• Blog - Crafts - Creativity

    T Tuesday: I’m still here edition

    Hey there…glad you stopped by today. It has, once again, been quite some time since my last post. I had good intentions of posting more but the motivation to sit in front of another screen after doing it all day just wasn’t there.

    I’m all about sitting  in front of my sewing machine though.

    Now that all staff will be back in the building, my home office area can become a sewing station.

    I pulled the quilt top I had previously completed out of the closet and have been working on revamping it a bit and creating a quilt back complete with a signature in a block. I’ll show my terrible embroidery skills when I get the quilting done.

    This is what kicked me back into sewing mode…a big bag of scraps from a coworker. Her and her girls started a small business/side hustle sewing scrunchies then masks and now they have added aprons. She saves her off cuts and scraps  for me. So many fun bits of fabrics! I ironed every scrap and began cutting pieces for a scrappy quilt pattern I saw on Pinterest. The pieces are so small…I am having a bit of regret. I may just set that stack aside and use it for something else.

    Speaking of Pinterest…this was really weird. I was scrolling through Pinterest on my phone during my lunch. For those not familiar with how Pinterest works, if you don’t specifically search for something the site picks things it thinks you’d be interested in based on previous things you’ve looked at and things people you follow have posted. So like I said I’m scrolling along in my “for you” pins and I see these…

    Those are my own projects. Things I had blogged about and pinned forever ago. So weird seeing your own creations like that. “hey we think you’d like this…” ah yeah I would, I made it.

    So what else is new…hmmm… J is back up at college for Spring semester. He is happy to be back even though he has different roommates and a different apartment(a nicer one in my opinion). Even though most of his classes and his tutoring job are online, he has one course with a lab component so he had to be there in person. Unlike Mini-me who got a lab kit to bring home.

    She extracted DNA from blueberries right in our kitchen. It’s actually a really fun lab that I do with my 7th graders.

    Speaking of Mini-me…she was invited to participate in a competitive scholarship by the University will be attending in the fall. She got 2nd place which is basically half of her tuition paid each year plus a one time stipend to be used for approved study abroad, supplies or research. We are so incredibly proud of her…she works so hard and now all of that hard work is playing off in a very big way! I could continue to gush about her recent accomplishments but I really don’t want to be that mom.

    All staff went back to school today. This is my new look when working in person with kids…super fun. I am on the list to get my first COVID-19 vaccine. I had to pass up my first opportunity since I had just gotten my Tdap vaccine. Of course, getting the COVID vaccine will not make the mask and shield go away this year. I was actually surprised once I had it on my face and starting working, it didn’t bother me like I thought it would. My only real issue is the need to push up my glasses regularly….not easy.

    What are you doing today?
  • Blog - Crafts - Creativity

    T Tuesday: many things edition

    This post will be a jumble…so many things in so many directions. That’s my life right now. Some days I feel a little more scattered than others. When I’m having a scattered day I am trying to be mindful and prioritize, slow down when possible and forgive myself for not vacuuming.

    I finally set up my sewing machine in J’s room. Not really sure what took me so long to get back to it… perhaps lost creative mojo.

    Quilting

    marvin being helpful

    Now that my machine is in a usable space I got out the scrappy quilt top I made before Christmas. I settled on a tie-dye fabric from my stash for the backing. As soon as I laid the quilt on the floor for basting, my helper showed up.

    marvin being helpful

    Making the bed is pretty much his favorite activity…well maybe eating and sleeping are tied for first then making the bed.  Of course, he doesn’t understand that laying the quilt out nice and flat and smooth, keeping it all inline are an integral part of the process.

    Teaset pincushion

    Since this desk overlooks the front yard, it’s a perfect spot for Marvin to do a bit of bird watching. With that in mind, I decided that the standard tomato pincushion wasn’t the right choice…looks a little too much like a ball.

    teacup pin cushion

    I made this teacup pincushion a while back and have finally put it to use. I love that the cup sits slightly off-center on the saucer. When I first noticed this mistake I was upset but now I realize that this is a good thing. The off-center placement allows for more useful space for sewing tools at the ready.

