a wonky star, and some guts

so, my first wonky star for bushfire survivors. i used my 3.5 crumb squares in the middle. i quite like how this is looking so i may need to make some for me.

and because i want to show these pics:

i fixed Paige's/my mom's machine to the best of my abilities(and it purrs like a fat lazy kitten), and the inside of a sewing machine is pretty cool. i pretty much just opened it up and lubed up the part that looked like they'd stick or make noise. the only thing i wish i hadn't done was oil the shaft that moves the needle up and down, it took quite alot of sewing thru scraps to get rid of the extra oil.

there are some sewing machine guts below, this is not for the faint of heart.

look away!

its on its side like a beached whale....this is the right side if you were looking at it head on.
all the parts that make the needle go. and i figured out what the tension knob actually moves. and see that light bulb in the middle? i had no idea it ever existed, and whenever i used this machine there was no light....well, the light still works, and know we know its there
another angle on the needle side

top view, looking from behind. the yellowy white cylinder in the middle is the stitches! turn the knobby on the front, and it clicks thru the different templates. they yellow goo is the consistency of petroleum jelly(Vaseline) it doesn't smell either, its goops.

to get the top off i had to put a drop of oil on the screws holding it in...they wouldn't budge at all

we saved $99 buck by me oiling this thing up, i like it.

green quilting

I've decided to try this out. i should have time...its not til April. i will be using my new Eco friendly batting, and stash fabrics (which i have been good about not adding to, BTW).

for the record, i bought the green batting because it was about 85% off on clearance. not necessarily because of its greenness. frugal is green too right? but i seriously need to stop joining things, i have too much to make for now.

i am really hoping my Flynn frame shows up tomorrow or Saturday. I am going to piece together my crumb blocks into a crib size, to play with my new frame and i want it to come. crumb blocks should be green too. it means I'm not wasting all those bits of fabric.

sewing progress, post 2 today

on the top we have some crumbs that are getting pretty big by now, with more in progress. i haven't made much of a dent in the scrap/string bins either.

i did trim a bunch down to 6.5 inches wide, and made this scarf on friday. its really simple, 6.5 inch wide crumbs, sewn together to get long enough for one 6.5 inch cut from some fleece. sew right sides together, turn inside out, and topstitch.

tomorrow will be a big sewing day just for me, and on saturday Paige is coming over, and she will finish her robe, and take home her sewing machine. also on saturday, Paige will be filling out an application to go with Royal Servants on the Euroquest team(with me!). i might be more excited about this than she is.

too much batting...or not

i spent $42 dollars

i came home with

4 crib size battings

4 twin size battings

and 2 queen size battings.

there was no king size or id have that too. i think im set for quite a while, don't you?

if you see me at joanns again today, i might have more batting in my cart.

because i spent my allowance(cash).....not my birthday money(bank)

maybe i can go before work

Fabric and Notion requirements:
1 yard of the Main fabric
1 yard of Accent fabric (will also be the lining)
2 yards of heavy fusible interfacing
Matching Thread
1 magnetic snap
*optional* 4 D-rings for straps.
Sewing Machine
Rotary Cutter and Mat**

i actually need

2 yards of the fusible

magnetic strap if i am so brave

4 D rings

new cutting mat?

i'm going to Joanns tonight. i have $30. i want to pick up some Eco batting on clearance, and maybe a new cutting mat. mine is getting these threads that are pulling up, despite my flipping and rotating to not keep cutting in the same spot. i will not buy fabric. i will resist.

Lola, i love your alfred pic. it is awesome, i cannot wait for this purse along to start

trying something new

I'm trying out AdSense. i may not like it tho, because its very spacious. anyways, click on an add, and i may get some spare change from it. I am pretty sure these ads won't stay too long, but a trial run is going to happen, possibly for a few weeks.

i am only trying this in a effort to scrimp and save as much as possible for our missions trip to Europe this summer, for more info on that, go here.

books books books

Did you know the average American has only read 6 of these books?

Here's the challenge -
Bold the books you have already read
Italicize the books you intend to read
Notes in parentheses next to note-worthy titles.

1) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
2) The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
3) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
4) Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
5) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
6) The Bible
7) Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
8 ) Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell
9) His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
10) Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
11) Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
12) Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
13) Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
14) Complete Works of Shakespeare
15) Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
16) The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
17) Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
18 ) Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger(one of my favorites)
19) The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
20) Middlemarch by George Eliot
21) Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
22) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
23) Bleak House by Charles Dickens
24) War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
25) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
26) Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
27) Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 ) Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
29) Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
30) The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
31) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
32) David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
33) Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
34) Emma by Jane Austen
35) Persuasion by Jane Austen
36) The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis
37) The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
38 ) Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres
39) Memories of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
40) Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne
41) Animal Farm by George Orwell
42) The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
43) One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44) A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving
45) The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
46) Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
47) Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
48 ) The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
49) Lord of the Flies by William Golding
50) Atonement by Ian McEwan
51) Life of Pi by Yann Martel
52) Dune by Frank Herbert
53) Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
54) Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
55) A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
56) The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57) A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
58 ) Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
59) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
60) Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61) Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
62) Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
63) The Secret History by Donna Tartt
64) The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
65) Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
66) On The Road by Jack Kerouac
67) Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
68 ) Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
69) Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
70) Moby Dick by Herman Melville
71) Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
72) Dracula by Bram Stoker
73) The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
74) Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson
75) Ulysses by James Joyce
76) The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
77) Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
78 ) Germinal by Emile Zola
79) Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
80) Possession by AS Byatt
81) A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
82) Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
83) The Color Purple by Alice Walker
84) The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
85) Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
86) A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
87) Charlotte's Web by EB White
88 ) The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom
89) Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90) The Faraway Tree Collection by Enid Blyton
91) Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
92) The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93) The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
94) Watership Down by Richard Adams
95) A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
96) A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
97) The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 ) Hamlet by William Shakespeare
99) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
100) Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

some of my favorite books i didn't find on the list
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Night by Elie Weisel

purse sew along

i joined lola again's mystery purse sew along. starts in mid march. have you seen her purses? they're super cute. i'm excited.

update: i found a flynn frame from allbrands, the same frame i would get if i bought it from John flynn's website, for $69 with free shipping, instead of 130 +15 for shipping. i'm buying it tonight when i get off work. and i will have 30!!!! bucks for fabric, or thread, or a new rotary cutting mat, or some replacement blades for my rotary cutter, or books, or the kaleidoscope ruler i want (or can i borrow yours for a little while?) or, or, or, maybe some clearance clothes shopping, or batting, i probably need some batting. Or i could be patient, and see if i get anything else for my birthday this Saturday with my fam. i don't think i will last. those joanns coupons are burning a hole in my purse, and i know they have some eco friendly batting on clearance i might want to try out... with my new frame!!!!

i want one one

i know i dont have the space to make anything big, but i want one. i have resolved myself to not owning an actual long/mid/short arm and frame, anytime in the remotely near future, but i have wanted this since i decided hand quilting sucks (for me, i am mucho impatient) way back in, say, august or september 08. (i know, torture)

i thought i would want a grace frame for hand quilting, those are much less costly, but my meager attempts at hand quilting in a hoop were super lame and i wanted to cry. I do not have the patience at this time in my life. Also, i am a great starter, and a horrible finisher, so visions of quilts piled up and never actually finished were springing into my brain. And so i decided i want a long arm, used.

umm, still too much.

so yesterday, when my mother in law gave me a birthday check, she mentioned i might want to get one of the things on my christmas wish list. i believe they were a good iron>$7, a 1/4 inch quilting foot, and the john flynn quilt frame.
i got the iron for xmas, it hasn't died on me yet, so i will be putting that $100 towards the $130ish cost of the flynn frame. and PVC pipes are also fairly cheap, so the larger frame sizes will be a possibility in the future.

I have also been searching for anything flynn frame blog related while at work(and can only read blogspot blogs), since i am now again lusting over this piece of equipment which will dramatically improve the quality of my life. right?

at least until i find that long arm sitting on the curb waiting for me to get it.

