1/2/14

Sanity Returns. Or Does It?

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Call me Scrooge, but I'm just about ready for things to get back to normal for a while. It's my annual I'm-Really-Tired-of-the-Holidays rant, although I'm not sure I've shared it so publicly on my blog before. Not that I have anything against the holidays...while they're happening...but once they're over, I'm really glad they're over. Today I was really wishing for a day at home with a little bit of peace on earth in my personal living space. Foolishly, I scheduled an appointment to get my hair trimmed today, and so I had to go into town for a little while. Otherwise, I stayed home and pretended to be something vegetable-like.

A few things were accomplished. For one thing, I finished the second little stitchery of the four I'm working on for the Gardener's Journal quilt.


Then, I ventured into the sewing room to finally cross my last December to-do off my list. The one thing I didn't finish last month was to make another vertical row for "The Birds Return" quilt.


So far, I've only completed one row, and I vowed to make a second one before I moved on to my January list. I don't know what I was thinking the last time I worked on this (which was also the first time I worked on it), but for some reason, I made corrections to the blocks that include quarter-square triangles for the roofs of the birdhouses. See this handy totally clear-as-mud little "flow chart" I left for myself that last time I worked on it?


Since I'm only working on one row at a time and cutting as I go. I did all this scribbling on the pattern so that I could see each time what I needed to cut and the dimensions I needed to cut it. I looked carefully at the corrections I made to the quarter square triangle cutting measurements and wondered why I'd changed it. I dismissed my own questioning thinking that I must be doing the actual piecing differently than the pattern suggests. So I go ahead and cut and sew, and danged if that piece didn't come out a 1/2-inch too narrow.


So I checked the measurements on the other pieces above and below, and sure enough, it was too narrow. So then, just for giggles, I made another piece using the measurements suggested in the printed pattern, and guess what? A perfect fit.


And all I could say was "WTF"? I considered the answer to this question for the remainder of my sewing time this morning, and I studied the first vertical row, which seemed to fit in all of its places just fine. The only conclusion that I could come up with was that I intended to play a little New Year's practical joke on myself the last time I worked on it. Hahahahahahahaha...very funny, Me. So, now I've made the necessary erasures, and hopefully I won't end up with the same problem next month...only in reverse. But you never can tell. Whatever brain storm befell me last time could come roaring back, and I'll be making corrections to the pattern again. 

So here's the first and second row side by side. Oh, and I realized I made the pole for the bird house a half inch too wide. That's because I was working from a scrap of leftover binding. When I saw that nicely already cut strip, I assumed it had been cut for this project. Wrong. And I wondered and wondered and wondered why those pieces ended up a half an inch too wide. I thought I might have cut the sky pieces on either side too wide and so I just went ahead and trimmed each side by 1/4-inch and went on with my sewing.


Wrong. I realized it while I was doing it, but I figured...how bad can it be if the poles are half an inch too wide? I mean, really. And now that I'm looking at this image, it is sticking out like a sore thumb to my eyes. I'm going to have to redo those pieces.

Do you ever get the feeling you're losing your mind? It's a good thing I'm writing a blog so that when I can't remember anything I've done, I can look back and remind myself. Hopefully, I'll remember that I'm writing a blog. And if I remember that I'm writing a blog, hopefully, I'll remember the name of it so that I can do a Google search. It's starting to look like I really shouldn't handle any sharp objects for a little while.

Smitty's back in the swing of things. When he came in this morning, he had a decidedly dirty nose.


Sort of makes you wonder what he's been into, doesn't it? I'm thinking he might have been digging in a gopher hole. If he was, he didn't bring the gopher for me to see. In fact, since I wrote the last time about his little gifts, he hasn't brought me a single thing. I guess I know where I stand.

24 comments:

Sher S. said...

For your polls on the bird houses, you can make two with wider ones and the other two with the thin ones. That way it won't look odd or off. It gives it character. Besides you don't want to look like everyone else's do you? Smitty probably was just catching up with all he missed with the holidays. Tomorrow will be better. Smile, you're loved just the way you are.

Junebug613 said...

Well, again it's nice to know I'm not the only one who does stuff like that. While it may not make you feel better, find comfort in the fact that you are not alone in your quilting insanity. I've been sick since Saturday, so I still haven't gotten to any of my sewing, and I can really relate to the holidays being over gladness.

Deb@asimplelifequilts said...

Glad I'm not the only one feeling scattered and needing some quiet time to reenergize. Winter is my hermit season and I am quite content with that!