    Week of appreciation

    para appreciation week

    Last week was declared Paraprofessional appreciation week by Governer Walz. Our school went all out making us feel appreciated in so many ways. Puny gifts, signs on our lockers, cards, and breakfast but honestly, the most meaningful one was drawing and note from a student that I wasn’t sure I was making an impact with.

    Archery

    Archery season is upon us. I love this season even with the distance we travel most Saturdays. It gives Mini-me and I some quality time in the car.

    Birthday Boy

    reading to friends

    J turned 20 years old today!! TWENTY!! So crazy. It was hard not to be with him today. I was very distracted with thoughts of him throughout the day. I just wanted to hop in the van and drive to Duluth. I’ll be calling him shortly when his class is over…but it’s just not the same.

    What else…oh yeah…I dyed my hair…mostly the underside…purple. Well…technically eggplant. Yep…totally went for it. It’s really fun and I love it. The family had a bit of a hard time getting used to it but I think they have now. If you take a peek at my about me page, you will see the new look.

    What are you doing today?
  • Blog - Crafts - Creativity

    A second look: quilt time…snuggle time

    I can’t stop sewing!!! Likely because I know I’ll be completely worthless for the next week or so until I acclimate to my new school schedule.

    Since I’m currently completely obsessed with paper foundation scrap quilting once again, I thought I’d share the quilt that came before this one.

    Take a look…

     

    1/15/2017

    Don’t you just love that feeling of satisfaction when you’ve completed a big project!?! I know I do. Not only do I have the finished product in front of me but I get to put a checkmark in the box on my perpetual list. Yes, it’s an actual paper list. It’s never-ending which really is a good thing. What would I do with myself if I didn’t have a project?

    quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

    Do want to know a secret? If I complete a task, chore or project that failed to make it on the list…I write down, draw a little box and proceed to “X” through it. So satisfying!!!quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

    This quilt started as a stash busting project. Just a loose idea of what I wanted or hoped it would look like in the end. Over the course of sewing, my idea evolved a bit which I personally think is a good thing. We need to be able to be flexible and learn from our mistakes. Or even just adapt when the moment presents itself instead of being so set on one path that we can’t change. This is true in life as well. Adapt or be flexible when needed as long as your end goal remains it’s ok to change little things along the way.quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

    One of the changes I made as I neared completion was the type of binding I wanted to use. I was originally going to do a sort of “cheater” binding where you wrap the backing around to the front and stitch down. I’ve used this method before with Mini-me’s quilt. I decided I wanted to do a scrappy binding as well continuing to use up my stash. The quilt really needed a quiet place in between the busy central pattern and a scrappy binding so I added a white sashing all the way around.

    quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

    The scrappy binding went together quicker than I thought it would. Of course, I didn’t follow the “rules” and cut everything on the bias. I’m not much a rule follower. quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

    Isn’t it pretty a rolled up like that? Like a colorful flower.

    quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

    After much agonizing about how to label my quilt (for the very first time), I decided I’d use wing it and hand embroider the info. Let me first say that I suck at embroidery. I think embroidery was the first craft I ever learned…and I never liked it. I’m always sticking myself with the needle, its tedious and boring.  I know there are plenty of people who enjoy it and find it relaxing…have at it. It’s a means to an end for me. I do have a decent size stash of embroidery thread though in the same tin my mom used half a century ago or more ago.

    quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

    After a few pinpricks I finished the job and was able to stitch it onto the quilt back. I am glad I took the time now that it’s finished. I can never remember when I made most of the other quilts except for the two I made while J was napping as an infant. Those I do remember.

    quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

    This turned out to be more than a stash busting quilt. It became a labor of love with a bit of frustration mixed in. But what love doesn’t have some frustrating times.

    I had originally planned to heavily quilt in a funky random pattern but as I began I realized it would end up a bit stiff. I went back and pulled out every stitch…hence the frustration. I ultimately ended up stitching random wavy lines only along the white sashing. My thought is that I can always go back and do some more quilting if I feel it needs it.

    I’ve been snuggling under it every free moment I have. It definitely helps with the extreme cold we’ve been having. I did hear we have a warm-up in store….hooray! I’ve about had it with below zero temps.

     

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    Thanks for stopping by for Second on the 2nd!