Scrappy-dappy-Doo

It's another "get 'er done" kind of a day. This time I am finishing up a quilt I designed to fit an extra piece of batting left over from another project. I had a look around at my fabric collection and picked other leftovers, then worked around what I had to make a top. I had left over strips in similar  colours so I pieced this together to make the back.

At that point I thought I was doing great. I pinned the whole lot together and then hit a wall. I was stumped on how to quilt it in an interesting way. The quilt languished in the armoire of what was formerly the pit of despair until a quiet day a few weeks ago. I was doing some spring cleaning, going through the places where things get hidden for another day, we all have those....don't we? When I saw it again inspiration struck. I decided to quilt "in the ditch" following the pattern on the back rather than the front. Then I went a step farther and thought why not do some free motion quilting after that? Add a little spice. 

Having a second and third look at it before I started I thought my plan would turn out one of two ways. 1) completely freaking amazing or 2) nauseatingly busy. I will admit it stopped me from doing anything for a little while. Then my sweetie said (in his infinite wisdom), " just try it. You'll never know until you do."  So I bit my lip and dove in head first. 

As of now I have finished the "in the ditch" portion. I'm not entirely sure I have made the right choice, but I am trying to reserve judgement until I am all the way done. Now I have another reason to drag my feet. I haven't done anything free motion in about ten years, if not more. Even then I was a rank beginner. I read a couple of books on the subject that had different methods of going about the process. I think in the end it will be another "jump in" moment.

I have to say that through this quilt I found that I really like the combination of a goldy-orange with purple, I may just design something else with just those two shades.

Lady's Night

My boyfriend and I are lucky enough to share our lives with a wonderful dog named Lady. She is a 7 year old Australian Shepherd. When she joined our family last September she changed us forever, for the better.

We thought she was a Border Collie, because....well....she looks like one. But we have it on good authority that we were wrong. We decided that whatever breed she is, she is a blessing. She is also a character. From the load of books I have read in the last year on the subject, I'm sure I am projecting most, if not all of the emotions on her, but hey it keeps all three of us entertained.

Lady enjoys long walks, nonchalantly stealing people's spot on the couch and has recently decided that standing to eat is far too much work!

                                                                                       

House-iversary

As of today, my sweetie and I have been in our home two years. How time does fly when you are having fun. 

Adventures in......

Spring has sprung and I am trying to get back on track. This winter seemed to be filled with lots of bad days, and not just for me. My entire family has had it's ups and downs both in life in general and in health. All seems to be well now. The sun is shining, life is waking up all over, and I for one am enjoying the amazing sunshine we have been getting here in TO!

So to catch up, I have had several....lets call them adventures.

Adventures in Food:

My honey bunny and I are trying to get away from the take out and cook more at home. Not just for health reasons, but also for relief on the wallet.

I got a handy dandy magnetic meal planning pad from the dollar store and set about going through recipes. We also attempted to cook meals together, which was fun, but takes some planning because our kitchen has limited space.


I took some pictures of the meals with which I was most impressed.


I am in the process of starting another food adventure. My naturopath asked if I might like to try fasting. Once I heard what he had in mind, I was all for it! Usually when I think of "fast" two things come to mind, 1) speedy and 2) hungry (no food). This specific fast is different. One day a week I eat nothing but raw fruits and veggies. I am trying it for the second time today. I tried it on Tuesday and did not eat enough for breakfast, so I was on my knees by lunch and I broke down and had a deli meat sandwich. I had originally thought, no problem! This is going to be a piece of cake. My first warning sign that it wasn't going to be easy should have been my thought following that expression, namely "Mmmmm, cake." I am proud to say that today is going much better. Breakfast, lunch and snack out of the way, all I have to do is figure out dinner!

                                                   

Adventures in travel:

This was not as exciting as it sounds. I went to visit my sister in Arizona who is recovering from surgery. The visit was fantastic and relaxing, the two of us got to catch up and talk like we haven't had the chance to do in years. I will say one thing about health drama, it makes you appreciate the time you have with your loved ones, and how truly precious and short life is.

The adventures were the travel days. The day I flew out I had a layover in New York. My flight started boarding just as CNN on the tv at the gate announced the bombings at the Boston marathon. I felt so bad for all those people, and those of us not boarded yet were wondering if our flight would be canceled. That didn't happen, and the rest of the journey was fine.

