Resolutions

 Does it seem like the start of this year seemed less about resolutions?  I really did not hear much talk about them.  I've never been a fan of new year's resolutions so I've never participated in the sport of making them.  I know what I want to accomplish, but nothing really changes just because a new date has rolled around.  

Always on the list of "guilts" are UFOs.  Somehow, those guilty feelings can be cast aside when something sparks my interest.  Squirrels....isn't that what those are called?  

One major eyesore in my creative space are the endless 1.5" strips that multiply like rabbits.  Why is it so hard to throw something that small in the trash???  Having finished a leader/ender quilt using many of them, one would think the bin would have been diminished.  Nope!  So....I decided to reduce the number of them more quickly by sewing up log cabin blocks.  (Why is it that everyone seems to be sewing log cabin blocks right now?) They go quickly and once I get a decent sized quilt done with them, I am going to dump the rest of them.  I promise....no more guilt!!!

I do think that I am going to have to seriously consider figuring out a way to add some sort of design wall.  The floor just is not working anymore.  I'm not really sure why it is that the dogs cannot stand to see me put my blocks on the floor.  My problem is that I do not have a lot of wall space in my studio.  What I do have is taken up by bookshelves or my cutting table. I hesitate spreading into the adjoining guest room.

There is also this little problem with my scrap basket.  They all fit in the basket until I started pulling them out to sew them.  Now, it's as if they have been freed and are taking over the sewing room like an erupting volcano.  

The weather has been absolutely beautiful for the last week.  We need rain so badly, but it has been perfect for getting out, soaking up the vitamin D and pruning roses.  I had several grandsons come to help me with the task and nearly one hundred roses were completed in record time.  It was tough to prune them as they were still blooming. 

Colette had made a great looking loaf of Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin bread.  Since I am always looking for recipes using my starter, I had to give it a try.  It was, as Colette said, absolutely delicious!  Everything about it was fabulous and I am sure it will become a frequently made bread here. 

 

I've been a part of a group of six gals who have sewn together for a number of year.  Each year we choose a different project and this year we are doing what we call our "Sow's Ear to Silk Purse".  We sent and unloved piece of fabric to our partner and they were to create a "silk purse" and return it.  Irene sent me the blue paisley fabric and, in return, I created a table topper for her.   

 

One of the younger granddaughters has been over and learning to sew.  She is doing a great job and thoroughly loving it.  I have had her using an older White sewing machine that I bought when the local college ended their homemaking courses many years ago.  There were a lot of labels added to these old machines by the different manufacturers.  It is basically a Dressmaker machine, a model of the Singer Class 15.  The tension knob is located on the side of the machine rather than on the front. It is a real workhorse and sews very well.  After doing a good servicing of it and replacing the tension spring, I am sending it home with her so she can have it when she gets the urge to sew.   These old, heavy duty workhorses are so great for young seamstresses.   It is also such a pretty color!

That's been my NO resolution January!  Are you one who makes resolutions?