Emergency Sewing Break...

There was something nagging at me today. I had my day all planned out, teach class, hold office hours, go home and do homework, play with dd before her bed time, have supper with dh, go back to homework. Nice, neat -- but still, something was missing. It's the end of the month -- guild meeting is next week -- isn't it? A quick check of the newsletter and the short answer is no. Guild is tonight. Ok -- no problem, if I can get enough homework done, I can pick up dd from daycare early -- still get in play time, AND go to my guild meeting, late supper with dh before he leaves for work. Problem solved. If not, I can always just miss this month. Glance at the newsletter to see what's on the schedule for tonight -- hostess/hospitality list (at every guild meeting we have "hostess" gifts, guild members are selected at random from the attendees and they can choose from gifts other members have supplied, who brings the gifts is rotated) -- list of names -- MY name -- Ummm -- ok...problem. Guess I can't miss the meeting, and I have to come up with two or three gifts. Ok, I'm a reasonable adult, I can handle this.

So -- gifts for two or three quilters -- what do quilters like. Umm -- fabric? Yeah, fabric sounds good. Quilters like fabric. (Duh -- you can see my mental processes were not quite catching up to my change in plans here) Fat quarters! That's it -- I mean, it's fabric, quilters can always find a use for fat quarters -- I'll buy a few and package them up nicely. A quick trip to the new LQS (which is as dangerous as I thought it would be -- sorry Nines, no luck that it doesn't suit my taste) Yeah, that will work. So what to do? Wrapping paper? Umm -- nope, don't have anything at home that will work (tons of Christmas and baby stuff, nothing for guild) and I don't want to go to another store. Use fabric scraps to tie around them after they're rolled? Umm -- nah, doesn't seem right somehow. Hey -- wait a second, there was that cute drawstring bag pattern in the new Quilts and More I just saw that featured Heather Bailey's yummy Fresh Cut fabric (which if you haven't seen btw -- check it out, I've been looking for it locally but looks like I'm going to have to order some online). The pattern takes two fat quarters -- is big enough to hold several fat quarters -- seems simple enough -- should be quick and easy -- oh, and the LQS has a cute sample made up of it. I have the magazine at home -- ok, a bag with coordinating fat quarters it is.

So, I spent my afternoon making four little drawstring bags (what, you didn't think I would spend the day sewing and not have one for myself at the end did you?). The weather was wonderful, sun was shining, I opened up the windows and lost myself in the fun of sewing. Of course, they took much longer than I thought. A rush trip to pick up dd (who was tired and cranky) from day care, an emergency trip to the local chain fabric store for cording, a set of plastic Easter eggs for dd (she LOVES those things -- will spend hours pulling them apart and putting them back together and for $.50 I figured it was a small price to pay), a plastic bucket to put eggs in, and a dash home to pull through the drawstrings while dd wants to play with HER bag (let no one say my daughter does not know what she wants) later -- I managed to finish two bags in time for my guild meeting. I even managed to snap a couple of shots of the bags and their accompanying fat quarters as I rushed out the door. I even (kind of) made it to the meeting on time -- really, I was only a couple of minutes late and there were two others who walked in just ahead of me.

Wait a minute -- didn't I say I made FOUR bags? Not two? Well -- yeah, two got done for the meeting, the other two I got back to when I got home. And since I had some extra fabric (did I mention I tend to overbuy fabric?) I decided to make two more. I still have to go back to the local national chain store for more cording for the two in the back.

One will go to the tired cranky toddler who was so upset that one didn't seem to be for her this evening. The one I was going to take to guild will go to a dear friend and fellow quilter (and mother of my goddaughter) as a "I know you're having a tough time right now and you seem like you could use a fabric pick-me-up" gift. One will go to my mother with a suitable Easter-time present in it. And, one will actually go to me!

All in all it was a good day, I didn't get done what I had planned to do at all. But, it was bright and sunny, the windows were open and letting in the warm breezes (and despite the fact that my allergies decided to kick in big time and I'm on a decongestant induced insomnia jag it was worth it), and I got to spend the day doing something I love -- play with fabric that was as bright and sunny as the day was. What more can I ask for?