50 finishes in 2020 check in

i realized i mentioned at the start of the year (at least i think i did) that my goal was to complete 50 projects in 2020.
whether i mentioned it here or not, i realized that i never posted my list here in addition to the lettuce craft website.
so now that we're over halfway through may, here's the list as well as a few things to note in regards to items on the list.  this currently consists of quilts and cross stitched items:

planned or started
top finished
quilted
completed

wonky stars
juniper berry quilt 
disney i spy - 1 
disney i spy - 2
disney i spy - 3
london themed quilt
festive fir quilt 
music quilt 1
fast lane quilt
free wheeling single girl
herringbone craftster block
music quilt 2
good place cross stitch
red, white & blue katie's quilt 
village sew along
fussy cut sampler
brooklyn 99 cross stitch 
universal timeline cross stitch
jelly roll race (orange)
jelly roll race (purple, teal & gray)
baby boy quilt (pooh bear) 
baby girl quilt (teal cats)
baby girl quilt (muppets)
bff baby quilt
baby girl quilt
madeline mini quilt
mom's cat quilt (quilting and binding only)

total pairs pajamas sewn: 6
total masks sewn: i don't even care to count anymore

looking at it currently and the phases most things are in makes me feel good.
i might not get to 50 with the "big" projects, but that's where the pajama pants will come in as a buffer.
i'm sure i'm well over 50 with the masks alone, since i've made 12 just in this last week alone!

are you there, followers? it's me, emily...

hello there, friends & followers.
i know, it has been quite a bit of silence over here, but hopefully that is about to change... with a little time.  march was a rough month between school, work, and life in general, but hopefully we're about to get back on the up swing of things.  i've got a handful of tricks up my sleeves (which aren't very long these days... 80 degrees in march, say what?!) and need to regain the energy to churn them out in to reality!
here's a few things in the works at the moment
pudge catvent
yeah, that's still a thing that is sitting on my sewing table untouched.  but progress has been made towards completion.  a few weeks back my mom and i went to meissner's and attempted to purchase a walking foot set, but they were out of stock.  we placed an order and have yet to get the call that it came in.  i should probably give them a call and find out what's up.  it is patiently waiting though, unlike the cat that it resembles...
ruffle apron
still on my to-do list, but will ideally get knocked out soon enough.  it's currently packed up and ready to be chopped and assembled.  MAYBE aileen will get it before she leaves for byu-i in the fall... just maybe...
surprise project
this is one that i got the spur of the moment idea for, and then began piecing things together.  i got through all of the paper piecing section of it a week ago yesterday, and then it just sat there.  getting through this last week of work before the break was exhausting... but now it's spring break and i intend to get it knocked out this week.  fingers crossed.
kitten mini quilt swap
done, sent, and received by my partner!  that will appear on the blog this week so you can oogle at it's kitty-ness.  my mom said i should make her a bed quilt size one... YIKES.  i can't imagine paper piecing something to that proportion.
leaving on a jet plane
yep.  you read that right!  come 6ish tonight, i will be on a plane and heading out of california for the week.  i've packed up my projects in my suitcase and will be off to colorado for some more cousinly bonding/crafting time.  be sure to follow on instagram for all our raging good times :)  i am quite excited for the break away from the every day normality, that's for sure.  alas, this time i don't have any flashback posts for you like the last time i went to colorado.  i hope you'll be okay :)

weekend wips

hang on tight, peeps.
it's finals week.
i'm down to 2 reflections, 7 peer responses, and 2 final exams.
the end is in sight.
baby boy quilt
after starting my pudge cat blocks, i established i should probably get this done as well.
i bought a wavy edge ruler to draw the quilting lines, and this past weekend drew a few lines, quilted.  drew a few more lines.  quilted.  etc. etc. until it was done.  and then i had to deal with the crooked-ness of the quilt, since my front piece was not the same size as my back piece.  once all were straightened and good to go, it was binding time.  and then i cut my binding 1/2" too skinny.  oops.  luckily i still had enough to recut and complete the binding.  now, it sits and awaits me to do all the binding sewing.  sounds like some parks & rec binging is in my future...  provided my sister is compliant.
pudge-catvent
these blocks have been coming together fairly well.  my first two days were a bit rough, because i had some really crummy white fabric.  wednesday got put off because it is my longest day of work & school (for now) and also i was mad about my fabric.  thursday i was able to get out and get new white fabric and bust out 8 kitties that night.  friday i did them in the morning after work, and then saturday was around 11pm... super long day.  so once i finished saturday's kitties at about 11:30, i did yesterdays, and finished them just after midnight.  kitty party hardy.  now we stand at 28 out of 100 cats already.  moving right along!  the hardest part so far is trying to mix and match all the fabrics without overly favoring another.  i really love a lot of the white on white prints i have, so those are easy to mix around.  the black ones though... i have a few very much favorites that i've been trying to do not SO much of... but don't be surprised if you see a whole lot of cats with black on black stars... that's the front runner favorite at the moment.  guess i should shop even MORE for variety.  am i right?

