PMQG Spring Retreat

The Philly Modern Quilt Guild is having a retreat this weekend.  This will only be the second time I've ever spent the night away from Emma.  The first time was the fall PMQG retreat!  I'm taking off Friday and spending the entire weekend sewing with friends.  It is going to be glorious!

There is so much I need to do to get ready ---- I have to pack clothes & toiletries, quilting/sewing projects, knitting(??), fabric (you know, just in case), and goodies.  To bake or to buy delicious treats?  And wine/beverages?  You better believe it!  I should go make my lists.  You know, it's the only way I get anything accomplished and not forget anything!  It should be a fun weekend and I'm sure you can join in on the fun on Instagram :)

Spring is here!

I'm not sure what it is about this beautiful weather, but I have so much energy and motivation to get things done.  As the weather gets nicer, we're spending more time outside each day --although I'm sure my allergies are going to start at any second.

Emma & her rock collection

This little girl loves to spend time outside, especially if Maggie and Paige are out there.  That's perfectly ok with us because the neglected gardens need a lot of work.   We're currently working on cleaning up the yard, taking breaks to play with bubbles, and are planning to get a few toys for the back yard once we receive our tax return.  It's fun to splurge every now and then.

When we're not outside, I'm dividing my time between the woodland sampler {April is fabulous!}, my springtime sampler frames {never-ending}, sewing my hugs and kisses blocks, and knitting.  It's craziness.  The weather is almost nice enough to do hand sewing on the porch in the evenings.  Can.not.wait.

WIP Wednesday: On the Needles

Socks in progress for Emma.

It's far from perfect though.  I got to the part of the directions to turn the heel and I just gave it a shot.  I'm not sure I did it correctly (the short rows were weird), but it looks ok.

Sock/heel as seen on Instagram.
Pattern: Jelly Bean Baby socks in Toddler size.

I think from this point forward I should be good, until the Kitchner stitch of course. Hopefully I'll get feedback from my instructor tomorrow night so the 2nd sock is better.

A week in the life of the CraftyProcrastinator on Instagram

If you're on Instagram, I'm craftyprocrastinator. And well, if you aren't, you should be!

Instagram is my new favorite social media app...I love seeing what everyone is working on (stitching, sewing, quilting, knitting), the materials/eye candy (yarn, aurifil - did you see the Tula Pink aurifil collection?!, and of course fabric), and even what everyone is baking/cooking/eating.  Yum!  Plus it was a great way experience Quilt Con last month without being there.

Bad {work} day yesterday...stopped at Starbucks for a little relief.  It only took 20 minutes with one person ahead of me in line!

Finished knitting a hat...quickly frogged said hat because errors (holes) and sizing

Birthday cupcakes made by Heather.  Yum!

The only way I get to sew during normal hours is to let her "sew" too.  Set her up with a pattern, fat quarter bundle, and sometimes a few blocks and she's entertained for awhile.

Birthday breakfast in bed on the couch.  I woke up too early to be surprised by Chris & Emma with breakfast in bed.

I caved....I said I wasn't going to, but I did.  Spring is my favorite season.  How could I not? #springtimesampler #frostedpumpkinstitchery

Part of my Just 3 goals for March.  I'm finished the 2nd fingerless mitt and just need to figure out a proper bind off technique.  Suggestions?

A little review...

I recently picked up a copy of Quilty magazine at JoAnn's when I was really supposed to be shopping for a birthday gift for my (almost) sister in law.  I spent so much time in the store trying to pick out yarn, needles, or even a knitting book for her but I wasn't having any luck and I really didn't want to leave the store empty handed.  I was deciding between Quilts & More and Quilty and I ended up picking Quilty because I had never read it/seen it before and it had an article about quilt guilds.  The quilty (ha-ha, get it?) content was ok.  The quilt patterns (previews here) are geared towards beginners so easy-peasy stuff.  There is a quilt that I've considering making, so that's a win!  I was pretty disappointed with the article about quilt guilds though.  It seemed more like, this is why you shouldn't join a guild, guilds aren't for everyone unless you have lots of time because we are all so busy.  Well ain't that the truth, but I still love my guild(s) and sewing with friends is so much better than sewing solo.

