Weekend Work

My todo list at the start of the weekend looked like:

• Mystery Round Robin borders
• Modern She Made Swap items
• Custom Quilt Layout
• Mario Quilt cutting
• Wedding Quilt
• Lucky Stars April block

 I must say that I'm pretty happy with everything I accomplished.

My Mystery Round Robin borders are done and I will be putting the block in the mail this afternoon.  Since it is a mystery I can only give you a sneak peek.  It was my first time attempting wonky stars.  They were fun, but time consuming!

Next up were the items for my Modern She Made Swap partner.  I decided to go with a covered journal for her main item.

And an Open Wide Zippered Pouch for her second.  She's a chemist so I thought she might appreciate the cross stitch.

I actually completed the layout for the large squares on the custom quilt on Thursday night (sorry to those of you who are seeing it for a second time).  I signed up the Sit and Sew at the LQS on Wednesday and this will be my main project while I'm there.

There was no progress on the actual Mario Quilt but I did manage to cut, piece, quilt and finish the first cushion.  Kirby was the first one, and Megaman is not far behind.  He is about 1/4 of the way pieced.  When I sent my brother the photo of the cushion he informed me that he was on his way over :) so I was lucky enough to get a photo of him with his new prize. 

There was no progress on the Wedding Quilt since I never made it to our LQS to pick up more fabric.  It's on the agenda for my lunch break today.

My Lucky Star April block is finally finished.  After many mistakes on my part.  First I ran out of the black fabric.  Then after finding more of it, I mispieced my final section and had to completely redo it.  But I must say I love the way it turned out (especially the chevron) and that it was totally worth it!

A few additional finished this weekend...

My hatboxes are now recovered.  From shabby chic to fun and bold.  The lids are a little bit of a tight fit now so they will unfortunately be for decoration only.  I had hoped to store items in them to and from the show but I'll figure out something else.  I have also gotten a promise from the hubby that he will spray paint the items I need for upcoming shows tonight.  Spray paint is another item on my lunch break list!

I am attempting to get licensed to sell our local collegiate items so I had to whip up a few earbud pouches to send in for their review.

And a chomper necklace.  I originally made one at the request of a friend last year and have wanted to add them to my craft show inventory ever since.  This is the first step...

Btw, for more in progress pictures you can follow me on Instagram under the user name SewingWithSqueak. ;)

 Linking up with Let's Get Acquainted, BOMs Away Monday, Creative Mondays, Craftastic Mondays, Make It Wear It, and Pink Hippo Party.

Weekend Plans

I received a large box from The Fat Quarter Shop yesterday which  means I can get started on the Mario Quilt this weekend!  My brother and I sat down and planned which blocks he wants and how to set it up so I have a good idea of what to do.  He is also getting Kirby and Megaman cushion covers.  And there's most likely a Dr. Who Quilt in his future as well.  Must be nice to be a mid-twenty's bachelor with a big new house complete with a media room, huh?  Any single girls out there?  He's a great catch ;)!

I also decided on the layout for the custom quilt so I can start sewing everything together.

There is still a lot more to do with this quilt.  All of these squares will be framed in white then separated by 3.5" pieced strips and finally a 3.5" border all the way around.  Everything is cut except for the border.  It seems like my 1/4" mark on my Juki is a little off.  My blocks are not quite 7.5" finished so I'm having to trim them all down to 7.25" as I go.  Not the end of the world but a little frustrating as it takes more time.  Next time I'll know to scoot over a notch.  Speaking of taking more time...when I quoted the price for making this quilt to the lady she was wanting the squares above to be one piece of fabric instead of 4 pieced together.  Since this greatly increased the cutting and sewing time, design effort, and thread used, how do I bring up the fact that I think I deserve a lot more than what I originally quoted (which was already extremely low)?  Or do I just bite the bullet and not say anything?  Would love to hear your thoughts on how to handle it. 

A couple more project on the list this weekend...a custom comforter (yes, a comforter, not a quilt...I'm a little nervous), and Lucky Stars April block--only one section left.  If this seems a little ambitious for a weekend, don't worry, I took a vacation day next Wednesday so I could go to a sit and sew at our LQS.  I'm also sad to say that my favorite lady there is moving out of state this week :(. 

