binding

The exhaustion is still here.  And then on top of it I got hit by allergies hard last night.  Topple me over and scratch my face off hard.  I took benadryl and put myself to bed.  My level of energy is so low that putting the binding on this quilt is about all the attention span I have.  Or spinning fiber.  I have soooo much fiber.

There was an article in the New York Times today about baking artisan bread.  I just ordered some of the flours they were talking about and made our Easter bread from them.  I am going to share that recipe but I might make more bread before that.  They talked about heritage flours, sourdough, and time.  All which I have but I was sitting in my office when I read this without any access.  I do believe I need to rectify this.  They talked about croissants made with sourdough and live yeasty beasties.  Maybe I will finally share that recipe.  Not what you expect if you are getting a croissant from an American bakery but yummy.

I do believe I need to mix some flour and water for the yeasty beasties!

failure but a cause for excitement and pondering

We have a wedding to go to this weekend that is out of state.  I found this fabric in my stash and decided to make a dress for the wedding out of it.  The fabric was enough for my normal sheath style dress but I wanted something a bit different.  The pattern I used has a lower back, three quarter length arms, and supposedly a full skirt.  But I did not have enough fabric for the skirt so I had to cut it down.

I tried the dress on before I hemmed it.  Failure!  My normal choice for size works well for a sheath dress but not well for a dress that is this fitted at the waist.  I got the shoulders and the cup size right.  The fabric was horrible to try on!  I do not think I would have made the whole wedding with it on. let alone the reception!  I should put many more exclamation points because that was how itchy the fabric felt.

The excitement and pondering come from I now have a very good idea on how I need to change the pattern to fit me.  I also have a better idea on what kind of fabric I wish to make this dress in.  This blue is pretty and looks good on me but I have to admit that I will probably go with a black or a deep burgundy.  I also was thinking I would like it in a soft wool.  Not really a stash dress at all.  I actually like the narrower skirt so I will have to think about what I want to do there.  

I would love to spend the weekend working on the next version.  I am seriously thinking about making a muslin for it to just be sure.  There is going to have to be some adjustment in the bodice.  I would also love to do some fabric shopping.  I have to admit that it has been a while since I have gone to the fabric store looking for something other then thread and zippers.

But this weekend is a wedding.  And there is a quilt to work on on my machine.  I might get a chance to go to a fabric store next week to plan and ponder.  How many pennies must I safe....

linen nine squares done and laid out for nirinjan

This quilt is for my best friend Nirinjan.  It has been on the to do list for over a year.  And it is getting closer to done then most.  I have been working on it a hour a day.  Because as I work on it, I am also working on a quilt to sew.  And for one for friends who are got married this last weekend.  Actually, an hour a day seems to get a lot done.  

I seemed to have a lot of "help" on this quilt.  Small Mister is a "helper" and my Beloved had to help too.  The older one was actually a help.  I hope to have most of the quilt ready for quilting next week.  

for baby nacho - part 2

When I was going through my stash for Baby Nacho, I found a Mei Tai baby carrier that was all but finished.  One of the fabrids I know is a favorite for Baby Nacho's Momma and Poppa, but they have it with a black background and made into shirts.  I started this for Small Mister but the Tall Short Person and my Beloved really liked the slings I had made so I never finished it.  The Tall Short Person likes skulls and skeletons so that is why I picked these fabrics in the first place.

I found the directions on line and put it together.  Finished almost a year after Small Mister was born for another babe.  Is that not how stashes work?  Rose is modeling the pocket I put in the outside so Momma or Poppa Nacho can put a diaper or a blanket there for Bably Nacho.  Now, if Poppa Nacho wears is black background shirt, Baby Nacho will complement but not blend.

pining and stitching

After I got the back of the quilt done, I got to pining.  Pinned the whole quilt.  I have learned that it is really best to start from the middle and work your way out.  In the beginning, it feels like the pining is going very rapidly, but by the edges I always start to wonder how much longer it will take.

Once all the pining is done, the stitching starts.  With where my head is right now, this is about where my thought process is.  The nose running away from me appears to have turned into an ear infection and maybe even a summer cold.  I feel like crud but a bit of stitching helps.  I feel bad about being in the kitchen with the amount of sneezing that is going on!