Non-Progress on Unity

My non-progress on my Unity quilt is spectacular! Part 2 color placement chart has progressed to a cut chart.  Part 3,  released this past Monday, has nothing done on it and Part 4 is due to be released this coming Monday. I'm behind but I'll get there.  I have been busy sewing, though! 

MASKS!!

The first batch of 12 was for DH & I and friends. This batch was 14 is heading out East to my new boss, her family & friends. Oh - and see that mat my iron is setting on? That's the wool pressing mat I bought a year ago and hadn't unwrapped or used it. 

It would have came in handy for Part 1 of Unity but you can bet I'll be using it going forward. So easy to have it set up right next to Wild Cherry. Much better than a folded towel.

New Project for My Husband

Part of the whole quarantine & social distancing means needing to find projects to keep DH busy.  The latest one benefits the whole house at this strange new time we are living in.  Our townhouse is blessed with an under-abundance of storage space. We've done several projects and storage furniture purchases to overcome the shortcomings. Trying to balance additional food storage needs with the need to make fewer shopping trips to be safe, I came up with a wild idea. The upstairs hall closet measures a tiny 3 feet wide by 2 feet deep. We don't keep coats in it because the hanging space was even smaller due to some useless wire shelves.

Stupid smaller shelves already removed

 I suggested it would be better used for food storage and cleaning products and turned DH loose on it! Much discussion on shelving type, number of shelves, configuration, spacing, etc. So while I've done nothing on my Unity quilt, DH stripped out the closet, measured, measured and measured some more, found & marked studs, and cut wood. I swear I was starting to hear the electronic beep of the stud finder in my sleep!

By the end of today, we should have a new pantry ready to be stocked! The 'stock' is already laid in - it just needs to be organized into the new space, which will be a project for me.

Unity Quilt Along - Part 2

Since Part 3 is due out today, I figured I should get busy and work on Part 2. My challenge was deciding whether to stick with my colors from the center block or bring in new colors. And then figure out the placement of the colors. Whenever you deviate from a pattern, you have to live with the consequences of your creative choices. With this project, unlike mystery where you build units, not blocks,  we get to see what part goes next to which. That makes color choices easier. Part Two looks like this, around the center for those following the color selection. 

In order to figure out the cut list, I need to draw up a color plan. It's not pretty but it will do. 

I added some deeper value squares (navy) for more contrast. Unfortunately, I didn't get anything cut or stitched. Yesterday turned out to be a bit of a bust, productivity-wise. I had such high hopes of progress but the motivation was lacking.  

I was feeling out of sorts. Not sure why exactly but I need to figure it out an overcome the inertia. Late afternoon, I seemed to reach a point of snarky-ness. Rather than bite DH's head off, I jumped in the van for a drive by myself to change the scenery. I came back a bit more civil and commenced cooking Easter dinner. Steak & potatoes offered some comfort food goodness, without requiring hours in the kitchen.

Just. Keep. Going.

How cool is this - so convenient to have it set up right next to Wild Cherry as I stitched!

Happy Easter

For those that celebrate it

Who is that Masked Bandit?

COVID-19 precautions are urging all those who go outside to wear masks or face coverings of some kind, particularly when running necessary errands. Ever since the recommendation came out, DH has been asking me when I'm going to make some.  I knew there were many, many video tutorials on the interwebs but dreaded slogging through them to find one I liked and worked well. 

Since someone needs to keep the ice cream supply stocked in this house, I used a double over bandana on Thursday for the shopping run and that is NOT a good solution, fit wise. Nor did I like looking like a bandit, a bad bandit at that. 

The time had come for me to stop procrastinating and get busy. You all know I have enough fabric in this house! And I knew I didn't want to deal with elastic loops over my ears, especially since I wear glasses. 

Actually, the procrastinating worked in my favor for once! I was reading thru my favorite blogs and it turns out Bonnie Hunter combined the best of two masks into one, created a quick video, solved my 'No Elastic' restriction (and very creatively, I might add) and BAM! I had my plan! 

