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Thursday, October 13, 2005

A bit faded, but fun!


Here is a pic of a Halloween Kaleidoscope I made several years ago. I chose the kaleidoscope pattern because just the shape of the pieces reminded me of candy corn! It was made for a guild challenge....there is a blue halloween print in there that has pumpkins and owls and spooky trees and leaves, and the challenge was to use it in a quilt. I love the interplay with kaleidoscope patterns, they just keep your eyes moving back and forth and over the quilt.

The other halloween fabrics inlude candy corn (outer border) witches, brooms, bats, ghosts and haunted houses, black cats, crescent moons with witch sillouettes flying across them, spiders and spider webs! The back is also a halloween print with ghosts, bats, pumpkins, cats and big purple letters that say BOO....with spooky eyes where the holes in the B's and O's are :c)

Jeff's surgery was last friday. Everything went fine, but they did have to open up the hand to pin the bones back in place. He's been a real trooper about it, the funniest thing being the fact that he can't get that arm wet, so I have had to bathe him in my big garden tub! Of course this means that he was taking a bath in his SHORTS because heaven forbid a 15 yr old be seen by his mother, or his father for that matter....

Since getting him home I have been cramming on school work, and trying to get caught up on customer quilts that really seem to pile up this time of the year. Even if I've scheduled them what I thought was far enough apart, never fear, when you are scheduling something several months in advace, it never fails that life is going to take turns that you can in no way expect. The machine can break down, kids get sick or need surgery, you end up having to go out of town, or spend 3 weeks quilting refugee quilts because you feel that is more important than anything. Throw my own school into the mix and it's been a very tough year to keep to a schedule!

One lady who's quilts were a few weeks late told me "I thought you were a professional business woman" when I told her what was going on in my life and that her quilts would be delayed a bit longer. I decided right then to send her quilts back to her so she could find someone else more to her liking. A quilt for her wall (that had already waited over 30 years) didn't seem as important to me as quilts for refugees. And maybe I was wrong in making that decision, but I have to go with my heart. I'm not a machine, and quilting isn't a matter of pushing the button to start the machine, and let it quilt itself while I go do everything else that needs doing down here. I know there are people with Statler Stitchers who do just that....computer program quilting where they can push a button and go do something else until a bobbin runs out, but that's just not how my quilting goes. And I guess I can't please everyone all the time. That is a hard fact of life to face when I try so desparately hard to do that...please everyone all the time.

After today I have only FOUR WEEKS of school left!! Whhhheeeeeehha! But in those 4 weeks are going to be alot of pressure, tension, stress and EXAMS out of my ears as this all wraps up. My Dad and Step Mom are coming to town for my graduation, and being as I haven't seen my Dad in a few years (relationship strain, but working on it) I have that hanging over my head too. Carpets need cleaned desparately!! How do I fit that in? Does anyone have any recommendations besides renting the "rug doctor"?? Anyone have their own machine that would be worth purchasing? Or should I just call Stanley Steamer and pay a fortune but have someone else do it for me??

Fall weather has finally come to SC this past week and it has been AWESOME being able to walk outside without sweating up a storm. I've been able to move my walk/jogging to mid-afternoon which works better for me in my schedule....this is definately my favorite time of the year!

Bonnie

11 comments:

  1. I'm not sure who said it first but it always stands true, "This too shall pass. . . " :-)

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  2. I love kaleidoscope quilts and really love the halloween one! It is fun!

    I"m glad Jeff's hand is going ok, so at least he is on the road to recovery!

    Hang in there with school! Only 4 more weeks!

    As for cleaning your rugs. I say with all you have going on, paying the big bucks but having someone else do it sounds like the way to go. You deserve a treat - not that clean rugs is that exciting - but not having to do it youself is!

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  3. Sooooooooo good to see you back with us..*G*G*G*G*G*G*..you are always missed, but we understand all that is keeping you from us.

