Thursday, September 07, 2006

Post Vacation Blues

I just got back from a wonderful trip to Colorado and I feel a little down today. It doesn't help that I have got a cold, and a few deadlines to worry about. I am still anxiously awaiting the letter that tells me if my quilt made it into the PIQF show. I am trying to think positive thoughts, like "who will I tell first?". Wouldn't it be fun to go see my quilt in the show? It would be a great excuse to go visit my sister for a week-end. Then I start thinking about the cost of air-fare! But it would be so worth it!!

I have 8 days to finish quilting a queen size quilt, and finish a baby quilt for the quilt show next week-end. Last year I promised myself that I would not enter anything that was not finished, but I conned myself into entering my Jewel of the Prairie quilt because I may not be able to show it next year. And I entered the baby quilt because I had it all cut out. Unfortunately, here I am again, frantically quilting against a deadline. I suppose I do some of my best work at the last moment, but I think I'd like to not be working this way!

Monday I took Jewel down to the quilt shop and pin-basted it. I quilted 1/4 of it Tuesday, and another 1/4 on Wednesday. I should be able to finish it tomorrow, then have it bound over the week-end. The baby quilt has the top sewn, but I am not satisfied with the border. So, I may have to make a trip to buy a new border for it. So, I keep telling myself I'm ok, I have time, I may not be getting up early friday to sew labels and sleeves on. But I know I probably will!

Back to vacation. I took a ton of pictures, and may have some landscape ideas for quilts. We had a great time, and the whole trip went well except for the severe storm in Pueblo! We were trapped in the midst of 3.5 inches of rain in 30 minutes combined with 70 mph winds. In a Taco Bell Drive-through. We actually did end up getting some food, but there was no way to get to my parents house to eat it! So we very cautiously drove across the flooded street to higher ground in a dry cleaners lot and watched all the fools speeding through lakes of water. The amazing thing is that we didn't actually see anyone get stuck! About a half mile down the road a lady tried to drive her SUV through a railway underpass and just about drowned. I don't know what she was thinking! Luckily by-standers rescued her and no one was injured. There were tons of trees and branches in the streets afterward, and the next day we took a drive through a nearby park I played in as a child and there were about a dozen trees completely ripped out of the ground. Big trees laying around like pick-up sticks. We speculate that there may have been a tornado, but the storm was so bad no one could actually see it! It was an exciting thing, and it made our vacation very memorable! We were very glad to come through it safely, and to have an interesting tale to tell. We know God's hand is on us!

I am glad to be home and back to my sewing machine, even though I am a bit pressured at the time. The quilt is quilting nicely - I've really enjoyed working with the batiks. I'm promising pictures of the finished product next week!

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