a little better

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Organization, you are a cruel temptress.


it still looks messy to me

It still looks messy to me, but I think this is much better than where I was at this weekend. There’s still too much stuff stuck in one small room, but I have to admit, as much as I think I’d like a light, airy space, I love having everything at my fingertips, shouting colors and patterns at me while I work. It keeps me on my toes.


a little better

If you came over to visit, I wouldn’t open the closet for you. Just saying. But everything else isn’t too bad–the fabric is put away, notions are in their spots and the floor is even pretty clean. I was even able to keep my Nana’s rock table set up (and mostly clutter free) and I’m very happy about that.

Now…can I keep it this way for longer than a week?

reworking the mess

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I’m trying to take a sewing break for the weekend so that I can get a few things accomplished in my sewing room. For the past few months I’ve been so busy working to get things ready for shows and Christmas that I’ve neglected keeping up my sewing room. It’s time now to get things back in order.


1.8.11

Oh my. I’m so frustrated with the set up in here right now. I moved my cutting table to where is presently is this fall so that I could open it up the full length, but I’ve never been happy with where I have it.


the east facing wall

Last year I inherited the small table in the bottom left of the above picture from my Nana. It’s made from a collection of pretty rocks and was made by another member of my dad’s family. It’s one of those things that I admired in my Nana’s house as a child, and was promised that I could have later on in life.

As much as I love having it, there’s just no place for it in my house. I felt I needed to put it out somewhere, but other than my sewing room, it just doesn’t fit. When I put it here in the room, I had to reorganize the way I had things set up, and I just haven’t been happy with it ever since.


the north facing wall

My goal for the rest of the weekend (and before I start on anything else, including binding the machine quilted quilt) is to finish and fix this mess of a problem. I love having a sewing room, but this isn’t helping me be creative at all. It’s just a headache.

let’s pretend

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.

Let’s just pretend for a minute….

That it’s only been a week (instead of a month) since I last posted.

That I’ve done tons of sewing over that last month.

That I’ve at least been keeping up with new blog posts on my Google reader so that I at least know what’s going on in the quilting and craft blogging world.

Sigh. Thanks for indulging me. I promise I’ll try a little harder again.

(so much) goodness!

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oh, forsythia!

Wow! It’s been a big blog day for me today! First of all, I want to say “hello!” to everyone who has stopped by today via the post about my Love Beads quilt on Sew, Mama, Sew! I was so excited to have my quilt chosen as one of their Quilts of the Day for their Quilting Month II! It’s very cool for me to think that people outside of my little world think that something that I made was good. I try so hard to remind myself that the most important thing is for me to be happy with my work, but when I hear it from others, it’s almost overwhelming. I really thank you all for each kind word you have to say! Know that you all have made my day!


next project!

And as for that hand quilting tutorial, I am so jazzed that people are into it! I think my plan will be to get my next quilt (another of my Finish It or Pitch It projects–this one’s been in progress since, oh, 2005!) ready to sandwich in the next day or so. I’d like to have a clean slate to use, just so it’s easy to show and for you to see. I should stress though that I’m no professional. All that I know about hand quilting has been through a few books and lots of trial and error. But, I think it’s one of those things that once you understand the basics, it’s okay to make up your own rules as you grow more comfortable.

Keep an eye out early next week for it!

things that = good

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Let me be honest: I’m currently sick and grumpy. I’ve had a bad cold since last Wednesday and then I lost my voice on Friday. It’s now almost a week later and my voice is still nowhere to be found. It really sucks.

However, here is a list of things that are currently making me happy:

*Watching Curling on the Olympics. I watched an hour of it yesterday in between my napping and I found it completely intriguing. I have no idea what the heck was going on, but boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. I need to learn more about it so I can become a hard-core curling fan.

*Having a freshly organized shelf of cds. I will be the person who buys cds up until they stop selling them in stores. I just can’t get behind the idea of spending money on a downloaded song. I need the cd in my hand so that I can leaf through the liner notes. I’m fuddy like that.


a clean house

*Knitting socks! I ended up going with the green yarn for my socks, and despite several false starts, I’m off and running on the Interlocking Leaves pattern. So far, I’m very happy with them.


sharing the couch

*Ice cream. ‘Nuff said.


yummers

*And a nap to top it all off!


2.52 cat nap

picking back up

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This little blog is a funny thing for me.

I love keeping it. I hate feeling like I have nothing to say. And I would be crushed to end it.

But I worry about what I should say. Does anyone really care about what I make? Should I write only about quilting or knitting or both? What if my pictures are lousy? Will anyone leave comments anymore?

Ultimately, I’ve decided that I cannot worry about those things. I cannot worry about whether or not people like what I make, like what I write about, or like the pictures I take. If I want Hip To Piece Squares to live, then I need to keep this blog for me.


picking back up

So this is where I’m beginning at again. I’m working to encourage myself to finish projects that I’ve started ages ago…not because I NEED to finish them, but because I still love them. They need my attention, and not my anxiety of worrying that they won’t be perfect. That’s the way that I need to think about this space. I don’t need to keep writing because it’s something that I need to do, but because it’s something that I love.

why I love summer

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Oh.My.Goodness. I love having the summer off!

Let’s just discuss a few of the reasons why I love summer and my days off.



Tongue Everywhere


I dare you to deny that this is the best and weirdest tongue you’ve ever seen before. Who wouldn’t want to spend time getting soaked by something so full of chocolate-y love? I love being at home with Hudson.



New Project

Knitting socks on a weekday in the middle of the afternoon–another wonderful perk to having the summer off. Do I need to do laundry instead? Probably, yes, but we can wear old undies for just one more day this week. I’ve got plenty with holes that I’ve been hanging on to for just that reason.



Good Lord Good

Need I say more? Totally acceptable to have this in the middle of a hot day, while lounging on the patio, knitting socks that I won’t wear until October.



Flower Planter

I’m sure I could enjoy all my flowers even if I had to work in the summer, but not in the middle of the afternoon, in the middle of the week. (I’m just pushing it now, aren’t I?)



Ahhh!

Thank you for joining me as I list the reasons why I love summer, and why I love working for the public school system. Happy first day of summer to everyone!

in a funk

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outside

I’m in a really frustrated mood this week. I’ve been thinking that on the whole, the week itself has been good (a free iced coffee from the new coffee shop in town for lunch yesterday, a phone call from my very best friend, Kate, and my summer break only a few weeks away) but I think I’m feeling out of touch with my creating. Instead of feeling inspired, I’m feeling run down and out of new ideas.

I need to build up my confidence in new projects, and be happy with those that I want to finish. I feel as though I base my success solely on the opinions of others, and I just think I need to move past that.

This, apparently is what a gloomy, chilly, rainy day in May does for my confidence.

New Cuteness

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Psss…..I have something to show you…



Meet Hudson

Meet Hudson, our new puppy dog! Go on…call me a sap. I’m okay with it.



Meet Hudson

We got Hudson this past Monday, and he’s adjusting to life in the house very well. (We’re adjusting pretty well, as well!) It felt like a big jump to get a new dog already, but as soon as we got him into the car to take him back home, I knew we were doing the right thing. I can’t say that Hudson has taken my sadness for losing Kasey away, but having a new friend to come home to every day makes me so happy.

I am so happy to have Hudson!