Time

I had a radical thought this weekend: What if I didn't worry so much about running out of time?

Would I accomplish more?
Would I ENJOY the time more?

I've resolved to try and worry less about time.

Before I had that thought, I created this:



I highly recommend this project if you are short on time. This particular project (the Artsy Clutch from Bend the Rules Sewing) took about 30 minutes. It is perfect for a friend craft day in which you are going to spend most of the time talking anyway (would you agree Angie?)

Despite my new philosophy on time, I could use a tad more of it for the gocco swap I signed up for. I've noticed a lot of cool notes so far in the flickr pool. Lot's of inspiration for me to get a move on anyway!

I'm also thrilled me to see my former blog banner is a small piece of the inspiration for a treehouse theme over at Common Threads: a virtual quilting bee! I love the idea of this virtual quilting bee and wish I weren't too late to jump on that bandwagon! I have been reading the blog for the last month. I think the way it works is each month one person picks a theme and then sends fabric to each of the other participants. The participants make up a block and then send it back to the person who picked the theme and then they sew the blocks into a quilt. Definitely go check out the blog, you'll get the idea. I cannot wait to see the treehouse blocks these amazing ladies come up with!

Update, Disasters, Thoughts etc...

Over dinner last night, Kelli told me she was waiting for a blog update, so I guess here it is. Whoa is me...I am down my trusty laptop. It is a long, long, long, awful story...too awful for my nice little blog, but it has nonetheless resulted in less online time for me. Here is a nice, neat list of what has evolved since my last post on January 22:

1. Discovered crafty pod casts on CraftSanity. I don't know why I never listened to these before, but what fabulous background noise for creating and driving! I am finaly learning to use an I-pod! Go me!

2. Made a pincushion, pattern can be found here :

3. Got kinda sick

4. Made knit dishclothes while watching our latest Netflix addiction, Big Love!

5. (Saving the toughest for last--well, almost last) I basted and machine quilted my little red quilt. Sadly, this was not fun, and I feel lucky to have survived! Seriously. First off, I had the brilliant idea to lay a sheet underneath it, to keep the quilt from getting cat hair and other grime on it of course and well, I basted the little sheet right to my quilt. Yes ma'm I sure did! I decided to just cut the sheet off rather than re-baste. So it wasn't so bad, just a minor detour actually. Well then today, I finally decided (which really means: got the guts) to machine quilt it, which I have NEVER done before. I researched and researched. I even practiced! But it was really hard! Explitives may have been spoken. I should note that I do not have a walking foot for my machine. And it is a mechanical machine, so there ain't anything fancy to help me out. It was VERY rough at first, but I finally figured out that lowering the feed dogs halfway did the trick okay. You really can't tell how "beginner" the stitching looks unless you really look close, so now that it is all said and done, I can take a deep breath. I did not ruin my little quilt after all. Yay!

6. Lastly, I have been thinking a lot about hosting a monthly craft night. Not at my house, but maybe at the library? My thought is, a library meeting room has plenty of space, a kitchen, plus tables and chairs and outlets for sewing machines. I've been thinking a lot about the social side of crafting, but yet I do all of my creating solo. It would be kinda nice to get together with other crafters once in a while and create and even learn from each other. I know of crafty people out there (and they are mostly librarians, but this IS who I primarily interact with), but I also know folks are busy and I am not sure I could gather a crowd. But then maybe I should just do it...

Look up (there's a new banner)!

I've been playing around, trying to make myself a new banner. I posted this picture on my flickr a couple days ago so you might have already seen a preview of this. I've been working on this fabric treehouse over the last couple weeks and I think it will end up a mini-quilt. I actually created it with the thought in my head that it might look nice at the top of my blog. And I think it does. My only worry is that my embroidery could be better. But it feels good to actually have a treehouse on my blog :)

What do you think?

Finishing what I have started

So far in 2008 I am off to a running start. I spent the second half of my New Years day sewing. I have this to show for it:
I started this in a quilting class I took in March or April. I took the class to motivate me to make another quilt. Well it got me started alright, just didn't help me finish! This project has been fun to watch evolve because in the original pattern (from the book New Cuts for New Quilts) they use jungle prints and I immediately ruled that out. It just isn't me. It is neat to see how it has turned out using completely different fabrics than the pattern picture. You can't really see that until you get it all stitched together. I am thinking of doing a yellow small border and then switching back to the red for the large outer border. But we'll see...I have to make a trip to the fabric store for that first.

So there are a couple of things I had hoped to do before Christmas season ended which I didn't get around to doing. We have already packed up the Xmas stuff and I did not snag a picture of my new Christmas tree skirt from David's grandma. Expect many pictures in 2008! And I had hoped to post a simple set of instructions for making cute patchwork tree ornaments, but that will also have to wait. Once Christmas is over, it's over...oh well...2008....

I'm not posting any resolutions on this blog...I actually love resolutions and setting goals, so it isn't that I do not have any. It is just that they aren't crafty really and have more to do with the "Big Picture Amanda" not just the crafty side. They are kinda vague this year...Actually I will post one here because I need something to hold me to it:

I will be more on time in 2008, no matter how busy I am, I will make a more conscious effort to be timely. Perhaps I need a watch though...

A road block

So I am intending to go to the gym before work today, but just as I was about to get up, Lola came and took a nap on me! She's so cute snuggled up on me so I'll put the gym off a while longer. I'll update the blog with a random post instead..

I'm a bit stumped on my quilt because it's crooked at the bottom and I can't figure out why. Perhaps when I sew it all together it will work itself out, but it's bugging me and my attempt to fix it last night did not really work. No new pics to post...

I think I need to find some sewing inspiration today, because I just don't feel like working on things...I'll start with this photobooth picture of David and I.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Getting there

So I've been happily slaving away on this quilt...No, I did not finish in time for the shower, but it will be done by the birth. One week was a bit too optimistic anyhow. The quilt top is nearly finished. I just have to attach the border, so I'm almost there. I would work on it tonight, but I am going to rest my neck instead. I work mostly on the floor and I was having shooting pains in my neck and upper back today. Twenty-nine and I've already got old lady pains. What's up with that? I only have 5 months left to be in my twenties...and it is starting to freak me out a tad. Amanda will be a 30 something soon...I kinda always thought I'd get to stay a 20-something forever.

Here are the latest pictures::




David and I are enjoying being Kitten parents :) Lola is napping on my arm as we speak...making typing a bit difficult. She is really clingy, Lola is. My kinda kitty! Such a snuggler.

A quilt...eventually

Since I last posted, I've been working on a baby quilt...and I made a skirt, which I haven't taken any pictures of because I still have to hem it...I didn't quite make it in time for summer, but perhaps on a balmy fall day I can wear it.

But the quilt...here's hoping I finish it...the goal is to finish by Sunday at 2pm, but it is still in pieces or rather strips:



I still have to sew 3 more strips and then cut those into pieces and then cut a few more strips and sew them all together, baste, quilt and bind it, so we'll see! Oh, and if you look closely you can see David in the background of the picture above :) It feels good to be making a quilt again though. Something about quilting drives me to keep going and going until I'm done!