Blog Snobbery

Yesterday I read a post by a blogger/quilter where she posted about what someone had said about her recently published quilting book -- both on Amazon.com and on a blog.  The review of the quilt book was, at least on one level, a personal attack not just a critique.  However, the comment that bothered me the most was one where the woman said she would throw a gift away if it was not perfect.  Basically, that although the other person had spent hours making it and cared enough about her to give it to her, she would just trash it.  I struggle with my quilts and they are far from perfect and when I hear someone say something like that it makes me want to quit -- or at least keep the quilts I make for me only and not give them to others.  We all know the saying, if something is worth doing it is worth doing well.  and this makes me question whether my work is good enough.  


I confess that I get the same feelings when I read blog posts where the writer is telling everyone what makes a good blog, and how blogs that don't meet that standard are just a waste of time.  


I guess that is blog snobbery and maybe this is quilt snobbery.  

So here are my very imperfect blocks for the very imperfect quilt I'm making for the grand daughter of a friend of ours (only 8 more to go but I have to take the sewing machine in for a tune-up before I can finish).

15 minute challenge - update 3/29

I didn't do nearly as well this week.

Tuesday - made 3 blocks - baby pinwheel quilt
Wednesday - made three loaves of cinnamon bread (not quite sewing)
Thursday - made a diaper pouch
Friday - nothing
Saturday - made more bread
Sunday - nothing
Monday - nothing

So, only two days out of seven.  I was getting tired of making the pinwheel blocks and needed a rest so I put those aside. and then watched my two grandsons from Friday night through Sunday afternoon.  I'm still recuperating, but I'll try to get more done this week.  Should be able to.

Favorite Things Friday

My favorite thing this week is my #2 daughter.  Today is her birthday!

 

I'm missing a bunch of years because they are pre-digital photos, sitting in storage.  Maybe next year ... 

For more favorites, check out QIMP ...

Focus

I am finding it hard to stay on task.  I want to leave the baby quilt for a while and do something else.  I think I will try making a diaper pouch or maybe I'll work on the prom quilt.  I also need to work on the travel sewing case I want to make for christmas but I need to get the supplies first. and then there's the elephant.

There's also a sock monkey.  I don't know where the socks are.  I might need to buy some more.

Okay, so I am going to step away from this quilt for today and do something else.

So diaper pouch here I come .. and maybe one more baby quilt block.

15 minute challenge

I decided to try the 15 minute challenge at Life in Pieces.

Here's how my week turned out.

Tuesday - shopping for fabric
Wednesday - cutting out squares
Thursday - cutting out more squares
Friday - nada
Saturday - nada
Sunday - made four blocks

Monday - made a bunch of hsts and two more blocks

I made all of the center hsts for the quilt (64) on Monday and was ready to quit.  then I put two of the blocks together and could have gone on all night.  Okay, so now I know that I need instant gratification. :)

Quilting again

Since I finished the linky quilt, I hadn't done any quilting until today.  I had done some cutting, but no sewing. My main sewing machine is having issues (or so I thought) and I need to take it in for a tune up, but I haven't done that yet.  I went ahead and pulled it out today and it seems to be working fine.  Yay!

Here's the first block.

And here are four together.  I like the pinwheel where the block connect.

I'm planning on 20 blocks and then a border -- maybe yellow or a green/purple mix.  Not sure.  Or maybe no border.   I think maybe I'll even start on the prom quilt.

The boys were over yesterday.  Andrew is growing up.  He's crawling.  He is a very happy baby. And he loves the camera!

Blog un-savy

Does anyone else have trouble with the texting / internet / blogging abbreviations?  It took me forever to figure out what lol meant (I thought it was "lots of laughs").  and I just recently found out what LMAO meant; it didn't help that I thought the letters were i-m-a-o.  and even more recently I noticed that so many people were using DD and DH on their blogs.  Since I'm a baseball fan, DH means Designated Hitter to me, but I knew that couldn't be what people were meaning with those letters.  So, rather than look really stupid, I searched on google to figure out those abbreviations meant.  This is the website I used.

Enough of that, here are some pictures of the fabric/blocks that will become my next quilt.  I really like the colors.  I hope it comes together well.

I'm going to make half square triangles tonight (I hope).  I'm using one of the squares from the pinwheel sampler I made last year.  Here's the tutorial for the block.  I'm planning on using this block for the whole quilt -- I may switch up some of the blocks.

