August is HERE!?

Wow. Really. It was early (EARLY!) May since the last time I had a moment to update all of you! I really feel like a very rotten blogger! (and reader, for that matter!)
My free time has been so preciously spent on my family, and only them, but they really are what matter most, right? Ok, I think I am almost over my self-imposed guilt-trip, now ya'll will just have to excuse me while I wallow in self-pity for a moment over having NO spare time. (alrighty, glad to have gotten that out of the way!)

Starting today, until the 22nd, IT IS SUMMER! Exactly 14 days before classes start again for the Fall! Woo Hoo!

I really wanted everyone to know that I am, actually, still alive and that I have been very busy, so busy in fact, that I haven't even looked at that stupid bloglover app (I was forced over too!) and have really missed so much (I feel like) since it deletes posts all on its own!

But, back to being busy! I have actually gotten some sewing done (priorities, right?)
And I plan to do some more today so quite possibly their will be another blog post in the near future!So, on with the show!


3 lovelies for a friend, a baby and a great-cousin!

Neutrals with pops of turquoise! Crushed velveteen back!

Yep, it has a chenille backing! (so much work, so stinkin' cute!)

 Pezzy at play!

These 3 lovelies didn't last 5 minutes at work! SOLD!

I really wanted them for myself! LOL.

 I finished this wonky log cabin, but its not quilted yet!

I finished this super sweet quilt for another baby (Its my "for the boys" blogger bundle)

This romper was for a super sweet grandbaby of mine! It was for her 2 year pictures!

And then, last week, this precious sweetheart turned 2! (boo hoo! too fast!)
(Yep, her shirt says: "I ain't no yuppie girl, Jack!")

Now I am going to sew~
Sew, till next time!
jess












 

Really Thursday (was supposed to be WiP Wed!) and other News!

What a nice little whirlwind couple of weeks this has been!
My sweet DH has been gone and that sucks but he did come home yesterday!!
But, I did quit job #1! and my time was up Yesterday!!! Amen!
In the last couple of weeks, I have really had to suck it up and focus my attention on school- thankfully so, that I actually did it, because that meant I got to go spend the day with QuiltnMama.

Especially when the need arose! She also gifted me with the coolest patchwork pincushion and bag of goodies too! And, FED me! Soup!!! My most favorite meal, EVER! Steph- you are the best!









Then on last Friday, I got to spend some time with another set of buds from work. We went bargain shopping at the local barn sale. It happens only 4 times a year and it is always fun to see what they have- usually I can find at least 1 thing to bring home. This time I scored bit, in my mind anyway.
I ended up with a butcher block topped table and a super-duper cool pincushion! (but, its just for looks, so it really doesn't count, ya know?)

What is really neat about it, is on further inspection: it is made out of a can! yep, a good ole tincan. That is the patchwork pincushion I was gifted- they work perfect together!

So, on the sewing front the last couple of weeks I really haven't been up to too much- I help bind all the quilts for West, but at home not much has been accomplished.





And, I have been dabbling in making a romper for my sweet Grandbaby, A! I got to eat dinner with them the other night and it was definitely a treat! She is gonna be a lefty- just like her PawPaw. Makes my heart smile!

 

 



I did manage to make all the units for a friends new baby quilt. Half-Square triangle, chevrons. Too cute. The colors are not very baby-ish to me, but those are the colors she chose, so, to each its own.

You can also see my Sugar Block Club blocks up on the design wall- I am waiting with baited breath for next month's block, I love the way these are turning out.

 The simple charm patchwork number- that is for ME! Yep, a quilt all for myself. Eventually. It is very slow going. Made with voiles! I have had to starch the mess out of the fabrics prior to cutting and then after each section. They are so so slippery! But they are gonna feel so heavenly, backed with flannel, and snuggled up to, on the couch! Can't wait.

 

Now, I wanna say: I hate Google right now. I miss my beloved Reader so much. I made the switch to Bloglovin, but I hate it. It is not conducive to linking and clicking onto posts. It is such a hassle. It keeps that stupid bar at the top all the time. I am looking for something better- any suggestions??

I am also considering doing a post for Giveaway Day, but I am not sure exactly how it works!

I am linking up over at Live a Colorful Life!

 

Sew, till next time!

jessi  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Keepin' it real. WiP Wed.

Yep. It is WiP Wed around here.
I just have to say, my posting has been dwindling in my mind- but apparently pretty steady in numbers. I just don't have time to post like I want to- I have real life to deal with.
Work, School and more Work.
I cut my hours at real job #1 to accommodate school (#1 priority.) Real job #2 just happened to find me- by chance. And, I just might quit real job #1 cause real job #2 is paying so much better for so much less hours!  Confused? Me too. And, scared.
But, in the spirit of keepin' it real- DH has been home for 2 weeks! It has been wonderful! We went on a little excursion to the Big D and stayed at a swanky place and ate yummy yummy vittles!
So, I haven't really been keeping my obligation to sewing except for bits of EPP.
I need to get my butt in gear- but I had a change of heart and decided that I needed to get my sewing studio in gear before I spent any more sewy-quilty time in there.
On with the show!

