12 in 2012 - February Bonus

So, in addition to my February finishes, I finished a piece for a class I had been taking at my LNS. It is finally framed and I'll show it off here.



Although the metallics were difficult to work with, especially in the Dove's eyes, I do like the finished effect.

And because I'm really proud of the fabric I got to put behind it...



Now, onto March!

WIP Wednesday - Update - a Finish!

Since I don't have anything to show that I've progressed greatly on lately, and I'm waiting 'til the end of the month to show you my "bonus finishes" for February's 12 in 2012...I'll show you a WIP Wednesday featured here that I never showed you finished!

Back in July, I featured a piece that I was hand-quilting here.

Well, it is finished! Well, it has been finished since just before Thanksgiving, but I never came back to show you. So - here it is!



I'm really happy how this came out and really proud that I hand quilted it myself (pieced on machine). In case you were wondering, I *did* sign up for a hand-quilting class come this April. But, you can't really see the hand-quilting detail on the front, so....



Although you can't really tell, I hand-quilted around each of the front squares with coordinating thread, so the back is filled with these squares of different colors.

And the full back, so you get the idea of scale:



Although I can't claim it as a 2012 finish - it is the first quilt I finished completely for myself, so I wanted to show it off. Size-wise it is around a full, so it will make a great couch quilt and bedrunner size folded at the bottom of the guest bed, which will be its permanent home. If we ever get back to working on *that* room again!

12 in 2012 - February Finished

So, to keep on with my 12 in 2012 updates, I've finished February's projects.

February - Valentine's Wall Hanging + 1 birthday_blocks

I had already finished the one birthday_block that was due in February, it was Cari's black and red and white block request that I chose to do a Four Corners block for.





The other part of February was a Valentine's Wall Hanging for the house. This is based on a panel that I've had forever and just hadn't gotten around to. I've never really been a panel person, but I really liked this one, so bought it during an online shop hop. Around last August I had most of it hand quilted (I outlined the tree), but then it sat stagnant for a while.

One of the things I had inherited over time was a collection of antique buttons. Kept in Mason and Ball jars with bail type lids, I had spent a lot of last summer and early fall sorting them by color and cleaning them. So, maybe I had buttons on the mind, but I thought the wall-hanging was in need of something. So....buttons!





I went through the buttons I had and grabbed the red and brown ones I thought would work and attached them. Now it looked complete. All it needed now was binding. Luckily I had some left over from my Modern Squares Quilt.





And it's finished. Although the brown polka dot binding doesn't match exactly, I think it looks pretty good!

12 in 2012 - January Finished

So, for my 12 in 2012 I only had one project on my list for January:

January - Wedding Wall Hanging Present

Now that it's been gifted, I can share my January finish. But, before I share, a little back story.

I have known Val for...11 years now. We met when she was 16 or so and still in High School and I was 21 and finished with my undergraduate degree and had moved back home. I started an informal group of writers that met a couple times a month locally to read their own and each others' poetry and such. I was instantly struck by this quiet, polite young woman who reminded me very much of myself at her age and felt very maternally towards her.

Part of me always will. After a while of writer's group meeting, Brian started to come around because he had met Val through another one of her passions, Ultimate Frisbee. Long story short, Brian and Val started dating and got married this past October.

When Val asked me to be a bridesmaid for her wedding I was instantly honored and very touched. I knew I wanted to make her something very special for her wedding. Which was totally beautiful and fall themed. From the "unity volcano" to the carved pumpkins and herb centerpieces, the wedding was completely reflective of Val and Brian and the crazy-beautiful love they share.

Fall and crazy-beautiful love led me to imagine two birch trees (one of their favorite trees) on a fall background of leaves, to look like two white trees in a fall forest.





Often when I start creating something from scratch (anything really, it doesn't matter the medium), finished size is not something that comes into my thought process early. Much like I think I remember Stephen King saying about writing books, it kind of has "a life of it's own and tells me what it's going to be like in the end.". So, I started with the trees and then pieced the entire background in my "faux-crazy-quilted" technique. It is kind of a combination between a whack-n-stack and a crazy quilt.

After I had the main part pieced it came to me how it wanted to be finished. It needed some cross-stitching to add their names, date and wouldn't a quote from the vows they wrote themselves be perfect. So, I harassed them while they were on their honeymoon in New Zealand and they got back to me with the line, "I am precisely where I ought to be". Which is perfect and sums them up so elegantly.





And here it is. All finished and gifted and hopefully I'll have a picture of it hanging in their apartment some day to share with you all. But they love it - and that's all that matters.

WIP Wednesday - Cross Stitch Edition

So, over on LJ in the cross_stitch community, the moderators have been cheering us on for WIP Wednesday since there hasn't been a stitching Olympics/World Cup in a while. Since I finished the Polar Bears, that meant that the Apache Wedding Blessing could move up in the rotation.

Here we are at last glance. Again, 4 years ago... (Hmm...I wonder if I work in 4 year crafting cycles.....)


Not too much there, two sides done and some words.

And here we are today, after some marathon stitching since the Polar Bears are done...



The center top medallion is about done. Forever ago I totally re-charted the top of the border so there wasn't a medallion thing where the top ribbon is, so when I get to the other side I'm going to have to do something similar. I also have the bottom border to work on, so I think after the center top medallion, I will move to the center bottom and then start working my way up the other side.

Although this isn't one of my 12 for 2012 projects, I'm really excited that I'm making progress on so many things! Look back this weekend to see 12 for 2012 progress and the latest Mystery Present!

