Tag- I'm It...Again!

I got tagged again.  This time the lovely Melinda at Tilda's Twisted Life tagged me.  Here are my questions to answer:

1. Musicals or plays? And what are your favorites?
Musicals all the way!  I have quite a few favorites, but I think my all-time favorite musical has to be Les Miserable.  You just will never get a better storyline than that. 
2. Do you have any "hidden" talents that have not made it into your blog?
I think just about everyone knows I sing and play the piano and have a serious affinity for baking.  Some of the kids actually call me Cupcake Lady, because I used to make themed cupcakes for play groups.
3. Are you a reader? If so, what are you reading right now?
I am most definitely a reader. I am right in the middle of Inheritance (the last of the Eragon books), and so far I'm underwhelmed by it.  Hopefully the end will resolve alright though.
4. What is your favorite time of day?
I answered this last time, but currently I would have to say at night when I'm sleeping.  I don't get enough of it, so I thoroughly enjoy it when it occurs.
5. Do you save the selvages from fabric? Have you ever made anything with them?
I don't.  I've seen some seriously cute quilts using selvages, but I can't bring myself to save anymore scraps than I already do. 
6. What is your favorite quilt you've ever made?
My favorite quilt is still probably the Diamond Chains quilt I made for my sister-in-law.  Ironically, it's from a quilt-along that Melinda hosted this past Fall.

 
7. What color comes up most often in your quilts?
I was just thinking about this yesterday.  Recently it would be purple because all of my skill builder blocks are different shades of purple although just about every kid quilt of late has had red in it - which is funny, because I never thought of myself as really liking red, but both of our cars are red, and all of my bright-colored quilts tend to have red in them, so maybe I like it more than I realize. 

This was last April - I can't even believe she's almost 1!

8. Do you play music while you sew? What songs get you motivated?
I do have music playing in the background sometimes, but it's rarely the same thing twice.  I have very eclectic tastes, so my mood determines what I want to listen to  (the same thing happens when I go running with my iPod as well).
9. What's the worst injury you've ever suffered?  
Um, that would definitely have to be when I shot myself in the finger with my dad's gun when I was 4 years old.  It's a long story, but trust me when I say it hurt.  It's actually my first memory....good times.  I'll tell ya the whole story sometime if you're interested.  :)
10. Do you come from a large family or a small family?
I come from a large family although I never really thought of it as being particularly large.  I'm the oldest of 5 children.  Now that I have 2 children of my own I think my parents were amazing and have no idea how they did it.
11. Have you always lived in your current hometown? If not, how far away do you live from the town where you were born?
I've lived in the Columbus, Ohio area for 18 months now although I feel like it's been a lot longer than that.  We came for my husband's Pediatric Residency.  It's quite a ways away from where I was born - Los Angeles.  I'm actually the 5th generation of Stuetz's to be born in Los Angeles, but it stops with me, because I don't think we'll be having any kids in Cali anytime soon.  I was born a California girl but have lived on the East coast most of my life.   

SO there you have it, Folks.  I'll skip the tagging part this time around (unless you really want to do it), but it's definitely fun to play along. 

Bag Headaches

Well, I finished making my first bag.  I needed to replace my diaper bag that was falling apart.  I'm not thrilled with it, but it's alright and I learned a lot.  Once again- the lack of specific directions in the tutorial bit me in the butt (pardon the expression).  The very last step said to add the snap to the bag.  I grab my snap and the directions on the packaging say to make sure to attach it before sewing together the inner-layer.  Sigh.  Of course.  Rookie mistake.  I'm sure I can find some type of snap that can be put on as an afterthought, but for now it's without a snap and that's why it looks like it bunches in on itself in the middle. 



Luckily, some of the other issues were fixed.  I'm so glad that my adjustments to the inner-pockets made it so they are a perfect fit for the obligatory sippy and snacks. :)

The zipper pocket is also the perfect size for my wallet, so there are a couple of things that are most convenient about this bag.

Now that I've made a bag I know it's not very hard to do - you just need good instructions (until you feel confident to do it on your own).

