100 Day Hustle Re-Cap

Hello all!  I am finally lifting my head out of the Christmas coma and getting back to my blog. Can't believe it's the end of 2012, whew!  So, it's also time to report on my 100 Day Hustle list....here goes:

1.  Quilt for the hubs - finished the quilt top, assembled the quilt back.  Just need to get it basted, quilted, finished.  This sucker is going to take me forever to quilt, but that's okay!

This quilt is huge!

2.  Finish my EPP quilt - nothing got done on this one.  I tabled it because I am still undecided.  I have a feeling I will be machine quilting this one, but am scared to start.

3.  New Christmas stockings and placemats - well I finished the stockings but not the placemats.  I just ran out of time for that! And I forgot to take a pic of the stockings before packing up all of the Christmas decorations the day after this year....oh yeah, last year it was Feb, this year day after!

4.  Piece my Single Girl quilt - DONE!!  this is a slight change in plans since I discovered that I get too cold at night to sleep under a quilt.  I love them for the couch and to sleep with, but need more warmth in bed!  I paper-pieced this one with Anna Maria Horner's Loulouthi line (with a few more AMH fabrics added) and Kona Pepper for the solid.  I ♥ it!!

5.  Christmas quilt, with Brrr fabric - quilt top pieced!  Again, meant for this to be a queen quilt, but opted for lap size after all.  Debating adding grey borders or not.

Removed from the list:

1.  Baby quilt for new niece/nephew - this will be postponed due to my SIL miscarrying at 13 weeks.
2.  Project for Out to Sea fabric - I know what pattern I like, but am waiting to finish some things first!

So, I currently have 5 quilt tops that need to be finished before I start anything else!!  I'm much better at starting projects than finishing them, ugh.  One of my New Year's resolutions is to finish all my unfinished projects before starting anything new :o)

I'm linking up with Kelsey at Kelsey Sews!

Ruffle Pouch Addiction

So, I cannot believe it's been 2 weeks since I last posted anything?? wha???  This month is whipping by and I cannot keep up.  I am so excited I have a whole week off next week to spend with the hubs and my girlies!!  We have a few little things planned, but mostly just to chill and enjoy the time together.

Work has been hectic...I recently got a promotion and with that a ton of added responsibilities.  It's nice on one hand and hard on the other.  I'm thankful for my job, it funds my  fabric addiction  hobbies, ahem!  I am trying to be good, but it's so hard with all the lovely fabric coming out, gah, kill me now.

Some fun stuff I have been working on lately is little pressies for my girlies.  They are always in need of chapstick, pencils, pens, etc so I made them each a ruffle pouch for their stuff.  I am going to fill their stockings with all kinds of goodies to put in them to keep in their backpacks.  I may be more excited about it than they will be :o)  Sorry for the crappy phone photos...if you follow me on instagram, you've already seen these (sqragan).

 I made this one for me...because I ♥ AMH fabric!!

 this one is for Emma

this one is for Dayna

There are several more ruffly goodies I made up for them and need to get a photo of...cannot wait for Christmas!

WIP Wednesday

This week has been productive, but crazy!!  Both of my girlies got a horrible stomach bug erasing our whole weekend's plans....but that's okay ♥ Sick kiddos sometimes translates into lots of cartoons and a quilty weekend :o)  I basted 2 quilts, the baby chevron and the spiderweb Chicopee quilts.  I am working on putting together the back to Branson's quilt and getting that sucker moving along.  LOTS of work to do there.

I also started working on my Brr quilt blocks.  I ♥ these polar bears!  I have about 4-8 more to go (haven't decided how big I really want to make it yet), but am enjoying working on it a few blocks at a time.  I've had these pieces cut out for a while, just haven't put them together until this weekend.

Such adorable polar bears!!

Ongoing WIP List:

1.  Groove quilt for husby - quilt top DONE! Need to baste, quilt, bind (whew)

2.  EPP quilt - no progress

3.  Christmas stockings and placemats - no progress

4.  Single Girl - no progress, but saving this one for the week of Christmas break!

5.  Brrr quilt - 12 of 16-20 blocks done 

6.  Out to Sea - pattern decided

I'm linking up to Lee's at Freshly Pieced:

Fit Tuesday

Posting this late tonight, but it's still Tuesday!  So, today I finished Week 3, Day 2 of the C25K program.  I had taken last week off simply because I didn't have time to do it at all.  Today kicked my butt!  The whole program hinges on interval training, alternating walking/running until you can run a full 5K.  I love the running, but I look forward to when the program tells me to start walking!!  I find that on days when I plan to work out, I am anxious for it all day, then I hit the treadmill and knock it out, coming away feeling like a million bucks.

Back when I was in WW, I learned something that flies in the face of everything we women are ever taught...be LESS efficient in order to get more activity in your day.  I work in an office, at a computer, all day.  It can make you a slug, lemme tell ya!  Be less efficient by walking the long way to the bathroom, breakroom, taking the stairs, walking around the floor to talk to a coworker instead of shooting an email.  I also park farther away from the building so I can walk a few extra minutes a day.  Every little thing adds up!

