OMG July

Not only did I not finish June's OMG, I didn't touch it! But for July, it's time to get down to business. 

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This WIP is time sensitive, so for OMG July, I need to get the top and bottom completed, the quilt basted and figure out how to quilt it!

It seems a little bit daunting especially bc of my lousy track record so far:
Jan - Quilt Maybe Lyz - Not Finished
Feb - Quilt Tom Mat - Not Finished
Mar - Finish Tom Mat - Not Finished
Apr - Finish Little Baby Quilt Top - Not Finished
May - Finish Little Baby Quilt Top - Finished!!
Jun - Baste and Tie Little Baby Quilt Top - Not Finished

I'm putting my head down and hoping for a OMG finish in July! I'm linking up with Elm Street Quilts, Move It Forward Monday, MCM, and more!

June In Review

After years of blogging I know that the Summer months are the hardest months for me to blog. That was pretty obvious for June. I'm usually not able to concentrate on blogging when I have so much else going on. June saw the beginning of work really heating up, many exploratory trips, visits and visiting, the beach, #watchercats and more. Now that I'm living in a seasonal town, Summer is even more packed. So for this Month in Review, I'll just let the photos do their thing:

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Here's a few things I learned, or relearned in June:
- Every year is different, don't hold on to expectations.
- NJ is beautiful!
- Stay away from TV and you'll get more done.

OK, June you're done and dusted. Let shake off the cobwebs for July. 

June Plant Update

June was a good month for plant observations, but maybe not the best moth for photos of those observations. I did snap a few good ones. We got to spend a lot of time out doors, in the yard, neighborhood and at the beach (going nearly twice as many days compared to last month). and we also got to see some different environments, like the Pine Barrens. 

Beach grass and beach roses. 

Beach grass and beach roses. 

This massive field loved all the rain this month. 

This massive field loved all the rain this month. 

My porch roses before it got too hot and they all dried out. 

My porch roses before it got too hot and they all dried out. 

The ivy on the back fence is going nuts. 

The ivy on the back fence is going nuts. 

Another beach rose. I can't get enough!

Another beach rose. I can't get enough!

And lastly, my favorite pine behind our house. The white speck is a mocking bird that was sitting in the tippy top branch and performing a complicated ritual. 

And lastly, my favorite pine behind our house. The white speck is a mocking bird that was sitting in the tippy top branch and performing a complicated ritual. 

This month and this year, I can't help but notice how many mocking birds there are!! Growing up I feel like I never saw them, but now they are everywhere. Some people might consider them pests, but I think they are lovely!!

What nature have you been observing in your neck of the woods this month?

Admit Defeat

It's time to admit defeat for this year's MCQBOM. 

In 2016, I really enjoyed trying to make a new (to me) block every month. So naturally I wanted to try it again in 2017. The first Mad Cat Quilts Block Of the Month was all random blocks, it didn't matter what they were as long as I had never made them before. In 2017, I decided that the MCQBOM would be all picture blocks. 

I now believe that this was my first fatal flaw. My second was choosing an all grey color theme. I love grey and I thought I would like to try making picture blocks bc I never make them. Turns out, I don't make them bc I don't like to make them. Combining this with a, let's face it, drab color scheme made me just not want to go forward.  

I struggled with the impulse to stop a project, not even in the middle but in the relative beginning. I felt bad about not enjoying it. But I realized that it really was not bringing me joy. Each month felt like a chore. 

Looking at the blocks now, I do like them and I think this could be an interesting quilt if it ever gets finished. Maybe one day I will resume this BOM but for now, I must admit defeat. 

Have you begun any projects in 2017 that you just don't want to finish? 

Jaws

One of my goals in 2016 was to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here. This is also a goal for 2017.

I have been wanting to read Jaws by Peter Benchley for a while but every time I picked it up, I couldn't get into it. Sometimes listening to a book is easier. This version is read by Erik Steele. This book was listened to in 2016 and can be added to that list. 

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I had a few themes to my reading/listening materials for 2016 and this book definitely falls in to one of them. I've been devouring books about shore towns, beach life, and seasonal communities. 

