Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Wednesday WIP

I have been working on some sampler blocks:

Last friday was my birthday and I took the day off work and sewed all day long!


I made these sampler quilt blocks. They are so addicting. These particular blocks are the same exact block...only chose different fabrics! I love them.


The pattern comes from my Sampler Quilt called Golden Memories.
I actually made every single block in this quilt however I don't really like the colors and alot of the blocks came out different sizes.
In the picture they look perfect however they are not sewn together right here, they are just placed right next to each other....The blocks do not look this good in real life.


So here is what the instructions look like. You have to pay close attention. There are a lot of measurements involved.

The one on the left is my favorite block however I love the ones I made with gray sashing.
I haven't decided if I want to add pink to the mix. I want the quilt to be cheery and fresh. I don't want it to look like a little girl quilt and I'm thinking the pink gives it a little girlish feel. I do like the lavender and gray together though.
I think I'm going to finish the quilts with gray sashing which makes it more "grown up" looking.
Thanks for looking, I'm sharing this post with :
WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Finished!

Introducing my flying geese quilt:
I quilted this on my home machine using the straight line technique.

Instead of pinning for ever I used this quilt basting spray. It turned out well, I was very impressed, there was only one area where it puckered.
Right there in the middle but it doesn't bother me too much. Its on the back side.
Heres a little snapshot of the corners...they are my favorite.

When the corners match up perfectly you feel like you've done something right!
The colors are plain and not my favorite however I made this for my nephew. He is 8 so I didn't want it to be boyish or even girly but still kinda cool. I think I pulled it off?
 click here to see the previous post of this quilt

And here is the picture of the whole quilt.
It measures 50x70. Its already been washed and has a new home.
It was a gift for my nephew for his birthday.
Thanks for looking, Click on buttons for other projects.

www.betterofthread.com


     
Fresh Poppy Design









Sunday, January 20, 2013

What i'm working on now....

I finally pulled out my flying geese quilt out of the closet to finish! The original post was from August 2010!
This quilt has been waiting for 2 years!
I spray basted it and have been working all day on quilting it.

More photos to come....


Saturday, January 19, 2013

weekly weigh in

6 tips for weight lossIt has been a better week as far as fitness goes. ...not where I want it to be but better.
I made myself go to the dentist. I was not having any pain it was just my 6 month check up only I was nearly 2 years late! I hate the dentist, I get so nervous and scare but this time was different. Good news is that they found no new cavities, there was no new decay. I guess 2 years prior they planned on giving me a crown on my back tooth...they were just going to watch it closely. well when I had my check up this time they actually took the crown off the treatment plan. They said all my teeth look good! As I was sitting in the chair listening to this good news it dawned on me that it had to be my diet.  I use to eat laffy taffies or sugar daddy's, hot tamales, blow pops, diet coke, etc.   I can remember feeling sparks of pain....so then I would just chew on the other side of my mouth....can you believe that?
And for the past 9 months I don't include any cookies, candies, pops etc in my diet.
So there is another benefit of a good diet. Those junk foods are just JUNK! They are so bad for your body, your complexion, and your teeth!     I even read a few articles that say sugar will turn into acid and stick to your teeth and turn to plaque (maybe not in that order)   Anywho, it's enough to make me stay away from it.


Kristin Cavallari circa 2006
I don't like looking at swim suit models for inspiration, I think they are all photo shopped. but this one looks real because you can see the crease in her stomach. Maybe I can look like that this summer? Its something to strive for....for no other reason then taking on the challenge.

Ok,   so this morning when I got on the scale it read  146.4 lbs.    Last week is was 147 lbs. So hey, I went down  .6lbs!
SW:152
CW:146.4
GW: 136
This week is going to be hard because its that time of the month for me...You know, where you are in a bad mood and have the munchies!!! EERR I hate that!






Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Crafty Chaotic Life


I am so bad about Unfinished Projects! 
 I will start something and then move on to something else.
It's pretty chaotic, kinda like my blog. I know my blog is a mess, I wish I had a nice clean organized blog, its just that I work on a computer all day long for my day job so the last thing I want to do is be on the computer at night. Its hard to find time to create then find more time to write a post about it. But I think posting pictures is what people love to see?  (ie pinterest, flickr)  I realize I am a horrible narrator but its hard to keep up a blog, it is very time consuming, that is why I'm always so grateful when other bloggers take the time to post tutorials.  
Anywho, I appreciate all that visit my blog despite the mess!   