weekend wips

hello december.  how did you happen already??
we're back at it, my friends.  even if just for a little bit.
i apologize for the slew of posts that were just my 365 project for the past forever long.  school got super in the way for awhile, but hey!  next week is the last week of the semester.  hip hip hoorah!  anyways, there has been a little bit of crafting going on over here, and a little bit of prep work for a project that is set to start today.  yikes!  let's hope i'm not a liar about that once i get off work today at 3, and that homework and craftiness can play together hand in hand. this list is a whole lot less extensive than some of the prior weekend wips posts, with only two projects on it as of right now.
baby boy quilt
my aunt asked me to make another baby quilt for her, this one for a baby boy of one of her coworkers.  the theme was "travel" with boats, airplanes, hot air balloons and such for the suggested decor for the nursery.  i found a fantastic map quilt pattern on pinterest, and away i went.  my mom helped trace out all the pieces, and this past week i wonder undered them all, cut out the pieces and got them all together.  thursday-saturday i stitched everything in place for reinforcement, and then late saturday night i safety pinned the three laters together.  next, it's onward to basting and quilting it all.  whoot!
catvent 2014
ladies & gents, we're back again with another glorious catvent quilt.  last year's quilt was super fun, and i had pretty much been planning this one since i finished the other.  instead of doing the small 25 again, we're going big my friends.  super big.  100 cats big.  and not just any 100 cats.  100 pudge cats.  what's a pudge cat, you might ask?  this.
many of you know the love/hate relationship between my cat & myself, and when this previous catvent happened, i knew at some point i wanted to make one full of little elroys, almost in a 101 dalmations sense, but kitties.  perfect, right?  as you can see in the preview photo, i even have some pink fabric left over from my coloradifornia cameras quilt to give some of them little pink noses.  oh it cracks me up inside so much.
it should ideally end up the same size as my cameras quilt (lap size) and i just cannot wait.  i'm hoping to stick to the cat a day guidelines as last year - this year four of each "cat" each day but with all my class assignments needed to be done by december 13th, plus work as well, i forsee some days may get doubled up.  in the meantime, all fabric is prewashed and dried as we speak,the outside pieces for all the blocks have been cut and stacked, and now it all waits to be ready for things to happen.  be sure to follow along on instagram to see the kitty quartets as they finish up.
if you've never heard of this fantastic catvent before, check it out here at ohfrasson.com for the quilt along for it.  she's got some other super cute animal patterns on there as well that i'm dying to try in the future.
happy monday, all of you!

weekend wips

there was sewing
there was painting
there were failed attempts
there was seam ripping
and there was more sewing
yesterday was a fairly busy sewing day.
lots of projects got moved forward
and a few bummed out moments happened.
here is the recap of the last two weeks
sewvivor:
well, today wraps up all of sewvivor over at family ever after, and what a journey it has been
four projects completed, all of which i am quite pleased with.  as a little link back, here are the four projects completed in order:
fun with flags
sweet retreat's little sister
hexing around
coloradifornia cameras
as promised, here are a few "in progress" photos of the camera quilt, since this post didn't happen last week:
quilt block swap:
i've officially finished up 5 partner sets, and i have 3 to knock out in the next 3 weeks.  considering i paper pieced a block, finished off a set of cats, and threw some red, white & blue strips together yesterday, i think i'll be okay.  no more weekend commitments at the moment (minus sarah & ray's wedding on the 11th) so i'll be good to go with time.
my three left to do are:
3 paper pieced blocks of my choosing
3 disappearing 9 patch blocks
3 blocks in person's personal design.
so close, and so far away
birthday present:
so my plan has been to screen print a shirt for my buddy andrew's birthday, but i went to do it yesterday, and the emulsion all washed off my screen :(  this was AFTER trying to get kinkos to print my transparency, but they refused.  i got the transparency printed at home, and still had a fail.  luckily, i've got a pretty awesome present for him still even without the shirt.  you'll be seeing that later this week, as i'll be seeing him tonight :)
other gifts:
knocked out four more today, with two more in progress.
i'm quite pleased with having all these small projects to do at the moment, since the lap quilt was so extensive (and took a lot of my arm strength... oy!)
halloween costume:
this year, i don't think i'm going to be making a new costume, but instead just revisiting the big bird idea i had planned out for two years ago.  the yellow dress is already made, and i purchased the costume headband off of amazon this weekend.  the tights have been floating around my room, waiting to be painted now and then it's just down to shoes.  right now, my plans are another murder mystery dinner at melissa's (given that i am currently scheduled to teach classes until 7pm that night until further notice) so i don't see a need to go all out and make a new costume this year.  party hardy, my friends.

as far as this week in posts goes, i'm hoping to have at least one or two finished project posts, as well as the weekly 365 project.  i cannot believe we are already at week 39 now people... where the heck did 2014 go?  this is madness, i tell you.

