Saturday, February 28, 2015

Sewing For Myself Week #4

Berry Barn Designs
It's hard to believe this is the end of the 4th week of the 4x7 sewing challenge from berrybarndesigns.  The challenge was to spend 30 minutes a day, all month, sewing for the pleasure of making things for ourselves.

During week #1, I thought I'd get my sewing room organized, a goal I've hand since the dawn of time.  Instead, I whipped up a sewing machine cover that I fell madly in love with and did a couple of of odds and ends.

Week #1 was a snow week, literally 5 days off of school, so finding time was a breeze.

During week #2, I embarked on a heart quilt.  I think I had started planning it out in week #1 but I really made progress during week #2.  Because I didn't have an actual pattern, just a picture I found online, I've been winging it all month.  The half square triangles were a fun challenge, which is good because I needed 231 of them.  I made them way too big, so now I have an enormous quilt on my hands, rather than a throw or wallhanging as I intended.

Week #2 shocked me with my inability to devote 30 minutes each day to sewing.  I made up for it by spending more time on other days, but it was a surprise that 30 minutes isn't really available to me every day.

During week #3, I worked diligently on the heart quilt and had to make sure those band uniforms were done, done, done.  That wasn't so much selfish sewing as better get it done so I get paid sewing. 

Week #3 was February vacation and also a big snowstorm, so finding time was a little easier.  Sort of.  I ended up teaching a class the mornings of that week and beanster came to visit so I was very busy being entertained by her.

This past week was week #4.  Back to work, no beanster to entertain me and difficulty finding 30 minutes every day.

Serious ice and snow.  This was the skating rink that was my driveway for most of the week.  We got more snow on top of it which made it deathly for a couple of days but as the snow melts and refreezes every night, it's getting crunchy and slightly better for traction.

I only slid under my Jeep once this week.  I was just trying to get into it....

We had a day of flurries all day long which made this view one of the prettiest since I've been at this school.
After I posted it on instagram, I realized it looks like the snowdrifts go right up to the doors, which they do.  But this is the courtyard outside my classroom and those doors are not the main classroom doors, so no one has touched the courtyard.   I love untouched snow.

This view never gets old, even when it's been my morning view for 30+ days.  Seriously more than a months since I've seen bare ground on the front yard.

With all of that, significant progress was made on the quilt front.
I got the whole top put together and realized that these last two rows, the rows with the smallest number of red and pink squares, were upside down.  I internally cried for a minute and then realized I didn't have to remove the entire rows.  I just took out the sections where the squares were upside down and flipped and resewed them.

Phew.

All of the hsts and their white balance squares are together.  Most of the points are visible and I'm pretty happy with that.  I am lazy and refuse to trim my squares before sewing them.  I prefer to wiggle them and coax them into line.  Really, I'm afraid that my reference point will be off and I'll cut them all wrong and really be in a mess.  I find it easier to push them around and make the seams go where I need them.

To balance out the odd rectangular shape, I will add a couple of rows of just white squares.  It's now too wide to be a throw but not wide enough to be an actual bed quilt.

I have a fantasy about something pink and red along the edge.  Something about half of a hst, maybe.  I have no idea what that will be like.

I think the shape might still be odd, even with the addition of the white rows, so I have some thinking and ironing to do this week.

Now that the 4x7 sewing challenge is over, I feel a little lost!  I'd like to thank Sarah at berrybarndesigns for this challenge.  I never participate in any sewalongs or challenges but the timing was just right.  It really made me think more about sewing and why I do it and how I'd like to experiment and never do.  I liked having to "check in" every week and see where everyone else was in their progress.

I also discovered that even in the dead of winter, when it's cold in my sewing room, with the right clothes, it's really not that bad and the light is really amazing when I get up there in the afternoon.  So now, I really have no excuses.

But, I'm a little sad with no one to check on my progress!  That means you all better keep coming back so you can see the finished product!


Linking up here:
http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com
http://www.berrybarndesigns.com/blog/4x7-sewing-challenge-complete
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2015/03/clever-chicks-blog-hop-128-featuring-my.html
http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/2015/03/wow-me-wednesday-195.html
http://www.skiptomylou.org
http://www.sewcando.com
http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2015/03/wednesdays-adorned-from-above-link.html
http://www.withablast.net/2015/03/freedom-fridays-70.html 

7 comments:

  1. It's been a great month. Can't wait to see how your heart turns out.

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  2. THanks, I can't wait either! It's slow going though!

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  3. You did great!!! I know I have had fun with the challenge and it looks like you did too!

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  4. I am happy you got to sew for yourself. After several years of quilting, someone asked me if I could show them one I had made. My answer was "No." I had made them all for other people & given them away. Now I stitch more for myself - depending upon the project etc. That's a lot of half square triangles:) Are you matching points in your sleep yet? Looking great.
    Also, hoping you make it into your jeep each time you try this week~smiles.

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    1. I too have no quilts that I have made for myself because I have no use for them. I don't have a guest room and I dont' like to sleep under a quilt on my actual bed. We have throws coming out of our ears on the couch, so I've never made a lap quilt for myself either. This heart has turned out so big, I'm not sure that I'll keep it for myself!

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  5. I loved seeing that pic of the courtyard on IG because I had completely forgotten about its existence and it was a nice trip down memory lane... sooo long ago! I'm glad you had a great month. It is hard to get that thirty minutes in even on "wide open" weeks. I swear if I had another five hours in every, I'd still probably have a hard time sewing thirty minutes on all of them! Looking forward to seeing your heart quilt finished whatever size it turns out : )

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  6. Beautiful work. Thanks so much for sharing with Adorned From Above's Link Party.
    Have a great week.
    Debi

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