Sliced - Pattern Keeper

I don't know if I've ever mentioned how big a fan I am of Chopped on Food Network.

It's on auto-DVR. It's one of those shows that I don't have any handwork projects going while I watch it.

So imagine how thrilled I was to hear about Moda's Sliced competition.

All the excitement of Chopped with fabric? I'm in!

Here's my entry to the audition rounds:

Requirements:
Item must be for Office/Studio space
Fabrics must showcase a Moda precut
Must use a buckle
Must use batting

At first I thought my idea was a little crazy but the more I thought about it...the more I wanted to make it work.

I don't know about the rest of y'all but in this fabulous age of websites and blogs I am *constantly* printing out patterns. They get shoved in all sorts of piles around my office. They get coffee on them. They get stolen by the cats. They get crinkled...it was out of hand.

So I made a pattern keeper.

I pulled charms from the Meadow Friends charm pack and paired them with a gorgous green from the Twirl line.

It gave me the chance to try out a Wonky star block. Which I'd been meaning to do.

Flip it over and you have this:

The center is a vinyl window. My patterns stay protected from the craziness of the office but are still viewable.
Added bonus: Dry erase markers!

I will readily admit that I have a bit of craft ADD. I'm usually working on more than one thing at a time and sometimes I'll jump between projects by the hour. Being able to cross off where I left off in a pattern is amazing. Plus I'm not damaging any of my patterns. No reprinting/repurchasing.

Interior:

As you can see I've got more than one pattern inside. I use paper clips to keep each one separate from the other. 

I used overall buckles for it for a couple of reasons. 

One I just really like how they look.

Two, when I'm done for the day I can close it *and* hang it:

Let's just ignore how I can't put nails in a wall straight, shall we?

I know exactly where all my patterns are. There are no clumps of paper all over the place. And I've got a cute little wall hanging. 

Can you tell I love it?

Bonus pic of the moment when I felt I was getting my full Chopped experience:

For this episode I am the girl that cut herself sewed through her finger.

It was so quick. The needle went in before my eyes saw that my finger was in the way. 

I'm pretty proud, though. First I caught it before I bled on my fabric (yay!). Second, I wrapped it in paper towel and packing tape (I forgot to pick bandaids up at the store last week) and kept on sewing.

About five minutes later I was totally laughing.

Now that this is finished I've got a couple projects yet to wrap up before my birthday on Saturday.

Works in Progress:
Mini for Modern Mini Challenge (top finished)
My FLoS piece needs a tag and a hanging sleeve
Tree Mini

WiP Wednesday - Redos and Contests Edition

I thought I'd kicked this week off to a good start.

I finished one of my projects for the 2nd Round of the For Love of Solids Swap earlier than I expected.

Even went full steam ahead into my final project for that swap. I'd already had everything cut it just needed to be assembled.

Then I got a closer look at it and realized I'd screwed it up.

And spent an unmentionable amount of time trying to figure out how to take pictures of my screw-up without ruining the surprise of the project.

This is the best I came up with:

The pictures make it all look better than it is. That staining/shadow on the fabrics is where my fusible melted through. 

Ugh.

Luckily, I'd grown pretty attached to this design so making two isn't such a bad thing.

The stained one can stay. The new I'm-piecing-ironing-oh-so-slow-it's-driving-me-crazy one will get sent off. 

In between my frustratingly slow piecing I've been auditioning fabrics for the contests I've suddenly decided I need to enter even though it's dreadfully close to the deadline. 

There's the Ugly Swoon Block which really is a good idea because I can get some practice before cutting into my precious Lizzy House fabric.

Current winners for that fabric choice are: 

I actually love that spiderweb on the bottom but I pulled it to have an obnoxiously bright background for the block.

Next is the Modern Mini Challenge.

I've been digging in the scrap bin for this one:

Ha! Bet you never saw those colors coming from me....I didn't either. 

This mini will give me the chance to try out a technique I've wanted to learn to use on a much larger scale. 

Justification much? Me? ....Totally.

Plus, my design involves Bacon. 

Bacon. 

It needed to be said twice.

And you know me I love to give myself eighty bajillionbillion projects at once. 

I got an idea.

Teaser: 

I'm takin' all this chaos over to Lee's like always.

Any guesses on how many I finish on time?

FLoS2 - Pillowcase

I think I was feeling a little over ambitious today.

I mentioned yesterday that I was going to try and get the top of my For Love of Solids Rd.2 project finished.

Before I knew it, I had just finished the whole thing:

The back:

I didn't have a pillow to fit this on so I just draped it over my machine in the first pic. 

I think it works.

I'm pretty proud of this thing. A couple of seams got away from me but I'm also still trying to learn this new machine so I'm alright with that. 

Hopefully my partner likes it.

Now to just finish secret project #2 and I can get this package in the mail! 

Hoops and Stacks

I'm totally losing track of days again. It always seems to happen in winter.

I haven't been idle however.

