Oh Right... This Old Thing

I'm not sure what it is about blogging/journaling of any kind that makes the writer feel the need to apologize when she has not written anything in a while.  Perhaps just the need to start somewhere?  Because it's certainly not for the benefit of the reader, according to my page visit count. 

So September happened.  I spent half of it as a single parent, as John was called away on Very Important Business in London.  Oh, the life of a Discovery Channel coordinating producer.  It's all ice cream socials and Bagel Wednesdays.  The Rupper took it pretty easy on me in his father's absence.  There were full nights of sleep, good moods, and only one instance of vomiting. 

We went to a tailgate for the William and Mary vs. Maryland football game.  In a stunning upset, the Rupper won the "spirit" award, which turned out to be a book about our beloved alma mater published in 1994.  Hot, hot, hot.  I'd like to think it was the homemade onesie created by yours truly that put him over the top.

I give up trying to format photos. 

Let's see, what else... oh yes, the big birthday party.  We celebrated the Rupper's first year of survival with a "preppy alligator" themed party.  I may have enjoyed myself too much.

Not very impressed with his banana cream cake.

And here we are in October.  We were invited to a wedding in Telluride, Co so we got to impose the Rupper on a very excited Grammy C and Auntie E.  Everybody won.  John and I got to live the wild childless lifestyle for a few days, and they were able to hang out with the Rupper without the every watchful eye of his mother keeping track of every movement.  It was so nice to be able to fully listen to friends when they spoke to me and be able to respond without having to interrupt myself to save the Rupper from impending doom, or carry around a baby monitor.  Ahhh.  Mental note:  get invited to more weddings in the middle of nowhere.

Self Portrait in a Gondola

So there's that.  Crafts?  Yeah, sure there were crafts. 

Pillow Case Dresses: fun!

This is my 100 Quilts for Kids creation.  Now I need to just my act together to send it somewhere.

Apron for my friend Kate.  She loved it and put in on instantly upon receipt.  She was drunk, but whatever.

A little bag also for Kate.  She seemed less impressed with this gift.  But I also gave her some gin, so it all worked out.

Catching Up on How Far Will You Go QAL

I have skipped week 4 for the moment.  Hard work makes me quit!  But here are weeks 5 and 6.  These blocks are really starting to pile up!

Happy September

August went by in a bit of a blur.  John spent a week in London for work, so I got a taste of single parenthood.  Luckily the Rupper stayed healthy and I didn't have to work too hard.  And maybe it wasn't the worst thing in the world to have quiet evenings to myself for a few days.

Then we went on sweet sweet vacation.  A road trip to New Hampshire, emphasis on the road.  So much time in the car.  First up was my birthday, which I was able to spend with my dad, brothers, sister-in-law, and nephew.  Which was wonderful. 

Photo credit to John, who has a real knack for catching me at moments where I look batshit crazy.

Next up was Soda Pop's wedding, a wonderful affair for a lovely couple.  Not to be forgotten is the priest's homily, which heavily referenced the happy couple's need to maintain eroticism in their relationship.  Eroticism.  Did I mention the priest is Soda's cousin?  Eroticism.  Soda, if you ever read this, I loved everything about your wedding.  But that made me a little uncomfortable.

My outfit was provided by Pittsburgh Girl.  My first foray into pumps.  The worked!  I wore the for the whole cocktail hour, which is a huge victory for me.  It's John's turn to look a little touched in this photo.  Also to be noted:  I spent an hour curling my hair.  An hour.

A spontaneous play date broke out on Monday.

The Rupper provided his usual creepy staring at the other babies.

Monday night we visited Uncle Thom at Rudi's in Portsmouth and also met up with our friend Drag.  It was a twofer and a great time.

Tuesday we headed up to our family's camp on Lake Winnipesaukee, with only a slight (2 hour) detour so that we could take a little hike.  It was my first outing using the Ergo as a baby backpack.  Pure brilliance. 

The Rupper loved it.  He did not, however, enjoy the beach.  Maybe next year.

