After the challenge

Between storms and power outages and having to work at work, it has been a while again since I've posted.  Every year I say I will get 52 posts up, and then life gets in the way.

Every year I enter the guild challenge- most years I make two pieces to enter.  But then I get them back and wonder what to do with them?  I certainly don't need another tote bag, or have a reason to hang a big fish quilt in my house.    (I know I've mentioned this before)  Here is what I did with one of my most recent entries.

                                 

 This piece was called "Name the Bar".  I had fun making it, but saw things I should have done differently immediately after I finished it- don't we always?  More than that, I had absolutely  no use for it in my home- nor did I think anyone I knew would.  Ar ound the same time, I had been searching through all the places I had parts of my interchangeable knitting needles stored/ stashed.  It was frustrating and wasted my time.  So I did a search for a way to store them neatly, and found this.

 So almost as soon as I got it back from the display last Saturday, I started deconstructing it by removing the flaps and half of the binding. 

     

                                      

Here are some of the needles laid out so I could measure and figure what exactly my needle case should look like.

 

 And here is the finished product- look how neatly things are arranged (and there's room for more!)

This is what it looks like all folded up nice and small- easy to store!

These are the leftovers.  I was going to make it bigger, then changed my mind so the quilted pieces are kind of small.  I may just toss them.  Seems a waste, but it has served one purpose and is now serving another- unless someone needs coasters???

I have been saving my yarn bits for a few years and placing them out int he suet feeder for the birds.  I find them in use when I try to get the house sparrows out of the swallow houses.  I like to think the babies get a nice soft bed from the scraps I leave.  But recently I read a warning that they can harm the babies by strangling them, or being wrapped around their legs and injuring them.  I take everything I read with a bit of skepticism anymore (sadly), so I searched a bit and found posts on both sides of this.  I am  still not sure if its a good idea of a bad one.  So I have decided to still ofer them, but make sure everything is cut into approximately 1 inch pieces, and not place anything fine, like sewing thread, out.  It seems a reasonable compromise. 
Compromise- an idea that needs to be promoted more and more these days. sigh

I am grateful for:
Having someone to call for help when I need it.
Being prepared for emergencies
Good sewing time
Leftovers in the freezer
Brightening someone's day