Progress!

This has been a very good week for finishing things up and sewing! I think taking my little brother to his internship in the morning is probably the best thing that could have happened this summer ... all that extra time to sew is doing me a world of good!



First thing is that I FINISHED my Innocent Crush String Quilt Top! I haven't taken a picture yet ... I finished it at two in the morning on Monday (after two days of working on it nonstop), and haven't had a good time to take a look at it since. I'll upload a picture later. But it's done! Success!

I started on a quilt for my niece, a simple QAYG with fairy tales. But the fairy tales looked all mismatched and not right when mixed, so I switched those out with vintage sheets; I'm still not in love. So those blocks I did start are sitting in a closet, and I'm back to the drawing board on that one.

I've also started on my Nuno's Poseidon quilt, and I'm about three blocks in. It hasn't been getting much attention this weekend, but I'm hoping to get on a better pattern soon.


The reason it hasn't been getting nearly any attention? Because a certain stack of voiles ... those lovely Little Folks voiles have been calling to me! I admit that I cut into them. And that I've been sewing them into strips and working them into little patchwork squares ever since. And I plan on doing it later, too. How could I not? Seeing all of the quilts that have been made with it (and hearing the testimonies of how much those quilts were loved afterward), I knew I had to try my hand at it at last!

The voiles sew like butter. I've shortened my stitch length, changed my needle to a smaller size, and I'm using a 3/8" seam allowance instead of a 1/4" seam (to assuage my fears of fraying later). I also cut my strips at an odd size, 4 1/4", so that they'll finish around 3.5" when all is said and done. The voiles press wonderfully, too, which has left me wondering exactly how I'll go back to quilting with regular quilting cottons. (Although somehow I think I'll manage).

Movies I've Watched Lately:

-Candyman (good and creepy)
-Eskalofrio (excellent)
-Season of the Witch (great plot, but can we not mix a medieval setting with American accents?),
-Blood Night (not so great but at least there was a Greek guy going "ghamoto!" at one point),
-Deadtime Stories (kind of dorky, but I'll never look at mermaids the same again)

Other Non-Quilty Stuff:

- Got Netflix (obviously) and I plan on using it ALL THE TIME.
- After two years of living in my apartment building, I finally went to the pool.
It. Was. GLORIOUS.
- Last Week of taking my brother to his internship. Which means that it's the last week of me getting up at 7:00. I am okay with that.

rainy days and progress

It's been a really nice week so far. What started out to be an inconvenience - getting up at 7:00 AM to pick up my little brother and take him to his internship at the hospital - is beginning to be a blessing.

For one, I'm starting to get in the habit of getting up earlier, which is something I've been trying to achieve for a long time, but had difficulty doing unless I was forced.

Two, I've had much more time to sew!

- My Innocent Crush String Quilt is coming along nicely! I've got 36 out of 48 blocks completed, and I feel like that's a pretty big achievement. Only 12 more! I -did- have to order some more fat quarters of the line because the strings of fabric I'd cut out were nearly all "cool" colors and I wanted to have some more "warm" tones added. But I should have extra, which is good!

- I took some of my scraps and make a little ticker-tape quilt for myself to play around with the zig-zag function on my machine. It's so bright; I love it! Just needs binding.

- Also ordered a little bit of the AMH Innocent Crush Home Dec weight to play around with. Maybe for a cushion or something - who knows?

-Finished another block for my "Prince Charming" Log Cabin. I'm loving the way the colors are playing together and how quick the blocks are. Three down, 22 to go!

- Basted some more hexagons and pieced some more together. At last count, I had 2431 free-floating hexagons - not bad at all, I'd say, considering that I have approximately 700 pieced together. Definitely a "long-term" project!

I've got some goals for the holidays. One is to save money so that I'm not completely broke by the time Christmas DOES roll around.

The second is to piece and complete for quilts for gifts. A lofty goal, right? But only two are a "large" size, the third and fourth are medium-sized, and the quilting on these will be more on the "minimal" side, and done by hand so that I don't have to phenagle things with my machine. Also, most of the blocks on these are large, easy blocks I can complete quickly, but will still look nice.

Quilt 1 - A "Greek Cross" quilt for my boss, in the "Poseidon" Kona colorway, with white cotton background and back and seafoam binding. With this one, I want to mimic the feel of the Minoan art that my boss has in his home - if you haven't seen it, look it up. It's beautiful and light and very different from other Greek art I've seen.

Quilt 2 - Another "Greek Cross" for my other boss, in the "My Blue Heaven" colorway. My goal is to mimic the color and feel of Santorini with this quilt, with rich blues and stark white to emit the feel of the ocean and the beautiful buildings.

Quilt 3 - A fairytale quilt for my youngest niece, who is very much at the age where such things are appreciated. I've got some prints already picked out and I can't wait for Anna Maria Horner's needleworks to come out, because I may very well be using them on this project.

