I wanted to follow up my post about the whole Crossfit thing just to explain a little bit. Yes, it's a tough workout but they really don't make us do any more than we feel capable of doing, and they keep a close eye on us to make sure we're feeling okay. When my muscles start to feel wobbly or when I'm out of breath and need to rest for a few minutes, no one minds if I stop, although they do encourage me with praise when I'm able to do more than I did the time before. And if some part of us hurts, they try to figure out why and fix it or give us an alternate exercise. Really, Crossfit is a good thing--even if the whole Crossfit concept and their "mascot" Pukie the Clown are a bit hard core. But that's really more for the athletes who are already fit and like a challenge--the gym rats. At the other end of the Crossfit spectrum, my little "class" is made up mostly of people like me--ladies who have been away from exercise for a long time and are trying to get back into shape and be healthy. And guess what? Soccer Son's Lovely Wife seemed interested in what I'm doing, so I purchased a Groupon for her today so she can check out our class too. She's been looking for a way into an exercise routine she'd enjoy, so maybe this is it. My friend Missy's 20-something daughter is also in our class, and having someone else there closer to her in age will be nice.
I've also been riding the stationary bicycle Soccer Son brought over for me to use--I ride it just about every night. When I asked my trainer what I could do to try to improve my lung capacity and endurance, he suggested a stationary bike, and it just worked out like fate that one showed up on my doorstep! I've been riding it most evenings for 20 to 30 minutes, taking an occasional break if my pulse rate gets high or when I get tired. And even though I've only used it this week, tonight I already noticed a change: I rode for 30 minutes, I only took one break, and my pulse rate stayed a lot lower than it had been.
Someone asked if I'd started to see a difference in myself. Yes, I definitely do! For one thing, I noticed that all those little aches and pains I'd have when I got up in the morning or moved around throughout the day have disappeared. I have more energy to do things. I don't think twice about having to bend down and pick something up, or clean up anything on the floor. I've never really had bad posture, but I feel like I'm standing straighter.
Along with the exercise, I've also been dieting. I don't believe weighing myself helps keep me motivated. I've seen too many women come back to work after a weekly weigh-in completely devastated and demoralized if they don't lose the weight they think they should or, heaven forbid, GAIN a half pound! And all those women seem to starve themselves the day of their weigh-in until after they've been weighed. That kind of thinking would just make me crazy. So I can't tell you how much I might have lost, and it really doesn't matter to me. Weight is like age--they're both just numbers that aren't necessarily the most important measure of your well-being, right? I started both the exercise and the diet on August 6th, so it's not a month yet, but I know my clothes are getting looser--and isn't THAT a nice change from thinking they somehow shrunk in the closet?!
I hope I can keep it up. It DOES take time away from quilting and some of the other things in my life, but I think it's going to make me better in the long run.
So, enough of that. Let's start playing with scraps and turn out something great! Once you have something scrappy on your blog to show, please add yourself to Mister Linky below and we'll all stop in for a visit. My own goal is to finish cutting the sashing squares I need for the quilt I'm working on. How about you? What's your goal?
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
CrossFit People Aren't Quite Right
I've reached the end of my first month of CrossFit, and I'm still hanging in there, but I have to tell you these trainers have really odd ideas about exercise that don't jibe with the real world. Not MY real world, anyway.
Today, for instance. We began with a 1000 meter row. Then we did the dynamic warm up, and that consisted of lunges from one side of the room to the other, followed by two other leg-stretching routines and some jumping. After that, we did a ring exercise where you lean back at about a 45 degree angle, holding onto two rings, and you pull yourself up, using your arms and shoulders. 30 of those. Then we did push ups on a bar, with our body on a slant, kind of like the ring exercises. 30 of those. Finally we did squats--yep, 30 of those too.
Now here's my understanding of normal work outs. First you warm up by doing some stretching exercises. Then there are the REAL exercises: the main event. Finally, there's a cool down period where you do some more stretching exercises.
