Needles and Pens

Definite progress. There's nothing quite like sharing embarrassing pictures of your mess to make you want to clean it up -- and fast. So before I go on to what's yet to be done, here are a couple of before and afters to show the progress made this week (click on the picture for a larger view). In the sewing room: And better yet, in the storage room: Looks like the room grew! In the sewing room, the second table is a huge improvement on my work space. Now I have room to cut at one end and quilt at the other, with the old computer set up in between, so I can use online patterns without having to print them out. The drawers beneath still need to be organized, but they will be storage for my scrap pieces and strips. On the other side is the second sewing machine, which I use mostly for piecing. I spent a couple of hours stripping the wallpaper border off this wall, so I could hang my quilter's wall hanging there. I'm not looking forward to any more border strip...

Late with my Monday to-dos and late with my Friday finishes. But I did make some progress this week: The kitchen counter... ... is cleared! (Granted, I just did it today, and only because I said I would here. LoL Proof that the Monday to-do list really works!) The flannel heap... ... is sorted! Less than one yard, one yard, and more than one yard bins. And scraps... Currently in the process of cutting into strips and squares... And I did squeeze in one flannel project for the shop... Another little ragtime baby quilt, mostly from the "less than one yard" bin - yay! (More pictures at Hushabye Street .) As for the bathroom project, well, I said I was just going to figure out the first steps. And that's all I did. The first step is to tear the sheetrock down off that wall and all around the tub, so we can fix the plumbing problem and level the tub (something we failed to do when we installed it, and it has caused some other water issues). ...

I almost forgot to blog my to-dos for the week, so before it's too late, here goes. First, I WAS going to put finishing this pillow on my to-do list: But I already finished it before the list was made, so that would sorta be cheating. (The fun stuff always seems to get done first.) Where was I? Oh, yes. The list... well, I've had a little trouble today deciding what most needs doing, and I never actually MADE a list. It's just been one of those days. So I guess I'll just throw a few things out here that have been bugging me and see what happens: Clear off the kitchen catch-all counter. In the sewing room, since I've completely demolished the organization of my flannels, I need to sort through them all again, and maybe come up with another flannel project for the shop. And... (dare I say it?) I've been REALLY thinking about working on that upstairs bathroom that never got touched during last year's "Better Home Challenge." I...

I can't believe February is already here! Amazing how the weeks fly by when you give yourself loads of things "to-do!" Again, I almost finished everything on my list for the week . Almost. Plus a thing or two I hadn't planned on, so I guess that's fair. Straighten the basement, get the TV hooked up and get on the treadmill. (My excuse is that I'm waiting for my hubby to hook up the TV. Realistically, I could probably do it myself if I tried. Mostly, I just don't really want to get on the treadmill. LoL) Clean out the front hall closet. (What an amazing improvement. We can all hang our coats up now! Just wish I had taken a "before" picture... it was BAD.) Personalization on pink ragtime quilt. Make another pink ragtime quilt for shop. Shabby Chic Baby Pink Flannel Ragtime Quilt And this was not on my list, but since I was kind of on a roll with the flannel quilts, I also finished one that's a little more boyish. Shabby...

So, last week was so incredibly productive for me that today I'm kind of sitting here in a daze wondering, "Now what?" and anytime I feel that way, I know I need a list, ASAP. First priority this week, finish what I didn't do last week! Straighten up that basement room and get the TV hooked up and GET ON THE TREADMILL. lol (Even without any extra exercise, I managed to lose another three pounds last week. Imagine the fat I could burn if I added a daily workout to the mix!) One other house project that's been driving me crazy: Clean out the front hall closet. It is stuffed with coats and things that nobody wears, while all over the house there are piles of coats and things that they do wear. This has got to change. I had the first sale from my etsy shop on Friday -- yay!! The buyer requested personalizing with the baby's name, so I need to get that done and then get it packaged up. I also need to replace that item in the shop. It wasn't even listed ...

