Blocks and Squares

Thanks everyone for your tips and suggestions on photo mattes and stenciling. It is absolutely amazing how much knowledge we collectively have. I am very close to being done my Drunk Love in a Log Cabin Quilt that is based off of Denyse Schmidt's work. Here are a few more blocks.



I know it doesn't look like much now, but when they are all laid out together it is very exciting.



This next weekend I am going to skip the mountain bike race I was considering. It is fairly far away and takes up one whole day. This way, I will have more time to train for the next one, study, and maybe finish this quilt up. Good thing because I already have another one I am planning.

I think I may have already shown this fabric before, but I find myself staring at it frequently.



I have found some amazing fabric printing blogs out there lately. I have been haunting them looking for tips and other ideas. I also picked up a silk screen and silk screening paints at a yard sale last weekend and cannot wait to try it.

Tag

Liss tagged me recently as since I haven't had much to post lately I thought I would play along.

A. Attached or Single? Attached
B. Best Friend? Adam
C. Cake or pie? Pie- strawberry rhubarb please
D. Day of choice? Saturdays- because that is when the rummages are
E. Essential item? Bike and camera
F. Favorite color? Still red
G. Gummy bears or worms? bears
I. Favorite indulgence? Ice cream after a long bike ride
J. January or July? July because like Liss- I get presents then. Plus heck it is summer.
K. Kids? none
L. Life isn’t complete without? Having just a little bit of money and time so that I don’t have to worry about having money and time.
M. Marriage date? Um, not married. But we have been together for 10 years.
N. Number of brothers and sisters? 2 brothers
O. Oranges or Apples? I am crazy about both
P. Phobias? Hmmm, this one is hard. Lately I have been afraid of heights although I used to rock climb in my younger days. Fine with bugs, public speaking, and elevators though.
Q. Quotes? My favorite is: “Come celebrate that everyday something has tried to kill me and fail.”
R. Reasons to smile? When the wind is rushing past my ears on my bike, when Misty is exhausted from a long walk in the woods, when I make Adam laugh out loud.
S. Season of choice? Summer all the way
T. Tag 5 people: anyone that wants to play!
U. Unknown fact about me? Another toughie. I used to be a lifeguard.
V. Vegetable? Love them! Favorite is peppers dipped in ranch. Love fresh salsa too.
W. Worst habit? Thinking too much about things.
X. X-ray or Ultrasound? I don’t know if I am supposed to say which I have had or which I would like more than the other. How about neither and neither?
Y. Your favorite food? Salsa, salsa, salsa. And something Adam and I call The Chicken. (it has cream cheese in it!)
Z. Zodiac sign? Cancer

Alabama Stitch Swap

The partner info has been emailed! So check your inboxes. If you signed up to particpate in the Projects from the Alabama Stitch Book Swap you should now have your partner's name and mailing info. If for some reason you do not, let us know by emailing betty (underscore) whoosh (at) yahoo (dot) com or jmcoyle (at gmail (dot) com.

Thanks to everyone that signed up! And thanks Jen from Craft Adventures of Stitch Chick for helping put this together with me.

Don't forget the July 30th deadline to mail the finished project looms. Take your stitching with you on your summer adventures and you should be done in no time!

I expected that I would have less time due to school and work and sure enough I have. I love it most days. I have been dreaming of going to grad school for a long time now. Some days though, I feel pretty run down and stressed worrying about how I have no time.

Last night, I managed to quilt some more squares. I now have 16 quilted squares. I have 5 other squares sewn together but not quilted. So maybe tonight, if I get let out early. Then I will just have 4 more to make and quilt. Then I have to keep my fingers crossed that sewing them together after I have quilted them will work.

I can't wait to wrap this last quilt up. I have several more ideas swarming around in my head and I can't wait to start them.

• I did get my prints back from Adorama and they came out okay. I am still struggling a little bit, getting just the right amount of black border on these square ones. I think it mainly is me cropping them all weird to begin with. I really need to find a nice way to matte them. In the past I have used my own bristol board and that words alright. Anyone have any tips? It is a little challenging finding the right type of frame since these are square.
• I am very in love with the boxes e.soule has her little zoo on. If I could figure something out like that for my square prints that would rock. Not sure were to get the wood frames though, or much about archival papers and such....
• So I should have some quilting to show you next week. I really hope to have started my Alabama Stitch swap project too. And I really would love to work on some more fabric printing (this is one of my favorite things lately, but hard to find the time for, because it takes a lot of set up and clean up time with the paint and all.)
• Oh, yes big yard sales this weekend. Can't wait. I am still on the hunt for a decent modern looking couch (good luck right?), fabric, linen dresses and skirts (for fabric of course!), and small things to take photos of.....
  

