I made a thing (and it's not a mask)

The stitching is sorta crap & I've decided to change the colors, but I made a BLOCK.

Hey - I'm back in the sewing room.  Even tidied it up a bit.  (a tiny bit).

More important than what I'm sewing is the soundtrack to which I'm sewing.

Podcast: A Region in my Mind by Rev. Derek Terry

And then I keep pulling randomly from this list of podcasts

I didn't even know that Blerd was a thing.  I've got a LOT of work to do.

Stay safe. 
Keep being creative.
Stay curious.
Shut up & listen.
Speak up & demand change!!!

-sash

Reflection time

I'm trying to avoid getting all moody & existential.  Instead of reviewing my life choices, let's talk quilts!

Since January - 

• Completed
• Spousal unit's Asian themed BOTM - FINISHED & in our room
• Libby's bunnies - FINISHED & mailed to Tacoma
• Broken Dishes for my belle soeur - FINISHED & mailed to Japan
• 2 seam X-blocks in yellow & batiks - FINISHED & gifted to friend in Montana
• Tula - Acadia - FINISHED & gifted to a friend in Montana
• On-point QAYC strips - FINISHED & on the bed in my sewing room
• Baby Martin - FINISHED & delivered
• Pink/red/white split rail w/fox minky - FINISHED & delivered to baby Willow
• Loly's baby - FINISHED (including quilting at home) & delivered to baby Jasper
• Made Progress
  • Tiffany stained glass - just needs binding
  • Mystery quilt in yellow to red - just needs binding
• Scattered Showers - about 1/2 way thru the in-house quilting
• Um - honestly can't remember but probably not done...
• Improv Project (à la Joe Cunningham) in orange & yellow
• Rainbow diagonal jelly-roll race
• Started
• Antique Lace for Allie & John - 80% pieced
• Water Lilies - 25% pieced
• Quilt Limbo (no progress since January)
• Turquoise disappearing jelly-roll...thing
• Random 4 patches with blue minky
• Pulse
• half hexi baby quilt
• Neeky's cousins - needs binding
• Vintage butterfly - repair or frame up??
• Pentecost banner - serious remediation required

Because PUPPY!!

I feel a need to update the blog.  
I feel no desire to write.  
Or think.

So puppy:

Oh,why not? Have another one puppy:

That should do for now.

xoxo

sash

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

Bewitched

Don't be mislead by the title.  This will NOT be a list of Halloween (Samhain) appropriate books.  I don't do scary, creepy, spooky, or terror.  Remember, if you can't imagine the book being translated to the screen by the Muppets, then it's probably too scary for me.

I'm referencing the not-at-all-spooky Samantha Stevens - the main character from the Bewitched TV show.  Ah.... what a great show.  One of her many powers was the ability to twitch her nose & make time freeze.  Completely stop!  She (& whoever needed a quick talking to) would continue on while the rest of the world was on pause.  Then, a finger snap from Sam, & everyone finished sipping their martinis & wagging their fingers at Darwin.

I've always wanted this power.  Just think of it!  In addition to meeting deadlines with ease, just think of the NAPS I could take!  Chores wouldn't interfere with fun times because I could just hop into a time bubble, clean the bathroom, take a shower, have a cup of coffee & snap back into the time stream!

And the books!  My to-be-read list grows every day.  I read a lot & pretty quickly, but I can acquire new books even faster.  All those authors out there adding to the literary world - how can I possibly keep up?  tinkle-inkle-ink - instant reading bubble.  Such a heavenly daydream...

But it is just a daydream.  Aside from the obvious flaw in this plan - my inability to stop time or even, truth be told, wiggle my nose - there are other issues.

As mentioned, I read a lot.  Science fiction has covered this particular power many times.  Whether by supernatural, mechanical, or quantum means, this power has popped up in The Twilight Zone, Arthur C. Clark anthologies, Star Trek, Harry Potter (sorta),  From nuclear war to aging & insanity, this plan is always doomed.  

So I can't read all the books.

Dang.

But I can read a LOT of books.  And knowing that I can't read them all might free me up to dive into the pile wherever and whenever I want.

Which is convenient since, you know, that's already what I do.

