First Tries and Mistakes

Well, I finally quilted a quilt on the long arm. It was a whole lot easier than doing it on my sewing machine. It was a whole lot faster too. I would not go back to trying to quilt on my regular machine despite the fact I made mistakes and had to unpick several rows or that I had a little trouble with the placement. I figure all of these things can eventually be mastered. The truth is I made mistakes in quilting on the sewing machine too and with a more experience than I had when doing this one on the long arm.

I view these quilts as learning experiences. I will get better but only if I learn from each quilt. So lessons from quilt number one.

1. Don't rush the planning and placement. I was so eager to get quilting that I didn't quite get the pattern set the way it would look best. I quilted a leaf/vine pattern. I got the size the way I wanted it and I flipped the directionn0f every other row. It looked good. But as I started quilting it I realized I should have off set every other row as well. The pattern would have filled the space better. 
2. Trace back isn't necessarily going to put you right back where the thread broke. Take time to nudge to get the needle in the right place before resuming sewing. better yet get back to a junction of threads. If you are slightly off it won't be as noticeable.
3. When a thread breaks un-stitch enough that you can knot and bury the thread. Don't think you are going to stitch over it and lock the stitches in place.
4. Take care in pinning and leave them in until it is done. I had pinned the top to the leader in such a way that it folded over. When I got to the last row I was concerned about not having enough space for the final row of stitching so I unpinned it. Which removed tension and caused a little buckling.
5. Don't be stressed while quilting. You are more likely to make mistakes if you are stressed. So if your daughter is nagging you to get it quilted, don't start until you are ready. Also if you are getting frustrated. walk away for a few minutes.
6. Remember this is your work, you are learning, mistakes happen. minor mistakes add character. As Jenny Doan says finished is better than perfect. Also she said that she never had anyone turn down a quilt because her points didn't match.

But if I am being Honest the biggest lesson I learned is Don't wait three months between quilts. I had forgotten so much that I was getting very frustrated. So that being said I am eager to get the next one on and quilted. It really was a lot of fun. The next one is smaller so it won't take as much time. I just need to get the back put together and put it on the machine. 

What mistakes did you learn from this week? 

Organization and Small Accomplishments

I want to apologize to those who follow me. I had company last week and didn't get around to blogging. I am sorry I missed last week. I know I only have a few followers but I love the encouragement and feed back they give me.

These past two weeks have been busy ones. As I said above we had company over the 4th of July weekend/week. So the week before was a mad race to get the spare room ready for them. That meant a lot of things that we had just piled up in the various rooms had to be pulled out and organized. That meant a lot of the stuff I had stashed while we worked on the studio had to find a home.

Killian, my son, built me this lovely shelf to hold some of the jewelry making stuff. I couldn't find a shelf that would hold as much as I needed it to. I had this one spot we could use. I told my husband that I was beginning to think we would have to build one to meet my needs. Being the problem solver and engineer that he is, my husband designed this shelf. He then tasked Killian with building it. I tasked my daughter Perigrine with painting it. The shelf goes from floor to ceiling and replaces two small shelves that I had in the studio before I got the long arm. It is made out of 2x12 and put together with lag bolts. Killian jokes that in case of tornado he is tying himself to the shelf.

As you can see there is still quite a lot of clutter. I will be taking time every night to sort through boxes and bins and trying to find a place for all of it. I have manage to empty three bins and four boxes in the past week. I have lots more to do. I know that I won't be able to put all of my craft stuff in the studio. So I decided to focus on the things I do the most. One of course is the sewing/quilting. The other is jewelry making. Most of which you can see on the shelf. I have also decided that once the studio is organized I will invite my friends over to check out the long arm. I really do want to share my joy with my friends.

Other than cleaning the house and having friends over, I have managed to finish piecing the lap quilt. If you recall I made the Around the Rail Fence quilt and had enough blocks left over to do a lap quilt. I had almost finished putting it together but with the chaos that has been my life both at work and home I had not put the final borders on it until this past Friday. I love how it turned out and am looking forward to getting it quilted as soon as I get the larger version done. (I laid this out on my bed. Don't you love the camo sheets. I am married to a hunter after all.)

When it comes to fabrics, I tend towards bright colors. When I found the fat quarters I used for this quilt on clearance, I almost didn't buy them. I loved the bold colorful floral that can bee seen in most of the blocks. However brown is not a color I tend to buy. But the price was too good to pass up so I bought the two bundles they had. I am really glad that I did. You never know just how much you are going to like a project until it starts to come together.

