11/17/13

Productive Day

My Bohemian weekend will draw to a close this evening. Mike's plane is scheduled to arrive in Portland around midnight. Mae is picking the guys up at the airport, and I'll pick up Mike from Erik and Mae's house. Mike returns to work tomorrow after missing three weeks because of his illness, so it's going to be a late night and an early morning to him. The good news is that they had a great time and beautiful weather for the Formula 1 race, and Mike doesn't seem any worse for wear. He says he's feeling better and stronger day by day, and he's back to eating everything he was eating before he got sick. I'd say that's a very positive sign. He still faces a surgery, but his doctor says it will be a laparoscopic procedure, so much less involved than we feared originally.

As for me, I sewed almost the entire weekend, while briefly keeping the house habitable for humans and cats. Today I completed the September and October blocks for the Hello Moon QAL. Here is September:


You might think I designed that one, but I did not. Here's October's block:


After that I took a break and cleaned things up. Then I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It's my favorite Bohemian sandwich. When I returned to the sewing room, there was an impediment to my progress.


"Oh, were you thinking of using this chair to sew?" He was enticed away with some dried catnip.

Then I got to work on the 6th door for the Doors of Ireland quilt. As I've said many times, I am a terrible artist. I have no eye for anything that I can't draw with a ruler, and I certainly have no eye for perspective. It occurred to me the other day that I don't have to get the perspective right. I can just draw them straight on if I want to. It has also occurred to me that many folks are making big bucks drawing things no better than I can. Consider this cat:


Cute, but not accurate in the way that, say, daVinci might have drawn a cat. In fact, I would go so far as to say that even I could draw a cat like that.

So then I started feeling a little better about my doors. They aren't supposed to be accurate representations of the actual doors. They are supposed to be quilt blocks, and I figure it's okay if I take bad artistic license with them. It's just one of the ways I have to give myself a talking to when I start feeling anxious about something about to be attempted.

Here is the actual door for Door #6:



And here's what I came up with.


I ended up embroidering the name of the restaurant because I wanted to copy that font. Up until now, each door has given me pause for at least a few weeks, which has meant a few weeks of teeth-gnashing and wishing I could draw better. Today, I'm declaring myself done with that and moving on with less trepidation.

With that in mind, this is the door that is destined to become Door #7. I wish I had paid better attention to where I was in Ireland when these pictures were taken. On the other hand, many of them were taken as I sped by on a tour bus with little idea of where I was. Given my orientation above the door, I'm thinking this might have been one of those.


So that's it from me today. I have another day at home tomorrow, and so I'm thinking I might get started on the project that was supposed to be last month's NewFO.


It's a little late for Halloween, but I still want to get started on it so that I can have it for next year. I have another NewFO I want to start for November, but I'm still waiting for some fabric for that one.

Tomorrow I'm linking up to:


Also tomorrow I need to make up my grocery list so that I can go shopping on Tuesday. I've sworn off Monday shopping since they need a chance to restock after the weekend. It seems the shelves are bare when I go on Mondays. Soon it will be time to start planning for Thanksgiving. Hard to believe, isn't it?

I hope you had a good weekend and that you have a great week ahead.

18 comments:

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Love the kittie/moon block - and the dog. Don't stress on those doors, I think they are just marvelous. The stone fabric was a real find.

Brown Family said...

You have had a very productive weekend! I an so glad that Mike is doing so well!

quiltzyx said...

You sure did get a lot done today! You are blazing right along on the Moon blocks - cat & dog (or coyote?)! And just look at the Smug Smitty!

I think you had a wonderful break through on the doors quilt blocks too. You can make them any way you like!

Tami C said...

Glad the fellas had a good time and especially glad that Mike is feeling so much better. Good news that it will be a laparoscopic procedure and not major surgery! Your September Hello Moon fits you for sure! I miss having PB&J sandwiches, but it's not on my Atkins diet. Popeye has a habit of taking over my chair when I walk away as well. Like I said before, I really like Door #6! Glad you had fun on your Bohemian weekend!

Dana Gaffney said...

Good for you, art is what you want to make and doing it your way, your door looks great and you'll be so much happier not worrying about is it perfect.

Kathy Felsted Usher said...

Everything looks really pretty. I'm glad Mike is doing well.

Karen said...

I am very impressed with all you have achieved over these few days. You sure have made up for lost time.
Love ALL the blocks.

Celtic Thistle said...

Sounds like an ideal weekend all round Barbara!

Love the cat howling at the moon block.

Snoodles said...

Huzzah for less trepidation, more good health signs for Mike, and kitties who warm our chairs! :) Have a lovely day!

Teresa in Music City said...

Oh - thanks for reminding me about the Hello Moon blocks! I was behind a few but now I'm caught up on the patterns :) Love the kitty!!! What a great expression on its face :)

Your Doors blocks are simply amazing Barbara! I agree - they aren't supposed to be perfect, just representations of what makes them special to you. Love that rock fabric :)

Deb@asimplelifequilts said...

I think your door series is so inspired! Glad you had a creative breakthrough and good news all around on your weekend.

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

Sharon's right. Your fabrics are perfect for each project. Was that the F1 races in Austin? That's about 1/2 between my house and Austin.....:)

Vicki W said...

It sounds like you had a perfect weekend! You deserved it!

Heidi said...

I hope you used your Bohemian paper plate for that P&J:-)
Your Hello Moon blocks really turned out so cute! I will post mine today too - I struggled with the faces this time.. I need to practice my embroidery..

Lynette said...

So glad to hear Mike's much better! Your latest door looks terrific. Here's to the freedom of getting over ourselves! ;D I used to be so paralyzed for any finishes because I demanded perfection in everything I did. Now I expect my utmost best and no shoddiness, but perfection is incredibly over-rated if you're not vying in a $10,000 competition!!

Quilting Babcia said...

Love that stone fabric. And the fact that Mike is better and you sewed all weekend. I wish ...

Polyquats said...

Sometimes Google is soo useful. Druid Lane Restaurant is in Galway. It was easy to find (http://www.druidlanerestaurant.com/).
Sometimes Google is less useful. There is a Johnston Mooney & O'Brien Bakeries in Dublin, according to the online phonebook, but I couldn't find O'Brien's Bakery. If you had an approximate location, it might be a bit easier. (There is an O'Brien's Bakery in Quincy MA, not nearly as picturesque).
I love the idea of the doors of Ireland quilt. I'm looking forward to seeing it finished.

Kate said...

I like those Hello Moon blocks more and more every time you add to the collection. Your door block turned out great! Your Doors to Ireland quilt is going to be spectacular!