Good Days Start With This!

When you look at this photo - do you see chaos and confusion?

Or do you see possibilities just waiting to be discovered?

I think there is a good life lesson in this somewhat sorted mess.

I find the most satisfaction when I am up to the challenge of taking something like this and turning it into something beautiful - be it a simple string quilt, or a more complicated version of a string quilt - or even using these random strips in log cabin blocks as with my current ongoing project.

The only not-really-a-problem is that this project was intended to at least make a dent in the "saved small stuff" and the large bins of mixed up strings.

So far?  I don't think it's going to m ake a visible dent even for a quilt that is going to end up somewhere around 80'' X 80''.

No visible dent at all!

But is that necessarily a BAD thing?  Maybe not.

If it enables me to keep sewing and keep creating, do I really care if it is all "used up" or not?

I still need around another 40 blocks.

And there still won't be a noticeably visible difference in the scraps.

Because - look what was waiting for me on the front porch at the inn when I arrived yesterday morning!

I care package from Carrie! (Thank you, friend!!)

She even separated out most of the neutrals for me....Yep.  I'll be digging into those to add to my variety today.

Progress is kind of slow on these - it takes me 45 minutes or so to make one small log cabin block. By the time I head home it doesn't feel like I've accomplished much.  But I know I have.

I'm not feeling in a hurry these days.  It's more about putting pieces through the machine, making small choices as to what fabric will go where.

It's almost a meditation.  And that's what I need right now.

Meanwhile, next door:

Burry zoomed-in photo of Flash.

He is still very wary of us - but he knows that his humans will be bringing him food and he is there for it.

I am hoping is stops looking so scrawny.  I want him to trust us a bit more.  I don't know if we'll ever be able to touch him, but now when he runs away, it's just a few feet away...not around the corner, down the porch, down the front steps and across the yard.

He stays close.  I'm taking that as progress.

Inside the inn, progress is happening!

Love these Burgoyne Surrounded blocks!

Assembly is happening here -

And becoming this!

It's one of those "3 yard quilts" but I"m not sure what book it is from.

Beautiful sampler blocks in blue batik will be added to:

This lovely medallion on the design wall!

The sampler blocks were all made by guild members and are being placed in this original setting.  No pattern that I know of.

A growing Quilt of Valor on the design wall.

And it's never too early, or to late - for Pumpkins!

We escaped the "What's for dinner?" conundrum by accepting an offer to head out to a local Japanese place with friends.  Yummy!

We are limited in the number of restaurants available to us in our small rural area. There is an American grill that is great for burgers, wings or my favorite - Rubens.

There is a locally owned pizza place we love that has an awesome salad bar.

There are a couple of Mexican places we switch between depending upon our mood.

All of the above is locally owned, not chain affiliated.  It makes me happy to support local - and the Japanese place fit that bill last night.

From there it was finishing up the last side of binding, and starting in on stitching the hanging sleeve down - though someone else had other ideas -

Ivy - telling me I better NOT be adjusting the quilt in my lap or she would head off elsewhere.
Hubby was happy as we started in on Season 3 of Reacher.  I just not and stitch....

Quiltville Quote of the Day -
So far the best part of this day is waking up to 12° instead of the predicted 8°. 


Time to celebrate even the small wins!


Happy Friday, everyone.