Cleaning the Sewing Room

Spent the morning cleaning up the sewing room and packing things for an upcoming guild retreat.  I am a member of the Stitch by Stitch Quilt Guild.  One of the fun things our guild does every year is to have a UFO project.  Everyone who wished to participate picks one of their UFO's (unfinished objects), and lists it.  Everyone is supposed to work towards the goal of finishing their UFO by the designated month to show them at the guild meeting.  Two prizes (gift certificates to quilt shops) are given to the "people's choice UFO" and one randomly drawn from those who got their project completed.  My UFO this year is my Lattice Quilt (Missouri Star Quilt Company Pattern) done with Through the Winter Woods fabrics.  I used layer cakes to make 168 blocks, and was bogged down in making the blocks.  I loved the fabrics, but somehow, making the blocks didn't keep my interest.  Part of my cleaning this morning was to finish trimming and pressing the blocks!  Here are some of them in the photo...........

I'm planning to take them to our upcoming retreat to sew together, but wanted to get them arranged and pinned.  My DD (future engineer) spent the morning and early part of the afternoon working on the layout.  She got very frustrated by the random way I had sewn the different fabrics together and explained to me (in a very stern manner) that there was a mathematical way to do this so that I would have a more accurate number of blocks with the same combinations.  Both DH and myself offered to help and were told to leave her alone to sort out this mess.  This is what she came up with, but has suggested that it be left on the floor a few days to allow her to make changes.

I have some fabrics to add borders as well.  I don't think the arrangement is too bad.  It has a nice randomness to it that I like.  I'm really just glad that it is this far along.  Can't wait to sew it together at our retreat!

Welcome

Welcome to my Blog!  This is something I have wanted to try for awhile and hopefully will enjoy.  I want to share my projects, quilting, baskets, and everything in between, as well as life events, recipes, and thoughts on the mundane things that happen on a daily basis.  Eventually, there will be photos added.  Just to set some definitions up at the start, my wonderful spouse will be referred to as DH (dear husband) or The Hubs, and my awesome daughter will be referred to as DD (darling daughter).


A little bit about my life............I live on a farm with my husband and daughter.  We have row crops - corn and soybeans, and raise pigs.  We contract our hogs, so don't actually own them.  My DH (David) just built a new feed research barn for pigs, so along with caring for pigs, is performing feed trials for a large feed company. 


My DD (Sarah) just recently graduated from high school and has started work at the local Walmart for the summer as a cashier.  In August she will be heading to Missouri University of Science & Technology where she hopes to get a degree in aerospace engineering with a minor in creative writing.  What a combo!  I'll take credit for the creative writing, but she gets that whole engineering thing from her father (the man who now has a computerized robotic feeding system in his hog barn).  Okay, even I have to admit it's kinda cool.  I went out to the new barn this afternoon to watch the robot feed and even took a little video on my phone!


And me, well, I have an education degree, taught high school English and business for a few years, worked at a newspaper part time during college, been a stay-at-home mom, worked as a Pampered Chef consultant, worked as a church secretary, currently teach piano lessons, am an adjunct instructor of piano at the local college, love to read, piece quilts, do various crafts, scrapbook, play cards and games, and will be hitting some major milestones later this year when I send my only child to college in August and when I hit a really BIG birthday in December.  So, maybe having a blog to share all my thoughts about the interesting things the future holds will be therapeutic!