Two Down

Okay, I can finally show you my second quilt of the eleven I plan to finish in 2011--I've been calling this the Back Home Again/Ellery quilt (pattern name/fabric line) for lack of a better name but I'm going to have to come up with something that actually fits. The shades/colors remind me of sherbet. Any suggestions?

This isn't a great photo. The original photo file was sharper but too large so I had to adjust it down a bit. Oh, well. You can kind of see there on the side that I added the white eyelet lace around the edge. You can also kind of see in this photo and the next one the pillow covers I made, but they're on the back pillows, so you can only see the tops of them. I also covered the panels on the wall.

Funny story: The panels are foam core board at their base and are attached to the wall with Velcro. I had only completed the middle one and put it up last night before we went to bed. As Hubby and I were starting to drift off to sleep, we heard the unmistakable sound of Velcro separating. The light came back on, and sure enough--the panel was half off the wall. I resecured it, but I don't think either of us got a very sound sleep, wondering whether we'd be hit on the head in the middle of the night by a falling fabric panel!

This evening (as I watched Amazing Race and the Academy Awards), I pieced a throw pillow cover to match. Can you tell the cats like the new quilt?

When they're cluttering up an area like this, I call it "kitty litter." It's time, now, to go nudge them aside, because it's MY turn to enjoy the new quilt!

Pincushion Ramble

It seems my Chinese pincushion revived memories for some of you who had a relative with a similar pincushion or, in some instances, you had one yourself that was old and nearly falling apart. The comments that were left on yesterday's post started me thinking today about pincushions.

I rounded up all my pincushions and took a photo. The big on on the bottom right was made by Darlene at Quilting Daze, and the brown wool one with an image of a black Featherweight was made by my stitchery friend, Imelda. The hat in the front with a yo-yo flower on the brim was made by a friend who belongs to the same Yahoo group I do--several of us got together at a retreat in Utah and she made everyone a pincushion. I used her idea later and made some for students in one of my quilting classes, and then I modified the pattern a bit more to make the witch's hat pincushion--I made a bunch of them for quilting students in one of my Halloween quilt classes.

The one in the center bottom, made with tiny flying geese, was made for me by an online friend in that same Yahoo group I mentioned, and the one with the cherry fabric was one I made--again I made several and gave them to my quilting students. One of my favorites is the Mary Engelbreit chair--I found that one in a thrift store. Isn't it funny how each of our pincushions reminds us of something--a friend or event?

I can't think about pincushions without thinking about Mar. Mar had a blog called Pincushion Diaries. Each year she attended Alex Anderson's retreat and made pincushions for everyone. You can click on the link above to see some of the pincushions she made one year--there's a photo of them in her blog header. If I remember correctly, it wasn't long after the 2008 retreat that Mar became suddenly and horribly ill and passed away after a long hospital stay. I know the blog world--those of us who have been around for several years and "knew" her--still think of her from time to time. I wonder if any of you reading this have a "Mar pincushion"?

The pincushion below is the one I probably use most. It's small and easy to pack up to take with me for classes and stitchery get togethers and it's also probably the first handmade pincushion I owned.

Oddly enough, despite all of my pincushions, most of my pins are in the little plastic box they came in. And I seriously need to buy more pins--but first, I'll need to find some I like. My favorites are long and skinny. I'll need a lot to fill all those pincushions!

How about you? Do you have a favorite pincushion with a story to tell about it?

Made in China

It's hard to believe that a year ago, I was on leave from work due to carpal tunnel problems. You may recall that I woke up on the last Saturday of January 2010 with numbness in both hands and arms, after spending an intense and stressful couple of weeks at work. Of course, carpal tunnel problems take time to develop, but working for two young attorneys with nothing but rush typing projects was, apparently, the straw that broke the camel's wrists. And the battle scars went deep--I didn't even realize at the time how stressed and emotionally traumatized I was until I'd been off work for a month or so.

