The end of February already?

February is the shortest month so (logically)  it should go by quickly- even with an extra day this year. Drop and Give me Twenty certainly made a difference in what probably would have been a normal February.  Normal being plan to sew everyday and then --- don't.  I certainly posted more than I probably would have and, truth be told, I think I did get more done than I would have, even considering the Stash Game. I guess when I put the two together, I had a pretty productive month.
DaGMT Day 26 (Sunday) & 27 had me trying to finish these Days for Girls kits. I am amazed at how much time simple sewing took. In the end though I managed to put 4 kits together:

Last week I finished three summer outfits for Leia Elise:

And two pair pf pj pants for me~ I'll spare you the modeling shot. I like having you visit and I don't want to chase you away...
 I've got one February day left. I plan to use every minute.

DaGMT Day? Oh, glory! I need to catch up-

  Let's see, I left off on Day-what?  21? Right, because that's the day the Crafty Ladies met. So, Day 22 & 23 was devoted to 'Days for Girls'  a charity sewing project I'm participating in as part of the Sewing Mamas Stash Game. These kits go to women in impoverished situations so they can have 'normal' days, even during the, uh, monthly bummer. It's so hard to believe that women around the world can't go to work or school because they lack sanitary supplies. I'm making about 6 of these kits for the stash game but I hope to do more later, perhaps get an event together to really pump some out. That leaves Day 24  which had me taking an actual sewing day off. Ah, but it's not a total waste--- I sat down with a few quilt magazines to make a shopping list for things to look for today~ Day 25~ at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show in Hampton, Virginia. It's a little bit of a bummer, knowing that if I buy fabric it will be negative points for the Stash Game, but I'm going to try to look for a few notions I've been wanting. Rulers and Frixion pens are at the top of the list. We'll see how it goes! (And, yes, spending hours drooling over gorgeous quilts and hobnobbing with friends definitely counts as a GOOD quilting day!)

BTW-- Lookee my new friend:

This is one of the treasures DH brought home from a house he has been helping to clean/organize for a friend. The bobbin case is badly rusted; we hope I can get her moving and sewing again.

DaGMT Day 20 & 21~ Lookie What I Got!

  Day 20 of the  twenty-minute a day pledge was given more to sewing that straight up quilting but I'm counting it. I got two pair of pj pants done from fabrics I have had for years so we will call them DUFUSes when I get pictures up! Day 21 was my first visit with the Crafty Ladies; a group started by a church friend that meets at her home. You bring whatever craft you're working on and spend a nice couple of hours visiting with other crafters and gettin' 'er done. I brought my hexies and got two flowers stitched together:

I also brought my friend, Suzie, who brought a coat that needed mending (she's amazingly practical) and some papercrafting. And she gave me this really cool, awesome, wonderful kit she made for me:

 (closed)

 OPEN!

I love everything about it- the print, the craftmanship, the goodies--but most of all that she made it for me!

I usually carry my on-the-go sewing in a tin R2-D2 box. I will continue to use R2 but now he'll be much more organized inside! Thank you again, Suzie. God blessed me with you in more ways than I could ever count~

Day 19~

Did I sew? Yes. I got up early and cut out some projects for the week. But Day 19 isn't about sewing or quilting. Today,  my last 'baby' is a teenager. She is kind, friendly and thoughtful. She loves hats, the color green, spy gear, her baby dolls and certain stuffed animals. She hates dresses and girl clothes. She plays drums and guitar and I love listening to her sing when she thinks no one is listening. She adores Kal-El and Leia and Kal follows her like a puppy because he loves her so. She is helpful, mischievious and laid-back. She loves Jesus. I am blessed to have her.

Happy 13th birthday, Jacinta~

The last time she wore a dress~

Adventures in home school~

Snowy time~

On stage~

 With Kal-El and Leia~

                                                       I love you, Buglet.

Day 18/FNSI results

Thanks to massive house straightening for company I only managed to squeak about an hour on Aubree's quilt. I finished the machine quilting and started hand sewing the back of the binding when I fell asleep with needle in hand! I was able to finish it this morning and --- yay! Project DUFUS 05/2012, DaGMT days 17 & 18 accomplished, got rid of a UFO and some stash, another successful Friday Night Sew-In and the real bonus---Aubree gets her quilt BEFORE her first birthday! If I keep this up I am going to have to turn in my Queen Procrastinator crown!
Her top:

 Her finished quilt:

FNSI~ the last-minute version

I knew it was coming up quickly but, hey, I'm basically a procrastinator, so I just signed up for this month's Friday Night Sew In. Yes, we have company coming for the wekend. Yes, I have to make sure the costumes are all okay for tonight's performance. Yes, I signed up anyway. I've got to get my twenty minutes (DaGMT) in sometime, right? Might as well make it work!

