I have pushed off the school-related panic until August 1. I try to do that every year, but it’s coming so much earlier this summer…it’s hard to ignore it even though the calendar tells me I can. And should. And the to-do list is totally out of control. I crossed one thing off yesterday. I need to do better today, but don’t think I can! Oh well. Deep breaths. I can only do what I can do. I think the problem is that the things on the to-do list are large things that can’t be done in one day, so it will be a while until everything gets done.
I did start ironing pieces to fabric yesterday…honestly, this is one of my two favorite parts of making quilts…this and ironing the whole thing together. It’s the most meditative part too…I have to get my brain into the zone to pick colors, and that’s why I end up staying up way too late. Again. Ugh.
But before I even started, I cleaned off my computer desk. It ends up being a disaster most of the school year, with teaching stuff, art stuff, other crap I have to deal with, bills, etc. all piling up and the cat sitting on all of it. So I made a concerted effort to get it under control…a clean start to the new school year.
Don’t worry…it won’t stay that way. I already have a pile of papers that needs to be dealt with.
Then I hung the drawing I’m ironing for…she’s long and skinny…hence her nickname.
I refer to the numbered drawing while I’m picking fabrics…helps me to visualize the whole thing.
Then I laid out the first 100 pieces…
While Midnight watched. Well. She slept mostly. She was upset that I piled all those boxes full of pieces near her sleeping spot.
I realized I would be picking flesh fabrics very early on, so I got down on the floor (that’s where all the flesh bins are) and picked a reasonable run with some extras.
But I needed to start with water…so I went mellow on that. Not bright.
Here’s the whole setup. It looks bigger in this picture than it feels. Basically I can stand between the ironing board and the table with not a lot of extra room, and I don’t fit at the computer if the ironing board is there. But it works.
I told the dogs to go to bed, but they’re waiting for me and the girlchild (she was out late too).
I only got into the 100s, although I did iron some bones from the 200s through 400s. It was easier to do them all at once.
This is all I’ve used so far. Don’t worry. There’ll be more color once I get going.
Kitten sleeps through the whole thing. As long as she’s in the same room with me, she’s happy. Well. Mostly.
The dogs…finally happy…the girlchild came home. She sleeps with both of them. I do not.
So they will be very sad when she leaves next week. Oh well.
So I did 4 hours of ironing last night. I wasn’t very efficient. It took a long time to get going on the color choosing, and then I had to force myself to stop because it was after 1 AM. I can’t get much done today…quilt meeting plus artist talk at Don’t Shut Up. And I have other stuff I need to do…damn that to-do list. I need full-time staff here.
Well it doesn’t get done if I don’t get doing…
