Thursday, January 5, 2012

Famer's Wife Quilt blocks

 #22 Corn & Beans

 # 23 Country Farm

 # 24 Country Path

 #25 Cups & Saucers 

 # 26 Cut Glass Dish

 # 27 Darting Birds 

 # 28 Duck & Ducklings

 # 29 Economy 

 #30 End of Day 

 #31 Evening Star

 #32 Farmer's Daughter

# 33 Farmer's Puzzle 

 #34 Flock




Finished up 13 new Farmer's Wife quilt blocks today! I have had mistaken cuts and piecing errors throughout the making stages. Sewing tiny triangles make me nervous and it hasn't been great for most of the blocks. I looked up paper piecing method and questioned if I should go with that that instead. I finished 7 blocks last night, but on my last block I started making more than 2 errors then I knew it was time to quit for the night! 

It has been a great project to work with and make fabric choices and be creative with each block. I pile up all my 34 blocks and put together with the book and finally it is just over the book a bit! I will be working on my next two next week, but I think I will make my fabric selection tonight!

A great to end here...

xxC

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Wednesday: in and about

I am afraid that this would be my last {Wedensday: in and about} for awhile. As school resumes next week and a new schedule that I have made will effect right away. I have commit myself to {focus} finish works at school this coming semester. It is a bit disappoint, myself!  I am sure once school works slows down I will be able to find a Wednesday and just be home and sew or about something else.

I wrote down some of {focuses} this morning, but nothing extreme. I hope to stick with my focuses this year!  Continuing Farmer's wife sampler is one of the focus that I would like to maintain. It is a bit overwhelming making/cutting 11 blocks template in 2 days and hoping to get all the templates cut and sew in one night. I am under estimating the time consuming and labor effort. I keep thinking if I can select the fabric at the beginning of the week then work my way through. I could have two blocks a week. By the summer time,  I will have a quilt top finished. It might be just aside project from school without stress, but more enjoyment.

I also wanted to keep update {1/4"mark} often. Yes! It will slowly become 5 posts a week,  4 posts a week, or 3 posts a week.  I knew ahead of this time that our schedule will hectic! Normally we get home around 4, but I knew with my new jobs that I will need to be home later than 5 or so. Some weekends will involved working in school studio, new music lessons and music group for S. With the unpredictable winter weather in the northern land I might need to take extra time to prepare to leave the house and be on the road.

There are few quilts that I would like to start! The first one would be S' 8th birthday quilt! I have the fabric in hand and the pattern in mind! I need to dive in that project a.s.a.p. She is turning another year old in one month from today! Mom turned 60 this year ( she had her birthday in Taiwan). Turning 60 is a big birthday celebration! I have been missed her birthday for last 6 years and I really want to make her something that she can use and remember in her big birthday!

Quilting is slowly coming back in the modern days and so many of the quilters are pushing so hard to make the new meaning of {quilting}. I wanted to understand what quilting means to me, in person! I want to be more giving this year! Making quilts for others is one of my focus! It is personal value and it is nothing can sub for.


When I dive in a project I often grow it into a {labor look} work rather than taking the process and look back. I would like to take my time to finish and be more careful with all the work I am making here.


 Need to start use up the fabric that I have. It is growing and I don't see the end.

Another focus is use up the scraps fabric. I really need just make something in a day, with no plan in head. I think that might help me to free up my ideas and allow me to {play} more. I like small projects, such as notebook covers, check book covers, or some small totes. Now, I just remind myself I need a patch tote for my books. My backpack is already full with computer and binders.



Back in 2009, my first post these red work blocks were once in {a quilt top}, but I wasn't happy with the look, so I took the whole quilt top off. These blocks has been put away 3 years now. I would like to resemble them into a quilt top again. I hope to find a simple quilt block pattern for the sashings. I might try use some bright red/ prints fabric for this quilt. It might give it a new fresh look.

{2012} is the year that I want to learn to focus} on!  and yours?

xxC

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

A mini project










I am sure that you could tell that I didn't make this adorable mini armor. I got it from the local craft store for $1. For a very long time, I dream about having a armor to store all my fabric stashes. But in reality! It has to wait for awhile before it came true! {I am thinking that I might be able to build one by myself}.  I used the mini scrapes fabric and folded into to pea sizes that fit in the shelves. I used fabric glue on each, so they would stick together. It has been a mini project S and I shared. We've added a few more yesterday before she headed back to school today.

xxC

Monday, January 2, 2012

Preparation


Last night, I sat through the night and started my next few farmer's wife blocks. It has been putting away for sometimes now. I didn't wanted to rush to have {a quilt} done, but rather enjoy every process of it!  Especially picking the fabric out! I spent a good 2 hours just to pull out the fabric last night and did the fabric match later on.

I have found that I love {fat quarter} so much now! It is great for projects like this! I purposely cut some yardage fabric into {fat quarters} then store them in the fabric box. I am able to do more playing rather than second myself if I should just save the yardage fabric. Some of the fabric just never get to play around, but being {hoard}. {saved}.













Another small change that I have in my mind for 2012 is maybe try to find fabric that's more {out of comfort zone} selections. I have only {one} purple in the entire stash! Purple never gets my attention, but I need some for the reason of options and better preparations. A small stash of the brown and gray even though I love neutral colors, but it seems like I pay more attentions to the colors/ prints  that {catch my eye} first!

It is a sunny day today, but I decided to vanish myself in the sewing room and getting these template cut! Soup is made early this morning and it smells yummy! 

I shall vanish myself NOW!

xxC





Sunday, January 1, 2012

Random: First, but not least








Happy New Year! Last night, I purposely set off the alarm and decided to sleep in for the first day of 2012. It is the reward that I have earned from 2011! It was a good sleep in. S and I spent our morning cuddled in and started in a slow, but relax mode. More snow flew in this morning! With my bitter coffee in hand, I set myself in the pleasant mode then began our day! 

In a week, school will start for me and in a day will start for S. I prepared my new syllabi this morning. It got very detail and very long this time! I preferred  present a clear statement and clear general notices at the beginning of the semester, so everyone understands and can follow! S began her second series books reading-Harry Potter a month ago. Her first series books are {The boxcar children}. They are both wonderful and adventure books for her! She was waiting for me to finish my work, so we could start our dumpling making.

If you haven't had any dumplings, I would say it is similar to the Italian ravioli, but inside isn't cheese! It has ground pork, fine chopped green onions, fine chopped cabbages, find chopped shrimp, sesame oil, soy sauces, and white pepper. To be very honest, I never know how to make them until I moved to U.S. { I am often homesick my hometown food, so I have to make it happen when I need to have some}.  All the ingredients is based on {experiments} and {experiences}. I could not tell you how much of each I have added. Sometimes, I added one more than the other, but boy!!!  they tasted good this time! S asked me to boiled a few for her today! She devoured them! Our banana muffins were big success! I didn't add the coconut ingredient, since I don't really like the taste of it. 

The first day is the same as other day, but with a little more motivation changes that were set in 2011!

xxC