Now, back to CrossFit's understanding of work outs. All that stuff I told you we did today? The rowing, the lunges and other stretching stuff, the pull ups, the push ups, and the squats? Yeah, apparently that's just the prelude--the warm up for the REAL exercises. For me, though, it's waaaaay past the warm up. It's the warm up, the drown in your own sweat (and blind yourself with it too), and the pass out. Then, once I can muster the energy to stand, it's the "exercise" where I stand for awhile under the air conditioning vent to dry off.
And at CrossFit, the routine changes every day, although that initial period of rowing is pretty standard. The other day, we did the row, followed by a series of the lunges and other similar stuff, and then the many reps of whatever exercises the trainer decided we should do--I can't remember what they were now. So then after THAT, he says--and I'm not kidding--"For the first exercise, I want you to . . . ." Of course, I replied, "Oops, too late!" He just looked at me like he didn't understand. But I get that a lot.
In CrossFit, after all that stuff that's supposedly NOT exercise, they have the Workout of the Day ("WOD"). The workout changes daily, as the name implies, and admittedly our little group isn't really ready for the Big Boys' Workout du Jour yet, but they work us as much as they can. Sometimes, they set up four or five stations with a different exercise at each one and make us do as many reps as we can for 40 seconds. Then we switch to the next station, kind of like musical chairs except nothing disappears--all of the stations are still there. That's what we did today, and we had to do the circuit four times, I think. (At other times, instead of timing us at each exercise, we have to do a certain number of reps before we move to the next exercise, again completing the circuit several times.)
I haven't been nearly as sore as I was that first week, and I'm grateful for that, but now I'm working on stamina. I usually have to stop and get my breath back a few times during the circuit, and after we've done a circuit or two, I'm usually not doing nearly the full amount of reps, but I keep trying and the trainer says it will come eventually.
I used to hate sweating, but now it feels kind of good, especially when I'm driving home from the workout with the A/C on full blast, as cold as it will go. Yeah, I kind of like the exercise in a somewhat perverted way, but I don't think I'll ever be as crazy as those hard core CrossFit people. Still, if I ever start talking about exercise as if it's nothing more than a Sunday stroll in the park, stage an intervention, okay?
Today, for instance. We began with a 1000 meter row. Then we did the dynamic warm up, and that consisted of lunges from one side of the room to the other, followed by two other leg-stretching routines and some jumping. After that, we did a ring exercise where you lean back at about a 45 degree angle, holding onto two rings, and you pull yourself up, using your arms and shoulders. 30 of those. Then we did push ups on a bar, with our body on a slant, kind of like the ring exercises. 30 of those. Finally we did squats--yep, 30 of those too.
Now here's my understanding of normal work outs. First you warm up by doing some stretching exercises. Then there are the REAL exercises: the main event. Finally, there's a cool down period where you do some more stretching exercises.
Now, back to CrossFit's understanding of work outs. All that stuff I told you we did today? The rowing, the lunges and other stretching stuff, the pull ups, the push ups, and the squats? Yeah, apparently that's just the prelude--the warm up for the REAL exercises. For me, though, it's waaaaay past the warm up. It's the warm up, the drown in your own sweat (and blind yourself with it too), and the pass out. Then, once I can muster the energy to stand, it's the "exercise" where I stand for awhile under the air conditioning vent to dry off.
And at CrossFit, the routine changes every day, although that initial period of rowing is pretty standard. The other day, we did the row, followed by a series of the lunges and other similar stuff, and then the many reps of whatever exercises the trainer decided we should do--I can't remember what they were now. So then after THAT, he says--and I'm not kidding--"For the first exercise, I want you to . . . ." Of course, I replied, "Oops, too late!" He just looked at me like he didn't understand. But I get that a lot.
