Relentless Toil

Give Some, Get Some

Today I freecycled 2 great big bags of fabric that I was sure I wasn't going to use. I have to make some room in the attic (where most of my fabric is kept) for some kitchen storage as we are slowly but surely getting an entirely new kitchen (yay). Plus, I'd rather this fabric got used by somebody instead of just sitting around here. I do like having a fabric museum of sorts, it's fun to visit, but that's not really the point. All the fabric is supposed to become something else.

I used to buy a yard at a time all the time -- or more, if I really liked the print or if I thought the fabric was going to back or bind a quilt. Now I find that a fat quarter is really a good size for most of the work that I do these days.

Of course I made so much room I had to fill it back up a bit.

The above fabrics were from Z&S Fabrics who have really great clearance deals and always ship fast and do a sweet job of packaging. I also stumbled upon Chester County Quilting, a new-ish local brick-and-mortar shop, and holy cow, I love it, and it's a good thing I didn't discover it previously because I would surely be in the worst debt by now! I got some Moda charm packs there (5" squares, pre-cut) which I hope to deploy on some delicious ideas from the Moda Bake Shop.

Meanwhile, Maya (all back to normal, though of course the rest of the family has to be ill now 'cause that's how it goes) witnessed our various giveaway efforts and very gamely took us up on our offer of one small new big-girl toy for each bag of outgrown toys she donated to charity. She put together !!4 BAGS!! of toys! She is really thrilled with her trade rewards, too, and I am so happy that she made such fine grownup decisions.

Julie's Tea Party Quilt

Some months ago, Julie and I were driving down to our friend Gosia's and we got to talking about what Julie would like for her 40th birthday; I wanted to do something really special for her. She chose high tea with some of her nearest & dearest ladies, and wow, what a good choice. I would like to have a tea party, like, every week. We had the party at Tea With An Accent in Yardley which really deserves all the very good reviews it's gotten. I didn't have to lift a finger, either, which was particularly good this week as nasty germs continue to plague the household (Maya is almost out of quarantine but it looks like Sam's got sinusitis... again!).

I wanted Julie to have a very special memento of her day so I made her the teacup quilt shown above. Each teacup is of a different fabric; the curls of steam above each cup are in free motion quilting, just running stitch, and the teabag strings are pretty tight zigzags. Each tea party guest was invited to write a word/phrase describing Julie on a teabag tag, then sign. I was so proud to see this quilt fill up with such beautiful and fitting sentiments. Here are some that I remember:
"my frilly garden princess" - Julie's mom
"sparkling wit" - Micki
"pursuer of quests" - Lianne
"loving flowers" - Gosia
"beautiful as a butterfly" - Alicia
"defender of the mighty" - me

Julie's young cousin Haley interpreted the rules in a unique and delightful way by drawing a sweet butterfly on her teabag tag instead of writing something. I totally approve.

Lianne (a great photographer) snapped lots of photos, and here we all are with the quilt all signed (though I think Drin was taking a turn with the camera here). I'm on the far left and Julie is front and center with the shiny tiara. Oh, and here I am stuffing my face and invading Haley's personal space, I think. I'm happy, though. Awesome.

Mommy's Art Camp for Very Poorly Children

Mommy's Art Camp for Very Poorly Children has only ever had one customer, but she's a REALLY FREQUENT CAMPER. I shake my fist at you, germs and plagues and diseases. Yesterday Maya was deemed too infectious for school but she was very jolly with the paints and crayons at home.

One thing she likes me to do is make a "coloring book" page for her using Sharpie on watercolor paper. I have to draw quickly or she gets, ahem, peeved.

I sense someone at her school is encouraging her to color within the lines. It does not come from me. I also think that, as her school is such a peace-love-n-happiness kind of place, no one is being bombastic about it. I suppose what I am trying to say is, wow, she's getting some good fine motor control.

Today's camping experience was a different story. Today the camper was much worse off and was weary and despondent and bedridden -- yet sleepless -- and she reasoned (almost tearfully; there was big pathos afoot) that videos of kittens were her only hope.

That actually worked very well. Thank you, youtube. She laughed out loud. Then she rallied out of bed, drew herself a cat and a mouse, wrote "cat", wrote "mouse", ate noodles, wrote "Noodles! Yum!" (her exclamation points have fat circles on the bottom, they are very cute and bubbly) and slept for 3 solid hours without coughing herself sick all the way through. Improvement!

Wherein I Whine About My First World Problems

First World whine #1: Alas, my summer vacation is over. We went to Kalamazoo, the Jersey Shore, Newport, and then my family crashed my friend Sarah's family's Quisisana party, which, except for swarms of mosquitoes* feasting on me and Sarah's daughter, was really, really lovely and a totally unique experience that occasionally hinted at that old chestnut, Dirty Dancing, only with less dirty and generally less dancing.
The people who take care of guests at Quisisana double as musicians and performers and they are really quite talented; seriously good. Shannon Kessler, the lady who sang the part of Mimi in the La Boheme number, had me SOBBING in the front row. SOBBING. I was so impressed I felt like I should be the one pouring these guys THEIR coffee in the mornings. In Dirty Dancing parlance that would be like carrying a watermelon.
While there, I discovered that I am really good at kayaking. Well... I guess I am really good at kayaking. I did not have any tip-over-and-have-to-get-back-on-in-water-over-my-head opportunities. I might be bad in that kind of situation. But in the calm and beautiful waters of Lake Kezar, I can paddle really fast. And not tip over. I can also put my own kayak and my own folding chair away. I like carrying the watermelon. Sarah reminded me of this many times.

* All the nasty bitey bugs of the northeast US find me particularly delicious. I've contracted Lyme disease twice, and a few days before our vacation, I removed yet another deer tick from my person. Happily, I remain symptom-free this time... phew!

First World whine #2: My chocolate cake and ice cream diet has embiggened my butt to previously personally unknown levels of bigness. My pants don't fit. I have to stop eating chocolate cake and ice cream. I have to stop eating the brioche and cookies my husband bakes so well. I have to stop making and subsequently Hoovering coconut custard pie. I have to get back to working out. Sarah and I theorize however that a giant bottom is an asset in balancing a kayak, so maybe I should reconsider. Except there is no kayaking in my hometown. We only have little bitty streams.

First World whine #3: Why must Ultra Bond Lite fusible web gunk up my sewing machine needles? I think I will take a tip from the Chicago School of Fusing and try Wonder Under, or maybe Misty Fuse, because I have fusible-web applique projects in mind, but I don't want to be de-gunking gunky needles every few minutes. Do you have this problem, too? What a trial. What a complete first world trial. I managed to make a brand new baby this name quilt, though, with fused and then machine quilted letters:

First World whine #4: My next round of Netflix dvds don't get here until late tomorrow afternoon. I need to see the next episode of Manor House! Great is my suffering.