Borrowed from http://www.heyquilty.com/quilty-magazine.html

I did enjoy the article on batting, the fabric eye candy, & I really liked that they included information for submitting content (i.e. original quilt patterns).  Will I buy it again?  Sure...I mean just check out this cover, and this is pretty nice too!

Borrowed from http://www.heyquilty.com/quilty-magazine.html

My local JoAnn's is closing....well or as they say moving.  When you're used to having a JoAnn's less than 2 minutes from your house forever and then they decide to close AFTER they open the new one...they're really just closing.  They aren't moving merchandise, they aren't restocking anything...they are pretty much just selling what they have left and slowly moving everything up to the front of the store leaving the back half empty.  When I was there last night, the yarn was pretty slim pickings.  The magazines were gone.  I wanted to pick up the new Quilty but all of the magazines were removed. :::sad face:::

March - Just 3!

So in attempt to get more done each month, I'm linking up to Traceyjay quilts's Just Three.  Since this is my first time participating {hi everyone!} I don't have a report for last month.

March's Goals

1.  Finish hand sewing the binding on Emma's Smitten quilt.  It's over half done.  I've just abandoned it for other fun projects.

2. Piece blocks for my Hugs and Kisses quilt.  I finally picked out my neutral color on Sunday (Moda Cross weave in light gray- so awesome!) so now I need to press my strip sets, cut the fabric using the Lazy Angle ruler and piece it all back together again.

Progress made since I drafted this post :)

3. Since I started a knitting class in January, I think a knitting goal is only fair.  I need to finish my other finger-less mitten so that I can stop freezing my butt {or hands} off at work.  One of the few disadvantages of having a drafty window office....also apparently, you can knit two mitts, socks, whatever, at the same time on circular needles. :::Smacks self on head::::  Apparently, the teacher thought that I should already have known this....even though I'm a {self taught until now} beginner, in a beginner's class.  Lesson learned, lady!

Linking up to:

Woodland Sampler - Cross Stitch

When I was alot younger, my mom used to do cross stitch.  We were on vacation at the shore and one of my aunts came over and taught her.  I remember it so vividly because I wanted so badly to learn at that time.  My mom made so many cross stitch patterns when I was growing up...Christmas stockings, Christmas tree ornaments, and numerous wall hangings.  If you had a baby during my mom's cross stitch days, sure enough you would receive a framed cross stitch with the baby's name & birth date.  Each time she finished a design, we would take it to get framed.  You know, the kind of place where you pick out a frame and a mat, you pay an arm and a leg, and they would frame it for you.  They always looked so beautiful and still do some 20+ years later.

When I was old enough, my mom finally taught me how to do cross stitch.  I would start one and she would finish it.  I never had the attention span to finish a design.  The only one I ever finished was for a friend who was getting married....and well, that marriage did not last.

When I saw the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery's cross stitch patterns I knew it was time to pick up the hobby again.  Their patterns are super adorable.  Have you seen their winter wonderland countdown sampler??  It's on my wishlist.  I signed up right away when I saw they were releasing a Woodland Sampler starting in January.  Each pattern/design is released around the 1st of the month and so far I'm loving it!

January - Snowy Deer Couple

I stitched up January's pattern while I was recovering from a minor surgery.  It kept my hands busy while I was stuck laying in bed for a few days.

February - Midnight Raccoon Bandit

February's block isn't completed yet.  I think I'm going to outline around the raccoon's eyes a little more and fill in the moon.  Probably filling the moon in with the dark blue so that the "e" in February is visible.

March - Marchy McMushroom

March's block only took part of an afternoon.  I might still add a teeny-tiny shamrock in front of the "M" but I'm not sure there's enough space.

I had always intended to make a cross stitch for Emma's birth, but was too worried I would lose interest and never finish.  Since April 1st is so far away, I'll probably purchase another Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery pattern and add Emma's birth stats to it because the poor girl has next to nothing hanging on her walls!

