ATC Birthday Swap Update

Hello all - I have now emailed out the list of birthdays and addresses for this swap - if you haven't received it and you are on my list, let me know! There were also a few corrections, which I will remind you of later in the swap year. The plan, as it stands, is to email at the start of each month (or shortly before) to remind you all of which birthdays are in which month - we'll see how far through the year I get before forgetting to do it!

Word mini

Here's one of the things I did today (told you I might actually get some work done!) - I also finished testing the December bag pattern, but I can't show you the resulting bag until December. This is the top for a swap on the 6-12" flickr group, where the November theme is words. The problem is, I don't really like it! The idea was to quilt words in the black background with black thread, so it was quite subtle, but I'm not thrilled, so I may go back to my first idea for the swap, which was just quilted words on an unpieced background. We'll see. Perhaps it will grow on me.

I also received a postcard today - belated Neocolour II swap card - but at the moment, I'm not sure where it is - the house is a bit chaotic at the moment, as nearly everything is out of the living room while that's being painted - which means the living room is an insane mess (well - all the furniture in the centre of the room with dropcloths over it) but also that the dining room/computer room are piled high with all the stuff from the living room - which is a lot of stuff, as that's where all the kids' games are and most of the toys, in addition to tons of cds & dvds and so on. Only a few days more, I hope, then it will be all lovely and done.

Happy birthday to me!

First of all, just want to say thanks to everyone who has emailed or left a comment, etc, to wish me happy birthday - all those good wishes are welcome, even if I haven't had a chance to reply to them all!


Today I spent the day up in town - first I popped into the Royal Academy to have a look at the exhibit called Aime Maeght and His Artists (the artists in question being Miro, Calder, Giacometti and Braque with a few other bits and pieces). Miro I like ok, Calder I can take or leave and Giacometti I adore. Braque is not an artist about whom I knew a lot before today (not that I know a lot now, but I have more familiarity than I did). I think again, I can take or leave much of his work as I am not a huge cubism fan. I can appreciate the artistic ideas behind it, but it doesn't thrill me to look at it.

There was at the exhibit also a wonderful set of landscapes - and I can't for the life of me remember who they were by - either Braque, which seems unlikely given the style - or Bonnard, which seems perhaps more likely, though I can't find anything like them with a google image search - anyway, they were mostly just very plain, fields and sky, with heavily textured oils, but they were great. [If anyone has seen the exhibit and knows what I'm talking about, let me know the artist - they were on the left hand wall as you came into the back room - four paintings, fairly small - to the left of the showcase with the larger Grecian inspired Braque pieces...]



The exhibit also had a small handful of works by Matisse, including the above picture, Le Buisson (The Bush), a painting I have always liked. So the verdict for me - not so thoroughly enjoyable as the last exhibit I saw there (the Hammershoi) but still a nice visit. The Byzantium exhibit looked promising from a distance, so I may try to get back before that finishes.

Anyway, I came home to lots of nice presents - some of which being:



This treasure trove from Karol Ann - all individually wrapped on the left - including a silk scarf, another African bag, a book, candlestick and diary. And all the bits of ribbon and so on used to wrap the pieces. What a great gift! Thanks, K-A.



Also a lovely card from Marga, which was totally unexpected and very thoughtful, and a package of Indian goodies from Lana, which was totally expected and very thoughtful! And of course she wrapped it all in a gorgeous piece of silk, rather than use something silly like wrapping paper... [this was delivered via Rod a few weeks ago when he was in London on business - I've been dying to open it as Lana always gives good presents...]



And here are a few more - on the left, a bag, purse and magnetic bracelet/necklace from my mother (who, by the way, is doing a Pay it Forward drawing over on her blog - go check it out!) and my birthday socks (cotton, as I am allergic to wool) made for me specially by Cathi, who also gave me a $40 gift certificate to eQuilter - why she thought I could use that.... LOL! Anyway, I love my socks, they are very comfy (not to mention funky) - this photo doesn't really show the funkiness of the knit, but they are indeed totally cool.