My friends new blog

I found this one on face book, my friends from church are starting a photography business. They have a bunch of cute pics, and I'm on their header!(i'm the one in the wedding dress!) Doug took a bunch of wonderful pics at my wedding, and some of them are on their blog. Including the best pic ever of my hat. i saw those and drooled, then had to go look at my wedding pics again. Go check them out, and if your in the Los Angeles/ orange county ca area use them for your photographers. they really do great pics.
ddphotodesign.blogspot.com

bucket list meme, or i'm bored at work

Basic instructions - bold what you've done, my notes are in green
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (I played flute in 6th grade. Never practiced but ended up with a B)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped oh my no. not ever. scared of heights
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch I'm claiming quilting on this one.
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train twice when I was in China, so crowded but so much fun
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice I'm going there this summer, I've wanted to go forever.
29. Seen a total eclipse (sun and moon!)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied I think we're there right now.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David (at Caesar's Palace)
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant, I'm counting drive thru's when we paid for the car behind us
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris hopefully this summer, they have an elevator right?
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma, not for this girl who cries whenever a needle is coming towards her. God bless all of you who donate, its beyond me.
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp I will this summer. The Holocaust is one of my favorite things to study and read about. I've always wanted to go see what it was really like. As horrible as it was, I want to see what people are capable of, both the horror and surviving. I always feel so blessed to live where I do with the freedoms that we have in America. When I was about 10 we went to see a holocaust survivor speak, I want to say it was Corrie ten Boom, but it probably wasn't. I'll have to check.
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar squeaky in my teeth and gross
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone never, but I did burn my arm really bad when I was 4. I couldn't have candles lit on my birthday cake til I was 12. And I told myself I was too old to be scared anymore. I still am scared though, fire scares the crap out of me, and I'm super careful when I cook
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican I might get to this summer!
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper, we heard there was a dead whale being buried at a local beach, so my mom packed us all up to go see it. i guess the dead whales that wash ashore in California are buried all up and down the coast. It smelled so bad.
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous I met one of the girls on charmed, Alisa Milano, and some basket ball guy, both on the same night, out with people from my youth group, I had no idea who they were
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby no but I want one
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day, all the time, its what I do at work when I'm not reading blogs, today its That Hideous Strength, by C. S. Lewis, (I don't work much, just wait for the phone to ring mostly)

A finished quilt, my first one

i know it doesn't look like it, but its mostly square. i sewed the binding by machine, it just wasn't going to get hand sewn by friday, when i work all week. the label is fabric from the scrap bin, and its machine sewn under the binding, but i hand sewed the other 2 sides. i like it alot, and i'm glad to be done.

i also put it in the wash to get all crinkly and make sure all my stitching stays.

My first machine

this is the machine i learned to sew on, it may have been more fun if sometime in the last 25 years it had ever been delinted, or oiled, or taken in for a tune up. It is a solid machine, made of metal, and weighs 100lbs. My mom got it for their engagement or wedding, and the last thing she used it for was dresses for my sister and me when i was 3. 1 for each of us. then when i started messing around with it she would have me hem stuff for her once in a while.

Before sewing yesterday, paige and i headed over to the sewing machine repair place to check it out and see how much a tune up is. $100. which doesn't seem too bad, but we could buy a new machine for that much. its tempting. Although the sales man wanted us to buy a $200 machine from him, which was normally 500, on sale for valentines day, and oh ya, without seeing our machine he said its basically a piece of crap. can we say commissioned sales person? good thing we had no money.

I asked about used machines, (he said we didn't want those) but they had a few good one for $100. like a janome(something very basic, it didn't have very many stitches), but it looked like a good one.

i had fun looking at the long arms they had set up, I'm pretty sure i was drooling, so its a good thing we had absolutely no money.
i looked for a 1/4 inch foot, and they wanted to sell me a new machine. Although this saleslady stopped pushing when i said mine is just fine and does what i need it too. no more pushing. it was nice. and she got me on the email list when more big sales happen. i'm pretty sure this store is out of my league, unless they get in a used long arm frame, and i manage to convince them i really do want the old crappy one instead of the newer better one.

i liked it, it was fun. and then we headed over to target to look at their sewing machines. they carry brothers, which always have good reviews even on the lowest priced models, so she knows her options in the same price range as fixing the beast.

that poor machine. i think it cries every time someone attempts to use it. it sounds like it is. basically we decided to leave the machine with me, and will take the case off, and delint and lube where i can, hopefully it improves it, and allows Paige to sew at her house. Cause its basically hers now.