Before I get the chance to sew, my grandsons are coming over and I'm hoping to get a haircut.  It should be a fun time.  Probably crazy, but good crazy.

Favorite Things Friday

My favorite thing this week is the internet, especially quilting blogs.

I started my blog in November, 2005, but deleted all my entries because they were too depressing. I restarted on March 9, 2007. I posted a whopping 8 times in 2007. There were only a few people who knew about my blog and even fewer who read it.  I read my niece's blog regularly that year and she inspired me to blog more (66 posts in 2008 -- I know not impressive, but certainly an improvement). I read other blogs, but didn't follow any regularly.

Then three years ago, I started quilting.  My first grandson was on the way and I wanted to make him a quilt. I thoroughly enjoyed making his quilt. So I bought a couple of quilting books, borrowed some books from the library, worked with some friends, bought some fabric, and made a few more quilts.

In January last year, I decided to look online for patterns and other quilting tips and somehow I discovered quilting blogs. I think I Googled "quilting blogs." (brilliant, I know). I found several blogs and started following them.  One that I found was starting a quilt-along -- p.s. i quilt's pinwheel sampler quilt-along. I joined it and loved it -- I made two quilts, the pinwheel sampler and the other pinwheel sampler (such creative names).

I found that the bloggers I followed, followed other blogs, and they followed other blogs, and they followed other blogs... and so my new obsession began.

Now every night, before I go to sleep, I check Google Reader for new posts.  And then I check first thing in the morning.  And then at lunch.  And then again when I get home from work.  And then again after dinner.  And then again before bed.  Everyone is so wonderful, they post all the time so there is always something new to read about (it helps that some of them/you are on the other side of the world).

So that's my favorite this week.  To read about some other favorites/favourites this week, check out QIMP's Favourite Things Friday.

Favorite Things Friday

My favorite thing this week is ice cream (did I do this already?).  When I was little it was chocolate, but now it's Ben & Jerry's Coffee HEATH® Bar Crunch.  To die for.  I only get it on my birthday or anniversary, because I have no will power.

Right now, I am eating Moose Tracks .. really yummy! 

shhhh.  Don't say the "D" word.

And for more favorites, check out Shay's blog.

Sunday, Sunday

I haven't been doing any sewing/quilting lately.  My Bernina needs to go into the shop.  My sewing space is all boxed up and put away :(.  I can pull it out and work on it but I haven't been motivated.  In my defense, I have been keeping the house pretty clean (somehow I've still had time for my games though.

So, on Sunday we had an open house, so the hubby and the father and I left the house.  We went to visit my #3 son and his wife and #1 and #2 grandkids.  It had been almost four weeks since we had seen them.  I need to make sure that doesn't happen so much ...

These pictures are of Mikey trying to make a growly scary face.  Pretty cute.  Not so scary.  So I had to show him how to do it.

  That's scary!!!

Andrew is really getting bigger -- he's crawling now.  I made a video.  Let's see if it works (okay, so not so exciting for everyone .. you can just skip if you want).

Anyway, that's how I spent my Sunday.  After that, we had to get back to the house and the attack cat ...

Favorite Things Friday

My favorite thing this week is Dr. Seuss.  Dr. Seuss would have celebrated his 107th birthday this week.  When I was a kid, I loved the Cat in the Hat, the Cat in the Hat Comes Back, and Horton Hears a Who (a persons a person no matter how small ...)

I think I even had a recording of it -- actually the one I had the record of was Horton hatches the egg...

Then when my kids were little, I used to love reading the ABC book.  Big A, little a, what begins with A? Aunt Annie's Alligator, A, A, A.

I just love the new Dr. Seuss fabrics.  I've got to get me some.  They are so fun, so colorful, and so seussy.  Don't know what I'll do with them, but I want them.    

But mostly now I love the Grinch.  Several years ago, maybe when we moved to California, I started getting my kids something grinchy very year for Christmas.  The first year was socks. there have been boxers and sleepy pants and t-shirts, pens, books, this year was pencils.  I was probably the only one excited about it.

 This year might be a little easier with Grinch fabric coming out.  I will most definitely have to buy some of that.  no matter what.

I can't wait!!

Thanks for coming by.  Please go by Mrs. P's blog and check out the rest of the favorite things for this Friday.

Escape Route

Here is a picture of the escape route from my office...

I think it's cool the way it looks like a sewing machine.  :-)