I also got a fabulous (original) watercolour painting of some lovely trees (autumnal, trunks, no leaves) which I will attempt to photograph in the daytime - hard to photograph things behind glass without a glare - from my blogless friend Caroline. All the lovely pressies make me wish my birthday had a zero on the end every year!

I didn't do any sewing today, of course (though I have high hopes for tomorrow, as I have to spend the day in the house waiting for someone to come put insulation in my loft some time between 8 and 3) though I did also manage to read an entire book (Property, by Valerie Martin) on the train and while sitting in Camden Lock Market having a coffee. Which is a birthday present of its own, really... I also went out to lunch with Geoff at Hache and had a truly excellent burger. So, happy birthday to me!

Goodies galore

Lots of lovely goodies in the post today - and it's not even my birthday! These stars are from the star swap on Lenna's Creative Swaps website - they are all wonderful in their own, unique way and will make great additions to the tree this year.

All the other pieces are from a complex cloth swap on my surface embellishment group - I particularly like the dark red one, but frankly, they are all superb. Now to think of something to do with them (other than just admire them, that is)...

Cross stitch, goals, birthday

I didn't think I'd done much on this cross-stitch until I compared the photos - it's not too bad, really, given that I only have had a few evenings to work this week. (It's my busy social life cutting into cross-stitch time, LOL.) Next week, I might get a bit further on it.

And my goals for the week had a little work done on them as well - not a lot, but some:

• Last journal quilt - done! I have enjoyed this project, but I am glad I'm done with it...
  
• November birthday block - done and in the post
  
• coasters for dyehard swap - nope, maybe next week
  
• work on Angela's quilt - yeah, well. maybe some day!

Next week, I'm going to try again to get a few things done, LOL:

• coasters for dyehard swap
• November arch
• finish testing December bag pattern
• November ATC - leaf motif
  

And finally, I'll show these little buttons - they came in an envelope from my mother with my birthday card - she left me a little present when I was visiting (which I haven't opened yet as my birthday isn't until Wednesday) which squishes promisingly, so I will probably show that to you later in the week.

Last journal quilt

Here's the last of the year of journal quilts - number 52. I have done a very simple JQ this week, representing both the end of this project - my 40th birthday, which is next Wednesday - and the beginning - my dad's shirts, which was what I used for the very first JQ I did. In this instance, I used a piece with the pocket still intact, and I intend to cut some bits from the cards I receive, to keep in the pocket. I've enjoyed this project, but I do think I'm glad to have it finished! Next week some time, I think I will put all the photos into flickr, perhaps with the descriptions as well, and set up a slide show - should be fun.

I did also do some more quilting on the fabric for the bag, but it doesn't really look any different than Thursday. I won't get anything more done, as we are having a little get together this evening, so I'll do some cooking - not a fancy dinner party, but it will need lots of nibbles. And I'm not the store-bought nibble type, really. I'll try to remember to take a photo of the food when it's done.

Something to show when you can't show stuff

I received a quilt related thing today in the post - the finished centre to quilt for the Spring Fling Round Robin 2 - but I can't show it. Yadda yadda. There's a lot of that going around, I know. Anyway, I decided instead to share my postcard holder with you - at the moment, it's got an autumnal theme. You probably worked that out. The autumnal theme will last until we're ready for Christmas - I don't always do a seasonal theme - after Christmas I'll probably just go through and pull out a lot of favourites.

A little quilting

Here's what I did today - doesn't really show very well, but I quilted about half of the piece of fabric on the left, in preparation for making the December bag (I'm pattern testing again) for my bag challenge. I know we aren't suppose to show the bag before December, but frankly, a rectangle of quilted fabric doesn't show much. And at least it gives me something to blog. I have FMQ'ed it with purple thread more or less around some of the motifs on this very busy butterfly wing fabric - I hope the end result will be pleasing, but you can't see that until December, LOL.

