YOTS2017 / Wrinkly Old WIPS

All year, I've been meaning to get out my WIPs out to take a comprehensive look at what I have. I kept putting it off, but knowing that I need to baste some quilts and a recent request from a friend, I was motivated to finally take them all out and have a look. It was a good opportunity to see a lot of what I've worked on over the past few years. I wrote down where in the process I am for each project and my goals and ideas for them in the future. Many, I put right back into storage, but some I was happy to see could be advanced to next steps.  

This project also fits in perfectly with YOTS (Year of the Stash), bc if it's still in the house, unfinished and unused, it still counts as stash to me! When quilts, minis, pillows, garments are finished, they go in a basket to leave the house, either to sell or give away, or they get used at home. Only at that stage do I reconsider their Stash Nature. 

I found I had WIPs in all stages, from just a few blocks to close to done. The following are the quilts that were pretty near to finished and that I definitely left out to work on.

We've all seen this quilt before which I call Maybe Lyz Quilt. I've been working on and off on this one for more than a year.  It's a big heavy quilt so it was hard to work on in the warmer weather. 

The front uses a lot of vintage fabric, all calicos! This was my first attempt at an all calico quilt and is a very old quilt top for me. I can't wait to have it finished and out of the house!

The back is also all calico, most a gorgeous tiny yellow rose print that I thrifted in Vermont. 

Tom's Mat is the closest to being done as a small project that I still really enjoy. This one will be good to finish before Winter so that Tom can enjoy it as well. 

Here the dark purple T and the yellow border are both vintage. 

I mentioned enjoying a project bc this one I hate! OK, I don't hate it, or I just wouldn't do it. But this little Flying Geese Mini is just totally meh in my mind. I do want to finish it, but it's been so long, I don't remember my direction. 

I loved this out of character pink leaf fabric and I think these are the last scraps I had. I made this mini to try flying geese, and i've never attempted them again! The red seersucker and pink floral square are vintage scraps. 

I stopped working on this Fat Little Cross pillow cover bc the tread was catching on the batting and it was absolutely frustrating. I still really like it tho and think it will eventually be a sweet pillow. Just got to get it done!

This top is totally vintage! Not sure what I will back it with to make the pillow but I really dig this top. 

These WIPs won't help me use up fabric from the totally unused stash I count each month (except the backing for that pillow!), but I did also do some sewing this month. Here's my stash report:
Fabric Added Since Last Update: Approximately 0 (I did buy a vintage sheet, but I think I'm going to use it instead of cutting it up!)
Fabric Added Year to Date: Approximately 23.25
Fabric Used Since Last Update: Approximately 1 yd
Fabric Used Year to Date: Approximately 13.5 yd

I have many more Wrinkly Old WIPs to show you, and some that I'm sure I didn't unearth. And hopefully some finishes to share when these are done and dusted! Where in the process do you consider a project no longer stash? Any WIPs out there to share with us?

The Zero Waste Post

Or should I say THE Zero Waste Post?

I've been wanting to write this post for a while bc, to me, it officailly marks the start of my Zero Waste Journey. Ever since we moved, I've become increasingly disturbed by the amount of waste we mindlessly generate. For some reason, living in an apartment in Brooklyn, NY, I never realized how much I threw away, how many duplicates I bought, how many items went unused and wasted in my home.

One of my favorite things this summer has been bringing delicious Jersey tomatoes home, either from local farm markets, or neighbor's yards. I like these cardboard containers, which I reuse or compost. 

When we moved out of our approximately 600/sqft apartment (large by standards!) into twice that amount of space in a home we now owned, we filled it with our stuff! Filled to the brim with stuff, some items I hadn't even looked at in years. So, the first order of business was to start paring down what we already had. This is still a work in progress, but everyday we make a little headway. 

It was also important to me, moving into a new house, and creating a new life in a new city, to not bring or buy too many new things. I think we did a good job here, not buying too many big ticket items or impulse buys. But there was still so much coming into the house. And I realized that the majority of it left as trash going to fill landfills. This knowledge worried me. So I decided to do something about it!

