week 02

jan 8 to 14

Welcome to week two. This week I am planning the following items for my YotQ activity.


Be a Maker:

I have been busy with my Flutter by Butterfly quilt. The first row is complete and the second is well under way. I am loving how the colors all look together and I think the print line I am using, The Lovely Hunt by Lizzy House, is going to be perfect. See my previous post for links to the quilt and it's maker, Maureen Crackneil.

On Wednesday I completed the week 1 block from The Quilter's Planner, called Unnamed. I decided to use the fabrics currently on my work table, so the block is made from the same print I used in the first row of Flutter. Since I have decided not to follow along with Gnome Angel for these blocks, I will probably use them as I go through the year on whatever projects I am currently working with. I figure this way I'll have two tops when I am done, or more likely a top and a back!

My last dedicated maker effort this week has been STICKERS! I got a Silhouette Portrait cutting machine and have been making stickers every evening since Wednesday night. It took me 5 hours over two evening to figure out the software and now I am off to the races. I am a Planner Girl in my spare time and really enjoy the creative outlet sticker spreads give me. It's just... no words... stickers... planners.. YIPPEE!!!

Use the Stash:

The Denise Schmidt solids are fantastic. There was enough colors in my box to match or nearly match every color needed for the quilt. I ran into one shortage from a FQ that I have used previously, so there's a mint square that is supposed to be white, but it's beautiful so who cares? The Lizzy House prints match wonderfully with the solids and so far my only snag is a pattern error. Word to the wise, ADD THE MATH BEFORE YOU CUT. Anyways, I made the adjustment and from row two onward it should be smooth sailing.

I am using my stash of digital printable planner stickers with my new cutter. I print these on sticky-back, AKA sticker paper, then use a straight edge and medium blade to cut them into pieces. It's a tedious task and takes quite a bit of time. You can find printable files of all kinds for every major planner type on Etsy if you enter the words "Printable Planner Stickers". 

I have been loading these into the Silhouette software and using it to make custom sticker sheets with the colors and shapes and tags I use most. I still have ALOT of cut stickers and a few sheets I printed just before the new year, so I will be using what I have already in spreads in the weeks to come. 

Practice my Craft:

There has been regular piecing with a scant 1/4 inch seam allowance so far. I have been getting better with each seam since scant seams can be difficult. I am also learning to sew with a captivated 18 month old boy in my lap. My littlest is all into the sewing machine and loves to sit and watch the pieces go under that needle.

I finished and posted Phased Out to my Craftsy shop. This actually happened before the new year so I am thinking of writing another pattern before the end of the month. We will see how my month pans out.

Also this week:

I had hoped to get to my brother's t-shirt quilt this week and to some of the other sewing I have in my studio. I have a Weekender Bag to finish for a friend and a knit along I am doing.

Going through my planner, I can see I had a late start to the week because I got so much "done" before the new year. Once I got to Tuesday, I had the sewing bug again, so the second half of the week was better but not great.




I finished my planner spreads for next week. I only had time to do the first three days of the week in my Get to Work Book but did the whole spread in the Quilter's Planner. My person planner that I carry around is updated daily. Seems like alot but really it's very organized.

The Get to Work Book is my family planner. It sits open on the kitchen table and everyone is welcome to come take a look and mark in it. My husband can see what's going on with me and the kids, and he usually adds his travel and business dinners so I know what's coming. The Quilter's Planner is for my Quilting/Knitting/Making plans. It is usually either on my work table or wherever in the house I have setup to sew for the day.

My personal planner is a HoboNichi Techno and OMG it's so cool! I take it everywhere and use it like a Bullet Journal. If you're not familiar with all this please Google or YouTube it!


Later this month:

Sarah Fielke is doing a BOM called Down the Rabbit Hole. The monthly instructions are being released at the end of each month, so this will be a more prominent item in my planning of February.

On to week three...