Here are a couple things I'm working on . 
 
I have been pretty persistent with trying to make the perfect baby bootie. In fact, one night I stayed up until 3 am! (blogged about here) I think this pink bootie turned out well but now I have to make another one just like it.  I have a  pattern that I am following however I keep getting the stitches wrong.

here is another one I attempted. I'm trying to find a good easy pattern. Once I have perfected the baby bootie I will then embelish it with straps and bows and all that cute stuff.

I also just wanted to make some more hot pads. I love the string quilting blocks. I'm actually putting together a separate post for these hot pads but I also need to finish them.

Then I started crocheting some slippers for my husband, he mentioned he wanted a pair...who knows when I will get the other side done.....man I am horrible.
Lets not forget my granny square project.... 
Once I came across this picture I had to make it....so I have started yet another project... a granny square bag...I just get bored with one project that I move on to the next...I'm sure you can all relate right?
I think I need to take a break from Pinterest  for a week and just get my own projects completed.


Tuesday, January 15, 2013

granny squares

What have I been up too? Crocheting of course....but what?  gRaNnY SqUaReS!
Because I am participating in the Stash-buster challenge I have really looked into some ideas on using up my stash. Granny Squares are the perfect way to do this.



Here are a couple that I made so far using a g size hook.

The pattern I am using is from this book. I refer to this book often when I just need to know the basics.

They have a pattern for a granny square. They call it the Old American Square. Of course you can find hundreds of patterns online for a granny square that is why I just chose the one out of the book I have. Too many choices just confuses me.  You can spend hours trying to decide which one to choose or you can spend hours crocheting.  (I will explain the construction on the square in my next post.)
Then I was looking Pinterest for some ideas for using the granny squares, look what I found....



I  LoVe  this bag. I love the colors, it is just so pretty!


Ok, now this granny square purse is made by Dolce & Gabbana. ...And, It is $2900!! What? That is crazy. I can make it for $500. (hehe)

Now what would your reaction be if you saw someone wearing this? I actually like it hehee.

So I think I'm going to go with the gray purse/bag. I know, I'm playing it safe.
So once I get done with my granny squares I"m going to crochet a gray border around each of them.
Just having so much fun with the Stash Buster Challenge. Click below to see other crochet projects.









Sunday, January 13, 2013

owl hats, my FaVoRiTe

So First you have this....

Then you get this!

 
I know, I know, nothing new, you have seen many of these and they are all the same. I just really enjoy making these. They are about the only project I actually finish.

Here is a close up.

The yarn I use is so soft and pretty

Lion Brands Baby First is the yarn. It is cotton yarn and it is the best when making these little owl hats.
I would use this yarn for all my projects if it came in different colors and wasn't so pricey.
To me pricey is $5.99  But when I use my michaels coupon it is only $3.  I can live with that.



And here they are before the faces. Pretty boring right?


And here we have it! So much character!  My friend asked me to make these for her niece who is having twins. I hope she enjoys them. (I think she will)

Click Below to see what other Bloggers are making!
  Sew Chatty





Saturday, January 12, 2013

weekly weigh in



So I got on the scale this morning and it read 147.  Not good but I know what I did wrong. ...it all went down yesterday.  I was so good during the week..I was even down to 145.8  Then friday came along and I made chicken tortilla soup. Well it was so good I had it for lunch and dinner. Then my daughter brang home cheetos. Wow, I have not had them in a while and they are pretty good. I also slacked on my water intake.
The good news is that I know what I need to do to lose the weight. We Will try again this next week.
Here are my stats:
SW: 152
CW:147
GW: 136
Wow, the goal weight of 136 seems so drastic to me however it is only 11 lbs away and I met my 10 lb challenge last fall so I should be able to make this goal as well.
My Deadline is March 16th   That would be a 1 lb loss weekly....Thats pretty realistic however I have not gotten off to a good start.  I'll leave you with this poster that helps me keep going.

Sewing Scrap Projects! A Quilted Bag.

Don't you just love all this fabric goodness?  In todays episode we will dive into scraps of fabric again! Do you have a fabric stash? I...