Confirmation that I'm a geek

(As if you needed it.)

I sent this mini quilt off to a friend last week.  It is a Patchwork Death Star.

Patchwork Death Star


The inspiration for it started when my friend, Blair, sent me this most fabulous embroidery hoop.

I got a super sweet gift from the uber talented @silentblair.


Perhaps, more accurately, it started much earlier when we started talking about how smooth Lando Calrissian is.  Once it was determined that we were both Star Wars fans, the pins and tags just kept flying.  She is super sweet and talented so she made me that hoop of awesomeness up above.

It is really, really hard to craft for awesome crafters.  It took me a l-o-n-g time to decide what my theme would be.  And then I was stuck on making the Death Star all in florals.  It turns out that I didn't have enough small scale florals for my idea and getting the right value changes was going to be impossible.  But I have gray fabric up the wazoo.  Once I decided to do the pattern with English paper piecing things went pretty smoothly.  Some advice from Melissa and Jessie helped, too.

I really didn't think that there would be many people who would want to make a Patchwork Death Star of their very own.  But the requests for a pattern have been pretty insistent.  I still need to finalize how to print the pattern out, but I hope to have it up tomorrow. 

Have you ever shown your geeky side in your quilting?

March Recap

Two posts in two days may sound a little too crazy, but here goes nothin'...

In March:

I KNIT A SWEATER!  I don't mean to holler but I LOVE it.  I really really really do.  It isn't finished in this picture but you have to believe me that it is done, ends weaved in, blocked, and I wear it in all of its squishy, yummy, colorful glory.  I have a big crush...on my own sweater.  (Now I just need to gather the courage to take a picture of me wearing it.)  The pattern is Practically and is available on ravelry. 

I have about four rows left!!


I finished my last bee block for the Ringo Pie Bee and this one was for Penny (sewtakeahike) who was the one that taught me how to design my own bee blocks in the first place.   No pressure or anything.  I am very happy with how this one turned out.  I used a crapton of different techniques on it.  That seems to be my thing.  My little odd person niche in the world is to use a crazy number of techniques in order to realize the vision of the block in my head.  And that works for me.

My last #ringopiebee block for Penny at sewtakeahike.


We've been working a lot in our new community garden plot on warm days

and then we get a few more snow days.

I'm generally sick of snow days,  but Henry has been beside himself with joy all day.


I'm trying out sewing hexies by machine.  There is a big plan in the works for this piece!

Just the start of something good... #hexies


And I've had a few secret gift projects up my sleeve this month.  My first gift reveal gets it own post...very, very soon. 

Number 5

Yup.  This is blog post number five for 2014.  (Henry likes counting in Spanish so he would say, cinco).
I could apologize for my absence, but I won't.  This is a place I come to with things that have inspired me and stories that I want to share.  And I have no regrets for how I've spent my time so far this year.

But how do I catch up to the current inspiration?  Thankfully flickr and IG remind me.

I wove a scarf on my loom.  I'm delighted that I found a good place for two of my favorite stash yarns and super duper glad that a good friend was willing to give this scarf a home.

I forgot to post the finished scarf that I wove on the loom. I'm really happy with it. I want to weave another scarf next but I can't decide on the yarn. #loomweaving


I gave up knitting one sweater.  But selling the yarn and some hoarded fabric allowed me to buy...

I ripped this whole vest out today...  This is the second time that this yarn does not want to be made into a sweater by me. So I'm selling it to someone on ravelry. And I feel much freer ✨


...some Madelinetosh yarn to knit another sweater.

I love that my knitting matches the quilt in my lap. #ravellenicgames2014


I had to rip that sweater, too.  But when I love a yarn that much, I don't mind knitting it all over again.

Maybe I should have tried it on WAY before I got to the fourth ball of yarn. #ribbit


We took a road trip with the boy...to Wisconsin...in February...with the added fun of a polar vortex. We had a great time on our trip, but I swear that we should meet up with my family in a warmer locale next time.

#latergram of Henry trying to shove all of "Woody's guys" under his armpit for safekeeping during the car trip. My little hoarder has to touch all of his favorite toys at once. At least he is excited to be in the car and headed to Wisconsin    6 more hour


While in Green Bay, I helped my mom quilt her Farmer's Wife quilt.  It was a huge job but definitely satisfying.

My mom, @bakerlady16, and I on her #farmerswifequilt


Lastly, I finished some ancient bee blocks.  I feel like ancient is the primary adjective I use when describing bee blocks here.  I think I need to keep up on my bee block calendar a wee bit more for the rest of 2014.  Do you agree?

Farmer's Wife block 30, End of Day. Ancient replacement bee block for @wheretheorchidsgrow.

Replacement bee block for @wheretheorchidsgrow. Her theme was 50's housewife. #cocoricobee

Whew!  That was all January and February.

Stay tuned for my next update.
I'm totally serious.  I will be back very soon.