City Sampler Progress in October

I'm Linking up with Michelle over at Crayon Box Quilt Studio to show my progress with the Tula Pink City Sampler. 

In the last 2 months I have been able to complete 15 blocks (which you can see here and here) and I wanted to get all 70 blocks completed before Stash Bash so that I could assemble them while i was there. I am leaving for retreat today, so -- How did I do? 

Not well -- Truth of the matter is that I didn't complete any new blocks. I spent some time cutting blocks and have about 20 ready for sewing but with all the other projects I needed to get done this just didn't happen. 

My book is a bulging bundle of promise right now and these blocks will be good to whip together when I need little successes in between other projects.

I had hoped to get more blocks cut so that the big box of fabric would not need to go with me but I'm still undecided as to whether it will or not -- and if it does it might stay in the car until it's needed. 
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This post was supposed to have gone up 10/15 but for some reason my scheduling got messed up and it didn't post so I'll add to it with the things that I was able to accomplish at Stash Bash. 

#16: block 1 

#17: block 3

#18: block 12

#19: block 18

#20: block 30

#21: block 32

#22: block 33

#23: block 35

#24: block 46

#25: block 48

#26: block 58

#27: block 71

#28: block 77

#29: block 91

#30: block 99

#31: block 100

#32: block 24

My big box of fabrics did not go with me so I was limited in what I could complete, I had several other blocks that I was able to start but not complete (counting errors). I'm pretty happy to bring my total from 15 to 32 in just one weekend. I'm nearly to the half way point with my blocks and hope to make it to at least 50 before the next link up.  

Head on over and see Michelle and all the other wonderful ladies that are linking up to motivate one another on completing this city sampler journey. 

Happy Quilting Everyone. 

linking up 

Lots o Sewin

I like things that end in zero -- my blog is getting closer to a milestone in views.

I completed a small hippo last week -- all except adding his eyes. these are so fun to make, I have a few others in the works and hope to have another 2 or 3 complete this week.

Friday was the big lock in at Sewingly Yours and it was a blast as usual -- I did manage to get my triangles quilt put together with the aid of my buddy Rox and her mad ironing skills. 

I started working on more string blocks but didn't get any actually finished yet because I was working on several at once. 
So it was an evening of fun, laughter, eating and sewing -- a great time. I did buy a new book and am excited about doing a few different projects from it. 

 Saturday was an exhausting one for me -- I decided it was time I traded the car in. We had it appraised about a month ago and had been looking heavily for a while but I find the whole process very over whelming and had given up until I saw a few new things at CarMax that I wanted to take a closer look at. We headed over there Saturday morning and in a few hours I was heading home with a new car. 

CarMax is a great experience because I suck at negotiating prices on things but my anxiety flared up so high that passing out was a real concern -- luckily I did not and only came out with a small case of hives. I am still adjusting to all the features that my other car was missing (remote entry, cruise, Bluetooth technology, xm radio) but I am loving these new amenities. This is also a good motivator in destashing more fabric and using what i have on hand to get me through the rest of the fabric fast. I will probably be putting some fabric on instagram in the next week because this will be my spending money for non essential fabric purchases maybe throughout the rest of the year if i decide to push the fast that long. 

Saturday evening I spent time in my craft room pulling out the fabrics that need to be put away properly -- you know how sometimes we just make a pile here or there with plans to put it up later or decide to not use fabrics that we have pulled so they sit to the side, apparently this had gotten out of control for me. 

So another task for this week is putting all this away -- good thing I'm off Friday. 

Yesterday I finally sat down and worked on actual projects for a short period and made some good progress. I trimmed the triangle quilt and had a super helpful photo assistant that tried wearing it as a hat. 

The wind was not being very cooperative so I finally got one decent shot of the top. 

It turns out there are 504 triangles in this quilt -- I think I have exactly enough yardage left over to make a backing. I love when that works out. Maybe I can baste this week? 

My other exciting progress is on the clam shell mini -- I got her quilted and am debating on binding. I am leaning toward the sketch fabric over the gold. I wanna get this completed so that I will take it to the guild meeting next week before shipping.

