Design Wall Monday Sept 27

Whew, this is the last Monday in September, already. I've spent the morning quietly going through all the posts that are up so far at Judy's website showing all kinds of different design walls. They never fail to provide inspiration, and ideas to put into mental pockets. Of course, if they are only mental pockets, the danger is forgetting where they were put. So, I will remind myself here, that there were several good ideas on using scraps, crumbs and strings in this Monday's postings. I started a new project this week, which is, of course, the last thing I need. But, I've been haunting her website for weeks now, drooling over her patterns. So, while we were on vacation, I ordered the centre medallion of her pattern, Miss Hannah and actually hope to be able to make this entire quilt. It was love at first sight. I've posted this link quite a few times before. I have some of the pieces for the medallion prepped and glue basted down. I am totally in love with her method of applique, and, if you are into hand applique at all, her tutorial is well worth a read. I used to be a hard and fast needle turn girl, but, I've been converted. It is so nice to be able to pick up the piece and simply sew, since all the edges are finished already, without having to trace each shape individually, or cut out numerous pieces of freezer paper. In addition to Miss Hannah, I've been working on a swap for Canadian Quilt swappers of some 12 inch Card Trick blocks. The guidelines were for blue cards, with white on white backgrounds. When done, I will have 12 different blocks for a quilt. I'm having trouble getting the seams to play nicely together, though, and am a little frustrated with them. Lastly, I have all my unit 2's for the Nine patch pineapple quilt along finished. So, for the rest of the day, I think I am going to take the day off. I worked 6 evening shifts, in the past 7 days, so, today is mine. I'm going to enjoy the fire in the fireplace that my DH started for me, and continue to work on Miss Hannah, while have a chick flick day, starting, I think, with Dr Zhivago.

September Goals, revisited

I'm looking back at my post from the beginning of September, where I set myself some goals. And, I'm happy to say all, except one, are accomplished.

1. Vacation, sadly, done
2. Finish applique on second Cactus Rose block. Done, plus all the shapes prepped for the last 2, and the      third is about 1/3 on it's way to being done.
3. Finish unit 2's for Pineapple quilt-a-long. Done.
4. Finish Double Duty top. not done, yet, but I'm hoping to get to it this week on my days off.
5. Bind and hand sew down the binding of OBW. Done.

Added onto this was doing 12 Card Trick blocks for a swap that I'd entered, and forgotten about. They have to be done, and in the mail by the end of the month. All the elements for the blocks are done. They just need to be sewn into blocks. I was going to finish then yesterday, before going to work, but the seams aren't playing nicely together by going in opposite directions, and I got frustrated with trying to figure it out. Maybe today, before going to work will do it. When all else fails, cheat and clip them to get them going opposite. Pics will come later. The memory card on my camera is full, and I haven't had time to upload them, yet. Between working 6 out of 7 days, and having to clean up the mealy bug infestation, there hasn't been a lot of spare time for things like that. Hopefully, I'll get to it before Monday, so I can have some pics for Design wall monday. What spare time I have had has been spent playing with a new toy and a new project. Again, pics to follow later. Setting these goals for the month was helpful, I found, to give focus and something to work towards. I think I will do it again for October. And now, the card tricks, or my new project are calling.

So disgusting

Alright, I protest! This coming back from vacation stuff and finding disgusting things really has to stop. One year, we got back from a 5 week vacation out west, to find that our fridge had died. What a smell that was to come home to at 3am after driving 12 hours. This year, after Becca's wedding, our freezer died, same result, although it didn't get to the point where the whole house reeked. And now, this morning, I went into the cereal cupboard, and found an infestation of mealy bugs. You know, the little black ones that live in flour and cereals? Yep. those guys. On further investigation, I discovered they were also in all the other food cupboards. All together now......eeeeeeeeuuuuwwwwwwwww. And, the reason I discovered them in the first place, is because I finished off a box of cereal, because I wanted to use the box as a pattern template to make this. Guess what I found when I cut open the box? Once more.........eeeeuuuuuwwww! I just ate cereal from that box! So, now, after working at it pretty much all day, I have empty, clean cupboards. Anything that was open, that had even the potential of having any of those nasties in it went into the garbage. We'll be well over our 4 bags of garbage allotment this week. And, I had planned on sewing, and relaxing today, before going back to work tomorrow. (sigh)

We're home

This is that long road down to the bathroom at the end of it.
Not bad in the daylight, quite pretty, actually. But, beware
the dark of night.

Our lovely little hardtop trailer, that I truly enjoy, except for the major
flaw of no bathroom

Well, I must say that these past 10 days of vacation just flew by. But then, they always do, don't they. We spent 5 days at Sauble Falls Provincial Park, and another 5 days at Earl Rowe Provincial Park. We had never been to either park, and they were both nice, each in their own way. Sauble Falls was quite foresty and wilderness like, and not very close to any major cities. Earl Rowe, on the other hand, was quite close to a city, and far more planned, city park like. Each had their own goods and bads to them, but, on the whole, I preferred the forest to the city park, if only for the quiet alone. When we got to Sauble Falls on the Wednesday, there were only ourselves, and one other couple in the whole campground section we were in, and they were on the far side of it from us. It had to have been the darkest, spookiest 11 o'clock at night walk to the bathroom I have ever done. No moon, and no stars for light, since it was overcast, and had been raining. Just the forest, a small flashlight, and me. I had been softhearted, and left Scott sound asleep in the trailer, not having the heart to wake him up, drag him out of a warm bed, just to walk me down to the bathroom. I thought I was this brave, stout-hearted, modern woman, who could manage the walk by herself. Wrong! I couldn't see anything outside the small circle of my flashlight, but could hear all kinds of rustlings and strange noises. I was halfway there, and totally spooked, but kept going. Needless to say, for the rest of those lonely, late night walks, I woke Scott up, dragged him out of bed, and had him accompany  me down that road. I love my little camper trailer, but I must confess to coveting an upgrade to one with a bathroom in it, just for situations like that.

Design Wall Monday Sept 6

We're going on vacation this week, so I've pulled Cactus Rose back out of her box, and started preparing, and glue basting down the applique shapes for the second block. Actually, I did the shapes for the second one about a week ago, and have managed to get one of the branches sewn down by taking it to work with me, and sewing on my breaks. It helps keep my mind, at least temporarily, off the tensions flying around there due to the closure of 40 beds, and the resulting disruption to both patient's and staff's lives. Thank you, Lord, for vacation away from it for a while. We're going camping, which might be a challenge, since the long range forecast is showing cooler temperatures, but we're getting a hydro site, and taking electric heaters with us. Cactus Rose is going on vacation with us, so I wanted to see how she is looking all dressed up, so far. One thing I noticed while hanging her up is that she is going to need major blocking, once the applique is done. Her edges are stretching. But, I'll figure that out when I get to that stage. I've been using an applique method shown here and am really liking her method. As with everything, it is getting easier and faster with practice. But, I think I might look for a Michael's 40% off coupon, and splurge on one of those mini irons. Ironing around those shapes with a standard iron is a tad cumbersome, not to mention dangerous to fingers. LOL. And now, time to go get started on some laundry, and packing up stuff for vacation. Oh yeah, go on over to Judy's to see more design walls.

September Goals

Ok, so I'm not a goal type person, but I've got so much going on here that I'm starting to for get what is is I'm doing or trying to accomplish. So, I will make a kist. It will be interesting to see if, at the end of the month , any of them are actually done.

1 Vacation, that one's easy.
2 Finish applique on 2nd Cactus Rose block
3 Finish unit 2s for Pineapple quilt along
4 Finish Double Duty top
5 Bind and hand sew down the back edge of the OBW.

Maybe I'd better stop there. Not included in that last is the 4 shifts I have left before vacation can start. And packing up the trailer and car so that we can leave right after Scott gets off work on Wednesday. I might sneak in my iron, and fabric and spray starch to prep more shapes for the last 2 Cactus Rose blocks. Depending on the weather, there might be a lot of time for stitching, outside in the glory of nature, if it is nice. Inside the trailer, if it is wet. Note to self... add a good light to the list of things to pack. And now, I'm off to have a shower, get dressed and go shop for some thread to match the colours of fabric for my favourite rose.

Very pleasant surprise

I was all ready for work, had made my supper, and coffee to take with me. I was all dresses in my uniform, and ready to go out the door with Scott, to go to work. I don't know why, but something gave me a nudge, and told me to check the calendar. Turns out, I wasn't booked to work today, after all. Scott's shifts, and mine are marked on the came calendar. I must have looked at his, and mistaking it for one of mine. I feel like I've been given the present of a free afternoon. Woohoo! However, I have had to pick up a shift tomorrow to make up for the one I thought I had today, but that's OK. I have one last row of Charlene's row robin quilt to finish, and then the bottom part of the 2 borders, and it is done, 2 days ahead of schedule. Another woohoo! Once that is done, I can get back to work on the Pineapple quiltalong. I have 59 of the second units finished, 61 left to go. I want to have them finished before we go on vacation next week, so I won't hold the others back. I think that's enough of a goal for the rest of the day.

Experimenting

I'm trying something new. I'm trying to wean myself off the TV habit. Used to be, I'd get up in the morning, make my coffee, turn on the TV and sit. There was nothing worthwhile to see. Nothing intelligent, or edifying, or, for that matter, even entertaining. And, most of the time, it was a rerun of something that I'd sat through before. So, my experiment is to not turn on the TV, but turn on the computer instead. So, now, as I drink my morning coffee, I scroll through blogs. I check the ones that I follow, and then branch off into ones that they follow. There are things that I read that are intelligent, and edifying and entertaining. They are inspirational, and make me want to get up from the couch, and go to work in my studio. Sometimes, I find a new technique to make something easier or more efficient. Sometimes it's a new project that I just have to try. But, it is never the same old rerun of something that means absolutely nothing. So now, I'm off to get an hour's work put into Charlene's quilt before I have to go to work this afternoon.