I shared at the end of last month that March would be a busy travel month for me and it sure was - it really flew by but I saw friends, spent quality time with my mom and daughter, and made some good memories. This added up to very little in the stitching and quilting department, so we will cover progress quickly.
As I shared in my last post, I finished my Marble Mystery quilt from Meadow Mist Designs on March 1. I am really happy with how this quilt turned out and hope to quilt and bind it soon so I can see it on my couch.
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| Marble Mystery quilt by Meadow Mist Designs |
That was my sole finish for the month! I did get some stitching done, but nothing moved to the finish column (although I hope to have several finishes in April).
I had two goals for April and I did okay on them, but as expected, didn't have much time in the sewing room.
1. Start quilting my Quarter Log Cabin quilt - well, I got my pantograph (quilting design on paper) lined up and started the quilting a few weeks ago, but really didn't like how it was turning out. I decided to rip out what I'd done (half of one pass across the quilt) and got most of that done before the end of the month. I decided while ripping it out that I will quilt it free-motion, with no pattern. (I got that started yesterday and am happy with the decision). So, I didn't make the progress that I hoped on this one, but I did get some quilting started and think I will be happier with the end result.
2. Work on Flipping Out bag - I've had this one cut and ready to go since last fall and it was on my list for February with no progress. I am happy to report that I made a small start on this one. It is what my friend would call a "fiddly" pattern with lots of steps and pieces. I was able to get the first few steps completed on a Sunday afternoon, so now it is underway.
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| The first few parts for the Flipping Out bag |
Beyond my sewing room, I had trips to Franklin, TN (south of Nashville), New York, and Chicago.
Nashville Needlework market is in Franklin each year and is the trade show where shops buy a lot of their inventory. My mom and I have been going for three years now as the shoppers for Persnickety Stitchers, our local shop. It is really fun to see all the models, meet the designers, and see friends new and old. It was another great market this year and we had a good time shopping and a good time chatting. It is a quick and busy weekend, as we try to get to all of the shops across four floors, then complete inventory in our hotel room, pack everything up, and drop it at the shop on Sunday night. It is busy but fun!
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| Me and Mom with Helen, Terri, and Jamie |
The weekend after needlework market, I took off on Saturday morning to visit my daughter at Purchase College. She's a sophomore in Theater Design and Technology and studying to be a stage manager. I went to see her first show as an Assistant Stage Manager, Macbeth. I arrived just before her matinee so went in the afternoon to see her friend's show, The Tempest. Although it was almost 5 hours of Shakespeare in one day, the shows were really well done. I enjoyed seeing the results of all the hard work I hear about and as far as I can tell, she did a great job as an ASM. On Sunday, we spent the day in the city, first at Bronx Zoo, then into Manhattan where we found the exterior shot of the Friends apartment building. I have been a Friends fan since season 1 so it was really fun to see it. I took her to breakfast Monday morning and then headed home. It was really great to see her in her element and to meet some of her friends live (I've "met" most of them over Facetime).
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| First show of the day - The Tempest |
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| Set at the end of Macbeth - she made the crown of sticks! |
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| In front of the Friends apartment |
Jenna arrived home for Spring Break the next Friday and it was great to have her here. We chatted a lot, watched some favorite shows, and talked about next craft projects (she's into Diamond Painting and crochet). We planned her flights to come into Indy and fly out of Chicago so we could spend a few days there. We went up on Thursday and made a stop at Starved Rock State Park in IL - it was rainy but such a pretty park - we only had a couple hours there, but I'd return to be able to do the longer hikes. Then, we headed to Aurora for the night so we could see Waitress. The ASM for that show is someone she's connected with and shadowed, so it was fun to see her after the show. They had a really neat turntable stage for the show and the talent was great. A fun evening for sure!
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| One of several waterfalls at Starved Rock State Park |
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| Theater selfie - The Paramount in Aurora, IL was such a pretty theater |
On Friday, we headed into the city and we spent our two days there exploring the Field Museum, taking in the view of the city on a 78 degree day (!!), and doing some shopping. We walked almost as many steps as we had in NYC and really enjoyed the public transportation in both cities. I dropped her at the airport Sunday morning and headed home. It was such a fun time with her.
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| Selfie with Sue the T-rex |
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| With hundreds of other tourists at Cloud Gate (affectionately called The Bean) |
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| Reminiscing about so many good times playing with dolls at the American Girl store |
And that wraps up the month! You'll see that my crafting time took a hit this month, but I am okay with that - it was well worth all the good times!
Here are the stats for the month:
Stash Reporting with Donna at quiltpaintcreate:
Fabric used this month: 1 1/4 yards (for borders)
Fabric added year to date: 0 yards
Fabric used year to date: 5 1/4 yards
Net fabric used: 5 1/4 yards
Stitching time with Kate at Life in Pieces:
22/31 days with at least 15 minutes of crafting = 71%
Project completion tracking:
Quilting projects: 0 new starts, 0 finishes = 7 projects waiting to be fully finished
I only have one weekend away in April and it will be for a stitching retreat, so I am planning to have lots to show in the beginning of May!
Comments
Looks like you had a great time with Jenna!