Tag: Far Far Away quilt

The Big Pie-in-the-Sky List of Projects for 2024

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It is mind boggling to me that I managed to abstain from most creative endeavors for eighteen months!  Of course, one way that I dealt with the inevitable withdrawal pangs was to promise myself that I’d be allowed to work on crafty things to my heart’s content once I was done with school, which has resulted in a HUGE “Want to Make” list.  Unfortunately, now that we’re to the point of being able to grapple with all the beautiful projects I earmarked, I’m overwhelmed by all of my choices!  What a fantastic problem to have!  Hee hee.  I work through decisions better with writing and visuals, so here’s what’s on my mind:

Quilts:

Rainbow Coin Strip Quilt:  (ASAP)  I am finally quilting this!  It’s horrible quilting because 1) I’m very out of practice, and 2) I wasn’t that great a quilter to begin with, but it’s in-progress!  I’ve realized that the quilting step is the huge bottleneck for my quilts; there was a time when I could just send them out to a long-arm quilter and wash my hands of the task, but prices and shipping have gotten so expensive in recent years that I can’t justify the cost anymore.  I invested in another sewing machine with a much larger throat space so I can quilt my own quilts, but they’re definitely not as pretty as the long-arm pantos that I love.  Sigh.  Done is better than perfect here.  And hey, maybe I’ll actually develop my quilting skills to a level that pleases me.  The Rainbow Coin Strip Quilt will not reflect that sort of level, but I’m telling myself it’s ok because it’s a scrap quilt that will get the snot kicked out of it anyway, so wonky quilting won’t be a tragedy.

Far Far Away Quilt:  (ASAP)  I started this one back in 2022 and even worked on it a little during a school break.  It’s sewn into its rows and is awaiting the rest of the top assembly, which will then require me to pull out all the foundation papers, which is causing me some task paralysis because papers removal just plain isn’t fun!  But, oh…it’s a pretty quilt!  Cara!  Just slog through the unpleasant part and get this finished so you can have this awesome quilt!  Geez!

Chatsworth Block of the Month:  (January-December)  This is a sew along hosted by Fat Quarter Shop this year and I really want to participate because I’ve been collecting some fabrics for a couple of years now that will work really, really well for it!  The first installment of blocks were due by the end of last month, but I haven’t started yet.

Piece & Quilt Sampler Sew Along:  (March 2024-February 2025)  Another sew along with the Fat Quarter Shop.  I bought the pattern book a while back because it looked awesome, and then I saw there was a sew along this year and I got really excited about it.  I’ve even stash-dived and decided on some great fabric to use.  The question is whether or not I have time for it? You can look at the general info and fabric requirements here if you’re also interested. It’s going to be a pretty quilt!

Birthday quilt for Nathaniel:  (April)  He at least has his own Christmas quilt, but alas, still no everyday quilt, and he rarely resists the opportunity to bring it up in conversation that I’ve deeply neglected him in failing to provide this necessity of life.  He’s given up on the Rocket Age quilt, and has been asking for a pig quilt for a couple of years. 

Reading Nook Quilt:  (May)  For the most part, I avoided even looking at fabric while I was working on my master’s degree; but, during a particularly stressful couple of weeks of student teaching, I indulged in a lot of online window shopping as I grappled with the challenges I was facing.  As luck would have it, Ruby Star Society’s “Reading Nook” collection was released that week and I was completely smitten with its adorableness and ordered a fat quarter bundle of it with the promise that I could make myself a reading quilt once student teaching was completed.  I’ve mocked up a pattern for it, it’s super simple and satisfying, but I’ve lacked time to start working on it.  I’d really like to finish this as a birthday gift to myself this year.

Fig Tree Strawberry Garden Block of the Month:  (May 2024-April 2025)  Another FQS sew along; I absolutely love it and hope I can make it happen!  I’ve placed a reservation order for the book and I’ve definitely got enough stashed Fig Tree fabrics to work with, so it wouldn’t even require purchasing fabrics.

Renaissance Graduation/College Quilt:  (June/August)  ‘Cuz I gotta. No idea what I’m going to make or what fabric/color palette I’ll use. I figure that will get worked out once we get her through the college application/acceptance process.

Penguin Christmas quilt for Renaissance:  (November)  Because she’s a senior in high school this year and she still doesn’t have her own Christmas quilt!  She’s been making do with the Hipster Christmas Tree quilt, but I’d really like to get her very own, made-specifically-for-her quilt done before Thanksgiving this year.  I have no idea where she’s heading after high school; she’s vacillating between studying music out of state or staying close to home and earning a technical certificate in pastry arts, so the quilt could be a “welcome home for the holidays” thing or it might not be.  It is nerve-wracking to watch your barely-adult children make these huge decisions.

