MCQBOM² / 9

I needed a really easy and simple block for my BOM today. Can't get much easier than this. I plan to put some boarders around it later when I "square" up my blocks. But for now, this block was perfect. 

This block works perfectly for my Mad Cat Quilts Block Of The Month as well; Simple building blocks of quilting. It's just about time to do another group photo for this BOM, but I was loosing light on this day. 

How are everyone else's BOMs going so far in 2018?

Linking up with Move It Forward Monday, Monday Making, and other places around the web!

YOTS2018 / How I Bind

My Year Of The Stash is off to a slow start but I love using this space to identify and explore the ways that I quilt and what quilting means to me. Due to my quilting background being diverse and mostly self taught, I am constantly examining why and how I quilt. 

One technique that I find I do very differently than most quilters is how I bind my quilts. I bind my quilts by extending the backing and folding it over to the front. I have seen people do a folded binding before, but it is a rare sight. I love making my quilts this way and I'm not sure why more people don't use this method. 

I really enjoy that this method gives the quilt backs a clean, full to the borders, look and that the backing shows to the front. Recently I have been using mostly full cloth backings, but I also like to piece my backings sometimes. I love the way a pieced backing shows to the front of the quilt when creating a folded binding. 

Sometimes when binding, I make a straight corner, sometimes a mitered edge. it usually just depends what the quilt "wants" so to speak, and like all my quilting, is an improv decision made as I go. 

As I am working on a quilting a few quilts at the moment, I find my mind moves forward to the binding step as it is such a satisfying aspect of quilt making. I'll be happy to get to that step with my current quilts and see what happens! 

Another thing I like to track in Year Of The Stash is my stash usage. Year of the Stash is all about using what you have and here is my fabric intake/output so far: 
Fabric Added Since Last Update: 0
Fabric Added Year to Date: 0
Fabric Used Since Last Update: Approximately 3.5 yds
Fabric Used Year to Date: Approximately 3.5 yds

How do you bind your quilts? Is it something you look forward to?

Youtube Video | Bullet Journal Flip Thru

Soooooo, I'm super new to YouTube. But I figure if I'm watching and enjoying YouTube, I should try it out, too. While I'm figuring it out, you can find me at Ana Mo Shoshin. I'd be super grateful for any tips, ideas, or comments!

Here is my second video in all it's bouncy glory. I had intended to put this at the end of yesterdays blog, but I could not get it to work for the life of me! Today, I figured it out!! Each time I upload, I learn things, see things that I want to change and ways to improve. Who else out there is starting their YouTube journey?

For those new to creating on YouTube, I highly recommend checking out all of channelnotes videos! She has a great way of being informative and inspiring and almost all her videos are less than 10 minutes!

Bullet Journal Check in: March Set Up

I've been Bullet Journalling for about 24 months now, but every month I'm excited to make a new set up! For March, I used a few of the new spreads I had been testing out in February. Testing spreads is a great way to see if they are useful, but there is something very satisfying about setting up a new month with all the spreads!

The march overview and monthly task pages are simple. Each month these remain pretty much the same since starting my Bullet Journal. 

Usually the next pages contains my logs, but I have omitted those this month and made a large sleep tracker to try instead. Here I will track nightly sleep and napping! I carried over my blog log set up bc this works well for me. This is where I log when and what I actually blog, when I post on insta, and my regular series. I leave a notes section at the bottom, but this month I have filled it up with all the drafts I have waiting on the blog, so I can finish some of them, and cross them off!!

Next are two new spreads: A content calendar, which I tried out last month, and a weekly/biweekly cleaning tracker. We will see how well these work for me in March. 

My habit tracker remains mostly the same for March, but I have added my daily routine items into it for this month. Previously I had been writing this in as a weekly overview but it was starting to feel chaotic and I was not filling it out regularly. These pages also contain a general shopping list and a lunch tracker for when and what my husband takes for lunch. 

I'm working on how I want my expense tracker to be going forward. This one has categories but still isn't quite right. This is also the first month that I am trying out a budget tracker. I'm not sure if budgeting is something I will really pursue, but for March, I thought I'd try it!

