Biting Off More Than I Can Chew

How did women back in the day do it...quilting away, by hand no less, hunched over for hours on end?  Did they ever experience carpal tunnel syndrome?  Is there such a thing as quilter's elbow? 

I've started the handquilting on the sunflower quilt.  Sixty minutes later, I don't even have three complete circles finished and my hands feel like lead.  This crap's for the birds!  Twenty blocks?  Plus sashing?  Oh, damn!

Here's what I've got...

There's not much to see.  I purposely chose not to draw the quilting lines.  Don't ask me why, it just looks more authentic to me.  I'll wind up making about seven concentric circles, then filling in the remainder of the tan background with 'arcs'.

However, I'm beginning to think this is a bit too ambitious and may just wind up doing the concentric circles.  Maybe I'll stop at  five circles...maybe three.

Anybody have an opinion on this?  I'd like to hear it if you do...

Vacation Head-scratchers, Bribes and Oh-hell-no-you-didn'ts

It never ceases to amaze me what will come out of the mouth of a child, particularly mine, at the most inappropriate moments imaginable.  Be it burp, snark or something potentially off-color and/or embarrassing, it will be uttered at a volume and pitch guaranteed to send me scurrying under the largest rock I can find.

Then there are the adults; you know, the parents.  The responsible party, the grown-ups, the we-know-better-'cause-we've-been-alive-longer crowd.  Yeah, right.  Here are just a few little nuggets (and a few substantial turds) from our vacation...and a few 'isn't that just the oddest thing ever' head-scratchers thrown in for good measure.  Enjoy!

'SHARK!  Oh, my bad...look, DOLPHINS!'...Seth

'Hey, even Mama would fit in there!'...I'll refrain from mentioning the child by name. 

No matter how far you may roam, there'll always be a reminder of home once you get there.

Gotta love the view from our hotel window...dead people truly make the best neighbors!!

'Heck yes, I'll have another!'...Mom

'Do you eat the shrimp's poop or do they clean 'em out first?  And, hey, hey Mom, do they make pepper from roly-poly bugs?'...Paige (I'll never look at a peppermill quite the same way again...EVER)

'Look, something else with big guns'...Clint (with a wink...you clever fellow, you)

'OH, HELL NO, YOU DID NOT!' 
NEVER. GIVE. A. MAN. THE. CAMERA.

WE HAVE THE BEST FAMILY EVER!!!

Quilt Along with Crazy Mom Quilts

Amanda Jean from Crazy Mom Quilts is hosting a 36-patch quilt along and she's invited everyone!  See her blog http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com for all the details. 

I have taken exactly one class in my entire quilting career and can honestly say I'd rather have my brain yanked from my cranium through my nose.  Didn't the ancient Egyptians do that?  Anyway, I'm a tad apprehensive as this will be my first quilt-along and I've no idea how I'm going to keep up, but hope springs eternal as they say (I don't know who they are, but I think they lie) and I shall endeavor to persevere.  I know Amanda Jean probably thought 'This broad is craaazy!' when I asked in all sincerity if a quilt-along meant that I actually had to keep up with the group.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for not sending me a snarky reply or a referral to a psychiatrist, Amanda Jean! 

I finished Week 1's assignment last night: choose your fabrics; and set a personal speed record 'cause the process only took three days (go me!)  A pattern requiring even two coordinating fabrics is enough to make me cross-eyed, but I managed to pick out a total of twenty-four all without turning into a drooling, quivering, gibberish-muttering pile of mush.

   
I started to go for soft and understated, but quickly snapped out of it when I realized it was one of those  other voices in my head and, behold, this is the result.  I'm going for baby-sized, but I'm thinking these seizure-inducing prints are better suited for the adult crowd so I'll add multiple borders to make it lap-sized.  We shall see...