Insomnia, Insanity, & a Meltdown

Well, to be honest the title covers it.

Those that know me, know I suffer from allergies, asthma, (the two prior are a short trip to bronchitis), and occasional insomnia.  I've been up since 0700 yesterday.  Thank you steroids!  It does give a person a lot of time to think and get things done.  Perhaps sleep is overrated.  Remind me that I said that next week, when I collapse from getting off the steroids, if you can wake me up from my several day slumber.... The case of bronchitis is not that surprising.   We've had one case of pneumonia, a couple of cases of bronchitis, & one that won't go to the doctor, so who knows what the hell she has had for the last two weeks.  Did any of these people stay home from work?  HELL NO.  Thank you very much.  Grrrr....  I should go kiss everyone of them and give this back.

Onward....Okay, I had a major melt down over my guild.  Well, not really my guild.  I got sucked into something, and I was a pawn on the chess board.  An unwitting one, but I played my part.  Well, I got angry.  Mistake #1.  I threw a hissy fit on the guild Facebook page.  Mistake #2.  I publicly announced I was quitting the guild.  Mistake #3.  Yes, I was an idiot.  I admit it.  What can I say?  I think I covered it all.  For a while there, I felt like I was back in middle school or high school.  I hate that kind of stuff, and I got sucked right on into mess.  I was always in the "out" crowd at school, and didn't make many friends.  I had acquaintances.  Now I remember why.  All I can say is that once burned, I'm done, not twice shy.  I am more of a black/white kind of person.  I don't really do shades of gray.  I'm Sheldon off the Big Bang with a little bit of Leonard, but not enough. (Yes, I am the one they force on vacation to get a break from and am lost because I don't know what to do with myself away from work that long.)  I don't understand people & I don't fit in.  Fact.  I know it.  I am an acquired taste, and not many get into my "inner circle."  Wait, what inner circle.... ? Well, I covered that.

Insomnia also plays into too much internet shopping from surfing the web too much when I should be sleeping and desperately wish I wish.  IG Destash is EVIL.  Not really, but to say I am in big trouble with my Darling Husband (thank you for letting me live after my last destash experience.)  I won't even repeat what he said when he saw the e-mail.  Darned shared bank acct & e-mail acct.  Any way..... I am a fabricaholic.  I need a 12-step program and a support group.  I am now banned by said Darling Husband from Destash, the LQS, and any fabric buying.  Thank goodness I have a stash.  Sew My Stash 2015, I am now fully in with you.

Well, 0430 and the DH has woke up.  Off to play in my fabric.....

No, there was no real point in this post.  I just wanted to say what I had to say.  Do I care if anyone reads this?  No.  Why do I blog?  I have no idea.  I'll blame insomnia and too small a house and no sewing room.  That's my story and I am sticking to it!

Later!!! I'll be back and you have been warned.....

Cutting Modern Fat 8ths

I haven't posted in a while.  Life takes over.....  In a fit of insanity at our guild, I volunteered to help run the swaps along with Yvonne Campbell (Quilty Dreams, formerly, That's Sew Creative.)  The guild had done some Fat 8th swaps and the diagram posted confused me, and come to find out, I cut my fabric in standard fat 8ths, which measure 9"x 21."  A modern fat 8th is actually 18" x 11" (or approximately 11" depending on the width of the fabric divided by 4").  

I know I can't be the only person confused by the diagram posted to use for cutting modern fat 8ths, so I thought I would give putting up a diagram to cut modern fat 8ths a try.  So here it is:

How to Cut Modern Fat 8ths

First trim your fabric to a 36 inches and do your best to make the cut perpendicular to the selvage. My LQS cuts generously, so nothing is ever cut to 36" or even straight.  I do appreciate the extra inch or so (Thank you A&E Pharmacy).  This is what you will have:

One yard by WOF.  

Now, cut your fabric into two 18" x WOF.  

Now you have 2 pieces of 18" x WOF.

Now measure the WOF.  If the WOF is 44", you will cut 11" sections.  (if you are like me, and your fabric isn't 44" for the WOF, measure the WOF.  Say the WOF is 42".  Divide 42 by 4 = 10.5"  Cut your sections into 10.5" sections instead of 11".)  

The final product.  Modern Fat 8ths 18" x 11" (or maybe a little less than 11" if your fabric wasn't 44" for the WOF.)

This is my first attempt at a tutorial, so please be kind.  I don't claim to be an expert by any means.  I'll be the first to admit that I am not a great quilter, a modern quilter, or a traditional quilter.  I am a learning quilter.  "I am what I am," in the words of Popeye!

