A Rant

I have been too shattered from the travel to do anything like quilting (or exercising, or reading, or doing anything other than working and sleeping) so I have no real progress to report on that front.

I have come to a decision from this last trip: I am going to make it a goal in my life to never go to Houston again.  I don't make such decisions lightly, but I think this one is required.

My reasons:

- missing the quilt show.  I know that this is technically my fault, but I have decided to blame Houston instead.

- I tried to go running at 4:30 in the morning (I was still on British time).  It was 80ºF / 24ºC that early.  The dew point was 79.5ºF.  ick.

- One of the lunches served at the company that I was visiting was Southern Fried Steak (ie. breaded & deep-fried steak-like product).  The vegetable sides were pasta and rice.

- The course I was teaching didn't go as well as I had hoped.

- My flight out was delayed due to a problem with the plane.  This meant that I missed my connection, and they lost my luggage.  I got to the hotel in Cleveland around midnight, and I had to go to my meeting the next day in my clothes from the day before, without my notes.  I blame Houston.

- My co-worker got stuck in Hurricane Gustav last year.

- Some of the biggest news while I was there was about Barbie's cankles.  I know this was a US-wide problem, but really now...

I always thought that I would like Houston.  After all, I grew up in Calgary, and at least one kid in my class every year would get transferred there (or at least their parents would be).  Most of those kids (that I have tracked down on Facebook) stayed, so there must be some advantages!

I'm sorry to anyone from Houston, or anyone who likes Houston. 

Kirsten

Another 11,150 miles

Cambridge - Belfast - Cambridge (28 hours back home), then Houston - Cleveland - Cambridge. 

I got home yesterday, and have been catching up on sleep ever since.  Maybe I'll have something more interesting to say once I have caught up a bit.  That is, if I have caught up before I take off for the States again next week...

Travel...

Back from Belfast last night.

Off to Houston tomorrow morning.

So tired I want to cry.

week 1 of insane travel schedule done.

K

And the travel begins...

Tomorrow evening I'm off for Belfast, and then Saturday I'm flying out to Houston.  Hopefully I'll get some piecing done, but probably not much blogging...

The status of Shattered Dishes:

Two more blocks to piece, and then putting the whole thing together.  I'm really happy with how it is coming out!

Only 2 more blocks on my FQM project (had to get courses ready this weekend rather than quilting, like I really wanted to...)

And my sad, sad news...  You may have noticed that I am going to Houston next week.  You may have also noticed that the International Quilt Festival is in Houston next week.  It is not a coincidence, but it is a poorly planned one...  I did convince our customers that they should do their training that week with the plan to stay on a couple of days afterwards to peruse the show.  I was very, very excited about it. 

But I didn't look closely at the dates.  I had seen some dates around the 10th and 11th, as well as some around the 15th and 16th.  I thought that a show that big would be a week or two long.  I was asked to visit some clients in Cleveland on the 15th and 16th, and I thought it would be fine.

And then I looked up the details...  The 10-12th are a trade show, closed to the public.  The show itself starts on the 15th.  When I'm in Cleveland.  I'm so sad...

(and a little bit relieved - I find the following exhausting:

- running training courses

- flying back and forth over the Atlantic (two trips across in 3 weeks...)

- quilt shows

- life in general

so maybe this will save a bit of sanity...)

Baby quilts

Kevin's family is going through a baby boom (welcome to the family, Kailen!) so it is time I get some baby quilts made.

I have been really, really enjoying Leah Day's 365 Days of Free Motion Quilting Filler Designs - every day she adds a new filler free motion quilting design.  Check it out - it's really cool!

I have never learned how to hand quilt (although I finally know how to make a quilter's knot!  hurray!) and I often feel like my FMQ lets me down - I can do a couple of patterns, but it is definitely is my weakest area in quilting (as well as maybe general laziness when it comes to doing enough squaring).

I decided to start a "quilt as you go" project, to try out a bunch of these FQM patterns and to improve my skills.  I have cut out 32 blocks:

I have sewn around the orange center to stabilize, and I have started quilting!  It is lots of fun (although I have already run out of my selected thread... I'll have to pop into town tonight after work...)

Please keep in mind that I am not nearly, nearly as good as Leah at FQM...

I have tried Sea Oats:

Matrix:

and Flame Stitch:

The orange centres are just some old sheets that I got Kevin to dye, and the edges are some fantastic batiques that I bought while Kevin's parents were in town - it is my first time working with batiques, and I now understand why everyone raves about them!  The backing is some old, old fabric that Kevin's parents found in his grandparent's cabin in the mountains - so it really is a family quilt!

** Update: the name has been revised to Khilen, pronounced Kyle-en.  The pictures have proven that he is a very, very cute little boy!

Deoxyribonucleic acid

Yeah, I know I should be finishing the binding on the wedding quilt, or working on a baby quilt, or generally doing something more productive than making a new pattern to ignore...  But it's pretty cool, isn't it?

The wedding was fantastic, and they really liked the "starter quilt" - perfect in case it rains on their honeymoon!  I managed to negotiate another week's grace to finish binding the quilt, so I guess I have something to do while I watch "the X-Factor" tonight.

A return to being me

I took Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off to help my friend with her wedding, but the commitments for Wednesday and Thursday have been pretty light.  Instead, I have ended up taking the time to recover from the last couple of weeks of insanity.  

I got their "quilt pack" started - the central squares are cut and the triangles for the corners are printed.  I am giving them enough for 16 8" blocks - enough to get them started and playing, but not as intimidating as a full bed sized quilt!

I still want to write up some instructions, but I will need Kevin to take some pictures for the complete effect.

I also cleaned.  I cleaned a lot.  I think a lot of my frustration was because my home was so chaotic.  I can now use the bathroom without feeling guilty about how badly it needs cleaning!  Hurray!

With all the dirt, I managed to clean away my frustration about our guest (who is now gone).  His bedsheets are cleaned and the room is back to being my sewing space.

Of course, I baked an apple pie.  And I let the neighbour's kitten attack my feet repeatedly.  Slippers are important protection.