I do.  I am currently working on a queen size bed quilt made up of 36, count them…36 paper pieced kimonos.  The pattern is called - Kimonos – by Betty Blais and is distributed by Embellishment Village.  The original pattern is a 9 kimono piece but when Bill saw a completed sample at Knights Quilt Shop in Cape Neddick, Maine he had to have one of his own and he wanted it to fit the bed.  He loves Asian fabrics, has two quilts already and was very excited when I said…ok.  Not sure what I was thinking, maybe it was a caffeine high or something.  That was several months ago and I finally got one of the kimonos finished.

kimono #1

The finished square measures approximately 12×11.  Each kimono has four sections and requires 3 fabrics plus the background fabric.  I cut one of the patterns into separate pieces and color coded them but still managed to mix the fabrics up in one of the sections. The pattern says it is designed for intermediate to advanced quilters.  Maybe I have over estimated my piecing abilities.  This pattern kicked my butt for a couple of nights.  I must have ripped out one section 4 or 5 times.  First, I sewed the wrong fabrics together.  Next, because the piece is on the diagonal, it doesn’t come together the way one would expect and the darn piece of fabric was not covering the appropriate section the way it was supposed to.  To make matters worse, the fabric was directional.  ARGH!!!   I actually put it down one night and found something else to do because I was so frustrated and the paper was coming apart.  However, I did persevere and I’m really satisfied with the finished product.  Only 35 more. **sigh**

I think I would have more completed but Bill purchased the fabrics for Wendy’s wallhanging and I started that instead.  The binding is nearly finished.  That will be one of the fastest pieces I have ever done.  It pays to have a deadline even when you miss the deadline.

I have been wanting to make cookies for several weeks now and today was the day.  The temp today was 61 so I had to go for a walk first and then run to the corner store for shortening.  However, 2 hours later I had 4 1/2 dozen chocolate chip cookies made using my daughter’s secret ingredient.

yummy choc chip cookies

If you are a regular visitor, you know I hardly ever post anything about food.  Bill does most of the cooking, I do most of the eating.  It seems to work for both of us.

Thanks for stopping by…

;o)

Finally, after months of procrastinating, my Etsy shop is open with one item.  It took forever because I wanted to develop a banner but…that hasn’t happened yet.  So, I just proceeded to put one foot in front of the other, follow the directions and get something listed.  Once I figure out how to get a button in the sidebar, I’ll get that done.

For now, please come visit me…BeeWitchinStitchin at Etsy.  And be sure to let me know you came to visit.

Thanks for stopping by…

;o)

Generally, this is one of my favorite holidays.  Bill and I have dressed up in fun costumes and “trick or treated” to all of our friends houses.  It gives us a chance to say “hi” to those we don’t see very often and they get a kick out of our good time.  This year we are just tired and decided to stay home, build a nice fire and watch the World Series.  In a way, I feel sad that we aren’t out and about; on the other hand, it feels good to be home in my comfy clothes.

I did prepare a Halloween Haiku…

witches, goblins, ghosts

things that go bump in the night

leaves cover the ground

I have been doing some quilting!  Yeah, finally some quilt content.  I have been working on the Halloween wallhanging for Wendy.  Obviously, it won’t be ready this year but I think she will get it for Christmas.  The top is completed and I started the quilting last night.  Here’s a sneak peek…

My retirement has been interesting, to say the least.  I have spent more than 40 hours a week since the first of the month working at the new Lowes.  Consequently, I’m tired.  Yesterday was the opening day so my schedule should slow down a little.  I was off around noon the last couple of days and I like that. On another note, I have lost 4 or 5 pounds and I like that, too.

Speaking of retirement, I received a couple of very special gifts.  First of all, my daughter contacted several friends and family members and organized purchases of Pandora charms.  I was not aware of this jewelry but here is a link if you want to know more about it.  She asked each participant to write a memory and purchase a charm of their choice.  She made a card out of scrapbooking materials with each memory and attached the corresponding charm to the card.  The four of us went out to dinner and she presented me the gift; all the cards were wrapped and in a little basket, the bracelet was in its box. Many of the cards made me cry as I remembered my friends and relived their memories.  What a wonderful gift.  Thank you, Wendy, for being the thoughtful, creative, loving daughter that you are.

Yesterday after work I was able to meet my best friend, Su for lunch.  I haven’t seen much of her this past month either.  We stayed for a couple of hours catching up and before we left she gave me a handmade basket to celebrate my retirement.  (I keep telling her to stop giving my gifts.)  This little basket was made by a Passamaquoddy Indian woman named Clara *** .  It is signed on the bottom and dated ‘98.  This basket is one of a collection that belongs to Su and the fact that she has passed it on to me makes it an invaluable gift.

