At least one post in May~

  Just one, probably, because I'm busy as the bees and blogging while busy is not a priority. There's been mostly theatre work but I squeaked in a bit of piecework. I had the pleasure of testing another pattern for Cindy of Quilt Doodle Doodles. On the first warm afternoon here in SE Virginny I found myself childless for the day. Some may consider that a great time to do housework but that's silly.  I cleaned up pollen from the front porch and made myself cozy with a pitcher of iced tea and news radio and stitched away on the embroidery. The piecing had to wait because of Mom's illness (more on that later) but I finished up these two sweet blocks this week.

Cindy's patterns are available on  Patternspot  - they are adorable and so easy to put together. And no--- I am NOT a paid spokesman! lol! I just really get a giggle from her cute characters!

 Since my last post in March (!) I have:
~Opened and closed 'Scapin". It was a good show, no drama, pretty easy costuming. The director and I disagreed on a couple of pieces but we compromised. No pictures yet. I rarely get any from the college shows.

~Avenue Q opens tomorrow. Very easy to costume; just time consuming in the running around and gathering. Very little sewing. I was behind, though, because of:

~Planned a 4-day trip with all 4 of my children together for the first time in years to see my parents in Boston but, right before we left, my mom was hospitalized. I went up by myself instead and stayed for about a week and a half to help care for her. I traveled the day after the Marathon bombing so it was a crazy week of watching endless news coverage with a smattering of Red Sox games on Mom's hospital room TV. Fortunately, she is much better and comfortable at home.

~Began work on summer Shakespeare~ I can't believe it's Grove time again. It's my sixth and second go-'round with "Midsummer Night's Dream".  A new director who's looking for traditional Greek with Lord of the Rings-meets-Hellboy for the fairies. Jacie has been cast as the 'changeling boy'. This one will be cool.

~Beginning work on LTVB's summer musical, "Rent". A little more sewing than "...Q" but again it's mostly thrift store shopping and gathering.

 ~Planning a drama for a new week of camp. This is different from the week I usually do. This one is called Expressions of Worship and it teaches kids to use performing arts to glorify God. It's a new camp experience for me and I'm excited, but a bit apprehensive, about it.  I have not been contacted about the "usual" week I work so I am assuming that the person taking over that week doesn't need me. One less week to plan, I guess.

  I have signed on for four shows this next season. September brings "9-5", November has both "Parade" and "Proof" (and I'll be the assitant director for that) and "Next to Normal" in the spring. Plus whatever the college has in store... another happy, busy season!

Not dead; just not quilting

I'm not posting; it must be showtime! In fact, I'm booked up for the spring/summer season.

Scapin (opens 21 March)
Avenue Q (opens May 17)
Shakespeare in the Grove ( June 19?)
Rent (opens July 12)

Usually there's a week of camp (Solid Foundations) in there but I'm not sure about that this year. The dean of that week is gone and there has been talk of replacing it with something new. I've been asked to do an additional week called Expressions of Worship but the details are still hazy. I know I'd be teaching theater. So, in a nutshell, I'm crazy busy!

The downside is, of course, I want to sew my quilts and some spring clothes. I have all these wonderful "Taking Names" triangles calling my name. Scrap Vomit is SO close to being fully pieced.
There's a sweet new baby arriving soon and I still need to finish a quilt for Colton, who arrived last year. I want to suprise B with last year's "Bottled Rainbows" (currently sandwiched) quilted by me for his birthday at the end of the month. *sigh*

Daylight savings does nothing when it comes to needing more hours in a day.

The End.

...of DaGMT 2013, anyway.

The results:

~One UFO finished and delivered
~A basket full of packs for a scrap vomit quilt emptied for 15 total blocks complete
~a doll quilt made and mailed
~a few random blocks for swaps
~lots of fun, triangular shaped blocks called "Taking Names
~one "Star Wars" pillowcase son #2 has been begging for for three months since we bought the fabric
~One housework-free day spent at a quilt show
Oh, how much more could I have done if I wasn't spending hours in thrift stores working on costuming for "Scapin" or deathly afraid of free motion quilting!

