A burst of self-confidence

Yep, last week resulted in a big ole burst of self-confidence for me. Cleveland and being all businesslike? Yep. Home and all businesslike (no whining)? Yep. Talked to a bunch of people on a plane? Not usually, but last week, yep. Volleyball? Dance? Yep, yep.

I love it. Not the shy, reserved old man. Me, bursting at my seams...with me! Back straight, belly in, shoulders back. And, like at the dance, start with a smile. If that doesn't work, growl at 'em.

Now, we're counting the days until I'm griping about feeling overwhelmed again.

So, this is a candid shot I took at the dance the other night. My kid. Having fun. Although we did have a discussion about sharing hats and bugs. And, see all the little children behind her? Having fun. Not touching one another. This was in the last half of the dance.



And, I did spend the weekend quilting. I finished quilting the Irish Chain quilt. Here is what I put in the open white blocks.



And, in the red border, a Greek Key for an Irish Chain. That key went really fast. I marked it with my pounce and the quilting was quick. I used a red thread because I was running low on the variegated thread I used everywhere else. I should have enough left to bind it. On the back of the border, I used a brown thread that matches the dark brown in the variegated thread. I did get some bobbin popup, but since this is a real bed quilt, I doubt that popup is going to keep me awake at nights. Neither is the pucker that runs down part of the center of the back. It's a tiny thing and not at all worth taking seams out to make it go away.



And, I made a lot of headway on the hexagon quilt. I made some decisions and am taking some sections apart...again. But, I'm going to end up with a phenomenal quilt if I ever get it together. I've been inspired by Bonnie Hunter's hex quilt and am adding some color to mine. The beauty of it is that because all the seams are folded open and because you only stitch short seams before knotting, I can basically take out a single hex from the center and replace it. So, I'm going to take full advantage of that ability and brighten it up a bit. I'm even thinking about a great border to make of hexes.

Unfortunately, after our jaunt into germ central on Friday night, both Rob and I are feelin' mighty poorly. We're still blaming it on allergies, but this sore throat that keeps coming and going needs to just go. I cannot afford to be sick. And, I kept washing my hands with antibacterial soap. Think that helped? I could have walked around under a constant shower of that soap and I don't know that it would have helped.

Take care and have a great Monday. I'll be working, but I'll be thinking about quilting. Lane