Finished is the new Perfect.

After shifting an impressive pile of fabric to the Vancouver Branch, it was clear that I need to work on my follow thru!!!

So - here's the list:

• Piecing partially completed
• half hexi baby quilt
• Tiffany stained glass
• On-point QAYC strips
• Pulse
• Pieced - Needs borders before quilting
  • Turquoise disappearing jelly-roll...thing
  • Tula - Acadia (huh - remember the fabric line but not the quilt pattern...)
  • Random 4 patches with blue minky
  • Pink/red/white split rail with fox minky
  • Loly's baby
• Sandwiched - ready to quilt
• Mystery quilt in yellow to red
• Scattered Showers
• Quilted - Needs binding & label
• Improv Project (à la Joe Cunningham) in orange & yellow
• Spousal unit's Asian themed BOTM
• Libby's bunnies
• Broken Dishes for my belle soeur
• Rainbow diagonal jelly-roll race
• 2 seam X-blocks in yellow & batiks
• Quilted & bound - needs label
• Baby Martin
• The Random ones
• Neeky's cousins - needs binding
• Wall hanging for Neeky - needs sleeve
• Vintage butterfly - repair or frame up??
• Pentecost banner - serious remediation required

That's a little bit exhausting.  One at a time, right?  But that's 18 quilts + 4 misc projects that are each 1-2 days from being DONE.  That would jump start the year, right?

Stay tuned....

Sew very sad....

I remember watching her on TV when I was in college.  And as a young mom.  And as a beginning quilter.  I can't really remember NOT watching her show.

There's a big quilting show in Puyallup every February.  About 3 years ago, I got to see Nancy, attend a lecture, touch quilts that she'd made.  I was such a fangirl.  It really was amazing.

I knew, thru her blog I think, that her cancer was not responding to treatment.  She was stepping down to spend time with family.  I knew what that meant.

I'm still feeling pretty heartsick.

She made an amazing difference in the world.  As a woman entrepreneur, a media figure, an artist, she opened so many doors.

My mother had Bell's Palsy just when I was born.  Mom was always so aware of the loss of movement & muscle tension - although it wasn't significant.  Nancy had Bell's Palsy as a child and it's effects were visible.  I always felt a personal connection to her - she was the first person I knew of with Bell's Palsy, aside from my mother.

A lifetime on camera - doing what she loved - in spite of her gender, the partial paralysis, the passing of times & trends - I always felt proud of her & protective of her - because she was part mine somehow.

A couple years ago, Nancy had a real time, video conference type workshop.  She spoke & did demos & had a time to take questions - by text.  I asked her a question about batting, I think, but in my text I also told her that she was a rock star.

She laughed - acted a bit embarrassed.

I'm glad I got to tell her.  

The set of Sewing with Nancy

Shine on, Rock Star.

auntiesash

Goals

I've got all the books.  I know that the way to success is setting goals, planning your work, working your plan.  Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie, Francis Martin, Zig Zeigler - I've read them all.

But this isn't that kind of goal.

In fact, less & less of my life is set up with that kind of goal.  I understand the value &, if inspiration strikes, I will fall back on those techniques.  But for 2017, I'm setting some goals that are less about achieving & more about being.

Goals 2017

1. Stop doing shit I don't want to do.
2. Believe that "I don't want to" is a completely valid reason.  Maybe not the most important reason, but still a valid point to consider!
3. Keep reading the things I love & stretch to add a little more non-fiction, poetry, & the classics.
4. Remember the things I enjoy.  Sewing, puzzles, cooking, hitting things with sticks - those are all things that I want to do more - I just have to remember to DO THEM.

I think that's it.  Yeah - I wanna be healthier, be more accountable, clear out clutter.  Floss more.  There's always that list.  But my goals are about happiness, calm, family, & peace.  Right now, as our world shifts around us, those things seem the most important.

Oh yeah - my reading goal.  That's why I STARTED this post.  I like to see how many books I've read in a year.  A good way to keep a tally is the Goodread's goal.  But because it's more about record keeping than about achieving a goal, I always dither about the number.  If I set it too low, I end up changing it over and over.  But heaven help me if I set it too high & feel like I'm somehow FAILING at reading?  Last year I set it at 78.  That's 1.5 books per week.  I ended the year at 119, so that was definitely a safe number.  So I wanna bump it up this year.  I thought 8/month would be good.  That's 2 per week, almost.  But that is 96 and my favorite number is 97 so, duh, time to round UP.

Therefore:

      5.      Read 97 books this year.  Or more.  Or less.  Whatever

You have goals for the year?  Wanna hang out & work on a puzzle?  Whattya gonna read this year?  Can I borrow it when you're done?

Oh - and no matter what - remember that I care about you.  Things feel uncertain (at best) right now.  We need to stick together.  I see you.  I'm here for you.  Really.  

xo
sash

September!!!

I'm gonna make this quick.

Bam!

That's it.  September.  Gonna make this happen.

So everyday this month something sewing will HAPPEN. 

And (theoretically) every day I'll post about it.  

It's only 30 days but just THINK what I could get done!  Not to mention how much more cheerful I will be.

OK - let's do this.  Who's with me???

Hungry for inspiration?

Dinner was just delivered by SoupCycle.  Two of my favorite soups plus an exciting summer salad!!!

In addition to being delicious, though, check out these colors!

Inspiration for a quilt perhaps?  

Maybe pinwheels of "Just Beet It" and 
"Smoked Chicken Chipotle Chowder" 
Floating on a field of "Barack-a-li Cheddar"?








I'm glad the cooking's already done for tonight so I can just sew!

bon appétit
sash