In CrossFit, after all that stuff that's supposedly NOT exercise, they have the Workout of the Day ("WOD"). The workout changes daily, as the name implies, and admittedly our little group isn't really ready for the Big Boys' Workout du Jour yet, but they work us as much as they can. Sometimes, they set up four or five stations with a different exercise at each one and make us do as many reps as we can for 40 seconds. Then we switch to the next station, kind of like musical chairs except nothing disappears--all of the stations are still there. That's what we did today, and we had to do the circuit four times, I think. (At other times, instead of timing us at each exercise, we have to do a certain number of reps before we move to the next exercise, again completing the circuit several times.)
I haven't been nearly as sore as I was that first week, and I'm grateful for that, but now I'm working on stamina. I usually have to stop and get my breath back a few times during the circuit, and after we've done a circuit or two, I'm usually not doing nearly the full amount of reps, but I keep trying and the trainer says it will come eventually.
I used to hate sweating, but now it feels kind of good, especially when I'm driving home from the workout with the A/C on full blast, as cold as it will go. Yeah, I kind of like the exercise in a somewhat perverted way, but I don't think I'll ever be as crazy as those hard core CrossFit people. Still, if I ever start talking about exercise as if it's nothing more than a Sunday stroll in the park, stage an intervention, okay?
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Vacation . . .
Of course, just as work gets super busy, my thoughts turn back to our recent vacation--yep, I wish I was there!
Someone commented several days ago that I hadn't said much about our vacation, and that's quite true. It's hard to know where to start when we saw so much. There were drawbacks to cruising and I don't know if we'll do it again anytime soon, but we sure did get to see some beautiful country that we wouldn't have seen otherwise.
My favorite excursion was out of Ketchikan when we took the Misty Fjords tour via a double decker boat. Hubby and the other passengers on the lower level had clear views of the beautiful scenery through plexiglas in a warm cabin while those who ventured up the stairs found themselves on an open deck--with a hot chocolate and coffee "bar" just steps away.
At some point mid-trip, I headed upstairs to check things out, and the lure of hot chocolate was simply irresistible. I found, though, that it was very difficult to maneuver a cup of hot chocolate as well as a camera--in fact, I was an utter failure at it. Rather quickly, the lid of the cup popped off and hot chocolate spilled everywhere, including all over my camera. How embarrassing! To this day, the automatic lens cover sometimes sticks closed on one side until a gentle little flick assists it in opening it all the way.
And really, to be fair, I should mention the downstairs passengers were also offered coffee and hot chocolate . . . as well as little breakfast pastries. I think that's one of the things I enjoyed about the trip--not only was there a lot to see, but we were given a lot of tasty little tidbits along the way too.
Anyway, I want to share with you a few of the photos I took on that excursion, both pre- and post-chocolate incident:
This looks kind of like a lot of the snow and glaciers we saw, but this is a waterfall--there are several in the next photo too.
There were a ton of little birds nesting in the cliffs and flying around, but it doesn't look like any showed up in this photo. Cool rock formations, though!
See the bald eagle?
Besides the coffee, hot chocolate, and pastries, they also served us a bowl of clam chowder on the return trip, and I think it was the best I've ever had! (For those who didn't like clam chowder, there was chili.) I thought I might write to them to ask about the recipe, but I haven't remember to do that yet. Our last food treat was a snack of smoked salmon on crackers. While we ate and enjoyed the scenery, we enjoyed a film about the salmon industry in Alaska. And throughout the trip, there were people who told us about what we were seeing and the history of the area.
The Misty Fjords excursion was the most expensive of the three we took, but it was the best too! If you're ever around Ketchikan, check it out!
Someone commented several days ago that I hadn't said much about our vacation, and that's quite true. It's hard to know where to start when we saw so much. There were drawbacks to cruising and I don't know if we'll do it again anytime soon, but we sure did get to see some beautiful country that we wouldn't have seen otherwise.
My favorite excursion was out of Ketchikan when we took the Misty Fjords tour via a double decker boat. Hubby and the other passengers on the lower level had clear views of the beautiful scenery through plexiglas in a warm cabin while those who ventured up the stairs found themselves on an open deck--with a hot chocolate and coffee "bar" just steps away.
