Quilting In These Modern Times

Back in the day, when the day was about 9 years ago, which is when the oldest grandgirl was born, my dearest sis and I embarked on the tradition of making the grands quilts. I had learned to quilt in 1978, and was all about the scissors and templates, hoops and hand quilting. That stuck until the the fifth quilt. A few things happened.  The quilts started stacking up.  DSis bought a Bernina, helped found the Modern Quilt Guild in Las Vegas, and subsequently retired.

I will be honest here.  I didn't know modern from schmodern. Quilts are quilts are quilts...and are mostly for covering up with. So anyway, back to DSis retiring and leaving Las Vegas and moving into the hot bed of America's quilting heartland. Her mad skilz took off like a rocket, and she was all...maybe we should look at some of the more recent innovations in the quilting industry.  I was all...this was how I learned to make quilts and this is how I am going to die making quilts.

Variation of Card Trick with 30's reproduction prints

And then I got laid off again, and picked up a part time job at a LYS that was opening an fabric side. I needed to let go of the past, all be it kicking and screaming, and let myself get dragged into these modern times. I had fun for the few months I sewed for a living. My mother's legacy lives on, and I am truly grateful for the life skills she taught me. Also, I honed those rotary cutting and chain piecing skills!

"Sisters" with 30's reproduction prints

Grandgirl's six and seven quilts were cranked out lickety split! I even machined quilted, although it was simply quilting in the ditch.  The intricacies of free motion still elude me, but as many things, I am sure it's just a process of learning.

16-patches from FCMQG block bee and hour glass block

I still sew with my mid-century Singer (the Rocketeer) but I bought myself a Janome, too.  (By the way, save yourself embarrassment.  Jay No Me.  I asked the man in the store about the Jaynoms.  Oops.) I joined the local MQG.  I even met DSis at QuiltCon in Austin for fun, amusement, and education in what the heck Modern Quilting is.

The photos are of a few of my recently completed quilt tops.  The top two are throw sizes, the bottom is now larger than the photo shows, more of an oversized queen. I cranked these out in the last week.  Fast as lightening! Quick as winks! Goodbye to the olden days!

Changing It Up

This Christmas:

I didn’t write a letter to go with our cards.

I didn’t hang my Star Trek ornaments.

I didn’t set out my Bear’s nativity.

I didn’t hang stockings, nor did I buy stocking stuffers for The Offspring.

I also have not put the cheapo mass produce holiday quilt and shams on our bed for the season.

Some I didn’t get around to doing.  Some seemed to be less than convenient.  Some seemed to be a thing of the past. Some do not seem warm enough.

Things evolve.

Changes and Chapters

Wonderful Guy and I planned a vacation in southwest Colorado for next week. We are going to play tourists. We have spent a short time there in the fall, having ridden the Durango-Silverton train. For those familiar with the mountains, this time of year will bring a different experience.

Life hands us opportunities.

I had a 'small procedure' last Friday, which is only a relative term, in my opinion! (Like...it wasn't open heart surgery, but still....) I am fine (pretty sure) and recovering (mostly...the healing shades of yellow have taken over), but it takes time and, more to the point, is slower than I like (what is new?). Having energy after work to think, much less, pack, is like pulling nails. Each day brings progress.

Yesterday we heard the news that my brother-in-law passed away. While it was not unexpected, I am very saddened for Wisest Sister. They were a Match, and she will miss him deeply. So it is necessary to make those plans, now. I am so grateful to Wonderful Guy. After calling him, and the Daughters Three, with the initial news, I didn't know what to do. Then he called me back and told me what he had done.

What a guy. One might say, a Wonderful Guy.

My new old job? The one without paid time off? When I took it, I made sure my new old boss was aware of the days off we had planned for the family reunion, the vaycay, the time in Breckinridge in July...then add the time off for the medical tests, the surgery, now the bereavement time. Plus the holidays (not in my control!) My initial 'contract' is for 15 weeks, and of those? I will have worked about 3 full forty hour weeks. There is a lesson here. I am not sure what it is.

The recent posts of lovely blooms were all taken and posted in advance with bloggers handy dandy tool. Which was nice, because Sunday nary a one was left. We had bloom shredding hail(but not as bad as car denting hail). I have been so off, I haven't deadheaded, or taken photos of the newly opened buds. (Thanks for all the comments.) (PS I bought seven more rhizomes from a local purveyor about 10 days ago!)

On a positive note, since my last trip, all I have done, knit-wise, is seam dishclothes. That means all my travel knitting plans from the Kansas trip are pretty much still in place. That is one less thing to think about. Sweet. I need all the help I can get.

