Hey Hey Hey

Hey Hey Hey!  Is anyone even still out there?

We've moved and I actually have my OWN sewing room now.  This means I'll be making (and posting) a lot more projects!

If there's anyone out there still, comment and help me dust off this old blog and get it going again :)

(I'll post some pictures of what I've been working on in a bit)

I've missed a few Design Wall Mondays (and I'll miss tomorrow's) and I've missed a few Stash Report Sundays because, well.....because I've done nothing. I took my design wall down because we have company and I put my sewing machine away as well. We're going to the Great Wolf Lodge for a little family get away this week and once we get home, I'll get all my sewing stuff back out and hopefully have more to report in the following weeks. Until then.....

Design Wall Monday ~ January 16

I have a pretty full design wall right now. I got tired of looking at the Irish Chain. I need to piece some more blocks and it had pretty much out grown my wall anyway, so I took it down. So....let's take a look, shall we?

I mentioned last night that I've decided to make the 36 patch from crazymomquilts. I'm going slow, just picking two fabrics at a time. I picked the green/pink, hubby picked the green/orange. Clearly, they cannot be placed next to one another in the quilt. I think it's time a pick a block with no green.......I figure if I make one block a week, then sandwich/quilt it, I should be able to get it done this year. Haven't we all said that before?!? LOL!

My strings are out of control! I've been going over to a friend's house for a sew day a couple of times per month and since we both homeschool (read: kids are there) and we like to chat, it can be a little chaotic! I needed something to work on that didn't require precision piecing. Enter STRINGS! Like the 36 patch, this one will slowly grow over time.

Lastly, Judy picked number 5 for the UFO Challenge for this month. These blocks are blocks that I received in a virtual quilting bee a couple of years ago. I have three other blocks that won't make it into the quilt. One will be pieced into the back (the colors just don't work with the rest of them) and two will be made into pillows. Right now.....I'm just trying to figure out what to do with these 10 blocks. I'm thinking I'll sash them with random widths of Kona charcoal. We'll see....

So, there you have it. If you want to see more Design Walls, head over to Judy's post and see who's linked up!

Stash Report 1/15/2012

~*~ This post is linked up to Judy's Stash Report over at Patchwork Times ~*~

This week I sliced up some center strings for a string quilt I'm working on (to be seen on design wall Monday tomorrow ~ if I can find the camera!) I also cut up some strips for a 36 patch block, I'm making a version of Amandajean's. I'll be working on it a block at a time throughout the year.

Used this Week: .1.5 yards
Used year to Date: 1.7 yards

Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 0 yards

Net Used for 2012: 1.7 yards

Line 'Em UP!

Ever since Carter was a baby he has been obsessed with lining things up. It started with peas on his high chair, then he moved on to blocks, and finally graduated to his big brother's Hot Wheels. Often times I'd walk into the living room and find a mixture of blocks, Hot Wheels, cars, and other items lined up from one end of the room to the other. So, I'm not sure why, once I hung a design wall, I was surprised to find this....

My sweet boy hasn't stopped rearranging my blocks since I hung them! I find him fussing with them all day long. He'll get them just right and then out of no where, he'll jump off of the couch and start rearranging them again.

I guess I should have seen this coming, but honestly I didn't. I think it's cute as could be and if my blocks weren't so WHITE, I wouldn't even nag him about washing his hands first :)

I think I may have a future quilt designer on my hands. I've since taken the Irish Chain down and put up some other blocks. He fiddled with them for about 24 hours, but has left them alone ever since. I guess they just don't hold his interest as much as all of those tiny little squares!

Stash Report 1/8/2012

~*~This post is linked up to Judy's Stash Report over at Patchwork Times~*~

I've decided to go ahead and count it as I slice it, but only if it's going straight into a current project. This week I sliced up about a fifth of a yard as I needed some more 2" squares for my Irish Chain. Some of them have made it into blocks, some of them are still in the little basket of 2" squares, but they are all out of my stash :)

I also pulled some fabric for the mug rug swap, but I haven't cut into it yet, so that'll have to count for next week's stash report.

I'm off to a good start. Whoop!

Used this Week: .2 yards
Used year to Date: .2 yards

Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 0 yards

Net Used for 2012: .2 yards

Mug Rugs

I'm in a Valentine's Mug Rug swap over at the HGTV Quilting Board. I'm taking a little break from the bed quilts, so I thought it would be a good time to pull some fabrics and start thinking about it......
I'm loving the grey dots. I seem to only have a quarter yard (maybe even less). What was I thinking? Gasp. Gonna have to hunt down some more of that, stat!! I'm totally in love with these colors and the whole concept of a mug rug in general.

This swap is for the rug only, but I've been thinking of hosting a "Mug 'N Rug Swap" where you buy a mug and then make a mug rug to match. Then fill up the mug with a few goodies. If you work from stash, the whole swap would come in right around $20 (or less). So, whatdya say ~ would anyone be interested in such a swap? There would be no theme....just a mug and a rug. What say you?

Are you ready for some football??

Not much sewing going on here today. It's playoffs, baby!! WHO DEY!!!!!

Design Wall Monday

~*~ This post is linked up to Judy's Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times ~*~

I didn't meet my challenge. Bummer. I asked Jason yesterday if I had to give the Juki back. He told me it was a good thing the PO was closed yesterday ;)

I've been sewing like crazy and I'm completely in love with the Juki. I've named her "JJ", for "Jess' Juki".

I actually talked Jason into letting me hang a big flannel sheet in the middle of the living room to use as my design wall. I was originally going for a small corner in our bedroom, but then I thought, "If I'm gonna go, I may as well go BIG!" I assumed I could run to Walmart and find a cheap sheet. WRONG! Plain white flannel sheets aren't as easy to find as one might thing. New plan: head to Joann's and buy some plain white flannel yardage, thumb tack it to the big plain wall in the living room and remove it for company. Awesome.

Sadly, I haven't done it yet so my floor is still my design wall. I've made a few more blocks on the Irish Chain. One of my friends on Facebook suggested I water it and feed it after midnight to see if it grows. I just might give that a try!! There are so many tiny little seams in these blocks, so I'm sewing them together in fours and then sewing the chunks together. It's easier to manage than big long rows for this one....

I'm letting the boys take the rest of the week off of school because, well, because I've been sewing an not lesson planning! Lucky them. I guess. Anyway, once school starts back up next week I fear my sewing time will get drastically cut. I just have to remember my mantra for the new year: Balance.