Category Archives: Life

Back in the saddle

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Terri | 1 comment

If anyone is still reading, I apologize for not posting anything of substance lately. I have been a bit busy.

I traveled to Nashville to enjoy the company of some wonderful needlework friends, many of whom I’ve only known from “online” for 12+ years. Finally getting to hug them in real life was such a wonderful thing and from all of the conversations we had you would never have known that we had never met face-to-face before then. I had a blast and was worn out when I got home from all the talking, shopping, eating, humidity, and lack of sleep from some very late-night conversations with my roommate. It’s an annual event, next year will be hosted in Arizona, and I’m already counting down the days.

I had been in a stitching slump prior to my trip, and being with those women took care of it. I have been making great progress on And They Sinned. I managed to put in about 12 hours in 3 days, which is more than I stitched in 3 months prior to that. Last night was open stitch night at my LNS and there was a wonderful group there. I started a new reproduction sampler, Elizabeth Sheffield, and will be stitching it in 6 parts with 3-4 other ladies. Stitching slump over! Hoorah!

I also managed to stitch all of my squares from JMLW Caramel Corn that I had glue-basted prior to my trip. I am putting off piecing them together for a bit since it’s not due until October, and I have a couple of other things I need to get finished before then. One of them being my signature blocks for the Small Quilts yahoo group I belong to.

I’ve also been spending a little more time on home “renovations.” Plus I’ve gotten to go to work a couple of times and play with the fabric at the store.

And last but not least, since I’ve been spending so much time in my stitching room, I have been thinking about how to wrangle my crafting life back into a somewhat less-scarey monster — but that’s for a separate post 😉

Mister has been working furiously rebuilding the underside of his Jeep Wrangler. It looks so good! I doubt there’s very little there that hasn’t been pulled apart and either replaced, or refurbbed by him. I can attest that, due to the amount of laundry I’ve been doing, it is a very messy job. Living oceanside for 10 years, plus having his surfboards dripping salt water, did a bit of a number on it. He’s moving on to the interior today. My living room has become the storage spot for huge boxes, one of which is a new back seat that he’s starting to install today. He has yet to start working on switching his office with the guestroom, and the cabinet boxes are in the living room too. He is headed back surfing next week, and classes start back the day after he gets back, so those boxes will stay there for a bit. I’m finding that they aren’t upsetting me, like they would have in the past. I just vacuum around them. LOL

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Posted in Elizabeth Sheffield, Friends, Life, Quilting, Samplers - Repro, Stitching

Sunday Stash Report

Posted on July 28, 2013 by Terri | 3 comments

I have received a few emails and at least one comment on the amount I’m adding versus the amount I’m using. Y’all are so funny. I do feel like all I ever do is buy, buy, buy, but I’m fairly certain my fabric stash is nowhere near the size of the majority of the people who are participating in the stash busting….thank goodness! LOL This is my whole fabric stash:

The bottom shelf is home to Black Betty, and my small amount of batting and a pillow form. The shelf above that holds the few kits I own, plus the fabric I’ve “kitted” myself. Above that are my pre-cuts and on the left fabric I purchased while living in Japan and during my visit to Australia. That’s all! Oh wait, nope, I have the very large stack of homespun on my cutting table for son’s quilt. So, see I didn’t start with much, but I still wanted to bust what I already had.

Now, down to business!

Just as I thought, I bought fabric on my trip to Nashville. I also kept to my shopping list and bought for the small quilt I’m making:

and blenders for my stash:

Back home I bought a little bit of fabric for a gift which will be going out next week so I’m not counting it in the totals:

and the focus fabric for this month’s Jo Morton Little Women club quilt (Four Square).

Normally I buy much more than those two cuts, so I’m thrilled I was able to restrain myself. I know I have plenty of cheddar and neutral fabrics and am looking forward to pulling bits and pieces out of my scraps for the colored 4-patches.

I pulled a tiny bit more fabric for a local group that quilts for women’s shelters. I also cut fabric for a small exchange.

