Hellooooo!!!

Hi everybody! I knew I had been busy and non-bloggish for a while, but I had no idea it had been this long!

So what have I been up to? School, that's what. I'm taking pharmacology this semester, and it's kicking my butt! I'm also taking another class, but it's not too bad. I'm sooo ready for pharm to be over, though!

Since I haven't had much time to sew, I bought some fabric...

Yeah, my Christmas money was gone almost immediately lol!

I've also been working on a new quilt, but I'm not loving it... We'll see how it turns out!

The one where the power went out...

I had grand plans the other night to get a mess-load of homework done.

But then we got about 3 inches of snow.

And the power went out for a couple hours.

Really??!


It was pretty at first.

Then my house started to smell like Yankee Candle was burning down. And it was getting cold. Good thing I have lots of quilts hanging around! ;-)

At least I got some candlelight knitting done! I'm loving these new socks... So stoked for my feet :-)

By the way, I finished these socks forever ago. My first pair ever! It went much more smoothly than I thought, even if they're pretty lumpy. It can only get better from here, right? ;-)

Today, however, I had to study...

P.S. I figured out what was going on with my flickr... apparently there is some bug going on that won't allow embedding on some photos - some were fine, and some wouldn't let me. I had to opt out of the beta flickr and go back to the old one (which is way better, IMHO) and then it was fine. Frustrating in the meantime, though...

Hello Again!

Can I tell you that I'm downright embarrassed by how long it's been since I posted? I didn't realize it had been so long...

But to be honest, there hasn't been much going on over here. Christmas happened, and with it a very minimal amount of gift-sewing. Knitting is happening, which to be honest, makes it very hard to get off the couch. It's just so very comfy...

Also, there is the Christmas/New Year funk that happened (is still happening?). Holidays have been pretty rough since my Mom died, and this year we're without my grandmother too. It doesn't put one much in the mood to be creative. Or to do anything, really. I haven't even turned on my machine in about two weeks. It's just sad.

BUT. I did manage to finish my Canberra cowl, and have cast on another scarf and my first sock. First time knitting in the round AND first time using double pointed needles. I'll let you know how it goes!

(Pardon my crappy iPhone pics. Santa did NOT bring me a real camera...)

I'm going to be doing my WIP/Goals post here soon, so keep on the lookout for that.

I don't think I'm going to do a wrap-up post for 2013. I was not a fan. It was better than 2012, but just barely. (Looking back on that post, it seems that the funk I'm in right now is exactly what happened last year. Even posting on the same day!)

Here's to me getting my sewing mojo back!

Snippets

I haven't been so good with the blogging lately, but I've been productive! In just the last couple days, I've...

...rearranged some stuff in the studio - now my bolts aren't too high for me to reach!

...taken up knitting, thanks to an awesome Craftsy class. I used to knit, ages and ages ago, but it's been a looooong time. My mom was a sock knitter, and I'd love to be able to do that. But first I need to figure out the simple stuff. See how the edges started out all lumpy, and then I got the hang of it? Yay!

(PSA - if you wish you knew how your mom does something, makes a certain dish, or wish you knew random stories from her childhood, ask NOW. Believe me...)

...been distracted with some of this...

...finished the quilting on this quilt, now on to binding! I was hoping this one would be done before thanksgiving, but alas, that is not to be. But at least the binding is on now!

I also worked on some of my Skill Builder blocks, but haven't taken pictures yet. Save that for another day!

What have you been working on? Have you had project ADD like me lately?

Weekend Update

My weekend wasn't as productive as I'd like, but that's ok. Really, it was plenty productive, just not in the way I wanted.

I have an exam this week, so I spent about ten hours Sunday studying (today, technically - I haven't been to bed yet...). But I also took some time earlier this weekend to hang out with a friend and do some handwork while we were watching some Netflix.

FYI, this is what happens when you try to do EPP and watch scandal at the same time...

You might have seen that little oops if you follow me on Instagram...

So lots more studying this week, and then next week I'll be able to do some fun stuff in the studio. Until then, leukemias and cardiac function are all I'm going to be thinking about.

Have I mentioned that working 13 hour shifts and going to grad school at the same time sucks?

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone had a safe and super fun Halloween! I actually had the evening off, so I was so stoked about handing out candy to the kids in the neighborhood. Last year I was working, and that was the first year I was in the house, so I didn't want to expect.

Yeah, not ONE trick or treater. Not a single one!

So I have some candy here, if you want some... A friend of mine and my roommate enjoyed some, though. :-)

Charlotte got dressed up to entertain the (nonexistent) kids, and may have held a little grudge after the fact. I don't think she was really having much fun...

After I gave up on the kids, and finished some homework, I worked on quilting for a little while.

I definitely didn't get anywhere close to finishing this for the Blogger's Quilt Festival, but that's ok. I'd rather take my time and enjoy the process than feel stressed and rushed to meet a self-imposed deadline. I've got enough stress from working full time and going to grad school to want any from quilting, which is supposed to be my happy place. So in the interest of keeping it my happy place, I'm not pushing myself too hard on this one. :-)

Progress, or Lack Thereof

So I've been busy with lots of non-sewing-related life lately, namely overtime and school. I actually have my first exam later this week, for which I will be preparing madly. Or trying anyway.

The only sewing I've done since the August BOM blocks hasn't even been for me. A good friend came over and we worked on quilting a baby quilt that she's anxious to gift. I tried to start some of the Skill Builder BOM blocks that I've let pile up while she was working on it, but of course we ended up gabbing instead of being particularly productive. Which is fine by me :-)

So basically, all I've done in the sewing room in like a week has been to cut out eight 2 1/2 inch squares.

EIGHT.