Oh well... (in her best Scarlett O'Hara, which isn't very good) Today is another month to quilt in!

Happy March!

Continuing on...

The Month of DaGMT continues~

I learned today that a kind, wonderful man I have worked with in community theater lost his wife this week to ovarian cancer. They have two small children (4 & 1) and this news is just so devastating. If you're the praying sort, please lift this family up.

   I have sewn every day except Sundays and last Saturday when I spent the day at the annual Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show. I enjoy that day so much- my dear friend Diane and I have made it our tradition to go together and I love her company so much. I bought a few treats this year (we were unemployed last year so I didn't buy much) : a wool candle mat kit, some pre-cut squares, a few fat quarters, a redwork pattern and the one thing I really wanted but didn't know it--- a ruler that makes joining the ends of binding a snap to put together. I'm not sure what's wrong with my brain but when I sew on a binding I struggle to get that nice bias seam on the last connection. I watched a demo of this tool and knew I had to have it!

  Progress has been made on the Scrap Vomit blocks (no pictures) and the blocks for the 'Taking Names' test/swap. I also made the doll quilt for this months Doll Quilter's Monthly exchange. Incedently, it will be my last as I have withdrawn from the group.
 

                                                                      swap blocks

doll quilt

 

 

A UFO done~

DaGMT Progress
                                            Tuesday, Wednesday/ Feb. 12 & 13

                             Presenting "Bear Tracks", my first machine-quilted, flannel top,
                            pattern test subject quilt (for Cindy at Quilt Doodle Doodles ).
                             Begun in the spring of 2012, finished in February 2013, and
                            given to Number 1 Chef-Son in honor of his moving out to his first home.
                                                                  ( 'sniff/tear/sniff' )

 

(Machine quilting by Mary at Quilt Hollow )

DaGMT Progress
                                                                 Monday, Day 11

 On my list of UFO's that will get done~ "Bear Tracks". The binding is machine stitched on. The hand stitching begins tonight!

                 I think I'll make a stop at a RedBox and find a good movie to watch while stitching.
                                                                     Any suggestions?

Five, Six ~ Pick Up Sticks... and Picks... and Socks

DaGMT Progress
                                                                   Tuesday, Day 5
 In a previous post I briefly mentioned that Jacie is working on re-arranging and painting her bedroom. As we make our way around the room, which I thought I had thoroughly swept and de-cluttered before moving anything, I have been amazed at how many drumsticks, guitar picks and socks have appeared. I'm constantly finding picks in the dryer, too, so it just makes me wonder: just what have these kids been using on their instruments--and feet!-- all this time? Maybe they are like hangers, where you get a couple in a dark, dusty corner and voooom! Inanimate object reproduction! But I did sneak in work on my quilt group/test blocks. I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing before I started on anyone else's.

 Oh, please meet Wallie, my new design wall. It took a little re-arranging of the space but he's made and hanging. He is one third of DH's Christmas present to me. The second third is a new cutting surface that is still in progress. The last third is his letting me do this to our bedroom. I made Wallie from a pre-stretched canvas from A.C. Moore (on sale + 10.00 coupon= about 13.00 bucks) and about 2 yards of flannel, on sale at JoAnn's for 2.50 py. I had the hooks lying around. Times like these are why it's good to be a pack rat.

 

 

W/T/F,  Day 6, 7 and 8

 

More vomituous progress on the scrap vomit as I assembled a bunch of block centers and made more strips. I had been doing this block by block but I am anxious to get this monster together so I'm trying to speed it up using an assembly line system. Sewed a bunch one day,  pressed 'em the next, sewed some more. (Did you ever notice that, after Tuesday, even the calendar says "WTF"?)

 

 

Saturday,  Day 9

 Cutting day~~ cut lots of triangles and strips for the group project. It's a thrift store work day as I start in earnest to costume the spring show. And I made manicotti. I. Cooked. Something.

                                                                    Sunday, Day 10
 Sewing day off.  The kids had 'hang out with friends time' after church, and DH didn't have any collateral duties, so he and I had a nice lunch at a favorite bagel shop and hit some more thrift stores until it was time to pick up the kids. Lovely day with my church family and my love!