After surgery in June, I returned to work at the beginning of August. Secretarial staff had been reassigned while I was out, and I wasn't sure what I'd be doing when I went back. Within a week or so, the office manager talked to me about switching jobs with a friend of mine. To say I was hesitant is an understatement, because the attorney I'd be working for wasn't very well known to me, but what little I'd heard wasn't very positive--she seemed to be somewhat demanding and I didn't think we'd get along at all. Seriously, I was afraid I'd be jumping from the frying pan into the fire, and if things didn't work out, what was my alternative? Looking for another job after being with my firm for 18 years? Not something I even wanted to contemplate. In the end, though, after giving it much thought and talking to a few coworkers whose opinions I trusted, I agreed to give it a try.

And it's the weirdest thing--I really enjoy working for this attorney. She and I have the same attitude to handling cases, with similar experience and knowledge levels. Most of the time we find we are in complete agreement on how to approach a situation and solve problems. And the level and type of work she does is a nice balance for me--she's a younger partner, so her case load is varied and interesting and there's not enough of any one thing to make it boring. And, best of all, she seems to value my input.

At first, I was somewhat skeptical about how well the relationship was going because I know there's always a honeymoon period, even in a working relationship; but nearly seven months later, and everything is still going well.

And here's something that I think is kind of interesting about her: I found out early on that she is in a serious relationship with a man who works for a US company who is based, for now, in China. In October, they got engaged, and they'll be married in June. Most likely, his time in China will probably be up before too long and he'll come back to work in the US, but for now, they travel back and forth to spend a little time together every month or two.

Last week, she traveled to China to celebrate his 50th birthday, and much to my surprise, she brought me back a couple of little treats. First, perhaps predictably, she wanted to get me a pincushion--

Isn't it cute? I love all the little Chinese people (babies?) holding onto the edge of the pincushion, wearing silk clothing with hand painted faces and pigtail hair made from threads. (You can see them from the side in the photo below.)

She also gave me a brocade-covered box, and inside was a hand painted glass bottle--

The bottle is painted on the inside. Can you imagine painting scenery like this on the INSIDE of a small bottle? Crazy! What patience it must take!

My job is still somewhat stressful and busy at times, but these days, I enjoy what I'm doing and I don't have to pound on a keyboard all day long. I enjoy the work and I like my boss a lot--who is, as you can see, quite thoughtful. Yep, it's hard to believe that a year ago, I had so many problems. Sometimes it seems like the year's gone by super fast, but then sometimes it seems like a lot has happened during that time. What a difference a year can make!

Wrong, On So Many Levels!

Well, Yes, As a Matter of Fact . . .

it IS all about me! Hey, it's MY blog, right? Okay, I'm just teasing. I want to show you, though, what I've been working on this week, even if it's not all that much. After all, I don't want you to think I'm a slacker. Seriously, what I've been working on has all been stuff I thought I'd get done last weekend, but the Sweet Spot quilt top took longer than anticipated.

First, I got caught up on the Layer Cake Quilt Along blocks--block 8 and block 9. Here's 8:

The teal floral fabric in block 8 is the fabric I thought I'd use for the sashing strips (or whatever I do to set these) but I think I'll have to wait and see how the rest of the blocks look because now I'm not sure. I have the "alphabet" print from this line (Wee Woodland) that's set on a black background to use for the border and I know I want to stick with that. Anyway, here's block 9:

I was curious to see how the blocks would look so far, so I put the first nine blocks up on the design wall--

I don't know--they just don't look very unified to me at this point. And I really need to applique something into that basket block.

I'm still debating whether to participate in the Waiting for Spring Block-a-Palooza. I thought I might try to get some of those blocks pieced, but I'm just not sure if that's what I want to do with the Sunkissed fabric. I DO, though, like the recent block designs better. But then I saw Sherri had used Sunkissed for the Sweet Spot Schnibbles and it looks awesome! I guess I'll just continue to dither. How about you? I know some of you weren't sure either--have you decided yet?

I finished the Back Home/Ellery quilt and it's on my bed but I don't want to show you how it turned out until I can make the pillow cases and cover the panels on the wall behind the bed. Then I can get a good photo. I think the fabric for the panels will arrive in my mailbox this week, so I started on the pillow cases. I know, it doesn't look like much, but here's the pieced front of one of the two fitted covers:

If you remember the cotton eyelet skirts I found at the thrift store a couple weeks ago, you might be interested to know that the alternating white squares are from one of the skirts I cut up. Eventually I'll quilt the pillow fronts, and I'll probably just stitch in the ditch or something equally simple.

