i7

i7 remains one inch shy of the needle.

That's about it.

One stinkin' inch.

And that about sums up my life, too.  Hoping to get some sewing (of any sort) done over the time off, but I am not feeling like accomplishing much more than getting out of bed lately.

So, there you have it.

Wahoo, it's been a while

Due to familial issues, personal happenstance, and work days (and what have you), I have been away from the blogs for what seems like forever.  With the approaching holidays I am finding I will be able to get back to the things I love - necessary items and activities (or what have you) in short order.

Over the last couple of years I am finding it easier to let go of the reins and relax as deadlines encroach - and I cannot adequately express the sense of relief in that strategy.  Aahhh.

My outlook on 'necessity over survival' (emotionally and mentally) has truly changed (matured?) with the passage of time, and I believe it is ultimately for the better.  Things I cannot change or control have less impact and create far less stress (there is still some chafing, but I can withstand that a whole lot better than I once did). 

Admittedly, there is still a lot of work to do to get over the final hump of guilt in not finishing every task on my lists, or in meeting all goals and expectations of others (or myself), but then I have come to realize the goals and expectations of others must ultimately be their own stress.  As long as I accomplish my part in their projects I must allow myself to step back and breathe - and try not to take on too much of their anxiety.  Everyone must do their own part to ensure their own level of comfort and success.

So, in the spirit of happiness and renewal, I invite you all to look in on the progress and work I will be able to post sometime mid-to late-month.  Until then, thanks for checking in and reading whatever it is you have found of interest, and perhaps say "howdy" some time.  Let me know if you have any questions or comments about my quilting (or new mindset), and I will try to provide answers and images that will help to set you straight or answers your questions.

Until then, have a safe and healthy holiday.

Ah, well

Didn't manage to make much of a dent in i7, but I am thrilled there are now less than one half dozen missing inches until it can be stitched together.  A big plus.  Future progress will be severely curtailed over the coming month, as mom is headed down for a visit and there are things in the house which need doing/finishing first.

OK, see you soon, but not tomorrow. ;v)

It's a beautiful day... dammit

i7 has been on my radar, but not in my work schedule for most of the past week or so.  This morning I attacked the twenty-five-to-twenty-eight missing inches with gale force fervor, and put a good dent in the 'hole', but there are still around a dozen bits to locate (and/or swap) before the block is complete and ready to stitch together.

I hate weather days like this - blissfully sunny, and the temps will be in the 60s.  PERFECT!

"So, why do you hate those types of days?" you ask, scratching your head like a dog with a flea.

Well, because I am forced to make a tough decision when days like this happen, and I usually end up making myself either very mad or just totally disappointed because of the ultimate decision.  I either
1) use the gorgeous light to forge ahead and build blocks so I can make up lost time on the overall project, or
2) go outdoors and utilize the waning beautiful weather for gardening chores which are long past due.

Now, perhaps, you can appreciate my conundrum.

No pithy title

Taking a long overdue moment to play a little with my Dutch 'boyfriend.'

i7 is still too far from being done, and all I really want to do is put together i8 and i9, and 10 and 11point3.  Thread painting the mega row sections is on hold for a little while longer - but I will let you know when it happens.  For the time being... facial hair.

An irksome thing

I have kvetched about this before - and I suppose there will never be a time where I can see myself clear to just letting it go (and more's the pity) but there may be an explosion in my future if I can't.

There is a quilter whose work I like very much, to the point of admiration, really.  And she has only very recently chosen to walk away from her acclaim in the machine quilting realm.  She is fed up with (as she put it), "...the bullshit in the industry."  She will not quit making quilts, but will simply do so only for herself.  Huzzah, and more power to her.

So? I can hear you bellow.  What's your gripe?  What about that has you near boom-boom level?

Well, it isn't really Krista's decision to bow out of the quilt making spotlight so much that has my hackles up, but it's the quilt she is currently putting together that has me fuming. Some other quiltmaker/pseudo designer has decided to rename a glorious - and fairly straightforward - quilt 'pattern' something entirely new, just to make it seem as though she developed the pattern and instructions for others to follow.... AS IF IT'S NEVER BEEN MADE BY THOUSANDS BEFORE HER, for Pete's sake.

Heck, I've made my own string quilts by sketching out the desired size of the finished block so that I could readily duplicate and piece the silly thing accurately.  It didn't require much time or heavy thinking - and I certainly didn't rename the quilt pattern because it was something I drew up.  I looked at a few photos of older "Spider Web" string quilts before diving in, just to get some ideas of possible color placement and angles, and then I went to work.  

I totally resent J Sampou thinking it's OK to rename a standard, and well known, pattern; what an incredible ego trip she must be on. "Octagon Shimmer," indeed!  Shame on you for trying to cash in by using something that is in NO WAY your "original" creation, tagging it with a different name and calling it your own design.  I hope the people who follow you like sheep can eventually see through your flimsy veneer. 

Okey dokey - rant's over, but I am still steaming around the collar.  Has anybody got a few ice cubes handy?

Good news

Overcame the i6 hump and have moved on.  Whee!  Now, i6 is nothing but a color-filled memory.

i7 is nearly half found, and I couldn't be more pleased.  Plans are to walk away from the design table with 50% or better in place today, but it needs to happen in a hurry, so... we'll see.  Shorter daylight hours = less time to 'play' on weekends.  Overhead lights are not conducive to assembling these 100-piece blocks.

What are you working on?

How in the heck?

Even though I completed amassing i6 a couple of days ago, somehow this morning, I had second thoughts about a tiny handful of choices.

Yup.

Oops.

Currently on the hunt for two replacement pieces. Dagnabbit!  I'll let you know how I fared in a few hours.

How the day ends

Back and forth and back and forth.  A little bit here and a little bit there, but mostly I worked in one place - over there.
LOL



i6 is not complete, but it is about as close as can be, and once I get the mess on the table out of my own way I should have no trouble finding those last few inches.  i7 is one-quarter in place, too, so the day wasn't a total loss.  Not really.

Nope

I did not manage to complete laying out i6, but I did begin i7.

I KNOW - what the heck is up with me, right?

There are just under a dozen missing bits to i6, which I totally intend to nail down today... throughout the day. . . eventually.  Please, God, let it be so.  But there is a top I would like to allow myself to complete for work, and housework to get to that has also been skillfully ignored for a while, so in all honesty I do have a list of needful things to get to that should supersede i6.

LOL - who do I think I'm kidding?  See you in a while with a photo and a wickedly pleased grin.

Moving in the right direction

Wandered into my quiltmaking hole about 10AM intending to make a positive dent in i6.

And I did!  Down from 20 to 16, and made a few substitutions along the way.

Today will be a good day

Over the last week I worked (so, no time with my dear Dutchman).  I also ferried 'people' back and forth to school and tutoring and appointments - and I had an appointment or two myself.

Then there was the lost time spent searching for my keys. Holy crap, what a pain and time drain.

