Finger Painting Turns Technical, Busyness, and Cow Spots

It started with an empty spool of thread. You see, I go through so much light-colored thread for other projects that when I began to work on the double wedding ring quilt, I very quickly ran out of the cream-colored spool I had chosen. Partly because it takes a great deal of thread to sew the pieces into the arcs, partly because the spool had already been used for another project. No other color (not even white) would work, so I was forced to stop. But what did I do? I decided I had enough white thread to work on another quilt!

So I'm working on a crib quilt for the children - something the quilting world calls a Lattice Quilt. After the intimidating curves and complexity of the big quilt, this one fairly flew together. The top is finished, the backing is cut and the batting is ready. But then everything came to a screeching halt...

One of the reasons I wanted to make a quilt (or more!) before finishing the double wedding ring is to have something to practice machine quilting on. Because I've heard that you can finish a quilt just fine on a "domestic" sewing machine! So, I'm going to try it. But I'm scared. It's such a lovely quilt top and I've never done this before and I'm worried I'll make some hideous mistake (or be just plain bad at it!) So I'm hustling (while I wait for myself to build enough chutzpah to actually start!) to find quilting patterns and motifs I like and think I could do. If you're following my Pinterest - I'm sorry for flooding your homepage! My "break" from the big quilt to make an easy "finger painting" turned into something just as scary and huge as the big quilt. :P

(Note the adorable Monkey.)

In the meantime, there have been several breaks in this week's daily routine that have kept me from my sewing desk. On Monday, the home-dealer came to see our home site and to finalize our order. (WE ARE FINALLY GETTING OUR NEW HOUSE!!!) ***HAPPYDANCE!!!*** I'm ecstatic, and can hardly believe that there will be a new, grand, beautiful house for us in just a few weeks time.

[Sidetrack: Seriously, though, I couldn't have asked for a nicer house! I love the floor plan, the space, everything! It comes with all new appliances in the kitchen, and everything will be new and snug and shiny. I'm positively giddy just thinking about the possibilities! Moving from 550 square feet to over 2200.... I am beside myself! How will I make it cozy with the bit of furniture I have? (Arwen says I should go "shopping" in the dairy barn, where all the extra furniture and stuff that folks don't want is kept from the houses Ron sells.) I'm looking forward to the challenge and the luxury of so much space!!]

Anyways - Monday was busy, but Arwen did watch the Boy and that's when I finished the Lattice Quilt's top. Tuesday was a catch-up day, as the laundry had gotten in arrears and the kitchen needed attention. Wednesday I was out all day with Ron to drop off the big van (that he had sold to a man who was going to ship it to his son in Holland!! O.o) over 90 minutes away, then to pick up tires for Mary's car, then a shopping trip to Costco and Sam's....it was a long day. But he took me out to an excellent Chinese buffet, and that was very nice. Then that evening, Arwen and I went to home group (and came back late, of course!) Emily had been asking her sister-in-laws at the meeting if they had a serger machine, and I volunteered mine - but she needed it before Sunday. Drat. But then, I discovered on Thursday morning that Ma had to go to a dental appointment that was close to Emily's house - BINGO! So I went out with Ma yesterday, too. Poor Husband - each of the last two days he's had to get up for work I haven't been home in time to sic the Monkey on him, so he's been rudely awakened by a call on his cell phone from an apologetic and absent Wife. :P

Today will be busy, too. We are going to my 28 week check up - the one that I have to drink that nasty hyper-sugar drink and then get my blood drawn (eek!) to check for gestational diabetes - and then go to the H's to don cow costumes and head over to Chick-fil-A for Cow Appreciation Day! Here's a preview of the Monkey's outfit: