Last Week's To-Do List for March 17-24
- Add borders to Spirit Song to complete quilt top.
- Piece Spirit Song backing
- Make Spirit Song binding and set aside
Paper piece next block for Anders' Beware the Ishmaelites sampler quilt- Load SOMETHING on my frame -- either a practice piece, a charity top, or the Spirit Song quilt -- and START QUILTING!
As you can see, I only accomplished one of the 5 goals I set last Tuesday. In my defense, when I set those goals I had no recollection of the 16 Y-seams awaiting me in that vintage Nancy Cabot block for Anders' sampler quilt. I think I worked on that over three or four days, and I wrote up a Y-seam tutorial here on my blog so I can refresh my memory next time I tackle one of these challenging vintage blocks. Also the news has been distracting and worrisome, having both boys at home and starting "online learning" experiments has been distracting and worrisome (and expensive -- just had to buy a new laptop for Son the Elder because his previous laptop had a design flaw that caused it to continually disconnect from the Internet while he was trying to participate in an online class). And of course Samwise, a.k.a. Mister Puppy-Pants, demands lots of time and attention while providing an exquisitely appreciated distraction from the worries of the day...
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| Samwise PuppyPants (Great Aunt Lulu in the Background) |
The microscopic images of the novel coronavirus are fascinating to me. How can something so beautiful be so deadly? Some of the images popping up on the news look like batik fabrics or digital prints. I can just imagine the wildly recolored version that would be "COVID-19 in Chartreuse by Kaffe Fassett Collective", can't you?
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| Doesn't This Look Like Quilt Backing Fabric? COVID-19 |
Doesn't this one look like one of those green styrofoam balls sold at craft stores that you can cover with beaded and sequined stick pins to create Christmas ornaments? Or like some kind of anemone in someone's saltwater fish tank. Where's the clown fish in all of this? As the song from A Little Night Music goes, "Send in the clowns..."
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| Coronavirus (COVID-19) Under a Microscope |
Just last night, a 21-day Stay-at-Home Order was announced for the entire Mecklenburg County where I live, encompassing all of the Charlotte metropolitan area. Although I'm not aware of anyone I know personally in my community who has tested positive for Covid-19, it was distressing to see that our zip code 28277 (the South Charlotte suburban and mixed use "Live-Work-Play" community of Ballantyne) is among those with the highest number of confirmed Coronavirus cases in the county.
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| Bubble Tip Anemone, Doppelganger to COVID-19 virus |
I know a lot of you are sewing face masks right now. I'm not, but I've donated 150+ yards of quarter inch elastic that I had stashed away to some friends who are making masks for local hospitals. I'm not good at fast-and-furious sewing projects, and I know they are putting that elastic to much better use than I could. Those who have been following along with my projects here know that I sew at the speed of glaciers (about 25 cm per day) -- by the time I finished making a few masks, the pandemic would probably be over anyway. Which is why I had all that elastic in the first place, by the way -- grand intentions of sewing all of my own bras and underwear that never materialized, or maybe I bought that roll when I was pregnant with Lars in 2000 and deluded myself that I was going to sew all of his baby clothes? I don't remember exactly why I bought the elastic, but it has been mocking me from the shelf in my studio for decades. I was glad to see it depart from my house and be put to good use.
And so, when I'm not traveling from grocery store to grocery store (one of the only places we're allowed to go under the Stay-at-Home Order) in search of meat and toilet paper, and when I'm not busy with the puppy or with laundry or disinfecting surfaces or obsessively checking in with news updates, what do I hope to be sewing this week?
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| My Spirit Song Quilt Top, Patiently Awaiting Borders |
This Week's To-Do List for March 25-31
- Procure batting for my Spirit Song quilt
- Add borders to Spirit Song to complete quilt top.
- Piece Spirit Song backing
- Make Spirit Song binding and set aside
- Load SOMETHING on my frame -- either a practice piece, a charity top, or the Spirit Song quilt -- and START QUILTING!
It's especially poignant to be working on my Spirit Song quilt right now, which I named after my church's contemporary music group due to its color palette -- the pink/orange/coral with khaki that is almost always our dress code for Easter Sunday. We moved to online worship only on March 15th, and that was my last opportunity to sing with the choir for a live-streamed service with no one sitting in the pews. Now that the mandatory Stay-at-Home order is in place -- through April 16th! -- who knows when I'll be singing with Spirit Song again?
Rather than dwell on all of the things we're giving up right now and cannot do, I need to focus on the things I enjoy that are still available to me. I enjoy creating; I enjoy learning; I enjoy a good challenge -- so the overarching Goal of All Goals is #5 on that list: getting a quilt on my frame and firing up my longarm for some quilting time! I have an added incentive to get to the quilting sooner rather than later, because I want to have something to link up for Karin's Ruler Work linky party next Tuesday at The Quilt Yarn!
What's keeping YOU busy during these days of disconnection and social distancing? Is your community under mandatory restrictions, and if not, are folks following the guidelines requested by the CDC?
