Sew, what's new?

Sorry for the punny title. I heard one of those jokes this morning and it has me thinking in puns now.

This week has been much less busy- and far more satisfying- than the last one. It began on Sunday before the Superbowl when I found the time to get most of the rest of the quilting done on my dandelion quilt.



And wasn't that a GREAT game? Finally- a Superbowl that lived up to its name. And who will ever forget the picture of Drew Brees holding his baby son with tears in his eyes?

So, anyway, I finished the piece on Monday, just in time to take to the meeting of my little art group on Tuesday. (We will have a better name someday) This was started in a class I took last June with Jane Sassaman. It is based on a picture I took in the lawn here on campus. The blue flowers are a form of Speedwll, I think. My own yard is much the same, so I am thinking fo titling this piece, "Weeds? No, that's our Lawn".

The art group is preparing for our first show in July. One piece we are working on as a group is a picture of a convulvulus flower that we chopped apart. Here are the finished sections so far tacked up on my design wall. Aren't they fabulous?!!!





Another new addition in my sewing world is an old dress form I am calling Edith. She is wearing a dress I would guess to be close to 90 years old. I would love to replicate the dress- isn't it glorious? Sadly, it has some rot on it due to the fact that special care fabrics were not laundered back then, but only aired out. (Kind of disgusting when you think about it)


Currently I am working on the teaching samples for a class this weekend. After that I should start working on the next shop sample. But a flash of inspiration hit this morning for my section of the flower, so all bets are off.

Nothing to show for it

I've been busy this week, but as I mentioned, I have nothing to show for it. So this post shall be a collection of random thoughts from the past week or so.

First and foremost, I need to say this:
Chan Gailey??? REALLY??? Is anyone impressed? Does anyone expect the Bills to be worth watching next year?? He's going to have to work very hard to get me in his corner.

So, here's where the time went, I think. Last Saturday was the monthly meeting of the Museum Quilt Guild. I always enjoy the meetings, even though there are times I'd rather just stay home. This month was no exception. After two years on the board, this was my first meeting as a "civilian". I even voted no on something just to make sure everyone was awake. We presented our challenge quilts. This year's theme was "Initially Yours", where the colors had to be named with your initials, like molokai blue and melange green ( two of my colors). It was so fun to see how people dealt with limited palettes and if anyone made up names for their colors. One member used a color she found on a nail polish!
After the meeting, I over saw a project we borrowed from the Tompkins County Quilt Guild; project Iron Quilter. Participants had two hours to create a project with supplies they did not bring. It was fun for most and frustrating for a couple, but they still made nice things! ( photos after the unveiling next month.) For me, the best part was sitting with my "almost sister" mary while the other sewed. ( I was there in an advisory/ cheerleading capacity)
Of course I spent the weekend watching football games. Well, I watched them until they got boring. I can only hope the championship games this weekend are more competitive than 34 - 3!!!
I went on an adventure with some friends on Monday. We had a plan that fell through so we made a new plan up as we went and had a ball!!!
I think time with friends is always worthwhile, no matter what you are doing, or who tries to spoil your day!
I was going to layer a couple of lap sized quilts to machine quilt. This is a major step for me, as I do not enjoy the machine quilting process. But I have been inspired by Leah Day, to try it. Unfortunately, I was out of batting. I have been using the Quilters Dream "Green" batting for a year or so now whenever I can. The fact that it keeps pop bottles out of the landfill makes up for the fact that it's polyester. It has a nice soft feel in quilts, doesn't beard and is even easy to hand quilt! If you haven't tried it, please do. Every little bit helps!

Lastly, I am somewhat inspired by my friend Kathi's "I have learned" section of her blog. I try to remember to be grateful for something in each day. So, today:
I am grateful that I slept well last night.
I am grateful that I don't have to cook this evening.
And I am grateful that I have friends who understand me and support me during the times I want to go hide in the closet.