No Estes Park Wool Market for me this year. And since I have quilting galore, and sewing to the max for les meres expectante, I think I am going to pass on le tour de fleece, as well.

So. There is my update. I look forward to seeing the family again, as always, no matter the circumstances. We are like that. We like each other. What can I say?

And, Wisest Sister, sending peaceful thoughts and strength your way. Love you lots, and see you soon.

Finding My Instincts

That’s only part of this story.

Finding my instincts, and trusting them, and then following them after a lifetime of not believing in myself is unsure ground.

Growing up, I didn’t know much of what was going on. Others needed to be trusted for that, and I was supposed to do as I was told. If I thought something might be haywire, or off track, or maybe a good thing to do, but grown-ups (or anyone bigger/older/more intimidating) could tell me different, well, that was that. End of story. What I knew or thought didn’t count as much as what others knew or thought.

I went along. No need for instincts. I just listened, and did as I was told, and caused the least trouble…mostly. Seemed like when I didn’t follow along, when I broke out of doing as I was told, serious repercussions seemed to reinforce how much better the other way seemed to be.

Lately, and yes, since the life changing opportunity of the dee-vorce, one of my twelve step lessons has been that of listening to MY heart, hearing MY instincts, and recognizing my own inner voice.

Then…in the belief that I can know what is right for me, following those instincts.

Yowza. Thinking for myself. Means I am responsible for me. Means I am responsible! Means I can do it.

And I can.

So I have alluded to ...over the last year and a half...about my work and the attendant stresses. It has been a tough road of lay-offs, late paychecks, people leaving, and chapter 13 bankruptcy. I have stuck it out, and without putting out a resume for a very long time.

Following my instincts? Or sticking my head in the sand? I can do denial, too. Oh, I can do denial very well, indeed.

Finally last November, I decided my instincts were telling me to ramp it up a bit. Over the last couple months, I looked at some websites, touched some bases, and talked to some former co-workers. I scored a couple of interviews, and while there wasn’t a job offer, each brought something that I could hold on to.

I heard that someone remembered the grace with which I handled the day I was laid off four years ago.

I heard ‘You can do this job’ from a former co-worker that I admired and respected, when I was intimidated by the prospective position.

I needed to hear these things. It is one scary job market out there, and add to that being…uh...experienced…and silvery haired…well, suffice it to say, there are a lot of young bucks to compete with these days. And not a lot of positions to go around.

Then, in filling out an application, when I was asked for references, I thought to myself, I need to verify that those folks still are willing (after all this time) to...reference me, and that I have their current contact info...blah blah blah…and so I did.

See. Instincts! And following them!

One of those references has called me. Seems he has a job that I might be suited for…if I am interested.

In town.
Working with, and for, some of the best managers/mentors I ever worked for, and with.

I will be on a temp basis for a while, working towards regular, but I am just looking at that as thinking outside the box…as a bridge from here to there.

I gave my 2 weeks notice today. (And that's my news.)

Ground Hog Day

6 more weeks of winter? Whateva.

Look what I rented yesterday. Wonderful Guy is going to be away on business next week, so I shall keep myself out of trouble this way. (except for the part of having to buy more roving to feed the beast...) I plied part of the white merino and brown alpaca at my lesson yesterday (I named it Chocolate and Vanilla, because I am so original), then finished it up at home. I tied it off and had it laid out ready for soaking when The Cat Who Would Be Queen left her place in front of the fire and pounced on it! She who takes very little interest in much of anything anymore suddenly wants my homespun! After being told that was not appropriate behavior, the Cat Who Would Be Queen settled for adoption.

Super Tuesday means a caucus for this state and I am going to participate for the first time. I have voted in every election since reacing voting age, taking that privilege very seriously. I believe that this election has spurred my recognition of the caucus process because of the significance of the democratic candidates.

In 1969, I sat in an assisted living home (nursing home back then) with my grandfather and saw the landing on the moon. He said, as the landing craft descended, that he 'wouldn't be surprised if the Russians snuck something in on us'!

In 1989, I saw the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the subsequent decline of communism. I thought to myself (with my permed hair, sweater with shoulder pads, and high waisted jeans) "This is truly a surprising and marvelous thing to witness."

In 2008, we have a woman and an african american man as the two front runners for the democratic presidential candidate. Hillary Clinton is the first woman to win a presidential primary! The first woman ever. Whatever one might think about her politics, it is one giant stip from 100 years ago when we didn't even have a national right to vote.

We've come a long way, baby.