Procrastination and Deadlines

I have just finished a marathon week of quilt finishes. Deadlines are my nemesis because I am the queen of procrastination.  My exhausting week was a direct result of procrastination but it all worked out somehow. 

The first quilt I finished was for our lacrosse team banquet. I used the "Floor Plan" pattern from a Modern Quilt magazine. I love this pattern!  The quilt was made with a collection of fabrics that were used for hair ties for our three girls' teams this season. Lots of color and movement framed in Kona Ash. 

Work in progress -- my Westie Jake liked the layout. 

Unfortunately I was up until 3:30 am the morning of our banquet finishing the machine quilting -- which did not turn out as well as I would have liked. Once I washed and dried it, it looked better. The young lady who won the quilt was thrilled so it ended up being a good thing. 

Finished quilt ready to go to the banquet and find a new home. 

Of course the time spent on this quilt impacted my next deadline. I am notorious for underestimating how much time a project is going to take. 

At any rate, I did manage to finish the second quilt -- again staying up to about 3:00 am to make it happen. (Also finishing sewing the binding in the car on my way to my sister's house)

Quilt sandwich basted and ready to quilt. 

Thank goodness everything worked out. I was free motion quilting this one on my Baby Lock Melody and my previous attempts to make that work had not been so great. I had been looking for a way to improve my FMQ results and a number of blogs pointed me in a good direction -- I ordered a Supreme Slider and Magic Bobbin Washers and it really seemed to help. I also used Aurifil thread for the first time. Oh my goodness, I am in love with this thread. 

Finished quilt - pattern is "Pretty Little Squares" by Paisley Pear modified to make a 47" x 47" quilt. Fabrics are low-volume Liberty Tana lawn prints and Kona Snow. My sister asked me to make a quilt for a White Ball themed fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. I love this quilt and really hated to give it up. I know it will find a good home though. 

I keep hoping that I will limit procrastination to a minimum but so far so bad. I have another deadline looming so it's time to get back to work (after I go officiate some lacrosse).

Lethargy

The cold of winter has finally hit and it has sapped my sense of purpose. I come home from work exhausted and find myself unable (or unwilling) to make myself work on my projects. I am at a stopping point on two of them because I need fabric, but there are several other things I could be working on.

Today I will only be working for a portion of the day, so I am hoping to kick myself in the butt and get some work done. I have these beautiful red fabrics that my Aunt sent to me from her stash so I think I will start cutting for that quilt. I have plenty to do--I just need to make up my mind to do it.

Handstitched Class

I am looking forward to starting Handstitched class on Monday. I fell in love with Rachel Hauser's Modern Medallion quilt when I saw it on her blog (www.stitchedincolor.com) this summer. I jumped at the chance when she offered the class in the new year.

I have picked up some of my supplies and selected my fabric for the dogwood appliqué. I have also started to select some of the solids from my Kona color chart so I won't be too overwhelmed as we move forward. I will start to figure out my prints this week as well.

Can't wait to improve my hand stitching skills and learning lots of new skills as well.

Looking Forward to 2013

I am so happy that I came back to quilting this year. I have found another way to express myself and I am learning new skills. A few of my more recent projects are featured in the picture below. I am still figuring out how to insert photos in Blogger, but I will get there.

My sister and brother-in-law gave me a wonderful birthday present for my 50th birthday -- a brand new Baby Lock Melody sewing machine. I have spent the last few months learning how to use my new machine and I look forward to learning even more in 2013.

I have started 2013 with a couple of quilts that need to be basted and quilted. I expect to finish them in the next few weeks. I have also signed up for the Skillbuilder Block of the Month at Pile O' Fabric and Stitched in Color's Handstitching class to improve my techniques. I am looking forward to a great year of projects.

Helix Quilt

I decided to make my nephew a quilt for Christmas and then I panicked.  I wasn't sure that I could come up with a quilt that would be masculine enough to give to a 21 year old man.  I started searching for a pattern that wouldn't be too fussy and after going through Pinterest and searching the internet for ideas, I decided to make him the Helix Quilt from The Tulip Patch (www.tulip-patch.blogspot.com). 

Once I decided on which quilt to make, I then needed to choose fabric. I ultimately decided to go with William & Mary colors because Aidan is a Junior at W & M. I selected my fabrics for the top and decided to use a green herringbone flannel for the back to make it extra cozy.

The pattern was very easy to follow and I am very happy with the result. I wound up straight-line quilting because I have not gotten comfortable with free motion quilting on my new machine. And my nephew liked it so it was a success.

Fear and then Relief

No mother ever wants to get the panicky phone call that says in a shaky voice, "Mrs. Curtis, you need to get down here as soon as you can".  On Tuesday, I got that phone call.  For just a moment my heart stopped.  Then my younger daughter Caley got on the phone and told me she and Fiona were alright but Fiona had been in a car accident.  Thank God, both of my girls were not injured in any way.  Espeacially since there was a telephone pole sitting on top of our car in between where they were both sitting.  I have seen photos of what the car looked like and I can only say it is a photo you do not want to see until you know both of your children are safe and sound.  Whenever I pray, I ask that God will keep all of us safe as we travel back and forth.  I guess God was listening, because they are both safe.  I guess I should have prayed for the car to, because it is pretty much demolished.  Oh well, you can't have everything and I would much rather have my girls safe and sound.

Happy (Belated) Birthday to Me!

Last week I turned forty-seven.

I am fairly pleased with who I am as a forty-seven year old woman. I have some regrets about some of the choices I made over these past 47 years, but I am also proud of my accomplishments. I am a mother of two beautiful, smart, confident daughters. I have had a positive impact on the lives of young women through my role as a coach. My health is fairly good and I am working to keep it that way. I continue to set goals for myself and I expect that I will achieve those goals, even if it takes me longer than I would like them to.

For my birthday, Fiona and Caley gave me a card and in that card they thanked me for being their Mom. What a great gift.