Life can get overwhelming... even in the midst of good times... yes, even the good times can be overwhelming.
That's where I have been lately. Our 15 days of spring travels were wonderful... despite the news of the passing of our brother-in-law. We had planned and prepared for the possibility of taking a "detour." As it worked out, we were able to continue on with our trip as planned... Ron's celebration of life will be on the 26th.
I have so many details and stories (including the challenges we encountered) I want to share about the trip... I simply have not had the time (nor desire or creativity) to write them up. For those that live vicariously through my stories... I am sincerely sorry.
We arrived home on the 16th... relaxed, yet somehow, not really rested. There was no time for us to slowly resume our normal routines because we had only 7 days to prepare for our upcoming trip to Illinois to be with family.
This meant that we could not dilly-dally in all that needed to be "caught up" with. Mail, bills, laundry, household chores (inside and out)... grocery shopping and making plans for what was needed for our next road trip.
In the midst of all that necessary "stuff" I was able to sneak into the studio for a few short sessions of piecing...
While on our spring travels I hand-pieced 4-patch units (below)...
while getting my friend's sewing machine set up, I pieced some 9-patch units (also below) and my RSC Korner Kabin blocks...
In between tackling the mountain of laundry from the 15-day trip, I added the 21-year-old Hawaiian squares, and a border.
I had misunderstood the color choice for the April Rainbow Scrap Challenge and that is why I was working with teal. Oh well... After reading a few other comments on Angela's post I do feel better knowing I was not the only one who did this. ;)
Once the teal quilt was sandwiched and ready for quilting, (and now that I was back home with my stash and scraps) I pulled out a small assortment of red scraps.
Since the Hawaiian squares have red flowers in them, they remained on the cutting table.
I found an ample supply of cut-off HSTs that I made snowball blocks with and then chose to make log cabin blocks for the alternating blocks. I've added a 1-inch neutral border with scrappy piano keys as a border with cornerstones from the tropical print.
We have a 17-ish hour drive (one way) to our destination and a plan to hand-quilt these two small quilts. They have been marked, pinned and ready to go! And so am I...
I've baked bread and muffins, made granola and have the various "travel foods" that I take along with us in cases like this. I do have to say that at a lower altitude I have a much higher tolerance for foods I typically avoid. It opens up opportunities to dine out without much physical discomfort and pain. Though I do still notice it can still affect my sleep and emotions.
It is interesting how colors can also affect your mood... As I scrolled through pictures to insert into this story, the teal quilt brought me a sense of calm, while the red quilt (as vibrant and cheerful as it is) made me feel tense. Maybe energized is a better word???
Could it be because the teal quilt reminds me of the relaxing time we had on our trip? And the red quilt was made in a time of frenzy and busy-ness? Or maybe I'm the only one that experiences this...
What are your thoughts?
I'll be back with the Sew & Tell party and share the progress of my hand-quilting and probably a bunch of pictures of family. I need to continue packing...
Keep Piecing,
Melva
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I love how you're using the Aloha fabric with each color of the month recently, Melva! You're so right - each color has such a different energy - some cool and calming, some energizing, all beautiful. Have a good, safe trip - hope you find some interesting stops along the way!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about your brother in law. Prayers for you and your family! I hope you have a lovely drive out there and find the comfort and rest you need. Thanks for sharing on my weekly show and tell, Wednesday Wait Loss.
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I am sorry about your BIL but glad you got your trip in. Your quilts are lovely, I hope the hand stitching goes well. I pray safe travels for you. Try to stay away from Texas - lots of spring weather expected this week and next!
ReplyDeleteLife does throw some crazy curveballs. We experienced a keen disappointment this week and are struggling to accept it. I've often told my kids that when you have to work so hard to make something happen, and roadblocks keep getting put up, I think it is God telling you that it isn't for you. As much as I believe this, accepting it is still hard. And we may never know the reason - just have to trust God.
Sorry to hear about your brother-in-law, Melva. Sending prayers and hugs. I look forward to hearing about your travels when you are up to writing. I saw several people thinking teal was the color of the month, so you are definitely not alone! I hope you had a safe trip. Thanks for sharing with us at Monday Musings.
ReplyDeleteI did the same thing--started out doing teal and then switched to red + teal when I realized my mistake. I get it about teal being calming and red being, dare I say it, alarming! That's why I combined teal and red for 2 baby quilts--I couldn't imagine a red only baby quilt!
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