That’s all for now.  Thanks for stopping by…

;o)

I started working at Lowe’s the beginning of the month and haven’t had time for much of anything else.  I worked 7-6 for six days in a row and that doesn’t leave much time for fun things.  So far, retirement isn’t any fun.

I have been sewing a little almost every day on the wallhanging for Wendy but I doubt she will have it by THIS Halloween.

On Saturday I went to the Cocheco Quilt Show in Rochester, NH which was very enjoyable.  I purposely left my camera home so that I could wander and enjoy, without feeling like I had to have a photo.

Hopefully I will get caught up and on a regular schedule soon.

Thanks for stopping by…

;o)

As always, I am behind in my creative prompts but here are a couple of recent ones…

"Awakenings" (prompt from 9.11.09)

"Spiral" (prompt from 9.25.09)

That’s the best I could do.

Thanks for stopping by…

;o)

We are spending the week in Bar Harbor and visiting Acadia daily.  I thought I would be able to post the day’s adventures and a couple of photos each evening but I can see there is no way that will happen.  I started last night but my sciatica was screaming so I had to put the computer away.  Instead, I’ll do a quick catch-up later.

The weather so far has been beautiful, warm for this time of year and no rain (overnight, maybe).  Tomorrow, Campobello Island, New Brunswick.

Thanks for stopping by…

;o)

I started cutting the fabrics for the Halloween wallhanging for Wendy.  Holy cow, talk about a pain in my back.  I cut 36 charm squares into 2×5 strips and 2×2 squares.  Then I cut another 18 squares into 2×5 strips.

I still have to cut the background fabric into 85 2″ squares and 13 4″ squares, which then have to be cut into triangles.  I’m making a pattern by Miss Rosie’s Quilt Co. titled “X-rated”.  It can be seen here.  It’s part of the Schnibbles group.  It’s the first one I’ve ever made; then again, it’s the first time I have made anything from a charm pack.

Anyway, my back has had enough cutting for tonight; think I’ll sit at the machine for awhile.

Thanks for stopping by…

;o)

Do you ever stop to think about how blessed you are?  Every night after I lie down I try to just relax and list five things the day blessed me with and be thankful for each one.  I never have trouble listing five.  Sometimes they are the same as the day before, sometimes they are really BIG things and other times they are very small.  Today I’m sharing my five blessings with you.

1) a beautiful sunny day and time to sit and drink it in

2) a great washer and a clothesline where I can hang the clothes so the sun and wind can dry them

3) the ability to go for a walk

4) enough food to keep my tummy full, including fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots

5) a beautiful flower garden and new mums planted

That’s such a small list, isn’t it?  But being thankful every single day for the simple things helps me stop and realize how truly lucky I am.

I have been officially retired for four days now and I have secured a part-time position with Lowes.  It will probably be close to full time for the month of October while the store gets stocked but should return to 10 – 30 hours a week in November.  I actually hope it’s closer to 20, I want time to be creative.  Speaking of which, I’m headed into the “sweatshop” to cut some fabric for a wallhanging for my daughter.  It’s supposed to be for Halloween but no one said which year.  I guess I better get going, probably won’t get much sewing done in October.

Thanks for stopping by…

;o)

Today opens a new chapter in my book of life.  How do I feel?  I’m not sure.  It’s surreal.  I’m excited and anxious at the same time.  I feel like a kid in a candy store.  It’s hard to believe that this day has actually finally arrived.  I have been looking forward to this day and counting down since the beginning of the year and IT’S REALLY HERE!

“I’M RETIRED”

“I DON’T HAVE A JOB; I’M UNEMPLOYED”

Yikes!

I have applied to be a volunteer with the local animal shelter, as well as a part-time position at the new Lowes in town.  I hope we can spend the winter in the south where it doesn’t snow.  I have started a list of some things I want to do…

Spend more time quilting

Dye some fabric

Get the garden cleaned up

Plant the mums

Exercise more often

Take an online class

Sell some stuff on eBay

Get some items into my Etsy store

I’ll keep you posted.

Thanks for stopping by…

;o)

As Frank Sinatra would say…

And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain.

My countdown calendar says 0 days till retirement.  Technically, tomorrow is the last day so I guess the calendar was off by a day.  However, after tomorrow…

I will no longer get up at 0500 to get ready for work (I hope)

I will never wear a fire department uniform again

I will never drive another piece of fire equipment

I will never put on protective gear or wear an SCBA

Hopefully, I will never be in another burning building

I will never experience the same camaraderie and feeling of family with my coworkers

However, I will step through the threshold into the unknown and paint a new picture.

I heard these words at my nephew’s graduation several years ago…

“Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened”

Thanks for stopping by…

;o)