Wednesday, April 12, 2006

9 to 5 (actually 10 to 6)

I really don't know how any woman can work full time and still keep up with house, family, bills... I worked two 8 hours days so far this week and I am wiped out! I need a day to recuperate already! Hats off to all you ladies who can do it all and still stay sane and healthy!!!

I finished a couple of big sewing jobs this weekend, so am feeling much less stressed. I have some pants to alter today, and some skirts to get started hemming. Then I can get around to the quilting stuff, guilt free. I pieced the back to the blue and yellow quilt, just need to get it basted - that's my goal for Friday. I'll bring it to work with me, and when it's quiet I can do that. One of the perks to working in a quilt shop! The really bad thing is I am working from my stash in April and yesterday we got in some absolutely wonderful florals. I am consoling myself with the thought that they will not be all gone by the end of the month and I can have some in May!

I have volunteered to be on the Committee for the 2007 raffle quilt for Sand N Sea. A group of us are getting together today to start throwing some ideas out there. It's a group of the old guard from the guild, so it should be fun. I had been contemplating heading up the committee, but someone else beat me to it which is great, because I have trouble heading up much of anything! I'm a much better worker bee than a queen bee (I was going to say something else, but decided it was possibly offensive!) So, this way I can have the fun of being part of it, but not have to be responsible. Ooh, maybe I can suggest that we use those new florals! Then I can play with them, but not have to actually buy them! And the romantic look is so in right now - this could be a really good plan (or plot as the case may be).

Stay tuned for further developments!!!

Friday, April 07, 2006

Working long hours this week!

While Sharan is out of town we are working long hours at the shop this week! It definitely supports my opinion that I would rather be an employee at a quilt shop than own one. Of course while she has been gone this week there have been several unusual and urgent matters that we have had to handle. All in all, though it is fun and challenging, it's just that I would not like to have to deal with these things every day. Next week I have three days of 10 - 6, so I will likely not get a whole lot of quilting done at home, but I have a shop sample to work on should it be slow at the shop. Actually my two days this week were pretty busy.

This is my pick four challenge. It doesn't really have a name yet, it's just the blue and yellow quilt I made from the No Boundaries book. It has some fusible applique on it - not easy to see, but some of the flowers flow out of the blocks onto the neighboring blocks. I want to do something different on the quilting, but I haven't really decided what I want to do yet. I have to piece the backing and layer it, so I'll be contemplating the quilting all the while! Which is usually how I approach the quilting portion. As I work on it, I'll try to remember to add more pictures. I don't want to do it in a hurry, I want to take my time and do something a little special with it.

I picked up a new book this week - Fabric Art Journals. It looks very inspiring and fun. I hope to have some time after next week to explore some of the ideas in this book. I think they could make very cool gifts for special people in my life! I'm thinking I'd like to do one for my friend Marvel who is having open heart surgery in two weeks. She is a really special lady, so say a prayer or two for her in the next couple of weeks.

I finished the quilt for my daughters school last week - spent quite a few hours on it, so I hope it does well at the auction. I forgot to take a picture of it before I handed it over, so I'll have to get one at the auction. There was some puckering in the top due to a very puffy batting, but once I washed the marker out of it you really couldn't tell. From now on, when I do something like this I will donate my own batting - then at least I know the quilting won't be such a pain!