 
 
My EPP Stars- I have finished 2 but only grabbed a snap of this one. And, below is one of the zippy bags that I am going to stick in the Etsy. I want to do a few and make sure I like the way I  am doing them first before I commit to putting them in there.

















Next up is a little bundle of joy! I am sending it out to someone who least expects it! I know they need these goodies! It is a "Roy G Biv" of Oakshotts!

There are so super to work with!










Then I am working diligently on getting my space in order: I have actually managed to put together 3 shelving units- all by myself. Amen!

 Things are really trying to take shape around here. Along with the studio makeover I am working in the garden. Especially my flower gardens. They were horrible. Really. Monkey grass heaven- I ended up pulling up about a whole acre of the stuff! And, when I went to put my new bulbs in- they had already sprouted in the bags- I hope they survive.
Oh gee- I just noticed. Please excuse my wine glass and the vacuum. Some things just go together- right?

Sew, till next time!
jess










 

No April Foolin' Around Here.

WARNING: Wordy Post Ahead.
I have been sick or kinda sick since Friday. Not good for a Holiday weekend that I am scheduled to be "on-call" especially if being "on-call" actually means always working your bootie off all day both days. Thankfully, my house supervisor, the person that calls me in, knew I was sick and headed off the storm. I was actually home after 4 hrs on Saturday and didn't go in on Sunday.
But, when I "texted in" to my boss-lady at 0220 this morning- I bet she was NOT happy. Except that she didn't reply till about 0530, so I am betting she didn't get it till then anyway.
Ok, back to the sick part: my throat was kinda scratchy on Fri night when I went to bed, but when I woke up Saturday I couldn't even drink coffee- yowzer! It has only gotten worse, adding nose/sinus congestion and cough to the mix. Along with fever. I don't know what the deal is lately- but I am tired of feeling bad!
My sweet DH thinks that the stress that I am under between school and work are making nuances worse. I am starting to think that he might actually be right! (shhh. don't tell him!) I even caught myself attempting to bite my nails- a habit I broke a LONG time ago. There are just not enough hours in the day to do all the things I need to do. It seems like EVERYTHING is a priority. Another problem I am having is balancing priority.

I really have been trying to manage stressful things and add some balance by trying to focus on relaxation/stress-relief things at least once each day too.
-I have been trying to get enough sleep: at least 7 hours. That is usually sufficient for me, but lately I have no doubt that I could sleep for 12 and still need more. My sleep cycle is jacked up. I am in a rut- I know what has worked in the past to get it straight, but I don't have the time or energy. ie: go tan and workout early in the day! I always sleep better on those nights.
-I also have been trying to sew or do something sewing related every day. Even if it is just going in my room and straightening my pretty stash. LOL.

So here is a little picture show to balance this wordy post:)

The last picture is of the awesome goodies that I got from Pam! I love the scrappies! They are wonderful! And, I am devouring the book too! Very interesting ideas!

Sew, till next time!
jess

Really Random Thursday

Really Random Thurs!

1.) My computer crashed, AGAIN! This time my wonderful DH took me to "Big Box Electronics Store" and got me a really good one! Geez, I am rough on computers- but this one seems like it will be fine- as long as I keep the Coffee away from it.

2.) My DH is the best Husband ever! (If I hadn't mentioned that already.)

3.) Please go visit Sweet Pam and see the Living Water Quilt! There is not much time left to enter the drawing for the quilt and you know, you want it! I do!

4.) My Sweet A's quilt is almost finished.

5.) My UFO to be finished for the month is WAY behind. I have been talking about finishing this one since I started it in Nov of 2011~ But, I am moving it up- as soon as I get A's top sent off to the LAQ. I am sad knowing that I may not finish it UFO Quilt for the month- But I do have a couple of UFO projects that I have finished!

6.) It is very scary when you check your bank account and see "$-1181.10"-- I was hacked! Thankfully, the bank is fixing it. And, I am not having to jump through too many hoops to get it done. But, it is scary. And, I am not sure how it happened. I am careful with how I use my card- but it sure dampens my urge to buy from new fabrics stores online.

7.) The DH & I started and finished working on our 2 front flower beds and they are gorgeous. I am so proud of them. They are a little bare looking now, but as the plants mature it will be perfect!

8.) School is HARD. I guess I was under the impression that Grad school would be more relaxed, WRONG. It is more relaxed in some ways- but as far as the workload, it is killer.

