CQG Progress

After spending an entire meeting cutting pieces, I think everyone was happy to get back to sewing this week. The first time through this block is a challenge, but experience is a great teacher and it is much easier on subsequent blocks. Not everyone was able to come, so next time we'll still have some first timers going at this block, but we'll also have a lot of experienced people in the room, so I hope that we'll be able to knock out even more blocks than we did this week.

At the conclusion of our meeting, we had 12 finished log cabin blocks -- out of a total of 49 needed for our top. That's not a bad start, but I'd love to be farther along so we still have some group time left on this project when it comes to piecing the top.

So far, looks pretty good to me, but I can't wait to see more finished blocks!

Happy Valentine's Day

Since we didn't manage to get earlier holiday cards, like Christmas or New Years, this year we're settling for Valentine's greetings for our families and friends. 

I dropped these in the mail on Wednesday, so hopefully everyone gets them by Valentine's Day -- though I know I was cutting it close. 

I didn't grab a copy of the card to share with you -- though the Shutterfly card we chose is super cute, and their shipping was surprisingly fast -- but I can share my favorite of the photos we included in the card: 

Oh that photo-bombing cat! Still, I think it's a great photo that really shows how life is around here!

So, I know it's been slow around here, but that doesn't mean I'm not working hard on new projects. The most intense of which is a big part of why it's been so slow and easy going this winter. I haven't had much of a choice but to take life a little easier!

The only pre-cat photo I managed to get. It's still cute, but it is missing a furry little someone, don't you think?

Overall, things are getting better, and perhaps I'm feeling a little bit more energy, but I'm still a long ways from feeling like myself. I keep hoping for more energy -- there are a lot of things I want to get finished before the really big changes get here this summer. I also know I need to take it easy sometimes, because that's only going to get harder to do!

Oh Yeah...

This happened over a month ago, but I completely forgot about sharing this (and the previous post).

I think the sunlight made the quilting a little easier to see.

It still needs a wash before I call it done, but I have accomplished something -- just... not recently...

My Wonky Star Sampler - Quilted

I managed to do half this quilting before the holiday rush took over my life -- but I couldn't decide how I wanted to deal with the 'inside' of my star. With free motion quilting still a challenge on my poor machine (the feed dogs still don't drop properly and I still need a different foot), I decided just to embrace the challenge and go with some more or less straight line 'shading' kind of lines.

It's a challenge to see what I did.

I chose a point to act as the 'center' of my star and added lines from the outline of the star toward the center. Some points have a lot of lines, others only three or four. I didn't want to be too structured in what I was doing -- and I didn't want to overwhelm the center area with too much quilting. It's already a little thicker than I'd intended in the center area, but I think it'll loosen up a little with a wash or two.

The back shows the texture a little better -- at least for my camera. In person, it's a little less noticeable on the back, competing as it is with this amazingly cute owl/bunting fabric.

I don't have a thing in my stash that is suitable for binding. The fabrics that are the right colors are the wrong texture -- or the wrong scale and just don't work in such tiny pieces. I'm debating on color -- a pop of serious aqua could tone down the pink, but on the other hand, I think it would be completely adorable with a pink/white dot binding. Then again, who knows, maybe I'll throw all caution to the wind and go with something a little less prominent, maybe a limey green or a pop or yellow? I suspect I'll have to take this one with me to the store to fabric shop, there are just too many options!

Sadly, my next shopping excursion is probably not until next month! Oh well, there's no rush -- and I certainly could just leave it up on my wall for a while. It makes me happy just to look at.

Progression and Prepping

The group wonky star quilt top isn't quite pieced together, but it is getting so close! I'm working slowly and methodically, but I have still needed to make several additional itty bitty stars in order to make it all fit without too much blank space. 

There's still a little more work to do to bring it all together, but the end is in sight. Initially, this seemed daunting, but I've been able to pick it up and put it down as time allows and it hasn't been as overwhelming as I feared it might be.

I had hoped to finish up the remaining last five seams last night, but instead I forced myself to set it aside and work on something else -- prepping for the next project we're taking on as a group.

For a first time run through, I think it turned out fairly well. I picked up quite a few tips for the next one, which I'm excited to start on later this week. The biggest issue with this block is the amount of time it took me to make it! Pressing and checking the square after each seem was important, but that took a lot of time -- almost an hour and a half from cutting to pressing after the final piece. So, here's hoping future block assemble a little more quickly, but I'm also feeling a little more hopeful about the next project.

Alright, time to turn on a movie and finish up the wonky star top. I really want to have this done by our meeting. In a dream world, I'd love to baste it, but that seems unlikely.

February Goals

February Goals 

Personal: 

Read 5+ Books
Average 13000+ steps per day
Weekend trip to see family
Plan March family/work trip

New Projects / Pinterest Challenge: 

1+ new recipe

My Projects:

Finish 1 quilt top: Random Reflections 2 of 2 
Finish piecing quilt group wonky star top
Master a log cabin block
Wash my wonky star quilt

Grown Up Junk:

Schedule next cat/vet appointment  
Replacement windshield for the car (if the weather gets better)

House Stuff: 

Continue sweeping every other day, cleaning bathrooms once a week
Start mattress shopping


I know it's only the third, but I'm already worn out over February. I'd like to challenge myself to more, but honestly, this already looks like more than I'm going to accomplish. So, I think we'll be continuing the theme of 'Take it Easy 2015' which I think I unofficially started a few months ago. Honestly, if I get one day off -- or if the weather turns too bad to let me go on the planned weekend trip -- I need to spend at least two hours on laundry. The pile of clean but not dealt with laundry in my bedroom is as tall as I am. Which yes, also probably means there are some things in there I could get rid of and not miss. Point being, with my needs and housework so terribly overdue for attention, there isn't much chance of a new project or recipe happening around here -- unless it happens as a final attempt to avoid doing laundry.

January Wrap Up

January Goals 

Personal: 

Read 5+ Books

• "A Dance Through Time" Lynn Kurland
• "The More I See You" Lynn Kurland
• "Copperhead" Tiny Connolly
• "Atlantia" Ally Condie
• "Fairest" Marissa Meyer
• "The Darkest Part of the Forest" Holly Black

Average 13000+ steps per day
Weekend trip to see family -- planned for Feb
Plan March family/work trip -- still waiting on final details

New Projects / Pinterest Challenge: 

1+ new recipe

My Projects:

Finish 1 quilt top: Random Reflections 2 of 2 
Quilt 1 quilt: Wonky Star Sampler
Begin piecing top for Quilt Group Wonky Stars
Begin layout for X+ scrappy quilt?

Grown Up Junk:

Schedule next cat/vet appointment  
Replacement windshield for the car (if the weather gets better)

House Stuff: 

Continue sweeping every other day, cleaning bathrooms once a week
Reorganize Kitchen: find a better home for the trashcan?
Long Term Goal: Dining area

After months of searching our tiny house for a few more inches of space, we've come to the conclusion that the best option is to change out our barely functional washer and dryer for a stacking set. In theory, this should allow us to move the litter box into the laundry room and turn the corner of the kitchen currently used for trash and litter box into a little dining area. This could take months, or longer, to make happen -- especially with the long list of major expenses looming in the near-ish future: washer, dryer, mattress (the metal spring coming through the material was a pretty good wake-up call to the fact that we can't keep ignoring this one), cat dental work, to name a few. So, it'll be a long term project, but at least we have a plan.