2-8-10

Whoa, its been a long time since I've posted. Life gets in the way of blogging, I guess... Ha! Well, 2010 has brought me some BIG-TIME changes, and we're only about 6 weeks in. Me & the kiddies (the dog too) moved on January 1, back to the neighborhood where we belong, right where we've always wanted to be... SOOOO nice. We are "tenants" now, so decorating the new place will prove to be more challenging, but absolutely doable. I am sooooooooo excited about having my very own place, for the very first time, at the age of 43. Its very exciting, and absolutely terrifying all at the same time. Still unpacking, though. I think I found a PERFECT spot for a sewing room. I just want to make sure its not a "flood-y" spot (its in the basement) before I pull everything out and make it all pretty.

The snow and cold air has been challenging too, however its kept me inside more than I would be normally, which means ONE THING. More time to sew!!! Yippeeeee! I have ALMOST finished up mom & dad's quilt, which was actually a Christmas present that didn't get finished on account of MOVING, etc., but all it needs now is some binding, which is QUICK, compared to all that hand-quilting! I don't know if I will ever do that again, at least not for the entire quilt. Its not all that "lovely", and certainly not the pattern I would have chosen for myself, but it was already started, and mom & dad think its just swell, being that it came from their very own personal daughter, and my dad's Aunt Vera... from many many moons ago. I actually think its very cool, trying to finish up a "UFO" that my Aunt Vera had to let go decades ago, on account of poor health, bad eyesight, or whatever the reason was. When I was spending all those countless hours hand-quilting, I often thought of her and wondered if this was the finished look she was going for, or what did she have in mind for these blocks that she left behind? A quilt? A wall hanging? A gift for someone? Did a friend help her with this project? What was her life like? What made her choose these fabrics and patterns? I wonder soooo much about her when I'm working on this quilt. I also wonder if she would have approved of what I have finished from her work. I don't think my sewing skills are at the level of hers. My points don't all match up perfectly, by a longshot, not like hers.

I hope to have the quilt ALL FINISHED and delivered back to its recipients before the weekend. (Thanks for your patience, mom & dad!!!)

THEN, last night, as a last minute "I'm tired of this mess and just what am I going to do about it" moment... I started AND FINISHED a quick project that I had been putting off for a while. At my new place, I don't have a specified "pantry" for my kitchen stuff. So, you know those plastic bags from the grocery store that just multiply (I use them for poop bags on doggie walks, but I still have way more than I really need)? I used to keep those in the bottom of my pantry closet at home, but at the new place, they have just been collecting under the kitchen sink, with really no good place to keep them. I was searching under there yesterday for something, however those pesky bags just kept getting in the way! So I spent literally a HALF HOUR (yes, that's IT!) making up a bag dispenser that I had seen posted on a blog online, HERE:

http://makeitandloveit.blogspot.com/2009/01/grocery-bag-holder.html

Actually, I made 2, it was practically just as fast. Its actually a VERY cute design, and I think they would made fantastic gifts, being so easy to make and all. I had an ugly spot in a corner of my kitchen that needed covered up with something, so I hung a hook, and here is the end result:

Time to get back to life now. More snow comin tomorrow... aaarrgh.