A Crafty Weekend

This weekend was dedicated to all things craft show.  Friday night I managed to whip up a few last minute items to take.  All of these items were made from abandoned blocks. 

I embroidered this little pattern last year after seeing something similar on Pinterest and couldn't figure out a use for it.  I almost just put it in a little wooden hoop to use as a wall hanging but at the last minute decided the thermoses made it perfect for a mug rug.

 And five new covered journals:

This the first block I sewed for my Herringbone Quilt (still in the works) but I cut it at the wrong angle and couldn't use it.

Playing with a mini charm pack :)

Nothing too fancy.

 A paper pieced fox.  I'm thinking this little girl need some button eyes and a button nose...

 And a tuplip.

The rest of this week will most likely be dedicated to making over my booth.  The decorative/organizational items I have are cute but the shabby chic-ness of them is not really my style.  They will be getting painted, mod podged or who knows what else.  And I will definitely be adding more display options.  I've already picked up two more clothing racks, 3 stackable crates, and a jewelry display.  There will be new tableclothsand many more things to come.

I picked up a few neat items at the craft show but didn't have time to take photos so more on those later. 

And in other exciting news, my brother has asked for not one, but THREE quilty items (I'm just excited that he found something he likes enough to have me make!)  So I will be ordering fabrics today (yay, shopping!).

Linking up with Let's Get Acquainted Monday.

Bragging Rights!

There have been several purchases in our house lately.  The first being a brand new to us, used SUV to help accomodate our growing family.  My little two door car has been pretty dependable for the last 8 years but with my expanding belly there's no way I was going to be able to get Squeak into his carseat in another month or two!

Our second large purchase came as a result of last Friday night's sewing.  I got home from work excited to get started on my new bag (which I posted about yesterday).  I sat down at my modern Singer and while quilting my bag exterior I looked down to realize that every once in awhile the stitches would go all wonky and become about an inch long before going back to normal.  After trying to fix it for about 30 minutes and out of ideas, I got out the vintage Singer.  I spend 30 minutes trying to get the bobbin to fit into its slot and then the thing still wouldn't thread properly.  After a much needed two hour break I decided to try again.  And it worked!  Kind of...the bobbin kept popping up while I was sewing and jamming (which I have found out is not uncommon) meaning I had to rip out the quilting and start over again hoping not to jam.  After this happened SEVERAL times I had given up.  By that time the hubby was home and seeing my frustration he told me to call and see if the local store had the machine I wanted in stock.  They did, but would be closing before I could get there so first thing Saturday morning I picked up this beauty.  The Juki 2010Q and as an added bonus I now get all the free classes I want from The Stitching Post!  Too bad my machine is too heavy to carry while pregnant :(

 On to fabricy goodness...a few weeks ago Material Girl Quilts was having a sale so I decided to stock up.  A layer cake of Mod Tod, 3 yards of Power Pop Dream All Day in Coffee (reserved for my first Washi dress), and charm packs of In From the Cold, Mind Your Ps & Qs, Monster Bash and Bo Bunny.  She has lots of great precuts and yardage so be sure and check it out!

 And my monthly package from Pink Chalk arrived.  This month I received 2wenty-Thr3e and some great coordinating solids! 

There have been a few other small purchases, but they have already been incorporated into projects so you'll have to wait to see them :)

Wishing everyone a great weekend!

Finally Some Finishes!

Granted, none of these are WIPs so that list is as long as ever, but it still felt good to finish something.

Without further ado I present you with my new bag.  The Aeroplane Bag by Sara at Sew Sweetness...

For this bag I decided to go with the regular size.  Originally I had very different plans for the fabric.  I wanted to use a different Echino print for the main exterior (black with multi-colored animals in frames), the pink deer as the bottom part and the same fabrics for the interior lining and straps.

When I got home from picking up the interior (Washi) and strap (?) fabrics I realized I only had a half yard of the black and a whole yard of the pink (instead of the other way around like I thought).  So after trying to figure out if I could alter the pattern a bit to make it work, I decided to dig in my stash to see if I could come up with something else.  On a whim I bought the black text fabric online awhile back and hadn't found a use for it yet and it was perfect!  I already had the 24" gray zipper left over from another project that never was and the small black zipper was one of hundreds I keep around :).