Denise :) said...

I actually like the wider ones ... it gives the overall piece dimension -- like they're in the foreground, and the smaller poles are sitting back further. I'd just repeat this in offsetting rows! It's cool! I'm not going to even speculate on Smitty's nose! LOL! :)

Vicki W said...

I do that often with my dyeing. I'll calculate everything out before I downstairs. When I start mixing dyes I realize that I've done something wrong so I have to stop and do it all over again and then I'm questioning everything!

Vicki W said...

I do that often with my dyeing. I'll calculate everything out before I downstairs. When I start mixing dyes I realize that I've done something wrong so I have to stop and do it all over again and then I'm questioning everything!

Teresa in Music City said...

Oh that's too funny! I often write notes to myself and then wonder what in the world I meant! WTF for sure!!!!

Quilter Kathy said...

I love your flower stitchery! I miss the flowers so much in the winter... maybe I need to start a garden stitchery project?!?!

Marei said...

I hear you about getting back to "normal"....I think it's the overly incessant "hype" (which starts earlier and earlier each year) that wears me out and it takes a week or two for the world to settle back down. As for your tree house poles, I think they look fine and I would suggest making the next sets in different sizes, too.

quiltzyx said...

The flowers stitchery is so very cute! Look at that again & smile Barbara!!

I like the ideas above, about making some of the other birdhouse/dovecote poles wider too. I think that those weren't a mistake, but merely an unconscious design choice.

I pretty much vegged out on New Year's Eve & Day - just barely even stepped out of the house! I did wander about a bit today - 77F in JANUARY? - had Chinese food for lunch with friends then shopping. A very SHORT & successful shopping trip with another friend, who bought me a new "interview" blouse. :)

Silly Smitty the dirty Nose. ;)

Anonymous said...

Glad I'm not the only one who is over the holidays now they are over! I was in the supermarket today having a winge with a complete stranger over the fact that there were tables full of Hot Cross Buns out on display already! I mean come on, really??

You know there are some days when you just shouldn't step foot into the sewing room, I have found out (the hard way, several time!) that when I am doing my longarm quilting it takes 1 hour to unpick every 1 minute of stitching!

Karen said...

I do agree with you. I love the relaxed pace after Christmas with no particular plans, but once New Year is out of the way I start to get itchy feet and want a routine back.
Good luck sorting out the rows for your quilt.

Cath said...

I was thining the same as Sher....mix it up a little snd have some rows with narrow poles and some with wider. Of course you will have to leave yourself a note so you don't forget
Cath @ Bits 'n Bobs

Dana Gaffney said...

I am so over the holiday and looking for the "reset" button. The birdhouse poles look fine, I think you're seeing them because you know it's a mistake, think of it as visual interest :)

Lyndsey said...

I'm totally over the holidays but not ready to go back to work on Monday. I also have so many chores to do including a full grocery shop which I hate doing on a Friday. Still once I've done it I can get on with some sewing.

Lynette said...

Hey! Did you already redo the poles? if not, you can make the rest of the rows alternate the same widths - it gives it a really terrific dimensionality.

Patricia said...

Things that are closer look larger so you are just adding some perspective to the piece. Only change it is it really bothers you. Nice little flowers BTW. Another day or two and Christmas will be a distance memory because it will be Valentine's Day. That's how time flies for me... isn't growing old fun! ... NOT!!!!

Andee said...

I have found leaving myself post it notes of blogging about my "improvements" helpful for the next time I pick it up! Glad you got a chuckle out of it and just kept on!

Anonymous said...

"Twilight Zone"!!?????????????

Michele said...

Yeah for you for the lack of new gifts from Smitty. I just couldn't deal with that here. And if he were he would not venture outside. It is not fit for man or beast. At the moment the temp is minus 4 not counting the wind chill. Major Brrr!

Michelle said...

Thanks for the laugh and comraderie sewing mistakes! Yep, I've made myself little notes and later wondered why.

Tami C said...

That's a really cute stitchery and it's another one from the Gardener's Journal quilt. I might just have to look into doing that one. I write notes to myself, then wonder what in the heck did I mean! Smitty is a good looking cat, even if he does have a dirty nose and I'm sure he loves you dearly!

Brown Family said...

I think a variety of widths on the poles would be OK. After all, is there a standard for bird house poles?

Kate said...

You definitely had "one of those" days. Hope things have smoothed out some since.