Gotta Run

I was talking with some women today about stuff like running marathons and extreme exercise endeavors . . . see, that's why I get a lot done. I don't clutter up my life with silly things like that. There's no way I'm running anywhere unless (1) I'm being chased by an axe murderer or (2) there's a really good fabric sale. For me, teaching a class AND going to the quilt show all in one day is just about enough to do me in. Sometimes people tell me they don't know where I get the energy to do what I do. Seriously? There are people out there running 15 miles a day to prepare for marathons and all I do is quilt!

Speaking of creative projects and the class I taught yesterday, I thought I'd show you the wreath I finished:

I'm quite pleased with it--it looks so happy! I just need to make sure the Wild Child doesn't steal it--she said these are her favorite colors and she used them to decorate her own place for Christmas last year. Maybe by the time she moves out again, I'll send it with her. We'll have to wait and see about that!

Gran and I got together today for coffee at Starbucks and I finished tying fabric to the wreath while she worked on her embroidery. She was embroidering her Joy banners (she's making two); I finished mine yesterday so I can show you how it turned out:

I think I told you about it before, but in case you missed it, it was a free pattern by Kathy Schmitz and you can find it HERE. I did mine just a little bit different from her directions--I used red instead of green floss for the dots alongside the letters. And I'm not sure where I'm going to hang it, so I haven't finished off the ribbon ends yet, but I will eventually.

Thanks for the congrats on my ribbon from the quilt show. I knew there were a few flaws in the quilt, so I was surprised to win first place; when I picked up the quilt and read the judges' critique, they noted the flaws I already knew about--you really can't get much by quilt show judges! One time, some years back, I entered a huge quilt with a lot of applique in the show and I won viewers' choice and best of show, but I failed to win a ribbon from the judges--they were looking at the quilt from a technical perspective and they were right about the errors I made. A few of my friends became quite indignant about the judges' "snub," but I knew they were right--entering something to be judged in a show is about much more than how pretty it is, so I think I was pretty lucky this time.

But enough about that. I had a little bit of time to kill when I was on the other side of town, waiting until it was time to reclaim my quilt, so I headed over to Trader Joe's and picked up just about everything I needed and didn't already have for our Thanksgiving dinner. I've also transferred the turkey from the freezer to the refrigerator--hopefully it will thaw in a couple of days and be ready for the big occasion.

It's awfully hard for me to believe Thanksgiving is almost here. Doesn't it seem like it should still be September?! Tomorrow night I'm going to do my housecleaning, and I still need to take down Halloween decorations. Maybe I need to take up marathon running--it seems like I need that skill just to keep up with everyday life!