MMSC - Week 30

Today's update is close …

See what I mean?

I managed to add 3 more diamonds PLUS stitch together a strip of 4 diamonds. I just didn't quite have the time to add that last strip. The big diamond will be done by next week though. I promise!

Slow and steady progress as usual. :)

Linking up with Jessica's Monday Morning Star Count at Life Under Quilts.

MMSC - Week 29

This was a week of exhaustion (from school) and a lack of crafty focus. Somehow I did a little knitting, a little cross stitch, and a little EPP. So really, not a lot got accomplished.

But, I added another 3 diamonds to my 2nd 6-point star.

I'm trying something new … instead of adding the diamonds one at a time from top to bottom, I've tried stitching diamonds into strips and then stitching the strips together. I decided to try this mid-big diamond, so it looks a little wonky, but I think I like it better as an overall process.

As always, linking up with Jessica's Monday Morning Star Count at Life Under Quilts.

MMSC - Week 28

Two things …

1) I added a whopping 2 diamonds this week, and

2) photgraphing black dogs is ridiculously difficult.

Toka and some diamonds

Linking up with Jessica's Monday Morning Star Count at Life Under Quilts.

MMSC - Week 27

I'm still a one-day-a-week EPPer, but this week I managed to stitch things together!

Just 4 little diamonds, but it's enough to get me back on the stitching wagon again. Hoping this becomes more of a trend for the rest of the summer.

However, the more I think about these stars (I have one completed 6-point star here and then this is the start of my second), the more I think I need more stars. Maybe 4 in total for a good sized throw quilt? The stars are roughly 24" "square" and I could work it so each of the stars is slightly different. Hrmm … that's a lot more cutting, basting, and sewing than I had originally planned.

Why do I always tend to go big?

As always, I'm linking up with Jessica's Monday Morning Star Count at Life Under Quilts.

MMSC - Week 24

I went on a bit of a basting binge this past weekend. I don't know what got into me, but I was in the mood! I finished basting the last 35 diamonds for my second 6-point star.

Now I can start stitching again! Woot! I'm playing around with the layout for this star as I want it to be slightly different from the first star. We'll see what happens this week.

I think part of my motivation was that I really want to start cutting fabric for another project and I couldn't justify having 3 projects in the basting stage. Now to see how long I resist before the rotary cutter comes out …

Linking up with Jessica's Monday Morning Star Count at Life Under Quilts.

MMSC - Week 20

Pretty little diamonds … three of them!

Last week I laid out my hexies for my Batik Hexie Blanket and I discovered that I do not like it at all. I spent all week going back and looking at the picture again. I kept hoping that I'd grow to like it, but no such luck. I've put it away for now. I need some distance from it and some time to rethink how I can make it work. :(

In the meantime, I am continuing on with the diamonds for my 2nd 6-point star and am drawing up plans for a brand new project.

As always, I'm linking up with Jessica for the Monday Morning Star Count at Life Under Quilts.

MMSC - Week 19

Small amount of progress this week … I basted 5 diamonds.

I showed you the design sketch of my Batik Hexie Quilt (aka Grandmother's Flower Garden) two weeks ago, but it really doesn't accurately capture what happens when fabric gets involved. So I thought I'd have some fun and layout my hexies to show you what the real thing will look like.

What do you think?  Hrmm … I think I hate it. Oh dear.

Linking up with Jessica for the Monday Morning Star Count at Life Under Quilts.

MMSC - Week 16

I think my expectations of what I could or should do in a week are too high. I've been beating myself up over not getting more than a few shapes basted every week. My dear readers have been so positive and encouraging. They reminded me that any progress is good progress. I think I need to stop feeling like I'm not a good crafter if I don't get oodles done.

So this week, I am pleased to show you the 15 items I basted -- 10 diamonds and 5 hexies.

Progress may be slow, but it is steady. :)

As always, I'm linking up to Jessica's Monday Morning Star Count at Life Under Quilts.