Gingerbread Christmas quilt for Rachel:  (November)  Rachel also doesn’t have her very own made-for-her Christmas quilt.  She’s been making do with the Double-Nine Patch quilt I made for Fat Quarter Shop back in 2018, but has been wishing and wishing for a gingerbread quilt for years and years.  Due in large part to the euphoria of having submitted my last ever final paper right before Black Friday, I bought an embarrassing amount of fabric at various quilt shops’ Black Friday sales, and the majority of it was various precuts and yardages of the Holiday Cheer collection by My Mind’s Eye, solely for the purpose of finally sewing up a “just for Rachel” Christmas quilt.

English Paper Piecing quilts:  I have four in-progress and it would be nice to finish up some of them.  There’s the Star Spangled Diamonds quilt from forever ago that needs borders, the Smitten quilt that needs a few more filler pieces to assemble the top, a Christmas-themed jewel quilt I started this last Christmas because I wanted a Christmas project to work on in the car, and the Roses Hexagon quilt that I’ve slowly been working on for years whenever I need a break from current projects.

Knitting:

I don’t think I have any definitive knitting projects in mind, which makes me sad.  It’s just not that cold here in Washington, when compared to winter weather in Utah, so the need just isn’t that high anymore.  However, I just like the *feel* of knitting needles in my hands, so I’d like to do more knitting…I just don’t know what to work on.  I wonder if I equate knitting with babies and children for the most part, and because there’s really no little people in our families anymore, there’s not a lot of pressure to knit right now?

However, I do have a lot of stash.  Some things I’m inspired to make when I think about my stash are:

Lace shawls:  I have a lot of laceweight yarn in really beautiful colors.  Unfortunately, I don’t really lead a life that uses lace shawls, so creating them to then just let them sit is silly.  I could try to become a shawl-wearing person, though…or just enjoy the creative process and not worry so much about the end product.

Socks:  I also have a lot of fingering-weight yarn that would make good socks.  I think I just need to grant myself permission in this vein.  Socks are awesome mindless knitting that are oh-so-portable.  I should pause my EPP in the car and concentrate on knitting instead until the weather warms up. 

School mascot hat/beret:  I was exploring yarn shops in the area and bought some yarn in my kids’ high school colors because I had a vision of a cool beret knit in fair isle technique of the school mascot.  Should probably move along on this idea.

Brooklyn Tweed Shelter project:  I’ve been collecting random colorways for years, and decided, on a whim, to cast on a Baa-ble Hat last week. I’m enjoying knitting it up!

Clothing

I have so much apparel fabric and I literally have no plans to use any of it.  It’d be nice to get back into clothing sewing, but my focus may just be on quilts this year.  I don’t know even know where I’d start with clothes.  There is a lovely feeling of satisfaction when you sew your own clothes, though…I miss it.

Embroidery

Weird things happen when you put things on your Amazon wish list—sometimes your husband will actually buy you the things!  Michael generously gifted me an embroidery machine for this Christmas, and it’s on my radar to learn how to use the thing…at some point.  I didn’t think I’d ever receive it as a gift, so I have no plans in effect.  I put it on my wishlist while I was really leaning into tablescaping for the holidays and I think I’d enjoy creating specially embroidered table linens.  And monogrammed bridal handkerchiefs.  And I’ve always wanted embroidered pillowcases with matching embroidered flat sheets, and, and, and…hee hee hee.  It might take A WHILE to circle around to this, though; I really do have a lot of quilty plans to plough through first!

So that’s what I’ve got on my mind for 2024. I guess I should print out this list and hang it up somewhere to remind me that I’ve got some serious sewing to get to this year! I really got out of the habit of daily creativity during grad school, but I missed it dearly and am going to make an earnest effort to reintegrate creativity back into my daily life. Wish me luck! And I wish YOU luck with your project goals for 2024!

#craftygoals: February 2022

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Y’all hanging in there? January’s a hard month to survive, I think. Good job making it to February! Alas, I think February often gives January a run for its miserable money most years, which makes me feel like…

But we’re just going to keep our heads down and go to work on those awesome crafty goals, and we’ll pass this gray, cold month with color in our hands and beautiful stitches to chase away the days. Sounds like an excellent plan! Go forth!

I had a plan for February, but as I went about to start prepping for it, I asked the person I was going to make a thing for if they wanted the thing I was planning to make for them and THEY SAID NO. So…I need some new plans. (It was a dress for Rachel. She’s so thrilled with her new Halloween skirt that she said she didn’t need anything new at the moment, and anyways, that particular dress was something she was “only into for, like, last summer.” 😒 This is why, more and more, I’m against surprise crafting. It often ends poorly. Just ask people what they want and then tell them it’s going to take forever to make. Everyone ends up happy. Even if it takes ten years to finish the thing. Trust me, I have A LOT of experience with this.)