On Wednesday, we met up with Roommate For Life & Co.  In a stroke of good luck, they were out visiting from Chicago and were staying at a friend's island on the lake, an island that was only a 10 minute boat ride away.  So the Maxster got his dose of the Rupper's staredown.

 Obligatory kitchen sink bath at camp:

 Back to North Hampton on Friday, took the opportunity to take another little hike.  Waterfalls!

Friday night, Dad and Jean took over baby sitting duties so that John and I could take in a baseball game at Fenway park.  What a treat.  At this point in the week, I was tired of taking photos.  So there aren't any more.  The Red Sox are terrible right now so the atmosphere was something less than electric.  But they did win, so that was something.

Saturday brought another play date with the Rochester Rays.  So cute to see the cousins chase each other around.  You'll have to take my word for it.  There are no photos.

A great vacation.  I would improve on very little.  New Hampshire in the summertime is such a lovely place.  Even at it's hottest and muggiest, it pales in comparison to the DC oppression.  It was so nice to go outside and not immediately burst out into sweat.  Lots of friends, lots of family time.  Can't wait for Christmas until I can go home again.

Friends w/ Kids x2

Ahhh... a much needed rest from the never ending tasks of a Woman Home Alone.  Pittsburgh came over tonight and we ordered Thai food, drank a little Argentinian wine and watched "Friends with Kids."  I watched it last week but was more than happy to view it a second time.  Neither of us was disappointed.  The Viking remained silent this evening and I'm glad it did.  My instincts are always to spend every alone moment working.  Yes, they are personal project and no, there are no deadlines so no real sense of urgency.  But sometimes it's nice to not have anything to think about but being happy for the career of Adam Scott, and wonder whether Jon Hamm is ever going to give the ladies what they want and play a traditional leading man role.

When the Cat's Away the Mouse Will Sew

Here is this week's addition to my How Far Will You Go QAL project - the Weathervane block.  Pretty smart looking, though I'm a little worried about how the edges line up - or don't, as the case may be.  But worrying is about as far as I'm willing to go to fix it.

Here is a heap of blocks that are to be the basis for my contribution to 100 Quilts for Kids.  They are string blocks that are being made out of leftover fabric from a quilt that I made for Priest Girl when she left for her priestly studies in England.

And this is the latest block for my t-shirt quilt.  I went to Park City, Utah with College Boyfriend.  We visited his brother who was playing ski bum for a year (something I will totally do in my next life).  Ski Bum worked 2 days a week at Texas Red's in order to fund his bumming.  It was a nice trip.  I remember drinking Rumplemintz and playing beer pong.  And meeting a Mormon who didn't know what AAA was.  I never much liked this shirt, the decal has a strong rubbery smell that hasn't washed out over the 11 years that I've had it. 

I made a whole bunch of strip sets from this super cute and cuddly flannel fabric in the hopes that someday soon I will turn them into a cozy little quilt.

And here is The Rupper looking Very Serious.  It's just me and him this week as John has been called away on very important business in London.  Not Olympic related.  Which explains why I've had so much time to sew.  And yet it's still never enough, is it?

Oh, Right! Bad Idea Quilts!

Back in March, I learned that one friend was having twin girls, and that another friend was having a girl.  All three babies were due around the same time so I thought, I'll make 3 of the same quilts (with color variations for the twins) all of the same pattern.  It'll be a breeze!  I thought.  So went the next three months of my life, these quilts turned out to be so much more work than I was anticipating.  Not because they were difficult, but because I have precious little time in a week to sew and these took up ALL of it.  But they're done now and off to their new homes.  Like with every project, an important lesson was learned.  Something about biting off... chewing... surely I'll never make this mistake again!

Below is a pic of each quilt.  I went a little overboard with the color editing.  The white balance is weird in my house.

And best of all, the three little lady recipients of these quilts have all arrived into the world.  Safe and healthy and with parents who are out of this world excited about them.

