Good day!! It's taken me a week to finish this post and I just scrapped the whiny bits! While I needed to write them out, I decided I didn't need to share them because the few conversations I've had with folks over the past couple weeks have started out with a negative whiny statement to which I find myself responding with a deflated sigh. And I don't want you to respond to me with a deflated sigh!!
One of the best things I did in the past was to realize I could depend on stitching to calm me down! It is definitely my default action when I am struggling to function. That default response means I can reflect back over the past couple weeks with satisfaction in spite of the challenges of Covid life. Recognizing this is good for my head and my heart so I remember to embrace the good bits.
Fact -- My sourdough baking has improved and the fragrant scent of fresh bread lifts my mood. Therefore, I need to keep baking (and since I shouldn't eat all of it, I should share more of it).
(Ciabatti from Emilie Raffe's book, Artisan Sourdough Made Simple.)
Fact -- Setting goals prods me to accomplish more than not setting goals. I've set a really ambitious quilt making goal for this year -- to finish 19 quilt tops and empty that shelf! One of the keys to achieving the goal probably needs to be not starting new quilt tops (at least for a while).
So last week, to cope with my "urge to piece" I assembled this set of Courthouse Stars blocks that are my last teaching sample for this pattern! The blocks were all pieced and sorted into labeled rows -- all I needed to do was cut and piece the border units. It's a sweet quilt but there are already a half dozen versions of it in my family so this twin size quilt top is for sale -- it's 60" by 80" and could be enlarged (by the buyer) with an additional border. The price is $135 which includes shipping (USA only). You can email me at maryhueyquilts at hotmail dot com if you are interested. I also added the pattern to my Etsy shop as a downloadable PDF -- only $6 and it's been made by lots of students!
Here's a close-up of one corner so you can see the border print better.
Fact -- It's easier to reach goals with some help from friends!!
To kick start the big finishing push, I sent two quilt tops off to professional machine quilters.
Yesterday, I bound the first one and added it to the quilt pile on the guest bed!!
One down, eighteen to go!
I also decided to send my most recent quilt top finish -- Winter Frost from the Moda Bakeshop sewalong in December -- out to a machine quilter. It's not on the list of 19, but what's the point of finishing one and adding one??? Pretty pleased with this blue beauty and just love the path of bear paws through the center! Such a clever idea (not mine)!!
Face -- I get bored easily and frustrated sometimes.
So I'm not shy about working actively on several project at the same time. Typically, there is a machine quilting project, a machine piecing project, and a hand work project to keep me entertained. The current hand work project is my big dodecagon quilt. My goal is to finish a hoops-worth every evening and then I set it up for the next day. Progress is being made on #18 of nineteen!!
Fact -- Sometimes I need a quick finish to perk me up!!
Pat, a friend in Maryland, recently posted a
mug cozy on Instagram and shared the link to the pattern. When I saw it, I wanted one for the studio since my tea is always going cold up there. A small box of bright cutting scraps provided the inspiration for the color palette and soon I was quilting the outer shell slabs.
The only modification I made in the pattern instructions was to stitch the lining pieces together with a 3/8" seam and trim 3/8" off the lower edge of the lining so it would lay more smoothly inside the outer shell. Even the binding is some strips from the 2 1/2" strip box stitched together!
Fact -- I crave time with cheerful people -- I sound cheerful in the blog but it's not my default mode.
So (thank goodness), there's babysitting!! Reading and being silly are favorite activities right now.
He's a chip off the old block -- his Dad was just as goofy.
They have lots of books and it goes like this.
Pick out a book, thrust it at Grandma or Auntie Al, plop down in her lap and read.
They are starting to have favorite books which is fun and learning to take turns with my lap!
I challenge you to find the satisfaction in your life today.
Somedays, it's a hard thing to recognize but it's there just the same. Use those examples to stay focused on the positive aspects of right now. In the past two weeks, I've participated in webinars with nationally recognized speakers that I would never have had access without Zoom.
Stop dragging yourself down repeating over and over what you are missing or what you are fearful about. Perk up and get busy sharing a positive view with those around you.
Good things are happening in spite of Covid. Figure out what those are for you and share!!
I see my empathy building for people of color thanks mostly to the knitting community on Instagram and that is encouraging to me because it's preparing me to be a better citizen
when the world opens back up.
Someone needs you to come alongside them and smile!
Now I have to go layer up #17 of nineteen.
Mary
Like you I have found peace and calm while quilting. Your grands are so precious! Love all your tops. Take care.
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