WIP Wednesday: The First

I had been resisting the WIP Wednesdays (for no good reason at all), but I think it will really help me keep on track with my personal projects. I'm not sure if I will include my projects for school or not yet. Classes start next week so I have time to think on that.

First, I forget to share some new yarns that have made their way into my stash. The lace weight camel blend has been haunting me for months. I finally caved when my local yarn store announced they were having a store-wide sale before they do inventory. 20% off? Yes, please! Just don't ask what regular price is. ;)

No set projects in mind, but I do have ideas running through my head.

Now onto the update.

Completed:

Nothing yet.

Progress Made:

Sewing Machine Cover

I have started joining hexies. The tutorial I followed on how to baste them was not working for the plastic templates I have. I finally found a better way to stop slipping. I was ready to throw in the towel on them and use paper only. I think I can make it through this small project though.

No Progress:

Project for Migration Blocks
Garter Stitch Scarf
Drunkard's Path QAL
Halloween Mini
Wedding Present (very late!)
Kaleidoscope QAL
Zig Zag QAL

...and so many others. I think that's a good round up for today.

New:

January Stitch-a-long at Feeling Stitchy
Tangerine Tango Challenge
2012 Color Challenge
Curves Class (starts Feb 1st)
For the Love of Solids Swap (questionnaire submitted and waiting on my partner assignment)
Sparkle QAL (maybe?)
Made in Cherry QAL (maybe?)
Birthday Present for BFF

Fingers crossed that I can knock off some items this week! Here's to keeping each other accountable and being a great support system.

Stashing and Other Goings On

To end 2011 I decided to treat myself to a bunch of fabric. Some it was on sale, some of it not. The final package from that spending spree came today, so I thought I would share them with you. I do have one more fabric package coming, but it's for a Christmas project. (Yes that I do intend to start on soon.) That last one is a couple yards of clearance fabrics and then I do have a package of embroidery transfers on the way. I swear, that is the last one.

I am o.b.s.e.s.s.e.d. with typewriters. I love this colorway the most, so I bought 2 yards. Some of it will probably become a laptop sleeve for my computer. If I didn't have a hard case for my typewriter, I would probably also make it a nice cover.

Mmm Heather Ross, Alexander Henry, and a lovely Japanese border print that I wish I would have bought more of.

These were bought with a project for Chad in mind. Our house is mostly decorated in a Western/cowboy theme. Chad has been bugging me to replace my Mini X's quilt with something that fits the living room. (He loves the quilt, just not the colors.) I've been slowly stashing other cowboy prints too.

This isn't just any white, it's the white on white print from Annie's Farm Stand. My inspiration for buying it was this post from Jeni of In Color Order. I will be dyeing it eventually.

I just had to have this before it disappears. Typewritten words? I'm sold. No project in mind right now.

No projects in mind for these right now either.

Various Japanese prints. I'm also obsessed with Little Red Riding Hood. Oh, and foreign languages.

This year I do intend to shop from my stash more often and these will just make that easier! ;)

I may have a lot on my plate but that isn't stopping me from joining in on some swaps, challenges, and an online class.

I've been checking Flickr religiously for announcements on when the swaps I've been following will start up again. The For the Love of Solids swap was one of the first and you better believe I signed up right away! If you're interested, my mosaic is here. I'm considering doing another that is open for sign ups right now, but I'm not 100%.

In addition to the Finish-a-long challenge I'm doing, I also stumbled upon the Tangerine Tango Challenge. I'm not going to stress myself out coming up with something, but did do some sketching of ideas that came to mind. I just need to sit on them for a little while to see if I really like them. And then Janine told me about 2012 Color Challenge and I decided to partake in that as well. I also got an immediate idea for it and as usual for myself, I will sit on it for a few days before going forward.

Finally, I also signed up for the Curves Class that Rachel is teaching. There's still time to sign up yourself, as the class starts February 1st, but if you're going to do it, do it this week. She's offering $10 off the class fees through the end of the week. I signed up for the basic class, but did see on the private blog that there is the option to upgrade to the premium class, which does include a PDF book of the projects made during the class.

That may not be the last online class I take. I have been wanting to take some of the classes that Alisa Burke teaches, but it hasn't worked out. She does give unlimited access to the class blogs so if you're interested in classes on creativity, check her out. Her blog is very inspiring, as is her artistic process, plus she recently gave birth to an adorable baby girl.

