Super Powers, New Projects and Reality

Recently I was asked what Super Power would I most like to have.  Super speed, came to mind but I rush too much anyways.  Mind Reading, No I really don't want to know what other people think.  Flying, No, I am afraid of heights.  Then it hit me, I want unlimited energy.  I am so tired when I get home from work that all I want to do is sit and  there is all this work waiting for me to do it, and all these projects that need finished, and all these projects that need started.  I really do feel quite lazy some times.  For example last Friday, I didn't have to work. I had a headache all day and just stayed in bed.  So much for binding that baby quilt. 

Another super power would be Organization. All of my life I have heard the old saying; "a place for everything and everything in it's place"  I am personally convinced that this "place for everything" is a myth.  And anyone who has creative children knows, things are rarely in "their place"  I start a project and end up hunting all the tools to do it.  I have tried to organize things but they rarely stay that way.  Usually it's because one of the kids has used it since I have.  If I can't find a tool, a project gets put on hold and once again I feel frustrated and unmotivated.

Time to stop making excuses and get excited again.  New Projects and soon to be finished projects

I found a really cute pattern on Fire Mountain Gems website.  It is a butterfly bracelet made of swarovski bicones.  It is really cute and I am going to make it.  In fact I bought some beads so I can make it.  So another new project to start or new project #1.

While in Hobby Lobby getting my beads, I found some Ice Resin and some Martha Stewart Glitter.  So Now I am going to try filling some of the bezels I got a few months ago.  New project #2. 

I have just about figured out how I am going to put together one of the fabric bundles I bought at the beginning of the month,  New project #3

For those who are following this, You are probably shaking your heads and mentally reminding me of my new rule.  A few posts ago I said I had to finish an old project before starting a new one and I had to finish the new one before working on an old one.  So I have a Kumihimo set to finish up, new project to finish.  I did get 2 baby quilts bound so 2 old ones done.  So I finish the Kumihimo set and I can start one new project.  (probably the bracelet)  I bind the last baby quilt and I can proceed with the resin project.  I bind the large quilt and I can start the new quilt. I am still on track, well kind of.

And now time for Reality to set in.

It is the last week of summer vacation for my kids.  They go back to school on Friday.  I don't know why Friday but they do. That means sometime this week I really do have to take them shopping for some new clothes.  I also need to cut Killian's hair so his uniform hat doesn't slide around. And I need to hem his service pants.  So my evenings are pretty much shot this week.

 I may be taking part of Friday off, maybe I can work on projects then.  I really do want to do these things and I love when I get something completed.   Especially something that has been hanging around for a while.  Here's to hoping I get some project time.  Have a great week everyone.

Passing of Time

I am ashamed to admit I didn't get much done this week.  I find I am very tired at the end of the work day.  I don't know if it's allergies, the heat or I am coming down with a cold.  This week my son Killian turned 16yrs old.  We will celebrate it tomorrow.  I can't believe how fast my kids are growing up and haven't taught them all the things I wanted too.

We have spent several evenings and most of Saturday working at The Boughtons (our adopted grandparents) new house.  We are putting more of our own things on hold to try and get things in shape for them to move in. 

I am hoping that this next week I get back on track.  I did manage to get Killian's JROTC dress uniform pants hemmed even if I got distracted and cut them too short.  Poor kid had to wear high waters for his first dress inspection.  I will do better on his service pants and We will buy another pair of dress pants.

I am just wondering where the time is going.

Encouragement/Support & the Loss Thereof

My Mom, Nina May Borden Thomson

My mother was always supportive of her children's creative endeavors.  Whether it was painting, ceramics, baking, sewing, drawing, music, it didn't matter.  She supported us in it all.  She also was a bit of a muse for me.  She'd save patterns from magazines for me to try.  Lessons were paid for and given as gifts. Starter kits were given regularly.  She also would praise finished work.  When I got married 22 1/2 years ago, I moved across the country and that praise was limited to annual visits. But not the encouragement that was in every phone call and letter.  In short Mom was my biggest fan. 

Mom wasn't a big crafter, she never felt that she was good at that kind of stuff.  She did, however, teach me a lot of basics.  She taught me basic embroidery stitches.  How to do the chain stitch in crochet.  How to knit the garter stitch.  I learned to sew from her.  She never liked sewing but again feeling that you aren't good at something probably makes it less enjoyable.  She did dabble in various crafts.  She made our Halloween costumes and we had some awesome ones.  She taught us papermache and she made a dinosaur head for one costume.  When star wars was just out, she made a storm trooper costume and the helmet was a football helmet covered in papermache.  A lot of these were collabortative efforts but Mom started the ball rolling.  So even though she claimed to not have any talent.  Those of us who knew and loved her know the truth.

My Mother passed away a year ago.  July 16th marked the 1st anniversary of her death.  In the past year I've had to find the praise (of my work) that I crave from other sources.  My daughters aren't too bad.  My teenage son is working on it. But my Husband, well he sucks at it.  With every finished project I would miss my mom more.  Still I am learning to listen in the quiet hours (few and far between) and I hear her encouragement and her prodding (to get things done).  Maybe it's my imagination but I don't think she likes unfinished projects.  I also hear mom reminding me that things don't have to be perfect after all they are made with love.  I miss her greatly.  It has been a hard year.  Still I am finding that with each finished project I feel her love and encouragement.  Maybe that is why it has been easier for me to go back to these projects and get them done.  If so I hope Mom keeps pushing me to finish them,  I still have several.

