In Progress

I don't have pics of the new voodoo doll pins for St Pat's Day or Easter yet but they are coming.

These are the masks I'm working on. A male and female. They need to be sanded before I can start painting.

Here's one of those kits I told you about. This one by Gail Wilson. I was going to do the MAIDA challenge but ran out of time. Now I know why I don't make doll patterns.

Stuffing is next.

I'm now working on my second sock. So much better than the first. My tension is a lot better and I reduced the number of stitches in my pattern. The second sock is fitting much better than the first. I'll be ready for my next pairs.

No Pics

At least not yet. Last week was not so good. I hit a couple of speed bumps, fell into a pot hole followed by a sink hole of WTH. The two weeks before last were great as far as getting things worked on. And then... the glitch. I don't know what happened and I will not spend any time analyzing why it was a fail. Not an epic fail but one nonetheless.

Getting back in my creative saddle and back to talking to my muse and genie. Yep, I've got one. Yesterday was a good day. I've changed my strategy a bit and will use the bulk of the day to write and/or edit and make things that I can sell. After dinner will be time to work on other fun things. I am still adamant about getting my quilt tops completed this year.

• I worked on things for St. Pat's Day, which for some reason I thought was next month. I'm going to finish those pieces now so they will be ready. Boy that's going to feel good. Having something ready way ahead of time. 
• I edited two more chapters of Map Hunter. One to go and then I can retype and print off those chapters for another edit. I've seen some things that need a little padding. 
• The two Day of the Dead masks are finally taking shape. 
• I started a Celtic knot design and I think I'll put it on a pillow.
• Continued prepping applique pieces for Bless This House.

Not bad for a day. I have three more days left in this month and I'll see what I can make happen. Have a great day!

Game Night

A pictureless post peeps. Yesterday after my sock class with Maya (pics of that will follow because now I has a heel!) she invited me over for dinner and Canasta. Not one to pass up a free home cooked meal, I accepted. And I would like to get better at Canasta. Two others were going to join us so we would have three teams of two.

Maya's husband Joel made fresh chicken enchiladas that were amazing. Then we all sat at the kitchen table and played several hands. Two newbies caught on fast. It was different having that many people play. We didn't finish until after 1 on the AM this morning. We were so tired by the last round that we were begging the leading team to just take us out of our misery. But it was fun. Maya and Joel are planning a game night once a month. Not after a knitting class though. For me and Maya, our brains were fried after learning how to knit a heel along with some very special people in class.

Do you have a game night? I think it's a good way to actually talk and be around others. We seem to be missing that in our society today.

Almost a Sock

One of the things I've wanted to do for a long time is to learn how to knit socks. Here's what I have so far. It's a toe-up design, which I love because there's no horrid seam across the toes. I tried them on and they are so comfy. We get to the heel this Saturday. So exciting.

Girl's Day

Some of my gal pals (Maya, Amanda, Chrissy) and I decided to do a Girl's Day. A day of cooking, communing, and doing crafts. After all, that's what was done in the past when there were neighborhoods or way back when the women in the village got together to cook for everyone. We also want to see if it's more cost effective for everyone to chip in on ingredients, make something collectively to share than to buy stuff on our own and make the food. So far, it's the former. I wouldn't be able to make what we made by myself in one shot.

So this is what we made.

Vegetable soup or stew. Very hearty with leeks, onions, garlic, carrots, potato, tomato, celery, fresh parsley and bay leaf, organic gluten free veggie stock (we may start to make our own).

It was great being in a kitchen, cutting up ingredients, talking about life and laughing a lot.

 We also made gluten free rosemary bread. This one is mine. We made up our batters together and it was like a mini cooking class. The next time we do this recipe, we will allow it to sit a little longer and use buttermilk instead of skim milk. I tell you, that house smelled wonderful.

