Marsbarn Designs...

Building a fabric village

I finished piecing the kindergarten houses. (Phew!) Windows were very popular this year.  Several houses had a dozen each, and in all there were more than eighty windows. 

Now, I've moved on to one of my favorite parts of making these quilts; putting together the pieces. My brain loves the puzzle to fitting all these individual creations into a whole where they work together.  It's all about making a bit of fabric synergy.

A bit of donut goodness for a cloudy Sunday morning.

Ah, the magic of hot oil.  Behold the mysterious transformation from this:

to this:

I could prevaricate and claim that these fried bit of pumpkin and spice goodness were inspired by the end of Spring Break, 

or the completion of the houses for the kindergarten quilt,

or the need to share a bit of donut-y goodness with one's friends and neighbors.

But really, the only excuse I needed was the sweet request by Big E, a cup of good coffee, and a bottle of oil.  I'm easy that way.

getting into the groove, again.

Okay, Paris.

I am going to Paris.

Me.

But first, I have a quilt to finish (three more houses to go!), Easter, Little e's birthday, and oh so many things to do, and my brain just keeps skipping like a 45.

Paris. Me. 

 

Brain. Can't. Quite. Function.

ah the sweet love of motherhood.

The scene: Bedtime, lights are off, tapes are on.

Setting: Little e thumps downstairs.

little e: "Mom is it time for tape to be turned off?"

h.: "Yep.  It's that time."

little e: "But mom, the thing is I don't feel like I got any cuddle time with you today."

Mom's heart melts just a little and

of course cuddling ensues.

Then...

h.: "Okay little e it is time to go back upstairs and go to bed."

little e: "But MOM, now Sweetheart G will have gotten more tape than I did!"

That point where zen turns into Zombie

As I make my through the kinder architecture which is the Kindergarten Auction quilt, I have to admit to a bit of (dare I say it?) burn out. 

 

Then I finish a house, see its sweetness, and I reach for the next one in the pile.

Which leads me to the Zen State and beyond.

I think most crafters/artists/people have that point of total engagement where things are rocking along and you just don't want to stop.  That state of "I can do one more" leads to 4 more, and somewhere past the Zen State you reach the Zombie State;  the brain goes from remote control to snooze and the Mistakes begin.  

 

Zombie State can be recognized by these signs:

-You second guess the PLAN.  (Because you are always smarter at midnight than you were at noon.)

-You begin to do things ON THE FLY.  (Making it up as go along is always a good idea.)

-All YOUR THOUGHTS BEGIN TO BE IN CAPITALS or bold italics.  

So when the thoughts: 

"Why did I make the pattern like that? I can TOTALLY skip that part and make this So Much SIMPLER by doing this." 

started to flash through my mind last night, I recognized the impending Zombie State,  put down the house with a dozen windows, and walked away.  

shut up, and just do it.

Ever just have to tell your brain to "Shut up and just do it!"?

Ya, I'm a bit like that these days.

I have this opportunity.  This huge, pleasurable opportunity, and my brain keeps yattering at me "Money, money, money." or other reality based, boring reasoning.  (Oh, and its not just my money my brain obsesses over, its other people's' money as well. )

How HUGE is "huge"?

How about being invited to go to Paris with my mom for a week in April?

Ya, that kind of "OhMyGod!" huge.

And my brain (what a traitorous organ) keeps muttering about household budgets (mine and hers), and family needs, and orthodontia, and really-you're-going-to-do-this-trip-without-your-family?

And of course, I am.  I am going to go and, guilt be damned, have a glorious time.  But for time being, I might have to keep muttering my mantra of the day.  

Hat-trick

So here it is. The last of my trio of chapeau. My hat-trick is complete.

This is Sweetheart G's crocheted cloche, made following the same pattern as Little e's. (Oh I love a project that can be completed in an evening and loved so tremendously.)  

I used a "hand painted" style washable wool made by Cascade.  I love the colors.  Sweet G loves the hat, and looks lovely in it, but I am not in love with the pattern.  It is a bit too bucket-y and not quite cloche-y enough.  It has a habit of poofing up on Sweet G's noggin, instead of setting flush.  If I make more of these, I'll have to play more with the increases or just find a better method.  

Still, one evenings effort inspiring so much joy is a pretty sweet deal. (She's been wearing it so non-stop that I haven't had a chance to weave in the ends, thus the trailing bit of yarn.)

Chapeau ala Jimbo

My father in law has always been fascinated by spinning and weaving.  One of his "when I retire" plans was to take the time and learn.  He's been retired about a year, and just before Christmas he handed me his first three balls of hand spun yarn with a request to make him a hat.

So I present to you a chapeau made from Papa Js own spindle spun yarn.

The hat is warm, thick, and snuggily soft.

I finished this up last week (before the sweater makin' bug bit), and as I worked  I constantly marveled that this was the first yarn he'd ever spun. It was lovely stuff to work with!

Despite two miracles, I can't get my mojo going

You know when you blow your nose and your teeth hurt?

Ya, I've got a bit of that to add to the same low energy I've had for the past week.

I don't know if it's allergies or a cold, and I'm really not sure it matters.

To top it off everything I try to write today is total crap... 

I even have two miracles for blog fodder  

(Little e fell asleep in my arms today, AND Big E did the big Trader Joe's grocery shop) 

Pah.

Big Plans for a small break

Spring Break plans:

-Sleep in every morning. 

(So far, I'm right on schedule) 

-Many a playdate for the Monkeys.

(Three dates in two days so far.)

-Make more bread and other yeasty goodness.

-Work on the Kindergarten Auction quilt.

(4 houses down, 18 more to go)

-Knit on the sweater.

(I'm about an inch and half into my sweater, speedy I am not.)