Head space

2017 was a tough year for me mentally, but outside of that all was well. My finances are finally in order, I have a retirement plan, my kids and grandkids are close and doing well, and overall I shouldn't have any problems.  Inside, my head has been playing games with me again, particularly in the last couple of months due to the Harvey Weinstein fallout hitting a little too close to home and bringing up issues that I thought were long dealt with.  Right now, all I can say is #metoo.

Although I know my sewing room is my happy place, I'm having a hard time getting in there. I'm going to spend the next couple of weeks trying to get my focus and make a fresh start in 2018.

Day 2, 31 days of blogging

New record - 2 days in a row! Made a run to Hamels today to pick up some "melon" fabrics, and also got some chocolates for my version of Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt. Also found my Christmas decorations in the storage unit, after the kids said they weren't there. Think they were looking with blinders on!

24 Days until Christmas!

Yikes, and I've barely started my Christmas sewing.  My list includes 3 Baby Bionic Gear bags for the grands, some snap bags, and the usual Christmas pyjamas.

The Baby Bionic Gear bag is a miniature version of this one! I'll post more about it in another post.

In the middle of the sewing for Christmas, I will be cutting and sewing for Bonnie Hunter's newest mystery quilt, On Ringo Lake. I will probably stick with her colours this year; chocolate, peachy-corals, aqua/turquoise and (creamy) neutrals. The only fabric I will probably have to add would be some of the corals, but I could trend to pink as well.

Don't you just love her inspiration colours?

And hopefully, I'll be able to squeeze enough time to make some headway on this quilt kit I bought last year! 

A little bit of scrapbooking!

I've been so busy the last couple of months, I have had barely time to breathe, let alone blog.  But we are now seeing the end of a full kitchen renovation, and I can sneak in a bit of time for fun!

Last night, I went to Kim's house, who is kindly storing all my scrapbooking supplies and created a fun page about watching a movie being filmed in my town.

Snuck some time to scrapbook! Thanks, Kim Rodger. Still have to write the story about watching the filming of Monster Trucks (imdb.com/title/tt3095734) in downtown Chilliwack, made to look like an American town. The movie came out two years after we watch this scene being filmed. By that time, Alex had forgotten about. So glad I took pictures.

Now that I have unpacked the kitchen again, I can try to find my sewing room again!

The next six months - goal-setting

I've not been doing a very good job of using my blog to post my progress this year, and that also means I haven't made much progress - the vicious circle! Goal-setting works for me so here goes for July's projects:

1. Make a quilt for MacBaby by July 16th!

2. Finish and quilt 3 Canada 150 quilts for the kidlets.

3. Prep and finish Rosette #5 for my Millie quilt.

Explanations:

1. One of my very good friend's has finally become a mother through adoption - but can't reveal the name nor many details yet, so this little girl's pseudonym is MacBaby. I haven't met her yet, but there is a baby shower coming up, so a quilt is necessary. I didn't get very far following along with Pat Sloan's Winter Solstice (1 large and 5 smaller blocks done), but the colours I chose will make a beautiful baby girl quilt. Now to plan a layout and get cracking!

2. I have had the fabric for a year, took 9 months to find a design I liked, and have the 7" blocks finished. Now that I decided to do an on-point setting to make the blocks go further, I can start assembling the quilts - one for each of my grandchildren.

3. I was late to the game starting Katja Marek's Milliefiore quilt, and it got put aside for most of the winter. Now that it is hot out, and I want to spend some time poolside, I need to get the cutting and prep done to finish my rosette.

Sunday Stash Report, Week 17

During my "hiatus", I made a Bionic Gear Bag that I haven't shared yet. If you haven't heard about this bag yet, you really should check it the website at Sew Much Nicer!

It is a fabulous bag that can be used to store just about anything, and there is going to be larger version available soon. (I also bought the baby BGB variation as well). Sally also offers video workshops to teach you how to put this together at Sew Like a Rockstar.

