WIP Wednesday

It's been quite awhile since I've done a WIP post... in May I seemed to get out of synch with so much going on and I'm still trying to get back into a routine of some sort. Hopefully getting my biggest WIP done this week will help me get back on track!

Goodbye to this:

and Hello to this:

My husband and son are spending most of this week with friends from Texas who are staying on a nearby lake. I was over there on Sunday and came back excited for 4 days on my own. Monday I had a wonderfully productive day of sewing, sorting strings and other household projects.

Yesterday I prepped for painting and primed the walls with the Gardz sealer for post wallpaper drywall. As is par for this project, it didn't go quite as planned. The sealer is extremely thin so I ended up brushing it on instead of rolling because it splattered everywhere - which I had read about in advance so that wasn't really a surprise. But I couldn't see the coverage very well straight on because even though it looks milky white in the can it goes on clear. So I did a lot of up/down the ladder and moving around at different angles to spot any dull spots I missed. Very time consuming!

This morning I'll put on a coat of regular primer and should be applying "Sunny Day" by late afternoon. I actually love painting (the prep work not so much) so this is the fun part. I should have pictures for a BIG Friday Finish!

Oh, and the sorting strings project? Looks like this at the moment...

My husband will NEVER see this photo! Our living room is a stringy mess. I've decided to sort my strings and small scraps by color and consolidate several bins into the drawer unit which used to hold UFOs. So this is what I'll be doing in between painting today. My family returns tomorrow night so I've got a deadline.

Did you spy Tucker in that mess?

He is keeping my spot warm! By Friday I should be back to working on these...

Yes, yet another string UFO. This one will be a keeper and I need to make about 40 more 7.5" blocks for a nice sized lap quilt.

Hopefully next week I'll be back in the groove and ready for a "normal" WIP Wednesday post from my beautiful new quilting room. Ooh La La!! I'm linking up to WIP Wednesday@Freshly Pieced.

Losing My Mind

After trimming up the Autumn String Blocks for yesterday's post I started trimming the rest of the Heartstrings blocks I've been making over the last week. If you've made string blocks you probably agree that this step basically turns them from a mess of strings into a pretty block!

As I started getting to the bottom of my stack I realized that I only had a handful of blue centered blocks so I started looking around for the rest of the blocks. Nowhere to be found.

This morning I looked around some more. I even pulled up my blog post from last Monday to confirm that yes, I DID make more blue blocks because I have a photo of them! By now I am looking high and low. There are not that many hidey-holes in my house.

Pretty soon I'm checking crazy places like my son's room, behind the washer/dryer and everywhere that I've already looked twice and starting to feel VERY annoyed. On my way to peek into the downstairs bathroom I spied a glimpse of color out of the corner of my eye...

 Hello 40 missing blocks!

Of course NOW I remember putting them there to clear the downstairs table. Funny how that works, not to mention how I was standing right next to them each time I searched that closet!

A String Finish

My 1st UFO Finish of June is done as I've turned this partial set of Autumn String Blocks

into a complete set of 48 9.5" unfinished blocks for Heartstrings Quilt Project. I made the 1st 20 blocks in 2009 for a group project using green middle strings instead of the usual blue or red.

 I found enough of the the teal polka dot in my stash to make 28 more blocks. I had to use my flash to take these pictures as our sunshine has been fleeting lately and I wanted to show off the pretty fabrics.

I really like the rich range of colors in this set...

 and I think the teal center strings stand out nicely.

These blocks will be sent to a coordinator who will assemble them and make arrangements for quilting. I have to admit I toyed with the idea of keeping this one for myself, but I have other fall UFOs as well as future quilts that I've bought fabric for. And, there will always be more pretty scraps to use!

This is UFO Finish #28 for 2013 and puts me 48 blocks closer to my goal of 365 blocks for Heartstrings Quilt Project this year. I'm linking up to Building Blocks Tuesday@Quilter in the Closet.

I Love Lilacs

I'm holding off until tomorrow to show you more strings... yes, I'm still making string blocks! After pulling out one UFO of string blocks in my last post I decided to keep going and pulled out 2 more. Why not make as big of a mess as I possibly can right?

The lilacs are looking lovely and we finally have a little sunshine so I thought I'd take some pictures to share. It has been a rainy and gloomy week but today the blooms are dry and smell oh so good.

I have 3 clumps of common lilacs out by our shed and am hoping they will keep spreading along the edge of our driveway over the years to create a bountiful border. I just love driving around our area and seeing these type of lilacs everywhere.

Along the south side of our home I have several specialty lilacs planted. It has taken years for them to finally start blooming but now I can open the window to our master bed room upstairs and my quilting room downstairs to catch their wonderful scent. Today 5 of them are showing their colors.

This variety has a pinkish cast.

This intense purple is so pretty.

 This one is my favorite.... look at those delicate white edges!

 These petals are almost periwinkle blue when open.

And then we have white.

Their scent is so amazing... if only they would bloom for weeks!

Less Sniffles... More Strings

I had a late night sewing session last night (fueled by a late afternoon cold induced nap) and this is what I see in my laundry room aka "Land of Strings" this morning...