At some point mid-trip, I headed upstairs to check things out, and the lure of hot chocolate was simply irresistible. I found, though, that it was very difficult to maneuver a cup of hot chocolate as well as a camera--in fact, I was an utter failure at it. Rather quickly, the lid of the cup popped off and hot chocolate spilled everywhere, including all over my camera. How embarrassing! To this day, the automatic lens cover sometimes sticks closed on one side until a gentle little flick assists it in opening it all the way.
And really, to be fair, I should mention the downstairs passengers were also offered coffee and hot chocolate . . . as well as little breakfast pastries. I think that's one of the things I enjoyed about the trip--not only was there a lot to see, but we were given a lot of tasty little tidbits along the way too.
Anyway, I want to share with you a few of the photos I took on that excursion, both pre- and post-chocolate incident:
This looks kind of like a lot of the snow and glaciers we saw, but this is a waterfall--there are several in the next photo too.
There were a ton of little birds nesting in the cliffs and flying around, but it doesn't look like any showed up in this photo. Cool rock formations, though!
See the bald eagle?
Besides the coffee, hot chocolate, and pastries, they also served us a bowl of clam chowder on the return trip, and I think it was the best I've ever had! (For those who didn't like clam chowder, there was chili.) I thought I might write to them to ask about the recipe, but I haven't remember to do that yet. Our last food treat was a snack of smoked salmon on crackers. While we ate and enjoyed the scenery, we enjoyed a film about the salmon industry in Alaska. And throughout the trip, there were people who told us about what we were seeing and the history of the area.
The Misty Fjords excursion was the most expensive of the three we took, but it was the best too! If you're ever around Ketchikan, check it out!
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Where's Waldo?
Okay, I'm not really talking about Waldo but that's what popped into my mind. I thought you might be wondering where I am since I didn't post at my normal time late last night.
Well, as I mentioned a couple days back, work is super busy this week, and I ended up working last night until 9:30, trying to keep up with what has to go out this week. After coming home and having something to eat, I really didn't have much time before bed to write--and I didn't have enough functioning brain cells left to think of words to string together into sentences, and sentences into paragraphs . . . .
I DID, though, find time to get in a little exercise. Soccer Son and his Lovely Wife came over for dinner on Monday night bearing gifts--a stationary bicycle they weren't using anymore. So last night I rode for 20 minutes (not altogether--it was split up into three shorter sessions), and traveled nearly 5 miles while going absolutely nowhere! What's crazy to me is the amount of exercise and effort it takes to burn a measly 175 calories! But by the time I was done, I was too hot and tired to want to have the "diet" ice cream sandwich I had been considering, so I figured I was ahead another 140 calories right there.
Now it's time for me to finish getting ready for the work day. It seems like I just left!
Well, as I mentioned a couple days back, work is super busy this week, and I ended up working last night until 9:30, trying to keep up with what has to go out this week. After coming home and having something to eat, I really didn't have much time before bed to write--and I didn't have enough functioning brain cells left to think of words to string together into sentences, and sentences into paragraphs . . . .
I DID, though, find time to get in a little exercise. Soccer Son and his Lovely Wife came over for dinner on Monday night bearing gifts--a stationary bicycle they weren't using anymore. So last night I rode for 20 minutes (not altogether--it was split up into three shorter sessions), and traveled nearly 5 miles while going absolutely nowhere! What's crazy to me is the amount of exercise and effort it takes to burn a measly 175 calories! But by the time I was done, I was too hot and tired to want to have the "diet" ice cream sandwich I had been considering, so I figured I was ahead another 140 calories right there.
Now it's time for me to finish getting ready for the work day. It seems like I just left!