I may just have to try another bag or purse just for the fun of it. ;)

Also, it's the end of the 1st quarter for the Finish-A-Long.  I finished 2 of my 3 quilts - see my goals here.  I did get two Skill Builder tops made, but I made the decision not to finish them since the quilt-along got postponed and didn't end up finishing this month.  I want to finish all the blocks before I decide on what to do with the backs of the quilts.

I'm posting one of my finishes - the Ladybug Quilt:

 The back is nice and fuzzy/soft.  It fits on a twin-sized bed.

I'm linking up to TGIFF!

Steep Learning Curve

First- I'm all caught up on the Skill Builder blocks.  Here are #26 & 27: wonky fan & wonky star

Second- I'm caught up with the Blogger BOM blocks.  See here for that full post. 

Third- Here comes the ouch- learning hurts sometimes.  :)  I started working on a small diaper bag yesterday.  I've always just stuck to quilts, but have wanted to branch out, and well, I have made quite a few mistakes (some not my fault, but mistakes nonetheless). 

1. I learned that when choosing a tutorial I should have found one that was much more detailed.  I was looking at the pictures more than the actual instructions when choosing which bag I wanted to make.  This particular pattern works great for someone who's made a ton of bags and wants open-ended possibilities.  That doesn't so much work for me since I've never made a bag before.
2. I should of also read the entire thing before starting.  I cut everything out as instructed in the first step and then realized the cutting instructions were for only if you wanted a certain type of pocket (which I didn't).  
3. I figure out measurements for everything on a quilt, so why didn't I think of that with the bag?!  I don't know.  I should have measured the size I wanted for the pockets.  I quickly realized (after cutting the fabric) that the pocket measurements weren't big enough for my needs.  They didn't fit the particular kind of bottles we use.  Sigh.  Luckily, I figured out a way to make what I had already cut out work.  

The pocket sizes gave me so much grief that all I got done were the inner pockets.  It's my first time sewing in a zipper though, so I was all proud of myself.  :)  I would say I'm cranky about the experience, but I feel like I've learned a lot just by going through this, so I feel better prepared for the next time I make something I'm not very familiar with.  I'm hoping to get the whole thing done this week- barring any other unforeseen issues. 

No progress:
Christmas blocks
Halloween Wall-hanging

Stats for the Week:
New projects - 1
Completed projects - 0
WIP- 6

Check out what everyone is up to this week over at Freshly Pieced.  

Taking Out Blocks

I'm back in business and so happy about it.  I loved this block, but I think I extra loved it just because it was the first thing I sewed together after getting my sewing machine back.  This is Skill Builder #26- Wonky Star.  The next one is #27- Wonky Fan, so I'm all caught up on Skill Builder blocks now.

This block is supposed to be wonky, so I went with shades of purple that I wouldn't normally put together.  My favorite part is the decorative stitching.  I chose this particular stitch because it also reminds me of a fan.

I also whipped up March's Blogger of the Month Block:

Now that all of my blocks are done I'm finally going to start working on the diaper bag that I keep saying I'm going to make.

I'm linking up to BOMs Away!  Check out the other blocks being made.

Documenting Childhood

My husband has been going through his childhood boxes, and in there was a newspaper clipping about the 3rd child.  He's the youngest of 3 - he has 2 older sisters.  This article talks about the lack of documentation of the 3rd child, but my husband has pile after pile of newspaper articles about him.  He claims there aren't that many, but seriously, you would have thought he was a rock star growing up.  I guess that's the advantage of being an overachiever from a small town. 

This particular clipping he tried to throw away when I wasn't looking, so I knew I would be scanning that one first. :)

 He has a ton of articles for each of the plays and musicals that he did in high school. 

This is one of Joel's favorite roles - Vincent Van Gogh.

I love this picture- It's saying, "I may like Shakespeare, but I can also kick a ball, so beware!"

Then you have his meeting with the Senator-  I love that they labeled him as Justin Thompson. :)

And just in case you weren't completely sure that he's an overachiever:

Yup, he was valedictorian.  

Scanning these has been so much fun.  He may not be quite as amused as me, but hey, his mom saved them for a reason.  Now our kids have documentation of their daddy.

Tag- I'm it!

