April Fabriholics Check In

Hello!

A little behind the times I suppose!

As always, I'm linking up to Making Rebecca Lynn's Fabriholics Anonymous Group.

I did well as far as fabric goes -- I got orders for FOUR t-shirt quilts and one memorial quilt, and only bought fabric for those. (Though I've only started on one t-shirt quilt. -- I cannot get to my studio for more than 20 minutes in a clip.)

Though, it finally happened.  I knew it would. I was trying to avoid it.

I've been spending the money I would have spent on sewing/quilting supplies on scrapbooking supplies!

I joined Stampin' Up! as a demonstrator.  If you're interested in shopping, shoot me an email - purpleturtlequilts {at} gmail . com - I'll send you the info so you can shop with me.

My first class (held together with my upline) is this Sunday - I'll let you know how it goes! Here's a pic of this weekend's class goodies:

Back to sewing. Still a BUSY time at school - my yearbook kids met another deadline two days ago.  I wrote myself a note this time: "Never schedule anything during deadline week. NEVER." -- After three years (at this school) advising yearbook, you'd think that'd be a lesson I'd already know by heart. Nope. Oh Well. Pages were finished (on time!) and I spent all day yesterday getting my grades caught up. Hopefully today I can clean up some of the mess that is my desk.

I finished a few projects, two quilt squares for Miss West Virginia Contestants, Bowling Towels for a sibling get-together, an Embroidered Quilt Back Wedding Hankies, Greek Hoodies...

The finished list isn't much, and I feel like it's dwindling instead of growing.  I feel more pressure to finish things than before and that pressure is making the studio not fun.  Good thing I don't have time to not have fun!

I'm looking forward to this summer, checking off projects and cleaning up the space a bit.  It might be time to donate/sell some of those projects that I know I don't want to do anymore.  =D

How'd everyone else do?

Fabriholics Anonymous March Check In

(Well, March flew by with one snow day and one two-hour delay and lots of annoying snow dustings.  Can't it be summer already?

As usual, school gets going with all of it's organized chaos and drama, and the sewing and blog world fall behind.

Ah, well, it's time to fess up. I'm linking up to Rebecca Lynn: Fabriholics Anonymous March Check-In

According to my pinterest board, I've finished 0 (ZERO!) projects in March.  That can't be right.
Off the top of my head, I know I made scarves, TSA polos, fixed a belt, made a purse/key set...  Wonder where those pictures are and why I haven't posted them.  Look for those on pinterest soon I guess.

February Purchases Usage Update:
I made the pillows for the guest room that I bought. Yay! (but no picture? hmmm)
Haven't made any of the dresses, didn't start on the word quilt quilt-a-long, haven't started on guest room curtains,
I made Morgan's fundraising gift!

That means I got two of the eight things on my list done. Great.

On to March!
- I got an order for three t-shirt quilts, and purchases all the supplies for those three quilts out of the deposit for that order.  WIN! (Not breaking fabric fast rules there!)
- Bought 4 yards of holiday-themed fabric for doggie bandanas - and they're already finished! WIN!)
- Bought some notions (stuffing, dog sqeakers, pillow form) - not breaking the rules since I didn't have any of those to start with, couldn't make do with nothing.

Overall, I was much better in March. Purposeful purchases, no mindless shopping.

This weekend is the Parole-a-Pooch Meet the Parolees Day.
I'll have doggie bandanas for sure, I'm halfway done with several dog toys, and would like to make doo-ty bag holders to sell as well.

Pica will get a bath before the big day. A cute puppy raises more money!  So far we've raised $191 of our $300 goal for the animal shelter. Every puppy deserves to be as spoiled as my pup!

Visit the Marshall County Animal Shelter webpage here to see more information. Or click on through to help bail Pica Oreo Creme Deluxe aka Viscious --every dollar helps.

Hopefully school will settle down and I can get some sewing done!

A couple finishes...

So I finished a couple of things!

First - custom embroidery on dance costume bags:

And finished #54 Guest Bedroom Large Throw Pillows (2) off of the UFO/WIP list

These used one of the 6 yard cuts that cushioned my fall off the fast wagon last month. So, at least I'm using what I bought?

Got an order for four custom embroidered scarves, three t-shirt quilts, 25 custom embroidered polos, and graduation stoles for the faculty. 

