No Peeking

I am still working on Carolina Christmas parts. The layout was posted on Monday and I vowed I would not peek. I accidentally caught a glimpse on someone's blog and my friend told me it was beautiful but I decided I would not look until Step 1 and 2 were done. Since I have been working on multiple steps at the same time I was almost done with both; I only needed 2 more large triangles to be attached but I put this off as long as I could - sometimes anticipation is a great thing. I kept working on steps 3, 4 and 5 until last night when I added those 2 large triangles. I went to bed feeling like it was Christmas because I could open the "present" in the morning.

I got up early and I looked today. It is beautiful and now I am inspired to finish the rest. Step 3 is mostly done, 4 has the most left to be done and 5 is almost half complete. I do need to get back to some gift sewing but I am having great fun with this mystery quilt.

It's a Mystery to Me

I don't know what came over me but I decided to make Bonnie Hunters Carolina Christmas Mystery Quilt. She started posting steps the day after Thanksgiving and yesterday the layout was revealed. Of course I have a lot of Christmas sewing to do and I wasn't even near a sewing machine when it started but for some reason I felt compelled to make this quilt and to make it now. We got back from our trip on a Monday and I started cutting on Tuesday.

I couldn't make myself stop for the first few days but now working on the quilt is my reward for finishing something else. So far this is working, I only have one more gift to sew unless I add another one to the list (which I probably will.)

The way a mystery quilt is supposed to work is that you are given a "clue" or step of the quilt and you make that and then you get another clue. I dutifully started clue one without knowing the rest. I made 100 and something gold and neutral 2 patches and then worked on green and neutral half square triangles. Then I got bored so I peeked at the next clue and started working on it, and then when I would get tired of the repetition I would start the next one - cheater, cheater!



I am now working on all of the clues at once and none of them are completed but I am happy. I only work a little bit each day but I can cut for a bit then sew some and then iron when I get the chance. The only problem is now the final layout has been posted and I really want to look. I am trying to be a good girl and follow the no peeking rule but I don't know how long I can last.

Oh No - Snow

We woke up to white stuff this morning. I know that for many people it is no big deal but here where I live it is not a common occurrence (thank goodness.) I am sure by the time I have to go out it will all be gone but it is fun to look at - for a while.

We got home 2 days ago from a road trip to California. The snow was right behind us in west Texas. Thirteen years ago we hit an icy patch on a trip for Thanksgiving and we totaled our van. We have not tried to leave town at this time of year since then. This year the trip was wonderful and we are very glad we did it.

Rainy Days and Mondays

. . . don't always get me down,I like rainy days and I like Mondays so I am ready to start a great new week.

I have not posted my design wall lately but let me assure you it has not changed much. I did take a picture last week and this is how it looked. All the blocks are complete and laid out in an orderly manner.

I also took one this morning and this is the current look. The pickle blocks are now arranged and ready to sew which I will do today at my lunch bunch quilting group.
I worked on half square triangles for a long time. I got the flu in the middle of making them and I would sew for a while and then go lay down for a while. I was able to complete all of the pinwheels and the blocks with this method. Getting the swine flu may not top every ones list of fun things to do but I didn't feel too bad and I stayed home a lot and sewed.

In the past 3 weeks I also completed a doll quilt, worked on the quilting of Double Delight, finished a store sample for a quilt class, made 2 Boolicious skirts and I have been working on making my scrap pile more manageable - it has been a scary mess, now it is not quite so scary. I use Bonnie Hunters scrap users system so I have been cutting everything into usable strips. I have several scrap projects under construction at this time, I work on them when the mood strikes, someday they will be done but I don't stress about it.

Happy Monday everyone and I hope the rain keeps coming, it really feels like fall around here.

One Dark Night

Last night after my husband went to bed I let the dog out for one last time. I was checking my computer and she started barking and jumping at the fence. I do not like checking out scary things but my husband had to get up early so I did not want to disturb him. I went out to investigate. Missy kept jumping at the fence and frantically barking, she would not stop no matter what I did and I did not want to get too close because I did not know what the problem was.

I stepped as close as I dared and realized that there was a big possum on the top of the fence. It wasn't moving just balanced there. I thought there must be something wrong with it since it didn't just jump down the other side but then I realized it was doing what it does best - playing possum.

Now I had to figure out how to get the dog to stop barking and come in the house. I thought of spraying a hose at both of them but I couldn't get one easily. I got the broom to try and push the dog towards the house but I did not want to get too close to the fence so that didn't work. I finally thought of the camera. Our dog hates the camera and she will leave the room whenever we get one out so I left the door open a little bit and took a picture and she put her tail between her legs and ran into the house - problem solved!

A goal completed

Last week I decided I wanted to get the 24 curved blocks done by the weekend and on Saturday night I finished the last one.Then I counted them and there were 23 -what! I know I had 24 arcs and I didn't have any unfinished arcs, did I count wrong? Now you have to know I always count more than once I am a bit obsessive that way. I looked on the floor below the design wall, no block, then I started to be annoyed because I had been on a roll with the blocks and to just do one would take a long time so I looked around some more and I found it tucked in a pile I had removed from the ironing board to make space a few days ago. So there are 24 blocks each now needing 5 little pinwheels (that's 120 by the way)- probably won't happen this week.

Warning - Curves Ahead

I have been sewing curved patchwork seams a lot this week. My Christmas Pickle quilt is coming along nicely. Each block has 5 curved seam and I had never done one until the class I took 2 weeks ago.

All of the teachers I have ever seen on TV and in books and magazines rave about how easy the curves are and that they can do them with 3 pins or 1 pin or no pins. In class we were taught the 3 pin method and I did that for my first few curves but then I decided to try more pins and you know what? I like pinning - there I admitted it in public - I am using lots of pins.

At first I thought there was something wrong with me but then I realized that I was much faster with the pins than without and I decided that if I was okay with pins then there was nothing wrong with me. I am a pinner - I like my pins so I will continue to use them and it is okay if you use them too.

My blocks are coming out well, so far 4 are completely done but many others are very close to the finish line. I am trying to finish the blocks this week before I have to move on to some other time sensitive projects.