12 in 2012 - First January Update

So, I'm not a resolution type person. But I am a list type person. And this year, instead of struggling to come up with something thoughtful and deep to strive for this year, I went simple: "In 2012, I will finish more projects than I start..."

So, once one of my LJ friends posted her list of 12 in 2012 I thought it was a pretty good idea. I've got a list of craft projects in a book of mine on my sewing table, organized by medium, but that's a little much, even for me.

12 things, I thought, I can do that...

So....My List

January - Wedding Wall Hanging Present
February - Valentine's Wall Hanging + 1 birthday_blocks
March - 3 x blocks for birthday_blocks
April - Finish 2011 BOM top
May - 2x blocks for birthday_blocks
June - finish blocks for SIL present
July - Assemble very late wedding quilt topper
August - 3x blocks for birthday_blocks
September - cut t-shirts for very late t-shirt quilt top
October - 2x blocks for birthday_blocks
November - Finish 2010 birthday_blocks quilt
December - finish t-shirt topper from September


I was really excited to cross things off this list lately, plus an added surprise finish! Since this seems like it may be a great motivator for me, I am going to post my finishes here, with some crafty diatribe...

January
Item: Wall-hanging Wedding Present
Status: This is halfway done.
But I can't post pictures here. Or I could and don't want to until it's been gifted. All I have left is to add a quote, make the sandwich and sew the hanger/binding on. The most time consuming parts are done.

Item: Surprise Finish
Okay, so it's not really a surprise, because I originally wanted this to be finished in September, but it's done now.



It's not the best picture quality, but I was so happy to get it done. I finished most of it over the last two nights during playoff football and watching RIN: Daughters of Mnemosyne, an Anime about an unusual detective agency staffed by two gorgeous immortals. There are many interesting back stories, but there's a wonderful review by Tom Tonthat here at The Escapist.

And, if you clicked on that, and need to get some innocence back, here's the mama polar bear...



I referenced this project here.


February:
Item: 1 birthday block
Status: Finished



carilea has the next birthday after mine, so I found this pattern, called "Four Corners" over at Quilter's Cache, and thought it would be perfect.


March:
Item: 3x birthday blocks
Status: 1 Finished - 2 left



This is mkissa's block. I really liked this pattern despite the small pieces and some of the piecing, but when it was completed, it looks like a lot of white. In retrospect, I probably should have picked two different shades of teal for the sky and sea.

So, I'm feeling pretty good and accomplished. Now, I'm off to finish the other January item. Crossing my fingers that I can get it done before 2/1/12!!

CSA Year Two -- Year-End Wrap Up OR "What I Learned From Being in a CSA"

So...at this point, a couple of weeks after the CSA share year ended, I really don't remember what kept me from posting those last few weeks. One of my friends got married and I was very involved in that. My brother and sister-in-law came for a visit the week before the wedding. I think Life in general happened to be perfectly honest. And I will also admit that near the end of the CSA year I got a little food burn-out. I feel horrible admitting that, to be honest. I mean, how could you get sick and tired of GOOD FOOD?!

So, so you don't feel left out, we're going to try something here. Look at this year in review slideshow!



The food burnout made me consider some things. Things I learned about myself or about food in general. So, I choose to share a list with you of the things I learned.

Top Five Things I Learned From my CSA

#1.) GOOD FOOD Takes Time
Now, I know, I really should have known that before. And I did, I really did. I knew it ahead of time. Growing up in a very agrarian household, I knew about the time commitment. Either Mark Bittman or Michael Pollan, in one of their books, discuss a dinner party one is hosting. He (whichever one it is) gives a timeline and discusses all the preparation it takes to pull off a dinner party from all homemade foods. The timeline really goes from 6AM until the dinner party at 9PM or so. There were some weekends I did nothing but can. A risotto I made with the butternut squash took close to an hour to make - not the mere 35 minutes the recipe suggested. Planning for meals took a little longer as you have to wait until Friday to pick up your food and then go from there. While making your meal plan you have to consider what to use earlier and what will keep a little longer that you can use later in the week.

#2.) When it Comes to Cooking, I am Pretty Creative
So many meals came from me being inspired by my share items. Beets? I don't really like beets, but I'll try this recipe! "Lemon Balm? What do you do with Lemon Balm?" (other than use it in tea) You (if you means me) make Lemon-Lime jelly with it! Don't like squash (childhood trauma - I swear!)? Make Butternut Squash Risotto!

#3.) GOOD FOOD is REALLY Worth It!
Yet again, I knew this. I really did. It was so nice, barring the ability to garden in the new house like I wanted, to have fresh, good produce again. Grown locally and transported minimally. To have organic produce, bugs, dirt and all! The time I invested in preparing, cleaning, cooking and canning really was worth it. And, because of the canning, I will be able to prolong the harvest and enjoy my GOOD FOOD year round!

#4.) GOOD FOOD is Meant to be Shared!
Despite being a half-share, there was often more food than could be eaten. If I couldn't put it up for later, I'd share it, either by giving it to family and friends, or better yet, sharing it with them by cooking dinner for them! It really made me want to cook more for others. I mean, if I'm already putting all this time and love into prepping and cooking the meal, why wouldn't I want to share it with those I love.

#5.) GOOD FOOD Makes You Feel Better!
Again, another one I already knew. But it's not just a physical feeling you get from eating good, organic (as much as possible), local produce. It really is a mood-improver. I was proud of myself for everything I was able to cook, create, make on the fly. I was happy I was eating well and more sustainably. I was happy for less (expensive) trips to the grocery store!

And, with those things learned, the Winter CSA Share starts in December! Now, I know I can make monthly updates!