February New FO

I haven't started a sewing project in such a long time that it seems this one has gone on forever. But I just started it a few weeks ago, and I am determined to finish it in March. Now I need to think of a project to start in March. Rather, I need to narrow down my choices for a project to start in March.

I'm linking this to Cat Patches today.

15 Minute Challenge

I began the week working on the Quilt Along, but soon decided I couldn't do those and finish my Little Glory. I spent way too much time Tuesday just gathering up fabric and working on the blocks. One of them had tiny pieces and I can't do it without either paper piecing or using a quarter-inch foot. And I don't know where that quarter foot is. Probably with my long ruler. The block I made Tuesday was no where close to the nine and a half inches it was supposed to be.

So I devoted my energies to working on the Little Glory so I can get that mess out of the dining room.

I've made progress on the Little Glory, finishing all the center blocks. Now I need to work on borders and then put it all together.

Why is it I always get sick on weekends? I started feeling bad Saturday and drank lots of fluids and took some over the counter medicine, thinking I could wait until Monday to go to the doctor, and hoping I'd actually kick it and not have to go at all. By Monday I did feel better, so thought I'd just keep doing what I was doing and avoid going to the doctor. But last night I started feeling horrible and regretted not going to the doctor to get checked out. I didn't think I was going to make it through the night, but finally the dawn broke and I called the doctor's office, only to be told they couldn't get me in until 4:30. So I opted for a doc in the box. Now I'm home with antibiotics and pain killers and hope it takes care of it. I don't' think I'm going to get fifteen minutes in today. In fact, it's all I can do to keep my eyes open to type this.

Check out Kate's blog Life in Pieces and see how others have used their fifteen minutes a day. Kate has some good tips for organizing our sewing spaces too.

15 Minute Challenge

I had another good sewing week. I'm not sure I like the way the Little Glory Quilt is turning out, but it's a utilitarian quilt, so I guess it doesn't really matter that much.  The drawing below shows how I originally wanted to make it, but I didn't have enough dark blue or yellow.  Visit Kate at Life in Pieces to see how others have met the challenge and join in yourself.

This week Kate talks about sewing room organization.  She is using a hanging file system for her fat quarters.  This is how I store my fabric at the moment.  I have nine of these plastic boxes, with fabric wrapped around a cardboard square so they are uniform size and fit into the box just right.  The boxes fit under a guest bed, and while the system is not perfect (it's a pain to crawl around on the floor pulling out boxes), it's what works for me right now.  My goal is to get rid of my stash and then the boxes will go away.




I read someone's blog (can't remember which one) about a Quilt Along beginning February 18. The link I followed from that blog was to Barbara Brackman's Material Culture blog. It is actually a kind of a Moda quilt pattern blog hop with three patterns revealed every day. Barbara is a Moda designer and her pattern is one of the first day patterns. If you read her blog post from Monday, Feb 18, you'll get the details.









It looks like it will be fun although I almost changed my mind when I saw Barbara's pattern. Flying geese are not my favorite blocks but I managed to get it done and somewhat square.  I just took a peek at today's blocks and there are circles.  Eeek!






While I had a pretty good week, I can't say as much for Buddy the cat. I began carrier training Wednesday by taking the carrier apart and leaving the pieces in the floor of the kitchen for him to investigate. On Thursday, I put the bottom half of the carrier in the garage and put his self feeder in it. He looked at it, and then at me, and then stretched to see if he could reach his food without touching the carrier. He couldn't. So he stood there looking at it until I backed up, and then he put his front feet in it so he could eat.

Since he is on antibiotics, the vet said to remove his food in the evening so he will be really hungry by morning and eat the medicated food. And he does. By morning, he is ravenous. Hubby said Buddy tried to climb his leg when Hubby poured his cereal in a bowl Friday morning. Then he went over and stood in the carrier bottom where the self feeder was and looked pathetic.

He still won't get completely into the carrier bottom while he is eating, but today I am going to put a table over the carrier bottom and see if it bothers him.

Sticker Shock at JoAnn's Fabrics

This past week I had a doctor's appointment in the city and stopped in at JoAnn's too. It would be a waste of gas just to go to the doctor's office and home again, right? I had already been to our local quilt store to see if I could find some coordinating fabrics for the quilt I'm making, but I hated to spend $10 a yard on it when I am using a mix of leftover fabrics from my stash.

And what did I find at JoAnn's? Cottons at $10 a yard! These didn't have the high quality feel of the fabrics at the quilt store either. Better than Walmart, but not $5 a yard better. There were some less, but nothing under $7, so I went home empty-handed.

15 Minute Challenge

It's been a long time since I've done any sewing. So long, in fact, that I couldn't find my long ruler, my favorite rotary cutter, or my quarter inch foot. It's also the first time I've really used my new (a year old now) sewing machine. I bought it because the sewing center said my old one would cost more to repair than to buy a new comparable machine. And I thought I would either get another machine with a few perks for home use and keep this for a travel machine. But that never happened. With my old machine, I could have compensated for not having a quarter inch foot by moving the needle. This machine doesn't have that feature.

But I managed to locate a twelve inch ruler, my cutting mat, and some fabric, and set up a sewing center at the end of the dining room. Funny that Kate's challenge this week included asking us to show our sewing space. I'm working on creating a space in a guest room, but for now, this is it.

This bedroom is where I used to have my sewing space, and will again soon. But the new sewing space has to be more versatile than it was before. With a sewing desk in the room, it was impossible to pull out the trundle bed without moving the desk out of the room. Not only was the desk heavy, but there was no where else to put it. So I am working on sewing table and cutting table that are mobile and easy to store when the room needs to be a bedroom. Until then, I'm in the dining room.





So getting back to the challenge, this is what I got done this week.

I don't have much to show for my time. Much of my time was spent working on a color combination I like. I have several orphan blocks to show for my time, one finished block, and a few stacks of pieces. I tried using just three fabrics for a simple look, but didn't have enough, so it will have more of a patchwork look to it.

Trial block

Final block

Join us at Kate's Life in Pieces.

You know you want to!