I tried my hand at paisleys for the quilting and I am generally happy with the outcome -- I can work to make them smaller next time and also not have bare spots (this was a directional issue at times and thread breaking at others). 

Looks like a busy week ahead but it's a long weekend so that means happy quilting for sure. 

I'm linking up over at SEWjo Saturday and she wants to know of an inexpensive and unconventional thing in my sewing room -- for me it's my thread catcher, AKA a soup mug.

linking up at Linky Tuesday

Did you hear wedding bells? or gypsy bells?

I am finding that I am blogging a little less lately -- perhaps this is because I passed off the traveling stash boxes but more likely is that my new job is in full swing now and I'm not getting down time to update during breaks. Either way I am still here and I am still sewing and I am sneaking time in to read blogs some. 

This past weekend -- national quilting day was spent mostly at the wedding of by beautiful niece Brittney and new nephew Cass. It was so lovely and they are a great couple -- wishing them many years of happiness. 

But about the quilting --- My biggest project right now is the Gypsy Wife Quilt. I was intending to make this a year long project with the quilt along group and just work through it. However, I've kind of become obsessed with it and in  seeing how the little things come together when I can work in short spurts, and that is all I have worked on in the last week and a half. I am one focus block away from finishing all the components of the quilt. 

I am needing to finish a few things this week and weekend and hopefully I will be able to step away from the Gypsy Wife in order to do them. 

• Make a few more valor blocks and send them off to Kevin 
• mail off my Kate Spain Charms -- they are cut and in the envelope I seriously don't know what my hold up is
• select a winner and mail off the Traveling Stash box that ends tomorrow -- still time to enter 
• Make a gift item for our guild speaker this month (Due 3/25) 
• finish up my star along top and work on getting it completed (due 4/2) 
• write postings for my link ups coming next week -- guess who's not doing well on the fabric fast? 
• make the last block for the gypsy wife

Seriously where is March going? In another 2 weeks it will be April and so far I only have 2 finishes this month. 

Hope this post finds everyone well and there is lots of happy quilting going on.

GYpsy wife -- FEB progress

Gypsy wife QAL started this month and I was so looking forward to starting this one so I jumped right in and pulled even more fabric

and I put together these blocks

• Pinwheels -- some of these will get borders once I figure out where they are going in the quilt

• card trick block

 

And here they are all together

 



I'm loving making these blocks and ready to start next month's assignment soon.

Sew Random Thoughts

We had some snow here this week -- Nugget was not impressed 

I work for the state so we closed a few hours early one day and went in on a delay the next. I'm usually very good about using free minutes for sewing but this time I just didn't and I kinda feel out of sorts. Now, I did go to my sewing room and I managed to process the rest of my scrap-bin and put away the cut scraps but no actual sewing took place. 

I seem to be in a rut ---- a lack of motivation rut. I have 3 sew alongs that I am wanting to get this weeks assignment done and linked up but can't seem to find the motivation to actually follow through with making that next step. 

-- I Need to pull fabric for the link up on 1/31
 

-- I'm actually behind on this one the sewing link up is Sunday 2/2 but once it's cut it goes together super quick. 

-- The next link up on this one is next Wednesday the 5th but it should be no problem to cut these -- I think I've decided that I'm only doing a 2 x 2 layout. I'm not passionate about these fabrics, I won them and am trying to push myself to use them. 

My UFO list is starting to haunt me a little but nothing is on a hard deadline and I think that helps to a degree. Friday evening and Sunday will be for sewing, as I will be heading off to Statesville on Saturday for the Quilting and Needle Art Extravaganza, it's a great show usually so I am looking forward to it -- there goes the fabric fast again but as long as I stick to my budget I should still fit into my fabric diet rules. 

On a related note, I'm restarting the fast in February -- on the 2nd and hope to do much better in the upcoming months as I plan to go on the Quilt Carolina shop hop again this year and I better make some serious room for that. This is usually in the Fall so at least I have time to clear some stuff out.