AWLTP

Netlingo's acronym of the day is AWLTP - Avoiding Work Like the Plague...which is what I'm doing today. I got behind at work last week and committed to spending this morning working on job descriptions and some other stuff. So this morning I thought, "I'll work on a shoe block, then start on the job descriptions" by 10AM. So I did the lace shoe and thought, "I'll just do this flat and start on the job descriptions by 11AM." It's now almost 12 and I really must go do those dang job descriptions. But not before I show you these shoes!

You know you want 'em. Actually, I have a pair of mules that look a lot like the lace shoe...I think I wore them once! I would go take a picture right now because I think I still have them, but really...I must go do those job descriptions!

Save the earth! It's the only planet with chocolate.

If The Shoe Fits...

Buy It in Every Color! I needed a break from all the sewing and cutting for the Bali Wedding Star. I needed something quick and easy for this rainy day in Georgia, so I worked on my "If the Shoe Fits" wallhanging. You know it's bad when you have UFO's in your mind! Actually there's a name for those also...NESTY - Not Even STarted Yet. I've had everything for this wall hanging for a while, just needed to do it. It didn't take long, so it was perfect for a quick project. One block - done!

Time is that quality of nature that prevents events from happening all at once. Lately it doesn't seem to be working.

Just Couldn't Wait!

After all that cutting and sewing and unsewing, I'm starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. And I couldn't wait to see what the arcs are going to look like, so I experimented with two...just to see. Check it out:

Canustandit? Those arcs are gorgeous! If I do say so myself! I have to finish up the star points, then the four patches that meet in the center of the stars, and I can start (finally!) putting some blocks together. The advanced paper piecing class meets on the 30th, and after having three places where I could be that day, I now have none, so I signed up for the class today. Woo-hoo! Progress!

A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.

At yesterday's Brown Sugar Stitchers meeting, Laura rightly told me that I have been negligent in my postings. I told her it's because I have been working on one project that is long term and intensive. Laura advised that I should post my progress. Wise woman! OK, so I have been cutting and sewing and unsewing since the Saturday after Thanksgiving and I don't have even one block completed. But I'm getting there. So here is what I have done so far:



At our meeting yesterday, we talked about one of our guild members who counts pieces. I've never done it before, and I'm not sure I want to do it again! I don't want to know! So far, this top is 1140 pieces. And I'm still cutting!

The unsewing part has been on the melon star points. I'm kinda anal about stuff lining up. Even though I was sewing on the lines, at the place where the lines meet, for some reason I didn't always end up with the points being straight. A lot of people would keep going, say don't worry about that, you can't even see it, if it can't be seen by a galloping horse at 40 miles an hour, don't worry about it. Can you see where the points are off (the one on the left) - see where the black point meets at the top?

This bothers me, so those points had to be be done over so that they are sharp and line up like the one on the right. Probably about three quarters of the 78 melon star points had at least two sewings. Fun! I will admit that I was a little less anal about some of the star points that are less than perfect. I'm not obsessive about perfection! "A beautiful thing is never perfect." -Egyptian proverb.

Here's news - there's a new quilt shop in Powder Springs! Kiwiquilts! Ten minutes from my house! woo-hoo! The owner is very nice...moved here from Arkansas and opened in September. Al and I were driving up Thornton Rd one night around midnight and I looked over and saw the sign and said, "Is that a quilt shop?" It was bitterly cold, but I asked Al to turn around and I went over to the shop and peered in and yes, indeed, it's a quilt shop. Al said I can smell a quilt store! It's small, but she has room to grow on both sides. Good luck and much success in your new business, Tracy!

And for the second year in a row, Nina won the Tri-Guild challenge with the Intown and Phoenix Guilds. The theme was something like the Seasons in Color...obviously I didn't participate, since I can't name the theme. I had an idea, but it stayed in my head and never made it to reality. I commit to doing it next year, no matter how much I don't like the challenge.

Happy New Year! 2010 is going to be a great, creative year!

Dear Lord - So far today, I've done all right. I haven't gossiped, haven't lost my temper, haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or over-indulgent. I'm thankful for that.

But in a few minutes, God, I'm going to get out of bed. And from then on, I'm probably going to need a lot more help. Amen