Finished a couple of hoops (both of which were on my 50in2012 list!):

Megaman Hoop for the Man of the House

Muppet Hoop for Me

My cats were super helpful on my hoop and knocked over the black paint. See the smear behind "Muppet"?

Jerks.

I dabbed and cleaned and bleach-penned as best I could.

Good thing it's just going on my epic wall of art.

Outside all the hoopla I've been working on my projects for the For Love of Solids Rd. 2 Swap.

Project one involved some precision cutting and such that I can't wait to reveal when my partner gets it.

Project two involves 3" squares.

If there was an Ugliest Ironing Board Ever Contest, I'd enter mine.

I've been piecing them in rows almost at random, going neutral/purple/neutral/etc.

Next I'll work all the rows together. 

With any luck, I'll have the top finished off tomorrow to show you. 

I turned one of my weird thoughts into an actual object.

There are few things I love more than Pokemon.

I'm in the last year of my 20's and I still totally play.

I've been trying to work on my sketching skills and I started by drawing pokemon faces because it was something I could easily call to mind and sketch while catching up on some Project Runway.

When asked why Pokemon, I meant to say "I heart pokemon."

My silly mouth said "I pokeheart."

And then my brain provided me with some images of what that might look like.

There have been bits and pieces of this projects in the edges of some of my photos in the last couple of weeks.

This is how I think Pokehearts look:

Pikachu & Snorlax

A view of the back:

'cause I wanted it to be like a conversation heart

Felt and Fleece on the front with words stitched in cotton on the back. 

I have the sketches for at least twelve more faces. I might get around to making them. I had planned to have five done by the 1st but other projects got in the way. 

Winter Stitching Check In

Two posts in a row on the same day?! Ahhhhhhhhhhh...

My scatterbrain just realized that I hadn't checked in on my Winter Stitching List.

I'm almost afraid to look at it.

Let's see where we stand:

1) ZZQAL --- oh you poor thing. I think it feels abandoned. I really do.

2) Bottled Rainbows --- I shouldn't have even put this on the list. I really shouldn't have. Cause I'm still collecting little scraps of fabric for it.

3) Cooking Mama Rug --- PPPffffffffffffffffttttttttttttttttttttttttt. (Someday when I'm brave I'll record myself making this noise to share with y'all)

4) Game Quilt --- Waiting for pieces that I outsourced the construction on *coughcoughMomcough*

5) Eevee cross stitch --- Nope

6) Cranberry Pillow Commission Quilt --- Are you sick of hearing about this one yet? I'm certainly sick of looking at it. Currently Being Worked On


7) Trench of Doom - Ha! Not even out of the bag.

8) Christmas Quilt -- Postponed to next christmas because of being sick. (I get one free pass, yeah?)

9) Tardis cross stich --- .......oh man...I don't even know where this is right now... crap.

10) Table Runner for Swap --- done  Woo!

11) Stitch up Logo --- Thinking about changing the whole design.

12) Peeps Quilt -- I can be a big girl and say I'm scared of this one. It has curves. 


13) Make Plush Prototypes. Two Done! Completely figured out construction too so I'm counting this as done. 


14) Monkey Quilt -- Still no design. Stalled.

15) Goldfish Quilt -- Kinda sorta have an idea for this. Maybe. Ugh.

16) Less Than Three Quilt --- On hold.

17) Design a quilt/block   --- done! Did I show y'all this? I don't think I did. I designed a quilt to look like a circuit board 'cause I'm a geek.


I knew this list was going to be bad since I was a sick sleepyhead for a good month. I'm really glad there's three things done on it. That's way better than I thought it would be.

At this point, considering the last two weeks I will count having that Cranberry quilt finished as a complete and utter success when this is all over.

Shiny fabric hates me.
That's all I'm saying.

WiP Wednesday - Stacks of fabric everywhere..and a question

I bet y'all are used to it being pretty quiet around here. It means I'm a busy busy bee.

Surrounded by stacks of fabric...

I joined Round 2 of the For Love Of Solids Swap on Flickr and I finally took a break to gather up some fabric for my two projects.

I've known for a good week what two things I was going to make which is shocking for me. But exciting.

I am fully aware how nuts that stack on the right looks. It's for a very specific pattern that I can't show any of my sketches for 'cause this is a secret swap and I'd totally give it away. 

I want to make a second one for myself.

Then I put this stack together:

Which may just be a stack of fabrics that I put together for the Swoon Pattern I bought. I couldn't resist. Plus I've been hoarding this fabric and I need to not do that. 

Started over completely on my commission quilt and I'm much happier with this process which means I might just get this finished this month. Huzzah! I assure you I'll do a flippin' dance of joy when this thing leaves the house.

Now here's where the question part comes in:

I've been working on some other non-quilty things over the past month. Lots of stitching plus some plush type stuff. I've been hesitant putting it on this blog because I feel like this is quilt central. 

Fair warning: over 75% of it is video game related.

How would y'all feel with some other projects getting mixed in around here? 

I've been considering starting a tumblr and putting all of it there. 

Blog?

Tumblr?

Don't care?

I'm overthinking all this aren't I?