May GOALS!

Well, as quickly as April FLEW by - we are somehow already five days into May and I think I finally have all of our calendars flipped to the new month!  Wowza!

April was crazy busy - and May promises to be just the same.  Here is a "quick" list of my goals for the month.

BOM's / QAL's
ViceVersa BOM - April and May blocks
Wishes QAL - April and May blocks
Aurifil designer of the month - April and May blocks
Project Quilting off season challenge #2 - "Can you measure up?"
{yikes.... I didn't get ANY of my blocks made in April!}

ALYOF May goal:
My May goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes is to get my fabric cut for the Avatrix Medallion quilt-a-long and the center medallion pieced together.  I need to schedule some cutting / sewing dates with my friend Kelly so we can get to work on this ASAP!

Blog happenings:
1 pattern review, 2 blog hops / tours scheduled {so far}

Eggo in the Oven:
And as always.... lots of custom sewing and scheduled participation in one When You Wish Designs Auction

Personal Goals:
Today, May 5th, is the start of the Bikini Body Mommy 90 day Challenge (2.0) - and I'm SO excited (even if I can barely breathe thanks to a nasty head cold or attack of seasonal allergies!).  My goal is to stick with the challenge - completing every single day - no excuses - just like the last 90 day challenge.  I can't wait to see the changes!  I'm also 4 weeks into a 9 week training program - couch to 5k - which is helping me not hate... and even LIKE.... running!  Keeping up with that for sure!

{Linking up with A Lovely Year of Finishes May goal setting party!}

WIP Wednesday 3/26

Before I get to what sewing I'm up to this week.... I definitely have to take a moment to wish my awesome Hubby and biggest supporter a very Happy Birthday!  The kiddos have a BIG list of "must-haves" for around the house / the "celebration" tonight when he gets home from work - so I think I'll be spending most of today baking, decorating, cleaning, and putting together some handmade gifts!

But.....

What am I sewing up this week?!

LOTS!

Custom orders, Etsy shop stock, apparently a "rectangle shaped pillow" for Colby....

But yesterday I stole some time to work on some of the BOM blocks for this month.  This is the latest in the month I have sewn for these quilt-a-longs since the beginning of the year - where did March go?!

Aurifil Designer of the Month {Emily Herrick} March Block

I will be combining the blocks from this quilt-a-long with the Wishes QAL and some football blocks from the "Touchdown" pattern by Cluck Cluck Sew

ViceVersa BOM - traditional block

ViceVersa BOM - inverse block

ViceVersa BOM - March blocks - traditional and inverse

ViceVersa BOM - January through March blocks.  Loving how these are looking together!

And my true WIP - I didn't quite get to my Wishes Quilt Along block for this month (but definitely will before the end of the month!) - it's all cut out and read to sew!

Linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced - I'm link #102 this week - can't wait to see what others are sewing up!

Vice Versa BOM - February Blocks

As I sit at PDX, rain streaming down the windows, waiting for a delayed flight (we are headed to Utah to visit family).... I figured I had a quick second to share my blocks for this month's Vice Versa BOM with GenX Quilters. {while the boys & hubby run around like maniacs through the terminal!}

This month's blocks are comprised of LOTS of HSTs!


Both blocks - traditional and inverse - - - it's hard to see, but the white is a pretty white-on-white paisley


Block 1



Block 2

With last month's blocks!

Loving how these are sewing up - can't wait to make more!

The boys are back..... and getting antsy.  Wish us luck on our flight {thank goodness it's a quick one!}

WIP Wednesday

We are preparing for a 9-day vacation visiting family - - - - but I'm still sneaking in a *little bit* of sewing time.

As of this afternoon I have three BOM / QAL blocks cut.  I'm participating in the Vice Versa BOM with GenX Quilters, Wishes Quiltalong with Fat Quarter Shop, and Aurifil DOM sewalong - - and this month's blocks for all three have LOTS of half-square triangles (HSTs).  So..... I have been cutting lots of squares!

These squares will all become slightly smaller squares made from two fabrics, then arranged to create some fun blocks! :)  My goal is to get these babies sewn up tonight after the kids go to bed - as the pre-vacation laundry is being washed!