weekend wips

i feel like this week has been madness all around.
i'm a little impressed i even got up yesterday, considering how exhausted i was after saturday.
 and i get to do it all again this week and then some. yaaaaaaaaay....
sewvivor:
still moving right along with the hexagon challenge on this one.
i got all of the quilting done yesterday afternoon, and then began to slowly work through removing the basting.  after an engagement session out in davis, i finished all the basting removal, made the binding and then attached it.  all that is left is the handsewing.  my goal is to get this posted by thursday of this week... but between preschool observations, working interviews, homework and work work... i am hesitant of that happening...  positive vibes on all accounts, people!  then it's on to the lap quilt.  which i can hopefully bust out in time as well.  the plus side, i have some pieces already together on that one since i put them together in colorado.
quilt block swap:
i knocked out another set of three blocks last week.  well, on monday or tuesday i believe... whenever we ate dinner at arby's and i watched some undercover boss.  anyways, that makes 2 full sets completely done, and i think 6 more to do.  i should really get going on those as well.  i anticipate them coming together quite quickly once all sewvivor projects are complete.
scrappy square what-not
this really isn't an "in progress" project at the moment, but it should be mentioned that my mom found yet ANOTHER box of flannel that was used for christmas eve pjs in the past.  so as i was off second shooting with a photographer in tahoe on saturday, she chopped some squares out for herself, and a second set for me.  add that collection to my box, and yet again, put to the back burner.
gift collection
these gifts have an on going theme, and they'll randomly be completed from now until the holiday season.  i knocked another one off my list this past week, simply because i had the time for it and nothing else.  (clearly i could have been working on my hexagon challenge, but it hadn't set it to be crunch time yet).
additionally, i ordered some great fabric to go for a wedding gift for sarah & raymond's wedding next month.  i really love ebay sometimes...  random, yet perfect finds on there.  i'm so excited to see the fabric in reality, because it is quite perfect for them.

and now, i enter panic mode for a working interview tomorrow.
eeeeeeps.  here's to hoping i survive until next monday.

weekend wips

i almost saved this post for tuesday, since it was a "three day weekend" in real job world... but in mine line of work...  well, i'm at work right now actually.  besides i did a million things yesterday (it seems) and here's a smidge about it.
so saturday we went to mongolian bbq for dinner (yum) and as usual, there are fortune cookies.  i opened mine, and it said "the project you have in mind with soon gain momentum."  i laughed, thinking about the 20 million different things on the sewing table that are my project, and tossed it in to my wallet as i do with all my other fortunes and went on with it.  yesterday rolled around, and i decided to buckle down and get a few things knocked out for my quilt block swap, starting with one that i deemed hard.  well, after much sewing, grumbling and seam ripping, i finished four blocks yesterday.  not too shabby if you ask me!  as for the rest of the week, i did a few things here and there squished between back to school & work.
sewvivor:
i finished all the blocks for my hexagon challenge, and now that i've progressed on my quilt block swap, i just need to piece everything together, quilt it and call it good.  i'm certain it will be a breeze, and then it is onward to the final lap quilt project (which i bought most of the fabric for this past week as well) and i think all i am lacking now is the border & the backing.
quilt block swap:
as far as this project goes, i completed four blocks yesterday.
i did a paper pieced eggplant for the "represent your hometown/state/country" group.  where are my loomis-ites at with the eggplant festival reference?  yeah, i thought it was pretty fitting.  and actually pretty easy.  makes me a little less scared about paper piecing.  i just need to work on cutting my fabric pieces a smidge bigger in order to get them to cover the whole spot they need to fill, plus seam allowance.  it took me three tries to get the pieces to not flop over and get sewn in the fold.  good thing i bought lots of purple.
the other block i did was the ribbon star block which took up most of my day.  had i referred back to the instructions and the words more than just assuming by the pictures, there may have been a lot less seam ripping and resewing... my mom helped a lot on that, so major kudos to her.  i finished all three blocks that were necessary for that person and can now check that off my list and move on to the next ones :)
christmas gifts
tis the season, right?  well, it will be here before we know it... and that means it's time to get crackin!
in the past, i've bought gifts for friends, but lately, i've started making things.  once year, i made all my friends pajama pants, and other years i know i've cross stitched a thing or two (at least for aileen & jenny).  this year, i've already set out on what i plan to make my friends (not quilts) and have started to hunt stores for the perfect fabrics.  as i find them, i tend to pick them up and add them to my fabric hoard (which is still in it's haven't done anything with state) and plan to get them all going at the same time.
birthday gifts
 a special someone has a birthday at the end of this month, and i've started to work on their birthday gift in the mix of all this holiday/swap/sewvivor madness.  yet another "perfect fabic" moment that just had to happen.  when you see the end result, you'll totally agree.  don't you worry :)