Fabric added this week: 9 1/8
Fabric out this week: 1 3/4
Fabric added this year (April – present): 90 7/8
Fabric out this year (April – present): 21 5/8

3 Comments

Posted in JMLW2013, Studio, Sunday Stash Report

Sunday Stash Report

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Terri | 1 comment

We spent the latter part of the afternoon yesterday taping off and painting the downstairs powder room. I was a dripping mess by the time we finished. Two people, in a very small space, with a 6″ A/C vent, that’s on the west side of a home in Arizona where it has been 114 degrees at 5 p.m. Dripping! But it’s going to be exactly as I visioned it when the second coat goes on. Maybe Monday morning.

We also had our first “monsoon” rain and wind sweep through here yesterday evening. Wonderful light show when we went to bed, and the sound of the rain on the tile roof is lovely.

We’re headed to a Diamondbacks game this afternoon, which I’m really looking forward to, but it means I probably won’t get any sewing time today. I hope that ends up not being true because I did end up writing Deb Tucker about my problem and she wrote me back. I now know what size blocks to start with! Woohoo!

Fabric added this week: 1.375
Fabric used this week: .25
Fabric added this month: 1.375
Fabric used this month: .25
Fabric added this year (April – present): 80.75
Fabric used this year (April – present): 9.81

1 Comment

Posted in Decorating, Stash Busting

Some days contain good and bad

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Terri | 2 comments

I hate growing older. There are so many things that can go wrong to cut into precious “to-do” time. I’m not a hypochondriac by any stretch of the imagination but I do worry sometimes about illnesses suffered by long gone family members and how it can affect my own health. I also dislike strongly not being able to talk to family members about my own health concerns. My family has never been one to share things, plus I live very far away from them (my choice). Sigh. I also tend to let my imagination get away with me sometimes when the doctor orders certain tests. Anyway, I got my blood work results back today from a couple of weeks ago and I’m a-okay in everything. There are a couple of areas that I’m trying to make better but it was a rough couple of months and I may have splurged on some sugar a bit here and there 😉 so instead of blood sugar levels being better they were the same as they were the last time she tested. However, she also ordered some more blood work and ordered me a referral based on a conversation we had this morning following her “How have you been feeling” question. I hate getting older.

So that was the bad part of my day.

I’ve spent the majority of the rest of the day in my studio. I had hoped to finish up on the gift but I don’t have enough of the binding material to finish. I’ll pick up some more Tuesday when I go to work.

Speaking of work, I’m having fun with it! This past Tuesday I cut so much fabric for customers that I truly thought my arm was going to fall off at the end of the day. The next day it was sore! I’m still doing a little following around, but am feeling more comfortable helping customers on my own. Got my first paycheck too 😉

But I digress. After I ran out of material for my binding, I turned to cutting fabric and piecing a signature block for an exchange I’m signed up for. I’ve never done anything like this before and it’s rather intimidating to think that I need to make 59 of these 6 1/2″ blocks.

I have a couple of baskets of scraps I’m using so none of them will look the same. I have until September to get them all finished and I’m trying to make 5 a day.

2 Comments

Posted in Health, Life, Quilting, Signature Swap, Studio, Work

Yesterday’s labor

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Terri | Comments Off

I’ve added some Au Fil des Reves kits to my Sale page. I’ve included photos for them since they’re no longer in print and it’s hard to find photos online. There is currently one person interested in them, but until she gets back to me I’m not going to mark them as pending.

Here’s where I am in my newest quilting project. I won’t be able to show a finished photo until the end of July since it’s a gift.

It was great spending so much time in front of the machine yesterday and my shoulders were actually stiff last night which proved to me that it’s been far too long. Must not let that happen again. I have many projects cut, I just need to sit my backside down and get to sewing!

I’m off to my Jo Morton Little Women Club meeting today. I’m woefully behind in these, but they’re on my long list of WIPs that I’ll be working my way through soon. One more box to unpack and put away.

