Lessons in Waiting Until the Last Minute

I'm still here!

Life has thrown some pretty tough curve balls these past couple months.

I've been having a very hard time adjusting.

And I'm not good at reaching out

when my heart hurts so badly.

(good golly...I am just not good with people seeing my ugly cry...LOL)

But in light of this,

I did manage to create a few things.

(now doesn't that always put a smile on your face!)

I have to share some lesson's learned in this process.

I signed up for the Sew Sew Modern Swap 2

and again

we had 3 months to get our projects done.

Like the first round,

you are to make a big project and a small one.

They should be something that will really dazzle your partner

(of course!  there is 3 months to get-r-done!)

My partner wanted a sewing machine cover

and the one in  her mosaic is one of my absolute favorites.

I ordered the pattern

and made the cover

THE DAY BEFORE I HAD TO SHIP!

Yep.

I waited until the last minute,

because life was just too crazy and didn't allow me

the time to get it done beforehand.

So here is the finished result:

Now, mind you, I have never worked with linen in such a big scale before.

Just an FYI in case you haven't either,

it pulls and stretches really badly, 

so be careful as you put your project together.

Here are a few close ups for your viewing pleasure:

I've never done piping before and I was very happy with how it came out.

(sorry for the blurry photo!)

There are 60 - 2" squares in this project.

I used all text fabric, as my partner made mention she loved text fabric.

The tape measure twill on the left side of the text squares

came from The Little Red Cottage.

Overall I was very happy with how everything came out.

I also made her a pin cushion

and thread catcher.

My friend, Stephanie, did a great post on this thread catcher.

So great that I had to get the pattern and make one myself!

The pin cushion you can see in the first photo.

Flickr isn't letting me grab my photo to share on that one.

LOL

In all honesty,

I could have made time along the line

and not waited until the 11th hour,

but I didn't,

and I paid the price.

So here are my lessons learned:
1.  My partner didn't get my absolute best work.  I tried to make up for it

by making her two small items and sending some Aurifil thread (which we all know isn't cheap!)

2.  I paid the price, as I only got 2 hours of sleep that night (I had to work the next day), so I did not give myself my best either.

3.  My family paid the price for me being locked up in my sewing room the entire day/night.

4.  I cannot expect anyone to give their best, even myself, when things are put off to the last minute.  That is a very unfair expectation to myself and those around me.  I have to remember that the only

person I can be upset with in this situation is myself.

5.  I will revert back to this post the next time I feel I need to put something else ahead of what needs to be done.  Just as a friendly reminder that, no matter what,

procrastination leads to poor planning

and not giving your best to those who deserve it.

But I own this

and will cross my fingers that my partner loves what I made her!

This is my Oprah moment.

:o)

xoxo to all!

Cindy

Apron Swap

Hello out there!

As I mentioned

(I think I did anyway)

I participated in the 

Crafty Cooks Apron & Recipe Swap

Hosted by these two lovely ladies

Celtic Thistle

and

Sam who blogs

HERE

I have never in my life made an apron,

but I do foresee making more in my future!

I didn't post a picture of the finished apron in the group yet,

because I'm pretty sure my partner will know it's hers.

She's a gal after my own heart.

How do I know?

Because out of the three fabric choices I  gave,

she picked my favorite.

(and no one else that commented picked this one, so 

that's how I know she'll know, etc etc)

LOL

Forgive me for not having the name of the fabric!

I can tell you it's from Alexander Henry.

I did a little decorative stitching on the pocket.

(thanks to my new sewing machine, Josie,

my new BFF)

 I talked my son's girlfriend

(whom I love to pieces!)

into modeling the finished product.

I'm really happy with how this turned out.

 I really think Amanda has a new career in modeling.

Don't you?

I also made a matching potholder to go with it.

This was such fun to work on and 

I love someone with a sense of humor.  

The orange fabric is Scribbles by Patrick Lose.

(I adore his fabrics!!)

I bet you're curious to know what I received.

First I have to share a little story.

The shipping deadline was April 30th.

I knew my sister wasn't done with her apron,

so I was getting nervous that she was going to miss the deadline.

Well April 30th came,

and she was sewing away,

sending me teasing picture messages on my phone.

I was LOVING the apron she was making.

But 5:00 rolled around and the post office was closed.

I was bummed for her because she would miss being in the drawing 

for shipping on time.

So she said she would bring the apron to my house when I got home from work 

so I could see it in person.

I opened up the bag and saw this

Now anyone that knows me knows I have a total crush on Gerard Butler.

L.O.V.E. him

Period.

I had made mention on the discussion thread in the group

that it would sure be sweet to have a picture of Gerard on my apron

so when I wiped my face, I could kiss him at the same time.

Guess who my secret partner was

AND

shipped on time after all?

Yep,

my sister.

Check out these goodies.

The entire time I never knew.

And I was feeling bad for her

because neither one of us has ever shipped late for a swap

Don't you love these coasters?

