SummerSadie

Interesting tidbit

summersadie — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:31:14 +0000

Since I’m trying to get back into scrapbooking, I’ve started following the blog Write.Click.Scrapbook. Today’s posting is talking about all the new things in paper crafting coming out at this years CHA tradeshow, and she showed some pictures of new paper lines. I think y’all should check it out. Looks like they’re taking some cues from the quilters…lots of zigzags and hexagons in scrapbooking this year!

The name of this paper pattern is Honeycomb Quilt. Maybe next time you need some quilt inspiration, you should walk through a scrapbook store!

…So I Joined OPAM ’12

summersadie — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:08:00 +0000

I finished my first quilt in 2008. I finished 14 quilts in 2009, 7 in 2010, and only 3 in 2011. That’s going drastically in the wrong direction. I thought it would be really great to be able to finish one a month this year. That might be a bit hard with the baby, especially when i go back to work, but I thought it would be a good goal. I also decided that I’m not going to start any new quilts, or buy any fabric for any new quilts. Everything has to be from the WIP list I already have going. (‘Projects’ tab at the top of the page, if you’re interested). I have about a million WIP’s, so I have a lot to choose from. I can only buy fabric if it’s for one of those projects. I was excited about all of them at one point, so I’m going to try to find that excitement again, and get some things finished up.

Then last week, I saw the OPAM information on Indigo Blue’s blog, and thought it sounded like just the ticket. It stands for One Project A Month. Since it was already my plan, a little accountability never hurts. I even wrangled my mom into joining as well. These projects don’t have to be quilts, although that’s what I’m going to try to accomplish. I have quite a few that wouldn’t take all that much work to get finished. But, again, the projects can be any ‘soft’ craft. So here are my finishes for January.

I appliqued 2 onesies for Avery…

Appliqued this one as a baby gift for a soon-to-be-here sweetie…

And made this softie block toy for baby Abby as well. It’s got this turtle on one side,

And an ‘A’ on the other. The rest of the sides are either minky, chenille, or flannel. These are a lot of fun to make. Can you tell I’m having fun with the embroidery machine lately?

I’m trying to beat the calendar, and get the ‘was going to be zig zag but turned into bento box, going downhill quickly’ quilt done for January as well. Thankfully I had already had it started, as I didn’t sign up for the OPAM until just last week, so had only a couple weeks to get this month’s stuff done. If you want to sign up as well, I think you have until the 31st to do it. Now to see if I can get the button in my sidebar…

…And It Really Is Exhausting…

summersadie — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:25:16 +0000

I used to scrapbook a lot. Like a lot, a lot. And then I got married. Marriage isn’t what stopped me though, my perfectionism did. See, I got scrapped (is that the term?) all the way up to the wedding photos/honeymoon, and then I got stuck. A wedding is sort of a once-in-a-lifetime thing. One of those major things you’ll remember forever…A huge momentous occasion in the life of a girl! I just don’t think I could live with myself if I placed the pictures in the wrong place on the scrapbook page!!! It sounds silly, but I really was so stressed out about having the perfect scrapbook pages about my wedding that I just never did it. I was afraid I’d do it wrong, or come up with the perfect layout after the fact (see previous post if you haven’t already). So my scrapbooking ended 5.5 years ago when I got married.

Then I had a baby last December. OH MY GOSH WHAT IF I SCRAPBOOK HER ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME FIRST YEAR WRONG AND THEN WHEN SHE GROWS UP AND LOOKS AT IT AND SHE HATES IT AND THEN SHE HAS TO GO TO THERAPY FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE BECAUSE HER MOTHER MADE HER A HORRIBLE SCRAPBOOK/BABY BOOK AND HER CHILDHOOD MEMORIES ARE RUINED FOREVER!!!! Again, I know it sounds crazy, but I really build up a lot of anxiety over starting projects like these. No, I’m not really worried about her having to go to therapy over it, but I am afraid I’m going to put all this time, effort, energy, and money into it, and then not be happy with the finished project. That every time I look at it I’ll think about how I could have done it better. I’m afraid it won’t be perfect.

But, I’m working through this, and have actually started making pages. I will admit I haven’t scrapped her birth yet. I feel like that’s kind of the ‘biggest deal’ pages. You know, the start of the whole thing. Kind of like my wedding day. But I have jumped in randomly and done a few pages. I’ve only taken 3,462.7 pictures of her so far, so I don’t have much to work with.

These are 3 of the pages I’ve done. Are they perfect? No. Are they acceptable? Yes. If I know on the front end that they’ll never be as perfect as I think they should be, what does it matter, right? At least now they’re on paper. Instead of sifting through a box of pictures, these memories are now in a scrapbook that everyone can enjoy. And people will enjoy it, because we are always our worst critics. Other people never dissect our work like we do, and if they do, we won’t be able to please them anyway, nor should we try.

