Eye candy

I saw the title Crazy Daisy and thought of my scattered daisy logo. I HATE yellow (notice the screaming capital letters)!! But this makes me happy.

 

The quilt (and the pattern) can be found on this blog: http://www.nelliesneedle.blogspot.com/ She designed it and sells the pattern. Is that enough copyright? It's an easy pattern with raw edge applique. I want to make one (not on yellow...that is the color of p_ _) and maybe without the raw edges. I want a little happiness today. Dreary weather...dreary people...too much drama...

I needed some eye candy, oh yeah, and that fudge round....

Remember those circles?

Remember those circles from a previous post? I've lost all track of time to know when that was. Here's the finished project...

I feel like I've been running in circles. This one was quick in that you quilted it as you sewed it together. I broke 4 machine needles and a seam ripper on it! I'm also really disappointed in how the white looks wrinklely (is that a word?) Ick! It's not fun to spend a lot of time (going in circles) on a project that you turn out not to like. I'm sure it will look fine folded up on the bottom of a bed but the lesson in this is it is done.

Be in the moment. I hear that all the time but I'm finally applying it to to my crafting and it helps. Say it again, "Be in the moment." Don't feel a need to fill it. Be in the project. Don't spend time thinking about the others that still need to be done. It is very peaceful. I'm even applying it to my ever increasing waistline. I'm exercising these days. I feel good. Progress isn't going to instantly show up so when I start to obsess on my non-bathing suit ready body I let it go. I'm trying. What more can I do?

Letting things go (when it works) makes life much more peaceful.

Now I need to get back to the next project:

I basted it last night and now need to get it quilted. Think I can do it today? Ha, not even if I had super hero powers but I can dream. This one is a raffle quilt for a friend's son Nathan and the Cystic Fibrosis fund. You can buy a chance!

Have a great day! Be in the moment!!

Project completion

Hi Blogland!

I wish I was posting progress of some kind every day but I have been working on a big project--sadly, not a craft project. It's almost done. By tomorrow it will be out of my house and I will be at peace. I'm savoring the anticipation of that. There are so many things that I want to be doing. I was glad to do this project. It was a service, it was an honor, on some level it was a blessing...but too much of the same thing can bore me. Adult Attention Deficit? Bipolar craft disorder? Bi means two (or something like that). Bicycle...two wheels. Right? You following along? So to me bipolar is two opposites. For me that's two crafts---sewing/quilting and paper crafts/scrapbooking. I need one or the other or it makes me crazy. Do you think that's the official diagnosis of bipolar disorder?

So fingers crossed I will get this all finished tonight and have no trouble sending it on the next part of its journey. Then I can pet the new fat quarters I bought today when I ran away from reality for the Tuesday Fat Quarter sale. I needed it. (Probably didn't need the fabric just needed the escape.)

Here is my last craft project that I completed just so you have some eye candy. It was assembly line crafting. I made them in the hopes of selling them at my quilt retreat:

In the beginning they looked like little top hats. I did Christmas pails, Valentine pails, country pails, a disco pail (seriously, the fabric makes me think disco)...

Now they look like they are coming together. I'm starting to wonder why I was doing this many. This is what happens when you set aside fabric and a pattern years ago. When you finally go to do it you can't remember what you were thinking but you think you must have been thinking something for a reason...yeah, I know, as confusing as my need for this many pails, I think.

So now I'm getting slap happy and thinking they would make gear shift cozies. Better than beer can cozies, don't you think?

Now they are all finished with coordinating buttons holding the handles on. I made 20 (again, why?...I have no answers...) Sadly, I didn't sell them all but now I have gift "bags" for gift giving or inventory for my next craft sale.

Now back to my project.

Back from the Honeybee's quilting retreat

The guilt was getting to me today. I kept feeling like I needed to be doing something I wasn’t. I snapped out of it because I was doing stuff. It didn't matter that it wasn't my taxes (unless you ask my husband, our accountant) or the church anniversary booklet that really needs to get to the printer's on Monday (Have I started it? Well, in my head I have.) Last week was very inspiring and today was MY Thursday. MY day to play. So I needed to remind myself that I was doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing.

I'm fresh from the Honeybee's quilt retreat. I look forward to it every year. Here’s what I packed this year:

Notice this doesn't even include my suitcase. The tall bag was all things to sell, plus another smaller bag full of things to sell, my machine, my laptop, a table, and lots and lots of projects. Next year I need to remember one of my cropping lamps. Just the lightbulb (yes, I brought my own lightbulb) wasn't enough this year. I'm getting old and blind...

I'll share some classes, projects and other things I did for and at this weekend in the next few days. Here is the class that had the most prep.

I cut almost 400 squares. I started out with some 30's or 40's reproduction fabrics that I wanted to get rid of. My plan was to use up what I had for this scrap quilt. I cut and cut and then decided I needed a little orange and a tad bit more red and yellow...so much for using what I had. Off I went to the quilt store for a little more. Our teacher said that was using our fabric. We didn't have to use it up, just use it.

Then began more mass production. I sewed them into 96 4-patch blocks. They were all done and stacked neatly with my cut batting and white squares (96 of each of them too). Ironed nice and flat. It was fun to just pet them. I got to class and had to mess with the centers and re-iron all of them. Sigh...

Now the magic starts--fancy new templates, pins, sewing in circles. I stayed up after my roomie went to sleep. (Bless her snoring husband who trained her to sleep through noise. My machine was nothing compared to him. Teeheehee.) I ended up having to resew about 30 (Crap!) because my tension was off but I mangaged to have them all sewn and cut by the brunch the next day.

I sat at the brunch and listened to the guest speaker and turned my circles right side out. I had a lovely stack. Now I need to sew them all together. Can't wait to show you what they look like sewn together! Maybe tomorrow...It's amazing because you quilt as you sew so I can say it's almost done...almost...maybe...until I get distracted...

Look what came today!

Isn’t this fun!

I got business cards today. Silly. Free. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling like I have arrived.  Haven’t a clue where I’m going to pass them out but I’ve put some in my purse just in case.

Making the most out of a crisis

We had quite the uproar here last week. It was a dreary day and the roads were slick. A car collided with a tanker on the overpass. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been stuck in traffic under that bridge. It seems like a miracle that no one was hurt or killed but the drivers.  I’ve since heard that the young lady driving the car was notorious for texting while she was driving. So sad.

The fire was intense. Traffic was at a standstill. You couldn’t travel east or west and that was how you would get north or south. My hubby planted himself at Barnes and Noble to wait it out.  Schools were holding on to children. It was a crazy time. The kids arrived home an hour later; could have been much longer.

So now we are trapped on our little island, sort of. I’ve always thought it was quirky living on an island. I never minded when the drawbridge would go up and get stuck and not go down. It never happened that often.  It’s been decided that the overpass has to come down.

My five minute run to the grocery store is now a long trip to another town or a trek around town. Thirty days. I’ve decided that I want to make the most of the crisis. Complaining won’t help. I keep thinking--My children were on a school bus. They could have been traveling under that bridge.  A friend felt the heat on the back of her van as she was the last one through when it exploded. It could have been so much worse.

It amazes me that the bridge is already gone--totally taken down. I’m enjoying the fact that it's inconvenient to run into town; we are being more responsible and planning our trips. It’s almost an adventure. I packed a hand project into the car and actually got some work done stuck in the traffic back up. (Don’t worry I was paying attention.)

I need to run to the post office. I have some banking to do. I’m making the most of the crisis. I’m not worrying about the silly errands. They can wait. I can make lists (I love lists) and route out my drive. I feel like I’m accomplishing a mission, not wasting time where I could be crafting on little errands. There are no little errands. I’ve arranged a carpool for my budding track star. I’m going to stay home.

Poor pitiful me whatever will I do. Just me and my fabric or me and my scrapbook papers or me and my glue sticks and paint and decoupage paper and stitcheries and whatever else I can think of. I’m going to make the most of the crisis. I'm going to stay home.

 

No apologies necessary

Sometimes the best way to get things done is to schedule it. I believe in this. I’ve heard people say that that wrecks their spontaneity. I say that’s hooey. Whatever works; who gives a flying fig what others say!

I schedule a play day on Thursdays. I don’t answer the phone. I don’t make appointments for that day. I don’t make apologies for it. I try not to clean that day either. My dream is to play---craft, create—it’s my choice. I have a regular night to sew with the girls, a regular night once a month to scrapbook, an occasional day once every two years to stamp cards (oops, that one’s been too long.) So today I had a jewelry class scheduled. Couldn’t wait to see what I would get accomplished. It was worth the fee just to get away and feel the creative air. I learned new things, worked with “manly” tools and enjoyed the company of some fun women. Now I’m ready for a hardware store so I can get some new tools of my very own.

Hmmm…I have the ladies scheduled for non-stop scrapbooking the next three days. So now I’m scheduling Friday for a trip to Harbor Freight. There are even a few junk shops on the way. Can’t wait!

Here’s the bracelet I made:

Cold Connections---rivets, wires, carpet tacks. I used some old gears, a part of a watch, a few beads and some scraps of cooper. I cut down all my copper pieces because I have scrawny wrists (ahh, to have scrawny thighs) and it was still too big for my tastes.  Looking at it made me think I could use it as embellishments in a quilt piece...or maybe I can sell it and make something different for quilt embellishments...the ideas!!

Now I'm off to see if the extra piece of copper I brought home will go through the embossing plate in my sizzix machine. Reminds me I need to schedule some time to play with my new sizzix machine.

Until next time!