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Posted in JMLW2013, Quilting, Studio

Playing with fabric

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Terri | 2 comments

Mister got the light and power plug put up on my new cutting table arrangement yesterday. It’s so much more user-friendly than what I was using. I can actually see the lines on my ruler now without having to put my nose 6″ from the ruler! I still need to hide the cords and put up my ruler holder but that’s a project for next week (maybe).

Today I’m playing with the fabric you see up above. I’ve cut the layer cake into 2″ x 6″ strips and what I’m not using is going to a Annette who’s going to make a coordinating project with it.

Hoping to get my little project finished by Thursday so I can take it into the shop and hunt for the perfect binding. Something in red!

This mean I get to subtract 3.5 yards from my stash!

2 Comments

Posted in Stash Busting, Studio

Halfway there

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Terri | Comments Off

First off, Happy Fathers’ Day to all of the dads! I sent my dad a card this year and received a sweet text from him yesterday saying he’s received my “beautiful card.” I always have such a hard time picking out cards for people. I’m waiting until a little later this afternoon to call him since he usually spends days like this with my brother and sisters (and their families) in Louisiana (where everyone but me lives). I had planned on taking Mister out for a late lunch today but he has decided he’d rather have homemade grilled burgers and slaw. So I’m off to the store to get the ingredients.

But before I head out I wanted to post a quick progress report, for my own need to see that I’m making progress more than anything else. I’m tired of fabric! My hands are so dry (and kind of dirty) feeling after hand ironing for two days. This morning I unfolded and refolded 3 of these drawers.

What you see in there are the plaids I still need to cut into for Son’s quilt and they’re going to stay right there until I cut them and put the rest into the cabinet.

So from last night to this morning:

The box on the bottom shelf (in the right photo) is really 2 boxes deep. I need to pull the one in the back out and refold all the fat quarters that are in there. But not right now.

So while there was no fabric brought in and no fabric used, at least I now am figuring out just exactly what fabric I have!

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Posted in Decorating, Studio

Still working away on my studio

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Terri | Comments Off

and feel like I keep running up against “won’t work.” 🙁 I spent almost all day refolding fabric. Once I got the cabinet cleared out enough for Mister to install the doors, they won’t all fit! So, this is what I’m looking at for now. (Naturally he purchased them long enough ago that we can’t return them.)

Now I need to load it back up and decide how I’m going to arrange everything since I know I have more fabric than what will fit on those 3 shelves. I hate it when a plan falls apart. I’m trying to decide if I’m just going to hide part of my stash, or remove the doors altogether.

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Posted in Life, Studio

Another contest

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Terri | 2 comments

Last week, when I was supposed to be doing something productive instead of cruising the internet, I submitted this photo as an entry in a fabric contest.

Yesterday, I received an email from Andover Fabrics that I won!

Voila!

P.S. The glass powder room fixtures have arrived, so I have to get busy supervising Mister 😉

2 Comments

Posted in Decorating, Quilting, Renovations

I’ve been busy!

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Terri | 4 comments

Haha. I disappeared again, didn’t I. I have a good excuse, or rather several of them. They all fall under “I’ve been busy.”

I’ve been busy taking Petite Mexican Sampler to the framer.

I’ve been busy taking care of the yard and veggie garden while Mister went to California to surf and visit with Son for 12 days.

I’ve been busy stitching on And They Sinned.

I’ve been busy going to my Jo Morton Little Women Club meeting and buying more fabric for the next quilt.

Jo Morton yellow, blacks, and oranges

I’ve been busy buying more fabric. Period 😀

Jo Morton various 1/2 yard cuts

New quilt project

I’ve been busy snuggling puppies.

Harley and Jasper being Harley and Jasper

I’ve been busy ripping things off the wall of my downstairs powder room and installing a new mirror and small cabinet, and ordering new glass rod towel bar and tissue holder. (I’ll be busy putting the new holders up, then pulling everything down, patching old holes, then painting and putting everything back up as soon as those holders come in 😉 )

I’ve been busy reading the latest Black Dagger Brotherhood book.

I’ve been busy out by the pool since our temps are consistently 105+ everyday.