This week I finished binding 2 baby quilts.  They are in my daughters' hope chests (well closet until we get them hope chests)  One more baby quilt and one full size quilt to bind.  Keep prodding me Mom.

RAG QUILT: A Finished Project



FINALLY FINISHED

Well another week has passed But this week I actually got something done.  The rag quilt I originally was making for my 2nd grandchild (who is turning 4) is finished.  Okay it took me 4 years and it is only a crib size quilt but I did move across country in that time and I kinda had it packed away.  I had managed to get the squares all cut and layered together but then it got packed away until last fall.  I dug it out and Tatianna drew the diagonals for me as I started sewing.  I was getting very discouraged sewing it.  Even with a walking foot the fabric was shifting.  Then while sewing the strips together I kept breaking needles.  I finally broke one too many needles and just stopped.  I was going to get back to it but didn't and Tatianna kept nagging me about it.  Well this week I sat down and finished the sewing.  Then while watching TV I finished the clipping.  Tatianna washed it the next day while I was at work.  It looked a lot better after washing.  I guess the Quilt Fairy worked on it. 



After the Quilt Fairy worked on it

Shifting focuses and New finds

On June 25th, I drove my husband and teenage son to the airport in Atlanta.  On the way up I saw a billboard for The Scarlett Thread Quilt Shop.  Of course that was enough to intrigue me but it also proclaimed it to be the biggest quilt shop in the state of Georgia.  As you can imagine I was caught, hook line and sinker.  There is also a little quilt and fabric shop on State highway 300 that I had to go by every time we went north.  I made up my mind that the following Saturday when I went back up to the airport I would leave early enough to visit both the shops.

The week did not progress normally,  weird hours at work, only the 2 youngest at home and they had their activities to get to.  Finally Friday arrived. The last day to plan the shopping trip.  That morning I got up to check out the website and directions to the two fabric shops before going to work.  Only to find that the last item I sold on Etsy was destroyed in transit.  Despite the careful wrapping in bubble wrap and layering it in 1 inch foam the glass turtle which I really loved was cracked and scuffed and the cord was completely gone.  I ended up refunding the money to the buyer. I have grown very discourage with the jewelery business.  No planning that morning and we had dinner plans that night at our adopted grandparents.

At dinner that night, the Boughtons, our "adopted" grandparents (the ones my 19yr old daughter was staying with and helping while they healed) informed me that they were sending Tatianna along with me on Saturday.  Don't get me wrong but I don't particularly like shopping for fabric with Arianna and Tatianna.  They aren't fabric addicts like I am  and they keep reminding me of the size of my stash.  Not helpful when your imagination is swirling around all the different patterns, textures and colors.

So my day to myself shopping and dwelling in fabric stores was not going to be as I had planned.  But I determined that I was still going to enjoy myself.  Add to that Tatianna's new found desire to have 10 quilts in her hope chest, and the day still held plenty of promise.

Tatianna laying out her quilt

So bright and early Saturday morning we departed for Atlanta.  A quick stop in Ochlocknee to get Tina T's doughnuts (YUM!!!) and some water and we were on our way.  We stopped and filled up with gas just south of Albany.  Then onto that first little fabric and quilt shop in Cordele.  I have passed this shop several time in the past 3 years and never been able to stop.  At about 10 am we pulled into the parking lot only to discover it was only open Monday through Friday.  Tatianna even commiserated my disappointment. But all was not lost for somewhere north close to Atlanta, there was The Scarlett Thread. 
We got ourselves back on the road turned onto I-75 and chatted about the quilt Tatianna was laying out.  A scrappy patch work of 4 inch squares that we had accumulated.  

Tatianna's quilt laid out on flannel backed table cloths

At the first rest stop we put the address for the quilt shop into the GPS.  The GPS kept trying to turn us around so disappointed we abandoned the quest for the Scarlett Thread and headed north to Atlanta.  We figured we could stop at an outlet mall and kill some time.  At the Second rest stop (we were staying well hydrated) we noticed that the town where the Scarlett Tread was located was still up ahead.  We plugged the address in again and were back on our way. 

We finally found The Scarlett Thread.  It was all it purported to be.  Long arm quilting, Baby lock Dealer, Handi Quilter dealer, all sorts of quilting notions and of course, fabric.  Plus a first for me, a Quilt shop that actually had clothing supplies as well.  Tatianna fell in love with a few different quilt patterns that she will have to adjust to make them fit a full size bed.  I fell in love with a Sashiko Machine (another wish list item) and several different fabrics.  Tatianna did keep reminding me that I still had 7 bins of fabric at home but several of the other quilters did come my defense saying that my stash was actually kind of small of course I don't think they knew the bins were the 50 gal size.  Anyway I bought two Ast. bundles (on clearance) 5- 1yd pieces that go together and come with a free quilt pattern.  Tatianna got one that she wanted.  I bought a jellyroll of reproduction fabric that I think will become log cabin squares.  I also bought a quilter's magic wand - 1/2 inch wide strip of lucite with a line etched down the middle.  A great tool to mark quarter inch line on either side of the diagonal of a square. I also bought a chalk marking pencil set and some needle pullers.  All in all a very satisfying shopping trip. 

Today I got online to find out more about Handi Quilters and I found that there is a shop closer to home in Moutlrie, Ga and they have 1930's reproduction fabric.  I will be making a trip there to find the fabric I need to finish my mother's quilt.  So another shopping trip will be happening soon.  And this time I look forward to taking Tatianna with me.