Do as I say, not as I do

This is the post I wrote for last Tuesday.  I’m posting it now because significant progress has been made on this quilt since and I wanted you to hear this part before you see the rest, which I’ll hopefully be able to post tomorrow. 

Okay, so that’s always been sage advice.  And, I give that advice to Sydney all the time. 

If you’ve been following the progress of the Irish Chain quilt, then you know I attacked that quilt with no plan.  I didn’t know how big it was going to be or how much fabric I should have or how many 9 patches I would use or how far the piece of fabric I had would go. 

But, I didn’t let it stop me.

This morning, I realized I couldn’t live wild and crazy and on the edge anymore.  I had to know. 

Or, maybe I just needed to do some math.

I had a bunch of the 3 1/2 inch squares cut, but I was about out of uncut yardage.  I knew that for every pair of blocks, I needed one 3.5 inch square, 4-1.5 inch squares, and 4 rectangles at 1.5 x 3.5, plus the 9 patches and assorted dark/light squares to complete the chain blocks (which I have aplenty).

So, I cut the rest of my yardage down and paired it up.  After I ran out of yardage, I started to cut the 3 1/2 inch squares down to smaller pieces so I could complete blocks.  I ended up with enough pieces to make four more rows.

And, I only had this much fabric left over.

Talk about cutting it close.  I did want the quilt to be 11 rows by 11 rows, but 11 x 9 is still going to make a nice sized sofa quilt for cuddling under on cold days.

I haven’t even made a dent in the 9 patches.  I’ve even disqualified some for not being shaded correctly, pushing them to the back to use in another project. 

Sydney is finally over the disappointment of not getting to play basketball next year and has perused the class schedule to see which two classes she wants to take as replacement. 

I like her choices and am nervous at the same time.  First we looked at her schedule and she has three advanced placement classes and geometry (per Elizabeth, not math, but rather something invented by some dead buy to ruin your GPA…I guffawed out loud when I read that…thanks, E.)  She is also taking choir and Health (equivalent to sex ed…yay.)  So, we encouraged her to take classes that would let her find out what she wants to do in her career.  Well, turns out, right now she’s interested in gardening and cooking…same as me…coincidence?  I think not!

So, she’s taking a pre-requisite horticulture class that opens the possibilities into landscaping, farming, ranching, flower arranging…lots of options.  And, she’s taking Culinary Arts; another pre-requisite to lots of career oriented classes.  Worst case, these turn out to be flake off classes and she learns some bad behavior from the students that are looking for an easy pass.  Best case, she teaches me how to cook and becomes world famous for her books on growing and cooking your own food. 

I could live off the fruits of my child’s labor in my dotage.  Be glad to.

Everybody have a great Tuesday.  We are still struggling with internet.  Our DSL modem is dying and has to be periodically rebooted.  But neither Rob nor I wants the frustration of trying to get ATT to replace it.  I would rather start sending messages by smoke signal than to call ATT customer service.

Be well.  Lane

Have a great Tuesday.  I talked to a former employee of the lady that posted the job.  She says that she felt challenged, trusted, and supported as an employee.  She did caution me to manage expectations because it’s hard to keep up with such a whirling dervish.  I have updated my resume.  We shall see if this change is for me. 

lane