2/3 through May

Now we’re two-thirds of the way of May.  And there has been some progress.  How about that?

Insurance studying has not progressed.  Guess what this weekend holds?  By the end of this weekend, I wanted to be at chapter 9.  I will aim to be at chapter 5.  It’s not great, but I will get there.  I also need to plant my garden, as it is finally the proper temp to do so and I got my plant starts from my farmer.  So I think I should worry about that.

For sewing, I am overwhelmed.  Actually I am overwhelmed in many areas of my life.  Many things are started and underway but no completions, so just works in progress and mess everywhere.  I need it to improve.  So for sewing, I am working on finishing the one quilt that needs its binding to be handsewn.  I am also organizing my scraps which are basically in about 20 gallon+ sized ziploc bags. 

I store my fabric that is in active rotation in milk crates under my sewing table.  I put two colors in a crate and each color has a ziploc for those pieces too small to be let loose in the crate.  Right now my goal is to interfile back all the scraps for one crate, plus any larger pieces that are lying around.  Then I will box up 4 to 6 projects into a box, label the box, put the box on top of the milk crate contents and shove the whole thing back under the table.  There are 6 milk crates and I hope to do one per week.  Yes it will take a long time but that is OK.

This week’s crate is orange and blue.  I am about two-thirds of the way through my scraps and already I can see the volume difference by putting away some blues!  I want to get this done by Thursday night, as my sewing week begins on Friday when I get home from work.  Green and red are up next and I know there are a substantial amount of reds to be put away. 

Just getting all the clutter somewhat organized and put away will help me focus I think.  I really need to just focus on some other aspects of my life right now besides sewing, especially since Renee will be done with school and away at camp.  I can really work on getting my house gone through!

So yes, I did have a finish in these past 10 days.  I did finish the pink boxy stars.  All 3 baby quilts were delivered but I have only received one thank you.  We shall see how this goes.

I have also completed about half of the handsewing on Easy Street.  Yay!  I am so thrilled.  I want this to be a May finish as well.  I also worked on some BOM blocks, which was nice.  A little time behind the machine never hurt anyone.

Goals for the rest of this month:

Finish Easy Street

Keep up with BOMs

Orange and blue milk crate

Green and red milk crate

Make sense of the cutting table

Make sense of the sewing table

Super Stars quiltalong -  a simple new start to keep me energized, which is really what I need

May - One Third Done

It’s one-third of the way through May and I have an update of course.

I have slowly started studying insurance, which is a drag.  I have also starting cleaning out the upstairs of my house, which is also a drag.  Bear with me.

On the sewing front, it’s also been slow going.  Part of it is because I am tired.  The weather shift has been hard on me and my migraines and so we are increasing medicine dosages and the like and it takes time to adapt to all of that.  Fortunately my most alert and productive hours are at work, as they should be.  I just wish I had a few at home as well.

The following two quilts are done done.

X’s and O’s blue boy

Blue D9P

I have started the sew down the binding on Easy Street.  I ran out of bobbin thread on the last quilting pass for the pink boxy stars.  Always the way.  So today when I get home from work, I will load up that bobbin, finish the quilting and I will not quit tonight until the binding is attached, and the quilt and the handsewing bag are in the car for tomorrow.  We are doing Mother’s Day tomorrow, so that means a trip to Chicagoland.  Plenty of handsewing time.

Saturday I am gone all day and Sunday technically should be mine, but there is insurance to study.  So I guess my Sunday goals are to wrap up all 3 baby quilts as gifts so they can be delivered on Monday, do 2 BOMs (just picked up those blocks) and the Thimbles top.  Once the Thimbles top is done, I can use those scraps to make the 9-patches for the Sister’s Choice blocks. 

Edited:  This was written on Friday and now it's Sunday.  I'm not done sewing down the binding because I had to be the driver instead of the passenger.  So I am doing that today, along with some cooking. I love to cook and am making 3 things I love and there will be leftovers for the week.

May the Fourth be with You

Yep, it's May 4 and that means it's Star Wars Day.  I was debating which order to watch the movies in, and after I saw the quip that tomorrow is the Revenge of the Fifth, then I know that the order would be the theatrical release.  We watched A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi today, and tonight we are going to see Iron Man 3 not in 3D (3D does not agree with us).  Tomorrow will be Phantom Menace, The Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.  This is great fun.

I have had one finish this month - X's and O's blue boy at 48 inches square.  I have 30 more inches of binding on the blue D9P and that will be done.  Then the pink boxy stars is up and then Easy Street.  I'm watching Project Runway while I stitch and since the season is over, I am able to watch one episode per day and get through the whole season quickly.

I was working in my sewing space today during Ep IV and Ep VI.  I sorted through some thread donations, did 3 BOM blocks (due tomorrow), and did the remainder of the 4-patches for the Bricks & Stepping Stones matchstick units I need to complete.  Believe it or not, those darn 4-patches drive me nuts!  So I am glad that is done.

Tomorrow I hope to finish up pink boxy stars so it can be ready for handsewing and then do the 3 BOM blocks that I pick up tomorrow.  I don't know what else I might do; I may clean and organize.

I found another top and backing that just needs to be sandwiched and quilted.  Guess I'll try to get that to the binding stage this month, just like Orca Bay....