Fit Tuesday - I'm Back!!

It has been, oh, I don't know how long since the last Fit Tuesday post.  Guess what? I'm back to it!  I had an intermission with all the stuff that's been happening in my life, and am finally in a place to get my act together again!  We are 223 days until the European vacation and I haven't lost any more weight.  Haven't gained either, so that's a good thing!

I recently relocated office buildings at work.  The one I am in now is amazing...it's in downtown, close to some great eating places and shops, parking is now free (love that), and the building has a fitness room!
Another great find is the FREE C25K app for the iPhone.  I started it today and it's awesome.  It's all about interval training, but you don't have to watch the clock.  The app tells you when to walk/run and you can use your own music through the app without interference.

You're supposed to be ready for a 5K in 8 weeks, but I am wanting to do one scheduled for Thanksgiving morning....4 weeks away, cuz that's how I roll!  So, instead of 3 days a week, I plan to do 5-6 so I can be ready!  I really only wanted to die about once today in the middle of the workout when my calf muscles were on FIRE.  But you just keep going and it wasn't bad!  I felt kinda like a rock start when I was done :o)

WIP Wednesday

Hey all!  I hope you are having a great week!  

1.  Branson's quilt - because I am so indecisive and there is no Shazam fabric out there, I am waiting on the superhero quilt.  However!!  I showed Branson this pattern and he thought it would be a great San Diego Chargers quilt!  

So, after my initial heart attack once I thumbed through the pages of this pattern, and stroked out after reading the layout page, I ordered the following fabrics from fabric.com. 

AND, in case you don't know this already, apparently there is a coupon code you can use that people have been using for, oh, about a year now, giving you 20% off your entire fabric.com order!  What??  coupon code is sewsorry.  Give it a shot!

2.  EPP quilt - nothing happening here.  In fact, I started another EPP project this past week, darn it.  Maybe all the extra thinking will help me think of how to quilt the first one!

isn't she cute??

This is the new EPP so far...measures about 21 in x 23 in using 2 inch hexies.

playing around with adding the orange

3.  Christmas stockings and placemats - no progress

4.  Single Girl - no progress

5.  Brrr quilt - fabrics have been cut, just need a spare day to start piecing, hahaha 

6.  Out to Sea - pattern decided

So, I thought I was doing better than I really am with getting all this stuff done before the end of the year....ugh.  Things need to slow down here....that's for sure!

Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced

Quilting as Therapy?

This weekend has been a challenge.  This summer the hubs got a herniated disc in his back when he was playing with some kids in his class.  He's been to chiropractors, doctors, acupunturists...nothing has helped.  So, Friday he got a shot in the spine, with another one to follow in a couple of weeks.  I knew I would be in a few waiting rooms, so I cut up some fabric for hexagons.  I like to keep my hands busy and not just sit in the waiting room surfing the internet.  

About 3 hours into the wait, my mother-in-law called me to tell me my sister-in-law had a miscarriage.  They have tried SO hard to get pregnant for the last 10 years, she finally got to the 13 week mark, and now this.  I couldn't keep it together.  I threw my sewing in the basket and tried to get out of the waiting room faster than my sobs were coming.  I am just crushed for them.  I know people go thru this kind of thing all the time, but it doesn't make it any easier to understand.  After I pulled myself together, I worked on more of my hexagons.

It helped.  The slow, easy work just helped my brain to untangle and think about what had happened and how I could help. We went to their house as soon as we could, just to be there and offer a shoulder to cry on.  It has been an emotional weekend.  I continued to steal moments to work on my sewing....the therapy I received was just unexplained.  I prayed, cried, and found peace with every stitch.  I still grieve for them and for their baby, so hoped and prayed for.  But I know they will find a way to move forward.  

New Name

I have been wanting to change my blog name for a while now. This blog originally started as a way to promote my etsy shop...but quickly turned into a quilty/crafty blog instead (which I love doing so much more, btw!!)  My sister and I were toying around with names and Red Poppy Quilts just stuck with me.  I love poppies, being a Cali girl and all. I remember road trips as a kid and looking out the windows at all the poppies on the side of the road.  They are just the happiest flower, to me :o)

So, you can still get to my blog thru the old address, but now I am also redpoppyquilts.com!!  Of course, I have my awesome sister to credit for my new blog header :o)  She is crazy talented, so if you need any design work, yall just let me know and I will hook you up!

If you're still reading this far, I wanted to just share something I found today on fabric.com.  Holy cow, what a stinkin cute hedgehog!!  I may or may not have picked up a yard-ish.  I'm glad I did too, because they had 10 when I ordered, and now it's all gone, sad!  I have no idea what I will do with it, but I just couldn't resist!!

WIP Wednesday and Another Finish!!

This week has been super productive...I finished 2 quilts this week...wha????

So, I may be a few days late getting this one finished up.  That's just life sometimes!  I finally got our do.Good Promise circle's first quilt finished this weekend.  I worked on it all afternoon and after dinner on Saturday, and my family kept asking if we could keep it....I think they liked it as must as I do!

I quilted this with an improve chevron stitch in the middle of each color.  This was a first for me and I really like how squishy it made this quilt feel.  Finished quilt measures 48 inches square.  Lovin those small quilts!

I chose a chevron pattern and the teal/orange/grey color combo.  Amazing how 10 people can use the same colors and pattern and come up with such different blocks, but they still all work together so well!

Brrr! quilt top cut out, this may actually get finished before Christmas!

Deco Shimmer Finished!!

100 Day Hustle/WIP List

1.  Branson-superhero quilt-pattern chosen!

2.  Finish my EPP quilt-no progress

3.  New stockings and placemats for Christmas for my kitchen

4.  Piece my queen-sized Single Girl quilt-paper pieces cut out and ready to go!

5.  Make baby quilt for my new niece / nephew

6.  Make Christmas quilt with my bundle of Brr fabric-fabrics cut out!!

7.  Start a new project using my Out to Sea fabric-pattern chosen!

Linking up this week to Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday

Finish It Friday!!

The nice thing about working on a quilt that is smaller than I'm used to, is it comes together so much faster! The finished size of this one is 53 x 53.  Last night, when I should have been working on my 100 Day Hustle list, I was quilting and finishing Deco Shimmer.  I ♥♥♥ this quilt pattern and how it turned out.  I want to make a queen sized one soon, but AFTER I finish my other list!

I quilted in all of the white and just left the cheddar unquilted.  I really love how it makes the design pop!  I will be taking some pics tomorrow with better lighting :o)

I really love using a contrasting color for the binding.  The binding is Kona Glacier.  Love how it matches the Summer Love fabrics on the back, too!

I'm linking up with Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts' Finish It Friday.

Scrappy Projects - Mug Rugs

It always seems I am late to the game...these mug rugs were all the rage a while ago, but I just couldn't get on board.  Don't anyone shoot me, but they seemed a little pointless to me....until I made one, that is!  I just moved to a new office building at work and I am in love with my new space.  It's brand spankin new, clean, open, windows galore, located in the heart of downtown (a little scary, btw!).  Anyway, I wanted to do something to dress up my new digs but I don't have enough wall space for a wall hanging.  Enter the mug rug!

I have a huge tupperwear of scraps, so I just started sewing these babies together.  They come together so fast, too!  I totally see the instant gratification factor here!

This is also a great way to practice free motion quilting.  I did pebbles on one and my go-to swirls on the other, but plan to try some new techniques as I make more of these.  Pair these with a travel mug, or a Starbucks' gift card and you've got a great gift!