Unhappy

Sometimes Ginger is unhappy. Even when you take her to the fair. When she decides she has nothing to smile about, you better watch out.

And then, just like that, she can decide that life is fun. Ginger truly has a mind of her own. I love her for it.

Progress Report

Here are a few things I've been working on lately.

First up is this really cute Garden Fence quilt. I still need to add a couple of borders, because who doesn't love a border or two? The fabric is mostly Penny Lane by Riley Blake. It's so pretty and girly.

Next up is Wedding Quilt #3. I haven't given it to our friends yet. They just returned from their honeymoon and I'm waiting until we get together. I cannot remember what the fabric is, but I found it in Pittsburgh. So, if you like it, go to Pittsburgh. They might have more. The pattern came from my favorite book. Of course.

 Here's the back. I used fabric in a complementary shade, since I didn't have time to go to Pittsburgh and get more fabric.

 And finally, I cut into some of my pretty fabrics. Christmas sewing has begun!

What have you been working on lately? Hopefully something pretty. Life's too short to make ugly things, you know.

Monday, Monday

I uploaded some pictures from my camera and found this gem from the county fair last week:

I don't like rides anymore. It's how I know I'm old. We were inside the belly of a dragon. Mini-me thought it was fun to spin said dragon as fast as it would go. I thought it was nauseating.

This weekend I got to cut into my Ruby:

I love pretty stacks of cut fabric! In case you're wondering, I ordered my fabric from Thimbleanna, and it came wrapped with pretty twine. I'm making this quilt with it. It requires 2 charm packs and a yard of background. I think I may add a border, but I'm not sure yet. Maybe once the top is all pieced, we can decide together.

I have a grouchy Ginger at home today. She has a runny nose, so perhaps she's grouchy because she doesn't feel well. Yesterday she was very grouchy at church. She's just a little grouch. People tell me it's because of her hair, but I'm pretty sure she'd act the same as a brunette. Mini-me was also a grouch at this stage. I don't know where they get it from, since I am a delight.

The Post in Which You All Feel Sorry For Me.....Again

Please, pity me. I have nowhere to sew.

Pity me, because I have 4 charm packs of this, calling my name:

Pity me, because I have not only a jelly roll, but also a layer cake of Terrain. It too sings to me from the depths of my fabric cupboard. 

Do you feel so sorry for me yet? No? How about when I tell you I have some of this:

Oh, and this, that I actually have project deadlines for:

It's truly a tragedy. Such pretty things and yet they cannot be used to their full potential. I know, you are all weeping for me. I can hear it from here. I feel your pain feeling my pain, and I thank you.

On the other hand, since I cannot sew like I want, nor can I store my clean clothes down in the laundry room, I have gotten 4 loads of laundry washed, folded, and put away. In the same day. Folks, that's miraculous right there. And, I scrubbed my bathroom. That's right, I went above the usual wipe-down with a Clorox wipe and got loopy on some fumes. I'm beginning to think someone (whose name starts with a "C" and ends with a "urly") may have prayed for something like this to happen. There are less dramatic ways to get my attention. But, I suppose we like a little drama here. In the meantime, I think I'll go stroke some fabric while I wait for the next load to be dry.

Ugh

We have been through a hurricane (sort of) and a tropical storm (a little bit) in the past month. We have had more rain than you can shake a stick at. Apparently it's a very large rain stick we're shaking. Through all of this, our basement has come through with flying colors. I know, because I've been down there. My sewing area is in the basement, as is my laundry area. I have been prepping for fall craft shows, so I have logged a lot of subterranean hours. But last night, as the heavens opened yet again, our basement decided to leak in no less than 5 places. Little streams crisscrossed  all over the floor. We moved everything of value to higher ground, which took less than 3 minutes as the last 2 floods have cleared out most everything down there.

Last night I felt despondent, but today has dawned with a new sense of purpose: I must find a place to sew. But where? I don't want to take over my dining room, and the bedroom is out of the question. Maybe there is space for me in the attic? Or maybe it won't take long to fix the leaks. Who knows. What is apparent is that I haven't learned my water lesson yet. Hopefully I can learn it this time.