Pat over at Color Me Quilty tagged me in a fun, little game to get to know each other a bit better, and how could I refuse?! :)  Here are the rules:
 
Answer some questions. Post some questions. Tag some people. It's an 11-11-11 plan (answer 11 questions, "tag" 11 bloggers, ask 11 questions).

Here are my questions from Pat:

1.) What is your favorite dish/dinner meal?

Oh man - one that's made for me!  Actually I love to cook, but dinner time seems to be melt down hour for the kiddos, so it's hard to cook dinner while the hubby is still at work.  The actual food I'd want to eat?  Probably lasagna or homemade Yakisoba (I love Japanese food).

2.) Is your favorite color used in most of your quilts?

My favorite color is an ocean blue, but the funny thing is that I rarely use that color in my quilts.  Huh.  I never realized that before.  

3.) Do you live near where you grew up?

I've lived all over the country, but consider Upstate New York (Syracuse) home.  I currently live about 8 hours away in Ohio.

4.) What would be your dream job and are you doing it?

Well, I absolutely loved teaching Junior High General Music and Choir, but I always really missed my baby boy, so as much as I would love to teach again I'm happy to be home with my kids right now.

5.) Do you have any pets?

My dad used to say, "I have 5 children.  Why would I want any more pets?!"  I kind of feel the same way right now.  I know I'd be the one taking care of them, so no pets for me right now.

6.) Do you have a nickname?

Oh gosh.  I'll spare you the embarrassing ones my dad had for me.  Everyone used to just call me by my last name before I was married, because it's unique and can be yelled really well.  :)  Stuetz!  (pronounced - Stuh-ts).  I mostly just go by Becky now.  :)

7.) What hobbies (other than sewing/quilting) do you have?

I love to bake, read, sing and play the piano.  I also think decorating cakes is a lot of fun, but I'm not that good at it.  

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8.) What would be your dream vacation?

I really want to take my husband to Spain.  I studied there in college and then 2 years later lived there as a missionary for 18 months, so I absolutely love it there.  It's been over 10 years since I left and I've really been missing it lately.

9.) What is your favorite time of day?  

I have 2- it that ok? :)  I love first thing in the morning right after breakfast, because my son always cuddles on the couch with me and we read stories until Little Lady wakes up.  It's the only time of the day that he sits in one place, so it's really enjoyable for me.  The other one is late at night after the kiddos have gone to bed and I get to spend time with my hubby.  I don't even care what we do.  I just like being with him.  I kinda like him. ;)

10.) Do you buy fabric without having a project in mind?

Eh- if you're reading this, hubby, please skip to #11.  So um, I try to stick to fabric I need, but sometimes I see something that just calls to me, and it's on sale, and well, it ends up in my cart.  I've been trying to be good lately, but it's always a temptation.

11.) What is the last book you read?

The last book I finished was Night by Elie Wiesel.  I read it for my Book Club - it's about his experiences during WW II in concentration camps.  

 Now it's my turn to tag:
Cassie from Cassie's Crafties
Elle from Elle-mental
Leila from Sewn
Becky from Becky's Blabber
Dana from Old Red Barn Co.
Amanda from The Modern Marigold
Alycia from Alycia Quilts
Kelly from Live.Love.Create.
Nancy from My Ancestors and Me
Kathy from Kathy's Quilting Blog
Debbie from A Quilter's Table


If you decide to play along, I look forward to getting to know you a little bit more!

Here are my questions for you:

1- Besides the obvious hobby that you blog about what other things do you enjoy doing?
2- If you were stranded on an island for a full year and could only eat one thing that whole year what would it be (calories/health considerations don't count)?
3- What is your favorite book or one that you enjoyed recently?
4- Is there a movie that you like to watch over and over again?  What is it?
5- What is your absolute favorite thing you've ever made/sewn?
6- If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would it be?
7- If we went out for dinner, what restaurant would you pick?
8- What is your favorite childhood memory?
9- If you had to describe your personality in one sentence what would you say?
10- Who do you consider one of the most inspiring people in your life?
11- What is the last thing that made you smile?

