my fabric needed to be resorted.  Totally emptied and now sorted by color across instead of down, I felt good about the new arrangement.
I started thinking about my wolf and bear friends, and how to use the rest of the fabric I have.  I drew out a plan that might work.  I really have to finish something first, before I can start on anything else.  At least the Beatles and the first wolf quilt, and then we can see about how the second one would play out. 
I've also been thinking about how to stay on track and get things done.  The magic of motivation lags terribly, and I need to do something about that.   Week one of the month needs to be on task one projects on the list, leaving the old projects for when I have time to do them, instead of constantly moving things back until the old list is caught up.  The way I put things off, I don't think I will ever be caught up. 
I can't die.  I have too many projects on my list still!

DO SOMETHING CREATIVE EVERY DAY

Purple Hot Chocolate

My daughter in law bought me some fun hot chocolates for Halloween, that I am just not getting around to using. After waking from a bad dream, I thought purple hot chocolate would be just the thing to perk me up. Cheshire, this one says:

I poured the powder in the cup.  just a shade off white actually.  Smells like chocloate....



More of a lavendar than actually purple, but it is very pretty. 

the top of the package said "vile villains".... pink star marshmallows might fit the bill if you think about all the sugar I'm about to put into my body!

It made a very pretty reward for the end of the day, don't you think? 

Break-through Day!

I love the planning of quilts. I love drawing out the design and working out the colors. I love cutting the fabric and I love the piecing.

But I truly hate quilting, mostly because my machine and I don't speak the same language. The top fabric always shifts and I end up with an amature looking quilt when I am finished.

I have been wanting to learn free motion quilting, and if I am going to take my work to another level, I have to figure out how to make the quilting look so much better.

My old 1952 Singer is my favorite machine, but I knew the chances were slim. None of my other machines were co-operating, so I thought I'd try it one more time. If I can disengage the feed dog, I should be able to move the fabric, but nothing that I tried was working.

UNTIL

I found this thumb screw at the top of the machine:

so I started playing with it, to see if I could get it to make any difference at all. Turn, sew a little, turn, sew a little, turn, turn, turn, wiggle room!

I kept going and going and going until......

I found that the screw moved out much further than I thought it would. Now I need to practice, practice, practice. My curves have points on them and my lines are not where I want them, but I can do this. It is as if the universe just said "Hey, next level is waiting for you".

The Ohio Wolf

My wolf began to gain some friends today, and part of the Ohio Star blocks are done. I think I like the on point placement of the corner blocks, but I am not sure. I'm so glad to have a "design wall" back, it helps so much.

Its funny, in the larger room, I was able to have a whole wall to put things up on. In this room, I have stacks of boxes that I put these hangers in, and hang a sheet to pin the peices to. As you can see, it is working just fine.

I hope to make a decision tomorrow and get the rest of the blocks done for this one. I am also quilting another quilt, 30 minutes at a time, because this part is rather labor intensive. Soon I'll be on to easier parts and the quilting will go so much faster. I'm looking forward to marking another project done!

DO SOMETHING ON YOUR WORK EVERY DAY!

UFO sighting and a finished project

This little guy has been staring at me for a while. He was going to be a pillow, but then I thought he needed to be part of a quilt instead. Just a small quilt.

My little wolf friend has a friend in my UFO pile as well, that was also supposed to be a pillow. They both came from a set of fabrics called "Call Of The Wild"

So I put him up on the design wall, and started playing with some of the other images in the set. I don't really want to appliques them, but I was thinking of sashing them out in log cabin style maybe.

I started thinking about what to do about the rest of the squares that I want. The Ohio Star would be nice, the first one didn't look right. Just switch the triangle blocks to create the right contrast and make the star. This might work out well. I really like the blue.

And celebrating a finished project. All I have to do is run in the ends and I'll have one marked off the list and ready for a birthday present, just in time!

DO SOMETHING CREATIVE EVERY DAY. PROJECTS DO GET FINISHED IF YOU WORK ON THEM!!

Busy Work or Creative Work

I am listening to a podcast tonight, and the host says "I call that the seduction of busy work". I think I would much rather be seduced by something else.
Busy work is just that, work that keeps you busy, but is it productive, at all?

WHAT CREATIVE THING DID YOU DO TODAY?

How Many Projects...

I always want to start something new before I finish the old project, or a deadline arises so that I have to start something before the old are finished. I have 5 started knit or crochet projects in my sitting room right now, and I'm so anxious to get started on that sweater for me. I've had the yarn for years, but it has to wait right now.
Alex's birthday is a week from today, and this sweater has to make it to Japan by then. We all know that isn't going to happen.
I'm also actively working on a scarf, in this great short row pattern that creates triangles. It is simple but looks great. I can see doing this one again.
But I have to stop myself from looking at the laces. No matter how pretty it is, I just can't start anything else until I have ... three projects done. Maybe four.

DO SOMETHING CREATIVE EVERY DAY

Back to Work At Last

At last I'm back in the sewing room and actually working. Taking most of December off was nice, but not all that good for my hands. The extra knitting time is hard on them and so I think it is time to spread the pain, so to speak.
I pulled out the fabric I'd like to use in the frogs wallhanging that is on my list. I'm not looking forward to it as much as I once was, but I'd like to do it all the same. It'll go on Etsy I'm sure, and if it doesn't sell, I'll gift it to one of my kids
It was good to rearrange the closet so that the bins sorted into colors are the ones that are in front right now, they are the ones I want to use up first anyway... so this will be a good move. I know that when I store too much fabric that I forget what I have, and what I wanted to use it for. I really want to use it up and get it moving.
I got one wallhanging pinned today, or at least most of it. I've left myself so little working room that it is not very much fun trying to move the quilt across the table and make sure it is all wrinkle free. It looked pretty good when I took my break, so I'll see how it looks when I go back to it tonight.
It is such a cold windy day, working on sweaters and quilts feels just perfect.

SET SOLID GOALS. DO SOMETHING CREATIVE EVERY DAY. THINK POSITIVE AND BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE