I made a thing (and it's not a mask)

The stitching is sorta crap & I've decided to change the colors, but I made a BLOCK.

Hey - I'm back in the sewing room.  Even tidied it up a bit.  (a tiny bit).

More important than what I'm sewing is the soundtrack to which I'm sewing.

Podcast: A Region in my Mind by Rev. Derek Terry

And then I keep pulling randomly from this list of podcasts

I didn't even know that Blerd was a thing.  I've got a LOT of work to do.

Stay safe. 
Keep being creative.
Stay curious.
Shut up & listen.
Speak up & demand change!!!

-sash

Reflection time

I'm trying to avoid getting all moody & existential.  Instead of reviewing my life choices, let's talk quilts!

Since January - 

• Completed
• Spousal unit's Asian themed BOTM - FINISHED & in our room
• Libby's bunnies - FINISHED & mailed to Tacoma
• Broken Dishes for my belle soeur - FINISHED & mailed to Japan
• 2 seam X-blocks in yellow & batiks - FINISHED & gifted to friend in Montana
• Tula - Acadia - FINISHED & gifted to a friend in Montana
• On-point QAYC strips - FINISHED & on the bed in my sewing room
• Baby Martin - FINISHED & delivered
• Pink/red/white split rail w/fox minky - FINISHED & delivered to baby Willow
• Loly's baby - FINISHED (including quilting at home) & delivered to baby Jasper
• Made Progress
  • Tiffany stained glass - just needs binding
  • Mystery quilt in yellow to red - just needs binding
• Scattered Showers - about 1/2 way thru the in-house quilting
• Um - honestly can't remember but probably not done...
• Improv Project (à la Joe Cunningham) in orange & yellow
• Rainbow diagonal jelly-roll race
• Started
• Antique Lace for Allie & John - 80% pieced
• Water Lilies - 25% pieced
• Quilt Limbo (no progress since January)
• Turquoise disappearing jelly-roll...thing
• Random 4 patches with blue minky
• Pulse
• half hexi baby quilt
• Neeky's cousins - needs binding
• Vintage butterfly - repair or frame up??
• Pentecost banner - serious remediation required

Too productive to take photos...

... that's my story, anyway.

First week of January:

• The relocated UFO's were sorted & organized at the Vancouver Branch.
• Broken dishes binding was completed,
• Spousal unit's quilt was also bound.

Last week (in spite of stomach flu):

• Baby Martin's quilt got a label & can leave the house.
• Libby's bunny got binding & a label.  Ready to get shipped out!!
• Broken Dishes - also labelled & waiting for transport to Japan!
• Pieced the back for baby jasper & it's sandwiched, ready for quilting

Oh - I've settled on a pattern for 

the ongoing crochet project.

As of bedtime Sunday, 

my count is at 6.

Next up:

• Photos!!
• Quilting for Jasper
• Start a larger crochet project
• Label spousal unit's quilt
• Clear the sewing room bed (yikes)
• (random year end accounting crap because work..ick)

xo

sash

Finished is the new Perfect.

After shifting an impressive pile of fabric to the Vancouver Branch, it was clear that I need to work on my follow thru!!!

So - here's the list:

• Piecing partially completed
• half hexi baby quilt
• Tiffany stained glass
• On-point QAYC strips
• Pulse
• Pieced - Needs borders before quilting
  • Turquoise disappearing jelly-roll...thing
  • Tula - Acadia (huh - remember the fabric line but not the quilt pattern...)
  • Random 4 patches with blue minky
  • Pink/red/white split rail with fox minky
  • Loly's baby
• Sandwiched - ready to quilt
• Mystery quilt in yellow to red
• Scattered Showers
• Quilted - Needs binding & label
• Improv Project (à la Joe Cunningham) in orange & yellow
• Spousal unit's Asian themed BOTM
• Libby's bunnies
• Broken Dishes for my belle soeur
• Rainbow diagonal jelly-roll race
• 2 seam X-blocks in yellow & batiks
• Quilted & bound - needs label
• Baby Martin
• The Random ones
• Neeky's cousins - needs binding
• Wall hanging for Neeky - needs sleeve
• Vintage butterfly - repair or frame up??
• Pentecost banner - serious remediation required

That's a little bit exhausting.  One at a time, right?  But that's 18 quilts + 4 misc projects that are each 1-2 days from being DONE.  That would jump start the year, right?

Stay tuned....

Sew very sad....

I remember watching her on TV when I was in college.  And as a young mom.  And as a beginning quilter.  I can't really remember NOT watching her show.

There's a big quilting show in Puyallup every February.  About 3 years ago, I got to see Nancy, attend a lecture, touch quilts that she'd made.  I was such a fangirl.  It really was amazing.

I knew, thru her blog I think, that her cancer was not responding to treatment.  She was stepping down to spend time with family.  I knew what that meant.

I'm still feeling pretty heartsick.

She made an amazing difference in the world.  As a woman entrepreneur, a media figure, an artist, she opened so many doors.

My mother had Bell's Palsy just when I was born.  Mom was always so aware of the loss of movement & muscle tension - although it wasn't significant.  Nancy had Bell's Palsy as a child and it's effects were visible.  I always felt a personal connection to her - she was the first person I knew of with Bell's Palsy, aside from my mother.

A lifetime on camera - doing what she loved - in spite of her gender, the partial paralysis, the passing of times & trends - I always felt proud of her & protective of her - because she was part mine somehow.

A couple years ago, Nancy had a real time, video conference type workshop.  She spoke & did demos & had a time to take questions - by text.  I asked her a question about batting, I think, but in my text I also told her that she was a rock star.

She laughed - acted a bit embarrassed.

I'm glad I got to tell her.  

The set of Sewing with Nancy

Shine on, Rock Star.

auntiesash

Boggled Bobbin

I'm doing this:

Fancy Forest

The first class was Sunday.  Sorting & organizing & cutting.  I think there will be a lot of that going on.  Each owl has over 40 pieces.  We're gonna start with the Foxes - those only have about 12.

Clearly, I've lost my mind.

xo
sash

Quite Chuffed

First time I heard (read) it, I thought chuffed was like ticked or bugged - a bad, bent-out-of-shape kinda thing.  But it's not.  It's a good, tickle-with-myself kinda thing.

I admit it.  I'm feeling quite chuffed about how this turned out.

Starry Portal Bargello - Artisan Spirit fabrics with Handspray border

I still have to add the binding but otherwise it's finished!

I'm thrilled with the quilting work that was done by Just Quilting Pdx.  I told her what I sorta wanted & she gave me more than I could have hoped!  This thing is enormous (97" x 97") & she did a beautiful, border to border design that increased the motion, highlighted the fabric, & reduced the pixelated feel of the bargello.

I hope the newlyweds love it.  If not, the manchild will probably just bring it back home with him.  (He's chuffed too).

- sash

NB: Thanks to the kind words after my most recent post.  To those who said they can relate, I'm here any time you need to chat.  Really.  Even if you feel alone, you aren't ever alone.  XOXO - auntiesash.

Doubled! Then nothing.

The column sections are each at least twice as wide as they were before.  So I think everything is in sets of 4 with one set of 3 (Because odd numbers).

I love Tim Gunn :)

Tonight is Project Runway at Katrina's, therefore no machine sewing.  I have several baggies of scraps that the manchild's girlfriend sorted out for me in pleasing color combinations.  I will cut those into bits for 4 patches & half square triangles.  Need more fuel for the starters & enders!



Friday will see the columns all assembled (and I'll take a picture of that) and Saturday I can put on borders!

Now to track down a long-armer who can quilt this sucker for me....

xo
sash

Day Eight - holding steady!!

Another Day Of Sewing!

All the single columns are now in pairs.

All the pairs from this weekend are now sets of four.

And I've sewn a whole bunch of little four patches as my starters & enders.  Like, I actually need to cut more scraps up because I've burned through my stack of little pieces!  So that's cool.