Also, my mom couldn't understand why i would want a new one when i could just have hers. umm, because my husband(then boyfriend) was going to let me pick out the machine of my dreams(within reason) for christmas one year. my own machine and i got to pick and brand new with no problems yet? yep, i got the new one.

Sewing with Paige

First of all, the girl could not have picked an easier pattern. I am not so good with making the patterns work right(i don't follow directions well or i just cant figure out what its trying to tell me) and Paige picked out a robe pattern(simplicity 3575) that was soooo easy. i was worried about the sleeves but the way they told you to make it was so easy. its a good pattern for those afraid of patterns, or beginners. she's not finished tho, so we will sew some more in a week or two.

success...pictures

a whole bunch of 3.5 crumbs, and a 12.5 block for project improv. i had fun.
i also successfully went to the bank, without going to the fabric store. i did call to see if they had a kaleidoscope ruler, but no luck, so no trip. if anyone want to loan me their kaleidoscope ruler, that'd be cool. i'll probly buy it on ebay eventually

early am beach pics

woke up at 6 and rode my bike to the beach,
these are the beach bootcamp crazy people, who ran 3 mile from the pier to the santa ana river, to lay in the sand and do push ups in the early early morning.


i want to put more, but they wont all fit, so here is a link to my picasa pics for more beachy fun.

Friday's Goals

Well, i'm about 2 hours from the start of my weekend, and i want to do so much sewing tomorrow. I considered using tomorrow to re arrange the sewing room, but decided i don't care.
Tomorrow is my "big" sewing day for the weekend, if i'm not stuck at the mechanics.

heres the plan:
7:30 wake up, get up, call towing company to take our truck in to get the starter fixed. Figure out if i need to go with the truck to the mechanic, or follow in my FIL's car, or just not go. hopefully follow or not go. While waiting for this to happen i will hopefully play with some crumb blocks or put the walking foot back on to finish the baby quilt. I also want to make some more blocks for the project improv donation quilt, and some wonky stars for the australian bushfires.

I will not at any time allow myself to go to the fabric store. (pray for me)

After the car thing happens, if i am stuck i will walk to my grandmas for the day, or if not i will drive home(nowhere near the fabric store....i hope) after i get reimbursed from my car insurance for the towing. (for 3 bucks a month you get reimbursed for towing with statefarm, just show your agent the receipt, they cut you a check right there. well worth it, costs less that AAA per year, and pays for itself the first time you get towed, about $100) this is the second time in 6 months that we have needed this, and i am so thankful we have it.

sometime in the evening(think 4 0r 5 ish) its a girls night out with Gma, mom, and 2 sisters. we will see some kind of movie, and possibly have dinner, all because my grandad is in Niger, working with the missionaries our church supports, and helping the Manga people. so she will be lonely. and i get a free movie/dinner, and some fun time out with my fam.

Saturday am i am having coffee with a friend, then Paige(16 sister who can drive now, which officially makes me old, but not old enough to teach her to drive or i'd be really old, like my husband, who's 27:) is coming over to make a robe with some flannel she picked out a few weeks ago. and man, plaid flannel is coming back something fierce. i don't get it. all these skinny socal teens in their frumpy lumberjack shirts being all fashionable. its a sickness. She'd make herself a plaid shirt if either of us had the confidence to pull if off, but we think we can't kill the robe too bad, even if one arms too long, or the collar goes down further on one side, its a robe, it'll still work.