weekend wips

another week of works in progress...  much of it was devoted to the music camp quilt, but it was absolute progress in that market, considering it had to be done by friday at the latest.  and yet, other things were still able to get done!
unfortunately i really don't have any individual photos for each segment, but anyways.  here we goooooo...
music camp donation quilts:
done, sent off and finished for the year.
i thought i would get some hand sewing done earlier on in the week so it could be sent up wednesday, but it just didn't happen.  i finished it late wednesday night (thanks to my dance class being cancelled for the evening) and then thursday sewed on the tag and photographed it.  sent it on it's way friday, and it was on to a new home.
moral of the story:  i will totally try and start these a little sooner next year.  i think i remember crunching to get them done last year, and that just makes for no fun with crafting.
baby girl quilt:
last week i knocked out the strips in one day, and this past week i continued forward and got the squares cut, chopped to triangled, resewed together, and then trimmed down.  originally i had a different pattern in mind, but it just wasn't working for me.  as of last night, the quilting was finished, and awaits binding.  that seems to be a common theme.  waiting on binding.  sounds like the title for my autobiography or something.  once the binding is a done deal, it's off to my aunt to deliver it to the recipient.  whoot!
room extravaganza:
i rolled 3 tubs worth of fabric on to comic book boards on monday, and that's pretty much as far as i got.  on the plus side, i only have one more tub of fabric to roll!  well... i know there is hidden fabric out in the living room to deal with as well.  ugh.  it's been quite a lull in productivity for this, but things are gradually getting back in motion.  i've got just under two weeks now until i leave for a week, and then school starts...  perhaps i should try and get something in motion...  yargh.
the color run:
a coworker of mine got me to sign up for the color run, which we participated in this past saturday.  it was my first 5k (or anything with the word "run" in it that i willingly signed up for) and it was a blast.  sure, i did a lot of walking, but there was a smidge of jogging that i did too.  it was quite a bit of fun.  how this fits in with the weeked wips is that i made a no sew tutu for the event.  knocked that sucker out in a day or so.  i'll have a post on that soon, once i get all my phone photos organized from it :)
sewvivor:
in case you missed the edit to last week's weekend wips, i was not selected to be one of the top 16 for this season of sewvivor.  i'm a little bummed, but will still push onward and keep my happy crafting going.  i still plan to do the challenges, which the first two i need to knock out in the next two weeks before i go to colorado on the 15th (bought my first ever plane ticket for my first ever flight!) to ensure that i have my crafts done and entered for the sew-along portion of the competition.  all crafting will not cease while out of state, but i would like to have the sewvivor projects moving right along.
craftster swaps:
i took the plunge and signed up for my first craftster swap since 2009.  especially so since i've really gotten the quilting bug, but don't always want to have to make a finished product right away.  so i signed up for a quilt block swap, where i get assigned a group and make 3 or 4 of each of their blocks in exchange for them to make 3 or 4 of mine.  this will probably end up being the project that i work on in colorado, so that will be fun and small to do instead of heaving a beastly project with me on a plane.

weekend wips

another week, more WIPS.  here we go!
music donation quilts:
considering one is due to be raffled off at the end of this week, it was crunch time.
i got the binding sewn on the triangles one for the first week, and spent my weekend in reno powering through the hand sewing.  on saturday night, between winning a game of rummikub, attempting to learn cribbage & sitting outside by the hot tub, i got about a side and a half done.  yesterday i powered through most of another side before heading homeward.  i'm certain it will be done very quickly, no problem.  i've sent the camp photos off to be printed, so currently there is nothing standing in my way.
quilt number 2 is coming along swimmingly.  i powered through the top assembly last week, followed by quilting it as well.  all the quilting is complete, and it is currently waiting for the binding to be attached and then in the hand sewing phase.  once that is all done, it will be time to head forward to the next projects... FINALLY.
baby girl quilt
this will probably be the next thing i power through after getting the music quilts done.  the pattern blocks are fairly simple, which will lead to easy quilting and such.  all these "work" quilts before i get down and dirty to commit to the fun of the next ones...
sewvivor
the auditions close TODAY.... FINALLY.
the first week, it seemed like top 16 would be an easy pick, and that it would be a small crowd entering...  but this second week, the entries have BOOMED daily.  the last time i checked, there were over 50 entries.  it makes me even more anxious to get selected in the top 16.  i currently have the nautical & hexagon projects completely planned out (as well as fabric selected & purchased) and the pattern i intend to use for the bag challenge.  not sure on the fabrics for that, but i feel like the quilt projects will take longer than the bag.  i still have NO CLUE as far as what to do for the lap quilt project... i guess it is a good thing that is the last one on the list, hoping i make it that far in to the competition.  fingers crossed...  i'll be able to rest easy once that auditions are closed and it cannot keep growing for the week before the top 16 is announced.  eeps.
room cleaning o-rama
my replacement part finally arrived on thursday, so i wham-bammed put it together before and after i went to work.  one set of drawers got put in simply to clear the path for my mattress to be put on.  once i got mattress & sheets put on, it was claimed in the name of mushu bean.
last night i busted out the second set of drawers, and managed to fit my shirts in to 3 of them.  i threw some out for the donation/shirt quilt pile, but that is yet to be sorted through completely.  my bookshelf is shoved against what used to be my shirt cabinet, and stacks of books spewed out all over the floor.  my computer currently resides in the den/markham's room since i have a perimeter of stuff that needs to go somewhere around the room.  the plan is to get stuff moved around this week, and think real hard about the idea of putting my fabric on comic book boards to change that storage situation up as well instead of having all my fabric in tubs.  serious thoughts.  to be determined.
happy monday, y'all

