Philisophical Pfridays - Naan!

Fridays are for thinking about anything but work. So grab a button from my sidebar to play along.

I named my blog Sew Hungry because, not only am I hungry to sew all the time, but I also like to cook bake and EAT! I just love a delicious pun too, don't you??

There will be a bit more baking goodness on the blog in the next few weeks as I prepare Thanksgiving at my house and get ready for an annual event: the Truffle Shuffle. More on that later, but let me just tell you that a good friend and I have been making an insane amount of chocolate truffles every year for the last 4 years.

Who else got up and made naan bread at 5:30 this morning?

Oh, just me? That's OK. I love my lab so much that I am happy to make naan bread early in the morning. My lab is having a curry day and it was my job to bring the flatbread. If you haven't figured it out yet, my lab is a pretty cool place to work (or "work" hehe).

This is the recipe for anyone who is interested. I didn't have any buttermilk or plain yogurt which many of the recipes I found required so I found one that didn't need them. They may not be the most authentic naan around but hey, I'm no professional.

Happy Friday! This weekend is Thanksgiving cleaning and shopping prep days so it remains to be seen how much sewing I can get done.

WIP Wednesday - late night photos

Modest progress this week accompanied by poorly lit photos and semi-lyrical captions. Enjoy!

On the 16th day of November (ok I know it is the 14th) my true love gave to meeeeee 16 figure 8 scarves in various states of completion. From left to right. Completed scarves. Pinned and pressed and waiting for the final hand stitching step. Not pinned not pressed, tired from the rest.

Spinning stars {and geese} quilt is mid-quilting. You can kinda see it here. Loops in the solid rings...

And filling in the stars with a back-and-forth squiggle (There has to be a legit name for that which I don't know). 

Quilting this guy has been a bit of a nightmare but I will discuss that in a later post because I firmly believe that the nightmare will have a happy ending.

 In other non-picture worthy news. I made three more scrappy blocks (red ones) for my scrappy placemats.

And that's it for this weeks WIPnesday. Check out the other projects at Freshly Pieced.

Hiking on a Sunday

Fall in Alabama

 This spot is about a 10 minute walk from my house. I really need take some photos of finished quilts back here sometime.

100 day hustle - on the 50 yard line

Progress update for the halfway point of...

Anyone ever watch Dead Like Me? I feel like I am part of "getting things done with Dolores." Won't you see what kind of things I have been getting done?

Finished

1. Tales from Earth and Sea (a roller rink quilt Elizabeth Hartman design)

2. October NuBees

3. Lunch bags for the frog festival (made but didn't go to the festival (sad face))

4. Last couch pillow. All the pillows (and Scrappysaurus Rex) on the new couch...

5. Sakura quilt for my Bubby (this one was a recent addition to my list as well as a recent finish)

Ongoing

1. Commissioned messenger bag for coworker - made the body of the bag, stalled at making the strap.

Heavyweight canvas for the main fabic to give it support. Lined with Habitat and some Hope Valley. Pattern is the messenger bag from From the Zakka Style book (my favorite pattern of the book).

2. 16 figure 8 scarves (the number used to be 24 but I miscalculated earlier) - fabric cut. Test scarf made. Halfway through sewing.

Little folks voile. 1 down, 15 to go. I confess I've worn this one around town a bit. You know, just to test drive it.

3. Three more Christmas pillow covers. Each pillow will be made uising a different technique. I have already made the tops for two of them. I have the fabric and design picked out for the third.

 

Spinning stars block. Hand quilted

 Improv piecing. Quilt as you go (QAYG). Astute readers may notice I used red thread for green blocks and green thread for red blocks. see...

4. Spinning starts quilt - quilt top and back done. Need to baste (ugh)

No progress
1. Christmas gift for K - no preview, it's a surprise!