Well, that's it for my little show and tell. Hey, did you see Survivor? Don't you think Phillip's nuttier than a Payday candy bar? I'm not sure why they didn't just get rid of him tonight, but at least he provides a little bit of interesting insanity. And I know some of you don't like Boston Rob much, but I think you have to give him props for keeping Phillip under control at tribal council.

Well, I'm glad we could have this little discussion. Time for me to hit the hay, gals, so I'll see you later!

I Should Warn You About Gran . . .

I think she's getting kick backs from Triple A.

(If you aren't familiar with my Gran stories--and that may well be, because she and I haven't had an opportunity to get together and get into much trouble lately--she's my very good quilting buddy. She's also my embroidery guru, one of the gals who make up my stitchery group, and she has a blog--there's a link in my sidebar if you haven't read it.)

Sometime about a year ago, she and I went on a little adventure up to Paradise and Chico, and just before we headed home from Chico--a town that's about a two-hour drive from Sacramento--my car wouldn't start. We had to call AAA. And the guy came out and started it right up. Suspicious, right? Ah, just wait--there's more.

Last night, I went to Gran's house for our monthly embroidery class. As I pulled up across the street from her house, another woman pulled up right out front, and Gran came out to meet us. I had gathered up my purse and tote bag and was half out of my car when I heard Gran say something about a power failure. I stood up, set my stuff down on the seat of the car, and walked over to find out what was going on--yep, Gran said her power had been off for about an hour and she was going to have to cancel class. Well, I turned to go back to my car and realized I'd shut the door--and I was locked out with my purse and keys inside. See what I mean? I think Gran LURED me out of my car, fully intending me to lock myself out so I'd have to call AAA. Yeah, I know it seems like a bit of a stretch, but can it really be simple coincidence that she's been around the last two times I've needed assistance from AAA? I don't think so!

And there's something else. You know how on Halloween, when people don't want to buy candy and answer the door for trick or treaters, they'll turn off all the lights and pretend there's no one home? Well, just after I was LURED into locking my keys in my car, the lights in Gran's kitchen came on and I saw her hubby and son inside. So of course I have to wonder whether they didn't know about Gran's ploy to stage a fake power outage so she could turn everyone away from class and LURE me into locking myself out of my car, because obviously when they turned on the kitchen lights, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the power.

Hey, you know what they say, right? "Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get you." Yep, exactly! Oh, and that reminds me! Don't forget to watch Secret Agent Underpants on Survivor tonight, okay? It should make for some interesting viewing.

Sweet!

Are you getting tired of this quilt? Last photo--I promise! At least until I quilt it.

Frankly, I'm getting a little tired of it too. I had other things I'd planned to work on today, but once I decided on the piano key border, that was it--it took FOREVER to cut and sew those strips!

I realized today that I'd never formalized the 11 in '11 challenge. If you have decided to play along, please comment with a link to your blog so I can set up a list in my sidebar. I kind of think there should be a prize or two at the end of the year, although I haven't really thought it through yet, but I DO know that if there's going to be anything to win, you can only win if you're participating, so let me know.

What? You don't know what I'm blathering on about? Well, I decided my goal for 2011 was to finish 11 quilts, and for myself, I wasn't going to count Schnibbles quilts, because I know they're just too easy for me. I'm really going to try to concentrate on my UFOs in this challenge. AND I've actually finished my second of the year (the Back Home Again/Ellery quilt), although I haven't shown it to you yet--I need to assemble/sew a few accessories before I'll be able to get a good photo.

So, anyway, if this sounds like a challenge you'd like to accept, please comment with your link and I'll put you in my sidebar.

Our long (three-day) holiday weekend is over and it's time for bed--back to work in the morning. I'm glad you could stop by for a visit!

And Off You Go . . .

I have a couple places I want to send you to, but first I wanted to show you how the Schnibbles Sweet Spot quilt is coming along. It's actually complete as far as the pattern goes--

. . . but I want to make mine a little larger. I'm considering a couple different options right now and I'll show you whatever I decide. I think this will look terrific on the kitchen table this summer! I used (mostly) the American Jane line, Punctuation.