Sewing Tip

This weekend I loaded up Wedding Quilt #3 on the Mega Quilter. I know, I know. The wedding was 3 weeks ago. The other two I did this summer were gifted right on time. An average of 2 out of 3 is not too bad. Anyway, I thought I would share a little tip on keeping your row straight. Since I rarely finish a quilt in one sitting, or even two for that matter, I have to leave myself clues so I don't make a mistake. Once my blocks are sewn together into rows, I label the rows, like so:

I cut some scraps of white fabric into small pieces and then wrote a number each one. This quilt had seven rows, so I had numbers 1-7. Then I just pin it to the left edge of the row. It really helps keep everything organized so that when you go to sew it together, it has the right layout. Anyone else ever sew a row on upside down and then have to unpick? Such a pain! Since I started doing this, I haven't had that problem. 

The quilt is all quilted, so today is binding day. It coincides so perfectly with premier week on TV. I am so excited for my shows to come back! I think I am most excited about Fringe. That show is so weirdly awesome.

Shameless Promotion Alert! I added a couple of items to my etsy shop. The Halloween banners are particularly darling!

I Can Read Now

Yesterday, Patch came home from school with the best news ever. He said, "I can read now." And he did. He read a book entitled Go, Go, Go. I was amazed. Not only could he read, but he could read without looking at the pages. I mean, have you ever seen a Kindergartner with such skill? Today when he got home, however, was a different story. He was a sad Patch as he announced, "I can't read anymore." Oh such triumphs and failures felt at age 5! His teacher, who is awesome, called today to give me a progress report. All I've ever wanted for my kids is for them to be popular. Well, according to his teacher, not only is he popular, but he is also excelling in certain areas. Which one? Line leadership. Yep, Patch is the best dang line leader in his class. I am so proud. Kindergarten rocks.

Weight Loss Wednesday

Oh me, oh my. I have had a hard time getting back into the weight loss swing of things lately. Anyone else with me? Part of the problem stems from the fact that I love ice cream. One of the things I often ask my kids when they are naughty and trying to blame it on anything else is: Who is in control of your body? And that's the question I've been asking myself lately. Who is in control of what I eat? I am in control. Easier said than done, though. Especially when the plate of sweet potato fries is staring you in the face.

Fall is in the forecast for this week. I am so excited. Soon it will be time to turn off the AC, open the windows, and let the fall air fill the house. It's also perfect quilting weather. I have two quilts that are almost finished that I cannot wait to show you. I have also started sewing for upcoming craft shows. It's the most wonderful time of year for me!

Decorations

Am I the only one excited for Halloween decorations? I doubt it. My friend, Joan, put together the cutest subway art on her blog:

And then she did another one and is offering it for free. FREE! Go here to print your own. I have the perfect blank wall for it. Is it too early to put it up this week? How about next?

10 Years

10 years ago, I arrived to my office about 15 minutes early. Unheard of. I was wearing a brown pencil skirt from J. Crew with a blue button down shirt from Talbots. My shoes were 9 West and were brown crocodile with blue interior. I looked cute and professional. I was 23, single, and working on Capitol Hill for a Congressman from Arizona. My job was to schedule his time. The TV in my office was tuned in to cable news, and within minutes of my arrival, the image on the screen was of smoke coming out of a building in New York. I watched, transfixed. My boss called on the phone to find out what was going on. These were the days before smart phones, before text messaging, and when Blackberries were a luxury. People still called on the phone when they needed information. He was in a hearing for one of his committees, and I told him I would keep him posted. Not long after that phone call, we watched as another plane hit another building. Then unconfirmed reports came in of a building being hit in DC. I looked out our West facing window and saw black smoke. I got the Congressman back on the phone and said, "I think you need to come back to the office. Now." He arrived at the same time as the Capitol Police officer, calling for evacuation. We picked up our bags and walked quickly outside to the sidewalk across from the Capitol building. As we looked around, wondering what to do next, another Capitol Police officer told us to get away quickly, as another plane was headed toward the Capitol. Our press secretary lived in a row house on Capitol Hill, so we headed to his house. I spent the next 45 minutes on the phone with the airlines, trying to find the plane that my boss's wife was on. It left from the same airport as the flight that hit the Pentagon left from. It had been grounded in Iowa.

There are a lot of things I will never forget about that day. There are a lot of things that I cannot remember. Did we eat? What time did I get home that night? Small details that are gone. What I do remember is the fear, sadness, and disbelief that I felt.

