Less Funky

I was thinking today about what is making me feel “blah” about my patchwork and I realised it is a couple of things.

1. Is that I’ve yet to label my brother’s quilt. I kind of wanted to put a label on it that wished him the best for the future and all that but in words that aren’t common these days. It was so much easier saying the sort of stuff that I want to say before it became “common”. That and he doesn’t really want a quilt cause his room is ridiculously messy – to the point where his girlfriend refuses to go to his apartment – and he is scared that he is going to wreck it. But, it’s kind of ok, cause I knew this before I made it which is why I didn’t put super dooper effort in. So, I’ll think of something, stick the label on, wrap it up, give it to him and just let him know that if he doesn’t want it (now or later) then I’ll look after it until he does.

2. Is the baby quilt that I finished the top for. I had bought some fabric to cut up into 10.5′ squares and then sew back together again but I realised today that I just couldn’t be bothered doing that. So instead I went to Spotlight and bought a piece of fabric big enough to fit. Along with some blue for a quilt of Tara’s that I want to do and some cool multicoloured white circles which I think I’ll use as binding on something. $10 in total. Bargain!

3. Although I want Memories of Spring finished and done, I really can’t be bothered sitting down to do the butterflies and I just don’t want to! So I’ve decided to just do them when I feel like it and perhaps just take it with me to the next quilt class and do another one there. That would then leave 2 to go. Not sure. I’m also dragging my feet cause I have to cut the backing fabric in half and sew it together (and also wash it first) but I can’t be bothered. Hmm….

So, when I got home from Spotlight I put the fabric that I’d bought in the wash, sat down, had dinner, caught up with my blogs and once the fabric was finished drying I pinned the baby quilt. It took me a little longer than I wanted cause I hadn’t placed it right and had to do it again. It’s now in the bag waiting for Thursday.

I then made these cute blocks. They are from Tara’s “Galaxy of Stars” pattern from last months AP&Q that has grown on me the more times I’ve looked at it. The blue is the fabric that I bought today. I had another blue already that was perfect but unfortunately, I didn’t have enough of it. I’m thinking a purple fabric for the setting triangle (it’s on point).

I’m going to do mine slightly different. My squares are 2′ and instead of the longest line being 7 blocks, mine will be 5 so hopefully when it is all done it’s not quite as big as the one that Tara made.

In other news:

*My iron is trying to kill me. Whenever I go to use it when it’s been on for a while it leaks water onto the ironing board and creates a big mess. I’ve bought another iron but I’ve been to slack to take it out of the box. I’ll do that tomorrow.

*I have the biggest most impressive bruise on the back of my left leg just above my knee from where I hit myself on the bus chair yesterday morning. I took photos but they show a bit more than I want everyone on the internet able to see! Trust me, it’s impressive!

*I tried out black nail polish yesterday on one finger and I quite like it. It certainly looks different. I’m not sure I would like it so much if I did my whole hand though…

*I have tomorrow off. Yay!!! *happy dance* So, I’m going to sleep in, clean the house, take Grandma food shopping, tidy my room, catch up with a friend over icecream (yum!) and then I’m not sure. Probably do a bit more sewing on the gazillion projects I have going

Have a good Sunday everyone!

Quilting Funk

Hi Claire! It was a busy day wasn’t it?  Trouble is, then, when I slow down and have a not so busy day I feel like a slacker!

Hi Amy!  He is gorgeous.  He’s being a bit of a brat at the moment though cause all he wants to do is bite me and Grandma!

***

So what’s been happening with everyone?

Me?  Well, I seem to be in a bit of a quilting funk.

I went to quilt class last week and pretty much forced myself to sew one butterfly onto Memories of Spring and then I just sewed pieces together.

I bought a little bit of fabric and some thread and wadding but other than that, I was quite good

But, I haven’t touched any of my quilting stuff in the past 8 days.  I have moved some stuff around in the sewing room to tidy it up and I think that I should do some but then it just doesn’t interest or excite me so I haven’t been doing anything.

Well, except for going to the gym and work….

I was just reading Crazy Aunt Pearl’s blog about how she is not going to buy anything inessential (is that a word?) for the rest of the year as she feels that she buys too much stuff and to be honest I also feel like that too sometimes.

