Nothing stays the same....

Then....I did a little stint with Wordpress

Now... I am a Blogger girl!

Then.... I rarely had a photo in my posts....

Now.... my posts are littered with photos, occasional videos, and less talking!

Then... I quilted...

and did a bit of sewing....

Now... I am quilting...

sewing...

journaling...

 and painting....

Then... my sewing room....

Now... my sewing/crafting room....

Then... me....

Now... me...

(a little older!)

Then... my family....

Now...my family....

well... I have no recent photos!!!!
We are rarely all in the same room at the same time,
the kids are growing and busy!

But I know for sure that Nature Boy's waist is almost as tall as Mr. U's now!

Then.... I got up early....

Now...  I still get up early!!!



 Okay, well some things never change!!!!

Lessons learned

The other day, I listened to Amy on Creative Talk Radio 

and was reminded that her Blogger's Quilt Festival was around the corner.

As always, Amy asked to post about a quilt that we have made...

tell its story,  

tell why you made it, 

why it is special to you,

or

what you learned about quilting/yourself while making it.

Since my latest quilt, Impromptu, is fresh in my mind...

this is the quilt I chose for the festival...

I learned a lot while creating this quilt!!

1.  I still covet black and white fabrics, I can never have enough of them!!!

(this is my stash just below my-also-coveted dot stash!)

2.  I slipped my bobbin thread through the hole in the bobbin case...

and was really pleased with the quality of my free motion quilting stitches!!!

3. Working with no real final plan in mind is fun but challenging...

(and you really don't know how it will look in the end either!)

4.  Ideas don't always come out exactly as you see them in your mind...

(Binding an inside corner is tough and I had to let go of perfection... ugh!)

5.  One project out of your head....

often leads to 4 other projects in your head!!!
I will start work on them soon, I hope!

Another lesson learned was yesterday on our latest homeschool field trip!

We visited the city's water treatment plant (I didn't take photos there, oops)

and we learned how the water from the local reservoirs and mountains is treated.

Who knew a water storage area was so beautiful!???

and if you look into the distance, you can see the next state!

Check out Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival and the many other wonderful quilts!

Class dismissed!

It just happened....

 

im·promp·tu

/ɪmˈprɒmptu, -tyu/ Show Spell[im-promp-too, -tyoo] 

–adjective

1.made or done without previous preparation: an impromptu address to the unexpected crowds.

                                          - from Dictionary.com

Today, Sugarbaby, Nature Boy and I packed up the car with books, lunch, and snacks and headed out 

to a quaint little village about 45 minutes away from home.

Sugarbaby was taking a cheesemaking class with other homeschoolers. While that may sound exciting and delicious (which it was!),
the day was filled with unplanned (or shall we say, impromptu?) activities
which made it the great day that it was!

While Sugarbaby sat with the goat farmer and the other kids in the kitchen, 

Nature Boy and I explored the village and of course, we took our cameras along!

We spotted huge jack-o-lanterns...



unusual berries/nuts on trees...



a newt (how does Nature Boy always find these?!)...



and for some of you who know me well...
old houses...


Be still my heart!

After the class was done,
we headed home...

But on the way, we made an unplanned stop
(or shall we say, impromptu?)

at a pond (though it looked like a lake to me!)



which we have passed before!



No one was there but us...



and we passed some time...



along the shore...



exploring....



and gasping in delight...



at its beauty...



All this thinking about going with the flow..
making without previous preparation...

made me realize that my latest quilt was just that...



improvised...



without any prior plan/sketch/idea of how it would turn out...

and so here it is...

Impromptu!!!

The essence of pleasure is spontaneity.

-Germaine Greer

Working 5 to 9

 Many (but probably not all of you are familiar with the movie and song "Working 9 to 5"

but somehow it popped in my head as I thought of what I might blog about today!

Well, I dance (and not very well I might add) to a slightly different tune....

Tumble outta bed
And I stumble to the kitchen

(you know it, I am an early riser!)



Pour myself a cup of ambition
And yawn and stretch
And try to come to life


(earl grey tea with almond milk)


Jump in the shower sewing room
And the blood starts pumpin'


(I'm staying in my pajamas for awhile!)



Out on the street machine
The traffic  needle starts jumpin'


(ready to finish the free motion quilting I started yesterday)


The folks like me on the job from 9  5 to 5 9


(so... I keep odd hours!)

I am free motion quilting a pretty random hatch design
(which I think I dreamed up one night a while back)....



Got my mojo going...

(listening to various podcasts as I quilt)

After about 2 1/2 hrs....

it's time for a breakfast break with my favorite pumpkin bread....

(btw, cut the oil in half and substitute the missing half with applesauce)

By now... I have all the free motion quilting done...

and I am weaving in all the threads....

and then...

it is ready to be bound!!!!

but alas....

where is the binding I made????

in the midst of a project = no time for cleaning!

By 9:00 AM...

I am sewing on binding!!!

All in a (short) day's work!