Work, Long hours, and Very Little Stress Relief

After writing my last blog entry, I did manage to get some sleep. A whole fours hours worth.  Killian's warm milk did help.  But the last two weeks have been crazy.  I got back to work and I had forgotten my boss would be out the first half of the week. I ended up working 11 hours that day.  Then on Wednesday, I found out that the other supervisor was going to be out but I thought it was only for a few days.  The following Monday my boss had to go to his other plant due to a crisis.  That left just me to run the department. I've done it before but that was before our work load increased exponentially. I didn't work less than 10 hour days all week. I was really looking forward to being able to sew this past weekend. Sewing is my stress relief.

But alas it was not to be. My son in law Jeramie was seriously injured at work on Friday. The text my daughter sent to my husband and I started with he's alive but on his way to the hospital. He was electrocuted on the job.  He has 3rd and 4th degree burns on his hands and compression fractures in two of his vertebra. We are very fortunate it wasn't worse.  Any way we have had the two little ones while they went up to Augusta, GA to the burn center.  They will be coming home tonight and my wonderful son Killian has chosen to take off work the next two days to help out. So not much sewing time.

I did manage to squeeze is some sewing over the past two weeks.  I stitched several of my 2 inch squares into 2 unit pieces. Most of that was done the first week.  The second week I did the pressing of the units.  I am hoping that this week will afford me more time to sew.  I could really use the stress relief.  But I am grateful I did have the little squares prepped and ready to sew.  It made life easier to be able to sit down for just a few minutes and run a few squares through the machine.

In her blog/videos Karen Brown talks about taming your scraps by cutting them into strips and blocks that you either use often or are going to need for a scrappy project coming up.  I am going to start employing this technique so I always have something on hand for quick stress relief. that is after I put my studio back together.  It is the Kid's favorite place to hang out. Mine too.

If you haven't checked out Karen Brown's videos, you should.  They are on You Tube - Just Get It Done Quilts. I've subscribed to her channel and followed her on Facebook.  The videos are definitely worth the time. None are very long and I've watched some of them multiple times.  Just be careful that they don't become time busters for you.

That it's for this week.  Hope that your life is less crazy than mine. Keep on stitching.

Creating UFOs (unfinished projects)

So it is 11:06 at night, I have to get up at 4:00 am and I am wide awake.  I should have never taken that nap this afternoon. I can't sew, (it would wake up my husband) so I decided to blog.  Killian made me a nice mug of warm milk and hopefully by the time I am done, it will have kicked in.

This past week I went to Pack Expo with my husband.  It was a great time and I bought home a whole suitcase fool of swag. Mostly bags but lots of pens, some stress balls, and some tape measures/rulers. But mostly bags.  I had to buy a new suitcase to bring it all home in.  I had a great time and saw some amazing machinery and cool applications that I would love to see at my work.

We got home late on Thursday night and I was looking forward to working on the two quilts that need borders on Friday.  Guess what, I didn't.  I did clean up the studio a bit, I did laundry, and I did start to cut the borders, at least the inner border. But that is where I stalled out.

Knowing that I can't force myself, and get good results, I decided to try a different tack. I set aside the borders and pulled out the 2 inch blocks I had left over from the Joyfully Scrappy quilt (one of the ones that need borders). I decided I would just start chain piecing them into 4 patch units. I pulled my machine to the front of my work surface and started. Or I should say tried to start. The fabric wasn't feeding well at all.  The surface of the machine was rough and a little tacky.

I did a quick wipe down of the machine and I still couldn't get the fabric to feed smoothly. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what had happened.  Then I remembered, a few weeks ago I had sprayed a basting spray onto a cork board to get some paper to adhere.  I had not protected my work surface from over spray.  I had cleaned up the surface but didn't realize that my machine had been hit.  Clorox wipes wouldn't remove it. So I put the machine aside until I could get a Mr. Clean Magic eraser.

That was when I decided that I didn't have enough contrast in the 2 inch squares. I decided that I would take more of the 4 inch square blocks and make some more 2 inch squares.  Which then evolved into planning a quilt using 16 patch units and four patch units. Over the past 3 days I have cut 1400 - 2 inch squares. I am rather excited to get going on this quilt. It will be another quilt that is using up what I have on hand.

I got inspired to use what I have in my stash from watching a video series on YouTube.  It was by Karen Brown of "Just Get It Done Quilts". She talks about shopping from your stash first.  She even talks about inventorying your stash and figuring out how many quilts you can make with what you have.  I haven't inventoried my stash yet. That is a project for a weekend when my daughters are around. Anyway, she has a blog page and several more video series as well as a face book page, You really should check her out.  It's like group therapy for quilters, especially beginner quilters.

