Sewn Together March Blocks Done

I finished April's blocks for the Sewn Together Bee this month and I'm quickly getting them off in the mail before I leave on a trip to Guatemala for the next several weeks. I really love the Wonky Log Cabin and it was a very easy way to ease my way into my first ever quilt blocks. It was also such an honor to help April make this quilt because I know these fabrics mean a lot to her. She asked each of us to initial the blocks so I machine embroidered mine onto each.

My first ever block! I loved making this for the month of March in the Sewn Together Bee!

I was experimenting a little so I made the center of my first block with two triangles and I have to say that I really kind of like how it turned out. As I was making the second block I realized that I was running out of strips of fabric long enough for the outer rows so I had to improvise and change my vision a little at the last minute but in the end I am satisfied with the outcome.

I hope that April likes these blocks!

Relief!

I can breathe a sigh of relief! Tabatha’s Salon Takeover got our 3^rd season pickup! I have two and a half weeks left over here at Celebrity Fit Club then hopefully I can take a short break with my wonderful and amazing fiancé before we start pre-production back on Tabatha! If you know any salons out there that need Tabatha’s help let me know, we’re casting! Yippee! Now I just need to find some time to work on April’s blocks for this month in the Sewn Together Bee. I was in Minneapolis last weekend. I’m sick and working late nights all this week and through the weekend. I guess I’ll get to it the following weekend. Sorry April!

New Fabrics

I just got back from Minneapolis because I had a Board of Governors meeting this weekend. I was elected to the BoG of the Up With People Alumni Association last August to a two year term so this was my second meeting. Actually I felt it was very productive and I came away from this weekend on a mission. I can see clearly a way that I can help and give back to the world in my own little way thanks to the BoG, now I just need to put a motion in front of the Officers Board and hopefully they'll grant me the opportunity to form the committee I need to make this happen. It's been fun and productive and great to see new and old friends and the cast currently on the road but it's also been a whirlwind this weekend and I'm exhausted. So I thought I'd share some of the new fabric I've had coming in to help get the creative juices flowing again...

New Fabrics!

More Machine Woes

My wonderful and amazing fiancé picked up my machine while I was in Las Vegas this weekend celebrating at my best friend’s bachelorette party. It was a sweet little surprise when I arrived home on Sunday. I wasn’t able to sit down and work on Yasmine’s quilt until last night when, much to my chagrin, I discovered that although the walking foot is now feeding properly, there is a new problem. I’m breaking needles! I can’t figure this one out. Ugh! I have broken four quilting needles in about a 20 minute time span. The screw that holds the needle in place won’t tighten properly. I tighten it and have to keep re-tightening it every few stitches. To make matters worse, I can only sew at a snail’s pace because as soon as I put the pedal to the metal (or the hardwood floor as the case may be) the needle immediately comes loose and breaks. I tried going slow and steady but even then I still broke needles. I am at my wits end!

April's Fabrics for her Sewn Together Bee Blocks

But on the bright side I have been getting a lot of new fabric in that I’ve been ordering online, including some awesome Jay McCarroll Woodland Creatures line. And I got fabric for my first block in the Sewn Together Bee! April sent out some great fabrics including some cordoury that I can’t wait to start working. Her design this month is a Wonky Log Cabin. Since I’m new to quilting this will be my first foray into the Log Cabin Block but I can’t wait to get started! Sadly, these fabrics were from her clothing company that she had to close last month so we’re helping her make a memory quilt. I’m honored to help her with this project and I can’t wait to get to work and see where my inspiration takes me.

Awesome Jay McCarroll Fabrics

Shameless Plug...

I'm dying to get some pictures up of the new fabric I've been purchasing. I'll get it up soon, I swear but for now be sure to check out an all-new episode of Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp tonight on VH1. Tonight's episode is full of crazy drama. When we were shooting it everyone in the control room was transfixed by the fight between Tanisha Thomas and Sebastian Bach - and that was BEFORE we got it into the editing bay. This is a great season and the episode tonight is the best yet.

Ripping Stitches for Relaxation

Sigh. It’s been an incredibly stressful week at work. Wait. I take that back. It’s been an incredibly stressful month at work. My wonderful and amazing fiancé went to Las Vegas on Sunday night for a conference so I was looking forward to a little R&R (Rest & Re-craft-ation) while he was out of town. It never works out the way you want it to, does it? Monday night I didn’t end up leaving the office until after 12:30 AM so, of course, I went straight to bed when I got home. Then last night, after an even worse day at work, I at least got home before 9 pm. My machine is still in the shop because I haven’t been able to pick it up so I have the very relaxing pleasure of ripping stitches out of Yasmine’s quilt. I mean, really, is there anything more relaxing than ripping out stitches. Tight little stitches that want to hold on for dear life because the tension was off and my machine wasn’t cooperating with my new walking foot. Arugh! That’s how I like to unwind. At least I could watch the Olympics while I was working on it. I’ve almost got ‘em all out… almost. And wonderful and amazing fiancé is back from his trip so he’s going to pick up my machine for me tomorrow. He’s so great. I can’t wait until I can start sewing my stress away again. You know what, I'm gonna share a couple pictures from my recent trip to Australia that puts me in a happy place...

"Tide Flowing Out at Four Mile Beach" Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia

"Happy Hour Prawns" Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia

Good News, Bad News

Sewn Together is now full so April, Paula and I are working to get things ready so we can get this bee started. I’m very excited. April has the first month and is all geared up to get her fabric in the mail. I can’t wait to see what she has in store of us. So that’s some good news. But of course there is bad news. A few weeks ago I bought a free motion foot and a walking foot for my machine and the walking foot set me back a little. Yasmine’s quilt sandwich has been ready but I haven’t had a moment to start quilting. Well, last night my wonderful and amazing fiancé told me to have the night to myself since I’ve been working late so much. So I got home, turned on the Olympics, made a quick dinner and pulled out the sewing machine. I was able to get the new walking foot on the machine without a hitch but it’s not working properly. The quilt isn’t feeding through the machine unless I pull it through, which is making the stitch length and tension all wonky. ARUGH! I tried adjusting the tension on the machine to no avail. Sigh. Wonderful and amazing fiancé is going to try and bring the machine in for me today so it can get tuned up and they can try and get to the bottom of the problem, but that means I won’t get my machine back for a few days. There goes my plan to finish quilting Yasmine’s quilt this weekend with wonderful and amazing fiancé is out of town. ARUGH!