Emma (in January)

New Year, New Bee & A Blog makeover

I really need a blog makeover but I haven’t figured out how to do it yet.  I used to be pretty tech savvy in college (oh the things I used to do)…but I haven’t had the time to devote to teaching myself anything new lately.  If you have any tips, let me know.  For now, I’ll keep using the blogger templates.

My first bee ever started this month -  Scrap-bee Blocks {on flickr of course}.  It’s a stash busting bee – because each month we make a block using our own fabric and send it to the Queen/King  Bee.  It’s Dustin’s month and he requested donkey blocks.  At first, I was a little scared of the tiny 1” finished blocks, but once I started putting it together it wasn’t soo bad.  I consolidated some of the blocks so there would be less piecing.  I’m really happy with how it came out.  I wish I would have made it a little more fun, like some of the others in the group but oh well.  It’s done now! 

**Oh and BIG NEWS**

I’m so excited!  I got into Doll Quilt Swap 10!!!  SO EXCITED!  Participants were drawn by lottery so I was waiting and crossing my fingers, followed by more waiting, and received an email this weekend telling me I was in.  I can’t wait to get started!

Hello 2011!

This year I vowed to stay home to ring in the new year….but instead I hung out with family, drank some wine, ate lots of pizza, and only had to walk 2 blocks home.  It was a perfect night!

While I’m sad to see 2010 go; I’m welcoming 2011 with open arms.  I can’t wait to see what’s on the road ahead.  Like everyone else, I’m making some resolutions…the biggest of which is a {fabric} diet.  So for at least the first six months in 2011, I’m working from stash {insert GASP here}.  I don’t think it will be difficult unless something absolutely amazing is released but even then, I’ll be ok.  There are exceptions to this diet…like backing, binding, and batting.  Of course, I’ll work from stash where possible but I don’t have a whole lot (or any) 5 yard pieces of fabric laying around for a quilt back.  Two other tiny exceptions…things already on their way to me….some must have Central Park by Kate Spain and Parisville by Tula Pink ~ both ordered before Jan 1st so I’m good! 

Why am I doing this?  Because I have a feeling I don’t even know what I have.  There’s a whole mess of fabric in my studio and every time I go grab something….I think “oh wow, I forgot I had that!”.  Another reason - $$$.  I bought a brand new 2011 SUV at the end of 2010….car payments are going to suck.

My other goal for 2011 is to give back  a little more.  I only made one charity quilt during 2010…I want to at least double my goal and make 2 (and hopefully more) for this year’s Stitch N Pitch with the Phillies.  

And because I didn’t want to leave you all with a photo-less post, here are some  of the things I made during 2010.

So many projects…

So little time!

I’ve got so many things in progress, it’s hard to focus!  The beginnings of a Birdie bag that I just can’t bring myself to cut out all of the darn pieces (stupid interfacing!), two quilts tops needing basting, quilting, and binding, a wedding quilt for a friend, and Siggy blocks from the Modern Siggy Swap 2.

Two weekends ago I got together with friends and spent the afternoon cutting up my pure charm pack and piecing my blocks for Project Pure.   Hoping to piece the top this week!

                     A sneak peak at my blocks…. 

This past weekend I was on vacation at the beach and as much as I wanted to pack my sewing machine, there just wasn’t room in the car with 2 dogs, a dog crate, an assortment of linens and clothing.  A quick trip to JoAnn’s and I had a few templates for hand sewing hexagons instead.  I brought a fat quarter bundle of Bliss and got to work.  Unfortunately I ran out of templates faster than I would’ve liked and those plastic templates are expensive.  Time to switch to paper piecing I think!

What's your....

1. Favorite hobby?

2. Favorite tv show?

3. Favorite restaurant food?
 

4. Favorite thing to shop for?

5. Favorite animal?

6. Favorite song?



7. Favorite word?



8. Recent favorite youtube video?




9. Favorite movie?

10. Favorite childhood memory?

One of my favorite bloggers Ashley at Hot Butter was playing so I jumped in on the fun.  You can play along too...check out everyone else doing it! 

