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Monday, October 29, 2007

Crabapples!

The borders are ON! I can't go any farther with this. And for those of you wondering, I am still quilting customer's quilts, in fact am in full swing for the holidays...so any piecing time for me comes before 9am, and after 5pm, and on Sundays which is the one day I don't work on customer quilts if at all possible!That's why it seems the biggest push for me gets done over a weekend when my "days off" are supposed to be:c) I try as best as I can to work my quilt job like a normal 9-5 job with massaging scheduled in between. Sometimes I am successful at it, sometimes I get behind. It's hard to schedule your life in advance when you don't know what whammies it is going to throw you!

Would you believe I made WAY MORE checker parts than I needed to? Of course! Who is actually counting when you are dealing with random short strips? All I was thinking is I needed 864 individual squares for the border, and that seemed daunting so I kept piecing strip sets together!

Now I'm going to have a bunch of scrappy 9 patches to play with later on down the line.


The quilting on this one is going to have to be later down the line too because I've got too much in the queue. That's fine with me, I'm not sure how I want to quilt it anyway! Those big setting triangles have wide open space for some designing....the trees themselves are busy and full of lots of seam allowance. I was thinking diagonal lines from top to bottom, old style.

The outer border was an after thought. It still kind of is. I can say that when piecing a border from a gadzillion 1" finished squares, that border is going to be stretchy and wavy no matter what you do because of the weight more than anything. So I like to add one more border to sandwich it in between two "stable" pieces. Then it also won't get too chopped off in the binding or stretch too far out of whack while quilting. After I got the checkered border on there, I tried EVERYTHING in every color to find something that would work for the outer one. Green was too much green....gold was just too soft for the darks in the quilt center....red was TOO red and made it look like Christmas. This is actually a red with black. So it has the look of a dark dark red, and it seemed to be best to me. Oh, and the quilt top finished at approx 70"X70" (Tree blocks are 8")

My mind has been running to and fro, and can't seem to settle at all. I think that is why I have been such a piecing hound over the past few weeks. With DH's job closing looming closer...(and that putting us right in the middle of the holidays) And his not having found another job yet...I'm finding it harder and harder not to panic. So I stay busy. It really IS out of my hands. I can't get him a job..I can't march up to the plant manager of the plant that is close to us and say "You must hire him because we want to stay here". I'm having a hard time letting go and letting life take me where it wants me to be.

He has an interview in Atlanta on Wednesday at the head quarters of the place that is close to us here..but they have 3 plant openings, and two of those would move us out of the area. Only one would keep us here. The interview in Winston-Salem has him thinking he wants THAT job....

There is one more in Eastern NC that he is waiting to hear back from, he got a phone call from them the other night and said they would get back to him.

And I still haven't told anyone at my massage job because I don't really have anything to tell until these interviews are done. But still it is killing me. It takes all of us there to make the rent, and if one leaves, the others have to carry that extra rent amount. I don't want anyone to have to do that for me. I feel bad about that...but I don't know if I am staying or going, so what good does it do to put THEM up in a tizzy?

Off to machine quilt for a while.....

23 comments:

  1. This is a spectacular quilt Bonnie. I hope you get to stay where you are.

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  2. Bonnie, I'm a newcomer to reading your blog and I have to tell you how much I'm enjoying it! And this tree quilt is just awesome! That checkered border MAKES it! Thanks so much for all you do, which adds so much to my days as as a new quilter AND a new blog reader. :-)

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  3. What a beautiful quilt!

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  4. Sending you a {{hug}} Bonnie. We've been through the job layoff experience twice.
    Jeanne

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  5. The checkerboard is just perfect. And the dark red sets it all off perfectly too!

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  6. Ohhh Bonnie, the quilt top is just sensational! The pieced border was the very thing, and I can't believe how fast you put it together! This is going on my list of 'must makes'.
    I hope the job situation works out, I know how much you don't want to move. I have my fingers crossed for you.
    *hugs*
    Tazzie
    :-)

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  7. Bonnie,
    The tree quilt is fabulous- the checkerboard border really makes it!
    Life sure can be topsy turvey can't it! I hope that it turns out the way that you want- The waiting and not knowing is always the hardest part.VBS
    You are sure using that energy in a very productive way- Just think of all the quilts you are getting done.
    Regards from a Western Canadian Quilter,
    Anna

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  8. It looks fab!!! You make me want to do pieced borders!

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  9. Beautiful quilt as always.
    I can feel your anxiety. It is hard being up in the air as your are. I will be in prayer about your situation. He has the perfect plan.

    Blessings,
    Linda H

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  10. Wow! I want this quilt...I have a similar tree pattern that has been on my to do list for at least 5 years. This quilt makes me want to go ahead and pull out (find) that pattern and make it.

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  11. I just love your trees and the checkerboard border. Good luck to you all with your husband's job search.

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  12. WOW.....

    that quilt looks awesome!

    and you are right about your husband's job, until you knowsomething concrete, it feels like treading water.

    but for now, you have so many worries. keep a cool head and leave it to God/the universe

    please don't worry, it will all work out (easy to say from the other side of the world :>( )

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  13. Your quilt looks great Bonnie.
    I hope your future is settled soon.

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  14. Bonnie - your crabapple quilt is spectacular as always - as for the job situation I feel for you so much DH was made redundant three times in three years so we've been there and there is nothing so disconcerting as that feeling of uncertainty - you're just doing the best thing by keeping busy and realising that you just have to ride what you can't influence - I'm keeping you all in my thoughts and sending big cyberhugs (((hugs))) in my experience although you don't understand the bigger picture at the time everything usually happens for a reason - you will come out at the end of it I assure you - take care :o)

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  15. I love, love this quilt Bonnie! Keeping your family in my thoughts and prayers. Hang in there!

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  16. Great job Bonnie!! I love the way you did your quilt! Your family is in my prayers re: your DH's future job, that he gets the RIGHT one for him.

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  17. WOW YOU ARE FAST! The checkerboards are fabulous! They pull the quilt together and finish it nicely...it was definitely worth the effort (easy for me to say, since I wasn't the one doing it! LOL). The outer border looks good, too...but on my screen it defintely looks purpley rather than reddish.

    As to your DH's job situation, I've got my fingers crossed for you that it all works out okay and you hear a resolution soon. I can understand you being so anxious abot it, I'd probably be a blabbering mess hiding in the corner because I do not like not knowing what is going to happen.

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  18. Your quilt is just amazingly beautiful and clever - maybe I will finish mine, another copy from your wonderful inspirations!

    Job biz? Been there, done that. Rough times - stay positive, as you usually are. Adapting to change is THE name of this game of life.

    Thanks also for the inclusion of the letter. Sometimes you have to re-read them to keep spirits up.

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  19. That quilt is totally awesome! Your situation is in my prayers too. God bless!

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  20. Another fantastic quilt - the pieced border was the perfect touch. Keeping my fingers crossed for your DH's new job :)

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  21. It's perfect. I love the checkerboard as a middle border. Aren't you glad you took the time to piece all those itty bitty squares? It really took that top from great to spectacular.

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  22. I really love this quilt. I plan to do a checkerboard border one day.

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  23. Stunning and scrappy too! I think that quilters often sew and sew and sew when stressed - at least we have something to show for all our worries! Think of all those Civil War era quilts when the quilters went months without hearing from loved ones. I hope things work out in a positive way for you...

    Cheers!

    Evelyn

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