So I’m tickled pink that I’ve gotten started. Getting started is always the hardest part, and I can’t wait to get it all done. Maybe by the time Avery is old enough to enjoy this book, it’ll actually have pictures of her birth in it…

Perfectionism Is A 4-Letter Word…

summersadie — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:18:44 +0000

I am, without a doubt, a perfectionist. I get it from my Dad, who is the Godfather of Perfectionists. This trait of mine falls into the category of strength and weakness. On the good side, I usually do a good job at whatever I do. It might take me forever, but I’ll do a good job. On the flip side, even if it’s a good job, I’m never happy with it. It’s not good enough. On the bad side, it’s very stifling to my creativity. There are so many projects I want to do that I probably won’t ever start. I’m afraid I won’t do it right. I’m constantly afraid that after the project is done I’ll figure out how I could have done it better. After it’s too late, I’ll come up with a better fabric combination, better technique, better idea. So I wait until I think I’ve thought of all possible possibilities to help prevent that from happening, which of course never happens. I could never think of all possibilities. So I just never start the project. I know there’s a bit of ‘fear of failure’ mixed in there, a smidge of psychosis too, I’m sure. I blame my Dad.

Anyway, I want to work on that this year. Who cares if it’s not perfect, right? (I had a hard time typing those words out. My chest tightened up a bit, because I CARE!) But I want to care a little less this year, maybe take the edge off my anal retentiveness. (Can you say anal in a quilting blog?) I want to still do a good job, of course, but I don’t want it to prevent me from getting things done. Or at least started. I have so many fabrics that I just love that will never see the light of day because I’m afraid I won’t use them in the right pattern. As soon as I cut them all up, the perfect pattern will come along, and the world will proceed to spin off it’s axis. Or some other horrible fate. So instead of having them in the potentially wrong quilt, I have them in a bin where I can’t even see them. That doesn’t seem right.

So this last quilt I made was a bit of a practice in this. Granted, I did post about layouts to try to gauge what layout I liked best. BUT, I didn’t angst to the ‘inth degree about the fabric choices, or the pattern. I just went with it. I’ve had that fabric I loved, I had the pattern I liked, so I put the 2 together and that was that. No, I don’t love the result. But it’s not all quilted and wrinkly yet, that always helps. And you know what? So what if it’s not my favorite quilt. Every quilt I have can’t be my favorite. I need some quilts that I won’t mind if Avery drags through the mud someday. Or one to drag to my husband’s ballgames. This one would be great for that, as it won’t show grass stains. Or any stains for that matter.

A great blogger recently wrote, “It’s just fabric, right?” (Gulp). But it is. It may not have been the perfect fabric choice, the perfect arrangement of blocks, or the perfect choice of border print, etc. But you know what? It will be a finished project, and I will have used what I have, versus buying even more fabric. And I will be able to look at and enjoy the fabric.

Does it sound like I’m trying to convince myself still? Maybe a little. But I’m a work in progress.

(Since every blog needs pictures, I’ve put some of Avery. She’s the only perfect thing I’ve ever done.)

Catching Up To Those Elusive Times

summersadie — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:15:11 +0000

Thanks to everyone who gave their opinions on the quilt layout. I’ve started sewing the top together, and I’ll be sure to show it once it’s all done.

I realize I’ve been quite behind the times as of late. I’ve been out of the loop in quilting, and blogging. However, 2 AM is a really good time to catch up on all those things. That’s what I’ve been doing, and I’ve discovered some really great sites. I’m sure all of these things are all old news to all of you, but in case there’s someone out there who wants a quick list of all the places you must frequent to be amongst the cool kids, here you go…

… Are you kidding me? What a great idea! I’m so addicted, and I spend so many hours at this place. So that’s what everyone meant when they talked about pinning things, ah HA!. Now that I know what it is, I see that everyone’s already doing it. Ah well, better late than never. Lori Holt and I must have been twins separated by birth. I don’t even need my own boards, I could just copy and paste every single one of hers. If you’re interested, my peasly boards are here.

Happy Zombie…I love this blog! I know she’s been around probably forever, but I just found her. I’m always late to the party. Not fashionably late, just late. She and I also share a love of Ryan Gosling.

…I don’t know how I didn’t know about her blog, but I didn’t know. But now I do know, and there’s no turning back.

Fussy Cut…Another fantastic blog that I just discovered. I’m really proving how out of the circle I’ve been that I didn’t know about any of these 3 blogs.

Seriously, these are 3 huge, everybody adores them, blogs. I know they’re all already in all your favorites lists. But if perchance you’ve missed one of them, check them out. If you visit around 2 AM, I’ll be there too…

One Last Choice

summersadie — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:44:12 +0000

Thank you to those that told me which layout you liked the best for my ‘going downhill quickly’ Hideaway quilt. 4/5 people voted for the layout my husband came up with. Thanks. There will be no living with him now.

I tried one more way. It’s his idea, only on point. This caused me to have to break up a few of the blocks. I went ahead and cut some setting triangles and borders to put with it. This is my only choice for settings/borders, because it’s the only print I had enough yardage for. I absolutely love the border fabric. Still don’t love the whole thing together. But still pressing on. And no, I didn’t press my fabric before I cut the borders. I’ve slapped my hand for you already.

