Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; And confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands.
Psalm 90:17

Friday, January 18, 2013

Time to officially sign on~

 
    Today I am preparing for DaGMT 2013 by posting my official, almost completely stolen from the creator, pledge:


  I, mitmeg, quilter who is drowning in UFOs, am joining Quilting Hottie Haven's second annual DaGMT event, and pledge to quilt for (35 minutes or until my fingers bleed) every day of the month of February, 2013. In doing so I hope to get crap done (and I think Beth Helfter is brilliant for coming up with this concept and inspiring me to join). I promise that, although I am working on a show, I will only count those projects that are true UFO's and not stuff I have to do anyway.
Amen.


Quite a difference from last years pledge:

 
 
One thing that WILL be done~ this puppy is getting it's binding:
 
 
And more of these will be made:
 
 
 

Friday, January 11, 2013

Vomituous Progress

  Isn't "vomituous" the coolest, most awkward word? I fell in love with it when I read it in William Goldman's "The Princess Bride" back in high school. When they made the 'Princess Bride' movie I hoped and prayed they would keep that wonderful speech of Wesley's where he both insulted and challenged Prince Humperdinck in one sentence before uttering the final "Drop. Your. Sword!"
They did. Wise move, after messing up the Zoo of Death and changing the sharks to shrieking eels, they needed to keep that pivotal scene true to the book. But, really, none of that has anything to do with my use of 'vomituous' today. I just thought I'd share some Scrap Vomit Blocks I started last fall. I wrote about it here: http://theworksofourhands.blogspot.com/2012/09/scrap-vomit.html

  I started swapping packs of 49  2 1/2" squares and I've lost count of how many I've sent and received. I really love seeing the variety that arrives all ready to sew. The Scrap Vomit quilt is made from two basic blocks: one is made from the 49 squares (7X7) and the second has a secondary pattern using solids in the center. So far, I've only made some of the 7X7 blocks. I play a little game for fun. I don't look through the stack when it arrives. When I'm ready to sew, I set the stack next to the machine and just start chain piecing. It's a surprise each time I pick up a square and see what's up next! Occasionally, if adjacent colors are too similar, I pick a square from my own stash to break it up. One thing I do differently, even though it takes more time, is pressing all the seams open. There are so many joints, I think the block just presses smoother and lays nicer with the seams open.  I'm not sure how big this one's going to get before I call it done, but I have already started squirreling away my dollars to send it out for longarm quilting!

                                                                Seven blocks done:
 
 
Packs cut by me or received in swap and ready to sew!
New packs cut, packaged and ready to send in the next swap!

Thursday, January 10, 2013

New year--and you know what that means~

 
No, not resolutions. I don't bother with 'em. But you may have read before that most times I finish big projects or start a new year, I have a compulsive urge to re-arrange and clean out the cave*. This time the clean out was quite extensive. I got rid of fabric and ribbon, some that I've had for 20+ years. I remodeled the shelving inside the storage closet. The biggest change is probably that I moved my clothing into the dresser in the closet that was holding notions and patterns. I did this so I could move out the dresser by my bed that serves as a cutting table/clutter catcher and install a design wall/cutting board. It's not totally done so no pictures yet but hopefully I'll finish by next week.
 
Also updated: here's the new logo for Drop and Give Me Twenty 2013. I am going to get SO much done this year. Wait--- that almost sounds like a resolution. It's not. It's a... uh... ... promise. Yeah, that's it. A promise. To me. Not connected with the new year. Just because.
 


This year, Beth has many, MANY, great sponsors and prizes--- be sure to check it out and join in!


*For the uninitiated, the cave is my side of the bedroom with has more to do with sewing than anything else. My bed is the worktable; I have a large board I lay on top if the dresser is too small for the job. Often, my foot end is covered with piles of fabric. It's okay with me--- I'm 4'10. I don't need much foot room to sleep!