starry runner

Yesterday I finished up a runner that I started awhile ago.  This finish kind of crept up on me!  I've been working on it a little here a little there and then yesterday afternoon I was done!  So then I was like what else do I have to do except quilt it?  So then I switched to the darning foot and before you know it it was donezo!  This is for my friend Kristin.  I had made her some hot pads awhile back and I thought a runner might be nice to match.  Her house is kind of tuscan colors and I thought stars would be fun. I just made up the pattern. I knew I wanted a big star on one side and then little ones on the other. Then I thought it would be fun to alternate which side the big star is on. The cream backround polka dot print is the one that Kristin originally started with for the hot pads and then I've just kept adding on to it. I really like the way this turned out and I hope she does too! The only little bugger was the thread. I think it kept getting caught on my darning foot or something because every once in awhile it would be kind of snaggy. But, not too big of a deal I think. Here's a little close up:
I'm almost finished with the dinosaur I'm knitting.  I have two more legs to go so I might finish it up today.

knitting retreat

I don't know if anyone else does this but after a conversation with someone I will sometimes mull over the conversation forever.  Like why didn't I say this or that or why didn't I just shut my mouth?  A lot of time shutting my mouth is the best idea :)  Anyhow, last weekend was the knitting retreat, which was awesome! but there is one leeetle question I was asked that I wish I could have a do-over on.  It was put to me like this "You're religious, right?  What do you think?"  And I said yes, blah, blah, blah......and it continued.  BUT!  what I wish I had said was "no I don't consider myself 'religious', I have a relationship with God."  Because, really, for me, that is a much more truthful answer.  It's not perfect and I don't have everything figured out but isn't that what relationships are?  And really I consider "religion" as having a lot of rules and possibly rituals and I don't have that.  So, I guess that's my do-over.  Ha.

Okay, so the knitting retreat.  Awesome!  I've been to the same campground for the scrapbooking retreats that I've gone to like twice a year for the past 6 or so years.  But as a knitting retreat it like morphed into something altogether different and COZY and intimate almost and quiet and kindred.  There were only 8 of us and the couches that don't usually get any use were pulled in around the wood stove.  It was possibly a little too warm even with short sleeves, but eh.  It was snowing and tons of snow on the ground.  There were a couple of ladies crocheting.  Two ladies just brought up magazines and their company.  The other 4 of us knitted.  I've longed for awhile now to watch other people knit and this really fulfilled that longing.  You see, I learned from a book and not really anyone I know knits.  So it was really nice to watch the way they held their hands, the needles, the yarn and just the technique. 

One of the ladies brought up some board games and we played Taboo on Saturday night, which was really fun!  I hadn't played it before so it was fun to learn and get to know the ladies a little bit more in a fun way.  I love playing board games!  So, I am almost finished with the dinosaur I started knitting there, I just have the legs and then it's done and I'll show some pics. 

This morning was ballet and it was my 4th class.  It really is such a great weight loss motivation!  I think I am going to try and go more often, even without Charese.  I think I'll catch on a little bit more that way.  I also found a book at the library, so look out!  I really think you can learn almost anything from a book!

list

I missed my list last week (say that 10 times fast!) so I'll just go for the list this week:

Things I do every day:

Drink coffee
brush my teeth morning and night
shower
go to work
work out
laugh
cuddle my puppy dogs
make up silly songs
curse the alarm

finally a finish!

Finally!  A finish.  I finished this quilt this afternoon.  I have to say the stippling went really fast on this one.  So, the gal I made this for asked for navy, brown, green and a pop of orange and she wanted it to have a vintage feel.  I am really not sure if it feels vintage or not but some of the fabrics feel that way.  The theme in the baby's room is airplanes and trucks.  And for real it's kind of hard to find those fabrics!  Of course, now that this is done they will pop up all over!  That always happens!Here's the back view.  I thought in my head that I had a whole bunch of that blue countryside scene fabric and turned out I didn't.  No matter though because I really like to do a fun pieced back.  My original idea was to have the arrows meet exactly in the middle, but again, didn't have enough of the blue to make that work.  I'm happy with how it turned out though.  The binding, which you can't really tell from the photos is a dark navy Denyse Schmidt that I got when Joann's was closing the old store at either 75 or 90% off, I don't remember.  Either way I got a screaming deal.  It's got a little print on it thast shows up more on the front.I really just had to add this photo because while I was taking pics of the quilt the boys were, of course, running around in front, behind and around the quilt.  So, here you see a bit of Rocky at the bottom of the quilt sniffing around.
I think I mentioned before but I will again that I got the idea for the pattern from the Moda Bake Shop "on the go" quilt.  Although I didn't really follow the pattern at all.  For mine I did a 4.5 x 9 flying geese block and then just attached it to 3 rectangles and then cut the whole thing down to 9" square.  It was really quick and easy.  In the moda pattern you are doing 2 half square triangles to make the point of the arrows and I really didn't want that seam down the middle of the tip and I didn't want to break up my patterns with that seam.  Less seams = better, for me.
And, to be fair so I don't seem biased towards one pup, here's Joey: He's just too cool to pose for a picture. Especially when he'd really rather be getting a treat or running amok.