So, part of what I’m working on is not to buy “stuff and things” cause I have a whole house full of it!  And also to stop buying as much quilting items.  I think I’ll just buy what I have to to finish off all the ones that I have planned and then go from there cause really I do have more than enough to keep me occupied for a gazillion years a while.

Well, except for Butterfly Garden cause I’ve wanted to do that since I saw it being made.  I still haven’t received my first month’s block even though I’ve tried numerous times to contact the store (not happy about the very poor customer service) so I have now contacted another store and pretty soon I’ll be all set

Oh and I wouldn’t mind a pair of black winter boots… just kidding!

I’ve only got 2 more weeks of TAFE left this semester and then I won’t have to go back until August apparently.  I had an assessment Tuesday so I spent all afternoon studying and then in the test it wasn’t like any of them!  But I managed to pull it together, although, for some reason I decided to label a creditor as an asset instead of a liability!  Whoops!!!  Still managed to get a credit though

My brother’s 21st party is Saturday week so I’m looking forward to it cause I have put off having my hair done and my eyebrows waxed for quite a few weeks so it will be nice to look all tidied up and out of my gym clothes.  I’m also going for a spray tan the night before so I should look nicely sunkissed.

And now I’m just rambling so I’ll stop it here and wish you all a safe, happy and productive weekend.

Hmmmm……

Thanks for the comment Helen!  I’m loving the colours myself and now just want to make more!

***

Today I took the doll quilt with me to work so that I could get some of the hand stitching on the binding done so that Grandma can give it to her neice’s granddaughter (which makes her something 4th, 5th cousin? to me) as it is her 2nd birthday at the end of the month.

I’m totally loving it though and on the back I put 5′ squares so it also became a mini ‘eyespy’ quilt.

Although I did use the fabrics more than once so I’m not sure if it really is a traditional eyespy quilt.  It has my favourite monsters fabric in it

I so want to make some more but then the practical side of me says “well, what are you going to do with them then?” and usually that doesn’t deter me but in this case….

I have a friend who is newly pregnant and I’m thinking she is going to have a girl so I’m thinking I might make this pattern in pink for her but do it 2 x 2 blocks or there is another pattern that is pink and yellow that I also want to make that I could also do (either or, not both though).

On another thought…..

I have quilt class on Thursday and don’t really have anything specific to take.  I mean I could take Memories of Spring to hand stitch the butterflies on but I don’t think I can stand sitting down and hand stitching for 3 hours.  But I don’t really have anything in particular that is calling me.

If I had of had wadding and been able to pin the baby quilt I would have taken that to quilt but as it is still a flimsy I can’t do much with that on Thursday (mental note: must remember to take a photo and post it!).

And then I have Doreen’s/Kelly’s Hearts which I also need to applique down but it seems a waste of a class.

I could also take along fabric to make another baby quilt or one of the pink quilts or the blue pinwheels or even one of the quilts that I have cut up but haven’t made yet but I just don’t know.

And then I do have 4 Xmas Placemats that I forgot that I promised Grandma that I’d make so that she has a set of 10 instead of the current 6……

So, at this point I think I’ll take Memories of Spring anyways and do one butterfly but I think I need to take one more project, cause heaven forbid I only take one thing to work on!

Hmmm….. I think I’m going to have to think about it some more and perhaps make a decision on the day!

Any thoughts or ideas will be gladly accepted

Meanwhile, I’ll leave you a pic of Ginger as I haven’t posted one lately.

Making Progress

Hi Emma.  I have been thinking about joining a doll quilt swap however, I’m not sure if I can create something for a specific person.  I’m more of a make a quilt and hey! it’s xxx’s b’day, I can give them this….  I do enjoy seeing the beautiful quilts that are made.

Hi Kathleen.  I was tired just doing and writing about what I did!  I had been looking forward to my cake all week and it certainly kept me on track!  I only start the day early cause I have to.  If I had my way my day wouldn’t start till at least 10am everyday

***

How did the list go?  Well, without looking at it I feel that I got a lot accomplished however, let’s go through it…

• pedicure – done
• manicure – done
• facial – kind of
• clean the house – nope, leaving it till Friday
• label Blue + Tan – nope
• assignment – half of it, just have to write the report which shouldn’t take long
• homework – nope, going to be done Friday with this week’s homework
• write an upper body weights program – nope
• tidy study – done
• organise hearts – i did 6 which is enough to get me through a few days
• finish baby quilt to flimsy stage – done.  just waiting on batting and backing now
• do backing for baby quilt – nope, although I did thing about it
• cut 1800 2′ black squares – nope, but I did do 224, just 1600 left (approx)
• tidy room – done

So I did get quite a bit done.  The major thing that I got done that wasn’t on the list was the doll quilt that I made (picture above).  It’s the same pattern as Blue + Tan but just one block.  It measures 24.5′ square and is very pretty.

