Where Have I been?

It’s been a month or two since I’ve written on this blog, I know. I apologize, but I seem to have lost my blogging mojo. I have, however, been working on a few things: First, I I started quilting the really large quilt I made in the summer (no real name for it yet) but you’ve probably seen it if you read my blog regularly.

It was a little intimidating with all that white space. I really had a difficult time thinking of how to quilt it. but when I decided not to worry about it, naturally I got an idea- Hooray. The only thing is, after getting quite a bit done, I got a better idea, and now I need to take out a lot of stitches.

I’m actually happy to do this, believe it or not, because I believe it will be so much better the new way, but Christmas is coming up and I want to make as many handmade gifts as I can. Because I feel like they have more meaning these days, when we are all so lucky as to have just about everything we could possibly need, and most of what we want. So I put that piece away for a while.

Which is okay because I am determined to finish my Fly, Boy quilt for my son. I ran out of the border material. This shouldn’t be a problem of course except TWICE I have ordered what I thought was the matching Essex linen color and twice it was not the right color. I decided to wait until the Houston Quilt Festival, but unfortunately I didn’t find it there, either. So I have taken a chance on buying it online one more time (sure wish I would have saved the color name, although if truth be told I’m not sure that I ever actually knew the color…) I ordered it two weeks ago and it still hasn’t arrived.

But that’s okay because in the mean time I am working on another gift quilt. The entire queen-sized piece is basically five inch HST’s, which I really enjoy making (but not trimming, too bad for me!). I’m using incredibly beautiful fabrics from a collaboration between Frond and Cherrywood, two of my favorite fabric producers, called Sumi-e. (Which I did get at the Houston quilt show despite my vow to buy no fabric…) Anyway, it’s not difficult to make the HST’s, but the sewing together will be challenging. I have to be really careful to pay attention to what I’m doing, or it will be an exercise in pure frustration. Still, I think I can get this one finished, too. It may mean some late night sewing, but hey, what’s the Christmas season for if not staying up late and over-doing?

Update : Here is the completed and sandwiched quilt. It won't be quilted by Christmas, but it's at a point where I can give it. It was a challenge to sew together because each row was different, but I'm really pleased with the way it turned out:

I have managed to finish one of my Christmas projects - I designed and made wallets for all the men in my life. I hope they like them. I even made a clear pocket for their driver’s licenses/id’s. Unfortunately I didn’t think of it in time to have them attached to the wallets, so it slips into one of the attached pockets. I like them so much that I’ve decided to make some for my girlfriends, too, only with feminine fabrics and a snap closure. Better get on that - I have a lot of friends to make for..

Update on the women's wallets; It's a no go. I hated the one I made, and then I ruined it by melting the plastic for the driver's licenses. So I'm not giving handmade to my friends this year...

I also made a quickie wall hanging flimsy finsih with some Shibori fabrics that I’m calling Slash.

It too had to be put away for the Christmas sewing season. (Okay, I know one can sew all year for the Christmas season but for me, I need that deadline thing, I guess. I just can’t make myself sew Christmas stuff when it’s over a hundred degrees outside. It just doesn’t feel right. Which is why I’m overloaded now. But again, that’s okay.

I’ve finished a few pieces, too in the last month or so. Here is the Triangle Scales piece, all done.

I had so much fun making this piece. I think it shows. I would try it again, I think, in different fabrics. Although those Sumi-e fabrics turned out to be pretty much the perfect match for the design, I think.

So that’s what I’ve been working on, apart from all the other stuff in my life, which has been quite demanding. I can’t make any promises for the next month or so to do any better with blogging, though. Just know that I’m reading your blogs, and I’m working. My goal is to be back to blogging regularly by January. I appreciate those of you who stick with me, even when I’m ridiculously sporadic. Till next time…