Progress

Tonight I am at the local senior center with some friends, quilting and chatting.  I am playing on the computer while they sew, crochet and applique their various and very diverse projects.  I sewed two blocks today, did a little shopping, went out to dinner with a friend.  I'm actually looking forward to going home and spending a little time with my husband... maybe watch a little tv.  Is my life boring or what?

I'm no longer working for the census bureau.  It was fun while it lasted, but the last few cases I had were difficult to close so it was time to hand them off to someone else.  I'm glad I did it, but I'm also glad it's over.  In a few days I will start worrying about election day - I work as an Inspector (basically a supervisor of Election Board Clerks) at a polling place.  It's only one day of work, plus a 1/2 day training, but it's a very looooong day of work  (basically 5:30am to 9:30pm).

Today I put together two blocks for a quilt I'm making... that's progress, and I actually enjoyed sewing, so maybe I'm getting my creative juices flowing again.  I have a lot more work to do on it, but I'm making progress.  I feel so slow and lethargic at it... A year ago, I would have finished this quilt by now.  I am SO all about instant gratification, so the progress, or lack of it, is making me frustrated even while I am actually working and making headway.  I can't win for losing...

Tomorrow I will try cutting a couple more blocks... I hope I get something done - I think it will make me feel better about myself and my work.

Now, if I can just get over being intimidated by my longarm so I can get some work done on it.... I need to talk to other people who have these blasted machines and see if they ever feel the same and how they get past this total paralyzation when it comes to using them.

If I don't use it, I think my husband might start having fits over what I spent on it.

Quilting Mojo

I seem to have lost my quilting mojo for the time being.  Not sure what is wrong... the new job with the census bureau, a problem with my depression meds, just general ennui, addiction to Evony... pick one.. pick any or all.  Whatever it is, I force myself to do a little from time to time, but I'm just not up to my usual speed, determination or inspiration.
I DID do something fun this last weekend - I went to Renaissance Faire.  I attended their 'Queen's College' and learned how to make batiks!  that was SO much fun... probably more fun than I've ever had before at Ren Faire, at least since my 'going in costume' days.  They had all these crafty classes, and if I'd been there sans husband, I could have stayed all day making things.  As it was, I only did the batik class.  We got to work on muslin and on silk... oh my... that was fun and really made me want to work with fabric again.  I hope I can carry that inspiration back home with me.
Today I am grateful for being alive.  'nuff said.

Gaga at Glendale

So I went a little gaga at the Glendale Quilt Show.  After swearing off spending money on quilting, too. 

I took a machine quilting class from Harriet Hargrave.  She's a hoot - had some great stories, and really made traditional quilting fearless.  I was amazed by her incredible quilting all done on her DSM.  She took a lot of the intimidation out of the process. 

Of course getting there was a total panic.... here's my story:  I was supposed to take classes at Glendale for all four days of the show.  Harriet's class (two days long) and two other one-day classes, plus a Saturday night class.  The two one-day classes were cancelled, and somehow I got it in my head that Harriet's class was on Saturday and Sunday.  I spent most of last week slowly prepping for Harriet's class, so I had SOME of the stuff we needed ready.  Still getting ready for the class, on Thursday morning at 8am, I cut out my show badge and looked at the letter that came with it.  The letter gave the dates of the class, which I glanced at but didn't pay much attention to... When I was done prepping for class, I sat down at the computer to fool around for a while.  This was 8am on Thursday. That's when I realized that 3/18 WAS Thursday, not Saturday.  I dropped everything, tossed a few more tools and supplies in a bag, ran off to shower and dress.  I grabbed a quick breakfast and raced off to Glendale. It was 8:30 am when I left the house, and I arrived, breathless, at 9am and slipped into the classroom.  I was already an hour late... sigh...  Not an auspicious start.. and I was embarrassed as hell walking in so late... but I made it...

Finally got into the swing of things by the time we started actually sewing, and on Friday, I brought the rest of the supplies I hadn't had time to gather up on Thursday.  I hate showing up unprepared for class.  So humliating.
Anyway, after two days of classes, I went back to the show on Saturday to actually attend the show itself, look at the quilts, and shop.

I fell off the no-fabric-buy wagon and bought two panels, a piece of cat fabric, a small piece of dark teal for the borders of my OBW quilt.  I also bought a kit of fabric that had bunnies, possums, raccoons, and squirrels - I'd been looking for this fabric for months and the only way they had it was in the kit, so now I have a kit I don't need that has fabric I wanted.  I bought a ruler and an iron cozy and a Laurel Burch bag, too. 
Most important, I had fun with Kathy and Debbie at the show.  We went to lunch at Momotaro's - awesome sushi.  And there were some really nice quilts at the quilt show, too. 

I'm glad I went.  I'm glad I'm home...

Today I am grateful for beauty in the world... in MY world... blue skies, the dark orange and pinks of sunset, the beautiful green of the trees that shade our house, for all the things that inspire what I do and what I love.

Work in Progress

So, after getting back from the Machine Quilter's Getaway in Trinidad, CA, I have been busy...
Playing Evony, sewing, avoiding practicing on the new longarm (more on that later), playing Evony, watching TV, reading, playing Evony.
I did finish my first rag quilt and took a class on One Block Wonder quilts - not quite finished, but the strips are sewn, now just have to sew them all together.
Here's my rag quilt, which I call 'Kitty Corners'.

And my OBW (the strip along the bottom is the original fabric):

This weekend I'm taking a class on Heirloom Machine Quilting from Harriet Hargrave.  So, the rest of the week will be prepping for that class.

Oh, and here's my 'quick star quilt' from Jan Krentz's book.  I made this on a quilting cruise I took last April.

I've been kinda depressed of late, which is why I haven't practiced on my longarm or updated the blog.  I hope to pull out of it and do more soon.  The leak in the upstairs plumbing, gophers on the lawn, broken dryers... sometimes it all seems too much.  Why me?

Today I am grateful for friends.  If I didn't have Debbie and Kathy and Marlyn, and yes, even Joe, I think I'd go out of my mind.

On Learning and Growing

Today I delivered my first 'paid' commission for a quilt.  She loved it.  I asked for $20 to cover the cost of thread and chalked the rest up to my practice on the machine.  She tried to convince me to take more, but I refused.  It's not that I think my time isn't worth more, simply that I am still learning so much about 'the Monster' (that's what I call my machine- a whole other story).  We agreed on $20, and she has more quilts for me (haha), and others in the class want me to 'practice' on theirs too!

I also delivered the two charity quilts I did for practice today.  I'm happy that I did them, got a chance to practice and develop my skills.  I know the quilts will be loved without anyone being critical of my quilting.

I tried to work on one of my own quilts as well, but wasn't so happy with the results on that one.  I'm not sure if I'm more critical of my own, or just didn't like the little design I was doing.  I will finish that one my Bernina I think.  It's one that simply needs me to quilt differently, smaller, slower... I'm not sure how to describe it, but it just wasn't working for me on the longarm. 

I am so happy that I'm not too old to learn new things, to grow in my artistic sensibilities.  I am learning, too, to be able to turn a critical eye on my own work without being consumed with perfectionism - a difficult balancing act.

I am grateful for modern dentistry - not that I'm exactly looking forward to tomorrow's appointment, but I know the results will be amazing once the pain subsides.  Just a hundred years ago, abcessed or badly decayed teeth were simply pulled, and replacements were crude.  So, hooray for root canals (I can't believe I'm saying that lol).

To My Sister:

An Open Letter to My Sister:

Terry - Please talk to me.  I know you're upset about something not to take or return my calls, but we are sisters.  We, each other, are all we have left of direct connection to mom and dad.  This is not what they wanted for us.  It's not what I want.  If I did something to upset you, I'm sorry.  I can remember times when we did have fun together when we were young and shared a room.  I can remember, too, that both of us couldn't wait til we had our own rooms.  It seems like ever since then, we've done nothing but grow further apart.  I know we haven't always gotten along well, and we aren't close like it would be nice to be.  Still and all, we are sisters, and I love you.  Life is too short to hold so much anger, and though both of us have sisters of the heart we can turn to, neither of us has any other sisters.  Please don't turn me away any more.  I love you, and I love my nieces... I miss all of you. - Your sister, Sandie

Today I am grateful for the chance to make amends and make peace.  I hope it gets reciprocated.  I could sure use a hug from my big sister.

Professional Longarm Quilter?

I swore I was buying this machine for my own personal use only.  I was going to quilt my own quilts... So I agreed to quilt a couple of charity quilts for practice.  I thought it would be good for me to experiment and practice on these quilts, as they don't need to be 'show quality' perfect.  I was quite pleased with my results, being they were the first real quilts I had done on the longarm.  (Up until now, I've just been practicing on waste muslin).  I took those charity quilts to my quilting class, mostly to return them to the classmate who made the tops.  She didn't attend class that day, but I showed them during show & tell time just because, well, I did DO the quilting, after all. 

Well, needless to say, another classmate liked them and asked me to do a quilt for her.  I don't know WHAT I was thinking, but I agreed to do it.  We didn't discuss a price - I figured I'd do this one for the practice too, but I should at least charge her for the thread... maybe $20?  This quilt is for her grandson, not an anonymous charity quilt.

I feel like I've abandoned a personal commitment to myself by agreeing to do this, but I couldn't say no.  It was something of a challenge too.  She had hand-basted the entire quilt with thick polyester batting.  The quilt had places where the blocks weren't even sewn together... and there was no extra backing or batting - they were both cut to the same size as the top.  Still - I managed to load it.  I stared at it for a good hour trying to get up the courage to start quilting.  What to put in the sashing and borders?  How to quilt the blocks?  But finally I started to quilt it... and now it's done!

Whether she actually pays me or we just call it a wash for my practice, I've done a quilt for someone else... I feel like a professional whether money changes hands or not.  I want to dance.. and cry...

I have so many tops of my own that I haven't started on yet.  Will I have the same courage to start those?  Will I care more (to the point of overwhelming fear?)  Or will I feel freer to let loose with creativity on my own quilts?

Today I am grateful for a body that even though it doesn't look the way I'd like, at least still does all the things I demand of it.  There are so many accidents and diseases and conditions that render people unable to control or move their bodies the way they'd like, or in some cases not at all.  The amazing network of interconnected systems that is the human body is a marvel.  I am thankful mine still works.