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
"I Heard You Sew"
As quilters, how often do we hear those words? And quite often they're followed by a request to hire us to sew something. I don't know about you, but I don't really sew anything other than quilts and the occasional decorative household items. I don't do hems, alterations, etc. So I'm usually able to tell the person I don't really even know how to do whatever it is they're looking for.
Sometimes, though, the person wants a quilt or something else I do know how to make--something that they've seen me make for myself or a friend/relative. And my normal response is to tell the person that I don't usually hire out my services because quilting is a time-consuming process and hiring me would probably cost a lot more than they're willing to pay. And if they STILL want me to make something? Well, then I tell them what the item would cost. And because my limited quilting time is very valuable to me, I put a reasonably high price on my services. Funny, but I don't recall any of these negotiations proceeding much past that point.
Now and then, though, someone will ask me about making something for them, and if I'm in a very rare, generous mood, I say "sure"! A couple weeks ago, one of the younger women I work with asked me about the coasters she'd seen around the office--I'd made them for all of the secretaries and staff at some point before she was hired; I had a couple in my desk drawer, so I gave her one. Then she asked me if I could make a dozen for her bunco group--she was going to be hostessing in September and she thought the coasters would be a great little gift for the players. Of course she offered to pay me, and of course I refused. After all, how much could a person charge for coasters that would even begin to cover payment for the time it takes to make them? So I simply asked her to buy the fabric, told her how much I'd need, and directed her to select cotton.
So she went to a general craft and fabric store where she got a really, really good deal on some sale cotton prints. I won't name names, but I know this large chain store carries some fabrics that really aren't that bad; unfortunately, this stuff she brought me was. Thin, almost see-through fabric with muddy looking prints. But, still, I'm sure it's okay for coasters--it's not like they're going to be washed and used forever or anything! Still, working with this stuff reminded me yet again why I like to buy my fabric from quilt shops!
It's taken me a couple evenings, but I finally finished a stack of coasters. I had enough fabric to probably make about twice what she asked for, but I compromised by making 16 of them so she'll have a few extra. Needless to say, I'll also be returning to her all of the leftover fabric.
How do you respond to requests to sew for people?
Sometimes, though, the person wants a quilt or something else I do know how to make--something that they've seen me make for myself or a friend/relative. And my normal response is to tell the person that I don't usually hire out my services because quilting is a time-consuming process and hiring me would probably cost a lot more than they're willing to pay. And if they STILL want me to make something? Well, then I tell them what the item would cost. And because my limited quilting time is very valuable to me, I put a reasonably high price on my services. Funny, but I don't recall any of these negotiations proceeding much past that point.
Now and then, though, someone will ask me about making something for them, and if I'm in a very rare, generous mood, I say "sure"! A couple weeks ago, one of the younger women I work with asked me about the coasters she'd seen around the office--I'd made them for all of the secretaries and staff at some point before she was hired; I had a couple in my desk drawer, so I gave her one. Then she asked me if I could make a dozen for her bunco group--she was going to be hostessing in September and she thought the coasters would be a great little gift for the players. Of course she offered to pay me, and of course I refused. After all, how much could a person charge for coasters that would even begin to cover payment for the time it takes to make them? So I simply asked her to buy the fabric, told her how much I'd need, and directed her to select cotton.
So she went to a general craft and fabric store where she got a really, really good deal on some sale cotton prints. I won't name names, but I know this large chain store carries some fabrics that really aren't that bad; unfortunately, this stuff she brought me was. Thin, almost see-through fabric with muddy looking prints. But, still, I'm sure it's okay for coasters--it's not like they're going to be washed and used forever or anything! Still, working with this stuff reminded me yet again why I like to buy my fabric from quilt shops!
It's taken me a couple evenings, but I finally finished a stack of coasters. I had enough fabric to probably make about twice what she asked for, but I compromised by making 16 of them so she'll have a few extra. Needless to say, I'll also be returning to her all of the leftover fabric.
How do you respond to requests to sew for people?
Monday, August 26, 2013
A Couple More . . .