In little ways, every day, I'm trying to become more mindful of heading towards zero waste. Zero Waste is the goal, mindful practice is the action. When I use the term Zero Waste, that is my ultimate goal, but Less Waste would be a more accurate description of my evolving lifestyle.

Making hummus at home has been a good lesson in zero waste. Using up leftovers before they go bad is a challenge. 

I plan to share my Zero Waste Journey here at Mad Cat Quilts. Who else out there is starting this journey?

Bullet Journal Check in: Tracking My Sewing

For September, I'm trying to think of a more structured way to track my sewing in my Bullet Journal. Now that the slow season at my job is upon us, I have to really get to work and sew, sew, sew!

Up until now I have had sewing as just one line on my habit tracker. I track approximately 30 -34 activities on this tracker per month. Mostly they stay the same but occasionally I add a seasonal activity or a habit I'm trying to pick up. Sometimes I drop a habit that I don't feel needs tracking or that I move to a different feature of my journal. My habit tracker is just a yes/no, did it/didn't do it affair. If it's checked I did it. 

For instance, according to my BuJo, I sewed only 5 days in August. That could have been 12 hours each day or it could have been 1 stitch. For reference, in July I sewed 6 days, in June 9, in May 7, so far in Sept only 4. April was divided between two books, but from the 10th to the 30th I sewed 13 of those days.   

I feel sewing needs more attention now that I have some time to complete more complex goals. I'm not sure what layout I can use, or how to organize and record my sewing practices, but I plan to look around at other people's tracking systems for inspiration. Any Bullet Journalists out there have any suggestions? Any sewists use trackers to see what they have done?

OMG September Finish - A Top

I don't like to post quilt tops, or flimsies, but this being only my second OMG (One Monthly Goal) finish in 2017, I felt it was a special occasion!

I linked the few Honey Pot Bee blocks that I completed together to make this little baby quilt top. I love this weird 1980s hotel style fabric that my brother in law gave me and am excited to see it as such a main attraction. 

In 2017, I haven't had too many finishes, but I do have quite a few quilt tops. I think it's just about time for a basting party!

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

Mad Cat Capsule: What's Not Working (Summer)

From July - Sept, I'm in my second cycle of capsule wardrobing. Both seasons have taught me a lot so far. Almost 5 month in, I'm loving having a capsule wardrobe! 

One thing I've learned is that it's nice to have a safety net. One reason I've started using capsule wardrobes is bc I have too many clothes, but I also have trouble parting with items I don't use. Once I've picked my capsule, I try really hard not to dip into the stash of other clothes I have. But it's nice to know it's there!

This dress was a late add in, but I only wore it once. I thought it would be great bc it has pockets and is so summery, but it's so short and casual, it's not my go to. I love this thrifted dress, so maybe it will come back next Summer. 

I've also learned that as carefully as I choose the clothes for the capsule, as much thought as I put into them, sometimes things don't work out. In the first capsule, I swapped a couple of items for ones that would work better but for the second capsule I avoided doing that. There were still items that didn't work, but I just put them away and didn't use them. 

This white top was one white top too many! I could never fit it into my rotation! I might doate this one, as I have a similar one that I do wear often.

My original picks this capsule were fewer than my first capsule and taking away the items that didn't work made it even smaller. I'm excited about the idea of eventually getting down to as few clothes as I can, just what I really need and love. 

I love this thrifted blue silk top and got a lot of wear out of it in Spring, but it was too hot in summer for this top. I'm keeping it, in case we get some cool days in September and rolling it over to Fall, for sure. 

At the end of September, I'll be choosing net season's capsule, and I can't wait to apply what I've learned from previous capsules. What are some things that you consider when putting together your capsule? What do you do when you find a piece you've picked isn't working?

OMG September

OK, so I technically missed the cut off for the September OMG Goal link up. But I'm still making a goal and trying to accomplish it in Sept. 

This month, I'm rolling over last month's goal and will sew the few Honey Pot Bee I completed (and liked) into a little top. Easy, right? We'll see!

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
July - Baste and Start to Quilt Little Baby Quilt - Not Finished
Aug - Sew Honey Pot Bee Blocks into a Top - Not Finished!