    The halloween quilt is great! Makes me itch to borrow back my Kal. ruler and do another one...soon! Just what I need..another UFO.
    Glad Jeff's hand is coming along..and the school year is going to end soon..HURRAY !!!

    As for the company(with or without strained relationships) run, do not walk, to the phone for the BEST professional cleaning you can afford. You certainly are WORTH it, and what a wonderful "save" not to have to try and fit that in the next 4 weeks.
    As for the rude lady, I think what you did was just right. Some people don't mind dumping their garbage where ever they feel like it. She could have said she was diappointed, but did understand the special circumstances..that would have been acceptable. We KNOW you were doing the best you could..pretty dumb of her to be so selfcentered. Put a mark by her name in your book !!! Hugs, Finn

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  4. Bonnie,

    It's so good to see you back here!

    I've been wondering if you're near the finishing line for school. Hurray for you!

    So much is going on in your life right now...ups and not-so-ups. Just think back...to a year ago or so. (Are you really thinking...or are you just scrolling!) ;-) Look where you are now.

    You have made incredible accomplishments in every area of your life, my friend! Perhaps even areas that you never knew existed! ;-) Don't let anybody rain on your parade!!!

    Darcie

    PS. Love your Halloween quilt! It's timeless!

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  5. Good to see you back here. Ain't that just like life? I am always saying, "When things get back to normal..." but you know, I'm thinkin'... this might be normal. Yikes. But on the up side. You got a few quilts out of the hopper and your mind isn't all cluttered with negative energy. Who needs to work for someone who will never appreciate what you do for them? I am so happy for you that you had the guts to say, "Suit yourself." I'm working on that. I LOVED the quilt. I immediately thought-candy corn! Parent-child relationships are complicated at best. I find that keeping my expectations low, keeps me from being disappointed and even allows for a few pleasant surprises. I wish you the best. You'll do great.

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  6. I love this quilt too! About the only Kaleidoscope that I have truly enjoyed - and I'll bet it's a real "treat" to see close up.

    Now, my vote is to have someone else come in and clean the rugs. Look around (even in the back of your telephone book) for coupons. Sometimes you can find someone like Sears who have a special going on for $99 for 3 rooms or something like that, and then you can bargain with them for the rest. By the time you rent the machine, buy the solution, spend the time doing it, you've probably spent that much $$ anyway! You are worth it - and you can always justify it as a business expense, can't you? I mean you have to have your place of business clean, right?

    Love ya,
    Sharon

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  7. Glad the surgery went well!!!! Keep us posted on finishing school- that is so exciting. Your halloween kaleidoscope is lots of fun! Oh, and I enjoyed your lovely SC weather myself! I am beyond amazed that in October, I was swimming with dolphins on the beach... Now I'm back home, where it could snow any day. Sigh.

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  8. Great Halloween quilt, Bonnie!

    Aren't teenage boys fun?!LOL

    I think you're right on in sending the quilts back to the woman -- who needs to add more pressure to an already over-stressed life?
    Good luck in school and graduation!
    I'd go with Stanley Steemer -- I don't do windows or floors!
    Joanne

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  9. Bonnie: Glad Jeff's surgery went well and he seems to be a good patient.

    Glad you sent the quilt back to the lady. It's so nice be your own boss and to be able to make those executive decisions. But, it would sometimes be nice to have a real job and get a paycheck! :)

    About the carpet, I have a big Bissell and a small little green machine, which is great for cleaning up small oopsies but the big one just doesn't do a great job. Like others said, if you want a good result, hire someone to clean the carpets.

    Your Halloween quilt looks great!

    Judy L.

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  10. I love the quilt Bonnie. The colors and borders are great. Stupid kaleidoscopes are harder than they look - I know this one took some effort. Excellent job.

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  11. Just joined the blogging world - browsing through old posts - the quilt caught my eye! Are there any tricks out there for making kaleidoscope quilts easier? I've always wanted to do one.

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