Pounds lost this week: 3

Total lost: 8

Pounds to go: 62

I am encouraged to see some of my clothes getting a little looser!  I've got 195 days until my Euro trip next summer...need to keep on track!  How did everyone do with Thanksgiving??  I stuffed myself, but just for the day :o)

Groove - A Finished Top

The top is finished, YAY!!  I honestly didn't think I'd get this far by now...the hubs just might get this in time for Christmas (this year, too)!!

Best part is that the hubs ♥♥♥ it!!

Linking up to Amanda Jean's Finish It Up Fridays at Crazy Mom Quilts and Sarah's Can I Get a Whoop Whoop! at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

WIP Wednesday

Hello, all!  I hope everyone is havin a great week!  I have actually made some progress this week, mainly because I've been home taking care of the hubs.  He had back surgery on Monday....best.decision.ever.  He is out of pain (except for the actual incision, etc.) and he is doing well.  I am so grateful for modern medicine.  While he was in the hospital, I watched London Hospital on my kindle...let me tell you, it's an eye-opener.  Just don't retell the story lines to someone just getting out of the hospital...not a great idea!!

On to the projects for this week!  I finished my Chicopee spiderweb quilt top, yippee!!  I LOVE the way it turned out, except it's not very big.  It's barely lap-sized, but that's okay, I still ♥ it.

I cut out all of the pieces to the hubs' Groove quilt...and am almost done piecing it!!  I am about 9 rows shy of the twin size.  I have a love/hate relationship with this pattern.  I love the end result, but hate the process.  I feel like a very slow dot matrix printer.  Despite how I feel about the pattern, it is coming out beautifully and I can't wait to quilt it up for my man for Christmas!

progress......

9 rows shy of finished top....was going to finish tonight, but my eyes started to blur

Linking up to Lee's at Freshly Pieced

WIP Wednesday

I am making slow progress on my Chicopee spiderwebs...added the solid triangles last night and got all the rows sewn together.  It is turning out much smaller than I had hoped, so it might turn into a wall hanging (insert sad face here)  Pardon the iPhone pics....it was all I could get last night!  I am LOVING the colors and the pattern and just about everything about it.  And I cannot wait to quilt it!!  It's been a while since I have had such focus on a project.

Also, I placed my first Spoonflower order recently...got my order in the mail this past week and I am still undecided about it.  I love this mermaid print though!!

Another Work in Progress is my C25K program.  Finished week 2, Day 3 yesterday, felt amazing and saw that this is my best distance so far.  I know it's baby steps but that's okay with me.

Linking up this week to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

Fit Tuesday

Hey all!  Back again, another week down!  By the way, I am not turning this into a fitness blog, but just haven't had much quilty/crafty to show lately.  I am trying to get my act together this week to get some stuff done!

I had one workout this week that made me feel amazing, and the rest were just hard.  I know that's normal, so no worries!  I am drinking water like a hound and stretching every day...not just for a workout.  It is helping tremendously!

Random thoughts for this week:

1.     Staying on points for most of the week helps - duh moment

2.     Oikos greek yogurt for breakfast is a great idea…full of protein so I am not starving at lunchtime

3.     A quality pair of running shoes makes the difference between feeling great after a workout and wanting to collapse and die (drama!)

Now for the moment I have been waiting for all week…I have refrained from getting on the scale just because I didn’t want to be disappointed…

Pounds lost this week: 5

That’s right….5 pounds!!!  Beyond excited and I am totally aware that this is not going to happen every week, but it DID happen this week, so bam!!

I don’t think I am going to be ready for the Thanksgiving 5K…just didn’t really have a lot of time to prepare and don’t want to embarrass myself.  BUT instead, I am creating a team for the Angels Among Us 5K scheduled for April. My husband has had 3 brain tumors, and while none of them were cancerous, more research needs to be done.  I already have 2 members besides myself!

Pounds lost: 5

Pounds to go: 65 *sigh*

Fit Tuesday

This week has been my first week back into the workout mode.  Right now, I have a love/hate relationship with it.  I have done 5 days of C25K since last Tuesday and let's just say I am re-learning HOW to exercise.  Two key parts of working out are water and stretching...basic things that make such a difference!!  On day 3, I didn't drink any water until my workout, didn't really stretch before hand,  and the whole workout was awful.  My calf muscles felt like they were ripping off my bones!  (A bit dramatic, right?)  I cried for about half of the time, but kept moving, kept going, kept willing myself forward.  It was a bit cathartic, until I realized I am sabotaging my own success if I don't do the things necessary to make it easier to work out.

Did some googling and found a great stretch routine here.  It's tailored for runners, but I think it would be a great routine for most basic workouts.

So, this week is going to be different! I also made up a WW food log, re-sized from this one.  I made enough pages to make a monthly booklet.  So far, so good!

I am going to start doing my weekly weigh-ins next week...since I didn't weight at all last week.  So, hopefully I can report a big change!

Chicopee Spiderweb

I have had a jelly roll of Chicopee sitting on my desk for about 2 months now...just not sure of what to do with it yet.  I finally decided to break it out and it is pretty perfect for this time of the year!

A whole jelly roll makes about a wall hanging size of this particular design.  So, instead of breaking out the FQ set, I think I will pull in some solids from the ole stash.  I gotta say, the more I work with Chicopee, the more I love it!  I am already excited about the quilting on this one...thinking spiderwebs will be completely perfect!!

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!!