I’m
suffocating. Seriously.
The
holidays are fast approaching; the 2014 PWQ Quilt Challenge is due in mere
days. Days, I tell ya. I’ve got projects all over the place and none are
completed nor near completion.
I’m
suffocating.
The
leaves are changing, stripping from their trees. Exposed. Naked. Balding on
top. Whatever. Without coverage, you can see the skeletons, the bare bones, the
flaws. Exposure. The fears.
I
need … to hide. Cover-up. Have more time. Find my way out of the UFPs (Unfinished
Projects). But how? If I move this project to work on that project, then this
other project will get lost in the shuffle and I need to finish that project
before I can work on this project, but I need to find/purchase a thingamabob in
order to finish the first project. …
Kind
of like Who’s on first? Isn’t it? To refresh your memory:
So
I got an idea … what if I put the various UFPs into bins or totes? They’re be
ready to go and stackable. I can pull one out and work on it and later, put it
away and work on another UFP. Not bad. Not bad at all. Totes to contain the
chaos.
Aaah,
there’s a trick. I know there is. What is it? Oh, there it is. Buried in the
middle of the last paragraph. Here, let me show you.
Work on it and
later, put it away.
Did
you notice it? Let me really bring it to your attention.
Put it away.
Now
do you see it? After you’re finished working on a project, take an extra five/ten
minutes to clean up your workspace, put tools and equipment away (or ready for
your next work session), and put your project away – all the pieces – until the
next time you’re able to work on it. Maybe, dare I say, make a note of where
you left off or what you need to gather.
I
know, I know. It seems so simple that you don’t need to be told this, but guess
what? Cactus Kilter Quilter needs all the tips and advice she can get. Even
from herself. (Did you ever notice how things just come out of her mouth and if
you wait a second, you’ll know how she hears what she’s just said and react.
Most times she’s just as surprised/shocked/clueless/amazed as you are.) So
before you get all riled up, CKQ will be reading this blog and think, “Put it
away for now, that’s a good idea.”
Oh
and the squirrel factor.
You
haven’t heard about the squirrel
factor?
I’m
working on a quilt and reaching for – Oooh! Squirrel! That’s an interesting
mini tote. I gotta make me one of those. I think I have the same tote pattern
in a larger size and I can quickly resize it to these new dimensions. Wait!
Wasn’t I working on a quilt? The 2014 Challenge quilt? Oh yeah, I needed the
fabric to make binding and if I have to make one more squirrel I’m going to
scream!
A
nice hot cuppa tea is just what I need. With a dollop of cream. Mmmmm, you
know, a nip of peppermint on this cold day is just the ticket … Hours later, oh
yeah, the quilt.
The
squirrel factor. Trix® is not just for kids, silly rabbit.
October’s
meeting was all touchy, feely.
Linda
Beauchamp spoke about how to get kids involved in quilting from a young age
(too young to know better) and before you knew it, six and eight-year olds are
whipping out professional, award-winning quilts, dolls, totes, and sandwiches –
and not just the PB&J ones either!
Who
didn’t get excited about kids and quilting? I wanted to gather the kids from
across the street and form my own Kids Quilting Campouts. Oooh, another
squirrel!
The
guild made holiday mug rugs during the program. Mine? In pieces. One of those
suffocating projects I was telling you about earlier. Why? I got an idea… I
could turn this huge mug rug into a
bowl rug for microwaving my soups or eat sugared popcorn from, or turn it into
a small wall hanging or something beyond being a mug rug… (The brain is
exhausting me.) Find a tote CKQ. Add it to your To-Do Tote Stack and …squirrel.
Evie
Sheldon demonstrated the square within the square block. But this one’s
different because you take two squares, different sizes, fold and stitch four
seams and voila! You’re done. I’ll go see if I can find something on the
Internet … my instructions didn’t make it home with me.
Ta
Dah! I found Peg Spradlin demonstrating the Fold and Sew method here.
CKQ
is using her brain to remember the square sizes but she thinks it’s the 10” and
5” squares, just like Peg demo to get a 9” finished block. (9.5” x 9.5”
unfinished block) so that means if you have precuts, you can whip them up
easy-peasy. Especially the Wounded Warrior blocks because Evie recommended red
5” center square and blue 10” outer square or blue 5” center square and white
10” outer square. You do know you’re able
to put your names in the drawing for the regular blocks even if you make WW
blocks, don’t you?
December’s
party, Dec. 1st @ 6pm, dining @ 6:30pm will be catered by last
year’s fabulous caterer, Lora Osborne. Cost: $10 to be paid by Nov. 2nd.
If you don’t pay by this next meeting, you’re NOT invited to the party. (You
better pay because an Elf told us at the meeting that there’ll be lots of games
and the gift exchange is a pin cushion wrapped in a fat quarter.)
Yesterday,
CKQ saw a notepad with a pen-hole and wondered if she could get away with a
Swiss pen cushion. I don’t think you could take many notes on the pad but it’ll
be full of pens.
Not
funny?
Not
even the reference to Swiss cheese?
What
about mixing the pens for the pins? No?
I’m hungry…. Squirrel!
Cactus Kilter Quilter
