The Block that Wouldn't Be

Today was a Swoon Day!

Up at 8:00 am. Breakfast, newspaper, cleaning, laundry, then off to the sewing room.

I finished putting together the first block:

 

Pretty, eh?

Then came the second block. I'm not even sure I can explain my trials and tribulations with Block 2.

I take full responsibility for any trouble I encountered...

First of all, I mixed up the two fabrics. I was texting with the OnlyChild while I was cutting (never - NEVER - text and cut, people) and while I was supposed to be cutting Colour 1, I was reading the instructions for Colour 2. Ooops.

I had a little panic attack, because the cutting instructions don't really allow for the direction of a pattern (even though that needs to be taken into consideration for a number of the blocks). I was sure I wouldn't have enough fabric to fix my mistake and make it work.

So I went online to find me some more fabric. It's really hard to find a retailer that carries both of these fabrics, since it's not a new line. Plus, for about $10 worth of fabric, I would have been paying $11.95 for shipping. Ridiculous. Finally, though, I found an Etsy shop that had a little FQ bundle with both these fabrics in it. In the meantime, of course, I was sending the OnlyChild angsty texts and emailing Jen to share my woes.

But then, sometime during supper or something, my brilliant mathematical brain (ahem, choke choke) figured out that I COULD fix this mistake with a bit of ingenuity (and that I had just wasted spent $14-something on fabric I didn't actually need).

 

But, my elation came to a SCREECHING halt when I realized that I had overlooked one tiny, unnecessary error in my sewing and cutting.

Can you see it?

 

I didn't rotate one of my squares before sewing the HSTs. Sigh. Such a small matter, but it would drive me crazy. And, because of my previous fiddling around, I don't have a 3 7/8" piece of this Sundae in Lime fabric left. I guess I will be waiting on that Etsy order after all.

Tomorrow I'll put together as much of the block as I can then move on to the third one. My goal was to get two blocks completed this weekend so let's hope my brain cooperates this time!

Surprise!

I got a surprise in the mail yesterday!

 

I actually forgot I'd won a giveaway from Kaari at French General.

 

Look how pretty! And the postcards too! Oh yes, I'd love to go on the "Chateau Getaway" in the South of France.

 

Beautifully wrapped. I preserved the tissue paper.

 

But it was definitely worth it to unwrap!

 

Green, white and red goodness. This is going into my Christmas Stars quilt! (And the leftovers will be used for the Christmas strings quilt.)

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Thank you, Kaari!

I've been Swooning too.

 

I cut the background fabric and the first two colours and started sewing my very first Swoon block.

 

This is my first time ever sewing flying geese. I hope I did it right.

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I sewed the leftover little triangles together so I can use them in another project. I don't know what yet but they were too cute to throw away.

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I can't wait to show you a block, finally. I cut that white background fabric for three evenings before I got to sew anything together! It's time I saw some reward for my hard work ;)

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I think I might have some time to sew this weekend. Stay tuned...

Swoon Along

My first project of 2012 is (hopefully) going to be the Swoon quilt. Remember I bought the kit? I decided to join Katy's Swoon Along on I'm a Ginger Monkey to drum up some excitement.

 

My goal for this week is to start cutting fabrics. Not get all the fabric cut...there's no way that's going to happen now that I'm back at work...but I'd like to get a good start.

This is as far as I got tonight:

 

I took the bundle out and put it on my desk. Then I unwrapped the fabric and divided the fat quarters into twos. That's all.

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I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. I think tonight will be an early bedtime and I don't think I'll let a rotary cutter anywhere near me in this state.

Another project I'd like to begin is Anne's Scrappy Dresden Plate quilt over on Bunny Tales so I've joined the Scrappy Plate Club. This will be something new for me - hand appliqué - but I'm willing to give it a shot. 

I think I'll start with these fat quarters I won from Quilt Dad, John, a while back.

 

I might not make the full-size quilt, but I'm looking forward to learning a new technique.