Hope this helps!!!

Cricket

New Year and Goal Setting.....

I have several goals this year.

One goal is to start blogging more. In my past,  I was taught goals can't be vague.  Goals must be measureable and obtainable.  My goal for blogging is once a month.  Anything more than that is icing on the cake.

The problem:  I volunteered to be the swap coordinator for my quilt guild.  My friend Yvonne Campbell at That's Sew Creative is my partner in crime.  Then we are doing the January program on our first swap item, so we have been a little busier than we planned.

And I thought I volunteered for the EASY spot....... ha ha!!!!

Officially, the Emerald Coast Modern Quilt Guild can be found here:

http://emeraldcoastmodernquiltguild.blogspot.com/

My next problem my blog post....

Here's my first blog post of the year!  The one I wrote for the guild!  I'll try to put another one up later this month!!!!  If you live in the Northwest Panhandle of Florida, come join us the 10th of January for our meeting!!!!

January and February Swaps 2015

I am Cricket Harris and with the help of Yvonne Campbell, we will be arranging the swaps for this year.  

As a reminder, January's Swap is a F8 low volume swap, maximum of three different yard cuts.  Don't forget the meeting is this Saturday, January 10th!!!

Bring your yard of fabric cut into F8s, each yard in an individual ziplock bag, and label the outside of your ziplock with your name.  At the meeting, drop your fabric off in the designated place.  Before you leave, you will receive your ziplock back with an assortment of F8s.  For those still needing to cut your fabric, here are the instructions posted earlier in the blog by Wendi Mihalik, last year's swap coordinator.

Cutting Modern Fat Eighths

1.  Press your fabric to remove the center crease.  Do not remove the selvages.

2.  Rotary cut your fabric lengthwise through the center.   This results in two pieces, each measuring approximately 22" x 36".

3.  Cut each 22" x 36" piece in half again lengthwise.  This gives you four pieces, each measuring 11" x 36".  

NOTE:  Solid fabrics are sometimes milled to wider widths than prints.  Be sure to measure the width and cut equal quarters.

4.  Cut each 11" x 36" piece in half crosswise.  This gives you eight pieces, each measuring 11" x 18".  A modern fat eighth.  


As always, if you have questions regarding the swap, or this tutorial, you can email me at cricket at superiorinhomecare dot com (M-F between 7 to 4:30) or harr703 at cox dot net anytime.  Your best bet is to text me on my cell phone or call me on my cell phone.  I am on the guild roster.  

February's Swap and our meeting lands on Valentine's Day!!!

For February, we are going to do a "Sweet Pouch" swap.  It will be a drawstring bag with a sweet treat for your partner.  This will be a blind swap.  You will only know who you are making a bag for, and not who is making one for you.  Sign ups at the bottom of this post and close Saturday January 17th.  I will assign partners on Sunday the 18th by the end of the day.  

There will be a program on this bag at the meeting on the 10th of Jan. I will be available after the meeting if you have questions or would like assistance in making a test bag.  Materials needed, in addition to the normal notions, to sew a bag:  

- 3 fat quarters
- 2 yards of ribbon, or 1/8 yd fabric
- Coordinating thread
- Interfacing if you want to use it: enough for 2 cuts of 12.5" x 10.5" 

This is the lined drawstring bag we will be using for the swap.  The tutorial for the bag can be found on the blog, In Color Order by Jeni Baker.  

http://www.incolororder.com/2011/10/lined-drawstring-bag-tutorial.html

The only thing we would like is for the bag to made by the general pattern and finish close to the dimensions of the bag in the tutorial.  For example, you can piece the main fabric section of the bag, as in this tutorial:

http://www.incolororder.com/2014/02/how-to-make-patchwork-drawstring-bag.html

If you want to make your bag striped, the tutorial is here:

http://www.incolororder.com/2012/09/striped-drawstring-bag-tutorial.html

Never done a neat nifty cut corner?  The tutorial is here:

http://www.incolororder.com/2013/11/how-to-put-gusset-on-bag-video-tutorial.html

All these tutorials are from Jeni Baker's In Color Order blog, so please pop over and let her know what you've made and maybe a "Thank You" for the tutorials she worked so hard to give the quilting/sewing community.  

Hope to see you at the meeting!

Thanks!

Yvonne & Cricket
Swap Coordinators

I didn't fall off the turnip truck yesterday.  I was taught, work smart, not hard!!!

Until next time, (you've been warned!)  I've got to take my snarky focus to work!!!