I’ve found it to be really helpful to post picks online, and then re-look at them. I get a whole different perspective on what it looks like, other than when I’m standing 5 foot 6 inches above it on the ground.

So what do you think? You can still say any of the ones from the last post are better…

Imagination Station

summersadie — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:46:19 +0000

Okay, you’ll definitely have to use your imaginations on this, but I need some advice/opinions. I started working on this quilt from Moda Bake Shop.

I’ve had some Hideaway for a while that I needed to use, so I decided to go ahead and use it on this. In hindsight, maybe not the best decision I’ve made, but I really didn’t think much about it. At this stage of the game, I’m not loving this quilt. I love most of the fabrics in this line individually, but am not digging the all together result so far. But, I’m going to press on.

And I need help with the layout. Please keep in mind, I just laid these down as they were on the block stack. I haven’t arranged them to disperse the colors, I’ll do that before I sew them together.

Option 1: This is the layout as was called for in the original tutorial, the faux zig zag effect. I laid this out first, didn’t love it, tried other things:

Option 2: This is sort of a broken bento box effect.

Option 3: Very similar to the option 2, only I arranged the center box to have the same middle. It sort of makes an echoing broken bento effect…

Option 4: Instead of on point, I could turn them straight and do an actual bento. I didn’t lay it out like this, so I don’t know how it would look.

Option 5: All of the above. I would just mix all the blocks together, and sew them together however I picked them up. No telling how that would turn out, it would be a surprise. Perhaps a good surprise, perhaps tragic…

Option 6: It looks horrible, scrap the whole thing, start on something new.

EDIT: Here’s what my husband came up with when he got home from work. Not too shabby. I’m submitting it as option 7:

So pretty please let me know what you think…

Shine Your Sink

summersadie — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:02:21 +0000

My life is very different now than it was a year ago. A year ago, I got up and went out to work everyday. I worked 8-9 hours a day for 2 adult men, in nice clothes, and then came home. Now I get up and never leave the house. I work 24 hours a day for a very pint-sized little girl. No weekends, no holidays, no time and a half.

However, I will say she’s the best boss I’ve ever had, although slightly needy, and it’s the best job I’ve ever had. I don’t wear nice clothes anymore, and I always have the faint smell of spit-up in my nose. Parenthood is so glamorous.

Anyway, in my quest to become a domestic goddess, I decided it was time to get organized…get on a schedule. At the same time, my Mom has retired and is ready to do the same thing, albeit for different reasons. It’s good to have an accountability partner to make sure I’ve swish and swiped for the day….

We have shined our sinks and gotten started with FlyLady. It’s a really great way to help you get your life in order, basically. She gives you really quick and easy ways to get your home cleaned up and keep it there. I don’t have the time to spend several hours in one day cleaning, nor do I want to, so this is great for me. I’ve adapted it a bit to my own needs, having a baby to take care of. I organize my tasks into nap time slots. But it’s great. One of her big things is to get up every morning, make your bed, and shower, get dressed, do your makeup and hair. That’s definitely something I had neglected the last few weeks, but it really does make you feel better. Going around in PJ’s all day makes me feel sloppy, and when I feel sloppy I’m less productive. Now I don’t have to worry about if the mailman were to come to the door, or we had a fire and I had to run out of the house. I’m actually presentable. And that makes you feel better.

I’ve also discovered Pepperplate, but I’ll tell you all about that next time. Plus, I’ve actually started scrapbooking, and *gasp* cutting a quilt!

Another Year Already

summersadie — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:54:28 +0000

2011 was an amazing year, although not for quilting. I only completed one quilt last year, this owl quilt.

However, I did get to work on my most important project ever, Miss Avery Marie.

She was born December 1st, and I feel like my life has just begun. She’s amazing, and my husband and I are truly blessed. She is such an answer to prayer, and something we’ve been working on for several years now.

So I didn’t make any hard and fast resolutions this year. I want to really try to slow down time in 2012 and really absorb every moment. She’s already growing so fast and I don’t want to miss any of it, or gloss over any of it. There are going to be a lot of big moments this year. First laugh, first step, first this and that. I want to keep my priorities in check this year. Remember what’s really important.

I don’t know what quilting I’ll be doing this year. I won’t be buying much fabric, as we’re on a super strict budget. But goodness knows I have a closet full of fabric and tons of projects to do. I’d like to get back into quilting. I’m also planning on getting back into scrapbooking after a several year hiatus, as I have hundreds of pictures of tons of moments to record and remember now. And, I’m going to upgrade my camera and start working on really learning photography. I’ll just have to try to find something around the house to practice that photography on.

Audience participation

summersadie — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 21:01:48 +0000

I know I don’t have much audience left, but for those reading, I need input. I’m itching to do a sampler quilt. I’ve seen the farmers wife quilt along, and want to do one. I might even be teaching a couple people to quilt, and thought a sampler would be good for that. But I’m not sure about using templates. I don’t know that’s the best way to teach the basics of quilting. Anyway, do any of you know of any great sampler quilts that use old-fashioned rotary cutting? I’d love ideas!!!!!