Surprising Stash Finds

About a year ago I discovered designer fabrics and all things Moda.  I haven't looked back since.  For awhile I was an inexperienced shopper...not immediately recognizing fabric lines while in the Little Shop.  It took time to memorize recognize the different designers and collections.  During my transition period, as I like to call it, the Little Shop had a fat quarter and fat eighth sale.  I had no clue what I was looking at or shoving into my shopping basket...I just knew it was a good deal by the crowds of women around me fighting their way through the store.  Imagine my surprise when I found a fat eighth of Flea Market Fancy in my stash.  Who knows what else I have hiding in there?!  An amazing find...in my own house!  Maybe it's time to dig into my stash and start using it!

Difficult Decisions

I’ve been in a funk lately.  This week I have been faced with the realization that school is just too much for me right now.  I’m not sure if I’m burn out per say…but I’m ready to be done.  So ready…. I am struggling in one of my courses…after only the first week.  I am recognizing the fact that it’s more difficult than I had anticipated and that I will actually have to work…make that very hard… to be successful in this course.  Normally I push through classes and easily get A’s…. Only two classes away from my degree and I’m struggling.  So what’s a girl to do but drop a class…and NOT graduate in June.  So sad…and disappointed….I completely stressed over the decision of which class to drop…the easy A or the work really hard for a B (if I’m lucky) class.  Stressed so much that I gave myself a migraine.  I’m sticking it out in the hard class because I think it will be helpful in my career.  So that’s my not happy news….and if I really want to torture myself I can take my last class this summer…on Thursday nights which is generally a traffic nightmare in the city.

With working full time and school this year, I’m thankful that I have a hobby that I find incredibly relaxing.  I can work 8+ hours a day, come home and do 2-3 hours of school work, and as long as I get to sew,  everything is ok in my world.  We may not eat a gourmet dinner or have a very clean house, but I’m happy.  Just call first before coming over :)

A perfect weekend

because:

~no snow!  I’m still looking at piles of the white stuff but at least it didn’t inconvenience my weekend.

~me and Hubby went to a Flyers game Friday night complete with Chickie and Pete’s crab fries and my new favorite beer Blue Moon!

~I spent an entire Saturday sewing.  I finished one project and am almost finished my happy campers quilt.  Pictures to come soon!

~I bought my first OttLite lamp at JoAnn’s Saturday (40% off!) while picking up some Navy Kona solid.  The light is awesome!

~my wonderful husband is making a surf and turf dinner for Valentine’s day.  He cooks amazing meals!

Modern Quilting

Recently Julie started the Philly Chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild.  I was sooo excited when I saw Julie post about it because I’ve been looking for a quilting guild to get involved with locally.  I’m semi-new to quilting…I love the bright and bold fabrics that aren’t sold at JoAnn’s (read: designer).  Like all quilters and seamstresses, I have a mild complete obsession with fabric.   I make what I like and generally work with colors I love.   Am I a modern quilter?  I don’t know.  I’m not exactly sure what modern quilting is or if it can be completely defined.  Over at the Modern Quilt Guild blog, the question, “What does modern quilting mean to me?” was asked and I’ve been trying to answer it.  Here’s what I came up with:

Modern quilting is about fresh and fun fabrics.  The first time I tried quilting I picked the most traditional block pattern and boring fabrics.  Talk about uninspiring!  That project is packed up far, far away!  Modern quilting is taking old versions of traditional blocks and making them your own..either with fabric choices and/or machine quilting.  Modern quilting is also making your own pattern or having no pattern at all.  Although, I have to admit I am not a fan of wonkiness and wonky log cabins.  I think that’s just my Type A  personality.  To read more about modern quilting, check out the Modern Quilt Guild blog.

Now what do I do?

I puffy heart Amazon.com.

I only had one goal for the Black Friday madness.....to find a food processor. It's been on my "want" list (along with a cricut) for some time now and I thought I'd find the best deals on Black Friday. After scanning the sale ads, the only one I found was a 7 cup food processor for $80 at Macys. I almost went to buy it, but when I saw the news showing the craziness at the mall I decided to stay in bed.

I found a great deal on Amazon for this 12 cup Kitchenaid food processor in black. I wanted white, but who am I to pass up a deal?! Free shipping, no tax, and a $20 rebate! The best part, I received it next day...on a Saturday! I was shocked!

