North Pacific

Now that I've pulled out the pattern and pieces and taken a good look at it, I'm feeling better about North Pacific. It would be possible to finish it in a month. Not likely, but possible.

Things have changed since I packed it away.

I've got the Go! to use for the rest of those 1500 half square triangles. Not having to measure them perfectly or cut them...and then not having to press the squares open and trim the dog ears...that could be the difference between this quilt happening or not happening. I don't mind sewing the triangles, but if I can make the cutting easier, I'm all for it.

Those bonus half square triangles I was saving from Monkey Business can be trimmed down to the size I need for the itty bitty sail pieces. So I don't have to cut those, either!

The long side pieces of boat background are supposed to be 2 1/2 x 4 1/2, but I decided to piece them with 2 1/2" squares I already had cut. I like the way it looks, but the background for the whales is an odd size I can't figure out how to piece.... so I may be redoing my boats after I finish some whales and see how it looks together.



Bill took the kids and I to the movies today. A local theater has fifty cent admission on Mondays, so it works out to about $20 for all six of us to see a movie and gorge on popcorn -- and most of that cost is the popcorn! Over the past couple of years, if it's Monday and we feel like going out, we see if there's something playing that the little guys will sit through.

Between the content advisories on the Internet Movie Database, and the Common Sense Ratings on Netflix, I can usually figure out if movies are going to be appropriate for the kids or not. I don't always agree with their logic, but it's better than guessing blindly based on a couple of commercials and the actual rating. Do those make any sense to anyone anymore?

I really wish I could find something like that for books. My teenage daughter brought one home from the young adult section of the library this week that absolutely horrifies me. She was in a hurry and picked it based on the intriguing title and cover. I looked through her books, read the description, was concerned, then started to read the book. I'm on page 68 and have lost track of how many times the main character has been sexually assaulted -- and that's not the worst of it.

This is a young adult book, not an adult title that wound up in the wrong section. The publisher's site says it's for readers age sixteen and up. That's great, but are the sixteen-year-olds still getting books from the young adult section? I'd rather my teenager didn't read it, but the world wouldn't end if she did. But my ten year old is starting to read YA books, and if I literally read 24/7 I wouldn't be able to pre-read everything the kids want to know if they can read.

I don't think for a second that they should rate books, but I would love a cheat sheet somewhere!

#8

I've been waiting anxiously to see what the UFO number for February was going to be, crossing my fingers that it was anything but #1 (Chickens at the Crossroads, which I can't find) or #2 (Spools, which would be impossible to finish in a month.) It was a huge relief when I saw that Patchwork Penguin had picked the number for the month and it was #8.

Then I checked my list and realized that my goal for this month is now to finish North Pacific. It's not a good month for this one....or maybe it is. Maybe I can channel my stress into a whole lot of Ocean Waves blocks and that intricately pieced border full of whales and sailing ships.



I've already given my Go! a workout this morning, cutting hundred of the 2 1/2" triangles I need for my blocks. Not that I couldn't cut them all with the ruler and rotary cutter, but it's so much easier not worrying about that 7/8" and cutting all of the squares in half.


Weekly Stash Report

Fabric Used this Week: 6 1/2 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 6 1/2 yards
Added this Week: 30 yards
Added Year to Date: 176 yards
Net Used for 2011: - 169.5 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 200 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 1350 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 450 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 3050 yards
Net Used for 2011: -1700 yards

Yes, I bought more fabric. The thrift stores have more scrap bags in January, probably a result of quilters who made New Year's resolutions and decided to declutter. I'm still picking up the good stuff when I find it, knowing that there won't be as much later in the year. My goal is to organize my stash, not to get rid of it!

That seventeen yard dent I was worried about? I compensated for it by buying 14 1/2 yards of fabrics that will go perfectly with the rest of my favorite lights and darks. It was $2.95 a yard and exactly the stuff I haven't been able to find at the Joann's sales.

I've started North Pacific, the quilt that I've been lusting after for a year now. It has lots and lots of pieces, most of them triangles. There's a center section made up of sixteen Ocean Waves blocks, and that's surrounded by twenty-some pieced ships and whales.



So far, I've gone from completely overwhelmed to feeling like I might be able to pull it off but wanting to get those center blocks done as soon as possible so I'd know for sure, to not feeling like quilting at all.

The goal here was to slow myself down a bit. I made eighteen quilts start to finish last year, and pieced another eight tops. Seven went off to other loving homes, but if I keep ten of my own quilts a year and Alex makes her own quilts and Mom makes quilts for the kids....

I know, you can never have too many quilts, but it could add up very very fast. Not like sock knitting. A knitter could totally justify two hundred pairs of socks, or at least keep them neatly tucked away in one drawer.

Since I don't feel like switching from quilts to socks at the moment, I decided it makes sense to tackle some of the more intricate quilts I've been drooling after, especially if I already have most of the fabric I need in my stash. (Not that finding a great deal on twenty-some other prints that will fit in nicely is a bad thing at all!)

I've been stressing about our Quilts for Kids package for a couple of weeks now. The three quilts from the kits they sent were done and ready to go, along with two quilts from our own stuff. It was the fish quilt that I couldn't seem to get finished. I'd plan to do it, then stuff would happen, then I'd find myself awake at night worrying about it because the deadline was getting closer and closer... It didn't occur to me until Tuesday that I could just mail the five quilts we had finished and send the fishes along when they're ready to be done. They are now on their way and I'm breathing much easier.

Another quilt made it to Give a Kid a Quilt. And now that it looks like I've found a local group to make some baby quilts for, I'm not going to have to deal with postage and packaging anymore.