Maybe I'll sew tomorrow

Yesterday was major housecleaning day.
Today we're starting our campus tour experience.
It's going to be such fun with two grumpy teenage boys.

Ooh, and I hunted down a teenie bit of Katie Jump Rope!

45 Geese in the Forest

This is what I got done in a WHOLE weekend. I did do a little scrap sewing too, but still...
These geese are time consuming!

I did get to put the blocks up on a design wall and I'm very excited about how it's going to turn out.
I'm hoping to be more productive next week. This week's been kind of slow. I REALLY need spring to arrive. The darkness and clouds are getting to me.

I'm back and store goodies arrived!

I'm back! Retreat was wonderful and the ironing table worked like a dream. I did not get quite as much done as I was hoping to, but it was a great weekend.

While I was gone some goodies arrived for the store.

I'm VERY excited to have received some Arcadia and Wonderland layer cakes. Layer cakes consist of 10" fabric squares, at least one of each fabric in the collection. These two have 42 squares each.

Arcadia:

Wonderland:


I also managed to get my hands on pretty much the last bolts of these discontinued fabrics. Because I got a really good deal on them, they're only $6.49 a yard in the store.

From Fresh Squeezed by Sandy Gervais:



From Full Moon Forest by Tula Pink - the jumping fish!

Getting ready

This weekend is Quilt Retreat Weekend for our quilt guild. I've never been and I'm SO excited!

I'm planning to finish both my Geese in the Forest quilt tops. I think I can do it.
If I have time I'll finish the scrappy quilt top too.

They provide three meals a day, sewing tables, ironing boards, warm beds...
We won't have anything to do but quilt all day every day.

We're allowed to have a small travel iron with us while quilting. I figured if I'm going to be foundation piecing, jumping up and walking to the big ironing boards after every seam could be a little time consuming. Our sewing tables will be 3' x 5' and having a sewing machine, cutting board AND ironing pad on there could get a little crowded. We are, however, allowed a small side table.

I started thinking and here's what I came up with.

Take one $16 TV tray table and cover it in one layer of batting and two layers of Insul-Bright. (I found out that The Warm Company is a local company!) A staple gun comes in very useful here.

Make a little cover for it. The table top is 17" x 17" so I cut a 25" x 25" square, made a channel around the edge for elastic and threaded some 1/2" elastic through it.

How do you like my little Rowenta travel iron?

The best thing of all: it folds flat for easy transport.

SewConnected 3 - again

For Saranya.

(Don't forget that The Green Sale ends tomorrow!)

SewConnected 3

I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things.

My first block for SewConnected 3.
This one's for rocklilly.

Reality Check

I very often get emails and comments asking how I do it all and I've been very proud of myself for being so "productive".

The truth, I discovered, is I don't.

In the last couple of months things have started falling by the wayside.
I stopped going to the gym.
I stopped making really good dinners for my family (fish sticks & tacos were at the top of the menu).
I stopped cleaning the house to my satisfaction.
Things started piling up everywhere and I couldn't find anything.
I stopped taking my vitamins.
I became a virtual hermit.
I started running around doing everything last minute and in a spin.

Most of all, I stopped making lists, which lead to all kinds of missed deadlines. I'm a list person. I can't survive without lists.

I started feeling like I'm losing control of everything.

Then, last week, I was struck down by the flu. I don't remember being this sick since just before my high school prom when I lost so much weight my mom had to pin my dress to stop it from falling off.

As I was curled up on the couch in the fetal position, I realized that this was a wake up call.

Take a step back.
Prioritize.
Plan.
Make time for me.

Breathe!

Geese in the Forest Month 2

Yes, time flies, doesn't it?

Block 2 is called "Friendly Flock". Why? Because you have to make 27 of them and I thought it would help to think of them as amicable geese.

Find the pattern here. (It's a PDF file, so you'll need Adobe Reader to open it.)
The .PDF file for Block 1's pattern is now available in the store for $1.

You can find all the details regarding this Block of the Month over here.

Now I'm off go sew my Flock of 54!