hi. i'm here.

hi. 

i'm here.

it's august? 

what?

in a normal world... the one planned in 2019... i was supposed to be back in texas this weekend at a concert with my best friend.

instead, i was mostly at home, planning out things for her virtual baby shower in a few weeks.

please imagine a mega eye roll and sigh here.

i've been terrible at getting projects done, but i need to kick it in to high gear.

especially since my work schedule basically isn't going to change in a few weeks.

usually we'd have our big prek start the year meeting in about a week and half, but whelp... preschool isn't happening for me until at least january 2021, if at all.

in the meantime, more spirit days have come, in which more masks have been crafted to suit each theme.  i've been using the orange dot quilts simple mask pattern for these, and 2 out of 2 of us agree they're great. (besides the mickey masks, i've only been making them for myself and one coteacher, because we're the ones going all out on spirit day)

please enjoy my obscure mask selfies, plus a full view of my disney 2.0 ensemble, featuring watermelon.a week ago (the 25?  was that a week? ish?) i was able to do a drive by quilt delivery, so that means new content will be coming soon!

well... more new content beyond what i have to catch up with.

plus, i sewed a tote bag friday night to show on satuday's live show.  it turned out really cute, and it is festive... so it was a win-win to try and get my sewjo going beyond the occasional mask and frantic pj pants.

i need to go back to my 15 minutes a day sewing.

i think i will make that my goal for august.  i was so productive in march, and that was even before i was off work.  creating it to be something i need to check off each day will hopefully fuel my fire and get crafty again.

i also have a cross stitch i still haven't finished.

probably because we're still dwelling in the dot over the i in this jeremy bearimy called 2020.

here's to productivity this coming week.

if i had a glass, i'd cheers to it.

so instead, i'll just chug my hydroflask.

checking in... it's july now?

july.... we're here somehow.

crazy right?

i keep tagging these posts 2020 quarantine, but i don't even know if this phase is still considered quarantine?  california seems to be going all over the place.  phase 2, phase 3, back to phase 2.  ack.

my quilt finishing ability has slowed WAY down... so here's to trying to turn that around quickly.a week ago from saturday, i got my water bottle pimped out. 

so that's cool.

a gal i've known since elementary school got a "new to her" cricut, so she's been playing with it.  jealous

i've wanted a name sticker forever, so i threw some ideas at her, and she knocked it out of the park.

at least one of us was being crafty, right?

monday of this last week was cooler, so i made more meatball blobs.

at least i can have variety in my food again.

which also means i need to go grocery shopping.

honestly, my last two weeks were pretty uneventful, much like the update post prior.

my sewjo was zonked for the most part, but when it came to the middle of last week and i decided my coteachers and i needed some masks for spirit day on friday, well... i had to make it happen.

and it was very worth it.i used the orange dot quilts simple mask pattern and after a bit of mix ups, they turned out perfect.  our spirit day theme was "disney/star wars" so since it was the last day of work before july 4th, we decided to take a heavy patriotic spin to it as well.

survey says: these masks were great.

they didn't suck in to our mouths while talking/teaching and i had no struggles the whole day.

my head hurt, but that was because of my headband combined with my walkie talkie earpiece.  i didn't fuss with it at all, and it didn't pull at my ears.

the only problem was that i don't drink as much water when wearing the masks.  my hydroflask was still pretty full at the end of my 6 hour shift.

if i have to make any more masks, i'll probably use this pattern again.come last thursday, my productivity bug was itching, so i decided to get to work on a baby quilt.

i had previously cut the squares on sunday at my parent's, and then they sat.  (i'm doing angela pingel's take heart pattern, by the way)

thursday night i made my half square triangles, pulled out and hung up my new design wall, and got everything laid out.  i also cut out the curved pieces, but didn't trust myself to sew curves at 10pm.  so i ate ice cream instead.  whoops.

friday i slept in, worked at the quilt shop, and then after a hearty meal of in-n-out, i knocked out those curves, and the rest of the quilt top at that.

two quilts with curves in one quarantine, let alone one year?

i might be losing my mind.

but we already knew that.

saturday i ran errands and then spend the afternoon/evening at my coworker's to celebrate the 4th.

spent time in the pool, at some bbq, blew up things, and had a good time overall.

sunday i woke up eventually, opened instagram, and found my patriotic picnic quilt featured on missouri star company's instagram account.  whaaaat? check it out here!

basically, spent a lot of the day folding laundry... washing laundry... folding more laundry...

here we are at another monday, ready to kick things in to gear and do the same things we do every week.

work hard and do nothing else because we're not allowed to.

