Purple Prep

I always have big plans for getting some sewing done in the evenings while Kurt is out of town.  Usually I am about done by the end of my day as a single parent and collapse on the couch instead of getting something useful accomplished.  This time though, I focused on getting a little bit of purple preparation done, and made nice progress.   Every purple block is at least partially ready to go.  Some just have fabric and a pattern collected into a baggie and some are prepped for applique or cut out and ready to sew.  These three just happened to get finished while the sorting and organizing was underway.  The first block is H-2, Jacob Anthony. The one is the middle is C-5, Eye of the Cyclone.  Last on the right is J-4 which is called Adeline's Apron Strings.
Science Fair is this weekend, it is Anna's turn this time, she will be at the mall all day Friday and half a day Saturday.  Sydney still has the second level to look forward to, so the season isn't quite over yet.  They are both looking forward to wearing their new clothes, I'll have to remember to take a picture.  

Tiny Tuesday - Jane's Tears

Someday I will have to do something that isn't applique, but it is so simple when they are all prepped and ready to just stitch away while watching TV.  This one is called Jane's Tears.  It is C9

DJ Count 6 blocks 0 triangles 32 pieces

Mini Monday - Sweet Tater Pie

I really like the blocks where two four patches or pinwheels are made and then rotated before one is sewn on top of the other.  This is one of those blocks and is called Sweet Tater Pie.  It is Dear Jane Dear Jane block B-2

Design Wall Monday January 28th

 I SO wanted to finish the flying geese for Hawaii Sunset this weekend.  The kids all had other plans though.  Lacrosse and football and dress shopping for science fair. Can't have new dresses without new shoes of course.  There were trips to the grocery store and family movie marathons.

So before I could blink, the weekend was gone and these poor little geese just aren't quite ready to fly away.   Soon though they will be done.  Just look how close they are.  This week looks pretty busy with the usual family and work activities, but maybe next weekend?  Maybe.  Hopefully.  

Sunday Slowdown

I've been stitching away steadily on the small blue Dear Jane.  Each block gets its own little treatment as the mood strikes me.  I'm well over halfway now, and starting to think that finishing might be a real possibility.

My hand quilting still isn't perfect, but it is a nice relaxing way to spend an evening while the family is watching a movie together in the evening.  Kathy is hosting a link up for slow stitching Sunday, head over to her blog to see what others are up to.

The girls both got up this morning and decided to start sewing.  We got a new sewing machine for Anna a couple of weeks ago.  There was an add in the paper that was advertising a clearance sale on school overstock machines still new in the box.  Kurt was able to drive down on his lunch break and get her all set up.  Now Sydney has taken over Anna's old machine which used to be mine, and they are both happy as clams.

Yesterday was crazy busy.  Ryan had his first football of the new season and Anna wanted to go to a Lacrosse clinic.

Not wanting to go alone, she recruited her friend Allie.  They were definitely the youngest girls there, but they stuck together and had a good time.  She seems to have talked Allie into signing up with her for the recreational lacrosse league that starts next month.   Somehow poor Sydney's Girl Scout meeting got lost in the shuffle of all that.  

By the end of the day, Anna was done though and snoozed right through the second movie in our Lord of the Rings marathon.  

I'm hoping Sunday will be a little more relaxing.  The boys are going to play Dungeons and Dragons and the girls want me to take them shopping for new outfits to wear for science fair.  

ScrapHappy Saturday - Pink Roses for Hope

Today is the last pink Saturday, though there are still 6 pink days left in the month.
So here is a bit of pink trivia to start wrapping things up

• 
  

• First Lady, Mamie Eisenhower, who loved and wore pink so much it became known as “Mamie Pink”.

• Pink encourages friendliness while discouraging aggression and ill-will.

• Since the color pink is said to have a tranquilizing effect, sport's teams sometimes use pink to paint the locker room used by opposing teams.
• In 1947, fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli introduced the color "hot pink" to western fashion. She dubbed the shade "Shocking Pink," though today the color is more well-known as "magenta."

• Pastries taste better when they come out of pink boxes or served on pink plates (it only works with sweets). Pink makes us crave sugar.

 I am running out of pink scraps, but putting the last bits to use in these pink framed geese that I am desperate to finish for Hawaii Sunset.  How about you?  Still sorting through the last bits of pink?  Ready to share your pink projects for the month?  Use the Linky below to link to your post full of pink.  

Tiny Tuesday - Florence Nightingale

 This was a simple and straight forward traditionally pieced block.  It is number A8 from the Dear Jane quilt.   I'm still not sure what the measurements were.  I just laid my ruler over the top of the pattern in the book, added an extra quarter of an inch all around and then cut the fabric that big.  The triangles were cut oversized and then trimmed down.

Kurt was my model tonight.  He seems to be getting more creative with poses these days.

DJ Count 5 blocks 0 triangles 27 pieces

MLK Day

After the dentist this morning I wanted to do something calm and avoid the nap that was calling my name.  Pulling a few simple paper pieced blocks out of the Dear Jane stack seemed like a nice low impact activity for the afternoon.  There is a tiny bit of handwork to do on inset seams and odd applique additions, but I'll add these four blocks to the collection nonetheless.  Now that I've managed to stay upright all day, I'm waiting for the ibuprofen to kick in before curling up with a good book.  I read a nice review of Sotomayor's new book and was thinking of downloading the Kindle version.   It is either that or the creativity textbook for my gifted class.  Apparently creativity has a lot to do with self actualization.  

Design Wall Monday January 21, 2013

Thanks to Martin Luther King, I have an extra day to sew this weekend.  I chipped away at the geese for Hawaii Sunset this weekend and worked on a few more pink scraps.  Mostly though, I did some much needed cleaning and organizing.  I'm off to the dentist first thing, not a holiday for them which means I don't have to take any time off.  Anna is working hard on her science fair board.  She is the last of three and I won't be sad to see the end of science fair season.  Head over to Patchwork Times to see what everyone else has up on their design walls.  

Mini Monday - Rose of Sharing

I found just the perfect fabric to fussy cut for block K7.  It is kind of a big blob of a block, but is done nonetheless.