In March, I'm trying something new, but bunching all my daily spreads together. Usually I make them as they come, between other spreads or lists or idea pages. This month, I'm trying to only add small ideas among my daily spreads, like the bottom right box, which has some blog ideas.  Since I no long have a log page, I have added a sewing section to each day to track how much time I spend on sewing. I also have one for time spent at the beach. 

Overall, I'm happy with this monthly layout, but I 6 days in, I'm already spotting things I miss or may need to add. I enjoy that my Bullet Journal is always a work in progress!

Please share a link to your March set up in the comments!

March OMG

Still plugging away at getting this scrappy little quilt finished. March will be the month!!

I made a ton of progress on this one in February after not working on it as diligently as I should have in previous months. I really want to see this one get finished this month and early if possible. Catching up on some sewing goals are a priority for me in March!!

So far, in 2018, I still haven't completed any OMG Goals:
Jan - Finish one small quilt - Not Finished
Feb - Finish scrappy quilt - Not Finished
Mar - Finish scrappy quilt - 

Linking up with Elm Street Quilts and OMG. 

February in Review

It's always amazing that February is the shortest month but feels so long. This one was a particularly rough month for our family. But life goes on. 

1) Catsbury Park watcher. 2) A serious neighbor on 4th ave. 3) Curious, but cautious on Pine Street. 4) Keeping doors safe on Asbury Ave. 

1) Breakfast mates in Allenwood NJ. 2) My favorite pine tree, Asbury Park NJ. 3) Sky dragon, Philadelphia PA. 4) Mocking bird waiting for the morning train, Allenhurst, NJ.  

1) Plant light. 2) Bee haven. 3) All the lime zest. 4) New growth. 

1) Night view. 2) Beach murals. 3) Morning walk. 3) Clock tower.

February always has ups and downs. What direction will March take?

MCQBOM² / 8

As usual, I can't remember where I found the block inspiration for the 8th block in my Mad Cat Quilts Block Of Month. I really like this block! 

I have been finding it challenging to find easy building block type quilt blocks for this BOM, but that's part of the fun! I snag them when I see them, which is why I often can't remember where I find them. Even though these are simple blocks, sometimes I have a hard time finding a minute to sew them. But so far, all these blocks have come together quickly and easily, when I finally sit down to make them. 

What BOMs is everyone working on now?

Linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday and around the web.

February Plant Update

February has been pretty up and down. With snow, 70˚ weather, rain, sun, etc... it's been an interesting month for plant observations. 

Crow crowns one of my favorite pines. 

Heavy snow and white pine. 

New flowers from work. 

This weird geranium (??) was given to me by a friend. It was doing really well until Irving knocked it down off it's perch. 

Starting to see signs of spring. 

What has February been like where you live?

YOTS2018 / Basting Party

Basting quilts is one of those things that I find myself putting off. But when I do baste, I try to do a few quilts at a time, Usually it's a party for me and the cats! We all get on the floor and wrestle with quilt backs, quilt tops, batting and each other. 

This time no cats joined me. Irving briefly put in an appearance to scuffle with one of the quilts, but it was half hearted and short lived. You'd think it would make my basting task easier, but I still struggled with these two little quilts. 

My basting method is pretty easy and perhaps too rudimentary. Like all my quilting methods, it's simple, not fussy, what some would call wonky. I usually place the backing on the batting, smooth it out, flip it over on the floor, place the quilt top on top and pin. The backing tends to be a little loose, but I smooth it out while hand quilting and there usually aren't too many gathers when it's finished. Once washed, my quilts tend to be looser and more puffy than some, but you hardly notice. Occasionally I tape the backing to the floor, then tape the batting in place before smoothing the quilt top as the last layer and pin. But that seems like a lot of work. 

The two baby quilts I basted on this party day came out even looser than normal. I'm not sure if it was bc they are so small and I'm used to dealing with larger heavier quilts. Or perhaps it was bc I didn't have my helpers!

Time will tell how these two small quilts come out. Any other non traditional basters out there?

Simple Swap: Cloth Coffee Filters

One easy simple swap I've made on my Zero Waste Journey is to get reusable, cloth coffee filters. This hasn't changed my coffee routine at all, except to eliminate paper filters.

