Oriental Art piece

Finish or not Friday

The guild has a Art Challenge every month. Every month I get an idea but for that last 7 months I have not had time to execute my idea. I started this mini wall hanging on Tuesday. I finished it Wednesday and submitted it Thursday at the guild. Only 2 of us entered the challenge. Unfortunately I didn't win. The theme was Oriental. The other mini had a Chinese food container, chopsticks and 2 fortune cookies. It was terrific. Still I am glad that I finished the mini.

Stash Report  2/11 -2/17  Week 7 - 2018

Fabric used this week: 1 yard

Fabric used to Date:     9 yard

Fabric Added this week: 0 yards

Fabric Added Year to Date: 7 yards

Net used for 2018: 9 yards

350 Block Challenge 2018
Blocks made 1
YTD made 5

15 Minute Challenge:  

2/11- 2/17         6 of 7 days

2018 Total          37 of 47 days
Percentage of days sewn 78%

UFO finished for January - 0      :>[

February Week 2

This week flew by. I am still organizing my fabrics. At first I was tossing the scraps in a pile, Then realized they are coming out of tubs that were sorted by color. DAH keep them separated in colors. I already have 2 very large tubs filled with big zip locks in sorted colors.

I am ironing purple and blue scraps for the RSC. I didn't do January - Blue and February is Purple.  I am going to start with those. Will cut the purple into 2 1/2 strips to get going. I just have to pick a pattern. I changed my mind 50 times already. My crafty brain wants to go complex, my logical brains says " get a grip" and go with an easy pattern. I guess my left and right brain just have to battle it out.

I sewed more random 4 patches. The only thing I created from scratch this week was a pillow cover for my grandson. He was sleeping over and his brother already has a "special" pillowcase on his sleepover pillow. Little man is an equal opportunity kind of guy. In other words, why get into an argument with a 2 year old over a pillow cover. He loved it and kept sticking his blankie inside the slit on the back then laughing his butt off!

My granddaughter also came over for a while last night. They ran around the house like drunk maniacs. I finally put a movie on so they would chill out. Thank goodness for The Emoji Movie!

I woke up exhausted. In order for me to check my email the next morning, I needed a diversion. Buttons. Though I had to keep one eye on him at all times so he didn't up them in his mouth, the buttons gave me a half hour of quiet. He was just amazed at how many different buttons there are. He obeyed grandma all that time and was dumping them in the box. After that 1/2 hour he just had to dump them on the floor.  Was all good, his brother helped clean up the buttons and out the door we went. I deposited them back at their house. Flew home and into my bed for a well earned nap! Was out cold for 3 hours. 

Oh Scraps

There is actually a bag in every color but when a 2 year old comes over and his favorite game is in and out, its time to jam those bags back into the tubs and hid them. I have plenty of scraps I forgot I had and I still have 18 tubs of fabric to fold. 

Happy Sorting

Aileen in Florida

Stash Report  2/4 -2/10  Week 6 - 2018

Fabric used this week: 1 yard

Fabric used to Date:     8 yard

Fabric Added this week: 0 yards

Fabric Added Year to Date: 7 yards

Net used for 2018: 8 yards

350 Block Challenge 2018
Blocks made 1
YTD made 4

15 Minute Challenge:  

2/4- 2/10         7 of 7 days

2018 Total          31 of 41 days
Percentage of days sewn 75%

UFO finished for January - 0      :>[

OMG FEB

I want to commit to finishing something this month. I breezed through January and didn't do any of my UFO's. I did sew but was of the obligation type of sewing.

My goal will be to finish the Accordion  Carpenters Wheel.
It is a really different concept in how you make it. It is the creation of EvaPaige Quilt Designs.

This is the center star. I have 2 rounds to go to finish the star parts.
Then the fun stuff...!!

Happy Sewing

Aileen in Florida

New Day in Feb

February arrived with both of us sick. No birthday party for DH on Groundhog day. We didn't want to get the kids sick. At first he was fine with this, but next day he was a bit blue. We will celebrate this Friday instead. 

I have been slowly organizing and folding my fabrics. I have found so many that I had forgotten and stop to pet them. I have also been folding fat quarter size pieces as well.   I have folded 10 sweater size tubs of fabric and ended up with a tub of fat quarters and 2 tubs of scraps. The bad news is I now have more scraps for the scrap bins. I still have 20 more tubs to go through. Not in a hurry but will start with RSC color for February of purple. I already have some scraps and I may as well add to these. Now to think of a block I want to do.

I couldn't get motivated to sew because I was stuck on an art challenge piece. I have changed my mind about 2 dozen times. This fabric just put the brakes on my creativity. I finally talk with a friend and she gave me permission to can it. Its put away and if I get inspired I will revisit it. 

