New Block: The Letter B

I'm back from an unexpected break with the letter B. 

Are you tired of wrinkled blocks yet?

I've had a letter quilt rattling around in my head for a while now... So I rolled up my sleeves and made a B. I liked my fabric choices, but they weren't right for what I have in mind, so I changed directions on this quilt. I'm happy with how it's turning out and think it'll be a great new idea. 

Tom is "helping"!

I feel successful with my first letter block and can't wait to do the rest of the alphabet!

Linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching. 

Brooklyn in the Pink

The end of April and beginning of May are often a good time to be in Brooklyn. Everything is blooming and the people are down to just t shirts and jeans after a long Winter. Street fairs and festivals are starting and dogs are happy as can be. Spring may be brief here, but it sure is magical!

Maybe it's just me, but this was a particularly good year for Brooklyn blooms, and it seemed the whole city was in the pink!

As I was getting this post, a favorite blogger of mine was posting something along the same lines. So I'm not the only Brooklynite who noticed!! Check out Reading My Tea Leaves post about the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's cherry blossoms, here!

The pink might be off the trees already, but we went to our first street fair on Sunday and I had my first watermelon of the season. I can't wait for Summer when I eat it every night for dinner! Pink never goes out of style in Brooklyn. 

New Block: Unknown Block

Here we have an aztec-y, chevron-y type block. I'm not sure if this is an actual block or just a variation of a sawtooth star. It's funny how simply changing the color pattern of a block changes the look so drastically.   
Over at Gen X Quilters, AnneMarie, has been exploring this in her Patchwork Audition Series. It's really neat to see how much changing the colors can seemly change the layout.
I chose very old batik-y, tie dye-like precut squares and neutral white on whites, or cream on cream, squares for this block and I love how it all comes together.   

Pre ironed.

I made this block and a brother to it, with the idea that I would make pillow covers. I have never made pillow covers, but I dig the idea of trying. But some how before completing the brother block, I lost one of the strips. These are things that happen when you don't have a sewing room. And have four cats. 

I'm still hoping to find all the pieces and put these blocks together on day! Linking up with Kathy (a little late) for Slow Stitching Sunday! Drop me a line if you know the name of this block!

The Soc

Oh, the internet!
People love it. 

Here are some places you can find Mad Cat Quilts (and what you can expect when you do):

madcatquilts.com
You're already here! Blog, quilts, links, contact. Follow this blog on Bloglovin!

Mad Cat Quilts Big Cartel Shop
My main shop were you can buy Mad Cat quilts and other items. You can also purchase Library Card items here. Needs an update, badly...!

Madcat1 on Instagram
This is where I spend a lot of my time! Home life, cats, quilt progress shots. Blog and shop updates posted here, as well as giveaways and special offers (someday!). 

@madcatquilts On Twitter
Mostly a dream journal. Also another place to find my instagrams, blog & shop updates, and special offers.  

Ana Mo Shoshin on Pinterest
Find boards/inspiration for things I like here; tattoos, cats, plants, quilts... etc... And find more info on blog topics like Recently Researching, Wardrobe Project, quilt labels, quilt blocks, etc....

Mad Cat General Store on Etsy Coming soon!
Another place to find my wares, as well as Library Card and other artisans. This shop also contains some vintage goods and seconds.  

Mad Cat Quilts is all over the virtual universe, so take a look, follow along, and reach out to say "Hi". I'm looking forward to it! 

Scrappy Little Hearts: A Finished Quilt

This little strangely shaped quilt started out when I saw Cluck Cluck Sew's heart block pattern. I know a lot of people fell in love with this block this year. I didn't really have a plan after I made the blocks. 

But after I made them, I couldn't let them rest.  I had other projects I was working on but the little hearts called to me. 

I knew I also wanted to scrap bust this year, so I pulled a ton of green scraps and started to create wonky courthouse steps around the hearts. I linked it all together with some 9 patches in purples, mimicking the checks in the hearts. The quilt was looking a little crazy at this point so I added some calming solid boarders. 

I used the last heart block, and most crooked and crazy, for the back, as well as more solids. I sandwiched top and back together with some scrappy batting.  I used purple pearl cotton to go around each heart on the top and each 9 patch. Then used light green cotton thread to densely quilt the rest of the top. I embellished the boarders and back heart. 

I made a thin rolled boarder to finish it all off. Bc of the improv piecing, this quilt is a crazy shape and all crooked. It kinda averages at 37" x 37" but is measures as wide as 39" in some places. 

Pit was the biggest helper on this little quilt. He knows it would make a cute baby quilt, or play mat, or wall hanging. 

I washed this quilt and it got nice and crinkly. I was a little worried about how it would wash bc I used a bunch of different fabrics for the top. Mostly cotton but also some velveteen, and wool, as well as blends. This quilt doesn't have a label yet. 

This is my first finish of Q2 of the 2015 Finish Along. I have a feeling I'm not gonna get as much done this quarter, but I'm happy with this little finish!

Zoo at home, zoo abroad: Nashville Zoo

Some people think it's odd, but I'm a huge fan of zoos. Where ever I go, I try to see a zoo, aquarium, nature museum, bug exhibit, farm, petting zoo, etc...  A visit is always in any trip I plan. Or several if there's time. I know many have mixed feelings on seeing animals caged, and I do as well. I try to focus on the conservational and educational aspects of these establishments.  I can't help but be amazed and delighted by seeing strange, interesting, and exotic creatures. 