I used to buy recycled, compostable disposable filters to use in my pour over coffee maker. I still don't think this is a terrible choice, as every part is recyclable or compostable. But the cloth filters cut down waste even further. The particular ones I bought (Coffee Sock) did come packaged in a plastic bag with a cardboard card. I recycled both.

I use the filters 4-6 times before washing them, first in the sink with warm water to get most of the coffee out, then in the washer (careful to put them in with dark colors as coffee does stain). Between uses, I dust out the grounds into the compost or a jar to save for soups, face washes, or cleaning scrubs.

Water runs thru the cloth filters faster than the paper ones, so I adjusted my Burr grinder to be a little finer. I buy my beans locally, usually from Asbury Park Roastery. They have many organic roasts, are so nice, and only 3 blocks from my house!

These cloth filters are made from cotton, and seem very easy to make. But I think that these ones will last me a long time. I've been using them for a few months now, and besides staining from the coffee, they're holding up very well. I wouldn't want to wash these filters between every brew, but that's just me. It certainly wouldn't be difficult. 

What method do you all use to make your daily coffee or tea?

WIP 2/20/18

Finally got to quilting this one!! 

Feeling hopelessly out of practice and behind. All the more reason to carry on. 

MCQBOM² Group Photo / 2

For quite. few weeks now, I haven't gathered all my Mad Cat Quilts BOM blocks together. Here they are:

Clearly all the blocks are different sizes and don't fit together yet! I'm not too worried yet, but I have to get on with my plan to try and get my blocks be be more uniform in size. Bc I don't measure, except by eye, I want to continue making a few more blocks before I try to make these more uniform. 

Linking up with Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching, Monday Making, Move It Forward Monday. 

On My Mind On Friday Morning

A friend recently asked me for my first or easy zero waste swaps, so I thought it would be nice to round up a few of those here:
One easy thing we started doing was using cloth napkins. It's far cheaper and easier than buying paper napkins or, as we used to use, paper towels. 
I try to always to bring my reusable coffee cup when I know I'm going to be getting a coffee out. If I forget I get the coffee to stay. 
One easy swap I made was to stop using plastic bags for produce at the supermarket. I either do not place my veggies in a bag at all (this works well for broccoli, lettuce, kale...) or I bring a mesh or fabric bag (for mushrooms, grapes, etc...). 

United by Blue had a pop shop on the Asbury Park Boardwalk one Summer, I hope they come back!
A little history of NJ and Singer sewing machines. 
More reasons to drink more coffee. 
I have posted my first ever video on youtube! It's short and silly!

Modern Art at The Fabric Workshop and Museum

While we were in Philly at the beginning of the month, we discovered that our hotel was right near the Fabric Workshop and Museum. Before we visited, I had never heard of this little  museum and didn't know their mission. Here's how they describe themselves:

The Fabric Workshop and Museum was founded in 1977 with a visionary purpose: to stimulate experimentation among leading contemporary artists and to share the process of creating works of art with the public. Providing studio facilities, equipment, and expert technicians, FWM originally invited artists to experiment with fabric, and later with a wide range of innovative materials and media.

The exhibit that was at the museum when we went was a sort of retrospective of many of the artists that had come to the Fabric Workshop. Process and Practice: 40 Years of Experimentation showcases many of the artist's work as well as their notes, sketches, scraps, prototypes, etc... that they generated while working on the major project. We didn't know what artists there would be or what to expect, but it was really lovely to see the process and production of notable artists like Kiki Smith (next three pictures). 

There were a ton of recognizable artists, and many that I had never heard of. I really enjoyed the way the museum was laid out and the way each artist and their work was displayed. Being primarily a textile museum, there were lots of clothing, a quilt, some stuffed toys, some embroidery, and other fabric works. But there were also works of paper, film, and projection. 

The Fabric Workshop and Museum is right in the heart of center city, one block from the Reading Terminal Market. The entry fee is only $5 suggested donation. This museum and exhibit is a great way to see some more obscure pieces of your favorite modern artists, or to introduce people to modern art and textile arts. I love how accessible this museum is and I would highly recommend checking it out! 

Has anyone else visited this museum? What is your favorite suggest donation museum near you?