New York Beauty, Repro Mini

Here's what I did today - finished off the birthday block (8" NYB) for November - now to take the paper off the two pp-ed bits and it can go in the post - and made another little mini quilt. This one is 15" square and needs a binding, but basically, it's done. It's a replacement piece for a swapper who received something of quite a poor quality and not really to her preferences. Hopefully, this will suit better.

Goals & cross-stitch

I haven't discussed my weekly goals much lately, though I have continued to set them in the sidebar - a quick update tonight, along with some cross-stitch photos, and then off to bed, I think!

Last week's goals were few and modest:

• journal quilt for the week (deadline 8/11) - done.
• sew down binding on Twisted Mystery quilt - finished, and off in the post. hoorah.
• quilt Holiday Booty quilt - quilted, bound, sleeved. Now for a label and a few small goodies to throw in with it, then it too will be on its way.

This week, we shall also not strive too hard:

• journal quilt for the week (deadline 15/11) - this is the last one, week 52. Wow.
• November birthday block
• coasters for winter swap with Dyehard
• work on Angela's quilt

And now, for some cross-stitch update and so forth.

Last week, I had finished the robins and the nest but for the outlining/backstitching - this week, I have finished the backstitching, so everything is just a bit better defined. I'm going to set this one aside now until after the holidays, and will come back to it then. In this festive period (ha) I am going to tackle these two:

The "Noel" piece I bought last autumn at the Knit and Stitch show and made fairly good progress on - I will finish it this year, barring catastrophe - there's not a lot more to do - it's just the four planters - three have topiary, the other is a birdhouse (the "E", I think). The main boring part will be the rest of the snow, which is probably why I put it aside last year. (They had this sort of pattern with a variety of different words - I resisted "Christmas", which was a lovely pattern, but would have taken much longer to finish - and all that snow!

The angels I started many years ago - not sure how many - and I work on it a bit each year, though often not much. I don't expect to finish this, I just want to make some noticeable progress. Maybe get the blue angel done and most of the green one (there's a third, in the centre, as well).

I also have a lovely Bent Creek piece with an alphabet and the word "snow" with some snowmen - I think it would be a quick one (that one's not started yet at all) to do - I might do that one after Christmas, when I am tired of Christmas things but still feeling wintery. We'll see. I do love the Bent Creek patterns - just the right level of country and naive for me, and very open to stitch, so really quick.

Bunch of stuff

Another productive day today - nice to have a weekend with a little downtime in it so that I can sew. Especially in light of how busy October seemed to be. The next few days look fairly busy, but later in the week I hope to have a bit more time to work - hoorah!

Anyway, here's what I did - I made two African blocks (more or less both like this - the fussy cut animals are slightly different) for my block swap with Karol Ann. I recently counted the blocks, and though I can't remember how many there are, I decided I could keep going for a little while before it got to the point where I really had to do something with the blocks. Whew! I'll send this to her later in the week and then it will be her turn again. I won't rush, though, as I know she's just as busy as I am!



The other things I did were some paper pieced blocks - the start of the November birthday block for Margaret - the second arc isn't joined to the purple arc yet, so it might look a little off. Beyond the visible edge is another purple arc, and the block finished in red - the same red that's in the points in the centre - the two reds are actually different, though it may not look it from this photo. And I also did four more blocks for the block lotto - now I just have to take the paper off, and they'll be ready to go when the lotto finishes at the end of November. I reckon I can manage it by then. Probably.

Super Saturday

As promised, something to show today - this is the finished mini quilt for the Miniature Booty Swap (special holiday edition) - I finished quilting it today, attached the binding & sleeve and then even managed to get the binding sewn down while watching Olivia's class perform in a performing arts festival (or, more precisely, between watching all the different acts perform). I do need to attach a label and then round up one or two bits to put in with it before it goes overseas, but on the whole, it's done. Whoo hoo. And that's all the mini quilts I have at present to finish - though I should be receiving the Spring Fling Round Robin soon, and will then need to quilt that.