While we were in Tennessee in December 2013 we went to the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere. I never posted about it way back then, but I've been thinking about that trip recently and thought it was time to share. 

The Nashville Zoo is vastly different from our little zoo at home in Prospect Park. It sits on a huge piece of land with bamboo paths winding throughout. Most of the exhibits are outdoors. We went in the dead of Winter, so many of the animals were not on view. We even managed to go quite late in the day and miss some of the ones that were out. Even with our poor timing we got to see some great animals.

Tigers!! Wow!

The Nashville Zoo has both a white tiger and an orange one! These were incredible to see, but it was very clear that these great beasts are not supposed to be caged. 

This zoo had so many large and wild cats! Perfect for cat lovers like ourselves! 

Despite the cold, the animals were very active! We got to see many close up, only a few feet away. Like a cougar drinking from the "stream".

This leopard seemed to be observing us as much as we were him. 

As everything we visited in Nashville on that trip, the Zoo was deserted. It was great!! We had the whole place to ourselves. With no one else checking out each habitat, the animals really seemed to take notice of us. But I also suspect they knew it was closing/feeding time. 

These goats were all lined up, waiting to go inside for the night. 

Overall, it was a wonderful trip, and I can't wait to go back in the Spring or Summer!  It will be wonderful to see more animals, even if that means more people, too. 

We try to get to zoos pretty often so I hope to make my animal observations a semi regular post. I could write 10 posts about our local zoo alone! Do you have a favorite zoo or aquarium? Have you been to the Nashville Zoo? Care to comment?

3 Days in Cape May

Last week we headed Down the Shore for 3 days. It wasn't stress free, or entirely restful as vacation days go.  But it was an almost perfect Spring weekend spent in our favorite beach towns.  These pictures capture some of those perfect moments. I thought I would share them.
I hope everyone is having a lovely year, so far!

New Block: Crown of Thorns

When I saw this block on the Tales of Cloth blog, as part of her Red Sky at Night QAL, I knew I wanted to try it. 

Ever wrinkly.

I decided to make a really over sized block. I picked out some tiny calicoes and then decided it needed a plain border, or part of one... I'm not sure what I'll do with this big block. Any ideas?

Also, at Tales of Cloth, Jodi revealed the top and bottom for the Flowers for Eleni quilt. It's amazing quilt and it was an amazing experience to be a part of. 

Picture by Tales of Cloth. Pure photoshop skills by me. 

I can even see one the of the flowers I made in the pic! I think they changed the backing fabric, which is super nice of them, as I think I cut mine too small. 
Thanks so much to Jodi and her helpers for allowing us to share our grief and joy and hope in this way. 

I'm sharing all this with Slow Stitching Sunday. As always, check out Kathy's blog!

April in Review

Phew, April went fast! 
This month really felt like Spring to me, with daffodils making their debut and trees flowering like mad all over Brooklyn. We began to take more regular trips Down The Shore in April, which definitely heralds the warmer weather. 

1) Trees blooming in Park Slope... 2) and Kensington. 3) There were a few grey days and April showers. 4) And some spectacular sunsets. 

Work geared up for the family this month, what with warm days and the start of baseball season. But it felt good to get our hands dirty and change up our routine. Although we were worn out from the end of March, when it was still cold, family members fell ill, and we were generally tired and stressed, having the upswing at our day jobs cemented the start and change of Spring. 

1) Giant eggs for Easter. 2) My black metal album cover. 3) High contrast in Prospect Park Zoo... 4) and in Asbury Park. 

The month started off with great focus on our work at home as well. Quilting, blogging, and sewing were all chugging along in the beginning, but petered out a little towards the end of the month. I'm diligently trying to stick to the blog schedule (more on this soon) I have been working on since end of March, and doing well IMHO. I made my Finish Along list for Q2 and got working right away at the beginning of April, but at it's end I have no finishes to show for it. Other goals have been achieved tho! We got back into the house hunt, as well. Which is both invigorating and stressful. 

1) Olin Street, Ocean Grove, NJ. 2) West Cape May, NJ. 3) 8th Street, Park Slope. 4) 8th Ave, Park Slope. 

1) Serious Tavis. 2) Pensive Pallas. 2) Pondering Pit. 4) Bippi and a sun beam.

We were able to travel a few times this month, hitting some of our favorite spots, seeing family (although briefly), and watcher spotting out of town! We were able to walk some towns, some zoos, and some beaches .
At home, we watcher spotted, visited with friends, cat sat, made some food and ate out, went to the zoo, read books in bars, and general enjoyed the heck out of Brooklyn. 

1) I kept calling everything at the zoo "zebras" for some reason. 2) Finally back to beach combing. 3) Classic coffee. 4) Tavis refuses to DJ. 

So, happily and easily,  April budded into a beautiful bloom! It's Spring growth felt like it was propelling us with leafy tendrils into something new. We shot forward thru the month and now we can only wonder what May has in mind for us... 

Recently Researching: 2015 Goal House Plant Edition. Part One.

I wasn't sure where to put this blog topic... I could put it under 2015 goals bc taking care of my house and plants is a big goal for me this year. Or I could put it under Recently Researching bc, well, it's something I've been researching lately... So I kinda did a mash up of the two! I couldn't think of a super catchy name for it, tho. 

I think every house should strive to have three things: cats, musical instruments, and plants. Luckily, I've got all three covered. 