So instead of finishing up UFOs, I have started another one.  I think I've mentioned before that I really like the piecing part of quilting. Even though I really need to get better at it. I plan to get my sewing machine cleaned up tomorrow evening. Then for a little while each night I will stitch away to my heart's content. I will make this my getting back on track project.  Basically a project to work on when I am feeling the need to stitch but not the need to finish up a project. Sort of a way to recharge my quilting energy.

I will definitely get around to cutting those borders and making the backs for the two quilts sitting on the long arm.  I will also get the label on the starry night quilt. Plus I need to finish up my Irish chain quilt.  I am excited to get that one done and on Millie because I already know how I am going to quilt it and what thread I am going to use.

On top of that Emerson wants me to make him a quilt for his bed.  I know what I want to do and just need to pull the fabric from my stash.  And I need to make Aurora a quilt for her bed too.  Don't know about that one yet.  Too many plans and not enough time.

What is in your stash? What project do you have planned? What is inspiring you these days?

No New Projects Yet

Wow has it been 3 weeks already?  I am completely out of touch with time these days.  It just seems to fly by.  To make matters worse I am not getting anything done. The two quilt tops that need borders are still sitting on Millie waiting for their borders.  I haven't even cut them out yet. 

Lately my days outside of work have consisted of cooking, cleaning and laundry.  Kim has been out of town during the week but is home on weekends. That means catching up on things he wants us to get done. Plus having Grandkids over so they get some time with Santapa. (which is way more important than quilting)

So in the last 3 weeks, I've canned 8 quarts of pears off our trees and 4 quarts of pickled eggs from our chickens.  We've spent a Saturday with the new family members (Shauhanna, Jeff and Zack), the guys went fishing and the gals went shopping.  And I have prepped and taught a jewelry making class for church.  All of which have been very enjoyable but seem to interfere with my quilting and sewing.

Also I have been in the midst of an asthma flare since August 14th.  I went to the Doctor on September 12th and he put me on Prednisone for 10 days.  I am feeling much better but now need to try and catch up on everything I didn't get done.

This week I am on vacation and am heading to Pack Expo in Vegas.  Pack Expo is like a car show for packaging equipment.  So yes it is a vacation but it is also work related.  Kim is going for work and I am tagging along. So this week will be devoid of quilting as well.  I am taking my Swedish weaving to work on in the hotel at night.

In the meantime, I have been watching some videos and am starting to make some plans.  I am going to get a handle on my stash.  I am going to get a handle on the UFOS. And I am going to get a handle on my scraps.  I have some great ideas.  Now to just make a plan and put it in action.

What have you been up to?

Joy in the Process

This past week has been as busy as the one before.  House and Studio are far from clean. Yet dishes have been done just about every night. (okay so we are eating off paper plates but the cooking dishes still have to be done) I even sewed a few evenings.  But mostly I was under the weather.  I have been fighting an asthma flare for a couple of weeks now (19 days).  I have been wiped out most evenings.  Killian, the good boy that he is, has been trying to take care of me despite still being under the weather himself.

We still have 4 baby piggies, the chickens are laying 5-7 eggs a day, the dog and cats are still alive and doing well. All of which has been a big concern to my real life Mowgli, Perigrine. Since she will be in Nevada for awhile, Perigrine is convinced the animals are going to die from lack of attention and care. But Killian and I doing a decent job even if I do say so myself.

As for sewing/quilting, I managed to finish piecing the top of the the tag team quilt. I have decided to name this quilt "Joyfully Scrappy".  I have had the joined rows hanging on the rollers of my long arm in between sewing sessions. Every time I walk out of my bedroom and into my studio, I would see that partial quilt top and it just makes me happy.  It may sound Silly but it does.  I puts me in a better mood for the day and since I have to go through the Studio to get to my bedroom, I walked past it quite often.

I don't know what it is about this top.  Maybe it is because I found a use for fabric squares that I have had for a long time. Maybe it is the pattern and the colors.  May be it is the whole process of making it. I just know that I hated to fold it up today.  But I don't want it draping on the floor. Especially since the dog is following me around and hanging out in what ever room I am in.  I am hoping to get it measured and add the borders this next week.  I also need to do that to Aurora's quilt. I should be ready to start quilting at least one of those next weekend if not both. That is progress.

For the next project I am torn between:

1. Adding on to the sides of my Irish chain quilt to make it more bed friendly
2. Starting a Key hole quilt for Emerson, using some jelly roll strips I've had for a while
3. Doing a layer cake quilt that I have a kit I bought last year.
4. A simple 4 patch quilt using some 5 inch squares that I have on hand

We'll see which jumps onto my work table first.  It may not be any of those. I have plenty of project to choose from. I just don't know which one yet.

