Big Things are Happening!

      A TON of progress this past week-- just not on sewing...

but my new creative space has walls!

Here's the "before"...

So, just to NOT have disgusting insulation raining down on my head is a huge improvement... I'd move in now if they let me!

All this was accomplished in two days with five twenties-something people--

all I had to do was provide food and you can bet no one was left hungry.

We're kind of back on our own for the spackling and sanding-- yup, three coats, but I'm hoping in six weeks to be all moved in! I'll show you progress as we go along-- it may be a bit of a light month for new embroidery releases and sewing, but just seeing the potential of a new organized space is really getting the creative juices flowing!

I did get a little sewing done on the nights when I didn't feel DECEASED...
All 64 of these blocks are together on the Chatterbox quilt-- I only laid out a few here so you can get the gist of it.

     I really LOVE this thing-- it was so much more work than it appeared-- and I still have to sew the blocks together. I'm thinking of gifting it to my son, who will destroy it-- but he's my patriotic one-- what do you think, should I? Giving it to him is the diametric opposite to having it sit in a closet for 20 years.

     While I didn't get the Moonbeams Release 2 quilt blocks done in April, I got Releases 2 and 3 done on the Moonbeams Cross Stitch!

     We weren't supposed to do that lower right corner yet, but from the picture you can see it's the same bird. I just need a little help on the placement of the tree, or it will be upside down.

     Release 3 is now out-- it's the quilt blocks in the upper right. That really gives you the whole pattern, because it's also repeated in the bottom left corner. So I'm just going to continue along with this at night and first thing in the morning until it's finished. If I APPLY myself, I could be done ahead of time. This is the Fat Quarter Shop's Make-a-Wish project-- it is not free-- they are looking for a $20 donation for the cross stitch and $50 for the quilt design. Don't forget! It is so hard to raise money right now-- they are doing a great job. Click the links below and join them-- it is a lovely project!

DONATE HERE

DOWNLOAD THE CROSS STITCH AND QUILT PATTERNS HERE

 Of course, even though there's no time to sew, there's plenty of time to just click a button and order more stuff, isn't there! Here's a package from the Fat Quarter Shop this week. 

   I wasn't going to get this board to display my finished Moonbeams Cross Stitch on, but I really love how it's coming out. I'm hoping for a WALL of finished cross stitch in my new studio!

   I've been eyeing Cathe Holden's fabrics for a couple of years-- she has a bit of a Tim Holz, scrapbooky look-- I just love it. This fabric is going to be hard to use, though. It's called "Curated in Color" and has all the colors of the rainbow and brown. Fat Quarters are a bit out of reach for me financially these days, so I'm thinking the layer cakes may be a good option from now on-- they are about $40 instead of $140 and you have enough to make something a decent size.

    Then the last thing I bought is this finishing kit for the April Sew Sampler Box. I may just put this away for now-- I'm getting more and more behind as Chatterbox has taken so long, and the Cupid Box really hasn't been touched yet. I just don't need the self-imposed pressure right now. It's just going to be a big help to drag some of these project across the finish line when I can spread out.

I still don't have my six reindeer for April finished! Three are done, then the three facing the other way are almost there. It would only take a half hour to finish them-- that's one of my top excuses for UFOs-- they are "almost done," which I frequently confuse with DONE!

 This is from the "Quilt Kits I Didn't Buy Last Week" department--

isn't it marvelous!

      Does it remind you of anything? Here's a clue:

     Yes! This is Wendy William's "Licorice Allsorts" BOM. I'm not a Licorice fan at all, but the colors in that quilt are delicious-- it also has some hand embroidery-- which I could quickly convert to machine embroidery to get it done. It also checks the nostaligia box for me-- my mom and dad were from Scotland, and it's a British candy they both enjoyed. Half of my family tree is still in Scotland, and I had greataunts galore, people I never met, sending me British candy as a kid. Occasionally, I still find an AERO bar (flaky chocolate) or a CURLY WURLY (long, braided caramel dipped in chocolate) in the international aisle of a grocery store. 

    So I haven't clicked the button on that one yet-- but I can't seem to "unsee" it. 

     That was my week-- I may skip a week of blogging here or there over the summer, depending on whether or not I have any sewing to talk about! Just know that I am here, inching my way along on all fronts, and that my heart is with all of you, my sewing friends.

xox

Carol