My blog friend Robin is a teacher and has a funny post about parents and kids. Quite a few of my quilting friends here in Sacramento are either teachers or aides, so I know they'll completely identify with Robin's post. You can read it HERE. If you're a teacher, work in a school, are retired from teaching, or work with kids in daycare, will you consider sharing one of your favorite stories in a comment here? I love reading about what kids get up to!

Another blog friend north of the border, Cara, recently experienced an epiphany concerning women's shelters and what she could do to help. She has issued a challenge to her readers that you can read about HERE. As if helping those in need isn't reward enough, Cara has rounded up a whole bunch of people who have donated prizes to reward Cara's readers for joining her in doing good things for others. Check it out.

Nothing But Time

I found myself being a little lazy on the first day of the three-day President's Day weekend. For some reason, I felt a bit chilled, and even my fuzzy bright pink and neon green striped socks couldn't warm up my feet. So I curled up and read for part of the day, and I played around on the computer for awhile, and then I took a nap with my furry feline family. I'll admit I felt like a slacker, but I think sometimes we all need to take time to relax and decompress. After all, isn't that what three-day weekends are for?

I finally made my way into the Sweat Shop late in the afternoon. As I was sewing this evening, I heard part of a commercial that went something like this: "Sometimes you need tomorrow to finish what you started today." Now, isn't that the truth? Particularly when it comes to quilting, which is rarely ever fast.

Many years ago, my sister-in-law changed jobs--I think it was when she had to leave dental assisting because of her latex allergy and go into an office/desk job. She was frustrated by never being able to go home at the end of the day with everything done--there were always things to come into the next day. And I remember thinking the idea of leaving at the end of the day with everything completed was totally alien--I'd never even thought of the possibility! The closest I've ever gotten was when I've gone on vacation and did what I could to not leave any "fires" for anyone to deal with, but even then, there were always things left to be done when I returned.

So, all things considered, I guess it's okay to take a little time to be lazy, because no matter how hard I try, I'm never going to finish everything, right? I might as well just take it easy and enjoy the journey.

When I finally got into the Sweat Shop, I started work on this month's Le Petite project, Sweet Spot. I have been cutting the pieces for the star blocks off and on for the past two weeks, so I was able to get the blocks pieced this evening.

I still have to sew them together and then start on the border piecing, and I haven't cut those pieces at all yet.

While I worked tonight, I had a little bit of help--Stitch kept me company part of the time. Doesn't he look like a stern task-master?

Spike, though--well she obviously doesn't need to be reminded that life's not a race.

Pride and Joy

Do you remember Ted? He's the attorney in my office who, in his spare time, is the lead singer for a local band, The Q-Balls. I talked about him before when we had our firm "event" at the zoo. Remember?

Well, at another firm "event," our annual holiday lunch, the partners auctioned off various and sundry "services" they had donated, and all proceeds went to a local animal shelter called Happy Tails. Ted's "service" was to take the winner's turn at cleaning the office refrigerator, a task done on a rotating basis by all of the office's secretarial and admin staff. (Yeah, I know--a fairly feudal system really, but no one's elevated me to queen yet, so I don't have the power to institute more democratic policies.)

Anyway, since Ted also sings pretty darn well, we challenged him to sing while he cleaned the fridge. And today was his turn to clean.

So, for your enjoyment, here's Ted.

And while he cleaned the fridge, he sang, a capella, Stevie Ray Vaughn's song, Pride and Joy. You can play the You Tube version, with lyrics, while you watch Ted clean. I know it's not quite the same as actually being there, but it's the best I can do.

Bet you've never seen an attorney clean a refrigerator before, have you? See the paper towel in his hand? That's so he didn't actually have to touch anything icky.

Okay, I have to tell you the truth. Attorneys don't clean refrigerators. They have staff to do it. Poor Ted really had no idea what needed to be done. We tried to explain to him how he needed to check "sell by" dates and remove anything that looked like a science project, but I don't really think he got it.

Still, he sang darn well, so that made up for it. See how he's kind of bent over in the photo above? He actually wrote some refrigerator-cleaning lyrics to go with the tune. Yep, the fun never ends at our office. Now we just need to get the partner who donated a day of his time to staff one of the secretary's desks to pay up. I'll keep you posted.