Now that my sewing board is on the wall, I'm going to try to keep my sewing space neat. Here is how it looks right now:



Do you think I can keep it that nice once I get to work on a project? Not likely! At least it will be easier to pick up as I get things in my room sorted out.

I also hung a few things up that have been sitting in a pile waiting for frames. They still don't have frames, but I think having them up at all is better than wasting away in a pile!



A couple bright flower cards, a painting by little dear that really needs a frame soon, and four of my favorite cards by port2port.

At least looking from this angle my room is looking better!

Labels: craft room, misc, sewing

I don't know if it was just doing something to get myself started, or what, but I had an amazingly productive weekend! In addition to some big projects, I got a couple things done that are just little things I've been avoiding.

Probably I am most excited about Friday's WIP no longer being a WIP:



I was greatly inspired by all of Sally's beautiful wall pockets. I wanted to get all the things I use a lot up off my sewing table, and have a place to hang ideas or current project patterns.



This is currently just covering a foam board, so pushpins work quite well in it. If it wears out too fast, I left it open at the top so I can switch to cork or a fresh peice of foam board.

A little color for my room and some much needed organization, all in one!

Labels: craft room, sewing

Sometimes the days just go by so slowly. I thought this week would never end! I'm so glad to have made it to the weekend. I hope my quick fix crafting last night gives me some momentum to complete some things over the next couple days! One project on my table (literally!) involves a little patchwork...



When finished, this WIP will provide a little color, and some much needed organization, to my half-done craft room. Speaking of which, the room itself is another one of my works-in-progress. I was in there last night and I am still quite dissatisfied with its setup... So I rearranged a little furniture, and dreamed up some grand plans for getting it in order. Now, I can't believe I'm going to post this picture, but I'm using it as motivation to get my rear in gear and make this a place I can really relax and get my creative juices flowing. This is the current state of my craft room:



I have let it get to be a mess before it's even finished. I haven't done anything to liven it up, make it pretty. I'm going to refresh myself with a little much needed inspiration and get to work.

As for Gratitude Friday, again this week it will be easy! I'm grateful for the medicine they gave my dad so he can eat again, the doctors at MDAnderson who accepted him as a patient, the clinical trial that is giving us all so much hope, my aunt who sent me a wonderful lucky charm, and all my friends, who totally are putting up with my one track mind these days!

Labels: craft room, gratitude friday, wip

I have a huge list of projects I'm excited about, but no motivation to get started on any of them. I think partly it's because my gorgeous craft room is still only half finished, and currently a mess... So I gathered up a few supplies for a quick project on the couch, and whipped out a little Valentine cuteness:



The black one I did before I figured out the blanket stitch (always takes me forever to wrap my head around that, not sure why).



I think the pink one is my favorite.



Oh, and a key point - these have super strong magnets sewn inside! I'm guessing they're not going to come down after Valentines Day!

Labels: quick fix, sewing

Despite what my family seemed to think from my emails home, there were things to do in Singapore besides shopping. But there was a lot of shopping! I made it to Arab Street in Little India for some fabric shopping...



Despite being a little overwhelmed at a whole street (plus more, I think) of fabric shops, I was able to control myself and left with only five patterns.

We also went the last night to a 24-hour shopping center the likes of which I've never seen. It's hard to describe. Five floors, huge, you can find anything. Everything I bought was from one small section in the stationery part of the store:


Click to enlarge.

All in all, I got some things I really love without too much damage to my wallet. I consider that a success!

Labels: fabric, travel

My family is really close, always has been. Currently, we all even live in the same city. My sister, husband, and I all work for the same company. We see each other weekly, if not more often. In fact, see how well my sister knows me?



This is what she gave me for Christmas: a subscription to JPG, owl fabric from Superbuzzy, and the totally great Sew U book, along with an awesome tshirt from Threadless I sent her a link to ages ago. Perfect, right?

I guess what I'm getting to is that I'm so lucky to have a family like this. We found out last week that my dad is pretty sick, and it's just brought all that into perspective. It's really too bad that it takes scary news to make me realize life is short, that I should really live each day to the fullest and appreciate what I have in my life.

I don't normally go into personal stuff like this here, but it's such a big thing in my life right now that it felt weird to just ignore it. Maybe I should start doing gratitude Friday like Beki, to help me remember everything I have to be grateful for. I'll start today. Today I am grateful for my family, my wonderful father who has had such a big part in who I am, and for all the amazing people in our lives that have been coming out of the woodwork to support us through this. I am one lucky girl!

Labels: family

As I think I mentioned, I was able to finish my mother-in-law's quilt well before they returned from their trip at Christmas. I love the fabrics I chose, I think I might have to use the leftovers for another project! Unfortunately, the photo I took is not so good...



Despite what you might think from the lack of time I took for proper documentation, I really am happy with how it came out. It went together really well (not crooked, like in the photo). And she really seems to like it. I do love the way the binding comes out when I hand stitch it!

I think my next stab at quilting will be a traditional quilt, with batting and everything, for some friends who are having a baby in April. How fun!

Labels: quilting, sewing

Traveling to Singapore was a wonderful experience. I've never been to Asia, and I'm told Singapore is a good place to start because everything is in English. The subway and streets are so clean, and it was actually dry the first few days we were there (though we did still manage to have fun in the rain the last few days). I don't have a whole lot of spare brain cells for words, so hopefully some pictures will make up for it!


View from the Marriott


Night on Orchard Road


Fabric Shopping on Arab Street


Central Business District


Clarke Quay


Clarke Quay at Night


Riverwalk at Night

All these were just with my point-and-shoot, and I can't take credit for the last one. Maybe next time I'll have a camera bag so I can take my new toy!

Labels: photography, travel

Hi everyone. I'm back in the US! Woo! I had a wonderful trip to Singapore, and I got a few really neat pictures. I would have taken more if it weren't for the torrential rain the last two days of the trip.

I have several things waiting to post, but I'm dealing with some nasty jet lag, sore legs from the half marathon I ran 18 hours after returning to the country, and some awful family news. Please bear with me if I'm MIA a few more days!

Labels: travel

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, I leave for Singapore.



I'll be back next Saturday, meaning I'll have just enough time to get used to being 13 hours ahead when I yank my body back into the central time zone. I am very excited about this trip. Yay for business travel!

I promise to take pictures! See you in a week.

Labels: travel

The quilt that was in pieces a couple weeks ago has been finished and gifted! I couldn't be happier with how it came out.



It looks especially wonky in this photo, and it isn't perfectly square, but it is better than it looks, I promise. I quilted it to fleece, as usual, but actually hand-sewed the binding this time.



I love how the hand-sewing looks, but it was such a pain on the fleece to get actual fabric and not just fuzz. I think this would be easier with a traditional cotton-backed quilt.



I think my mom loves it, and that's what counts. I made one for my mother-in-law, too, with a different design, but the photos are still on my camera. They'll show up here eventually, don't worry!

Labels: quilting