Beauty in Inperfection

For many years, I wanted to make a quilt.  My husband and I both are very fond of the Double Wedding Ring--I even have a pattern and the requisite templates.  About six years ago, my neighbor (I mentioned her in a past post--she makes handbags) invited me to go with her to one of our LQS since they had some sort of open house or special.  I really can't recall exactly what.  At the time I had an infant whom I'd only really been apart from to go to work or grocery shopping--not many opportunities made and/or taken for an adventure that didn't involve an infant or shopping for necessities.  As much as I wanted to make a wedding ring quilt, I knew (and still know), my skills at curved piecing and color selection are just not at a level that I would do such a classic pattern justice. 

 

I settled chose another classic:  The Irish Chain.  I spent a few hundred dollars on fabric and batting for a quilt for our bed.  "Oh how nice it will be to have a nice warm quilt upon our bed," I thought.  I mean, isn't it logical to jump in to make a queen-sized quilt? 

 

I came home and, after checking on the baby and making sure all was well, showed my husband my purchase (sans receipt).  Oh, the weight of  yards and new smell of fabric.  I set about cutting 2-1/2" in strips.  Trying to cut strips from backing fabric (essentially, double the normal fabric width of 42-44") was an adventure.  They certainly weren't exactly straight.  Yes, I did use a ruler and rotary cover.  It's a bit tedious to cut ~60 strips, so, I would cut a bunch of strips and then sew them together.  Light-dark-light.  Dark-light-dark.  Then to break of that monotony, cut them into 2-1/2" pieces and sew them together.  Not the most square 6-1/2" block, but I didn't care.   

 

Then life caught up and space for holiday decorations was needed and sewing forgotten.  Then came walking and everything else.  I had quite a few of those 102 blocks complete; but it wasn't all of them.  It also wasn't all of the 97 plain blocks needed, either.  Two years later, I took some vacation time and spent hours sewing over that time.  I'd sew the blocks to make rows and then sew the row rows together I managed to get all the strips together (notice, they are far from square).  I even managed to get the border and corner squares attached--all before Christmas!



It took me another chunk of time before I finally tried to lay out the back, batting and baste it all together.  My in-laws were remodeling, so I packed it all up and laid it out on the un-done flooring.  All those pins!  There was another large gap.  Being queen-size, I figured I would need to do this on a long-arm machine, so I folded up my three layers and hung them up in the crap closet.  There is a LQS near my home (closer than where I purchased my supplies) that does allow people to rent their long-arm (at least they used to).  I just needed to figure out when I could schedule a session. 

In the meantime, I made a "get well" quilt for my FIL and pieced together a quilt for my oldest.  We welcomed our second child and went back to the hectic life of a newborn and a preschooler.  While I was off, I decided to start Amy Gibson's BOM.  My husband convinced me to sign up for the long-arm class (a requirement to rent time with it).  I spent the afternoon getting comfortable with the machine and felt kind of excited about maybe finally finishing the thing.  Of course, using the long-arm meant no need to baste.  Out came all the pins...except for the ones I used to mark where I had a seam that didn't quit hold.  I had to figure out 1) when I was going to press the whole thing (at the time, I didn't have a full-size ironing board) and 2) when I could find four or so consecutive evenings to quilt and 3) how I planned to quilt it. 

 

I signed up for Ann Petersen's "Quilting Big Projects on a Small Machine."    I finally started to watch the videos a couple months ago.  I pressed the top and back pieces and mended a few places that needed it.  My husband helped me to baste with it laid upon our dining table.  We had a pretty good process where he'd open the pins and lay them down and I would then place them.  It took just over an hour.  I noticed a few other "holes" and also that I'd stitched a few of the plain blocks wrong-side-up.  Oh well....I wasn't about to lug this through three rooms, dig out the seam ripper, figure out how to re-stitch while the rest was basted and then press it.  Not worth it. 

 

My workspace was set so the weight of this monstrosity would be supported and not pull. 