I always expect I'll get a lot of sewing done on the weekends, but by Sunday night, it rarely seems to have gone the way I anticipated on Friday. I guess this weekend I got a bit off track with shopping and cooking, but I really wouldn't change that--I think doing more than sitting in the Sweat Shop for two days keeps me from being too one-dimensional. At least it gets me a little fresh air!
Oh, well. I think the REAL problem is that weekends are just too darn short!
So what did I do? Besides cutting those 300 squares I showed you, I worked on a few more basket blocks. Here's what I have so far:
One more basket will give me 13, which is enough for the smaller quilt. I'm still not sure if that's where I'll stop or if I'll go on and make more--25 are needed for the larger version. I guess it might depend on how much I'm able to sew this week.
Speaking of this week, I anticipate it will be a very crazy, heavy week at work, so I might miss posting--I just wanted to mention it so you don't wonder what happened to me if there's no new post someday. We have a lot of deadlines, and I suspect I may be going back to work in the evenings after my CrossFit classes. ARGH!
Knowing what's ahead, I really, really HATE that the weekend's come to an end, but it's time to head toward bed. Thanks for stopping by for a visit!
Oh, well. I think the REAL problem is that weekends are just too darn short!
So what did I do? Besides cutting those 300 squares I showed you, I worked on a few more basket blocks. Here's what I have so far:
One more basket will give me 13, which is enough for the smaller quilt. I'm still not sure if that's where I'll stop or if I'll go on and make more--25 are needed for the larger version. I guess it might depend on how much I'm able to sew this week.
Speaking of this week, I anticipate it will be a very crazy, heavy week at work, so I might miss posting--I just wanted to mention it so you don't wonder what happened to me if there's no new post someday. We have a lot of deadlines, and I suspect I may be going back to work in the evenings after my CrossFit classes. ARGH!
Knowing what's ahead, I really, really HATE that the weekend's come to an end, but it's time to head toward bed. Thanks for stopping by for a visit!
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Food, Glorious Food!
I hadn't been to the farmers' market in Auburn, about 30 minutes east of Sacramento, since last fall, so I thought I'd head that way this morning. I find the Auburn market tends to have a few more interesting things than the Sacramento farmers' markets I usually visit (although our large one downtown is also good for finding unusual things--maybe next weekend!).
Because I picked out early variety tomatoes to grow in our garden this year, they're near the end of their season and not producing like they did in July. Still, I want to stock the freezer with a few more batches of roasted tomatoes before the summer harvest is done, so I purchased some tomatoes and roasted them later in the afternoon today--yum!
I also visited the mushroom stand and picked out two nice, big portobello mushrooms. Hubby's not normally content to eat a dinner without meat--unless it's a big dish of mac 'n cheese--but I thought I'd see if I could cook something that would make both of us happy, and I found the perfect recipe: Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Portobellos. They tasted like lasagna or pizza--something deliciously excellent like that.
This is a photo I grabbed from the website and not my own, although ours looked pretty much the same. If you might be interested in the recipe, click HERE. I used the roasted tomatoes I made--that I roasted with onions, garlic, basil, and a few other spices--in place of the marinara sauce in the recipe. These stuffed mushrooms were filling AND only 200 calories a serving. We also had an avocado and tomato Caesar salad.
What else did I bring home from the market? Well a bag of tomatillos and a few jalapeno peppers made a nice Mexican green sauce; I think I'm going to use it in chicken enchiladas tomorrow. And peaches became a low fat version of peach cobbler. I also scored a bag of padron peppers--I'm going to share those with a friend. I had my first batch last year and, frankly, they were the main reason I headed back to the Auburn farmers' market! All quite yummy!
So, for the most part, I spent my Saturday engaged in food-related activities. But I finally got into the Sweat Shop Saturday evening, where I cut another 300 scrappy squares for the Pie in the Sky quilt.
This gives me 900 squares and I think I need somewhere between 1000 and 1200, so I'll keep cutting next week. And maybe I'll do a little bit of counting again too, because I don't suppose it would be a good idea to end up with a couple hundred extra scrap squares.