Family Fun and Some Blocks

First up: the family fun.  We went up to Baltimore yesterday to watch John's beloved Liverpool play a soccer match against Tottenum Hotspur.  Which would have been the most fun, had it been 30 degrees cooler.  95 degrees and blazing sun do not make for a happy baby.  So the Rupper and I watched the majority of the game from the concourse.  We were not alone, however.  There were plenty of other mothers with infants and other infirm types hanging out there.  John enjoyed himself even though he had to watch by himself.  I guess it reminded him of watching at home, an activity he also does mostly by himself. 

This morning I completed the first two blocks ("Susannah") for the How Far Will You Go QAL.  So far so good.  I'm going to use a bunch of blue fabrics culled from the Mumma stash, with white as the background.  I think they are going to look very handsome together. 

Couple of things

First: the t-shirt quilt is coming along at lightning speed!  Next up is this much beloved t-shirt.  It started it's life in 1988 or so, as my brother's little league basketball uniform.  They were the Spartans, named after the Michigan State team.  I'm not sure why.  Were they a big basketball school in 1988?  Someone look that up and let me know.  I wish wish wish that I had a photo of Andy wearing this back in the day, as he was completely adorable.  And also, he hated playing basketball and spent most of the games wandering around the court looking lost.  I took ownership of this shirt after a trip to the Ray Vintage Clothing Shoppe aka the attic.  It was a constant companion of mine through college and I just about wore it out.  I was sad to have to retire it but am glad it will live on in this quilt.  Which I am on pace to finish around the time the Rupper will be heading off to college himself.

Here are my blocks in progress for the Mini Scrap Bucket String Blocks.  I've never paper pieced before.  At first it was pretty awkward but I've gotten the hang of it.  I think these are going to turn out pretty cute.

 Hopefully I'll have more to report soon!

Looking Real Smart, Kid

Love this pic of the Rupper.  Even when he mouth breathes, he is the cutest damn thing.  The end.

Polaroid Block Roundup

Here are my blocks for the Polaroid Block Swap.  There are 25 in all.  They are pretty random (subject wise), but I do like the way they look.  I think the penguins are my favorite.  The turtle, pink flower, ice cream and fish blocks are courtesy of the Mumma Stash.

Napkins and a Polaroid Block

To start: a finish!  12 napkins, all done.  Wow, that felt good.  And took a lot longer than I thought they would.  Doesn't everything, though.  My finishing was dodgy at best to begin with - I had never used that technique before.  By the last few I had the ends matched up and sewn together like a pro.  I'm hoping I'll remember how to do that the next time I have binding to do.

I was not around when my father-in-law received these beauties (I was at the aforementioned bachelorette party), but by all accounts he was very pleased with the gift.  Score for me!

To finish: a start!  My very first swap.  Can you say intimidated?  I'm easing into it with the Polaroid Block Swap hosted by Debbie from A Quilter's Table.  So far it's quite painless.  The idea, obviously, is to create a bunch of little blocks that resemble Polaroid photos.  I've got 25 blocks in different states of completion.  This is the only little guy that I've finished off.  I love the unimpressed look of this owl, keeping me in my place.  Stop judging me, owl.

My Evening

A quick word on what I did tonight.  First is I fully finished 3 out of the 12 napkins that will be a birthday gift for my father-in-law.  I love the way they are turning out.  I'm using a pattern posted by Molly on the Purl Bee and made them with Shades of Grey by Daisy Janie fabric I picked up on Stitch Steals.  This is my first time using a bias tape maker - so intimidating at first but so so easy.  Thank goodness for internet videos.

The napkins went up pretty quick, but there was a fair amount of pinning involved.  I'm not a huge fan of pinning, most to my detriment.  But I was a good girl and pinned the binding to the main fabric within an inch of its like and I'm pleased to say that I think it really made a difference.

The last 9 are so close to being finished.  I would have had them done tonight, but a certain little man decided to wake up and have a melt down in his crib that took some tending to. 