 

 

This was the first time using invisible (clear mono-poly) thread and my machine's walking foot.  I "ditched" the outside borders.  They aren't straight.  Then for the traditional diagonal lines.   For the most part, this was pretty easy to get through the harp of my trusty Kenmore.  It was only a bit awkward and tight when I started a line from the opposite end I should have.  These lines are not straight--really, have we not yet established I cannot sew a straight line to save my life?  There are actually a few spots where I wondered if I was drinking and / or fell asleep at the needle.  There are a few puckers on the back, but nothing I'm worked up over.   

 

This was my first pieced quilt top.  In the time between this and my next endeavor, I've learned quite a bit to improve the accuracy of my piecing.  Strips can be considered straight.  I can even manage to nest seams to align the blocks in rows. 

 

I could choose to be disappointed with the outcome:

• The blocks aren't square
• Some blocks are wrong-side up
• There are a few puckers on the back that are too severe to hide with pressing
• The lines on the chains aren't straight
• The seams aren't necessarily the most stable

I look at this quilt, though, and am pleased.  When I see the imperfections, it makes me think about the fact this was made by me.  It was not made in a factory.  It was not made by a professional. The Irish Chain pattern is a classic, but, even so, this particular quilt is unique.  It is light, yet warm and it brightens our room up dramatically.  No, not perfect, but still beautiful.



Plodding along

I am so in need finding motivation and purpose.  I don't even care what I'm motivated to do or what my purpose is.  Just something!  We're now into the school year by a good month.  The short:  meals are still sketchy, exercise hahahahaha, and the rest, well, at least I've been somewhat productive.

 

I did work out for a whole week solid the first week of school.  And then the weekend hit and I just wasn't feeling the workout on schedule.  Pilates...I feel such disappointment and disgust when I think of it.  I love it; it is so incredibly one of the best movement practices I have ever experienced and I am so fortunate to have been a part of such amazing teacher training.  One day, I hope to show how much I appreciate the opportunity to my teacher & mentor.  I like to think she understands. 

 

All of that aside, I did *finally* get my sewing machine out.  I was mostly alone for Labor Day weekend, so I figured I had a few days to get some bit of a mess under control and maybe get something done. 

 

I mocked up / tried out a pattern for a composition book cover.  I did not cut very accurately nor did I have the flannel for the lining (I used some extra quilt batting).  As a result, it's a bit thick, but it was ok.  I ran out and bought appropriate materials the next morning and these turned out really nice.  I may try to make a bunch for the spring craft show my oldest's school does in March--we'll see how that goes. 

Then I managed to use up a couple extra quilt blocks from the quilt I made for my father-in-law a few years ago.  These matching pillows have French seams.  Had it not been so late at night (technically early morning), these would probably be even nicer.  I'm completely not complaining.  I had to do math, so am pretty pleased. 

 

Next morning meant revisiting the 2012 Craftsy BOM w/Amy Gibson.  I had January - March complete.  The last few weeks, I managed to make a lot of progress:







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. April - English piecing - hexagons

2. May - Modern Log Cabin

3. June - Modern 9-patch

4. July - Dresden

5. August - Stars

September is curved piecing (I have one block done--just cutting the rest of the pieces--it's own adventure).  October--the last blocks--is foundation paper piecing.  I'm really running out of steam on these.  The last few blocks really took a lot of time and I am really not good at piecing.  Consistent seam allowances and straight lines are not a strong point for me.  I'm kind of excited to see what it will look like when it's done.  I haven't decided how I want to do the back, yet.  Part of me wants to be really creative with the leftover backing fabric and FQ scraps, but I know there is a lot of bulk in some of the blocks and I just don't want to think about that, too.  Really, it just needs to be done.  I do wonder if this will be an actual finished quilt or just one more finished quilt top.  (The score is 2 finished lap quilts; 2 finished queen quilt tops). 

 

Until I get around to a next time....

 

 

 

Good Intentions

Yeah, we all know the saying "the road to Hell is paved with good intentions."  Seriously, I've probably put in an expressway just with my summer plans.  So here are my contributions to highway to Hell.

 

1.  We will have grown-up and healthy meals.  Yeah, ok, why cook when we can go out to dinner and have a peaceful grown-ups only meal?  I think there was even a meal that consisted of ice cream and nothing else.  And if you think I'm exaggerating, just ask my husband how much food we've had in the house.

