Too much?

I told you I had some major sewing momentum the last week or so.  4 blog posts in a week??  I haven't done that in a long time!

I'm working on getting some quilt tops prepped for quilting.  My Scrappy Trip Along has been waiting for a year (this week!) to get quilted.  I've held back because I wanted to add borders to this top to make a bit bigger for my bed.

Now that I'm looking at it, I'm wondering if the green outer border is going to be too much for the quilt.  My thought is to do a small inner containment border of a white; no wider than 2" finished and then a 4" - 5" finished outer border.

Thoughts?  Too much with all the scrappiness?  I really want to use this yardage because that's what I bought it for.  I really don't want to throw it into a tub and use it "some day".

I have one more thing to show you but that will have to wait until tomorrow.  :)

Enjoy your day!
Jen  :)

Home to Roost

I spotted this fabric group early last year and while it isn't my "style", the folksy look of the houses and chickens really spoke to me.  I took the time in September to gather up some fat quarters during the CT shop hop so that I could work on the pattern I purchased over this winter.  I stored it all away and promptly forgot about it.

I dug it out on Monday and got to work.  This is what I finished so far.  Not much but it's something.

Here's my dilemma with the pattern:

See that sunburst block there on the left?  I hate it.  I need a substitute.  I'm willing to use gold or a soft yellow for the block to represent the sun but I do not, I repeat, DO NOT want to deal with curved piecing.  I'm not good at it and I don't want to use this project to hone my curved piecing skills.  The quilt has small pinwheels so I was thinking a larger pinwheel but I'm not in love with that idea.

Do you have any block ideas to replace that sunburst one?

Enjoy your day!
Jen  :)

Keeping that momentum going

I'm on a roll over here.  I got another project done over the holiday weekend.  Morning Joe is finished.  It's also too big for the space I wanted to hang it once it was quilted.  It is now going to hung in my bedroom.  I have the perfect wall space for it.

I'm on a roll with this sewing.  I got all the blocks pieced for my husband's quilt.  I'm doing a simple rail fence pattern for him.  Quick block construction.  I just need to lay it out and figure out if I need to get a couple of 1/4 yard cuts to make a few more blocks.  I have 78 6.5" blocks but don't know if it's going to be big enough for him.  Once I get moving a bit further on this, I'll show you.

Enjoy your day!
Jen :)

Cherry Bake - No longer a WIP!

I started this project at least 8 months ago.  I dug through scraps and made all the log cabin-like blocks and stopped.  Why?  No clue.  I don't remember why I buried the blocks.  I created a super long weekend for myself.  I took Friday off and yesterday was MLK Day and the office was closed.  Sewing happened.

Very happy for my finish.  There is one cherry block that I sewed backwards.  Sighhhhh.  I'm leaving it.  Happy to have this one 100% stash.  I hope to get this one quilted soon so that I can hang it on my dining room wall.

Sorry for the dark picture.  It's a gray day here today with snow on the way.  Lots of snow.

Cherry Bake - pattern by Lori Holt

First WIP finish for 2014.  Very proud of myself!

Enjoy your day!

Jen  :)

Summer Excitement

Last week, prowling the virtual world, I planned my family's fictitious, grandiose trip to Disney.  I had a good time with it.  Money wise?  Wasn't happening.  But I had fun.

This year, my husband and I are celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary.  Last year, I stated that I wanted a real vacation.  No long weekend away.  No "quick trip" to PA to pick up farming supplies.  A REAL vacation. One week.  An airplane ride away.  Preferably on a white, sandy beach.  My husband was on board.  Kind of.  Beaches are not his thing.

Time goes by and house expenses come along.  I took the tropical vacation off the table.  No need to stress things out more.  But I wasn't willing to cave on the real, one week vacation away.  Figured we would draw a circle on a map and drive somewhere.

Here comes the exciting part.  My husband walked in on me planning our fictitious trip to Disney and after talking about what we would do different, what we would skip and scaled it waaaayyy back.... he agreed to go back this summer!

