Sunday, October 28, 2007

Busy Weekend!

Wow! What a busy weekend! I've been working on my children's Halloween costumes -- a Renaissance princess and a banana. The Renaissance princess is from a published pattern, so other than requiring major alterations for fit, that was pretty easy. Still needs hems and trim attached. The banana is another story. I'm using yellow felt and of course, there is no pattern. It's testing my creativity a bit. I'm hoping it will be wearable by Tuesday night...

My daughter came home from DC in one piece, and all of her things seem to have survived the trip as well. It rained alot, but they seem to have had a good trip.

I finally managed to list some Blythe dresses in my Etsy shop. I made and listed six, four have sold already! I'm delighted by this. They were very fun to make so I will be making more this week (after the costumes). I also have plans for some new handbags and tote bags, and other assorted items. I've got a couple of custom orders in the works, one through Etsy and the others are local. So it looks like I'm going to be a busy girl! I can't believe how close Christmas is! I really need to improve my time management skills. The days just fly by!

Back to the big yellow thing that will be a banana...(the power of positive thinking)

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

She's Off!

My daughter is on a bus headed for Washington, DC. She'll return late Friday. Hopefully it will be an incident-free trip that will be a memorable 8th grade experience for her. I'll just be glad when it is over.

I heard from Anne B., my swap partner in the Four Seasons Quilt Swap. My little quilt finally arrived at her home in England. Yay! It was in the postal system so long I feared it might never find its way out. But it arrived safely and she likes it! So, that's a happy ending for that project!

Now, which projects to work on to keep me busy and not thinking about Washington, DC for the rest of the week...

Sunday, October 21, 2007

No Houston For Me--This Year...

I am very sad not to be going, because I have enjoyed my little quilting vacation for the last 2 years. I will miss Houston this year. It is such a unique experience. So many quilters gathered together from all over the world! The wonderful classes and fabulous quilts, not to mention more shopping than you can manage in a day, all under one very large roof. I've been to the International Quilt Festival three times in total, and every time I've gone alone and met such nice quilters to share a meal or chat with about projects. I've had fun and learned so much in the classes. I will miss my very special "me" time, when I got to indulge in my love for quilting away from my ordinary life. I'll need to build something into my schedule, because I don't think I can go a whole year without a good quilt show fix. So if anyone knows of any good shows coming up, let me know. And if you're lucky enough to be going to Houston this year--ENJOY!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Busy days

Well, I've not posted lately. I've not completed anything photo- or blog-worthy. I've been working on prototypes for things I hope to have in my Etsy shop soon. I've got a custom order I'm still awaiting all the fabrics to get started. I've been trying to catch up on some housework and yardwork, too. The weather has moderated a bit, but it is still warmer and drier than it ought to be. It rained today, so maybe the weeds will come out of the ground a little easier tomorrow. So much to do, so little time.

My oldest heads off to Washington, DC for the 8th grade trip next week. That is a source of anxiety for me. Such a large group of kids, such a busy city. We've taken the children to DC a couple of times and visited many of the monuments and museums, so at least there will be a little familiarity with the environment. The school tells me they've never lost anyone, yet. I guess this is supposed to make me feel better.

My little quilt has apparently not reached its destination yet. I do hope it eventually gets there. I would be very sad if it went to some package limbo, never to be seen again.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Look what I found on the front porch!


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Originally uploaded by On a Whim Creations
We arrived home from a long, hot day on the soccer field yesterday to find a small box on the front porch. I couldn't wait to get it opened because I knew something special was inside. I was right! It was my darling doll quilt made by Jane C. And I love it! The colors are perfect and the hand quilting is lovely. I can't wait to find the perfect spot for it in my home. Now I have to pull out the rest of my fall decorations and get ready for the season!
Here are a couple of pics of some of the detail. Isn't it just perfect?



It was a busy weekend, with two soccer games in the heat and some furniture shopping thrown in. The weatherman predicts a change in the weather coming Tuesday and I can't wait! It is not supposed to be 90 degrees in October and it just doesn't feel like fall. So maybe autumn will arrive to stay in a couple of days. The furniture shopping was not much of a success; I find committing to a couch for our family room beyond difficult! I'm starting to feel like Goldilocks (too big, too soft...)nothing just right, at least not yet!

Hopefully this week will bring some cooler weather and some good sewing progress. I'll be back with updates!

Thursday, October 4, 2007

What Happened to Autumn?

Well, it's October 4 and 85 degrees in Ohio. It really isn't supposed to be this warm. This is supposed to be sweater weather. But no, we're still in shorts and flip-flops. I'm really not complaining because I don't like the cold and today was an absolutely lovely day. I'm just afraid we won't get fall this year. We'll wake up one day and it will be snowing and time to bundle up. And cuddle up with a nice quilt and a good book! Now there's a way to spend a Saturday.

This weekend will bring another soccer game. The game is at a field near a lake, which is known for fall color. It's still a little early for much color, but I might get a few pictures to share. It has been so dry that most of the leaves will probably just go brown. There is also an Oktoberfest this weekend that always attracts some good artists/craftsmen with their wares. It's good for early Holiday shopping.

I didn't accomplish any sewing today and won't tomorrow, either. Yesterday, I did work a little on a couple of prototypes for my Etsy shop. I find that very time-consuming. I have to work out all the little bugs and quirks so I can be happy with the finished product. Tomorrow I get to have a day out with friends which will be quite fun! We've got a little shopping trip planned.

That's all for now!

Monday, October 1, 2007

Focus!

I've realized that I've been neglecting my little Etsy shop. This isn't a new realization. Rather, it's been there; I've just been ignoring it. So, I am going to try to focus on Etsy this week and make a few new items for my shop. Heaven knows, I've plenty of ideas, fabric and supplies to get started. Some of the fabric needs prewashing, so I've sorted and trimmed some to get ready for a trip through the washing machine. I use my pinking blade rotary cutter to minimize fraying; it really helps. It is not fun to pull a tangled mass of fabric from the dryer. Now if the fabric stores would start cutting with a pinking blade...
So for the rest of today, I'll be spending some quality time at the cutting mat and ironing board (Oh Joy!) so I can get an early start on a couple of projects tomorrow.

I also spent a little time on Flickr looking at some of the finished Fall Four Seasons Swap Quilts. There are some amazing ones! Go check them out here. More should be posted every day since the deadline is past. Can't wait to see what the mailman brings me!