MMSC - Week 15

I've been having trouble with my mojo for weeks now for almost all of my crafty interests … except for knitting, which is still a new and fresh hobby. I have been struggling to pick up a needle because I've just been to darn tired lately. Too tired to craft. Too tired to do the things that refresh my soul and make me happy. It upsets me that being tired is getting in the way.

I am trying to push on. This week was more successful, but still not up to full throttle. I managed to baste 15 more diamonds this week.

As always, I'm linking up with Jessica's Monday Morning Star Count at Life Under Quilts.

MMSC - Week 14

My EPP mojo isn't quite back in full swing (and my cross stitch mojo is completely MIA), but I did get a tiny bit done on both of my projects. I basted 5 diamonds and 5 hexies.

Progress on these projects isn't just slow, it's sloth-like.

As usual, I'm linking up with the Monday Morning Star Count at Life Under Quilts.

MMSC - Week 13 (a little late)

I'm a few days late for the Monday Morning Star Count over at Life Under Quilts. To be honest, I don't have much to show, just 5 basted diamonds:

Schoolwork, sleep, and knitting having been winning the fight for my time and attention. Fingers crossed I can get my EPP bug back up and running soon.

MMSC - Week 12

I made time to get it done … a big beautiful star is born!

And my points line up pretty well too. :) It was very satisfying to finally sew the two halves of my star together. I love it! I'm very glad I chose the brown star design after all.

Now I need to get back to basting diamonds again.

This week I also found a little time for my Batik Hexie Quilt and basted 15 more little hexies. This means I've exceeded my New Year's goal of basting 100 hexies this year. I think I might have to adjust my goal -- who knew I'd be so inspired by a link party?

As usual, I'm linking up to the Monday Morning Star Count at Life Under Quilts and Hexie Friday at A Quilting Reader's Garden.

MMSC - Week 11

Last week was a very bad week on several fronts. So what did I do? I submersed myself in EPP. At least that was under my control and (compared to my schoolwork) I could see tangible progress. My energy only lasted a few days though, before work and apathy overtook me. By Friday I was a grumpy, irritable mess who couldn't sit still and focus long enough to work on anything crafty.

But my friends unwittingly came to my rescue! A crafty get together was planned for Friday night, a friend offered to drive, and I couldn't really get out of going. So I went. It was the exact thing I needed. I stitched, I ooh'd and aah'd over other people's work, and I laughed. Such a balm to an unhappy soul! This of course revitalized my stitchy bug and I spent much of my free time on the weekend stitching.

Ok, enough of my rambling, it's photo time! I sewed together 3 more of the big diamonds, so my big star is only 2 pieces now, and will hopefully come together this week.

I also did some basting … 18 diamonds and 5 hexies.

A plan is beginning to take shape in my mind for my big star blanket. I'm thinking of a 4 quadrant background in light and medium beige, with two big stars and a few little stars appliquéd randomly all over it. I haven't decided about a border or backing fabric yet. I think I need to learn how to use a sewing machine for that, and that won't happen any time soon. However, I have also started playing with layouts for the second big star:

Can you picture the white inner star? What do you think?

As usual, I've linked up to the Monday Morning Star Count at Life Under Quilts and the Hexie Weekend at A Quilting Reader's Garden.

MMSC - Week 10

First off, how is it almost mid-March already? Craziness. Hard to believe we're 10 weeks into the New Year.

I must give the Monday Morning Star Count at Life Under Quilts a big shout out … because of the inspiration and motivation I've gained from this link party, I have done almost as much EPPing in 10 weeks as I did the entire 6 months I EPP'd last year. (I only started EPPing in June.) I am more hooked on EPP than ever! (And my lack of cross stitch progress is showing it. Teehee.)

So, on to the real business … progress photos!

Again, I found basting to be therapeutic and relaxing this week and I managed to get 20 hexies done. That's 85 hexies basted since Jan 1 (my New Year's goal was to baste 100 before Dec 31, 2014) and 204 in total.

This weekend I also plucked up the courage and stitched together 3 of the big diamonds in my 6-point star:

Taking out some more of the papers was totally satisfying, I can't wait to do it again.

