Friday, September 21, 2012

Building new habits

I got on a little English paper piecing kick after finishing AnneMarie's block the other day for our {Sew} Beautiful Bee. I happened to have some jewel shapes and hexagons lying about from a spurt of inspiration I experienced after falling head over heels for a superb pillow that Terri crafted in the last round of the Pillow Talk Swap. I desperately wanted a pillow of my own, so I picked up various paper pieces from Paper Pieces, a great resource for all different kinds of EPP shapes and sizes, but then left my package of paper pieces to collect dust, lacking the motivation to get started.

Admittedly, I've never been a huge fan of hand sewing. I've gotten a bit over my major aversion to it over the last year or so, and I've drooled over a lot of EPP projects I've seen on Instagram and Flickr, but never really took the plunge. Until now.

IMG_0381rt

The other night, after I made AnneMarie's hexagons, I dug out some scraps, the petal paper pieces, and started going to town. I now have six little flowers, using my 3/4" petal pieces and 3/4" hexagons, and I'm smitten. The results are just so gorgeous!! I'm enjoying how mindless the sewing is, how I can multitask while sewing scraps around the templates, and feeling like I'm making a dent (albeit a small one) in my scraps . I don't really have any specific plans for these little flowers - maybe a mini? Or a pillow? But for now, I'm enjoying the process :)

IMG_0580rt

I'm trying something else new this week: the Couch to 5K program. I did my second run of week one this morning, and I feel really great about it so far. My first attempt the other day didn't go so fantastically; I got a horrible side cramp halfway through and thought for a moment or two that I might have heatstroke, but today's workout was much, much better. I think I ran too hard too early in the workout the first time, but I'm pretty out of shape, so I'm sure that had something to do with it too. Getting through today's run really felt amazing. Almost as amazing as buying a boatload of new fabric ;)

I hope you have a great Friday, and happy sewing to you!

16 comments:

  1. Couch to 5k was how I started running. It got me on the road to 5 half marathon's, one full marathon, counless 5k's and a handful of 10k's. Keep on keeping on! You 'll meet your goals :) WAY TO GO!!!

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  2. Welcome to the 'yes we're really that crazy' EPP club :) I was a bit undecided about one I started this summer but now I can't wait to make some more papers and continue to add to the quilt.

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  3. your EPP looks wonderful! good luck with your new workout routine.

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  4. Love your little flower/stars. I really love EPP too and have done a bit of it. Got crazy with it a few years ago and did a scrappy hexagon ~ 930 of the silly things. It's all sewn together, but still have to put a border (to make it a bit bigger) and a backing. Love the look of it!
    Good for you getting out and off the couch!

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  5. I love your EPP progress! I have yet to start AnneMarie's block...I think I have a hexaphobia! I'm shooting for tonight.

    Good luck with the C25K program! You can do it! I started it in March (literally from not exercising at all) and I'm up to running 8 miles. I'm not very fast, and sometimes I fall on my face, but I really like it!

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  6. these r beautiful. i tried the couch to 5k workout back in march messed up my knee first day and still having problems after doing 2 months of therapy. don't over do it. maybe i need a couch to sidewalk program first!

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  7. I've done the C25K program too and it is indeed great. Congrats!

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  8. LOVE the EPP's and the colors you are using! I am doing Couch to 5K right now too. I decided to run more then three times a week and stick to that week's whatever, then move on. So far I've done three this week, planning on going again this afternoon. I am not a runner so I just have to make myself do it.

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  9. I love the look of EPP, but if I'm doing hand work, I need to knit up some of my yarn stash! ;)

    Ack, the side stitch. I read an article about it a few years back, I can't find that exact article again but here are some things that help:
    Breathe deeply, in through the nose and out through the mouth (unless you're sprinting, in which case just breathe!)
    Stay hydrated!
    Don't eat right before running

    When you get a side stitch, it helps to:
    put pressure on the area
    lift the arm (straight up) on the side of the body with the stitch (you look silly, but it helps to stretch your muscles)
    and the one that worked really well for me was to concentrate on which foot you land on when you breathe! Most people strike with their right foot as they breathe in, and then get a stitch in their right side. So when you get the side stitch, focus on striking with your left foot as you breathe in. :)

    The good news is that I haven't had a side stitch in years! As you run more, they tend to disappear. :)

    Good luck with couch to 5K! I know lots of people who have had great success with it!

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  10. Gorgeos Epp! I'm also doing the couch to 5k and just finished week3. Looking forward to seeing how you get on :)

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  11. Great job in the EPP!! Good luck with the couch to 5k! =D

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  12. Great little star flowers. I have gotten out the PP again. I too do not know what I will do with the flowers I am making.

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  13. Love the look of your see flowers, and WTG on the exercise front :o)

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  14. Good luck with the C25K program! I'd love to start it up again if I could get my asthma in better control! I was at the end of week 7 at sewing summit last year when my lungs decided they would rebel from the dry utah air! lol It's a pretty good program from what I did. :)

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  15. See?!?!? You didn't think the hexies were that bad!! Glad you might have enjoyed it... cute petals!

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  16. Good luck with your Cto5K! I am stuck in week 6. I just can't run for more than 20 minutes yet. :p

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Thank you for leaving a comment for me! I appreciate each and every one of them and try to respond when time allows. Your comments totally brighten my day :)


Welcome! I'm Elizabeth, mom to a mood teen boy and a chatty six-year-old girl and I sew for my sanity. Let's get to quilting, shall we?
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