I’m glad we’re not driving up north tomorrow. It’s nasty out here. I’m trying to debate if I should even make a 20 minute drive to my Weight Watchers meeting tonight (yes, that’s right, I’m a fatty-fatty-boom-ba-lattie) or stay on the couch and curl up under a blanket and watch tv and sew. Two very tempting options, I know!
The other night I finally updated my quilting links with some new blogs that I’ve been reading lately. Brit, (who often posts comments here–yay! A regular reader! You’re awsome!) has a really good quilt blog called Terrapin Textiles and posts far more frequently than I have recently. Plus she’s far better at organizing her quilting supplies than I am. Either way, it’s always nice to find a good quilt blog, since there really are so few of them.
I so heard thunder! It’s “thundersnowing” right now. I’m going to kick myself if I don’t go to my meeting.
If you’re traveling, stay safe. Have a happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Gobble Gobble! 🙂
My mom called this afternoon after work to tell me that my Granny’s in the hospital, and isn’t going to be feeling up to having the fam up for Thanksgiving. Both sides of the situation are disappointing: having her be in the hospital, and not being able to give her the quilt. Hopefully she’ll be feeling up to having company again in the near future, and I’ll be able to deliver the quilt then. Bummer.
But let’s not be sad, people! I’ve got more project news to report!
I’m halfway done with a Christmas gift that I’m making for the teacher that I work with. I had all the kids in the class sign a canvas bag (one was sick, and I still have to have her sign it, but she’s a bit of a loudmouth tattle-tale, and I’m waiting until the last possible moment for her to sign it so that she doesn’t give the surprise away) and I’m embroidering over their signatures. (There’s nothing cuter than a bunch of first-grade signatures written in bright colored floss.) The first side is finished, and I hope the backside goes as fast as the front did.
With only days to spare, I have finally finished the quilt. Today it took a trip through the washer and dryer to get its new quilt smell, and remove the majority of dog hair trapped in the stiches. It came out looking perfect–it’s got that crisp look, but at the same time, looks like it could have been made 50 years ago because of the wrinkles. I love the wrinkles. That’s the best part of taking it out of the dryer for the first time. Ahhh!
I really am pleased with how the quilting turned out on this bad boy. For all of the frustration I had with picking out the design, it was so worth waiting for to start. The pictures don’t show how nice it looks–I wish I could show it to everyone in person.
But overall, I really am excited to give this one away. I think part of the reason why I don’t have as much stress and tension about giving this one as a gift, is that it’s actually going to another quilter. My Granny does beautiful work, also all by hand, and I know she’ll appreciate all the work that went into it. Although this quilt (which, I should add is called “Celebration”) is smaller than the Wedding Spectacularrr quilt, it doesn’t mean that I worked on it any less than I did the big one. I just know that it’s going to someone who really will see the value in all my work. That makes a big difference to me.
Yay! Another quilt finished!
Okay, so it’s “virtually” finished (when I worked in the news business I was never allowed to write with that word, since it’s a crappy word and in this case means that the quilt is only slightly finished, but not really). I still have to take it to my mom to help me dot the “i” in the embrodery that I’m using to sign my name on the back. I’m French Knot uneducated. So after it goes into the wash after work tomorrow, I’ll have Ben help me take pictures to show it off.
I’ve been contemplating my next project though (like I have time to start a new project). I took some time the other night to draw it out here:
I made one block to see how it would turn out, and I think I really like it. If it turns out the way I hope it will, I think it’ll be a really good project.
But the best thing (or it could be worst in this case, since it’ll probably take me around three years to make) is that I already found the perfect backing fabric for it. We have a great Hallmark/giftshop/fabric store in town called Kean’s, and the other day I spotted this fabric. I don’t think the picture does it much justice. It’s much cooler looking in person. Either way, I think that means that I have to make the quilt soon, so that I can at least figure out how much of the backing fabric I’ll need to make it. I have to justify these things to myself.
Pictures will soon follow of the finished product!
Super nice husband Ben has come to Hip To Piece Square’s rescue, and helped me to put together a new layout for the blog. Like it?? It’s at least a bit more lively to look at than before!
October and Halloween has come and gone. I carved my pumpkins,
dressed up like the tooth fairy for a class full of first graders,
(that’s my tooth fairy wand. Thanks for the great costume idea Becka!) and now it’s November. November sucks. No really, it does. I hate the snow that will be coming soon, I hate the cold, and I hate the way it gets dark at approximately 3:30 in the afternoon now. But the one good thing about late fall is that it’s finally the right season to quilt. I’m so close to finishing up Granny’s quilt, that I’m hardly able to control myself. I need to finish it! I think that if I work everyday, I’ll be able to have it done by the end of the week.
And to prove just how far my nose has been buried in my quilting lately, I didn’t even happen to notice that Craftster has added a new section for people to post just about quilts. I didn’t have a lot of time to look at all the posts, but there were some good quilts posted. I may have to show off this quilt there when I’m finished with it. (I’m such a show off! Is that a bad thing??)