Here's my final loaf right out of the oven. With real butter, it's oh so lovely. After we ate, and we did eat, we pulled out knitting for about an hour. We plan on doing this once a month. Sometimes we will go berry picking when things are in season.

Good Things Jar

I finally got my Good Things Jar decorated. I saw this on Facebook last year, to have a jar to put in good things that happen to you in it. Because we get so involved with day-to-day stuff and can remember extremely cool stuff or really bad stuff but the small things seem to be forgotten. Then at the end of the year on New Year's Eve, you read all the good things that happened during the year. So here is my jar. Some basic felt and embroidery floss.

 I've got a ton of buttons hanging around and decided to add some to the design.

And I even have two slips of paper inside already. Have a great weekend!

First Artist Date

Yesterday was my first Artist Date. I'm back at trying to stay current with the Sketchbook Challenge for the month. I want my date to be on Wednesdays. I went to the Reynolda House Museum of American Art to see the Romare Bearden Odyssey exhibit. I wasn't going to go but I told myself that it was my art date with me. I am so glad I went. The show was wonderful and I felt so inspired to create more art. The watercolors were wonderful. After viewing the exhibit, I went into the main house up to the costume collection and sketched. I did these in between groups of school kids.

Of course I'm thinking dolls for some of these and will have to go back because some of the detail on the gowns needed more time than I had. I tell you, it was fun sketching. I hadn't done it in awhile. I'm still rusty but I hope to rectify that very soon.

My Do Day

One thing I've noticed about myself is that sometimes I think too much. So much so, that I don't get anything done. I'm working on changing that this year and today was a 'do day'. No thinking, just doing. When I have so much to do and want to do and I start thinking, I panic. Ending up not doing a thing. I really want to get my quilt top finished. At least one of them. I have several. Today, I finished the block from hell.  Number 12 block of my Hop To It quilt. Yes... it took me a year. Why? Who knows. Maybe because I just didn't like this particular block. I was going to ditch it but had most of the pieces already cut out. Here it is.

Yes, I am happy. Relieved and pleased. Now I have to starch each block, square them up, and sew them together. The top will have a border but nothing fancy because I WANT THE DARN THING DONE!

Long live Jombi.

Almost A Week In

I can't explain it but this year didn't start off as planned. That's what I get for being excited about something. Cow patties hit the fan and you just don't know what happened. So, one day at a time. Looking back on what I was to accomplish last year, well, that didn't go as planned either. Other things did get done and were created from scratch but many unfinished personal projects didn't make the cut. But I am bound and determined to get my quilt tops together. Again. That's one of my plans. I'm not giving up.

So, for right now, this is what's going on. I'm working on a commission that I want to get done withing the next two weeks. Bills are rolling in. I want to finish the last block to my Hop To It quilt so I can put all the blocks together. I'm doing quite well keeping up with Bless This House and by the time we get to the last pieces, that will be together. I will do my best to keep up with Sketchbook Challenge challenges. This month is artist dates. Seeing as I just read the info, I'm behind a week but that's okay. I will figure out what I want to do and start this week. I really want to start sketching again.

 The last block for Hop To It. I'm finally working on it. It's not my most favorite of all the blocks and because of that, I hadn't finish the top. Now, I'm just tired of having loose quilt blocks laying around, so I'm working on it.

This is the beginning of the top panel to Bless This House. I still have to applique the trees down.

Sorry this pic is horrendous. I took it with my cell phone and not able to fix it. I can't get pics off my camera card and will be begging for help from a computer friend. But it shows the floor of my studio. I can see it and get around the room. Three trash bags of junk. I do need to make a trip to Goodwill. I can also get to my sewing machine.

I still need to straighten some things but now I can work while doing so. The creative juices are flowing again.

Here's my jar and felt pieces to cover it. It's going to be my 'Good Things' jar. I will write down when good things happen to me and place them in the jar. On New Year's Eve, I will read through them so I can be reminded of some of the cool things that happened throughout the year.

I still have lists. We'll see what happens.