I felt kind of bad about it, but I fussy cut one of the deer portraits from the black fabric to use as a cell phone pocket. I did change the pockets from the ones in the pattern.  I kept one of the zippered pockets but made it smaller and off to the side, added a cell phone pocket and made a large divided pocket on the opposite side. 

All in all I'm thrilled with my new bag, and I'm thinking I should make a patchwork version of the larger bag using fussy cuts from the black Echino and some other scraps.  And a matching wallet is definitely a must!

Another small finish is my March block for the Sugar Club BOM.  I've printed the template for the April block and hope to be caught up in it this weekend.

I've had quite a bit of fun shopping lately so I'll be sharing those purchases with you tomorrow ;)

Even though there's nothing that random about my post, I'm joining the fun over at Really Random Thursday and TGIFF!

WIP Wednesday...Where to Start?

Lots of new things lately and even a couple of finishes, but I'll save those for later this week.  Right now my WIPs are getting a bit out of control.

I've been trying to up my inventory for the upcoming craft shows (the first of which is this weekend, eek!).  So far I've got one e-reader cover done and six more in various stages of finish.  Most already have the background fabric attached and just need the portion that holds the actual device.  I may be spending some quality time with the glue gun today.

 I finally cut into my coveted Spoonflower fabrics to make some cute zippered pouches, too bad I forgot to actually get the zippers :)  I see a trip to the store in my future.

More chapstick sleeves already cut.  Again, more time with the glue gun :/

I've decided that for the Modern She Made Swap I'm sending my partner a covered journal using this paper pieced block.  Now I just need to finish it and whip up a couple of small items to send with it.

There has been a little bit of progress on the custom quilt.  I still need to do more cutting but decided to take a break and start sewing the squares together.

I've also made good progress on the first quilt that I'm actually making for myself!  I bought a fat quarter bundle of the entire line of Carnaby Street and am slowly making it into a lap quilt in a sort of Broken Herringbone pattern.

And cross stitch...

Three samplers in progress.  The oldest, the Winter Wonderland Sampler, is on the back burner for the time being.  But I will finish it, eventually.

My April block of the Woodland Sampler is nearly complete.

And not surprisingly, I'm falling behind on my Spring Sampler.  I just tell myself that on our trip to Colorado this summer I will have PLENTY of time to get caught up :).

More WIPs:

• The Wedding Quilt--I've decided on the new layout but ran out of one of the fabrics so it's on hold
• Housewarming Mario Quilt--I've almost started it a couple of times in the last week but keep holding off hoping to find a quilters grid interfacing I like.  Any suggestions?  I'm worried it will affect the softness of the quilt...
• Lucky Stars April Block--This block has been a challenge.  First I ran out of one of the fabrics I was using.  I managed to find a fat quarter at JoAnn's but then I realized I used the wrong color in one place, and since it was the first piece of the section, I can't really rip it all out.  I need to print a new one and finish it up.
• Monsterz Quilt--No progress.  Trying to get all the points lined up scares me :(
• Dancing Stars Quilt--No progress
• Scrappy Swoon Quilt--No progress
• I'm also behind on my And Sew On blocks, my Sugar Club blocks, Riley Blake Mystery Blocks, and OKCMQG blocks.

Linking up with WIP Wednesday!

Can't Fight this Feeling

I'm having trouble bringing myself to work on any of my WIPs.  I sit and look at them and then...absolutely nothing.  I just sit there.  I'm not sure if I need to push through it and force myself to work on them or maybe take a break and start a new project or two that are calling my name (yes, Aeroplane Bag, I am referring to you).  I did manage to make a few chapstick sleeves for the upcoming craft show.

It's not much, but I'm trying!

I have worked on a few other things, but none are photo-worthy yet.  I'm actually keeping up on my Spring Sampler and have nearly finished the April block of the Woodland Sampler.  My April block for the Lucky Stars BOM would be finished but I ran out of my background fabric (whoops!)  Luckily I was able to find a fat quarter at the store and will finish it tonight.

