sewed together...

Yesterday I got all the blocks sewed together. I used all the material I had and cut these blocks after figuring out how big I needed it to be....a minimum size...then I let it grow a bit and now, the size is 15 blocks high by 19 blocks wide....285 blocks.... It's big....WAY big, but that's the way I wanted it. Lots of quilt for a big bed and two people to be very warm. I had all of my strips sewed together with a few blocks left over, but not enough for another row. Then when you start matching those up, you will find that with only 5 prints, you get repeats that touch. So you flip them and flop them and after you're done, some just need a seam ripper. You let them be for the part that works and where two sames touch, the seam comes out and a flip or flop or replacement or something makes that row fit..then you hope that the next one will work, but not always. It makes the end go a lot slower than the first 14 rows!! But it was worth it. I like it - really like it. And the quilt shop in North East, Calico Patch, has several backing materials that will fit this mutant size, so I'll try to get over there this weekend to get that piece of the puzzle. It's nice to have it coming together finally.
Now, I need a major clean-up in here. Too many projects and not enough putting back has created piles of clutter. I don't want to just stash stuff. I need to start with a cupboard and pull stuff out and group it and refold it and then put it back. In the closet is a large plastic drawer thing that has some material in it...it is where Moses' robe came from. Just stuff that you know it there, but not in the mainstream of your space. I have some other things that can go in there. I have some started projects that need evaluated. I also have books that are getting tucked into places because they won't fit on the bookshelf and so that is a BIG tidy place too. This is stuff that gets done and feels good, but you can't fool yourself that it will stay. Actually a problem of mine is to not really SEE it when I look, just think I just cleaned that off a couple of weeks ago...it's OK for now. But I read a post yesterday from someone with a de-clutter challenge, so I made it the top of this dresser in my sewing room and surrounding it. I took a before picture and that's as far as yesterday got....but those quilt squares are all off the floor. And I ended up with a football banquet to go to, and when you come home at 8:30 and look at that project, you know it can wait until another day.
So I'm off to another day at the vet clinic, then home early for a Hockey game in Buffalo. I'm not much of a hockey fan, but they feed me, so that's all good. We have a birthday this week and I have a women's retreat on Saturday during the day. Weeks just fly by, filled with stuff. I have a lot of reading for my Fall into Reading. I'm afraid that Knitting and Sewing have taken the space of reading and I'm not very far at this halfway point. But I don't want to be late, so I need to jump into my work garb, start the dryer and grab my lunch. Bloom where you are planted today. And thank God for the chance to do it.
I have some friends who are taking the family on a cruise...no little kids, just mom and dad and grown kids and spouses. 10 of them. Asked for prayer for safe travels. All the family eggs are going in one basket, same plane, same boat, and there is a little bit of nervousness about it. They'll be fine and we'll laugh about it at the next S&S. Have a good trip...
Later.....