I received a Liebster award!!

I started blogging in 2006 after I kept a manual quilting diary for some time but with my filing skills (putting something away to never find it again) I wondered out loud how long it would last before I misplace it.  My son (computer geek) suggested I started blogging for then all I needed was a name and a password and I would never lose it.

The word 'diary' to me always had somewhat of a private connotation to it and I never in my wildest imagination thought anyone would have access to or even bother to read my stories...... until I started getting comments on my blog posts.

I grew up with one hell of a snob of an aunt who thought any and everyone was beneath her and even though I'm not good at any resolutions I remember as a child vowing that I never wanted to be like her.  So I don't pretend, what you see and hear is what you get.  If I have to introduce myself to strangers I would state my name followed by "I smoke, drink, swear and made all my kids myself".

Make no mistake I don't think a pregnant, smoking, swearing drunk is a pretty sight and I try not to swear just for the fun of it but hell if I drop something on my foot, you will know it.  The rest I do in moderation, after all I only have 2 children - so not that bad at all.

Anyway what I meant to say was after the first comment I got, I was totally blown away and started rereading my old posts to see what utter nonsense I might have said or how much of my private life I shared and had to find out....... quite a lot (of both!).  So for the next couple of posts I found myself counting my words, thinking about what I wrote and how other people would see it (me) but then it hit me;  I am being pretentious, I am being my aunt!

I try to live my life by the saying "life is about the choices you make" and I feel other people can do it too.  Reading a blog is not compulsory, so should anyone not like what they read, they don't have to but I refuse to try to please everyone.  From there on I continued in my old ways and receiving this award from a fellow blogger (not a personal friend) just made me realize that one has to be who you are - those who like you or what you do would do will, with all your flaws right where they should be.

So I wish to thank those of you brave enough to put your faces in my 'Followers' column for accepting me as is and a special thanks to Marelize Ries from the blog New Beginnings for this award.  I dearly appreciate it.

I have more to say about the Liebster Award but I unfortunately have to do my own cooking and cleaning so for now I'll stop here and walk away on a high cloud.

No quilting on Saturday

After catching up on some lost sleep during an afternoon nap I looked forward to start sewing in my new space however DH and 'his' friends had other plans.  I was simply informed that Karin's revamped space and his new tables were incompatible and things needed to be changed.  DH wanted to help Karin's DH and I had to go along.

Ha! Did I enjoy seeing this mess when we arrived, especially after her snotty remarks about my space in my previous post.

Just for the hell of it I also took out a couple of pins holding her blocks to make it even messier.

However the men had a plan of action and pretty soon things were looking up again.

All the lady of the house did was taking photos.

All is however not done as Karin has more orders - another table, new cupboards, a flat screen TV..... her poor husband!

We stayed for Karin's husbands' famous cooking and a couple of drinks and when we got home I went straight to bed.

My new tables

Couldn't quite sleep as long as I hoped for on Saturday morning after quilting through the night but what kept me up was well worth it.  I was actually awoken by the blue parrot screaming (nothing wrong, her usual attention seeking act making her the one pet I hardly ever talk about).  So tired and upset with the stupid bird I got up (07:30 - only went to bed at 05:00) made coffee and realized I was home alone.  The blonde worked this weekend and I just finished my coffee when DH returned.  He went to the office to fetch the new sewing tables he started for me to finish these at home.

Before the new tables I used 2 standard size metal army tables (this is how we refer to these in South Africa).  I love the size as one represents the top of a single bed and 2 pushed against each other is the actual size of the top of a double bed.  So my tables serve as measuring devices when I start piecing quilt tops.

I however wished for a table with a hole big enough to have my quilting machine sunken to have a flush quilting surface and started looking for images on Google and showed these to DH.  He got the message and soon started making me one.  While busy he wondered whether he shouldn't make Karin one as well.  She has the exact same machine for quilting and knowing the 2 of us I think he knew once I had one, the nagging from her side would follow.  So I phoned dear Karin and this is how the conversation went:  "My DH s making me a table for quilting... (before I could continue, she interrupted with) "well tell him to make two".  So order given DH knew what to do.

The rest of the early morning was spent with DH calling me to the garage to "see this, look at that, try it this way and what do you think of that" until we could finally remove the old metal tables and move in my new tables; changing my setup for the better.

This photo is the space seen from the door as you enter the room.

