Finding Balance

It's summer alright, I can tell because I can't remember the date or day of the week at least a few times every week now. Just yesterday I thought it was Wednesday. Ha!
When you have no particular place to be at any given time or day and you spend hours (OK, more like days) on end in your studio working and watching Netflix, I suppose it's understandable. Right? (I have two calendars next to the very entrance!)
Well, I must confess that this summer schedule of no-schedule is difficult for me.
I need a schedule in a way. Not like be somewhere at 8 am schedule, more like I must do A, B, and C today. If I don't give myself specific tasks, I wander. I fiddle. I loose myself in completely unnecessary or random tasks.
So in the spirit of trying to stay true to my #1 goal of more frequent blogging, I'm going to share some snapshots of my campsite, I mean work space from this past week.

Moon Rise

the work table

Late night paper CSI marathon

Random junk accumulating at the end of the table

Small doll progress

Forever shredding newspapers

The work table

I have since cleared the work table, done a bit a sweeping and am preparing to delve into some fabric projects again. I have been paper mache-ing for 5 days straight now. Time for a break!

I hope you're having a productive weekend!

-M.

WIP Wednesday: Skeletal

I was very disappointed that my FAL Q1 list finishes were so few. So at the start of this quarter, I just jumped in. I found that the evenings, after work and dinner, are a great time for relaxing with some hand work and our favorite Netflix series. I've been happily stitching away, finding this perfect niche to get some sewing done on these super busy days.

Here's what I've been working on!
When I first started this project, I intended to make a mola panel for the center of my e.p.p. stars. I still might use the e.p.p. stars and it's definitely still going to be a mola applique, but I'm not sure about the quilt, considering making a medallion. I also had to take out all of the previous basting stitches and start over, proves I had no idea what I was doing before!

So far so good! I've got the arms, legs, and wings to finish appliqueing before I cut into it. I'm really excited for the next steps! So far, there are 4-5 layers of fabric in most places.

I am a wee bit concerned about the tiny tiny hands, that will be a challenge!

Cheers to progress!

Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced!

What awesomeness are you working on?

WIP Wednesday: I need 8 hands!

My day dreaming has been inspired by an array of god and goddess imagery lately, statues and bright color swirled images of six armed beauties and fearless beast riders. Which is probably why the idea of having multiple arms has never sounded so appealing as right now!

I have an enormous list of To-Do's as Spring Break has ended and my head cold has dissipated, so of course the temperatures soar into a threatening heatwave! I'll be tackling a weekend long yard sale and massive removal of all clutter in storage and elsewhere. Spring cleaning is for real this year!

In my down time between major cleaning sprees, I've been tending to my newest plants, stitching by hand and compiling my 2014 FAL Quarter 2 list.
Enjoy these visuals and I'll be back tomorrow with a list to share.

Linking up with Freshly Pieced

WIP Wednesday : Sidetracked with Fabric Drool

It's going to be a tightly crammed weekend. I have a lot to finish up for my Q1 FAL list plus I am super honored to be featuring a tutorial for the Q1 Finish Along on the 1st of April! I'm going to keep the subject of said tutorial a secret for now just to lure you with temptation to come back.

 Tutorial work in progress:

I intended to make myself a new tote bag. Haven't made a bag for myself in a looooong time. And I picked out this Jay McCarroll (Center City/Downtown NY) fabric that I've been wanting and thought it'd be good for my new bag.

I also fell in love with a new quilt block, which I think was called 'Mountain Majesty'? Anyhoo, I've been seeing it pop up in other modern quilts, so I went for it.

I haven't decided how I'm going to layout the blocks, but while I was playing around, I made these and kinda felt like making them into a quilt. I should probably just buy more of the Jay McCarroll fabric so I don't have to choose between bag or quilt haha!

 I've made many different arrangements, yet I still haven't decided on which direction to take it. A true WIP!

Then Rachael @ Stitched In Color had to have another fabric mosaic contest (check it out, it's fun!)

and I spent my computer time making this! Not to mention her mosaic contests are sponsored by awesome fabric companies. This time it's Lark Cottons, which I adore! Go sift through their shop, amazing fabrics!

You can vote for my collection interpreting her theme of 'Ethereal' in pastels along with all the other entries on her blog.

Happy Fabric drooling!

WIP Wednesday : Exercise the fingers and wrists

{ studio window view in "red"/my new 'value' glasses/courtesy of sewredglasses.com/pat sloan giveaway}

"I've been away from the machine. And clearly I've been away from this computer as well. Why is it so darn difficult for me to schedule a time to blog? I've seriously had a drafted post since Sunday, rewritten three times now! I intended on sharing Sunday Stash and WIP Wednesday, and here it is being Thursday and none of those blog intentions happened!!!!
I must make changes. Perhaps I don't like my desk?"

And that excerpt was from last Thursday.....ahem.
Here I am and here's what I've been working on:

 intense applique work = sewing by hand for hours and days

Be back tomorrow with my Pantone Radiant Orchid Challenge entry....

Linking up with

WIP Wednesday: March Madness

Progress being made.

Can free-motion quilt again! (Temporary fix)

Progress on the FAL 2014 Q1 list. The piece above is 'Night Garden', finally being quilted. Very slowly, because like a genius I've given it almost 7 layers in some places. But I'm a sixth of the way through it!

This weekend, I played with new colors....making palettes that were speaking 'Spring'. Bright.
My goal was to use these two palettes to inspire fabric selections for my March blocks in my Block-a-Day project.