Also did a variety of other work - some paper piecing started, which I will show when I finish - some more Amish houses and a start on the November birthday block. I also did this week's journal quilt - week no 51, if you can believe it - next week is the last one. I think I am glad to see the end of this project... And I put together 36 of the cracker blocks I received from the block lotto into a little baby quilt (well, the top, anyway). There were some more blocks, but unfortunately, some of them were too small to be usable, so I have set them aside to pass to someone else to perhaps make a Project Linus blanket from.

Things received...

This has been a monumentally busy week, even by my standards, with very little time spent at home (most of it at school, with one thing and another). However, I did receive a few nice things in the post in the last day or two - I received a belated arch (September, I think) from my arch swap - it's a two sided arch, and came with all the goodies in the left-hand picture above. Well worth waiting for, both in terms of the arch, and the goodies - thanks to Gillian for that. And on the right, the last of the cracker blocks from the block lotto - now I can put them together into a top for a baby quilt in my free time (ha).

I'm hoping this coming week will offer a little more time to work - I do have high hopes of the weekend, though, so you should be seeing some interesting things later.

Quick, short update post

Nothing much to say here, as I have been at school all day today and on a school trip all day yesterday (it's one of those weeks) - I did do some sewing, of sorts, this afternoon, though it mostly involved threading needles for a bunch of 8 and 9 year olds and showing them how to attach buttons.

It was interesting, in a way - those of us who sew a lot take things for granted I think - for instance, the ability to bring the needle up through the fabric from underneath and get it in the general vicinity of the hole in the button you are sewing on.

Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone who commented on my post on productivity - some great comments there - I have responded to some of you - apologies if I didn't/don't get back to you personally - there were a couple of no-reply comments for one thing, for another I am just crazy busy at the moment...

If you have left a emailed my about the birthday ATC swap and I haven't got back to you, don't panic - I will!

Some thoughts on productivity

One of the comments I get all the time on my blog is something to the effect that it's amazing how much I get done in a small amount of time, in my busy life, and so on. So, given that I'm in for a bit of a long haul tonight while watching the election results roll in I thought I'd share some thoughts on how I manage to be as productive as I am - who knows, perhaps some of them will help you as well...

