Caps for Sale

Remember that book from childhood?  Caps for Sale was one of my favorites - along with What Shall I Put in the Hole That I Dig? As I got older I would read it to younger siblings (and anyone else within earshot) with much more ribald interpretation. I still giggle when I remember some of the things we put in that hole to see if it would grow a ------ tree!

In an attempt to generate some income I decided to make up some hats and put them in our shop.  Nothing fancy, just the kind of thing to break up the hot sun but not the bank.  I had a lot of batiks in my stash left over from a big quilt project so it was nice to use up odds and ends. The ones for the babies were a LOT of work and while I'll never recoup my investment of time, it does pay for the fabric and helps me downsize my stash. It also gives me something productive to sew and that, more than anything else, seems to soothe my ever present anxieties.   It comes with the added bonus of listening to books on tape while I work. I check out digital books from my local library so there is no end of things to explore. Right now I'm listening to The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume 3: Defender of the Realm, 1940‑1965.       

 I'm not a WWII aficionado but I'm fascinated with Churchill and completely in love with well written prose. No one writes like the English. I've been on a Jane Austen tear for about 3 weeks and find myself using expressions like, "My dear you must prepare yourself" when I tell my husband I have cleaned out the refrigerator and saved us all from death by salmonella and/or rotted food.

Sewing also helps me feel productive when when "PPP Down" is the only thing that  registers on my computer screen when I'm trying to find out why I'm off line ....AGAIN.  I have learned to reboot modems, re-initialize, delete setups and re-do them, and taken a ton of screenshots with dates to prove it all. I've learned you can't shame Verizon in to useful customer service or get an acknowledgement that it is THEIR problem. They are happy to have me pay for a repairman come out to my house to check their line. Inside the house - it's my problem and I'll pay for that. Outside? That's on you, Verizon.  My husband has an aversion to AT&T (his people invented the vendetta, you know) but I'm ready to pull the plug.  I'll just say, "In vain have I struggled. It will not do. You must allow me to tell you how much I abhor Verizon. My good opinion, once lost, is lost forever."  Frankly, I'd like to put Verizon in that "hole that I dig" and see if it grows a )#&*)@(*#&$  tree. Meanwhile, I plod along and take files on a flash drive to computers at work, or work on my iPad on a friend's wifi. (Comcast, in case you were wondering.) I'm just thankful my Bernina doesn't need an internet connection to work, but if it did I know Bernina would have some rockin' customer service!

Festive Binding

I'm ensconced in Lowell for the 3-day Lowell Quilt Festival.  At the New England Quilt Museum it is a requirement that all staff is on hand for the duration.  I'm good with that - even though I am missing an EPIC McGill family reunion - but 2 nights in a hotel room by myself (woot!) is a real treat, and it is saving me 200 miles in commuting back and forth after very long, hard days.

Even more of a treat is the fact that miracle Cheryl (my new co-worker) was able to longarm my quilt in world record time.  I found out the couple for whom it is intended took out a marriage license and told us to stand by for an August wedding.  ACK!  AUGUST? I was planning on having the marvelous Mazon's Quilting do the job because Gayle has been holding my hand for over a year while I sorted this quilt out and survived 2 breakdowns of my Bernina.  Gayle answered about 10,000 of my questions and taught me so much about prepping my quilt, etc. that it broke my heart to let her know I had to get a "rush job" done here.  Gayle and Steve are very talented, successful longarm quilters and they have a long waiting list - as they well should.  Take a look at their site and give them some love for me.

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So back to the quilt.  Beach Glass - Brace Cove is finally finished. I put the binding on it before I left for the festival and I got two sides of it hand stitched down last night.  I hope to do the other two tonight and take home a finished quilt.  The picture here shows it spread out on my hotel bed - the hotel room light has a yellowish tinge in it, the fabrics are actually MUCH brighter and more vivid. I included a closeup of one of Cheryl's nautical embellishments. She made it look very ocean-y with waves, whirlpools, a seashell here and there - it is so much fun to look at all the wonderful things she did.  She has been a co-worker for only a few weeks when she overheard me shrieking that the wedding was coming up at any moment. Her offer to take it home and finish it for me was SO incredibly kind.  I have only had contact with 2 longarmers - Gayle and Cheryl - in my life, but I have learned they are the very kindest and best of people.  Time to mix up a vodka tonic (I know how to travel) and get the last two sides stitched. I shall sleep very well tonight knowing I'm ready for a pop-up wedding with a gift that will send the lovebirds over the moon.