On My Mind On Friday Morning

I need to get back into the quilting rhythm so this On My Mind... is all about some quilting inspiration. Although I failed at my madcatquiltsbom2017, I want to get back into sewing new blocks each month:
1. I've really been wanting to do some drunkard's path blocks. Shown above is one from SloStudio but I also love this one from Twiggy and Opal. 
2. These angled 1/4 log cabins wouldn't be a new block for me but I'm inspired by the ones the Lilac Cat is working on.
3. Of course, just after I decide to give up on the Honey Pot Bee, I love both of September's blocks. 

Here's a good post on working in a small sewing space.
And here is an article for being productive in the space you have. 
I loved seeing the progression and the finish of this amazing lighthouse quilt by Sew Slowly!

One of my goals for the Fall and Autumn cleaning is to reorganize my fabric. Here's the before:

Hopefully the after will come soon! For now, I'm really not sure what to do with all this fabric. I don't want to purchase any new storage and the cardboard boxes don't not work. But they don't work well, either. Not to mention this isn't all my fabric, of course! This is just what managed to stay on the shelves. My husband and I have some days off together coming up and we plan on doing some stash busting projects, so that will be a great motivation to go thru all this. Any tips or tricks for No Waste/No Consumption stash organization?

August Plant Update

We went exploring in the woods a few times in August, so we saw a some plants that aren't just hanging around the yard or neighborhood. What fun! We did a lot in town as well, which is always a lovely way to observe the plants!

We stumbled upon this wall of hibicus. 

And saw a million mushrooms. 

My husband said that this day he saw more variety in one place at one time than ever in his life!

Needless to say, we will be going back to this mushroom lush spot. 

These teeny flowers were so interesting!

This little guy looked like some kind of daisy/chicory highbred.  

Spotted this fellow in my driveway, on route to munch on that little weed perhaps. 

Our wall of morning glories is in full bloom and fantastic!!

We spotted this crane and a Great Blue Heron on a walk to Sunset Lake. 

It's been a lovely month to get out and explore, but buggy! I've been eaten alive! September should bring some great plant observations but hopefully with less bugs!

What are plants doing where you live?

Summer Break Send Off

Like many bloggers I admire, I endevour to take a time off of blogging every now and then. I usually take time in the Summer, bc that's when my blogging falls off anyway. 

But this year, I was torn. I've struggled with blogging for many months in 2017 and it feels like I should be working harder on it and not taking a break. Shouldn't I take time in August to work harder and do more, rather than rest when I've already been so inconsistent? Shouldn't I put more effort into this personal project that I enjoy so much? 

Day 7: Yellow

But on the other hand, if blogging has already been been tough, maybe a break will help me get back on track for next month, and into the end of the year? 

Truth be told we are 21 days into the month and I'm still undecided. Maybe, I just shouldn't overthink it. Maybe the lack of blogging around here is the decision. 

Day 12: Green

Another thing I tried not to overthink is Stitched in Color's #30daysoffabricstacks. This breezy project was all about fun fabric pull prompts, and it finished it's run in the beginning of August. For 30 days, participants were encouraged to be inspired by different prompts and pull fabric for possible quilts, or just for fun. 

I only chose to make a couple of pulls for this challenge but I hope Stitched in Color brings it back some day. I'd like to try my hand at it again. What do these two topics have in common, you might ask...

Day 20: Fabric I Hoard - Vintage Gingham

I think the morel for both projects may be "Do what you can do, take away what you are able to" or "Let's just see what happens"!

YOTS2017 / Starting New

There is a pheonomonon in quilting, I'm sure you sewists know it, in which it is far easier to start a new project than to finish an old one. 

No matter how in love with a WIP I am, there comes a time in the project when starting something new becomes too appealing to resist. I love every part of quilt making, but starting something new is extra special. 

Starting a new work isn't bad, in fact for Year of The Stash, it's quite good!! For me, it means more stash is getting used. But if the abandoned semi-finished project still lingers in your home, is it still stash? I think for a project to be truly complete it must be used and useful. So while starting new isn't bad, it does drag out the finishes and that's not good.  