ramblerambleramble

Now that I got the list out of the way I can ramble a bit :)  The Fairy Princess (Charese) and I went to ballet again today.  The last class was mostly at the barre so a lot of standing still and only a little floor work.  Today was all floor work.  Either way kind of doesn't matter since I don't know what I'm doing!  The teacher is very encouraging to us since it's very obvious neither of us have ever had any lessons.  I did get a "good job Clementine!" while we were doing these little brush point hop hop hops across the studio.  She, um, couldn't remember my name (who ever does?) but I knew she meant me and that was worth it!  I can kind of figure out what I should be doing if I can watch someone else slowly and then copy.  If I can't do that then I don't know what my body should be doing AT ALL.  Charese is such a good sport, she still wants to go back!
In other news, I am making really good progress reading more books this year!  I think I've read 5 or 6 so far!  And, I'm almost done with the back of the arrow quilt and then I can move on!  The top is finished and the back just needs to be sewn together and then it's almost done.  I have a couple small projects to finish and then back to my UFOs.  I've decided I need to go back to being stricter with myself and not start something new if I haven't finished what I'm working on.  Unless it's a doll.  Because sometimes that urge just sneaks up on me and I will just have to make it :) 

#52 lists

I've decided to join in on a little thing, making a list every week for the year.  There's a little thing going on #52 lists at Meet Me At Mike's.  I'm joining late so I won't end up with 52, but eh, who cares?  The subject this week is:

                                               Favorite Smells:
1. campfire, burning leaves, fireplace....
2. violets
3. lemon scented cleaner
4. coffee
5. vine ripened tomato warm from the sun
6. oranges
7. diesel exhaust sometimes
8. peppermint
9. daffodils
10. scotch tape

dolls and stuff

I have had a very productive weekend! First, a friend's daughter is having a birthday and I thought it would be really fun to make a red riding hood doll! I have been seeing them all over blogworld for at least a year now but never had an excuse to make one. I had bought a book a few months ago about making dolls because I love making dolls and a little red pattern was included.  I did add a few extras that were not included in the pattern directions.  One was the little skirt that I had intended to be a little apron but once it was stuffed turned into kind of a skirt.  Also the button placket was supposed to be felt.  I'm not a big fan of felt on something that has the potential to be washed so I wanted to use the least amount possible.  The ribbon and rickrack were an addition.  I added beads for the little hairclip and also ponytails.  The little girl is blond so I thought it might be fun for her to have a blond doll?  Idk.

I am so close to being done with the squares for the arrow quilt.  Only 3 more blocks and then I can sew it together.  Of course, before sewing them together there is the staring period.  Staring and shifting.  Right now I'm trying to decide what colors need to be added.
And then I conquered something that I really didn't want to do.  Jan had asked me to make a couple of Mya's volleyball tshirts smaller.  She had taken them to the alterations store who was going to charge $25 per shirt to make them smaller!  Cuckoo.  So she asked if I could since she had seen a tutorial on pinterest and it looked easy but she doesn't sew.  Huh.  Yep, I could do it but here's something you may not know about me - I hate sewing knit fabric, buttons and zippers!  But, she said Mya is so uncomfortable in them and she's so petite.  I looked up a tutorial for reference.  I really liked this one but at first was a little afraid to cut the fabric.  Once you cut you can't go back.  The next one looked easier but I could tell that the underarms would have some weird bunching.  If you've sewn anything with a kind of corner you know that without making a notch it gets bunchy.  Well anyways I did sew the underarms and sides like the second one and it was uber bunchy looking and grody. 
Which meant that I would have to suck it up and cut the fabric and just pray I got it right.  Y'all my armpits were getting sweaty!  What if I ruined her tshirts????  But, thank God I've got some garment making experience and pretty much know how things should go.  Basically they turned out really well.  the second one I want her to try on and make sure it will be comfortable because it did bunch a teensy bit under the arms.  But.  I did get them really really close to the size that she needs.

I also got to talk to my Mom today, which was nice :)  She's in the process of using up her stash and making stuff!  We've talked before about how easy it is to shop and shop and have great ideas and then spend so much time doing that that we don't actually get to the doing part.  So, I'm proud of her for getting to it!