I'm on fire, people. Try to keep up. ;-)

WIP-ness

Do you remember the EPP project I started at the beach? Well, I promise I've been working on it... I just had to set it aside for a moment out of frustration. If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen this:

Hand piecing and seam rippers together do not a happy Meg make... I need to pay better attention next time!

BUT! The sad part is over, so now I'm back on the right track.

Here is what else I've been working on - I'm officially a grad student (again...) So my sewing might slow down a bit. Hopefully not too much, I've actually finished the Luxe in Bloom top, so I'll show that to you tomorrow!




What have you been up to?

An Update

I just wanted to let you guys know why I've been MIA... you remember the quilt I made for my grandmother, Georgia On My Mind?

Well, exactly one week after giving it to her, she passed away. This has been a pretty tough time for me, she and I were very close, and I'm even named after her. Since my Mom's passing last year, my grandmother had been fulfilling some of those 'maternal' voids for me. Having another loss so soon after losing my Mom has been really hard. It sucks, really. Your prayers are appreciated.

BUT. Sewing is my coping mechanism, and I've been doing some of that. I've started a new quilt out of my long-hoarded stash of Luxe in Bloom, so I'll share some of that later this week.

You may have noticed that I've been MIA.... Not really.... But yeah.

I'm not complaining. (Even though there is no Internet here, hence my disappearing act)

Wile I'm doing a little handwork, reading a LOT, and trying not to get sunburnt, you guys should hop over to Bloglovin and follow me! Since google reader is going away and the world is coming to an end and all...

So hit me up, follow muh bloggyblog here, and check out some of the stuff I've been up to.

In return, I'll leave you with a little taste of what I've been working on down here...

I haven't disappeared...

Well, maybe I have... But just for a moment! I've been relaxing, and reading for fun, and eating and sleeping and swimming, and all those things that people do on vacation!

I have, however, NOT been sewing. I'll get back to being productive soon enough though!

I'm just going to enjoy this while I can ~

Who's going?!?

I worked up the nerve!

I'm pretty stoked about this. And nervous. I'm going alone (as of now), and I've never been to a sewing conference/retreat or anything. I've only taken 2 classes ever. I considered skipping it, but I figured I would really regret it if I did. After seeing all the QuiltCon awesomeness on Instagram and Blogland, I really wished I had been there. So I decided I'm going this time.

I'm hoping to start grad school (again...ugh) in the fall, so as long as there aren't any big conflicts with school, I'll be good to go!

Are you going? Have you been to this kind of thing before?

Ladies' weekend!

This past weekend my sisters and I checked out of real life and went to northern Virginia for the weekend. We had a fun weekend of shopping, eating out, and sitting in NoVa traffic.

The hotel we stayed in was swankypants :-)

I also talked them into letting me go to a quilt store. It was payback for me having to sit in the car for an hour and a half while they were in a teacher store, lol.

I got some low volume neutrals, and some stash builders. I also got some more Best Press, this time in a citrus scent. I also got a random spool of aurifil in my new fave color, a peachy coral. I'm going to have to do a whole quilt with that color...

One year

Sunday marked one year since my Mom passed. It goes without saying that its been a rough year. It seems to have gone by so fast, but at the same time my entire world has changed so dramatically that it seems like forever ago that I knew any other way to live. Every day there is something I want to tell her - I even still have a reflex to pick up the phone and call her sometimes.

I'm still angry and broken and know that I'll never be truly whole again. I know that for the rest of my life there is going to be a giant gaping hole in every big event, every family get together, every picture. It hurts a little bit every time i hear people talk about how their moms were at their weddings, and helped them with their babies, and even when people talk about fighting with their moms.

But I also I know that everything happens for a reason - even though I don't have to like it or understand it. I know that Mom is happy and whole and watching us every day. I know that just because she isn't right here anymore, it doesn't change the reality of her presence. It's amazing how that works sometimes - when I've had a bad day and need her the most, or when I just miss her a little more acutely, a song she loved would come on the radio, or I'll flip a page in a magazine and see her favorite flowers. She's not here, but she'll never be gone.

Unfortunately, knowing that doesn't necessarily make it easier. Maybe it will one day, but for now, my family and I have to be content with taking the good days as they come and trying to see the bad days as reminders of how much we love her, and how lucky we were to have the time we had together.

Thundersnow day!

Is way better than a regular snow day, which I have very little patience for.

It would be a wonderful day for sewing, but instead of working on binding this -

I'll be doing this instead... aaaaalllllll day :-/

Design wall of the day

You know the saying "my cup runneth over"?

Quilters should have their own version - "my design wall is crowded". :-)

House Tour - One year in.

It occurred to me that I haven't done a house tour since I closed on the house over a year ago. I still have a long way to go, I haven't even hung anything on the walls. But it's starting to feel like home (belatedly, see this post).

Here is the living room. The plants are mostly dead, I brought them in from the sunroom a little late in the season. The arrangement on the mantel hasn't changed much since I moved in.

Here is the view across from the sofa. I got that chair from Goodwill for $20! I still need to make a cushion for it...

This is the dining room. I've re-upholstered one of the four chairs. At least it's a start! The china cabinet was a consignment store find, for less than $100. I luuuurve it.

The kitchen. Absolutely nothing has changed.

Upstairs - my bedroom you've seen since I painted it. I love this color. I'm considering reprising it in the living room.

The studio! Also a space I've shared before. Also where I spend a good chunk of my time. You can tell from the earlier post how much more settled in I've gotten.

The guest room/office. It's still a catch-all for the crap I don't want to deal with.

Aaaaand the basement. Rarely used, lots of potential. Maybe the home of a long arm one day?? Haha I wish!