Still Getting Settled

The carpet experience is almost behind me.  My living room has room to live, with only 6 bins of stuffed animals looking for a resting place.  They are stacked, so they don't take up too much space.

The master suite is sweet.  I have two bins left to empty.  Unfortunately there is a debris field on my dresser, but I hope to make short work of it this weekend.  Or tomorrow.  Probably not today.

Some things are finally finding places to land, like this flying quilter:

 See her?  Up in the corner?  Above the sticks and buttons and jars of marbles (behind the buttons).

She was a gift from a friend, from a few years back.  For some reason Laura thought she looked like me.  :)

Today I played hooky, and started quilting a Log Cabin that's been in the "pieced, needs quilting" pile for a year.  It's been basted for months.  I need the pins for something else.  May as well just get'er done!  :)

Goals are good!

This Is Why

I prewash ALL of my fabric.

(The tipped photo is how Blogger annoys me most.)

A Stitch Here & There

I'm still working to unload boxes and put things away.  A gargantuan task, to be sure. 

I still need to do more painting as well.  The painting express has come to a screeching halt.  I just ordered some special switchplates for the bathroom.  That might be just what was necessary to get the paint onto the walls, instead of remaining in the cans tucked behind the toilet.

For a break, I sew a stitch or two.  This one is for a friend who is undergoing yet another round of chemo this week.  A long row to hoe, and not one that anyone looks forward to.

And that's all I've got for you today.  It's time to declare war on the remaining boxes.  I suspect that more than I thought will end up outside for yard sale.  Goals are good!

Honk! Honk! Honk!

My mornings have been punctuated by honking, almost on a daily basis.  The sun comes up, and the honking starts.  It's usually once, sometimes twice.  Today's group did a double fly by.  Honking?  What am I talking about?

Up in the sky!  It's a plane!  It's Superman!  NO!  It's...do you see them?

 How about now?

 Look at them all!  (You can tell that the sun is not fully up, by the still-grey morning sky.)

Sometimes there are as few as 7 or 8.  Once there was a group of 50 or more.  This flock is a bit larger than I'm used to.  Don't they make you want to pull out fabric and start making Flying Geese?  I tell you, I'm thinking about it!  Any excuse to put off continuing the moving-back-into-the-house-caused-by-getting-new-carpet rut I am currently in.

Only one person has come by to check it out.  It's lovely.  Truly it is.  One of these days I'll post pictures.

Stars & Strips

You know those strips I pieced over the weekend?  They needed a center.  I'm not 100% pleased with the results, but it did use up several orphan blocks, reducing the contents of my UFO box.  What do you think?

If I were to do it over again, I would change a few things, but for a quickie?  Definitely satisfactory.  :)

Our Art Group, Sew Eclectic, is going to begin a year-long challenge in December.  I'm totally psyched up for it and ready to go.  I've finished my first step, two months before the due date.  yay!  One of these days I'll share some of it with you, maybe.

Fabric Multiplies

You know it does.  I don't know how it does it, but I've seen the result.

Yesterday I began with a box of strips.  The box was not full.  I thought that if I sewed them onto a foundation, I could sew my way through the box.  fat chance.

I made these strip strips:

It should have made a dent, right?

But what should I find, when I went to put the lid on the box?

I never should have turned my back.

Sew Some More

There's been a hiccup with moving back and the carpet and I didn't want to deal with it today.   And so I sewed.

I belong to an internet postcard exchange group called Postmark'd Art.  I joined a few rounds ago, and we're nearing the end of Round 15.  I hadn't yet made my second set of cards.  I began them yesterday, and finished them today.  The theme is "Birds."  What a cute flock! 

 They all have unique personalities...

 All the same...

 And all different.

 Variations on a theme.

I have to say that I had a lot of fun.

Perhaps tomorrow I will get back to work.  It feels so good to say that I not only started, but also finished something.  yay!!  One goal met.  Finally!!