Whew. Typing all of this out makes it seem like a lot to me, and I'm also considering making mini versions of a couple of the quilt-a-longs going on soon. I'm eyeing the Sparkle QAL and the Made in Cherry QAL, but for a more comprehensive list, check out Toni's post on the topic. It seems like this is the year of the scraps!

All of this is telling me that I really need to join in on the WIP posts every Wednesday. So look for that tomorrow!

Finish-a-Long Quarter 1

I mentioned yesterday that I discovered the Finish-a-Long being hosted at Quilter in the Gap. A genius idea (one I wish I had thought of first!) and there are prizes involved. If one of your goals this year is to finish your UFOs, then you need to check it out. I imagine this is all of you out there.

For my list, I settled on five items. This is for the next three months, but with school and everything else, five may be stretching it. But if I am able to do it, that could be twenty finished projects from UFOs by the end of the year. Yes, five is going to be my goal each quarter.

Without further ado, I present my UFOs, some of which have not been featured on this blog before.

1. My first knitting project. Yes, that's right. I never finished the first thing I cast on. It's a plain-Jane garter stitch scarf, so it should be easy to whip through, especially now that I have been knitting more frequently. You see, the reason it stalled was I got to the point of adding the second skein. I'm not afraid of something that little any more.

2. Halloween mini. This has been on my to-do list since before Halloween last year. It has also been cut out since that time. Another project that should go quickly.

3. Sewing machine cover. I've been meaning to make this since I thought of the idea and finally cut the squares for the hexies. I did start basting them on New Year's Eve and have six done. I don't really know how many I will need for the cover yet. This is my first time doing English paper piecing and did take a few tries to get a hang of it. My templates are plastic, not paper, so they are slippery. I think I got it now, sort of.

4. A long overdue wedding gift. I got it into my head to embroider some towels for a friend for her wedding. She got married in the fall and this is how far I am on the first one.

5. Druckard's Path quilt. The whole thing this time, since just the top was on my list to finish by the end of 2011. I do have four big blocks sewn and most of the drunkard's path blocks need to be trimmed. I find the trimming tedious and that's the main reason I haven't made much progress.

Wish me luck! I just realized I picked a few projects that can travel, which may be my saving grace in getting them done.

So what are you waiting for? Pick a few things (or a dozen) and link up with the rest of us!

Goals for 2012

I'm not one to make the standard resolutions at the new year because I feel that you shouldn't wait to make changes to your life. That being said, I do feel that the new year is a great way to mark time for new creative goals. Since I have this space to document my output, I will share the things I want to work on this year.

Just to warn you in advance, my list may not be worked on much until summer. This upcoming semester is going to be packed with studio classes and if last spring is any indication, I will be living and breathing school and work. Unlike last spring, I will be posting about what I'm doing in school and trying to make time to work on personal projects. I have one less studio this year than last, so that could make a difference. So as far as school goes, you have projects from my painting, sculpture, and photography classes to look forward to.

Onto my list...

1. First and foremost, I will be cutting back on my fabric buying. It's not like I have a huge stash or anything, but I do have more than I can store in my available space. Chad even said something about it yesterday when two packages bearing fabric arrived. (Good thing he doesn't know there is one more to come, lol.) So this year will be about using what I have on hand and buying only what is needed to complete a project, or fabrics to dye and print (more on that below). I am making myself stick to a strict budget this year and will limiting what I can spend each month on fabric too. For the new few months I don't see this being too much of an issue. I did peek at the upcoming lines online and don't see too many that I'm excited about. I like maybe one or two prints, if that, so I won't be tempted. The fabrics I bought are the ones that are out that I know I would succumb to soon anyway. Once the last package arrives, I'll share what I picked up.

2. Experiment with dyeing and printing. I have been slowly gathering materials to do this and am excited to start. My next purchase is going to be a couple books since my local library doesn't have much on dyeing fabric.

(The linen, not the scissors print, is set to be dyed.)

3. I'm feeling myself making the shift towards art quilting over traditional quilting. I do want to finish up the quilts I have started or have materials for, but other than that, I don't see myself starting any other large quilt. I do eventually want to make a Farmer's Wife one and several others, but since they would just be for us at home, there isn't any rush. I didn't grow up in a family that quilted and haven't had the urge to make one for other people. I have a ton of respect for those of you who do make quilts for your family and to donate, but that isn't me. If I want to give something to someone who has had a baby or is ill, I usually think food first. So that means I won't join in on any quilt-a-longs to make a large one, but if I do like the design, I will allow myself to make a mini quilt. Because those I still love and think it will fulfill my desire to make something traditional. This year will be about taking those sketches and designs I have been dreaming up in 2011 and translating them to cloth.