On my flight home I had two lay overs (I was trying to get the cheapest flight possible). I thought the flight I had booked had stops in Dallas and Chicago. Turns out it was Dallas and Miami ( to get to Toronto?! Why was that even an option?!). My flight from Dallas was delayed, so we were super late getting into Miami. I had to run full out across the first part of the airport, up two flights of stairs to the air train thing, down two flights of stairs and another short distance to my gate. I made it by the skin of my teeth. They were checking me in as I ran and they had to unlock the gate, but I made it! By the time we landed in Toronto I was still shaking and exhausted. I may have made the flight, but my luggage did not, (fortunately the airline arranged everything and I had my bag delivered the following day). After all of that I just wanted to go home and go to bed, but to add insult to injury, communication between the sexes broke down and my boyfriend and I couldn't find each other. I finally broke down and bawled my eyes out at that point. After that I felt much better. I have decided that I am not traveling for a while, unless I have the money to fly direct, nonstop....and since I'm dreaming here....first class!

Adventures in Hair:

I got my hair all cut off. I had been thinking about it for ages, but it wasn't until my sister was going to GI Jane herself that I went for it! I convinced her to go to a salon instead and have them do something short but still feminine. She agreed and here we are. We were in the very capable hands of Ashley Martino at Circa 79 Salon in Tucson, Arizona. I for one think she did an excellent job.

Adventures in Shopping:

I made my first ever purchase on Etsy back at the end of January. I purchased two different items from Kathryn Riechert Jewelry. I ordered a custom stamped ring for my sweetie for our anniversary, which he thought was a hoot! Thank you Kathryn. The stacking set of rings was a purely indulgent gift to myself. They say "I am and artist...not a waitress," I didn't realize how desperately I needed this mantra until I stumbled across the listing. I have worn them almost everyday since I got them, and they are an awesome pick me up when I need it.

I believe that covers the most of it! I am currently trying to figure out what my "bliss" is so I can follow it and hopefully make some money in the process. After a long dry spell the creative juices are flowing, and if I can manage to get a good night sleep one of these days I might scrape together the energy to do something about all these artistic ideas rattling around in my head. 

The Major "Get 'er Done"

I am pleased to report that it has been a great couple of weeks of getting things done. The small pile of projects to complete in the former pit of despair has become considerably smaller! 

One project I did from start to finish was a ball gown for the RSCDS Toronto's 50th Tartan Ball. I found the pattern (picture below) years ago, and was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to make it. I don't yet have a picture of the finished project, they are all on other people's cameras. It turned out beautifully, and I got many, many compliments! Vintage Hollywood glam saves the day again.

Remember this project? Well at long last I got the binding stitched and it is out of the house! I am so happy with how it turned out. 

Next on the list was a mountain of mending that had built up around me. I have all the hand sewing done, which included darning several pairs of socks, combining the stuffing from two old pillows into one to make one very comfy pillow (and save us some money by not having to buy a new one),  replacing a few buttons and fixing a ripped peacoat. I was very proud of that particular mend, as it is almost invisible. The before and after are below. The poor coat was a victim of an over-excited dog and a misplaced leash. Now it is almost as good as new. The mend is a little more obvious to the naked eye than it is to the camera, but I am proud to say not by much!!

I would usually cry uncle after all that, but I decided to tackle another job that I had the fabric purchased for, and got left lying around. We were given a dining room table and chairs by my adopted Auntie's daughter when they redecorated. It is a lovely set, but the chairs have not been reupholstered since the chair set was originally bought by my Aunt in the early 70's. While everything was solid in construction, man made foam was not meant to stand up to 30+ years of use, so there is not much cush left for the tush!

Yesterday my mum took me to a little company in her neighbourhood that cuts foam to measure while you wait. I borrowed her electric staple gun, and we came back to my place and started ripping the old coverings apart! The end result is much friendlier on one's bottom. And it is rather more aesthetically pleasing! I have three done, and three to go....so hopefully they will be finished fairly quickly.  