9.) I visited a new to me quilt shop on Saturday (prior to my bank being hacked)- Texas Quiltworks in Brian/College Station- They may be one of my new Favs! Seriously! And, they gave me empty bolts!!! So, now I can make more mini-bolts! I can't wait to get all my sewing room in order!

10.) I got mail!!! Love mail!!! Julie at the Intrepid Thread always sends a couple of charm squares with each order- I got a charm of Nottinghill and had to order the whole darn set!

I am linking up over at Live a Colorful Life for Really Random Thurs!
Sew, till next time!
jess

Another WiP Wednesday!

The last few weeks have FLOWWNN by!
School and work have me always in high gear.

It seems I don't have time for much other than those 2 things lately- but, I am trying to be true to myself and have been meeting my commitment to myself to sew or do something sewing related at least a little each day! (Now, if I could just get gym time to fall into place! Shameful!)

I have been working on a couple of projects:

Tina's quilt (which I finished, but am doubting.)
The Sugar Block Club blocks (which I am caught up on- for the moment)
And, the new quilt for little A! (the wonderful grandbaby!)

On with the picture show:

I haven't crunched the numbers yet to say how many squares were used in this quilt- but it was a lot. (for me.)
I based the coloring off of Bonnie's Perkimon Daydreams quilt strip-set layout. I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. I am doubtful that I added enough border!


Please ignore the scrunched up Orca Bay! I will eventually finish it for Momma, but since she has taken an assignment in Denver and isn't scheduled to be home for a few months, it isn't high priority.

In the bottom- the coloring and varied fabrics really show! I used any darker brown, a couple of dark greens and even a couple of dark blues. I wanted it to have an I-spy quality to it.

 

The Sugar Block Club blocks were definitely challenging. I had NEVER done any paper piecing before- it was interesting to finish February's block. But, unlike a lot of the people participating, I didn't have any trouble at all getting the block to turn out! It was wonderful- I am super proud!

The picture with the 3 blocks include Jan, Feb and March. All caught up!

Fussy cutting!

 I thought I might share a little fussy cutting and trimming too!

 

 That is all the pics I have for today, so I will be doing a Really Random post tomorrow (I think! If time allows.) I am really trying to remember to take "along the way" pictures more often, I like sharing the inner workings.

 

 

 

 Sew, till next time!

Jess

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WOW: Wip Wed & Really Random Thursday Bundle!

Wow.

Really. It has been a crazy couple of weeks around here. School and work have taken a toll on my blogging capabilities.

Today is test day for me- my first Patho test of the semester. We are covering a LOT of material (not the good kind, either) for this test. An 89 page bound-spiral published notebook & about 20 chapters from the text- along with about 20 hours of lecture. Grad School- SUCKS.
The other day I was so disgusted with a couple of concepts I enlisted a little help:

I just wanted to stop in a minute with a couple of updates on some projects that I have been working on- although I don't have much time- I have been trying to sew or do something sewing related at least a little each day.

I am trying my best to organize my stash and sewing room. Hopefully, I will have it done and new stash storage ordered by the summer: Ikea, here I come! When I finally order the new duds, I am boxing everything up to paint! Woo Hoo!
In the spirit of trying to organize and get ready I did a small De-stash along with Fingertip shopping. I just made a post and joined the fun. There is still stuff left! So, if any of you are interested: De-Stash.

We did have a new arrival on the farm: itty-bitty-baby Llama came into the world! I haven't named her yet. I just can't decide! She is SO stinking cute and so brave! Her and Scooter played llama/dog tag all morning the other morning and it was hilarious!

Everyone knows that Mardi Gras has come and gone- but we did manage to make it to a small party to celebrate! And, I managed to make quite a haul in my attempt to score beads: Not sure if that is such a good thing- but we had a blast!



 

And, for the WiP section: I guess I have been kinda bitten by the Scrappy Trips bug that everyone is raving about. I did a few of these blocks last year (when I originally found Bonnie's pattern) but I wasn't too thrilled with the way the colors were looking. So, I started again. This time I am using a FQ bundle from Pink Castle called "for the boys." It is a Maureen Cracknell bundle and it is great. I am adding a little to it- for a little more variety but not much. I can easily churn out one of these blocks in 20ish minutes and that works for me. Especially with my goal to do a little each day.

I am sure someone is gonna ask: Yep, that is a turtle butt on my sewing room wall! I also have plenty of big white circle painted on there too. When we moved in- I picked this room because it had the most light and it also had the odd painting. But, since I immediately moved my sewing stuff in and got set-up, I didnt repaint first: I needed to SEW! So, now you all can see why one of my goals is to get organized and get stuff painted. It is just so hard to give up "my" space!

 

Now it is time to get off here and hit the:

Wish me luck on my test!
Thanks for stopping by!
Sew, till next time!
jess