The Manchild has ironing to do today to catch up.  Then I think I've got 2 more sessions of column joining.  It's hard to do too many at the end of a work day.  But having the whole center done before the weekend will be GREAT!

I didn't take any pictures, so here's a puppy:

Waiting to be discovered by a KISS cover band

xo
sash

Labor hath occurred

Got a big boost this weekend!

There was organization on all fronts.  

• Da Noob met the goal of assembling her sewing room.  She also may lose her title soon as more brand new quilters are joining our little sewing family.  

(To that point, a quick outing to Fabric Depot happened on Saturday morning.  The Quilt Guru met me there along with a darling in-law who is relearning how to sew.  For now, she is working on clothing for her darling offspring, but soon she will be learning to quilt.  Turns out her gramma is a long arm quilter.  Huh.  It was meant to be!)

• The QG herself not only had the baby blanket ready to quilt (as I predicted) but this weekend she quilted it & bound it.  It's wash and ready for a label.  She also finished quilting ANOTHER project and has started the hand stitching on the binding!  Good work!

• And at my house?  It was full on sewing frenzy.  This quilt is 35 columns wide and each column has 32 pieces in it.  On Friday morning, I had 1/2 the column pieces in baggies and ready to go, and the other 1/2 listed out but not yet cut/sorted.  Last night, I turned off the light on all 35 columns finished & pressed, and the first 18 sewn into pairs and pressed again.

       So I went from about 600 pieces up to 1120 pieces then down to 26 sub-units.  
       Not too shabby, eh?

About 1/2 the columns - ironed

(also one of the most visually confusing pictures ever)

Here are some pictures:

The Manchild pumping iron
(and yes - that is a regular iron.
It just looks like a travel model when he holds it)

All the strips - you can see the pattern starting to form
(although 1/2 of them are upside down so not exactly)

I'm pretty excited about all the progress in this first week of September.  Keep it up, everyone!  And if you wanna join us for the rest of National Sewing Month, just leave a comment!

Gratuitous Cuteness (He's laughing at me - I'm sure of it!)

xo
sash

Under my belt

Setting my goal for February I have 2 thoughts in mind.

1) Keep my hands, heart, and mind busy creating so I spend less time stressing, eating, & dithering.

2) Just keep creating - I'll get better!

Inspired by this video:

I'm going to stop worrying about designing the perfect quilt or finding the perfect fabric. I'm even trying to set aside the idea that I must make a quilt for everyone I know and that those quilts must be uniquely designed for them with lovely fabric only I would chose. Oy. It's no wonder I get STUCK and decide to fix a snack & watch quilting videos instead of sewing!!

So I'm going to SEW.

  

My goal for February is to complete a fun, simple quilt top from this layer cake:

Won't that be adorable?

Don't stress it.  Don't feel like I'm failing.  Just sew and create and have fun.

Then maybe the complex, creative, artistic, soul-stirring quilts will be able to bubble to the surface.

If not, I'll still be creating and having fun and DOING something.

So what's your February goal??

XO
sash

Starting out well!

So January hasn't been easy.
January certainly hasn't been smooth.
Doesn't matter.  I can't control that.
The reaction part though?
I have some input there and that's gone...pretty well actually.

I'm calling that a success.

My photography skills suck - but at least the picture's not sideways!
(purely luck) 

I'm 
calling 
this a 
success
too:

That is one completed quilt top!   Ready to sandwich!  I'm going to back it with minky, oversized so I can miter the corners and roll the fuzziness to the front for a faux binding.

I'm hoping to applique some little French Peas into the blank spaces in the center pieced section.

A Lovely Year of Finishes 2015 for the win!!!

Here's my January goal setting post: Dithering!
                &
Check out the other great finishes over here:ALYoF-2015

One stash becomes two!

     A Lovely Year of Finishes        T-Shirt Quilts 

    T-shirt yarn (but for heaven's sake use a rotary cutter!!) 

       Woot!                   POUF(except I'll knit one)

Happy cutting & quilting & knitting!!!

sash

I'm such a heat weenie...

... but the quilt is done.