But, I have found my keys - quite by accident - and things are nearly back to normal, so... YEA!

In truth, I actually tried to sneak a bit of time in here and there working on my 'color dance', but didn't get very much accomplished.  In fact, I began the week with only seventeen missing inches, and was determined to make a dent the moment I could return to it.  And did I?  Did I make a dent?

Yes, I dented it, but I dented it in the wrong direction.  Somehow I find myself with twenty missing inches to fill in this morning.  I blame karma and pangs of guilt for the turnaround in progress.  So let's see if I can reverse the tide and finish i6 today, shall we?

What are you working on?

Thirty to go

Having a tough time finding the rest of i6, so I suppose there's a mighty amount of picking up and sorting to do before I can/should proceed.  Also happily using the last of the true yellows.

Did I forget to mention . . . ?

Finished i5 a few days back, but haven't had any time to update here.  And, yes, i6 is well underway.

Feeling "cheeky."

THREE!

Three missing inches - that's all.  Three, and then I can stitch i5 together. . . but it's not going to happen today.  I have something equally as important (and potentially exciting) to get done.  So this is me walking away from my Dutchman for the day.

Fifteen to go

That deserves a big woohoo!

BUT, it's still too dark to do a proper job, so the rest is on hiatus.

70+

Seventy plus inches found.  i5 is coming together. :v)

A promise is a promise

Here are i3 and i4 side-by-side. . .

. . .and here's a shot of the corrections that had to be made. Yes, there was a lot of seam ripping that had to be done.

Holy crap, I wish I could figure out how I managed to make such a series of flip-flop errors.  Well, after two hours of ripping and re-sewing, everything was A-OK again.

Did I forget to mention. . .

I may have forgotten to say that i5 is about one-third in place.

There are many other things to work on around the ol' hacienda, but I do hope to throw a few hours towards i5 throughout the day.  There will be a photo of some sort posted later today, so stay tuned.  Or... visit again tomorrow.

Have a great day.

When thinking can be a bad thing

There's all sorts of thinking that can be done; simple thoughts to highly complex contemplating.  Thinking that leads to conclusions (which could possibly affect countless others) or those dozens of aimless daydreams we have every day.  I won't drone on because I think you catch my drift.

Well, I've been ruminating - the serious sort of thought conjuring, too, not that simpleton stuff.  Nope, I've been having some Olympic-sized cranium sessions, wondering about my future, postulating about my current circumstances, and hair-splitting things I have already done - which, let's face it, never does anyone any good.

At any rate, my inner dialogues about this current long-term quilt thing have led me to wonder if I've made more work for myself by creating a very large material cache to choose from.  When I began constructing the 100-piece blocks my aim was to use what I had on my shelves.  Surely this would be enough (because I have a stupidly large, and very diverse stash).  And seeing the color selection as finite, I made do when choosing each inch; I was happy to have something "close enough." There was no laboring over every color pixel, the blocks came together quickly, and I factored the quilt top would be finished in one and one-half years.

Well, that was back in April of 2013.  Since then, every time I have realized I could add more greys to my background selection, or have expanded my choices of yellows and flesh tones, I have also managed to grow the time expended on building out each block.  The more precise I have tried to get to matching the actual, the more time it takes to complete one block.  What once was 4-5 hours of finding and 2.5 hours of sewing is now days in the making.

TOO MUCH THINKING!
Too many choices.
Way too much perfection.

I may need to re-evaluate what I am allowing myself as a palette.  Perhaps simplifying would be a good course of action if I ever want to see the completion of this monster.  Or... maybe I am afraid of finishing this.

As you can see, I have given this a lot of thought. Maybe it's time to stop thinking and just go for it.

Post script to i4

I had a chance to work on i4 last Saturday (after returning from a commercial shoot), and found some time to make a dent on it today.  Finally!

It's up to just over sixty found inches, and that feels good.  Not great, but it's better progress than the usual.

One quarter

No, I don't mean 25¢, I mean one quarter of i4 is found - and in place.

It may not be fast progress, but it is progress.  Second best year I've had working on this quilt since 2013.

Odd jobs

You know how life can sometimes get in the way?  Well, once in a while it's a good thing that it happens that way.  Recently, I had one of those circumstances; I worked a commercial shoot for Pizza Hut yesterday, so absolutely no time was given to quilting - of any sort. [insert totally disgruntled face here]

Today, however, will be a different story, as I intend to finish i3 layout and begin i4, PLUS stitch i3 together this evening.  Woohoo!  I'll let you know how it goes.  In the meanwhile, what are you working on?

OK, so I did a little of both - some stitching and some extra piecing. 

Seeing as how my ankle is now officially killing me, I am leaving the standing and searching for another time.  Fifty percent of i3 is found and in place, and the seaming has begun on i2.  Hooray for compromise.

For the time being, I have some laundry 'brewing' and a couple of back episodes lined up on Netflix, so I will see you on the flip side.  It's time to put my foot up and catch up on a little crazy quilting.

Decisions, decisions

Torn between stitching together i2 or continuing the piecing of i3.
What to do.... what to do.

A little more progress

Karl and I went out for brunch to our favorite local greasy spoon, and it was a good experience for him.  I won't go into the whys of it all, but just know that it was not a bad outing. 

Afterwards, we ran errands, and that made for a very full day.  A long afternoon in the car or walking through businesses - not exactly his favorite way to spend a day - and by the time we got home, Karl was sporting a headache.

Just now he is in bed napping (hoping it vanquishes that headache), and I am trying to make some extra progress on i2.  One of our stops included JAF, where I managed to score six additional light greys, and a medium jade blue (from the discount rack, no less!).  When we left the house i2 had been pared down to six missing inches, but with these new greys, I should have no trouble finishing the block and moving on to i3!

So, tomorrow I think there may be better/different news.

Oh, and before I forget, I also managed to spend some time joining together another full Dresden on the large crazy quilting project.  Feels good to see progress in that realm, too.

i2...

...is taking entirely too long.  Eleven bloody inches to locate, yet.

Woohoo!

Over fifty percent complete with i2.

Excitement of excitements.

Moving right along

Finished putting i1 together last night, in the sweltering humidity.  Even after the storms blew through my area, it was cooler but still so very uncomfortable.  Happily, I am able to concentrate on the end to the first block of Row I, and announce that 25% of i2 is now in place, and I will continue to work diligently at it for the foreseeable future.

What's on your agenda or under your needle?

Dawning

It just dawned on me that Row H was completed several days ago and I didn't post a photo out here, where I normally boast and crow and enjoy my accomplishments.  However, since there seems to be no interest from anyone outside my four walls, I won't bore the unknown 'webisphere' with a waste of pixels. 

Suffice to say where there was once a single four row unit (ABCD) there is now a second conglomerate unit (EFGH) - and the two together look fabulous!  The sum total of these two sections equals 9,040 inches!  To put it into more concrete (or, more abtract?) terms:

I have developed calluses on the first knuckles of my index and middle fingers on my left hand!  Go figure. 