 

2.  I will get some de-cluttering done.  Let's just leave this as, it didn't happen.

 

3.  I will exercise including run.  This didn't happen, either.  In my defense, we had a ton of rain the start of summer and then it turned hot and humid.  Fine, yes I could have gotten on the treadmill (but I did see a creepy crawly thing go underneath, so...) 

 

4.  Practice and observe Pilates.  I had a week of vacation, took my Pilates mat notes and...they never made it out of my backpack.   Oddly, I found my evenings pretty busy, too.  I am such a slacker.

 

5.  I will sew.   No little people around should have meant I could get tons done because I could leave it out for days on end without risk of a little person interacting with sharp objects.  The first step would be actually getting the sewing machine out of the closet.  Hint:  It's still in the closet. 

All that said, I do have to say, there are a few moments of redemptions.

I didn't sew or do much crafting, but I did make a few Minion hats.  The ones with strings are for my Minions.  The one on the baby doll was a request for a baby hat. 

 

My vacation time also let me take some nice walks with said Minions.  And...it was also a week away from work that was very much needed.  A whole week without logging into a computer for a anything. 

 

Summer is almost over, but we'll be back into the school routine soon and hopefully, that will help get me back into a little bit more structure, too.  So, for now, let's consider the current road construction problem to be on hold.  Kind of like those other highway projects that go on for seemingly ever. 

 

"D" Days

"D" is for destash and declutter.  The last few weeks, I've been really trying to bust through my yarn stash.  There are a few Craftsy mystery yarn packs that left me with yarns I have no idea what to do with.  So....this meant scouring Ravelry for patterns and ideas.   I have a number of projects queued up and yarn assigned.  Still a few out there, but at least making progress.  Here are a few things I managed to finish up:

This "Airy Scarf" is a pattern in a "Last Minute Knitted Gifts" book I have.  It is supposed to be shorter (more like a neckerchief kind of thing), but I opted to use the whole hank of yarn.  This is a chocolate brown mohair.  It was scratchy, but after a soak, it is so much softer.  I like how it turned out.

This was from a pattern "Shazam."  It's has a chevron look to it (when blocked properly) and is from a Rowan chunky yarn (now discontinued) that self stripes.  I really like the colors in this.

These two are from a  yarn in a mystery pack.  I can't recall it's name (and don't feel like looking it up), but I do NOT like it.  These two projects ("Squiddly" and "Snood") were just quickly done up to get rid of it.  I doubt I'll wear the first (though, I have a little princess that will love to dress up with it) and the second I do wear since it dresses up a t-shirt a tad when I feel lazy dressing for work (which is most days).  

I whipped up this "Wrap it up" cowl, too.  It was much tighter when I finished stitching it.  It loosened up a ton after I soaked it (per photo).  At first, I was sort of bummed that it was ruined, but then I realized I kind of liked it.  My mother-in-law liked it, too, so I gave it to her.  Seriously, how many scarves, cowls and what-not can I really keep for myself.

And, just for fun, I whipped up these little cars for the girls.  They aren't well done, but make me think of something from Dr. Seuss.  Let's be honest, they don't really care.  They ask for something and then it's more like "haha..it's fun to watch Mama make things for us that we don't really care about."

I have a few other projects I'm working on, so stay tuned.  Oh, yeah...I'll eventually run and exercise and work on being physically healthy again, too.  Just....mental health is more important...yeah, that's it.  I'm not lazy (much).

Burnside Tunic - Part 3

I finished my Burnside Tunic a few weeks ago and I've just been too lazy, I mean *busy* to post.  (yeah, it's a good thing I'm not trying to make a living as a blogger.)

Anyway, last time I posted about this, I had the torso and front complete, but still needed to work the rest of it.

I did manage to work the back up.  I did make a mistake on one of the cables, but I don't think it would be noticed by most people.  It's on the back, so I won't see it. Here is what the finished back looks like.

The front and back were put together with a three-needle bind off.  I think it may have been slightly tight, but still turned out well.  And considering it is hidden by a shawl collar...

