Design Wall Monday

I have a little foot problem holding me up today, so no pictures.

I am working on a red and green table runner.  I would like to make 14 table runners for Christmas gifts, and I need to make a couple every month if I want to get them done!  As soon as Judy draws a new color, I will begin a new runner, so it would be nice to at least get the top and backing together on this Christmas-themed one.  I can do it!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

To Sum Up My Life in One Sentence...

I must have prayed for patience, or humility, or some other virtue and God is providing me with AMPLE opportunity to grow in virtue.

Thank you for all the well-wishes.  There is no obvious fracture, but the radiologist will take a second look Monday, and in a week or two, if it still feels "odd," I'll go back and have another round of X-rays.  How did I do it?  This is a long story.  Almost two weeks ago (I think), I rose as usual in the middle of the night to feed Bear Cub Q.  On the way down the stairs, I missed the last step and crashed onto the floor, pulling a ligament on the outside of my leg, sending numbness alternating with fire up my leg.  I have had trouble with my ligaments around my knees since my first was born, so the numbness/fire sensations were nothing new, and since last time the doctor said they couldn't do anything, I opted not to go to minor emergency or anything for this pain.

It was feeling better.  Then, on Saturday, while running errands to be out of the house for a showing, we went for a walk/hike with friends on an uneven, muddy path.  I don't remember twisting my ankle, but when we stopped to let the kids run around, I felt some pain.  "Oops," thought I, "I must have turned my ankle."  Walking back to their house wasn't too painful, but by the time we had sat on the porch for a while, I had to take off my shoe because the pain was pretty awful (I have since been informed by DH that I should have left my shoe on - but I didn't know I had done anything).  We came home, and the pain was so bad walking from the car to the couch that I nearly passed out - it was worse than contractions because it NEVER STOPPED HURTING.  Needless to say, after seeing my convulsive shivering and biting my finger to help with the pain, DH decided I needed medical attention.  They took X-rays, but even if I had a fracture, it won't show up for two weeks, and sent me home with a few ace bandages.  After a restless night (for me, but Bear Cub Q only woke up twice  - a record!), I am able to walk on it again, although wrapping it feels better than letting it hang out.  Rest is on the menu for this week.

We are recovered from the stomach bug, but my parents came down with it Saturday, so my mom couldn't help me.  My lovely sis in Colorado offered to fly out with her baby (thanks again for the offer - I love you!), and my lovely sis in town helped with my kids while DH and I were at the doctor.  My SiL was down with the stomach bug too. WOW! What a day (and no word yet on the house showing).

The Assistant also peeled wallpaper irreparably in our bathroom, so we've been peeling and steaming on top of all our other busy-ness, so here we are! (And yes, I have my foot up as I type.  No, I'm not peeling wall paper for a while).  A previous wall-paper-peeling excursion in this bathroom (by a previous owner) has left us with some spackle dust and damage to deal with.

Cookie dough, homemade juice, and fruit leather in the works - pre-foot!

Lunch was a little late Sunday - 2 pm, but it's a yummy German pancake just like I had when I was little.

I eagerly anticipate Judy's announcement of the next UFO number and color for the monochromatic quilt challenge.  I find myself running through the list in my mind - which one will I work on next? will it be a finish, or just progress? what color will I try out next?

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Stash Report Week #5

I might have broken my ankle, so no report this week. (Nothing in, nothing out.)

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Lack of a Design Wall Monday

I've got a whole lotta nothin' this week.

The table runner is finished, so that's washed and awaiting gifting.

The stomach bug has (hopefully) departed for the remainder of the winter season, leaving every family member still wobbly in its wake.

I finished crocheting a scarf for DH (sorry, no pix.  As soon as I finished it, he was wearing it!).

I have cut fabrics for another table runner, but they are piled up in the sewing nook to be out of the way of Bear Cub Q, who has recently begun walking.

The cassock pattern pieces have been migrating around the house due to a) inability to work on them thanks to flu-bugginess and b) see Bear Cub Q above!  I've got to get started!

Check out pictures of other ladies' (and men's) design walls on Judy's blog.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Stash Report Week #4

Two finishes, a pillowcase (my UFO #11!) and my table runner.  That's 3 yards out for the week.

Despite these two finishes, I do not find my to-do list is any shorter.  The Screamer is in an "imitating big sis" mood and needs her own homemade princess dress.  DH needs his scarf.  I'll get there!

