A disappointing DaGMT~

  Getting twenty minutes of sewing a day wasn't the problem. Except for days that were eaten up by grandchildren (which I will never apologize for) and days when I wasn't in the geographical location of my sewing machine (North Carolina Christian youth conference chaperone...I made hexies in the car for well over my twenty minutes!) I was sewing, well, something. I just didn't work on the finishes. I got a little quilting done on a bow tie quilt that I really don't like much but I swore not to waste it. I didn't touch Bottled Rainbows, except to move it out of the way for some thing else. The only quilt finish was Kal's tractors. But before I depress myself, lemme look at what I did do last month:

~ Kal's Tractors finished and delivered
~Pippin's Street top finished and sandwiched/pin basted
~Kal & Leia's aprons (meant for last Christmas) done
~Quilt Doodles BOM done for Feb.
~Growth Chart panel sandwiched/pin basted
~Some machine quilting on the Bow Ties
~First Dear Jane block done (couldn't resist--I had to play)
~More hexies. Lots and lots of hexies. I lost count.

  Had a lot of thrift shop time in for Next to Normal. It's not a "sewn" show; most of it's costuming is modern day stuff. And, of course, rehearsal Mon.- Thursday for the college show eats up a ton of life. Not complaining though. After a 6 year dry spell to be back onstage twice in one season is cool. And doing a show with Jacie is really fun.

 Do you want to see the aprons?

 Both fabrics are by M'Liss Rae Hawley, whom I had the pleasure of meeting last November when I bought these fabrics. What a delightful, charming lady! She was shopping at my favorite Hancock's when I was there with Brian, P & J,  Ashley & Patrick and the kidlets just after Thanksgiving. What a surprise it was to be perusing a row of her fabrics and see the beautiful face of the lady on the store signage smiling at me in person! We chatted about our families, her sweet puppies, and Chick-Fil-A (I was wearing a CFA sweatshirt) and then she indulged me as I introduced my brood. She was so gracious and poised. Oh, and I love her fabrics, too!

 Okay, DaGMT 2015--- I will do better for you. And, with God's Blessing, I will be finishing stuff that I put together THIS year because my list for this year will be done by September. Or Christmas. Maybe.

 Yeah.

DaGMT 1/2 way~

So...halfway through the month. Not doing well on the finishes.

I'm getting my sewing time in, for the most part, but I'm working on different stuff than the quilts.

Days that grandbabies come to cuddle are not conducive to scheduled sewing. But I welcome them. Also, the community college decided it would do a show this spring (Halleluia! A paycheck!) The good news is-- Jacie was cast in the play! The weird news is-- I was also cast in the play! I'm really just a fill-in for an actor that dropped out on the first day of rehearsals. I love it but it really cuts into sewing time.

 

My BOM for Quilt Doodles for February : a cute cabin! The quilt is somewhat based on 2 1/2" squares, and I have a plethora of them already cut, so I changed the block a little to make the whole thing out of squares, even though a few pieces were designed with rectangles. No disrespect meant to Designer Cindy~ it's just what I had ready to go! I like where this quilt top is going. :)

 

 One thing I leaned from this block is I have a deplorable selection of black and brown scraps. And I am determined not to buy anything for this top. Not because I can't; just to see if I can.

                                     And...during Grandbaby days, Kal-El picked up his quilt!

This is by far my favorite tidbit this month:

I decided a few years ago I would someday make a "Dear Jane". I knew I would use a collection to help make fabric selection easier and I knew the cost would keep it a distant project.  When I saw the fabric line from "Downtown Abbey" I thought I had found the collection for my Jane. I told B about it, with the idea that I could start collecting them, one at a time, until I had them all. He gave me some 'found money' and said to get them now. I really don't deserve this man. Unfortunately, all the bundles were out of stock where I wanted to order them from. So I asked to be notified when they were re-stocked. A few weeks went by and in the meantime I found and loved the Jefferson County line from Windham. The colors stole Jane's heart. So, after a couple of days to think about it, early one morning I went online and ordered my Jane fabrics (Missouri Star) and the book (Amazon). To say I was excited, well, I think the only delivery I was more excited about in the last year was Pippin's. I have started tracing the patterns--you can see tabs where I've marked certain blocks already-- and even added a few fabrics from the stash to the "Jane Basket" where I will keep her neat and separate from the other chaos. I don't know how long it will take but I am so happy to be doing this!

Side note--- after I ordered the fabrics that morning, I signed into my email account and, of course, had emails telling me ALL the collections I wanted from Downton Abbey were back in stock. I feel a little guilt. I must start saving those pennies again and get at least one of them! Because...   yes.

