Something accomplished!

I actually accomplished something yesterday.  I finished the quilt top I've been working on!  Sorry I can't share more than a tease but I'm so excited to have gotten something done I had to mention it.  Of course I'm still a long way off from being truly finished.  And part of me is incredibly sad about how much work I still have to do on my cutting and piecing techniques.  I suppose I just need practice. And some patience. Mostly practice. So of course my brain is jumping ahead of the work still to do on *this* quilt and starting to plan the next project. (Simple 4 patches with larger squares made in blues and greens from my stash, in case you're curious.)   But back to the present, with any luck I will be able to get it pressed and basted in the next week or so. That's my plan anyway. We'll see how it goes. I have a lot of plans and not lots of time to accomplish them.

To celebrate getting something done I put a hold on Treasures from the Attic so I could finish it.  Of course I could only place a hold and not download it so I'm still not being distracted by a good book ;-) 

I'll be linking up Thursday with Elizabeth's new sharing spot for sewing projects and reading.  Not that I'll get to join in often, given my super slow progress with such things.  But I do love looking at all the beautiful things other bloggers are creating.  I always need some more distractions.  Maybe it will be more inspiration than distraction.  And anyway, it's way better than doing dishes. 

Stash-busting Challenge!

I already typed it out loud, so to speak.  But here is the formal commitment - to knit and quilt from my stash this year.  As much as possible.  I mean why buy fabric and yarn if not to make pretty and/or useful things?  I know, I know because that's just what we do.  I can't resist pretty fiber when it calls to me.  Hence I have a stash.  And will continue to add to it left to my own devices.  I'm guessing I'll still find a way to continue to stash this year.  But I'm really going to work on using what I have rather than looking for new projects.

The good news I only have two WIPs thanks to my only one project at a time policy.  So first up is to finish my mom's shawl and the quilt for my newlywed friends.   After that I have yarns for at least 8 projects and fabric for 8 quilt tops.  Bring it on!  Yikes!

Finished quilt

Here is the quilt I just finished for the first wedding of the fall.  I didn't get the greatest pictures of it but if you click on it you can see it a little bigger.  I got the idea from a tutorial at Snippets of a Quilter.  The fabric is "Parisville" by Tula Pink. 

Just before packing up to take to the wedding.  I added to it a bottle of a locally brewed dessert ale and a box of chocolates with a note in the card with wishes that they enjoy many cozy evenings :)

Progress

I'm not stressing about finishing.  I'm not rushing.  I'm not thinking ahead to the next project (too much.)  But I am making some happy progress on the quilt I'm working on.  I should be able to finish it in time for the wedding.  I've even started on the second quilt for an October wedding.  And that would be the bit about not too much thinking about the next project.  :) 

My goal was to finishing the quilting and the machine sewing of the binding for the first today - DH had the boys out for the morning since the sewing machine and I needed to take over the dining room table.  And I would have finished too except... I ran out of masking tape.  It's true!  I was using it for marking and ran out.  And to further frustrate me DH found no masking tape at WalMart.  He tried, he really did.  He knows how frustrated I've been not being able to get this done.  So he brought home what he found - HeatnBond Ultra.  Ummm, not the same.  And no, I wont be using it to mark the quilt.  But thank you for trying.  :) 

So since I had the time and the space I pulled out the fabric for the next quilt and finished half the blocks for it.  I so love precut fabric.  And a nice, simple pattern.  And quiet time with no one trying to push the buttons or use the scissors or tip over the ironing board.  :) 

Tomorrow I'll take Littler out while Bigger is at preschool and get what I need.  And maybe next weekend I'll really finish quilting.  Maybe I can be so optimistic as to hope to quilt both next weekend.  And once they are in the hands of their very own newlyweds I'll post pictures, I promise. 

"Process" I am not

Some crafters are process oriented - in love with the act of creating.
Some are product focused - more into their finished object that what goes into making it.

I am most certainly the latter.  Come to think of it that is probably why I have such a tough time with the repetitiveness of scarf knitting....  I love finishing things, I love that I made it, I love being able to give or use it.  Unfortunately this has a tendency to lead to rushing and shoddy work. 