In effort to take better care of the plants I have (and therefore feel justified in getting more!), I've been researching my house plants. This is something that seems like a no brainer, but I've never actually done it before. I always claim to have no green thumb and maybe this is partly why. 

Here's a rundown of some of the plants I have, as well as some facts, and care for each. 

Aloe - This guy's a succulent, but I often forget that. That means that this soothing medicinal plant should be watered well, then let to dry completely before watering again. Aloe should be kept in bright light and a small pot, as it enjoys being root bound. Aloe's healing properties are well known, but I can never bring myself to break the leaves when I need to treat a burn or scrape. I keep a bottle Aloe Gel in the house for that instead.  Did you know that Aloe actually refers to a whole genus, so the typical plant we see is sometimes called "true" aloe. 
I've had a few different aloe plants, and I think my problem is that I over eater them. I moved my current plant to  the brightest window, and am trying to make it flourish, but at the moment, it's kind of languishing. 

Schefflera/Umbrella Tree - Again we have a plant that is commonly called by it's genus, but the big type we see in pots are usually the Schefflera actinophylla. This plant can grow quite large and full and flower when in the right environment. It can live in medium indirect sun, but prefers bright light. This plant should be watered well, then it's upper soil should be let to dry before watering again. If it's leaves turn yellow and fall off, it's under watered. If they turn black and fall off it's been over watered. (Mine tends to have the former problem). 
When we moved to Park Slope and into a larger apartment, I searched Craigslist for some larger plant and found the schefflera I currently have. We had a harrowing but memorable drive thru the neighborhood with it propped in the back of our truck. I call it our "bedroom tree" (every bedroom should have a tree!) and it's about 7 feet tall. The family we got it from said it was about 8 - 10 years old, then, so now it must be about 12 years old or older! We repotted it once, and it's not living it's best life. Sometimes it grows the cutest little baby new leaves, but mostly it just hangs around looking droopy. I've been trying to water this guy more regularly and I think it'll benefit when we open the windows so it can get fresh air and more light. 

Pothos Epipremnum Aureum - This is the most commonly seen Pothos, which has shiny light green, or variegated light and dark green leaves. The standard pothos grows well in low light, and is super easy to maintain, needing water only when it's soil is about 50% dry, or even dryer. Leave will yellow and fall if left too dry for too long. These plants prefer warm climates and will die if left to get too cold. Pothos prefer to be root bound, sending out long tendrils which can be pruned, or coiled to keep the plant bushy. These easy houseplants keep the air clean, so are good to have on hand, but can be poisonous to cats and dogs, so keep in a safe place!
I have quite a few of these guys, and most do really well. One was left by an open window, got too cold and is on it's last legs. One has some sort of white mildew which my schefflera also gets. I've found that giving it more sun after gently wiping away the white powdery substance usually solves the problem. Sometimes I forget to water them until I see the leaves start to droop. I'm trying to avoid this, but haven't had any dies like this. I've tried to propagate cuttings from some of my Pothos with mixed results. Some start growing roots right away and live long lives, but others fail completely. Growing new plants from cutting is a goal for me with these. My cats don't bother these plants much, so I don't worry about them, but I do try to keep them in higher places, if possible. 

Rubber Plant - This plant (ficus elastica) used to be grown for the rubber that could be made from it's latex which is like sap, but separate. Now it's mostly a decorative plant and it's cousin the Para Rubber Tree is grown to make the rubber we use today. These two trees actually have a different genus and the house plant is more closely related to the fig tree. It likes indirect light and does well in low, medium or bright as long as it's not direct. They don't need too much water and prefer it a little dryer in cooler climates. The leaves can yellow from being over or under watered but usually fall off if overly saturated. Rubber trees can grow quite large and get nice think trunks. This plant prefers warm temperatures and will die in cold weather, but overall I've found them to be quite hardy!
My rubber trees are my longest lived plants and I always have to stop myself from getting more and more of them. They are so easy to care for and lovely to have around. I do need to tie them up better as their branched can start to get wild and out of control. And I need to dust their leaves more often (or ever) bc it's better for them to be dust free. 

I've learned a lot about how to care for the house plants I currently have. And this is only the first installment. By my count, I have 9 or 10 more varieties to learn about! I feel that when I am better able to take care of my plants, I will be ready to get more. Hopefully by that time, we will be living in a more light soaked home and one where my plants can spend some summer days outside. Even house plants like a field trip!

Do you have an tricks or tips for these house plants? If so, I'd love to hear them in the comments! 

Check out my pinterest page for more on these and previous Recently Researching topics. 

Wardrobe Project: Some Little Things

At the beginning of 2015 I started what I'm calling my Wardrobe Project. My closets were full to the point of overflowing, but I could never find anything to wear. I started reading about minimalist wardrobes and decided it was time for a change. I'm not sure I'm aiming for a minimalist wardrobe, but I am aiming for less clothes in general, and I want those to be clothes I love and clothes that fit me well. 

Right away I could tell that this project would take some time. You can read about my first steps in this post. I don't feel rushed or stressed to finish this project, bc even when I get my closet manageable, which I know will take a long time, I still see this as an ongoing task. Maybe it never will be finished.  But everyday I try to chip away a little. 

Some little things I try to work on every day when I get dressed are the little things:

Warm winter socks to get packed away. Including the cat hair. 