Day 16 brought more quilting to Aubree's quilt but it's still not ready for binding. I expect that is what I'll be doing tonight!

Halfway!

DaGMT day 15--- The halfway point in a normal month but nothing is normal about February, especially in a leap year. So we're fudging a little. Sorta halfway. Just about halfway. Whatever. It's the 15th and I spent a good hour machine quilting Aubree's baby quilt while waiting for "Top Chef" to come on. I sandwiched it while listening to "Top Shot". Hopefully, it will be ready for the binding by "Project Runway". And then I hope it's all done because I'm all out of TV shows for the week and there's very little time to do anything during "Big Bang Theory" re-runs.

Car trips are for handsewing~

DaGMT day 14 (aka Valentine's Day, which I really wish would go away along with Mother's Day and every other get-the-right-gift-to-prove-you-love-me day): Decided to take a run down to NC to play with Kal-El and Leia so their mommy and daddy could have a lunch date. Nothing like two + hours one way in a car to help you think of what you want to work on when you get home. And, after the donut and newspaper, you get a mess of yo-yo's done.

DaGMT Day 12 & 13

Sunday was another theatre day so I was only able to sneak in a little planning before church. I was trying to find an appropriate embroidery design that would fit in the open white areas of the doll quilt. With the limited selection on my machine I found none. Today I finally just echo quilted inside the hex and stitched in the ditch with red thread to break up all that white. So the doll swap quilt~ she is finished! I also stitched up some pillowcases I had cut out last week for the Sewing Mamas stash game. I need some points this week!

D'oh! DaGMT 7-11

I should have realized the most difficult part of committing twenty (or more) minutes a day to sewing wouldn't be the sewing; it's the blogging! I am one of the few people in my demographic, I think, that can go for days without the computer. Some days I am seriously too busy to deal with the thing. Like days 7-11 of February. I'll admit to checking the mail once or twice but no real 'playing'. What did I do instead? The recap:
Feb 7~ Realizing I had put off a task I really didn't want to do long enough I spent Tuesday--all of it from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm-- re-organizing and inputing data to a spreadsheet for the new job I have at the theatre I volunteer for. That's right-volunteer. As in 'Heck, no, I didn't get paid for those hours, the backache and eye strain'. And I'm not done. Crap. Add that evening's board meeting and no quilting was done that day. :(
Feb 8~ Housework. Schooling. And some nice handwork time as I made and sewed the binding to the doll quilt. Still trying to decide how to quilt the open hex areas.
Feb 9~ Sandwiched & pinned two baby quilts; got one machine quilted, made binding and sewed it on.
Feb 10~ Hand-sewed the back of the binding to finish Lillia Rileys quilt. :)
Feb 11~ I spent the morning switching the chest of drawers I use for patterns to a new one that offers a little more storage. Purged A TON of patterns. Had double duty at the theatre as house manager for 2 performances so that put me out of the house for the rest of the day but I still count it as a good day because I got to organize the next week's ( I hope) projects.
So there's my trip to 7-11 and it didn't involve even one Slurpee. That in itself is success.

Doll Swap~ what to do with the blank areas?

                                                    
                                                              For Lillia Riley~

...and we're going to count Lillia's quilt as Project DUFUS 04/2012 since all of it came out of stash! WooHoo!

DaGMT Day 6~ Some dolly quilt fun

Yay! Today I am semi-functional! I am still stuffy but life goes on. I started in on the squares I cut for my doll quilt swap at about 5:30 this morning. (This was a charm pack from Riley Blake "Hoo's in the Forest?") I played around with a couple of different layouts and finally settled on this one. Once I had them together I discovered that I had mistakenly cut two pure white squares and mixed 'em in with the Kona snow I was using for the rest. Of course it was near the middle of the quilt! But I got it replaced and even managed to get most of it quilted. I'm not sure what I want to do with the empty white areas and binding. I've put a solid red on the back. Suggestions?

DaGMT days 4 & 5

Saturday (Day 4 of the Drop and Give Me Twenty Pledge) started with a massive dose of DayQuil to get me through callbacks for a show I auditioned for. I should mention that this was my first callback in a few years and I was thrilled to get that far. I got wonderful feedback and comments but no part. I really wasn't expecting to; the oldest character might be pushing 30-35 and I am... well... a grandma to two! I may get to help with the costume construction, though, and that makes me happy!
On the not happy side~~ friends, I came home and collapsed. I felt so horrible. I took to sofa, at some point I dragged myself to the theatre to make sure all the costumes were in one piece and came home and fell to bed. Not a quilting-pickin' minute spent.

Maybe since I spent over two hours on Day 1 I can average it out a little bit?

