A Little Sewing

Good morning, my friends. By day's end yesterday, this is how I felt:

Looking back over the past several days, I realized we began to pack for our "star party" one week ago today. There was more packing the next day, then driving, then camping, then enjoying the stars while coughing nearly to death, then more driving, then several hours in the emergency department, then unpacking, then surgery, then post-op visits, then (and this was the good part) dinner last night with Erik and Mae. It was a mix of good and bad, and it was a full week of being out of my all-important life's rut. Today will change all that. It's going to be a run-of-the-mill-day-in-the-life, and I'm looking forward to it.

As for yesterday, after I left you, I had a few small chores to take care of...finishing the laundry, for one thing. Of course, I'd just finished washing a load of jeans when an Amazon delivery arrived with two more pairs of jeans. I decided to wash the denim blue rugs from our bathroom with the jeans, so I could get those ready for wearing. And since cleaning the bathroom was one of my small chores, it fit hand in rubber glove with my plans. After that, I ran around filling bird feeders, making more hummingbird food, finishing up one other small chore, and about a dozen other little minute-long tasks. I wanted to get everything finished so that I could sew without feeling as if I should be doing something else. By the time I was able to get to my sewing, I was feeling almost too tired to sew.

Nevertheless, I quilted two of the embroidered blocks for the Seasons quilt. Starting with autumn's block, I did some swirls and some backsy-forthsy stuff in the field. (Technical quilting terms. Try to keep up.) The swirls are a good choice for these densely embroidered blocks. They are functional, and they allowed me to get into the tight little spaces.

From there, I turned my attention to winter's block. There, I quilted some snowflakes and some snow drifts. In both blocks, I've outlined the square of the quilt.

I might have done more, but I really was too tired. Inspiration was not coming to me. So I turned the quilt around (to keep the bulk on the table, rather than in my lap), and left it needle down for spring's block. 

To be honest, I'm not sure I can quilt this upside down. I have in mind to do some pebbling in the centers of the sunflowers, some beelines between the bees flying all around on it, and maybe some more swirls. That all seems easy enough, but I still have a hard time up-ending my thinking that way. Since I can't draw under the best of circumstances, drawing upside down is even harder, as you might guess.

Okay, and then it simply felt too late in the day to start on the first sister for "The Yoder Sisters." I decided to do a little stitching on November's block for "A Year in the Garden." I wasn't able to get very far before it was time to leave to meet up with Erik and Mae.

Seeing my kiddos was probably the high point of a busy week. They treated us to dinner, we saw their new (used) van and how they had it decked out for camping, and we gave them our Blackstone grill. It's been a while since I've seen them in the flesh, and so that was a good way to end the day.

Okay, so today is going to be a day to recharge. The only sort of "work" I'm going to do today is to hoe the garden. I'll get out early. It's still damp and there isn't a breath of wind. I should be able to get it done without stirring up the dust too much. Also, I'm breathing easier...using my inhaler less...and generally feeling better. If I have trouble with the hoeing, I'll stop immediately. Not feeling like today is my day to have a fatal asthma attack.

But here's the best thing: When the garden is done, it's going to be nothing but sewing. It's been a while since I've had a day to sew, and sew, and sew, and I'm going to sew my guts out. Just you wait and see. I want to finish quilting the two remaining embroidered blocks for the Seasons quilt, and then I'm going to turn my attention to the sisters of "The Yoder Sisters." I think it will all fall into place when I start on it, but it's been a little nervous-making in the anticipation. Right now, I'll have some breakfast and spend some time with my slow stitching. After that the garden. And then sewing. It sounds like a good day. 

Thankfully, things should settle down some now. There's nothing on the calendar for at least a couple of weeks. Father's Day...of course...but that doesn't require much of me. Eggs Benedict for Mike and then I promised him a Lemon Meringue Tart. (I want the tart too. Father's Day is just a good excuse.) We'll have to make a short grocery shopping trip tomorrow, but otherwise, it'll be just the regular rut. Sounds like heaven.

All right...so off I go. I hope you have a good day planned for yourself too. You folks waiting to see what Tropical Storm Arthur is going to do...stay safe, y'all.