Socks 
I never have enough pairs of socks, do you? But for now they are one of the little ways I'm pairing down my wardrobe. I used to save socks with holes in them or that were worn down and threadbare bc I didn't want to mismatch a pair. Here's what lessons I've learned so far:
Throw away your holey socks! I've come to embrace mismatched socks bc I can wear them under boots, or as a second pair in the Winter.
When wearing mismatched socks, pair the ones that make sense. Like colors, weights and textures work best. 
Don't save the sock with the hole in the heel bc you might use it in a craft project! You won't.
Never return a holey sock to your sock drawer. When you find the unfortunate mate, throw it away immediately!  
Pair the remaining sock with it's mismatched friend ASAP. 
These few little steps have greatly reduced my lame sock stock and made it easier for me to find socks to wear each day. Socks are one of the few items I thought I would have to buy this year but so far, I haven't bought a single pair!

Underwear/Bras
Again, this may seem like a silly not-need-to-be-said thing, but I'm getting rid of undergarments that don't fit, don't feel good, have holes or old elastic, or I just don't like. If, when getting dressed, I find something like that, I get rid of it right away!
No more underwires. This is a decision I have come to. I hate them, they are not comfortable and really don't do that much for me, looks wise. Thankfully, I have this luxury.  Only soft and comfy boulder holders from now on. 
These items are also on my May Have to Buy list. But it hasn't happened yet.  

All types of knickers. 

Bags, Belts, Hats, Scarves, etc...
So, I haven't actually tackled any of these things since starting the Wardrobe Project. But I plan to!  Through the years, I've already tried to pair these items down.
I only have a few purses that I've kept around, but it's time to go thru those again and make some cuts. I'm guilty of having a lot of tote bags, but I'm gonna go thru these bc I know some have holes, rips, are too dirty to be saved, etc... I plan to save some totes for "wearing" bags, and designate the rest "working" bags. With working bags, I plan to only keep those that are useful and needed. 
I think I have about 5 belts. All fabric and all comfy. But I don't need 5 out at a time. Next time I go thru my clothes to store for the season (it's coming up!), I plan to put some of these away. 
Hats are something that I need for work, but that I mostly don't enjoy wearing (with the exception of a good Winter knit). I plan to get rid of any that are lingering that I don't wear, pack away all the Winter ones, and find a place to store the few I need for work. A good new Winter hat is on my Need to Buy for next year, tho... Something to look forward to.  
I do love scarves. But here, too, I realize I only need a few each season. All Winter wear is getting put away and I'll also pack some favorites up for another time. 
Same goes for mittens, gloves, and other odds and ends. 

These ideas might seem like no-brainers to most, but they have really helped me both in practice and in mindset! When paring down my clothing,  I find every little bit helps.

Saturn's Return to New York

One of my goals for 2015 is to read more.  Check out the first book I read this year here. 

The second book I've read this year is Sara Gran's Saturn's Return to New York. I picked this one up bc I read two of her books last year and wanted to try her first novel. 

I liked the other novels that I have read by Gran, both of which were mysteries from her Claire Dewitt series. And I enjoyed her first novel as well. Saturn's Return to New York was not a mystery, but a slice-of-life about a thirty something New Yorker dealing with her bubbling emotions concerning her family and friends as she navigates the drug addled and angst drenched city. Gran's writing is comfortable and quick for all her dark topics. She whisks you along like a well informed but apathetic tour guide in your favorite city. And you want to see where the tour will lead you. 

Mary's an underachieving book lover writing reviews for an online seller and living comfortably, ambiguously but a little annoyedly under her mother's cold literary shadow. But when her mother falls ill, Mary must face her true feelings about their relationship, as well as the one with her long dead father. Soon all Mary's relationships come under scrutiny and it seems the planets are malaligned over her New York. 

I'd recommend Saturn's Return to New York to anyone who likes books about New York City, especially mildly gritty, angry ones. Or who like female authors who write about sex and drugs and rock & roll. Gran's writing reminds me of a more cynical, less mystical, old person version of the Weetzie Bat series by Francesca Lia Block. Even dealing with serious themes of loss and death, this is a pretty light an easy read. It would make a great plane book, I'm sure! You could bring it to the beach, but all the New York talk will make you feel like you should be dressed in chic head to toe black.

Have you read this book? Leave a comment!

Something New: Scrappy Pin Cushions

I'm sure we're not the only ones scrap busting in our house this year. Sometimes this is a hard activity for me. One way I'm trying to use up scraps this year is by making some scrappy little hearts. Another is to make scrappy over-sized pin cushions!

I try to pretty organically pick bits out of the scrap bins and match them together. I use a bit of scrap batting and pearl cotton or embroidery floss to quilt a quick handy design on them.  

I've been backing them all with a very soft cotton flannel that came in a friends destash. In most things, I don't like the grey, pink and blue plaid, but in these it's completely perfect. 
I fill them from a huge box of fiberfill that we've been working off of for two or three years... Now it's finally dwindling. I hear walnut shells are good for pin cushions. 

You can see the backing peeking out in the photo above. I'm hoping that they will be fun small things to sell at the markets I'm planning this summer. But for now, they are just fun little pillows!