4. Continue to learn new knitting techniques. In 2011 I conquered my fear of cables and can't wait to try another advanced technique.

5. I want to play with transfering photographs to fabrics and taking that to my sewing machine. This is one I have bookmarked to work on in photography this semester.

6. I want to make more clothing this year. I have patterns and material for a few things. I just need to stop putting off sewing them up this year.

7. Start sketching daily. No excuses.

8. Start selling either patterns or things I have made. My initial goal was to get this started in January, but I may hold off until spring.

9. Start weaving. I bought the Martha Stewart loom to get my feet wet and also have my eye on a ridgid heedle loom. I just need to save for it and it will be mine.

10. Depending on time and money, I also want to learn leather tooling, spinning, paper cutting, enameling, and felting this year. Paper cutting and felting are more of a sure bet since I do already have materials to do them.

Of course there's the finish up everything I started in 2011 (or earlier), but that goes without saying I think. I did stumble upon the Finish-a-long over at Quilter in the Gap and will be throwing my hat into the mix. My post for that will come tomorrow.

In addition to all of that, I want to take some time to clean up my blog and create better organization here. I think an updated header is in order as well.

I'm hoping my list is flexible enough for myself that I can add in extra projects and hopefully put a strike through all of the above items. This year is already feeling like a great year for both personal and creative growth.

How about you? Any goals for this year?

2011 Recap

Sorry for the back-to-back posts tonight. I didn't want to combine this with my tutorial post.

With this being the last day of 2011, I thought I would jump in with the others and post some photo candy of what I have done this past year. Except in my case, part of the year since I haven't been regularly blogging that long. I did start this blog at the beginning of the year but let school and work get in the way of posting. It wasn't until the summer that I got going, and I haven't looked back.

I was going to try to organize these photos some how, but it didn't work out that way. I had wanted to finish more of the projects I have started but that didn't work out either. Aw well, they will be finished in 2012, which is just as good for me.

In addition to the variety of items I completed, I also practiced my free motion quilting by joining in with Cindy at Fluffy Sheep Quilting.

I also had some photo adventures, including some trips to a couple Minnesota State Parks. To see other photo, you can click over to my Flickr sets.

One little series I thought I would post more with was my inspirations. I plan on creating more posts of this nature in 2012. To read about my other goals for projects and this blog, be sure to check back tomorrow.

Happy New Year to you all! Thank you so much for all of your support this past year!

Tutorial: Migration Block

As promised, here is the tutorial for my original block design which I have called Migration. For those new readers (or those of you who don't recall), this block was created as part of a monthly challenge hosted by Candi at Raccoon Creek Quilts.

I dreamed up this block during the month of November, which happened to be when the migration of Canadian geese was occuring in my area. Usually this happens sooner, but the weather was so nice through the start of winter, they stuck around a little longer this year. I have always based the change in seasons on the migration of the geese and really do look forward to their return in the spring.

My test block was done in prints from my scrap drawer. I knew I wanted to use solids for the tutorial, but this really is a scrap friendly block. It is a variation of the pineapple block, but I decided to give it some depth by varying the size of the strips around the center square. To enchance the effect of the geese flying, I used a gradation of grays and blues.

I have to warn you that the photos I took are not true to color. It snowed all day today (booo!) and was so gray. I will be turning this block into a final project which I will shoot in natural daylight.

To create this 12.5" (unfinished) block, you will need either scraps or fat quarters. There will be some extra with fat quarters, by the way.

Materials:
One 2.5" square in Kona Olive
One 1.5x18" strip in Kona Sky
Four 2.5" squares in Kona Pepper
Two 2x18" strips in Kona Evening
Four 3.5" squares in Kona Coal
Three 3x18" strips in Kona Windsor
Four 5.5" squares in Kona Ash

All seams are 1/4" unless otherwise stated.

Basically, this starts out like a log cabin block. When I sew one of those up, I don't cut each strip to size. If you like to do that, feel free. I just sew it to each side and trim it off as I go.

So starting with the center square, attach the first side using the 1.5" strip and trim off the rest of the strip. Press the seam to the outside strip (or if prefer to press it open, go ahead).

Continue attaching each side and pressing as above until you have sewed all four.

Now to attach the four corner geese, I start with a 2.5" square. I know there are other methods, but this works best as I'm not fussing with the bias. I mark the diagonal by pressing it so I can sew in the ditch, but you may like to mark it with a drawing tool.

Line up the corners so that the line you will be stitching cuts across the corner of the block.

