May UFO #9

Complete!

My #9 UFO for Judy's UFO Challenge was an ABC applique project.  I had collected the fabrics before my oldest was born (angels for A, bricks and bugs for B, etc.), cut out letters for two quilts (and completed those, one for my daughter and one to sell), and then did NOTHING with the rest of the fabric.  As I have become a more accomplished quilter, I realized some of the fabric was not very good quality, and I didn't like some of the others.  What to do?

My goal for the month had originally been to race and cut the freezer paper and figure out how many sets of letters I could complete.  7.  Then I divided up any remaining fabric into a future ABC project and into my stash.

Then... I have two friends having babies.  Why not make a quilt now?  Why not try to finish it for May?  Where was my brain when I decided that?

But I finished it.  It is 41" x 49".  I backed it with the same fabric as the background.  I quilted it on my machine with the alphabet and little squiggles (I took a picture, but it was 9:30 at night and just didn't show up well).  Now to wash and dry it.  I really like the way it turned out!

Now to see what next month brings...

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

Design Wall Monday

I started quilting my ABC UFO quilt.

Then something funny happened.

We saw a friend who lives out of town at church on Sunday.  Sunday evening, about 5:45, the phone rings, and it's this friend (N).  N says, "Hey, what's your address?"  I duly answer, he says, "Great.  I'm almost there."  I think, "What?  Why is he coming over?  Ohhhhh... DH invited him to dinner and forgot to tell me."

Go to DH.  "Hey, N just called to say he's almost here?!?"  You should have seen the look of horror on DH's face.   It mirrored the horror in my heart, as we had just eaten dinner.  Yeah, he invited N to dinner and I had nothing to serve him.  Insert your favorite curse word here (I don't say 'em, but they would be appropriate here).

N arrives with a bottle of wine, DH says, "Oh, we already fed the kids.  How's tuna sound?"  We had tuna fish left over from sandwiches, N says great.  Crisis averted.  A bottle of wine will cover many flaws in a meal.

I am SO glad my house was pretty clean, and that I had time to make a dessert to go with tuna fish.

On second thought, that wasn't so funny.  But I'm so glad N came to visit, and I don't think he noticed.

Needless to say, my quilting came to a screeching halt.

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

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z

Stash Report Week #22

Nothing in, nothing out...

I am attempting to finish my "altered" May UFO challenge by May 31.  We'll see how close I get.

Originally, the plan was only to cut letters out of each piece of fabric.  For example, "A" was for angel.  I cut 7 As, and so on with each letter of the alphabet, to give me 7 sets of letters, therefore, parts for 7 future quilts.  I also sorted the remaining fabric into "love it" or "use it."  The love it pile stayed with the ABC templates while the use it pile went into my regular stash, for me to use in other projects.

Then I realized I have a few acquaintances having babies, and they should receive baby gifts.  Why not an ABC quilt for one of the gifts?  So of I go... cut background squares (from stash)... machine applique the ABCs (first time for everything, right?)... find sashing strips and cornerstones from the scrap bags... piece the top... hey, the kids are all asleep, let's baste this puppy!... now to quilt it...

by Tuesday!

And in case you ever wondered what happens to quilts in my house when I'm not around, I now have evidence!

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

from the room of Zana's Ninis,

katie z.

Design Wall Monday

My ABC UFO project in progress... to the left, at the top, a pile of finished letters.

to the left, at the bottom, unpinned letters

to the right, pinned but unsewn letters

Time to get busy, if I want the letters ready to make into a top by May 31!

Check out other design walls at Judy's place.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,

katie z.

Sunday Stash Report Week #21

3 yards out this week... 1 yard for a nightgown and 2 yards for my red monochromatic challenge.

I've been a bit scatterbrained about quilting lately.  There's just so much going on in our life as a family that I pop from one project to another without finishing much of anything.

I've worked on my UFO project, and will have an updated picture on Monday with my "design wall" post.  I finished what I intended to finish on this long term project, but decided to assemble a top since I have baby gifts coming due this summer (the UFO is a set of ABC fabrics for baby quilts).  Now I'm working on appliqueing the letters to the background.  We'll see how far I get before the end of the month.

I am also working on my Scraps to Treasures top for the HGTV boards, but I can't show any pictures because it's supposed to be a secret until it's finished in October.  I'm cutting LOTS of... dang.  Um, shapes.