2015 Finish Along: Q1 Finishes and Q2 Goals

I think I did pretty well on my Q1 goals, completing three out of five. Here's a recap:
1. Repair, Label and Gift the Friendship Star Mini.
Done! This quilt is really called Quilt for Grandma Aponte and it's done and gifted. 
2. Finish hand-quilting, binding and labeling All Gingham All The Time quilt.
Done! Check out the blog post here!
3. Finish Nest Block Jacket.
Not done. This one is getting rolled over to Q2. 
4. Baste, bind, quilt and label Stormy Friendship Mini Quilt. 
Done! Here's the blog about it. 
5. Finish piecing, baste, quilt, bind, and label Quilt for Grandma Doris. 
Not done. I didn't even look at this one. Like not even glanced at it. It's getting rolled over to Q2.  

On to my Q2 goals! I rolled over two from last quarter and decided to set my sights at six goals in total. 

1. Finish the Nest Block Jacket.

This goal is rolled over from Q1. I have an old red wool jacket that my mom gave me quite a few years ago. It's really red. I started a wee star block to add to it. I'm hoping it breaks up the red a bit. I have the block, and I started quilting and appliqueing it onto the jacket. Hopefully I can stay motivated and get this goal finished in time for the still chilly spring weather. 

2. Finish piecing, baste, quilt, bind, and label Quilt for Grandma Doris.

Another roll over from last quarter. This was the biggest project on the last list and I made no progress at all on this so far. I started this quilt Nov 2014 with very high hopes it would be done that year. Then I hoped it would get done by the end of Q1. Hopefully I can make this a priority and have it done by Mothers Day?

3. Quilt, bind, and label the Scrappy Heart Quilt. 

Like everyone this year, I fell in love with Cluck Cluck Sew's heart block and made a little scrappy quilt top. I have started quilting this and want to get it finished soon!

4. Finish quilting the Fat Little Cross block and make it into a pillow cover. 

I've never made a pillow cover before!! I've made stuffed pillows, but never a cover. This block perfectly fits a pillow form I have. I have to finish the quilting (which I stopped due to bearding frustrations) and decide how to best convert it to a pillow. I'm thinking of trying this tutorial. 

5. Finish piecing, baste, bind, quilt and label a quilt to trade for a tattoo.   

An instagram friend and I are planning a trade! I get a hand poked piece of art to wear forever, and she gets a quilt! I had inspiration for the quilt and started piecing it. It's no real rush, but I'd like to have this done by the end of Q2. 

6. Finish piecing, baste, bind, quilt and label a Beach Blanket.

At the end of last Summer I decided we needed a beach blanket. Nothing better than to make one myself! I started the blocks, but that's as much as I got done. This is the most ambitious goal on the list, but wouldn't it be great to finish it for the Summer season? 

I feel like I'm challenging myself for Q2 and I'm ready to get started! I'm Linking up with Adrianne today to set my Q2 goals. And with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching bc I can't wait to get to work!. 

Recently Researching: Jackfruit, Fabric Boxes, Wheat Pennies

It's been pointed out to me that I have a lot of (useless) knowledge about a variety of things and subjects. It's also been pointed out to me that I'm a nerd. 
If I hear or see something that I don't know about, I love to look it up and learn as much as I can. It seems to be a slightly rare thing to do. But it's so fun!

Here are some things I've been learning about in the past week or so:

From Google image search

Jackfruit
Are there more fruits nowadays? I'm always hearing about some fruit I don't recognize. And it makes me want to try all of them!! 
I had heard of jackfruit but didn't really give it much thought until I saw this recipe on The Minimalist Baker. This sandwich looks amazing! But what exactly is jackfruit? Well, I've learned it's a large fruit that's a cousin of the mulberry. It kinda looks like an unripe mulberry, but much bigger! According to Wikipedia it's the largest tree grown fruit and can reach up to 100 pounds!.  It grows in moist warm flatter areas of Asia, India, the Caribbean, Brazil and Mexico. The tree is cultivated in many of these nations but can also be considered an invasive species due to the fact that they are tasty to many animals who will eat the fruit and spread it's seeds.  The fruit apparently tastes both sweetly tropical and substantial, can be fibrous, or "custard like" with a musty smell. Every article comes with it's own vague description of the taste, but all can agree it's unique. The fruit has a bunch of goodness like dietary fiber and vitamin C and even a little bit of protein. And some think it would make a great food source for places where food is a scarcity. It seems to be readily available frozen or canned in Asian grocery stores but can also be found fresh in big cities. Even Amazon has it. Although these fruit seem a little hard to handle, they are a vegan favorite as they are versatile and can have a meaty texture. I'll be on the look out for these monster fruits, both fresh and jarred, and for more easy yummy looking recipes. 

From Fall for DIY

Fabric Boxes
I don't like to sew on the machine, but I've been seeing fabric boxes that makes me want to try! These little boxes seem fun and cute and pretty easy for a sewing machine novice. Here are some of the patterns I would like to try:
Fall for DIY suggests using these boxes to cover plastic plant pots. What a neat way to spruce up those ugly plastic pots!
Noodlehead makes a fabric box with a sliding cover that would be awesome for organizing so many things! I could see this being great to take along on a car or plane trip. 
I have to find the first blog where I saw some cute fabric boxes, and what inspired me to look for more. The most simple design, but so useful and pretty! now I can't find it!
So now I've done my research, all that's left is to try Something New!

