December 29, 2011

I need a vacation...

Well...been a long week of pets going to the vet, trip back and forth to Texas for the holiday, my dog getting into a plastic candy cane filled with Hershey's Kisses....OMG!  All I wanted to do today was come home, get into some comfy pants and work on piecing my quilt I started two weeks ago.  I had great intentions.  I got out the sewing machine, set myself up, managed to piece two blocks, and then just plopped onto the couch.  I want to get up and try again, but I am exhausted.  Ever since I started this blog, I have been working out fabric combinations for the quilts I want to work on....currently I have about 5 in my head.  I just don't have the energy.  I wish I had the ability to take a week or so off work and just lounge around in comfy clothes, eat junk food, watch some dumb tv, and quilt all day long, but taking time off work is not in the cards right now.  Ugh.  And, I promised the hubby that I would start to clean out the closet to organize the fabric stash. ...but no energy to be had.  Gonna pour me a glass of wine and hope for a better day tomorrow filled with creative energy and motivation.

December 20, 2011

Tales of a "constructive piler"

So I believe it is safe to say that I suffer from craft ADD.....I switch from item to item when I am tired of looking at one for an extensive period of time. I tend to pile my stuff all over the house in organized piles...constructive piling. I am really good at starting projects, and not so great at finishing them. So project "get rid of mom's fabric" is daunting for a few reasons. 1) she has boxes and boxes of fabric...ugh. 2) my husband is not on the clutter bandwagon, hence I need to be mindful of leaving crap all over the house so I don't drive him absolutely bat nutty. 3). I am not great at finishing projects, so this will require intense focus and some serious discipline on my part. 4). Unlike most of you out in quilting blog-land, I haven't actually "quilted" my first quilt yet. Argh! Not to say I am not up for the challenge, but I love the piecing part of quilting, but the last four quilts I finished piecing, I took to the helpful ladies at Cornerstone Quilt Shoppe in Fairfield to finish on their long arms. I am fully capable of quilting myself...I have the appropriate sewing foot, and basic knowledge on how to do it, but let's face it....it is scary. I have read several tutorials on how, and it seems straightforward enough, but geez....I am intimidated. I guess I will need to just get over it and try it. Millions ( or hundreds...not too sure) of you out there seem to do it on your own just fine...so I just need to get over it.So, when I say I am in the middle of six quilts, believe me this is an under exaggeration. When I have liked piecing a pattern, I go big and piece two or three of the same quilt at the same time! Why? Yes, I am crazy...but a couple of weeks ago, I had one of my "moments of brilliance" (always in the shower....not too sure why on that one). I had just gone to a craft show with my friend Jen from work, and I was walking around thinking how familiar it felt to go to this type of show. Then it dawned on me that I used to frequent craft shows with my mom. She and her best friend, Gayle, used to sew each week together in preparation for these shows during the holidays. They would make makeup bags, Kleenex tissue holders, and all sorts of ornaments and other holiday crafts. When I make it down to the parents house to start cleaning out her craft room, I plan on looking for some of these items that they made together. She and Gayle would rent a booth a couple times a year and show their stuff. I remember her doing very well a few times and was able to pay for the Christmas gifts with her profits. So, back to the shower, I was thinking, I could continue to be a crafting junkie and accumulate lots of stuff if I had a place to sell it. There is an annual craft show circuit in Davis that I started reading about...and hey...I could do this! And I will be able to keep the hubby happy by ridding of the craft clutter. Brilliant, eh? I asked my knitting neighbor, Naomi, to join me on this quest...she seems interested. I am excited! So the multiples of the same quilt? Well, the idea is that I would donate one and sell one at the next years craft fair. I think it is brilliant. Plus, I plan on exhibiting other goodies I make as well.....aprons, pillowcases, jewelry...etc. I know i am crazy, huh? For those of you out there brave enough to put your stuff out to sell, kudos to you. It is very difficult for me, the avid people-pleaser to do that. I admire your courage and ability to make what you like and not care what others think about it. I am excited and am just getting started.....watch me take off!

December 19, 2011

Welcome!

If you found this, hopefully it is entertaining. I am attempting to quilt all my mom's fabric into blankets for charity. At first I thought I would hang onto her stash, but really our tastes were just a little too different and I just dont have the storage I need to house all of it. There is no question in mind where I got my "pack rat" tendencies from....she has TONS of fabric. I am hoping I can muscle through it all. Plus, since some of it isn't what I would normally choose for myself, it makes it just that much harder to use. But I am determined, in my usual, starry-eyed self to do this in her honor. I just learned how to quilt two years ago. My mom and I spent 18 weeks, every Wednesday driving to Sacramento the instant I got off work, fending off the daily commute traffic, to get to meisner's sewing center for our quilt class. Not any surprise to me, but I was the youngest person in the class, and thus annoyed the instructor tremendously with questions and my sarcasm, but no matter. It was quality time with mom that I will cherish and never forget. But after those 18 weeks, both of us were so sick of looking at our quilts that we stuck the tops in boxes, unfinished, and didn't look at them again until very recently. She pulled her quilt top out of the box and handed it to me and said, "you finish it and keep it.". She died two weeks later. Thus, this project....

You will have to pardon my sarcasm and lack of writing skills, as I am more of a scientific mind than a writer. Ironic, since I am so artsy-craftsy, but true. This is great therapy for me since mom passed, as she was the only person I know that understood my craziness...mostly because she was a little crazy herself. Who do you think I learned all my craftiness from? Oh, did I mention that I am a chef too? Just finished culinary school in June, so often while I sew, I am cooking something yummy at the same time. Crazy, right? When mom got really sick, I started making jam....weird hobby, but really helped me get out frustration and keep my hands busy. So, the point.....I prolly will refer to my current jam flavors as I blog...not to push jam, but mostly to showcase how crazy I really am.

So, I just got done speaking to my husband about setting up better storage for all this fabric that I already have. He and I have plans to convert the guest room closet for me and all my crap....I mean, CRAFTS. So after the holidays, project "closet clean out" shall commence. I really hope I can focus, buckle down and organize...there are just so many quilts to be made! I am in the middle of six right now....crazy, right? Ahhhhhhhhhh! Hope everyone has a lovely holiday. I will be cleaning.