Winter Time Quilts as Summer Starts

I've always thought it would be really cool to make a lone star quilt.

They look so complex, but I think I'm ready to take on the challenge.

(That and the pattern I am using makes it pretty easy)

I found an awesome kit on connectingthreads.com around Christmas time and was able to catch it when it went on clearance for half price. I picked up an extra kit for another friend so we could motivate each other to complete it.

 (Unfortunately Connecting Threads no longer lists the kit or else I would try for some better photos :/)

School has kept me so busy that I haven't gotten a chance to start,

 but I took some time today to start making some cuts. 

I'm excited to watch this quilt come together.

And just a side note.... Take the stickers off the self-healing mat 

BEFORE you start cutting!

Otherwise you get to pick hundreds of little pieces off the board. 

Also be sure to wipe off any sticky residue that is left behind.

Dresden Plate Pillow

or at least the top of the pillow...

I'm on spring break from school so its given me a little more time to relax and craft. Except for the fact I've been working a 5am shift at work.

I've wanted to try out the Dresden plate pattern for awhile but so many other ideas have already filled up my crafting cue.

Today I decided to grab some scraps and make a "mini" version (the blue is a 12" square) after some inspiration from here. I even made my own paper template!

In other crafting news around here...

I managed to make some double fold binding and stitch it onto my hexagon quilt, only to find out the outside corners were stitched wrong. :'(

So, much to my dismay I had to rip it out.

Its sitting in a bundle on the couch reminding me it needs to be finished. Maybe I will get around to it by the time school starts.

Denim Cuffs for Robot Arms and Hexagon Quilts

This last week has been crazy, but luckily I knocked back school 

long enough to work on some projects for myself.

 As part of the Engineering Club at my school, I have been helping to build a robotic arm. This is the prototype we showed off at the club fair. I also built that robot costume sometime last year, and reused it to help promote our table. I made someones day when the fair was over by giving them the costume which I had no further use for.

 The week has had some beautiful weather. I thought I might share a snapshot of what my drive is like. This is on the way home, and its even better on the way to school. I hope to get a picture of the beautiful mountains I get to enjoy during my morning drive.

 This has been my most recent project. Finally yesterday I got a chance to finish the top (After knocking back a 3 hour online physics test).

Now I just need to find a good backing fabric. I considered using solid black because the front is so busy. Thoughts? Its also going to be tricky to bind because it has a tricky edge.

I stitched this guy up tonight.

Its a bracelet/cuff I made out of an old pair of blue jeans, remnants of a quilt back, some ribbon and a cool button. I'm planning on making a few more and will maybe try my hand at a tutorial of how to make them.

Hopefully I can find a little more time on weekends to sew some more. I'm looking forward to summer. 

The sun puts me in a good mood to sew!

I've been bad.

Hopefully I'm not on Santa's naughty list this year. I've been doing a bunch of crafting for Christmas time, but haven't gotten around to posting a thing! Shame on me! I blame part of this on my lack of camera usage due to a lack of camera battery...... *goes and plugs in camera battery*

Okay so now that the battery is charging, I have no excuse to NOT post some pictures tomorrow. (Unless I get distracted with my new quilt!)

A taste of what is to come tomorrow:
-A venture into 3D sewing (not clothing)
-Progress shot of my new quilt
-Other Finished Projects

Now I said I was going to post this 3 months ago.... but here it is.

Eeekk! This picture makes me fall in love with it again!

I've been using it almost every night since I finished it, and don't foresee it getting much of a break.

I like how the flag decided it wanted to be in the picture too. It matches my quilt!

This.... is what I'm looking at...

a huge brick wall!

Classes started yesterday and I am enrolled in 17.5 science/math credits. So I may be a little vacant from the blog for the next few months. 

I've finished quite a few awesome projects that I am proud of, but haven't posted anything. Shame on me! I am going to try and take some time this weekend before I get too busy to make a huge post with all my updates!

I got the cartoon from http://www.kent.ac.uk/safety/student%20safety%20handbook/welfare.html. No copyright infringement is intended.

Ow....

My finger hurts quite a bit from tying off half of a queen sized quilt.

My mom helped me get it laid out, pinned, and did some tying.

It tied from the right side of the stripe all the way to the left (i.e. the stripes and left blue patch is all tied).

I'm glad to finally be finishing up this quilt. Its way over due.

 It was suppose to be a Christmas present for Andrew. (Last years Christmas)

We've both since gone our own ways, but I promised I would finish the quilt/blanket regardless.

Hopefully he will still appreciate it.

Facebook Cleansing

I just went from 145+ friends to 66, and something about it feels good. I realized there were so many people who were just acquaintance on my friend list. People who I went to high school with and haven't spoken to since, people I added just because I could, or people I just haven't spoken to in years. I noticed Facebook makes it hard to remove people from your friends list easily. (Yes that sounds like an oxymoron). I couldn't find an easy option and after I got fed up of going to page after page removing people a Google search provided the answer I was looking for. I don't think Facebook wants you to easily be able to remove people.
Facebook, Myspace, and the rest of the internet all try to make you feel more connected with others, when in most cases it just separates us more. Technology has become more of a wedge between people than a way of bringing people together. I know in my family we are all on our computers all the time and don't spend much time together just as a family.
People struggle to go a few days with out their cell phones. Most people don't realize that not long ago cell phones didn't exist, yet somehow we all survived. Computers even haven't been around too long either, but yet my generation could not imagine a world without them.
I'm not trying to say that all technology is bad, or that computers and cell phones are bad things. Technology has done a great many things. It allows us to communicate easily and more freely with people around the world, for the sharing of information that anyone can access, and sharing photos with people on the other side of the country in mere seconds.
(Woah this totally turned into a completely different conversation then I expected.... back on topic)
I know it sounds harsh that I slashed over half my "friends" list, but I think its good to realize the people in your life who you really value. Its not about the number of 'friends' you have on Facebook or Myspace, but the people that you truly value in your life, and who value you in theirs.