Lazy Day Sunday

I thought I'd get upstairs and work on a customer's quilt today. Well, that didn't happen. I sat down and read just about everybody's blogs and even got to comment on some. One that I came across was Quilting Daze's post about not wanting to quilt. I've been where she's at, so I can really feel what she's going through.
Another blog I read was Nancy's-where she made comment about going around the ring to read. So that's what I did and guess what? I found some I'd not read before. Like Smokey in the Netherlands. I got hooked on Bloglines and missed some great posts.
I read Jeanne's posts about Jan Patek and checked out Jan's quilts. Love 'em but have too much on my plate right now. What's funny is-I was just standing at my kitchen sink getting ready for dinner and looked at my AP&Q '06 calendar. There's October staring me in the face and the quilt pictured is by Joined at the Hip quilts. Very similar to Jan's style. Well, duh. I got the patterns for all the quilts with the calendar, so I can give it a try when I'm ready and I won't have to spend a dime.
Nothing on the quilty side except I straightened out my sewing area. I say area because I've lost part of the room to just about everything that has no home in my house. I swear this junk multiplies while I sleep.
Anyway, just wanted to touch base and say hi.
By the way, Judy L's November quilt looks like it'll be fun. Hope I can join in, but I do have to finish August's first. (Sigh)

A Meme

I have ...
1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said "I love you" and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Ridden a bike
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

Only 52 out of 150. Dang, I have to get out more!!!

Consider yourself tagged.

October's almost gone

There's less than a week left to this month, and I still haven't finished Judy L's August hour a day quilt. I was supposed to get together with my little quilt group last Friday, had everything packed before I went back to the bus barn in the afternoon.
My daughter had a routine doctor's app't, so Mike picked her up in Albany and brought her down. I walked into the waiting room at 4:30 and my cell phone rang. It was her, calling from the examination room, asking where I was. I told her and she said Mike and I were to come back to where she was. We walked down the hall and ran into the doctor who said he was scheduling her for an immediate CT scan. Apparently, her heartbeat was 140 and she's on some meds that can cause blood clots in the lungs, so he wanted to make sure she was alright. So we went over to the radiology department and we had to wait because it was a "wet" read. Everything was negative. By the time we got out of there at 7:30, all I wanted to do was crash at home. Keri's fine, it was some kind of fluke. She's been monitoring her pulse all week and it's been between 80 and 90.
So all my quilting stuff got unpacked and it's still sitting there. There's always this weekend.
I wanted to show you my little quilty group, but Blogger isn't cooperating; so I'll try again another time.

What season are you?

You Belong in Fall

Intelligent, introspective, and quite expressive at times... You appreciate the changes in color, climate, and mood that fall brings Whether you're carving wacky pumpkins or taking long drives, autumn is a favorite time of year for you

What Season Are You?

Well, I guess this is timely. At least they got it right. One of my favorite things to do is drive down a country road, and just watch the leaves blow out of the way when I go by. I used to love doing it on my bike, now I love doing it with my car. It just makes me smile!!!

Hi-Remember me?

Okay, it's been a while since I've been here, but here are my hour a day blocks. Obviously, they're from the August one. I'm in the process of putting the top together, so stay tuned.

I got my stitches out Wednesday and I can finally get back to longarming. I contacted some of my clients about being behind, and let me tell you, quilters are the best people. Oh yeah, the face doesnt' look so bad either.

It's been weird at work. I'm on light duty so they have me in the office. Definitely NOT a happy place. I think if everyone spent some time in there, they'd understand why some of the people are so miserable. I stay out of all the politics, and tell them "I'm a temp, I'm going back on my bus".

I'm still hand stitching the binding on that yellow quilt. Can't wait to get it out of the house, I don't like doing bindings on my own stuff, never mind anyone else's.

I've been re-reading Sylvia Landman's book, "Make Money Quilting". I swear that whole book will be highlighted before I finish. Such great advice. It's available from her website, and I think Amazon.

Well, gotta go quilt. Have a great day, and weekend, if I don't get back to ya.

