{WiP} Wednesday ~ 39/52

Oh, Tuesday. Why must you be so chaotic? And Wednesday? And Thursday, too? This explains why Fridays are Jammie Days around my house.

I haven't been up to much this week, just trying to finish my Fruit Stripe quilt. Last week, I told you I'd finished the top and chosen the backing, but not the quilting.

Well, I decided on the quilting. I really wanted an all-over design that wasn't straight-line or waves, so I figured out what I wanted to do. Practiced a bit on my little sample quilt sandwich and got it all right, squared up my shoulders and commenced to...not getting anywhere.

Wha?

Yup. This has been such a stressful quilting week for me. I just can't seem to get the tension right, I had multiple incidences of the thread breaking, of skipped stitches, rough language, head pounding...

I tried and tried and tried and tried. I asked my Facebook friends, and acted on their advice. I went out and bought some (overpriced) AURIfil thread (it's $4 cheaper online!). I came home, and it broke as much as my Gutermann! I put in a new needle. I bought a spool stand thingy that goes at the back of my machine. I fiddled with the tension. And fiddled some more. I've gone slow, I've gone fast. I've used my automatic speed button on my machine so I couldn't blame it on a foot twitch. I've used my foot so I couldn't blame it on a non-stopping stop button. I've unpicked and unpicked some more. In fact, here's a picture of the thread I've pulled off the back over the course of the last week:

Overall, I would say I've got between 15 and 20 starts. That's 15-20 thread knots to bury. That's 15-20 times of starting over and going slow enough to get the pattern right, but fast enough to get the stitches right.

And I just can't get the tension right.

Here's a picture of what is very random on the back, 3 stitches here, 2 stitches there...not enough to pick them out and sew over it again, but enough to worry and pray they kinda get sucked up in the crinkles and grooves of the washed quilt.

This is just so frustrating.

While I haven't taken my machine to be serviced this week (had it done less than a year ago), I hesitate to do that because my little sample quilt came out perfect. Every time. Slow around the corners? Fast around the corner? Smooth like buttah. Put in the actual quilt, though, and my machine just doesn't behave the same way.

Other than that, this week has been about getting family pictures taken (waiting on the disc), cleaning house (my FIL will be arriving momentarily for a week), not getting enough sleep (this dern quilt!), and chillin with my homies (Buzz can sit up now) (and roll over both directions, but doesn't know he can get places, yet!)

For WiP Wednesday's sake, here's my active WiP list:

• I've still got to make Natalie's wonky star block.
• I LOVE receiving butterfly blocks for my Faith Circle do.Good Stitches quilt! I've got 4 sets on the wall right now, and I am SO tempted to redesign it so that I can make 2 or 3 quilts instead of just one! :) You know me and do.Good Stitches...why make one when I can make five, right? :)
• I need to start the Grayson quilt. And I'm pretty sure I'll be taking it to the long arm and doing it there. This...whatever I've been doing this week...I can't take much more of it!

I hope y'all have a great week, and get some of your WiPs done! :) Hopefully next week I can show you pictures of this thing I've been working on! :)

I'm linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced for her regular {WiP} Wednesday post -- with Guest Host Debbie from A Quilter's Table.

Insta.Friday ~ September is Gone

I know it's just a season, but these are the days where I feel like all I do is change diapers and wipe noses and wash jammies and referee squabbles. That's why this Instagram Friday link-up is handy. It helps me remember some of the other things we did this past week.

I sewed some colorful strips together for a happy-making quilt top.

I unearthed some long-stashed Valori Wells Delhi print, and while deciding whether or not to use it for a quilt, I decided to try to press out the creases and wrinkles while it was in my design wall. Worked like a CHARM!!

Then I decided to attempt a simple quilting pattern (traced CDs).

It was a colossal failure.

And I haven't touched it since. :-/


My blog-friend, Kerstin, sent Buzz a quilt (and me some fabric and Swiss chocolate! Both are yummmmmmmmy!) The package was bigger than he is, but he sure enjoyed the wrapping paper! :-)

Little Miss Cranky Pants giving Mama the ol' stink eye. About a millisecond later, she was all smiles. :-)

Buzz, of course, thinks holding him is my only job. But since my personal chef seems to have gotten lost, I have to make dinner. Enter the Ergo. Buzz and I both love it.

All in all, life is good. :-)

Have a great weekend!