Just gotta make time over the next few weeks to spend in the studio. Funny, the past two weekends I've planned for Sunday to be a 'nothin' but sewin'" day, but neither of them worked. 

I have a craft fair this Saturday - I'm going to take my sewing machine and work on a few things while I sit and people watch. 

How's everyone else doing?

Fabricholics Anonymous Feburary Check-In

Oh My Goodness!!!

It's time for the February Check-in Already?  What happened to February? Where did it go?

I'm linking up to Rebecca Lynn: fabriholics anonymous february check in

I've finished 10 more projects so far. Here's the pinterest board to see all the finished projects.

 Not bad for a week of for possible flooding that took over the sewing studio.

Now, on to the purchases. I fell pretty hard this month, but I keep telling myself it's okay - required purchases.

February 3rd - Quilting by Charisma (SO WORTH IT!!) -- She quilted my Scrappy Swoon. Beautiful.

February 3rd - Postage $17.95
February 9th - Notions $44.87 (Tumbler Ruler, 16 1/2 Square Ruler)
February 9th - Fabric - $80 - 4 yards for a quilt background, 3 yards flannel for a JM quilt, 1 yard for gifts
February 14th - Pattern $8 - Dress Pattern for Baby Gift
February 14th - Fabric $50 Duvet Cover for Curtains for Guest Room
February 18th - Fabric $150 6 Yards for coordinating Pillow Backs for Guest Room, 8 yards for two separate dresses, 1 yard for baby gift dress (see pattern above)

Now, this looks REALLY BAD.  I know that.  For a no-buying fabric plan, I bought 23+ yards of fabric.
TWENTY-THREE!  yikes.

I'm telling myself it's okay, because they all have specific purposes. Which means I'm monitoring my shopping habits.

Now, my personal goal is to finish all, and I mean ALL of the projects listed above in the month of March.  Stockpiling projects is not ok.  I have plenty of projects stockpiled that I could work on without buying new fabric.

This means:
1. Guest Room Curtains
2. Guest Room Pillows
3. Spools Dress for Me
4. Blue/Orange Dress for Me (These two will be the HARDEST -- I don't have much clothing experience)
5. Baby Girl Dress - Blue/Gold (Which is where the 1 yard goes)
6. Baby Girl Dress - Jungle (Already have fabric for this one)
7. Turtle Word Quilt -- following the quilt-a-long found here.
8. Fundraising Gift for Morgan

Is my March to-do list.

Plus I want to make some doggie-themed gifts for our local animal shelter.

They're having a Parole-a-Pooch fundraiser. We've committed our puppy Pica to the cause.
Visit their webpage here to see more information. Or click on through to help bail Pica Oreo Creme Deluxe aka Viscious --every dollar helps.

This is his mug shot:

Doesn't he look so sad? (Sitting on my sewing studio rug - thanks IKEA!)

They're having a rummage sale on April 9th to raise money for the Parolees - so that's the need for doggie-themed items.

Hopefully completing a few more projects will help me not feel so guilty for SERIOUSLY breaking the fast this month.

So far, I'm 50/50 -- does that mean I add July to my fast and re-evaluate July 1 instead of June 1?

=)

Well...

I bought the 4 yards I needed for curtains for the guest room (Boyfriend said it didn't count since it was for the house)

And I bought 6 yards for the backing for my quilt-a-long. It's super cute -- check it out here - it's totally worth it.

And I bought a yard of super cute camera fabric. (Will use this for gifts for the yearbook kids)

And 3 yards of Lion fabric to use for a JM quilt.

And a jumbo paw print punch.

YIKES

That was a HARD fall.



BUT  I had several more yards of cute fabric in my cart -- but because I didn't have an immediate use for them, I didn't buy them -- that counts as a victory, right?

HELP!

I'm doing so well on my fabric fast, only postage costs so far in February (There are a couple embroidery patterns I want to buy, but I'm waiting until I can actually stitch those projects out.)

Then I came across this adorable quilt-a-long and I'm in LOVE.  I have fabric picked out for the letters (I think my first one is going to say "turtles" and I'm going to use some of my hoarded turtle fabric) -- but I don't have fabric for the background.

Do I purchase the fabric to make the quilt?  Use an old sheet I have just chillin in the studio?

