Ever wonder why I don't post everyday?

This is why. Six family members. Today I unloaded the dishwasher twice and loaded it twice. And there were still dishes to do by hand.

Another UFO finished!

One night, at least two years ago, I awoke from a dream in the middle of the night and started working on this quilt. I had the quilt top cut out before anyone else was up, and it was assembled instead of breakfast that day. I even had the back ready: a donated flannel sheet, low-water immersion dyed in a beautiful turquoise. Somewhere in those two years, I even bought the batting. I have had, in my home, all the pieces to finish this for my lovely daughter all this time. I think I have a fear of finishing things, because it sat in this condition for a long, long time. So during KCWC, instead of sewing clothing, (I did some) I worked on this quilt. It was important enough to me to cheat. :) So during KCWC, I did finish (see pics of progress here and here - I quilted the top to the bottom, all machine quilting. I did not obey any quilting rules, so if you are a quilter, please avert your eyes. BUT, due to my short comings, I couldn't manage to finish the binding (even though I made the binding out of leftovers from the backing and it was sitting waiting), and I was coming up on the deadline for another project, so I had to put the quilt down again. But yesterday - yesterday was THE day. I machine sewing the binding on, also, so again, real quilters, avert your eyes. The binding is not as perfect as I'd hoped, but done is better than perfect, especially when you are considering the extended production life of this project. Thanks for listening to me blather about my sewing woes; here is the Dream Quilt:

I don't know why blogger rotated that last picture. I didn't edit it that way. Sorry for the acrobatics required to read the text. The stippling is my favorite and least favorite part of the quilt. I love the look of stippling, but I am inexperienced in using my embroidery machine for quilting. I should have done a lot more measuring. But I have some experience now and know what to do differently next time. I'm sure it will be used and loved regardless.

I am sharing my quilt and glorying in all its imperfections in the hope that you might be inspired to try something you've previously considered too hard and press on with the the mantra, "done is better than perfect." and then love it!

P/S - linking to Fireflies and Jellybeans, b/c I just ran across the opportunity. :) http://seanandsabrinastwinsandwich.blogspot.com/2011/05/kcwc-friday-saturday-and-sunday.html

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments over at SouleMama for all to find and see.

Decisions, decisions

What do you call it when you have baby brain, but no baby? Had-Too-Many-Babies-Brain? I WROTE a {this moment} post. Picked out a picture. Had my cursor hovering over the Publish button, when I suddenly realized, "It's not Friday." It's Wednesday. I think trying to decide what we are doing with our holiday weekend has made the week speed up on me. :)

We have an opportunity for a spontaneous camping trip (well, 3 day warning spontaneous), which is so tempting. Or we can just continue with our plans to "staycation", which is also tempting.

How about you? Have big plans this weekend? A get-a-way? Home improvement? Gardening? Lazy-ing? Shopping? Do tell.

Some completed UFOs

It feels so good to complete something. I started one of these diapers for a friend of mine probably two years ago. Her daughter is now trained, of course, but these cut and embellished diaper pieces were sitting in my craft area. The same friend wanted to gift someone some diapers and the said someone luckily is having a girl baby. I was able to finish these off and send them to where they will be used daily instead of sitting on a shelf in a closet of mine. I swear I feel fifty pounds lighter. I have long wondered if my huge pile of unfinished projects has been keeping me from any crafting at all. Thinking I can't start something new, even though the started and not completed thing is of no use anymore (diaper for a potty-trained child, say). I think this might be the season to finish that UFO pile. The hard part will be not trying anything new until I do finish. Must. stay. off. the. internet. before. it's. too. late...

(Once again, my apologies for the phone camera pictures. I still have not fixed nor replaced my broken camera.)

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Go to SouleMama to join in.

KCWC day after

Yes, yes. Technically, it is the last day of the week long "sew for an hour a day" challenge. I sewed for many, many hours yesterday, so I'm calling it even. I woke up eager to finish the quilt, but decided that I didn't like how my chosen binding washed up, so I'm out of binding. If I can get my kiddos out of their pajamas, I'll head to the fabric store for some satin blanket binding to finish. It's cliche to use this stuff, but the girl it is for loves satin-y things, so I think it's best for this project.

