Birthday Wishes

Thanks for all the birthday wishes, texts, presents, messages and phone calls!  I had a great birthday (despite having to work) and I love hearing from all my friends, no matter how far away.  I don’t really feel any older, but I am a little sleepy.

Today is a quiet day, cleaning, laundry, sewing, and such.  I am sewing, despite the continued lack of finishing stuff.  I am also really looking forward to our upcoming French Canadian vacation!

I Swear I Am Making Stuff

I don’t have any finished items to show, but I have been sewing like mad this week trying to finish all 320 of the 4.5″ blocks (each one made up of 6 pieces) for a quilt that is due in early October.  My goal was to finish before my vacation coming up at the end of the month, and while I had to go and buy a little bit more fabric at the end, I made it.  I also put together 4 of those 4.5″ blocks to see what they look like put together.  A little scrappy (those little squares in the middle are 1″), but I am super happy to have hit a major milestone in the project.  Tonight I sorted the 320 blocks to make sure all the colors were spread out, so now 1 down and 79 left to go!

New Bike

Junk in one person’s basement is a treasure to someone else.  I scored a “new” bike from some friends who have moved to Indy and definitely were not taking this bike with them.  I love it!  It is a little creaky, and only one speed, but perfect for tooling around town.

My knee has been somewhat slow to heal (and annoying), so this week has been slow.  Tim and I did have a nice First Friday date last night and even played some pool at the Vid.  But I haven’t been able to finish any little projects lately, but it isn’t for lack of crafting!

Year of Making Stuff: #30

This item was made with leftover yarn and a pattern Amy showed me when she was here visiting.  It will be a little birthday gift for a certain someone about to turn one, so only getting a preview right now.

I was in the middle of a great weekend of market, friends, garage sales, gardens and crafts when I fell hiking by myself on the rocks at McCormick’s Creek.  Not my most brilliant hour as I smashed my head and knee on the rocks.  Still sort of limping around.    On the bright side, I am now up to date on my tetanus shots!  Bring on the rusty nails!

Indy and #29

I finished this quilt last week for the Community Quilts Project for the Bloomington Quilters’ Guild.  I had been cleaning out some of my fabric/craft/quilt storage recently and came across the top of this quilt, fully put together.  As part of my using up fabric that I already have, I quickly pieced together the back and was able to finish this up pretty quickly and have item #29 done for my Year of Making Stuff.  Now I just have to finish that twin sized one too!

Even with working on Saturday, I was able to drive up to Indianapolis to visit Stephanie and enjoyed a hilarious night out at the Rathskeller.  And as a bonus, I stopped and met new baby Stella at Abby’s on the way home. She was thrilled to meet me too.

Year of Making Stuff: Item 28

I am catching back up!  I finished this little fabric basket last night for Taleah, Abby’s oldest.  I am headed up to Indy tomorrow to stay with Steph, but will catch Abby and her girls on the way back home on Sunday.  I have quilts for the younger two, but didn’t want to come empty handed for Tay.  I love my little fabric basket, so hope that this will work for her too.  Just a little something to put hair ties, or similar.

I also finished a quilt this weekend too!  Just when I thought I was out, I was able to pull myself back in!  Heh.

Tim is off to a double header softball game tonight, so its a little white wine, and maybe some knitting and reading.  After some pretty intense reads, I picked up a Maeve Binchy.  So far its sort of gaggy.

Quilt Block Tower

This is what 243 4″ quilt blocks look like.  I need 320, so I am getting close.  So while I haven’t been finishing anything lately, I don’t want you, internet, to think I am slacking.  I have been working on things, only they are bigger projects.  I’ve been waiting for a book to come in at the library that has a headband pattern in it, but other than that, I am out of small project ideas.  Maybe I could whip up some quick coasters?

Would it be against the rules to change the YoMS rules?  What if I finished 52 things this year, but it wasn’t necessarily one per week?  Would that still count?

A Visitor, A Motorcycle, Some Peppers and a Lack of Crafts

Amy Scott moved away in 6th grade.  We were friends, but not really great friends.  But I imagined how hard it was to move so far away from everyone you know, so I wrote her a letter.  And she wrote me back.  And well, a few letters became many letters and eventually in high school it meant we were sending each other 20 page letters pretty much every week.  I have a few serious bricks of letters from Amy.  We still don’t see each other very often, and now she lives in Buenos Aries, so trips are rare.  But she is criss-crossing the country and stayed with us for the weekend.  We really didn’t do all that much other than shop and eat, but it was great seeing her and spending some time together.

She also needed some polyfil and wondered if I had any.  Ha!

Not to blame it on Amy, but I have not finished anything last week!  Ack!  I will hopefully remedy that this week.  However, I don’t have anything quick in mind.

Also?  Tim bought a motorcycle.

Year of Making Stuff: Week 27

When peaches are in and ripe, I will eat them with every meal.  However the season is short, and come winter I will be craving my favorite fruit.  Today I peeled, sliced and mixed up 18 cups of peach pie filling.  Portioned out into individual freezer bags, I have enough for three pies this winter, with a few left over for instant snacking.  Come winter, I’m set.  Week 27?  Making pie filling. Not exactly instant gratification, but talk to me again in January.

I have also been sewing my tiny pieces together, and out of 320 blocks to make, I have 230 done.  I am running out of 1 1/2 inch pieces though and may not have enough fabric to finish without introducing something additional.

The rest of this Sunday afternoon will be spent reading about Bananas.

Really.

Summer Dinner

One of my favorite summer dinners…Zucchini Frittata from A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen by Jack Bishop, one of my favorite veggie cookbooks.  This dish is delicious, easy and made from local eggs and zucchini from our garden.  The best part?  Its even better the next day.

I’ve been sewing my 320 blocks together and have 170 completed…so on my way.  Though I may be running out of small squares of fabric.  Not sure what the solution may be.  And knitting again…a pattern with cables that is really easy.