I want to buy the fabric, so I can follow the directions, but really won't a sheet do just as well?

Hey! Finished Stuff!!

So, We had school (on a delay) Thursday and (a full day) Friday.

We ended up having 10 total school days in Janurary. Eight if the kiddos were exam exempt. Not good for the yearbook coverage. Still, my kiddos met the yearbook deadline, with the exception of one student who lost his paperwork.  Since he doesn't have the required paperwork, his spread can't be double/triple checked before sending it to the plant. Unfortunately, I distributed originals (not copies) to the students to complete their spreads. Lesson learned there - I'll never distribute originals again.  Also sad - the same kiddo has been bad-mouthing the yb program to other students.  If the staffers aren't excited about the program/book - why should anyone else in the school be excited to buy the book?  Looks like I have some major work to do there.

Enough school talk.

Here are some recent finishes:

Super cute twin baby boy onesies. Baby A is in blue, and Baby B is in green -- the picture is a little dark, but still cute!  I might have run out of ideas with this set - but I think the twins (which were born Jan 16th - a month early, but perfectly healthy!) have gotten a good set of gifts.  =)

Apron/Kitchen Towel set -- this will be listed in my etsy shop, and if it's still around - carted to craft shows.

Days of the Week Bibs for a baby boy -- a college friend is having a baby boy this summer.  These puppy days of the week bibs turned out cute!

More gifts for my college friend.

And a finish off the to-do list (sorta.)

2. Luscious Bow Tote #2 (For Megan)

So, I figured out why I haven't made this pattern yet.  I spent an HOUR trying to get the pattern to copy correctly and could not make it work.  So instead of the Luscious Bow Tote - I made a Juliet Purse. Somehow, this fabric was with the other stacks that were listed on the WIP list, but this particular purse wasn't listed. Hmrph. I thought I was gonna get to mark off TWO things from the list! ;)

I ironed the fabric for the other student fundraising award purse - probably going to make this Juliet Purse (it's from Me & My Sister) again -- while I've made them before, it's been a LONG time, but the pattern was nice and easy to follow, and the purse turns out so nice and clean.

It warmed up this weekend, and all the snow had melted away by this afternoon. But, around 7 tonight it started snowing again, and there's a full inch on the ground - on top of a layer of ice from the rain this afternoon.  Hopefully the road crew can clean up enough for me to see my kids tomorrow. I want to make my staff a happy bunch again.

Another Snow Day and More Finishes

Yet another snow day here. Thankfully we had a half a day yesterday and I could get some instructions out to the kids. Next week isn't looking good as far as attendance either - but I get to stay home  to work in the studio and cuddle with the puppy. 

Today I get to mark something off the WIP list:

53. Master Bedroom Curtains

I made the curtains the other day, and made the valances today. Happy to mark that off this list. :)

Also stitched this up for a friend today:

And while I was cleaning up the studio and packing for a possible scrapbook party tomorrow I found all the necessary materials and whipped up this necklace:

And I did 90 minutes on the elliptical. A pretty good day. Hope everyone is staying warm!

Fabriholics Anonymous January Check-In

So - it's time for the check in!

I'm linking up to Rebecca Lynn: Fabriholics January Check-In

Also linking up the the Fabricholics Anonymous Flickr Group

So far, I've finished 22 projects - with out buying any fabric! -- Anything from lanyards, to bedroom curtains, to a t-shirt quilt! Most of them are posted here on the blog, but all of them are posted on my Fabric Fast '14 Pinterest Board

I'm pretty happy with my decision to fast on fabric purchases - so far, so good.

I've also added notions to my list - and I've only bought a couple of things that qualify there:
January 1st - Sulky Sticky+ Tearaway Stabilizer $15.65 (Then I organized a bit and found two more rolls! - Which is why notions are now on my list...)
January 1st - Pinwheels and Daisies Quilt Pattern (from Red Pepper Quilts) $8.50
January 8th - Ginger Seam Ripper Replacement Blades $11.73
January 20th - Babyville Turtle Snaps $6.41

I also went to Target yesterday and found these great little bins in the dollar section:

And used them to transform this mess:

Into this happy little bit of organization:

I still need to work out a solution for the Velcro/Elastic/Zippers/Webbing mess.  The other bins I got yesterday didn't work out as planned so I'll be returning those.