Every surface is coated with strings! LOL 

Plus, it's spreading to the family room table with Heartstrings blocks ready for trimming once I clear my cutting table.

And the family room floor aka Design Wall.  I remembered I have a UFO on my list for this quarter that needed some more blocks so I did a quick layout and made 10 more 7.5" blocks while I had my strings out. Pardon the welcome bright sun that is taking out my bottom corner!

I've even got strings hanging in the closet!

Wouldn't you think after making 40 blocks and all of the strings you see hanging or laying about that my string bin would look emptier than this?

It's crazy!  I'd better get back to sewing so I can do laundry later...  I'm feeling so much better which makes me extra happy on this bright sunny day.  

I'm linking up to Design Wall Monday@Patchwork Times.

Sniffles and Strings

Yesterday afternoon I perked up a bit (summer cold) and set up my makeshift cutting area in the laundry room next to the ironing board so I could make some string blocks for Heartstrings Quilt Project. Please click the link to read more about this wonderful group that is so flexible to work with. You can make your own quilts from start to finish and distribute them locally or just make the blocks and send them to a coordinator who takes it from there. With my UFOs lying in wait, the block option is my choice!

My large bin of strings is sitting on top of the dryer. In the basket are my "not so pretty" 5" charms that I cut in half to finish off the block corners.

I like to grab an assortment of strings, press them and lay them at the end of the ironing board. Then I can pick one and start cutting it to add to my blocks.

 I usually end up with a jumbled mess to the right of my assembly area of leftover short strings to try and work in as I get toward the corners. String block making is MESSY! You can see my cut squares of muslin foundations and my middle 2" strips that center each block at the end.

Sets of 10 blocks are my thing... it lets me keep track of where I'm at in the process and gives me enough variety to mix up the strings. I am not a totally random stringer - I try to vary the colors and values somewhat without taking a lot of time. My goal is to make an interesting block and make a dent in my string bin.

I have become totally addicted to listening to audiobooks from the library on my iPhone while sewing (or scraping wallpaper!). I put my phone into the little red striped cloth bag and hang it around my neck while I'm moving around. If I'm sewing or if I'm not home alone I use my earbuds. So enjoyable! I still prefer to listen to music while I'm quilting for some reason, but other that I am always anxious to get further in my book.

I have committed to making 365 blocks for Heartstrings Quilt Project this year. I sent 60 blocks in January (when I had just gotten my Juki TL2010q - post HERE) for a special project using purple centers instead of the standard blue or red. So, I've got some catching up to do. Good thing these blocks are easy sewing... perfect for sick days or summer time!

I'm linking up to Scrap-Basket Sunday@Kim's Big Quilting Adventure.

May In Review and June Goals

Thursday morning I had an early eye appointment and came home raring to go with a gallon of paint for my new quilting room. Before I even got changed into my painting clothes my nose started running non-stop and I was sneezing uncontrollably so I put my PJ's back on and crawled into bed. Where I have basically been (minus a trip to our little local store for more Kleenex, instant chicken noodle soup and cold pills) ever since!

So far this morning I am feeling a little better. A little too lightheaded for painting, but maybe some mindless sewing later on. I'll get my month end blog post done now in case I end up back in bed.

In May I finished 2 UFOs, got caught up on my blocks for the "And Sew On" BoM and made blocks for RSC13. I also spent hours scraping wallpaper and a fair amount of time sorting, organizing and purging to clear our daughter's old room and our storage room.

1. Shabby Strings, 2. Watercolor Spring, 3. "Snip it Real Good", 4. "Keep Calm and Press On", 5. Birds in the Air in Blue, 6. Crossroads in Blue

So, a busy month but not a lot to show for it in the DONE column! The good news is that I'll start off June with a flurry once I get over this cold as my In Progress projects are close to DONE.

May Goals
1-UFO#1 Shabby Strings-DONE!
2-UFO#2 Watercolor Spring-DONE!
3-UFO#3 Come Sail Away*
4-UFO#4 TB Jacob's Ladder
5-UFO#5 Easter Stacked Coins
6-NewFO Project*
7-April/May "And Sew On"-DONE!
8-RSC13 Blocks-DONE!
9-Finish 1 WIP*
10-Quilting Room in Use!*
*In Progress

For June I'm going for a bare minimum as summer weather is bound to arrive in June (right?). I've got annuals to plant, perennial gardens to weed and the lake will be calling my name. I've got a couple days of sorting/purging left in my storage room and then there is the garage. And my mosaic studio...

On the other hand, I'll have a new quilting room to play in, so I know I'll be inspired to get my sewing time in too! My handyman friend made some great suggestions to enhance my cutting table plans when we got together earlier in the week. Fingers crossed that I can kick this cold and get started on the painting ASAP!

June Goals
1-Finish 4 UFOs
2-NewFO Project
3-And Sew On Block
4-RSC13 Blocks
5-Finish 1 WIP
6-Heartstrings Blocks

Edited to add that my June goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes will be Scrappy Summertime.

I'm linking up to Fresh Sewing Day@Lily's Quilts and The Year of the Finished Project.