I love . . .

Getting goodies in the mail! Mmmmmm! 

 Just received some yummy batiks I purchased from Connecting Threads!  I had to tear open the box and run my fingers through immediately!!! LOL!

I also stopped by Joann's to pick up a couple of pieces for my next project. . . the New York Beauty Quilt-A-Long.  I have been wanting to make a New York Beauty for some time - so now's as good a time as any! :)  There will be a different block each week!  I am making this quilt for my BFF - I can hardly wait!  I want about 10 - 12 more FQ to go with this, and a gray background fabric.  I didn't like everything I saw at the store, so I may be ordering some fabric online - we'll see.

I Can't Believe It!

They're 12!  Where oh where does the time go????

truckin' along . . .

Yes, I'm still here . . . not a whole lot of time to play and create - but I'm squeezin' it in when I can! :)  Today is my day! I'm off today, and my children ARE NOT!!!  So anything gettin' done, needs doin' TODAY!

First I was up and at'tem at 6:30 this morning doing my Hip Hop Abs with Shaun T!  I'm trying to loose 50 lbs (I'm down 6 for my first two weeks) so trying to fit some activity and good eating is really KILLING me - but I'm not giving up!  Kashi with strawberries for breakfast and got the kiddos off to school!

Keeping my house stocked with fresh produce is really helping me, so I called my BFF and we headed to the local farmers' market - since buying a ton of produce at the grocery store would break the bank! :)  Time for a little more activity - we laced up our walkin' shoes and strolled the produce row!  This is one of three open markets that we went to.

Now with exercise, good eating, and socializin' out the way . . . .

TIME TO PLAY!  I have been wanting to dye some fabric (I'm all out!)
I'm only working with 12 half yard pieces since I have to work inside.  I'm looking for some "foresty" type stuff, and i need some pink stuff too.  I mixed the dyes accordingly.  At first glance, it's pretty obvious to me that the "trace" of Fuchsia I added should have been MUCH trac-ier!  LOL!  the tanner/browner shades seem to be good for what I need.  I also want some grays, greens, and blues - so I'm gonna need some more time over the next couple of weekends to get more done.

Please excuse the interruption of this program for a planned break . . . LUNCH!

Now, the washout will tell the tale!

I'm happy with the browns and pinks - I even got a "plum-like" piece too - very nice :)  -  I still have got a great deal on my "wish" list of fabrics that I want - so I guess this is just the start!

A Very Berry Giveaway!

Very Berry Handmade is having a giveaway Resolved to Sew -2012.  I'm resolved to give myself more time to sew - PERIOD!  I want more completed projects and LESS UFOs!  I also want to be sure I take more pictures and keep up with my blog posts - something I have never been good at.  But it will help me look back over my accomplishments and see my progress, so far I have been off to a good start.  I have 3 BOMs I am doing, and will only commit to be in 3 swaps for the year - my first one will be completed and mailed the beginning of February.  I also want to do at least one applique project this year, a skill I would love to perfect.

Go over and check out the giveaway - there's still time to enter.  I've got my eye on this lovely FQ bundle from Erin McMorris's Summersault from the Backstitch.  I want to touch it - I can already see it all cut up and ready to sew!  I got a disease or something - LOL!

January projects

I'm horrible at free motion quilting, so I decided to join the challenges to gain some helpful tips, and give me plenty of opportunity to practice.  For January, SewCalGal's Free Motion Quilting Challenge has instructor Frances Moore showing us a leaf motif - which she effortlessly stitches (like a floating butterfly) in every direction (while talking/creating the video)!  In my dreams!!  Ha - no, I know Rome wasn't built in a day, but BOY! do I got some practicing to do!  After drawing, and drawing, (and drawing) the leaves on paper, I've progressed to getting them onto fabric with my machine.  Wonky, lopsided, sometimes jagged - but they ARE on the fabric! LOL!  I'm not accustomed to pushing/sliding the fabric around - it feels so awkward.  I have a tendency to want to grab the fabric on both sides of the needle and "steer".  I guess eventually I'll settle into some kind of rhythm and get it.  Here I'm doing the all over leaf, two border-type styles of the leaf, and a leaf with the vein going straight through and into the next leaf.  PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE! :)

I also tried a little stippling from Leah Day's Free Motion Quilt Project.  Gotta keep at it to get my lines more "fluid" and less jerky.

With both trials I kept losing my bobbin thread??? I don't know why this kept happening.  It wasn't breaking, my needle would just stop picking it up like skipped thread.  I would stay in the same spot and take a few stitches and then it would pick it up and I could keep going.  If you have the solution for this PLEASE tell me what I'm doing wrong.  Thanks!

And last, but by no means least is my first BOM project for 2012.  This block is for the BOM for Berry Basket Quilters Guild.  I made this one, and I'm going to make another one from a stash of black and white fabrics I have.

A Little Bit of Sewing . . .

First project of the year!  Had a little time to squeeze in for sewing today.  (in my Martha voice) "That's a Good Thing".  Working on my 16" blocks for the "Polka Dot Party" block swap over on the Missouri Quilt Co Forum.  There are 28 participants, we all have to use the black/white polka fabrics, and then add one tone-on-tone color to our block.  I'm excited to see this when I get all the blocks back.  Lots of great colors everyone's been working on!

I also made this little 10 1/2" block for BINGO!  I'm visiting the Berry Basket Quilters this evening, and we will need to bring our blocks to play - sounds like a fun night out! :)

One more thing before 2012

I coupon.  I'll admit it - I do.  I am able to save my family 65-80% on groceries, household, and health and beauty products.  Everyone coupons for different reasons - for me . . . it leaves me with extra money to BUY FABRIC!!! :)  So anyway, I saw this coupon clutch which is a cover/bag for your binder - it sells for $29.95, which I'm not spending.  There are velcro flaps along both sides, coming around to the front which makes it look more like a purse than a binder.  I saw they also sold a pattern for it, and I have plenty (and I do mean plenty) of fabric on hand, so why not? So yesterday I spent 4 hours putting this together, on what would be my last sewing day of the year.  Have to say the pattern was not great, and I probably would've spent less time if I wasn't so lazy and just went ahead and drafted one myself!

Okay, so the first thing was the instructions were for a 2" binder, and my binder was 1 1/2", but I just figured I would sew up whatever slack there was - after cutting according to instruction measurements . . . um - too short!  It would not wrap around my binder, so I added an inch-and-a-half of contrasting fabric on each side - now it works.

I proceeded along, checking, measuring, and top stitching as I went.  The instructions were not thorough, but more-or-less general.  I did not like the big 1 patch pocket configuration, so I made my own to fit what I wanted, and to include my shopping cards.  There were no real "finishing" instructions for the inside flaps of the binder covers so I just turned under and hemmed before assembling.  Also there was no binding the ends/edges of the spine portion of the cover.  Just to zig zag stitch before assembling and turn so I added these 1" strips on each side before assembling - kind of like a self-binding for a neater appearance.  I don't know if this is how the ones sold are assembled, but I wouldn't want to pay for anything with zig zag showing. :(
Now, mine is done, and I'm very happy with it.  With the few adjustments I made, I will make one for my best friend - now we can shop in style!

A very happy new year to you!!!