finish a long q2 list of promises

 

Will I be more successful this quarter? Maybe.

I will rollover all but one previous projects, the Zen Chic coaster.

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1 Rainbow Coin Quilt
2 Flannel QAYG Throw
3 Candy Flower Pillow
4 Marmalade Squares II Quilt
5 Scrappy Name Tag

I will add this mini for a certain stinky little bunny.

6 Beeksie’s Blanket

Also, this VMQG Challenge project due in June.

7 VMQG Challenge Placemat

I’m having trouble coming up with enough I Spy like hexies from the fabric given, so there will have to be some from the stash.

 

Looking forward to your finishes. Good luck to everyone!

finish-a-long q1

Well, here it is. My Q1 Finish-a-long contribution.

Yes, it’s a coaster. Math makes me shut down, so I wanted to experiment with how to make a nice sized coaster without doing any real measuring. This is from a mini charm pack of Zen Chic Figures and I made a disappearing nine patch. I learned this block from Cluck Cluck Sew’s tutorial. It finishes at 5×5 by some miracle. I put the shiny batting in between, so it is somewhat thermal.

I took a good bash at my Rainbow Coin Quilt, I really did, but between a sore back and two small children, I did not have the strength after 8PM to be crawling around the floor basting a quilt. I was also a bit frustrated by the raggedyness of the bottom. I did hack a ton of it off, and with it many of the coins. Not sure how it all went so wrong.
rainbow coin quilt

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This first one was just a Hello Darling Nine Patch and it’s a bit big.

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I am sorry to report that the beautiful mug you see in the picture, the one I have my morning coffee in, has chipped. Unfortunate dishwasher accident this week.

It was a gift with (macadamia nut) purchase from Hilo Hattie. We were on our honeymoon and had just visited Kapaia Stitchery. It was across the street, so we just had to stop in.

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Congrats to everyone on the fabulous finishes! Perhaps my list next quarter will be less ambitious….

#2016fal

casing the joint

Well I’m done with chickpeas. Sorry, I lost interest. There’s a few more chickpea things I might show you, so don’t worry, but I’d much rather sew.

I cancelled my fat quarter club subscription from Earthly Goods. The shop is lovely, but the fabrics I was getting weren’t really my bag. So I joined the Color Your Stash club with Fabric Shoppe instead. 12 fat quarters a month plus a spool of Aurifil. However, my stash is pretty, ahem, “colourful” already so I don’t need any more fabric. I had to commit to making one thing a month from the package. Although I did get the Christmas package, I didn’t really feel like making Christmas stuff mid December. There is a plan for that fabric next Christmas, so I think that counts.

January’s pink package arrived yesterday and thanks to hubbo making my children disappear all morning, I made something already. Behold the I’m Obsessed with Bunnies Pillowcase!

Now, I’m going to link to this pattern because it is a cute design and FQ friendly. However, the instructions are duff! I have no clue what kind of witchcraft they employed to get the trim on to this pillowcase, but it cannot be done. Dunno, maybe I’m just addled. If you can work it out, do let me know. I could have made this in less than a morning had I not had to work out a new way of attaching the trim. If you decide to use this pattern, here’s what I did.

Make the 40 inch tube but don’t press in half or fold over. Put the right side of the trim inside the pillowcase on the wrong side and sew a scant 1/4 inch seam.

Press this seam towards the trim side of the pillowcase.

Now fold the other raw edge over a 1/2 inch and press.

Flip the raw edge around to the outside of the pillowcase and topstitch all around.

I see many more pillowcases in my future.

I don’t know what the kids do with these hashtags, but here’s one anyway. #coloryourstashclub

day 3: soaked

Tonight I’m getting out the big orange bowls to soak me some chickpeas.

While I love the convenience of opening a can, I am also quite cheap. Canned beans are expensive! But I also find them to be a little mushy. So I soak my own. The general rule is that they double in volume, but I suspect it’s a little more than that. No worries. If there’s extras, you just get a big ole freezer bag and throw them in the freezer. Make sure they’re nice and cool first, otherwise you will end up with a big lump that you will have to chip away at with a knife.

Anyway. I have honed chickpea boiling to an art and I have discovered that 40 minutes is the perfect time for a firm yet yielding chickpea.

I always worry that they will take on so much water, that the kitchen will be covered in beachball sized chickpeas when I come down in the morning. Hasn’t happened yet….

day 2: chickpeas for veganuary

Have you heard about Veganuary? What could be better for this than chickpeas?

That’s right, nothing. Now, I’m not going to make this today because I’ve already had leftover hummus for lunch, but I love this idea.

Deconstructed Falafel Bowls!

It is on my list of recipes to try because while I love falafel, it seems like a lot of work. And I don’t even make my own!

There is another recipe for falafel bowls on that page, which I think I like better. Why don’t you make one and let me know how it goes…

worst crocheter ever

Need I say more?

Look at that wonky edge. I know why it happens every time. I’m too lazy to count stitches and too arrogant to see crocheting as a challenge. The result is that I never know which is the turning chain and which is the stitch. I see the wonk and I let it continue. Ripping it out is not an option. So there it is: the wonkiest placemat in existence.