Virtual Sew In

Ever done one?

I tried to find a definition or some cute image, and I couldn't find one...so I made my own!

Photo via Instagram

An online friend did a shout out a few weeks ago on Facebook.  I had a ton to do and needed some dedicated time to do it all in. How could I not say "Me! Me! Me!"

Admittedly....Mr. Boss laughed at me when I told him my plans.  He finds these online interactions odd, but I explained to him that all I was basically asking for was 6 hours of uninterrupted sewing time. The gals and I would just be posting our progress, questions, and encouraging each other!  Baby and kid duty would be his.  

He being the wonderful man he is?  He agreed!

 I thought I would share with you how the day went...so here goes!

Saturday, 9:42 am

Slept in.  I was up late Friday night getting things planned. I popped onto Facebook and said "Hello".  A few of the ladies were just getting started. 

However, I needed my coffee and my shower ASAP!

Saturday, 11:30 am

  Mr. Boss left with Button to go grocery shopping.  I turned on my iron and pulled out my first projects (scrap fabric, tools, etc) for the day.

Saturday, 11:42 am

Showed off my plans to the group.  Then commenced cutting fabric.

Saturday, 11:54 am

An inquiry was made about where we were working. Photos of our spaces were requested...and they had to be current..messes and all.  

 

Question mark= secret project (taken with my iphone)

 I have to admit, it made me feel like we were sewing together on a retreat!

Saturday, 2:00 pm

All my coins (2.5 inch x 5 inch) were cut out.  88 rectangles cut from all my scrap bins.
 I also cut my 7 pieces for the sashing and borders (Kona Snow).

via Instagram

I have to admit. I was really wishing that I had bought a charm pack at this point.  I could have cut it in half!  Two hours is too long to cut fabric!

Saturday, 2:30 pm

 Coins and sashing completely laid out on my design wall.

(can't show you the picture...secret project...don't you hate that?!?!?)

Saturday, 3:05 pm

It was time to switch gears and not think about the quilt top.  I completed the cutting of 8 black and white pieced strips (4 jelly roll strips sewn into a rectangle) into 56 triangles for a second Spiders and Webs quilt.

via Instagram

Saturday, 3:17 pm

Finished getting the triangles on my design wall.

 By luck, I had the other quilt top laid out on the lighter side, and flipped it to the back (remember I made a black side for my portable wall design) just to get them up. 

As luck would have it?  I liked the black!  I have now made the decision to do black triangles instead white like I originally intended.

Saturday, 4:18 pm

I pulled out my Christmas top I had started here.

  I spent an hour cutting various sizes of my scraps to make the trees and trunks. 

via Instagram

However, it was at this point that I realized that I was really doing a "cut-in" day instead of a "sew-in"

day!!!!!

Saturday, 4:30pm

I immediately went to work piecing all the coins and sashing. Mr. Boss even commented that I REALLY meant business when I took the cover off my Symphony. He also could not believe how much I had accomplished since I started.  

 Of course, around this time is when there were a lot of  interruptions...baby up from his nap, which meant me sewing with him on my lap or making sure he wasn't turning the machine on when he started feeding fabric to the machine.  Not to mention dinner, clean-up, driving a teenager to the school dance...and so on!

Saturday, 10:57 pm

  And I had a finished top...44x54!  Just in time to pick up the teenager up from the dance!

I can't show you all of it, so it is just a sneak peek because it is a surprise quilt, and I don't want a certain someone to get the drift...even though she is pretty smart and will! 

Sunday, 12:02 am

I returned home and had a MAJOR second wind.  I have horrible insomnia and driving around and listening to the radio station playing club music had me pumped!

I decided to get to work on a paper piece project.

Sunday, 2:53 am

Called it a night!  

I had finished piecing three letters out of four.  I was very distracted at this point because a few of us were burning the midnight oil and getting pretty silly online chatting!

I was making friends with Jack the seam ripper again. Sometimes, you have to stop when you are just not making good decisions!

Sunday, 3:10 pm

Finished the last letter.  Had to squeeze it in during laundry, football fantasy draft (I am Team "Yo Momma"), school/sports calendar planning for the week, and homework round-up.

So...not too shabby, hunh?  I feel really satisfied today!

The bonus?  Because I knew that I was sewing on Saturday, I wanted to get some unfininished gifts out of the way Friday!  I can't share those yet, but I am so excited to have made significant progress this weekend!!!  I would just like the momentum to keep moving!

My point of this whole post?  

If you can't make it out of the house to go on a retreat far, far away.  Here is what you do:

• Do a shout out to your fellow online sewing friends
• Set up a private group on FB
• Pick a day on a weekend that everyone can do
• Plan specific projects for that day
•  Get sewing ladies!!!!

P.S.  I am actually going to do a GIVEAWAY. for you, my loyal followers.   

I will announce it on Tuesday, August 28, 2011

Stay tuned!