When I got home, I turned the TV on again. I watched as the Congressman and Senators gathered on the steps of the Capitol and sang "God Bless America." That's when I felt hope. The next day, I got up and went to work, just as I did every day. I don't remember what I was wearing. I wasn't afraid, but it didn't feel normal. In the weeks that followed, I helped the Red Cross hold a blood drive in my office building. I signed in hundreds of Congressional staffers who wanted to do something, anything. Our office closed in October for a week when anthrax was sent to The Hill. I learned how to put on a Haz-Mat suit. I found a place in the office for our new gas masks. Nothing was ever "normal" again, but life went on. Life always does.

My heart and thoughts today mostly go out to the family members of those people on the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania. The flight that was headed toward the Capitol. Those people are my personal heroes. Because of their bravery, I went back to work on September 12. Because of their sacrifice, my life went on. I can never forget.

Baby Shower Gift

I know a lot of people having babies right now. And, for most of them, it's their third or higher baby. By the third baby, all your stuff is gross and you need new. Lately my "go-to" gift has been a Daddy Diaper Tote. Basically it's a diaper caddy where you can put diapers, wipes, and a change of clothes. When it's time to change baby, you just hand it to Daddy and he takes care of it. It's also great for someone like me, who changes bags with astonishing frequency. I just grab it and put it in my new bag and I have everything I need.

For a shower gift, I make a Daddy Diaper Tote and gift it with travel wipes, diaper cream, and antibacterial hand gel. Useful, practical, and pretty. I made this one out of the new DS Quilts fabric found at Joanns:

 Here's the inside:

 I love this particular print a lot. I think I need to go back and get 5 yards to make a dress for Ginger and a skirt for Mini-me.

And here's one that I did a couple of weeks ago, also out DS Quilts fabric:

Love love love DS Quilts fabric. Hate hate hate that it's at Joanns. I like to shop at and support local businesses, not big chains. My way to "stick it to them" is to use as many coupons as possible. Take that, big box store.

I have another baby shower in 2 weeks. I wonder what fabric I'll use.

Finished Bag

So here is the bag in all it's finished loveliness: 

I have just enough fabric left for a small project. Maybe a wristlet or a pencil roll or something else cute and little.

Lynn over at Alamosa Quilter is having a giveaway. Go enter to win a $20 gift certificate from The Intrepid Thread! What would I get, you ask? This.

Excessive

It's been raining. Excessively raining. The kind of rain that is either spitting at you or drenching you, but it's always there. Even I, who loves rain, thinks it's a bit much. You see, it's made me lose my mojo. Have you seen it? It's probably under the couch, or perhaps it's in the cupboard. If I felt up to it, I would look for it. But the rain is just so soothing that all I want to do is sit.

My current project is a bag made out of these lovelies:

I found this fabric while in Pittsburgh in March. Oh how I wish I had bought more. It's just so fun and I can think of about 20 more uses for it.

Oh wait! I think I know where my mojo is. It's on the porch, under the dripping umbrella. I think I'll take a nap.

A Little Finish

We got a new bookshelf after The Great Flood of '11. It's pretty, and kind of big. I can fit my baking staples containers right on a shelf, instead of taking up counter space. I didn't like that they might scratch the shelf, especially during those times of year I turn into a baking machine. Please note the army guy on the shelf. I'm not sure when he was added, but I have noticed a decline in kitchen crimes in the past few weeks.

 I really loved the quatrefoil block found at Modify Tradition. On a side note, does anyone know why that blog ended? I so loved it. {sigh} Anyway, I needed to modify the block myself and make it 9" instead of 12". Math is hard, especially late at night. Which is why it took me 4 days to do this, instead of one.

 But now that its' done, I love it! I used some of Amanda's fabulous fabric, that I just happened to have laying around in a sealed box to prevent it from potential flood damage. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not.

 Here it is, on the shelf. It's a perfect fit. Math may be hard, but it's necessary. Stay in school.

The army guy is back in position, and my kitchen is just a little bit prettier. Now that this little project is done, I am going to go sandbag the perimeter of the house. We are supposed to get up to 6" of rain in the next few days. Please pray that we don't have flood #3 this year. I just couldn't handle it.

And The Winner Is....

Thanks to everyone who entered. 262 comments! That's a world record for my blog. I feel pretty awesome about it. So without further ado, the winner of the fat quarter stack is:

#189: Nancy

Would someone like to tell me why blogger can't number their comments? Aye yi yi! Anyway, congrats to Nancy. I hope you enjoy this fabric! What are you going to do with it? Besides stroke it and lay it lovingly against your cheek, of course.

Happy Friday, everyone! This week has been exhausting, but good. I hope to show you a new little project this weekend, so check back in, okay?