She is also(maybe) considering getting her own sewing machine, instead of spending the money to overhaul our moms. we figure fixing the one will cost as much as buying a new basic one, so we might go to walmart or target to see what they have. or the sewing machine place to see how much they'll charge. i'm a bit concerned, the thing is over 20 years old, has never seen any oil or a lint brush, and sounds like a train when you use it. its what i learned to sew on, and its finicky, tension never goes right, bobbin never goes right, it just gets stuck, it needs the sewing machine dr for some tlc. we need to see which costs more.

Also, avoid the fabric store. i'm not allowed to go. its a sickness(but a fun sickness)

if i don't get pictures posted tomorrow please yell at me. i have crumb blocks to post, as well as a project improv block finished. and probably some pics with my sis.

seriously, remind me to post the pics.

help for the australian bushfires

You have probably heard of the Australian Bushfires that have devastated Australia these past few days. (you should have, because even i, the non-tv-watcher non-news-reader has heard about this thru blogland) Even if you don't have money to send, you can send quilt blocks. Click the link for more info, but basically this lady had the idea to make 3 quilts, and now has enough volunteers making blocks to make 100's. its crazy, but a great way to help out.
because if your home was destroyed, along with the rest of all your neighbors homes, work places, and schools, you'd need a quilt too.

p.s. when you go to her page, check out the flikr account for this, she has FAQ's with a USA and Australian mailing address, as well as sizing, links to tutorials, and bloggy love for the people generous enough to donate backing, batting and quilting.

Stash Q&A

Sew Mama Sew is asking about stash habits, (or in my case addiction) and I thought I'd play along.
What do you usually sew? quilt blocks, crumb blocks, aprons, purses
When you shop for fabric, what size cuts do you usually buy? usually 1 yard cuts, sometimes 2 if i love it, or 1/2 yards if i want it but don't have enough money for everything
Do you buy on impulse or do you go out looking for something you need? umm, always impulse... i started buying more boyish/manly colors and pieces when i saw i had less of those
Are you a pre-washer? If you are, do you wash your fabric before you need it, or only when you’re ready to use it? i prewash, all of it. which is why i started buying less and less at a time. 20 yards to wash and iron in a day is too much for me (once i washed 42 yards, and it took me 3 weeks to make myself finish the ironing)
Do you iron it? yep, always
How do you sort it? (color, print size, collection, etc.) by color. if i have alot of one color family it breaks down into prints/solidish fabrics or lights and darks
Do you have any special folding techniques? i fold in half selvage to selvage, and then the fold to the selvage again. then i take my 6.5 by 24 inch ruler, and fold it like a bolt of fabric, so i can unroll and start cutting strips
How do you store your fabric? the folded fabric is on a book shelf, its open, and the 2 bolts are under the dresser i cut fabric and iron on. fq's are in a drawer, along with less than 1/2 yard cuts to be cut into strips for the scrap bins. I have precut scraps and strips in a 3 drawer thing under my sewing table
What tips do you have for building up a well-rounded stash? find a store that has a flat fold section for cheap, and spend every last penny of cash you have when you go in 2 or 3 times a week. don't worry when people ask your making, and you have to say, oh its just for my stash, i don't know yet... what are you making thats really cute(quick, run!)
When do you say enough is enough? never? i almost slowed down when i counted up my fabric, and had no money, but i broke down and used my food cash to find a way to get something. don't worry, it wasn't the grocery money, just the fast food cash for when i'm at work,
What are some of your favorite stash-busting projects? umm, i'm fairly new, and the only things ive finished are an apron, a couple purses, a skirt and pieced some small quilt tops. i'm not sure i actually stash bust so much as stash. its so bad
Do you have a current favorite print in your stash? ooh, i have some really cute pink on blacks, and a purple with clocks on it. and i love this orange one with green hearts all over. i went back and bought 2 more yards of that cause i liked it so much
What’s your definition of the perfect stash? (Consider sharing a picture or two of your stash & storage, or direct us to a pic on Flickr!) i would like some more teals, i don't have alot of those, and a good selection of solid colors, but what i have now is pretty wonderful. and the fact that i want those things does not stop me from buying new fabric in any other colorway. and if you need pics of my stash, the new stuff is on the header, and a january post shows the shelving, as wells as my messy sewing room.