I'll keep you posted on how things are going when I actually get started...but right now I need a nap. Zzzzzz.

Post-Christmas

We're nearly at the end of Christmas vacation - back to work on Monday - and, although this has been a great break from work, it hasn't been much of a "break" at all because I've been so busy. Can't complain, though. I've had some fun. (Well, obviously.)

When I got back from Paris, I faced the chore of taking down the tree and all the decorations. I just couldn't make myself do it on Monday or Tuesday so I procrastinated until Wednesday morning.

 

Our tree this year was beautiful and it looked so sad out in the back yard, stripped of all its splendour. It looks even sadder out in the back alley next to the garbage cans. I actually feel a little guilty about sending such a gorgeous tree to the chipper.

And then, of course, there was the debris to deal with - needles and branches, presents that were left in the living room, the stand to clean, and the tree skirt and stockings to put away.

 

All the ornaments were packed away carefully.

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And I brought out the new-old tablecloth that my friend Patt found in a thrift store. I love yellow!

 

We also had visitors! My bestest-ever best friend, Cheryl, and her husband were visiting all the way from the other side of the country.

 

Their son and the OnlyChild have been friends almost since they were born. Really - they met when he was 10 1/2 months old and she was 5 months old!

 

We spent a day at the Telus World of Science...we mainly went for the special Titanic exhibit, but had a look at the permanent exhibits too. It's kind of a tradition in our family to take photos any time we seen one of these stick-your-head-in-the-hole things:

 

Cheryl and I enjoyed some Marie Antoinette tea from Ladurée in Paris in our new Titanic tea cups (she bought one for each of us).

 

But now the vacation is essentially over. Cheryl is staying with her daughter and another friend for the next couple of days and I will be taking the OnlyChild back to university tomorrow.

Sigh...all good things must come to an end, I guess. Getting back into a routine will be good and I'm looking forward to having some sewing time but, honestly, I need another vacation already!

P.S. I missed my own blogiversary...again. I never remember it. But three years ago, on January 4, I started Not-so-Plain Jane. Thanks for sticking with me for the journey!

Paris in December

Like I said in my previous post, I didn't take a lot of pictures while we were in Paris, but I'll show you a few. Before I show them, though, let me just say a couple of things.

First of all, the trip was TOO SHORT. There are no words to describe how much I love this city and three days there was nothing but a tease. I NEED to go back. Yes I do.

Secondly, don't get the idea that I am super-spoiled or rich or something. This trip was free. Yes, free. It was a "training tour" for the trip I am taking to Italy with 33 students. So, I only had to foot the bill for a few meals and spending money. Can't get better than that, right? (Well, better would be more time in Paris...)

Thirdly, there are too many places in the world that I want to see. Just too many. I wish the world would quit being so interesting so I would be content to stay home. Ha!

Okay, here are some pics...

 

Our hotel room at Noisy le Grand (on the outskirts of the city). It was nice and new, just renovated. It was also very close to the Métro, which made getting around very easy.

 

 We went to the Louvre (for a couple of hours - definitely not enough time). While everyone else crowded around, trying to snap a photo of the Mona Lisa (been there, done that), the OnlyChild and I thought it would be more fun to take photos of people taking photos of the painting.

 

 Obligatory photo by the pyramid inside the carrousel de Louvre.

 

 Behind the Louvre

 

 Three of my favourite things in this window - globes, pigs and books!

 

 We had supper here the first night. I forgot to take a picture of my meal - bœuf bourguignon.

 

 The restaurant was right up the street from the Folies Bergere.

 

 Artsy photo taken by the OnlyChild.

 

 Love locks on the Pont des Artes.

 

 Ferris wheel at the Place de la Concorde.

 

 The OnlyChild and me! At the Eiffel Tower!

 

 Those little cabins on the sides were part of a Christmas market. I went down to take a look but didn't have enough time to really see anything.