I finished all the units and put them together last night.  Today I made the backing (49 5′ squares) and sewed some left over batting together, sandwhiched it, quilted it and machine stitched the binding on!

Phew!

So now it is ready to travel with me to get the binding stitched down on the back.

My sewing room is now looking very messy and I have fabric everywhere that I started cutting up for the quilt that I now need to cut up into either 3.5′ or 2′ squares.

Perhaps I’ll cut the bigger pink squares up into 4.5′ in case I decide to make another one

But it can all wait till another day now cause it’s bed time with work tomorrow.

A Day In My Life: 16 May 2008

Well, here we are once again on the 16th of the month – although this month I am writing this the day after cause I was waaaayyy too tired to write it out last night.  Slacker!

So here I am, writing this out now and watching the Vicar of Dibley.  It is the funniest show ever and I’m so putting the box set on my Xmas list.

Yesterday I was at work, then I went to the gym and then I went out for coffee and cake so it was a busy day.

So without further ado, here is what I did on the 16th May 2008:

4.50am – hit the snooze button and again at 4.55am

5.00am – bugga, better get up then.  Hang on… I don’t have to get up ’til 5.20am.  Bonus!  Reset the alarm for 5.15am.

5.15am – hit the snooze button yet again and also again at 5.20am.

5.25am – hit the snooze button and turn it off.  It really is time to get up   Cuddle Ginger and then get up.

6.40am – leave the house and start driving to my friends house close to the city where I’ll catch the bus from.

6.50am – listen to the radio and am reminded that we are supposed to have a massive storm with hail, rain, thunder, lightening and if you are lucky, floods and decide to be paranoid about trees falling on my car and change where I’m going to park.  Take a left and drive straight into the city to park in a car park for the day.

7.10am – stop at the cafe near work to grab a coffee.  My first for the week.  It’s been a long week and today is day 7 out of 7 with most spare time spent at the gym or tafe.  TGIF!!!

7.30am – there’s no sugar in the kitchen so I decide to try honey and milo on my porridge and hope that it will taste good.  Eat my breakfast and decide that honey and milo and porridge just don’t go and I will not be recommending it to anyone.  Wash my bowl out and look out the window at the world.  It still looks pretty nice out there.  Wonder if I should be annoyed that the weather is fine and I have paid for parking or that I should be thankful that the weather is fine and then there won’t be any problems.

7.45am – start work and answer some calls.

9.50am – log out late for my first break, go have a snack, check my emails and bloglines.

10.10am – find out that I didn’t log out and realise that I’ll now have to do more work today than I was anticipating to be able to meet my daily targets

12.00noon – log out for lunch and get a piece of pizza and sushi so that I can keep my sandwhich for dinner.  Ring Grandma to check in on her.  Find out that the freezer is ok and we won’t need to buy another fridge, thankfully.  Get back to work and check my emails and bloglines again.

12.30pm – log back in to the phones.

14.15pm – log out for my last break.  Talk to my desk buddy who I’m going out for coffee with later and have a hilarious conversation with her cause she thought we were going to Spatz and I thought we were going to the Elephant Walk.  As she isn’t fond of the Elephant Walk we confirm to meet at Spatz.

15.35pm – log out for the last time and I’m freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee to start my weekend.  Hip hip hooray…….

16.00pm – leave the car park feeling like a drowned rat and madly try to keep the windows from fogging up so that I can see where I’m going.

16.30pm – pop into Quiltaholics to buy some wadding for the baby quilt that I’m making.  Only problem is is that Cheryl has a customer already and she seems to be buying all the pink fabric in the shop.  It looks like it will be a pretty quilt.  Tell Cheryl I’ll get the wadding on Thursday when I’m in for quilt class.  Cause really there is no rush and I’ll be busy enough this weekend doing my assignment and homework due Tuesday.

16.40pm – get to the gym and change.  Get to the room and wait for the class to start.