Stitch Therapy

No whining or complaining today, that's for sure.  Instead, I gave myself some serious stitch therapy time.  It didn't really matter what I sewed, just as long as my foot was to the pedal and I could hear the machine hum and stroke that fabric.  Oh, that fabric.  :)

Unfortunately I cannot find a number of things that should have been readily available to work on.  Where, oh where is my list of cards owed?  Or the stack of pre-cut fillers for my postcards?  Or the already washed muslin for foundation piecing?  grrr.  I know it's somewhere, the question is "where?"

Despite my difficulties in finding specific things to work on, work, I did. 

I was well aware of two birthdays that I missed in the past 5 weeks.  Here are the cards for my friends:

They seem a bit over-exposed, but they are crazy-quilted.  I did the embroidery earlier this week, once I'd cleared off a spot on the couch to sit in the evenings.

I also put the backs on these two postcards.  They are similar to some that I made a few months back, with a theme of "Monet."

I also began the tops of  some postcards for a "birds" theme.  They need to be in the mail before the end of the month.  The goal is to get them in the mail before the end of the week.  goals are good.

Once those were done, I still needed some serious stitch therapy.  I cut some 6.5" strips of muslin, pulled out my box of mis-matched strips, and started stitching them down.  I don't have a plan for these strips, I just thought it was something I might like to do.  Who knows?  Maybe I'll decide this is the next best thing.  :)

On another front, Roscoe continues to visit frequently.  He's now feeling so comfortable, he has no qualms about making himself at home.

 Check out those jaw muscles, as he works to shred the milk jug.  He was quite successful, as it ended up in 1" pieces strewn across the yard.

So.  A day of sewing was good for the soul.  Tomorrow I will return to trying to reclaim the house.  Thank you to all of you who have left such encouraging comments.  I appreciate it very, very much.  The carpet IS lovely, and I know this has been worth it.  I just kind of wish it was done already.  Goals are good.  :)

*Groan*

As you know, because I keep telling you, it's been a full week since the carpet layers left.  You would think I would have the house reclaimed by now, but no.  I've earned a great big FAIL in that department.  I've been working diligently, but visible results are minimal, at best.

I've been pleased with my fabric stash.  I reorganized much of it, putting the things I use the most in more easily accessible places.  It's looking lovely, don't you think?  This cabinet is still in the bedroom, but it's now acting as "art" rather than a barrier in the room, as you can see it from the doorway.  The top two shelves hold my batiks, the third has fruit & vegetable fabric.

 Sorry about the flash.  This is the bulk of my stash.  I've unloaded all of the totebags and bins.

Or at least I thought I had.  But when we moved a bookshelf to the back bedroom, what should be hiding behind it but this:

oh dear.  I thought I was low on yellows and pinks on the shelves.  But I'd convinced myself that they were "in the other room," depending upon which room I was in.  I guess I'm going to have to cull through much more aggressively, to see if I can find space to stash these favorites.

The good news is that I sold a lot of quilt accessories at guild last Thursday, so I don't have quite so many things to try to set up in the studio.

The bad news is that the spare room is still full of studio contents, and the bed is still buried. 

I think I had my dread/panic focused on the wrong end of the carpeting project.  Yes, it was difficult to move everything out of every room, even though we did it in waves.  But I'm finding it even more difficult to organize it and put it back once the project was "done."  Apparently, I've run out of steam.  And that's not good news.

How Fun!

Here's something fun and exciting that's come about because of the upheaval.  My design wall now looks like this:

 It is pristine and clean.  Since it was down and empty, I thought it would be a good idea to wash the flannel.  I believe it's a queen-sized flannel sheet, although it might be a king.  I've attached it to two hinged pieces of foam sheathing from Home Depot.  The sheathing is hinged with duct tape, which is also how I've attached the flannel.  I believe this is the third time I've washed the flannel and taped it back on.  The sheathing comes in 8' x 4' pieces.  I cut mine to 7', so that it will fit against the wall.  Eight feet would also fit, but I can't reach that high, so it would be wasted space.  I made a traveling/folding design wall with the extra pieces.

 With all of that design area available, what will I put on the wall?  Inspiration is everywhere.  Tonight I tried to capture the crazy colors of the sky as the sun began setting behind the camphor tree.  I'm not sure you can see it, but it was beautiful.

In other news, I was thrilled to see my name on the winner's list at the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza.  woohoo!  What a great way to start the day!