Amity hibernates in the Winters. But the town comes alive in the Summer. The people of amity rely on Summer tourists and Summer business to keep it alive in the off season. The town leaders are willing to make Summer profitable at any coast. But Police Chief Brody's job is to protect the town, too. 

The movie Jaws is a classic, of course. The book was quite different; much slower and more involved in the town itself, and the character that make up Amity. I really enjoyed that this book was about a seasonal shore town facing a devastating Summer. There's an interesting juxtaposition between the towns needs and the shark's needs. I would recommend this book for readers who live by the beach or have a seasonal life style, fishermen, or people who like books of movies based on books. 

Do you have a favorite beach town novel?

Something New: Machine Sewing

As you may have noticed, I hand sew everything. All aspects of my quilts are hand sewn and hand quilted. But I've been wanting to try making some clothing and as sweet an idea as hand sewn clothing might sound, it's just not practical. 

It's not that I have never used a sewing machine before. I have, but not for a long time! I don't particularly like it. Sewing on a sewing machine, for me, is like working with a robot who speaks a different language. I'm always confused and frustrated. 

That being said, I'm serious about trying out some patterns! That will require not only that I use the sewing machine, but also practice, practice, practice. 

My early attempts have been... mixed. I've already struggled more with the machine than I think is necessary. Here's hoping all that struggle pays off!

Anyone out there trying something new that they are less than comfortable with?  

YOTS2017/Sunday Stash

I've been pretty good about not buying much fabric this year. Except, the other day, I got a little stone in my craw about trying out some clothing patterns. So, of course I had to run out and buy some fabric suitable for clothing making.

I got soft, shear muslin to try out a few self drafted ideas I have. And some linen like fabric if those ideas go well. I wanted linen, but it's so expensive!! And it's all in the experimental phase....

Here's my month Stash Update for May:
Fabric Added from the Since Last Update: 10 (mostly for experimentation, but I picked up a piece or scrap and a vintage table cloth to use as backing at a rummage sale, too) 
Fabric Added Year to Date: Approximately 23.25
Fabric Used Since Since Last Update: Approximately 2 yd
Fabric Used Year to Date: Approximately 10.5 yd

Although I feel good that I haven't bought too much, my output is still about half of my intake! I have to do better at making!

How's your Year of the Stash going so far?

Mad Cat Capsule: What's Not Working

Over a month in and I'm loving my capsule wardrobe. My Mad Cat Capsule consists of approximately 50 pieces of clothing not including loungewear, sleepwear, shoes, work out wear, under garments, or outerwear. That's a lot more than a typical capsule, but as this is my first one, and I literally have hundreds of items of clothing that I'm trying to pare down, this feels like a good start. I've really enjoyed refining what I wear, seeing what works and what doesn't. Going into this project, I really didn't know what to expect, but it's been helpful and exciting to wear only clothes I really enjoy. Over the past month or so, I've definitely noticed that there were items I chose that I didn't end up wearing. Here's the scoop about what I've discovered so far:

I chose quite a number of tank tops at the beginning of my 3 month capsule. I layer, layer, layer and I knew this capsule had to take me to the beginning of Summer so this was a good idea. But as the month progressed, I realized that I was only wearing some of them over and over and never reaching for others. I'm packing up the ones I'm not feeling. 

I thought having a few long sleeve shirts would be a great idea for a capsule that had to span April to June. I wore them once or twice, but noticed that I pulled out sweaters more often. Several of these are going into storage. I love these shirts, but not right now. I feel like I'll be pulling these back out for my 4th quarter capsule in Oct. 

I also had a 3/4 sleeve shirt that I really love and thought would be great, especially for work. I forgot that this shirt captures every cat hair, lint ball, and speck of anything really. This shirt will go to donation. 

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I chose a few skirts for this quarter 2 capsule and I haven't worn any of them. Huh. I don't want to give up on them just yet but some of these will be put away soon. Again these are pieces that I love, but haven't worked out just yet. On the other hand, I was sure that I wouldn't need my favorite shorts until July, but grabbed them up for a hot beach walk around the beginning of May and am happy that I'll have them for the rest of this capsule.

