January

 I do like the quiet of January.  Christmas starts in September, moves over a little bit for Halloween but then elbows right past Thanksgiving so by the time Christmas actually gets here I can be tired. Of it. January calms the noise.  

But therein lies the dilemma.  Do I use the quiet days to clean out the kitchen cupboards?  Do I use the quiet days to sew my little heart out?   Truly, I get better cleaning done when the sun is shining and that doesn't happen much in January, it's pretty gloomy. Lights on in the house gloomy. So use the gloomy days to get the sewing projects done enough to line up for actual quilting?  Prep some for retreat?  Such a dilemma.  

Right now the sewing mojo is working so I'm working with it.   Though I did read on a cooking page somewhere that every January this person cleans out the spices in the cupboard, doesn't toss them out but puts them all in one jar for a unique blend that she uses all the rest of the year on anything.  Sounds intriguing and I just might try it.  One jar as opposed to many that just feels like cleaning out the spices, doesn't it?  And if they were going to be tossed anyway, why not experiment a little? I know some people who think the word experiment is a four letter word, but I do it all the time.  The only problem with experimenting is when you do something and it turns out really good you can't duplicate it. 

    So, I've been putting together some blue snowballs.  All of the corners are a deep navy solid or blend. I don't have a design wall so laid them out on the Thinking Bed just to see if I really liked it or if it was an experiment that didn't work, you know, tossing all those different blues into one jar. I think the dark corners makes it work because the blues are certainly a conglomeration of everything in my stash that was small.  All those little jars!

     I also cut the templates for Adelaide's graduation quilt.  She picked a style off Pinterest, "I want this design, but these flowers and this background."  So I cropped and enlarged the flowers at the library and got her approval on size. Unlike Charlie and Elizabeth's quilts, for this quilt there will be no surprises, she will supervise each step. So yesterday I numbered each flower, numbered each petal and traced and cut them out, putting each flower in it's own zip bag.  

     I have been gathering sunflower golds/yellows/orange batiks and have a small stack but want a few more for variety, shading, etc.  I will also look for some greens.  It will be all batik flowers and leaves and stems on a regular quilt fabric background.  Appliqueing batik onto batik can be hard on the fingers and I mix fabrics ALL of the time.   

      She is only a junior and there is another whole year before she graduates but this gives me time to think and be able to do other things, like snowballs!