Summer Nationals

DH and I are leaving in the morning, headed for Grapevine, TX, for Summer Nationals. We’re going to the venue Monday afternoon to shop, get equipment checked, and I’ll have to drop off my (newly-bought-at-that-time) knickers to have my name put on them overnight. I bought my sabre lame and had my name put on it at a NAC less than a month before DH propposed, so it has my maiden name on it. USFA rules require that you have your name on your jacket (epee), lame, or rear knickers leg – my jacket has my married name, but that would be covered by the sabre lame. My old knickers have a USA “splash” on the rear leg, so I can’t even use those for my name. I could buy a lame patch and have the name put on that, but I think the patches look kind of tacky. 😦 Besides, my knickers are snug as they’re almost ten years old at this point, and well, your body changes…

Wish us luck! I’ll try to remember to post here after our events. DH is fencing Div III Men’s Foil on Tuesday. Thursday he is fencing Div II Men’s Foil, and I’ll be doing Div III Women’s Sabre. Saturday, he’s fencing Div III Men’s Epee, and I’ll be doing Div II Women’s Epee (my main weapon), to give you an idea of what is when…

Knocking out UFOs

I got a lot done this weekend with Toni visiting me! First and foremost, I went stash digging and have enough SETS of fabrics for about eight new projects – to be started later, but after some more UFOs get done. She brought a little project for us to do together that was really cute…chicken pincushions! I used the wrong size square so mine is a little bigger and er…dumpier than hers but he’s still cute. 😀 Mine is on the left – of course, if you know either of us, the lime is a “Toni” color and the turquoise is definitely a “me” color!

I also got the top for Cherry Cordial done. I can’t decide if I want to make a wall hanging out of it or use it as a baby quilt. I found some leftover binding from my neutral Jacob’s Ladder quilt and there’s plenty for binding this little quilt. I still need to square up the top – I had to do the corner triangles a little differently, so they’re a little too big…

I made a penguin pillowcase for DH. We have those ergonomic pillows, and they slide out of traditional pillowcases. This one is an envelope style. I left it on the bed to surprise him.

I’ve had this UFO for over a year. I had the blue and red batiks that I thought were so cool. This was originally going to be a baby quilt, but then the gal that it was for quit (we worked together). I didn’t finish it because there wasn’t enough fabric even following the pattern. Fortunately, Toni has this one at her shop AND I found the other one while digging in my stash. 😀 The top is as close to being done as can be at this moment. Toni – the one from the stash will get only the little square missing on the bottom right..

Neglect

I know, I know, I’ve been neglecting this blog. To be fair, I’ve been neglecting my quilting stuff too. *sigh* I haven’t been motivated to do anything creative lately, and I’m not sure why. I think it’s partly due to the fact that life has been very busy lately (most weekends out of town in addition to busyness during the week) and that I’m not getting enough sleep. Sleep-deprived = more mistakes, so I try to avoid providing those opportunities. It’s been a chore to get birthday blocks cranked out, and I have UFOs all over my sewing room. Maybe I’ll drag out something bright and cheery, or maybe finish an easy project..

I got tagged

Toni tagged me for a blog meme. I haven’t done memes on this blog (I don’t think) but I figure this one might be helpful for potential swap partners. She tagged me with the Honest Scrap Award! All I need to do for part 1 is reveal 10 facts about myself that I haven’t necessarily shared with anyone.

1. I studied abroad in Lyon, France, when I was in college. I got to fence while I was there, too – and my salle was only about three blocks from my apartment!

2. I have the uncanny ability to estimate my grocery total within $5 when I hit the checkout. I don’t keep track of prices while I shop, either.

3. Every Tuesday my co-workers and I have “Fantasy Sex Day.” We each pick a celebrity that we’re going to sleep with for the week. It’s loads of fun. You can’t repeat people within a 6-month period, and you can specify someone at a specific point in time (e.g. Leonardo di Caprio in “The Beach” but not in “Titanic).

4. One of the neatest conversations I ever had was with a homeless guy in Rome. We sat on the street corner and talked about life for over an hour.

5. I played French horn for almost ten years.

6. I *love* watching the Olympics, almost the point of obsession.

7. I’m a beer snob even though I don’t drink beer.

8. Going to a male OB/GYN doesn’t weird me out.

9. I love all things handwork – hand quilting, hand applique, embroidery – but not cross stitch. It drives me batty.

10. My DH and I are both online gamers.

Now, I must list 5 addictions:
1. The internet
2. Cheese, peanut butter, and chocolate (hey, they’re all foods!)
3. Fabric
4. Collecting kitchen gadgets
5. Sleeping in/taking naps

I’m not going to tag anyone (not even sure if I have five readers here?!?!), but feel free to fill them out as a comment. 😀

Quilter’s ADD

Does anyone else have this problem? I not only keep about 83 projects going at a time, but I start one and get all excited about it, only to have it end up a UFO. Granted, I have other hobbies that take time (fencing, dogs, etc.) as well as trying to spend time with my DH, but still! I’m not sure why I’m like that. I’m good about finishing other stuff, so why can’t I seem to buckle down and finish quilting projects that don’t have a set deadline?

Overheard

I was working on the mini blue quilt on the bus on my way home from work today, and overheard a woman a few rows back (I was sitting in the front, in the rows of seats that face each other) comment to the guy next to her, “Would you look at what that girl is doing? I don’t have the patience for that. I couldn’t even fathom where to find it.”

It’s funny. I don’t see handquilting as an act of patience, other than it takes a long time to complete a project. It’s more of a meditation exercise, and it’s easy to get lost in the repetitive motion. But, I also work crosswords to relax, so maybe I’m just wired funny. 😀

Quilter’s Home

Got my issue today of Mark Lipinski’s Quilter’s Home magazine. I *love* the plastic flamingo on the cover. Plastic flamingos are so goofy but that’s what makes them so much fun. 😀