Because I picked out early variety tomatoes to grow in our garden this year, they're near the end of their season and not producing like they did in July. Still, I want to stock the freezer with a few more batches of roasted tomatoes before the summer harvest is done, so I purchased some tomatoes and roasted them later in the afternoon today--yum!
I also visited the mushroom stand and picked out two nice, big portobello mushrooms. Hubby's not normally content to eat a dinner without meat--unless it's a big dish of mac 'n cheese--but I thought I'd see if I could cook something that would make both of us happy, and I found the perfect recipe: Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Portobellos. They tasted like lasagna or pizza--something deliciously excellent like that.
This is a photo I grabbed from the website and not my own, although ours looked pretty much the same. If you might be interested in the recipe, click HERE. I used the roasted tomatoes I made--that I roasted with onions, garlic, basil, and a few other spices--in place of the marinara sauce in the recipe. These stuffed mushrooms were filling AND only 200 calories a serving. We also had an avocado and tomato Caesar salad.
What else did I bring home from the market? Well a bag of tomatillos and a few jalapeno peppers made a nice Mexican green sauce; I think I'm going to use it in chicken enchiladas tomorrow. And peaches became a low fat version of peach cobbler. I also scored a bag of padron peppers--I'm going to share those with a friend. I had my first batch last year and, frankly, they were the main reason I headed back to the Auburn farmers' market! All quite yummy!
So, for the most part, I spent my Saturday engaged in food-related activities. But I finally got into the Sweat Shop Saturday evening, where I cut another 300 scrappy squares for the Pie in the Sky quilt.
This gives me 900 squares and I think I need somewhere between 1000 and 1200, so I'll keep cutting next week. And maybe I'll do a little bit of counting again too, because I don't suppose it would be a good idea to end up with a couple hundred extra scrap squares.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
A Winner!
We have a winner of the Merry, Merry Snowmen pattern giveaway--Luana (who posted as anonymous). Luana said:
"Launa here.....soft teal with red and gray. I've loved this pattern so thanks Kim for a chance to win.
Launa in Tulare"
Luana, please email me the rest of your address and I'll get the pattern in the mail to you next week--congratulations!
Now, it's Mister Linky time. If and when you work on something scrappy for our Scrap Basket Sunday, please post it on your blog and then link your blog to mine by signing up on the Mister Linky below. We're always looking for good, scrappy ideas, and sharing what we're working on is an excellent way to find those ideas!
"Launa here.....soft teal with red and gray. I've loved this pattern so thanks Kim for a chance to win.
Launa in Tulare"
Luana, please email me the rest of your address and I'll get the pattern in the mail to you next week--congratulations!
Now, it's Mister Linky time. If and when you work on something scrappy for our Scrap Basket Sunday, please post it on your blog and then link your blog to mine by signing up on the Mister Linky below. We're always looking for good, scrappy ideas, and sharing what we're working on is an excellent way to find those ideas!
Friday, August 23, 2013
It's a Start . . .
Earlier this evening, I turned the door knob and entered the Sweat Shop; and tonight, I actually got something done! It may not look like much, but it's the beginning of this month's Schnibbles quilt, Canasta.
The pattern shows two versions: one with 25 basket blocks and one with 13 basket blocks. I haven't decided which one I'll make, but I'm guessing it will be the one with 13. Notice that I did, in fact, decide to use my leftover French General scraps from the Merry, Merry Snowman quilt too--I thought I might and it still seemed like a good idea tonight.
Before I ever got around to cutting fabric to make these two squares though, I went through my leftovers and sorted out what I had. I decided to use all of the cream scraps as backgrounds and make the baskets in the the red and pinkish fabrics. There are a lot of taupe fabrics in the pile of leftovers, and I was thinking I might use those in the sashing, but I'm on the fence about that for now. These two blocks both use the same background fabric, but I'll be using other backgrounds too.
I think I have about a week to finish the top for the monthly parade on Sinta's and Sherri's blogs. Normally I procrastinate until the last minute, so I feel like I'm getting a pretty good start this time! No need to rush--at least not for another week.
The pattern shows two versions: one with 25 basket blocks and one with 13 basket blocks. I haven't decided which one I'll make, but I'm guessing it will be the one with 13. Notice that I did, in fact, decide to use my leftover French General scraps from the Merry, Merry Snowman quilt too--I thought I might and it still seemed like a good idea tonight.
Before I ever got around to cutting fabric to make these two squares though, I went through my leftovers and sorted out what I had. I decided to use all of the cream scraps as backgrounds and make the baskets in the the red and pinkish fabrics. There are a lot of taupe fabrics in the pile of leftovers, and I was thinking I might use those in the sashing, but I'm on the fence about that for now. These two blocks both use the same background fabric, but I'll be using other backgrounds too.
I think I have about a week to finish the top for the monthly parade on Sinta's and Sherri's blogs. Normally I procrastinate until the last minute, so I feel like I'm getting a pretty good start this time! No need to rush--at least not for another week.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Somebody Needs to Kick Me
Because I did absolutely nothing tonight! Yes, I'm still sticking with CrossFit, so I DID do that, but then I came home and melted into the couch. I didn't even OPEN the door to the Sweat Shop!
Consequently, I have nothing productive to show you, but I CAN try to tempt you to buy some stuff. If you don't want to be tempted, click away now.
When we were on vacation up near Seattle, my favorite quilt shop of the couple I visited was Carriage Country Quilts--just as some of you recommended--and while I was there, I purchased a pattern or two by a local designer, Susan Pinick, who has a pattern company called On Pins and Needles. Seriously, I could have purchased a lot more of her patterns, but I held back a little. However, when I came home, I couldn't resist a little web search or two, and sure enough, I found her Etsy website. Want to see it? Well, first I'll show you two of her patterns, just so you know up front whether her work appeals to you before you click over there.
Embroidery anyone?
Or maybe you prefer wool?
I haven't bought either of these patterns (yet), so please feel free to show your appreciation for this tip by gifting me one. Yes, I'm just kidding! But seriously, how could her patterns NOT appeal to anyone and everyone? Anyway, here's a link to her Etsy store: ON PINS AND NEEDLES
And, by the way, if you're ever in Des Moines, Washington . . . .
Oh, and when I said somebody needs to kick me, I wasn't suggesting you should retaliate for your lack of retail self-control! After all, I DID warn you ahead of time. Hopefully tomorrow evening will be more productive for me. "See" you then.
Consequently, I have nothing productive to show you, but I CAN try to tempt you to buy some stuff. If you don't want to be tempted, click away now.
When we were on vacation up near Seattle, my favorite quilt shop of the couple I visited was Carriage Country Quilts--just as some of you recommended--and while I was there, I purchased a pattern or two by a local designer, Susan Pinick, who has a pattern company called On Pins and Needles. Seriously, I could have purchased a lot more of her patterns, but I held back a little. However, when I came home, I couldn't resist a little web search or two, and sure enough, I found her Etsy website. Want to see it? Well, first I'll show you two of her patterns, just so you know up front whether her work appeals to you before you click over there.
Embroidery anyone?
Or maybe you prefer wool?
I haven't bought either of these patterns (yet), so please feel free to show your appreciation for this tip by gifting me one. Yes, I'm just kidding! But seriously, how could her patterns NOT appeal to anyone and everyone? Anyway, here's a link to her Etsy store: ON PINS AND NEEDLES
And, by the way, if you're ever in Des Moines, Washington . . . .
Oh, and when I said somebody needs to kick me, I wasn't suggesting you should retaliate for your lack of retail self-control! After all, I DID warn you ahead of time. Hopefully tomorrow evening will be more productive for me. "See" you then.
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