"Favorite Things" is slow going.  It's so big, and I'm hating the thread I'm using to hand quilt, and I'm just not feeling it... Any suggestions?

We returned Saturday evening from a quick trip to Hays, KS, where a friend was ordained to the diaconate.  (Finally, a friend who can baptize our kids... not the current three, they're already baptized.  I've just always thought it would be nice to have a friend share in such a special way in the introduction into the family of God for our kids.  And no, that does not mean I'm currently pregnant.)  I did not get to stop at the quilt shop.  DH said, "But you've already been there."  He's already been to Bass Pro and Cabela's, but we go to them again.  It's fine, since I've really spent enough on fabric for now.

The coming week foretells more strangeness and busy-ness... the Assistant has only one day of pre-K left, then she's out for the summer.   I need to catch up on the garden (or at least not be so far behind).  I need to plant some flowers a neighbor gave us before they die.  Strawberries are ripening at an alarming rate, and the birds are giving us a run for our money this year.

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

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

Monochromatic Quilt Challenge

May's version, in red, is complete.  Cut, pieced, quilted, trimmed, threads tied, bound, washed, dried, and photographed.  Whew!

I easily cut and pieced it, but getting down to the nitty-gritty of quilting was labor-intensive.  I used some gold metallic thread in the cream background, and that may have been a mistake.  I had not bargained for so many skipped stitches, even after I adjusted the tension.

My free-hand machine quilting is improving, I think.  I like the flower in the center, even if it is a little wonky.  (There was a 1-year-old trying to stick scissors in my machine, so I had to stop in the middle of it all.)

 Depending on the next color chosen, I would like to try a variation of this with the cream squares between rings also being colored.  That, of course, requires a color that I have enough pieces of to make 13 different colors!  I have plans...

My pattern of this is mostly written.  Now I need to rope in some unsuspecting, friendly people in the blogger world to try out my directions.  I don't know any quilters in "real" life, so I don't have anyone to ask near me.  I also need my beautiful sister to do her master design work to make the paper directions look beautiful.  She even made a logo for me!

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

ETA: If you would be willing to test the pattern, I can't reach you if you are a no-reply blogger!  Thanks!

You are allowed to like yourself

My lovely sister had this beautiful post today.

Here's where she started:

 Somewhere along the way, earlier than you think, something, someone whispered that you weren't good enough.

And from then on, you always felt a little guilty when you were proud of yourself, or when you wanted to share your accomplishments.

I'm going to share something with you, though, and you can tell anyone you'd like.

You can like yourself, really.  You can be proud of the things you do well without taking anything away from other people who also do things well.  And in turn, they can be proud of the things they do well, without in any way damaging you.

It's so simple, really, but it took me a long time to learn that hiding what we love about ourselves does no one any favors.  

Here's my thoughts on the matter.

On one hand, I love being recognized for my skills, but I have a very hard time promoting myself because there is always someone better than me.  I will attempt not to be too self-deprecating as I write these.  Just imagine all the "buts" I can come up with after each statement.  (Maybe it's better if you didn't.)

I'm a good quilter, but I hate to say that to others.  It sounds so vain.
I'm quick at crocheting (and I can even do it without looking, depending on the pattern).
I love being a stay-at-home mom, and I love taking care of my kids.
I love to sing, play piano, and play guitar.  I'm not too bad at any of those.
I love my hair.  It's red-brown.  It's thick.  It's long.  I've been asked if I dye it to get all the cool highlights.  Nope, natural.
Unlike my sister, I do NOT look good in red.  It's the red hair.  I do look smashing in jewel tones, particularly green.
I make beautiful babies.
I am a knowledgeable gardener (and am willing to learn more!).
I am eminently practical.  As we say in my family, I AM second sober thought.  I rarely have first foolish thoughts. (Long story, if you don't know our family.)
I am probably on the Spectrum, and proud of it!
I'm left handed.

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

Living Room Update

Before... it may not be obvious, but this carpet was dingy, disgusting,
and trashed.  The carpet guy (a friendly man, especially with my crazy kids) said
it was done for.

Dining room/living room during the removal

No food allowed in here

Or shoes, for that matter... or clutter

The Screamer's blood lead level is elevated too, so it's good we're doing all this work.

