I swear it! I have sewn the label down

I finished Pick & Choose last night, when I put the final stitches into the label. It was guild night, and I wanted to make sure I had SOMETHING for show & tell. I stayed up way past my bedtime and sewed it down, but I took the photo BEFORE leaving for our guild meeting.

Say...what do you think of the label? I cut that table cloth up that I posted a few posts back, and used the embroidered image of a squirrel as my label. I am rather pleased with the outcome!

I wonder what I will do with my new quilt...

....took the weekend off

This week was intense!!! An essay, a class presentation, and two exams. When I caught my breath, and took a look at this week's assigned reading - - all 318 pages of boring text book stuff - - I decided to go on strike.

I spent the better part of today sewing. I put a border on this:

I'm going to add another wider, pieced border to it.

And I finished all the courthouse steps blocks for this:

The pattern called for 45 courthouse blocks, and now I have to sew the star blocks. 44 to go!

And then I sewed the binding down on this:

It still needs the binding to be handstitched to the back, but it's a step closer to being done.

Okay - I guess I could get a bit of reading done now.

What a week! WHEW!!!

I've got my first full week back at University under my belt. Talk about information overload!

Technically, today was my day off - - but I spent all morning, until nearly 1 o'clock this afternoon just getting my books and my calendar organized, and catching up on all the news on my course websites - - yes, every course (all seven of them!) I'm taking has it's own interactive website, in effort to approach a "paperless" society.

I didn't get to start reading until this afternoon. So far I have 1/2 the reading and notes written for Communication & Interviewing Skills, and the reading (but not the notes) for Small Group Work Theory. I know it sounds like I'm behind....but seriously, I'm in a better position this weekend than I was last weekend.

Onto the Quilty News!

My Pick & Choose quilt is back from the quilter. It looks AWESOME!!! I hope to get the binding on before Thursday night's guild meeting.

Tomorrow, I'm going to an all-day workshop at Country Patchworks in Woodstock to make a "Courthouse Stars" quilt with Barb Scott. I'm doing mine in browns and blues -- all RECYCLED SHIRTS!!!

I know it's not a good time to run away to a quilt day, but I had signed up and paid for this workshop back in the spring, when it was originally scheduled for June. However, the class was cancelled, and rescheduled -- and since I already had all my fabric pre-cut and ready to go, I figured I could sacrifice a day to sewing.

Pick & Choose (UPDATE)

Thanks for reminding me Kim - I forgot to mention that my "Pick & Choose" quilt went to the Quilter Man on Monday. I told him there was no rush, since it wasn't necessarily FOR anyone, or any purpose, so I don't expect it back for a while.

I had gone on a ROAD TRIP to The Marsh Store on Monday with six other quilters. Our intrepid driver was my Sister-In-Law, who has just recently been bitten by the Quilting Bug. (oh boy, she's got a baaaad case of it) We stuffed every spare square inch of her van with our purchases, having taken advantage of the 30% off everything sale. I loaded up on batting, and got fabric to back Pick & Choose.

Pick & Choose top is done

I'm really loving this quilt!

The pattern was from the June 09 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting.

NEXT!

Deja Vu all over again!

Well THIS is something I haven't done for a long time! Getting up at 4 in the morning to sew? Well, for sure I'll be among the early birds at all the yard sales this morning!

I still have a way to go on Pick & Choose. The vertical rows are yet to be sewn together with sashing, but this photo gives you an idea of what it might look like when it's done. It will have a saw-toothed border, for which I have all the HSTs sewn, pressed, trimmed to square, and pinned together in pairs.

I've been struggling with a decision. I was thinking of switching my Speech course (Oral discourse, rhetoric, and debate) for a nice easy Visual Arts History class, that begins on the 6th. I was looking forward to the Speech class, but recently realized it was going to require a lot of writing. Ordinarily, writing it right up my alley, but I started thinking about all the research and homework I'm going to have to do. On Thursday, I was just "mouse clicks" away from swapping the class, but chickened out.

I say chickened out - because I felt really torn! I'm not one to step back from a challenge, and I'm not afraid of working hard on a project. So last night I decided - - I'm swapping! Guess what? The empty seats that were still open in Visual Arts History on Thursday, were filled by Friday. I guess the Universe is telling me to trust my guts, and embrace the challenge!

Besides, opportunities for public speaking practice will be good for helping me get over my crippling shyness - mwwaahahahaha!!! (I almost said it with a straight face!)

Why am I so dang TIRED!!!

I have ten more days of holidays, and I've done NOTHING. I am a slug!

I 'almost' feel like I should go out and pick up a few groceries...but that would involve putting clothes on!

I do have some news though. A very official looking certificate with a big gold seal arrived in the mail yesterday from school - - stating that I was on the Dean's Honour Roll, and notification that I qualified for a $1000 scholarship for next year. That's exciting!

Back to sewing Pick & Choose. The pieced sashing is sewn, pressed and cut, ready to be applied. The pieced border is all set to start sewing, piled next to my machine.

I couldn't back up far enough to get in ALL of the blocks in the photograph, but I'm now finished the 25 blocks for my Pick & Choose quilt. On to the borders and sashing!

I've had a terrific day - - sewing, reading, a nap! Jealous??? hehehe

The End is Near

I'm up to seventeen now. Of course, that's NO WHERE near Erin's TWENTY!!!! Hope everyone is having a great weekend. Back to the books .... exam at 9 a.m.

Any Guesses???

So...what do you suppose was the last thing I said to Hubby last night before I went to bed?

"Could you please bring the cushions in tonight? It's going to RAIN!"

Ugh...and it IS raining...raining...raining... No yard sales for me this weekend :(

That's okay (sniffle, sniffle) I still haven't finished pressing all the fabric I got last week. I think I'm going to spend some time sewing blocks for my Pick & Choose quilt. I've got to catch up with Erin!

Plus...I reeeeeeeeally need to to study for my exams Monday and Tuesday. So I guess it's a good thing that it's a drippy weekend. I won't be so tempted to sit in the sunshine with a glass of sangria. (particularly on the soggy cushions)

The workshop that I was supposed to take today has been rescheduled for September. I'm glad of that, because I already have all the pieces cut and bagged up ready to go.