Diary of a Mad Fabri-Holic

Old habits are hard to make

I have so many excuses, but the truth is, I've fallen out of the habit of sewing.

While my neck was healing (and I'd say I'm about 90% there, down to just occasional twinges if I make poor choices/get jolted), I did next to no sewing.  It hurt too much.  I filled the time with knitting, crocheting, and watching SyFy original movies while hopped up on pain killers.  (Yes, they ARE much better that way.)

Then I started to slowly feel better, right when the days were getting lighter and summer fun was arriving.  The kids could stay up later, and there were so many neat things to do.  Knitting is just so much more portable...it goes easily to the water park, the soccer game, the baseball game, the water park, and even just the backyard.

What does all this mean?  I seem to have lost the habit of sewing.  Now that is doesn't hurt so much, I've stopped making time for it in my life.  (And the fact that the sewing room is totally and completely trashed isn't helping.  Just being in that chaos totally stresses me out.)  (And yes, I know the solution for that particular problem, but I need more time in the day.)  I need to start scheduling sewing time for myself, and forcing myself to stick to the schedule, until it becomes habit again.  That may not happen until after the kids are back in school...summer is too crazy, chaotic, and sometimes even fun to manage a sewing schedule.

But today, I  did make a tiny bit of time.  I knocked out a few more modern cross blocks. 

I'm trying not to take it as some sort of evil omen that I managed to burn my underarm on the iron partway through.  I will persevere, darn it.

 

A Perfect 10

Slowly, slowly, slowly, my mojo is coming back...

I got 8 more blocks done!  I know, big whoop, except, for me lately,this is a HUGE whoop.  It feels so good to be making progress on something- even when it feels bad (in my neck.)  Because of the lingering nack issues, I'm trying to pace myself.  5 blocks in one sitting (the length of the movie I finally watched) were too many.  3 seems to maybe be the magic number...

I'm having so much fun with the fabrics.  I already worked in my hedgehogs, and some mushrooms too.  It's kind of like working on the doggy quilt again, in terms of pulling things I love out of my stash.  It's nice to be enjoy the stash again...

Now, to watch the True Blood season premiere.  Yummy.

Begin the Beguine

This post may come as a shock to you.  Sit down. Take a deep breath.

Ready?

Today, I started a quilt.

 

For months I've been inspired by this book- and the fabulous versions of the cover quilt that I've seen around the blog-o-sphere.  But since that silly car accident back in March, cutting fabric and sewing have created the worst aches in my neck.  Whiplash, the gift that keeps on giving.  After I made the applique Ts for the kids, the pain wasn't quite as bad.  And I miss sewing in an almost physical way.  So today I decided to give it another try.

Pulling fabrics is always the most fun part of starting a new project- and it doesn't hurt my neck!  So I had loads of fun playing this morning.

There are some new pieces in there- have you seen the fabulous 1,001 Peeps by Lizzy House?  Yum.  I got a few pieces of that, and then there's also some Parisville by Tula Pink- that scalloped pattern ii the back row is one of my all time faves.  And there there's random assorted goodness from all over the map.  Amy Butler, Kaffe, Brandon Mably, Alexander Henry, Anna Maria Horner, Heather Ross, and so much more.  I even snuck in my favorite xxx rated fabric, the one I bought at the Denver Quilt Show years ago.  Can you spot that one?  ;-)

This modern cross quilt is going to be for my bed, and I'm hoping to repaint our bedroom this summer to lighten the entire place up.  In keeping with this new, lighter me, I'm doing something I've never done before.  Using a white solid for the background of the blocks!  I've put things on black more times than I can count, but never ever plain white.

My neck made it through a lot of cutting- many many 2 1/4" white squares and 2" white strips.  And then I managed to sew 2 whole blocks before the pain let me know it was time to take a break.  But 2 blocks is still 200% more than I have done in months, so, I'll take it.  Now I have more than 60 to go- still need to do the math on upsizing from largish full size- in the book- to largish queen sized- my desired finished product. 

I'll leave you with the blocks while I go ice my neck, yet again.