Next!

Well, the bridal shower is over. It was good, but I'm glad it's done now and exists as some good memories. I'll finally post some of the stuff I made for it though - lots of sewing involved!

I made coin purses as party favors and filled them with little bags of mints. One thing is for sure - I have no plans of making 23 coin purses in a week in the near future. The fabric was various satins that were given to me by a lady in the quilt group I attend in the summer. Each rectangle was finished with free motion quilting before the Velcro was added and the sides stitched up. I can't take credit for the pattern - I found it courtesy of an online pdf put out by Valerie Custom Quilting. Great instructions...highly recommended!

My other project was a purse for the bride. I've been wanting to make a purse for a long time and have had some decorator fabric (also courtesy of another quilt group lady!) that's been sitting in my room. I looked through them and found some pieces that looked like they'd fit the bride's personality well. It turned out great and I can't wait to make some other purses! Neither can some other people considering my mom kept giving me hints that she really liked this particular purse. Not the best picture, since like most of my projects, this was finished in the middle of the night. But you get to see fabric that I liked the best.

I guess the only other thing in the last week that's been exciting has been this dinner I made - spinach and artichoke salad with couscous cakes. It was good. From a magazine, but still amazing that I could make the cakes without them falling apart completely!

Looks good...especially with the U.S. Presidents placement, right?

I started my first hand quilting project today with much help and encouragement from one of my most favorite people. The basic design is a traditional sunflower in the middle surrounded by some intersecting circles. I'm not sure if it will be a wall hanging or the top of a pillow covering (or a draw liner if its really bad...). But here are a few things I learned very quickly:
1. it is impossible to thread a needle while someone (however kind they may be) is watching you
2. there is quite a difference between low and high quality thimbles
3. hand quilting when you unknowingly used a cotton-poly blend is enraging
4. batting you love on your sewing machine may betray you when hand stitching
It seems that most people are either one or the other - machine or hand quilters. They may occasionally venture into the other area, but often turn back. Though my fingers are raw from yanking my unwilling needle out of my poorly chosen fabric, I will finish quilting it. And I will hand quilt another project! But I do like the speed of the machine quilting.
After tomorrow my sewing machine will be taking a break by living in the basement for a while. Actually, it may go see a doctor since my free motion quilting hasn't been going too well. No matter what I do to the tension, the bobbin thread is tight and the top thread is getting pulled through the back on even slight curves. At least I'll have my hand quilting.

Bridal Shower prep

All current projects are currently on hold. This week is devoted to the cleaning of the premises, finalizing of food lists and decoration planning, among other things. My current issue is really the cleaning since areas like the kitchen need to be cleaned every day and I'm kind of the dishes person. We were going to clean off the deck and patio, however severe thunderstorms and tornadoes has delayed that.
I can't post most of the stuff I'm doing since they are surprises for the bride who quite possibly will read this before Saturday. If I figure out a menu that is impressive and still doable, then I'll post it :-). Happy cleaning...

Pictures!

Well, I finally got the pictures off my phone. There was a good amount on there too...400 or so. Here's a picture of the landscape quilt I made a couple weeks ago. The only problem with it (besides my horrendous job of binding it) is that now I want to make a set...you know with a night and day time scene to match.

I only used three fabrics for this - most of the color change is actually netting I found in a Walmart remnant bin. I have burgundy, pink and yellow netting placed according to the colors in the 'sun' fabric and then used some variegated and bright threads to highlight the water. I wouldn't recommend the little strips that I did for the water reflection though - I ended up with a strange arch shape that I had to block. Must have been pulling on the fabric....whoops.

In other news, I have been quite experimental in my cooking. Not really, but it's experimental for me and probably downright weird for my family. Like...I made a poached egg. Totally weird, since we only do the hard-boiled or scrambled kind. Kind of a kid menu treatment of eggs. I was really proud of it though since it actually worked and didn't spread all over the pan. I made a fried egg too, but it was kind of ugly so no picture. Hehe.

Long week...

I think I've finally gotten all my stuff from my school residence back to the good ole parental base. Very crazy (and much to my father's dismay, messy). I look forward to the weeks ahead of me which will be full of sorting, repacking, resorting, unpacking and more repacking. Actually, no, I really don't look forward to that at all.

summer!

Well, summer is back and perhaps I will update this silly blog page now. My schedule for a typical summer day right now is as follows: breakfast, practice piano, double check dinner supplies, sort through accumulated belongings from college, lunch, email, practice clarinet, more sorting, dinner, collapse like a zombie.
I'm afraid my dinner ambitions will wear off too fast, but I hope not. Last night I made penne rosa and it was good. (When I find the website again, I'll post a link!) Tonight will be enchiladas with a refried bean/salsa dip. So that means I still have to go to the store to get chips yet...I think I'll pick up frozen strawberries for some...adult drinks. After going through my closet, I'll need it!

March comes in like a lion...

Made it to March! What a relief, but still three months to go. I'm finally hearing from grad schools and I'm going somewhere! I just have to decide where to go once I hear from all of the schools. How am I supposed to concentrate when I'm always daydreaming of my own apartment....perhaps in Florida? Kind of distracting at the end of winter in Wisconsin.
Student teaching has been fluctuating a lot - I'll have a really great day followed by the worst class ever. Random side note - just watched a fairly rotten performance to open the Academy Awards. I don't know who that guy was, but he shouldn't have sung. And Christopher Plummer is really old.
Okay, more later. I'm too distracted now.

Weekend

What a long week. Even aside from the crazy crap that has been going on in the house, life is busy. I had my first parent-teacher conference this week. Whoo. Fun, cause I couldn't say much about the people who came so I just looked like idiot. Oh well.
I've started a different blog for the students in the high school band. Not sure many of them actually look at it, but you never know what might happen. Still have... three and a half months? Yeah, there's some time. www.bandroom2010.wordpress.com
I think I might be able to sew something this weekend! I'm really excited about the idea. Hope I don't end up too tired to do anything. I need to figure out something to make for my coop teacher too. She's been wonderful and I think it would be fun to give a homemade gift (because those are, of course, the best!) I'm thinking a quilted wall hanging, though my mom suggested a table runner. I'm open for ideas I guess.
Should probably finish the scarf for one of my professors first though. Or at least before all the snow melts!

Waiting

So here I sit at the high school waiting for pep band. Been here since 7:25am. School stuff was over a little before 4pm. Unfortunately I just can't justify the gas that would be spent for me to drive home and then back for the game later. An hour round trip to be home for a little over an hour? Nope. On a brighter note, I just discovered that I remembered to put mustard on my ham sandwich that I packed this morning. Ahh, the little things.
If anyone ever asks you to play the accompaniment to Goedicke's Concert Etude for trumpet with about 2 weeks of notice, think really hard about accepting. Goodness is there a lot of notes. And of course they are in octaves.
I was going to go to a class on paper piecing techniques in quilting with my mom tomorrow but I guess it's been cancelled. I must have been really needing it because I am overly sad about the cancellation. So I guess another weekend will go by without sewing. Perhaps I will knit...but it's not the same. Okay...got to finish the sandwich and get ready for some pep band!

Craziness is teaching

I've finally had so much real job stuff that I haven't had time for any hobbies of any kind. Not good for my health, but alas it must be done. I'm counting the weeks, days, no- hours until I move somewhere that isn't a rental house by my undergrad school. It will be amazing. I have it all planned out from my desk to my kitchen cabinets.
One good thing I have been able to do, even if it hasn't been much, is read. And the more I think about some of the stuff I've been reading, the more I know that I am a person that wants to create things for the sake of enjoying being productive in my own way. I cannot live to please other people and I refuse to live to serve other people's whims. I will teach music because it is important but I know that my students may or may not agree with that idea. I will live with people that have different standards than mine but will not give up my own standards. My thoughts need to be given to things that I value and not what other people may think or value that is different. This isn't the same as being racist, prejudiced, etc... It is living your own life. How many of us really do that?
I was excited to go to a sewing class this weekend, but found out tonight that it is cancelled. Grrr. I was looking forward to it since, as I mentioned, I have been doing nothing besides teaching stuff and preparing meals.
On a better note, I started playing the Mozart Concerto for Clarinet with the university orchestra. What an amazing experience after only playing with a pianist. And I've played with some awesome pianists. Now if I could just find some creative craft time to fit into teaching and practicing...