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.  

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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. 

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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! 

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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. 

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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. 

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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!

Blackberries from a neighbors yard are so tempting!

Flowers from a local eatery.

Flowers from a local eatery.

Echinacea on Ocean Pathway in Ocean Grove. 

Echinacea on Ocean Pathway in Ocean Grove. 

The long road in Whitesbog. 

The long road in Whitesbog. 

Our local pet shop backs up agains a magical wood. 

Our local pet shop backs up agains a magical wood. 

My lilies were huge this year!

My lilies were huge this year!

Being out on the porch is doing the oxalis good!

Being out on the porch is doing the oxalis good!

Tom taking care of the house plants!

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. 

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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.

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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 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!

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?

New Block: Friendship Block (Solstice 16/25)

I'm stiill getting back into the groove of sewing and this was a good lock to try. Just challenging enough that I have to pay attention. Too bad I made a mistake 1/2 way thru!

This is the 2nd block I messed up during the Solstice Challenge. It's pretty noticeable and I was pretty annoyed at my self. But at the rate I'm working on these blocks these day, my mantra has to be ever forward! Otherwise, I might never finish!

Linking up with Em's Scrap Bag, MCM, and BOMs Away, plus more!!