Downsizing and Simplifying

One of the reasons I chose to do 52 mini quilts as my calendar project this year is because it is less ambitious. I want to do more with my creative time than just one project.

Also, I'm probably going to go in and out of depression this year for reasons that I will not discussion openly online because of the search and destroy mentality of the people who created them. I am sad and scared and terribly upset and I likely will be for a long time.

Back in November I found this marvelous old bamboo basket for two bucks in a junk shop that perfectly holds the 52 cutter quilt pieces I cut for the project. I also have room in it to toss in some trims and embellishments.

I'm not making any plans on with what or how I'll turn these into mini quilts. I want to be spontaneous and improv the entire project.

Having an entire week to work on each mini quilt this year will also take the pressure off me so I can slow stitch to my heart's content. It will likewise permit me to take off a day or two if I need to when my hands aren't working too well.

Comments

Holiday Prep

For Thanksgiving this year we've invited some guests from Oliver's mom's side of the family, so I have to start prepping now to get the house in shape for the big day. The first major thing is having the carpets cleaned, which we've scheduled for next week. This weekend I'll be cleaning out four rooms to get them ready for that. I started with my front dining room, which I use as my sewing room. It was kind of a mess already, so it felt good to get everything cleared out. We'll be having ten people at dinner plus two babies, so this will give me a chance to figure out how to arrange two tables in this space. I think this will be my last time hosting a big Thanksgiving gathering. Mike has started his family with a lovely girl who has a huge, close-knit family of her own, while Katherine will likely be off at grad school out of state for the next several years. I'm also not getting any younger. My guy and I will always celebrate Thanksgiving, but ...

T-minus Day

This was our little Thanksgiving dinner last year, when it was just the three of us. Time keeps whittling down my favorite holiday; this year it will be just me and my guy, and we likely won't even have a turkey.* That will be a first in 35 years. I feel about Thanksgiving the way other people do about Christmas, and while it's a lot of work it's my favorite holiday. Of all the Thanksgivings I've had in the past sixty years, only three were truly terrible: one when I was a kid that I don't talk about (#1 most miserable); the time I roasted two turkeys together and hosted fifteen people whom I cooked for and served with zero help (the largest and #2 most miserable); and the one I spent in basic training (the #3 most miserable.) I have no pictures of any of those, thank heavens. In addition to doing all the cooking I'm the one who takes all the pictures, washes all the dishes and puts away all the leftovers. I suppose no one else cares because to them it...

Fell Off the Wagon

I did cut up that plastic dollar tote to make into something stronger, but got caught up with work and set it aside. Then last night some hand-dyed silk and pretty threads called my name, and, well . . . Felt SO good to do some handwork, except my neck began hurting about an hour into it. I tried changing the way I sit and work, but it's pretty obvious that the doc is right.

Valerean

Search This Blog