Here's a picture:

The sashing is much more golden than it looks here.  Backing is black minky.  Binding is off white batik.  I did stitch-in-the-ditch on the sashing and then mandalas in each block with variegated thread.

So another finish for ALYOF. If it weren't for the last minute, I wouldn't get anything done, right?

Here's the link to all the finishes:June Finish Party!
And the link back to where I set this goal: Aloha!


Now I'm going to get away from irons, computers, & anything else that generates heat.

xoxo
sash

Helping Hands

I am making great progress on my Lovely Year of Finishes goal for June.  Partly because of these helping hands: 

Completely adorable, right?  That is the amazing Quilting Goddess herself & her granddaughter extraordinaire.  She's going to be 4 next month & wants so DESPERATELY to learn to sew.  Learning to iron was pretty darn exciting (& heaven knows that's a phase that won't last long).

So I'm 10 days into June & Tutu's quilt top is assembled.  Now I must obtain minky & get on with the business of sandwiching.    This week does not have time for a trip to Fabric Depot, so it's time to hit my favorite online minky source.

And yeah - this entire post is just an excuse to show off that adorable picture.  You're welcome :)

xo
sash

Hungry for inspiration?

Dinner was just delivered by SoupCycle.  Two of my favorite soups plus an exciting summer salad!!!

In addition to being delicious, though, check out these colors!

Inspiration for a quilt perhaps?  

Maybe pinwheels of "Just Beet It" and 
"Smoked Chicken Chipotle Chowder" 
Floating on a field of "Barack-a-li Cheddar"?








I'm glad the cooking's already done for tonight so I can just sew!

bon appétit
sash

Aloha!

Sometimes the universe points us in the right direction.

A Happy Birthday
for this mom

   

And a beautiful memorial
service for this mom

       

Add inspirational
ukulele music

BRAINSTORM!!

Not Julie Andrews

*  I want to make a quilt for my belle-mere (my husband's mom)

* My Quilting Goddess wants to make a quilt for this lady ---->

* They both have serious Hawaii connections

* I bought some super cool batiks that have prints that look oh-so-islandy.

Hey! One design + Two variations = Happy Quilters & Quiltees!!!

So my June goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes is to make 

a birthday quilt (quilted, bound & everything) for Tutu.

Here are the amazing stamped batiks:

These are even more gorgeous in person.  They come in strips, but I will probably just fussy cut them into blocks & add sashing & borders.  So pretty as is - don't think I could bring myself to cut them up.

We'll see what the Quilting Goddess thinks up.  She has so many more quilts (& quilting magazines) in that sexy brain of hers.  Staring with these materials, I can't really go wrong!

Check out the other goals for June at the Lovely Year of Finishes goal setting party!

xoxo

sash

Not even the last minute!!!

I set a pretty big goal for this month & it was totally done on time for the big party!

The lovely Colleen Petrina celebrated her 90th birthday at a gala event.

                | (That's my dad in the green 
                |  shirt right down here.  He was 
               \/  enjoying the refreshments.)

We had to leave before presents were opened but I have it on good authority (a text from my boss later in the day) that the guest of honor loved her new quilt.  

Well of COURSE she did!  Look at this Lovely thing!

Why do these pictures keep ending up sideways???

So this was my successful finish for May in A Lovely Year of Finishes.  This puts my record at 4 out of 5.  I'm pretty pleased with that.

If you want to see where this project started the month you can look here.

And here's a photo of the back in case you're interested (and to prove I really did get the thing quilted too!!)

Really?  This one ends up the right way??

I did pretty light quilting.  Partly because of timing.  Partly because it looked pretty and I was afraid I might screw that up.  I used spray basting for the first time ever & it worked well.  I knew I'd be quilting it immediately so there wasn't time for the adhesive to wear off. 

I also used a printable tape for the label.  Fits right in my little Brother label maker.

Not fancy but it looks ok & was quick

Now it's time to pick a project for June.  

Wow - June already?  

At least, if the year is going to fly by, A Lovely Year of Finishes is helping me have something to show for it!

xoxo
sash