Day 5  opened with coughing and a headache so I decided to do nothing but stay in bed and whip this cold once and for all. By noon I was up and spent about 45 minutes planning a different quilt for the doll swap (yeah, the little hexies are all wrong for my swap partner!) and cut up a charm pack and some yardage into 2 1/2" squares for the new design. I popped over to the theatre for the matinee, grabbed some mending and some Hardees for dinner. I feel a little better~~ I may sew a litlle while the Superbowl drones in the background.

It's been so odd~ DH left early with P & J for church and they went right to help a friend move after church. Corey came home for a bit but for the most part I have been alone all day. Weird. Quiet. A little lonely.

DaGMT Day 3 Recap

Third day of pledge, zoned on cold meds, must clean costumes before tonight's show, must work on costume loft re-org., need a nap, need some food, go to show~I'm done. I leave early.  I get home and throw on jammies, down the NyQuil ----- and still must do my twenty minutes. So I cut out hexies. Itty bitty little hexies. I start to sketch out a doll size quilt for my Sewing Mamas swap partner that uses tiny hexies because, well, I want to. And then it's twenty minutes and I shove it all to B's side, drop the scissors on the floor and I'm out.

Achoo! DaGMT Day 2

When real life intervenes it seriously cuts into sewing time. Today was filled with school lessons, the monthly luncheon with "mah girls" and a read-through for the spring play at TCC. I did squeeze in two pillow cases for the stash game.  It was during the read through that my head split open, my nose runneth over and the sneezing commenced. Homeschoolers don't bring as many colds and bugs home as public school kids but they are not immune. P had his day in bed Monday, J followed on Tuesday and, loving and generous children that they are, shared it with me apparently. By the time dinner was done I was so miserable and sleepy I just wanted my bed. But I also wanted to watch Project Runway. So, sniffling and blowing all the way,  I killed 35 minutes by cutting out background tumblers for the tumbler quilt I want to make for a Christmas gift. As soon as Runway came on I pushed everything to the floor and crawled into bed. (In case you didn't read that post, my bed is my table.) I lasted long enough to see the contestants get their supplies and I was out. Don't tell me who won. I'll 'On Demand' it. And I never thought I'd make 'on demand' a verb.
No DaGMT pics today~ it's just a pile of white 5" tumblers!

DaGMT Day 1

  So far so good-- I spent most of the morning in the cave ( about 2 1/2 hours) and emerged with a long overdue quilt top for a sweet little gal from church. I'll count it as a DUFUS when it's complete. For today it's my Drop and Give Me Twenty pledge results! WooHoo! One day down; 28 to go!

I used a Moda candy bar (City Weekend) with strips cut from either a Kona cotton or muslin. I don't remember when/where I got it. It was in the stash and it worked!
After lunch, B and I took advantage of the near 70 degree weather and took a walk. I was in a hurry so I kicked off my slippers and shoved my shoes on with no socks. I'm paying for it now! Especially my bloody right heel. And no, I'm not British. I mean actual bloody. Owww!

A Busy February!

I cannot remember ever being so eager for February, except for the year Jacie was born. (She was due the 20th, arrived by induction/emergency C-section on the 19th.) That will always be the best February. But this year-man! I may have to chain myself to the machine!
 One site I frequent is a blog for Moms who sew called---wait for it--- "Sewing Mamas". The Mamas are a great group of gals who share, commiserate, uplift and laugh together through all stages of mamahood. This month they are hosting a Stash Game to encourge the use of your own inventory. There is a point system (which hurts my head!) and weekly prizes. It's always fun to see what everyone sews and I'm going to give it a try! The Mamas are also starting a brief sew along--- no, not a quick, won't-take-long sew along--- a brief sew along. You know~ underwear! Drawers, panties, foundation garments, whatever you call 'em, we're going to make 'em. Should be interesting. I will tell you how that works out but there will be no modeling pics. I don't want to scare y'all away...
Also, I signed up to participate in a doll quilt swap at Sewing Mamas. I did one last year and it was fun. Undies and a doll quilt won't use up too much stash for the Stash Game though so I plan to do some spring clothes for me and the grands, some button up shirts for J & P and a serious start on quilt tops for Christmas. I even want to tackle some Christmas stuff for the Etsy shop.
With all this stash game sewing it should be easy to keep up with my 20-minutes a day pledge!

Those blocks up there? Well, those, and quite a few more similar to them, are what we're calling Project DUFUS 03/2012. I first wrote about them here: http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3883932318475038080#editor/target=post;postID=1498359772180820821
I made so many of those blocks, trying to get them just right, until I finally had the four I sent off to the project. ( I'm not going to show those because they are for Beth.) My pile of  'rejects' will no doubt find there way into other projects but, in the midst of my frustration, I realized that I am not a perfectionist unless someone else is involved. To this point my quilting has been "close enough; I like it". These blocks, though, weren't for me. I was making them for someone else and I wanted them to be perfect. Is there perfect in quilting? Should there be?