Monday, February 24, 2014

Menu Plan Monday - Welcome to March


It's Menu Plan Monday and I could not be more thrilled that March is almost here. Even though The Pit Boss likes to remind me about the year we were snowed in for a week in mid-March, I know the odds are in favor of more days like today - sunny and 70.

My FitBit had another roller coaster week. A few days I didn't even break 5,000 steps, but on Friday I was all over the building at work and took the stairs everywhere. I took a tip from Frances and danced the rest of the way to 5 miles while watching Downton Abbey.

My user name on My Fitness Pal is QJ2013 if you want to be friends.


MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter
What's on your menu?



Thursday, February 20, 2014

#TBT - Throwback Thursday - Hail to the Chief

Quiltin Jenny

It's Throwback Thursday here at Quiltin' Jenny, and I hope you'll link up and share your own creative adventures from your pre-blogging days.


Today's project is another one of the quilts I made for my kids' school to auction off.  This one was made in 2005, right after Inauguration Day, with the second graders.  I was inspired by this gorgeous toile fabric that I used for the border.  I wish the photos were better...and I wish the bottom didn't look so wavy.

By this point, I had my act together enough to have given the teachers the worksheets far enough in advance that they could work it into the many other lesson plans about the presidential election.

I asked the kids to finish the sentence "If I were president..." and, as always, was amazed by the responses.  Things like:
  • "I would make sure Americans were safe.  I would make scientists work harder so they could warn us of storms." [Oh, those lazy scientists!]
  • "I would make laws so that five-year-olds can't watch PG-13 movies."
  • "I would tell the farmers to grow healthier food."
There were lots of responses about the war and the tsunami and the poor.  It's amazing to think these same kids are now juniors in high school, getting ready to apply to college and continue their journeys toward whatever it is they will do to make the world a better place.


Because the responses were so long, I typed them out and printed them onto my favorite white cotton fabric sheets.  This was the easiest to match up with plain white muslin. I made a simple Sawtooth Star block, alternating the red and blue prints. You can't really see it, but the red has tiny little cherries on it.  Get it?


I believe this is the quilt that sold for the most of any I donated at $2500. I love how it turned out, and how it provided a snapshot of that moment in history.

Do you have an old mature holiday craft to share with us this week? I've updated my InLinkz account so now we have thumbnails. We'll see if that makes any difference in participation.






Monday, February 17, 2014

Menu Plan Monday - Digging Out


It's Menu Plan Monday and I'm oh so ready to get back to normal. Last Tuesday, AGAIN, a winter storm was forecast to come in midday. Personally, I prefer my storms to sweep in overnight, surprising us in the early morning with a winter wonderland and unexpected day off. I do NOT like this meandering in during the work/school day leaving us wondering at what point it would be most prudent to head home.

After the utter disaster two weeks ago, though, no one was taking any chances. Thank God. School was cancelled Tuesday in anticipation and, of course, it only rained until late evening. My boss sent me home early to get the remote switchboard set up so that the other receptionist could also leave. The building was closed Wednesday and Thursday, although I was answering the phone from my kitchen so it wasn't exactly a break. By Friday I was really ready to go back, and the kids have actually admitted that they miss school.

My FitBit had a weird week with hardly any steps due to the crazy snowbound/working from home/chained to the desk mess - that is, until Thursday when I couldn't stand it for another minute and got on the elliptical for an hour while I watched the most recent Downton Abbey(I won't give away any spoilers, but I will say that, just as I was about to forgive Julian Fellowes for last season, I would like now to wring his neck. I understand about actors and contracts, but this season's plot point was just plain mean.)

My user name on My Fitness Pal is QJ2013 if you want to be friends.


MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter
What's on your menu?



Thursday, February 13, 2014

#TBT - Throwback Thursday - Cheater Cloth Valentine Pillows

Quiltin Jenny

It's Throwback Thursday here at Quiltin' Jenny, and I hope you'll link up and share your own creative adventures from your pre-blogging days.


Today's project is one of the first things I ever quilted. These sweet Valentine's Day pillows started as cheater cloth from JoAnn's. Mom showed me how to hand quilt along the lines and around each of the little hearts to make it look like a pieced quilt.


I still love these so much, and put them out every February on the little bench by my front door. They remind me both of how far I've come as a quilter, and also that a project doesn't have to be super complicated or frustrating to be useful and beautiful.

Do you have an old mature holiday craft to share with us this week? I've updated my InLinkz account so now we have thumbnails. We'll see if that makes any difference in participation.






Wednesday, February 12, 2014

WiP Wednesday - Mostly Just Musing

WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

I'm linking up with WiP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.

Today I actually have some work in progress, but mostly some things I'm thinking about as I sit here in the early morning hours listening to the tickety tack of the ice hitting the house and streets. If the forecasters are right, it's going to be a terrible mess, and we are being warned about what to do if the power goes out. They're tossing around words like "catastrophic", "historic" and even "biblical."

Luckily I made it safely home yesterday without needing the hiking boots or extra blanket I packed in my car after last time (I still haven't told you that story, have I?). The IT department has us all set up to work remotely. I don't get the day off, but I do get to work in my pajamas in front of the fire with a dog or two laying on my feet. Not bad as long as the heat stays on.