Punk's first trip - 2012

Comparing prices for lodging/food/airfare to Disney and driving to say, Virginia Beach for a week... Disney won!  He very much surprised me with his quick agreement because that is NOT my husband.  He will take time, LOTS of time, to mull things over and just think about it.  For him to agree after an hour's conversation, that's a big deal.

No secret this time.  We told Amelia over the weekend.  And you know what?  I got the same exact reaction out of her when I kept it a secret for 8 months.  She just doesn't get excited the way I think she should.  She is helping us plan our trip.  Figuring out what she would like to do again versus what we can skip.  We are skipping Animal Kingdom this time around and I booked an additional "chill out" day.  No park that day.  Just pool time and hanging around.  I like that.  Just a day to relax.  We didn't have that our first trip.  She helped pick out the resort too.  We're staying at Disney's Port Orleans - Riverside resort in a "Royal Guest" room.  Can't wait!

218 more days!!  LOL!!!

Enjoy your day!
Jen :)

Cuppa Joe on High Street

I'm starting strong and am working on my 2014 goals.  I want to make 4 new Schnibbles for dining room wall.  One of them will be Christmas themed because what I have for the wall for Christmas is just too small for the space.

I forgot that back in November I ordered 3 new Schnibbles PDF patterns.  I dug around in my email for them and in my stash for the perfect charm packs to use.

I decided on Morning Joe using High Street by Lily Ashbury (link to mini pack.  I'm using full sized charms).  I confess - I was hoarding High Street.  I couldn't bare to use it but then what's the point of having it??  I do have a layer cake from the line as well.  I will find use for that too somewhere.  2014 will be my year for stash busting!  HA!  Probably not but I'll give it a try.  LOL!

This is going together pretty quick.  I have 3 blocks completed so far (in 3 hours over two nights), another ready for piecing and the 5th mapped out.  I'm not one to follow the instructions in the pattern and cut out and make 100+ HSTs and THEN start putting blocks together.  I wing it and cut/piece blocks one at a time.  I audition charms as I go along and lay things out.  I like the instant gratification of seeing blocks not pieces of blocks.  :)  It works for me.

So far, so good.  I'm pleased.  My husband is working the next 2 nights so after Punk heads to bed, I plan on sewing for at least an hour each night. I would like to get this completed by the end of January so that I can turn my focus over to my husband's birthday quilt.

Enjoy your day!

Jen  :)

2014 Crafty Goals

I have a bunch of ideas and projects swimming in my head right now and I figured I would get them down on "paper".  Not sure I will stick with the list but I will make an effort!

1.  Wishes quilt along being run by the Fat Quarter Shop.  I made the honest mistake of ordering the fabric kit for the quilt along.  I thought I was ordering a monthly block pattern.  Shocked as I was to see a mega charge on my credit card after the holidays from FQS.  Soooo, I'm stuck doing the quilt along.  Thankfully, Wishes is on my "need to have" for a fabric list.  

2.  Four Schnibbles.  Now that I have blank wall in my dining room, I want to keep it decorated with a wall hanging.  The space is so big that I need to create a few of the larger Schnibbles.  I'm not lacking in charm packs or patterns so I think I can handle this one.  Maybe I'll even join one of monthly Schnibbles parades that are hosted by Sinta and Sherri.  

3.  Quilt for my husband for his birthday.  I have the jelly roll (Bali Pop) for this one.  I planned to do it for Christmas but I ran out of time.  His birthday is in April.  I have a very simple pattern in mind.  Just need to get started.  

4.  Another quilt for Punkie.  I have AT LEAST 3 quilt kits or fabric/pattern purchased for some lap quilts for her.  I want to get one done by the end of the year.  

5.  Finish binding the quilts that have been hanging around for 6 months. Self-explanatory.  I'm lazy when it comes to bindings because the process is slow for me.

6.  Get 2 (or 3) more quilts quilted.  I have backing for one already.  Swoon is in this list.  I WILL get that one quilted this year.

7.  More loom knitting learning.  I would like to loom knit an afghan of some sort.  I have a couple of ideas pinned for this task.  I need to get a few more stitches under my belt and collect some yarn.

We'll see how well I do with this come December, 2014.  :)

Enjoy your day!

Jen  :)