• Dedicated space. One of the main things that helps me get a lot done is having a dedicated sewing space. Now, I am lucky enough to have a room - albeit a small one - where I can work, so I am able to leave my sewing machine set up (though not my iron & ironing board) and leave projects out - this helps a lot, as things are ready to go when you are. If at all possible, I highly recommend having a dedicated sewing space - even if this is just a little table somewhere in the corner of a room, with your sewing machine set up on it. Obviously, it's not always possible. If not, I'd recommend keeping your sewing materials in an easily accessible place - the simpler it is to set up and get ready, the more likely you are to do it, even if you don't have a huge amount of time.
• Range of options. Another way to help productivity is to have several projects in progress at once - I don't mean, necessarily, the dozens of things I tend to have going on, but three or four different types of projects in different stages can actually increase productivity. For instance, if you have only a large bed quilt which is at the quilting stage on the go, if you only have 15 minutes you might very sensibly not want to tackle it. If you have a project which is in the process of being pieced as well, you're more likely to be able to use smaller amounts of time. Not to mention, sometimes you just aren't in the mood for one type of thing, but you might be for something else. Having a range of options available at any given time means you are more likely to have to hand just the right thing to work on.
• Forward planning. It helps productivity to have a clear idea of what you want to do before you start. I don't mean you need to plan everything out, but if you go to your sewing space with a clear plan, you won't waste any time worrying about what you want to do. I often use "waste time" to plan some of my sewing - I mean things like the time you spend standing in queues or walking to school to get the kids or driving to the supermarket. I might use the time to think of a design to try for a postcard or test a quilting pattern idea in my head, or even just something as simple as think about what project I want to work on and whether I know where all the bits of it are.
• Tidiness & organisation. This is related to forward planning - if your workspace is a mess and you have no idea where things are, you are going to lose time when you are ready to sew. You might also be frustrated. I periodically tidy up my sewing room, especially when I'm feeling uninspired anyway.
• Listen to your muse. Go with your gut instinct rather than second guessing all the time. And also, listen when you aren't feeling inspired with a project - putting something aside until it speaks to you (or until you really can't avoid the deadline any more) is a better use of time than persisting with something which isn't working - you may well end up undoing work later - or simply hating the piece.
• Use your time/multitask. I've sort of said this before, but basically, don't write off small amounts of time. Even 10-15 minutes can afford an opportunity to work on something. If you plan ahead, you can have something ready to work on in those little bits of spare time. And use time which might otherwise be a bit wasted - I do handwork (& cross-stitch) while watching telly - even if you aren't a big handworker, things like binding can be done while watching TV. If you knit, that can easily be done while watching telly (simpler patterns, anyway). Have a portable project you can take with you and do while waiting for appointments or in queues. I have a quilter friend whose kids compete in gymnastics - she's done tons of work while waiting for them to have their turns in tournaments.
• Value your work. Teach your kids (and DH if necessary) to respect the fact that when you are working on your art, it's just as important as if you are doing work in an office, etc. Because most of us do our art in the home, people tend to think they can just interrupt willy nilly - obviously there are times when being interrupted is the right thing, but I'm training my kids to be more self-sufficient - or to ask Daddy for help. You don't need to be the one to get the drink of water or put the video on (obviously, this depends on the ages of your kids - my youngest is nearly 6, so there's a lot he can do himself or have his sisters help with). One way to approach this is to have a chat with the rest of the family before you start working and say that you are going to sew for an hour (or whatever) and is there anything they need before you start... Some of this simply practical logistics, but some of this also to do with valuing your work yourself - if you constantly let yourself be interrupted when you are working, people will assume it's okay to do it, and things will never change. A perfect solution would be to have large blocks of time on your own to work, but that's not practical for many of us. Likewise, if you do have time with no other people in the house and you are working, don't answer the phone (unless you are expecting an important call). And so on.
• Focus. Don't get distracted. This ties in with valuing your work and your time. If you decide you are going to spend an hour, a morning, a day, a weekend sewing, then don't let yourself get distracted from it by small things. If something comes up which needs to be dealt with relatively soon and you are worried you will forget it, write it down to do later. For instance "oh yeah, I was going to clear out that cupboard"... Once you have set aside some time to work, keep to it. Unless, of course, you are frustrated and uninspired, in which case, by all means do something else!
• Give up sleeping. No, just kidding - just wanted to see if you were still reading :)

A little winter quilt...

This is my little quilt for the Holiday round of the Miniature Booty Swap - the top has been done for a while, but I hadn't had a chance to quilt it yet - today I had an hour or so free, so pinned it together and got started - I'm doing it with a few snowflakes, then filled in with swirls and a swirly meander - meant to look a bit like a snowstorm - hopefully that works!

I also managed to finish sewing down the binding on and adding a label to my quilt for the Twisted Mystery 2 - soon I will send that off to the hostess and eventually, finally, be able to show it - probably not until late November, though.

Sunday stuff

Had a busy day today - bid farewell to our visitors, including driving them to the airport - they are all back home safe and sound and the Minnie Mouse ears which were left behind shall soon follow them home via the postal service, along with the Dear Jane block I made for Cathi recently - if I can find it. Tomorrow I have a sewing room clearout planned, so perhaps I will find it then...

Anyway, today I first made binding and attached it to the Twisted Mystery 4 Quilt - someday, I will be able to show you that quilt! Hoepfully I will get it sewn down in the next few days and it can go in the post.

I also made these postcards which are for the "W is for..." swap - the first two I did with a lovely variegated metallic thread and on the third one, the machine just decided it hated the thread and wasn't going to sew it any more. So the other three were done with a variegated rayon thread - needs must. And finally, I did four little houses for the November block lotto, which features Amish style houses. I hope to get four more done over the course of the month some time - we'll see how that goes.

