All in all, not a bad sewing weekend. Now for getting school stuff ready for the week and doing a bit of editing before bed. Two books to do this week, so I won’t have much time to play around before my sister gets here this week, but I’m hoping to be able to show off the finished quilt top by then, at least. I know I won’t have it quilted by then, but at least she’ll get a sneak peek.

Since I didn’t love the block when I got it pieced, I put it up for grabs on FB and my mom claimed it and wanted it as a pot holder. Well, it’s a little big for a potholder, so I made a big hot pad for her table or countertop instead. BUT…I’ve never made a quilted hot pad before so I wasn’t quite sure how much batting to use to keep it from transferring too much heat. I used two layers of regular quilt batting with a layer of insul bright between them. Quilting that many layers was kind of beastly and it turned out super puffy, which is cool to look at but not so cool to quilt (as you can probably tell from my crappy, wobbly quilt lines). I think maybe just two layers of insul bright next time will do the trick. Any suggestions?

Anyway, I’ve got some more work to wrap up and then I’m knocking off for a few hours to get some sewing done since it’s Friday Night Sew In at Handmade by Heidi’s blog. Hopefully, I can get some piecing done tonight since I haven’t gotten much of anything done this week on the quilt tops.

Wanna join in? Head over to Heidi’s and sign up.

I’m back today and maybe even tomorrow with a teensy bit of crafting fun.

We took the kiddos to see Oz the Great and Powerful on Saturday night, so Sunday we stayed in and Eddie tore out the old bathtub while I pieced a bit of a quilt block. I had such a restful day I didn’t want it to end. I can’t even remember the last time I just relaxed.

Anyway, this is what came of the funky little star block I was working on Sunday. I finished the rest up this morning while still tucked under the covers. There’s certainly something to be said for hand sewing. This was my first time with English paper piecing and I think I may become an addict simply because it’s so portable.

The star is Michael Miller and the rest is Tina Givens (Haven’s Edge). I’m not super thrilled with the bright against the dark brown, but my boys picked it out (and boy child swears he’s going to steal the block).

I am off for now. I have to try to get a quilt top put together today so I can tell the hubby was size conduit I need him to buy for my Flynn quilt frame when he goes to Home Depot to get the stuff for his bathtub project.

Linking up at I Have to Say for Show and Tell Tuesday. (3/12/13)

In reality, I’ll be spending the majority of the month up until all hours working myself into a tizzy trying to get the rest of my Christmas presents finished. Today I feel lazy and I don’t want to do it. Why? Because I first have to clean up the horrid mess I’ve made of my teensy weensy sewing room.

This is what happens when I sew and don’t clean up after myself and then buy new shiz and don’t put it away and make new stuff and don’t squirrel the stuff away in the appropriate container. It’s sewing closet hell.

There is a table underneath here somewhere.

Floor? I think so. Maybe.

I should feel shame. Instead, I’m just annoyed that I don’t have a maid.

Still, we take these creatures, who unwittingly torment us, into public. We do it willingly, dressing them in their finest and spit shining them on the way into whatever new hell awaits once we cross the threshold of Walmart or its equally evil counterparts.

One particularly fine day, I traipsed through the Walmart parking lot, stopping three times to tie shoes. I hadn’t had the forethought to buy Velcro shoes for the children and, apparently, a child of mine tying their own shoes required the starts to align just so, the angels to break out in chorus, and God to smile down in pity rather than the sadistic smile with which he preferred to grace me. By the time the gates of hell whooshed open and lured us in with promises of low prices, I knew it would be one of those shopping trips.

We managed to find nearly everything on my list, I’d fished out all the extras the kids tossed into the cart every time I turned my back, and I aimed my mini caravan toward the front of the store. Absently snatching the bottle of dish soap from child three’s mouth, I nearly ran into child one who stood, feet planted apart and arms crossed, directly in my path. His angry scowl puzzled me and I wracked my brain for some item he’d declared a must-have that I’d vetoed.

“You didn’t tell us it was Halloween today,” he growled in his most stern voice.

Thoroughly confused, I replied with all the sweetness I could muster. “Halloween is months away. Move your butt or you’re going as a smear on Walmart’s floor for Halloween this year.”