I am not going into the how-to here, just click the link above to see her post, complete with YouTube video.

I will mention the cool hack for the ties. Use an old T-shirt, one that has no side seams and cut 1 inch wide strips across the body, creating a loop. 

Then s-t-r-e-t-c-h the loop. the fabric lengthens, curls inward and forms a soft tie string. It's flipping brilliant!!

I made two in about a half hour but I wasn't rushing. If I decide to crank out more of them, I would set up a production line to be as efficient as possible. So far, 2 for me and 2 for DH and 1 for backup or someone else.  DH loves his masks, especially since they are large enough to fit his goatee! Making these masks only requires fabric, thread, t-shirt ties and time. 

And time I had yesterday.  Normally, my April is chock-a-block full of events, road trips, doings and more. Not this year. But just because all of those things were put on hold, and I'm working from home for the foreseeable future, didn't mean I couldn't use a break. Really? A staycation in the middle of a quarantine? 

YEP!

I took yesterday off! And while I though I'd spend a relaxing day at the sewing machine, responsibilities reared their ugly little heads. I pulled on my big girl panties and tackled filing our income tax returns, paid bills & did laundry before rewarding myself with machine time.  Would you believe it take twice as long to file the state return as it does the federal return? I only needed to print out 4 pages for the federal vs. 11 pages for the state! Yeah - that's crazy! But now the whole weekend is free to spend as I wish, with no big chores hanging over my head. Studio time for sure! 

Spring COLOR!

Who Knew? 

Gardening is considered an essential business! I understand that, given we can grow our own food, but not quite yet around here.  The calendar may say Spring but it's not safe for tender plants until after May 15th. 

BUT, (and there's always a BUT) there are some cold weather hardy plants available now. In an effort to overcome some of this 2020 general icky-ness, I made a special stop while out with Odie the other day. I like to take him to the conservation area in town for exercise rather than walk around the block. More nature and less other dogs, kids on bikes & people. 

My shopping stop involved safety measures - mask, gloves, hand sanitizer and social distancing, all while supporting a small local business. 

Add to that seeing all the pretty plants in and out of the greenhouses, giving a lift to the soul. 

Things are hard right now - we have new realities across so many aspects of life, be it work, friends, family, recreation, hobbies, necessary errands, finances, etc. Everything is different, and it needs to be so we can stay safe & healthy. But "Different" requires adapting to changes, accepting limitations, finding creative solutions, fighting against the isolation maintaining safe distances, finding an inner place of peace, remembering that things will continue to evolve. It can be exhausting!

I brought home not only bright pretty pansies, with a few violet stock. I brought home a reminder that hope springs eternal, and that the wheel of the year keeps turning, regardless of what's happening in the world. 

I need to get these potted up for the front of the house and maybe they will help brighten up someone else's day. Any little bit of normalcy helps right now. 

Tuesday Technology Glitch - Good Morning!

This morning has been a bit of a challenge! 

I simply needed to print 3 pages of a document from my personal laptop & home printer, in order to work on a critical project for work. Easy, right?

Never had a problem printing from this laptop before but apparently today was the day! 

An hour (!) later, I finally had the 3 pages in hand. However, that made me late logging on for work and for getting a post up to this blog. But the fun didn't stop there.

OH, NO!  No good deed goes unpunished!

My trusty lappity-top needed several updates and what better time than now to get these done. ARGH!!

Okay - so this is totally my fault for not taking care of housekeeping duties on the electronic devices in a timely fashion. I need to go stand in the corner! And I might - outside, in the sunshine, on the patio later today - LOL!

It's rather amazing how much of our lives right now, particularly now, are dependent on electronic devices and virtual technology. Can you imagine trying to do what we do - blogging, working remotely, online shopping, etc., - if we were all still using dial-up connectivity? 

I'll take my sewing machine vintage any day but I'll keep my technology modern. 

So now that everything (I hope!) has been updated, I will return to some regular blog content tomorrow.

Hope you all are staying safe & healthy!