Sunday, March 15, 2020

Fresh As A Daisy Finish

 We had Friday off from school--hooray! We did not get MLK Day or President's Day, so we were "teacher tired" and desperate for a three day weekend. I hit Target, the bank, and the grocery store early and got us stocked up. My freezer was already pretty full because I buy meat when it is marked down and I also buy in 20 one-pound increments of ground beef from a local processor. My daughter is being sent home from college, so I needed to get some things for her too. We can probably go for a month, but milk will run out and choices will get slim. I went to the liquor store on the way home on Thursday--priorities right?

I even found excellent respiratory masks at Target for my hubby and daughter. They are traveling home from her college, so masks and wipes were needed.  It is doubtful that there will be a graduation for her class in May. I am so sad for them--I have fond memories of my own college graduation. The good thing is she has her dream job--she has been interviewing since October and had to do 11 separate interviews and several writing tests. She is working for a small firm in NYC that consults with companies about mergers and acquisitions. She is scheduled to start in July, so it will be nice to have some time with her before she leaves our nest for good--I guess it is a good thing I have not taken over her room as a bigger sewing room yet!

Friday night, we got notification that our school district is closed from now through April 12th. Our spring break was scheduled for the week of April 6th, so now we have a whole month off.  We were told to expect communications from the district by Wednesday about our responsibilities during this time. We were also informed on Thursday that we would be paid and not have to make up the days, so I hope that holds true. If we go to online learning, I am not too worried as I already use Google Classroom with my groups and have great wifi to work from home--most of my students have access to electronic devices. I just wish I could have sent a bunch of books home with my kids to keep them busy reading for the month. I will get lots of reading time myself--got to love checking out books on my Kindle from the public library! After seeing what is happening in Italy, I support the decision to cancel school and wonder if it may be even longer!

I used Friday and Saturday to pin and quilt this Fresh As A Daisy baby quilt. The back is lavender minky. It has not been washed yet. I adjusted the pattern to offset my daisies slightly and it measures 49" x 51". Of course, I used my go to wavy stitch and quilted it grid style every two inches and bound it by machine. I like it so much--I am tempted to make a larger one with an aqua background and yellow flower centers to keep. It is such a cheerful design and could be rather inexpensive if I bought the Kona solids during a 60% off sale at Joann's...So many projects temptations!
Sunnyside was quilted last weekend, but I am hand binding it. https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2020/03/slow-sunday-stitching_15.html
I will get some photos of it completed soon. I have one more baby quilt to make for a baby due in June, then a break until September. I am still working on my Farm Girl Vintage 2 and need to add borders on a few tops and prep backings. I am trying to restrain myself from starting a new project, but with a month off and plenty of possibilities in the closet my resolve may not last.

I am a total homebody and will make the most this surreal time at home quilting, reading, and enjoying my family once they arrive back from NY hopefully tomorrow night. Please stay home and exercise social distancing practices--it will help. There are too many vulnerable people in our communities, to continue on with life as we know it. Stay healthy and make a quilt!