It's been a long week

I wasn't going to post about the basal cell surgery, but some people have told me that they've been praying for me, so I want to let them and you know that it's all gone. Mike drove me to the dermatologic surgeon's office Wednesday morning. I had a place on my left cheek that had biopsied positive back in August, so it was time to get it out. The biopsy site was the size of a pencil eraser. The final area done was the size of a quarter. They had to pull from my ear/cheek area to stitch it. 13 internal, 56 external in the shape of an upside down L-across to my temple and down the side of my nose almost to my mouth.
But the cancer is gone!! And since I can't work on the longarm, I've been making good progress on the August/September hour a day quilt. I'll have to ask Judy L. if I can still send her a picture. :)
I've been reading everybody's posts and it looks like fall has come everywhere. I know it's here in the Hudson Valley. Wednesday we sat outside at a picnic table at the doctor's office, and yesterday and today we need jackets! I love the colors, and I love wearing sweaters, heavy socks and turtlenecks. So this and spring are definitely my favorite seasons. All that's missing is the smell of burning leaves-we're not allowed to do that in the village.
I'll have some pics to show over the weekend, promise.

It's October-WOW!!

I can't believe it's October already. This year has flown by. Dave and Alicia are getting married in June, and I wanted to lose 30 pounds by April so that I wouldn't have to buy my dress at Omar the Tentmaker's shop.
So here's my new goal: I am going to try to lose 4 pounds a month from now until April. That will be 6 months/24 pounds. I can live with that. I figure if I write it down, maybe I'll stick to it.
I've seen other blogs where you've listed your October goals, so I'm going to do that too:

October goals:
1. Finish last 3 pieced blocks for the Harvest Spice quilt.
2. Get started on t-shirt quilt for customer.
3. Get binding done on yellow quilt for customer.
4. Finish piecing the August hour a day quilt.
5. Work on my applique UFOs-one by Piece O'Cake and one by Pat Campbell.

I don't see these as too ambitious, do you?

My local guild had it's biennial show this weekend. My Thimbleberries Quilter's Garden got a 3rd place and 2 of my customers' quilts got a 3rd and an Honorable Mention. There's another local LAer who had at least 10 quilts in the show and she did very well. I told Mike that is because she gets to do it full time. I'm not jealous, just wishful. I'd love to be able to quilt full time. But it's not in the cards right now. Oh well. I am very happy about my ribbon, haven't gotten one in a while. And in her comments, the judge liked my binding!!! Woohoo!! I have never gotten good comments on my bindings before.

I talked to a wonderful lady at one of the vendors' booths. Her name is Jo Coons and she designs the most wonderful applique designs. Her website is: www.potpourripieces.com I was telling her about a project Mike and I want to do for next year's MQX, and she is going to work with us on the colors for the hand dyes. What a compliment. I asked her how she gets so much accomplished and she told me that she gets all her prep work done and then sits down in the evening to do the stitching. She can just sit and stitch without having to do anything else. I like that idea.

I keep trying to get around to everyone's blog, but life gets in the way. So I apologize. I have a question-how many blogs on your list is too many? And do you try to leave comments on each one? That's what I find the hardest.
I am going to try to remember gratitudes. Here's some for today:

A day at home to quilt
Beautiful fall sunshine
Doing stuff I love

No pics today, sorry. I'll have to get some of the show pics out of the camera and onto the computer.

Yellow quilt

Here are a couple of the pictures I promised of the custom quilt I did. I found some black fabric in my stash to add to the piecer's so the binding would be big enough. This is a memory quilt for a young lady which shows some of the highlights of her life. I especially like the block showing the guitars.
It's hard to blog when I have to go to work everyday, but I promise I'll catch up with all of you this weekend.

One of those days

You know how you wake up and think you should stay in bed? Well, I'm kind of having that kind of day. Started out just arguing with Mike for no reason, I was just contrary.
We went food shopping-just as we were getting ready to check out, David calls and asks if Mike is marching in today's parade with the Scout troop. When I tell him that we're almost done and Dad will make the 1pm bus, he informed me that the bus is at 11:45AM! And that's what time it was at that moment. So we rushed home and Mike had to go catch the bus without lunch.

Our local quilt show is next weekend, and I have one quilt going in. I had to cut the fabric for the sleeve, it's ready to attach. But I don't have a label on it and I have to baste the judging number over the label! I'll figure that out tomorrow. Maybe I'll just write my name and the date on the backing and put the number over it.
Then I ran out of one fabric for my hour a day quilt. Found a substitute, hope it looks okay.

