Progress

Nine plates pieced, and it's not yet 4pm.

Seven to go today, and I've met the first deadline.

Ironing

It's a rare event for me - our ironing board is a bad height, and my back aches using it for too long. Of course, I'm also lazy...

However, today I've been ironing some Dresden points, in an effort to actually meet a deadline.

It's quite possibly a bad time for me to be putting pressure on myself with deadlines - it's the first week of DH's busy time at work, which will extend pretty much through the end of August. During this time, he leaves at around 7, returns at around 8, and likes to be at work at least 5 hours on each of the weekend days. Also, of course there's work to be done at home, which he didn't get to at the office. It's a time of stress for our family. Maybe it'll be easier for me this year, since both children are at school. Except of course for the school holidays.

Deadlining...

The Canberra Quilt Show is on this year from August 5-8.

Quilt delivery day is July 24.

I have been foolish enough to enter a long untouched UFO this year. In 2001, I attended a Quilting Symposium in Perth, which was a fabulous 5 days of classes. It was an incredible experience, but I haven't actually finished any of the quilts I started there. Luckily, one class was for two days, and another was for a bag, which I finished then and there. There were two other classes, so two other UFOs.

In the one day class, I managed to piece three Dresden plates, and appliqued two onto their backing fabrics. Since then, I've done nothing towards the quilt. Nothing.

It's supposed to be a queensize quilt, with the centre made of 16 Dresden plates. At the time, my tastes ran to the cleaner side of country themes (colours, I mean, not rude animals and such.) It's not too bad now, but probably not my choice any longer.

Here's one of my blocks;

The entry form for the quilt show requires a photograph, so I had to use my non-existent photoshop skills to produce this;

I trust my finished quilt will look far superior to that!

Anyway, here's my plan;

1. Finish piecing the plates by June 27

2. Complete appliqueing the plates onto the blocks, and the centres on the blocks by July 4

3. Top complete by July 8.

4. Sandwich top by July 9.

5. Quilting complete by July 21.

6. Bound, sleeved and labelled by July 23.

It's a good plan... but there's a birthday party to be organised in there, as well as two weeks of school holidays.

I can do it! (gulp)

Dyeing for a long weekend

This weekend we are celebrating the Queen's Birthday with a long weekend. Previously in Canberra, this has been an opportunity for backyard fireworks. However, our government has now banned them.

We're still enjoying the time off work and school, though. Yesterday, I got to work dyeing some wool for a Ravelry swap I'm participating in. I'm using food colouring as the dye, and yesterday dyed three separate times. It's much improved now, but I'm still going to give it one more dye today, as I'm actually aiming for an earthy red, not this orange that has emerged. I'm pleased with the rustiness of the colour though, since my first few attempts were very bright and clear.

Weekend Checklist

This weekend, I wrote a checklist of all I wanted to get done. It's helped enormously... although I've still got a few more items to complete.

This working full time thing is pretty hard. Luckily, it's only a month of work (this time), so I've only nine days to go. I can manage that. And I've already started spending the profits. Last time Kaffe Fassett visited Canberra, I restrained myself from spending the money to see or hear him. This time, I'm there.

The last week has involved two visits from the tooth fairy,

and quite a lot of paper piecing.