Oh yes, I met my major goals. My husband’s painting is done and hung. The baby quilt is bound, folded and ready to send. I’m pretty sure I also said something about completing another small project, but I am counting staying on top of my Create Daily class for that.
I will be doing a process post on the painting later in the week to talk more in-depth. I had two main goals with that project. First a foremost, make something for my husband! I’m always making things for other people, and I have a hard time crafting for him. So I knew he was really overdue for something awesome. Plus, we still have nothing on our bedroom walls, and we have had this house for nearly two years. So we are were really overdue for this. I’m really excited for him to get home and see it!
He will also get to see the quilt. I was happy to hear he wanted to look at it because it’s actually for his best friend’s second baby. Her older sister got a crochet star-shape afghan from me, so I felt like I really should make some thing for this baby as well. I kept waffling on the size, but I am glad I ended up where I did. My daughter got tons of homemade blankets, all in varying sizes. I found that certain sizes just ended up getting used for certain tasks. My mom made a large patchwork minky one that I ended up using for nursing. It was large enough to cover a sleepy baby and keep me warm, but it wasn’t too bulky. But when we took the stroller out of the house, we always ended up taking the smaller ones. Something that could be tucked into the stroller without dragging on the ground was much better for keeping baby warm. So the size of this quilt I made is about 32 by 35 inches — travel size.
Finishing this blanket reenforced in my head the importance of quality fabric. Now if you are a beginner and want to practice with cheap fabric, I am all for that. Same for trying out a new pattern. Cheap fabric has its place. But as with so many things, you get what you pay for. If you are going to take the time and effort into making something meant to be loved and used, spend your money wisely so you can invest in better materials. All the fabrics in this quilt ranged from $7 to $10 a yard, but that’s not what I paid. All the small pieces came from a large scrap bag I got for $5. If you did the math on those, I paid pennies for each piece. The large strips of fabric and the backing I bought long ago at the same time I bought the backing and extra fabrics for the octopus quilt. A few of those fabrics were out of the sale room at Fiberworks. I also had a coupon for a percentage off my total purchase. So with careful planning, I saved a pretty decent chunk, but got top-notch materials. It was so worth it.
Now a short non-craft related bit. As I have mentioned a few times, my back continues to be a problem. When I think about it, it’s really no surprise. I loved playing full-contact football into early college. I pretty much ignored good posture for years. Most important — I have let good, regular exercise go by the wayside so I can focus on crafting more on a solid concrete surface. This past week, I did go to the doctor and got an appointment for physical therapy. I am very excited because the doctor and I both agree that getting me on a regular exercise routine that strengthens by back is the best thing I can do. Plus, seeing a professional will take out the fear I have of exercising. Ever since I threw my back out, I dropped all exercise, including yoga because I didn’t want to cripple myself. I mention all this for a few reasons. One, it is slowing me down a bit creative-wise. Second, as much as I am always pushing you to be creative and do your thing, I also want you to maintain good health. Artists are notorious for ignoring things like safety and good posture. But we don;t have to sacrifice good health. So take care of yourself.
Now I have just over a week left to get three other projects done in January. I will be busy, but I’m happy about it. As long as I remember to pace myself and maintain good posture, I don’t see any reason it all can’t get done. And since I just looked at the clock and saw what time it is (yikes!) I had better head to bed. See you all tomorrow!
daydreamhouse 