And that was the last bit...picking up stitches (evenly) and doing the ribbing for the collar.  I have to say, it turned out far better than I expected.  

It's a bulky fabric, so on me, it isn't the most flattering (my current shape is "round.")  I am not sure how I made this as a small size, knit it loose enough to fit me and still had more than a hank of yarn left over.  Oh well...

Oh one note...this took about a week to dry after I soaked it.  Wool definitely holds water!

Burnside Tunic - Part 2

I finally picked this up, again, a couple weeks ago.  I think that I was going to the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival made me feel inspired.  I mean, I was going with my friend, Lisa, who does NOT have a yarn problem (it's really a time problem....as in no time to use said yarn).  Anyway, I knew there would be soft and pretty and just beautiful fibers.  Lots of things that make me ache for days that I can sit and create without anything closely resembling "can you," "will you," "I need you to."    

As an aside, I have to share a funny from this past weekend.  It was Saturday afternoon and we were all sitting down watching a movie (most likely Mary Poppins, as it's been the current favorite).  I had my knitting in my lap trying to make a bit of progress.  My oldest was sitting with Dada and said to him, "Why does Mama always have to do that?"  I honestly can't recall the answer, but it did make me chuckle.

So, anyway, I did buy one pattern and a yarn cake to use for it.  I'm sure I'll get to it eventually.  It might not show well in the picture but it's from Twisted Fiber Art and starts (or ends) in a rose color--depending which end you start with.  Really, it's something to see.  It was a small (and crowded!) booth, but I couldn't not buy something there.  That's not to say other booths didn't have pretty things (oooh, the sparkles), but this one I couldn't pass up.

I did finally finish the main body of Burnside.  The cables didn't really get easier, but they did become sort of routine.  I didn't have to keep flipping through the pattern to remember what the symbols meant.  I am far from good at M1 (make one) stitches, but they are what they are.  There is some natural shaping to the body, so there were decreases on the gussets and then increases to the bust.  

Starting the front

Front is done!

Then came another anxiety-inducing first:  two working yarns.  To do the front neck, there are stitches in the middle of the row that are bound off and then a new yarn continues the rest of the row.  Both sides of the neck are then worked at the same time.  Those rows worked up really quickly.  

Then come the next challenges:

• The back since I can't attach the new yarn in the same way, though, it's worked in one single piece.  I hope it works up quickly
• Attaching the front and the back with a three-needle bind-off.  I did this type of bind once before and it was ok, but not great.  
• picking up stitches for the collar.  I haven't done this before.  I only hope I pick up the stitches evenly enough that the collar doesn't end up funky.  Once started, it will be really easy since it's just ribbing in the round.  

Once that's done, I can weave in my ends, soak and block.  I have three hanks of yarn right now and am wondering how much I'll have left.  I know I didn't order extra.  I also know this yarn will relax (I used it for the Demetra sweater, so have experience with it).  Fingers crossed.  Wish me luck--I might be able to finish it in time for it to be way too warm of a garment to wear.  

Pilates Passion

I recently completed my very last Teacher Training weekend.  As always, I was filled with anxiety and worry.  There are tons of things to remember.  Those things range from remember the exercise name, to how to perform them and what order to things like contraindications and risks.  Some serious and daunting stuff when you really think about it.  Add in that my schedule (and level of initiative) haven't made it easy for me to practice teaching or do much observation.  (We won't even mention personal practice time.)  

A couple weeks before training weekend, though, I remembered to check out Pilatesology and PilatesAnytime.  Both are such amazing resources for Pilates.  I watched a video of Lolita San Miguel instructing teachers on sessions for seniors.  Ms. San Miguel is just amazing.  She's an older woman considered one of the elders for Pilates and she can still perform these movements as beautifully as people much younger.  Every video I watched with her was just so inspiring.  The more I watched from these sites, the more I felt excited to be a part of this.  It's like the spark I needed...just to keep it going and build it to a full-fledged fire.  