weekend wips

here we are back at it, after a week full of crafting eventfulness and construction chaos.  this week has been mighty busy, and it is absolutely just an indicator of the weeks to come.  here's a look at whats been going on since last week, and a hint of what is still yet to come.
music donation raffle quilts
once i got down to it, these quilts zoomed right along.  yep.  progress made on both.
the triangle quilt is nearly done.  after sunday, i got the 12 rows sewn in to one big quilt top and trimmed down to size.  i had everything laid out and pinned to baste and when i picked it up, it was horrendously wrinkled on the backside.  so the next day it was unpinned, ironed, and duct taped down to the floor so no shifting would occur to the back.  i got most of the way through pinning before i ran out of pins.  saturday i bought another box of 300 and ran out (again... ugh) but was able to fudge it and get the basting going.  saturday was also the first time in a long time that i intentionally saw 1:30 in the morning.  i was determined to get this quilt basted, and once i got it basted, i found myself determined to get it quilted.  and it happened.  i spent yesterday pulling out all the basting, and whalaa, it is waiting to have binding made.  which i am waiting to do until i finish the quilt top for week 2 of music camp.
this one was easy to bust out.  i only had to make 3 more pinwheels since it is a repeat of one of last year's quilts, and then connect everything together.  by 11 or so last night, it was an entire top now just waiting on the 2nd border.  i am certain there are a handful of fabric store trips that will happen due to needing to get these quilts finished, but hopefully the pieces that i already have in my stash will help out as well.
my goal is that when i am in reno this weekend with amy & luke & jenny, i will be able to do some (if not all) of the hand sewing for the binding on one of these quilts.  i know, it sounds super classy to hang out at my friend's house and sew, but that's how i roll.  the first week of music camp starts next sunday, and i need to have that triangle quilt completed for when my dad goes up to camp midweek.  it would be even nicer to have it done when i am up there sunday to take their camp photo.  it should be no problem at all, but it is crazy how fast it all came together (once i got my act together of course)
baby girl quilt
some progress was made on this quilt.
as i was pacing joann's last week, i settled on a piece of fabric for the back but had yet to determine the front.  scrolling quickly through my pinterest, i found a block i became intrigued by, and decided to make that the official decision.  the fabric has been pre-washed, but that's about it.  but hey, it's progress, right?
sewvivor round 3
last monday the auditions for sewvivor 3 opened.
i had my entry all written out, but i wanted to wait and see what other people were writing before committing to it.  well, i decided to just go with my gut and keep my entry as it was, with all my back story and good stuff like that.  last night when i looked, there were exactly 16 entries, and still a week to go in the auditions.  my fingers and toes are crossed to get in this competition, so i have been painstakingly planning out what i will do for each of the challenges.  today my goal is to shop for the fabric for the first "nautical" challenge and get the ball rolling for that.  i've realized how chaotic my next two months are before school starts, so i really need to be on my crafting game and not get lazy with working on these projects.  especially if i end up in colorado next month for a week.  i have loved seeing all the different entries so far, and will probably be pinching myself if i get selected for the top 16.  stay tuned for the results on that.  i won't know until the 28th if i get in!
room cleaning-o-rama
oh this project.  things were going so well.
when i ordered my new bed, the company said it would arrive by july 21st.  figuring i had time, we weren't exactly in a hurry to get beds moved around.  i got an e-mail from sears saying my bed had shipped on the 8th, but no tracking number had shown up.  my mattress arrived on wednesday, and i thought i would be waiting forever to get the bed. on a whim, i checked it the morning of the 10th (last thursday) and it said it was out on the truck for delivery.  things got moved around while i was teaching that evening, and the bed had arrived while i was out.  i came home, and started moving along with putting the bed together.
this is where what it started like:
things went smoothly, attaching the drawer parts to the bed frame.  super easy.  ran to wal mart to get a mattress cover, and then came home to start getting the big pieces together.  and then we hit a road block.
this is where we're currently at:
when we were screwing the side parts to the top of the left side, one of the stabilizer nuts rotated and busted up the corner of the particle board, making it unable to get put together.  i filled out an online form for a defective part, and had to leave my bed as is.  so now i've been sleeping in joshua's old room (which i call the craft room now.  still hoping it will catch on) and my computer resides in markham's "when he's home from school" room... i guess it should be called the office then.  basically, i am in 3 rooms of the house.  it sounds bad, but really i only use one room for sleeping, one room for computerizing, & my room still holds all my junk.  my junk that is waiting to be able to be moved around and put in its new place.  perhaps i'll at least assemble some drawers in the next few days to figure out what exactly i can fit in each of them.
stash buster quilts
the most that happened on these quilts is that i cut a few more squares from fabrics my mom found in one more place, and then put the rest in the donation pile.  we had over 3 kitchen sized garbage bags full go off to the humanitarian group.  i hope that they'll be able to do something with even the smallest of scraps in there.
speaking of humanitarian, my mom shared this photo on my facebook page.
do those top quilts look familiar?  they're my winnie the pooh ribbon block quilts from last year!
it was great to see them in the pile of quilts completed, and somewhat inspired me to do some more stash busting quilt tops to donate.  we'll have to see where i stand once sewvivior is complete though ;)