And the tab for my towel?

But my absolute favorite thing

is I have the beautifully  made apron from my sister,

and I can kiss Gerard any time I want.

xoxo

Cindy

To Boston with Love Block Information

Just a quick  post this morning.

We are in the middle of spring cleaning 

here on the Smith ranch,

so that leaves little time for anything else right now.

If you haven't heard about how to give back by making a

flag to show love for Boston, click

HERE

for details.

One thing to note:

THE DEADLINE IS NOW MAY 21ST

to have them at your designated place.

You can read about the reason for moving up the due date

on Amy Friend's blog 

HERE

And in case you're wondering,

I am going to send mine to Amy.

Now back to cleaning.

I have so much sewing to get done,

but the broom is calling my name!

Wish me luck!

xoxo

A Little Bit of Everything

Hey y'all!

It's been another crazy week.

The rain just won't stop

and the warm weather teases us here 

in Iowa

and the very politely bows out

to allow the cold to creep back in.

Isn't it amazing how lady-like

the warmth is?

How nice of her to let the cold 

encompass us 

and allow for all this confusion of

"Do I put my winter close away or not?"

hhhmmmppppffffttthhhh

That's what I say.

Our days have pretty much looked like this

(in between rain showers)

So what does a gal do to get herself all cheery?
When there isn't time to sew
I stare at my stash.
Like these little beauties of
Little Red Riding Hood by Tasha Noel

I think she is so adorable
and will be cute fussy cut in a pouch...

...while picking mushrooms

Speaking of mushrooms,
I don't think those luscious morels are
going to find their way out this year
if it doesn't warm up soon!

And how about this sweet little treat of
Honey Honey by Kate Spain?
(thanks to my bestest sister, Sarah!)

And this fabric is just plain fun

I do have a project started using these fabrics.
The lilac colored fabrics are
Joel Dewberry's Blooms and Lattice

And in case you didn't see my photo on Flickr,
we have 4 new additions to our home.
A couple months ago
a very sweet, pregnant stray cat showed up on our doorstep
(she must have known she found a good home)
I didn't have the heart to take her in to be spayed,
so she had her kittens here
(and now I will be taking 5 cats in to be spayed/neutered when they are old enough)

But look at these adorable babies

The other two were being shy,
so I will have to show you them later.
I'm so glad this mama found us.
She has been a dream
and believe it or not,
our dogs love her!
It's like she was meant to be with us.

I hope this finds you all with lots of
exciting things taking place in your life!

xoxo
Cindy

Helpers

I hope I always look for the good in any bad

and hurtful situation.

I hope I'm always a helper.

My prayers to all involved with the Boston Marathon today.

Much, much love to all of you.

xoxo

Cindy

All in a Lunch Hour

What would a quilting blog be

without a crazy adventure to report

every now and then.

On Monday it was a gorgeous day.

After a crazy busy weekend

I was almost looking forward to Monday

in order to recoup a bit.

:)

So I packed a salad for my lunch

and planned on sewing the binding on my quilt

during my lunch hour.

Well, lunch time came,

I grabbed my salad from the frig,

sat down at my desk,

and got a text on my phone.

It was my sister.

"Lunch?" she text.

I replied

"Yep!"

So she then called and wanted to know if I 

would like to go for a drive over my lunch

since she was in town.

It was a beautiful day.

Well...."sure", I said.

I packed up my salad and met her in the parking lot.

Here's where there adventure starts.

We drove around the country roads.

Never paying attention to any signs.

OR the fact that it had just rained

ALL

NIGHT

LONG

"Gee, this road doesn't look bad.  We can make it"

Famous last words.

"What are we going to do?", she says.

"Do you have ***** Insurance?", I asked

"Yep"

"Then you have free towing."

The Rocky dance is now being performed.

And a memory is created

With a mark only Thelma & Louise would be proud of.

Oh yeah...

and we made darn sure to follow this fella out of the road.

Yep....

all in a lunch hour.

Make today count folks!

xoxo

Cindy

April - A Lovely Year of Finishes

How's it going?

I have a quick post this morning

on my April project for

A Lovely Year of Finishes

A family member will be having a hip replacement

this month, so I thought she would be in need of a quilt.

I've had my postage stamp

from ps i quilt

done for quite a while, but never bound.

(why do I do that?? finish quilts but take forever to bind them)

I'm crazy like that.

So, I decided she would get this quilt,

which means I need to get it bound!

I'm looking forward to making another one of these quilts too.

I just love the look.

I used Central Park by Kate Spain along with white Bella solid.

Makes for a beautiful quilt!

So my April project is to bind this quilt

and also so the April BOM for Lucky Stars

by Don't Call Me Betsy.

I know we are only supposed to pick one project,

but I need to keep up with my BOM,

so in order for myself not to fall behind,

it's just a given that this little block will be included with my monthly finish.

:)

I'm dying to know what projects you're working on!!

Spill the beans kids!