Live Long & Be Girly

Is this a picture of:



A) my famous reverse "Live Long & Prosper"?
B) the instructions for my grill en Espanol?
or
C) me showing off my nifty color-changing nail polish?

The answer is D, all of the above except I just made up the reverse "Live Long & Prosper" thing. When we were in Wisconsin, Patrick's Aunt Peggy gave me a bottle of Del Sol nail polish that is blue in the shade and green in the sunshine. This is the first time in a month that I've had painted nails and sunshine, so I got to see it to its best advantage today.

Check out that Del Sol link, they have a huge line of products that do stuff in the sun. Weird!

Baltimore Album Progress

I'm working bit by bit through the quilting on the Baltimore Album quilt. It's not anything fancy, mostly in the ditch and echo quilting, but I'm just trying to get it off the list.

Last night I went with a bunch of friends to see the Rat City Rollergirls. There were two great bouts, and I got to spend some time with some great girls who I don't see enough. Amongst them is Angela, who runs a super nifty Etsy shop here, and is unspeakably delightful.

UFO - Baltimore Album

I spent the better part of today curled around a heating pad in a fetal position so tight and snug that, to the casual observer, I appeared to be trying to mate with said heating pad. Geez, who loves being a woman? Hands up! No one? Bueller?

Still, consider the alternative! Ha!


In the time that I was not doing my impression of a beached whale on the couch, I added some quilting to the next UFO, my Baltimore Album. The quilt blocks are only about 6", so it moves through the machine very easily. Which does nothing to explain why this quilt pre-dates my marriage. This quilt is older than my house. I started it when I got Electric Quilt for Christmas and my fiance went TDY. In 2004!

Fast forward to present, and I now have a newer sewing machine and quite a bit more quilting knowledge. I can no longer stand this quilt, but I don't want it lingering in my house. So I'm going to quilt it, bind it...and then what? Any ideas?

Leave 'em in the comments, I can check email from the couch.

Finished UFO - Bohemian Bag!

I finished a UFO! My Bohemian Bag didn't have far to go, considering it was supposed to be finishable in two classes, but I'm considering it a win.


Today I finished the pockets, inserted the lining, attached binding to the top edge, added the handles, and sewed on the button. The finished bag is about 9" tall, 5" wide, and 12" across. There are supposed to be laces creating a fold on either end, but I wasn't crazy about them.


Here is a detail shot of the button and D-ring handle attachments. I made something with D-rings! I really like the button, I think it matches the lining fabric nicely.


I took this one to show off the pockets, but it seems I also caught my bag growing paws out the bottom? So that's one down!

Bohemian Bag Progress

Today I started work on one of my many UFOs - my Bohemian Bag. This pattern was designed by Lila Tueller - here's a picture of a finished one from her blog. I started this bag in a class in May or June, and it has been languishing since.


This afternoon I sewed up the sides, cropped the corners to make a boxed bottom, sewed plastic canvas into the base (this was very tricky), and sewed the button loop on.


I also started work on the lining and pockets. The ones on the top are finished, the ones on the bottom are just pinned.

In other UFO news, I also worked on my Top Gear socks at lunch. Knitting at lunch is the most relaxing way I have found to spend that hour. I have been listening to David Sedaris' When You Are Engulfed In Flames - it is fantastic!

Unfinished Objects - (UFOs)

Today I saw Julie & Julia, a movie that struck a chord with me. The Julie/Julia Project was a one-year project to make all the recipes in "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." If you don't know why the story of this goal got to me, well, you haven't been reading this blog long.

The movie was great, well written, well cast, and completely charming - I highly recommend it! And it left me with the desire to reposition my nose a little closer to the grindstone. I came home and went right to my sewing room, where I haven't spent more than an accumulated hour since preparation for the Quilt Retreat. Which was in May! Patrick and I went through all my UFOs (you gotta love a man who knows what UFO stands for) and made a list.

The list (in brief) is in the right column, under my profile. I have a longer list which includes all the steps that need to be accomplished for each project. I'm hoping to make a dent in this over time. With the exception of baby presents and Christmas gifts, I won't be starting any new projects.

** In a knitting aside, I wore my obscenity socks all day yesterday and they were LOVELY! **

Obscenity Socks - Finished!

The project that started out so accursed has finished beautifully! I put the last stitch in the toes on Sunday night while on vacation in Wisconsin (then eagerly began my next sock). I got my sock blockers from Knit Picks on Tuesday, and now they are dry and gorgeous!


Of course, I get along with a litle help from my friends. Here's Maggie, helpfully inspecting every last stitch. I'm excited for the cooler weather so I can take them out for a spin.

Next up: Top Gear socks!