All in all, a very good January so far.  It really feels good to clean up, finish up, and save a little money. Hopefully this feeling continues!

Yay! Curtains!

I finally made the curtains for our bedroom!

The window behind our bed:

The other window and our closet:

We learned that we can't share a closet with sliding doors (too many arguments!) - so we took those down when we bought the house. 

I've decided that I want to make valances for the windows. I'll mark these off the list after I make those valances - I already have a plan for them, just have to measure and sew!

Another Snow Day!!

So, winter is hitting the school year pretty hard. Today made our 7th snow day and they've already cancelled for tomorrow.

I took advantage of my day (again!) and made quite a few things.  None of them were on my to-do list, but still - I had a good day.  I made everything with supplies/fabric/blanks that I had hanging out in my studio. That makes me a pretty happy girl!

12 Lanyards for Etsy/Craft Show Stock:

A start on some baby gifts for a friend:

Workout Towels (set 1) for Etsy/Craft Fair Stock:

Workout Towels (set 2) for Etsy/Craft Fair Stock:

Workout Towels for a Former Kiddo - She's vying for Miss West Virginia and her platform is Domestic Violence - she wants to raffle these off at a Zumbathon:

Two infinity scarves for Etsy/Craft Fair Stock:

Baby Blanket for a Former Kiddo:

All in all, not a bad day. Plus I went to the gym myself and got 60 minutes on the elliptical.  I took pictures of several items and now I'm going to work on updating my Etsy Shop.

Since I already know I'm off tomorrow, I've decided that tomorrow will be the day I will make the curtains for our bedroom.  That way the next snow day we have I can sleep in!

Katie's Alpha Xi Delta T-Shirt Quilt

Hooray!!

This is quite happy for me - I absolutely adore making t-shirt quilts. And for some reason, maybe because of my own experience, sorority quilts make me smile the entire time. 

It's done in two of ΑΞΔ colors and I love how it turned out. 

Hers a pic that shows the back:

I love to back my t-shirt quilts with fleece. I think it makes them extra snugly without making them too heavy. 

Hooray!

As far as the fabric fast for this one - I bought the fabric for this one with the deposit $ from the quilt. In December. But I didn't use it as an excuse to buy a ton extra (I have less than a yard leftover of each fabric!) and I didn't go out and buy different fabric "just in case" I don't trust my instinct with the first purchase. Excited about that too. 

Today's Finishes

Got up early today with the puppy and couldn't go back to sleep. He may have been punishing me for a winter-time snow outside bath. 

So I headed downstairs to work on the tshirt quilt and got it all finished! I take finished quilt pics with the camera (not my phone) so I'll have those posted soon. 

I also whipped these up to take to my friend who just had twins Thursday:

(With bibs in my stash!)

She's in Pittsburgh with the boys so the boyfriend and I spent the day in "the big city" shopping and visiting. 

We're headed home now - a really great MLK Jr day for us. 

Today's finishes

So I got the TSA polos finished:

And while I was working in those I crossed something else off my to-do list. 

#55. Guest Room Small Throw Pillow

The backing fabric is left over from a quilt I did four years ago. I kept it - the whole time wondering what I could ever use it for - and it turned out to be perfect for this project!

I'm headed out of town for a couple of days - so it might be next weekend before any more sewing can happen. 

Today's Finishes

So - it's 1* outside now. We had a Snow Day for school today because of the frigid temperatures and some overnight snow. 

I took advantage and crossed something off of my WIP list: #54 Guest Bedroom Throw Pillows (2)

Of course, somehow this turned into three throw pillows. 

It's just the fronts because they are headed out to my friend Charisma to be quilted along with my Scrappy Swoon-a-long that I finished last fall (which I made out of my scrap bin! Woot!):

 

The original plan was a pillow from the scraps of the quilt (scraps of scraps?):

And one actual Swoon block:

But when I looked at them side-by-side it felt wrong. So I threw together another Swoon block:

I also firmly decided on paint colors for the guest room. Grey walls, white crown moulding, and yellow ceiling. We need to figure out a bit of furniture issues (it's filled with functional, yet assorted hand-me-downs) and that room will be all done. 

Not bad for a Monday. :)