Almost Immediate Gratification

Originally uploaded by amysgreatadventure

Yesterday marked my last day of vacation week. It started off wonderful with an extra snooze in, then pancakes for breakfast. I knew I wanted to do some stitching but wasn't sure what to do. The night before I had gotten out everything to do a needlepunch project i had and immediately lost the needle threader. That cost me 30 minutes of crawling around on the floor and digging through cushions to no avail. So I started this little pattern I had bought a while back.

I finished it by noon and was very happy with it and took a long hot shower. Then that's when my husband said he needed to got to the hospital. So dripping wet, hair in a turban I threw on clothes and shoes, grabbed my handbag and dropped the turban and hawled butt to the hospital. Seems he had a very bad UTI (urinary track infection) - I know TMI! Anyway, they patched him up and sent him home with instructions to see his primary care doctor today. He's resting and not to happy with his situation.

I'll head into the office for a few hours to catch up then back to take care of him and get him where he needs to be.

I love him, but boys can't handle pain well or being sick.

yooo whooo I'm back

Originally uploaded by amysgreatadventure

Been a crazy couple of weeks. Had a night trip to Chicago and then home a night to leave again for a week working in Switzerland. Came home to a week of Thanksgiving goodness. I've been busy so to speak.

I made the full turkey dinner from scratch (minus some rolls outta a box) with all the trimmings.

Then I went into full craft mode. Just before I left, I made this armrest pin cushion. It has become my most favorite sewing tool. I do a lot of hand finishing and stitching at night while watching TV and many of morning woke up to an armrest peppered with pens. Now they are in the pin cushion! It handy little pockets to stow my snips in or a pattern.

I've also made 4 Christmas stockings, 4 ornaments, 20 gift tags for a swap I'm doing with Karen and Regena! ( plus Carolyn and Mark). Plus a few kitchen towels and 2 sets of pot holders.

Now I need to sew up 6 aprons before Christmas and my sewing is all done!

Give Aways

Just a few thoughts on give aways here in blog land. I've seen everything from Kitchen Aid mixer at Pioneer Women's blog, to fat quarters on I don't know how many sewing blogs. They are the most incredible things. You follow a few simple rules and you are entered to win.

My friend Karen is having a give away as we speak. She is giving away the most awesome sewing organizer that she made in this adorable fabric. Of course I signed up but so can you. Go check it out.

Stay tuned for my own give away when I reach 100 posts!

Mug Rug Swap

This is my assortment I'm working from to choose what to use for the mug rug.

So I decided to branch out from apron swaps and try a mug rug swap. To be honest I had to google around to find out what that was. Also, Aunt Pitty Pat had a link to a fabulous flickr photostream of amazing mug rugs.

I bought a mug yesterday but am second guessing it as "the" one for the mug rug inspiration. I think I'll go see what my favorite local gift shop has on hand before I start the sewing.

I'm a bit excited to sew this up just so I can try out some of my new found quilting skills. Not that I'm all that, but maybe I can re-purpose the sawtooth star skills somehow. I hope my partner and I get to email each other so we can know more about each others likes and dislikes. It really helps to create something they might actually like and use.

The Method

I've touched on this in the past. But as I work more and more into my inner crafter, I'm finding I am evolving in my creative methods. I now look at burlap with a whole new desire. That I see how linen just may be the most perfect fabric out there but with it's own share of angst.

I look at something in my house that just isn't working right and ponder about making it slip cover or what fabric I have on hand to drape over, around or under it. Then I think about what the pattern pieces would look like.

What is the method of being creative. What does it mean to you? Is it just a form of expression, does it manage your stress or does it oooze from your very existence?

The morning after

is not what you think. For me, this means the morning after I spent the night trying to creatively work off stress to find my little crafty room a disaster. Happens a lot around here. Scrapes of fabric everywhere, patterns laying about, cutting board out - all evidence of some craftying debauchery.



As I'm a bit new to the sewing arena, I try to make myself learn one new technique every week (when I'm not traveling). This week the challenge was prairie points. You see I'm in this Christmas stocking swap with some from where I have to make 4 stockings for each of them representing myself. I thought the prairie points would be a good character representation. The ups and downs the fun sassy appeal of prairie points. That's my rational and I'm sticking to it.

Over at Moda Lissa there is a great tutorial on Prairie Points.

I tried this last night and got some decent results.


I also want to try this on the baby quilt for the hub's grand niece...we will just have to see.

Strength

I tried to figure out how to follow stamina and I decided strength would be good. Strength is either muscles and brawn or strength can be in carrying emotional luggage.

Strength seems to be very much a hereditary characteristic. Strong people usually produce strong offspring. Giving them skills to endure challenges in life or even to lift heavy objects.

I have a grandmother that is so strong it's unbelievable. She's 90 years old, and an inspiration to me. She has always had such a good outlook, even in tough times. She's had enough tough times for one lifetime already. She is kind to her family and loves all of us so very much. She is where my strength comes from. I am proud to be her granddaughter.

Stamina

Stamina can be an interesting term. It can apply to an athlete in a race, it can refer to stresses in life, it can apply to friendships.


How much stamina a person has, can define their fortitude and resolve. Can they survive their situation and come out the other side? God likes to see what our stamina levels are and see how our faith's stamina withstands the challenges.

They say God doesn't throw anything at you that you can't withstand. I wonder though, just how much of what is thrown is really from God and not our own conjuring.

It's not if you finish, but how you finish that matters.

Monday Night Baseball and Babushkas

Last night the Rangers lost the World Series. Last night the Giants won the World Series. I don't follow sports much, but this year was interesting. I was able to see the Giants a last month when I was visiting San Francisco and it was nice, just wished I hadn't been so tired that night. What was interesting was that the American and National league champions were not the old regime - no Philly's or Yankees. Just two good teams getting a day in the Big Show.

In other news I made one of the Babuska dolls from the tutorial over at Wee Folk Art.

She came out kinda snarky. Think I'll remove her freckles and see if that helps then stitch a back onto her and stuff her good.

I need to find out what is the best needle for sewing felt because the number 28 I was using just didn't seem to be ideal. Today my index finger is a bit sore.



But on the way home last night I stopped off at Joann's for some fabric to make the hubs new grand niece a little blankie and this is what I found. I hope the satin binding doesn't kick my butt and ruin the blankie.

Sunday Sewing Means Monday Mess

So I worked on a table runner yesterday. Remember those fat quarters I bought for the FAS Autumn swap? Well, I decided they'd make a great table runner for this cabinet in the front room. I found the friendship braid quilt patter and used that.

I did some free motion quilting on a section - more to get the practice in than to do a design. I quilted the rest in straight lines.

For the basting, I used the spray I bought last week to see how that works. It worked well just next time I will be more careful with overspray on the extra backing so it doesn't stick to everything as I'm trying to quilt.

Everything was great until I came in to my office/sewing room and found the disaster I left yesterday when in the heat of creativity.



Worse part is I've made the runner too wide by about 2 inches. I swear I measured it twice...