I've seen more Sonic slushes in the last three days than in the last three months.  While very sugary, at least the girls drink them!  Our bout with the stomach bug is past the worst, but my lingering exhaustion has left me with no social filter to speak of, and not nearly enough patience. Fortunately, this, too, shall pass, and I am deeply grateful that my kids were not nearly as ill as they could have been.

Due to the running illness (we weren't all sick at once), I definitely failed on the internet free day this week.  I managed radio free, but internet is my fall back to check out for a few minutes when I can't sit at the sewing machine.

IN this week: 0 yards
IN YTD: 35 1/2 yards

OUT this week: 3 yards
OUT YTD: 5 3/4 yards

YTD Total: 29 3/4 yards IN

Check out the other repots on Judy's blog.  (And, hey, why is blogger not saving all my changes?  What gives?)

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Monochromatic Challenge: Yellow

Monchromatic Challenge: Yellow Edition is complete!

 My table runner dilemma complete, I now have washed and dried the table runner, so it's done! (Despite illness of all 5 members of my family - I finished this before I got sick but while the first two were recuperating.)

In the end, I opted for a new-to-me quilting option: I drew my design on a piece of tissue paper, then pinned the paper to the space.  These flower are much more even than my completely-freehand  designs in some of the other squares.  I still didn't follow the lines exactly, but at least I had something to direct me.  Most of the paper tore off easily, but even after washing, I see a few bits in the places where stitching is close together.

Alzbe, what do you think?

from the room of Zana's Ninis,

katie z.

There's a first time for almost everything...

... this will be my first day with TWO vomiting kids (please, God, let's not make it three, okay?).  Poor babies.

Design Wall Monday & Goals

The table runner again - what do I do in the solid yellow center?  Applique would be pretty, but it's already partly quilted!  Maybe I will draw my quilting for this part - freehand just won't cut it.

And goals:
1. Prep the pattern pieces for the cassock
2. Quilt another row of Pink Things
3. Finish the yellow table runner
4. Make a pillow case (UFO #11)

Check out the other design walls on Judy's blog.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Stash Report Week #3

I finished my UFO #6!  Read about the challenge here and see my pictured finish here.  2 3/4 yards out!

Another row is quilted on my Pink Things quilt.  I finished my buttons for the cassock (48 in all).  I am quilting my yellow table runner, but am uncertain about what to do in the center.  (See what I'm talking about here.)  Lori had a good idea to handquilt the whole thing with perle cotton, but by the time I read her suggestion, I had already started machine quilting.  Maybe for the next one!  I haven't even touched my new fabric, except the pieces needed for a pillowcase.

What?  So I'm under the rug where I'm not supposed to be.
What do you think you're going to do about it? - the Screamer

IN this week: 0 yards
IN YTD: 35 1/2 yards

OUT this week: 2 3/4 yards
OUT YTD: 2 3/4 yards

YTD Totals: 32 3/4 yards IN

Check out the other stash reports on Judy's blog.  I wonder who bought the most this week?  And who used the most?

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Stop by tomorrow to see an updated picture of my table runner on Design Wall Monday.

UFO #6 is complete!

Here are pictures 4 of my 5 placemats for the atrium.  The fifth missed the photo op but is in my bag (it looks just like the floral one lower left corner).  One UFO down, 11 to go.  Maybe I'll tackle another yet this month!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Design Wall Monday & Goals

... make that "Design Floor" Monday.  My yellow project - a table runner - is pin-basted and awaiting quilting.  The question to answer this week is: How do I quilt this?  I already have a hand quilting project underway, and it is unlikely that I will get this finished this month if I hand quilt it - plus I will do boring things like stitch-in-the-ditch.  The fabrics are mostly florals and vines.  The background fabric is the same wow roses that I used to make my girls' dresses for my sister's wedding.  I'm a very inexperienced machine quilter, so I can't do anything too exciting, but I think I will go that route - I can't wait to see this finished.  My sister already said she wants it early!

Now that I've seen my drawing translated into fabric, I can see all kinds of exciting variations on the color layout for this.  I think I'll continue to try variations for my upcoming monochromatic quilt challenges as well.

As to goals:
1. Determine a quilting strategy for the table runner and begin to execute it.  Make the binding for the table runner.
2. Hand quilt another row on the Pink Things top.
3. Finish my UFO #6 - I have one more binding to hand stitch, and I'm done!
4. Make at least the 43 necessary buttons for the cassock I am making for a friend.  He's being ordained to the diaconate in May, and we finally got his measurements sorted out, so it's time for me to get busy.
5. I should begin washing all my new fabric.