Unplugging Myself

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 Hi, my name is Becky and I'm addicted to technology.  I decided to spend an entire day without the computer, my iPod, iPad, TV, and cell phone yesterday. (I scheduled my blog post the day before- is that cheating?).  It was SO much harder for me than I thought it would be.  Ouch!  I wanted to check my email probably 50 times just because I knew I couldn't.  I also wouldn't let my son use any technology either.  I usually let him watch a movie while I teach piano lessons, but instead I sent him outside to play in the backyard (I love having it completely fenced in!), and you know what- he loved it!  In the end, I didn't make it the entire day, because I remembered that I had a few emails that I had to get sent out before Friday, but the computer didn't even get turned on until after the kiddos were in bed for the night, so I was feeling pretty proud of myself.

The best part of the experiment?  The stars aligned and both of my children napped at the same time, so I just cuddled up with a fabulous book and read- enjoying the peace and quiet.  It felt wonderful!  I probably should have been cleaning my house, but it was a much needed respite. 

I've taken away from this experience that completely blocking out all technology may not always be possible, but I definitely think it's a healthy thing to disconnect once in a while and enjoy life in a simpler way.  Are you addicted to technology?  Just curious if I'm the only one.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Oh How I Wish There Was Progress

It's been about 3 weeks since my sewing machine broke, and well, the prognosis for my lovey isn't the greatest.  I get her back tomorrow (finally!), but she's not coming back to me as I had hoped.  The mechanism to thread my machine is broken, and the cost of the part plus labor would basically have been as much as just buying another cheap machine.  I couldn't justify the cost, and he was nice enough to make it so I can manually thread it myself.  So, it's usable just not as convenient anymore.  But hey, after being without one for so long I'm just glad to get it back.

I did make this table runner with my mom's sewing machine (full post here), so I haven't been completely useless (in terms of sewing).  :)

When I get my sewing machine back tomorrow I'm going to get down to business and make myself a diaper bag.  I bought this stuff forever ago, and I'm finally getting around to cutting it.  I'm excited for the new challenge.

So obviously nothing else has been done, but here's the list:

Skill Builder: I'm behind one block, but I have 2 quilt tops done
Blogger's BOM: new block comes out this week
Christmas blocks: no progress
Halloween Wall-hanging: I'm not even sure why I still list it, but technically it's at the bottom of my projects bin.

Stats for the Week:
New projects - 0
Completed projects - 1
WIP- 5

Happy Birthday, Oreo!

This month Oreo is celebrating 100 years!  It's personally one of my favorites, and just about any dessert that contains Oreo is virtually a guaranteed slam dunk at this residence.  Sadly, we're trying to be good, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy some Oreo goodness.  Here are a few delectable delights for your eating pleasure:

Chocolate-Oreo-Dream Cake

Cookies & Cream Oreo Bark

Oreo Truffles

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie

Oreo Pudding Poke Cake

I have a number of other Oreo recipes, but I'll leave you with just one more. :)

Oreo Cheesecake Bites

Happy 100th Birthday, Oreo!  You've made quite a few people happy in these last 100 years.

The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

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Have you seen this movie?  I haven't.  I personally have a low tolerance for blood and gore, so I steered clear of this rendition of the musical Sweeney Todd.  I did, however, go to a high school version of this musical while visiting my hometown last week.  It was choreographed by one of my closest friend's mom.  I was very curious to see how they would tone down such a dark musical to make it ok for high school.  I found out the music is slowed down a little, the language is cleaned up, and some of the darkest subjects are glossed over.  I just have to say if you know much about Sondheim (the composer of Sweeney Todd) you know that he is seriously messed up in the head.  I don't know how he comes up with what he does.  His music is brilliant, but I still think he's slightly deranged.

The particular performance that I saw blew me away in terms of talent.  I could not believe how talented the kids were.  The rhythms, tempos and huge vocal range in Sondheim's music are so incredibly difficult and the kids nailed it.  I was particularly floored by the two leads (Sweeney Todd & Mrs. Lovett).  They had the "it" factor - amazing vocals, great stage presence, and fabulous comedic timing.

