WiP #19 - The Woes of Being a Perfectionist

So I almost didn't write a Work-In-Progress post today because, honestly, it doesn't feel like I am any further in any of my projects than I was last week, and how boring is that?

 

My Christmas stockings are still not finished.  How frustrating is that?

 

But it's not like I didn't TRY.

 

In fact, I had all my cuffs cut out and embroidered and ready to go.  All I needed was the linings cut to finish the job.  Then I sewed my first cuff together to pin onto the stocking body and...

 

Oh, geez...REALLY? 

 

I had embroidered all the names onto the cuffs backwards.

 

 

See that seam?  Yeah, that is supposed to go on the "heel" side of the stocking.  The side where the hanging loop is attached.  This, unfortunately, is NOT the "heel" side of the stocking.

 

So I debated for a bit of whether it really matters.

 

Turns out, for me, it does.

 

I decided i didn't want to pull out these stockings, which I had poured so much time and love into, every Christmas and be bothered by the fact that I had sewn the seam on backwards.  Would anyone else even notice or care?  Maybe not, but I would.

 

So, like any true perfectionist, I girded up my sewing loins, and re-cut and re-embroidered all the cuffs.

 

 

 

And that is why I am barely any further than I was last week.

 

Boo.

 

Speaking of "Boo", I did finish cutting the strips for my Halloween Table Topper.  No sewing done yet, however, since my sewing machine has been occupied with the embroidery.

 

 

But, lest you think all was lost this week, fear not!  I did manage to get myself to JoAnn's this week with a 60% off coupon for one cut of fabric.  So I got myself a yard of this pattern from Denyse Schmidt's Richmond collection that I have had my eye on for awhile:

 

 

And I already have some big plans for this little baby.

 

 

WiP's finished - 0

New WiP's started - 0

 

 

WiP's worked on - 2

Christmas Stockings

Halloween Table Topper

 

WiP's NOT worked on: 6

*ONE Key fob to finish

*ONE dress to finish

Swoon mini quilt

Denim Rag Quilt

Star Baby Quilt

Couch Pillows

 

On the back burner/not started yet: 4

Bed quilt (Swoon) (fabric purchased)

Secret gift #1 (fabric purchased)

Secret gift #2

Baby quilt for Baby Girl Barker (fabric and pattern selected)

Possibilities/ Idea Phase: 2

- dress, matching doll dress, and doll quilt for my niece for Christmas

Patriotic mini/wall quilt

Total = 12 

 

Linking up to Lee at Freshly Pieced

WiP #18

 

Last week I mentioned that I had received an email from Lilsugar.com asking to feature the Bean and Cheese Burrito Recipe that I recently posted. 

 

Well, they posted the slide show and here is the link! 

 

It's kindof fun to see my picture and post on a different kind of website than I normally participate in.

 

***

 

Anyway, on to my progress for the week, which again, wasn't a lot. 

 

I don't know if it is just because the summer is winding down and my kids are restless for school to start, or what, but things have seemed a little bit crazier at my house lately, which means my usual schedule has gone out the window!  That means I usually have a lot of catching up to do with my chores and other duties before I can settle down and do anything creative. 

 

Again, I wish I had more to post, like some finished Christmas Stockings, but alas, I don't.

 

However, they are starting to at least look like stockings now!

 

 

I have one more to sew together before I can move on to figuring out the cuffs and lining. 

 

I wanted to have the lining match the backing fabric, but I didn't purchase enough to line all five stockings, and now, of course, I can't find the fabric since it is REALLY out of print (I think I bought this at least 3 or 4 years ago).

 

So I am debating on whether I want to go find a matching solid, or line it was some random patterns that I have leftover from when I made the Christmas Tree Skirts.  I just don't know if I want it so busy on the inside. 

 

Decisions, decisions.

 

***

 

SO I kindof started another project this past week, too.  I know, I know, like I really need another project. 

 

While I was at Joann's getting some Kona for 50% off, I saw this cute vintage-y Halloween fabric, and thought it would be perfect as the backing to a Halloween table topper.  So I bought a couple cheap FQ's to match and started on a simple Halloween table topper to cover my plain, boring dining table. 

 

 

 

I've only gotten around to cutting out the orange so far, but I want to have this done by Labor Day, since that is when I change out my summer decor for my fall decor.

 

It should go fairly quickly, since it is not going to be large, and I am just doing some simple nine-patches and borders for the top.

 

 

WiP's finished - 0

New WiP's started - 1

Halloween Table Topper

WiP's worked on - 2

Christmas Stockings

Halloween Table Topper

WiP's NOT worked on: 6

*ONE Key fob to finish

*ONE dress to finish

Swoon mini quilt

Denim Rag Quilt

Star Baby Quilt

Couch Pillows

On the back burner/not started yet: 4

Bed quilt (Swoon) (fabric purchased)

Secret gift #1 (fabric purchased)

Secret gift #2

Baby quilt for Baby Girl Barker (fabric and pattern selected)

Possibilities/ Idea Phase: 2

- dress, matching doll dress, and doll quilt for my niece for Christmas

Patriotic mini/wall quilt

Total = 12 -Up one from last week 

Linking up to Lee at Freshly Pieced

 

 

WiP #17

So I checked my email last night and got two emails asking to feature two of my post from last week. 