This week I also started the Star block quilt I planned last December. I have gotten four blocks done and will be blogging about that next week.

My goals for the next week? I am sticking with the same goals. Sew/Quilt each night for 20 minutes or more. Work on the studio for 20 minutes or more. Hopefully, this week I can keep my hours at work down to eight a day and get home in time to get things done.

Oh and I need to take the time to mend a pair of trousers for a missionary. He had a seam give out. As I looked at the trousers, I discovered he has several more about to give out. I will get them reinforced and back to him this week.

Those are my plans. What are yours?

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

This week has not seen a lot of sewing or quilting. I spent most of my time at home working on the studio and dejunking. I got a couple of shelves up and put a few other things in place. My son, under the guidance of his father, built a floor to ceiling set of shelves. He needs to add a few finishing touches and then my daughter, Perigrine, will sand and paint it. I am hoping to be able to put things on it by Friday evening.

As I said I have also been de-junking. I have started in my bedroom. I had a lot of fabric bins in there and needed to move them out. I also went through my dresser and tossed stained and torn clothes. I still have too many clothes for my dresser but I am not ready to get rid of quite that much. Next I will be moving on to my closet where I have too many bins of craft supplies. I hate to admit it but I have things I haven't touched in the 8 1/2 years I have lived here. Some of that stuff needs to go.

I won't get too much done this week though. We have friends arriving on Saturday for a week. I need to get things ready for them. I just hope to have the studio somewhat organized and the house in guest ready state. Housework is not my long suit. I would much rather sew, quilt and craft. You would think that in a house of adults there wouldn't be much mess. But we all are working and well come home tired. It is a good night if we sit down to eat as a family.

So like I said I am hoping to get the studio somewhat organized and my closet cleaned out this week. I am not sure what to put where just yet but I need to start somewhere. I expect that I will rearrange things a few times before I find the right place for everything. I hate organizing!!! But I love things to be organized. Whenever I can, I con Tatianna into doing the organizing. I joke that she is more than a little OCD. She just has to have things be in a sensible order. For example fabric and beads organized by color or type. Most likely both. But lately she is not that easily conned. Plus it is my studio and even if she shares it with me, it needs to suit my needs. She is not going to be here forever.

Progress has been slow but everyday it has seen some progress. I am getting things done a little by little. Like Aesop's Fable of the Tortoise and the Hare teaches us, "Slow and steady wins the race."

Better Spirits

I have been feeling much better this week. I am much less depressed and am feeling physically better. I suppose it is due partly to the medicines, partly to the weight loss (I am now below 300 lbs), and partly to the fact that I have decided that I can handle this new lifestyle. I have come to grips with my reality.

I had much more energy this week, despite having to go into work very early Monday and Tuesday.. Which means I have actually felt like doing things. So I didn't come home and collapse on my bed.

I have sewn at least 30 minutes a day during the work week. Sometimes more than 30 minutes. The last three days of the work week, I woke up very early and could not get back to sleep. So I got up and sewed. That made for long days but the truth is I was in a much better mood those days. I have finished the top to the Around the Rail Fence quilt. I really liked how it turned out. It is partially on the long arm now. I hope to start quilting it tomorrow.  I will post pictures when I have it done. I also had enough blocks left to make a lap quilt, the top of which is almost done, I just need to put the outer borders on it. This project had caught me by surprise. I was not expecting it to give me such a boost.

The last couple of days, I have been focusing on the Studio. I have convinced my husband and son to build me a shelf unit. I had given up on finding one to meet my needs. We bought the materials on Saturday. Hopefully it will be done Tuesday night. With the custom shelf unit and the two wall shelves  that I still need to hang, I should be able to make a dent in the chaos that has been my studio.

This weekend I have gotten a few things hung up and am working on the organization of supplies in studio. This afternoon I spent folding fat quarters and putting them in my MSQC storage bags. I love the storage bags and have 11 of them now. All full of my fat quarter stash. In fact I didn't have quite enough bags. I could use another one or two or three. But I am not going to buy them. I am trying to not fill up containers. I have too many filled right now. 

 I have decided to focus on emptying the containers. I have been putting projects in bins until I can get to them. I have decided to put the bins with projects in a visible place in the studio. As I finish one project and get it on the machine, I will pick the next one off the shelf of  projects. If I get tired of the project (and some of them I will) I can put it back in the bin and back on the shelf. But it will be visible. Therefore not out of mind,

I also have decided to work on the studio for at least 30 minutes a day. I can't do it all at once but I figure I can knock things out a bit at a time. Some projects will take more time than others but that is okay. I will work on what I have time to work on and take it from there. It may only be to dust and sweep.