To get back to sewing, I decided to do some mindless sewing. There was a small shoes box with 2 inch 4 patches in it. I sewed those together and it made me feel better.  I don't know what I will do with them but that is okay with me for now.

Happy Quilting

Aileen in FL

Stash Report  1/28 -2/3  Week 5 - 2018

Fabric used this week: 0 yard

Fabric used to Date:     7 yard

Fabric Added this week: 0 yards

Fabric Added Year to Date: 7 yards

Net used for 2018: 7 yard

350 Block Challenge 2018
Blocks made 3
YTD made 3

15 Minute Challenge:  

1/28- 2/3         5 of 7 days

2018 Total          24 of 34 days
Percentage of days sewn 70%

UFO finished for January - 0      :>[

Oh Boy...Husband

This week was going smoothly until my DH got sick. He came home from work 5 hours early. He must have been dying. This man never takes off work for a cold, pain or injury. Last Thursday I forced him to stay home when the temperature plummeted to 24 degrees. He works outside grinding and finishing metal items. Can you imagine holding onto stainless steel at those temps. He was very upset with me but I was right. The temperature stayed below freezing all day.

He has a head and chest cold. He stayed home the next day too. He couldn't talk, was dizzy, coughed, hacked, sneezed and grunted. He went into work the following day and his Co-workers called his Boss over and told him send him home. "We don't want what he has." Yes, that bad! Since he was sick I was kind to him and made him buckets of homemade chicken soup, sloppy joes, spinach quiche and stuffed peppers. He was thrilled with these delights. I don't cook very often.  When he got lonely, he came to my sewing room door to see me. I would say, "I love you, GET OUT OF HERE"! I happen to be one of those people that gets sick very easily. I made sure I wasn't in the same room at anytime. Wiped down door knobs, took some Airborne and retreated to a neutral corner. He is about 75% better tonight. I am just hoping it doesn't rain on him tomorrow.

As for what I was able to finish....Not much. I folded more fabric, finished the wallets and worked on the guild newsletter.

My goal tomorrow is to make Something with this fabric. It is the Art Quilt Challenge fabric. I have had it for at least 10 months. It needs to be turned in by February 19th. Do you think I procrastinated enough yet???

Stash Report  1/21 -1/27  Week 4 - 2018

Fabric used this week: 1 yard

Fabric used to Date:     7 yard

Fabric Added this week: 0 yards

Fabric Added Year to Date: 7 yards

Net Fabric for 2018: 6 yard

15 Minute Challenge:  
1/21- 1/27         7of 7 days
2018 Total          19 of 27 days

Percentage of days sewn 70%

Happy Quilting

Aileen in Florida

Trash and Treasures

After looking at my stash closet for weeks and dreaming of organizing it, I took the plunge. First you have to trash the place before you can get organized and find the lost treasures!

I am being ruthless. If I am NEVER going to use it, I will donate it or turn it into a charity quilt. There are some fabrics in there that I did not buy but have had for decades. Time to use or toss it, etc.

All the stuff on the sofa (bottom right) was on the upper shelf of the closet. The closet is only 8 feet long. How did I manage to get that much stuff up there. My husband helped me get it down.....he was not amused! Ha Ha.


This is where I am heading. I will let you know when I arrive!

Those 4 little piles are the equivalent of 6 sweater tubs of fabric yardage. I am using my 6 x 13 inch ruler to wrap the fabric.

There is at least a half sweater tub of fat quarters already. Saving those for another day.

I did make another wallet the other night, unfortunately i put the magnetic snap on the wrong side of the flap. Geez, I thought I was so clever working on it after midnight!

Stash Report  1/14 -1/20  Week 3 - 2018

Fabric used this week: 1 yard

Fabric used to Date:     6 yard

Fabric Added this week: 0 yards

Fabric Added Year to Date: 6 yards

Net Fabric used for 2018: 6 yard

15 Minute Challenge:  
1/14 - 1/20         5of 7 days
2018 Total          12 of 20 days

Percentage of days sewn 60%

I am getting better at sewing more often. I am hopeful that once I know what I have I shop my stash and sew daily.

Happy Hunting

Aileen in Florida

2 Down 2 to go

It is Sunday. 36 degrees this morning. I thought I lived in Florida. LOL.

Yesterday I was able to complete 2 wallets. I was on a roll making 2 at a time so it was like leaders and enders. One following the other. Everything was going great until....I rounded the lining piece. It is a directional fabric. I should have done it upside down but as with most things your brain looks at it from a logical stand point.  Oh no!  I don't have enough to fix the 2 linings. They became the outside of the wallets. It worked fine, just was not my intent. Live and learn to test panel before trimming.

The cats wallets

This one is my daughters wallet. I made it a few months ago to go with her diaper bag,  box pouch and small purse. 

Back to sewing!