It's been a few months since my last update and I can't quite recall if anything new has come into my stash. Since there is nothing I can remember, I'm calling it zero! Here's what my stash report looks like this month:
Fabric Added Since Last Update: Approximately 0
Fabric Added Year to Date: Approximately 23.25
Fabric Used Since Last Update: Approximately 2 yd
Fabric Used Year to Date: Approximately 12.5 yd

What are your thoughts on starting a new project before finishing the old one? I know many quilters are like little butterflies, flitting from one project to the next with ease and grace. Are there any true blue one-project-at-a-time people out there? How does it effect your stash?

Something New: Succulent Care

On recent occasions, I've had two unconnected friends ask me to take charge of their succulents. I'm not sure where they got the idea I'm good with succulents, or plants in general. While it is true that I have many plants (46 at last count) some of which are succulents (18), I do not have a green thumb. With each and every plant, I'm holding on for dear life. It's been a lot of trial and error to get where I am today. 

Succulents were some of the last plants I attempted to raise. The results have been mixed. I have some that I have brought back from the brink of death, but more often I haven't been able to prevent them from dying. 

For these new new adoptees, I repotted them and and have been keeping an eye on how they're doing. I find that I have to move a succulent around to several different spots in the house before they are happy. 

So far, I'm hopeful that these new additions to the family are doing well! Since succulent care is new to me, I'd be very grateful for any advice!

Bullet Journal Check In: August Blog Log

I've been trying out a new blog log over the last few months in my bullet journal. I'm not sure if Summer was the best time to try new systems, as I'm notoriously inconsistent at blogging during the Summer. Or maybe that's the perfect time to be tracking my blogging habits?

I usually try to take all of August off from blogging, but this year, it's felt like I've had the whole Summer off! I'm still deciding whether I should try to blog more rather than less in August. Either way, this new blog log layout helps me track my online posts. 

Are other Bullet Journalists using a blog post tracking method?

OMG August

Man, my OMG track record for 2017 is abysmal. But I won't give up! 

What I am giving up on is Molli Sparkles' Honey Pot Bee. Although this is a great quilting bee, the last few months I haven't wanted to make any of the blocks. For this month's OMG I want to turn the blocks I did make into a quilt top. 

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
July - Baste and Start to Quilt Quilt - Not Finished

Linking up with Elm Street Quilts and OMG. 

July in Review

Like I said last month, Summer is the hardest time for me to blog. It's the busiest season at work, and there's more to do each day in general. This month we unfortunately we suffered a loss in our family which made July even more stressful. 

But although we had sadness we also had good times with friends and family at home and away. 

July was a tough month, but it was a good month for learning, or relearning a few things. 
- Being outside and beach walks are centering even in tragedy.
- Keep your loved ones close. 
- I still love Brooklyn, and I'm still glad I don't live it there. 

Summer's chugging along, July went fast. August will be the busiest, and possibly most brutal, so let's go!

Plastic Free July

The month of July is now Plastic Free July. It's a time to choose to give up single use plastic. Give up one item, like plastic straws, or give up all single use plastic for the month. Either way, the main thing is to think about how we use plastic and if we need to use it as much as we do.  

Ever since we moved to the beach, I've been more aware of how much waste we generate as a family and where that waste ends up. I've started reading a lot about the zero waste movement. I would love to become zero waste one day. But sometimes thinking about how to effect the changes necessary makes me feel like my head might explode. Or at least, that the goal seems impossible. 

But the thing I'm trying to remember is that zero waste is the goal, thoughtful purchases and practices is the action. 

This July I wasn't able to give up any single use plastic entirely. But just knowing about Plastic Free July helped me be more thoughtful. I tried to opt out of using plastic bags, plastic straws, buying items packed in plastic, or only buy plastics that can be recycled. I've tried harder to look at all packaging and recycle more carefully. 

I try to buy items packaged in cardboard, or glass, or better yet, not packaged. In all items I try to buy organic, non gmo, sustainable, or manufactured by "good" companies. This early in my zero waste journey, I'm still figuring out what that means. I try to research, read labels, and find a balance between what my family likes, what's healthy for them, and what's healthy for the planet and my local community. 

