Deadlines

For several of the projects I have been working on, the deadline was "JUNE". This is June, and guess what? I am meeting the deadlines! For someone who has trouble completing projects, this is major! I've decided that deadlines are a good thing, and that maybe I should set deadlines for every project???

Last Friday I sent off 18 Sunbonnet Sue quilt blocks for the on-line Michigan block exchange I joined several months ago. Tomorrow I will deliver my finished project for the challenge we had going in our little quilt circle. (My challenge project is pictured) And next week I'll send off the major project I've been working on that also had a June deadline. What a sense of accomplishment! It's just a good thing that the deadlines were all LATE June--the extra weeks were definitely necessary! :)

A YOU-nique Scrap Quilt

"When life gives you scraps, make a quilt." I ran across this saying the other day and for some reason I can't get it out of my head. Obviously, it is the quilter's version of "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade", meaning that when life brings you hardships, try to turn them into something positive.
But the saying makes it seem like scraps are a bad thing! I, for one, don't agree with that! As you know, I LOVE scraps!
To my way of thinking, the "scraps" that come along in life are what make us who we are. The family we are born into, the people we meet, the places we travel to, the experiences we have, the everyday things we see and do--all of these things influence and shape us. Each and every one of us is a unique scrap quilt! How about that???

Colors Out My Window

I finished planting the flowers in my yard today. I love to look out my kitchen window and see all the colors in the backyard. It brightens my day!
The backyard flowers are many different shades of pink with some white and purple mixed in. Red and white flowers are in the front yard. My perennial bed is the only place where you'll find any "oddballs"--I have an orange tickseed plant.
I wonder why I'm so fussy with my flower color choices when my favorite quilts are the multicolored scrappies?????
What colors do you see out your windows?

Quilt Planting

Not much scrap quilting got done this weekend. I was busy planting!
On Saturday, I helped my husband put in a vegetable garden--our first in many years. (There is extra land at church and our pastor offered it to congregation members who would like to garden. )
We have been planning for several months, buying seeds and vegetable plants. My husband plotted the garden out on paper. I wonder if he realizes that he actually planned a quilt?
We have 4-patches: four hills each of cukes, squash and a couple kinds of melons. These are separated by sashings: rows of beans and peppers. Two rows of sunflowers are across one end. And two rows of tomato plants run down the very center.
I'll have to remember his plan. Hmm...a new design in the works???

It's a LONG way to Oklahoma! (and back)

We had a good trip to Oklahoma and back, but my, did it seem long! It is a good 2-day drive, one way.
My husband does most of the driving, so I basically sit and sometimes navigate. I try to plan things to do while I'm sitting that long.
I took along a knitting project, but I just couldn't get into that. Maybe because it was hot outside???
I took along some hand applique. Depending on how bumpy the roads were, I was able to do some of that. It's definitely harder to do in a moving car than when I'm sitting in my easy chair at home.
Mostly I found myself in the "observing" mode. I was using my eyes and ears to look for color and design ideas as we drove along. I had my notebook ready to jot ideas down that came to me as I watched billboards and road signs, read slogans, listened to songs on the radio, etc. If you let your mind and imagination work, it's amazing what you can come up with!
The clear blue sky, brilliant white clouds and various greens of the foliage I saw from Arkansas into Oklahoma gave me a color scheme to think about as I plan a quilt for my graduating niece!
Hope you find inspiration in what you see around YOU today!
Happy Quilting! Carol :)

Pit Stop, plus. . .

Wow! What a difference the "pit stop" made! I can't believe how easily my rotary cutter glides through the fabric now! And my sewing machine is a little bit quieter now that it is clean and oiled. And the new ironing board cover looks great. (I didn't realize how difficult it would be to find a new ironing board cover...guess not enough people iron any more, so they aren't being made????) I'm still working on weeding out the dull and bent pins, however. That may take some time.
Since I was giving everything a tune-up, I decided to also do some cleaning up. I don't know about you, but when I make scrap quilts, my whole work area turns "scrappy". There are bits of this and that all over: extra spools of thread I pulled out to find just the right color for an applique; a pile of scraps I decided not to use but hadn't put back in the scrap bag; rulers of various sizes; buttons and ribbons and pearl cotton and embroidery floss for possible embellishments; etc, etc. I took the time to put all of the excess away, I dusted off my work space and I vacuumed the area. That, too, made a big difference, not just in the way things looked, but also in my attitude. I feel rejuvenated and ready to start in again on my projects, and yes, to make another mess! :)
That will have to wait a while, though, because we're off to Oklahoma again. Savannah will be baptized on Sunday. I can't wait to see how much she's grown in the past month and my husband is looking forward to finally meeting his newest granddaughter! (Yes, I have some hand-sewing projects packed--I'll work on those when I'm not holding the baby!)
Happy stitching...Carol :)

Time for a "Pit Stop"

I need to take a lesson from the race car drivers. When their car is not running at peak efficiency, they make a pit stop.
For the past three weeks I have been on a mission to sew up all the projects in my design notebook. I've done nothing but cut out and sew. Yesterday I took a GOOD look at my tools--there is a big hole in my ironing board cover (I've just been ironing over it...); my sewing machine is full of fuzz and the needle is surely dull; my rotary cutter skips a thread every now and then (I think I tried to cut a pin a while ago); and many of the straight pins I've been trying to use are bent or won't go through the fabrics! I've had my eye on the finish line and have just put up with these little irritants.
Today I decided to do something about these things. The short time it will take will make a big difference in the joy I get from sewing, not to mention the quality of the finished projects!
Hope you have a joyful day of sewing today!
Carol :)