From Google image search

Wheat Pennies
I love to find old coins! I'm no numismatist but when I see an old or foreign coin, I can't resist keeping it! Wheat Pennies might be some of the most recognizable collectible American coins, as there are still many in circulation. But what makes a Wheat Penny a What Penny? And why don't they make them anymore? Recently I started wondering and had to find out more! 
When it came time to redesign the cent in 1905, the US Mint hired a sculptor to create the new images. To celebrate the 100 year anniversary of his death, the new cent was issued with the now familiar portrait of Abraham Lincoln on the front in 1909.  This coin features shafts of durum wheat, now popular for making pasta, surrounding the words "One Cent" on the back, and the Wheat Penny was born! The coin originally had the designer's initials on the back, as well, but was quickly changed. Few of the coins with the initials VDB still exist, and these are rare and expensive, possibly fetching up to $50. Through it's history, there were several changes made to the wheat penny's composition. Only one bronze penny is thought to exist and it sold for 1.7 million dollars in 2010 (the seller was from NJ, BTW.). The Wheat Cent was produced from 1909 until 1958 but the wheat shaft design was replaced with the portrait of the Lincoln Memorial the following year. 

From Google image search

You can find out more about these Recently Researched items on my Pinterest board! Or if you have an idea for a Recently Researching topic, leave it in the comments!

2015 Goal - Wardrobe

In January, I wrote down some goals I have for the year. I only marked down my general goals. I didn't want to get overwhelmed! I think it would be good to expand on each of the main topics. There are very specific things I want to accomplish within each goal section. 
I'll be breaking down what I want to get done for each goal over the year and posting updates. See the first goals I tackled here and here.

The goal we are looking at today is Wardrobe Makeover. 

I think people are surprised when they find out how much I love clothes and shopping. They are surprised that for much of my young life I wanted to be a fashion designer, took classes at FIT, and learned fashion illustration. My dreams of working in the industry died, but my love of clothes never did and that lead me to having way too many. 

At the end of 2014 I started realizing how much of a pain my over-flowing closet had become. There were piles of clothes all over, clean and dirty, making it hard to keep them sorted. Closet, hangers, drawers were flowing out all over. But with all these clothes, I could never find anything to wear. I guess this is a common problem. I started researching, started reading blogs about minimal wardrobes, and started realizing that I really wanted to change this chaotic aspect of my life. 

My first step was to read a lot! Some blogs I highly recommend are Unfancy and Reading My Tea Leaves and Rowdy Kittens. All of these ladies live very different lives and all those lifestyles are different than my own. They all have really interesting takes on the reasons and practices of minimal wardrobes. 

This cheapy sweater has been one of my favorite pieces this winter. I got it at Mandees by my house for like $16!

Next, I formulated some loose goals: I want to decrease my overall wardrobe. I want it to be easy to pick out what I'm going to wear each day. I want to only have clothes that fit well and feel good. And I want to spend less money and less time shopping. 

With those goals in mind, I decided to drastically reduce what was in my closet and set about sorting thru all of my clothes. But I love my clothes, I couldn't just give them all up! I knew I would have to go in baby steps. The first baby step was to get rid of anything that was emotionally easy for me to get rid of. Items I never wore, had out grown, or just didn't fit well went into a giveaway pile, a donate pile, or the trash (if they were really no good to anyone). I only got rid of things that were easy to get rid of. 
For the next baby step I used some advice from the blogs I had read: I thought about "my style". People often joke that I dress as if it's still the 90s, and why not? T-shirts, jeans, vans, hoodies and flannels, layered dresses, and funky sweaters are what I like to wear and what I feel comfortable in!
Next I went thru all the clothes that remained with "my style" in mind. I kept everything that I loved, that fit the season, that fit the description of my style, and put everything else into plastic bins. I have to wear black or white to work, so I also kept (almost) all of my work clothes. I put the bins away to be reculled at the end of the season. 
OK! I had drastically reduced my closet. I felt good about the progress I made and decided that it was a great start. 

I knew that a very important goal for me was to cut down on shopping. But I decided that I really needed to do more than cut down. I needed to stop. So I decided that besides a few items I needed I wouldn't clothes shop at all in 2015! Scary! But I knew that there were some items I would have to buy, so I hoped that would hold off my cravings. 

I started this goal for myself in January, and now 3 months later, I feel really good about what I've accomplished so far:
It's easier to find items to wear each day, I don't feel like I'm scrambling to find work clothes as much.
Almost everything I grab from my closet this season fits well and I feel comfortable in it. If I end up having something that does't feel good, it's easier for me to put it in the discard pile than it has been in the past.  
I end up wearing items that I enjoy, but got little wear out of, bc it's easier to find things as my closet isn't as full. 
I've only bought 2 items since Jan 1 2015. 

But all these accomplishments have also made it clear that I have a long way to go:
I still have way too many clothes. 
I still have items that don't fit well, or feel good. 
I have huge piles of laundry, left over from years of hording clothes, that hasn't even had the first cull yet. 
I have a whole new season and it's weight worth in clothes, to go thru!
My closet is still very messy and disorganized. 
I have a bunch of stuff in a "maybe" pile that I haven't tried wearing yet. 
I still have the urge to shop. 
I haven't donated any of the items I put aside, or sent any of my giveaway bundles. So all those clothes aren't in my closet but they're still in the house. 

Another Mandee find, cheap and versatile. I wear both these tops to work and for day to day! This flannel will be good for spring, too!

