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!

And Into the Mail!

WSFallQuilt-01
Originally uploaded by On a Whim Creations

Well, it's off! I've sent my little quilt out into the world. Hopefully it will get there safely. I hope my partner likes it... I'm a little jealous. My quilt gets to go somewhere I've always wanted to visit. Maybe someday.

Voila!

Finished! I admit I was a bit panic-y yesterday. But, now it is done. It doesn't have a name yet, or a label. Usually a name comes to me while I work on a project, but so far this one is just "Autumn." I'll give it a quick wash and dry, get it labeled and into the mail. The back isn't as pretty as I'd like, but I'm happy with the result, and even happier I've got it done with some time to spare. (A rarity for me...)

I know I haven't posted much lately. I've been a bit bogged down. It seems I've more projects than time, and with the kids activities and dh's travel schedule, I feel like I've been going backwards. But finishing this little quilt is a step in the right direction. Tomorrow looks like another good sewing day, so I'll start working my way down my project list. I love to cross things off.

The weather here has been a drag, too. It is about 90 degrees again today. It is supposed to be in the low 70's this time of year. It also hasn't rained in weeks. I think tomorrow it may rain. It is likely too late to save some of my landscape plantings. They were well-established, and I've watered some, but in this heat I think it just evaporates. The ground is like concrete so not much soaks in. I have some plants to move when it cools a bit and I'd love to get my borders in order before winter. That hasn't happened the last couple of years and then it is such a mess in the spring. It will be interesting to see which plants come back in the spring.

Until next time!

Wendy

Just Quilting Along

Well, today was a productive day - sort of. The Four Season Doll Swap Quilt is very nearly finished. I'll get a picture of it up tomorrow. No time to grab the camera and set something up just now. If I was a better machine quilter, I'd be a lot happier with the result. The center portion of the quilt is all quilted and I'm content with it. The border is another story. I appliqued a design of flowers, leaves and acorns. I think I should quilt an outline around these elements. They are on a beige mottled background. The back of the quilt is dark green and brown. I did one part, in a light thread to match the background. I really do not like how it looks from the back. The tension was off some, making the stitches on the front look rather ugly. So I spent a large amount of time picking out small, uneven stitches. Tomorrow I'll re-stitch, but I'm stressed about the color of thread. Light looks bad on the back, but I'm not confident enough to use a darker thread on the front. If I use light on the front, and dark on the back, I may still have problems if the tension is not perfect. So I'm off to run the kids to their after school activities and I'll be thinking how to resolve my dilemma. I had really planned to be sewing the binding on tonight, but tomorrow will have to do.

Time Flies...

When you have too much to do! I'm slowly adjusting to having the kids back in school. I've been trying to get organized so I can decide what to do first. It's just another form of procrastination. But I have been busy, doing a little of this, a little of that. My swap quilt is coming along nicely--I've been working on the needleturn applique border while sitting in the car at swim or soccer practice. This evening will be an applique-fest for me. I need to get done so I can move on to quilting and binding. The deadline is starting to loom!

I've joined a bowling league, temporarily. A friend broke her foot and needed a long-term sub, so I'm in for at least a month or so. It's fun and it's a regular morning out. I've been trying to do my errands on the same day so I can concentrate on projects at home the other 4 days.

My Blythe dolly arrived! I've been looking at clothes patterns for her - she can wear Skipper-sized clothes, and made a couple of "muslins." They're lots of fun to make and very small so they go together quickly. I'm thinking of adding a section for them in my Etsy shop. I've certainly got lots of fabric bits and pieces. I've always loved making doll clothes. I can remember dressing my Barbies in Kleenex and toilet paper when I was a child.

Well, it's about time to get all my little people upstairs so I can have some applique quiet time.

Until next time -- hopefully some pictures then!

Wendy

Progress!

Well, after a rather tedious day in the sewing room, I can report some progress on my autumn swap quilt. It's ninety degrees again today and it gets hot up in my little workspace. My little triangles wanted to twist under the feed dogs, which annoys me. But, at the end of the day, I have the center part of my little quilt together! Usually piecing goes a little smoother, but I guess I'm a bit out of practice. I think the result looks pretty good, though. Now I have to figure out the rest; I've changed my idea for the border. Enough triangles already! I've always thought I would applique some leaves and acorns around the border. I've got lots of sit and wait time coming up (swim practice starts soon!) so handwork is good way to pass the time.



I've been watching too much tennis on TV. The US Open is in the second week and some of the matches have been very good. My TIVO has been busy! But soon it will be over and there won't be much to watch until the Australian Open next year.

I've also been distracted by a doll. I saw these on the internet awhile ago and remembered them from my childhood. Well, I've become obsessed and finally decided I would not be content until I had one. It's the eyes I think, kind of like a sad puppy you want to bring home. My Blythe doll is on her way from Hong Kong and I'm already planning her wardrobe. And here I'd thought I'd finally grown up... Maybe if the clothes turn out, I'll add them to my Etsy shop. I really need to rationalize somehow...

Until next time!

Wendy

And They're Off!

First day of school! I saw my children off to school today and then rattled around the house most of the day. Weird, to be alone all day... I did some organizing/cleaning of my sewing room which always seems to be needed. I thought about what projects I need to get started on; I've a rather long list...

Anyway, I did take the time to clean and oil my precious Featherweight today. It was once my mother's. My father found it at a garage sale and brought it home. Yes, it was one of those once in a lifetime finds. It was a bit neglected and smelly, but my mother loved it. Since you don't get to take your Featherweight to heaven, it lives with me now. All the pieces are there, in the original case. Some of the accessories are pitted and rusty. It runs fine, after a bit of tinkering and oiling and sews a beautiful stitch. The machine smells faintly of mildew even after a couple of cleanings, which puts me off using it much. I'm not sure what to do about that. The case is not usable, the smell of mildew is overpowering. I've not put the machine back in the case for years, but the machine is still a bit stinky...



The fabrics in the photo are the ones I plan to use in my Four Season Swap quilt. I need to get them washed and pressed and ready to go. Tomorrow morning, I suppose. I've got the pieced design ready to go, I just have to decide on the applique part of it. I can get it all pieced first though. I've wandered around the other swappers' blogs a bit. Looks like there will be a lot of great doll quilts flying around the world!

Until next time,

Wendy