Weekend WIPs

hi guys :) i'm sure all of you who enjoy crafting are much like me and have gobs of projects in mind... as well as a few (dozen) in progress ;) as of a recent count, including machine sewing projects and cross-stitch projects... i'm up to 8 current works in progress (WIPs) and i thought it was about time that i started blogging some of them :)

two of these WIPs are quilts, and that's what i chose to focus on this weekend. i made an amazing discovery last weekend when i laid out my large cutting mat on our kitchen table, pulled it away from the wall, and realized i could make better use of my living space, which coincides with my crafting space :) Ryan might not be as pleased as I am to lose the use of the "living" side of our kitchen table, namely, you know, eating... but he IS pleased that i'm making good progress on these WIPs, because he thinks that it will diminish my pile of projects. that, of course, implies that i won't start more in the meantime ;)

in any case, the first of the two quilts is based on the filmstrip quilt from CrazyMomQuilts. it's a Christmas quilt, so potentially i have plenty of time to finish it before next Christmas ;)

i'm in love with this fabric i found for the back of the quilt. it's got a vintage feel to it while still being current enough to fit with the other fabrics. so fun :) i'm planning to make it a double-quilt and put a few of the patchwork film squares on the back as well. i've just started piecing squares together but i'm learning as i go! i'm sure it's going to change as i go, but it's going to be fun to see what happens.

the second quilt is a baby quilt for one of my friend's upcoming baby boy. she went with me last week to pick out fabrics, and we found the most adorable pastel flannels at Quilted Angel to integrate into a Noah's Ark theme.

it's going to be so fun to see how this quilt comes together, as i'm combining a ragged squares quilt, another quilt from Amanda at CrazyMomQuilts.com, with a traditional baby-quilt border and backing... and integrating the baby animals from a separate panel along the way.

i'm still waiting for two of the fabrics but when i start cutting and piecing i'll be sure to take more pictures.

i know it's a little crazy for me to be tackling two different quilts at the same time, as i have no quilting experience whatsoever. piecework? yes, but quilting? no. i think i'll be asking you all a lot of questions along the way! :)

in any case... here's to hoping that you all got some progress made on your current WIPs this weekend. i'd love to hear what you're working on! have a great start to your week :)

my drug of choice = crafting

after an insane start to January that included 35 hours of overtime and working an 8-hour-day on Saturday, i made myself take the time to craft on sunday, in amongst church, lunch, house-work, and Bible study. mind you, i was up until 12:30am as a result, but boy was it worth it! :)

so often i tell myself that i just don't have the time to sit down and craft, but when it's my way of relaxing and de-stressing, it becomes almost a necessity sometimes... regardless of if i think i have the time for it or not.

in any case, i was finishing up a few patchwork coasters that have been languishing on my craft desk for the past two months, and it was high time i finished them... and since so many people have been asking me how to make them, i thought i would post a quick, but picture-laden, tutorial once i get all the pictures processed. stay tuned! :)

Wednesday Wish List

on the top of my wish list this week? not ideas... not books... not even craft supplies. just time.

time to finish up the last few sets of coasters that are sitting, waiting to be sewn.

time to look at all the new books and supplies i do have, as a result of Christmas presents and gift cards.

time to breathe, and to take in the beautiful rainstorms we've been having lately.

time to simply pop in a movie or two for an evening while i curl up under blankets, and simply relax. < sidenote >husband and i got to do that this past saturday, which was amazing... but those opportunities don't come often enough.< /sidenote >

in any case... that's all i'm really wanting this week. just time. that shouldn't be too difficult, right? ;-)

#CraftSocial

If any of you are lucky enough to be home right now and are involved with Twitter (you can find me at @candidcrafts), take note of the #CraftSocial conversation that's happening right now! From 1-3 PM EST, you can join other crafters talking about what they're working on, where they're from, and what their favorite craft tools, books, or current projects are.

I so wish I could be involved, but unfortunately I'll be watching the feed and drooling from my cube, 12 miles away from my home and all my crafting supplies. Maybe next time the event will be held on a weekend ;)

Enjoy!

Organizational Skills Trials

I've been on an organizational kick lately. I purchased Organizing Your Craft Space with a B&N gift card I received for Christmas (yay "free" books!)

Looking through it tonight, I realized that my 6' space of desk that I have just doesn't fit the amount of crafting that I (want to) do. My hubby Ryan & I have thought about other alternatives, but it's just not seeming to be feasible in our >1000 sq. ft. apartment that's filled with stuff. We've experimented a bit with thoughts of transforming the closet in the 2nd bedroom into a crafting closet, but can't figure out an easy way to do it without dismantling the closet or adding extra shelves, which isn't an option in our rental.

In any case, I'm going off on a tangent. I've been organizing lately. It all started when my hubby bought me a shelving unit to put my cookbooks on, so I can actually reach them rather than having to grab the step stool or climbing on the counter to reach the high cupboards. With that top cupboard almost empty, I was able to move all the knick-knacks crowding out the linens in the linen closet (and yes, there's something wrong with that picture! ;)). Once those were moved, I could rearrange the linens so they actually fit!

