Knocking the list out!

It's a beautiful Thursday here in sunny Galveston! It's been a really busy week here, but I've definitely gotten a lot done!

- My car broke down on Monday! The battery died. After an hour and a half of waiting and getting it towed to a body shop, I could go back to work - and luckily for me, I got the car back the next day! I'm happy I was in a parking lot and not on the freeway, but I'm still going to grumble about the combined cost of new tires (465) and a new battery (145). And all of that right AFTER I paid off the car!

- I finished Emma's quilt! Well, the parts I was going to complete, anyway. The top is finished, the quilting done - I originally tried to complete it by machine, but hated the thread I chose (a light plum/pink shade) because it was too dark. And the quilting I did - diagonally, across the quilt - wasn't complimenting at all to the design. So I carefully ripped out those stitches, chose a lighter, more complimentary rose pink, and got started quilting by hand. I started that Thursday, and yesterday I was finished! :)

Now I'm just waiting on my talented mother to bind it for me and I can give it to its recipient (but not after taking a few pictures to show here!)

- I got in some fabric love. Mind you, this fabric love was bought BEFORE my car broke down or the tires were needed. It's essentially my last purchase until three lines I want to purchase come out - Far Far Away 3, 1001 Peeps, and Loulouthi. Those are then my last purchases while I work on some other quilts!

But this week, I received some vintage sheet goodies - about seven or eight more fat quarters, which were added to my quickly-growing stash. I'm definitely in love! Already planning a quilt with these, although it'll be awhile before I get to it! I also bought some solids - two yards of plain white cotton for a quilt I'm starting today, and some Kona Snow for my best friend's wedding quilt.

- Started on a new quilt last night. This one is for a silent auction for breast cancer; the only stipulation on color was that it be BRIGHT. Somehow I don't think that's a problem! I cut out all the strips last night - yes, another string quilt, but it's the quickest block for me - and I'm looking to make at least four blocks tonight (hopefully). My goal is to get it finished in the next week and then start on the quilting, also by hand (with variated colors). Then to bind it in black and hand it off!

- Finally bought a copy of 101 Patchwork Projects. I rarely buy quilting magazines - the patterns are usually too fussy and conservative for me. But this one had one project in particular I really want to try - filminthefridge's Rubik's Crush pattern! So glad I found a copy, too, I've been looking since the beginning of April :)

All in all, it's been a good week! If I can get this second quilt finished in the next week or so (which is definitely doable, even if it means less sleep and more quilting), then I can finally begin on my best friend's wedding gift, and then I can finish the boyfriend's quilt. So much work, so little time! I'm off to it now!

recap

It's been a good week! I had a great off day! And the rest of this week has been pretty productive, too! - Three of my packages came in. The last three ... I got in my charm packs, my Castle peeps, and three 1/2 yards of Mrs. Aster voiles! I love voile; it's so soft! - Picked up some horror movies at Fry's. The Pulse trilogy, The Lady in White (1988), and Deep Star Six. I've watched two of the five, and I can't wait to watch the other three :) - Got Keane's "Night Train"! Been looking for it everywhere! While it's not my favorite of the four albums of theirs I've got, it's still pretty good! - Finished five and a half blocks for Emma's baby quilt. I'm going to try to finish the other six and a half tonight! Then I just have to add the border and piece the (really simple) backing, and I can quilt this sucker! - Decided to take out all of the blah hexagons out of my quilt - I've bought a lot of charm packs, and some of the ones with a duskier palette tend to have these cream-colored prints or solids that just don't work for me in the bulk of the quilt. However, I think I'll still add them to the border I intend to make around it with white hexagons - there, I think, the creme might fit in! - I have about a hundred and forty hexies left to baste! Mind you, there are still some charm packs I want to purchase (Strawberry Fields, Jovial, Sherbet Pips, and a couple others)...and I intend to include some of the 1001 Peeps line and Heather Ross' new line ... but I've had this stack of hexies to baste for-e-ver, so I'm pretty psyched that I'm close! :) But even with all that done, there's still a LOT to do ... - Finish Emma's Baby Quilt. I'm shooting for at LEAST the top tonight! (And maybe the backing!) - Get ready and raring to go on the quilt I'm doing for a silent auction! The only stipulation? That it be bright! Somehow, I think that's doable :) - Do a few more blocks for the boyfriend's quilt. NO, I haven't finished yet... and he's beginning to feel a little neglected! Maybe, once I do all the fun stuff, I'll put away the three bags of laundry at my house!