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I think my question is whether or not Sweeney Todd is appropriate for high school.  The entire focus is a man's lust for revenge.  He murders person after person until he murders the person (his wife- who he didn't recognize) that he thought he was avenging.  He then in turn is murdered.  His assistant twists truth to get to him and in the end she loses her life as well.  The entire musical is extremely dark although there is quite a bit of dark humor, so it's not always extremely intense.  The school board actually read through the score, because it was so controversial.  Would you have approved it for your high school?  My high school performed things like A Streetcar Named Desire and Grease, which both involve "adult issues," so where is the line?  When does it become too much?   I know as a director I would have personally chosen a different musical.  There are so many wonderful musicals out there that I would have just steered clear from the controversy, but the jury is still out about where to draw the proverbial line on what is and isn't appropriate for high school.  What do you think? 

Finished with Nothing Else to Do

I finished up this table runner just before I returned home.  I'm glad I did, because I was able to give it to my sister without having to ship it in the mail. 

Typically stippling isn't the first thing that comes to my mind when wanting to quilt a table runner, but I've been trying to really improve my Free Motion Quilting, so this was the perfect size to practice it.  I really like how it looks. 

My mom has a Bernina, and the quilting was a lot smoother on her machine.  As you can tell from the back, I didn't have any tension issues at all.  Little by little I'm getting better.

 I was having so much fun playing with my mom's sewing machine that I decided to use one of her decorative stitches for the binding.  I usually hand bind, but it was a fun change-up. 

 My only irritation was that I wasn't thinking about the fact that I was going to have to match up the sides and I went all the way around the quilt before I realized that I had started too close to the edge.  Ah well, you win some - you lose some.  I still like the table runner a lot, and now I've learned something new again.  :)

Anyone else think it's difficult to get a good picture of a table runner?

Now that I'm back home I'm without a sewing machine.  It's still in the shop.  I think I'm going to give them a call today, because I'm going to go crazy if I go much longer without it.  The list of things I want to do is piling up quickly. 

I'm linking up to Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday.  Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

One Thing : One Week : Completed

My sewing machine and car may both be currently broken, but it wasn't enough to keep me from sewing just a little bit.  My goal for One Thing: One Week over at Amy's Creative Side was to get 2 Granny Square blocks completed (using my mom's machine). 

I ended up getting a third block done.  I went ahead and made a lovely table runner top. 

I made these Granny Squares using a charm pack of Moda's Jovial (that I won on Giveaway Day) with Kona's Charcoal for the background.  This is part of the Quilt Along with Old Red Barn Co. 

It's now layered and ready to be quilted, but I'm not sure if I want to try FMQ with a machine that I'm not familiar with.  Since I am at my parent's place for an unknown amount of time - until my transmission is fixed and I can return to Ohio, maybe I will live on the wild side and experiment with the quilting on my mom's sewing machine.  Tee hee.  That's about as big of a risk taker I am these days. 

Dreaming of Diaper-less Days

Can you tell from what I've been reading to Little Man what's on my mind?

In case you're wondering - he loves the books but has absolutely no interest in potty training.  There isn't a connection between the two in his mind.  We bought him a seat that goes on the toilet and occasionally he asks to sit on it, but that's about it. 

I wasn't actually expecting him to all of the sudden be interested, but a girl can hope, can't she?  I know that it's not going to happen a second before he wants to do it, but I wanted to at least make him aware of his options.  Now the waiting and dreaming continues...  :)

Halted Progress

I did manage to complete a second quilt top from my Skill Builder blocks.  I think I may like this one even more than the first.

And that's where the progress stopped...  My poor sewing machine had a piece come tumbling off of it and now it needs to be repaired.  It's headed to the shop.  I had my Granny square all laid out and ready to piece, but alas, it was not meant to be.  Granny will have to wait until I get my sewing machine back. 

Other Projects:
Blogger's BOM- up to date
Christmas Blocks - no progress
Halloween Wall Hanging - frozen indefinitely

Stats for the Week:
New projects - 1
Completed projects - 0
WIP- 6

I'm linking to both BOMs Away Mondays and WIP Wednesdays with this post since there is no more progress on the near horizon.  Sniff, Sniff.