17.00pm – start the class.  It’s Attack tonight, my second for the week.  Feel like death warmed over and really sore from all the other exercise I’ve done during the week.  Wonder what I’m doing there but just keep moving…

18.00pm – finish the class and feel very proud that I finished it!

18.10pm – start walking on the treadmill and get the ipod sorted to listen to Week 2 of the Couch to 5km Podcast.

18.20pm – Friends is on the tv in front of the treadmill and although there is no sound and I’m listening to my ipod I remember the episode and am laughing whilst I’m running.  Wonder what everyone else thinks of the strange girl at the end who is laughing for no reason whilst she is running.  Decide I don’t care and keep laughing cause it makes me happy.

18.40pm – finish the podcast, refill my water bottle and go get changed back into my clothes, ready to go out for coffee and cake.  Yum.  Get in the car, eat my sandwhich and drive to Spats.

19.00pm – arrive at Spats, ring my friend and find out she is minutes away so I go on in and get a table and peruse the menu to work out what I’m going to have.

19.05pm – my friend arrives, she and her friend sit down, we order and enjoy our desserts.  We talk for a while and enjoy just being somewhere other than work, the gym, tafe or home.

21.00pm – I am nearly falling asleep, it is so comfy there!  We decide that it’s time to leave so we pay the bill, collect our coats and walk outside to our cars.

21.30pm – get home.  Way too tired to take anything other than my handbag inside so leave everything else in the car.

21.40pm – write yesterday’s post, check emails and bloglines, chat to Grandma and watch the end of the football.

22.00pm – bedtime!  I am sooo looking forward to getting a good restful sleep and being able to sleep in in the morning*

*little do I know that I won’t be able to get to sleep for ages and then will wake up every other hour, hear the pouring rain and start worrying (irrationally) about trees falling on the roof or the roof caving in due to excess water and I’ll be up at 8.30am.

Nothing Quilty

So, I’ve been feeling bad that I haven’t been posting much lately however, I don’t have anything quilty to report.

I do have a baby quilt that is nearly finished (flimsy wise) that I’m going to try and finish on the weekend.

And I feel like making a doll sized quilt – probably in pink!

However, this weekend I have a whole tonne of stuff that I need to do so we’ll see.

I also have my “Day In A Life Post” to write for today but I don’t want to do it tonight as I’m nearly asleep and if I start thinking about my day then I’ll wake up and won’t be able to sleep

Life just seems to be getting so much busier for me at the moment; it’s unreal.

Ok, so just so I have an idea of what I am going to achieve this weekend I’m going to write a list here and report back Sunday night with what was done.

• pedicure
• manicure
• facial
• clean the house
• label Blue + Tan
• assignment
• homework
• write an upper body weights program
• tidy study
• organise hearts
• finish baby quilt to flimsy stage
• do backing for baby quilt
• cut 1800 2′ black squares
• tidy room

I think that’s enough! Let’s see if I get through all of that. If I do I have plenty more to add to it!

I had something else I wanted to say but now I can’t remember so I’ll leave it at that and get back to you tomorrow about what I did today.

Hope you all have a loverly weekend

How Many?

I haven’t been doing a lot lately just finishing things up.  I’ve now finished the binding on Blue + Tan and will label that this weekend, finally finished hand sewing the binding onto the last remaining 8 placemats and I got Asian Pinwheels up to a point where I could quilt it at quilt class.

I went to quilt class yesterday and quilted most of it and then last night when I couldn’t sleep I finished it off.  I’ll attach the binding by machine tonight.

I’m also going to get some hearts ready to applique onto the background for Doreen’s Hearts so that I can take them with me to do when I have down time.  I have been doing this with my placemats but now they are thankfully all done

I’m also going to concentrate on finishing off Memories of Spring.

It was funny at quilt class.  One of the ladies asked me how many quilts I’ve got on the go.  And I said that I wasn’t sure but then I semi worked it out in my head and it’s around 8!!!

So I definitely think it’s time to start finishing them off.  Although except for Memories of Spring – which needs the applique done – I don’t have any other completed tops, they are all quilted so it’s not that bad….

I also got to see Tazzie’s Cinnamon Xmas quilt which has the balloon fabric in this post on the back which I’ve fallen in love with and also the quilt top (it’s beautiful).  I also know which quilt I’d put it on the back of.  Now, just to save up to get it!

