Making a quilt: attempt #2

I am three blocks in to my second attempt at quilting. My first try was a disaster that resulted in a variety of sizes (and a few squares the turned into trapazoids…) so I am trying again! This quilt is for my boss, after a year she’s finally sold her house and moving! A blanket is the perfect housewarming gift 🙂  I will post more pictures as I progress.

Oh and for a time line – I cut out the fabric last night and this morning (.5 yard of 6 different fabrics) and have made 3 blocks in less than 24 hours.

Getting my craft on

First – please notice that my last post was on my first night of a murderous class.  I’ve been busy!  In addition to writing a paper a week (it wasn’t so bad until the last 2), I have also re-discovered sewing 🙂 It is as much fun as knitting and crocheting, but with more immediate results.

Last night I was at Wal-Mart picking up a button for Charlie’s shirt and I found some adorable pre-shirred fabric in a Dora print (Annaleigh’s favorite!) so I picked up 3/4 of a yard.  Today after work I sewed it up so there is one seam on the side of the dress (under her arm).  I had some quilting strips from a jelly roll that were multi-colored strips.  I cut one for straps, hemmed them and sewed them on.  The I took two, lined up the strips (because I would go nuts if they weren’t!), trimmed then a little to make them even.  Then I used my serger to sew the two long sides and one short side (right side in!!!!), turned it right side out (WARNING: this is a giant pain in the ass!  If you know of a better way, please leave it in the comments!) and sewed the last short end pillow style.  I pressed it and used it as a belt around the dress.   To finish it off I added two butterfly buttons at the bottom of the front straps, on the shirred part.

I will post up some pictures once I can get my computer to cooperate (unless you want to look at them sideways….)!

 

Why do I do this to myself?

Tonight was the first night of a seven week intensive summer course on research and program evaluation.  Sounds like fun, huh?  I would be lying if I said I couldn’t stand it, that I hated research, etc…  I actually really enjoy the technical, sciencey (I know that’s not a real word) side of counseling.  I love reading research and the different things that people are looking at.

The problem comes in because I am on class for 5 hours!  I get home at 9pm after the kids are in bed and that is really hard for me 😦   I’ve spent multiple nights a week ever since Aiden was born with Charlie being gone at work really late.  That has lead me to be really sensitive about being gone at night.  Now that Charlie is at a point where he’s only gone two nights a week, I’m gone one or two nights a week for school, Oy….  I just hope that the kids see that the sacrifice is worth it in the end!

Kindergarten is just not what it used to be!  We went to kindergarten orientation at Aiden’s new school yesterday.  After about 20 minutes just hearing about how to pick your kid up from school, I asked about how busing worked for the kids.  Some parents looked at me like they were expecting a second head to pop out! How could I possibly this of sending my poor little angel on the bus?!?!?! (Not making this up… a woman actually did say that.)

NEWSFLASH:

1. Aiden is no angel 🙂
2. He doesn’t like to leave me unless it is for something cooler than me – the bus is WAY cooler than me!
3. Some people work and having him take the bus enables me to not have to get after school care for him.

I then followed all this up by being the annoying parent asking all the questions, but I left feeling better about the things that I had heard around vs. what we went over in orientation.

So I walked out of feeling good.  I had talked to the school counselor about getting some paperwork for his current school to fill out and we were walking to her office to get it.  On the way, she tells me about her conversation with Aiden in the class room.  At first I was like “Yay!  He talked to her!” then I heard this:

“Really?  He’s from the Montessori school?  He told us that he stays home with his dad all day watching TV and playing video games and after that, they fight.”

Oh shit……  So I did my best to clear up what he REALLY does during the day.  Then another woman (I think a kindergarten teacher, not 100% sure though…) comes over to ask me about his siblings, if he has any brothers or sisters.  Apparently, he told them that his sister was Professor Doofenshmritz and his brother was Roger…  Oh yeah, and he was Dr. Doofenshmritz and only wanted to do evil.  Great…

“He has quite an…. imagination” (said with as much disdain as possible) “We had trouble getting an honest answer from him….”

ARGH!!!!!  The worst part is that she has a point.  He does need to know the difference between his stories and being able to tell honest answers, so that will be out summer project (along with learning how to tie his shoes!).