My weekend plans

So, it's the weekend of Independence Day.

Lots of stuff that sometimes happens here (fireworks out at the lake) isn't likely to happen because there's still flooding. (I admit - I don't generally go out to the big displays. I think the casino does one but meh, driving at night in an already-known-for-accidents area where people may have been drinking - no thanks)

I might watch the Boston Pops or whoever is doing a concert on TV. (I think of my childhood memories of going to Blossom for the July 4 concerts and fireworks....I wish we had something like that here, but any more, it seems most places have gone to a "Turn your radios to such and such frequency and we will play semi-patriotic pop and country music while we shoot off fireworks" and I have to admit that, for me, that is far, far less inspiring than hearing an actual orchestra (or even brass band) play "The Stars and Stripes Forever" or something like that)

I do need to do grocery shopping but this is a First Weekend (and a Holiday Weekend) so stores will probably be slammed. I might go out fairly early tomorrow and do it (this afternoon is a no-go; it's the two longest labs and I anticipate not getting home before 5 pm). I want to go to Sherman for "better" shopping but I don't know.

I am coming in for a little while both Friday and Saturday: I need to sort soil (started yesterday, I can do two samples a day before my allergies shut me down) and I do need to make myself re-read the thesis that is being defended on Wednesday of next week.

Someone on ITFF commented that she was "taking the afternoon off just because" and that made me a little sad - it's been a LONG time since I did something "just because," my life is so planned, so measured out with coffee-spoons. Like, I'm not going to Sherman "just because" I want to see if the new knitting mags are in or "just because" I want to go to a craft store, I go when I need to shop for groceries I can't get locally or when there's something I really need. ("Just because" shopping is hard when it's far away. Or "just because" doing anything)

I'd like to take the weekend off but I don't think I can and still get all the stuff done with the sampling before the end of the summer semester.

I do want to be home to do SOME sewing. Because I have two quilts now needing to be bound. I have the "red riding hood" one that has been done for well over a month and I just never got to putting a binding on it (I made the binding last weekend but didn't have the energy to sew it on). AND I have another newly-finished quilt.

I had taken a Bento Box quilt I made out of Japanese "inspired" fabrics (one had kokeshi dolls on it, one had what looked like sashiko designs....) in a while back and dropped it off. At the time they told me, "It might be September before it's done" and I was fine with that, these are for me so there's no big rush.

But then yesterday, I came home to a phone message - my quilt was done, because they "were between quilts and were able to fit a quick one in." This is good and makes me happy but also makes me wonder why I merited such treatment - it's possible, I suppose, the quilt prior to mine had the same color thread or same panto pattern, and the quilter was like, "Hey, I don't have to do much resetting to put that quilt in there." Or it's also possible that someone had a place in line ahead of me, and then it turned out something was wrong with their quilt or the backing, and so I got bumped up, because I always make sure my quilt tops lie flat, are properly pressed, and that my backings are big enough before I take the quilt in. (Or, I suppose it's possible someone asked for a slot in the rotation *without having the quilt done* and they didn't get it done....though I'd never be that presumptuous and I don't even know if the quilt shop would grant that).

I wonder if I got bumped up in part because I'm a good customer and they have done many quilts for me in the past (and again: they know that my backings are always big enough and the quilts will lie flat).

But anyway. I'm glad the quilt is done. And it looks REALLY good. I'm happy with the design I chose - sort of a floral design, I think they called it apple blossoms? Or maybe wild rose? It's hard to really identify the flowers, they are just kind of a general four-or-five petaled flower with a center and then leaves and a vine attached to them (most pantograph quilting patterns are kind of viney)

This was a quilt top I didn't love so much while I was working on it, and for a while I thought, "Maybe I'll get it quilted simply and donate it to Linus Project" but as it sat, it kind of grew on me, and now I'm happy I had it done. I have enough (I think) of the backing left over to make a parti-colored binding (I used three fabrics for the back, not wanting to go out and buy something totally new for the quilt). If I'm short, I think I have scraps of one of the three fabrics that can fill in.

And yes, I use a quilt on my bed in the summer as well as the winter. In the summer, it just gets folded back at night, but I still like having it there during the day.

I also finished a quilt top but haven't had time to photograph it, and am in the process of planning out another - this one is going to be a modified log-cabin type block with solid green fabric (almost, not quite, "That 30s green") and then the focus fabrics are pretty florals, mostly semi-realistic florals.

I also kind of want to start Dr. Whooves. Or maybe Cheerilee, because I need to finish her before I can start Minty, because I have to see how many light-light pink and light-pink scraps I have (from Cheerilee's mane and tail) to make Minty's mane and tail...