Linking up with WIP Wednesday - and hopping over to see what others are working on!

January Goals Recap!

Hmmm... over a week into the month and I'm finally getting a chance to check-in on how I did with my January goals.... and I promise I have my February goals written up - will post those soon, too!

Main Goal: Do more sewing that is NOT paid orders
I think I did pretty great on this one!  During the month of January I sewed 57 items - and 9 of those items were "just because" / not for paid orders.  Yes, I realize that's only 15.8% - but that is a MUCH higher percentage than I have had in the past.  Included in those 9 items were BOM quilt blocks, some fun "add-ons" to paid orders that were gifts for a friend, and Project Quilting sewing!

A Lovely Year of Finishes (ALYOF) January
Goal was to make a stop sign pillow - and I completed the stop sign pillow on January 13th.  Colby has slept with his head on that pillow every.single.day since! :)

Project Quilting 
I completed challenges 1 and 2 during January - my "Bath Time" wall hanging and a fun construction wall hanging for Colby's room.  A fun bonus: I have won prizes both weeks so far - as one of the random winners!  Score!  Week 1 I won a sewing pattern, and week 2 I won a quilt pattern book.

100 item challenge
Oh gosh - this has been a "fun" one!  Actually - it's been great!  As of January 31 I had made 57 items - not bad for 29 days with a few days completely void of sewing!  As of this post, I have sewn 7 more items, bringing my total to 64.  Oh.... and have I bought fabric?!  NOPE!  I placed ONE order for two half-yards of fabric needed for a custom order - but I found a seller on etsy to buy from - not my usual "big box" online seller that offers free shipping after a certain amount spent (which would have made it REALLY easy to add to my order).  I bought the two fabrics, and that is ALL!  This has been a great challenge for me.  Since I am unable to buy fabric, I have to look at / use the fabric I have on hand.  It's interesting that there are fabrics I still don't tend to work with even when I can't buy a better replacement - - - guess I'll have some fabric to sell soon! :)

Vice Versa BOM
I recruited my mom to do this BOM with me!  I got my blocks sewn up on 1/7 - can you tell I was excited?!  It took me forEVER to decide on the fabrics.... but I'm happy with what I picked!

Wishes Quiltalong
This one was a "maybe" on the list - and I joined in!  I found a FUN quilt pattern that has football blocks - and after I saw that, I thought it would be fun to make a quilt using some of the football blocks as well as all sorts of black / orange / grey / white blocks from a few QALs / BOMs - the hubby and I are Oregon State University alumni and LOVE football - and the team colors are orange & black.  Should be fun and scrappy - and I'll be able to work on it throughout the year and finish it up during football season!

My January block!  These are big blocks - - - 14" plus seam allowance!

Mystery BOM
I decided not to join in on this one.  Didn't feel like my style and I had LOTS of other fun things I was excited about!

Additions
I added one more QAL / BOM - the Aurifil Designer of the Month sewalong.  Each month they're featuring a different designer, who will share a block of their choosing and we'll sew along with them.  January's block was "spools" - so I thought I'd make a block I could eventually make into a wall hanging for my sewing studio. {the fabrics coordinate well with my adorable ironing board cover, and the red face on my beautiful sewing machine.... and all the pink gear I have from my Susan G. Komen 3-day walks!}

For future months, I plan on using fabrics that will create blocks for the black / orange / grey / white / footballs quilt, too.  Oh.... and each month you complete the block you are entered to win a box of Aurifil thread (which I've heard is wonderful.... though I have yet to experience it!)

Phew!  Lots of sewing for January - - - feels good to have gotten so much done (including a bunch of custom orders for my shop, items to stock my Etsy shop (that sold out VERY quickly), and starting on a BIG upcoming project - Zoe's quilt!)

Oh - and one of my non-sewing goals is to find / make more "me" time and.... of course.... eat healthier / exercise more.  A friend of mine started the Bikini Body Mommy 90 day challenge and I saw it as an opportunity to have some measurable, attainable goals - - - Today is day 23 and I have only "missed" one day (and I doubled up my workout the next day to catch back up!) - Wahoo!!!!