Next up my first t-shirt quilt block!  It's all happening. I enjoyed the memories provided by my old t-shirts while I was cutting them up.  This was from John's fraternity's philanthropy event from our senior year in college.  Each frat boy was in charge of coaching a team of sorority girls for a flag football tournament.  I wasn't in a sorority, but my Roommate For Life was and so I joined her team.  When we got together for the first practice, it was obvious I was the only one who had ever touched a football before and I was made star running back.  Which was thrilling as I have never exactly been celebrated for my athletic prowess.  Long, long, long story short - there *may* have been some partaking of some delicious adult beverages (Sprite and Bicardi Limon) in preparation for our first game and within 15 minutes I had broken my arm.  Ah, college.

I have no real plan for how this quilt is going to take shape, which is a big deal for me.  I've never been one to just make stuff up.  I'm perfectly creative, but I like guidelines.  But block #1 is done, it is 15 inches square and is ready for more to join it!

Sadly this weekend won't see me doing a lot of sewing but it will find me flying to Boston for my friend Soda's bachelorette party!  First night away from the Rupper... I know I'm going to have fun but will miss waking up in the morning and walking down the hall to see his sweet face.

Other Work in Action

The last photo got me thinking about the other pics of my work in action.

From the top (left->right): quilt for my nephew William (born 02/09/11), quilt for MJ (born 07/15/09), a dress for MJ, quilt for friend Luke (born 08/24/11), and quilt for my cousin's baby Julia (born 11/09/12). 

Quilt in Action

There aren't many more satisfying things as a quilter than seeing a Facebook photo featuring one of your creations being enjoyed by the tiny recipient!!  I have not met this little guy yet... mostly because I'm afraid I will steal him.  His cuteness is out of control.  And I have my own baby. 

Couple of WIPs (or WsIP)

I finally manned up and started cutting up my t-shirts.  It took a while, but at last I have realized that they will be much better off being cut up and sewn into a quilt rather than languishing in a tub in my already overcrowded closet.  I have a feeling this is going to take a while to get together.  But it's a start.

I am too lazy to crop this properly.  Apologies.  But a cute start to a group of 6 Christmas ornaments.  The come from Mumma's tub of goodies.  Side note:  Christmas ornaments were a HUGE part of my mother's legend.  Every year she made ornaments for our family (including extended family - cousins, aunts, uncles, etc), neighbors, her co-workers at both the cleaners and Acorn School, and various others.  All told, we tallied that she must have made over a thousand ornaments in her time.  At her memorial service, person after person mentioned her ornaments and some even said they would have an entire extra tree just for her ornaments.  It such an incredible thing to think about, all those little works out in the world, making people think extra special thoughts of my mom during the holiday season.

I've always wanted to get into the ornament game, but could never settle my scattered mind onto one certain design.  So when I came upon this little felt snowman family it seemed like a perfect place to start.  I just hope all of their little noses stay stuck.

Here are a few to tide us all over until December.

MJ's Quilt

This is another old project, because I don't have anything new to report.  This quilt was finished in June of 2009 for the baby shower of a friend of mine.  This was my first foray into applique and it turned out to be quite easy.  The sashing, however, was maddening.  I kept thinking I had the rows lined up perfectly, only to realize after sewing and pressing that they would sometimes be as much as a half inch off.  I never have quite figured out what my problem was there, inexperience I guess?

I learned the valuable lesson of walking away from this quilt.  When you think you've ruined something, you think it's never going to come out right, just walk away.  Even for just 10 minutes.  Your mind needs to get a little space from the project and guaranteed (unless you've really f*ed something up) when you come back, you'll have forgotten what had you so stressed out in the first place. 

Guitar pants

 

Well they are just as amazing on him as I imagined they would be.  I should have made them 2 weeks ago, because now that he's crawling it was near impossible to get a decent shot.  Going have to have another go when John comes home.

Update:  much better.

It would be wrong

to wake up The Rupper to put him in the pants I just finished sewing.  But it's taking nearly all of my self control not to do so.

Off They Go

I packaged these little guys up last week and sent them off to Ohio.  They'd been sitting around my house, not really doing a lot of good for anyone.  So I found a blog called Bridge and Beyond, an organization that collects hand made items for men, women and children in need.  And while I'm sure July is not a time when people need to stay snuggly and warm, fall and winter will be here soon enough and these scarves can start earning their keep.