And mathematically speaking, there is now about a year's worth of time invested in woman-hours.  To be precise - one year and twenty days; roughly 7,953 hours in just piecing and assembling the individual blocks (and blocks into rows...and rows into large units).  None of this takes into account the 'cleaning' up of the work area and/or mass cutting of pieces, or the searching through my stash - or expeditions through other folk's piles of scraps - to locate necessary colors. 

Now, think about this. There are another six-and-one-partial rows to go before the top is complete and I can begin thread painting.  Then, the joining of the three-plus multi-row sections; the creation of the 'sandwich' and the final quilting; the binding and finally... the sleeve - these all need doing before I can breathe a sigh of complete contentment.  BUT, I am ever so much closer than I was before, so this is me crowing.

Oh, and if you want to see what the excitement is all about, all you need to do is ask.

Now, if you will excuse me, this sticky day is dawning and my beautiful work light is arriving, so I need to stand up and walk away from the keyboard.

Oh, yeah, baby!

On to Row I!

What a difference a day makes

Last night I ended work on H11.3 with only eight missing inches.  EIGHT. [insert happy sigh here]

After beginning the day with a fairly good amount to find, it whittled away to a very doable (and VERY frustrating) eight missing inches before I turned off the lights and called it a day.  Began working on it today, off and on, about three hours ago, and am happy to report one missing piece.  Two if I let myself be ultra fussy about a color match.

But I am feeling a bit friendly today, so I believe I will let the mismatch slide and only concentrate on the one true needed inch.  Row I is within my grasp!

Not for nothin'...

I am working on a borrowed PC.  My youngest son has granted me ten minutes "or less" to accomplish a little email recon and blogger work.  My own dear (nine year old) laptop has lost its modem and some other software piece that allows me to get online and play, and the disc that came with the laptop when I bought it does not help to update the system issues. 

When I look into the actual trouble on my 'puter, the darn thing tells me there is nothing wrong.   Everything is shipshape.  But when I try to connect, I am told the two pieces necessary to limp onto the internet are not operational.   Grrrrr.

I am not having withdrawals, yet, but I am beginning to fall behind on everyday communication and bill paying.  Yikes!

For now, let me quickly note that H10 was completed days ago, and H11.3 is a mere twenty-five inches from sewing together!  If you are up on the schematics you'll recognize that the 11.3 blocks are 130 pieces as opposed to the normal 100 piece blocks.  I am hoping to make the best use of today and get H11.3 completed and then finish assembling the row.  Once that is done, I can assemble the mass of Rows EFGH into one unit (lots of pinning required) and begin two wonderful new directions.  The first is moving on to Row I, and the second is prepping and thread painting the new large section - isn't that GRAND?

The answer is "yes."

Hoping to be back online on a regular basis very soon, ad to have photos of the progress.  What are you working on?

Grrr

Some measure of disappointment with the day.  I did not finish H10, but I did get closer to that goal.

Somewhere mid-day I ended up having to change a lightbulb in the sewing corner, and did not have a comparable bulb to use.  Needless to say the lighting is now sub-par and VERY different to that of the last eight rows.  It is messing with finding the perfect pieces for building the block.

Tomorrow I will try again to replace the bulb with something better for the process.

On a positive note, the missing inches have been knocked down to fourteen!

There are plans, and then there are plans

Am I right?

Heading to bed, knowing full well the things I should be tending to tomorrow.  With a wink and a nod, I also know all too well where I will be investing a fair amount of my daylight hours.  Honesty is the best policy, after all.

LOL

What's on your quilting agenda for the next few days?

I did it, I did it!

H9 is a memory, and H10 is over half found.

[huge sigh of happiness]

I'm ba-a-a-a-a-a-a-ck

As you can see, it is now down to four missing inches and nine pieces of indecisiveness.

Time flies

Fact of life: time flies.
Whether you are having fun or not, time flies.

Sometimes minutes and hours seem to drag on for a lifetime, and still a month can pass (years, even) in the blink of an eye.  How does that work?  I dunno.  I guess it's a science thing.

Haven't yakked (chatted as opposed to upchucked) in the ol' blog for nearly a month.  Yes, I have things to say and I've made bits of progress here and there, but by-and-large May and June have been set aside for other purposes.  Other tasks (chores would be a better descriptive); things which require doing before fun can be had. And so, here we are.

Come the second half of June I have every intention of delivering images and insight on my favorite little postage stamp work-in-progress, as well as a few yummy images at the crazy quilting blog page regarding "Peacock," too.  The hiatus isn't forever, it's just for the time being.  I am so antsy to get back to playing and enjoying my time, stitch by stitch, inch by inch, but until then...

What's under your needle?  What are you working on?

H8 is together

Tomorrow will see the beginnings of H9.

This afternoon, my ankles - especially the right one - are swollen and stiff.  Time to sit and ice-up.

Happy Mother's Day

Roughly 15" before H8 is complete.  How fabulous is that!?!

I am going to give it another hour or two, and then move on to other things that need doing.

So...no tidying

This has been a fairly lackluster, blue, bummer-sort of week.  It just has, don't ask me to elaborate.  And the weather rarely has a part in how I feel about my week (or my days, for that matter), so that's not the issue.  I suppose (truth be told) sunny days may alter my mood in a positive way, but I rarely let the rest of it filter in. Weather is weather.

Things.
People.
Stuff.

^Those are mood altering substances.  Makes sense, right?

I honestly don't know where I am going with this thought, so let me simply wrap it up with this:

Grief does odd things to your brain pan

H7 is finished... ON TO H8.  Huzzah!

I really should tidy up a bit, though. [sigh]

Short. SHORT work week

Makes for an extended set of enjoyable (quiltmaking) hours - among other things that need doing.

However, I managed to get the count down to less than 14 missing inches on H7.  Whee!

UPDATE - Monday evening
Nine missing inches!

Happy, happy, happy

Had to put H7 away this afternoon with over two-thirds of it completed!  That was hard to do (walking away)... but I have some extra time coming up this Thursday and Friday, and you KNOW that I will not walk away again before H7 is ready to 'meet' George.

UPDATE - as of Noon, Wed, 4/27:
I counted the inches before heading out the door this morning, and seventy inches are in place....
is it time to jump up and down, yet?

Nearly got what I wanted

Total of 48 inches in place, so I can walk away from it today, satisfied.

A morsel

A crumb.
A tasty tidbit.
Just a quick 'fix'.
H6 before stitching it together.

Whoopee ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Finished piecing my long-suffering H6 this afternoon, then got busy at the machine to get it put together.  CANNOT tell you how absolutely satisfying that was.

Once done, I hot-footed it back to the design wall and began building H7.  I have a lot of lost time to make up for.  Ended the day having placed better than one third.

Of course, I am only documenting this for myself, so I will enjoy reviewing it all in another year.

