An Object in Motion Tends to Stay in Motion

Life for a shop-owner never slows down!

The fact that I love my job prevents the frown

That would surely be on my face day-after-day

If I couldn't report that my job seems like "play"!

  I get up every morning, then go to bed every night with the 'to-do' list written somewhere on a pad of paper as an extension of my overloaded brain (crammed with lint, I'm sure!).  I prefer to use a yellow legal pad (full size, not mini, and yellow, not white or green, although sometimes that's all I have available) and I have dozens of them tucked in weird  places ~ mostly in my 'brief-box', a US Mail transport box (which I actually DO use to transport mail to the post office, to home, to the office ~ in case a by-the-book government worker is reading this!).

 I am not nearly organized enough to neatly file my paperwork, my mail, my half-done projects, and my dozens of yellow legal pads in the awesome, professional, classy red leather rolling computer case my staff gifted me last Christmas (sorry Linda ~ I've tried, honestly!)

  Sew, all that said, I just want to say I just returned home from the fun AQS Knoxville quilt show and I seem to have 7 lists going now. sigh.  We're working like crazy-women getting the shop ready for the fun Central Ohio Shop Spree (visit www.myshopspree.com) and since I've been gone sew much over the past several weeks, I have a TON of prep work to accomplish tomorrow! We're excited about our shop hop event and look forward to showing off our shop, sew there must be cleaning (company's coming!). Speaking of company, it's coming to my house, too!  Arizona friends are visiting this week. Plus I have a deadline this week to write 5 patterns and one of the quilts is not yet finished, sew there is some sewing to do. Meanwhile, the garden needs to be weeded and the dogs need a bath....you know, real life.

   I'm excited about the patterns I'm working on!  One is simply the enlargement of an awesome pattern, Floating Stars, designed/written by my friend, Carolyn Griffin:

  This Sunday I'll be teaching this class FREE to anyone who purchases a kit. We've lots of color combinations from which to choose. However, most of the students requested Full Size or Queen Size kits. Sew, it's off to the drawing board for me to re-figure and re-draft this pattern in a larger size. We'll be using the original pattern which is super well-written and has lots of great illustrations. I just need to help the students make it larger.  If you're reading this and would like to join us on Sunday (10-4), be sure to contact me or call the shop (740-775-1957).

  I'm half-way done with another super-cool quilt that I'm gearing up to finish.  I hope to have this pattern done by late next week:

  As you can see, there's still a lot to be done, but some of that is because of the 'help' I received from my assistant:

I was laying out my growing quilt on the floor as I assembled the top and pressed my new blocks. As I looked over my shoulder, sweet Laci was innocently gazing at me from her comfortable place on my work-in-progress. With a smile I turned back to my work. As I prepared to add the next row of blocks to the growing top I was horrified to notice:

Laci had been a very busy girl.  She had studiously 'unsewn' one of those danged curved seams forcing me to rip out an entire block to repair the damage.

 I have been blessed by the company of at least 12 dogs in my 37 years of marriage. Did I ever learn about puppies and chewing in all those years??  Apparently that answer is "Nooooooo."  Next time my willing assistant asks to help I'll say, "Want to help?  DON'T HELP."
  Wishing you a warm and wonderful full-in-your-face summer week!!  Hope to see you at the 'hop!  In Stitches, Rita