black, white & pink fast lane lap quilt

ah yes... another quarantine quilt finished.

much like the patriotic picnic quilt, this was another project that i had chopped up last year on a whim, simply because i was in the mood to cut things out.  fast forward about a year, quarantine hit, and i needed something to sew!  this one was also on my UFO challenge list for the year and in all honesty, i didn't know how it was going to turn out.  

but...

i LOOOOOOVE it.

i seriously started cutting this fabric thinking it was going to be a HOT mess, and continued to feel that way as i was piecing things together.  but once it was all in block form and ready to go, i could see the final crazy picture.  and you know what... it is just so crazy that it works REALLY well.

the pattern itself calls for 10" squares, which instead of using a charm pack, i used a bunch of black and white prints.  these prints were from YEARS ago when i made ties to raffle off for a march of dimes fundraiser as well as a few other projects.  i didn't have the correct measurements for some of the other pieces, so i just cut my fabric and hoped for the best.   the inner pink came from my pudgecat vent quilt, and once i ran out of that, i added in the outer hot pink to be the middle border.  i'm not quite sure where that came from though...  the green came from my 2015 halloween costume, where i dressed up as disgust from inside out, and then later scraps turned in to snails for my garden snails 2.0 quilt, which i absolutely kept.  the tie dye strips came from an apron created during the great apron party of 2018 which helped be the perfect connection between the black and white, pink and green.  i'm not 100% sure where the black came from though... but i know it was the PERFECT amount! once this quilt was finished, i knew it needed quilting that would complement it, but not quite compete with it.  this rose pantograph was perfect for that, since it helped soften things up without competing for attention.  i used my light blue thread on it, to tie in with the blue of the tie dye, but also contract with the black border just enough to look really cool.  then, i only had to worry about a small portion of things looking perfect.  well... we won't zoom in on those oops moments anyways!the ONLY thing i purchased for this quilt was the binding, which was looking pretty iffy for a second.  the racks of cotton were wiped out, but luckily, this neon green was there and was the perfect way to balance the skinny row of green flowers and help it look as intentional as it was. i didn't even purchase batting... i wish i took a full photo of some of my frankenstein monster masterpieces... they were INTENSE.the back of this quilt... that was a case of "just a little bit more... no just a liiiiiiiittle bit more" like no other.  i started piecing. then had to add another strip.  then another.  then i was afraid i was running out of fabric so i had to add in a third.  by the last chunk, i was piecing 4 pieces together just to have one long strip.  but it coordinates well enough, right?  i think so anyways... at least you don't see the front and the back at the same time.  unless you're using your quilt in a weird way.  anyways.... i do love how the roses pop out on the backing and really create texture here that you don't see on the front because of all the prints.

i probably could have easily convinced myself to keep this quilt as well.

BUT the goal is to eliminate fabric stash to buy more pretty stuff for me to stash and look at, right?

just say yes.

i think this pattern turned out quite well, and would love to see it in a totally different color way.  maybe something more autumnal or pastel. these colors were BOLD and there is no denying that in any way.  it is pretty fun to be able to look at a project and be able to recall all the projects that came before it.  this feels like a weird ancestral call back.  someone awaken the great stone dragon!

pattern: fast lane
quilt count: 135

the OG jelly roll race

in the midst of all the quarantine/bingo jelly roll racing, there was on that sat alone and neglected in my closet, waiting to be finished up and brought to life.  that almost sounds like a Pinocchio "real boy" situation, but it's pretty accurate am i right?

in 2017, i received my first jelly roll EVER after being part of maker monday for awhile, since it was handed out on the year celebration of the maker monday gang.  i was a few months behind from the original start date, but i love a good oprah-esque celebration.  "you get a jelly roll!  you get a jelly roll! EVERY-BODY GETS A JELLY ROOOOOOOOOOLL"

it was a shades of orange and yellow batik jelly roll, so it sat for a bit, waiting for the perfect idea.  and it sat... and sat... and sat some more.  in the following year or so, angelina hosted a jelly roll race which i had been dying to participate in.  i used that batik jelly roll plus a few strips to make it the full 42 to make this popsicle of a quilt. as far as the race goes, i finished in second place.  using batiks for my first one in a race setting proved difficult, since there is no true front or back side.  that meant there was quite a bit of ripping and resewing seams to get them in the correct direction for that first end to end seamline.  once it was done, it just went in the closet and sat.  quilt tops were folded on top of it as they came in and out, but this beast sat around.that is, until quarantine 2020 hit and i had a LOT of time on my hands during a wave of unemployment.  after i pulled lots of other things here and there, i ended up back at this beast and decided it was time to finish it up.