What are you working on? Have you got your next one planned?

Empty House Equals More Chores and Less Quilting

This week has been a little weird for me.  Tatianna has been gone for a couple of weeks now. Perigrine left to go help her sister in Nevada for a couple of months and Kim is out of town on business yet again.  It has been down to Killian and me here at the house and it is way too quiet to suit either of us.  Plus we have to do all the chores.  I haven't cooked regularly for the past 10 years and now I am fixing breakfast, packing lunches and making dinner.  Plus doing dishes and Laundry.  I miss my slaves, I mean children. I miss my children.

So with all the wedding stuff and because my slaves (yes I know "children") had a definite lack of incentive, the house is a mess.  Now usually I don't mind living with the mess and just go about doing what I want to do because it is the children's responsibility to take care of it.  But now, Dang it, it is MY responsibility to take care of it. So I am doing a little everyday. Usually I get home before Killian so I change my clothes and start dinner (frozen casseroles have been my friend this week). When Killian gets home we take care of the animals and do other chores (laundry, dishes, cleaning) eat dinner and the settle down for the night. Maybe watch a little TV.  It has been a decent routine so far.  Hopefully we can keep it up. 

Because other things have taken priority, (I know. Sacrilege!!! but the animals and we have to eat) I haven't done much sewing/quilting wise.  I did get my blocks laid out for my quilt top.  I have them stacked up by rows neatly clipped together on the side is to be stitched.   Last week I said I had 80 blocks. Well, I found some more background squares and made up an 81st block so I could do a 9 x 9 lay out.  After laying them out I had 1 block left over. I must have miscounted. So I have an orphan block to add to my collection. 

I managed to get three rows sewn and I have to say I am really loving the look of this quilt top. This quilt is really giving me a lot of pleasure. I think it is partly because it is using up stuff I've had for a really long time. There is something very satisfying about using up what you have. It seems to keep in line with the original spirit of quilting.

This week has been a change and a challenge for me but it also has been a little invigorating.  I am not feeling as overwhelmed by the house and while the improvement is slow, it is happening.  I plan to take some time each evening and work a little on the quilt before bed.  I may make it happen, I may not, but I will always have the weekend to sew. 

Life is about adapting and growing when presented with new challenges.  I feel like this week has been a growth week for me. 

How has your week gone?

Why Have a Design Wall?

Finally the last of the wedding celebrations are over. No more wedding preparations and no more scheduled wedding events. Don't get me wrong it has been a joyous time for all if us, especially Tatianna and Zack (the Newlyweds) But the last 5 weekends have been tied up with wedding events. showers, bachelorette parties, bachelor parties, wedding travels, and receptions. It has been a whirl wind of celebrations and I am about partied out.  Time for life to get back to normal. Or at least some semblance of what passes for normal.

This past week I was able to sew a little.  I got all of the little 4 inch squares turned into 4 patch blocks.  It feels good to be sewing again and really good to be at the block stage with this quilt. Next step laying it out on a design wall. 

Before I got my 4 patches sewn, I decided I was really going to need to lay the blocks out. You see this is a very random and scrappy quilt. So I will need to make sure that the colors are evenly dispersed and the pattern flow is good.

As many of you know, a year and a half ago I made myself a design wall that I wasn't too happy with. (too flimsy)  I did a little research on the google machine to see how others made their design walls.  I am thinking I want it to be at least 72" x 72".  Several had smallish design walls.  Basically the size of a block. I didn't see any sense in a design wall that would be block size.

Then I started turning my squares in 4 patch blocks. I now realize that I have something in common with Jenny Doan of Missouri Star Quilts.  I am direction-ally challenged.  The four patch block is supposed to look like the top picture.

I started matching up the squares into 2 patch sets and wasn't paying attention to which way the white part of the block was going. So I had sewn about 130 sets and was kind of auditioning them to how they would look together.  That's when I realized what I had been doing. Because I had a block that went together like this. (middle picture) While this is a really neat pattern (and I will probably do it one day) it is not the pattern I was going for. 

As you all know this is not the first time I have done this. I did it when I pieced the ribbon dance quilts as well.

So I finish sewing the 2 square sets and about 1/3 of my sets are going the wrong way.  Fortunately I discovered it before I had sewn any of the sets into the four patches. Even better, before I ripped the stitching out of the 50 sets, I realized that I just needed to match the sets up on the vertical axis and then rotate them to get the look I wanted.  I did end up taking apart one of the sets but ripping out one seam sure beats ripping out 50 seams.

This got me to thinking about that block size design wall.  I realized that if I had a visual of the block in sight, I may not have sewn so many sets together in the wrong direction.  So maybe a small design wall isn't such a bad idea.  One of the "make your own" design walls was made with dowels, pvc clamps, and batting.  It just so happens that I have a small (10" x 16") pvc style needle work frame.  I also have scraps of batting.  Now I have a block size design wall.

