Living without Internet

I've been away from the Internet for two full weeks now! Wow! Here's the last journal entry I typed intending to post:

Monday 16 July 2007, 1500
Many of you will be happy to know that I’ve just created my first draft of the pattern based on Tom’s Blue Carbuncle Quilt. Here’s a picture of me when I finished the quilting (the day after Christmas last year) on a friend’s long-arm machine.

My goal is to have the pattern complete and to my testers by the end of the month. Yesterday I discovered that my notes from when I sewed the quilt are in storage in Arizona. So, today, I pulled out a sheet of graph paper, a #2 pencil, a ruler, and the quilt. I did all the measurements and calculations (except for the specialty setting triangles). That took about an hour and a half. Then I typed up the preliminary instructions (about 45 minutes). Next I need to redraft the setting triangles and integrate that information into the instructions. The biggest time drain will no doubt be in illustrating the instructions. I’ll talk with Tom about this… I think it would be fastest for me to sketch the illustrations, and for him to create them on the computer. From there, assembling the written instructions and illustrations in Publisher should be a fun cake-walk.

Anyway, this part of it went quicker than I’d expected, and I felt refreshed as I worked on it. Now for a snack and a break.

Suzy :D
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PS: My working title for the quilt, which I’d like to come from “Heaven Sent Designs” (I have to see if this company name is available) is “Window to Heaven”, or maybe “Window from Heaven”? Anyway, the Carbuncle thing is generally frowned upon (we named Tom’s quilt for the Sherlock Holmes Mystery of the same title, which is about a rare blue diamond). The window idea plays off of the fact that the design looks like a stained glass window… what do you think?
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PPS: for those of you testers wanting to get a head start, hear are the yardage requirements for a 65”x103” finished quilt… other sizes will follow.
Fabric Requirements:
Diamonds* - 25 – 5” WOF Strips OR 21 Fat Quarters
Sashing (Should Contrast Diamonds) - 2 yards
Setting Triangles - 1 yard
Border - 1½ yards
Double Fold Binding (3” cut yields 5/8” finished) - 1 yard
Backing - 6 yards
Batting - 103” x 65” (minimum)
*Solid or all-over random type fabric designs are best suited to this pattern, as one-way or directional-prints will wind up at a 45° angle in the finished quilt.
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Life is really slowing down these days. I've gone into Sweetwater County with Tom twice these past two weeks. I take the boys with us, and the day goes really fast! We've found an apartment we're applying for tomorrow. We'd be moving into it in September. It's in Rock Springs. We'll probably have to sign a six month lease (which should get us through the worst of the winter). We keep hoping the house in Mesa will sell. This week we lowered the price from $283,007 to $269,900. At the Open House this week there was a couple that was very interested... they even liked the way the garage is set up... said it was "perfect" for them. Keep your fingers crossed!

I haven't drawn those illustrations yet, guess I'd better get on it; huh?

Like I said, life is slower here, and quite beautiful. Very calm and relaxing. We look forward to having our own place, but are enjoying our time with family too.

More later (and hopefully sooner),

Suzy :D