Perseverance

I have to confess that last week, I was skeptical about this little baby quilt.  I know why.  I started with the medium fabrics and it felt flat.  And, the more flowers I built, the flatter it felt.  I even asked Rob at one point if he thought I should scrap it and start something else. 

Then, I started adding leaves and it started to hum, so I kept adding leaves until it started to sing to me.  By time I get the burgundy (thanks for the good idea!) flower centers added, I think it will really be singing a tune.  At least I hope so.

Before I got too far, I decided I needed to sew some petals down to make sure this was going to work the way I expected, without me having to hand sew them (that's a lot of appliqué).  I got the ones on the left done.  It took some getting used to and a couple of ideas I tried didn't work, but I think I found what I was looking for.  I put my free motion foot on the machine and I'm pinning them down real good and then just sewing a straight stitch around them.  Quick, easy, effective, and pretty much invisible.  

Then, I got on with the work of manufacturing appliqué pieces.  I did that both of my weekend afternoons.  Just standing at the ironing board and working by rote; iron on the freezer paper templates, cut a bunch out, paint starch around the edge, use a stiletto to fold over the edge, use the tip of the iron to keep it down.  I even burned out an iron...it was supposed to be a really good one.  The kind hotels use, not in their rooms, but for the staff.  Oh, well.  I do like a hot iron.

I have a few of the really big petals left to make and a half dozen more leaves, but I should be sewing everything down next weekend and then I can make borders and start to quilt.  

My boss was out of town the last couple weeks on his annual vacation to the beach with family, so it was really quiet at my desk.  He doesn't direct a lot of my work, but when he's gone, it's like I get a little vacation too.  No stress.  Last week I pulled out my to-do list and did the stuff that there's never time to do.  Of course, something happened late Friday afternoon that's going to keep us all busy for a few days.  That's how things go.  But, at least I got to enjoy a few stress free days when nothing seemed to matter much.

Dottie being cute. 

She's convinced that if she's cute enough, she'll get to stay in bed all night.  And, one day, I'm sure she will.  But not until she stops being so stubborn about house training.  She goes outside.  She gets distracted by...anything.  She forgets to go.  She comes inside and suddenly remembers.  Rob has started taking her out on a leash until she goes, then she can be free.  Not sure how that's going.  I keep her confined to the room I'm in and that seems to be working pretty well.  

There were some beautiful clouds yesterday morning and then yesterday afternoon, an unexpected rain.  It was a perfect surprise.  

I've been enjoying watching trump run to try to get in front of Kamala.  He's like the kid that's a bully and got in our faces, challenging us, only Kamala walks on by instead of stopping to answer all that.  I wish I was that person.  I hope she can keep it up.  There's nothing hurts a bully like being ignored.  And, laughed at.  

Everybody have a great week!  Do something you enjoy, but don't get so focused on it that you ignore other things you enjoy (like not practicing my ukulele and taking the next lesson).  Be well rounded.  Do it all!

Lane