 

 French Derby (his Derbelganger?)

And for comparison, the real DerbyDog.

 I did remember to take a photo of my lunch at Versailles - Croc provençal.

 

 The Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles. It almost looks like we were there alone. Not even close.

 

 Marie Antoinette's bedchamber.

 

 The gardens at Versailles, looking kind of dismal without the flowers and with all the statues covered.

 

 Might as well get a photo here.

 

I took the OnlyChild to my old stompin' grounds in the Latin Quarter. Here she is eating her Nutella, banana and coconut crêpe (it scored a 5 out of 5 on the rating scale) in front of the door to "my" apartment. I can't believe someone painted graffiti on the door! Horrors!

 

I also took the OnlyChild to Shakespeare and Company because it was one of my very favourite places to hang out. Wow, it was busy inside that night!

 

Beautiful Notre-Dame.

 

 We went to Galleries Lafayette (just so I could show the OnlyChild the stained glass - too expensive to shop there).

 

 My new friend, Penny. This was right before we headed back to the hotel to ring in the new year. I would have liked to stay in Paris (even though fireworks were cancelled) but the OnlyChild had gone back to the hotel earlier because her broken foot was hurting and I couldn't stand to not be with her when the clock struck midnight!

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So, that in a nutshell was our whirlwind trip to Paris. Like I said, it was too short, too hurried, but wonderful nonetheless. How could I complain? I was in Paris!

Gotta go back!

Year in Review 2011

Happy New Year! Bonne Année! I got home last night from Paris - post and pictures to follow (although I really didn't take many photos...). Promise.

I thought I'd do a little Year in Review post for 2011, more to remind me of what I did before I begin a new "Finished" list on the right-hand side of the page.

2011 was quite a busy year for me, both personally and professionally. Here's a quick rundown of the highlights. This was the year that...
1.  I experimented with many FMQ designs (Green and White quilt - January)
2.  I made a quilt of my own design (Be Yourself - March)
3.  The OnlyChild and I took a trip to San Antonio together (July)
4.  The OnlyChild started university (September)
5.  I finished my Master of Education degree (December)
6.  I returned to Paris with the OnlyChild (December)

I made 7 quilts in 2011. Not too bad. I try not to put too much pressure on myself to increase output. I'd rather appreciate the process and complete each step in my own time.

 

1. Green and White Sampler  2. Snowmen in the Woods  3. Be Yourself  4. O'Cherries  

5. Baby Bow Ties  6. Postage Stamp  7. Patisserie Baby

I also made quite a few holiday projects this year, for gifts and for decorating.

 

1. Pink peeps bunny bunting  2. Halloween raven  3. Halloween cat mini  4. Snowman mug rugs  5. Santa tea towel  

6. Sock monkey shirts  7. Snowdrops mini  8. Noel ornament  9. Button tree

There were lots of other smaller projects completed too.

 

1. Shirt pillow  2. Hobo bag  3. Mini mail sack  4. Mail sack  5. T-shirt pillow  

6. Leon the Lion  7. Popo Pig  8. Lamb mini  9. Sew Serendipity dress  10. Sew Serendipity skirt  

11, 12, 13. Christmas aprons  14. Valentine's bunting  15. Owl towels

And I can't forget... the Artists Trading Cards for my swap (which ended this year), Washi Easter Eggs, a couple of other dresses, and some knitting projects.  

All in all, I'm pretty pleased with what I accomplished in 2011 and I'm looking forward to what 2012 will bring. I have a few projects on my list: the Swoon quilt, a quilt made with Ghastlies fabric, finishing my red and grey bow tie quilt and the Christmas strings quilt, and I also have a pattern and fabric for a Christmas stars quilt. I want to make a jacket from the Sew Serendipity book (I have the fabric already) and probably there will be a new dress or skirt added to my wardrobe. My non-sewing related list includes a school trip to Italy during Spring Break and my high school reunion in August.

Who knows what else will pop up?