Birthday Afterglow

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Well, my birthday  pergolapalooza is in the books. Had thee loveliest dinner under the stars & grape arbor / pergola of the homeowner where we are house sitting.  It was a perfect evening, made better by loved ones who came, brought presents  (woo hoo!) champagne & great food, sang to me and loved me long time. I felt like I landed on a movie set - it was so perfect! Lanterns glowing and swinging in the breeze, candles on the table and flowers from my garden.  Joe was a champ - grilled everything to perfection and organized the task of stringing the lanterns, etc. He has mad skills!    Later on, we went inside for cake and ice cream and stories and laughs. It was a happy house, a happy group, and we decided we need to make up some birthdays so we could do it again.  (Note to self:  I don't  think the homeowner would be as enthused.....especially if we showed up when he was back at home, huh.)

I feel like my life has has been a steep, uphill climb for a long time now.  The economy has been lousy for so long and has hurt many small businesses like Joe's store.  I can't get enough hours at work to make ends meet - our budget has been cut over and over.  Along with a few health issues on the horizon..... I really needed something like this to happen.  I feel renewed, charged up and ready to go back out there and face the universe.  It's so nice to have  this birthday to put in my memory book and cherish forever - do it for someone you love, if you can.  It doesn't have to be fancy, just organize a great pot luck and show up with love in your heart.

They'll never forget it, I promise.

I Got a Screw....ing

EIGHT DOLLARS AND NINETY NINE CENTS worth of screwing.  That does not include an additional $2.39 for postage (ouch).  Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to have a genuine  Bernina needle clamp screw on the way to my house, but jeeeesh, what a bite in the shorts.  This thing is so small that if you dropped it you would never see it again.  I know, I've already had the "milling to exact specifications" lecture from my husband, blah blah blah,  "you'll strip the head of the screw"  blah blah blah.  I get it.  I really do.  But lets face it, it's not like these screws are hand milled by blind nuns in Switzerland.  Whatever.  Meanwhile, I'm working on a canvas tote bag, being very careful to not break the needle because I can't replace it until my Porsche needle screw arrives.  Heaven help me if I rip open the envelope and drop the thing.....

Over My Head in Batiks

Whoa. It started with very good intentions, and even a desire to step out from behind my rigid wall of "reproduction & period fabrics ONLY."   I knew I would have to, because this quilt is going to be a gift to the two very dear friends who gave us their kitchen. They are a modern pair, and would feign pleasure with the gift of a more traditional quilt, but would be much more appreciative of something more in keeping with their sense of color and style.  Since they live on beautiful Brace Cove, spend many nights sleeping outside on their deck, and wear  stylish Tommy Bahama shirts,  I knew something in a batik would be just the ticket.

I launched in to purchasing fabric with zeal - and ignorance.  (I have enough "not gonna work" batiks to do an entire new quilt.)  Since I had zero batiks in my stash, it was an expensive undertaking. I've learned more about color than I ever could have believed.  And now, with about 40 of these Lady of the Lake quilt blocks finished, I thought I was ready to lay it out and start the marvelous process of playing with blocks to achieve just the look I wanted.  It was about here the realization hit me - since these blocks look best on point, I would need to make about 20 more half-blocks to finish the sides.  I nearly wept.

So here is the side block, using the binding fabric (see little sausage) at the end of each corner. I wanted the binding to flow into the quilt - there are entire rows of that fabric used as a side or center to many of the blocks, and the overall effect should be pleasing. That is, if I ever get all the side blocks done.  This quilt has 17 units in each block, and 34 pieces of fabric.  Multiply 34 time the number of  completed blocks........it makes my head ache. And now to push through to the finish - I guess I'm happy about that, but the next part will be equally challenging. I have always hand quilted every quilt I have ever made - and this one will be the first I will have had someone  machine quilt.  (I don't know how, and I'm not going to start with this one.)  It feels a little less genuine, but I'll have to live with it because I'll be dead before I could finish hand quilting this beast....