So hopefully my mood will remain positive, my health will continue to improve. and I will continue to progress in my quilting. I am starting to feel like I did a few years ago. I am also starting to dream about owning my own quilt shop again. Who knows what I will accomplish. I just know I am starting to feel like making plans again. Even better I am starting to feel like working on those plans.

Getting Back in the Swing of Things

I haven't blogged for a couple of weeks. In fact, I haven't been blogging regularly at all lately. I have been fighting a little bit a depression, facing some reality and learning how to change my lifestyle to deal with that reality. Add to that my husband has been traveling for work a lot and we have had a lot going on. So when he is home, we are booked up with activities.

One of the reasons for my lack of blogging is I haven't had much to blog about. That is because I haven't been sewing like I should. Now I know darn well that if I had been sewing more than I would not have had the depression or at least not much depression.  I just haven't felt like doing much of anything. With the new meds and lifestyle, I am exhausted by the time I get home. All I want to do is check e-mails and facebook and then crash. Most nights I don't even do that.What makes this even sadder is I am not spending time with my kids. I know that before too long they are going to be moving out to lead their own lives. I need to spend time with them now, but I am too tired to do anything..I just head to my room, bathe, and cuddle down in my pajamas for the night.

But this week things have started to look up a little. A couple of nights, I actually worked on the Around the Rail Fence quilt. I finished cutting the strip sets and started squaring up the blocks. Just a few a night. Friday and Saturday I finished squaring up the blocks and started the assembly. I am closing in on finishing it. I need to do the top and bottom rows of the last round of blocks and then put the outer border on it. As soon as I get that done it will go right on the long arm. I already know how I want to quilt it.

The thing is I am rather surprised at how thrilled I am with this quilt. This was not a project I had picked out for myself. This was originally going to be a project for the young women at church to do. It would be simple I didn't have to worry too much about matching corners etc. I had gotten everything prepped. they would sew the strip sets cut them into blocks and sew the rounds of blocks.  They were suppose to work on it during their spring break. That was the first week in April. But with family commitments, time constraints, etc. they ended up canceling the project.

Since it was all cut and ready to go, I decided to just make the quilt.  I wasn't all that excited about doing it, But I felt it was a waste to not make the quilt after all the prep that went into it. I had cut up fat quarters in strips and really didn't want the fabric, my fabric, to go to waste.  So I started working on it more out of obligation than desire.

My sister in law, Marjean, once told me that she had a hard time doing projects that that other people planned for her. I had a project that someone else had planned for the two of us to do. It was not well planned and it ended up being left for me to do. I had told Marjean about it and how I wasn't making any progress. I said that I just couldn't get excited about it. That was when my very wise Sister in Law explained to me that it was okay to not complete someone else's project. That their goal didn't have to be my goal. That was more than 10 years ago and I never did finish that project. I ended up donating the materials for it to a group working on lap quilts for veterans. I have to admit, I was concerned that this quilt was going to be like that project.

But much to my surprise I am getting more and more enjoyment out of it, The closer it gets to completion the more eager I am to get to the next step. It is really becoming a joy to work on it. I think the difference is I did the planning for this project. I chose the pattern and fabric (with consultation from the young women) So while it was not "my project" I do like the design and the fabric. It is much easier to work on a project if you like it.

I guess I needed to get some perspective on things. But this project has helped lift me out of the doldrums and get me back on track. I am starting to feel like doing things again and this quilt has helped me feel that way.

Have you ever had a project that got you back on your feet? I'd love to hear about it.

Work Commitments / Health Issues / Lack of Balance

Work commitments seem to be weighing heavily these days. I can't seem to get out of work before 5:00 pm.  Which means I am not home before 6:00pm. That is 12 hours away from home. I get up at 5:30 in the morning and go to bed at 9:00 at night. That should be 8 and half hours of sleep and yet I am exhausted when I get home. I have no energy to work on quilts or the studio. I have found myself getting easily frustrated with employees and having to watch that I don't take things the wrong way.  I know work won't fall apart if I leave on time but things don't get done if I don't do them. I hate to be behind or worse putting out fires. It seems I am doing a lot of both lately.