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

Design Wall Monday

I have nothing nice to say about the trauma involved in making a nightgown for the assistant, so I'll just leave it at that.  The directions were very clear (not like my slipper fiasco!) and I didn't do any reverse sewing.  There's one spot on the back of the yolk where I have an extra fold of fabric, but it's the back, and it's a nightgown, and it's lovely.

My table runner was set aside for the trauma of the nightgown, so it's not done despite my expectations.  I quilted the background with gold thread, and I'm not doing that again.  It broke, skipped stitches, YUCK!  I'll be quilting the red with a rust colored thread (it's the closest I have to red, and I'm not going out to buy thread. That's a wrinkle from being thrown on the floor, not because I laid it out badly (although, I think there may be wrinkles on the back.  Oops)

I have some questions about quilt patterns for all of you.  I am in the process of writing a pattern for the table runners I've been making, but I want to know...
1. What size do you prefer patterns?  8.5 x 11 or 5.5 x 8.5?
2. Printed on one side or both?
3. How many variations makes a pattern a "good buy?"
4. Would you be interested in being a pattern tester? (Making a top from my directions and letting me know how garbled they are!)

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

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

DH adds: Overheard in our house while my wife is sewing away.

Wife: What are you microwaving?
DH: "Screamer"'s socks

New Floor Pictures

Bear Cub Q's room still needs a new paint job, and all the trim in these spaces... but I'm not letting an amateur (including myself) anywhere near my new floors with a paint pail!  We're still missing quarter round on the floor as well.

Stash Report Week #20

On arriving home from a LONG day away Saturday, I was thrilled to discover two new books on my doorstep, Adventures with Leaders and Enders by Bonnie Hunter and Weekend Quilts by Judy Laquidara, my two favorite blogger-quilters!

15 1/2 yards in this week, the last of my "inheritance splurge" until June, when I go camping with my family and intend to find a quilt shop or two.

This is my Making Ends Meet quilt top (a la Judy Laquidara) with my newly arrived backing.  Now to get Rice Paddies (or Favorite Things, a la Judy L's Peaches and Dreams pattern)

Except for the purple/black batik, these are NOT my normal purchases.
The house fabric I do so love.

I had bought this previously, but used most of it.
I have some ideas for fun projects.

The Assistant "needs" a new nightgown like Mommy, so we bought some fabric for that.

Blogger takes offense that I rotated this picture, so it rotated it back for me.
How kind and thoughtful, right?

180 yards IN this year is a ridiculous number for May 15.  I need to work on that.
43 1/2 yards OUT this year... not so hot.

There was plenty of excitement to be had this week.  Wednesday night, we discovered our new flooring for the kids' bedrooms would be ready to install Thursday.  As in, the next day.  As in, I had 2 hours before bed and 2 hours in the morning to empty those two rooms of their entire contents so carpet and linoleum could be ripped up and their lead-laden selves removed from my house.  You can see before pictures here.

Who puts this on top of hardwood floors, only to cover it with carpet?
Gross!!!

Friday night, after a day spent cleaning floors, filling two trash bags to give away, washing but not folding accumulated laundry, and sorting out the girls' winter clothes to pack away, we were called for a house showing.  Nice.  Why can't they call during the day?  Really.  So instead of quilting Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, I was cleaning or avoiding being at home.

Ah, well.  I could have far worse things to worry about.

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

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

out with the old

old carpet, that is, so I spent the evening emptying the kids' rooms of everything but the beds.  I'm looking forward to the new wood laminate, a generous gift from my MiL to help reduce accumulated lead dust in my house, in an attempt to reduce Bear Cub Q's blood lead level.  He doesn't qualify as having lead poisoning yet, and I intend to do a lot to keep it that way.

This bizarre vinyl is hiding under the carpet in the girls' room.

I look forward to having my living room back.  I also want to throw or give away everything I had to move today... why do we need all this stuff?

from the room of Zana's Ninis,

katie z.

Design Wall Monday

a little bit of this...

 Preparing letters for my ABC quilt, my UFO project for the month...

a little bit of that...

My red table runner...

Stash Report #19

Let me begin my stash report with the statement that I have decided to eliminate "no-buy" from my goals for 2011.