So anyway, the weekend came and went.  It was truly exhausting, but also fun.  To add to that, I finally was able to do some in-studio observation.  This was just added fuel to the spark.  Four hours of watching my friend and mentor teach.  It was the last person in the studio that just made me light up.  The person didn't have the most spinal mobility and was fairly new to practice.  What was just so awe-inspiring (for me) was being able to see when things "clicked."  It isn't always intuitive or easy to "get" an upper abdominal curl or lengthen / broaden the spine / chest.  Sometimes it's even more basic than that--it's having someone able to pick up one hand and an opposite foot.  There were just beautiful moments in this session where the first repetition was awkward, but the third was practically perfect.  The person left with a smile--never a bad way to end a long day. 

The hardest part about observing was just itching to actually get on the reformer or the Cadillac and get in a workout.  It kind of made me miss the days when I could do so much more.  One day...maybe...I can get back the strength and flexibility I had.  If not the same level, at least closer.  I'm seriously considering buying a Wunda chair for home.  It's small enough that I'm sure I can find a place for it and versatile enough that I can do a lot with it.  I'm sure I could find a volunteer to come over and be given free sessions as I practice teaching on the apparatus.

There is just so much to think about.  Not only is it trying to amass the requisite hours for certification and the eventual testing out; it's also thinking what comes next.  Where do I teach (obviously, at least some time at my certifying studio--that's kind of a given if she'll have me)?  When do I teach?  It leads to bigger questions like:  Do I even care / want my "traditional" corporate job?  What if I want more by having less?  

Like I said...lots to think about and thoughts best addressed little by little another day.  

Burnside Tunic - Part 1

I completely forgot I meant to post about my progress on this.  I started into a project for myself.  Yes, this one is entirely meant for me from the start.  It isn't one of the many other projects that (IMHO) turned out too horribly to gift, but I hold no shame and happily wear the monstrosities.  

But anyway....I purchased the pattern and yarn over the summer.  I have no idea why I thought this would at all be easy or quick.  I am not a fan of knitting cables.  It must be the success I had with my oldest's sweater that gave me an over-inflated confidence.  I mean, that sweater had a cable on each side of the cardigan front.  How much more difficult could this be with it's 82 zillion cables.  OK, so it isn't quite that many, but I think it's close.

It's worked in the round until about sleeve level when the front and back are worked flat (separately).  Once the front and back are done, it's bound together and then the cowl-inspired collar is worked in the round once the stitches are picked up.  I'm a bit intimidated by it, but trying to take it one section at a time.  The bottom ribbing was pretty easy...not much to k2p2 once you've even made an attempt to knit.  The body section I'm working know is where all the cables come into play.    I think I'm about halfway through this section (right before it goes to working flat).

Here are a couple pics of progress.  It's a charcoal grey (almost black), even though it looks lighter.  this one is of the front (or back).  It's tough to see the cables very well, but you get the idea.  

This one is view of the how the sides look.  Again, cables, but not as intricate as the front / back.  

I'll try to post more next time I pick it up and make some progress.  Of course, it probably won't fit or it won't look right, but I'll worry about that if / when it's finally finished. 

The Next 21 Days

OK. I think I said in my last post that I would do the next 21-day round following the meal plan>  That lasted all of about the first day.  Well, let me be honest.  I didn't even make it a full day.  I packed breakfast and lunch the night before.  Then life got in the way that day to the extent dinner was cereal just before bed and my workout was running the stairs to do a zillion loads of laundry and other cleaning.  

Basically, that first day should have been a hint to how it would go.  I still kept track of what I ate and did my workouts.  What I noticed was I got bored.  It was a lot of effort just to get myself to start the 30 minutes and finish it.  I met those sessions with dread rather than a "let's do this" mentality.  Not exactly a successful attitude.  

Negativity aside, I did find myself stronger.  My 3-lb light weights were too light so I started using my 5-lb weights as my light and heavy weights.  With the way the weather (and my new 24-miles-each-way daily commute), I only just procured a set of 8-lb weights.  Of course, it means I need to start another cycle.   I might just wait until Thursday and give myself a week off.  The second cycle resulted in a 4.4 lb and ~5 inch loss.  Not extreme, but still good progress.  It's a marathon, not a sprint.