I didn’t mention it in my January #craftygoals post, but I want to try to sew up an article of clothing each month this year. (I didn’t mention it because it would have hinted that “Rachel’s Birthday Gift” was a piece of clothing. Which ended up not mattering because I had to spoil the secret anyway. Gah.) I like the idea of making well-fitting clothes, but it’s a very new skill for me and I avoid it because it’s still kind of difficult to do well. It’s way more gratifying to crank out quilts because I’m already good at them. Clothes, though…eek. Practice, practice, practice.

1. So, with Rachel’s dress off the table, I need to come up with another clothing item to make, and I need a little time to figure that out because reasons.

The other #craftygoals for February are:

2. Finish the Rainbow Coin Strip quilt. I don’t think I’ve ever posted about this quilt, but I started it in December 2019 as a kick-off for the coming year being devoted to sewing up my scraps, and almost got the top completed, actually. And then my first shipment of Blank Quilting fabric arrived and the Rainbow Coin Strip quilt went into hibernation very quickly. The Convoluted Formula™ dictates that it be the next thing I work on. I’m pleased it’ll be completed soon. It’s cute.

3. Continue (maybe finish?) the Far Far Away quilt.

4. Brick House Scrap Quilt blocks #5-8

5. Clementine Quilt Along Month 3 & 4. I didn’t quite finish the Month 3 blocks last month because of my back, but they’re close. Hopefully I can railroad through the fourth month’s blocks, too.

6. Berry Blocks. Not even started, annoyingly.

7. HST Leaders & Enders. Also not started, extra annoyingly. But we’re not going to worry because Scrappy Thursday is for working with scraps at the pace that I can work. There are no deadlines in the Land of Scrappy Thursdays, just a love of scraps. THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN, DARN IT.

Hand Stitching-wise, I’m still knitting away on Michael’s Building Blocks sock, and really should be able to finish those up by the end of the month.

I have NO idea what I’ll work on after that. I think I need a portable project for taking to work, and an “at-home” project that is more involved or larger or whatever. Maybe a pair of vanilla socks for work, and resume working on the Stalagmite socks that I started three years ago? Or the Better Days Sweater? I don’t know, but it’s gotta be something yarny. My fingers are so cold in the winter that I have a hard time with hand sewing.

January’s #craftygoals went really good. I finished the Cat Lady quilt, Rachel’s Halloween skirt (pictures coming), the Mini Charm Chiffon Baby quilt (pictures waiting on delivery), and was able to start working on the Far Far Away quilt.

Scrappy Thursday-wise, I got the Brick House blocks for the month done and almost finished the Clementine blocks. As previously stated, I did not get to the Berry Blocks or HST Leaders & Enders. Not much I can do about that. Hopefully everything cooperates in the universe and I’m able to work on them this month.

And in the sphere of Hand Stitching, I finally finished the Nereid Mitts! Huzzah!

Good luck with your #craftygoals for the month!

Fifth Monday in January: Say Hello to the Far Far Away Quilt

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You guys, I did it! I completed all the crafty goals I needed to complete this month in order to grant myself permission to FINALLY start on a quilt that’s been brewing in my mind for YEARS. I mean, I barely squeaked through with getting to work on this before month’s end, as I only got to start cutting it yesterday, but whatevs man, I’m working on my Far Far Away quilt!

I’ve been collecting fat quarter bundles of each of Heather Ross’ Far Far Away fabric collections since…2015, I think. The first collection popped up in a Fat Quarter Shop flash sale and I made a noise not of this world when I saw it, and grabbed it up because I LOVED those unicorns. We all know how often we actually get to working with spur-of-the-moment purchases, so that fat quarter bundle was still sitting on the shelf when the second Far Far Away collection came out, and I decided that I’d buy that one as well and do a compilation project someday.

And then Far Far Away THREE came out recently(ish) and I knew I needed to buy it as well. To be honest, all three of these fat quarter bundles would probably still be chillin’ in the stash if not for my new #craftygoals system that I’ve put into play this year. There’s so much more to it than I’ve explained because I don’t want to scare y’all off with my convoluted reasons for why/how I choose the projects to work on next, but it takes into consideration how long something’s been in the stash vs. how new it is and things like that…and, following the Convoluted Formula™, the “Far Far Away Quilt” was up next.

So I sat down mocked-up a quilt that would work with the number of fat quarters I have on-hand:

And now I’m cutting the fabrics. Oh my goodness, I love everything about these fabrics.

