Goal Gone Insane

So each new year our family sits down and makes "goals" for the year, family goals and personal goals.  One of my personal goals was to exercise more this year.   In my mind, this goal meant trying to work out 4ish times a week instead of the two times a week I am currently doing.  Not amazing, but for me  this was a goal that would be hard, but manageable. Oh, and it should be noted, that for exercise I go to the pool.  

So a random little fact here, all of my husband's siblings and most of their spouses were and are runners.  Their father is the High School Cross Country coach and has been since their first child was in High School.  A lot of them still get up early each morning to run.  Even my kids love to run.  I am the odd ball in the family when it comes to choice of exercise . . . can you see where this is going???

Back to the story.  Unbeknownst to me, my Brother-In-Laws were making similar goals.  Their goals were to run a race this year.  Well, my husband's older brother took that goal and went to the extreme with it.   After a few emails and some gentle prodding, the family is now preparing to run the Redrock Relay.  A 187 mile, 36 hour,  Relay Race with 12 members on a team that run from from Brian Head to Zion.   Hoolay!!!

When I first contemplated this idea, I was excited.  I figured this was a great way to meet my goal and have a ton of fun in the process training with my BIL's and SIL's.  So I was all "I can totally do that".  Sure, I have never ran a 5-K (I have swam that far, but never ran) but  I can run 3 of them in a day and a half.  Then I looked up the actual  course and found it is a lot more like running 3 10-K's.   What have I gotten myself into?? My excitement is turning into some serious nervous excitement.

 So here I am  . . . a blank page when it comes to running.  So, all of you quilter/runners,  do any of you have any great running training methods????   I don't think I could run a 400 without getting winded so I am talking like super beginner training.  Do I just go out and start running???  Should I start now????  

I think this means I will have to adjust my "schedule" some more, I wouldn't want running time to interfere with quilting time ;)   Maybe I can convince everyone that our team name should be something quilty related like "Running with Scissors" or "A Running Stitch".    We could even wear cool patchwork shirts. Look how cool this patchwork shirt from Oki-ni  is.  I could totally make 12 of those and maybe use Riley Blake neon's so we won't have to worry about getting hit in the middle of the night ;)

Have a Happy Quilting   (and possibly running) Weekend!!!

Pulling Fabrics

So next week is the annual Cedar Chest Quilters Guild Retreat and along with teaching 2 classes, I will also be taking a class.  And not just any class, a Bag Making class!!!  Yes, I am trying to stretch myself and am going to do some 3-D sewing.   Lucky for me,  Barbara is taking the class as well, so I will have a pro at my side at all times.  So yes, I am a little less nervous about totally wrecking the bag.

So as the class is next week, I figured I best get picking some fabrics.  For the main part of the bag, I knew that I wanted to use some of my Joel Dewberry True Colors Damask print.  I love the design and I love purple, couldn't be a better fit.   But now, I have to decide on pocket accents.

Edit - You guys are the greatest , I was totally hung up on the Aviary and the yellow was just the wrong tone.   So here are some new options.  These are all from True Colors.

Grey Lodge Lattice???

Yellow Herringbone???

Mint Lodge Lattice????

What do you think???  Grey, Yellow, or Mint???  Or Maybe a combo of 2??

We're a Week In!!

Can you believe, it has already been a week since the Star Light Star Bright Quilt-A-Long began.  (And it has been a crazy week at that.)   But no worries, you still have a whole week to gather your fabric to be ready for cutting which will be posted next Wednesday the 29th :)

I am so excited for this Quilt-A-Long!!!  Already, there are so many wonderful fabric combinations popping up in the Flickr group ;)  I can't wait to see these beautiful fabrics take shape ;)

And from the responses I have been getting, this is looking to be the biggest Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long ever!!!   I know I am just going to blown away with how many of you are quilting-along with me.  It just makes me smile, you all are the greatest.

We even have mini Quilt-A-Long's within the Quilt-A-Long.  Eeek, so fun!!!   I already know of 3 gals who have gotten other gals in their area to join in and they are all quilting together.  The Shenandoah Valley gals have even made a Facebook group.  I just love to see this spreading so much quilting love :)

Oh, and just in case you didn't see, that is my Anthem bundle  being cut up in the pictures from yesterday.  I am getting all ready for next week!!  Yippee :)

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!!

A 3G Sewing Day :)

There was no school yesterday, so during nap time Grandma came up and we had a three generation sewing day!!!  So much fun!!!  

I can't explain how happy it makes me to see my daughter just soaking this quilting up like a sponge.  She is currently working on a little quilt for her sister's birthday and already has another 5 projects or so planned when she finishes this one.  (Yup, quilter all the way :)

I so look forward to years and years filled with more sewing days like this one!!  It truly is Happy Quilting!!!

Quilting Along?? Did You See This???

First off, let me say Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for all of the kind and loving comments you sent my way over the weekend.  I can't begin to explain how much they buoyed me up, you are the greatest!!!  I still feel awful about making this error, but I am so grateful for how understanding everyone is being about it.

In case you missed it, I posted here on Saturday, that I found an error in the fabric calculations for the QAL. Horror!!!  It was awful!!!   Somehow, I completely forgot the sashing, in calculating the fabric requirements and the block sizes.  So I spent Saturday afternoon frantically adding more block options so we could have those nice bed size blocks and reconfiguring fabric calculations for all the size options.

The good news is that the print fabrics are pretty much the same, and the size options are now pretty much the same as well, you might just be making a different size block to get the same size quilt you were aiming for.   But, the bad news is if you have already bought your fabrics, you will most likely need extra background fabric.    The corrected fabric calculations have been put in the original Fabric Requirement post that you can find here.  

So if you haven't already, please go check it out, I would hate to have someone going off the old ones.  (Although,  if you wanted to continue without sashings you are allowed by all means, it just makes a very different design :)

So this post is meant to be a double check, to make sure that everyone quilting along is now on the same page so that we can move on forward.   I am so excited for this Quilt-A-Long and I know that we can get over this hump and have a great time quilting together ;)  And yes, I am so incredibly glad I realized this now, before we started cutting.  This was bad enough, that would have been a complete melt-down.

Oh, and in case you are still looking for fabric, the Quilt-A-Long Kits have been adjusted for the new fabric requirements ;)  Thanks to Julie for being so patient with me and redoing all of her kits ;)

          

     

Let's all have a Happy Quilting Day!!!