Now I just need to figure out what to do with it :)

Things to be thankful for....

~being healthy and having a healthy family. Knock on wood it stays this way for many years to come.

~my job. My company has laid off a few people and fortunately Hubby and I have managed to keep our jobs. Other companies in the same industry have either gone under or laid off a significant portion of their staff.

~almost being done grad school. Only 4 classes to go! Yay!

~my family. I have such an amazing family that has been incredibly supportive through all the phases of my life, from high school, to college, to marriage, to grad school. The get-togethers aren't as frequent as they were when I was younger which is why the holidays are my favorite time of year. I can't wait to see everyone!

~ and finally Maggie. Yes I am thankful for a crazy, rambunctious puppy! She is a great companion to Paige and is literally a 50 pound, cuddly, lap dog. I'm glad we were able to save her from the shelter system.

So what are you thankful for this year?

Public Speaking Anxiety

I know I'm not alone in this. It was obvious last night during my grad school presentations that there were other people even more nervous than me. I have to say their nervousness put me at ease....just a little.

Speaking in front of a group of people is nerve wracking no matter what the topic of your presentation. I could have given a presentation on sewing or baking and have felt the same way as I did last night presenting a technical talk. I think the more familiar you are with your presentation the better you will do...but let's admit it. That only goes so far.

Each time I have a presentation, the anxiety I experience is a little less. Public speaking is something I would love to do more of (honestly) because I want, no NEED to be good at it.

I also hate having a set time. Saying my presentation has be exactly 8, 12, or 22 minutes, no more and no less, doesn't make me any less anxious. I'd be more comfortable with a range of say 10-12 minutes. Each time I practiced my presentation it was 17-20 minutes...way too long. I almost considered deleting some slides. Good thing I left it alone because I think I was just a bit under...I was able to catch myself a few times, take a breath, and continue much slower. I almost wish someone had recorded the presentations so we could see how nervous we all were.

I have no tips, but if you do, feel free to comment and help a girl out!

Now that that's over ::::sigh of relief:::::, I can look forward to the upcoming holiday and hopefully some much needed sewing time!

Feelin' the Christmas Spirit...sorta

Yesterday was the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. I will save you the background of the game...all that matters is the release of this game was highly anticipated and built up by Hubby, my brother, and lots of other 20-30+ year old men (and women including myself) I know.

Hubby preordered the game from a popular gaming store and we picked it up during lunch.  I was lucky enough to not have to go to the midnight release.  When we got home from work, Hubby tore into the packaging.  Watching Hubby, I experienced a weird feeling and then all of a sudden it hit me.... 

I was instantly reminded of the leg lamp.  If you are not familiar with the leg lamp....well you're missing out.  It is from my favorite Christmas movie ever, A Christmas Story.  It's actually played for 24 hours straight on TBS on Christmas day.  Watching Hubby open this "gift" was like watching the Old Man - Mr. Parker open the leg lamp.  The light in his eyes and the pure happiness was a sight to see....Ok so the gift:

The game comes with night vision goggles and a numbered display head.  Yes, for real!  Functioning night vision goggles that have nothing to do with the game and a nifty artwork book!  As for the actual game play, I don't know as I haven't had the privelege of playing yet.

Time to get busy...

Classes start again after my teeny, tiny summer break.  While I'm not looking forward to driving fighting traffic through the city, I am looking forward to new television starting this week (Grey's Anatomy) and last week (Bones).  Oh Grey's, how I've missed you!  I'm looking forward to my online Toxicology class, which if designed well, will help me with my career.  UGG season is almost upon us people!  Other things to look forward to:  my first wedding anniversary :)

Things I'm not looking forward to:  lack of time to clean house, the warm summer air, fresh veggies from the garden, flip flops.
 
The zig zag quilt is basted and ready to be quilted.  I basted with pins to try something new since the spray adhesive was far too sticky last time.  I found an amazing backing fabric at JoAnn's.  It's the perfect print, was wide enough I didn't need to piece the back, and was incredibly soft!  Amanda Jean over at crazymomquilts has a great blog post about where quilters buy their fabric.  There are alot of interesting comments over there so check it out!