Must resist! MUST RESIST! M.U.S.T. R.E.S.I.S.T!!!! A QAL

Okay... picture Sid the Sloth speaking.....

"I. Do. this. EVERY. Year!"

The start of the new year hits.  I've thoroughly enjoyed Christmas vacation, and the relaxing STRESS-FREE schedule!  I start jumping on band-wagons of New Quilting Resolutions and upcoming yearly challenges.

ie:  I'm back IN Angela's (SoScrappy) 2014 Rainbow Scrap Challenge. WITH a plan this year!

ie:  I've loaded up on amazing new fabrics for a King size quilt for my sister

.....

ummmm.

Alright, I guess I didn't go TOO overboard this New year's on 2014 projects!

Ahhhhh.......but we ARE only a week into the new year ;)

I'm okay to add another to that list then, right?????  Afterall, Bonnie's mystery has now been solved, and I'm progressing towards finishing it!

Melissa Corry (Happy Quilting) is offering out a Quilt along starting soon!

The schedule:

Jan 15 - Intro, Fabric Requirements, and Prizes Announcement

Jan 29 - Cutting

 Feb 5 - Flying Geese

Feb12 - Half Square Triangles

Feb 19 - Building Block Centers

Feb 26 - Building Block Sides

Mar 5 - Building Block Corners
Mar 12 - Piecing Top and Grand Prize Linky

April 2- Star Light Star Bright Parade and Grand Prize Winners

Golly!  That's seems do-able, right!?!?!?  

This quilt, in the COLORS she chose to use in her design, absoLUTEly catch my eye for a QOV.  Am I right???  

And....January 29....that's a few weeks away; I'm sure I can get my act together with Celtic Solstice, right??  And Jen's Berquist Beauty??  Sure...sure.... I can do that!  I can!

Ummmm....help me now!  Tell me to stop perusing blogs! And Ravelry!  And Pinterest!

I suppose I could always quit my job?  THAT would give me some stress-free time to quilt and sew.

Although....a new stress would emerge:  financial stress.

**sigh**

Why does life has to be so stressful and frustrating? :\

Jes lemme quilt!  Jes lemme play with lovely, beautiful fabrics.  Is that really too much to ask?????

A whole lotta "new"ness!

Promptly at 9:20AM yesterday, the delivery man showed up with our furniture delivery.  To start the unloading from the back:  a California King sleep-set (box spring and mattress).

Dear Paul had worked the night shift (7PM - 7AM), and had arrived home, showered, and literally had about 20 minutes of rest (on the couch) before the delivery men arrived.  Being the big burly man that he is, he helped with the unloading.  The sad news:  the mattress was FROZEN SOLID!!!!!  There would be NO SLEEPING on it for at least a few hours!

Having another day off of school due to extreme cold temperatures, I used the opportunity to give the bedroom a bit of a cleaning and washed up all the bedding.

This picture doesn't really show the HUGE change for us.  Roll Roll Cotton boll fit rather nice..... on the top, but!......

...as I figured, it simply wasn't going to due anymore.  The sides are way way too short :D  {{I need to get my butt going on Celtic Solstice now!!!!}}

Please observe the top edge of the wood frame -- that is where the height of our LAST mattress  ended.  There was NO box-spring under our previous mattress.  We have an old waterbed frame that we picked up for a REASONABLE price from a garage sale.......... 10 years ago!!!!!!!!  There was no box-spring with it; only a mattress.  OMGoodness.  10 YEARS without a new mattress;  isn't the going rate usually 8?  And then...who KNOWS how long that mattress had been in the bed prior to us buying it!

In the store when we were shopping around, we learned a LOT about our bed.  Did you know that waterbed frames typically are California King instead of Standard King???    And, when I heard 8" box spring and then 13" mattress on top, I figured.... Gah-REAT!  It'll be a wonderful height!  

Ummmm....... LOL.  Now observe the footstool!!!!!  Yes folks......that's a TALLLLLLL bed for a short lil' runt of 5'3"!  However, Paul absolutely LOVES the height!  He IS 6'6" afterall.

Each of us have now slept in it once (me last night, and Paul today -- he worked night shift again last night.)  He likes it so far -- no back pain.  The jury is still out for me.  It DEFINITELY holds in some heat as compared to our last mattress.  GOOD!  I'm ALWAYS cold!  But, last night was a terrible night of sleep -- and I don't think it had anything to do with the mattress.  Stress at school is rising, and I was dreading what awaited when I returned today :\

Alright.....delivery #2 from the back of the truck:

My new glider rocker!!!!!!