I'll get a post written up about February's goals ASAP..... because there are only 20 days left in the month and 9 of those days we're on vacation!  Hahahaha.

Don't say BOM on a plane....

.... but you'll definitely hear it a ton around our home! :)

I came across another BOM that I think I'm going to participate in... or at least keep an eye on and make blocks if I like them! It's hosted by Aurifil - and each month one of their designers will share a block of their choice.  An added bonus?  Each month you complete the block and share it in their flickr group you are entered to win Aurifil thread!  I have heard amazing things about this thread - so I'd LOVE the chance to give it a try!

I think the concept is to make a scrappy quilt from all the Designer of the Month blocks.... but when I saw the first block I thought it would be perfect for my sewing room.

January's block is "Chez Claire" by Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic.  I have LOVED the Zen Chic patterns I have seen.... and her block this month is made to look like thread spools. {see why I thought it would be perfect in my sewing studio!?}

So I jumped in!  I joined the flickr group - and Sunday night I pulled fabrics and got to work.

I wanted my block to coordinate with the super sweet ironing board cover I bought at the end of the year from City Chic Country Mouse on Etsy.  It is made from a Riley Blake fabric that uses tans / greys / pinks / reds / with little hints of green and aqua.  Scarlett, my sewing machine {yes, she has a name!}, has a red face plate - perfect!

I pulled Riley Blake's Verona Gray Flowers for the background, along with Michael Miller's red / white pindot, and green mini geometric print from Jo-Ann.  Then of course I had to use some of my light pink ribbon fabric - after walking two Susan G. Komen 3-day walks (60 miles each in San Francisco and Seattle) last year - as I have a part of my sewing space decorated with all my gear!  I loved that the Daisy Grid from Kari Beyer's Dream a Little Dream for In the Beginning fabrics pulled all the colors together and echoed some of the patterns in my ironing board cover - yay!

Here's my block pieced together - it's really 4 small blocks in one.  You can see my ironing board behind it!

I couldn't decide which layout I liked better.  I would usually default to the greens being diagonal from one another, and the red / pink being on the other diagonal (the layout above) - but because the red / darker green fabrics stood out more than the light pink ribbon fabric / light green fabric.... I decided to swap them around and see what I thought.

 I liked that now the light / dark squares were more equally spaced - it didn't feel as "lopsided" to me.

So I sewed up those final seams... and here is my January block:

As I said.... I think I will make it into a wall hanging for my sewing room.  Maybe a border around the outside.... other little blocks?  I'm not sure!  But for now, it's a 12.5" block!  

Vice Versa BOM - January Blocks

The Vice Versa BOM (Block of the Month) is my very first sew-along / BOM.  I picked it because I really liked the contemporary look - and as a math nerd, the inverse concept {each month, we'll make two blocks - one traditional, the other the inverse of that!} really intrigued me!

Picking out fabrics was TOUGH!  I knew I was going to be picking from fabric I had on hand {Thanks to my 100 item challenge} - and much of my fabric lends itself more to clothes / larger items, not as much traditional quilting.  But that's okay - - I am in no way traditional, so it's only fitting my blocks / fabric choices wouldn't be!

I tried to pull fabrics.  I pulled various color schemes.  I thought about what / who the finished quilt would be for.  I pulled more fabrics.  I got stuck on the "solid" color "requirement" (for the background) - as I do NOT work in solids (I like them.... I just don't have them... and I can't buy fabric!)

Then I took a step back from my cutting table and out of the corner of my eye I spotted a fabric I've had stashed away for a "someday I'll sew for ME" project.  Ah-ha!  Alexander Henry's Mocca in red.  I think I bought it not long after I opened Eggo in the Oven.  I've sewn with it a few times, but then stashed away the last bit of what I had - for "someday".  It's a beautiful combinations of browns, creams, yellows, aquas, and reds.  I just love the bold floral print and the color combination!