New blog

I've been setting up a new blog lately, to keep everyone informed about our trip to Europe, and our support raising progress. hence the sad long delay between posts here. go check it out, let me know what you think. It is a religious blog, I'm a Christian, and that's what that blog is all about, so if anyone is going to be offended, just don't go. you've been warned.

timandcodi.blogspot.com

Link no longer works.

baby quilt

here is the back of the baby quilt, and you can see some of the quilting. I pieced the back, so my husband asked me if it was supposed to be reversible. umm, not really, but i guess it could be. I know i didn't use the yellow Popsicle fabric on the front, but its so cute, i had to include it. and i used up the rest of the blue mermaid fabric, you can't tell what it is on the front.

for the quilting i am using my walking foot with stitch 22, its the wiggly one that Ive been seeing people using on other blogs. I'm quilting it close together, so i just use the previous stitch at the side of the walking foot as my guide line. I have about 6 inches left to go, but not pics of that much finished. i am thinking about binding it in the green dots or the orange scissors fabric, and having it finished by the 20th, so i can give it to the mom and dad together, since its alot for the dad. if the binding goes as planned, it should work. ive never bound a quilt before, this will be the first one I've finished. I've been looking through a bunch of binding tutorials, and will probably use the one from crazymomquilts. its pretty straight forward with a ton of pics.

I don't think i've posted a stash update since the start of this. i busted 2 yards for the top(which was already accounted for), and about 1 for the back, and included in those numbers are the strips and scraps that went in to the drawers for those things. I've also remembered i had 2 bolts hiding under the dresser, muslin and a black, so we will add about 15 yards for those. I also bought 8 yards, so much for not buying any fabric, i lasted about a week. its cute tho, I'll take pics tonight. I also mailed off about 4 yards of Christmas fabric and other fun bits for luv2knits daughter, who also has a blog now. also i haven't taken away 1 yard for the green on the wedding quilt.

totals:
in and forgotten about: 23 yards
out/used: 6 yards
total in for this year: 23.75 yards
total out: 8 yards
so i have 236.25 yards. that's too much. no more shopping.
and i spent about $17

hypotheticaly speaking...

if i had money id buy myself a decent chair for work. 4 ten hour sessions of my booty pasted to a bad chair equals hobbling home on day 2 this week. oh my aching back...

who am i kidding, if i had money id buy more fabric or just not work. i don't know which would be better tho. if i had more time i could sew, but the working when i don't have to means more money for more fabric.

which would you take, the time or the moola?

project improv

you may have noticed the lovely new pic/link on my sidebar. i have joined project improv, in an effort to embrace uneven, wonky, mismatched seams, and that more-or-less-than a 1/4 inch seam.

i did take pics of my first wonky crumb blocks. so soothing, you just sit and piece, iron when you feel like it, piece some more, no worries about color, no matter if one side of the seam allowance is bigger than another, just the peaceful rhythm of piecing.

i will not be making 3.5 inch crumb blocks anymore however. its just to small for me. if its bigger, it comes together faster. i think 6.5 is my minimum.

i also secretly bought a new ruler to celebrate. a 12.5 inch omnigrip. i went for the buck more to see how it compares, altho i have never had problems with my omnigrid slipping, or with the cheaper ez rule? from walmart. i like the omni brand better because it has colored lines. i only paid $7 for it, after a 40% coupon and a return on thread. i haven't used it yet, its in a drawer. i swear one of these days my husband will catch on that i am a very sneaky person, or just read my blog to see what i do with my life. anyhooo.

i will soon be making a pink/orange block for project improv, altho probably not tonight, as there is a new jon and kate plus 8 on when i get home. and probably not tomorrow, since i work all day.

did i post enough today? this is round 3

i've gotten an award!

woo hoo. i'm a kreativ blogger. thanks lory
boost to my ego, check.
bloggy bling for my sidebar, check.
and the award now goes to:
miss anne
kbell
and more to come, but my linky is being lame. so i guess, consider your self tagged
link back to me, post the award on your blog, and nominate 7 other bloggers.
don't worry, i'll get to 7 oficially when blogger stops being annoying