Day3~ DaGMT Math

Easy math for Monday~  Sitting in the car and waiting for 2(1/2 hour music lessons) - 1(run into grocery for peppers and onions) = 16 hexies in about 40 minutes. Oh, and watching ducks swim in the rain.

The First February Finish~

   I'll start off by going on the record saying I know how fortunate I am that I have the time to dedicate to the sewing I do. My work is part time and my kids are of the age that I don't have to hover over them while they're doing schoolwork. Or supposed to be doing schoolwork. I do have to do that kind of hovering. But my twenty minutes a day pledge can easily become hours, especially if a crippling snowstorm closes down the area or a giant sporting event is taking place, as both did this weekend. I decided to start with the tasks I like least to try to make progress; saving the fun for last, so to speak. So I grabbed my grandson's quilt that has been sandwiched for over a month and went for it.

  I guess Beth's isn't the only tractor quilt with a story. Here's mine: simply put, my grandson, Kal-El, adores tractors. Kal's family lives in a cute little house surrounded by a cornfield. It's not theirs. But they're rural dwellers and farms are more familiar to him than Nani's 'big city' life. I didn't make him a quilt when he was born because my daughter asked for cloth diapers instead. When he was a little bigger, I made him one with a robot theme because he seemed to like them. Last spring, when we found out #3 was coming, I told him, "Kal, you're getting so big, it's time for a new quilt. Let's go to the fabric store and you can pick out what you like." Kal got very quiet, looked down and shook his head. I asked him "Wouldn't you like a new, bigger blanket?". Again he said no.  I said okay, but tell me when you want one. He said, "Never! I like my robots!" I realized what he was thinking and after mommy and I reassured him he could keep his robots and have a new one too he got excited about choosing fabric! We went to JoAnn's and I sent him off with Philip, with instructions that Philip was merely to watch him, help him carry bolts and NOT try to talk him into Star Wars. Kal's choice alone. It was only minutes later that Kal came around the corner to us, carrying a big bolt of John Deere flannel by himself, and wearing the biggest grin a little boy could have.  We added the pre-printed broadcloth panels and I pulled the solids from my stash.  I covered one of the printed 'blocks' with a yellow piece I appliqued his name on. The original flannel he chose is actually the back. It was my plan to have it finished before Pippin came, but when that deadline passed I set my sights on his 4th birthday (Dec. 21) or, if I didn't make that then Christmas (because 4 more days would really change everything). Right. Well, Kal's Tractors became #1 for DaGMT. I got it half quilted Friday while I was still stuck in snow, but that doesn't count because it wasn't February yet. I finished the other half Saturday afternoon in about two hours.  Yesterday, (Sunday) I stopped at Hancock after church to pick up a 1/2 yard of a different JD print to make the binding. What should have taken 10 minutes became an hour and a half because their power went out and killed the registers. I already had the fabric cut (2 pieces actually, since I grabbed a piece for Pippin's binding, too, since his quilt is on the list) so I waited with 50 other people 'til they got working again. A stop at Taco Bell for the two teens that had to wait in the car (sorry, guys) and it was 3:00 before we got home. After an episode of "Cutthroat Kitchen" and a chat with hubby I finally headed for the sewing room. My plan was to have the binding made and machine stitched to the front by kickoff so I could hand stitch the back down throughout the Super Bowl. At 4:30 I started cutting strips. I plopped into my hand-sewing chair in the living room just seconds after kickoff at 6:30. Except for one break to stretch, one to eat a couple of crackers and ALL of Bruno Mars performance (I mean---WHOA!) I didn't stop until it was done. We Skyped with the kids for a bit during the game and DH showed Kal what I was working on~ "MY QUILT! MY QUILT!"

Happy GettingSoBigYou'reABigBrotherAgainBirthdayChristmas!, Buddy. Nani loves you.

Yes, there is a matching pillowcase. I made that when I finished the top, forgetting about the need to save some for binding. *smh*

February means DaGMT

  While I was doing my after Christmas straightening, I took notes as I organized and actually made a chart of what I had started, what I had waiting, what I had bought certain fabrics for.

            Don't worry if you can't read it. Sometimes I don't even know what I'm talking about.

   All~ well, a lot~ of the plans that were jumbled in my head were finally on paper with the hope that crossing them off who be so much fun I might actually get them done. Along comes February to help. What's so special about February? It's time for Quilting Hottie Haven's annual Drop and Give Me Twenty!

 

This is a great opportunity to work on and knock out some finishes for those UFOs, WIPs,

Git Er Dones that are hanging around and begging to be done. Twenty minutes (at least) a day, every day-- it is amazing how much you can accomplish! Sign up, make a pledge and post your progress and you could win some great prizes.