Wednesday. Eek!

I'm supposed to be off today. But we're having a "Greek Night" here; it's a pretty fun event we do every couple months or so. I like them, they're just a LOT of planning. The good thing is, the event is tonight so I can rest tomorrow :) In the midst of everything else, though, I've been: - Basting Hexagons - I'm down to about 150 to baste, although I'm waiting for four more charm packs today: Hullabaloo, Oh My!, Regent Street, and Lilac Hill. I already cut 2.5" squares from "Grace" and "Fa la la la". I love me some French General! - Getting some fabric love in the mail! The entirety of Anna Maria Horner's voile "Little Folks" joined my fabric stash this week. I'm completely in love! I can't wait to get some other quilts out of the way so I can start the string quilt I plan on making with that. - Adding a little more to my stash. Joining me this week were some cute Japanese prints, as well as some dobby dots from Little Folks, some more voiles, and the Mrs. Aster voile prints from Greenfield Hill (which I found on etsy! yum!) - Watching movies! I saw Jackass 3 (hilarious - yes, my sense of humor must be awful, but I think those guys are a riot), Insidious (seriously the scariest movie I've EVER seen - and without any need for gore), and Prowl (a straight-to-DVD movie that was actually kind of terrifying. Even my boyfriend said so, and he is not so easily impressed.) - Finally FOUND my DVD for "Earth Girls are Easy". If you have never seen this movie, you really must - how can you go wrong with a cast that includes Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans, Geena Davis, and Michael McKean? Sure, it's completely cheesy and weird, but any movie that has gratuitous shirtless shots of Jeff Goldblum is a WIN for me. Just sayin'. - Started on my best friend's wedding gift (blue-and-green string quilt) and my amiga Karla's baby quilt. I revamped the second one, mostly because the pattern I had chosen (Film in the Fridge's 'Rectangle Squared' pattern) was choosing to be a little to intensive for the time I've got left. If I was more proactive, I think it would be the pattern for me. Also, I've fallen in LOVE with string quilts, so why not? I've got cute plans for the back of this one, too :) So that's been my week. I plan to finish the top of the baby quilt this week, and hopefully get it quilted and bound by the day of the baby shower (Sunday). Wish me luck!

quilt without guilt

So I did it. After all the cutting and measuring and then setting aside because of other arrangements, I finally dug into my Innocent Crush strips and started on my String Quilt! So far, I'm l0ving it. So much simpler than I thought they'd be. First block went together so fast! I can't wait to work on another one or two tonight. (I've got to work on all the others, too...le sigh). But I'm super psyched! Anna Maria Horner is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Other things about today: - I got in my first little bits of Castle Peeps! I'm totally psyched. They are YUM-O. I bought extra so I could make a hexagon of each little peep! - Also got in some Innocent Crush/Maybe/Indigo for my "Nightcrawler" quilt and of the Modern Meadow grass prints I used for my boyfriend's quilt! - Finally bought labels for dressing bottles at work! - Wore heels for at least 8 hours before diving into a pair of comfy sneaks. - Tidied up my apartment so now I can quilt without guilt :) I'm even buying takeout so I don't have to use plates. I'm very efficient that way ... I also just love Taco Bell...

String Quilt As I Go

I had a brilliant idea. I'm not sure if it will brilliantly work yet, but I still think of it as "brilliant".

