Sew Together Bag

*Breaking radio silence*

I'd apologize for being gone for a few weeks, but I'm trying the whole blogging without obligation thing.  With a full time job and two young boys, I realized I can't over-schedule and pressure myself with blogging and such.  I can get too wrapped into it to where I get anxious and obsessed. 

In addition to that, I've been busy.  I went to Nebraska at the beginning of the month - first vacation/trip without kids my husband and I have been on in five years.  Since then we've been getting back into the home groove and working on planting our garden and landscaping projects.  But I decided to take a little bit of naptime and get back on the wagon. 

Here is my Sew Together Bag (pattern by Sew Demented), made especially for my week-long car trip. 

Other side.

It is great. 

I broke two needles making it, but aside from that, not bad at all. 

The hardest part was probably whittling down fabric choices. 

I have more to share coming soon.  :)

Trip to Belle Isle

Belle Isle is an island in the James River in Richmond, Virginia.  It was used as a prison and for munitions manufacturing during the Civil War.  We traveled there a couple weekends ago on a drizzly day to explore.

 View of the swollen James from the hanging pedestrian bridge.  There's an osprey nest in one of the trees.

 Train coming through.

 Old Civil War era bridge support.

 Trail on Belle Isle.

 Ruins

 Below is a group of reenactors at the American Civil War Museum (at the old Tredegar Iron Works) doing a cannon firing demonstration.

Being a Civil War buff, I found the museum a little disappointing, but it was fun to visit it and read the markers on Belle Isle.

What I was doing this weekend . . .

The women of my mom's family all joined up at a house in the mountains of western North Carolina last weekend.  This is how I spent most of my time around the house:

 

I was trying to finish up a project, and once I did, I moved on to another:

I'm on the right, with my cousin and my aunt on the deck.

 

Don't worry, we did some shopping and touring as well!

I even found some fabric, but I don't have pics of it yet. ;)

I'm Still Here!

Just busy.  Lots of life happening.  Let’s see . . . Kiddo had some sinus/allergy head cold last week, this week I had the same thing. 

 

I got all the rest of the fabric for my clamshell quilt – I actually had tons of cream and green and not enough red.  Extra clamshells will be made into another little project once I’m done with the throw quilt.

 

I worked on organizing my patterns by type (and weeding out ones I don’t want anymore to sell).  I started an Excel sheet to keep track of them and help avoid double purchases (it doesn’t happen often, but it has happened in the past), so I’ve been working on that.

I got the crab quilt basted, marked, and finished quilting it last night.  I should finish up attaching the binding by machine this evening, and I'll hand stitch it in the car tomorrow. 

I cut out two little fleece baby hats from leftover Celtics and Patriots fabric.  I’m hoping to get them sewn up early next week.

 

This weekend is a ladies’ weekend with women from my mom’s side of the family.  It will be the first time I’ve been away and having fun by myself since Kiddo was born (and he’s almost a year old).  We are just going to hang out and work on crafty projects, so I am taking: the crab quilt to bind, clamshells to work on, and the fabric for the guest room quilt to cut for my next leader-ender project.  Plus a couple of romance novels for when I’m tired of fabric . . .

 

Lots of other things going on (including a butt-load of new and continuing projects), but that’s for another post. :-)

Clamshell Club Update – 8/31/2010

This was my first month of the Clamshell Club.  I got off to a slow start, but I never claimed this would be a fast project.  I decided to use Christmas fabrics from my stash – this will bust over half of them.  I'll have to get some new Christmas fabrics to finish the quilt, but at least I did use from stash first (a big deal for me).

 

I spent most of my time cutting as my supplies started trickling in (mylar for the template, a book for the pattern, appliqué pins and straw needles, etc.).  So far I have this stack of cut clamshells . . .

This stack of glue-basted clamshells (some of them are coming unbasted, Yikes!) . . .

These sets of sewn clamshells . . .

And this set of pinned clamshells . . .

I like it so far.  I guess I am most worried about having the colors balance, since I am going for a super scrappy look.  I like order and planned and pretty, so random scrappy is a challenge for me. 

 

I was a little sad that I was only able to piece two sets of clamshells on our trip the other day, but I think it will go more quickly if I pin a bunch before we leave (pinning in the car is difficult).  We will be doing a lot of traveling this fall . . .

 

I wonder how long it will take me to accumulate fabric for, cut, baste, and piece and throw-sized top? 

Yay!

I was getting worried that my applique pins and straw needles wouldn't show up in time for our trip this weekend, but guess what came in the mail today! 

So I spent a little time glue-basting some clamshells and pinning the first couple together so I could sew tomorrow in the car. 

I am way too excited for this project - I'm such a nerd.

New Project - Clamshells

I have decided on a new quilting project (because I don’t already have like 26 on the list).  I want to make a clamshell quilt.  It will be all hand-pieced, which will be good for trips.  I was really inspired by Brown Dirt Cottage’s blog, and she had a picture and the name of the book she was inspired by, so I found it on Amazon for $0.48 plus shipping (used, but in very good condition).  I needed to get the replacement charger for our camera anyways, so I added the book, and then found a mini cutting mat and ruler set for $8.55 that would be great for working in the car, at work, etc.  So we have three little packages coming our way.  

After some serious internal debate, I have decided to dig into my Christmas fabrics and work from stash.  I can always add some new if I need to, but we'll start with these and see how many clamshells we get.  It looks like any new fabric will need to be green . . .

Obviously, it’s going to take some time to make a throw-sized quilt, but it’ll be a good hand project, just grab-n-go (something I am always struggling to find right before we leave for a trip). 

 

I got a sheet of Mylar template plastic, so when my book gets here, I can copy the clamshell template and get started.  I looked at appliqué pins and straw needles, but I didn’t like the ones at JoAnn’s, so I’ll have to head online or go to Sew Biz again.  I should have everything in time to start on our trip back home the end of the month. 

 

I guess I need to check my smaller rotary cutter to see if it is small enough (I think it is) and get a new blade or get a mini cutter.  I am so excited to get my little kit and get started.  Although the clamshell quilt will be slow progress mainly for trips or hand sewing while watching TV, the mini cutting kit can be used for many projects, including marking FGF squares at lunch or while watching TV.

So dear readers, wish me luck as I join the Clamshell Club!

All Packed Up

. . . and ready to go.  I have one last piece of fabric in the dryer, but everything else sewing-related is already packed up and in the car.  I'll put that last piece in with it as soon as it's done. 

Tomorrow after work, the little one and I leave for Williamsburg and my family's "Old Ladies' Weekend."  (Not all of us are old, but we are all ladies.)  My son is the only male to attend, and he's only allowed because he's still nursing.  I have most things packed, but there are some things that have to wait for tomorrow morning.  I'm not sure how much sewing I'll get done, but I'm hoping to finish at least two projects (baby sling and nursing cover), possibly a third (a kitchen towel), and work on piecing some quilt blocks while I'm there.  Whatever happens, I know I'll have a good time with the ladies of my family, hanging out, catching up, and maybe doing a little sightseeing.

If I have internet and finish something, I might post this weekend, but if not, it'll likely be Monday night before you hear from me.

TTFN :)