Strange

I will leave you some strange photos for the weekend. I am so completely addicted to taking through the viewfinder photos, that I was telling my boyfriend last night I am not sure I know how to take a regular photo any more.

I spent some unhappy time trying to get these printed. I resulted to having the whole photo printed at CVS and then was cropping it on my own with an exacto. Turns out they just randomly decide they will cut your photo in half. I was not very happy and wasted some money on that method. I recently sent a bunch of photos to Adorama. They have square options for printing and allow you tons of cropping options. Plus they are also having a sale on 4x6's so ordered a bunch of vacation photos. I hope they print them nicely because I find their website super easy.

In my house

Score from Sally's. Just $15.



I love that it has shelves and that they are hidden by the sliding doors. The back also has sliding doors. So I think it would work real well for a cd player too.



Yes, that is a little ET stuffed toy on top too. I picked him up at a yard sale last weekend and love him too much to put him in my shop. He reminds me of my younger brother. No resemblance, just that he used to have one when he was a kid.

The Place I visit in the mornings

Some morning before work (we are talking pretty early) I visit this place.

Stitch Swap

So.... Do you want to swap your handmade project from the Alabama Stitch Book? Well The Stitch Chick and I do and we were wondering if you all would like to join along.

Simple rules are this:

• Sign up by emailing either: betty (underscore) whoosh (at) yahoo (dot) com or jmcoyle (at gmail (dot) com and providing us with your name and mailing address, blog if you have one, flickr id if you have one.
• Please know this is a world wide swap. So your partner may be international.
• Deadline to sign up is June 15th. Deadline to mail your project is July 30th.
• We’ll email you your partner’s info by June 23rd, but feel free to start your projects before that if you want.
• This swap is about being inspired by the Alabama Stitch Book. So you can choose a project directly from it (we recommend something small- headband, sewing cushion, bandana) or you can have something that you created that was inspired by the book. So you will make one small project and ship it to your partner and your partner will ship you one small project too!
• Don’t forget- mail your project by July 30th.
• Optional fun: Join the flickr group and show us your projects and progress.

Here are a couple of inspirations (mine is in the middle- stitch chick is the top and bottom photos):

The Struggle

You know it well I am sure. The struggle between what you have to do, what you need to do, and what you want to do. My list is currently huge. Working, cleaning, cooking. Dog walking and fussing. Sewing, photography, biking, being.

I'll let you know what wins out this week. I hope a little of each.

More and more and more

Absolutely

weird. different. amazing finds at my shop this week. Can't believe these skates. My brother had the same pair growing up and he would skate back and forth in the kitchen constantly.

Progress Report

Recently I started blocks for a version of Denyse Schmidt's Drunk Love in a Log Cabin Quilt. It could get a little out of control with the bright colors, but we'll see.



I hope that my busy summer plans don't keep me from blogging, but be forewarned. I may be a little off and on this summer. I am taking three grad classes in speech pathology. I have also picked up this nasty habit of entering mountain bike races I am not in shape for.



But you know what? Sewing makes me happy dammit. So I will still be sewing a little here and there. Keeping my hands busy.



Of course I still have the Common Threads Virtual Quilting Bee and I adore doing the Phototrade every month.



Some of these fabrics I had in my etsy shop. I can't believe that someone didn't buy them. Then one day I was like what am I thinking? I would buy these. So I bought them for myself, from myself. And I love them.

One little score

I just love it, particularly since I love Martha Stewart's magazine spread on them this past month.

"Mine all Mine" she greedily yells

I've been doing a little swapping lately. At first it seemed that I only had to send things out when I was at my busiest. I started to wonder if I should even be doing swaps, but then I got all these lovely items.

What I received for April from the PhotoTrade from Bello Uccello.



Then for the May swap from Scissors, Paper, Glue



I love her mailing supplies. So cute.