weekend wips

and here we are, at the last "weekend wips" of 2013.  how far we've come since the beginning of the month.  the exciting thing is that most of the first list is complete!  the sad side, is that i am not sure how much stuff i will regularly have going at this point to keep these weekly posts going on in to the new year.  since school starts back up next month, my crafting time will be chopped down all over again.  so i better get a move on what i NEED to finish before then.  oy.  and as mentioned last week, i did in fact take my sewing machine in to get some overdue TLC lovin' for the new year.  one week down, hopefully less than two until i get my machine back.  until then, it's working with my mom's machine... which is basically the same as mine.  just not teal.
project a: almost done-er than it was before.  it's down to the "make or break" moment where i put on my big girl panties and work some magic.  that magic involves a lot of basting, stitch in the ditch-ing, and removing the basting.  and then binding.  binding will be a relief when it gets to that point...  because then end will most definitely be in sight.  i might add, for bragging rights, that this project has gotten pretty rave reviews from those that have been lucky enough to see it.  quite possibly even some of my best yet.  fancy fancy.
project b: finally done, delivered and can be revealed.  i took some of my younger brother's old shirts smuggled out of his closet by my mom and turned them in to a t-shirt quilt.  i am quite thrilled with how well it turned out.  stay tuned to see that puppy show up on the blog in the coming week-ish.
project c: done super ahead of schedule.  which is fantastic, because then i can dedicate myself to project a a little bit better.  it turned out fabulous, just like i had hoped, and will make its debut probably mid february.  can't spoil the gift giving before it happens!
project d: oh catvent, you were so fantastic to me, and so much fun.  i loved seeing everyone's blocks pop up on instagram and see how different everyone's take on the project was, simply by the fabric choices.  as to hold you off a little longer until i finish the mini quilt entirely (quilting it myself... eeeps!) here is a lovely self portrait snap of it... and also a clue as to why i generally enlist my sister to model my projects for me.  haha.
other than that, my mom got two pairs of pj pants from me for christmas, it is officially onward to doing some bridal shower planning for amy, and i got a sneak peek of what the updated "toothpaste & orange cat" design will look like.  yep, drawn by my brother as desired, and i cannot wait to see the final product.  so you'll have to wait just as long as i do.
enjoy your last few days of 2013!  can't wait to see what the new year has in store :)

weekend wips

BOY did this week start off nice and easy, and then jet off like nobody's business...
after today, just three more days of the semester, and then there will be much rejoicing.  it was all smooth sailing through the semester, assignments due here and there, but last week... MAN it felt like everything was happening at once.  three finals this week, thank goodness two are take home (and already completed) plus a portfolio project.  one semester down, three to go.  but enough about that.  onward to crafty talk!
project a: this one got pushed to the back burner with all of the chaos of school.  i managed to add two more strips to each block on saturday, but that was that.  currently, the blocks are all residing squished between a giant cat encyclopedia and a sewing book from when i took intro to clothing construction.  topped off by a gargantuan chronicles of narnia book that has blocks from the catvent between it.  hopefully this week there will be more progress on that.  well, maybe...
project b: did nothing.  nothing at all.  it sits in a bag waiting to be finished.
project c: yep.  not touched either.
project d: this one i have been all over this week.  making sure i get my "cat" done for the day has been a constant that gives me a little moment to relax and take a break in between each school project i had to do.  the other day i wrote a paper, took a break to sew my cat for the day, and then came back to homework land feeling refocused a bit.  today will be the 9th cat of the project, and i think i will be sad when the quilt-along is complete.  granted, i haven't really connected with people over it, but it has been a fun task to keep myself doing something.  well, not saying that all those other projects haven't kept me busy though.  they certainly have!  and the other thing this project is doing is making my instagram feed look like i have no like.  which right now, feels pretty accurate.
other things that have been completed are pj pants and bridal shower invites are half done.  i bought the supplies to finish them off, and they are waiting for me at the sewing table.  which isn't where i should leave them, because they will either get lost, or licked by a cat... since they're currently in a plastic ziplock.  and our cats are weird.
so here's to surviving finals week... and coming out alive and ready to work on this, that and the other things...