They were really helpful adding the pockets and putting the side panels on.

There is also a free pattern for a small dish that attaches to the bag with magnets, that can be used for Wonderclips or as a thread catcher. Free is right up my alley!

 Of course, to make a coordinated one, I had to buy new fabric!  I got 4.35 metres, but rest assured the bag doesn't take that much - if you do the bag all in one colour it takes 1.25 yards or 1.15 metres. In fact, the pocket linings used scraps that I had on hand. I also shared with a friend, so 2.3 metres were used right away.

Added this week: 4.35 metres

Added this year: 33.05 metres

Used this week: 3.3 metres

Used this year: 21.8 metres

Added/Used this year: 11.25 metres

The extra metre was used by my grandkids!  The kids wanted to sew one morning after a sleepover, so we made some doll/stuffie blankets.  Alex is eight, and sewed his all by himself, even putting the backing on envelope style. I just had to show him how to line things up.

Zoey (5 1/2) finally overcame her hatred of moving parts, and assembled her top with a little assistance. She wouldn't let me take her picture though. Mya is 2 1/2 and not afraid of anything - she wanted to just jump in and do it by herself. Since she's never done it before, I had a hard time holding her back, but we managed to get it done safely without running over little hands. She was so proud of herself.

I have a few more things I did during my hiatus, but I'll save those for next week.

Linking up with Judy's Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.

Sunday Stash Report, Week 16 - Where have I been?

I haven't been anywhere - just in blah-land.  My oldest daughter, son-in-law and grandson (who live in a 2-bdrm suite in my home) were gone to New Zealand for 5 weeks, and although I had great plans, the poor weather and work kept me down.  Since they got home, I have been in my sewing room every day, listening to the sounds of a full house again and enjoying spending time with them!

An pre-order I placed in January finally arrived. I couldn't resist this fun print "Burly Beavers" being Canadian and all!

Of course, while I was at the shop, Dinkydoo Fabrics, I had to buy a few more things - so I stocked up on mini-Pearl Bracelets, and a new book, Quilt Lab - using math and science in quilts. It is a brand-new shop in Pitt Meadows, BC, having an online presence for about 6 months and now it has a bricks-and-mortar store. The downside is that it sells it fabrics in yards, not metres, so I have to remember that when comparing their pricing and buying fabrics.  Otherwise, it's a nice little shop, focused on modern fabrics.

I bought 6 yds of flannel to make pyjama pants for my sons-in-law and grandson for Christmas, and some cotton versions for the stash.  Love the thermos and woodgrain. 6 fat quarters of pearl bracelets and a 1/2 yd bundle of free Christmas prints (opening special) rounded out my purchase of 9.75 yards. Converted to metres, I've added 8.9 metres to the stash.

Added this week: 8.9 metres

Added this year: 28.7 metres

Used this week: 1.5 metres

Used this year: 18.5 metres

Added/Used this year: 10.2 metres

My daughter wanted her quilt queen-size, so I added another 4-patch border to my En Provence quilt. This used up another 1.25 metres of aqua/teal and white and I am finally running out of aqua and teals.

I'm hoping to make another good dent in the stash next week. I'm working on 3 quilts celebrating Canada's Sesquicentennial (150 years), on for each of my grandchildren. I'm using the Falling Charms pattern by MSQC. It's simple and makes good use of the charm packs that I was able to get. I still have a jelly roll that I'll probably make myself something with.

And I have this big bin of scraps to trim down, so while I'm doing that, I'm going to cut strips for Scrappy Trips by Bonnie Hunter and this pretty quilt by Brooklyn Quilts.

Her version used Anna Horner prints and small rectangles 2"x3", but then I saw this version which inspired me to use up my 2 1/2" strips.  My rectangles are 2 1/2" x 4 1/2", which will finish at 2 x 4 and make quick and perfect quilts for the kids' campers.