While we're on the subject of fitness updates, I finally logged some Pilates observation hours>  It is amazing the videos and information out there.  All really good stuff, but daunting, too.  I need to get myself focused.  I have no doubt there will be a day I tire of corporate life and decide to take a new path.  Best to be ready for it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

21-day Check-In

Sometime back in September or October, I purchased the Beachbody 21-day Fix program.  (Note:  I am absolutely not trying to advertise the program; just wanted to provide a link that could give info on the program.  Unfortunately, Beachbody is one big commercial.)  I took it out of the box, I washed the containers and nothing.  Oddly enough, you actually have to USE the contents of the box.  *gasp*

As part of my "New Year" goals, I wanted to take back some control and put my body back into a  healthy state.  January 1, I popped in the DVD and started in on the first ~30 min video along with tracking my calorie intake.  For the first round (21 days), I focused on making a routine of working out.  I did not even bother with the meal plan.  I felt like it would just be way too much work and change for me to take on.  Really, this is knowing myself and everything else I have going on.  

The workouts were perfect.  No, I didn't enjoy every move.  I still find burpees to be torturous and side dip planks (or whatever they're called) just suck.  What I like was they were only about 30 minutes start-to-finish and each exercise was only for a minute before a brief rest.  This meant, the activity changed before I became overly bored or discouraged.  I didn't feel like I was being yelled at Jillian Michaels style.  Yes, Autumn pushes you, but in a way that really puts the accountability on you.  "Don't cheat; the only one you are cheating is yourself."  "Just be better than you were yesterday."  Each time I did a workout, I did better; more reps, less modification, less stopping in a set.  As much as there were days I was tempted to skip, I sucked it up and put in the 30 minutes.  

My actual numbers really aren't important for anybody aside from my physicians and myself.  That said, I will share, my starting body fat was 32% and BMI was 29.  After 21-days, they are now down to 31% and 28, respectively.  (I used the calculators on Active.com.)  The was after a loss of 9.4 lbs and 6-3/4 inches.  This is the first time I have any sort of tracking other than weight (and how my clothes fit!).  

I'm starting a second 21-day cycle.  This time, will try to follow the meal plan and see if it makes a difference.  I'm also trying to use heavier weights for some of he exercises.  I'll report back how it goes.

It's a Clean Slate!

With a new year brings the proverbial clean slate.  The last few years, I skipped the whole "resolutions" thing and opted to make goals for myself.  Resolutions feel so all-or-nothing to me.  Goals feel more positive and encouraging to me.  They are something at which to strive and work toward.  Every year, I do a little better.   The family eats healthier more and more; we get more activity.

That said, what are my measurable personal goals for this year?

• Run 300 miles.  I need to rekindle my love of running.  Thanks to MapMyRun, I'll be able to keep track and see how I'm doing.  No (so far) races to train for, so this will be a challenge.
• Get my numbers back to healthy ranges.  This means getting in the "good" stuff and ditching so much of the "bad" stuff.  I'm tracking via MyFitnessPal (for now--suggestions on something better?) so I can see how some of this goes.
• Read more.  I read 42 books last year and some of those were reading to my girls, so don't quite think they count.  If I recall, I set out to read 50 books.  We'll see if I can manage it this year. I use Goodreads for that.  
• Craft more.  Seriously, I must get projects started and finished.  My craft closet is almost at max capacity.  The attempt to reduce my stash was not very successful (understatement of the moment!).  
• Finish "things."  I have seven books started and a myriad of craft projects (including, two quilts, four needlepoint projects, and a skirt) in progress.  There is a pile of mending to be done, too.  It's lofty to think I would complete everything started, but progress is the goal.  

My craft closet.  There is quilt batting hiding behind the sunlight--that's not empty space.

• Teacher training--ugh--so far behind.  I want to get a at least have of my personal practice hours done and a quarter (minimum) of my practice teaching and observation hours.  

I'll try to update on how I'm doing as the year progresses.  Stay tuned for updates on my healthy goals (already started on them).  Also, I started my Burnside Tunic.  We'll see if I can figure out the pattern.