Well, whaddaya know

Began today's search for the remainder of missing H6 inches with a goal of 25, and by the time my foot had had enough - and the daylight waned to an all-but-useless level - I'd cut the missing bits down to SIX!

Admittedly, I took too many breaks, but I needed to get off of my foot periodically.  So, all in all, it wasn't a horrible go at completing H6, just not 100% successful.  Glad to be a quick (please, God, let it be quick) six inches away from moving on...but if I spend another couple of hours second-guessing and swapping things here and there, it will never be done.

So, now it's up to you.  Put on your thinking caps and start sending happy thoughts of forward momentum in this direction.

Thank you in advance.

Looking forward

Looking forward to progress and a four day weekend.

It's a long (and unimportant) story, but suffice to say I will have four (semi-)uninterrupted days to play with VG (and putter in the perennial bed out front) beginning Saturday!

Look out, H7, I am coming to get you, tackle you, and conquer you... once I finish H6.  [whimper]

There's bliss in them there inches.

(can you tell I listen to a LOT of old western TV shows while working?)

I ended my time with VG at 75 found.  75!

Seventy down, thirty to go.

Obviously, I am chronicling only for myself.

More than 60...less than forty

When I had to stop playing with VG this past weekend, this was where we left off.  We were being 'cheeky' - can you tell?

The last several days have been gloriously sunny (and a little on the warm side), but deliriously grand for finding necessary bits.  When I awoke this morning, I was sad to see grey-ness hanging about the windows and sky.  Was beginning to think there was a conspiracy taking place to keep us apart.

It's been only moments ago that the sun decided to cut through the crap and do its thing, so I am going to do mine while I can.  The photo (above) is from the weekend.  I was SO happy to be on my feet and able to piece for a bit that I just had to snap a picture to share.

Happiness comes in small packages

This was the first day in a long time that I have had the wherewithal to stand for any given period of time and work on my lovely 'masterpiece.'  The first time in over a month, in fact.

Yea!

It felt grand.... and there are just under fifty inches in place.
[sigh of contentment]

Update... of sorts

So, I ill-advisedly enjoyed the 'improvement' (as I saw it) to my leg (lower calf) and foot (ankle on down).  What I saw as 'better' I managed to muck up by standing and walking about the house; dishes, making a meal, laundry and up and down the stairs.  It's also oozing, a little...sort of.

[smack, smack, smack my forehead]

More ice and lots of elevation is now necessary - which means no undue strain on, or use of, the foot.  This is ridiculous!  It didn't take but three or four hours to undo all the good that had been done from yesterday!

On the plus side: Hobbes thinks it's lovely I have provided an extra cushion for her to sit on.  She is only somewhat annoyed at my insistence on 'sharing' with a human leg, and the presence of a cold, lumpy towel.

Cat-bite foot - 8/VG H6 - 0

Day 8, and nothing accomplished towards piecing H6.  No long term standing is advised.

Yesterday, the swelling in my foot and lower calf was horrid, but the color was (sort of) better.  Maybe not "better" so much as it was different (color-wise), but it didn't seem worse... to me, that is.

This morning the ankle bones can be felt, even if they can't be seen; and the leg is less swollen going into the foot - and it feels 'pliable'.  I don't know how else to describe it, but it isn't angrily hard and packed like an overstuffed sausage casing.  It feels more like my leg, the way I am used to it having felt for the past 50-something years.  The whole of my foot feels bruised along the top (at the toes) and along the outside from mid-foot to around the back of the ankle.  But (to me) it is markedly better.

I iced the crap out of it yesterday, keeping it raised 75-80% of the day, like a primadonna.  I hate this.  On the plus side: there was some stitching accomplished on the Peacock crazy quilt project.  If you want to see the activity on something, why not peek at the images there? www.bethsmadasahatter.blogspot.com

Hope to have something to brag about/show you for VG later in the week, though.  Until then, tell me what's under your needle?

So ready

Ready to move on to H6, and totally psyched to be well past the halfway point.  It feels as though I've broken the surface of the water, after having been held under until my lungs were near bursting.

I will most likely not make my (hopeful) deadline of completing RowH by my birthday, but I am closer to it than not, so there is happiness in that fact.  And the current block (H6) is more of the same wistful and bright fleshy oranges, peaches, pinks, yellow tints and rusty browns and such.

Ah, the facial hair of a ginger.

Shenanigans

Forgot to mention that H5 is together and H6 is now under construction.

Nostril

I admit to over-futzing and reworking the bits that didn't appeal to me in the daylight.  I frequently manage to undo up to a dozen pieces at a time - until I find myself working backwards and undoing too much.  THEN I have to try and recover all the missing work.

Bad habits die hard, but.... RowH is nearly half complete!  I may have to amend my goal, though, of finishing the row by the end of April.  Drats!  That was going to be my birthday gift to myself.   [sigh]

Motherload

Saturday I woke with a stiff neck.  It was worse than that (boohoo), but more than anything it was hugely incapacitating.  If you glanced at the timestamps of the entries for Saturday you will have noticed the incremental progress was over hours and hours, instead of small bits here and there.

In plain speak, Saturday was a lost day.

Then, Sunday, while my neck issue was much improved (thank you, God), I managed to get myself bitten by the same neighborhood tabby tom that bit Karl at the beginning of the month!  No, it's the truth - as unbelievable as it seems.  We had seen him two times since Karl's bite/attack, and Karl has healed wonderfully in the interim.  Our biggest concern was a possibility of rabies, but the sightings - and ultimate condition of the tom - have allayed our fears.  Another thank you to God.

I was outside spreading birdseed when, out of nowhere, the ginger tabby appeared.  He sidled up to me in his usual fashion, friendly, sweet and rubbing my legs.  I reached down carefully and petted his head, and then stood to go back into the house.  I wanted to get him a bit of food to see if he would eat (wanting to see if he had any issues in the swallowing department - a huge rabies 'tell').  When I went back outside, there he was.  He circled my legs and watched my actions.  When he noticed the food, he lunged at it and began to eat.  [sigh of relief]

At that point I moved back a bit and then picked up the small canister that held the birdseed.  He took notice of my actions, but kept eating.  I hadn't given him much, so I wanted to go inside before he finished.  He was facing away from me and I was at least a good two feet from him.  When I moved for the door, he turned and lunged at my feet, grabbing the top of my right foot in his teeth and hanging on while I tried to break free.

Let me simply say it wasn't a 'love bite'.  I should also add I was barefoot.

I had to scruff and peel him from my leg, toss him away, and then run for the door.

Of course, I washed the wounds (two punctures - one far more severe), and treated them with triple antibiotic ointment.  Kept it clean, uncovered, and dry throughout the day.  Soaked it in warm salt water a couple of times, then went to work on it on Monday.  Sore, ugly red, and the foot was slightly puffy over the top, but I was OK with how it didn't look.  By evening, I was grateful that Tuesday would be a day off, and I planned a visit to the doctor - it was definitely infected.