I'm trying to find ways to use plastics less, like finally committing to a reusable thermal mug. By choosing one that keeps drinks hot or cold and has a standard volume, I hope to make it easier for me to use it in many situations. For July, I've diligently tried to bring my new mug with me and use it as much as possible. 

Although I wasn't able to give up plastic this July, I feel I've made a good start and hopefully next July, I'll be ready to give up some sort of single use plastic for good! Or even if I'm not, Im confident that I'll be steps further on my journey. 

Is anyone out there working towards zero waste? What steps are you taking?

The Price Of Salt

One of my goals in 2017 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

The Price of Salt By Patricia Highsmith was a free audio book from one of my subscriptions. I had wanted to see the movie (Carol) based on this book, so I decided to listen to to the book first. 

I listened to this one a while ago. I haven't been reading much and I'm falling behind in my reviews!

Therese is a young woman freshly moved to NYC making her way in the big city. She has trouble  connecting with people, but she's not going to let that stop her from living her dream and becoming a theater set designer. Until that happens, she's resigned to slog thru working in a department store and dating a boy she doesn't love. Everything changes when she meets Carol.

This was an odd book for me, there were parts that dragged on and on and while I was listening to it, I didn't much like it. But now that it's over, I guess I enjoyed it? There was a lot of imagery, and texture to the writing, which I did enjoy, but at times even that felt uneven, or distracting. I enjoy books about the queer community and this period piece had some thought provoking aspects. But I also felt as if this book tried too hard to capture that time and place. Over all, I wouldn't read anything else by Highsmith, but I would recommend this book to those who enjoy dreamy textured writing, queer or lesbian stories, or roadtrip books. 

Has any of my readers read this? Has anyone seen the movie? Thoughts?

July Plant Update

July is almost over and it's time to look back and some of the plants I observed. 

Blackberries from a neighbors yard are so tempting!

Flowers from a local eatery.

Echinacea on Ocean Pathway in Ocean Grove. 

The long road in Whitesbog. 

Our local pet shop backs up agains a magical wood. 

My lilies were huge this year!

Being out on the porch is doing the oxalis good!

Tom taking care of the house plants!

Do you take note of the plants around you? Do you keep a garden for flowers or veggies? Share your observations here. 

Whale Teeth Mini - A Finished Mini Quilt

Back when I made my last two minis, I pulled out an old block that I had made years ago. I think I recall that this block was made, just for something to make out of precut scrapes I had. Since I was in mini mode, I slapped a backing on and got to quilting. 

Whale Teeth Mini (thanks for the name @crimsonrobot!) measures approximately 11 1/2" x 12" and uses a scrap of a shirt as backing (thanks @internettrevor!). The batting is also scraps and it was quilted with green and blue cotton thread. 

What does everyone do with their mini quilts?

Mad Cat Capsule: Summer (July - September)

In April 2017, I started my first capsule wardrobe and I really enjoyed it! Wearing and remixing just a few items for three months was a really interesting experiment. I've been trying to pare down the amount of clothes I have for years, and Spring was a good taste of what it would be like to live with less. I couldn't wait to try my hand at the next three months. 

It took me a while to finalize my new Summer capsule. I'm still using a pretty loose capsule method, so it may not even be finalized yet! Last time I tried to stick to around 50 items in my capsule. In the future, I'd like to get this number way down, but for Summer I'll have about the same. Even if each season has 50 items, that would give me an over all wardrobe of 200 pieces which is way less than what I have now. 

For Summer 2017, I rolled over quite a few items from the previous capsule. I also added items, either from my stash, or that I recently purchased. The skirt above I bought second hand years and years ago and when I pulled it out of my old Summer box, it became my color inspiration for this capsule. Spring was blues, teals, green, and purple with a little black and white and my signature grey. Summer is blue again, grey of course, lots of white, some black and pops of coral orange. 