So.... then I had my base - and from there I pulled various fabrics / color combinations until I came up with this:

This selection includes a bit of Riley Blake's Verona (first two photos on left - leaves), Riley Blake Fly a Kite (yellow flowers), Michael Miller's Ta Dot in Teal, a brown / white dotty flower fabric from Joann Fabrics (reminds me of spirograph flowers!), and Alexander Henry's Mocca.  Since I likely don't have enough of the Mocca to use it for all of the blocks, I plan on doing some with that and some with the spirograph fabric.  It's possible I'll need to pull in a few more fabrics if I run out of any of these - but we'll see if / when that time comes!

Today I found time during little man #2's morning nap to cut and piece together my January blocks!

Two pretty blocks - they measure 9.5" square (will be 9" square when in the quilt)

The "traditional" block

The inverse!

I was very excited about how quickly they sewed up - and how they turned out!

This quilt-a-long will DEFINITELY be a test of my patience {I don't have much!} - doing just a *little bit* of the quilt each month?!  Waiting a whole year for the quilt to be finished?  Ahhhhhh!

Good thing I have just a few things going on to keep me busy!

Oh.... and in case you're curious - I'm counting these blocks as ONE item for my 100 item challenge - and they are item #22.  Not bad for less than 5 days in! :)

Want to join in on the fun?  It's only $15 to sign up for the year-long project - - - and the patterns are emailed to you as PDF's each month.  There's a great flickr group where you can see others' blocks, ask questions, etc.  Click below for more info!

2014 "fun" sewing

I know, I know.... I already shared one goal / project for the year.... and while I tend to STINK at following through on resolutions, I have a bunch of sewing / business / creative growth goals for the year.... so I'm going to share them {and will likely add to this list down the line...}

I will try not to post updates CONSTANTLY.... but I'm thinking once a week or once a month I'll check in on these goals / projects.

One of my BIG goals for the year is to do more sewing that ISN'T paid orders.  I have said this every year since I started Eggo in the Oven {which just celebrated its 3rd birthday on 1/1/14}... and I've definitely gotten better at this over the years... but there is still LOTS of room for improvement.

So.... here are some of the quilting / fun sewing projects / sew-a-longs / etc. that I will be participating in to help with this goal and FORCE me to do some "fun" sewing! :)

A Lovely Year of Finishes
Make a monthly finish goal - and complete it!


Project Quilting - Season 5
Bi-weekly quilting challenges - I have a week to complete each challenge from start to finish - begins January 5, 2014



Creating 100 items or More
This is a group on Facebook that I kinda got suckered into {thanks to Alyssa at Keep Calm and Carrion}
The challenge?  Buy NO fabric until you have made 100 (or more) items.  Wait, what?!  NO fabric buying?  As one friend stated - "What were you thinking???  That's like giving up coffee!!"
**there IS a little caviat that I am allowed to buy fabric for custom orders - if absolutely necessary - but I can't ADD to those orders "just because"**
I committed to this challenge yesterday, 1/2/14, and completed items 1-5 by the time we went to bed!  5 down, 95 to go!

Vice Versa BOM
Excited to participate in my first BOM {block of the month} - this one looks like fun... and a good one to start with!  Each month we'll make two blocks - they are the inverse of one another!  Need to take a look at the fabric requirements and pull fabrics!


I'm also considering the following.... but will wait until at least mid-month to see how I handle all of these "fun" sewing goals mixed in with business sewing! :)

Wishes Quilt Along with Fat Quarter Shop
Another quilt block quilt along - that is also raising money for Make a Wish

Mystery BOM and Mystery BOM "petite" by Garden Path Quilts

There is no previewing of these blocks - they're a mystery!  The BOM is a standard one.... the "petite" creates mini quilts (that you can finish as-is, or you could put all those mini quilts together to create one large quilt).  The element of mystery is intriguing!!!

So..... that's the list so far.  Am I crazy for attempting all (or much) of this while also running my sewing business, being mama to 2 crazy boys and wife to the love of my life?  Yah, probably!  But I'm a "go big or go home" kinda gal..... so I'm going to give it a go!!!

Care to join me on any of these crazy adventures????  Let me know which ones you're participating in.... or if you have other suggestions to add to my list! :)