One very strong antibiotic shot in my rear, and a couple of doses of oral AB later, my Goodyear-sized-blimp-of-a-foot is less painful to the touch and the color is less dusky and blue, too.  But it's still a mess to look at.  Karl continues to scold me (growing weary of hearing "I told you so" outta that kid), but he's glad to see improvement in the appendage, too.

As for VG, well, I have a couple of interesting images I would like to share with you, but they will have to wait for this evening.  I would love to stand at the design wall for a while and try to find the last remaining ten inches of H5 while the light is good and I am feeling up to it.  Happy to have some progress to report for the moment, and to be so close to finishing H5 after too many stops and starts.

Seventy

70"
70"
70"!

Persevering

Have applied heat, and continue to stretch.

H5 has grown to 55 pieces.  Can't work as quickly and efficiently as I would like, but I refuse to keep away from it with this glorious sunshine!

UPDATE: as of 3:47 PM -
Sixty-two inches in place (sort of).

Ouch and boo-hoo

Woke up early this morning, stiff-necked and nearly immobile.  What the heck!?!

In the past, when I've awakened a little stiff on one side or the other, I could always massage my neck or shoulder area, and slowly work out the kink and stiffness in a matter of a few minutes to half an hour of rising.  Today...not so much.  This doesn't happen often, either.  I would say less than four times in a year.  M-a-y-be.

Once I got to the top of the stairs, I immediately took four (200mg) ibuprofen tablets, and continued to work on my range of motion and overall movement.  But here we are - three hours later - and I feel as though my neck is spasming now, nearly locking my body into some very awkward (and painful) positions at times.  I am still continuing to work at slowly increasing my range of motion to the right, and down....and up (in some instances).

This is making any quilting activity painful and undoable.

Poop!

Large and in charge

See, I told you I made a dent in the mess.  I am pleased as punch to have so much room to cut and fuss - and I am going to make a concerted effort to keep it half as clear while I work on H5.

No guarantees, mind you.  LOL

Since I shot this photo earlier in the day, I have managed to get to 43" in place.  Nearly half done.  Whew!

Wahoo!

Not only has H4 been conquered, but work on H5 has begun, and I managed to get quite a bit of the finding/sorting/cleaning done.  I cannot believe how much I found that is definitely needed from here on out! Ever so glad I decided against digging in to H5 before making a dent in the mass of material that needed to be dealt with.



Another image is planned for the near future.  Hang tight for VG delight!

Tonight calls for cleaning

Cleaning and straightening in order to find colors I KNOW live in this stash.  I must be able to snap the head off this Beast-of-the-three-missing-inches (otherwise known as "H4").


I must finish H4 tomorrow!

[sniff]
[whimper]

UPDATE: Ten

10" to go, and then H5 is mine!

As of 3PM EDT (Thursday, March 17):
There are only three missing inches.  THREE.
BOO-yah!

May not be singing just yet...

...but I am whistling a happy tune.

Finished the day (with the time I did have) by placing all but 20".  Will tomorrow be the end of H4 and the dawn of H5?  I am very hopeful, and excited.

Hoping to be singing later

"What a difference a day makes..."

A little over one week ago the progress had slowed to a halt on H4. Sad but true.  However, there will be a good deal of hours devoted this week; and since I am at 71 inches found (and holding), the official halfway line in the sand has been crossed, the ticker tape parade has been had, and the resulting mess broomed up!  My goal now is to finish up RowH and sew together EFGH.  With two large portions under my belt, mentally it will feel like a huge amount of work is behind me.  The load is lighter, and now I can begin to see the faint light at the end of a very long tunnel.

In other news:

The bead represents H4

Susan Lewis, from Jerusalem, asked a question a couple of weeks back and I tried to answer it wordy-word-style, but I feel the best answer would be served by this quick diagram.  So, Susan, if you're still out there, here it is:

Hope this helped anyone wondering about the alphanumeric references.

The oddest thing about this little drawing is that I sketched it out without thinking, and did not try (in any way) to make it accurate - only representational.  It turned out when I labeled it that the rows and columns were exactly right!!  Accurate to the numbers in both length and width.  Was that uncanniness because I have been living with it over several years?  I don't know, but you could have knocked me over with a feather, because I didn't count or plan on it being correct, only 'close enough' to give a good indication for my explanation for Susan.

[cue the crazy coincidental music]

Sunshine

Glad to know tomorrow will bring sunshine streaming through my windows.  Today is gorgeous, but a bit of a waste, since I am not around to use it putting H4 together. 

SO CLOSE to crossing 50% on VG. 
[happy sigh]

Happiness is only a yard away

Less than 39 inches from halfway.

Hide and seek

A couple of days ago I was working (semi-)diligently on VG when, after shutting off the lights and putting it to bed for the night, I found two beeee-YOO-tee-ful inches.  I mean perfectamundo (how many of you pictured Fonzi just then?).

I don't know where these two delightful discoveries have been all this time; perhaps hanging like spiders in a dark corner, waiting for their moment of surprise.  I couldn't tell you how it was they just turned up... totally out of the blue... and not even in a pile of bits from that quilt project.

I can only say - with absolute certainty - that they materialized in a completely magical - no!... make that 'supernatural' way.  As if by transporter beam to my very possession by Mr. Spock himself, directly from the  starship Enterprise.  Of course that's what happened, it's most logical.

Do you doubt me?

One of the one inch sweeties was a little crimped, so I gleefully made my way in the direction of the ironing board, intending to iron them both flat; from there I would place them in a place of prominence, nearest the layout board for my next furlow.  But I'll bet you can guess what happened.

Oh, yes, I did.  Somehow, I managed to become distracted just enough to let myself lay them carefully aside - in a spot where I couldn't possibly lose them or raise a breeze to cause them to float away and become a dusty spot on the floor...under a chair... never to be seen again.

Oh, yes I did.

Once it dawned on me that I'd forgotten to iron those bits, and that I hadn't put them in a place of importance for my next piecing session with H3, well, I was up on my feet like a shot.  Except, I couldn't remember where I had safely placed them, so I tore the house a new one looking for two dinky bits of perfectly colored, and all too necessary, one-inch squares.

Not only had I placed them in a perfect haven of non-blowy safety, but I had forgotten where that place was!

Oh, yes I did.  I know!

This morning, in my usual routine to exit the house, you'll never guess what I found just laying out in the open.  Oh, go on.  Guess.

Oh, you're good at this.  Yes, I did.  Right there, on the desk next to the front door, in fact.

So, if you will pardon me, I am heading over to the iron - right now.  There is an important mission I must complete without any further ado.

 

Just interested to know...

Is there anybody 'out there' looking in from time to time, and is there anything you want to ask or know about any of the ongoing quilt projects?

A-a-a-a-nd good afternoon

Twenty-five inches until H3 is ready for the needle.
64" until I've reached the halfway point!

Goodmorning!

Less than eighty inches to go before the halfway
mark! ! ! ! !

That is all.

Pun-a-rific!

The light of the day may be waning, but my excitement is growing.

I am just over one-quarter of the way done with H3.  I'm inching my way towards the halfway point.  "INCHING."

Did you get that pun?

[happy dance]

I won't be reaching my self-ascribed deadline of halfway through the top by the end of this month... but I am awfully darned close.  [insert happy dance]

Finished laying out H2 today, but will have to wait for the weekend to stitch it together (work before pleasure).  That means there's only 139 inches between me and that wonderful halfway point.  [insert double dose of happy dance]

Five

5 inches to go before H2 can be stitched together.

Yesterday's blog entry

Well, I sort of figured my stance regarding postage stamp quilts wouldn't be the most popular tome I've ever banged out here in the old blog, especially given so many people feel that a quilt made from hundreds of 2" finished blocks constitutes a PSQ ( - because it just doesn't.  Sorry.)  But... my blog, my opinion(s).

Don't even get me started on how I feel about folks fusing a quilt top together and then calling it "applique'" (because it's not.  It's just SO not).

This is what I'm finding

Over the years, in searches of books and other reference materials available prior to the 1990s, and subsequently in searching the internet for "postage stamp" quilts, the selection produced is always a little odd, quite varied, far-ranging, and (at least 50%) wrong. People want to think they are creating a "postage stamp" quilt simply by virtue of the fact they are using one cut size piece square, and nothing could be farther from the truth.

There are a LOT of 'one block wonders' - or, 'one patch wonders' - made with hundreds and thousands of simple square patches, but that doesn't qualify them as "postage stamp" quilts.  The name for postage stamp quilts came about because the diminutive pieces comprising the top were literally the size of a postage stamp - and those were small.

Less than an inch.

LESS.

Any quilt created from the mid-twentieth century and before, with finished pieces exceeding 1" was not referred to by its creator as a "postage stamp" quilt. I've yet to find one.  Those quilters had pride of work, and were not as boastful or in need of [internet] glory and fame as are today's quilters - and they would not stretch the parameters of what should be in order to claim something they made was other than what it was. Their pride came in the form of a neat, precision-pieced and hand quilted end result.  They might allow for modern day quiltmakers to feel special by claiming 1.5" finished pieces to fall within the realm of the postage stamp title, but they'd do so with a wink and a knowing nod shared between them.  So let's be honest with ourselves...whadaya say?

1.5" cut pieces will yield a finished patch of one inch. Likewise, a 1" cut piece becomes one half inch when pieced with its neighbors.  Those are traditional, acceptable, and true sizes for creating a postage stamp quilt.

Cutting and piecing 2" cut pieces (whether by joining strips and cutting, or by joining individual cut squares) does not make a postage stamp quilt.  Not in random placement, not in creating Granny Squares, small Trips Around the World - or larger whole 'Trips' - etc, etc, etc.  Nope, the traditional postage stamp quilt was comprised of thousands upon thousands of postage-stamp-sized pieces.

Does it take patience?  Yes, lots of it.  Does it take a lot of work cutting and organizing and piecing it well? Oh, you bet it does - this I can attest to.  Isn't it time-consuming; couldn't I create and finish a quilt faster (and then move on to another project sooner) if I only used larger pieces and took shortcuts?  Yes, without a doubt, but the huge portion of me that is a traditionalist quiltmaker would have to throw the other portion of me down a flight of stairs for being untrue to the spirit and beauty of traditional quilting if I strayed that far from the honesty of what is right.  If I told a quilt lie, I would totally expect to be called out for it.

What I'm finding is I am becoming (sadly) intolerant of the title "Postage Stamp Quilt" being used so freely by people espousing their non-postage-stamp-sized pieces to be something they're not.  So, if you are making (or have made) a PSQ using any square pieces of a finished size equaling more than one inch... and I am within range... and you hear me scoff or snort or guffaw or bristle noisily at your lovely quilt, please know it is only because your quilt doesn't deserve the honor of the title "Postage Stamp."

Just wanted to add

As of last night, I managed to whittle the missing inches down to a manageable fifteen.  A little deflated with not being able to finish the task (H2) on Sunday, but there we are.

I will conquer it Tuesday!

H2 progress

UPDATE - 7:02 PM:
By the time I shut off the lights and walked away for the day, there were only thirty missing inches to find!  30?  I can do thirty.  C'mon, Sunday!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Don't know why I am wasting ANY of the glorious sunshine working in my favor today.  So, if you will excuse me, I need to walk away from everything else until the sun goes down.

But, before I go, let me leave you with an image of H2.  This was from much earlier in the day, and I am pleased to say it has grown since.

Less than two-hundred inches before the halfway point.

Lotsa beautiful light; minimal progress

Although, H2 is just about half there.  Yea!
I will complete it over the weekend. [knock on wood]

I forgot to say

239 inches from the halfway point!

Happy update

No, I am not finished with H1.... BUT, there are only a mere four inches to find.

A frustrating four inches.

An aggravating four inches.

An impossible four inches.

Stupid four inches!

Stick with me, daylight, please.  Together, we can make it happen.

UPDATE: 
As of 5:03PM - Two missing inches.
There's always tomorrow.

So close

Something akin to a dozen inches to find before I can sew together block H1.  If disappointment was a flavor, it would taste like H1 - at least for today.

Here's a horrible thought bouncing around in my brainpan:
If I am having such difficulties with the mellow mossy greens and blending blue-greens of the light lavender background on this block, I can't imagine the next two are going to be much a picnic, either.  [groan]

H1 update

I haven't been able to work on (and I mean
r-e-a-l-l-y work on) H1 since Sunday.  What a depressing thought, eh? A stolen moment here and there, but no real forward momentum. [sigh]

But, today is a play date, and I intend to make such a dent.  Maybe even finish it - or come very close in the attempt.  There are a total of twenty-five missing inches - and this is my starting point for the day.  H1 is the first of three solid (OK... very nearly solid) background-only blocks.  Don't you love the colors?

Update to the 'bummer'

As sunny as it is outdoors, and as lovely as the light is to work with, I need to curtail piecing H1 for now and help Karl with studying for a test.  But, I'm happy to report the total has gone from 31 to 50 pieces in place.

Bummer for the day

Didn't quite reach my goal, although I did find my misplaced 2.5" square ruler.  Got as far as one-third of the pieces placed, but that's a long way from 100.

The things I lose when I clean, I tell ya.  Today it was time and a necessary ruler.  Sheesh.  There are some things to be said in favor of never straightening up - am I right?

On the bright side, getting one-third of the new block pieced is better than never having begun the block.  So all in all, it was a favorable day.

No patience

I have absolutely no intentions of letting grass grow under my feet, especially now that I am 'this close' to the halfway point.  So, I decided to use some daylight to put a few pieces on the palette for H1.  BUT...

...that was after having cleared the decks and making a huge clear space to work at on the table.  AND after changing a dead lightbulb - wow, what a difference that made.

Anyhow, before I fled the house to run to the bank (in a blind panic, and at the last minute), I managed to get twenty inches in place.  Now, like the greedy little pig that I am, I am heading back to the sewing hole to see how close to 50 pieces I can get before the light grows too poor to work.

A promise is a promise

Happy day

Began the day with a little laundry (and I still need to patch the knee on a pair of Karl's jeans, too - darn), but then I got to work on the fun part of my day!

George is cleaned and oiled; bobbins are wound; fresh needle on the machine - and I've 330 pieces to join before RowG is officially at the finish mark.   Hoping to have an image of the three current rows before daylight is gone today.  However, if I miss my mark, don't worry...you'll be as happy as I am by this time tomorrow.

I did it! I DID IT ! !

Managed to amass all of the bits necessary for G11.3 before having to leave the house for the evening.  Cannot tell you what a relief that was... and I've promised myself I will NOT go back and question any of it, as I am prone to do (especially since I already wasted about two hours this afternoon playing the "Maybe This One Will Look Better" game.  In truth, it's more likely a wasted three hours, but who's counting?).

Needless to say I will be enjoying the next couple of days enormously!  There's a real treat in store for you.

Oh, and...

Fewer than twelve to go - unless I change my mind on a few questionable choices here and there.

And we all know I will.

Drats

If Jean hadn't phoned, eventually I would have figured out it was much later in the day than I thought it was. Perhaps the fading light would have been a huge clue.  [smack my head]

At any rate, my desire was to have this row finished by the end of January - it seemed SO doable one week ago, when I felt there was a 'ghost of a chance' - but it looks as though earliest February is now the new target date.

Which leads me to wonder, when might the exact halfway point be reached?

Plus

Twenty-two to go... plus several misgivings.
Yea for bright, sunny obliging days.

This is more subtle brown in person, not quite so 'orange-y'

Oopsie

Did I forget to mention there were only 37 missing inches yesterday?

Just the facts, ma'am

The light has been pretty poor the last few times I've had a chance to play with VG, so not much gets done to crow about.  Sadly, today was one of those poorly lit days.  So, there's that.  And then there's the whole I-spent-too-much-time-fussing-and-swapping-things, too; just couldn't leave well enough alone.  Seems I managed to switch out about a dozen pieces I thought I was satisfied with.

No excuses.  It just is what it is.

I have 'issues' - and that's what it is.

Slow and steady

After forty-eight hours of on-again-off-again work, I am pleased to report that eighty-five inches have been located.

45 pieces to go and then we can tick RowG off the list!

Feeling rather pleased

Didn't get nearly enough cleaning done today as yesterday, but I did shut off the lights in the sewing area after having found and placed fifty-one of 130 inches!  G11.3 is off to a good start.

Safe to say there is a ghost of a chance that I shall finish RowG by the end of January.

No more cleaning - thppppbt

Time to get it together.  Yes, at long last, G10 is going under the needle.

Heh-heh-heh.  You know what that means. [wink wink]

Glorious frustration

When last I put word to webisphere (a la 'pen-to-paper'), there were only a few missing pieces to the puzzle which is G10;
My personal (current) enigma;
My own private Idaho.

Yeah, I thought some of you would appreciate that last one.

Plans were to blissfully entrench myself in the task of amassing and assembling the block, and then move quickly on to G11.3.  But we adults all know how plans can change, right?

Today, I have been cleaning - off and on - flitting from one room (and one pile) to another.  I need to apply a little puppy training to my methodology in order to sit... STAY!  If I did, I'm certain more would be accomplished quicker.  Reluctantly, I began the less appealing chore out of necessity, feeling unsatisfied and cranky.  To make matters worse, the cleaning has been more of the household and paperwork sort, and not of the happy quilting stuff.  Total bummer, am I right?

Several hours ago the sun made an appearance, and I couldn't take it.  No one should waste perfectly good daylight!  So I abandoned my post and ran to the drawing board.  Played around with the pieces and whatnot, moving and fine-tuning the many shades of medium brown until I did an amazing thing.  A stupidly amazing thing.

I don't have an accurate 'before' image, but here are the results of playing hooky while cleaning.  I am certain guilt became a huge distraction, and it lead to not much progress... ANYwhere.

The original missing bits were the areas highlighted by a black outline.  As you can see, I filled in three missing inches, but managed to undo some of the finished work as well.  Crap!

Well, now, lunch is done and the sun is peeking out, again.  Permission to play a little while longer?

Permission granted.

Besides, the work will always be waiting for me.  The sun, on the other hand... peek-a-boo.

Ah, this weekend

The weekend is coming.
The weekend is coming!

I'll have mostly unfettered time to play with my inches come Saturday, and you'd better believe I plan to make darn fine use of it all.  So there.

Spent the free hours of the last several days sorting and finding and ironing and cutting, preparing to make a dent in G10 when I had the chance; and for the most part, my gambit worked to my advantage.  By the end of the day (today) I managed to whittle the missing bits of G10 down to a scant three or four.  Make that a definite four... and m-a-ybe five, instead.  Hurray!

The halfway point is now so close at hand I can just about taste it.  Anybody care to dance a very exuberant jig with me?

Presto

The light finally disappeared about forty-five minutes ago, so... drats.

Eighty-one found, and nineteen inches to go.

Thirty

Thirty inches are all that stand between me and G11.3

The day began with crystal blue sky and sunshine.  I didn't use enough of it for truly important work, but I am going to see about really applying myself for the next two hours.  Yes, the light has diminished, and yes, I may end up playing tiddlywink with things tomorrow - replacing this and that for something better, later - but my goal is to plug the holes and finish G10.

Who's with me?

By the way, if you looked at the prior entry and noticed the photo of the block in pieces, you will no doubt have realized there were a good number of iffy pieces laying on top of other bits here and there.  I did sort those questions out, but I need to make a dent in the rest.

I'm off.

Awry

The day went completely awry.  Wanted to get a haircut, but I received a supreme lesson in gratefulness instead.  It was a nearly three hour lesson, but it was worth it (sort of).  SO very happy I had sons and not daughters.

Long story short: I will be having the haircut on Monday.

Not having spent the day in the way it was intended to be utilized (at all), I ended it by reallocating a small portion of the remaining late afternoon daylight to placing another dozen-to-fifteen inches.  G10 is so close to being done now!

Well... alright.  To be more specific (and correct), it's closer to being done.  But when you work in inches, needing to locate 35 is so much better than needing to find 49.  Believe me.

It's been a long week

Funny how working 'normal' business hours several times throughout the week makes the week fly by, and seem to take forever.  Don't ask me how that works... it just does.  I didn't create physics and time, I only live by them like everyone else.

G10 is coming together slowly but surely - and "slowly" is the operative word.  Currently at just over fifty pieces found, and a mass of medium browns to go.  Hoping to make a big dent in it over the weekend.

What are you working on?

Did I neglect to say G9 is at an end?

Well, it is.
I guess you know what's next.

Can you guess why this block is also referred to as
"the Batman block"?

Ha! Update to the update

G9 is 11" away from being G9.

And now, a brief commercial message.  ;v)

G9 Update

When last we left it, G9 was at fifty percent found. Happiness reigns tonight.  I spent time today, on and off the search, and managed to find another thirty inches!

80 pieces in place, and a search for the remaining twenty will happen before the end of the weekend.

Breathing room today

Yesterday was a whirlwind of activity, and only a fraction of it spent at home.  Needless to say NOTHING of any import was accomplished yesterday.  LOL  At least, nothing of quilting importance.

The day was spent filling out employment papers, and obtaining a security badge, and at a physical, and getting immunizations, etc.  It was a full day of affairs, and I did it on very little sleep, so when I finally got home boy!...did my tired brain fall out my ears.

Once I removed my shoes, I felt the strongest urge to nap.  There was no fighting it.
Hobbes joined me, and we spent roughly three hours curled up and really sleeping.  Holy cats!  Karl insisted I would have a hard time falling asleep later on at bedtime, but I didn't.  I was drained - must have been.  That's the only thing that can explain it.

When I woke from the nap my muse was staring at me through the darkness - silently happy for me (I could tell), but longing to be worked on.  I apologized most sincerely and promised to spend at least three hours of good daylight on our mission the following day.

And so here we are.  Brilliant sunshine; I am wide awake; and there are still clothing pieces to be made... but I need to work on my postage stamp love for just a little while.  Oh, and shoes.  I still need to find a comfy pair of loafers for work.

Here's my promise to you stalwart viewers - whomever you are:
There will be a progress photo in the next couple of days.

In the meantime, what're you working on?

OK, so a little hooky never hurt anybody

Did it again this morning, but since I am forthcoming I have no remorse.  None.
Besides, G9 is at 50% complete, and that's not a bad thing... right?

Cleaned up a lot (lots of sorting and fine-combing to locate things), right before DA - also a plus.

P.S.

By the way, thanks, Jean!  Thank you for indulging me yesterday.

She stopped by for a visit and allowed me to show-off RowsEFG (what there is of G).  Have to admit to becoming a little geek-y myself when I saw it from a whole other angle than I normally do.  That section looked pretty good.

I suppose that's why I played hooky this morning.  I am just so darned stoked to get this row over and done with.

I'm a bad girl

I played hooky this morning.

I went directly over to the layout area and worked at amassing G9, but there's really just too much stuff in the way to make time work to my advantage.  So, I will have to pick up and sort before piecing any more together.  That system I mentioned in an earlier post?  I am going to have to make it happen before G9 can happen, and that's all there is to it.

So today is a definite 'clothes day' from here on out.

Bets, bargains, deals, promises

Going to have to backtrack on a bargain I made to myself regarding VG.  Plans were to keep working steadfastly, pushing to complete RowG by the end of January - if not before (totally doable).  Then, the new wonderful thing came along, and now I need to reassess what I do and when it gets done.

Clothes now need to be the priority, and I am in complete agreement (with myself.  I KNOW, this is mashugana, right?  I am bantering with myself?) - VG has to take a backseat.
Give up its position in the queue; push back a couple of spots in line.
Move to the back of the bus.
Bottom of the barrel.
;'v(

Just for a short time, though.  A very short time.

Once I am done with the skirt(s) and a pair or two of trousers, and definitely one unlined jacket, I can devote every other free moment to rows and rows of one-inch pieces.  Thousands of them.  Isn't that every quilter's dream?

Besides, I  r e a l l y  do have to clean up... again.  Yes, again.  But I believe I have conjured up a brilliant organizational strategy for the work surface.  I'll get it up and running then take a photograph for your amusement.

Until that day comes, what are you working on?

Pfft! Just like that

It's late - later than I would like it to be.  [groan]
I need to start lacing Karl's last drink of the evening (milk, water, pineapple-OJ, whatever) with an allergy tablet; he is beginning to stay up way too late for my liking, any more.  And then, I will need to force him up and out of bed earlier in the mornings - even after staying up too late.  He needs to be in a better (read: "earlier and more realistic") modus operandi.  This will help me get back to a more proper routine... especially now that things will be changing here in a short while.

Is that cruel?  I dunno - maybe - but I don't give a tinker's darn right now.  [yawn]  It's far too late in the day to just be getting around.  [groan, yawn, rub eyes]

The day has begun in a very surreal, Christmas-y sort of way.  A proper snow is falling; soft, fairly good-sized flakes, drifting downward in every which direction.  Just as it should have been six days ago!  Hey, what can I say?  Everybody loves a white Christmas.  Thankfully we have enough provisions in the house to make getting out and about unnecessary for the time being, so 'housebound' works for me.

The 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge ended yesterday, at midnight, and I feel as though I held up my end of the bargain.  Perhaps I wrote a bit more frequently (daily as opposed to four or five times per week), but I found I needed to do more in order to have something to write about.  Still, there are only so many hours in a day, and wanting to do things - then, needing to get things done in order to have something to write about - well, it took some of the fun out of it.  That created a little bit of a guilt cycle, I confess.

If you found me, my work, my words via the blog challenge site, and you stuck with me for the December ride, I thank you.  If you feel there may be some merit in checking in from time to time throughout this new year, well, then... GROOVY!  Love to have you stick around and see what happens next at the end of my needles - handwork or machine-wise.  If you've tip-toed over to www.bethsmadasahatter.blogspot.com you will know that that blog is purely for crazy quilting, and this particular page is for all other quilting endeavors.

Anyhow, as I began to say at the top of the page: 'just like that' everything is ended and a new year means new possibilities.  I don't subscribe to that, so I suppose it's why you will never hear a resolution out of me.  I don't make lists of how I intend to change or do better at one thing and another for the new year.  I believe if you really want to change, improve, drop bad habits, etc., you don't have to wait for January 1st.  I believe you can make alterations at any time it suits your need and go from there.  Why limit yourself?  Why hold yourself back from breaking through when you find a change would be for the better?  What's so bloody magical about January 1?

Pssst... I can tell you for a fact that there's nothing special about the first of this month.  Nothing.

There, now don't you feel a little freer?  Doesn't that knowledge empower you?  Are you too afraid to act on your own schedule and go at your own pace?   Please don't be trepidacious; you are stronger than you know.  We all are!

Oh, would you look at that.  The snow has stopped, so I guess that's my cue to head outside and shovel off the driveway  [pfft]... or not.  I prefer to think of it as my sign to stop drifting through what's left of this morning and sit down with some material and have a bit of recreational fun.  Hey, it's either that or dishes.

Enjoy your day new year, and tell me what's under your needle - or on your agenda.  I'd like to hear from you.  Thanks for stopping by.