the back was pulled from inherited yardage, with a chunk added in to make it work.  or so i thought.  well, stay tuned for that info at the end.  when i went to long arm it, i found this feathery pantograph that was a perfect reflection of the prints in the fabrics themselves.  it quilted up pretty quickly, and the more i looked at it, the more i liked it more.  as i was trimming it up at my parents, i nearly convinced myself to keep it once it was bound.  i started calling it the mushu quilt, since it was orange and blue, just like a certain cat that inspired this blog title/logo art.after squaring it up and everything... well, just trimming the edges really... i think it is still a little lopsided... the hunt for binding was on.  at this point, i was willing to take anything that went with these colors, and on a trip to joann's, found this yellow batik that went quite well with it.  i suppose i could have gone for a scrappy binding, but that would have required even more of a fabric hunt!  after photographing this quilt, i left it with my parents to be donated to their church's humanitarian aide, since i really don't NEED another quilt... yet.  at least i will have this blog post to look back at, should i ever need to reminisce about the mushu colored jelly roll quilt.  well... mushu is kind of a jelly roll in himself

for the fun of it, and since i'm still trying to figure out this whole quilty video/vlog style of stuff, i recorded the quilting process of this as well.  check it out here:

i think my next video (once i get through what i have) will be more of a complete start to finish of a quilt.  i have a few baby quilts i haven't even done the pattern or fabric selection for, so that might be a fun start, especially since i work at a quilt shop now!

pattern: jelly roll race
quilt count: 134

june is hot and exhausting

need i say more?

the past few weeks have slowly but quickly flown by.

it is a weird feeling.  

now having gone back to both jobs for a few weeks now, i am (understandably) more tired when i get home so i haven't been sewing much.  which is nice to know i'm earning money during this time, but still a bummer that leisure time is now "zone out on the couch time"

speaking of which... anyone else a zoey's extraordinary playlist fan?  my coworker kept telling me about it, so i sat down to watch one episode on thursday and ended up forcing myself to stop after three!

last sunday, sacmqg did have a sew day, and i managed to complete one of the baby quilt tops that i needed to... so that's something, right?

i have a second one shopped for, and nearly worked on it yesterday at my parent's house... but lounging on the couch watching tv was much more appealing.

here's to a hopefully productive week, filled with rainbows, sunshine and lots of sleep.

i really need to tell myself it is OKAY that i don't stay awake until 10 or 11...

5:30 is an early wake up call.  especially when you're not a morning person.

the rainbow village

the crazy thing is, that this project started pre-shutdown, and yet ended up representing the 2020 quarantine to a T. what better way to represent this chaos than rows and rows of houses that are likely filled with people at their windows waiting to go outside again.  but we all know that feeling all to well, since we've been living it.

back in february, a local quilt shop (that in a weird turn of quarantine events, i now work for) started to host a weekly "village quilt along" making all the houses for the moda village quilt.  i ran out and bought the pattern from the local shop (caliquiltco, holla!) and then debated my stash 10 THOUSAND times before coming up with a decision.  i figured that since i had so much kona left over from my paper piecing projects, i may as well chop through it to make all my houses and really clear out some inventory.

there were larger chunks of some colors compared to others (for example... red was from the beauty and the beast rose pillow, and greens were from boba fett) so balancing out the quilt was an event to come later on.  in the end, it became very clear this was a quilt i could't just donate and never see again... i mean... JUST LOOK AT IT!

my houses were made with rainbow colors galore... piglet pinks, tigger oranges, zazu blues and so much more.  knowing each of these fabrics came from a variety of projects made the rainbow of homes that much more special.  i decided to do chimneys sporadically on different homes, just to add some variety in to the mix.having all the doors shades of gray helped unify everything, and kept me from going crazy trying to fussy cut something to put in each doorway... because i totally went that vibe with my brain at one point.  the simple white kona helped everything pop... and i just love looking at it. now you see why it was so hard to just give away?  not yet?  okay.  let's look at more.<the crazy thing is, that this project started pre-shutdown, and yet ended up representing the 2020 quarantine to a T. what better way to represent this chaos than rows and rows of houses that are likely filled with people at their windows waiting to go outside again.  but we all know that feeling all to well, since we've been living it.

back in february, a local quilt shop (that in a weird turn of quarantine events, i now work for) started to host a weekly "village quilt along" making all the houses for the moda village quilt.  i ran out and bought the pattern from the local shop (caliquiltco, holla!) and then debated my stash 10 THOUSAND times before coming up with a decision.  i figured that since i had so much kona left over from my paper piecing projects, i may as well chop through it to make all my houses and really clear out some inventory.

