On mornings when I'm not running into town, if the weather is nice enough, (and if I'm feeling motivated) I walk 2-3 laps around the neighborhood with Toby. I have to admit I've been lax on that since November and I really need to find motivation and get moving again. After the walk, my weeks look something like this:
Monday is my paperwork day... paying bills, filing...I am beginning to get tax stuff organized. I also pick up and clean up after the weekend activities, run errands, grocery shopping for the week.
Tuesday is the church outreach program. We now have 10 members working with clients and assisting with rent and utilities using funds donated by parishioners.
Wednesday for the month of January I am teaching art at my grandson's elementary school...introducing and helping students make their own copy of artwork from "the masters" (miro, lautrec, rembrant, etc)
Thursday is for cub scouts. I've become the wolf den leader and need to plan and execute activities to help them earn patches and their level badge by mid-may when the school year ends.
Friday I catch up on laundry and cleaning and errands before my grandson arrives for the weekend. We keep him most weekends while his mom works... and some weekends... like this past weekend... we have all three boys!
Throughout the week I also work my J-O-B 4-6 hours a day quilting customer tops. I love my job, and it is an outlet to feed my creative side, but I also need sewing time for my projects. I attempt to set aside some sewing time for myself each day. Some mornings I'm up before dawn and spend a quiet hour in the studio; other times I'll snag 15 minutes in the evening before bed... just to fulfill my need to create.
Bonnie Hunter began revealing clues to this current mystery quilt right after Thanksgiving. I wasn't able to start at that point as I was finishing work on customer's Christmas gifts. But when I did get started I worked like a madwoman; getting up way before sunrise and working until nearly midnight. I was able to catch-up on all the piecing when the final reveal and assembly instructions were posted on New Years Eve.
I do not need another queen size quilt so I opted to make mine miniaturized to use as a wall hanging in my studio... The colors are a perfect fit! The queen- size pattern calls for blocks that finish at 3inches.... mine are only 1.5inches! Yes I must be crazy, bu I am really enjoying putting this one together.
I couldn't continue burning the candle at both ends so my completion is taking a bit longer. I am amazed at those that posted their finished tops and quilted tops on New Years Day! It took me a few days to finish making the last components and now I have been working on assembling the top.
At this point in time, I do have the first half of the top complete, and hope to finish assembling in the next couple weeks. I really look forward to seeing it complete and hanging on my lavender studio wall.
I have promised to make four quilts for friends and family, between now and the end of June. OMG! What was I thinking! Since posting my partially complete En Provence on facebook I also have two requests for full size En Provence quilts! I told those ladies I would have to finish these promised quilts first... and then I'll think about it! I think I am going to have to learn how to sew in my sleep if I decide to make them! :)
