Reclamation - It's About Time!

I decided it's high time to RECLAIM some portions of my life, so to that end, I signed up for a couple of artsy-fartsy-craftsy classes just for fun.

The first is a series of four evenings at a local store, Always in Stitches.  They have counted cross stitch, knitting, and crochet stuff, but their main focus is quilting.  I attended a quilt show this past October and I got inspired.  I just HAD to try it.

I sew, but I've never attempted quilting.  It has been a revelation!  We're making a crib-size, six-block quilt.  After two classes, here are my blocks:

I actually did the first two classes in one long afternoon/evening session.  I wasn't able to attend the first class because of  water heater issues (stay tuned for more about that at a later date), and the instructor allowed me to catch up (thanks, Kathy!).

I've discovered quilting requires oceans of patience and attention to detail.  I'll have to get some. 

And quilting's not cheap!  The classes are fairly reasonable, and I already had a sewing machine, shears, pins, a rotary cutter, and a cutting mat, but I still had to buy fabric, thread, and batting, plus special rulers, marking pens, and presser feet for my sewing machine.  I could easily get lost down that rabbit hole.
Anyway, five blocks, down, one to go!  I've already learned a LOT,  but then we have to put it all together.  That should prove interesting!  I'll post progress reports following the other two classes.

The other class was a quick, FREE class at the local library - kind of like Wine and Canvas, but on heavy paper instead of canvas, and no wine (what the heck?).  Our assignment was to paint a monochromatic landscape.  I only worked with black, white, and blue paint.  All the colors I mixed included blue (only the best color in the whole wide world!).  Once we got our instructions and saw a couple of quick demonstrations, we were turned loose with our imaginations for an hour.  Here's mine:

Not bad for an hour of paint-y goodness!  Messy, messy, messy, but too much fun, and what a price!  Yes, I'd do it again.

On another note, I've been working at decluttering at home - some closets, the garage, and the pantry, for starters.  I keep my less-used appliances in the small linen closet next to the first floor bathroom, and it has become a jumble.  But behold!  Behind the large crock pot and the turkey-sized oven bags, I found...TURKEY TIMERS (see related post).  The ones I was sure I had, but couldn't find, at Thanksgiving.  Heavy sigh.  Reclamation, indeed.

Snow!

The first snow this winter fell at night.  I left the blinds open and watched it fall, thick and fast, as I drifted off to sleep, buried under the quilt.  I woke up later to the sweet scrape of a snow plow barreling down our street - one of the coziest sounds EVER.

Since just after Christmas, we've had snow on the ground until a couple of days ago.  Amazing!!!  Of course, the snow couldn't go anywhere because the temperatures were in the single and low double digits (positive AND negative) most of that time, so what snow fell, stayed.  Unusual for central Indiana, where winters are generally cold and wet and gray and UGLY.  If there is snow, it melts during the day and freezes at night, leaving the streets glazed with ice.  

UGH.

But this year, for something completely different, we've had several snows - nothing earth shaking, just an inch or two or three at a time.  The deal is, it hasn't melted in between, until earlier this week. 

Today, the high approached 60 degrees - downright balmy - with rain.  Tomorrow's forecast is a high around 20, and snow all morning, after rain all night.  Sounds like a recipe for rush hour disaster.

We will see what we see when we see it.