I typically need to be constantly in motion.  I LOVE rocking!  And I have missed it.  Our last glider has been broken for months, and lately, the rocking simply ceased to exist :\  

In fact, I am rocking away MADLY as I type of this post!  I promise to keep it to a reasonable speed and intensity, though;  I wouldn't want anyone to become motion-sick.

Another "new"bie arrived today!

I don't even remember exactly how a conversation came to be with Nancy (Patchwork Penguin), but... a while ago she made a comment about a sewing machine table attachment (SewEZ???) that she had that should fit my machine.  I gave it a super quick fitting tonight.  Sure seems to fit :)

However..... :\

...see this little attachment that's on my current lil' table that comes with the machine?

It's a seam guide.  A MUCH appreciates and USED seam guide.

With the new table, there isn't a way to attach it.  :(  So..... some thinking will go into a possible arrangement.  Maybe I can get the new table low enough to fit under my current one??  Or... I'll have to look around to see if there are other seam guide options out there for a 440QE (other than taping "the line" or other taped-style solutions).

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Beautiful fabrics [Berquist Beauty]

We had our last Christmas celebration this past weekend with my family.  Ummm.... I didn't take any pictures, but both my mother and sister did.  However, I FAILED to download any copies from their cameras before leaving.  Oy-vey!  

At one point Saturday afternoon, I graciously bowed out of the afternoon football watching to head to town ... Candace needed some new snow pants, but...... secretively, I wanted to get into Hancock Fabrics to actually look at fabrics in person instead of online!!!!  Remember my shopping cart from a couple of weeks ago???

Well, my sister rode along as did my nephew.  We all had an ulterior motive for heading to town.

Stop #1:  Bath-n-Body so my sister could use up a gift certificate from LAST Christmas!

Stop #2:  Festival Foods, shopping for fixings for dinner (Spaghetti dinner)

Stop #3:  HANCOCK FABRICS!!!!!!

With my sister in tow (nephew stayed in the van, watching a movie), we perused the aisles in search of any fabrics that would work in my sister's bedroom.  

This quilt was posted last week by a lady working on her Celtic Solstice.  I have ALWAYS wanted to make a pattern similar to this.  ((LITTLE did I know at that time that Bonnie's mystery was ALSO this design!!!!))  The lady mentioned the quilting magazine that held the pattern she used;  I didn't pay much attention, knowing I would be able to recreate this without much effort.  SPECIALLY now that Bonnie's mystery essentially uses the same units (with a bit more extreme piecing!), this pattern shouldn't take much calculation on my part.

Back to Hancock...

I was actually amazed at how quickly the fabrics were stacked up;  teals/blues, browns, and pinks/mauves.  

And the fabrics have now safely made the trip to my house, have been through the washer and dryer, pressed lovingly by my new iron, and now.... await to be made into Jen's (and Derek's!) quilt.  I'm thinking of "Berquist Beauty" as the name of the quilt -- Berquist being my sister/husband's last name.

And not to forget, 

Stop #4 on Saturday:  Walmart!  Nephew wanted to buy a video game with his gift card and money received from Christmas.

NOW, with TWO days of extreme cold keeping us prisoner in our house, you'd THINK I'd be able to get some serious quilting done.  Today we didn't have school, and I spent about 4 hours downstairs working on Celtic Solstice and some overall tidying of the sewing room.  But it was COLD down there, so I gave up around noon!  I'm hoping tomorrow will bring on some MORE motivational mojo juice for me to tackle LOADS of sewing since school as already been pre-cancelled for the day!

Happy Monday!

((It IS Monday, right??)

2013 Creation wrap up

Yes, we are a week into 2014 already, but I am first getting around to organizing and posting my 2013 finishes.

It was a quiet year;  even my blog postings are the fewest I've had since I began blogging.

I have a theory, though.....

I hit record numbers in my Running 2013!  Therefore, something hadta give, right??

Finished in 2013

{{A far cry from my goal of 20}}

- Julie's Baby quilt

- Forever

- Seven Shirts [NO PIC] :\

- Scrappy Pineapple Blossom

- Confetti

- Wafer Cookies

However, I did add a new hobby to my crafting list:  Crochet

- RWB Rag Rug, Utility Rug, and other rugs...