(linking up with Life Rearranged for Insta.Friday)

{WiP} Wednesday ~ 38/52

HOW did it get to be Wednesday already?

And I missed last week, so HOW did it get to be 2 weeks later already?

(sigh)

I think I need to start writing {WiP} Monday posts...maybe then I can get it written by Wednesday! :)

I've been busy, but nothing really to post about. Unfortunately.

My dad was in town last week because we had a death in the family. There were a few good snuggle opportunities for Grandpa and his babies. I HATE that I live so far away from my dad. Not only because I want to be closer to him and see him more often, but also because he's a great grandpa and it makes me sad that my kids don't get to spend much time with him. But we take what we can get, as I know many people do.















While Buzz was napping, the girls and I did some picture-coloring, some leaf-gluing, some reading, some sticker-sticking, some ball-kicking...




(playing with PicMonkey, wishing I had more time!)

I also made these button caterpillars (found on Pinterest, of course!) for my two girls and our little cousin.



Little J spent the afternoon with us so her mama could go to her grandpa's funeral. She was an absolute doll! She and my Pea-Pie played SO well together. :)





And I've finished the top to my Fruit Stripe quilt, chosen the back, and basted it. Now I just need to clear off my sewing table so I can have plenty of room to quilt it. I'm not sure how I'll quilt it, but I'll have to just pick something (too many good choices!) and get to it.  I can't show you any pictures, but I can say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE the way this quilt looks.

Other WiPs are:

• The Grayson Quilt -- fabric purchased, nothing cut till I finish the Fruit Stripe quilt
• Natalie's Wonky Star -- fabric in hand, need to make my 18" wonky star and get it back to her
• Butterflies and Rainbows Quilt -- starting to receive blocks from my do.Good Stitches mates, so I need to finish the Fruit Stripe quilt so I can get those on the design wall.

Which, by the way...here's a "Works For Me Wednesday" idea:

I pulled this fabric for the back, and it was kinda wrinkled.



I bought it over 2 years ago, and it's been folded for all that time. It's Full Bloom from the Delhi collection by Valori Wells. I hung it on the design wall to see if I liked it for the back, and once I decided that I did, I decided to press the creases WHILE IT WAS ON THE WALL!!  Oh my goodness. Y'all!! That was a game changer!! I can still use my kitchen island, and I will, but this? Was SUPER quick, I didn't have to worry about creases forming when the fabric hit the floor on the back side of the ironing board, I didn't have to move it every 8 inches. I'm pretty sure it took longer for the iron to heat up than it did to press out the creases. And just so you know, I've got a huge piece of batting attached to the wall, so I was pressing the print while it was adhered to my batting/design wall. Does that make sense? I don't think this would work for everyone, but it worked for me! :)


Of course there are a million things I want to be doing (starting Christmas presents, for one!), but I just need to work on those things. :)

I'm linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced for her regular {WiP}Wednesday post.

A Week in Instagram

I feel bad only posting on Wednesdays. I'm pretty sure 98% of my posts in the last year have been {WiP} Wednesdays.

BORING!!

Sorry about that. I won't promise to make any improvements, but when I can, and when I think of it, I will. :)

SO...today, thanks to the inspiration from my guild friend, Kate at Oh Write, I'm linking up with Life Rearranged for InstaFriday.



The idea (I think?) is to simply recap your InstaGram highlights on your blog. I have fallen madly in love with Instagram, and spend more time on it than I should. Same as any social medium, of course, but it's fun!  It's funny - I'm more private than Facebook in some areas, but more "real" in others. Anyway, here we go!

 Pouch baby snoozes. I don't wear Buzz nearly as much as I should because it makes life a lot easier. But look at that little smooshy face. He's a snuggle bug, that's for sure!

 Look, Mommy! This plant glitters! I'm not sure what it was that made it glitter, but I thought she looked cute with her glasses and hood.

 Sacked out on da mama.  I know I pretty much flood the IG world with pics of Buzz asleep, but that's kinda the only time I think of taking pictures and posting to InstaGram!

 I'm sleeping in a tent, Mommy! Love her imagination!

 Serendipity! I pieced this mod mosaic block, and when I finished it, I realized that there was a perfect little flower in the middle. No fussy cutting required. :)

 Happy Making! Oh, I am LOVVVVVING this quilt! It just looks so great on my wall, and it's SO super easy to piece. I almost made an Amish mistake in the layout, though. I'm debating on keeping it or not.

