Wednesday, January 24, 2018

I spent the morning cleaning the Hall. As I was cleaning I kept thinking this was my last week but unless our regular cleaner comes back early I have one more week left. Months with five weeks are sometimes good but this month not so much.

I had a few errands to do after the Hall cleaning but I was tired and my back and wrists were aching so I decided to leave the shopping until tomorrow. I need a few baking supplies but I won’t be baking until Friday (for the concession on Saturday) so no rush there. The smoke detector outside my studio started to beep this morning meaning it needs a new battery; I realize that I really shouldn’t put that off but, fingers crossed, one night without it will be okay.

I packed my bags for my sewing session tomorrow. These sessions started out to be hand stitching days but Gail wanted to do a string star pattern so we’ll be machine stitching for a couple of weeks. Depending on how the pattern turns out I may be able to use it as a table topper give-away at our Hall event.

And speaking of the Hall event I made a start on a project that will also double as my miniature for next month. Not that I think it will take a month to finish it (although you never know) but it is still too damp outside to sandwich my quilts so this is small enough I can probably get it done before the sun comes back again. Although I don’t particularly like appliqué I’ve been enjoying what I’m doing so far – I think I’ll go back to it for a little while before supper.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

My night wasn’t exactly sleepless, but I didn’t feel all that rested when I got up. The wind and rain started up (again) overnight and it is still blowing. I was awake and reading for about an hour and then finally got back to sleep around five. I turned my alarm off (I usually set it on a bee day) but just before it would have gone off on a normal day a contact of Pat’s (in North Carolina) called; I didn’t get up to answer the phone but I didn’t go back to sleep either.

Due to the wind, no ferries have come in today from the Island. There was lots of talk at the bee about the tsunami warning that was posted early this morning; we weren’t affected and I didn’t even hear about it until the warning had been lifted.

I was a bit late getting to the bee but I still managed to get more mini blocks done than I usually do. I spent some time last week pre-cutting all the blocks and, instead of my usual four blocks, I managed to get eight of them done. We have a UFO day on Saturday and I’m hoping to finish all of the mini blocks; I have enough left to make that I doubt I’ll be able to get to the border or attaching the blocks to the quilt but I’ll get the cutting done ahead of time just in case. I still have to make 120 half-square triangles so there is lots of work ahead.

Monday, January 22, 2018

I had my journal written in my mind yesterday – I just failed to get it any further. I was busy at the end of the day doing some Guild business; I realized I needed to have a photo printed so headed out to Walmart. It was just past five and I was worried the photo department would be closed but they are open until six. Good thing as the power went out (just momentarily) when I was loading my photo so I had to wait for the machines to reboot (ten minutes) and for the cash register to come back online (another ten minutes). The photo was fine and I got it into the mail first thing this morning.

I was intending to brag yesterday about my use of lists. I’ve always been a list maker and I expect that won’t ever change. I have paper lists, I have lists on my computer, I have lists on whiteboards and I have a book in my purse for lists. I started listing all my project UFOs on a spreadsheet on my computer, but that was too depressing – so many projects, so little time. So I’ve refined my lists to something shorter and, occasionally, I visit the spreadsheet and am able to remove items that have been finished.

I currently use three small whiteboards (that I got for $1 at a quilting garage sale). One board keeps track of the Guild projects I’m trying desperately to keep up with this year. One board keeps track of cards and miscellaneous projects that need to be done in the short-term. The last board keeps track of my knitting and crochet projects.  These boards keep me focused on what I need to work on and are my best chances at finishes.

My quilting UFO lists haven’t been forgotten; I have two paper lists that I keep for them. The first is the UFO Challenge sheet that the Guild is running this year. I started with six items in September and I’ve completed two of them. Two others are waiting to be sandwiched and quilted, one is my current Tuesday project, and one is a chenille quilt from a one-day class I took ages ago.

I came across another UFO Challenge online that I’m working with. You list twelve projects and at the beginning of the month you are given a number (from one to twelve) and that is the UFO you work on for the month. Even if you don’t finish the project the idea is that you can make significant progress on it during that month. January’s number was 12 and I have finished that project – 40 Shades of Spring.

I’m off now to finish the hand stitching on a Guild challenge – at the end of the day I should be able to wipe one more thing off my whiteboard.

Saturday, January 20, 2018

Pat got home last night and the performers (I assume) arrived on the afternoon ferry. But the show didn’t start until eight-thirty or nine and there was no way I could imagine myself heading out the door at that time – heading for my pjs at that time is more my style. So no concert for us last night.

I decided I needed to do some clean-up in my studio this morning. I sorted through a number of patterns and fabrics on my cutting table – all had been set aside for things I’m going to make in the near future but it was all scattered and unorganized. I sorted out my scrap bin and put the bits and pieces away in their proper bins, drawers and bags. I went through my sewing bags and moved the “need it every week” tools into a new bag I received at Christmas. It will be much neater carrying things that way than in the various bags they have been living in. By the time I shredded more bins of paper the floor needed to be vacuumed – I cheated and used my hand-held but that picked up the worst of things.

Then what? I got busy and put together the top of my Guild challenge. I only made one mistake but it was spotted early enough that I was able to correct it by taking apart only one seam. I had some of the Challenge fabric left and by piecing it with some of the other leftovers from the top I put together a backing. I pieced a couple of pieces of batting together; the whole thing is now ready to be spray-basted and quilted.

While the wind blows outside and rattles the windows in my studio I think I’ll relax with a bit of crocheting. My Thursday sewing partner has come up with a new pattern she wants us to try so I won’t get any further on my afghan for awhile if I don’t do it at home.