- Aran Afghan throw

- Slanted Shells throw

- Homespun V-stitch

- Fingerless gloves [NO PIC] :\

- Market Bag

- Peaches-n-Cream baby afghan

- Simple Cotton Purse

- Caitlyn's RWB

- Kaleidoscope afghan

- Laker Ripples

And then, of course, my other big "finishes" of the year....

 2013 Oshkosh Half - Marathon (April).  New personal best time:  2:05:06


And the 2013 Green Bay Cellcom Marathon in May.  It was HOT, but I finished :)

Celtic Solstice update [Design Wall]

My design wall hasn't seen much change since last Thursday when I awoke and "whipped out" 40 blocks for Bonnie's SECRET REVEAL final layout on Celtic Solstice.    

At this stage, 40 of 121 blocks are completed.  I'm still happy I elected to upgrade to the King size quilt after purchasing our new bed mattress at the end of the December, but  Whhoooo-weeee!  A king size Bonnie quilt is QUITE the undertaking!  I can't wait for it to see a finish.

Since Thursday, I haven't had much opportunity to spend time in my sewing room, therefore, there isn't anything new to show.  

Clue 1:  100% updated to the King size

Clue 2:  100% updated to the King size

Clue 3:  100% updated to the King size

Clue 4:  100% updated to the King size

Clue 5:  ALMOST updated to the King size;  I think I have about 40 more units sitting next to the machine, acting as L/E while I start piecing finished blocks together.

:0)

Check out other posts on Bonnie's CS linkup

Check out other posts on Judy's Design Wall linkup

Happy MONDAY everyone!

OH That Bonnie!!!! Celtic Solstice layout...

This morning, I slept a LITTLE bit later than the past few mornings, but by 7:04, I was heading downstairs raring to lay out my units after a SURPRISE reveal from Bonnie last night for the New Year!!!!

Four hours later... 40 blocks (20 of each) have been completed.  This is just shy of 1/3 of the blocks expected for the King size quilt.   

This quilt is going to be HUGE!

2013 NYE Mystery

This was the third year for me to participate in an annual NYE mystery quilt.  Clues are typically posted throughout the day, one every hour.  Although it's a day later, I simply was exhausted last night;  fell asleep around 10:00 before having a chance to post... only to be awakened at 12:00 by Candace saying, "Happy New Year, Mom."

The first clue wasn't expected to be posted until 8:00AM for me, which allowed me some time to search out the perfect fabrics.  

The pattern called for about 1 1/2 yards of a "dark."  I crossed my fingers that this XXL shirt would suffice!

MOST clues were cut out and I was ready by 8:00.  From the past, I have come to realize that I want to hold off cutting SOME clues until they are posted;  often they utilize HSTs or QSTs (I can usually tell by that 6 1/4 or 3 3/8).  And I'd simply rather follow the "add 1/2" rule, and use my EZ Angle and Companion Angle rulers :)

Clue #1 -- posted a little early!  I'm ready to go :)

And I SIMPLY had to laugh!!!!!!  Fifteen minutes later, I was done and twiddling my thumbs.  These DEFINITELY aren't like Bonnie's mysteries!!!!!! LOL.

Clue #2 was actually posted around 8:30;  I'm glad I kept peeking in :)  AND, no matter how long you have been quilting, there come times when a forehead slap happens.  Ummmmm..........  ;)

Another quick clue....

Clue #3 start taking a little bit longer.  AND, sure enough!  The cutting directions called for cutting 3 3/8" squares, cut in half diagonally.  BUT... I was right to expect this.  Instead, I cut them at 3" (a weird size for me after all of Bonnie's Scrap User measurements), and then I used my EZ Angle ruler for the wings.

Clue #4...

And clue #5, done.  Clue #6 wasn't expected until 12:00/noon, therefore the timing was perfect for a short lunch break!  Bagel pizzas for me and the girls.

... and there was something about this quilt -- I was loosing interest already :\ 

The pieces were bigger than I'm used to.

I knew the top would be done by the end of the day if I kept plugging away due to the size of the units.

But ... all the fabrics were the same.

I tell ya, Bonnie has truly lead me to a quilter's love of SCRAPS!  My ADHD brain was getting bored....

But Clue #6 was done after lunch... and an unexpected game of SKIP-BO with the girls.

...and clue #7...

added the corner units for Clue #8.

I tried to give my brain something to occupy itself with by playing some Missouri Quilt Co. videos in the background...

... which turned into Jurassic Park by the start and end of clue #9.