Quilt 4 - A patchwork quilt for a dear friend who's always been there for me. This one is going to be a little bigger than a lap size, maybe 60x60, and I'm looking for some fabric - namely Disney's Goofy - to make an cameo appearance somewhere in there, since he's her favorite. I'm still trying to figure out what kind of pattern to use on this one, but I'm thinking simple squares might do the trick.

So there's my goals. I'm starting on the first quilt - the poseidon quilt - tonight, cutting out fabrics to start it with and organizing them while watching "It". Tomorrow it's off to Hobby Lobby or Joann's to search for Goofy, and pick up some white cotton Kona - I think I'm going to need it!

Quilt 5 - A "Swiss Cross" quilt,

Wednesday

I have to say that, as proud as I am to be an American citizen and grateful for my freedom ... I am SO SO GLAD that fourth of July is over. I think nearly all of the folks who work in my neck of the woods in the tourism industry are glad. Summer itself is busy enough ... but fourth of July weekend is INSANE.

When thirty people are waiting outside, with the temperatures in the nineties and the humidity extremely high, and this isn't just for one restaurant but for nearly every restaurant along the Seawall, you know it's insane.

Although it's not like things slow down just because it's not a holiday. We've had a lot of things to do - work, of course, I'm working until Sunday.

There's also deliveries, and driving my little brother to and from his internship at eight in the morning, and driving my older brother home from work at 11 at night.

And baking cakes at 10:00 at night, too! (It was big brother's birthday yesterday. We baked him a chocolate cake and gave it chocolate icing and graffitied all over it with more icing, this time cookies and cream. We gave him said cake at 12:30 at night at a friend's house - secretly I think he loves it, however publicly he has said "You guys are evil" and to his friend "I told you they were gonna do this!")

But it DOES mean that the 13/14 hour days can stop, so I can move on to other pursuits now, such as ...


- the imminent completion of one Innocent Crush String Quilt! I've got twenty-eight more blocks to finish, which is just over half! I plan on doing at least three a night until I'm off on Sunday and then completing the rest then. Can't wait to finish it up and take lots and lotsa pictures :)

- Working on the boyfriend's long set aside quilt. I have a few ideas that I think will make its completion much easier. :)

- Cleaning my fridge (yuck) and washing the car (shiiizzz) cleaning my apartment (boo!) and putting up my laundry (whyyyy) and paying my bills (by selling a kidney) and generally being a Productive Member of Society.

- Possibly seeing Transformers. I was super excited about it until I realized my brothers had already seen it, and that my best friend had probably already seen it, which has taken my enthusiasm to watch it myself and shoved it down the drain. Oh, well. At least there's Harry Potter 7.

I'm back to my real job nao. Later days!

Summer, So Far

Summer in Galveston has been, well, less than pleasant so far! We've only had rain on three days the last two months, which has led us into a drought, which has brought on a ban - usually we're used to these guidelines, but this time it's worse! At the moment, it's 92 degrees, but when you add in the humidity here it feels SO much worse. The only way it's bearable is to be in your swimsuit at the beach!

Which is exactly how we plan to spend our spare moments this summer ;)

The last few weeks after getting back from Wichita have been busy! Sliding back into the work groove, getting everything in place at work for summer, etc ... it's gonna be a busy one, folks.


- We have, as previously mentioned, gone to the beach many a time! The last time we went, there was way too much seaweed, so we just sat on the shore where the waves lap at you and watched the gulls. And picked up some seashell pieces for my RenFest costume this year!



- I think I've seen more movies this year than ever before: Thor, Green Lantern, X-Men: First Class, and Super 8 to name a few ... that last one is definitely a MUST see! It had me ENGROSSED. Of course we're going to see Transformers 3 and Harry Potter, too ... as well as Captain America ... I'm saving all the tickets to put in a journal!


- Started a log cabin quilt from "Modern Log Cabin Quilting" with Tula Pink's Prince Charming! I have to say that I'm officially in love with these blocks ... they're quick, easy, and impressive! Two (and a half) down, twenty two (and a half) to go!

- Picked up two out of print charm packs for my hexagon quilt - Arcadia and Pampered Pooches! These two were SUCH steals. And I love them so much! Consider them already cut into 2.5" squares!

- Snagged myself a bundle of 1001 Peeps. I'm debating between making a separate quilt for each Castle Peeps and 1001 Peeps ... or waiting to see what lovely quilt pattern Lizzy House has in store for us in August ... I just don't know!

- One of my other summer loves, Far Far Away 3, is headed to yours truly this week :) I can't wait! I already ordrered a 1/2 yard of two of the prints, and if you're getting the Snow White/Wildflowers/Laundry line, the drape is much more lovely than Far Far Away II (although I love them all). I haven't felt any of the girls with horses prints yet, but I imagine they'll be more similar to FFA2 than the others. I'm also not planning to use the "girls with horses" in my far far away quilt, simply because I think they don't mesh well with the rest of the lines, and I feel like they'd be better used in another, different quilt.

