Minute Incremental Progress

It's been a rather un-productive week. I have mentioned that it is our busy season at work. I worked at least 9 1/2 hour days all week. Well except Friday. Friday they were cleaning a roaster at work and I had to leave early due to the fumes.  I was feeling rather tight in the chest this week anyway. So I am really trying to not have asthma flare. I came home and slept. Hopefully I will be able to keep a flare at bay. Especially since I will be working very long hours this week.

Then yesterday was Mule Days. Mule Days is a festival in a little unincorporated town here in Southern Georgia. It is really quite a fun day. I have found that there are all sorts of little festivals put on by towns all over the south. Usually it is the Lions Clubs doing it. We go to 2-3 of these festivals every year. It is a fun family day for us.

So needless to say, I got very little done. I feel like I never have time or energy to do anything. It has felt this way for two months now. It is kind of getting me down. But I have made some very small incremental progress.  Most of it this weekend.

I have managed to get the Christmas Lemonade Quilt blocks together and measured for the border. I just need to dig out the fabric I bought several months ago for the border and the back. I am not sure where we put it.

I still have to get the Friendship Braid Quilt quilted. I promised this quilt to Killian and he keeps asking how it is coming. I will try to get the batting cut before bed tonight. I did get the bobbins wound for it though. And the brown thread on Millie. So I am a little closer. I also tried to figure out what pattern I wanted to use. I think it will be a simple stipple.

The other thing I managed to get done is change the clamps changed on Millie. The original clamps that came with the machine were small spring clamps. They worked just fine. but I always felt they should be a little wider.


I told you last week I bought the OXO clamp kits from Patty at Katydids Quilting Studios. Well today I got them on. It was just a matter of unscrewing the bolts and taking the clamps off and putting the new clamps on.

I think these will give better tension on the sides than the smaller  clamps. After I get Killian's quilt off the machine I will put the snap system on the leaders. Oh after I replace the top leader. I was suppose to do that back in April.

I need to clean the studio some time this week as well. I have some things that need cleaned up, some piles that need take care off, some fabric that needs put away. I also need to get my new saddle stool set up. I am hoping I find it more comfortable than my dining room chair for working at the Long arm. I also need to clear my dining room table so I can cut fabric for the borders of the Christmas Lemonade Quilt as well as cutting the fabric for the flying geese blocks to finish the Irish chain.

I just expect that I will be pretty tired this week. So I am not setting any goals other than doing what I have time and energy for.  I am however writing down the things I want to get done and going from there. This way I can see what little progress I do make.

How do you keep yourself moving forward?