Clue #10.  BOTH blocks are now complete.

Clue #10 also shared the layout!  Caitlyn had joined me for the previous couple of clues.  It was COLD downstairs, even WITH my space-heater.  Therefore, Caitlyn gratefully helped place the blocks onto the design wall -- she could warm up for a brief moment by taking the blocks directly from me pressing them.

By 5:30, the layout was on the wall.

BUT, I was done.

Tired.

And ready to put my feet up with my crochet hook.

A double-border was recommended;  I'll definitely have to work something out with the remaining blue shirt fabric left.  Those center blocks ONLY used one of the long-sleeves!  There should be plenty for a decent border :)

Twelve hours, and I didn't want to quit!!!

It was another 5AM alarm that eagerly roused me from bed (although I had been awake since about 4:30 again).  **sigh** I will miss this stress-free living once Thursday rolls around and I need to head back to school :\

Dishes, coffee, bagel... the same routine.

Kisses to Paul at 5:45...

and then, it was time to get RSC12 taken care of!!! (with the Missouri Quilt Company tutorials playing in the background).  I actually followed one of those YouTube ads to this 'station.'  Heaven knows I didn't need to really watch any of the tutorials, but... it was decent background noise.  

I kept looking at the picture of the design wall last night, and I really was becoming partial to the small diamondy alternating blocks.  BUT, I'm also a symmetrical person at heart, SO I started the day by making up two more string blocks:  light greens and light purples.

BUT, maybe you can figure out what was wrong with the plan of adding those blocks to the left end of row #2 and row #4....

I didn't even take a picture of the design wall, but.......

the plan in my head ..... well, it was broken :(  By adding those two blocks to the left end of #2 and #4, I created a big 12" gap in rows #1, 3, & 5.  

That was no good....

Ho hum, ho hum....

Well, at least I had 12 blocks now, SO, I simply put them in a 3x4 layout, and pieced 'em together!

I didn't use paper-backing for the string piecing;  rather I used some bleached muslin as the foundation. Now I understand when Bonnie mentions how heavy the tops become when using fabric as the foundation.  I clearly had to press the seams open for this entire quilt.

And then came time to play with border options.

Those lil' diamonds ended up working just about PERFECTLY as an outer border, but first, a small inner border was needed.

And dog-gone-it!  I figured I could use my design wall to "measure" out my border strips, but... that's one heavy quilt top!  And it kept falling to the floor.

Therefore, it was time to move the quilt to the floor for border treatments.

Only, there was one small problem...

My floor space was occupied with Christmas Goose.  It's been there...waiting ever so patiently for weeks.

Alright lil' quilt!  You deserved to be pieced!

Christmas Goose (72" x 91")

I'm not 100% sold yet on it being completely done.  There's something I like about having one final border to seal it all off.  But, .... then again, it's pretty cool the way it is.  What's the standard Queen size quilt measurements, anyway???

Pretty neat finish considering this is where it all began.  Men's shirts.  Thanks Bonnie!!!!!!

And before I went back to quilting work, 

I gave the basement carpet (aka: my design floor carpet) a good vacuuming.

Rainbow Diamonds (50" x 62")

Which meant I could lay out RSC14 -- Rainbow Diamonds without worry of loose strings or other debris!  

Do I like it?  You bet'cha!  I think it'll be FUN for a little girl!  Now... to find (or wait for) a recipient.

And then, Nancy jingled through Facebook Skype, and we spent an hour sewing together...

LOL -- Heya Nancy -- Guess I shoulda looked at the snapshot right away...

It took me awhile to figure out exactly what I wanted to work on.  

My design wall was empty.

I didn't want to work on any more floor layouts with Nancy piecing away in front of me.

So, pulled out my 2.5" scrap squares and organized them up a bit.

And pieced another couple of Jack in the Box blocks from the other part of my 2012 RSC.  

After seeing Andee's AMAZING completed Jack-in-the-Box top yesterday, I am newly motivated to have my other 2012 blocks see a finish!  But, I need more in order to make the quilt a desirable size.

And then, sadly, it was time for me to shut everything down in order to make dinner for the family.
Twelve hours total.  And I could STILL go for more.  Go-Go-Energizer bunny today for some reason :)

Happy Monday!

Oh, and BTW...remember I had been watching Missouri Quilt Co's YouTube station?  By the time I shut everything down, 59 tutorials had played.  And many, many, many more ideas of quilts are rambling in my head now.  Good golly!