I have some ideas about what to do next. I want need to go thru all my clothes again, then swap out the Winter clothes for more weather appropriate ones. Going thru all my clothes will be a seasonal activity but it will happen several times during the season as well. I plan on doing this, among other things, until I have my clothes at a more manageable number. Who knows how long that will take? But this as well as other things are good steps towards my overall goal!
 In upcoming months, I plan to keep working on this wardrobe project and posting about it. Just like the minimal wardrobe blogs I love reading, I hope my own trials and errors might help readers who might be struggling with the same issues. 

New Block: Sail Boat

I've seen this block or variations all over the internet. I like the nautical theme and the graphic nature. It's so cute, I thought I'd try it!

Pardon the threads and cat hair, as always!

I really like a version that Messy Jesse did. 

I made this block with a nautical border. It works out to be about the same size as my Friendship Star mini quilt. But I'm thinking of adding more to it to be a larger quilt. 

What would you do with this oversized block?

I'm linking this hand pieced block up with Kathy and Slow Sunday Stitching today. 

Recently Researching: An Introduction

It's been pointed out to me that I have a lot of (useless) knowledge about a variety of things and subjects. It's also been pointed out to me that I'm a nerd. 
If I hear or see something that I don't know about, I love to look it up and learn as much as I can. It seems to be a slightly rare thing to do. But it's so fun!

Since I love blogs that have regular posts with links or likes (check out this one, this one, or this one if you need examples), I thought I'd try my hand at creating a series of posts like that for my own blog. But a nerd version, of course. 
I plan to share what I've been researching of late. Perhaps some readers will find the subjects as interesting as I do. Sometimes the items may be in depth, sometimes just a little something I recently learned, sometimes research on what I want to learn. 

In this introductory post, I'm gonna start with some things I've already looked into earlier this year. In the future, it might be things that I was interested in that week, or month, or something I want to research and haven't had the time yet. These posts will be a good excuse to do so! Going forward, I hope it will be a regular addition to my blog. 

Image found via google image search and linked to here. circa 2010.

That Building on 3rd and 3rd in Brooklyn.
Pretty much anyone who lives in Brooklyn has seen and wondered about this strange little building on the corner of 3rd Street and 3rd Ave in the Gowanus area. When I first moved to Brooklyn it was surrounded by an empty lot that backs up to the famed Gowanus Canal (another story for another day, perhaps). But now the building is cornered by a Whole Foods store that took more than 8 years in the making. Apparently it was built around 1872 to house the Coignet Stone Building showroom for the new (to the USA) and revolutionary building material reinforced concrete. The building was made using new techniques for molding reinforced concrete to showcase the material's versatility (now removed and bricked in the 1960s). After the Coignet Stone Company went bust (around 1876), the building was taken over by Edwin Litchfield from whom the land was leased. Litchfield owned a ton of land and buildings throughout Brooklyn, many of which are now local landmarks. It was sold in 1957 apparently to current owner Richard Kowalski, a Brooklyn native who later moved to Beach Haven NJ. He owned the building and surrounding land. In 2005, he sold the land to Whole Foods (for a reported $4,945,200) with the promise that they would restore the building that was to be granted Historic Landmark stasis in 2006.  From 2005 until 2013, the Whole Foods development was under high controversy in Brooklyn and the building on 3rd and 3rd remained abandoned and in decline. Around 2013, the supermarket chain started and finished construction on the "Greenest Supermarket in the Nation" and scaffolded it's new project. Progress can apparently be seen on the building today and it seems that Kowalski plans to lease or sell the building upon completion of it's renovation.  
Bc it's a Historic Landmark, this building will remain, but it's fate still seems to be quite up in the air. 

Image found via google image and links to here. circa 2014

I'm just one of a long line of people interested in this place, all of whom have an opinion on it, it seems. I'm sure we will all keep out eyes on it and it's future. An interesting article about this building, with many more facts about it's history, can be found here.

The California Raisins
I was never that interested in these motown-esque singing raisins, although I do remember them from the tv commercials. But for some reason, my husband and I were discussing them the other day and I was compelled to look them up. 
These anthropomorphic claymation raisins got their big break in 1986 when they first appeared on tv in commercial form. But they went on to put out four albums, a tv series, multiple specials and numerous merchandise endorsements, and a video game. They even won an Emmy.  Who knew?

Image via The Telegraph.

Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry is an English actor and comedian who was born in 1957.  I first became aware of him when I discovered Jeeves and Wooster on PBS. He's been in a slew of things before and since playing PG Wodehouse's all knowing man's man. Fry has sort of a reputation for being a smarty-pants, as he also hosts the BBC's wacky quizshow, QI. I'd currently enamored of this show and it was bc of that that I came to dig into the actors biography. From troubled teen to award winning actor, he's been in the news more recently for dismantling some of his social media on the grounds it can be a hostile environment. I found it interesting that he battles with severe depression and bipolar disorder, even attempting suicide as recently as 2012. But earlier this year he got married and tweeted about it, so hopefully his happiness is on the upswing!  Some of the other roles I enjoy him in are as the older (wiser?) Holmes, Mycroft, a wry psychologist in Bones, and a heart breaking role in V for Vendetta. All worth a watch, if you haven't seen them before.  

To accompany my Recently Researching posts, I've made a special Pinterest board with more images and links for the things I write about. I'll be adding new images each post, so keep a look out!

Have an idea for Recently Researching? Leave it in the comments!

March in Review

March didn't really come in like a lion or go out like a lamb. It was more of an oxen or buffalo. Something slow and heavy and hearty, plodding along. 