 

Without further ado, here is my edited and pasted promise, pledge, plea~

 

"I, meg, (owner of too many UFOs and/or more fabric than I can hope to use up in my lifetime) am joining Quilting Hottie Haven's third annual DaGMT event, and pledge to quilt for at least 20 minutes, (usually first thing in the morning before I drag the children kicking and screaming from their beds to the homeschool table), every day of the month of February, 2014. In doing so I hope to (make way for more fabric purchases, give everyone in my family a quilt for Christmas and ensure my children don't someday have to sort through 89 UFOs and then sell them for $5 each at a yard sale) and I think Beth Helfter is brilliant for coming up with this concept and inspiring me to join. Again."

Join in, won't you?

A UFO done~

DaGMT Progress
                                            Tuesday, Wednesday/ Feb. 12 & 13

                             Presenting "Bear Tracks", my first machine-quilted, flannel top,
                            pattern test subject quilt (for Cindy at Quilt Doodle Doodles ).
                             Begun in the spring of 2012, finished in February 2013, and
                            given to Number 1 Chef-Son in honor of his moving out to his first home.
                                                                  ( 'sniff/tear/sniff' )

 

(Machine quilting by Mary at Quilt Hollow )

Five, Six ~ Pick Up Sticks... and Picks... and Socks

DaGMT Progress
                                                                   Tuesday, Day 5
 In a previous post I briefly mentioned that Jacie is working on re-arranging and painting her bedroom. As we make our way around the room, which I thought I had thoroughly swept and de-cluttered before moving anything, I have been amazed at how many drumsticks, guitar picks and socks have appeared. I'm constantly finding picks in the dryer, too, so it just makes me wonder: just what have these kids been using on their instruments--and feet!-- all this time? Maybe they are like hangers, where you get a couple in a dark, dusty corner and voooom! Inanimate object reproduction! But I did sneak in work on my quilt group/test blocks. I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing before I started on anyone else's.

 Oh, please meet Wallie, my new design wall. It took a little re-arranging of the space but he's made and hanging. He is one third of DH's Christmas present to me. The second third is a new cutting surface that is still in progress. The last third is his letting me do this to our bedroom. I made Wallie from a pre-stretched canvas from A.C. Moore (on sale + 10.00 coupon= about 13.00 bucks) and about 2 yards of flannel, on sale at JoAnn's for 2.50 py. I had the hooks lying around. Times like these are why it's good to be a pack rat.

 

 

W/T/F,  Day 6, 7 and 8

 

More vomituous progress on the scrap vomit as I assembled a bunch of block centers and made more strips. I had been doing this block by block but I am anxious to get this monster together so I'm trying to speed it up using an assembly line system. Sewed a bunch one day,  pressed 'em the next, sewed some more. (Did you ever notice that, after Tuesday, even the calendar says "WTF"?)

 

 

Saturday,  Day 9

 Cutting day~~ cut lots of triangles and strips for the group project. It's a thrift store work day as I start in earnest to costume the spring show. And I made manicotti. I. Cooked. Something.

                                                                    Sunday, Day 10
 Sewing day off.  The kids had 'hang out with friends time' after church, and DH didn't have any collateral duties, so he and I had a nice lunch at a favorite bagel shop and hit some more thrift stores until it was time to pick up the kids. Lovely day with my church family and my love!

 

 

 

 

 

...and they're off!

  Yesterday was February first, the official start day of Drop and Give Me Twenty 2013. I made my 30 minute quota easily since I had to finish a few blocks for an online block swap. The pattern required was "Card Tricks" and they might be the most challenging block I've ever done. It's not particularly hard to put together-- it's all straight sewing-- but I had a dickens of a time with 'flipping' triangles. At least once each block I sewed one of those suckers to the wrong side even though I had them all laid out in their proper place! You'd think after the first couple I'd have an assembly line-style, foolproof method to keep 'em straight but I still managed to do some ripping each block. Ah, well, we'll just call them "patience practice".  I had to make 4 blocks, each with it's own colorway for each of two partners, so 8 blocks total.  Here's one of the two identical groups:

 

February 2, 2013

Although this one isn't due until the middle of the month, I wanted to clear my swappin' schedule so I can focus on UFOs and a pattern test I'm helping with. I made my first "Crazy Patch" from a large stash of satins, silks and velvets I've been hoarding for just this kind of quilt. This one goes to a swap partner. I made one for myself to keep, but a little smaller.

 

How are doing with your goals?

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!