I'm sewing a little and letting my mind process some projects that are on the table.


First, I finally got Lene's block for the WannaBees Round Robin project. I can show you since it is still in its original state - future rounds will have to stay a secret until we all get our original centers back.

Lene put a stack of gorgeous batiks in her bag to go with the block, and I'm pondering the best way to move forward. Should I have a thin framing border before moving on? Should I continue the applique or the triangles? I'll admit I'm slightly anxious to do the "right" thing and I'm open to suggestions.

I've also been puttering away on my Spider Web wedges. I've got thirty (of eighty!) blades made. This is one I genuinely hope to finish in time for the guild show in September, so I need to get moving. I'll spare you another picture that looks just like all the others.
 
Last, the guild challenge for the year is on my mind. It's a monogram challenge - you take inspiration from your initials. One initial is for a color, one is for a technique or tool, and one is for a block.  They don't have to be in any particular order, and I've got two for sure. I'm kind of stuck on the technique or tool part, and I need a G. The only suggestion on the brainstorm list was "Geometric" which feels like cheating to me. Any ideas?


While all of this was percolating in my brain, I decided to do something that required more straightforward sewing and less mental hurdle. I cut the pieces for several pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer, and got this one finished. I love the colors and the dancing dragonflies.

What's in progress at your place?



Monday, February 10, 2014

Menu Plan Monday - Snow Again?


It's Menu Plan Monday and the forecast is a little scary. Also, what the heck is that thing on Wednesday? Ping pong balls?



I'm trying to breathe through the rising anxiety and get my week moving in the right direction. Groceries, laundry, cleaning. And throw my hiking boots in the back seat of my car.
My FitBit has had a little bit of a break this week. I'm not sure why I'm so tired, but I didn't get up and on the elliptical one time. I'm hoping to fix that. Again.

My user name on My Fitness Pal is QJ2013 if you want to be friends.


MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter
What's on your menu?



Sunday, February 9, 2014

Going to Guild - Deborah Moebes of Whipstitch

Going to guild this month was the polar opposite of my third-circle-of-hell experience in January.

Deborah Moebes of Whipstitch came to talk about Modern Quilting. The first thing she said was that she hoped we enjoyed the presentation, because her husband doesn't think she's funny. (Spoiler alert: he's wrong.)

It's hard to take a non-blurry picture of someone who is this animated!

Deborah shared a slide show about what is generally meant by "modern" quilting, and how the online community both influences and defines it.

The use of text prints is a popular landmark for modern quilting.

This was a great program because it included my three requirements - informative, funny, and lots of quilts.  Note that the January meeting had none of these things.  I'm just sayin'.

Classic Modern Quilting - Improvisational Piecing

Of course, my fellow guild members knew instantly that I would have a huge quilt crush on Deborah; indeed, I was following her on both Facebook and Twitter while she was still talking. 

Virtual Quilt Bees - Deborah's Scrappy Trip Along

Now my wish is to go to a class, retreat, or conference with Deborah. QuiltCon anyone? A girl can dream, right?



Friday, February 7, 2014

FMQ and Finish It Up Friday - A Little Quilt to Swap


Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?  I'm so excited to have finished my little quilt for ALQS8.  I decided not to use the block that was made, but instead try my hand at a whole cloth quilt inspired by this beauty over at Sampaguita Quilts call Crystallised. I have loved this quilt since the moment I laid eyes on it, and can't tell you how many times I've gone back to this post to look at the close up pictures of Emma's incredible free motion stitching.


Mine doesn't hold a candle to that one, but I'm happy with this first attempt.  It was so much fun to doodle with my beautiful Aurifil threads on white linen.  It is far from perfect, but I do love it.  Sorry my pictures are not better, but we've been having so many gray days lately and the sun only seems to come out when I'm at work.


Free Motion Quilting Friday

Today is Free Motion Quilting Friday over at Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting Project.  Thanks so much to Leah for the inspiration and "permission" she has given us over the years to get creative with our stitches.  I think it is largely due to her blog that I get so much joy from this type of stitching.



I'm also linking up with Finish it Up Friday over at Crazy Mom Quilts and TGIFF! Here is the back, which I like almost as well as the front.



What's happening in your studio today?
 


Monday, February 3, 2014

Menu Plan Monday - Hooray for Menu Planning!


It's Menu Plan Monday and boy was I grateful for this habit last week. I never had that moment of panic that I needed to buy milk and bread, because I had been to the store and stocked up for the week. I wasn't stuck in my house eating peanut butter and jelly, nor did I feel the need to brave the still-slick streets on Wednesday or Thursday, because I had a plan and all the supplies for a healthy dinner every night.  That's not to say I cooked everything on the night it was planned, but we had what we needed. Thank you so much to Laura for hosting this every week, and to everyone else who posts interesting ideas and/or comments. 

My FitBit got a workout on Tuesday and then promptly went into sleep mode for a couple of days while I decompressed from my adventure. The good news is that the scale is moving, if ever so slowly; at least it's going in the right direction.

My user name on My Fitness Pal is QJ2013 if you want to be friends.


MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter
What's on your menu?



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