Honestly, it totally made my day!

I didn't start this blog for any other purpose than to have a place to share and talk about my creative side.  So to have others actually reading and appreciating my stuff enough to want to share it?  Kinda awesome :)

The first one was Misty over at Creative Itch.  She chose my pillowcase dresses to feature on "Sew Cute Tuesday".  And truly, if you haven't partied at "Sew Cute Tuesday", you really need to.  It is a great Linky Party dedicated solely for sewn projects.  There are a lot of wonderful projects shared each week.  Definitely one of my very favorite parties to share at!

The second feature request hasn't been posted yet, but it will be on LilSugar.  I will post about it when my featured recipe is posted over there.  Fun!

Anyway...on to one of my favorite things of the week - WiP Wednesday!

I didn't get A LOT of sewing done this week, but I did enough to get all three panels for my Christmas stockings pieced and quilted.  Each panel will make two stockings.  I am making five stockings total.

I decided to do some outline quilting on it, alternating between white and wine-colored thread on each strip.  A little simpler than I initially thought I would do it, but I really like how it turned out.

I have some red and green fabric for the backings and linings that I need to pull out, and then I will move onto the embroidery.  I'm kindof excited to see how these turn out!

That is all I worked on this week, but I am adding another project to my (quickly!) growing list.  My dear friend and cousin, Rachel, is expecting her second baby, and I will be making a baby quilt for her. 

I made a blanket for her son (who was born only 10 days before my youngest son), which is the project that really got me into quilting.  I may have to dig up a picture of that little blanket and post the story one of these days.

The only other thing I did this week that I considered working on a WiP, was doodle.

I am going to use my Swoon mini quilt to branch out a little with my Free-Motion Quilting, and was trying out a few motifs to see which one I wanted to use on it.  I'm thinking the swirls on the far right side.

WiP's finished - 0

New WiP's started - 0

WiP's worked on - 1

Christmas Stockings

WiP's NOT worked on: 6

*ONE Key fob to finish

*ONE dress to finish

Swoon mini quilt

Denim Rag Quilt

Star Baby Quilt

Couch Pillows

On the back burner/not started yet: 4

Bed quilt (Swoon) (fabric purchased)

Secret gift #1 (fabric purchased)

Secret gift #2

NEW - Baby quilt for Baby Girl Barker (fabric and pattern selected)

Possibilities/ Idea Phase: 2

 - dress, matching doll dress, and doll quilt for my niece for Christmas

Patriotic mini/wall quilt

Total = 11 

Linking up to Lee at Freshly Pieced!

Kid-Friendly Food - Bean & Cheese Burritos

Here is another one of my kids favorite meals - plain ol' Bean and Cheese Burritos.

The thing I like about this recipe, is that you can make it as healthy as you would like.  It is so simple, just rice, beans, salsa, cheese and tortillas. 

You want to do brown rice?  Go for it!  Whole wheat tortillas?  Sure!

You can even throw in some shredded chicken, if you want more protein.  And I sometimes use homemade refried beans.

It's a very flexible recipe.

And they freeze awesomely.  I always end up with about a half dozen that I freeze in a freezer bag, so I can pull them out later for lunch, or another quick dinner when it's just the kids and I.

And the fact that all my kids gobble these up?  Well, that's the thing I love about these burritos the most.

Bean and Cheese Burritos

1 (16 oz.) can refried beans (or 2 c. homemade)

1 c. cooked rice

1 c. salsa

2 ½ c. shredded cheddar cheese

12 flour tortillas

Toppings (lettuce, chopped tomato, sour cream, salsa, olives, etc.)

375° Combine the beans, rice, salsa and 1 ½ c. cheese in a bowl.  Scoop about 1/3 c. of bean mixture onto on half of a tortilla (I sprinkle a little extra cheese on top of the filling mixture at this point), fold in the ends and roll up.  Place seam side down in a large baking dish.  Repeat with remaining filling and tortillas.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of burritos.  Cover and bake for 20 minutes.  Serve with desired toppings.

(recipe adapted from Blog Chef)

Note: The kind of salsa you use will affect the flavor and heat of your burritos.  Use a salsa you really like.  Even though I serve these to my kids, I have found that I like a medium heat salsa the best.  With all the other ingredients to help absorb the heat, it is just the right amount of spiciness for us.  So experiment a little with salsas until you find the right brand/heat for your family!

Linking to:

While He Was Napping

WiP Wednesday #16 - Back To Work!

I think it took me an entire week of being home from my trip before I felt like my brain was back in the right time zone.

(And I won't even mention the fact that I haven't completely unpacked yet.  Ahem.)

And I have this strange quirk of hating to sew or work on a project while my house is a mess.  And boy, has it been a mess since I got home.

So I am just happy to have started sewing again within the past week.

