Monthly Archives: June 2013

The things they don’t tell you

I remember the first time I sewed anything.  I remember fixing a doll pillow when I was less than ten years old.  Maybe I was five or so…but I thought it was so fun…then we had to test the strength!  It held up just fine, but it was so simple.  I also remember sewing Barbie clothes…and by clothes I mean a tube that could fit over her curves…somehow.  And once again, so very simple.  Just thread, cloth, a needle.  Nothing to extensive.

Now that I’m older, sewing seems to much more complex.  There’s all this measuring and ironing.  IRONING.  This is how I feel when it comes times to iron.

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There is SO much ironing.  You have to iron, cut, maybe iron again…sew…then iron again…then sew again then IRON again…then later you’re going to iron a few more times!

I don’t remember ironing Barbie’s clothes.  Or that doll pillow!  But last night, I made some coasters.  These are very simple, just two pieces of a charm pack with some of that…stuff…I can’t think of what it’s called right now…in the middle to give it some absorbance and some stiffness.  And it’s really easy, just sew together, snip corners, flip inside out, bla bla.  I have to iron it 3 times….and that’s one with no label!  THREE TIMES!  For a SQUARE!

And that steam burns my hands!  My poor little hands!

What else don’t they tell you….how fabric wiggles and makes your straight line kind of askew.  And it’s not noticeable until it’s too late.  Then what are you going to do, take out that entire seam?!  Oh my GOD!  It took what feels like an eternity to get from one end to the other!  And when you’re back sewing, how come sometimes it just goes a little off to the side?  What’s up with that!

Well, that’s all behind us now.  It’s Friday, and nothing can be bad on a Friday!  I’m planning on quilting more when I get home.  It’s on my “to do list” at the very top, ‘Do some sewing!!!’ and it’s marked urgent!  I mean, if that’s not motivation enough! 🙂

Happy weekend everyone!

Winner Winner!

I chose my winner, and it’s David Hicks!   I fixed up a replacement coaster with a label for his set.

My husband is happy with the “faulty” coaster.  Apparently he didn’t like he coaster on his end table.  Who knew?!

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Here’s a picture of all the coasters…happily displaying their colors.  They’re a great set.  All green and majestic! (What? Yes! Majestic! )

So remember how Al went to work with my husband?  Well, my husband works at an art college, and one of he students wants to do pet photography.  So obviously when she saw a picture of Al, she needed to have him as a subject.  I’ll post a couple of the shots soon.  It’s hard to pick just a few!

Anyhow…tonight will be back to the big giant monster quilt.  I’ve still got a plan in mind.  It’ll work, it’ll work!

Until next time!  Happy sewing!

(Happy equality to all!)

Giveaway time!

I reached fifty likes on my Facebook page, and to celebrate I’m doing a giveaway!  I’m very excited and happy that I’ve made it this far!  I’m still working on fine tuning and perfecting my wares, so all the support is really great.

So let’s get to the fun stuff shall we?  I decided the first item for the giveaway will be a set of coasters.  Here is a batch I made last night and I will probably get to work on another set tonight.  I would give these away but I’m not too happy with my label.

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I think besides the label they turned out pretty great!  Incase you’re wondering, when I reach 100 likes I’m having another give away!  If you want in on the action there’s a link to my Facebook page in the top right corner!

Happy sewing everyone!

Ermegerd! I feel like a time traveler!

It’s literally gone from Wednesday to Monday in the blink of an eye!  Thursday went by pretty smoothly,  and Friday there was a lot of cleaning.  Saturday we had everyone over to our house and grilled out.  My sewing exploits were a big hit, which makes me happy.  A little while after me and the husband went fishing.  Sadly, a rod broke and the depth  finder died, but that just means a trip to bass pro shops.  I think my husband likes going there as much as I enjoy going to Hobby Lobby.

Sunday I finally got some sewing time.  I had my little helper hanging out…of course.

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He was helping chose the next square to quilt…right?  I got the four corners quilted as well as the two in between two corners.  It has been a monster!  All this flipping and rolling and twisting and turning.  Now I see why people get those big machines.