I was looking at String Quilts - the pattern fascinates me, I love them. I think they're awesome.

And I want to do something equally awesome for my friend's wedding quilt. Sapphires and Emeralds; the perfect melding of colors, just like this perfect melding of these two people, who are so alike and so well put together.

I was initially going to do a log cabin. QAYG. But I've already got two of those kinds of blocks put together, and honestly, they're boring me to death. Or at least to tears. And the constant sewing sewing sewing before you get to turn to another piece of fabric might drive me mad. I love the way the blocks look when they're done, but it's a process that requires patience.

So I'm going to try it String Quilt style. We'll see how it goes. It's virtually the same process, and I've already got all the fabric cut into strips. Maybe I'll alternate the blues and emeralds; we'll see how it looks. But I'm already excited, and I may just spend the night cutting out more strips of white fabric, you never know :)

the friday recap.

Had a pretty good week so far!

- Finally broke down and bought a fat quarter bundle of Castle Peeps (after being inspired by 1001 Peeps, which I am SO BUYING). I'm excited for them to come in! I even bought extra of the "peeps" fabrics so that I could make a hexie of each one!

- Also bought the entire line of Little Folks Voile in Fat Quarters. Just like my innocent crush quilt, I intend to use them in a string quilt. I'm not sure what I want to back it with yet ... most likely a voile or soft flannel...but we'll see. It's definitely a "must" be is also on the backburner until some of the other projects (at least four) are finished!

- Made some progress on the baby quilt for little Emma. I cut out some 1.5" strips, and started sewing them to the other strips. I just need to cut out ... what seems like a billion more! I need to have it finished by the 10th of April, so I need to concentrate on this first!

- Found some beautiful, gorgeous, dark, royal blues and deep emeralds for my best friend's wedding quilt. I started cutting them out last night, and I'm not done yet, but my next goal is to have at least 10 to 15 of the Batting Squares set up for sewing. I even bought "Ocean" blue and "Kelly" green thread to quilt with - I'll alternate blocks with the thread.

- Picked up some more perle 8 cotton at Joann's. I seriously love this stuff. The ones I got this time were variegated - pink, red, blue, green, yellow, and brown :)

- Continued to sew some more on my hexagon quilt, but my hands are achey! Plus, it's not one of the four major projects, so into the box it goes for now.

- Did a little more work on my boyfriend's quilt, although his has kind of taken a backseat too. I feel bad - didn't I mean to have it done by now? Oops!


I'm off to plan a party for tonight! Wish me luck - this one's a doozy!

IDEA; "Nightcrawler" Postage Stamp Quilt.

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I've been reading comics since I was a kid. I love them. And while I haven't read nearly as many as I should in recent days, I love looking up my favorites on Wikipedia and keeping up with the news.

Just as much as some girls might have a favorite band or idol or movie, I have a favorite comic character - Nightcrawler! ( I'm a dork, right? I know. It's a terrible burden, to be a geek...)

He's been my favorite for years. He was introuced as one of the new X-Men in the seventies - a religious man who looks like a demon, his powers include teleporting and blending in with the shadows. I've always loved his coloring - it varies from artist to artist, and in the below picture it's a rather dark grey-ish blue, but it's usually a very bright, royal blue. His uniforms are the same - blue, black, white, and, of course, red.

I saw several postage stamp quilts online, and I thought that this pattern -easy to do and quick - would be a wonderful way to showcase this color scheme, one of my favorites. And a quote from Nightcrawler on the back - still undecided - won't hurt either. :)This is my color scheme. Lots of varying blues, with a couple reds, some yellows, black and ivory thrown in - I'm also including some prints, including Anna Maria Horner's "Maybe" in Indigo (one of my favorite prints EVER, hands down!) All of the above are Kona solids (including one Quilter's linen, in Teal).

I have a little ways to go before I can start on this officially - but I'm incredibly excited, and I know it's going to be an awesome finish that's totally worth it :)