weekend wips

everything has been bumped back by a day or so, since yesterday i glorified erika with her own birthday post... but that is a-okay to me.  makes the "weekend" of wips just one day longer.  but in reality, i did a whole lot last week anyways, an extra day just makes me look like a super over achiever.  except i don't get a cape for that.
project a: this is the "big one" right now.  but it is actually going a lot smoother than anticipated.  every day or so after getting all my strips chopped up last monday, i began the scary voyage of sewing them together in numerical order.  minus a few size measurements when i cut out the templates, everything has been easy peasy.  sew, iron, squish between books to keep the seams flat, repeat.  all.  week.  long.  i think i got up to piece 9 out of 19 attached.  there is one fabric involved that i wasn't quite sold on, but lisa pushed me to it... and it isn't standing out as sorely as i expected it to... so that's a plus.  black friday i ran out and thought i was going to have a panic attack from not being able to find the ONE fabric i ran out of... but my mom located it behind the cut counter.  i may have shown a little excessive excitement about that, and the rude joann's lady may of had her snobby opinions about it... but it made my life a whole lot easier.
project b: this one was super easy, until it came to the back.  i didn't know what i was going to do with it for awhile, until i pulled some fabric yardage out of my box that worked great.  added a little red flannel edging to it, and it was good to go.  so now that sits in a bag, waiting to be finished off and binding added.  then, it's to be wrapped and put under the non-existent christmas tree.  whoop!
project c: this was another "was waiting for black friday" bust... i waited out, planning to go to beverley's for the fabic to be on sale... but it wasn't.  so i bit the bullet and paid full price - which is something i HATE to do...  i cut my pieces out and started hemming strips the other night.  so now it sits, and waits for me to rotate it in to my "i feel like working on this now" mindset.  this one you'll have to wait until february to see :)
project d: this one i can talk about.  i pinned this quilt the other day, thinking it was just a random quilt pattern... but NO.  it was a quilt-a-long for the month of december!  was i excited?  yes!  each day a different cat block is posted, and the block are small and simple.  awesome right?  my grandma gave me a box of batik fabric scraps from graduation quilts she made for me, my siblings & my cousins, so i thought those would be the perfect start.  plus, i bought 3 yards of gray fabric for a table cloth at my last bridal show that i ended up finding a real table cloth for... so now that is being put to use.  sunday was my first block, and after a million ear issues with the block, i finally got my brain functioning and it turned out super cute.  i can't wait to finish the entire mini quilt, since i intend to actually quilt it myself as well.  no better way to practice than starting small, right?  i am almost tempted to buy the pattern, just so i can also have the 100 block lap quilt size too...  eeps!  for the blog link for the "introduction" post of the catvent quilt along, click here
other things to be done include some pj pants and planing of two baby quilts.  yippee for baby quilts!  i have some great ideas for one... just need to get better at my ebay watching. 

weekend wips

= let's see if i can make a successful comeback with these types of posts.
my last "weekend wips" post was back in april 2012, pre-erika wedding.  and now i'll try and bring it back pre-holiday/weddings/babies to see what comes from it.
clearly this is just all the start of the crafting that is intended to happen between now and march of 2014, so most are just idea formulations.  this photo is the fabric that i purchased back in october with lisa, and has now been pre-washed and started to be chopped.  the pattern is a little confusing, seeing as there are no visuals really, or written direction.  so i guess i get to free for all it and hope that it turns out well.  eeps.  fingers crossed, right?  oh, and i feel like it is okay to post this because 1. i'm not sure if anyone really reads these that they are going to and 2. if my friends don't know what they are getting for their upcoming weddings by this point after seeing 2 other friends get married, they've been living under a rock.
the other project that is actually in process right now is currently on hold until i hit up joann's this upcoming friday a la black friday sale.  i may have nearly enough for the backing, but all that remains is buying some batting & binding.  that one pieced together rather smoothly (amazing how well big blocks happen) and so i'm sure (fingers crossed) the rest of it will sail together easily so i can focus on the wedding beast and other holiday gifts.
along side my crafting i've started to watch 30 rock on netflix to add some interest to the event of sitting on the floor and cutting out fabric.  that has now become my new old show to be power watching (much like i did with friends, as well as big bang theory & how i met your mother to get up to date on those) as i craft through these next few months.  can't wait until the semester is over, simply to not feel like i have competing things i need to do.  oy!  happy monday everyone.

weekend wips [and a birthday wish]

finally, i have something to weekend craft talk about. crazy, right? well, it has finally come to a temporary end. no no, not the blog. or even my crafting for that matter. but the other wedding project that has been on the blog process since day one is FINALLY complete. well, complete in the sense that i did all i can do with it until it is time to have the binding put on.
the top was pieced together strip by strip until it became a whole front. the back was pieced together yard by yard (and shopped from store to store to get those yardages) so it would be the same shade of orange that was on the front of the quilt. i thought i had bought a big orange sheet, but either i 1. lost it 2. never bought it or 3. was thinking of the sheet i bought for jacob's t-shirt quilt. so much orange going on at the same time, it's pretty hard to keep things straight. this past monday i pinned the layers together after sweeping off the front porch (and avoiding bee stings) and then it got folded up, and sent off thursday to be quilted. by sent off, i really mean my mom took it to jazzercise with her to give to my grandma. i'm pretty amazed at myself. last wedding quilt was pretty close to the deadline... but it's february right now, i pinned it all a week ago, and the wedding isn't until june.
what am i going to do with my time? i'm not entirely sure. perhaps some bridal shower gift making... or there is always a t-shirt or scrappy square quilt i could work on. i may enlist a certain FOUR year old to help me decide which squares should go together. which four year old might that be? well, this one of course!yeah, you get the crazy picture from christmas, because that's the most recent picture i have of you!
you were a pretty awesome three year old. we had some good times together watching princess movies, making foot print butterflies, feeding the cats goldfish. as awesome of a three year old you were, i'm sure you will be a pretty super four year old! happy birthday, lorelai!