Then it came to putting away the Christmas decorations... at which point I almost gave up on the idea of organizing and consolidating. I mean, just looking at the pile of Christmas decorations, and then our boxes they used to be in... it's a scary process *sigh* In any case, we went from 7 boxes & 1 large bag of Christmas stuff to 4 boxes, with an extra box for Christmas tins, which are almost gone now that I used them for Christmas goodies this year! :) In any case, it's quite the accomplishment. Things are finally organized according to what it is (i.e. Christmas village in one box, ornaments in another, etc.), rather than everything just thrown into boxes & packed back into our garage.

In the process, I emptied a Rubbermaid container, which is exciting since I now have another container in which to store fabric, which is desperately needed since the recent purchases before & after Christmas out-grew my current boxes. Which brings me back to the fact that eventually, I need a crafting space of my own, even if it's half of a room somewhere. A few shelves for fabrics, a nice tall work table that I can stand or sit at, and an area to store all my tools.

But for now, I'll continue organizing, sorting through, and getting rid of unnecessary things around the apartment, in hopes that one of these days we'll have the space to allow for just a little more room in my corner of the second bedroom, which is my crafting area :)

New Books in Store for 2010... and a few resolutions.

I have a few new books to work through in 2010, and for years to come, I'm sure. While I still have plenty of crafting books to work through, I'm also the proud new recipient of Sewing: 2010 Day-to-Day Calendar. It's an awesome calendar that has over 100 sewing patterns and projects to work on throughout the year. Although I'm not sure if it will be possible, seeing as I have a full-time job among a lot of other commitments, I'm making it my goal to complete each of the projects by the end of the year. Given that they aren't super-complicated or complex patterns, I think I'll be able to do it. I just might have a lot of extra Christmas presents for 2010 and many random craft items to sell at next year's craft fair ;)

I'm also looking forward to seeing copies of Applique Your Way: 35 Pretty Projects & Patterns and One Line a Day: A Five-Year Memory Book, both from Chronicle Books. I kept a written journal for years, but lately it's just seemed like another item to check off my list, and I lost my desire to write in it a while back. I'm hoping that participating in the "One Line a Day" book will get me writing for myself again, recording what's going on in my life on a regular basis! We'll see what happens ;)

The applique book should be great as well, since I tried applique for the first time this year, and while the ladybugs stuck well to the pockets, peeling the Wonder Under fabric off didn't go so well :) I made a few dresses for Dani, a precious little 2-year-old girl, and my dear husband was stuck peeling the backs off of the Wonder Under fabric. :) Maybe the book will have a few tips for me to work through that process. Or maybe you, my faithful readers, have a few comments yourself? :)

In any case, I'm really hoping to devote more time to crafting this year, and hopefully by the end of the year, have a more dedicated place to work on my craft projects! Here's to a great new year, and to improving our craft skills all around! I'll share my tips if you share yours :) Happy New Year!

craft fairs, Christmas, quilts, and more.

Just because I let the blog go for a little while, doesn't mean by any extreme that I haven't been crafting! I did a few odds and ends things through the summer, and finished my first ever clothing item, which was an exciting feat. I have to say, Chic & Simple Sewing: Skirts, Dresses, Tops, and Jackets for the Modern Seamstress (which that skirt is made from) has to be one of my new favorite books. There are so many patterns for clothing that I would easily pick up in the store this weekend and wear until it's completely worn out! Now I just need the talent to make all of those clothes :)


October brought the idea of participating in my first craft fair, which led to many late nights of making various patchwork coasters and reversible table runners! It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun, and by the time I finished that weekend, I had agreed to participate in the annual craft fair held at my work as well, which was actually far more successful than my first!

December brought Christmas, which, as I'm sure a lot of you know, means making presents and figuring out what particular presents and fabrics fit which particular people. Fun none-the-less, but a little stressful :) After all, I'm still in the process of working on two different stitcheries that were intended for last Christmas. One of these days they'll get done! ;)

As a result of the Christmas projects and finishing up coaster sets, I have leftover Christmas fabric, which has inspired me to make a Christmas quilt. I'm still debating between a few styles, but I'm excited about the prospects!

In any case, I just wanted to check in and make sure you guys knew that I hadn't completely deserted you! I'm still here, and still crafting as much as ever. Hopefully I'll find the time to be posting here more frequently as well. You're more than welcome to keep me accountable :)

On one closing note, I'm looking to find a book that can act as my "mentor" for sewing questions when I don't have a physical person to turn to. While a book could never replace a real live person, it's a good resource to have around the house as well! So I've found these two books:

Complete Photo Guide to Sewing - Revised + Expanded Edition: 1200 Full-Color How-To Photos (Singer)

New Complete Guide to Sewing (Readers Digest)

Any suggestions from the peanut gallery? If I'm going to spend the money on a book like this, I really want to be sure that I've found the right one, and unfortunately, our library system is closed for a few weeks due to funds, so I don't have anywhere to check these books out in the meantime, since neither of them are at the local bookstores right now. In any case, I'd rather have real-live advice from you guys out there than the few (very contradictory) customer reviews on Amazon. So I'd appreciate any input you can give! Or... if you have another book that seems like a better fit, recommend away :)

Thanks, friends. Hope to hear from you soon... and I hope that I haven't lost all of you faithful readers during my hiatus from the blog. :) Catch you all later.

-Mary

p.s. props to my dad who took the new photo in my banner :) i get my photography skills from him ;)