Dear Jane

Oh yeah, did I mention that I am starting a Dear Jane?  Well, I am.  A group of quilters from my guild has started a group and since I am relatively new to the guild, I think it's a good way to meet some people.

My Jane is fighting a different war - the war of the Great Depression.  I am using my small 30's stash for this effort.  I have slowly started collecting 30's fabrics recently.  The story...

My sister's former next door neighbor had an old family quilt that was clamshells.  The shells were beginning to shred and the neighbor wished to piece in some replacement shells.  The fabrics were clearly 30's.  So my sister and I got on the website for the Fat Quarter Shop and Kim picked out a nickel charm pack of 20's and another of 30's.  

A few years pass and the 2 charm packs make their way back to me.  I am not sure if the neighbor gave up or what, but they were basically intact.  I made a lovely 60" square baby quilt for the GS camp director who has lovingly taken care of my girl at camp for years.  And while I was making that quilt, I realized I was falling in love with 30's fabrics.

So when I shop hop or see a swap on my Yahoo groups that is 30's fabrics, I go ahead and participate.  It's a great way to build a variety of stash in small quantities.  With the exception of one fabric that I bought the rest of the bolt of (yes, it's pink - move along), my 30's stash fits in a shoebox.  My most recent Bits 'n Pieces shipment from Keepsake Quilting had 6 2.5" 30's strips in there.  And a newer quilt shop here in town has quite the 30's selection, so I am set.

The background will be Kona Snow.  We were debating at our first DJ meeting how much background one needs and our 'expert' (she's been to the DJ retreat and met Brenda and all of that) said that she's heard varying amounts based on piecing methods.  Buy the bolt was the most common recommendation.

Thankfully TLE sells Kona as well.  When they get their next bolts in, they are saving me one and will ship it to me.  So I can't start my DJ yet, but soon.  

I have the book and the rulers.  I ordered the stand alone EQ software and it arrived yesterday.  I need some more grey aurifil.  I am nearly ready.

My numbers = 0, 0, 0, 0.

At Last a Plan

When last we left our heroine...

Anyway, I ended up cleaning the yarn nook in my room.  I reorganized all of my needles that I could get my hands on.  I have lots of needles but now it takes no time to figure out what I do or do not have.  Last step is to post inventory on this computer so I can order online without having to move (yes I am that lazy).

When I did that I also inventoried all my yarn.  I have only 10 UFOs and 1 bag of repairs.  I have lots of yarn though, at least in my opinion (I have 100 times more fabric).  I put all the sock yarn in one bag.  I then just sort of put all the other yarn into another bag and all the acrylic crap in the laundry basket.  I really have a handle on what I have.

Then yesterday The Loopy Ewe (TLE), they released the class requirements for the second semester of freshman year.  This semester is all about techniques.  I am going with stripes for my first assignment and I am doing a sweater called Nothing but Stripes!  However, since I am the size I am that is a lot of yarn.  Never fear, I am just using TLE's house brand for fingering weight.  I am making mine in eggplant and oyster, a deep purple and a light grey.

(I cannot confirm or deny that there may have been some last call shopping, including some lovely light blue laceweight...)

So that is the assignment.  From the UFO list, I will work on my Irish sweater.  From the sock bag, I will break into my Mrs. Crosby that I got for Camp Loopy and make a test pair of the Simple Skyp socks.  Once these 3 items are done, I can then order yarn and cast on for the next TLE assignment.  This way I reduce UFOs, keep current with purchases and start to reduce stash.  Although this purchase may have added to stash just a wee bit...at least all purchases have projects attached to them in my queue, not just random 'that is pretty' purchases.

On the fabric side of things, I am ordering a bolf of Kona Snow from TLE for my Dear Jane.  Plus I made a list for this anticipated snowy weekend of quilty things to do.  I broke it down into pretty small steps so I can see progress.  If i get as far as I want, I will have 2 things at the hand stitching stage, which would be wonderful!

It's good to plan the work.  Time to work the plan!

The Power of Handwork

I have been off for a while and I have tried to figure out why.  I started off the year well enough; I took a ton of time around the holidays to actively and extensively craft.  I knit, I crocheted, I sewed, I quilted.  I got a lot done.  2 lap quilts, a pair of sox and a pair of mittens.  I then had a retreat a week later and I did a ton more sewing.  I mean I was in a groove.

And then I stopped.  There was a few weeks (OK the year has only had like 4 weeks) where the busy snuck on me.  One week was supposed to be super busy in one respect and it ended up being weird in another way.  The first set of crayz was postponed by a week and so there was no downtime.

And then I had to sew for a charity event.  That meant I had to go to the sewing room and do stuff.  What a big help.

So I was able to jump start things on the sewing front, but I didn't really have any sort of long term plan or anything.  It was a lot of Just One Thing, which is progress.

But I have stalled out everywhere else.  I can't get a handle on my house.  Or my paperwork (and it tax season).  Or my clothing.  Or anything.  Like seriously anything.  I was functioning in my critical mode:  clean clothes and food on the table are mandatory; everything else is optional.

I can't handle it.  I want more done.  I want more from my house.  It can be done.  I want to start having friends over and in the past year I have expanded / rotated my group of friends and I'd like to invite them over.  One friend now has a baby and I'd like her to have him over (he is a cutie).  I need to make a list.  I need to plan the work and work the plan and make the other 2 accountable.  They will do stuff if they know what stuff.  (I've given up the whole isn't it obvious argument - not worth my blood pressure.)

Anyway, back to handwork.  I haven't had anything to hand stitch at all for like 3 weeks.  I am stumbling around lost.  Seriously.  I'm at a loss.

This week I figured out this is why I am stalling out.  I am desperately waiting for the Loopy Ewe's second semester at Loopy Academy to begin.  The assignments haven't even been handed out.  However, I can wait no longer.  I have taken drastic measures.

I am cleaning my room in order to inventory my yarn so that I may find some handwork to do.

Yep, that is what I am doing.  I have taken a break to eat dinner and write this post.  Now I need to go back to going through the yarn and watching TIVO'd episodes of Project Runway.

Who knew handwork was the key?  Well the yarn harlot of course...

2015 begins

Yes, I've been offline for a month.  Yes, I need to get back to it.