I should probably reset my Goodreads Goal for 2016 too.  I blew past that & there are still 3 months to go.

xo
sash

Sums it up

My new quilting motto:

(Thank you Mr Breathed)

And on that note, I'm off to the sewing room,

xo
sash

Books of the ******FUTURE*****

Let's ignore, for the moment, that I have several (dozens) of physical books at home that I have not yet read.

Let's also set aside the knowledge that my Kindle contains a few (scores) of books that I also have not read.

There may be some (a large stack of) untouched quilting magazines too.

Click Here For More!

Forget all that.

Because LOOK!!   

     Books from the 
        FUTURE!!!!

---

I'm quite excited about the release of Adulthood is a Myth: a Sarah's Scribbles Collection. 



Here's a sample of this awesome comic & a link to check out more.

---

I'm a big fan of Augusten Burroughs & this book just popped up the Goodreads New Releases email:


Expected Release Date:
29 march 2016

---

And then there is this:



Yeah.

I love me some Rainbow Rowell.

This is one of a handful of selected short reads specially produced for World Book Day 

Release date (& world book day) - 
3 march 2016

---

Another upcoming release is 

EDGE: A YA/New Adult Paranormal Collection

This cool collection - 20 shorts stories by best selling YA authors - will release on 5 april 2016.  I love short stories. Such a great way to meet new authors & to see how favorite authors unfold & conclude a story in a limited space.

I've been asked to give an honest review of this collection in exchange for a free copy.  There is no ARC, so I'm on the pre-order list & am super excited to read & review this set.

---

It's a grey day in February.  I can't promise that the immediate future is BRIGHT, but I'm pretty sure it will be full of BOOKS, & what's better on a cloudy day than books?

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???

Tuesday's looking up!

If Monday is a bully, Tuesday is the smart, mean tag-along right behind the bully; less physically overwhelming, but sneaky & manipulative.

In my world, Tuesday is staff meeting day.  It starts early, everyone's in the office at once, I provide breakfast, we review all the jobs, bids, changes, problems, scheduling.

So it's way too early, way too many people, plus shopping, & cooking....  Blech!!!

Also, for some guys, it's the only time all week they come into the office.  So receipts, time cards, change orders, questions, packing slips, ordering, tool repairs, ALL THE THINGS come at me right after the meeting.  It's totally nuts & they are all eager to get back to the job site.

Did I mention that

??

Usually the guys clear out of here & order is restored by 9:30 or 10.  Ah - quiet at last, but that's when Tuesday gets all devious.  

All those pieces of paper, bits of information, & requests - they are floating around me demanding  ATTENTION!    ACTION!    RESOLUTION!    ANSWERS!!

Yeah - Tuesdays are rough.

You know what helps turn my Tuesday around?
     {Tylenol & Dr Pepper?}
Well yeah, normally.  But even better than that?
     {Better than Dr Pepper?  Blasphemy!}
How about an early visit from the mailman?
     {I'm listening}
With a package.
     {Keep talking}
THIS PACKAGE

                   {Oh YEAH!}

Always exciting to get something from Craftsy but this is a surprise.  Well - I ordered it.  But I don't remember really what it is - so right now, it's a surprise.




Wanna see?





Oh cool!  That was quick!  It's the Cotton & Steel Yellow Mystery Fat Quarter Box!  

Craftsy!

They put these on clearance & I managed to get one before they sold out! I LOVE yellow!!!

So let's check this out!!

Ta Da!

Hmmm - 
So that isn't what I was expecting. 
If you had to label this mix of fabrics, would you go with "yellow"?  
Yeah.  Me neither.

Guess it's even more of a surprise than I knew.

I'm still glad to have the Cotton & Steel pieces.  

Look at these prints - really cool images & such interesting colors.



And the hand of this fabric - the way it feels & drapes - it's really beautiful.

It's still Tuesday.  I'm not gonna skip my dose of Dr Pepper. But some soft colorful quilting fabric can make any day a little lighter & brighter, doncha think?

xo
sash

For other Cotton & Steel fabrics, check out Connecting Threads.  Their quilter's candy fabrics are great solids & blenders.  They show up in all my projects.  Their thread is also a really good, standard cotton thread.  I use it for piecing & for hand sewing.