The second photo shows my new quilting corner.  Flush with the new white table to the left is my Grand Quilter.  The little table to the left of that (right in the front with the fabric strips on it) will serve as a weight carrier when quilting large quilts.  Then in the corner I have 2 sewing machines and an overlocker pushed to the back (hardly ever uses this), a small ironing board and my iron.  What more could I ask for?

I was just still too tired to start working and decided to try to take another nap while DH started on Karin's tables but again the stupid blue parrot made such a noise that I weren't too successful.  I was really not the friendliest person by then.

I e-mailed Karin these two photos to show off my space and remember how I complimented her space in my previous post?  Well, don't for a minute think I got the same compliments back.  She phoned me and for a moment there I thought I confused her with my mother (not that my dear mom was ever this bossy) but the conversation went something like this:  "No sis man, remove those papers from your cupboards, straighten out your pinning board, line everything up, close your cupboard doors, have everything flush and neat like mine."  I mean really with a friend like this, who needs an enemy?

When I however realized DH left to take her tables and knowing my husband's organizing skills I knew dear Karin was in for a huge surprise.  Finally when the time came for me to put the grey parrot to bed, again home alone, I thought this would be my chance to get in a good bit of sleep, hoping to get some quilting done in my new space later the evening.

Remember one of my favorite sayings "life happens while you're making other plans"?  No quilting done the evening as it turned out totally unplanned.

Twisted Log Cabin progress

I left my house at 6 pm yesterday to go to Karin's and I LOVED her revamped room.  Just look at this neat space and here I've already moved in and moved things (the ironing board) around to where I felt I would be most productive.

Okay so maybe productivity had very little to do with me moving the ironing board closer.  With a cover like this, wouldn't you want it closer as well?  The fun part starts when heat touches that little towel and it disappears!  I could iron all night long.

Then friend Marie arrived initially helping Karin with goody bag projects until I ironed ans she saw the towel disappear; then I had my hands full keeping her out of my space.  This photo doesn't show it clearly but here she was blushing badly when she realized I had the camera on her as she too took before and after photos.

With Marie helping Karin she took way too many breaks and I wonder who taught her to put her feet up a table.

I finished 10 more blocks and I am really chuffed with myself.  With 25 pieces per block I think I did loads.

I left Karin's house at 4:40 am and were amazed at all the joggers (groups, couples and individuals) I found that time of the morning.  I could only come to one conclusion - we must have an amazing bed and mattress for there is no way you'll convince me to be out of bed and jogging at that hour or as Karin (not a morning person at all) would say "in the middle of the night!"

(PS:  Andre thanks for the lovely very expensive Lindt chocolate and ice cream pancakes and Ida if you read this, we talked about you last night.)

Preparation Day

I don't believe I am going to get any quilting done during the day.  However I am preparing for an all night quilting session by friend Karin's house tonight.  We just have to inaugurate Karin's new sewing space.  It is still the same room but this lucky lady got new laminated flooring, a fresh layer of paint, reorganized her space and a couple of new cupboards too.  Now if she's anything like me, she won't be able to find half her stuff after rearranging!

I've decided to take my least favorite UFO along to see if I cannot make any progress.  Least favorite because it is all done using foundation piecing - my least favorite technique.

So with the mister playing golf (read I don't have to cook) I tidied the house, got the washing machine going and now I have the rest of the day to print, cut and mark my foundation pieces.

When I say 'mark my pieces' I simply use a colored pencil to mark which color should go where.  When quilting through the night one becomes extremely tired round about 3 am.  This lasts for roughly an hour before you get your second breath but this hour (giggling hour as I think of it - you giggle about the most ridiculous things) is the one in which I am most probable to make stupid mistakes.  So having my colors marked on the foundation hopefully will help me survive giggling hour without any mishaps.

I am still seeking a way in which one would waste the least amount of fabric when foundation piecing.  For tonight I'll measure the width and length of the largest wedge on the foundation sheet, add an inch both ways, cut strips and see how it works for me.  Any better suggestions would be appreciated.

The top 18 blocks surely took me 4 years (if not longer) to make but don't dare call me negative as I've printed and prepared 18 more blocks for ONE night!

With my strips cut it was time to hit the shower and get myself as prepared as I have my quilting.  My cellular phone mysteriously set itself to "emergency calls only" and it was only when DH phoned the house to ask why I don't answer that I realized and understood why it was so dead silent and me not noticing where time went.

Okay I'm about as ready as can come, bobbins wound, machine oiled and preparation done.  If I don't make any decent progress tonight, I never will.