And that is certainly the mess I find myself in this morning.   

As I have mentioned I am working on a quilt for a friend who is getting married in the fall, the first of two in fact.  It will be just a lap quilt but I can imagine the newlyweds snuggled up on the couch with it, watching tv, hanging out.  But not eating anything messy, that I just cannot put near my as-yet-unfinished-let-alone-given quilt even in my imagination.  Anyway, my goal was to finish the quilting this week so I can sew the binding during our trip this weekend and maybe even give it to the bride-to-be while we are away.  However, I have hit a number of snags in this plan and here is the biggest: 



There you have it.  I have actually done this on all three quilts I have quilted but this one has been by far the worst for it.  This was just one of several wrinkles (gathers?) I managed to sew into my backing.  I even managed to put some, how shall we call it... texture into the top too.  

DH had taken the boys out to the library this morning to give me some sewing time.  So after eating breakfast (I was up with the boys before 6, washed last night's dishes, put them away, put away the laundry, and dressed the boys but still hadn't found time for breakfast - there is something wrong with this picture and apparently my priorities) and getting everything set up, I set to work.  First I had to rip out the first bit I had quilted when I realized I had forgotten to change the stitch length and therefore ended up with really close, really tight, really ugly stitches.  That were really hard to pick out. 

Second try went well.  Except for the first set of wrinkles on the backing.  But I muddled on and took extra care to smooth everything out back and front for the next go.  And the second round of quilting went well, no lumpies or bumpies and even mostly straight.  But this was where I managed some puffiness on the top.  Third row was again gathered.  

So as I stood there examining what I had done and trying to figure out how to stop making this mistake and if I can just keep going it hit me.  I am embarrassed by this quilt.  The top has many imperfections like corners that don't match up and pieces that were apparently not cut or sewen uniformly and now the backing has to serious life of its own.  My anxiety over being able to finish it "in time" and about then having to show it to people is going through the roof.  So there's my answer.  Out again comes my trusty seam ripper and out go the poorly sewn stitches.   

And it's just a little killing me.  I want so to be done!  But my haste is doing nothing but bring me heartache instead of the joy of a beautiful gift to give.  So I need a break.  Not a long one, I don't think.  I'll work on the scarf for my mom, which is coming along pretty nicely, by the way.  And I'll cast on another Baby Surprise Jacket for knitting on the trip.  And a friend said she's teach my to knit hats while we're visiting.  And I'll finish up my library books before we leave and take just one book with me.  So I think I'll keep plenty busy.  But I need to stop thinking ahead to whatever comes next and just enjoy what I am creating now. 

 I think this will be really, really beneficial in my quest for peace.  Learning to enjoy the here and now is probably something I struggle the most with - I think most of my other challenges (in attitude or however you think of it) come either from not enjoying where I'm at or lead to not enjoying where I'm at.  A "which came first" kind of cycle.  So I am going to enjoy this scarf project, gosh darn it, not just the thought of giving the scarf.  Even knowing there is another one in green waiting in the wings.  I'm going to be in the process not rushing on to what I can finish next. 

So here we be.  It's gently folded and stashed away from small sticky hands.  The threads are thrown out and the pins and seam ripper are safely stored.  For another time when I can get back to imagining the happy couple snuggled under it and I can take my time putting the care and love into it that they deserve. 

Done!

 Here's the finally finished quilt.  I've only been working on it since last summer.  Sadly for projects (and me) in such a small apartment with two curious boys the sewing machine has to live in its case which makes it very tough to work on things.  Most evenings it's too much hassle to set it all up just to have to pack it all away again.  :(  On the list for the next place we live is a safe spot where I can keep projects and the machine out, so maybe once in a while I can sew. 

 If I were to do it again I would switch around the Ohio Star block with the orange - the animal print in place of the white, orange where the animals are now, and blue where the orange is.  Live and learn.  But it really doesn't look this stark, the photo does wash out the animals when they are in such a small piece. 

This is my favorite :)