Relaxing Day

It was such a nice day in the sewing room yesterday. My table runner top is finished. That took most of the day, and then I didn't even mind doing a little housework. It's always nice to accomplish everything on one's list so that the next day can start with a clean slate.

Today I had time to work on my embroidery. I knocked off for a couple of days to give my hand a rest, but today I was back at it. This morning I'm going to head back to the pool for a swim...the first time in a couple of weeks, since I was gone all last week. Then this afternoon, I'm going to see the doctor about my knee. It was tempting to cancel the appointment, but I decided to let him look at it one more time on the remote chance he can help me get even more pain reduction. I'm not expecting much, but miracles never cease.

Of course, I had my furry friend in the sewing room with me yesterday. It was wet and cold outside, and so he spent most of his day with me.

He's pretty good for one picture, but then he starts getting crabby.

Mooooooooommmmmm! Will you stop flashing me with that!?!

Okay. I'm going to turn my back and shut my eyes. I cannot hear your plaintive cries. You do not exist. I'm cleaning my tail. Do not disturb me.

So I gave up trying to photograph the cat and finished up the third one of these blocks.

And there were two of these to do:

And then, I sewed them together, added the ends and the borders, and voila! Outback Sunset table runner top finished.

It's a very long table runner, but I have a long table. This was my project for

and so I'll be linking up for the party...tomorrow, I think. The pattern came from this book:

I'm having fun working on some smaller quilts. I can enjoy a new project and yet not add to my list of UFO's. This one still needs quilting and binding, but having the top done in just a few days sure makes for a quick project. I'll quilt it later on.

After that, I still had a couple of things on my January to-do list, one of which was to at least start on the next section of the Wind in the Whiskers quilt. The next one is called "I Spy" and here is the picture from the cover.

 I hesitate to call these "blocks" because they are so much more involved than that, and indeed, they can be made as individual wall hangings in and of themselves. Anyway, maybe you remember my trials and tribulations when I did the first section, but I held my breath and completed it. There are still details that will be added later, but there it is:

So it was with no small amount of apprehension that I took the next section's instructions out of their envelope for a peek.

One word: Oy. 

Especially this section.

Sigh. I spent yesterday identifying the kit fabrics, and I discovered that I am missing one. It was tempting to get all huffy and write an email to the quilt shop I've been working with on this block-of-the-month. I have suitable fabric left over from the first section, and so I decided it wasn't worth the effort and let it go.

Anyway...that's what I'll be working on the for the next several days. I really wish the instructions were a little more, shall we say, "instructive". Basically it says, "Make the appliques. Now, stick them on. Tip: Press, don't iron." To which I respond silently and with tears in my eyes, "Thanks. It's clear as mud now." My friend Sue is always telling me that my quilting endeavors make her itch. I'm here to tell you, this particular quilt makes me itch.

So that's where I am today. If you don't hear from me ever again, you'll know it's because I stabbed myself in the heart with my scissors...or maybe I took my rotary cutter to my own throat. On the other hand, maybe I'll go swimming. It always relaxes me, and maybe it'll give me the wherewithal to get through this next section. It's very much like childbirth. You forget all about the pain...until the next time.