My mom, Screamer, Bear Cub Q, and I spent last weekend visited my recently-deceased godfather's family.  While we were there, his sister returned to me the quilt I had made for him at Christmas time several years ago (I love it... it smells like his house) as well as a check, my "inheritance," if you will.  Most of that check will go to pay down our house debt, bringing us 6+ months closer to a payoff day!  However, I did already spend some of it on fabric and yarn.  Some of the fabric is in my possession... the yarn and a shipment of fabric should arrive next week.  Joe would have wanted me to enjoy it, and I also gave away a tithe of it, so I feel good with what I did.

While Mom drove, I crocheted, so you can see some of my results.

my own version of this hat will show up in my etsy shop
(check it out on my sidebar)
with stripes and a longer tail
check back soon!

Newsboy cap,  2T-4T

New dish cloths for my etsy shop

Whoville hats in newborn sizes.  Do you like them with a pompon or without?

I purchased a few books...

I've been looking for this for a long time.  Everytime I was ready to order, it was out of stock on Amazon.

Cute, cute, cute

Here's some of my fabric yumminess...

1 yard cuts of yumminess... So long, no-buy goal!

I apologize for the dark/blurry pictures.  Bear Cub Q wanted to grab my camera, and it was night by the time I decided to take pictures, but at least you get an idea of the 23 1/2 yards I bought so far.

OUT this week: 0 yards
OUT YTD: 43 1/2 yards

IN this week: 23 1/2 yards
IN YTD: 164 1/2 yards

YTD Total: 121 yards in

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

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

To see some non-quilty fun from the weekend, check out Life at Purgatory Ranch.

Top 10 Reasons I'm Not Hand Quilting

1.  It requires thought.  I'm not into thinking these days.
2.  Don't ask how many accidents Screamer had yesterday to celebrate a change in her schedule.
3.  Bear Cub Q thinks he should empty my sewing basket.
4.  Monochromatic red... I might applique.  Does that make me crazy?  (DON'T answer that!)
5.  UFO #9... also involves some serious applique prep-work.  Do we see a theme?
6.  I get to pick new carpet for my living room.
7.  Housework has never been so complicated with Bear Cub Q.
8.  I'm procrastinating.  I must admit, this one disturbs me.  I am not a procrastinator by habit.  In college, my papers were always done ahead of time.  It drove DH nuts (as well as all the other college students around me).  I don't like to have things undone.  Why can't I get motivated here?
9.  I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and still blame grief.  I just returned from a trip to Omaha to see my godfather's sisters.  They gave me back the quilt I made for him.  They washed it for me, so it smells just like his house.  They gave me a check from his estate... and I didn't deserve it.  I should have gone to visit more frequently, written more letters.  It's a good thing I'm giving some of it away to someone who deserves it.
10.  It's a gigantic queen size quilt - the biggest quilt I've ever made, and it's so bulky.

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

Sunday Stash Report Week #18

IN this week: 0 yards
IN YTD: 140 3/4 yards

OUT this week: 3 1/2 yards
OUT YTD: 43 1/2 yards

YTD Total: 97 1/4 yards IN

This week, Bear Cub Q decided that 4:30 am was an appropriate time to get up for the day.  He went to sleep by 10 am for a nap, but mommies don't get to nap when there are little girls to supervise.  I disapprove whole-heartedly.  Of course, four new molars in a week may have something to do with his inappropriate sleeping pattern.

I cut the squares for the Screamer's new red and turquoise/aqua quilt.  I still need to sub cut them, but at least I know I had enough red.  You may remember, last October during the shop hop, I bought reds and turquoises for this quilt.  Is anyone else ever appalled at how badly fabric is sometimes cut and/or rolled on the bolt?  I had to make my quilt blocks work with an 8.5" starting square rather than 9", and even then I had a few places where I couldn't get two squares out of what should have been an 18" pieces.  Nuts.

This next week, when I return to Omaha to visit my godfather's sister with my mom (and Q and Screamer), DH has insisted I buy some fabric.  I am taking part in the Scrap to Treasures challenge from the HGTV boards (read about it here and here).  I can't reveal what colors I'll be purchasing as the project is supposed to be kept secret until the reveal in October, but I have some definite holes in my stash.

I whipped out a sleeping bag for the Screamer.  Let's see if she'll sleep in it on trip.  Fortunately, it was all stash, so I'm finally below 100 yards in for the year... that may change next week, but I'm going to enjoy every minute of it as I am gaining a true appreciation for how small my stash is compared to others... and how much I need to add to make it work even better than it does now!

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

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