Dawdling & Avoidance

*sigh*  And I thought the tough part was over.  But it's not.  I've got furniture in every nook & cranny, most of it in the wrong room.  I've got boxes of fabric and notions here there and everywhere but the Studio.  I'm trying to make a dent, but must admit that I welcome distraction, with open arms.

I thought a doughnut would help.  It passed the time, but it didn't get any thing unboxed or put away.  Maybe if I work on the laundry room?  A few loads of laundry later, I decide to wash a quilt.  Well, why not?  It needed washing, doncha know?

 And I play with Roscoe, who has come for a visit.

And I look at my art.  oh my.  So much art!  My husband asks what I'm going to do with it.  If I knew that, it wouldn't be in boxes or on the floor now, would it?

 My daughter majored in Art at Berkeley.  My grandfather painted with oils and exhibited his photography nationally.  My other grandfather also exhibited his photography competitively.

 I've got art coming out my ears, and nowhere to put it. 

Well, there is another bathroom...  I bought these two watercolors by a local artist at least 10 years ago.  I hung them two days ago, for the first time.

 Yes, they're in the bathroom.

 On the opposite wall, hangs this painting by my daughter.  I believe this was one of her first attempts with oil.  This is what our front yard looked like, before we redid it a few years back.  The only things that remain, are the irises.

So.  How am I doing?  The carpet looks fantastic.  And I am getting things put away.  Unfortunately it is a gradual process.  So much to go through, so tired of going through it...

Oh!  And I keep forgetting to mention that the SAQA quilt auction has begun.  If you want to begin or add to your very own collection of art quilts, this is a great place to start.  It's a reverse auction, so the prices go down each day.  The quilts will be sold in 3 waves, as well as at Houston.  Check out the first bunch here.  Happy Buying!!

Sometimes

Moving back is moving forward.

If you've ever done a major upgrade/upheaval in your home, you know what I'm talking about.  Here is yesterday, in pictures:    The hall bathroom was like this for a week!  Before:

 During:

 After:

Before:

 During (same room, different view):

 After:

 What do you think about the wallpaper? enh.  Not terrific, but not awful enough for me to want to switch it.

Before:

 During:

 And after:

 By 5:45pm, I had my sewing table back together.  whew!  I could sleep last night!

One thing I've already noticed:  The more things change, the more they stay the same:

As soon as an accessible table top appears, so does the computer.  *sigh*  Engineers! 

He says that it will go away, "as soon as" he can reach the computer table.  hmmm.  I guess I know my goal for today!!  So much furniture to move, so tired of moving it...

I Love My Fabric

This weekend was a bit stressful.  Tomorrow is our fourth and final installment of carpet.  I am ready to be done with this project.  Four days should have been plenty of time to empty a 10 x 11' room, but really, it was barely enough. 

It was nice that I had a helper this weekend.  I'd tried to install the new blinds on Friday, after painting all day Thursday, but it was a bust.  Once Lowe's cut them smaller, hubby volunteered to hang them.  He didn't know what he was in for, but I did.  He finished the last one this morning.  woohoo!  That means there is only one small window left that sports aluminum mini-blinds.  Not for long, though.  I'm ready to be done with them too!

Do you like his headlamp?  He uses it for night-time surgeries.  And for hanging blinds.  :)  Both are delicate tasks.

Everything has been taken out of the dining room.  It looks like this:

 And this.  I think I will keep the wallpaper.  I hung it back in 2001.  I think the viney pattern will flow well with the carpet.  We'll find out tomorrow.

It was rough emptying the studio.  I bought several Hefty bins to hold my fabric, but they don't hold very much:  (wink, wink)

I guess it's a good thing I have a lot of tote-bags:

I'm not sure you can tell, but they are all filled with fabric. 

The good news is that guild meets on Thursday, and they're allowing sale tables.  I'm renting one, and will be bringing a number of things from my studio for dispersal.  But not much fabric.  I love my fabric.  It's very hard for me to part with it.

I guess the other good news is that seeing the fabric sparks all kinds of ideas.  If my Studio ever comes back together again, well, there might just be some hard core quilting going on.  Goals are good!