weekend wips

not a whole lot to say, besides the projects that needed to get done were completed, wrapped, and sprinkled with christmas cheer. some still sit in my room awaiting to be delivered, but hopefully that will happen soon. in the meantime, i'll be spending this week probably doing some cleaning and craft planning for the new year. gotta get that next wedding project ball on the roll so it doesn't end up last minute! hope everyone had a very merry christmas yesterday :)

weekend wips

another I GOT STUFF DONE! weekend. hip hip hoorah! so crazy that christmas is now officially less than a week away, and i feel like things are finally dying down. of course that means come january, it will be on to wedding crafting... and maybe even that t-shirt quilt of mine... or the scrappy squares one. so many choices! anyways, here is what went down this weekend.
christmas gift c: done. and i'm SO happy with it. like, want to keep it for myself but i know i shouldn't because that would just be plain silly happy with it. i just now need to make my sister model it for me, so i can wrap it up and make plans with it's soon to be owner.
christmas gift e&f: yeah. things aren't looking good as far as this one goes. i think it may just turn in to one of the two planned things, since it's something i've never done before, and christmas is inching closer moment by moment. if i can knock out one, that's better than i'm feeling about it right now.
christmas gift g: was delivered yesterday, but i'm going to wait until post christmas to do all the present reveal posts... just because i can.

weekend wips

are you ready to see this massive list start getting crossed off? are you SURE you are ready? because things are happening, and it's happening FAST! before i know it, it's going to be christmas eve. yikes. but i must not worry. i'm on top of this, right? yes. must keep telling myself that.
t-shirt quilt j: DONE AND DELIVERED. the thing that has been on these weekend wips since i started blogging again in august is FINALLY off the list and out of my possession.
christmas gift b: DONE. just need to photograph and wrap.
christmas gift c: it's moving closer. it has been cut up and ready to start sewing. since the quilt is done, i guess i have no choice now but to take the plunge.
christmas gifts e&f: moving closer. all my supplies came, but it's another partial fear project. i do need to get one or two more things before i can actually begin, so hopefully, this week i can get it going. depends what my brain looks like during "cram for the christmas show" time.
christmas gift g: DONE! one of those super quick, but super excellent projects. i'm really hoping the recipient will enjoy the humor of it though :)

weekend wips

so i used the same picture as my "let's do 52". big whoop.
i left the mushu fur in this one though, to make it crafty "authentic"

not a whole lot of crafting this week. i guess i was pretty run down from quiltzilla of last weekend. but then i looked at the calendar, and then back to the joann's pile on my floor, and then back to the calendar, then back to my floor (imagine that all said in the old spice man voice). sadly, there was stuff to be done, and if i let it sit any longer, it would be christmas eve and i would quite possibly be going insane with trying to finish things.
t-shirt quilt j: blah for binding. i started sewing it on saturday night, through episodes of whose line & snl, but called it a night when i ran out of thread on my first piece and didn't feel like re-threading the needle. my goal is to have it done before thursday so it can be out of sight and secretly passed off to the gift giver.
christmas gift a: done done done. i could have knocked it all out in a day, like i had estimated, but i broke it in two, which i think my hands appreciated. only so much cross stitching can be done. but hey, i think this counts as my first fully finished without any mistakes cross stitch project. gold star for me!
christmas gifts b&c: sitting. i'm still trying to find a perfect third fabric to go with one of the items, and NOTHING seems to be working out for me. perhaps i should try beverley's or something... joann's variety just isn't cutting it.

weekend wips

not a whole lot happening this week it seems. mainly because one HUGE project needed to be completed for friday, and once that was done, there was definetly a crafty burn out. that is until sunday came around, and i wanted to do SOMETHING... but couldn't think of what. christmas gifts were still lacking one supply or another, or needed flattening before continuing... so this week's wips is a little on the shabby side. but hey, that means there will be a blog post this week for a completed project!
wedding gift m: signed, sealed & delivered! this was the burn out project, because i hate hand sewing. but all that blind hemming on the binding paid off. well, at least my mom was impressed by it. wrapped it up in it's peacock colored glory and shuttled it off to the bay area with me on friday. stay tuned to see more pictures of the quilt (and the b-e-a-Utiful bride as well!)
t-shirt quilt j: i was bored on saturday, and needed to find out if i had to buy more fabric for the binding... so i threw that together and found out that (shockingly... not) i had over purchased fabric when i bought the fabric last trip to joanns. so now the binding is attatched, pinned down to the back side waiting to be hand sewn down (ew).
christmas gifts a-c: nothing. still sitting around and have done nothing. well, one is being flattened out under a cutting mat and a box of 12x12 paper packs... so maybe tomorrow. and i bought a frame. oooh. exciting...