After scrapping these items and a few others I'm just not wearing, you would think that I would have less pieces in this capsule, but alas, I don't. I lost a few, swapped a few, but added a few, too. In lieu of the long sleeve shirts, I added a dotted sweatshirt I quite fancy, and I recently got a few more graphic tees. So I'm hovering right around the same number of items. 

Really lessening the items I wear has been challenging. Getting rid of items that I definitely won't use, don't like, or don't fit has also been surprisingly hard. I have found it to be difficult to find the time to get these pieces out of my house and into new hands. Anyone out there have any suggestions?

If you've recently started a capsule wardrobe, tell me how it's going!

New Block: Circle Appliqué

This isn't my smoothest appliqué job, but it's the first circle I've ever worked on. I've been working on sewing a lot of orange peels and curves, lately so it was nice to try a different kind of curve. 

Next time, I hope to hide my threads a little better, but other than that, I like the way this block turned out!

Linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday, Finished or Not It's Friday, and more!

Gypsy Moon Mini: A Finished Mini Quilt

I was so inspired by my new mini and the little scraps that came with it, that I got right down to business making a mini of my own!

I rarely can make any work to completion in one day, so this was an especially fun finish! All the pieces needed fell into place. First, inspiration: The scraps from @gypsymoonquilts gave me were lovely and easy to work with. I happened to have a few other scraps right at my fingertips that I used to round out this mini. 

Second, I had time! I had a fairly free day to sit and sew! The top came together quickly, the batting scraps were on top of a pile, I used one of my favorite prints as a backing. The quilting and basting goes so fast with a mini!

I hope my inspiration hangs in there! I love the feeling of a finish! 

Linking up with Move It Forward Monday, Monday Making, Oh Scrap and more. 

New Block: Honey Bee Block (Solstice Block 14/25)

Here is another block I heavily modified for Pat Sloan's Solstice Challenge. Her Honey Bee block called for appliqué, ut I chose to make some orange peels instead. 

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Her block also called for petals or peels at all four corners, but three were enough for me. I'll need to sweep some threads off this block and square it up, but I'm pretty happy with how it came out! 

Linking top with Finished or Not It's Friday, Needle and Thread Thursday, Slow Sunday Stitching and  more! 

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OMG May

Oh brother, I was this close to finishing my April goal! And yet... it didn't get done. I've been flitting from project to project lately and not finishing anything! My OMG2017 list is looking pretty abysmal. 

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Here's another sad look at OMG2017 so far:
Jan - Quilt Maybe Lyz - Not finished
Feb - Quilt Tom Mat - Not finished
Mar - Finish Tom Mat - Not Finished
Apr - Finish Little Baby Quilt Top - Not Finished

For May I'm rolling over my April goal. Ever the optimist, I'm hoping to finish this baby quilt top. 

Linking up with Elm Street Quilts OMG, Building Blocks Tuesday Needle and Thread Thursday, Move it Forward Monday and more!

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Solstice Challenge Check In

I've gotten a bit behind in Pat Sloan's Solstice Challenge. But It's given me some time to play around with layout and arranging the blocks. 

It's exciting to see a chunk of the blocks together and to imagine what the final piece may look like. I'm liking the idea of these blocks being all joined up with no sashing. Seeing them laid out makes me realize what colors I'd like to add more of. 

Has anyone else participating in this challenge thought out lay out yet?

Linking up with Monday Making, Move it Forward Monday, BOMs Away, and more!

Honey Pot Bee April + New Block: Starry Sky

Molli Sparkles' Honey Pot Bee has two block designs a month. This month was one of the first where there wasn't a picture block. This is also the first month where I plan to make both blocks! Here's the first one:

Starry sky was created by A Persevering Mom and my version came out pretty wonky. I could see this block being really fun for a whole quilt. I like how this block matches with some of the other blocks. After a few blocks I'm starting to get excited about how this quilt will turn out! 

Linking up with Molli on instagram and Monday Making, Move it Forward Monday, BOMs Away, Oh Scrap! and more!