Just Sunday

Don't you just love Sundays?  I had such a nice relaxing day.  I was lazy and just did what I wanted.  

You could also say that is code for - I didn't house clean.   But I did do a couple of loads of laundry, some cooking, and a little sewing.    I'm waiting for my new presser foot but still wanted to practice piecing with some scraps.   Although this piece doesn't exactly color match, it was so quick and fun to try a small table runner 

I have a new found respect for the rotary cutter so no blood was shed today.  Yesterday's boo boo was just a little nick.  I found another little cute baby quilt pattern so I'll start looking for some fabrics (and pre-planning) In the kitchen today I made the best winter soup - bacon cheeseburger soup.  Wow, it was so good and so easy.  Don't ask for the recipe because I just winged it but there are lots of versions online    This soup is a keeper.  I also cooked a pork tenderloin for the week. I love days like this.   It really helps start the busy work week on a good note when you can have a Me day.

And who knows, before the nights over there might be some chocolate chip cookies in the cookie jar 

 

Learning lessons

Well, I'm learning a LOT of lessons in my little foray into making a quilt.  Most importantly, it does require some pre-planning.  (I did not pre-plan, I just dove in).   I used my 2 charm packs and made my 9 patch blocks but didn't calculate what I needed.  So to make this rentangular I didn't have enough blocks. 

This was too narrow but if I added another row of 3 blocks, it would be square and I wanted rectangular.  But I didn't want to buy more fabric since this is truly just a "practice" piece.  So I decided to be like Saundra and "tweak" things a little.      Now if you are a REAL quilter you may want to stop reading right now because I'm sure you are about to be horrified .  I took 2 of my finished blocks of 4 and removed the middle seam to "half" them and came up with this tweak.....

Now the top is all pieced into one top  

I've since layered the 3 layers and started sewing it together.   The next "lesson" was I decided since it wasn't perfect anyways I should see if I could machine quilt it without a special walking foot for my machine.   Note: I have since ordered a walking foot online.   Tomorrow perhaps I'll try sewing the binding on.  This will become a blanket for Abby.     Another good reminder, to move your hand when using the rotary cutter

OUCH!

It's frightful

The weather outside is frightful.   We are in the middle of a nasty ice storm.   The freezing rain started just after lunch and is expected to continue through the night, along with very high wind gusts.   I'm hoping we don't lose power tonight and I'm also hoping that my car doesn't look like this in the morning.....

I just stole that from Google but if my car is encased in ice tomorrow I'll take a photo.    Even Abby is not enjoying the slip and slide outside.  No complaints tonight when I refused to take her for our walk. She happily bounded back inside as soon as she did her business.  Along with the bad weather, I didn't have a very restful night last night.  I think I might have had a little food poisoning although I don't know what would have caused it.  But I woke up at 2am and spent the next hour being violently sick.  I crawled back to bed at 3am and went right back to sleep until the alarm rang.  I felt fine although a little tired so I did go to work.  (But I'm dragging now, so it will be an early night) So to brighten this dreary night I thought I'd share a chance for you to win a painting by my very talented friend .  I have many of his pieces.  Here is the info to enter on Facebook 

Here is the actual piece

Go check out his page, I'm sure you'll see something you like.  If you're in the path of the storm, stay safe and warm 

Oh, it's happening

And so another fabric related addiction may be on the horizon.  I've leaped, blind-folded and head first into the world of quilting.   I have relocated my sewing machine to the office/den and finally found an excuse to use my iron.

When I moved here 2 and a 1/2 years ago I bought an iron, because everyone needs an iron, right?   Yesterday was the first time I had taken it out of the box!  Lol. My grandmother would be horrified. Next I anxiously opened up my charm pack and began to lay out the squares

Then without fear I began to piece these stops together.  I don't want to brag but.........look at these corners   

And then before I knew it I had one completed block

I'm now out of fabric because I didn't want to buy too much at first but I've finished 4 blocks

Now, I'll be honest here - not all the corners look as good as the first block.   I got a little cocky and over-confident too quickly  and I'm still struggling with not twisting a seam on the back (but nobody will see that).    So later this week I'll visit the quilt shop again and buy another charm pack and some backing so I can play more next week.    I probably should have just started with simple blocks but I wanted to play with the cutter so I figured I'd just go for broke and try a disappearing 9 patch.  I can't believe I made a quilt block!!!!

What's in the bag?

So, what do you think is in the bag?  

If I was feeling like my old self I might tease you for a few days (right Saundra).  But instead I'm going to tell you.  I am finally going to try something I have talked about wanted to do for years.......  

I'm going to teach myself to quilt!   I've always loved quilts and I covet the ones I have that were my Grandmothers.  I've always looked at them in awe and never felt like I could do it.  Now here is the really, really bad confession which will show exactly how competitive I am....  I have a friend who is totally NOT crafty but she is making a quilt so I figured if she can do.....how hard can it be??  Lol I have spent a couple of lunch hours doing reconnaissance at the local quilt shop and asking a thousand questions.  I've been watching YouTube tutorials and reached out to a quilting genius follower Jacque for advice.  I think I'm ready.  So this project will either be a baby quilt or if the whole project goes to crap - a really expensive placemat.  Haha I'm not sure I'll have time to start tomorrow but maybe Sunday I can try to build my first block.   Sooo excited    Someone else was not quite as excited to see me come home with another bag full of craft supplies.  I'm sure this is what Abby was thinking Nooooooo Mom, not MORE fabric

Yes Abby, your Mom has a problem

It's all in my head

I've written so many great blog posts in the last week or so.  Of course they have been witty, charming and super entertaining.  Unfortunately they have all stayed in my head and none have made it online.    Sigh..........sorry.   Seems I have been a bit of a New Years Resolution Hypocrite.   You know I don't make resolutions but I sure seem to be acting like I have made several.  The new year has given me a strange desire to do things like eat and cook healthier.  I've been on an organization kick.   This week I moved all my office furniture around and got rid of a ton of paper.  You can actually see the top of my desk now!   I've also been organizing the house.  I'm trying to purge.  I have a lot of crap that is crammed into the den and spare room.  Mainly stuff for "projects" I "think" I'll do in the future.   Time to come to my senses and realize that most of them will not happen.   It feels so good to get organized but I still have a long way to go.   Tomorrow I hope to sort through bins and bins of rug hooking stuff.   I think if it's organized and I actually know what I have, it might get me going again.   The weather has been crappy, wet and then bitterly cold so I'm enjoying this nesting phase.  

A blank page

Ahhh, the first few days of a new year are like a blank page in your book.   So what will 2017 bring?  What words will fill up your blank page?   I'm not going to pretend to be one of those people who make resolutions because we all now I'd break them all within a week.  However I would like to set a few "loose guidelines" for the future.   I'd like to be more financially stable this year.  The past 2 years I have spent a lot of money on setting up my little house.   I'm going to put the brakes on home improvement projects for the time being and try to get caught up.   I'd also like to be more organized at home.  I've already started over the holidays and got a good start downstairs.  However upstairs and in the garage, I need to organize and purge.   Lastly and probably the one that will make me the happiest, is I hope to create more in 2017.  I barely rug hooked at all last year.  Over the holidays I've been getting the urge to get back into it.   Today is the first day I had any energy.  That stupid cold knocked me out but last night I slept and coughed less.  I even got a little appetite back today.  Good thing too, because sadly vacation ends tonight.  Tomorrow is back to work after 16 days off.

No more pyjamas or sweatpants.  I'll have to find jewelry and "put on a face".  It's going to be so hard............