We worked, we ate, it was a holiday

We had several discussions about religious observances this weekend.  Those having and those not.  Sydney's new job in retail exposes her to a different group of people now.  And, they have different interests.  And, she's learning a lot, listening to them talk and interacting with them. It's good for her to see other things and ask new questions.

I didn't get much quilting done this weekend.  I decided to spend my studio time organizing and cleaning.  I have to do that once in a while. 

One of the goals was to pull out this machine.  This is one of my National Two Spool machines.  It holds a small spool of thread as the bobbin instead of a traditional bobbin case.  This machine is in a treadle case, but I have another that is converted to electric. 

This is the "bobbin". 

The only drawback is you can't buy those little wooden spools anymore, so I have to wind them.  The machine has a winder, but no guides, so it's all manual to get the thread to evenly wind on the spool.  Anyway, because it can sew for a really long time on one bobbin and because I think I'll have great speed control, I want to teach it to quilt.  I thought I could just try a quilting needle, which I recently discovered works very well in the Bernina to stop skipped stitches, but that didn't solve it.  So, I backed up and tried some piecing and found out it has significant tension problems, so I'm going to resolve that, learn the machine a little better and try again later. 

I did get some hand work done during family time.  I got the binding on this little quilt, but am not sure how I feel about it.  It needs to be washed and blocked before I decide, but after it's washed and blocked, it would be a real pain to re-bind. 

And, I got two sides of the floral hexies mounted to the background.  I found myself with a new hexie project in hand and realized, I don't need to be startin' anything new.  I need to be finishin' what I already got goin' on. 

The new hexie project isn't really new.  Part of my cleaning meant putting fabric away and part of putting fabric away meant going through my UFOs and putting the leftover fabric away for the ones I'd finished.  And, since I was in the UFOs, I decided to repackage them out of their cute little baskets and into squarer storage things with lids, like shoe boxes and small tubs that stack easier, because I have an appalling number of UFOs.  I found two that are quilted and just need binding.  And, several others that are at the final stages.  That's what I need to be working on. 

Anyway, we had a very nice holiday feast.  Rob and I over did it Saturday, so Sydney ended up dyeing our eggs. 

And, then I got my hands on them and turned them into something we all enjoyed. 

Oops!  Looks like one was missing.  I guess somebody thought I wouldn't notice.  And, I didn't until now.  You can see how few are left in the picture below. 

We don't do much fancy stuff.  But, we do eat good.  Very good

Everybody have a great Monday.  Easter is a signifier of endings and beginnings.  Spring is about things starting anew.  Growth.  Becoming who we want to be.  I think that's why spring cleaning is such a thing; people need fresh starts, and spring is a great time to begin them.  I know for me, cleaning is a sign of change.  I don't know why, but it is a clear sign that something is going to be different.  And, while change is scary, it's exciting too. 

So, what can I change today?

Lane