I’m going to be using Lori Holt’s 6″ Economy Quilt Block Foundation papers to make my economy blocks with super cute fussy cut centers. There’s 42 in a pack, so the quilt will be a 6×7 layout.

It IS the end of the month, so the #craftygoals rollover will start tomorrow and I’ll have to set this aside until I finish up February’s list to the point where I can work on this again, so you probably won’t see this again for a few weeks.

But oh my goodness, does it ever feel good to start working on this beautiful project.

(And nope, it’s not a gift for anyone. IT’S MINE. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha!)

Fourth Monday in January

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Monstrously behind in my crafting schedule, but there’s just not much I can do about freak nerve pinchings, and I really needed to get that COVID booster shot. This week has a little bit of extra free time in it because the kids don’t have school on Thursday and Friday, so I’m hoping to get a little more crafting done on those days. We shall see.

The fast and dirty rundown:

  • Cat Lady Quilt: Done and blogged.
  • Rachel’s Birthday Gift: In-progress, near completion. With the loss of almost two weeks of creating time, I had to give up on the idea of keeping this secret, so Rachel knows about it. It’s another circle skirt, this time made from the “Cast a Spell” floral print in the “Spooky & Sweeter” collection that Art Gallery Fabrics put out last year. It works well that she knows because I needed to measure her and then I figured I’d ask her if she even liked the idea before sinking hours of time into making it. It’s been super cute–she “wanders” into the craft room and stands behind me while I’m at the sewing machine and watches as the skirt gets stitched, and then wanders away, only to reappear an hour or so later to check on my progress.
  • Mini Charm Chiffon Baby Quilt: I ran into a hiccup on Rachel’s skirt and needed to take a break from it, so I went around and gathered up the various materials I needed to work on this and prewashed everything that needed it. Ready to baste. Could potentially finish this week.
  • Far Far Away Quilt: Also prewashed everything for this with the Chiffon stuff. It’s A LOT of fabric! So excited to hopefully get to working on this.
  • Brickhouse Quilt: Blocks 1-4 done.
  • Clementine Quilt: Almost done with Month 3. Probably finish this week.
  • Berry Quilt: Haven’t started, but will probably start this week.
  • HST Leaders & Enders Quilt: Haven’t started, probably won’t get to this month.
  • Nereid Mitts: Done! Need to photograph and blog.
  • Building Blocks Socks: Putting in the time, so they’re coming along.
Skirt with pockets!

It was a very productive weekend after many weeks of feeling poorly. It’s amazing how much you’re actually capable of doing when you finally start feeling better.

#craftygoals: January 2022

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Hello, and a happy new year to you! A new year also means a new month, and that means new crafty goals, which are:

  1. Birthday Gift No. 1 (Because February is the start of Birthday Season here in Brooketopia…)⁠ And this isn’t a birthday “gift” per se, because I’ve already technically given it as a birthday gift to Em for a previous birthday, but it wasn’t totally finished then…and it’s still not finished now. There’s something about your kid turning eighteen and leaving for college in the next year that gets you wanting to clear out any languishing gifts that you were totally supposed to have finished up by now.
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  2. Birthday Gift No. 2⁠: A legit new gift for Rachel. I think she’s going to be very pleased with it and I cannot wait to work on it! I won’t be able to show you anything about it until she opens it on her birthday because she’s an active fan of mine on Instagram and checks all my feeds. (Ha ha, Rachel! No sneak peeks here!)
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  3. Finish the Mini Charm Chiffon quilt⁠ (I only completed the top for the reveal; it still needs quilting and binding.)
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  4. Start the Far Far Away quilt (I am SO EXCITED for this!)⁠
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  5. Sew up Blocks 1-4 for the Brick House Scrap quilt⁠ (Scrappy Thursday #1)
  6. Clementine Quilt Month 3 blocks⁠ (Scrappy Thursday #2)
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  7. Berry blocks⁠ (Scrappy Thursday #3)
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  8. Iron & trim HST leaders & enders⁠ (Scrappy Thursday #4)

December’s #craftygoals: I only got one of the five December crafty goals completed, due to that stupid, stupid bout of illness I had for most of the month, and seeing how my December crafty projects were all tied to Christmassy things, they’re not being carried over into January. They’ll go into hibernation until I either need them for birthday gifts or want to give another go at making them into Christmas gifts. But still, at the end of the day, having only completed the Patchwork Forest quilt is still way better than not completing anything at all, obviously! Goals are awesome.

What goals are you setting for January? Anyone have any neat resolutions for 2022? Whatever they may be, I wish you the best of luck with them!