Star Light Star Bright WIP

Are you recovered from your tryptophan-induced Thanksgiving coma yet? I'm still half asleep as I write this...

My Star Light Star Bright quilt is moving right along! I finished the blocks yesterday! Yay! 

I just need to add sashing, and the top will be done! 

It's kind of a tie between this last block, and the second one above for my favorites (the one that is mostly grey). I am LOVING the fussy-cut ships. I hope the intended recipient finds them to be just as charming as I do. 

Linking up with Lee. 

Sunday Stash #6

I picked up bundle of low-volume, texty goodness from Pink Castle Fabrics a while back. They have a similar bundle still available here. 

Aren't these great?! I am totally dying over quilts made using low-volume black/white or grey/white fabrics as background. I am swooning over this X and + quilt I found over at Bijou Lovely the other day while web-surfing. From the texty binding to the velveteen backing...omg...I heart every thing about that quilt. I may need to make something similar in the near future. :) 

Linking up with Molli. 

Star Light Star Bright Block Centers

I spent all week stitching away every spare second I had (almost), and I finished the block centers for my Star Light Star Bright quilt-a-long quilt!! 

 

 
Yes, I know I'm way behind. I certainly didn't get it finished when the quilt-a-long was actually happening. This quilt was, in fact, intended as a present for a friend who had a baby...months and months ago. Whoops!! 

However, the fact that I am making some visible progress has me super excited! 

I got my fabrics all cut out a couple weeks ago. And finished stitching up all of the block centers yesterday before work. Hurray!

*Sorry about the lighting on these later pics...it gets dark so early now!*

I'm very happy with these blocks. Are they perfect? No. But it's my first real attempt at precision piecing and I'm learning lots! Not too shabby now, and I can only get better with practice, right?! 

I also discovered, rather quickly, that this pattern is fairly directional-fabric-friendly. I didn't realize I had picked ALL directional fabrics until I started cutting. I spent a decent amount of time thinking about things (read...turning fabric squares around and around) before sewing up my half-square triangles, but I think it paid off!! 

This quilt is going to be SO cute!!! 

The Last 8 Months...

So...remember that time I took an eight-month break from the blog...?

Sorry about that. 

Honestly, I needed it. Kinda a lot. 

I was working hard on trying to make this blog would be something it's not, and it was stressing me out. I wasn't enjoying sewing, I was just worrying about it. I wasn't working at my own pace, but trying to match the pace of others. Others who stay at home or do this for a living. 

I decided I just really needed some time. Time to focus on work, on my life, on my husband, and NOT worry one bit about the blog, or sewing at all, for that matter. Time to purposefully NOT sew, and see if I could be okay (which has a lot to do with the reason I started sewing, and is something I hope to have the guts to share with you some day...)

So what HAVE I been up to? Well, besides putting some time into projects at work...

Brian and I traveled to San Francisco for a whole week. Our first major vacation in a couple years, and it was so worth it. It was our first time there, so we did a ton of sight seeing. 

What my happens to my hair in humidity...

Yeah...let's not talk about that...

  

I have to say...I have never met such a traveler-friendly or more photographic city in my life. It was lovely, and I can't wait to go back someday. 


As far as sewing goes...the last month or so, I've picked it back up. :) 

Now, I sew when I have time. I work on things at my pace. I continue to buy and swoon over many lovely fabrics, and daydream about the days when it will be stitched up into something super awesome. I also do my best not to stress about my ever-growing number of WIPs. 

Honestly, I'm happier working this way. I guess that makes me the epitome of the currently popular "slow-sewing" movement. 

And I'm okay with that.