Bullet Journal Check In: Trial and Error

I love my bullet journal and find it a very effective tool, as well as being a calming and pleasurable routine. I often try new spreads, new ideas, and new ways to track things in my life. Sometimes they work, sometimes not at all. 

During the end of Jan and the beginning of Feb, I have tried several new things for me. Some are working, some are failing, and some will get modified to try again. 

Capsule Tracker:

I've tried a few different methods to see how I'm utilizing my capsule wardrobe. I can't recall where I saw someone tracking what they wore, the prominent colors, and what items of clothing is the favorite. I Really like this to quickly see what i love wearing and what I wear all the time. I think one thing that will help this tracker, and my bullet journal overall, is to take more care with how I write my lists.

Expenses Tracker:

I usually only put the total of my daily expenses in the log section of each month. I thought really laying out every little item I spend on would be interesting. I also have been tracking if the purchases make me feel a certain way. MuchelleB suggests this as another good way to see what you're and why you're spending what you are. If purchases are not making you feel happy why are you making them? 

Cleaning Tracker:

This is another expanded tracker that I plant to do very differently next month. Previously, I had a tracker for some cleaning tasks in my weekly over view. But I found that some weeks I would forget to fill it in and some weeks I wouldn't even write it out all the way. I'm planning on dividing tasks into daily, weekly, biweekly and monthly tasks. I know many bullet journal users do this but I've never tried it! 

Content Tracker:

I saw this content tracker on FemmeHead and I thought it would be a nice thing to try, especially bc I hope to extend my content. As you can see from all the scratched area, it needs some work.  

Chris Lunch/Shopping List:

Lastly, I have started to track what my husband brings for lunch at work and how often he brings it. I'm liking this, but I don't know if it's actually useful yet. For most of my time bullet journaling, I  had been putting a shopping list randomly where ever in my daily pages or anywhere it fit. I've started putting the shopping list all in one place for the last few months and I find this super helpful. 

What new trackers and pages are you trying in your Journal this month? Does anyone have any ideas how my trackers could be more effective? 

MCQBOM² / 7

I'm not sure where I found this simple repeating block. I can see using this block in many different quilts. 

This was a super easy block to sew and I have been so happy with how all the blocks in the BOM are coming together. 

Linking up with Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching, Monday Making, Move It Forward Monday, BOMs Away. 

24 Hours in Philadelphia for 5th Anniversary

For our fifth wedding anniversary we weren't sure what we wanted to do, if anything. I have been trying be mindful about marking events that are important to me where my family is concerned. It's easy for me to just let an event or special day pass with little fanfare. 

After much hemming and hawing, we decided to spend one night in Philadelphia. We haven't visited for several years and not since we moved to NJ. Philly is only about an hour and twenty minutes from Asbury Park! We left a bit late in the day and made a stop at one of our favorite vintage toy shops in Allentown, NJ. 

We only spent about 24 hours in the city and plenty of that was sleeping, but we got to walk around china town, eat ramen, dim sum, pastries, have a cocktail in the hotel bar, see a cool museum, smash some pennies, see some historical sites, and walk around some more! 

I didn't get to explore any zero waste resources on this trip but I'm excited to do more research next time!

Philadelphia has so many interesting pockets and neighborhoods and it's really easy to see a lot in a short time. We will definitely be going back for day trips and easy overnights. Especially concidering how easy it is to drive there for our house!

Please leave your Philly recommendations in the comments!

Mad Cat Capsule: Shoes in a Capsule

My current capsule, Winter, is my 4th capsule and the first one that I have included shoes. Since starting capsule wardrobes, I found that I always reached for the same shoes, despite having many laying around. I had a huge bin of shoes going unused and dusty in the basement. I had shoes in closets, I had shoes I had forgotten about. I had shoes that I kept, bc I liked them, but that hurt my feet, didn't fit, or both. 

Much like the clothing, I took every pair of shoes that I wear out of all the places where I keep them. They were all over! Once I had all of my shoes together, I went thru them and threw away or donated all the shoes that were damaged, obviously didn't fit, or where ones that I knew I wasn't going to wear. There were a few that I put in a maybe pile, and the rest I sorted into what I thought I would use for my Winter capsule.  