I’m hoping to get some momentum swinging in the right direction tonight and sew more.  If I can just finish the quilting.  If only…at least this guy is waiting for me to finish.

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Until next time!

And then it was Wednesday!

Funny how the week just seems to go into fast forward after Wednesday afternoon passes by.

I got back in  the sewing room and I went in with a plan!  Its nice when they actually work!  I decided to go ahead and stitch the outline of the blocks then go back and outline the inner workings of each block.

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I thunk they’re looking pretty good so far!  Its funny to be working with the top up and flip over to check it out after.

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There have been a few spots like this, but I think when I go back and outline the inner squares it will be a lot less obvious.

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I had the peanut gallery watching me work.  They’re so supportive.  Now I’m going to settle in and watch Through the Wormhole.

Until next time!

P.S. here’s how Al looks when he’s doing business.

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Block 122: June 19, 2013

I’ve been following along as she makes all these cranes, this is a GREAT blog to see!

A Thousand Quilted Cranes

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I’ve been doing this project for over four months now. Pretty crazy, right?

Date: June 19, 2013

Crane: 122

Days Spent on Project: 122

Location: Apartment, Washington Heights, NYC

Person I would have sent it to: Adam M.

Another one of my first year college hall-mates, Adam was destined for med school.

Along with the immediately preceding people, Julie and Gregorio, myself, and Adam, I believed we were a quick group of friends. Adam and I were supposed to be second year roommates as well. However, I was hired as a Resident Advisor my second year; I didn’t do a great job with that hiccup.

Anyway, today I’m reminded how great Kenyon College actually was. Living in a small community, where your friends were always easily found somewhere, where you felt surrounded by peers of a certain intelligence and drive, where things just happened, where you could walk down…

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I could have sworn it was Wednesday!

Well I’m just sitting here at work.  It’s cold in here, I don’t have any socks, my hair is still wet, and it’s raining outside.  My dog with to work with my husband today, so I’m insanely jealous.  He has a warm cuddly puppy to keep him cozy, and all I have is the thought that I’m going to the gym in a couple of hours.  At least then I will have socks.

I’ve ordered an extender table for my sewing machine, so hopefully that will arrive next week.  I really hope that it helps with the quilting process; right now I’m considering sticking with baby quilts and small blankets because this full/twin size is a monster!  I’ve found myself plotting out how I’m going to get this thing quilted all the way.  I’m stitching in the ditch, so I think the back side will look neat!  Little stacking squares and things.

Getting a new accessory! :D

Getting a new accessory! 😀 Don’t you see the joy in it’s “face”?

Here's what the back is looking like so far...

Here’s what the back is looking like so far…

Maybe since I should have some time to myself before my husband gets home (all though, he may use having Al with him as a reason to go home early) I’ll get more sewing done…sans my little helper.  I think once I get the outline of the blocks stitched things should be a little easier.  I’m also wanting to try out my darning foot…but it makes me a little nervous!  I’ll get out some scraps and test it out.  I still have to figure out how to put my feed dogs down…I know there’s a way, and I think I’ve actually done it before…but I just can’t seem to remember right now!

Until next time!  If I get a chance, I’ll post some pictures tonight of any progress made *Fingers Crossed!*

Weekend Update

This weekend there has been sewing!  But not as much as I would have liked.  I got in there and it just was not happening.   I did get a square quilted.

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Here’s my progress so far.  It just turned into more of a monster than I was prepared for.  While this doesn’t seem like a lot, there was a lot of flipping and rolling and I even moved my sewing machine to try to tackle it better.  Finally I decided that I needed to stop and come back later.

Saturday we went out in the lake.  We got a new spot but it was a lot rockier than I am used to and I started feeling sea sick.  But Al and my husband had a great time!

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Al has a think for fishing.  He gets really excited when we start reeling in.

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He feels the need to inspect each fish before they’re thrown back.  He’s everyone’s helper in our house.

Later we watched Oz the Great and Powerful, my husband hasn’t been as excited about seeing it as I have been, but he figured it would make me feel better.  And it did! 🙂  It was a little more friendly than expected but it was great.

I may get back in there later and try to quilt more, but for now I’m going to recap on TrueBlood before the season premiere tonight!

Until next time, happy quilting!