Week In Review January 10 - 16, 2016

This week has been spent trying out the 'new' schedule with Kayden to daycare, Texter to school and me...a day alone!  So far it has worked out pretty good.  Unfortunately, with everyone at school, there is more driving during the week, but none of it is far away.  

This week I managed to do...

• get fabrics semi-organized
• received my swap partner for the Chaotic Goddess Book and Cuppa Swap
• planned menus for the week
• Walked 55,172 steps or 25.23 miles, about 79% of my goal.  But with the cold weather, I consider than a plus.
• Wrote 8 posts
• Logged 3846 words writing
• Finished 2 books (we won't mention the ton of books which came in on interlibrary loan)

But yesterday was a fantastically productive day.

I put a border on my Twinkle Star block and make the binding and pin basted the block.  The backing is the same fabric as the border.  My stash is so small (compared to others). All donations cheerfully accepted of unwanted fabric!

Now I just need to decide (and sketch out) how I want to quilt it.  What!  Actually plan the quilting pattern!  Yep, my skills are growing in several areas.

While I was at it, I had the wild hair to start a string quilt and I am doing it as stokes for a round a'la RSC16 color challenge.  So taking one of the paper foundations I cut out, I made a blue string block.

There it almost looks like a tie.  But each month during the challenge I will make a spoke the color of the month.  I should have a nice round medallion to place in the center of a quilt by the end of the year and check off 'string quilt' on my list of things to do.

The big accomplishment of the week was cutting out a muslin test of the Harley Quinn cosplay outfit for Texter.  Since she wears 6/9 size in the store, but according to her measurements on the pattern she is a 14 and I didn't want to cut into the fabric without being sure, I made a test dummy.

The good news is everything fit well except for the corset which will have to be adjusted.  But I rather know it know than when I have boning, linings, etc. to fiddle with.  Luckily, the corset is also the only piece which is complicated.  The remainder (blouse, shrug and hood, skirt and bustle) are fairly simple.  The only hard part (at least for me) will be the bias binding around the edges.  At least there is no real hemming to be done.  Oh! And I have to be sure to get the red and black on the correct sides of the outfit.  So I will be doing this when I am alone at home so I am not distracted by little ones.  And I have almost 4 months to complete it.  We have the fabric (probably too much as a matter of fact), now it's just the little odds and ends like grommets for the corset, double fold binding tape, etc.  Come of Joann's coupons!

So after messing with the costume, I made a quick pair of pants for Lady K.  She was upset mommy was getting a dress.

It's a bit big, but the hem is made of a couple of different fabrics and the pockets on the sides are different fabric also.  A quick and easy pattern.  It's one I won a couple of years ago from Pink Fig, their Sweet Heart Pants.  I can see more being made in the future.  

The last thing I did on Saturday was to take my box of the Mystery Quilt, Allietare, and set it out to work on today.

I am determined to work on this today and get the final pieces sewn together so I can put together the blocks.  I would like to have this done this coming week.  Then it will just be getting border and backing fabric.  But at least it will be one more quilt top done.

And then, after all of this, I remarked I needed to soak my feet and cake them in lotion.  Texter pulled out a foot bath for me and gave me a mini-pedi!

This coming week...

• Monday is a holiday!  But working the book drop.  Hopefully, some knitting with a friend too.
• Get the mystery quilt done
• Pull together the swap gift and get it in the mail (must wait for payday though)
• Get my fabrics I am using for my Bee Hive block in September and do a test block
• Writing night on Thursday (hopefully)
• More steps and more yoga

Off to work on Allietare!