Next up - a large design wall. I am currently toying with wood panels, hinges and wheels.  I wish I could get my husband to design it.  He usually comes up with a very workable idea. But his work schedule keeps him busy and out of town a lot these days. I am probably on my own. In the mean time I will lay out the fabric for my design wall on my bed and work from that. Making do with what you have isn't a bad thing.

What tools would you benefit from having?  What have you created to meet one of your needs?

Non-Quilting Crafting

I can't believe it has been 4 weeks already. Wow, time really does go faster the older you get. Tatianna is getting married in less than a week and moving away. Okay, it is only 2 hours away, but that is too far for my quilting buddy to go. Out of five daughters, only one, Tatianna, likes to quilt.  I think it is because she is very precise in how she does things and that is an advantage when quilting. Also she loves putting together puzzles and quilting is kinda of like putting together a fabric puzzle. Tatianna has always encouraged me in all my crafting and she pushes me in my quilting journey.  It will be hard having her not be right here.

I have done nothing when it comes to quilting or sewing in the past 4 weeks. I have been crafting though. I have been using some of my other skills to make things for the wedding.  First, it was the bridesmaids jewelry.  The bridesmaids are wearing blue dresses and red accessories.  So red jewelry. I did not have an abundance of red beads therefore I needed to buy some.  I found 3 sizes of the same bead online at Wish.com. The price was right and the delivery was faster than I expected. I already had silver bead caps, stringing materials, earring wires, and clasps. Bonus points for using from my stash. I came up with a simple pattern and made three sets over the course of a week.  I am pleased with the results.

Then I did the bride's jewelry.  These had to be white for the temple wedding. Tatianna being an old soul wanted a real cameo. I was able to find a white carved shell cameo at Fire Mountain Gems. I set it in a sterling silver bezel. I then strung white fresh water pearls inserting a crystal rondell every four pearls. I placed the cameo in the center of the necklace.  I made pearl earrings to match. They will pair nicely with the silver chain maille/veil her father made.


With the jewelry done it was onto the flowers.  We decided that the bridesmaids would have a ball of flowers that hangs from their wrists instead of bouquets. I have made corsages and boutonnieres before. I have done some arrangements but truthfully not any bouquets or flower balls.  Of course these are going to be silk flowers since I need to do them ahead of time. I bought ten red rose bush arrangements and cut them up. I took some Styrofoam balls covered them in Spanish Moss and started stabbing red roses into them.  The balls turned out a little bigger than I planned but I think they are cute. A red ribbon inserted into the ball lets them hang from the girls' wrists.

The bouquet was a little harder.  At Hobby Lobby, I found two different bouquet forms. The one would use could be combined with a frilled cone to bouquet a finished edge.  It would have been a traditional bouquet with a rounded top and a handle the went straight down.  Tatianna liked the other form. It was angled so the top of the bouquet pointed away from the bride that way. that way it was more visible. Plus she wanted all the wedding colors in her bouquet.

I chose white roses but was having a hard time finding small red and blue flowers for the accent flowers.  I knew I should have bought them before memorial day. But No! I had to wait until after the Fourth of July to buy them.  I ended up with some small red carnation looking flowers and blue hydrangea looking flowers.  I had to dismantle the hydrangea flowers to get small enough blooms. I took the white accent from the flower bushes and cut them in half to get the right size of filler flowers. I went with a simple ribbon bow. The end results speak for themselves.  Hopefully I will be able to add a couple of pictures in tiny frames on chain to finish it off.

That left corsages and boutonnieres.  I managed to get the boutonnieres done as well. They are simple roses with a little white accent and leaves.  The corsages will be more of a challenge.  I will be using the same flowers as I used in the bouquets and they aren't quite what I am used to working with.  But I will make it happen.

My granddaughter Aurora (age 4) reminded me last night that she needs flowers and jewelry because she's going to be the flower girl. Also that Emerson (her brother, age 2) needs a boutonniere and a tie. I am going to have to make Emerson a bow tie since we can't find a little tie. The ones I bought are too big.  So Five days left to get all of that done. I need a nap just thinking about it.

I am ready to get back to quilting.  In fact I recently watched the Quilt Path videos on You Tube and am anxious to practice what I learned. But I need to get through this wedding and reception first. The reception will be the following Saturday and I need to decorate a cake and cook for that. Which means I will probably watch the videos again over the next couple weeks. Because It will be that long before I get a quilt ready to go on Millie. At least I have an idea of how I can improve what I am doing.

Well I better close and get back to work on wedding stuff.  What have you been up too?