I got month #2 of the Cotton Cuts Puzzle Mystery Quilt. Once again, I bumped it to the top of my projects for Sunday afternoon's sewing session in my fear of getting behind on the darn thing. It took me all of an hour to finish the four blocks. I probably could've gone faster but I was starching and pressing everything as I went to try to avoid a case of the stretchies.
Still, I love a quilt I can get done in only an hour a month!
Still loving the Portofino colorway. Can't wait to see how this thing will look once everything's together!
I'm still plugging away at the table runner project from the February Sew Sampler project. It's cute and fun! I've got all the blocks made. I had more work to do on my thesis yesterday or I would probably have gotten the whole top together.
Darn thesis.
I don't know why, but I always think snowball blocks are cuter in their un-pressed form. Maybe they look like little doggie ears to me or something.
I also played around a little with the ruler included with the February Sew Sampler box, the Mini Simple Folded Corners ruler. Frankly, I forgot about it until after I already had the pieces all sewed together, but I did use it for trimming just to get used to the feel of the ruler. It'll take a little learning to figure out how to use it for realsies. I could see where it would come in handy, if I made a lot of a certain type of block. Right now, I don't, so it's lower on my list than some other specialty rulers I've had my eye on for awhile (ahem, Creative Grids Pineapple Trim Tool--I'd love to make a pineapple quilt).
Plus I've been using the Aurifil Sea Biscuit thread from Sew Sampler on this project. Love it, as I usually do!
This past weekend, Craftsy had an unlimited-streaming-for-free deal so I tried out a few classes I'd been thinking about. I've been avoiding doing their monthly subscription deal because I didn't think it would really work out financially in my favor--and because I still own so many classes I haven't gotten to.
But after doing the streaming-for-free thing, I realized the major benefit to it: I can hop, skip, and jump my way through classes! There are several classes I'd been looking at but not buying because I was thinking, "I'm really only interested in that one aspect of it, not the whole class." When I was watching streaming for free, I was able to jump into a class where I wanted, and then skip the rest that I already knew. It was really, really helpful! So...maybe? How many of you have gone for Craftsy Unlimited? Why or why not?
I'm getting a yen for doing another Log Cabin quilt--that's been my favorite block ever since my Mom first started quilting when I was a kid and I was beginning to identify different blocks by osmosis. Now, as a quilter myself, I love the versatility of it. I've done a small handful of log cabins and still would love to do more. I'm a huge fan of the traditional block, but I enjoyed Marti Michell's Better, Faster Log Cabin class on Craftsy, showing a few variants of the block (love the Greek Key). I also own her rulers and her class made me want to pull them out and give them another shot. I also watched portions of Fast and Flexible Log Cabin Quilts with Nancy Smith (I already own her strip quilt class). Put those together with a tutorial I saw on YouTube about QAYG log cabin blocks and I might be seeing my next project formulating. Great way to use stash fabrics I don't love--when you're only looking at a 1 1/2" strip of them (or so), they all look gorgeous!
For a change of pace, I watched bits and pieces of Startup Library: Hand Embroidery with Kat McTee. I would never pay full price for that class, and would be unlikely to buy it even on sale as I've already done a few different embroidery classes so I already know the stitches she shows. But I love the class sampler project, and you can always pick up new tips, so streaming would give me the chance to do that without paying for the whole class.
Basically, I'm undecided on the streaming thing. Let me know what you think!
Dang, but it feels good to be sewing again.
As a side note, Auggie had his "interview" and test run in a doggie day care Saturday afternoon. When I travel for work it's hard for my husband to get home to let the dogs out during the day and he always feels terrible about it. Princess Doggie is used to it and has a bladder of steel anyway. Auggie is still just a pup. Plus, by the time my husband gets home, Auggie is so starved for attention he's a bit insane in the evenings and won't leave Princess Doggie alone. So, for her sake more than anything, we're going to try taking Augs to doggie day care on days I'm gone. And I may just do it once a week even when I'm home, just to give him some doggie playmates.
He passed his interview with flying colors. And passed out when he got home.
(I'm out of town for work most of this week, but hopefully I'll be able to catch more sewing time next weekend!)