Saturday, October 23, 2010

Trying to Quilt

Well, on Monday I did finish up the first 20 D9P blocks for my super-king quilt and I did finish the BOM blocks. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday I had class, which meant no sewing happened at all.

However on Wednesday morning we received word that our co-worker had lost her battle with cancer. So this weekend will be consumed with those rituals that go with celebrating her life and guiding ourselves as her co-workers through the grief process. I have no idea how much sewing will get done. I can say that I should sew as a therapeutic exercise.

So I will list my 5 tasks (actually 7 and I try to do 5), in hopes that I get to them:

Finish GS banner
All papers out of GFG and T-giving kit built
Pink quilt done
BOM delivered
Next 20 D9P
Cut Stockings
Finish WB quilt
Mark white border of blue quilt

(OK, that’s really 8.) (That GS one snuck up on me again.)

I do know that I will get up to Peddler’s Way for the BOM because I will do that Saturday morning before the funeral to ensure I get it in.

This was written on Friday afternoon. I have indeed made up it to Peddler's Way for the BOM, and the sun shone as we laid my co-worker to rest (despite a morning of torrential rain). So tonight I will try to do some homework, and some handwork.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Baby Steps

I'm now halfway through my final term of grad school. I cannot believe it and I couldn't be happier. Anyway, since the midterms are over and the workload has been planned, I can start to integrate my quilty pursuits back into my life.

So this weekend I made a super-short list of things to do. I wanted to get the badges on Renee's GS vest, weave in the yarn ends of my two fashion scarves, make my BOM blocks, sew 3 flowers of my GFG together, cut out 10 Christmas stockings in muslin and finish a baby quilt. Everything but the last two did get done.

It's good to be back in the swing of things, but that 10 page paper won't write itself, so I will continue with baby steps for a while more.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Nothing New

At least on the quilting end of things. I'm still working on GFG flowers at lunch, so something quilty is going on.

Yesterday we went to Rader Family Farms and did the whole pumpkin patch - corn maze thing. A wonderful way to spend an Indian summer day.

Today we got ready for winter. I always think that Columbus Day weekend is a great time to make sure the yard is ready for winter, so we emptied out 2 of our tomato plant containers, as well as our 2 flower boxes. Another tomato plant that we overwintered last year is still producing and so is the green pepper plant. The producing tomato plant gave us the tomatoes for our tomato sauce this evening! One of the flower boxes grew basil and there were a few small leaves still in there, so they too went into the sauce.

Ted then went through and dug out 2 inches of crabgrass in our front sidewalk section. Not fun work, but necessary. Now we just need to buy some dirt and some bulbs, both of which are frankly FUN compared to digging out crabgrass, and we will be all set. Since Renee is in Garden Club now, she's all about getting those bulbs planted. So since she's off tomorrow, it's possible they will get that done while I'm at work. I can hope.

So no real crafty type work. I have a midterm on Tuesday night and then I must get ready for the BOM, so that's what I'll work on next. Right now I'm glad when my head is above water. Work's been super-busy and that is A-OK as well; I like to be busy. So tomorrow night, since there's a midterm, Tracy will come over for pot roast and studying. Hopefully we will pull each other through this; we each got A's on the other class' midterm.

Meanwhile, I realized that I have a turkey in my deep freeze, so we're thinking of invited some friends over for a game night and a turkey feast!

Saturday, October 02, 2010

Whatcha Gonna Do About It?

So I started a new quilt. Again. I know, I know.

We have a king sized bed and frankly we are not small people. The quilt that is on the bed now is 7.5 feet by 9 feet. (5 x 6 blocks - with 18" blocks) While we have the 9 feet going across us, it still is not wide enough with two people twisting and turning all night long. We really need a wider quilt.

Meanwhile, I had to look in nickels bin last weekend. My bin is a 6" cube that a gift came in one time. Anyway, it is full of nickels and frankly the stack is about 10" tall. So I knew it was time to pare it down. I have charm packs in there, nickels I had cut, traded nickels, everything.

So last night, as I was cleaning up my space and trying to get organized to complete the Girl Scout quilt started last weekend, I decided to hell with it all and those nickels are going in this quilt and there's no time like the present!

So I am making a Disappearing 9 Patch (D9P) that will be 10.5 blocks across and 10.5 blocks down (yes a half block is possible). That will give us a quilt that is about 140" square - nearly 12 feet. Yes!

So I started making 20 9 patches last night and my goal this weekend is to finish the 20 blocks, cut them up and put each of the 4 pieces in its own baggie. Then I'll keep making sets of 20, putting them in baggies and at some point I will have enough randomness to go ahead and start putting the final blocks together. I will put the top together in 9 pieces and do QAYG. There is no other way for a quilt this size.

My other goals this weekend are to remember to bring another GFG flower kit to work, cut out 10 stockings from muslin, and finish the GS quilt. Anything else will be gravy.

Oh, and homework too.

Friday, October 01, 2010

On Turning 40

What a whirlwind week! There is a very valid reason why I did not update at all this week.

I turned 40 on Wednesday.

Now, before you think I have inserted far too much drama into the big day, I didn’t. It was a big birthday and my family does birthdays big. But it fell on a Wednesday, Ted was at a conference out of town and I had a mid-term. So it was pretty low key.

Except for the part where my sister came down on Sunday to take me shopping. That was a surprise, but a fun one. I’m glad she came on down.

This weekend, I need to get a Girl Scout banner accomplished. I also hope to work a bit on some other projects, but if all I do is clean my sewing area and get the banner done, I will have achieved quite a bit!