These two band t shirts, plus a shirt from our work picnic and one from a local brewery got the most use and fit this season's color scheme, so I was happy to roll them over. The plain blue shirt, a lighter blue crew neck, and a grey V also got rolled over. The blue silk tee and the striped oversized pocket tee didn't get as much use, but were useful in certain circumstances so I've kept those too. 

I have added a few tees to my Summer capsule; a brighter blue V and another graphic tee that can be turned inside out to be a solid tee.

I've been using a lot of over shirts for layering, and wearing a lot of lightweight button downs lately. The white shirt is a million years old from American Eagle via Marchell's. I've had it for at least 15 years. The denim was from a previous job's lost and found. The grey Gap sweater I got from a friends stoop sale in Brooklyn. All three of these got a lot of wear last capsule and will probably be around for a while!

I recently bought this shirt at goodwill. It had lace on the sleeves, which I thought I liked, but ended up hating. I cut it off and the rough edge is way more my style. 

I'm adding a few more button down style shirts to this capsule, too. The white is very old, and I have a similar one in blue and white. The plaid is one I bought locally when I lived in Brooklyn but haven't work much. The polka dot and black linen are some of my newest purchases, but both are second hand. I also have a short sleeved grey button down (not pictured).

I had a lot of tank tops in my last collection and I did use most of them (great for layering!). This capsule I still have a lot, but they reflect my new color scheme a little better. Only two or three of these are rolled over. 

For Summer I have several pairs of shorts, and a few skirts, and of course, jeans and pants. I've discovered that I really need pockets in all my shorts, skirts, and pants of any kind so it makes it easy to narrow down what I already have. This collection has the skirt I used for my color inspiration, a chambray shorter skirt, and a grey high/low with unique details. I bought a pair of linen joggers 2 Summers ago that I couldn't wait to bust back out. I've been wearing these lightweight orange pants for years now, and they fit it perfectly!

All the jeans I currently have were in my Spring capsule. And all of them are thrifted!

Last capsule, I couldn't decide on any dresses. I tried out a few but none ever really worked. But this capsule, I already have two! Both have pockets - pockets are a must! It's possible that I might add another dress  if I can find one that works. Right now, I have the orange one that I bought several years ago from a local Brooklyn shop, and the other I bought about 3 years ago. Although I love this blue dress from Old Navy, it was the purchase that made me decide I would never shop there again. 

Not pictured, I have included one sweater in this collection, too. All these items bring this capsule up to 44 items. That breaks down to 27 tops, 14 bottoms, and 2 dresses. As with my first capsule, I'm not including any undergarments, outerwear, shoes, accessories, gym clothes, or hoodies. 

This was a fun capsule to work on bc I know the weather/temperature will mostly be about the same. I really felt like I could play around with a wide range of style and fabric. It was nice not to worry too heard about warmth. I'll be interested to see how this capsule progresses. I hope you'll join me for updates over the next few months. 

Is anyone else getting their Summer (or whatever season your currently living in) capsule together?  Maybe you don't even go by seasons? Shout out any links to recent capsule posts! I'd love to see what some of you have been wearing!

2017 FAL Q2 Wrap Up + Q3 List

1. Do everything for the mystery Gift Quilt.
2. Finish Quilting, Bind and Lable Maybe Lyz Quilt.
3. Finish quilting, bind and Label Tom Mat.
4. Finish Top, Create Back, Baste, Bind and Label MCQBOM2016 Quilt. 

Some work was done on each of these quilts is Quarter, but sadly no finishes were made!! I did have a few off list finishes, so I do not despair. But I would really like to get more done in Q3. 

1. Do everything for the mystery Gift Quilt.

I'm rolling this one over. It needs to happen even if it's the only quilt that gets finished in 2017!

2. Finish quilting, bind and Label Tom Mat.

I'm so close to finishing this one!

3. Baste, tie, bind and label Little Baby Quilt. 

This one is new to the list and I'm hoping it'll be an easy finish. 

And that's it!! Only three finishes for this quarter; two hopefully easy, one very necessary. I'm too late to link up with the globle hosts this Quarter, but that's OK! I am linking up with Move It Forward Monday, MCM and Monday Making.