I finished quilting the custom quilt yesterday, trimmed it and measured it for the binding. it came out to 318 linear inches, not too bad. This quilt belongs to a non-quilter. She commissioned somebody to make it, but wanted me to quilt and bind it. The piecer even included the fabric for the binding. Guess what? She didn't provide enough fabric, and she's moved. The owner is the sister of a friend, so I called my friend and asked if I can buy some more or use something from my stash. Obviously, she wasn't going to say no. But I'm stuck because Mike put our old waterbed mattress on top of the bench where I keep some of my stash. It's too heavy for me to lift so I have to wait until he comes home from the parade.
Can you tell I'm really rambling here? I'll post a couple of pictures of the custom quilt tomorrow when they're loaded onto the computer.
I'm going to sew now; I need the therapy. Keep smiling.

Nose to the Grindstone

Just a quick post to say I'm still plugging away at Judy's 1st hour a day quilt. All the stress test info came back negative, but the surgeon looked at my xrays and said my neck has not fused yet. So I'm still on light duty at the bus barn for another 6 weeks. That means answering phones and working the 2 way radio from 6:30am to 9am and again from 1:30pm to 4:30pm. I'm ambivalent about this. As much as I hate being in the office, I am scared to get back on the bus and possibly get hurt again.
Nothing quilty this time. I love the fabrics I chose for the 2" squares.
Hope everyone is having a great week.

This is the last of my fall quilts. I looked all over and discovered I only have 3. I don't even have one for my bed. I got this as a kit about 4 or 5 years ago when the Mancuso show was in Greensboro, NC. One of my sisters-in-law lives down there, so we were able to attend the show and visit her at the same time. It sat for a couple of years until I finally decided to get it over with. The leaves are fused on, and it's supposed to look random like they just fell there. Then it sat unquilted until after I had carpal tunnel surgery. Once the doctor gave me clearance, I wanted to do something simple, so I just did an all over meander and put veins in the leaves. After it was done, it actually looked pretty good. Now I have it hang in the dining area every fall, and I still like it.

I had lunch yesterday with a friend that I don't see often enough. It's hard to fit a year's worth of catch-up into one lunch. We have to try harder to see one another, it's definitely worth it.

I just came from church, they had a luncheon for those of us that help with religion. I'm with the 5th graders this year, I'm the aide for the teacher. Very nice of the ladies to do that for us.

I was supposed to go upstairs and do a customer's quilt, but since it's Sunday, I think I'll work on my own stuff this afternoon.

Hope you all have a great day, and enjoy your loved ones.

Interesting

***You Are 20% Left Brained, 80% Right Brained***
The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning.Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others.If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic.Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet.
The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility.Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way.If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art.Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.
Are You Right or Left Brained?http://www.blogthings.com/areyourightorleftbrainedquiz/

Stash Quilts logo, etc.

I just went to my blog and noticed that the Stash Quilts logo isn't showing up. I saw the same thing on several others in the ring, but I thought that maybe they had not loaded the new stuff Judy L. sent out. I did load it, and it was fine yesterday. Anybody know what's happened?

Mel at Covered Porches asked about my longarm quite a while back. I've put off talking about it because I don't want anyone to think I'm fishing for business here. Anyway, here goes.
I've had my machine since September of 2000, and opened my doors for business in January of '01. I love doing everyday quilts, but I also fit in some custom work. I'm always on the lookout for new patterns that look like custom, but will not cost people an arm and a leg. I've taken lots of classes, met lots of great people. That's the icing on the cake for me.
I still drive schoolbus, at least for now, because I've gotten into the bad habit of eating and paying bills ;)
So, Mel and anyone else who wanted to know, that's my longarm story. And now, thanks to Judy L. , my little quilting group, and all of you, I've gotten back into piecing.
Have a great day!!!!

Reflections

Yesterday was 9/11. Even though it's been 5 years, sometimes it feels like yesterday. Living within the NYC metro area, we knew people who died that day. My husband proposed to me at Windows on the World, the restaurant on the top of the WTC. Just makes you think, know what I mean?

This is a little 3D wallhanging I did about 8 years ago. It faces the front door so people see as they come into the house. It's not too big and it fits perfectly in between the 2 closet doors.