 McFwooowie, Mommy? We took a break while big sister was at school to enjoy a little treat. Girlfriend loves herself some ice cream!

Silly Monkeys! We got a new bed delivered (I feel so grown-up!), and let the girls jump on the old mattress for a while. It was really precious.

And that's it! I have to admit that I'm really looking forward to getting my new iPhone (5, thankyouverymuch!) so I can update my IG software! :)

Have a great weekend!

{WiP} Wednesday ~ 35/52

One of these days I want to do a giveaway. Would you like that? Not to draw traffic to my blog, no "post this on FB and get an extra point" junk. Just a "comment and someone wins" kind of giveaway. One of these days. :)  Thing is, I don't know what to give away! Fabric, obviously, but what? I like the idea of giving away some precuts, but the fabrics I'm loving lately aren't available in precuts, I don't think. We'll see. SO...in the event of a future giveaway (not today), what should I give away?

I just want to do something fun. For a really long time, I've had the same number of followers as I've had blog posts. 94 and 94, 101 and 101, 120 and 120...and I think that's neato-freato! :)

Anyway, works in progress = loads.

First, finishes!!

Wait, let me go back and see what I said I needed to finish this week. I know I didn't finish everything I was supposed to...that kind of crazy star alignment can't happen twice in a row, you know...

Okay. I needed to do Mod Mosaic Bee blocks for Mary and a Bee Happy block for Kelly, and I needed to write up the description for the September {Faith} circle of the do.Good Stitches bee.

Here's the block I made for Kelly, which, by the way, I LOVED making. :)

I also wrote up the description for our Butterflies and Rainbows quilt. Here's a mock-up that I made on EQ7:

I don't know what I'm doing on EQ7, so I'm sure it could look a TON better, but you get the idea. One day soon I'll tell you about that quilt and why it's Butterflies and Rainbows. OR...you could just click on the link and read the short description. You can also go the Faith circle group and read the description there.

I did not even touch the fabric for Mary's Mod Mosaic blocks.

Instead, I decided to make a couple of ruffled wristlets, using THIS tutorial from Teaginny Designs. I am kind of a snob when it comes to tutorials, and I have to say that this was a very well written tutorial, and the hardest part was finding the right sized d-rings! :)  Well, and the other part where I broke my needle on one of the ruffles. Never broken a needle on fabric before last night! :)  I made these for my oldest daughter's preschool teachers. They are HUGE blessings, and I just wanted to give them a little something to start the year off on a good note. :)

So, now. Back to the works in progress...or not. :)

I have GOT to do Mary's blocks. And now that it's September, and I'm not actually caught up anymore, I've also got to do Julie's Mod Mosaic blocks.

I've got to make my butterflies for the Butterflies and Rainbows quilt. They go super fast, though, and I'm hoping I can figure out a way to speed-piece them.

I have GOT to start working on the Grayson quilt and the Fruit Stripe quilt.  MUSTs.

And, I want to make myself a little wristlet to match my Multi-tasker tote that I made with Anna Maria Horner. And I want to make my Field Study quilt. And I want to work on my 3G Legacy quilt, which I still intend to tell you about.

Honestly. There are a ton of things throughout the week that I think "Oh, I wanna blog about that!" and yet, when the house is quiet, and I have more than 1/8th of a thought running through my head, and I'm not super exhausted, I'm sewing instead of blogging! I could never be someone who makes money off of her blog. :)

I hope you have a wonderful, and crafty week! Good luck getting your WiPs done. :)

I'm linking up with Freshly Pieced, and the weekly {WiP} Wednesday feature.

{WiP} Wednesday ~ 34/52

Holy Toledo, folks! Do you know what happened here? This last week I actually completed the things I wanted to complete this week!! Wow. Either I'm getting back on the horse, or I've finally lowered my standards to realistic levels.

(it's the second one, in case you didn't know)

I finished Alison's blocks, finished Des's blocks, and made the car seat cover. And if my children could better synchronize their nap schedule, I would have mailed them already!

You saw my "Melissa" block for Alison in the Bee Happy bee, but this one is new. It spells "woven.", which is very much what we are as a bee. Woven very tightly together. Best. Bee. Ever.