On our date night last night, my husband said some really nice things about my sewing. Between listening to his compliments and the high I have from finishing a long time waiting project, I think my family won't be eating at the dining table for awhile. I might just move in.

I do not remember how I found elise marley's Kids' Clothing Week Challenge. I think I followed a link from One Pretty Thing, but I can't be sure. However I did, I am incredibly grateful. It was just the kick in the pants I needed to get out of my non-sewing rut. Apparently I'm "glowing" now. I'll take it. At 37, I need all the glow I can get.

KCWC Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!

(blurry pic courtesy of my phone)
This is going to be a quickie post, because I am late getting ready for a date with my hubby. I'm not done, but I made such amazing progress on this project and really did catch up with my sewing hours! I'm so proud of myself and I'm sure I will finish this tomorrow, even though I've fulfilled my "hours" for the challenge. I actually would rather stay home and finish than go out, but I think that would hurt my hubby's feelings. (grin)

Yes, I cheated, in that a quilt isn't exactly children's clothing, or even an accessory, but I suppose it is clothing for her bed. That counts, right? I'm glad I cheated, because this has been hanging around for two years (at least) waiting to be finished. I feel so much lighter because of all the unfinished sewing I've attended to, thanks to this contest. Thanks SO much, Elise!

KCWC Thursday

I got NO sewing, cutting, pattern ironing or otherwise crafty related time in on Thursay. Sad, sad girl over here. That makes me one hour, fifty minutes down, according to my count. I know it's not the point of it, but I am going to add on time to my Saturday hour, becaue we have nothing else going on to keep me from it!

So here's where I pull out my Mother's Day sewing. I was keeping this picture in my back pocket for just such a day! Redondo skirts made two years ago. The waists did NOT work, so I tore them off, and the skirts sat in the UFO pile getting shorter and shorter. (Well, the kids got taller and taller, but you get the idea.) I dug through the hand me downs for coordinating shirts. A little pinning, stitching and voila! three new dresses! And they LOVED them! Twin B wore hers twice this week. Well, three times, because she put it on on Mother's Day, too. Yea! They don't always love things I buy / sew for them, so it's nice when I get it right.

KCWC Wednesday

So, I forgot to tell you yesterday when I was whining of the biggest challenge this week! This week was teddy bear sewing projects in my twins' classroom so I didn't even have MY machine - it was in the classroom all week. I have my daughter's Singer. It works, but only a straight stitch. I have a serger, but it's been in storage for over a year & probably not used for longer - I have no idea if it works! But despite this big challenge, I DID hem those pants into shorts & I spent the rest of the hour cutting out tank tops. I'm going to try out that serger! And I finally sewed the patch onto my husband's karate uniform. He's been patiently waiting for two months. Yea sewing challenge for making me do things I would otherwise put off!

KCWC Tuesday

Oh boy. This challenge is more of a challenge than I thought it would be! My children are going through a "needy" phase, including my teen, so that is taking up my night time sewing hours. My camera broke, so all my photos are from my cell. And for my health, I need to go to bed earlier, not later. My available-for-sewing hours are dwindling right before my very eyes! Last night, I got as far as finding some pants to hem into shorts & some fabric to cut, but I got to neither hemming nor cutting. I'm trying to add a half hour onto my hour tonight / today. In fact, right after I get off the computer, I'm sewing until lunchtime.

KCWC Monday

I did it! I remembered that yesterday marked the begining of the Kids' Clothes Week Challenge. I made time for it & I completed something! I can't believe the embroidery took me a whole hour (the panel was already sewn), but it's something that's been sitting in the UFO pile for...2 years? Maybe more.

I cheated a bit, as it's not technically clothing. It's part of a quilt I started and never finished. I thought, "It's for a child and it's sewing and it's a challenge to complete it. That's three out of four components." :) I blurred out my daughter's name, 'cause I'm scared like that, but you get the idea.

(and yes, I had to edit this post, because I renamed the challenge to Children's Clothing Sewing Challenge. I'm sure Elsie would appriciate that. I'm so awesome.)