This first is an actual art quilt by Karen Kamenetzky....I just loved the piece, it's on my pinterest Color Palette board :-)

Fabrics from my stash:

This next one, also from my Color Palette board, is another color way that I envisioned incorporating into a quilt. The piece is by Seattle artist Liz Tran, called "Burst". 

Fabrics from my stash:

I'm not totally sold on the selection above. I need more tomato orange. More blush-y mauve. Darker. Brighter. I'll keep looking. I fear I may have to purchase some new colors for my stash....hehehe.

Feeling like a juggler here with so many projects at once. And some stuff to seriously catch up on.

This weekend through Tuesday was set aside mostly for a birthday and relaxation. 

Tomorrow is Art Walk night, my coordinator duties will be heavy. 

The rain is over. The air is warm. 

My Marmalade Fabrics order came in the mail today!

Will share soon... secret project...I'm making something for me!

Linking up with Freshly Pieced!

Yesterday's WIP Wednesday and a WIN!

Wednesday!!!!! I missed it!!!! (Insert crazy busy day!)
But I have such awesome news.....(below the images)

Here are two peeks. I should be able to share more about these projects once they are gifted!

I'm sure someone can hear the levels of excitement over here....
I SURE DO FEEL LUCKY THIS WEEK!!!
(((I won the red glasses from Pat Sloan's giveaway!!! Value sorting here I come!!!!)))
(((I won the $20 gift card for Marmalade Fabrics from last weeks WIP Wednesday with Lee at Freshly Pieced!)))
See, linking up does pay off!!!
It only took me forever to finish with my gift certificate shopping, now we wait for the happy mail! I can't wait to share my purchases!
**squeals of delight**

Hand Stitching Time : WIP Wednesday

Screwy Update:
It can be extremely frustraiting when your go-to machine is sorta, outta sorts. Still, the screw will not tighten. Glues, wrappings, I am determined to find what works!
But in the mean time, I've re-attached the regular walking foot and am almost ready to sew everything that doesn't require any free-motion quilting (bummer). I say 'almost' because I've spent most of the last week sewing things by hand, just to change things up and try to calm my nerves about the FMQ foot.

I made some (very little) progress on the Flying Fish Mola, started the top layer stitching. This project is on my FAL 2014 Q1 list so I really need to spend more time working on it. It's going to be one of those time suckers as traditional appliques usually are.

Speaking of traditional applique, I've been seeing that it's gaining popularity amongst the online quilting world! Above are some of my favorite tools that I've inherited from my Grandmothers applique techniques. Straw needles are excellent in helping make tiny almost invisible stitches. I've been using needles out of that case of 16 for over 6 years now, they last along time. But a word of caution! They are sooooo tiny and thin, be very carful not to loose them or have a cat try and eat one (that's a story for another time!)
I also like to use that niffty little awl to turn under the edge as I go along. But you can use anything pointy like toothpicks or an ice pick or even a bookbinders awl. You get the point.
I'm working on an Introduction to Applique tutorial and possibly a class structured around the Mola style appliques I've been working on. Pretty excited about that!

Also in the hand work category, I've been doing some embroidery at night. These two pieces are really random stitching. I was going to frame them by themselves, but having them on the design wall made me think about adding some patchwork boarders and making them the centers of mini quilts.

And the horse doll prototype is coming along. Next up are the legs and then the fabulos details like hair, eyes, tails and of course a costume! 

Back to work I go! Linking up with Lee @ Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesdays

WIP Wednesday nearly Screwed!

I've had a bit of a frustraiting start to the week.
My regular sewing machine, the Husquvarna Lily has been recently experiencing some screw tightening issues where the foot attaches. You know, that metal bar that holds the feet. Well when this first happened about a week ago, I almost had a heart attack. Why wouldn't my screw tighten in the hole?!?! Then I realized there was some strippage (my own word) going on. The screw lost some screwy-ness. So I hunted for another screw. Problem solved. Or so I thought!

Yesterday I was gleefully enjoying my new machine cover and was so ready to jump into some FMQing of my art quilt on the wall. (Another from my FAL Q1 list!) I innocently unscrewed the regular foot to replace it with my FMQ foot, and then it happened again! My new screw would not be held in the hole!!! Dear Lord, how I almost lost it. I wasn't in the greatest mood to begin with, and this just about killed it. I promptly went on a search for some of that screw tape stuff plumbers use.

 Found some! Merrily returned to the studio feeling good about my improv solution, wrapped the screws and tried them out. Surely this will work, I thought.
No. It did not.
I had to find something else to do before my brain exploded. There's nothing worse then something not working at the exact moment you feel inspired to use it!!!
So I brought out my featherweight which had been giving me serious tension issues the last time I attempted to use it. Fearful that I'd have another failed fix, I crossed my fingers, got out the manuels and took a deep breath.

After a little tinkering, I found that the stupid needle screw thingy wasn't tightened on the opposite side. DUH! I got her working in no time, easily. Crisis averted. Whilst sewing up new doll bodies for the sad paper mache heads that have been floating around, I thought of another temporary solution to my screw tightening dileima on the Lily. I clear coated the shaft hole (pardon my language) with clear nail polish. A couple coats. I've let it dry and will reattempt a screw tightening tonight!

I leave you with lovely visuals of the mess I made yesterday. I like messes when they are full of making! There are visions of a horse doll coming!

The sketch above is courtesy my significant other and his amazing sketching abilities. Horse dolls are coming alive!

Linking up to Freshly Pieced....my whole life is a work in progress! Happy sewing!