I think Murphy lives in my attic. Either that or we're just cursed;> Thursday I ended up being admitted to the hospital with chest pains. All the tests came back normal. They've not been able to figure out the cause, so today I had the first half of a stress test. Then on Saturday, Mike was going to mow the lawn. The mower wouldn't start. He had to borrow the neighbor's rider. Sunday, he found that the shower in the newly remodeled bathroom leaks. Great. Monday, I had to work so he decided to do a load of wash. There's no spin cycle. He wrung out each piece so he could put them in the dryer. And, last but not least, our frost free freezer is no longer frost free. Thank goodness for maintenance agreements. Can anyone tell me what the heck is going on??? I'm looking over my shoulder for the cast of "Punk'd" to please jump out and tell me it's all a joke.
Oh well, tomorrow's another day. I've been trying to keep up with everybody's blogs. I'm reading as fast as I can, so forgive me if I don't comment. I think everyone's quilts are so beautiful, you're all such good piecers/appliquers. I love being able to see a little bit into all of your worlds, it makes me realize that no matter where we live, what color we are, we are all basically the same-we're quilters. And that's enough for me.

Thanks

Jeez, I'm having trouble keeping up with all of you, even with Bloglines! Since I cant' get to everyone to thank you personally, I want to say it here. It's been a rough couple of days, but I am definitely on the way back up.
We took Keri up to school yesterday, and it was a good day. Unfortunately for her, they were having a big welcome back party and the DJ was right under her window. We could feel the walls vibrating!
I've got the panto quilt all prepped to go on the machine. Good thing-the customer wants it this weekend. I go back to work today-but I'll be answering phones. Can you imagine it-on the 1st day of school when nobody knows anything about anybody on their bus. Keep the fingers crossed that I stay the sweet, patient person I always am. Yeah right.
On a quilty note, these pictures are of a table topper I made several years ago. One side is Christmas, the other is for autumn. That way all I have to do is flip it over after Thanksgiving.
Have a great day everyone, and those of you whose kids are starting school this week, be kind to your bus driver-he/she is trying their best to get your kids safely to and from school.

Lazy Day

I didn't sleep very well Friday night, too much going on in my head. The dermatologist called and told me that I do have basal cell skin cancer on my face. The first date they could give me for removal is October 4th. So, since my imagination blows everything out of proportion, it kept me awake.
All this is leading up to me not wanting to work on a custom quilt when I'm over-tired, because I really hate ripping. So I worked on my hour a day-for about 5 hours in between getting Keri's stuff ready for school.
I got 10 blocks done. I work slowly because I'm not the greatest piecer in the world. But I'm happy with them. The other picture is of my favorite block. I just like the colors. I know a lot of people have finished the whole quilt but I'm happy to have gotten even this far.
I even got a block done on the Harvest Spice. I figured I was on a roll, so why not?
Today, I still didn't want to go upstairs. So, after everyone left, I went to church and then called a very good friend who told me to come on over and quilt.
I just got back and I feel much better. I was a little depressed about Keri going back to school, and the Precious Twins possibly finding an apartment. The empty nest thingy is hitting me like a ton of bricks. I realized I've totally identified myself as a mom for over 20 years, so what do I do now? I have to get my butt in gear and get over it! It's just going to take a little time.

I'm going to take the custom quilt off the machine, and load an easy panto quilt that needs to be done by the weekend. Then I'll see if I can reload and finish.
For all the US people, Happy Labor day! For everyone else, have a great weekend.

Not a good day

Have you ever had one of those days that goes from crisis to crisis with no time in between? I swear, the kids had less problems when they were kids. David is out interviewing for jobs and he doesn't even have the clothes to do it! When does he come to me? Half an hour before he has to be there. Keri is packing for school but she just ran out to donate blood in a royal huff, and God forgive us, we're counting the days. I love them unconditionally, don't get me wrong. I just need some down time.
I should be upstairs on the LA. I'm going to work on my hour a day quilt till she comes home and then I'll go up. I read Judy L's blog about procrastinating and man, can I identify. I love doing the pantos, and I like custom. It lets me be a little more creative. I know I sound like I'm never up there, but I do get a lot done-really.
I'm going back to work on light duty, starting Tuesday. I can't drive bus yet(the surgeon is reevaluating on the 19th) so they're going to have me on the phones and the radio. Since I'm really not supposed to drive, they're sending a car for me. So this is my last weekend as a full time quilter.
Oh, and I got an email from a customer yesterday that a quilt I did for her got a blue ribbon in her county fair. That made me feel pretty good.
Into the shower I go.
Later.

We did it!!

Thank you, Vicky for the gold star and for the challenge. It wasnt' as hard as I thought it would be. What's up next?

AARRGH!!!!

