Wednesday, April 20, 2011

My Cup Runneth Over

and yet I still whine.
LOL
About Life in general.  The state of the Union.  The state of the economy.  Long hair on a kid.  Short hair on a kid.  Kids who eat a ton.  Kids who take two showers a day.  Kids who can't seem to find the trash can.  Living a girl's life in a world full of men.
Are you ever like this?
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Knowing that this morning, your children and husband woke up in the same house with you.  All of them healthy.  All of them drug free.  Alcohol free.  Still waiting for the right one to marry and let the birds and the bees go a-chirpin' and a-buzzin'.
That your husband has a job.
That your college son has a job.
That your high school son pooled his savings and earnings from last year to get a better job at the pool this year.
That your elementary age son is honored for his writing accomplishments.
Your co-op is involved in a once in a lifetime opportunity.

And I still whine.
Sigh.

But I am blessed.  Oh so blessed.
I have running water.
Electricity.
Indoor plumbing.
Shelter.
Heat.
AC.
Reliable transportation.
Three meals a day.
Snacks.
A hospital within a five minute drive.
"Brick and mortar" friends and bloggy friends who share their lives with me.
My family is all healthy and safe.
Not everyone is the world today can say that.
So, I am thankful.  And trying very hard to stop whining.  And to count my blessings when I am tempted to mutter and grumble.

Thanks for listening.

In case you thought there might not be quiltey stuff in here, are you tired of these yet?


Over the weekend, I was able to sew three together to see if I liked them that way.  Got to thinking another quilt right now is insane.  Maybe in the future.  Maybe with Moda's Sunkissed line?  I picked up a charm pack a couple of weeks ago.  I decided I like them in smaller sized cuts than yardage.


Sew, I made a quilt sandwich with these three, some batting and the leftover Maize Kona from the Robert Kaufman challege quilt.  It is now a table runner.  LOL  You know a girl can change her mind.  And then change it again!



The Kaufman quilt was in various stages of destruction. LOL I started straight line quilting and got through several lines before I discovered my thread hadn't stayed threaded properly in the bobbin case. Out came the seam ripper. Our deadline is April 30th. Argh!  I'm pleased to say I took some time off from my daily routine to do a little free motion quilting and I'm liking the way it's turning out.



The front of the quilt and...


the back.
Projects started = 0 (dying to start something new to be creative and and avoid drudgery, but trying to finish up some things first!)
Projects finished = 0
New Fabric purchased = 0
(not for lack of trying to get ahold of the new Denise Schmidt line at Joann's)

WIP's include:
the Quilts for Comfort quilt
the Grandma's Dresden Garden table runner
Robert Kaufman challenge quilt
Value quilt
Stars Over Indiana quilt
a PIF mini quilt
bee blocks for the IMQG
Persian Garden quilt
and those are just the ones I have in their little storage boxes on the floor next to the ironing board.

Here's a shot of the table runner a little later in the day.


I straight line quilted 1/4" on the inside of the block and stippled the border.  I haven't hand quilted in about 15 years friends.  But I got a hankering to try colored embroidery floss around the petals to make the ones that aren't stitched down stand out more.  I then quilted 1/4" around the black hexagon center on the petals.  I'm really liking the way this turned out.  Just need to sew the binding on it, wash it and put it on the table!

I'm linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday.  I have had so much inspiration from the other ladies who link up.  The SuperNova quilts are so beautiful.  It's hard to choose a favorite color or fabric pattern!  And so many incredibly creative projects that make me jealous and want to start something new.
Go check 'em out and be inspired!

I'd like to thank Stephanie and Jenny for their sweet comments and awards.  I'm going to get a post ready to share with you other bloggy friends and their works that encourage and inspire me to make the world a more beautiful place.




16 comments:

  1. oh my goodness that table runner would look so good at my house!!! i am in love with all the colors and the hand quilting looks amazing. you are a blessed woman....that is quite a list of wonderful things, many that we take too for granted

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  2. Loving it all!! Even the Whiner!! See you later!!!

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  3. The quilt you are quilting is looking great!

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  4. thanks for the thankfulness reminder! was feeling a bit complainy myself! it's all in the way we look at it, right?

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  5. Enjoyed your post - I can definitely relate. The table runner makes me think maybe I can try a dresden. It doesn't have to be a whole quilt, right?

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  6. You are so right about being thankful when things are 'steady as they go', thanks for the thoughts, and sharing your lovely things. the colors are just bright and cheery!

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  7. I just love the Dresden Plate table runner. I like how you did the Dresdens. I like the fabric too. I like the fatter wedges with the hexie in the middle.

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  8. very nice works. Yes I know it is hard not to whine.. somedays we have to be thankful for all that we do have and GOD has done for us.I love the solids quilt with stippling.

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  9. That table runner looks great! I'm a bit of a whiner sometimes, too. :)

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  10. Whoa!! Love love love that table runner :D

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  11. well even with the seam ripper it all turned out beautiful!!

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  12. The table runner is beautiful and your FMQ looks great!

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  13. Nice words!! We do need to stop and remember everything we have and be more grateful. Your runner turned out so cute! And nice job with your meander!

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  14. What a wonderful post Dee!!!! I can so relate to whining even though I have many blessings. I did notice that your list of blessings far outweigh your whining...which means you are quite aware of all your blessings ;-) I am so in love with your Dresdens. Great job with the hand embroidery stitching. Your meandering FMQ is also amazing! Happy Easter weekend!

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  15. Oh, your table runner is such a beautiful take on dresdens! I've never seen anything like it. And the hand-quilting is just the perfect finishing touch. Thanks for linking up to WIP Wednesday! : )

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