A log of needlework projects and all involved in them
I have finished making the blocks for the lap quilt. Yay. Tonight, I laid out the to-be-lap-quilt on my bed. I like this layout a much better than the “strip search” layout. I was about to say I’d sew it up tomorrow, but I am driving to Portland tomorrow evening. So I guess not!
Jelly Roll + Strip Quilting + 12″ blocks = super awesome.
So far I like how the blocks look… the pattern over-all looks kind of crazy, so I was a little worried. I decided to arrange the blocks a little differently to allow for more order and cohesion. We shall see what happens when the 2nd row goes on.
After some minor frustration with the previous quilt, I’ve decided to take a couple steps back and start a new quilt. I decided to use a jelly roll, since 75% of my problems originated with my inability to cut fabric to the correct size.
I bought a “Cranberry Wishes” jelly roll and a pattern called “Strip Search”. I don’t see how I can mess this one up.
Strip Search Quilt
So far I have sewn together the large strips. I have to cut them apart and sew them back together. I intend to make a lap-sized quilt.
I’ve been working on that quilt slowly but surely. I’ve gotten all of the triangle-squares cut and pressed… and now I’m assembling blocks. I have learned to embrace the rotary cutter. I have also learned that what I thought was a quarter inch away from the needle on my sewing machine is not. So, I’m going to have to do something about that.
Currently, I’m constructing blocks that are consistent, somehow. In the pictures below, for example, all of the fabrics are consistent in the elements. I don’t have the correct amount of pieces to do this throughout the entire quilt, though. After that it’s going to start getting a lot… scrappier.
I’ve had a UFO quilt for years now… So lately, I’ve been working on cutting fabric and taking inventory. I have put together a few blocks and I have learned that I can’t cut a straight line, much less a right angle nor can I sew a straight line. It’ll be a poorly executed quilt. It’s kind of frustrating. I don’t know how to make the triangles line up properly. I can’t figure out how to put the fabric guide on the sewing machine (I think the screw receptacle thing has been stripped), I can’t cut the squares and triangles straight, which makes it even harder to sew straight lines. Ugh. At least I can use the iron.
Very shortly after my last post, my former boss contacted me and asked if I wanted to work again in the summer. I said yes. So now, I teach, I take a class, and I’m working part time 40 miles away.
So let’s see, here’s the status of the Easter Fairy… what the status has been for two months
I began working on The Easter Fairy by Mirabilia/Nora Corbett. I’ve found that I’m a very seasonally motivated stitcher, and since spring is trying to occur in the Pacific Northwest, I feel like a springy piece! So far, I’ve completed the pale yellow colors in her dress. After looking at pictures of completed Easter Fairies by other stitchers, I’ve realized that the outcome of this fairy, in particular, will be highly dependent on the degree of color in the skeins that came in the kit. I’m hoping for the best.
In January, I began working on a M.S. degree…. while working 20 hours a week. It was exhausting. Many of my personal pursuits dropped out of the schedule–excercise, cooking, stitching, sewing, reading, organizing.
After that term ended, I decided to quit my job and focus on school. I took a position as a TA (I teach a writing course) and signed up for 10 credit hours of classes. I’m glad I did. My course load feels much heavier this quarter, perhaps because I have the energy to devote the time I need to the material. I still spend significant time grading and preparing for classes. Despite the heavier course load, my time as a whole is much more manageable and connected. Life is a little less stressful.
This summer, I have the option of teaching again. This means going to campus 2 days a week, getting a week off between Spring and Summer terms, and getting a month off between Summer and Fall terms. It will sure be rough! What ever shall I do with all that spare time (exercise so that I can be a buff bride, that’s what).
I am hoping the less hectic feel will keep me more on track with my stitching. After I finish Easter Fairy I am hoping to start dabbling on Châtelaine’s Mystery X.
Obviously I haven’t been as motivated to cross stitch in this new year. That said, I have still stitched a few more boxes for the castle sampler. But since they’re only boxes, I don’t feel too inclined to break out the camera and snap a shot. Maybe when I start using a different color of thread?
A couple of weeks ago the fiance and I stamped some Save the Date cards. So I’ll post that instead, because that is oh so slightly more interesting.
What happened to The Christmas Fairy you ask? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not an added stitch. I, for some reason, have the motivation to work on TW’s Castle Sampler. Since this happens once a year, I am taking advantage of that motivation.
Where we last left off:
Currently:
We shall see how long the motivation lasts. Probably until I have to go buy more floss.
I have an entry waiting for some edits. But I will not be able to accurately edit until getting home… and then I can finish the article, too! I made some shelves and wrote allll about it.
I need to start working on a ring bearer pillow. The one from Victoria Sampler… Heirloom Wedding Treasures. Of course you’re not asking why… but the reason is because I getting married! In October. woo~
So anyway, I’m back in Ohio right now. I took no needlework with me. I probably should have, but I didn’t. Right now I’m watching It’s a Wonderful Life. Mr. Potter is a terrible terrible man. And the police man in that movie is a little loose with the gun.