Stash Report  Week 2 - 2018

Fabric used this week: 1 yard

Fabric used to Date:     5 yard

Fabric Added this week: 2 yards

Fabric Added Year to Date: 6 yards

Net Fabric used for 2018: 6 yard

15 Minute Challenge:  
1/7 - 1/13          3 of 7 days
2018 Total          7 of 13 days

Happy Quilting

Aileen in Florida

Repairs

It is Saturday. I have been cutting out fabric kits to make wallets for the guild boutique. Still didn't feel like sewing. So what is a girl to do? Repair a quilt!

This quilt is probably 14 years old. Well loved and well beaten. The poinsettias are falling off. I am being a lazy quilter and just blanket stitching them back down. Hopefully this quilt will last another few years to give me time to make another xmas lap quilt.

The plan for this weekend:

1: finish fixing this quilt.
2: make 4 wallets

Happy Quilting

Aileen in Florida

Martelli, OH MY!!!

January is flying by faster that I imagined it would.

At our Guild Christmas party I ordered a Martelli Table System.  I decided to get an ergonomic system that may help with this daily pain issue. It was an expensive purchase but the show price was much less than buying direct from Martelli and it included many accessories. Here is a article from another person that purchased this same table.

I have many physical ailments, neck, rotator cuff, cervical spine, sciatica and arthritis. Pain meds have been a staple for the past 6 years.  I want to stop taking them so I decided to invested in myself. So far so good. Much less stress on my body. More room to work. The fact that the table height can be adjusted is fantastic.

Cutting fabric is much more comfortable with this wide adjustable table.
I was able to sew with my serger and my Janome just by going from one machine to the other. This made making the Pjs I was working on go faster.

Stash Report  Week 1 - 2018

Fabric used this week: 4 yard

Fabric used to Date:     4 yard

Fabric Added this week: 4 yards

Fabric Added Year to Date: 4 yards

Net Fabric for 2019: 4 yard

15 Minute Challenge:  
1/1 - 1/6            4 of 7 days
2018 Total         4 of 7 days

Happy Sewing

Aileen in Florida

Voice

Happy New Year 

to my family, friends and online friends!

Word of the year.... 

Negative comments were part of my growing up. It did stunt my creative Voice.  I let this happen over and over. I find it hard to trust my voice when I create. Those negative people fly into my head. What would so and so think of this? Yet when I give those people a gift from my heart, they seem to like it but its not what I really wanted to make. I chickened out and use some other makers vision/voice. I tend to get nervous when I use my Voice and create something original. Is it good enough? Will people get what I am trying to say through my art. Then I stop myself, stare at it for days and finally put it away.  I need to trust my own Voice, My own thoughts. 

My word for 2018 is Voice. It really should be the phrase:

Trust My Voice. 

Aileen in Florida

UFO Challenge for 2018

Patchwork Times is running a UFO Challenge. There are no rules. It is just a way to keep track and try and get those UFO out of your closets, from under the bed etc.

I try to do one UFO before I start cutting another quilt project out. Sometimes I am successful, other times... the temptations are so strong that I crumble and start something new. Well, the thing about new projects is it does get you motivated to sew...

UFO's 2018

1. Allietare Quilt. - needs 2 borders, pieced back, sandwich & quilt. 
2. Halloween quilt - backing, sandwich & quilt.
3. Stack and Whack - top, etc
4. Jar Quilt- QAYG. Sashing, backing & batting.
5. Amber/Wes signature quilt. Assemble, back, batting quilt 
6. Wes dragon quilt. Globe and claw. Backing, Sandwich, quilt.
7. Convex illusion. Finish top, sandwich and quilt.
8. Sampler. Finish last block, backing batting quilt.
9. Seattle Skyline Wallhanging. Needle, borders, back sandwich & quilt.
10. Spool Wallhanging. Batting and backing. quilt
11. Lighthouse Wallhanging. Needs lighthouse dome.
12. Ugly pink baby quilt top. Quilt and donate.
13. Accordion Carpenters Wheel.

This is a start. I am sure if I actually took my closet apart I would find a few more. 2 years ago I donated a LOT of UFO's to a church in Canada and to a group that was making quilts for survivors of a fire up in Washington state. It felt good to give away many UFO's I knew I would never finish because I no longer was attracted to them. Some were early experiments in learning new techniques. Other were WWIT, What Was I Thinking!!! 

Happy Quilting, Sewing and Organizing for the New Year!!

Aileen in Florida

Linking up to Patchwork Times

After Christmas

I can't believe it has been 3 days since Christmas.

Everyone like their handmade gifts,

especially...

Time to clean up the old sewing room and get organized.

Happy Cleaning

Aileen in Florida

Book Pillows

Merry Christmas!

 Hope your Holidays are filled with
love and joy.

These are the book pillows for 3 of the Grands. 

I hope they like them.

Time to finish up those last minute gifts!

Happy Holidays

Aileen in Florida