He moved his butt. He marched it right up to a group of four nuns who stood in the cleaning products aisle, obviously debating which cleaning product would help them achieve the cleanliness closest to godliness. At first, the sight of one of God’s little lambs didn’t interrupt their spirited debate, but when boy child tugged gently on a habit, they all turned at once, and I nearly quaked at the hive-mind action.

“My mom,” he punctuated with a glare at me, “didn’t tell us it is Halloween today, so that’s why we’re not wearing our costumes. Are you the penguins from March of the Penguins or are you from Happy Feet?”

Jaws dropped. Not just mine. Not just those of the nuns. Every single person who happened to be shopping for cleaning supplies stopped, stared in wide-eyed horror, then picked their jaws up off the floor when they realized they were gawping at a precocious child and a waddle of nuns.

My sweet, sweet, boy child hadn’t finished. Yet. “Anyway, we don’t have our candy, but we can pick some up while we’re here. This is Walmart, you know, and they have everything here. We can get groceries and mom can get wine and the parts to fix all the stuff we break all in the same place. So we’ll get some candy. You’re kind of big for trick or treat, but if you come to our street (boy child inserts the name of our street here), I’ll be waiting at the door for you. But you have to say ‘trick or treat’. It’s the rules, you know. No, not rules….”

He turns to me. “What are those rules that aren’t rule kind of rules?”

“Etiquette?” I managed to squeak.

He returned his attention to the nuns who had clamped their mouths shut tight, most likely praying furiously that they didn’t burst out laughing and insult my humiliating child. “Yeah, that stuff she said.”

The youngest of the nuns–yes, I’m assuming because, frankly, it’s damned difficult to guess ages among penguins–hunched down on eye level with the little man. “We truly appreciate your kindness, but I’m afraid we can’t trick or treat tonight. We have to work this evening.”

“Hmmm. Your boss must be a real jerk to make you work on Halloween night.” He reached out his pudgy little five-year-old hand and patted her on the shoulder gently, commiserating with her as only a child could. “I know how it goes though. My dad’s work is full of jerks, too. Dang government sends him all over the world. It’s poopy, but you gotta eat, so you gotta follow orders.”

I have to give the nuns props. Apparently, they go through rigorous training to keep their faces straight. I had no such training. My lack of training earned me another scowl from boy child.

“Well, we have to go home before this milk gets warm and turns into cottage cheese, but you can come to our street next Halloween and we’ll give you extra candy since you don’t get to trick or treat this year.”

Masochism. It’s the driving force of parenthood.

I’m shocked, but it doesn’t look all wonky once it’s together, so I’m probably going to be able to avoid the apoplectic fit, after all.

Now I just have to sandwich it and quilt it this weekend so I have a happy blanket to snuggle under this coming week when we get some real fall weather.

As promised, here is one of the bags I started cutting out over the weekend. It’s nothing fancy, just a quick and easy bag that can be used as a purse, not likely to happen since I’m not very adventurous in the purse department–or anything clothing or accessories, truth be told, or as a project bag. I’m obviously more inclined to use it as a project bag and it will suit perfectly. It’s just the right size for a shawl-sized project. Two skeins of yarn fit in easily and there’s room left over for all the notions and patterns and needles as well.

This is a free pattern from All People Quilt and it was super easy to whip up. Cutting the pattern pieces out and then cutting out the fabric took far longer than actually sewing it together.

While up ALL night with kids last night (am I the only person in the world whose kids slept as babies but now plague them nightly with being up all flippin night?) I got to knit some more on my sadly unfinished cardigan. No pics yet, but if I have another night like last night, I’ll probably be able to finish the darn thing. Guess the kids are good for helping me finish the projects that I can work on while curled up on the couch with them on their sleepless nights.

Anyway, that’s about all I have for tonight. I’ll try to do another drive-by at some point this week, but knowing my blogging history, there’s a good chance it won’t happen. I am off to wrangle some more words, and, if things really go well even write some of my own. Have a fantastic week.

First up is the first four months of the Fat Quarter Shop’s Designer Mystery Quilt. I get these as a block a month thing, but I’d only attempted the first one before this weekend. My first attempt didn’t turn out so well, so I made it again and made the remaining three as well.

