Waste Not, Want Not

Time is a precious gift, and when a person is committed to something, they find ways not to waste a moment. 

When I discovered that the Post Office is closed on Monday, it gave me extra time to complete some swaps, and get ready for the two birthdays coming up (my younger Son and Granddaughter #4). Funny thing is that I didn't plan to go to the PO until Friday. Monday closing just makes the week feel like it has extra time to it.

The Kaleidoscopes quilt binding was finished last night and later today, I want to lay it across my ironing board, check seams, and clip loose threads.

Two of the 6" blocks came out to size and will be ready to ship out to Italy. This one is called a Garden Star. 

Some time ago, I subscribed to a daily email that sends me 6" patterns. Thing is, sometimes the pattern is for either a 5" or 7" block. Eeek.

The second one is called an Indian Star. This one has been posted in a number of sizes, so it is popular to make for some reason. I did have to play with the layout because of the fabric with the stripey pattern, but that part was easy enough & looks nice.

Another project I worked on was my older Son's Constellation quilt. Its one of those scrappy quilts to make up 50 stars, and 49 hourglass blocks. I have loved selecting the pairs/patches. This represents 2 pairs of dark 2.5" squares made into 4-patches. The variety is really lovely.  Each 4-patch is the center piece of the star block, so there is a lot more to do. The deadline for sending this is the end of September. I am really pacing myself on this one.

This is a perfect example of how to use time. There are many steps to complete on this quilt that can be a pick up, fill-in between projects. A little bit of pinning one time, a little piecing the next, and then pressing. There is always pressing. And I keep notes to self about what needs to happen next.

One of my friends mentioned that she was glad I had moved on regarding the furnace repair. That too has been a real time drain on me, limiting my desire to be too far away from a space heater. My body just stiffens up with the cold and that makes it too easy to huddle and give up my day. With the Monday closings for President's Day, I am giving the utility company an extra day to do whatever they are doing, even if Monday isn't a holiday for their offices.

I love the commitment I've made to myself, to my swaps, to my family for their special days. These things are what motivate me and make the time I have worth living.