Three more quilts are done

One got away from me before I took it's picture. All three were for the same person. This is the second one finished.

I put a swag design around all the blocks and stitch in the ditch around everything.

I did a curly vine on the sashing.

A feather type design on the outside border. This is a view from the back.

Another view from the back showing the swag design and the stitch in the ditch.

The third finished quilt is this one.

I did freehand sailboats around the outside border. I used chalk to mark the bottom of the boats so I could keep them fairly close to equal size.

I did a meander with balloons on one of the inside borders and le lace on the other inside border.

Then I did a ribbon design on the sashing, simple meander inside the blocks, and stitch in the ditch around everything.

Here's a view from the back.

Yesterday someone reminded me that I had given myself permission to say yes to less this year. Yes I did and that's still my goal. So let me explain why have I been working so many hours this month. It started with the quilts scheduled to be done in 2008 that I just couldn't get finished. My illnesses, my surgery, the power outage for several days, and a few other things happened that got me very far behind schedule.

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By December I had several quilts that needed to be finished; but, I simply couldn't get caught up. Thank heavens for very understanding customers. Those quilts got pushed back to after Christmas, meaning to be done in January and February, which were already booked for the new year. Had I been able to predict the future; I would not have scheduled anything for January and February. My psychic powers had failed me and I didn't know so many things would happen in 2008.

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Then there is this....

The tree branches hanging on the power lines. When it was first told on the news that we might have another wind storm (a few days before it came through) I wanted to get work finished before I might loose power for a few days. There wouldn't be any way for me to predict how long I might be without electricity if the lines went down. No power means no work finished. Being without power again would be yet one more thing to get me even farther behind schedule.

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So there I was, many quilts behind schedule and facing a possibility of even more delays. Well, I set my mind to go into Christmas rush mode and work extra long hours to get as much work finished as possible before I might loose power. I'm also hoping to be back on schedule by the end of February. It's unfair to those who trusted me to get their quilts finished in November and December if I don't have them done by March.... don't you think? It's already the middle of February and some December work is still not finished.

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Some days when I head for the studio I'm just not too anxious to go to work. Know what I mean? I know the work must be done but my mind is saying take a day off. No one wants to work perpetual overtime. I choose a reward for myself. I tell myself that if I get this much done in a week then the weekend is for other fun stuff.... the reward. I did accomplish my quilting goals for this week. This week's rewards are to have a day of visiting with my daughter and a day of playing with cardboard.

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Yes, I tell myself, I can work the weekend and get even more work finished; but, I do want some other things in my life too. If there are no more unplanned delays for the next couple of weeks; I should be back on schedule. My new schedule is much lighter than any previous year. I still can't get my psychic powers to work though. I don't know what this year's delays will be.

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I did loose power for a few hours during this wind storm. Not because of those branches, they are still hanging. I lost power due to a transformer down the street. I got lucky and that was fixed right away so my electricity came on by about 11 am. A few hours delay is not nearly as bad as several days. Many other people in this area were not so lucky, they will be without power for much longer. Hmm.... upgrading all the Kentucky power lines might be a good thing to do to stimulate the economy with lots of jobs? But.... who's going to listen to a little old lady quilter......