Doggy Bag

Last month around this time something internal switched itself off, and I've spent the last 4 weeks drifting through a depression. I could get the bare minimum done that any given day required, but for the most part I acted as a lap for Zoe and read Dick Francis novels, starting with his first and chain reading the days away.

Last weekend it became apparent that I was going to have to get my rear in gear and get some sewing done. The annual Competition for Sweet Adelines Region 10 is coming up this Saturday, and I wanted to make a couple of things for my chorus Secret Sister. I mainly wanted to make a personalized Cabana Mesh Tote bag for her, and I knew it would take several days.

I started with this, a hastily photographed signature on a sign-up sheet at one of our rehearsals. My i-for-idiot flip-phone doesn't do close-up photography well.

Accounting

I've been awash in numbers lately, some tedious, some fun.

The tedious numbers were the 260+ costume items (that's just the clothing) I needed to count (there's still a section in one of the walk-in closets holding black pants that haven't been individually counted and sized) and account for, not only for the final report to Sweet Adelines International as part of our physical assets, but also so we can post the deets on social media in hopes that another chorus (or 501(c)3 organization) will want them. 

These 70 costumes are NOT being included in all that:

because it turns out Time was not kind to the silk tops, ruining the fabric while they languished in members' closets over the past 19 years:

That's fine by me--seventy sets of tops and skirts I needn't worry about counting/sizing/valuing or packing up for shipping. I'm hoping a local organization (Austin Creative Reuse) will look beyond the silk and see potential in all those beads and sequins. Another box on my "Go Around and Visit/Talk to Real People" list that remains unchecked at the moment.

Chorus top

Finally got the video of our Competition set, so I grabbed some screen shots. This is the top I made from a small faux-wrap dress and a black tablecloth. The black didn't show as true as I'd've liked, but we didn't get dinged for our appearance so I'll take that as a win.

Yes, I'm on the same riser level as the brunettes with the bobs on both sides of the picture. I'm that tall.

Lessons Learned and Final Thoughts

Yep, a little breeze, but it was a bit wavy on its own too. 35" x 53"

I finished this on Tuesday? Wednesday? Blursday? Regardless, I handed it over Wednesday afternoon so it could get to Houston and be entered in the Silent Auction being held during the Competition Weekend for Region 10 of Sweet Adelines. I had no desire to be there in person, but I was there in fabric.

Backing for "You Are My Sunshine"

Yep, I've decided to call it that. My hope is that I'll have this finished in time to send it along to Houston to be a silent auction item during Region 10's Competition Convention. My chorus isn't competing this year (we rarely met for rehearsals in 2021) but I'd still like to have us represented in some little way. Anyway, back to the name: there will be singers bidding on this item, and it can be either a lap or crib quilt, so this song popped into my head and won't be dislodged.

But before the flimsy can be a sandwich, it needs a back!

No Joy

I knew that pin-basting a quilt sandwich that I'd be hand-quilting in a hoop was a recipe for frustration, so I decided I'd use my New Joy frame to thread-baste the newly-repaired vintage top.

Based on the date of a bunch of information I downloaded from the interwebs, I bought this frame (used, through Craig's List) back in December 2013.

One of several pages of assembly instructions downloaded Dec 7, 2013

More tags

Washing dishes this morning while my coffee brewed (as is my routine), it felt as though I had something stuck to my palm. On closer examination, I noticed this bump action going on:

Very odd! Most of the questions words ran through my head: What? When? Where? How? Huh? Then, as the coffee maker gurgled its last drops of water through the machinery and I reached to pat the top several times (to knock the condensation on the sides of the reservoir to the bottom), it was obvious. Apparently I was a little too enthusiastic with my "patting" yesterday!

QR Luggage tags

This is the project that had me chained to needles and threads of various forms right up through the evening before I had to pack and leave for a 4-day Sweet Adelines event, inspired by this post on the Elaine Adair Pieces blog:

Hard to see, but there's a plastic sleeve into which I slipped the business card.

The business card is blank on the back, so personal info can be written in.

Our chorus participates every year in a judged competition for the choruses in Sweet Adelines Region 10 (most of Texas and the Gulf Coast states up to Florida). This is an opportunity to show the Region (and ourselves) how much we've worked and (hopefully) improved over the past 12 months. The Competition weekend is our traditional time to show appreciation to one another through Secret Sister gifts and section gifts (from members to Section Leaders and vice-versa).

Food, glorious food

Hubby took to the road early this morning, travelling half the continent on two of the shortest days of the year on his new motorcycle. He's off visiting family; I'm at home enjoying my own company. The clowder is completely confused. There's still a biped in the house, but they don't know how to act. It's not the right biped. They hover, they perch, they pace, but they don't nag, which usually starts in the middle of the afternoon.

"The Loud isn't here. Will we starve?"

WIP to UFO: time to piddle

My latest WIP has been taken down from the design wall (new iron, see? My old one was dropped one time too often and was leaking. I make it a habit not to use electrical appliances that leak)...

...and transferred to the "Ready to Quilt" rack: