PIF 2011

I joined in the homemade craft Pay it forward that's been making it's way around facebook lately. I've got 2 people willing to pay it forward so far. Anyone else want to join in? All you have to do is comment that you'd like to recieve something homemade from me this year and then you will have to get 5 of your own people to send items to who will then get their own 5.

SNOW DAY!!

I called myself in for a snow day today. I could have made it to work but would have never made it home. I live at the top of a hill, and drive a little car that's old and decrepit. The truck that I got for Christmas still hasn't had all the tinkering that Dad feels it needs.... So I don't have it yet. We have about 6" in the yard and its still coming down. Other towns nearby are measuring up to 10" It was rather impressive to watch it come down. I sat in front of the window and sewed all day. The Wizard of OZ panels where already cut and found in a fabric bin at the thrift store. I'm still learning how to use my new camera - the colors seem a little off yet.

UFO PROGRESS!

This was a UFO weekend - we lost a day to repair the car - the squeaky, rattle noise that I've been hearing for the past, oh 6 months or so, turned out to be the rear brakes. Anyway, Greg took the wheel off and the brake pad crumbled out - hmm, guess should have replaced those at some point?. So we got one done on Saturday, it took 4 hours in decreasing freezing temps. The other side looked okay enough for us to wait for a warmer day. Those stupid little springs on the drum brakes are a royal pain to get back in - I don't know if there's a special tool or trick or what - but we obviously don't know it. G said he's never doing the drum brakes again. I think this would be the reason why we waited until it crumbled!


But today I got to sew again and finished up my practice Double Wedding Ring. I used the GO! die and watched Ebony Love's video series over and over - great tips and I don't think I'd have finished this quickly if not for those video's.

A UFO Weekend

Greg's off for the 2nd Weekend in a ROW! So we are having a UFO Weekend! I innocently thought I didn't have any UFO's - I don't like to buy fabric unless I know what I'm making BUT SURPRISE! I'd actually started and neglected a few that had been started 6 months ago during my recovery time. Greg on the other hand is all UFO's in progress... there's bags, hangings, project boards galore. He had to give the program at our quilt meeting in March and decided (A YEAR AGO) to present his purple people project - following Raymond Houston's method.

It's already in many stages and lends itself to a demo. There's also the quilt of the month blocks unfinished, a few dozen swap projects, and a really cool comet star thing that he's started w/o worrying about having the fabric to finish!

AND since I've vowed we will not buy more fabric until we use up what we have -- he's just SOL on that one.
SO my projects: When we got the Accuquilt GO! cutter and accumulated some dies - I decided I'd make a double wedding ring and had cut exactly 6 pieces of 3 shapes before I realize I didn't have a clue what I was doing. I was using some F8's of thee sweet and sour collection from Connecting threads. I really didn't have enough and was just playing but the pieces were still all together so That's my main project this weekend. We found some coordinating pieces and I watched Ebony's videos on the Double Wedding Ring (LoveBug Studios) over and over until I felt like I "got-it".

Note to GO users - there are variations between the Accuquilt Studio Die and the GO die for the Double Wedding Ring. When I finish this little project - I still have the Paper Piecing Calendar set to work on that I started with my mom during my recovery.

I really am thinking about abandoning the Calendar and using the monthly blocks as a quilt. But I'm betting even if I made the whole thing I'd still be done with my UFO's long before Greg!!! OH! Great news - after knocking the iron on the floor several times tonight Greg finally modified the ironing board to have a hook to hang the iron on. We have plans to build and extended ironing board with a cabinet under --- right now that's under PYS -- "Projects Yet to Start" !

1111- A Thousand Thoughts and more

So many things are running through my mind as I sit here a few hours into the new year. I wanted to make a resolution that was meaningful and achievable. There's the standard self improvement, diet, health, exercise. There's the relationship bid of quality and quantity of time together. The finances: reduce debt and save more. But what is it I really want? Where do I really need focus? Where will I realistically follow through? I want to be less bitter and more accepting. I need to let go of old hurts and stop speculating about new ones. I vow to move my body more even if that involves simply standing on the treadmill for a few minutes each day -- Getting up from my office chair to visit the other hallways a couple times a day and when it's nice walk down to the river just to see if it's still there. I want to challenge myself but not reach the point where a single activity takes over my life - as reading, quilting and farmville have done, as had TV. I want to enjoy these activities and not reach burnout where the remnants are found in a storage tub long forgotten. I'll strive to start on projects long before they are due but won't work myself into a tissy over impending deadlines. As I work to reduce these big stressors in my life, I hope to find I'm naturally more loving and care free.