Here's an update on my cross-stitch - before you get too impressed, this is two weeks' worth of work. I am nearly at a stopping point on this one - once I finish the bird section I am going to move on to something Christmassy. It will probably take another week to do the birds, though, as I have to do all the back-stitching. Joy! (Vicki, I know you'll sympathise with me on that one...)

I was going to list my new goals here, but this is getting long, and it's late, so I might do that tomorrow. Or I might just update the list in the sidebar without discussing them...

2009 Birthday ATC Swap

Ok, there seems to be some interest in this idea, so I'm going to open it officially - here's how it will work:

• I will take approximately 25-30 people for this swap, regardless of when their actual birthdays are.
• You will be expected to send ATCs each month to the people who have a birthday in that month - a list will be generated at the start of the year, so you can plan ahead as I think it highly unlikely that we will end up with an even spread of birthdays
• You can send the ATCs for a given month out in one go or spread through the month according to actual birthdays, it's up to you
• A reminder will be sent early each month as to which birthdays are happening that month
• In your birthday month, you will receive a variety of lovely ATCs - woo hoo!
• Most definitely an international swap - ATCs are light to mail, so the cost won't be prohibitive
• ATCs do not have to be birthday themed (but may be, if you like)
• ATCs can be made in any media - paper based, fabric based, mixed media, anything else you can think of...

If you are interested, please email me off the blog (don't leave a comment with your personal details in it!) at katelnorth at yahoo dot com with your full name and postal address and when your birthday is (you don't have to tell what year!). If you have a blog, let me know that address, too. For some of you, of course I know these things, but it will help if you email me anyway.

Here's who I have who have expressed interest already - if you change your mind, that's fine, too:

1. Anna (UK)
2. Joyce (UK)
3. Pippa (UK)
4. Wil (Netherlands)
5. Margarita (US)
6. Kate (me!) (UK)
7. Pauline (Australia)
8. Aine (Ireland)
9. Jovita (Lithuania)
10. Shasta (US)
11. Monique (Netherlands)
12. Elisabetta (Italy)
13. Wendy (US)
14. Julie (US)
15. Sandy (US)
16. Di (UK)
17. Cindy (US)
18. Carol (UK)
19. Joanie (US)
20. Leslie (US)
21. Lynne (Sweden)
22. Morning Dove (US)
23. Norma
    
24. Charmion (US)
25. Ann (UK)
26. Silvia (Italy)
27. Marina (Italy)
28. Kathy (UK)
29. Ange (US)
30. Joy (Australia)
31. Sharon (US)
32. Norma (UK)
33. Sheila (UK)
34. Mary (Netherlands)
35. Leah (US)

...and that's it ladies - officially closed.

W for Winter

Here's a lovely postcard I got in the post today - from Jovita in Lithuania - on the theme "W is for...". As with all white, bright cards, it's quite hard to photograph, but I think you get the idea.

Nothing else to show today as we spent the day up in town with Cathi & family - terrible weather, but we had a good time anyway. Tomorrow perhaps there will be work to show - or at least a cross-stitch update!

ATC idea for 2009

So, I've been playing with ideas for 2009 in terms of swaps, etc, and although I'll probably organise at least one round of the ALQS, I thought I might offer something a little different and a little smaller in terms of committments, as well. Here's what I have in mind - a birthday ATC swap. Here's how it would work. If you were interested in playing, you would sign up by sending me your birthday (year not necessary!) and your address. Then each month in 2009, you'd be committed to sending an ATC (any ATC, not a birthday theme necessarily) to the people who have a birthday in that month. And in your month, you'd get one from each player. I'd probably limit it to 25-30 people max, to keep postage down (or divide into groups, if there's a lot of interest). What do you all think - any interest in that sort of swap? It does mean committing to an entire year, but it's a small committment and I would plan to email a reminder each month so you wouldn't forget it was time to send them out...