Springing to action

The first day of spring exploded from nowhere. Unaware that the season turns on a dime, I missed the flurry of harbingers that have popped up suddenly, rapidly, these past few days and weeks. One day the mush pit that I cross on a daily basis to get to school has sprouted small, bright blue flowers from nowhere. Two days ago, a smattering of daffodils appeared from nowhere. And today, blushing pink blossoms suddenly, simultaneously and completely erupted on the trees in front of my apartment.

On that note, I better get a move on my Spring to Finish challenge inspired by Jacquie. Let's see how I do with public accountability. Time to air the laundry [not lair the aundry, as I just typed].

1) I have this, erm, quilt top that I, um, started back when I was ... 16 ... with the first really expensive fabric for quilts I had ever purchased. And then I kindof tinkered with it this past summer, and I brought it to Boston with me fully intending to make a winter quilt to get me through the subzero temperatures, and have I even touched it while I've been here??? What's saddest? All it needs is some sashing. It's just that I hate cutting long strips of fabric. Just very slightly more than I hate sewing long strips of fabric. All right Shirker, face up to it already.

2) Remember this? Now that it might actually warm up enough to wear the muslim for the dress that never was ... I should go and finish that muslim. Step one: insert back zipper. Just below cutting long strips of fabric and sewing long strips of fabric is inserting zippers, though luckily this one is not an invisible zipper [that one is just below sewing long strips of fabric]. Also hovering near the top of that list is fitting garments without 1) a dress form, 2) an assistant pinner, 3) a full-body mirror, 4) any mirror that doesn't involve tiptoeing on the toilet seat. Especially when removing like 10 inches of ease. Hm. I'm noticing a pattern to the Banished To UFO Status pile.

3) This actually needs to be started, but on Wednesday I gave Crazy Twin [yes, I have a huge surrogate family - one day I will lay out the family tree] an apron for her birthday, and now I need to make one for Head Honcho as well ["Head Honcho" being the only appropriate English translation I can find for 老大, i.e the 'elder' sister to us two little punky twins]. Witness:


Crazy Twin loves blue and pink, so I tried to keep that combination in mind when I made this. Oops, you can't see it here but the waist ties are a nice bright pink. The light blue is actually supposed to be the sashing for quilt [see #1. We'll make do. 25th birthdays are more important than 10-year old quilt tops]. The striped fabric is from a mens shirt I thrifted awhile ago, and the pocket flap is this great Japanese fabric I splurged on for my birthday:


Isn't it cute? We've had some crazy great baking sessions together. Hopefully when H.H. gets hers [ahem, sometime in the next 20 days!], we'll continue our chocolate+cheese craziness baking sessions.

This one almost qualifies for the Tie One On theme [No $$$], as reminded to me by Jessica. But technically I thrifted the striped shirt recently. My next one, for H.H., will definitely fall under Tie One On, yet another reason to get a move on!