I am so not happy with Blogger right now. I'm way behind on reading, I should be upstairs with a custom quilt on the machine, and I can't post comments on anybody's blog!!! Okay, I know my
priorities screwed up. I want to say hello to the people whose lives I'm reading about and IT WON'T LET ME!!! There, I feel better; NOT.
Tracey, Bonnie H, Karen at Passionate Quilter I'm trying to comment. Especially Karen-don't be afraid of surgery. I had cervical disc replacement and I'm very glad I did.
I've got all my squares cut and the lines drawn to sew my HSTs. I'll do that this evening if it's not too muggy.
The sewing room is kind of coming along. Mike and I can't agree on what kind of shelves to put in the closet. And I don't really have any room for a design wall unless I do one That I can roll up right inside the sliding doors of the closet. Oh well, that's for the future.

I'm in a slump when it comes to customer quilts. I love being up there, but I hate going up. Does that make sense? When I'm alone in the house, I don't have it as bad, but when there's someone home, I'm afraid of missing something. How stupid is that? I want to quilt just not when I can be with other people. Hmm....our daughter Keri would have a field day with this in her psych class.

I showed the pic of the Precious Twins the other day. She's living here with us right now, stuff going on at home. I don't have a problem with that. But our son had to call a family meeting on Sunday because her sense of humor is different than ours so she saw Mike's and my teasing as ganging up on her. Alrighty then. We're going to say when something bothers any of us so there's no hard feelings. I thought everything was cool so when she said something last night, I told her it bothered me. Well, that didn't work. I don't want to alienate her and I sure as heck don't want to lose my son. Any ideas? I'm open to just about any suggestion.

It's the weekend!!

Here's a picture of some of the fabrics I pulled for my hour a day quilt. Since then, I've added a few more blues, a purple and a couple of more backgrounds. I don't want this to be a red quilt.
I've cut strips to match up for the HSTs and will start cutting them today.
Patti asked why do we quilt? I've been thinking about that since I read her posts.
I had never even heard of quilts or quilting until a friend and I went to the Amish country of PA when I was 18. We stayed one night with a Mennonite family and slept under quilts even though it was summer. That trip was such an eye opener for me. I saw all the quilts that these women made and was bowled over. Nobody in my family had ever done anything like that. But, since I have the attention span of a gnat, I forgot about it until years later when Mike and I took the kids on vacation to Lancaster County. That's when I found the shop in Intercourse. I went through every single rack and stack of quilts in that place and realized I couldn't afford a single one. So I looked closer and decided I wanted to make one myself. The rest, as they say, is history. lol
I quilt because I have only one thing from my grandmother. It's a thread crocheted part of a bedspread that my Mom was going to toss if I didn't take it. It was in pieces because Grandma died before she finished it. So a friend of mine took it and finished it for me. I'm keeping it for my daughter.
So I quilt. Somebody someday will be able to say "My grandma made this".
I quilt because I like it. I may not finish everything. I love puzzles and piecing quilts is like doing puzzles.
I quilt because it makes me feel good.
This brings me to a lightbulb moment I had when I read Patti's blog. I've been a longarm machine quilter since 2000, and have been concentrating on doing customer quilts at the expense of my own. I always said I didn't need to make my own, I have a private quilt show in my studio every day. Well, guess what? I've been very wrong. I do need to do my own. Just pulling the fabric for the hour a day has made me feel better. On the other hand, I've been doing the Harvest Spice BOM and that hasn't done anything but get me extremely pissed(excuse my language). It builds up like lava in a volcano and I have to put it away or I'll throw it away. And it's going to be a wedding gift for the Precious Twins. So I will plug away at it. But....................I will do the hour a day, and I will eventually do Tonya's challenge because I really want to learn how to do the letters. If and when Judy comes up with more projects, I will do them too.
Because I need to quilt. Not just use someone else's formulae and fabrics like the BOMs and kits. Yes, I'm following a pattern with the hour a day, but I'm using fabrics that I've held, stroked and loved. It won't look like anybody's quilt-it'll be mine.
It won't be easy once school starts. My surgeon said I can do light duty, so I'll be answering phones at the bus barn until I'm able to drive. They're really going to love me when I tell them I may have to have a basal cell removed from my face. I had it biopsied yesterday and will hear next week whether or not it's skin cancer. If it is, it's got to come out.
But I will quilt. Just because I have to and want to. It's become part of who I am. I am a quilter.