Here are the two very simple, yet very impactful blocks for Des in the {Faith} circle of the do.Good Stitches bee. She's using this technique from Moda BakeShop.

And I finished the car seat cover. I used this pattern from Georgia Leigh Designs for a friend expecting her first baby girl. I love this fabric SO much!! It's girlie, but super modern, and feels nice. :)  I backed it with Kona Navy so when the baby is sleeping, it'll be pitch black for her. Mama needs baby to sleep! I had planned to put buttons on the straps, but just wasn't gonna happen. It's really cute, though. And I'm reminded once again that I need to get one made for Buzz!! Poor kid. :-)

I also bought the fabric for my Grayson quilt and my Field Study quilts, though I can't start on them yet.

I'd like to deviate for a minute and talk about Field Study. Folks, I am not a die-hard AnnaMaria Horner fan. I mean, I am now, but wasn't in the past. Her fabric designs were pretty, but I didn't NEED to buy them. But, Field Study? 800 times more beautiful in person than on the web. I just keep taking them out of the bag and looking at them. Glorious. I can't wait till the voiles come out. Mmmmmm...dreamy. So if you're on the fence about it, I encourage you to somehow see it in person. You will want it, I almost guarantee it! :-)

But...before I can work on those, I need to make Mary's mod mosaic blocks, and Kelly's improv blocks. Then, I dare say it out loud, I'll be caught up for August!! I haven't been caught up in forever!!

And I need to write up the description because September is my month in the do.Good Stitches bee, and I've got a very special, very deserving, unknown-to-me recipient of this quilt, and I'm pretty psyched. I also need to make my sample blocks.

THEN I can work on my Fruit Stripe quilt, my Grayson quilt, and my Field Study quilt.

Oh, and I pulled out an old beauty. A multi-generational WiP. I'll tell you more about it later, but here's a sneak peek:

In other news, bunk bed training sucks. We are really struggling. My 2 year old just doesn't seem to know how to truly relax and settle down and go to sleep. We've tried quite a few techniques, and some help, but nothing works. And she wants to sleep in the bunk bed, but she just plays too much (even when she's notably tired), so we've been doing the bedtime routine as though she will stay in the bunk bed, but then, after 3 warnings, we remove her to her crib again. She just sleeps SO much better in her crib. SO much better. It's amazing how different her personality is when she's getting enough sleep. I'm so discouraged, though.

We'll keep trying, because somehow, she's gotta get outta that crib, but I just don't know how. Maybe we put the toddler bed in her room, and put the crib in the bunk bed room, and have the baby and the 4 year old share a room. I don't know the answer.  Any suggestions or books or websites would be great. She sleeps fine in her own room, but just not in the bunk bed, yet. She doesn't cry or play any of the manipulation games that other kids do, she just won't stop in the bunk bed. It's like Six Flags over Texas for her, and just as big!

She's adorable, though, even when she doesn't get enough sleep. :) When I wash her hair, it's curly, but when she sleeps, the curls fall out.

Have a great week!

I'm linking up with Freshly Pieced, hosted by Michelle, and the weekly {WiP} Wednesday feature.

{WiP} Wednesday ~ 33/52

I think I should type this whole post backwards.

Sdrawkcab.

Yhw? Esuaceb ton ylno did I ton hsilpmocca gnihtyna, tub I dedda ot ym PiW tsil!!

(eh, too time-consuming!)

So why was I typing every word backward? Because not only did I not accomplish anything, but because I added to my WiP list!

Fabric for a new project:

(it's Kitchy Kitchen by Maude Asbury by Blend)

What I NEED to work on this week

• Alison's bee blocks
• Des's bee blocks
• A car seat cover for a friend's new baby.

What I WANT to work on this week:

• Kelly's bee blocks
• Mary's bee blocks

What I won't likely touch all week, but need to:

• Fruit Stripe quilt
• Grayson quilt
• Field Study quilt

We are entering Week 2 of getting the girls into bunk beds. It's especially challenging for the 2-year old. And the 40-year old. :-p. I know it will take time, and it's just the next level of sleep training, but I'm just really hoping to not go crazy before we get there. Here's a crappy picture I took of the video monitor. See her little head popping up above the protective gate? She's just got toooooo much energy!

I hope you have a wonderful, crafty, and productive week! :)

I'm linking up with Freshly Pieced and Lee's weekly {WiP} Wednesday feature.