Well, I’m now off to do the binding on Asian Pinwheels.  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and a wonderful Mother’s Day

***

So, my current list of things to do as at 8/5/08:

• finish applique on Memories of Spring
• attach binding onto Blue + Tan by machine – 15/4/08
• attach binding onto Blue + Tan by hand – 5/5/08
• finish butterfly placemats – 25/4/08
• hand sew binding onto Jan’s placemats – 9/5/08
• attach binding to Asian Pinwheels
• handstitch binding to Asian Pinwheels
• applique hearts

Still Busy

Well, I’m still busy!

I just had a weekend off which for me is quite rare as I usually work them (at my choice) so it was nice to pretend to be “normal” for a change

Friday night I hung/hanged at a friend’s house for a few hours before coming home to drop into my bed exhausted.

Saturday I went to Big W and bought a container to put all the clothes that I no longer want into it.  I then went out with my friend Tony.   We started at Officeworks as I needed a new ipod cause I accidentally drowned my old one in my handbag – I put my water bottle in my handbag not realising that I had left the top open.  Result, a drowned ipod and a very wet handbag!

Then we went for lunch at a yiros place on O’Connell St before heading down to Semaphore for some icecream.

That night I went to learn how to put movies onto my new ipod and accidentally deleted my whole iTunes library.  I was not happy but was expecting it as when I was deleting I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing or not.  Obviously not!  Lesson learned… do a system restore point on the ‘puter before you delete important stuff.  Or at the very least, back it up.

So last night was mainly about learning how to put movies onto my ipod and also downloading all my songs again as well as starting to upload the ones that I do have on cd.

Today I did heaps of things.

I started with my wardrobe(s).  They have been bugging me forever as they are really messy and full of clothes that I don’t really want.  So I tossed a whole heap of clothes on the floor and will put them into the container that I bought yesterday.  I’ll see if I can give them away to friends/family and if not, I’ll try to sell some on ebay and then give the rest away.

They look much nicer and neater now

So then I went to Spotlight cause I needed some more fabric for the baby quilts that I’m making.  I’m really proud of myself.  I only bought what I needed and no more than that.  One of my cheaper visits!

From there I went to Caltex to put petrol in my car, then I washed my car, dropped into Woolworths for some groceries to tide us over till Friday when I have the day off again, Gloria Jeans for a coffee and finishing my outing at Foodland for some ham – Grandma thinks that theirs is better and keeps fresher.  I don’t really notice the difference; but, it keeps her happy if I get it there.

Then when I got home I put some washing in the machine, continued making a backing for Asian Pinwheels, uploading songs and leader/endering the baby quilt – Green Ladybirds.

I then pinned Asian Pinwheels ready for Thursday’s quilt class – can’t wait – had some dinner and then did a little bit of hand sewing on Blue + Tan.  I don’t have that much to go and once that is done, I just have to label it, wrap it up and wait for the first weekend in June.

So that’s what I’ve been doing this weekend.  Sorry it’s not set out any better but I need to go to bed cause 5.20am is really early and I need my beauty sleep

Quick question though for those that have read to the end….

Should I:

(a) pay off my loan first or;

(b) start saving for a house deposit that I will need in the next 3 – 5 years?

I know what a financial planner/accountant would say and I know that if I pay off the loan sooner I save money in interest and all that but that doesn’t really help me if I need to move out in the next couple of years.

Cause when I have to move out I would really like to buy my own house and have some stability instead of renting.

Thanks in advance

Ack!

Kathleen, quite often I stay in my jammies for the day ’specially when I have days off and I feel that I’ve been overworked during the week. In fact, I feel another coming on for this Sunday!

Paula, thanks for the comment. I love my jammy days. I always feel like I get heaps done

***

Long time no write!

I’ve been really busy this week with working, TAFE starting back this week and actually going to the gym that I haven’t had a spare minute to myself let alone do some sewing

Poor me

I have been working on Jan’s placemats here and there and also my hexagons when I’m at work but other than that… nothing!

I now have the weekend off so I’m hoping to get Blue + Tan’s hand binding finished and perhaps a back for Asian Pinwheels and also pin it so that I can take it to quilt class on Thursday to quilt.

*fingers crossed*

Hope everyone had a wonderful week, a fantastic weekend