1) Rainbows on the ground. 2) Pizza day. 3) Spring in spirit. 4) More pink. 

March was a pretty good month, but a long one. The weather stayed cold, stayed snowy, and kept our dreams of Spring at bay. We worked a lot, traveled little, but managed to work on some other goals.

1) #flowersforeleni 2) The doorway to my workplace. 3) I'm not the only one who likes it. 4) Pit helping me with sewing. 

It was a good month for sewing. I was able to join in on the comfort quilt being made for Rachel of Stitched in Color. If you're interested in participating, head over to Tales of Cloth and join in. I posted some finishes for On The Windy Side's 2015 Finish Along. Go there to look at all the great finishes for the Q1. I also made some starts this month so hopefully April will be full as well. 

One hint of Spring was out in the windows around town, as there were many more more watchers out this month.  

1) 1st St and 7th Ave. 2) North Park Slope. 3) Underhill in Prospect Heights. 4) South Park Slope.

I was able to see some friends for dinners and coffees. We were able to make some headway spring cleaning, bought some toys, made some food.  And I was able to spend time with my little family. We've had a tough time in the last few days of the Month as one of our furry members has been sick and in hospital. We eagerly await his safe homecoming. 

(EDIT - Tom is home and on the mend!)

1) The sky is starting to look like Springtime. 2) Last magically white snow storm of March. 3) Earlier in the mouth was pretty powdery, too. 4) Bright skies for photo shoots. 

So March was long, and in some ways harsh. But it's plodding steps breaks the ground for Spring's buds and shoots. We hope April will bring green growth and good health. 

All Gingham All The Time

Or, A Not Very Good Quilt. A Finished Quilt - with a story!

I heart gingham, can you tell? All Gingham All The Time uses almost all the gingham from my stash, most of it vintage. I found everything I could, from pre-cut vintage squares and on, to make a bright and cheerful courthouse steps design.

It's the largest quilt top I have made to date, all hand pieced! The backing for this quilt is a vintage gingham table cloth that my husband used in an art piece in college. It had a minor stain (something to do with apples, I think), so I cut it apart and reassembled it with a strip of pieces from the front.

When I went to baste this quilt, I saw that the top was quite a bit larger than the back, my first idea was to make the folded binding fold from front to back. Instead of back to front, the way I usually do. But  by that time I had found some more vintage gingham and was eager to add them to the quilt, as well! More Gingham!! (Don't count how many times I use the G Word in this post, please!) I added an outer boarder with the "new" pieces to the bottom. Now the bottom was bigger than the top. 

I basted the quilt with some vintage poly batting that I had. It was a very large one and left some scraps. AGATT was hand quilted with white pearl cotton thread over quite a long period of time (more on that below).  I went around the inside of each "box" of all the courthouse steps. Bc of the batting and the nature of the super soft vintage gingham, and weird fluffy texture of the vintage table cloth, this quilt is very puffy and fluffy. I didn't really try to keep it ultra smooth and tight when quilting as to add to this effect.   

For the binding I used my fold over method and bc the backing was quite a bit bigger it made a extra large fold. I quilted and secured the binding with more pearl cotton, mimicking the top by going around each side in a "box" motif. It gave the quilt a heavy, soft, floppy edge all around.  

All Gingham All The Time measures approximately  58" x 84". Almost all the cats helped me on this one, but notably Bippi (here), Tom (here, and here) and Pit (here and here). 

It was great weather to take photos and my husband held the quilt for me! A first! I'm linking up with Kathy and Slow Sunday Stitching to share this quilt today. All Gingham All The Time is also one of my 2015 Q1 Finish Along finishes!

And now, more to this story:

I started this quilt January of 2014. I worked diligently on it....until I hit a snag. I had made the top, was pleased with the bottom, decided to baste it with one of the vintage poly batting I had. All good so far. But when I started quilting it, I wasn't happy with the job I was doing. I'm sure all quilters run into this problem, and I'm sure they all see the two possible roads to fixing it.  1) Tear out the quilting and start again. 2) Put it out of sight and out of mind and try not to think about it (until you decide what to do). I ended up doing the latter, of course! I didn't want to rip out all the quilting I had already done. But I knew I wasn't doing my best work. 

I know that I shouldn't be telling you all this. 

I know that when one doesn't do their best, they should not alert people to that fact and take away from the enjoyment the viewer might get from the work. Perhaps the viewer didn't notice, or sees nothing wrong with the work... Perhaps they enjoy it and it's imperfections. By drawing attention to what the artist feels of as their short comings, the viewer enjoys it a little less or perhaps feels bad for liking it the way they do. I know we should not take away the viewer experience of the work. 

But, on the other hand,  It's often helpful for fellows in our craft to hear about mistakes we make, so they can learn and grow, as we have done. 

So I put the quilt aside for a while. Once I had had some space, I took it back out. It still wasn't as nice as I would like it to be, but I wanted to continue with what I had. To me, the mistakes seemed huge, and maybe they would to other quilters, too. But I would rather move on and than go backwards. I tried to be better as I moved forward. I still made some mistakes and there are still techniques that I need to learn to hone my craft. I'm looking at this quilt as not a salable or giftable quilt (maybe a second, or really close relation, who will love my work no matter what...), but as a learning experience. Not to mention I like this quilt! It's all crazy colors and bright pattern!