- Visited the Rainforest Pyramid in Galveston! This place is truly special. If you ever visit Galveston, you should make it a point to check out both the Rainforest and it's sister pyramid, the Aquarium. In the same area, there's also an I-Max theater, a few other exhibits, as well as Palm Beach, which is a three-tiered pool area with concessions and lovely white sand. Moody Gardens is a huge tourist destination on Galveston. It's also a non-profit organization and does a lot of great things in addition to providing fun, informative entertainment. Definitely a must-see!


I'm headed off to work now (it's a half-day, which means I work about as much as folks who work a 9-5 do normally...), and then off to complete yet another list of things-to-do! Have a great-day!











-

d is for delivery, that's good enough for me!

I GOT MY FABRIC!

An fat quarter bundle of the entire line of "Loulouthi" and "Prince Charming". YUM! I'm so excited. I am really, truly in love with both of them - I love how bright and cheery LouLouthi is! It's gorgeous. And I love the colors in Prince Charming as well as the details in the prints!

Other things lately ...

- Still waiting on 1001 Peeps to be in stores! (Plz to have peeps? Kthnx!)
- Also waiting on Wrenly, Far Far Away 3 (in June - UGH) and Peacock Lane!
- Ordered "Modern Log Cabin Quilting"! I'm excited to see what patterns lie within its lovely, lovely pages. I'm very grateful for the influx in contemporary quilting books on the market lately. Planning on buying myself a copy of "Block Party Quilting" as well!
- Bought myself a copy of "Witches of Eastwick"! I couldn't find it in stores, not even at Fry's or Barnes and Noble! I've only seen this once, not even in its entirety, but I definitely want to watch it again :)
- Been doing a lot of of spring cleaning lately! I have two full boxes for Goodwill ready to go, much less craft miscellania, and my fabric stash is much more organized at this point. I got rid of a lot of pieces I was never going to use, and I cut some larger, more cumbersome pieces into fat quarters so I could save some of the print without having a yard or more of a print I was never (realistically) going to use.


And some plans ...

- Going to purchase some of the solid line fat quarters from "Just Wing It". Seriously some of my favorite accompanying prints ever.
- Download some more books on my Kindle! So far: "The Great God Pan" and "Beauty and the Beast". To come: "Who Goes There?" and perhaps some Jane Austen.
- Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" comes out tomorrow! Guess who's totally all over that? I'll give you a hint: it starts with "me" and rhymes with "me".
- More stash organizing and some ironing and folding of my new lovelies!
- Getting stuff ready for my trip in June! I'll need - hexies, Kindle, clothes, everything but the kitchen sink...
- Pirates of the Caribbean 4 with my little brother! (And Thor again if I can help it...)

I'm off to clean and tidy and be a productive member of society! Later days!

- Kait

but hey, I got my new shoes on

So far, it's been an awesome week. And today is even MORE awesome - because (drumroll) it's my birthday!

I'm officially 24! :)

So far, this week's highlights have been ....

- Watching Priest with my best friends and my brother ...

- FINALLY ordering Prince Charming and LouLouthi as presents to myself! :) I'm hoping they're here monday! As well as some sweet vintage sheets, lovely japanese prints, and a charm pack of Sherbet Pips!

- I GOT A KINDLE! My boss - who became my godfather, too - bought it for me, knowing that I am constantly complaining that there's no available bookshop on the island. Definitely the best!

- A sweet customer came in and gave me some lovely lotion, body spray, and body wash from Bath & Body works! And the scent was perfect, just right!

- Discovered words with friends and it is awesome :)

- Four more blocks for my "Innocent Crush" string quilt! Now up to twelve!


I've had a wonderful birthday so far (despite working) and I'm very excited about this coming week, too. Hopefully 1001 Peeps will be in stores soon - fingers crossed, it's been driving me nuts that it's not here yet! - and Far Far Away 3 won't be too far away in June. Much love to everyone who wished me a happy birthday - you definitely made it sweeter :)

Saturday Catch-up!

It's been a busy week, as usual, punctuated by a messed up sleep schedule and rage at the centipedes that are currently usurping my house.

-Went and saw Thor. This is when I get my nerd on, but seriously, that movie is AWESOME! :) I'm buying it when it comes out for sure. And did you know that, in mythology, the eight-legged horse Sleipnir - which was considered the horse to end all horses, he was that good - was the son of a stallion and Loki? (As in, Loki turned into a mare and got knocked up?) Damn Norse Mythology, you scary!

- Finished my donation quilt! There'll be a later post about that :)

- Bought some more charm packs for my hexagon quilt! I haven't counted my hexies in a while, but I know their numbers are well over 2000. It'll end up being a queen size when I'm done with it, but at the moment I'm just trying to finished getting them all basted ... I ordered Jovial and Watercolor Garden by Benartex, and I'm in the market for some Sherbet Pips and some new charm packs coming out soon.

- Two more blocks for my Innocent Crush quilt! This one really makes me happy. And now that I've got one obligation out the way, I can work on it more! The picture above is six of the blocks I'd already finished :)

- Cleaned my apartment. Somewhat. I still have a LOT to do, but it's getting there!

I'm off to actually do some work I'm paid for. Later days!