I also got some new foam cut for this wee chair that is part of a writing desk set that I inherited from my Grandparents when they passed. It is a cute little set, but again it has not been re-coverd in many, many years. Now I loved my grandmother, but I never really liked the fabric choice for this chair. I took the red cover off, thinking I would find old foam, but I was pleasantly surprised to find........

....this lovely green velvet. It is a bit dirty from use, but the material still feels like it is in good condition. I am going to attempt to clean it so I can re-use it with the new foam I had cut for it. I can't wait!  I have alternate material just in case the cleaning doesn't turn out, but I have my fingers crossed never the less. I just love beautiful surprises like this! It makes the hard work worthwhile.

All of that in a two week period....no wonder I am exhausted! Although I did find some time sunday morning to curl up on the couch with my favourite gal, a good book, and a cup of tea. 

Life is good!

Fabric Data Base

The sprucing up of the pit of despair is moving along. The deadline is looming and to be honest I'm not sure if I will make it. However I am very happy with the work done so far. 

The fabric cataloguing is much more time consuming than I had anticipated, but the OCD in me is doing a happy dance with the results! Check it out:

A harmless, everyday binder. Most of us have a few lying around the house. Who would ever guess that a dozen hours or so would turn it into.........

THIS!!!

A little time on excel, the use of a yardstick and a glue stick and this plain binder has become an organized database-palooza!!! It makes me so happy a little tear comes to my eye every time I look at the binder.

The spakin' new database has a column that directly correlates to a bin, where the fabric is stored. the bins started like this, and ended up like........

THIS!!!!!

So very, very happy!!!

I am lining the bins with used dryer sheets to help the fabric stay smelling fresh. Last thing I want is it all smelling like old basement. Blech!

As of right now all my fabric has been measured and catalogued. I have one big pile left to iron and fold, and a bag full to wash and dry, then iron and fold. I may be a bit behind where I wanted to be, but from where it started, the room looks vastly different. We may have to come up with a new name for the pit. 

Any suggestions?

The Pit of Despair

I have a room in my home that was dubbed "the pit of despair" shortly after we moved in. We both hear the albino from "The Princess Bride" naming it every time we walk through to the kitchen. We believe it was originally intended as a dining room, but we put our table in the main room, and really like the coziness. So the dining room became the place for everything that didn't have it's own home. I must admit that the majority of the fault for the mess lies squarely at my feet...... 

My name is Amanda and I am a fabric addict.

I can almost hear the chorus of "Hi Amanda's" from all the fellow addicts out there. If only there was a twelve step program for this! Mind you, most of us wouldn't stay on the wagon for long. Fresh fabric samples are just too tempting to pass up.

My very large fabric stash was put in there when we moved in. I had it beautifully displayed, (or so I thought), on bookshelves from Ikea, which had been recycled through my family in a few different rooms/homes and were a bit the worse for wear. Sadly, due to some technical issues that arose with my phone, the "before" pictures I had of the room, including my displayed stash, have faded into the ether, (part of my stash can be seen here in my 'magpie' post). As tends to happen with stashes mine kept growing after the original stash had been shelved without the extra shelves to contain it. It wound up in bags and boxes tucked here and there all over the place.

When our darling Lady entered our lives the pit got a jolly good cleaning and her crate went in there. It went from despair to fair in short order. As she got more comfy in her new home, it became more and more evident that the crate was not for her. She never used it, and as a result the pit came back to despair in full force. By the time December arrived we decided something had to be done. It was starting to resemble a room from "Hoarders" and we were both having nightmares of being buried alive under a mountain of stuff.

And so, as must always happen in these situations, we sat down and came up with a game plan.

Step 1: Crate goes down to storage locker. Check

Step 2: Trip to Ikea to get better shelving. Trip to Canadian Tire to get plastic bins. Check

Step 3: Rip the room apart to create a bigger mess than you had before. Check 

Step 4: Put new Ikea shelves together. Check

Step 5: Try to sort out the ruddy-big mess of your apartment. Check?

Believe it or not the pictures below are only about half way through the process. 

                                          

                          

I am currently sorting, categorizing, washing, ironing and folding all of my fabrics. They are going in plastic bins in the storage locker in the basement. My current deadline to whip this room into shape is January 26th.

Keep your fingers crossed, and wish me luck......I'm going to need it!