Crafting Update

I've done more crafting in the past few days now that school is over then I did all semester, and it feels so nice! Over the next few weeks I would love to focus on WIPs that really have been in the works for way too long, and its quite a lot!  I have a shawl on the needles, socks in progress, a crochet blanket with yarn literally everywhere, legwarmers on dpns, three cross stitch projects, a quilt that needs to be quilted, and another quilt in the works! And to add more fuel to the fire I just purchased two new quilt patterns by Johanna Masko from The Workroom (Donut Quilt and Modblocks).

I would love to finish up my Game of Thrones Socks and my Legwarmers by the time spring semester rolls around, but I would also like to continue to work on some other WIPS as well.  I have a few books I would like to read and my mother and I have been interested in trying a new craft, Putz House Making(under our tree we have a little cardboard stereotype).  All in due time!

Over the semester I did manage to finish reading The Fellowship of the Ring and I finished knitting an infinity scarf (just simple garter stitch).

Over the past few days I have been focusing on continuing making my Christmas Quilt from last year and on my Beauty and the Beast cross stitch.  I'm loving my cross stitch so far and I'm sure I will love it even more once I put the backstitching into it, but my quilt is a totally different story.  I am still a fairly new quilter and my piecing is looking very very bad.  Through this Christmas Quilt I have learned that I am a craft perfectionist.  I want to know that I did the best that I could on my quilt and right now the corners are not matching up, my measurements are off, I have even trimmed off spots to make everything fit and it is not sitting well with me.  So I think I need more practice before I move onto a quilt with this much piecing.  I'm very excited for my two new quilt patterns to come in the mail because I think they will be easy enough for me to practice on and I love looking through finished products on Instagram!  I have plans for a Christmas Donut quilt in place of the one I am working on as well as a Space Donut Quilt ( I found super awesome constellation backing fabric that I love)  In the meantime I think I will tink back and start ripping seams in my other quilt and cutting down fabric.  I can use the fabric for something else!

We are getting ready for Christmas over at our house!  I started baking some cookies and I am almost done with my Christmas shopping!  I hope everyone enjoys the holidays!

Sewing Central!

I've been super excited about my new sewing space!  This morning my dad and I put up my thread holder on the wall and I started sewing away!  I acquired two of my grandmother's sewing machines (one is in the sewing desk and the other on the floor) and I am super excited to learn how to use them, but for now I am using my mother's old sewing machine which I have always used and is the one that comes naturally to me.  So this little space is holding three sewing machines!  

I have a lamp from my Grandpa, a mason jar filled with buttons, an old vintage Disney tin which holds bobbins and a seam ripper, and my little Tokidoki Cactus Cat on the windowsill to keep me company! I wanted to keep the space simple and clean so I can have an easy time sewing.  I'm sure I will add things and change things in the future but for now it is perfect! 

I have been working on quite a few things this summer so far!  I've been wanting to make a cover for my tablet which is the patchwork with the little porcupine on it!  I have also been working on free quilt pattern I found on Pintrest (but for some reason failed to pin so I have no idea where it is) and I have been really enjoying it!  It is leaving me with tons of triangle scraps so I have been brainstorming some ideas that I can use them for.  I am thinking of doing some more scrap quilts with them or maybe try to do some patchwork bags or cup mats for my Etsy Shop.  I also would like to create some notion pouches and Nintendo DS cases for the shop, but these are all just a few ideas!  For now I am happy to have a permanent place where I can go and be creative and sew!  

"Mostly Void, Partially Stars"

I am finally getting around to quilting my Stars Quilt!  I am so excited!  This is my first quilt and I have learned a lot from making it!  I know, and have accepted, the fact that there are many mistakes that I have made in this quilt but I think it will add to the character and I will take them as a learning experience.  

School has started up again and this semester is going to be much harder then the last.  I wanted to try to finish all of my WIPS lying around the house before school takes over, and this quilt was one of those projects on my list!  I mainly have been quilting it at night because of school and work and it helps me relax and fall asleep.  

I use my mothers old sewing machine.  My dad bought it for my mom when they were dating and I love it!  I love using an older machine, especially one that has meaning.  I am still learning a lot of the different settings on the machine and I am constantly looking back into the manual for tips and tricks.  I started quilting this completely free hand (I am just doing straight lines) and some of my lines were closer together then others and some were a bit wavy.  While I was rummaging through the boxes of accessories to the machine I found a quilting guide which I attached to my machine and it has been so helpful!  It has an adjustable bar that acts as a guide to help with straight line quilting! Now my lines look ten times better!  

I have been really enjoying listening to some podcasts while I am sewing and quilting and even knitting.  I am loving Welcome To Night Vale.  I love the weird sense of humor and I look forward to their little proverbs at the end of each episode!  They have a Welcome To Night Vale mug for sale that is on my wish list!

Hopefully I will be done with this quilt before school gets busy and I wont have to put it on hold again!