Stressing Myself Out!

      Now that I have completed my tiling job, I have launched myself into the 2024 sewing year complete with massive lists, a daily schedule, and competing ideas. By Day Three, I was really started to feel stressed! Back in the day, I used to work in a New York City ad agency-- creative deadlines, a hellish boss I nicknamed  "The Son of Satan," shark clients, late nights-- my most recurring dream (nightmare) is still that I'm missing the train to get home. I don't even know how I survived that life--  I am just a fragile little leaf now, by comparison!

     Stress or no stress, I did crush it this past week. Stitching Bowl Fillers were born.

   

  Zen of Thread is well on its way...

     And Heartland, the second in the Village of the Month" Set,  is coming along!

The "schedule" says these will all be out by the end of the month--

let's see if that happens, or I crack first!

    On to my guilty pleasure-- the Sew Sampler projects! As soon as I said in the last post, THE JOLLY BOX WILL NOT BE FINISHED BY THE END OF THE MONTH, I tartly replied to myself, "Well, why not?" (It has occurred to me that my present boss, myself, is the new Son of Satan.)

     So I totally threw myself into the December box that needs to get done first. Thank goodness I have stayed on script with this one-- it's sew much faster than the rabbit holes I frequently jump down. Probably just the second time this year I am actually using the Fat Quarter Shop provided pattern.

     I wasn't a big fan of this fabric or pattern-- that green!-- but I saw some finished ones on the Sew Sampler Members Only Facebook Group and they were very pretty. Photography really doesn't do things justice at times. These did come our pretty. I tried to spend about an hour at night on this and then just a half a  hour in the morning. I was working quickly, so I had some oops!

Currently, I have myself this far. Nothing quite like trying to match those star to star points is there? Just three thin borders to add, and they are already cut. 

So that will definitely be "on schedule!" It's amazing how quickly quilts come along, when you actually work on them, isn't it?

So that being almost done, I dove into the Jolly Box-- the last one for me to have the bragging rights to say I finished all the boxes in one year. I'm still in the Christmas spirit, but the clock is ticking-- I took our tree down finally. I'm pretty OCD about how I store my ornaments, so you can't blame anyone for not helping. Next year I hope to have TWO trees-- one in my new studio?? :-)

     While test stitching the bowl fillers, I cut out the entire Jolly box quilt-- it's not the provided pattern--heehee. The large scale prints in this collection lent themselves to be "wrapping paper" in one of those gift box quilts you see all the time at Christmas. I absolutely LOVE the light green print with the cookies on it. I could look up the designer of these fabrics to let you know who it is-- but the "schedule" says I have to be done with this blog post in fifteen minutes, so, sorry about that!

     Here's my "stack of gifts" all ready to go-- see the red and green ribbons in them? Next up, I need 32 bows, and sashing-- no borders on this quilt--yay. So thirty-one days hath January, right? Could I finish it in a week? Or will I crack? Quilting is such an exciting sport!

To add to the pressure, the January box came in yesterday-- and unfortunately, I love it!

     Yup, it's my idol, Lori Holt-- you don't see her cracking under the pressure of all those stitch-a-longs! That hat quilt reminds me of my grandmother-- I ordered the finishing kit which I now have to wait for-- thank heaven-- it did buy me time! One of my YouTube channels I like-- the comments were not favorable to those red X's-- everyone wanted an appliqued red flower. Well, there would be an uprising if the Sew Sampler boxes sent out an applique project-- think of that! But the graphic designer in me really loves those red x's-- they are perfect.

     It's the dreaded jelly roll, and those x's are a lot of pieces-- but I think I have a picture of my grandmother in this exact hat-- so I'd love to make it in her honor.

    Speaking of Lori Holt, and in the spirit of being productive every minute of every day, I got back to cross stitching (a little) at night. It is so hard to cross stitch with a glass of wine in one hand-- and after a day of tiling, I was deceased!

I have to admit I've lost heart for cross stitch for now-- I remember once I gave it up for 20 years. I really want to get back to those big Prairie Meadow applique blocks-- that project has been on vacation for too long. I only have two to go. Ugh-- this is the last picture I took the first week of September-- has it been that long, really?

Tonight, Mr SFO and I are going on a date-- it's on the schedule! There is a beloved chain store here in Maine, called "Marden's." It's a surplus/salvage thing with incredible prices-- we have never been. Well, the DD finally went-- and she sent me pictures...

THEY HAVE A FABRIC SECTION!

     So dear Mr. SFO is taking me out tonight-- this is just one of the simple pleasures in life that Maine has so very many of-- going out for a big night at Marden's. I will definitely share my experience, so stay tuned! Will she get lost in the fabric aisle? Will the pressure of infinite craft projects cause a breakdown? Will the Jolly box come to a jolly end? Thanks for reading and I'll let you know next time!

xox

Carol