It's Been a While!

I've been so busy that I haven't found the time to post for a while, but with the holidays officially over it's time to get back into my normal routine.

Sunday night I ran away from home for a few hours. A friend who lives a few blocks away was going to be home alone for the night and invited me to join her for a late night sewing bee. I went to her house at 7:30 and got home at 2:15am. I spent the previous couple of days getting pieces cut so I could just sew while I was gone.

To the right is my tray full of cut pieces. The six hours we had to sew flew by, and yielded me a pieces of blocks, but I was content when I drove home in the wee hours.

Monday was New Year's Eve, I spent a good part of the day working on a turkey dinner for the same friend and her family. I did manage to do a bit of sewing between cooking chores. We had a wonderful time with our friends and I was hoping that the end of a difficult year and beginning of a new one was at hand.

So far, I'm skeptical. My plan yesterday was to sew a good part of the day as I really wanted to get this top pieced so that I can move on to the celtic applique border. I sewed merrily for a while...then a huge clunk and my machine stopped. After 2 hours of working on it, it still was not running. After a good cry, I pulled out my featherweight, gave it a good cleaning and oiling and continued to sew.

2007 was fraught with financial issues, having a couple of clients who owed us a lot of money. One has since paid up, the other is slowly working on it. Phone calls get promises of checks, but no results. My husband has resorted to driving out there and picking up a check every 3-4 weeks. As a result of the non-payment and the problems it has caused us, we're still without a washing machine, our van is in dire need of brakes, our toaster doesn't heat up on one side, our microwave has only a few working buttons, the large oven of our double oven set doesn't work....and now my sewing machine has crapped out :(

But those are just things. Eventually they will get repaired or replaced as the case may be. We are healthy, have food on the table and a roof over our heads (though it is also in need of repair!) In spite of a pretty rocky beginning, I still have high hopes for 2008. I have stash of fabric that requires only the addition of muslin to make quilts, our kids are awesome, we have some really good friends, and there is something about the "do over" that the new year seems to bring on that excites me to some degree.

Yesterday I finished the blocks I was working on and today I'm finishing the alternating block. Our kids are busy and that means sewing time for me, I hope to get the top together by the end of today, though the outer pieced border may make this more than I can do in one day. Time will tell.

I'd better run if I expect to accomplish much today. I hope the new year brings you all health, happiness and lots of quilting time!