I'm linking up today's post with:
Rather than dwell on all of the things we're giving up right now and cannot do, I need to focus on the things I enjoy that are still available to me. I enjoy creating; I enjoy learning; I enjoy a good challenge -- so the overarching Goal of All Goals is #5 on that list: getting a quilt on my frame and firing up my longarm for some quilting time! I have an added incentive to get to the quilting sooner rather than later, because I want to have something to link up for Karin's Ruler Work linky party next Tuesday at The Quilt Yarn!
What's keeping YOU busy during these days of disconnection and social distancing? Is your community under mandatory restrictions, and if not, are folks following the guidelines requested by the CDC?
I'm linking up today's post with:
we all understand not knowing what day it is from one to the next. I didn't say I would make mask for the clinics and hospitals because I am not fast at it instead I am making some for two of my sisters in the medical arena and will mail directly to them two days - one day figuring out the pattern and adjusted it to how I thought it would work better and got 2 made the first day and 10 the next - you see why I can't make for a clinic!! I too am checking the news constantly, I feel I am not getting done with anything, I can't concentrate, I worry because my daughter is still working at the library even though the doors are locked they are doing curbside service and cleaning books constantly as they are dropped off.
ReplyDeleteI did run to the store today to find more things to finish the masks and thought I might just as well get more groceries while I am there in case this drags out to a month or longer - I most likely now have enough food to feed two people for two months! but I will give to my daughter down the road when she needs more.
What a crazy time in history
It's good advice to just load SOMETHING on the longarm and start quilting. I have several projects that need loaded. I hope it's warm soon where I longarm so that it doesn't skip. Keep calm and stitch on!
ReplyDeleteI haven't made any masks because my family is on total lock down (nobody out and nobody in). We're doing this because of the medical condition of our son (at our choice.) Family dinners should be getting more and more interesting as time goes on.
Yes, we celebrated my daughter’s 34th birthday via Zoom and played Drawings virtually. I am making 10 masksas I am a slowpoke, too. I finished 4 and have 3 more cut out. I keep changing patterns hoping to find the perfect one.
ReplyDeleteAll 9 counties in the SF Bay Area announced last night that school is cancelled through May. We are being hit fairly hard. I think we are a few days to a week behind NY. I go for walks most days, clean up and sew. I need to add a bit more exercise. Hubby does almost all shopping. It is mostly fruit and veggies with some dairy thrown in. Dairy and eggs are hit and miss. Veggies have SOMETHING there but might not be what you want I’m glad we had just purchased meats and TP before this hit. The major thing I do not have is disinfectant wipes. I do have bleach Every time I use it I ruin another set of clothes. Sure wish I had Lysol or isopropyl alcohol so my clothes could stay bleach free. I’ll finish the masks then go to my UFO list. First up is a lap quilt border to quilt then square up and bind. Then some patterns all ready cut and ready to go. That should replace a few bleached items.
I, too, am having trouble with what day it is. And in my house, I'm shocked when the week ends and it's Friday, while hubby can't wait for Friday arrive. Totally different work views!
ReplyDeleteYour spirit song quilt top is out of this world. The colors are to exotic and fabulous. Since we retired, we tend to lose track of the name of the day we inhabit so stay-at-home doesnt affect in that way. We feel good if our weekly pill boxes are on the same day. I gotta say, Cheeky, you got a real knack for writing. I always enjoy what you have to say.
ReplyDeleteHi Rebecca! Oh, that face of Mr. PuppyPants. Could he get any cuter?!! And now he probably goes up and down the stairs at the speed of light, like it was never, ever an issue. I think Spirit Song is going to be your focus for this week. I sure do understand the what-day-of-the-week-is-it confusion. I was just talking to my boss and told her that I'd do something on Friday. After a long pause, I said, oh yeah, that's tomorrow. Geez. Thank you so much for linking up this week, whatever day it is. ~smile~ Roseanne
ReplyDeleteHow very Vanity Fair of your title. :) Oh that puppy, he has just the most adorable face. And I totally can see a Kaffe Fassett version of corona! Your thinking is fascinating! Thanks for linking up at the Chameleon’s colour and inspiration party.
ReplyDeleteI like how you chose the color palette for the Spirit Song quilt via the tones of colors found on your singing group's clothes.
ReplyDeleteHang in there and stay safely out of COVID-19's path.
This is our 13th day of Stay at home here in my place in France, and we will be locked until the beginning of May, probably the 4th. But maybe longer, depend of this pandemic of course.
ReplyDeleteSo, what better than sewing and quilting during this time? ;) France Patchwork, our national guild (and I'm one of the departmental delegate), host a weekly challenge, open to everyone. Feel free to join us, and let's sew all together despite everything!
I can relate. We've been under lockdown for weeks now but when the order came, even though I had been expecting it it was still a shock somehow. Hang in there! We'll get through this together.
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking to Wednesday Wait Loss.