I tried to wear my maybe pile first. Some of them worked, some of them I kept for other seasons, and some I let go. But there's where the first attempt at having shoes in my capsule kinda fell apart. My big problem is that I bought a bunch of shoes!! 

I totally caved and got not one, but two pairs of fast fashion shoes! Nooooooo! Terrible I know, but I will try to be better in the future. Then I found several great pairs of shoes second hand!! One of those has quickly become a favorite but the other I may have to get repaired before I wear them seriously. 

The photos indicate what shoes out of the ones that I chose for my wardrobe that I have actually been wearing. Three of the eight pairs fall under slow fashion. Having shoes in my Winter wardrobe hasn't gone exactly how I planned, but I'll continue this shoe experiment and see where it takes me for future capsules!

Pantone Color of the Year 2018

Each year Pantone, the paint and color people, choose a color in December for the year ahead. They imbue these colors with ideas and ideals for the new year. I don't always agree with the choices but along with many in the quilting community, I like to ruminate on them a bit. This year I thought a long time about the Pantone's Color of the Year 2018, Ultra Violet.

 Here's what they have to say about it:
"A dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade, PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking that points us toward the future.
Complex and contemplative, Ultra Violet suggests the mysteries of the cosmos, the intrigue of what lies ahead, and the discoveries beyond where we are now. The vast and limitless night sky is symbolic of what is possible and continues to inspire the desire to pursue a world beyond our own.
Enigmatic purples have also long been symbolic of counterculture, unconventionality, and artistic brilliance. Musical icons Prince, David Bowie, and Jimi Hendrix brought shades of Ultra Violet to the forefront of western pop culture as personal expressions of individuality. Nuanced and full of emotion, the depth of PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet symbolizes experimentation and non-conformity, spurring individuals to imagine their unique mark on the world, and push boundaries through creative outlets.
Historically, there has been a mystical or spiritual quality attached to Ultra Violet. The color is often associated with mindfulness practices, which offer a higher ground to those seeking refuge from today’s over-stimulated world. The use of purple-toned lighting in meditation spaces and other gathering places energizes the communities that gather there and inspire connection."

After reading this a few times, I did a fabric pull. Sometimes this helps me think about the color, feel the color. You can see by all the blond cat hair that Irving felt the color, too. 

The more I thought about Ultra Violet the more I thought it is a great color for 2018. The idea of inner peace, self reflection, and inner wellness are commonly depicted by deep purples, and this would be a good year for everyone to open up that deep purple space within and spread some peace love and understanding. 

Rich violets and purples have long been associated with royalty, and I like the idea that this can cross over to people in the creative world, people of power, people of influence. Ideally in 2018, Ultra Violet will encourage those people to step forward, step up, and lead by well meaning example. I hope 2018 will be a time for those influential and powerful people to make change for the better and help heal our country and our world. But the other side of Ultra Violet may mean that those in power continue to change things for the worse, and use their influence to perpetuate hate, violence and conflict. All images that a deep purple can also evoke. 

So, while I'm hopeful that Ultra Violet will shine a reflective, calming light on the world this year, I also see this Pantone Color of the Year having a dark side. Let's call it Ultra Violent. Power, persuasion, dark vibes, and nightmares, Ultra Violent is also the color of spooky corners, unknown depths, a black eye, your last breath. 

I'm rooting for goodness to emerge this year, I'm just not holding my breath. I feel that this year, Pantone has captured the right color for 2018, I'm just not sure that's a good thing. 

What do you think of Ultra Viole(n)t? How does it make you feel for the year ahead?

February OMG

Last month, I endeavored to finish one of two small quilts as the first OMG (One Monthly Goal) of the new year. I was able to finish one top, so finishing this scrappy little quilt is really important for me this month! 

I still have to baste, quilt, bind, label and gift this quilt. I have a plan for the quilting and the small size should make this a doable goal!

So far, in 2018, I'm oh for one as far as OMG goes:
Jan - Finish one small quilt - Not Finished
Feb - Finish scrappy quilt -

I'm linking up with Elm Street Quilts, Slow Sunday Stitching, and more!