Finally, I am still being tempted into a new project start by my fabrics … resistance is weakening. (Sorry for the smidgeon of blurriness.)

This post is also linked up to the Hexie Weekend at A Quilting Reader's Garden and the "in hand" epp link party at Splish Splash Stash.

MMSC - Week 8 - Backwards Progress?

Last week I was painfully disappointed in my lacklustre EPP progress. I was determined to get more done this week. I managed to finish off the big diamond I was working on (i.e. added 4 little diamonds). I was quite pleased with that progress, but there were still 5 days before I checked in. I should have worked on my cross stitch or my hexies, but no, I stuck with the diamonds. I added 16 more little diamonds, which really is another whole big diamond!!

I actually finished adding all my little diamonds! WOOT! I still had some time, so I thought, maybe, just maybe, I could get 2 big diamonds stitched together … but that would mean that I had to choose which pattern I liked best.

I laid them all out in the original pattern I'd designed and left them there so I could see it every time I walked by.

The next morning, I switched to the brown star pattern and looked at that for half a day. I sent pics to several friends asking their opinion (which didn't help at all LOL).

I just could not decide! I really liked them both. I couldn't commit and I was wasting days of stitching time.

So I did the only thing a rationale, sane person could do … I cut the fabric for another EPP star.

Guess I'm making a bigger quilt than I thought. It's back to basting next week.

Linking up with Jessica's Monday Morning Star Count at Life Under Quilts and also with the Hexie Weekend at A Quilting Reader's Garden.


Side note: While writing this post and looking at the two patterns side-by-side, I decided I liked the brown star pattern best. But I've already cut the fabric for another star … maybe I should come up with yet another pattern … uh oh, I think I'm in trouble.

MMSC - Week 7

This past week was not a good crafting week as you can tell by my lack of progress posts.

Late last night I realized I hadn't put a single stitch into any of my EPP projects, so I frantically added two diamonds to my 6-point star project.

I considered just not posting or linking up to the Monday Morning Star Count with Jessica at Life Under Quilts, but I just couldn't bear the thought.

I don't know why I was so tired this past week. Any downtime I had was spent half-comatose on the couch watching the Olympics. Usually I stitch or crochet while I watch TV, but not last week. I spent the weekend finishing the first three chapters of my dissertation, so I put in more hours of work than usual. (On a happy note, those chapters have now been sent to my supervisor. Woot! Progress!)

Hopefully this week will allow me more stitchy time.

I'm also linking this post up to Hexie Weekend at A Quilting Reader's Garden.

MMSC - 2014/6

Time for the Monday Morning Star Count (hosted by Jessica at Life Under Quilts). I like being accountable for doing some EPP every week. I've accomplished more in the last 6 weeks than I did in the 6 months before that.

This week was more basting than stitching. I did get 4 more diamonds stitched onto the bigger diamond, but I spent most of my time basting hexies … 20 this week.

As usual, it takes almost all of my willpower to resist buying more fabric or starting a new project. I'm an addict, I know.

This post is also linked up to the Hexie Weekend at A Quilting Reader's Garden.

MMSC +6 and +5 ?

I am loving the progress I'm seeing on my EPP projects. Linking up with Jessica over at Life Under Quilts every week is so motivating. And thank you to everyone who comments … they make my day and keep me pumped up about working with diamonds and hexies.

I managed to get 6 more diamonds stitched together for my big star project. (Only 26 little diamonds left!)

I also was inspired to pull out my other WIP, a batik grandma's flower garden blanket. I've not stitched any flowers together yet, but this week I basted 5 more 1.25" hexies (I think I have 124 basted in total). I worked it out (I'm a big fan of excel spreadsheets) and I need a total 1216 hexies for my blanket. More than 10% basted, woohoo!

At the beginning of the year Jessica asked to see our portable EPP kits, so I finally remembered to take a few pics while the sun was shining this morning.

I found these at Michael's … I have one for each of my EPP projects. The scissors and the needles are the only things that I need to switch between projects.

Have EPP, will travel! :)

This post is also linked up to Hexie Friday at A Quilting Reader's Garden.