I forgot to pin the two together and it slipped. I don't usually pin anything with piecing a quilt, but it definately helped for attaching the corner geese. (And yes, the photo of the pinned piece is from a later step.)

Now you will stitch along the line/in the ditch created by pressing.

This is what you will end up with.

Now trim the seam allowance to 1/4" and press towards the corner.

Repeat with the other three corner triangles and this is what it will look like. There will be a slight overlap of the corners.

Next you will take the 2" strip and repeat the process for attaching it.

Next add the 3.5" squares as above, followed by the 3" strips and then adding in the 5.5" squares. I forget to take a photo of those steps so I hope the instructions are clear enough above.
Your final block will look like this.

I hope that was clear enough. Feel free to ask any questions if you have them. If you make one of these, please let me know. I would love to see your version!

Writing this tutorial was certainly interesting and took longer than I thought. I guess I didn't believe anyone else who has said the same!

ETA: Linking this up over at Lawson and Lotti for their new weekly linky party: Tutorial Tuesday.



Stay tuned for my recap and tomorrow my goals for 2012. I have plans to organize my sewing space tonight and to be working on projects both Sunday and Monday (day off!), so I should have some finishes to share this week. One of which will be what I made with this block.

Getting a Little Personal

Despite having lofty goals for this down time between semesters, I haven't been working on too much. Of course there was Christmas and since then, I have been ill. I am finally feeling better today only to find that the snow that fell last night has decided to stick around. I was hoping for a rarity around here: to experience a December without any snow (or at least, snow that lasted throughout a day). My neighbors who have had their snowmobiles parked in their yard for the past month are joyous, I am sure.

In addition to the above, I have been dealing with some outside stress that I have absolutely no control over. I don't want to bring down the tone of my posting here, but just so you know, my life is far from perfect (not that I think I have been projecting that here anyway). I do have control over my reaction to this stress, but am reaching a breaking point where I can't take much more.

For those of you who have been reading for awhile, you may have wondered why I don't even mention my family, just Chad's. Well, I made the hard decision for myself a few years ago to start cutting them out of my life. My parents were both abusive to me, more so emotionally and verbally, and this continued into my adult life. It got to the point where my sister started acting like them and I couldn't take in anymore. Prior to doing this, I had been drinking a lot to sort of blanket the way they made me feel. I decided to stop drinking and knew that I had to make changes in order to be happy. Now, I'm not sharing this to gather advice from anyone or to be told I'm doing the wrong thing. I spent 26 years of my life unhappy and pretending everything was ok. I cannot be happy with these people in my life and refuse to live the way I used to until they all die.

Recently, as it usually happens around the holidays (and really, my birthday since it is the same time of year), they start to contact me heavily. I do block their phone numbers, but that only lasts so long with my cell phone provider, and they do call from other numbers. I have thought about changing my phone number, but in the end, that would complicate the rest of my life. When I moved in with Chad last fall, I thought I would be safe from their surprise visits. And I was until somehow, they found out where I live. Now there has been visits to Chad where they try to convince him that I am crazy and they have been sending numerous items to me in the mail. Oh yeah, and so many drive-bys of our house.

It is taking all my strength to continue to ignore them and return the mail if they put a return address on it. Basically what they are doing is called gaslighting. My entire life I have been told I am an angry person and yet, I never felt angry. Yes, I would react in anger when presented with something false by a member of my family, but that is what they wanted, and really just proved to them that they were right.

I'm not going to go into all the details here because I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me. If you want to discuss this further with me, you are welcome to e-mail me and ask questions. I used to cover what was going on (hence the need to drink) and don't want to do that anymore. Aside from this recent increase in contact, this past year has been bliss for me. I am blessed to have a partner who supports me and has even less patience with what has been going on.

Why am I sharing this today? Well, I have been reflecting on this past year, like all of you, and some of the projects I have not shared have been in relation to my childhood and family. I don't want to hold back on showing my creative process if it starts to evolve into more of this touchy subject. This will probably be the last time I write so much about this topic though, as I really don't think about my family most of the time. I say probably, not definately. This blog is not just about what I make, but about my journey through life. My life experiences also do influence the things I make and my style, so I do feel this is important to disclose.

If you've made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read it. I will be back tomorrow with my year-end recap and hopefully the tutorial for this block. I was going to do it today, but the lighting inside is not good thanks to the overcast skies all day. Also over the weekend I will be sharing my creative goals for 2012 so you know what to expect out of me for the coming year. I have been enjoying reading the recaps and goals posts that have been popping up all over.