And mending?  I did enough last week that the pile is no longer threatening to take over my nook, so I can forget about it for another week.

Check out the other design walls for inspiration at Judy's place!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Stash Report Week #2

I am a year older.  It's a good thing I don't feel any older, or I might get worried about getting older...

I love a good gift card.  For Christmas, I received two great gift cards.  With one, I bought a roll of batting, paying only $15 out-of-pocket.  Excellent.  With the second, I had a Hobby Lobby shopping spree, buying candles, a new oil lamp, duct tape for DH, and some fabric.  Make that yards and YARDS of fabric... 27 3/4 yards of fabric.  I had no idea Hobby Lobby now sold Kona solids, but now I know!  I didn't pay a penny... in fact, there's still money on the gift card for DH to buy Mod Podge.  Yes, I'm supposed to be on a no-buy year, but I did caveat that I would buy for my birthday.  What else do you do with a big, fat gift card to a place that sells fabric?  Besides, almost everything has a plan, even if the plan for the yellow is to make sure I actually own a piece of yellow fabric larger than a fat quarter!

I also had a small gift card to JoAnn's and bought a replacement background fabric for my yellow table runner.  Our JoAnn's is moving, so it was already getting bare.  That's fine - if it hadn't been for the gift card, I wouldn't have gone shopping there anyhow.

Then I had a 25% off coupon to a quilt shop, so I bought 4 yards of fabric.

My UFO is just awaiting hand-stitching on the binding, so I should have some improved numbers next week. (I have 4 of the 5 placemats finished, but that last one just won't be done.)

IN this week: 35 1/2 yards
IN YTD: 35 1/4 yards

OUT this week: 0 yards
OUT YTD: 0 yards

YTD Total: 35 1/2 yards IN

Check out the other stash reports on Judy's blog.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Happy Epiphany...

There's some serious quiltyness involved with my birthday this year.  It's a good thing I did have the caveat  of buying in January for my birthday!

Do you love play-dough as much as we do?

Goals

1. Quilt 2 placemats
2. Cut out and begin piecing my yellow table runner
3. Quilt at least 7 squares on Pink Things

And if I'm in a good mood, I'll do some mending.  Ah, nah.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Design Wall Monday

This is over 50% of my yellow stash, and only two pieces are larger than a fat quarter.  Alzbe, my sister, says she thinks I should buy some more yellow.  Then again, if she were the quilter, most of her stash would be yellow.  I'll be making a table runner, but I've not finalized my pattern.  When I buy yellow, I'll buy two chucks larger than a yard each.  At least I'll be able to do something with them!

This is less than 3 yards of fabric all told.  Maybe I should expand my color horizons a little?

Want to see more developed ideas than this?  Check out Judy's design wall (and others, too!).

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Here is the Assistant wearing her Noni's glasses, teaching class.  Too cute!

Stash Report #1

IN this week: 0 yards
IN YTD: 0 yards

OUT this week: 0 yards
OUT YTD: 0 yards

An excellent start to the year!  I visited a yarn shop and bought yarn for a scarf for DH.  We then visited a quilt shop and a hat shop and bought nothing!  I need to raid my yellow stash to see if there is anything for Judy's Monochromatic Challenge, but if DH gives the order, a purchase of some yellow may necessary.  I'm planning a table runner for my younger sister (hi, Sis!  You'll forget about this by next December, won't you?).  DH had the same response as Judy - yellow? yuck!  I think it will be fun, even if my stash is sadly lacking yellows.  I buy them, but I use them up for my sister!  My UFO #6 is placemats for the atrium.  In my brief moments without a baby in my arms, I've cut the fabric, batting, and binding!

I finished quilting one row of Pink Things for the Assistant (only 20 more to go!), and started sewing the boxes for my Favorite Things quilt into rows, which means border #4 of 8 is well underway.

Bear Cub Q is ill (again or still, I'm not sure) with 101 F fever, so quilty progress may be slim to none.  This virus that has been circling my family (siblings and their kids too) is lingering even if it's not potent the whole time.  I will be relieved when I don't wake to a feverish baby for a while.  The poor boy couldn't sleep on the 30-31, so it was a long night for all of us.

Check out the other stash reports on Judy's blog.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.