2. Nubees block quilt - once I get my blocks for Oct/Nov I can put this together

3. Scrap buster placemats

Not started

1. Quilt for my sister A - she wants a honeycomb pattern with bees - using this pattern and these fabrics.

2. Advent calendar
3.Tree skirt
4. Recover 2nd pillow for guest bedroom

Can you believe it. Only 50 more days until 2013. My completed list is growing but I am already thinking of the things I want to add to the list for the start of 2013. I really need to stay focused!!

By the 75% mark I expect that all the ongoing projects will be complete and that I will have made some headway into the semi-abandoned projects at the end of my list. Head on over to Kelsey's to see everyone do the hustle.

Happy Friday!

WIP Wednesdays - hand quilting edition

I will post more details on Friday about how my list of projects to finish in 2012 is coming along. This past week I finished my Sakura quilt. I started making some Figure 8 scarves and I embarked on some Christmas pillows.

A while ago I made a spinning star block with some test fabrics I didn't particularly care for. Or so I thought... the spinning star block actually looked good! Of course, I was heavily influenced by my desire to not waste anything. I think the colors are Christmas worthy and so I am using this block for one of my Christmas pillows I am making.

Spurred on by all the beautiful hand quilting projects I've seen all over blog land and flickr. I chose to hand quilt this pillow. I used embriodery thread and just winged it (wung it?) This is being heavily quilted with straight lines every 1/4 to 1/2 inches apart echoing the octagonal shape of the block. I guess when I try something I just dive right in.

Side note: my left wrist hurts like a bitch. Like I was typeing at a non-ergonomic keyboard for 50 years straight. I guess I need to work out my handstitching muscles some more.

On the bright side - It gives such a great texture!

 

Second side note. This eats up a lot of embroidery thread. I started with an off white and switched to a slightly darker tan about halfway through. I can't even tell where it happened though so who cares. Maybe I was just adding interest, jeez.

Here's the back where you can really see the texture shine.

Next time I will use an embroidery hoop (oops!) to eliminate the bubbling I got in the center. I also need to buy a thimble and a longer, sharper needle.

Linking up with Lee over at freshly pieced. Happy Wednesday!

Sakura - Quilted, bound and crinkly

 

My Sakura quilt is finished and ready to be entered into the Tula Pink SAL. I first posted about it here.  I finally got home early in time for it to still be light enough to take photos.

Quilt stats:

Size- 47" x 60" lap quilt

Pattern- cherry pie from Tula Pink.

Fabric- I used a Matsuri fat quarter bundle and some coordinating solids from connecting threads.

Thread -Aurifil white for piecing and quilting (my first time using this thread - NOT disspointed)

Quilting- stipple FMQ by me on my home machine

Binding- machine stitched solid pink

Destination- For my Bubby's couch.





 perfect size for a couch or a picnic for two

I really wish you could touch this quilt. The Matsuri is a cotton lawn so it is super soft and silky and the FMQ stipple just enhanced the feel.

For the back I took the strips that were leftover after cutting the blocks for the front and pieced them down the center flanked by solids. Then I added in the remaining prints from my fat quarter bundle into color blocked rows.

It's a fun problem when you can't decide which side you like better.

Here's a close up of the back.

And as always, I will finish out with a photo of my quilt burrito.

This lap quilt is going to my Bubby. She loved the quilt I made for my mom, so I decided to surprise her with her very own quilt. I think this quilt will really brighten up her living room. The fabrics remind me of some of the old housecoats she used to wear (in a good way!) and of the myriads of Asian art and artifacts she has decorating her home.

Check out the TPSAL (Tula Pink Sew-a-long duh) flickr group for all the awesome entries. Also linking up with fabric Tuesdays.

I voted!

For the Blogger's quilt festival of course. What did you think I was talking about? Ok,ok I also voted for President. But BQF voting was more fun. I can do it in my PJs at home and there are pretty pictures. My friend Katie's quilt is a finalist in the bee quilts I am super excited for her. So go check them out and vote!