This is what I chose to start with:

This is the beginning of our Christmas Stockings. 

I debated what to do for awhile...hourglass or double hourglass to match the Christmas tree skirt I made last year?   Straight strips?  In the end, I decided to do the wonky strips. 

I wanted the stockings to have a little more modern feel, and I felt the blocks would make them too "country" feeling, if you know what I mean.

So, I finally pulled out the Jelly Roll that has been waiting on the shelf for the past 3 or 4 years to get this project started, and got to work.

Right now I am piecing the strips.  Then I will quilt them to the batting. Then I have to check my stash to see if I have any white/cream that matches, because I want to make white cuffs with each of our names embroidered on them.  In gold. 

I know, I'm getting all fancy on you.

***

Anyway, that is my new WiP for this week.

I think I also had a genius idea on what to do for one of my secret projects.  I will write more about that as I finish working it all out.

Here are my stats:

WiP's finished - 0

New WiP's started - 1

Christmas Stockings - moved from the "Back Burner" list

WiP's worked on - 1

Christmas Stockings

WiP's NOT worked on: 6

*ONE Key fob to finish

*ONE dress to finish

Swoon mini quilt

Denim Rag Quilt

Star Baby Quilt

Couch Pillows

On the back burner/not started yet: 4

Bed quilt (Swoon)

Secret gift #1 (fabric purchased)

Secret gift #2

Possible - dress, matching doll dress, and doll quilt for my niece for Christmas

Total = 11 - Up one from last week!

Linking to Lee at Freshly Pieced!

Two Little Pillowcase Dresses

Before I left for my trip last month, I managed to squeeze out two little pillowcase dresses for the daughters of two of my friends who both turned One in June.

I know Pillowcase dresses don't really involve much of a pattern, but since I was making these without any actual measurements, I decided to purchase a pattern that had a measurement chart for ages 0-5T.

Remember, I am a mom of boys, so girl sizes and such are totally lost on me.

I think they turned out great.  My only pain in the whole process what having to do the rolled hems on the armholes by hand - meaning, without the aid of a handy Rolled Hem Foot.  For some reason, my sewing machine didn't come with one!

It took me an hour to do the arm hem on the first dress - pressing, measuring, pressing and measuring again, pinning the heck out of it, then trying to sew it neatly.

Fortunately, I got the technique down pretty well and the second one didn't take me nearly as long.

 However, the experience made me positive that my next purchase for my dear Bernina will be a Rolled Hem Foot!

I'm probably a lot late linking up today, but still...Linking up to:

Six Sisters Stuff

 

Sew Cute Tuesday

WiP Wednesday #15

I'm Back!

I had a fabulous vacation last month.  We were gone from June 30 - July 29.  Yep, an entire month.  And we hit a grand total of 15 States during that one month.

Starting in Virginia, we hit North Carolina, West Virginia (twice), Ohio, Indiana (twice), Illinois (twice), Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming (twice), Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and Kentucky. 

Whew!

However, now that my summer fun is over and August has arrived, I am definitely feeling the pressure to get started on my Christmas gifts/projects. 

Fortunately, I have a stack of new fabric that I bought while I was in Utah last month.  And while some of it is intended for some of those Christmas gifts I need to get a start on, I have to admit, I did purchase the majority of it just for me!

I bough most of it at my favorite little quilt shop in Orem, The Fabric Mill.

They are so friendly and helpful at that store.  I went to another one, (which shall remain nameless) and even though they were larger and even had a 20% off Christmas in July sale going on, I just wasn't impressed.  They didn't really have a lot of what I wanted, and the customer service was very poor compared to my favorite Fabric Mill.

Can you tell I love The Fabric Mill???

Anyway, the bottom of the stack is some California Girl by Fig Tree, which I am going to try another Swoon quilt with.

Above that is a little bit of Vintage Modern by Bonnie and Camille that my sister picked out for her Christmas gift.

On top is a mix of boy fabrics that I picked out to make some shorts for my twins with, and a few cuts of Halloween fabric that I bought to add to my small, but growing, Halloween fabric collection, which eventually will end up as a Halloween-ish quilt.

NOW - on to WiP Wednesday! 

I had a completion before I left (which I mentioned on my last WiP post, but finally blogged about a few weeks ago...my one and only post in July!) 

#1 - Embroidered Fabric Key Fobs

I also finished 2 of the three dresses I had started.  I will post about those when I finish the third one.

So here are the new stats:

WiP's finished - 1

2 of 3 pillowcase dresses

New WiP's - 0

WiP's worked on - 0

Technically nothing worked on, but bought the fabric for 2 of my "back burner" projects.

WiP's NOT worked on: 6

*ONE Key fob to finish

*ONE dress to finish

Swoon mini quilt

Denim Rag Quilt

Star Baby Quilt

Couch Pillows

On the back burner/not started yet: 4

Bed quilt (Swoon)

Christmas Stockings

Secret gift #1 (fabric purchased)

Secret gift #2

Total = 10 - Up one from last month

Linking to Lee at Freshly Pieced (button in my sidebar)