FQS BOM 1 thru 4

Next up, two of the Granny Squares quilt blocks. I can probably finish up the blocks for the top tonight if I get around to sewing later this evening.

Granny Squares Blocks

Finally, a wrist pincushion because I’m sick to death of poking my fingers every time I need to line up a seam on these darn blocks. Plus, it’s just cute and I like cute.

Wrist Pincushion

Now I’m off to Joann’s to pick up some covered button kits, some purse hardware, and some seat cushion foam because my butt is killing me after sitting on my hard, wooden sewing chair all weekend.

All told, not a bad FNSI result.

P.S. Sorry about the crap lighting in the pics, but I don’t have time to screw around with getting decent shots today. Too busy having fun!

To start things off, tonight is Handmade by Heidi’s and Crafty Vegas Mom’s Friday Night Sew-In. They’ve change the rules a bit, and extended the deadline for posting until Sunday, so I’m going to take the whole weekend and get started on my terribly long list of projects that need work. I’ve got a stupid long list of Christmas gifts that need started or finished, plus I would love to have my Granny Squares Quilt done before the holidays.

If you’ve got projects piling up and need to make the time to work on them, tonight’s the perfect night to start. Just head over to the Sew In signup, put your name on the list, then blog your craftiness by Sunday (or upload to the flickr group if you don’t have a blog) and you’re entered for the prize drawings. Scratching things off your “to do” list plus getting entered into the prize drawing–wins all around.

In other news, tomorrow is the first day of fall. I am so. very. ready. for cooler weather. I hate summer. Truly hate it. Some people get down in the dumps over the long winter. Not me. I love the cool and cold weather, but I am a surly bear with a porcupine up its butt all summer long.  I’ve been buying apples and cider and thinking about root vegetables roasting in the oven. I’ve been making caramel to dip my apples in and to drizzle on pretty much everything I can. My oven has started getting a workout again, the windows are open, and my world is balancing out finally. There’s pretty much nothing about fall I don’t love.

For some reason, I’m more ready than usual for cooler weather this year. And I’ve been bitten by a decorating bug. I’m not a big decorator. I just don’t have time for it, usually. But I’m dying to whip up some of these in some fun Indian summer/fall colors:

Fabric Pumpkins

Want to make some for yourself? Danielle has a super simple tutorial for making them over at her blog, Thompson Family, so check it out if you want to whip a few of these up for your fall decorating.

And now, dear people, I am off to actually start enjoying my weekend (and to eat a couple dozen of the warm peanut butter cookies that just came out of the oven). Have a fun, safe weekend, and I’ll be back throughout the weekend to post my progress on whatever I manage to get accomplished.

Don’t you just love days where you have about 23 million things you need to get done, but about all you can manage is croaking out “please get me      insert random item here     ” and lying around praying to the gods of any religion you can think of that death will come quickly? No? Me neither.

Since the universe was sweet enough to hand me my butt on a platter, I thought I might get some knitting accomplished while curled up on the couch in a sweater and a blanket. Yes, I do know it’s a bajillion degrees out and I’ve already shut off the air conditioning, but I’m still cold. Anyway, as it turns out, when your head it filled with a gallon or two of snot and general cloggy glop, you can’t do a whole lot of concentrating–especially if said glop is threatening to send your eyeballs flying out of your skull at any given moment. So, I didn’t even attempt to work on my socks or a shawl or anything that needed to turn out properly. Instead, I knit myself a bookmark. Stupid thing had to have been one of the world’s easiest patterns, but I had to rip it all out three times anyway. Concentration issues, be damned, I did manage to finish it although I didn’t block it yet so it’s a bit wobbly. Getting out pins and pegging it down just seemed like far too much work.

I may not ever get around to blocking it, and I don’t particularly care considering how infrequently I get to sit down and read a book these days. I still dream of reading books (actually, last night I dreamed I sneaked into someone’s house and stole their mail–no idea why–but that’s not relevant to this story), but I never seem to get around to it often enough anymore.

Anyway, I guess I should go find something to feed my family for dinner, and then I’m curling back up on the couch and doing absolutely nothing except, perhaps, praying for death. It seems the most practical way to spend my evening.