There has been some progress on the Broken Herringbone Quilt and the Custom Quilt is nearly halfway cut.  Oh, and I shampooed the carpet in my sewing room so that it's ready to use this weekend :)  Hopefully I will have a very picture heavy post for you on Monday!

Happy sewing everyone!

Friday Finishes

Granted these were new projects, and not very big ones, but they still count :)

Heidi at Fabric Mutt is hosting the Girl Friday Sews Blog Hop.  While I'm not actually part of the hop, I though it was a great excuse to make myself a new mug rug.  The one that I had was my very first "prototype" and not really my style.  My poor office was in desperate need of some decorating.  The boss has been saying that we're moving for about 4 years so I've never bothered to hang anything on the walls, or do much of anything really...now I'm told that it really will happen.  And within the next 60 days!  I can't wait to see my new space and start making it my own!  I used some Heather Ross scraps in a sort of log cabin type pattern and straight line quilting.  I'm loving it!

I signed up for a monthly charm pack club and although the Happy Tones that I received last month is a cute collection, it's not something I see myself making a quilt or large project with.  I decided to play around and see if I could make some tiny open wide pouches (4.25" x 4" x 1.75") using the tutorial from Noodlehead.  I think they're kind of cute...no idea what I'll do with them, but still :)

Joining in the fun at TGIFF with Quokka Quilts.  Hope everyone has a great weekend!

March Roundup and April Goals

March was a busy month for us.  It mainly focused on Squeak with everything else taking a backseat.

I do have a few things to show off.  A new quilt, a pillow cover, lots of Etsy/Facebook orders, birthday decorations and a few BOMs.

This month will be focused on getting things ready for all of my upcoming shows.

My main goals:

• build inventory!!!
• start Mario Quilt
• finish piecing the Wedding Quilt (Sea of Stars--modified)
• Lucky Stars, Sugar Block, and And Sew On BOMs
• Woodland Sampler-April Block
• Spring Sampler-Week 1
• finish piecing my Scrappy Swoon

 It may not seem like a lot, but at the pace I'm moving lately it will be a miracle it all of this gets accomplished.  And remember, nearly every Saturday, and some Fridays and Sundays will be spent at shows instead of in the sewing room.  I will be working as much in the evenings as I can--or as much as Squeak will allow :) to try and get some small items ready for the upcoming shows.  I'm thinking covered journals, mug rugs, and zippered pouches would be a good addition to my current stock...

Wonderful Weekend!

There was very little sewing this weekend but I had a great time anyway!   Friday night I managed to whip up (that's an overstatement, the interior zippered pocket gave me a lot of trouble and took FOREVER) this cute little Thunder purse. 

 There are a few things I would do differently if I made another one.  But overall its not too bad!

 We celebrated Easter with my husband's family.  There are a couple of little ones pretty close to Squeak's age so he had a good time.  We flew kites, looked at the cows, hunted Easter eggs, ate rocks...

I managed to get some decent shots of my completed Orbit Quilt thanks to my two helpers :).  If we had waited about an hour the wind would have died down completely and made it a lot easier.

 A quick shot of the back.

 And folded up nice and pretty.

Squeak also took his first trip to the zoo.  The stroller didn't have the greatest view so Daddy held him up while he pointed at the giraffes and other animals. 

AND he finally said his first words.  Was it Mommy or Daddy?  No.  It was "Thank you".  A different choice than most kids, but at least he's polite :)!

One quick rant:

I don't know if I've ever talked about it before, but I am a book fanatic.  I haven't had much time to read lately but when I find a good book I can't put it down and I will read it multiple times.  My favorite genre is young adult fiction so you can imagine how excited I was to go so The Host this weekend.  I already suspected they were going to destroy it and I was right.  If a book has a good plot and storyline, why do they feel the need to change it when making the movie???  Instead of trying to build up the character relationships, they added a chase scene (not too much of a spoiler I hope!).  And the characters are lacking.  They have no depth.  Some are omitted altogether.  I may have to go read the book for the 8th time now just to try to get rid of the disappointment from the movie.  On a more positive note, I did see a trailer for the Mortal Instruments and it looks good!  Let's hope its movie lives up to the book!

Hope you have a great week!