Good ideas and handwork

I've been working on the guild's raffle quilt and I needed a little handwork for a distraction.  Something...anything different than my job or the raffle quilt.  I forgot how much work goes into that process.  And, we still have another, smaller one to make.

It was my job to trim the borders, and I was very, very nervous.  What was I going to do if I cut them too small?  It's not like I could reach out to all those quilters and ask them to do it again.  So, I cut a scrap into three strips that were the size I had calculated and sewed them together...too long.  I trimmed and sewed them together again...too long.  Clearly, I've lost the ability to do math...with a calculator.  I finally got it and that's the length I cut the pieces.  21 1/8".  Then, I had to sweat about putting the ruler in the wrong place and cutting off an end. 

When I do applique, I use a tracing paper template.  I lay it over my work and position my pieces by looking through it.  That's a David Taylor technique.  I had my template from the section I made and found myself laying this over the work, then my ruler over that.  But, it was hard to keep the ruler from sliding on the paper. 

So, I taped the tracing paper to my ruler, to the exact length I wanted it.  . 

And, laid that on the applique and trimmed it.  Every piece came out the same size and centered on the background. 

Anyway, when that was done my fingers were free to work on something else.  These fell out of wherever they were into the floor of the sewing room closet.  That's generally a sign it's time to work on that project.  Rob bought these three ornaments at a quilt show several years ago.  They're from Chickadee Hollow Designs.  You get a pre-printed panel, mount it on a piece of quilt batting and embroider through it.  I don't think my first response was very grateful.  Embroidery?  I don't do that.  I did many, many years ago, but moved quickly to counted cross stitch.  I didn't care for embroidery.  But, when I finally settled in and started, I've had fun.  I finished the Santa over the weekend. 

Then, I started the quilt shop.  The quilt shop is the one I looked at and turned my nose up.  It's so much embroidery.  But, I made some progress last night while we watched TV.  I love handwork. 

I worked in the yard as much as I could.  But, by about 10:30, it's so hot that I can't take in water as fast as I'm sweating it out so it's time to come inside and do quiet, still things like handwork.  There are a lot of dead leaves this year to pull out and limbs and cutting things back and rooting cuttings into my pots to keep them full.  And, keeping plants in the greenhouse to keep them beautiful so I can rotate them into the dark corner of the dining room that brightens up when there's a plant there.  I had a few new flowers.  A daylily in its second bloom.

And, this plant.  It showed up uninvited in both my yard and our neighbors.  She pulled it up.  I let it grow.  It turned into this, which provides dappled shade in a good size section of the garden.  I grow a lot of plants this time of year to shade more fragile plants from the heat of the sun in July and August, so this fit right in. 

And, it made these beautiful berries that I'm pretty sure are going to open and produce brain eating spores or something...because this plant could be anything for all I know. 

But, until my brain is eaten, I will need to work.  It was a crazy week last week where I had to point out what my job is to do...and what isn't included in my job description, and finally I noticed that they're starting to step out of the way and let me take care of things.  Things they used to have to do.  So, now they can use all the brain power on bigger projects.  I've also made them prioritize; this is the one most important thing going on.  And, this is the second, and this the third.  These are the things I will be working on this week.  I made it clear that I know what to do and when my managers said I'll get someone to look at that, five minutes later I'd show up with the answer.  And, I make sure what we do fits with their priorities.  It's a whole new thing for them.  And, the only way I know to get things done.  Even if I can't always apply that to my quilting...gimme something new!  My fingers are idle.

Lane