there were larger chunks of some colors compared to others (for example... red was from the beauty and the beast rose pillow, and greens were from boba fett) so balancing out the quilt was an event to come later on.  in the end, it became very clear this was a quilt i could't just donate and never see again... i mean... JUST LOOK AT IT!

my houses were made with rainbow colors galore... piglet pinks, tigger oranges, zazu blues and so much more.  knowing each of these fabrics came from a variety of projects made the rainbow of homes that much more special.  i decided to do chimneys sporadically on different homes, just to add some variety in to the mix.having all the doors shades of gray helped unify everything, and kept me from going crazy trying to fussy cut something to put in each doorway... because i totally went that vibe with my brain at one point.  the simple white kona helped everything pop... and i just love looking at it. now you see why it was so hard to just give away?  not yet?  okay.  let's look at more.the colorful houses also remind me of the painted ladies in san francisco. 90's kids... you know the scene from the opening credits of full house that i'm talking about...the quilting took a little more thought than originally planned.  i knew it was going to be light blue, since that's one of my three colors of isocord that i have, and it also blended well with the blues in the quilt.  but the pantograph was another debate.  it could have been puppy paws or hearts or flowers of sorts... but i didn't want it to be too obvious if my lines were off.  i thought i had settled on one (and subtlety asked the decided recipient which she liked) but when i arrived to quilt this sucker, i found this ivy-ish design that reminded me so much of my favorite storybook that i had to use it.  that's right.  madeline has moved to SF and brought her vine covered lifestyle with her.  as usual, i nearly second guessed myself when i stitched out the first row.  after staring at it for a long time and deciding not to rip it out, i kept going and in the end... it is perfection. mind you, that is by my standards, not actual perfection.the binding was purchased after the quilting was complete, and i knew i needed a shade of blue kona to tie it all together.  none of my scraps were big enough, so i called up caliquiltco to see what they had, and blueprint became the color of choice.  so on a tuesday afternoon, which was also the recipient's birthday, the binding was attached and the quilt was complete!
but before we finish, we gotta talk about the back.  this is basically a quilt in of itself.  apparently the term for that is afterquilt?  (or so i was told by karen brown of just get it done quilts)

i was determined to piece this back and use up a ton of scraps and have it look "cool scrappy" not "crappy scrappy"

and my mental image turned out perfect.

i knew i wanted us to have our own houses on the back (mine is blue, hers is orange for the giants) with cats in our yards.  from there, i scrappy pieced low volume fabric to make that row, plus pieced the large chunks of blue and gray to create the bottom.  another chunk of gray for the top row with a hint of baseball to fit the width.  now, i didn't pick blue at random.  i do recall it is one of her favorite colors.  if i had a large amount of giant's fabric, that would have also made the cut... but for now, her orange house must do.  speaking of our houses...i knew these fingerprint cats would be perfect for us to have in our "yards", especially since her cat kyo is in fact an orange chub.  there wasn't a single elroy looking fingerprint cat, so i went with this funny little guy eating next to mine.  seems appropriate enough.i decided this would not just be a birthday gift, but instead be considered an "open adoption" to ease the stress of receiving a handmade gift (her mom is a quilter, so she knows the time and effort that goes in to such a task).  considering the last "quilt" i made her was a dophin rag quilt probably about 10 years ago, it was about time that she got something legit.  as much fun and importance it is to make charity quilts, i just really needed this particular quilt to go to a hand selected home.  and i've already seen photos of it in use, so that's even better.

would i make this quilt again?  probably.  i still have a whole bunch of kona that didn't make the cut for this color way.  it was hard to have owl and kanga brown houses mixed in with the bright colors!

pattern: moda village

quilt count: 133

mom's quarantine cat quilt

in the mix of my 2 weeks of marathon long arming, one of the projects i did was a quilt my mom put together as one of her "quarantine stash busts."  she had purchased the panels at some point as well as the coordinating fabrics and then, much like projects do, it sat.

after determining the layout, i curbside picked up some grunge to fill in the sashing, which was followed by a round 2 of curbside to pick up the grunge for the backing and then fill out the binding.

i used this pantograph on the jelly roll race 2.0, so when i saw that my mom's quilt had the same loopy daisy flowers on it, i knew it was perfect.

quilted it up, bound it and then boom!  complete.

now it resides on the back of their couch
i'm not adding this to my quilt count, since it wasn't fully my project.

it cracks me up how a lot of these cat's faces look like big doofus though!

now that this one is done, we're looking at just needed to get 7 more of my quilts posted...  all while starting the next round of new projects.  ack!