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This little baby quilt is going to end up with a lot of practice quilting. I'm quilting a square in a square pattern in each of the patterned 5" blocks. It's simple, but not always easy. The good news is that I'm learning to quilt in different directions with the ruler, over and over again. And learning to eyeball where I should turn. Lots of times there are bobbles. Even though the patterns are smaller than the long rows of quilting I did last week, it's more challenging.
I'm trying to just go on, usually, not going for perfection. There will be so much quilting that there will be lots of puff. I keep telling myself that no one will see the small mis-steps. The quilt isn't going to the quilt show, it's going to keep a little one warm.
It looks like we will be on the southern edge of the bitter cold weather sweeping through the country. A couple of nights of lows around zero and days in the teens. It will be a lot worse in other areas.
This morning was my dreaded eye doctor appointment and the result was really good. It will be the end of August before my next check-up, unless I try a generic eye drop, which will mean a brief interim visit. I wish I didn't dread going to the doctor so much, and the dread seems to be getting worse. I've tried everything I can think of to change my attitude. I've heard that some people actually enjoy doctor visits. Oh, my, so out of my imagination.
This morning I just dived in with the straight edge ruler. What I learned:
a shorter ruler with lots of markings is a good thing for this beginner,
when the instructor says to just quilt small increments at a time, there's a reason for that,
and it isn't as hard as it looks, there are some transferable skills.
That does NOT mean that my lines are perfectly straight or perfectly spaced. It does mean that, for my first time, I'm pleased.
I'm a fan of Angela Walters' advice that, if you spend your time ripping out and correcting every little mis-step, you aren't spending your time learning to quilt.
The quilting rulers are here. Two are larger than I'd imagined, two are smaller. Tonight, I'll give one or two a try. If I love them, I'll order more at work.
This morning my son-in-law had a very early dentist appointment and I said, happily, that I'd take Aaron to school. I went over last night because there was a little snow predicted and I wanted to avoid being on the road early.
Nora woke up for her 6:20 bus arrival. She had a low-grade fever so Steph asked if I'd take her to school late if her fever went away. Sure, I could take her when I took Aaron.
Twenty minutes before Nora was to get on the bus the school recording said there would be a two-hour delay. That would mean Nora could take the bus but Aaron would have an 11:20 school start.
Cars and driveway were icy. Nora went back to bed. Aaron smiled at the news and went back to sleep.
Around 7:45 I got the news that school had been cancelled for the day. Both kids happily went on sleeping. Nora's fever had gone down.
By 10:00 my son-in-law was back and I started for home. Back streets were slippery but main roads were fine. Streets in my hilly community had been treated. I went to lunch with a friend.
The end.
I don't know who/what made these tracks in my back yard. Wasn't me.
I have ordered some quilting rulers. Many of my quilting friends started using them long ago, but I had never been tempted. If nothing else, I hope they get me moving with my quilting again.
Joanne had suggested a sweet potato/Brussels spouts combo that sounded good for dinner. Only thing is, I fell asleep over a book and napped through the time for dinner prep and dinner. I heated some veggie corn dogs and called it good enough. Maybe tomorrow. I want to put a little balsamic vinegar with the olive oil when I roast the Brussels sprouts.
Now, back to the book I fell asleep over. It's Jodi Picoult's new book A Spark of Light. It isn't at all a boring book, very good actually. I think that my eyes were just dry and I wanted to rest them for just a minute and the rest was history.
Yesterday was a deliberate pajama day, as opposed to a pajama day that just kind of unfolds that way. Toward the end of the day I got an email 50% off coupon from my favorite pizza place, favorite because they have an excellent veggie pizza (the white dots are feta cheese) and because they have a drive through.
When I pulled up to the drive through window there was a sign that said "drive through closed." The driveway WAS a mess getting out, it looked like chunks of icy snow from excavation had fallen down. Of course by then there wasn't much choice except to drive through.
I really wanted that pizza so I did the honorable thing and went into the store in my pajamas with a coat on top. Luckily the pajama pants are kind of trendy looking, sort of like the patterned leggings that younger women are wearing these days. I tried to act as if I meant to wear them all along. A couple of people were seated, waiting for their pizza, with nothing to do but check out who was coming in and out.
Snow fell during the night. My neighbor shoveled this morning, which I appreciate very much. It's cold, cold. Several of the ladies have indicated that they won't be coming to Baby Quilt Group tomorrow so we're cancelling.
In memory of Mary Oliver. I love this poem.
I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers
flow in the right direction, will the earth turn
as it was taught, and if not how shall
I correct it?
Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,
can I do better?
Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows
can do it and I am, well,
hopeless.
Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it,
am I going to get rheumatism,
lockjaw, dementia?
Finally I saw that worrying had come to nothing.
And gave it up. And took my old body
and went out into the morning,
and sang.
As leftover go, this isn't a bad one to have left over from Christmas. Kind of a sweet taste, as beers go, not hoppy at all. One last bottle, perfect for this Friday night that may, and may not, bring bad weather.
(And oh, by the way, my favorite local brewery will be having food starting in the spring. Locally sourced food, ordered at the counter. Something to look forward to. There should be Reds games on the tv by then. I can just picture it.)
This morning I did the weather shopping, although I was going to grocery shop anyway. Almost all the checkout lanes were open, and there was a person with a clipboard to get someone to open a lane if the lines got too long. Aside from the parking (there isn't enough,) I like my local grocery.
So, groceries, gas, library books, ice melt from the hardware. Salmon for dinner. I am happy.
