I make stuff. Sometimes I knit or crochet it, sometimes I sew it, sometimes I like to just talk about stuff other people make. What can I say, crafts are cool!
TTMT #534 - @nmjewells - December 31, 2024 - Happy New Year
It's the last TTMT of the year and I have one more block finished from the Talk to Me Tuesday Block of the Month. The Project Room cleanup is slow going but I'm making progress one baby step at a time. Once my project room is cleared up and I can access my machine again it will be time to start on November's blocks. I'm a couple months behind still but that's ok. I'll finish in the new year. 2 new blocks will drop tomorrow, and you can find links to all the previous month's blocks, including the one I show here, on the #TTMTBOM archive page.
TTMT #533 - @nmjewells - December 24, 2024 - A Snippet Before Xmas
Not really crafting this week, because I'm busy helping with inventory at the shop, and trying to motivate myself to really do a huge clearout in the project room. Happy Holidays to you all and I'll see you next week.
Abbie thank you for the cool handmade card and Michelle for the lovely postcard from Spain! And of course, Jennifer O for my gorgeous lace candy cane ornament.
TTMT #532 - @nmjewells - December 17, 2024 - Sunglasses Sleeve (a.k.a. I made a thing!)
This week I begin the giant task (AGAIN) of organizing my Project Room and show you a new tool I bought to help store and organize my thread, the Thread Bank from Wonderfil. I have been eyeing this thing for quite a while and so when the shop where I work brought some in I bought the first one, lol.
I also did actually make a thing yesterday, which was a quilted sleeve for my magnetic sunglasses for carrying them safely in my purse. I did not follow a pattern for this or even look in the internets to see if someone had already designed one. I knew I had a scrap of quilted fabric on hand that I was pretty sure was big enough to use and I dug it out and just winged it. This is why it's good to save things like practice pieces from quilting and also the large quilted scraps left from trimming up a quilt for binding after you finish quilting it. I know, I'm a bit of a hoarder, but these things come in handy! I totally forgot to mention my daughter's study abroad fundraiser currently going on at the shop where I work. This time of year we sell shop samples featuring patterns/fabrics we no longer carry because folks are looking for finished items to purchase as gifts, and the owner of Hip Stitch has graciously allowed me to sell some finished items on consignment to help Miss P (who also works at the shop part time) raise money for her upcoming semester in Japan, which starts in a few months. Jennifer O sent me her finished Sonoma Star quilt made from the original kits we sold a couple years ago in the shop as well as some fabric baskets which should arrive at the shop today. Yesterday a generous customer purchased not only Jennifer O's Sonoma Star, but BOTH of my shop samples of that quilt (I made it in 2 colorways). I was gobsmacked! I'm about to add Jennifer's baskets to the sale today after they arrive, and I'll be looking for more shop samples I've made over the past couple of years to add to the sale, maybe even curate some fabric bundles to add to the fundraiser as I sort through my fabrics. If you are interested, you can shop the fundraiser from the comfort of your home. As I type this, there is only a single item on the website, a smallish Christmas quilt, but I'll try to get more stuff up soon.
TTMT #531 - @nmjewells - December 2, 2024 - 12 Little Birds
In which I talk about having the most productive weekend for getting personal projects done that I've had pretty much all year long. My bird quilt top is done, I hemmed curtains I've been needing to hem for well over a decade, and just generally had a good, restful 4 day weekend.
All 12 bird patterns are now available for free on the Wonderfil Threads website, and, although I don't believe they will be starting their next BoM until March, if you are interested in any of these patterns, I suggest you download them now just to make sure you get them saved for yourself.
In which I show a new scrappy improv house block I pieced this weekend for my scrappy xmas quilt I started last year. This is clearly going to be a long-term project, lol. I'm slowly catching up on wathing and commenting on everyone's videos on the wordpress site. there have been some really nice things being made by everyone.
TTMT #529 - @nmjewells - November 12, 2024 - Travels and Trophies (Vacay & IQF Show and Tell)
in which I show the few items I bought while I was on vacation and talk about my awesome visit with my BFF and fellow TTMTer @sewhookedjen as well as getting to hang out with our other fellow TTMTer Abbie (sewcrazyvt) from Vermont at International Quilt Festival in Houston and a visit with Jennifer R. As usual I took 2 suitcases (packed one inside the other) for all the treasures I might find and ended up returning with one just as empty as it was on the way there. Since I started working at a quilt shop in 2022 (and since this was my third visit to IQF) I'm just not feeling the FOMO and "gotta buy it all" that I used to feel at an event like this. But it was so amazing to get to spend time with my friends, and, for me, that's what it was all about.
Stay crafty, y'all! And get together with your friends. There's nothing better for the soul.