I've been sewing like a maniac this week, attempting to catch up on my stacks and stacks of projects. I'm happy to report, I've made a ton of progress... My first finish was this, the October "Get 'er Done" Challenge project. (I joined this challenge back in January, hoping to use up some of the panels I've collected over the years.) The Snowman Draft Stopper is one of the few panels I actually bought for myself. Most of my collection came from other peoples' stashes. He's cute, if not actually useful. (His legs aren't long enough to span the doorway, so not likely to stop many drafts.) I think he'll end up on the mantle or hearth this winter. I was impressed with all the details, especially his little jacket, complete with buttonholes. I also got a few more fruit blocks finished for my October UFO Challenge project; the pineapple, strawberries, lemon and lime. (The lime is actually a filler block, because I somehow forg...

So... remember all those bright pink blocks from a couple months back? Well as of today, they are officially a finished quilt! (I had a hard time getting accurate color in this picture, but the border actually blends really well with the blocks in real life. Really.) The quilt finished at approximately 60" square. And this is the yummy tone-on-tone hot pink flannel backing I "just happened to have" in my stash (due to a few splurges while working at the fabric store -- shhhhh...) Again, my photography leaves something to be desired. Turns out there's a seam right in the middle of the shot, thus the noticeable color variation. (It also looks better in real life. Really.) I have in mind a special someone to receive this quilt, so I just need to make a label and it'll be on it's way to ? (Shhh... it's a secret.) So after that big accomplishment today, I felt like I was on a roll and found out that my May "Get 'Er Done" challenge panel...

I have a darling little 2-year-old grandson who loves tractors, especially green tractors. In fact, to him the color green is synonymous with tractors, and if you ask him what color this is... ... he'll tell you, "tractor." (Don't worry, we're working on that. lol) So, even though I really didn't need another project to do, when I saw this adorable John Deere panel at work the other day, I had to buy it for Aaron. And when I saw the equally adorable coordinating print, of course I had to have that for the back. Unfortunately, such an impulse purchase often comes without much thought, and I failed to notice that the direction of the print required extra fabric to lay the right way on the quilt back. So today I was considering buying a larger piece, when my awesome mother-in-law took one look at it and suggested I just add a border to my backing. (Duh... why didn't I think of that??) After she left, I immediately went to my sewing room to look ...

This month's goal for the Patchwork Times UFO Challenge was one of the sewing projects I used to fill in for the (unbelieveable!) lack of unfinished quilts that I have left to work on. (It also provided a much-needed break after finishing my crazy-intense January project !) Lucky number 10 -- Tim's Fleece Vest -- last appeared here as a pattern, a zipper and a bunch of yellow fleece in a pile in my sewing room: All chosen by my 12-year-old son, who wanted fleece vests in his favorite color combo, yellow and black. I finished the black one right away, but then the holidays were upon us, and the yellow was put on the back burner while I focused on other projects. (Sewing clothing is not my favorite thing, so any excuse to procrastinate will do!) He seemed very happy with Vest #1. However, in the three months that followed, I never once saw him wear it. So I made a slight change in the plans and decided to go with a different pattern. This pattern is adult sized, ...

This week I finished my February GED (Get 'er Done) Challenge project, the Papa Bear & Baby Bear panel: That's one less fabric panel taking space up in my closet, but what to do with these little bears? It just so happened that I had the perfect place to send them... In January, I heard about the latest Craft Hope charity project, making "safe delivery kits" for Konbit Sante Cap-Haitien Health Partnership , a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the healthcare system in Haiti. (Konbit is Haitian Creole for "working together" and Sante means "health.") The safe delivery kits contain the basic necessities for a safe and sanitary childbirth (plastic sheeting, latex gloves, hand sanitizer, etc.), plus a receiving blanket and stuffed toy, all packaged up in a hand-crafted tote bag. I thought it sounded like a wonderful use for some of my excess stash. My first real attempt at making a tote bag, I made a very simple one out of pre-q...