I used to really enjoy my job. Not so much anymore. Adding another supervisor did not take any of the burden off me and in fact has added stress. Before, I ran the lab, I could make decisions and policies with out running it by a committee. I just mentioned it to my boss and he was fine with it. Now everything is done by consensus of the 2 supervisors and manager. I am one of the supervisors. I find myself resenting others for their lack of experience. And I find myself biting my tongue and trying not to make waves. I am really not terribly happy there anymore. I am looking for a different job but there really aren't any in the area.

Add to that my lung/bronchitis issue developed two years ago at work, when I was exposed to mold, rust, grit, and whatever chemical they used to clean out the air handler and duct the was in the ceiling of the lab where my desk is. I made the mistake of going to my doctor instead of waiting for them to send me. I really thought it was just an allergic reaction and I could deal with it but 5 days later I had bronchitis. I find that I am resenting work over all of this.

I had hoped that the Symbicort would help me breathe and I would have more energy. It has in fact seem to clear up my lungs. I am breathing much easier yet, still no energy. I have been dying of thirst. Top that off with muscle cramps and yeast infections and you have all the symptoms of diabetes. I read up on the side effects of Symbicort, one of which is increased blood sugar levels.

Now I have been tested many times over the years for diabetes and always my A1c was great. The highest my blood sugar ever tested was 133 and that was while I was on predinsone. Two years ago at the health screening at work my blood sugar was high for a fasting test. I was on prednisone but went to the doctor for a check. Again my A1c was great. Last year the health screening at work included an A1c. It showed I was borderline diabetic. I went to the doctor. I had been on prednisone several time in the previous 4 months for Bronchitis. The doctor had me come back in 4 months with me being off the prednisone and of course my A1c was again great. So I while I have kept an eye on it, I have not been too worried about being diabetic.

After expressing my irritation at being constantly thirsty, my husband urged me to check my blood sugar. It was 329. I almost freaked out. Obviously, I went to the doctor the next day. He drew the blood and had me come back two days later. I am diabetic. Which means a whole lifestyle change. I get to prick my finger twice a day now. I will need to give up the sweets, cut way back on the starches and get myself moving. I know I can do this, I have actually done it before to lose weight. I just am a little frustrated over it.

Oh and while I have always been slightly iron deficient, I am now more than moderately iron deficient. That may explain the dark circles under my eyes. I am now on prescription iron supplement as well as diabetes medication.

I guess it is no wonder I haven't felt like working on quilts or the studio. I just am too worn down to do it. I am hoping that all this medicine will help get things straightened out and I will start to feel like my old self. I need to feel like my old self. I want to be creating and finishing quilts. I want to have my studio put together and organized. I want to come home from work and feel inspired instead of worn out and frustrated.

I have never been great about annual physicals. I have always been healthy despite being overweight. I had been so focused on the bronchitis issues and work that I have been missing out on other things. I have not been taking care of myself as I should have. I have not had a good balance in my life. That has led me to missing out on things I enjoy. Including quilting. I need to rectify that.

Time to get several things back on track. Put a priority on getting my health straightened out. Let others at work pick up some of the workload. Spend time with my kids while I still have them at home. Spend time doing what I love - quilting.

How is your life balance?

Lack of Progress

I missed blogging last week. Mostly because I spent the day in bed trying to rest up fro the week ahead. These past two weeks I have been sick. My husband brought home a cold and shared it with the whole family. It set me back on my heels to say the least. Add to that, my boss was out of town for the first week. I had to be at work as long as I was not contagious and I wasn't. But I felt like crap. I would get off work and come home to a hot bath and crawl into bed. Not a whole lot of quilting or sewing going on.

We did get my youngest off to prom. She looked great. But I am struggling still. So quilting and sewing stuff was pretty much just ordering stuff or planning stuff. Not a whole lot of hands on.

I was suppose to put another practice piece on the long arm but so far I only have the back on. I want to get more practice with all over designs and lining up pantographs. Tatianna and I think we should do 5-6 quilts each before quilting for someone else. We have some projects ready to go but need to have the time.

Tatianna is starting a new job which will limit her time on the machine as well.

My husband on the other hand has been working like a mad man in his rock shop. In the past two weeks he has gotten tons of slabs cut. He loves his slab saw. He has also cut enough cabs to put together 14 or so belt buckles. He has discovered the relaxing/stress busting side of being creative. It has made a difference in his demeanor.

Hopefully I will feel better soon and really get going on the long arm. I just need some time and energy.

Hopefully you all are in good health and enjoying your current project.