Thursday, October 23, 2014

OCTOBER 2014



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