organized much?

In spite of the best of intentions, I got neither sewing or stitching done yesterday. I found myself off on yet another tangent after an off hand comment from Pat and Norma in chat yesterday.

You see, the girls are always complimenting and/or teasing me about my organizational abilities. I am not even sure if that is the right term. I do have a good memory or at least, I USED to have. Sometimes, lately I have my doubts about that. I normally can find what I am looking for in my files or in practice fairly quickly so that might be what impresses them. Who knows?

So what started this latest organizational binge? Well, there are two quilt shows coming up. One of my pals and fellow Belles had asked me last month if I would have any quilts for the Gadsden (AL) Quilt at Falls show. I said "yes" at the time but I didn't get any entry forms from her. I am not a member of this group but because their group is fairly small, Gary opens it up to other quilters in the surrounding area. I usually have something that can be shared. Turns out it is coming up September 23-24th and the deadline for entries is the 13th, like next week Tuesday. You cannot, nor should you, enter the same items twice on this one so my biggest concern was "just what had I had shown there before?"

The other show: Friendship Quilters in Pell City (AL) is November 5-6. I am a guild member and will help with set up. Deadline for entries for this one---this coming Saturday, the 10th. Mostly I have to be sure that my entries have a 4 inch sleeve for bed, twin, laps and 2 inch on the others----plus all labeled or marked in some manner. The hanging system is different than the one Gadsden uses and requires the extra depth, not like a closet rod pole.

YIKES! Why do I always think I have more time than I do when I am procrastinating? Two reasons to get those danged forms filled out. I hate dragging the quilts out just to measure them to fill out these forms and then have to fold them back just right to fit on the quilt rack, in the armoire and the blanket chest. That off hand comment in chat made me wish I had recorded the needed data somewhere so I would not have to go that process every time I needed quilt show entries.

To that end I set up a document. I broke it down into the usual categories of sizes with the name, width, length, whether it had a sleeve (and how big of one) plus where it had been shown. Then I did exactly what I was dreading---dragging them out and measuring. Not ALL the quilts, mind you but the ones I was most likely to enter.

Then I separated them out into which ones would go to what show. Looks like I do have to put on one large bedsized temporary sleeve---again and oddly, I put no label on it either. This is the pile that will go to the Gadsden show already in their own separate pillow case, as required which is marked with my name in some manner. The other envelope is one entries for Pell City that I will run to the post office in a bit.

I'll see Gary on Thursday night to hand deliver the entry forms. I am not sure if I have to fill out a separate form for all 12 of my little Calendar quilt stitcheries or if they can be entered as one. It will be easier for him to see what the heck I am talking about if I just show them to him. Jane thought they could all be pinned to the same sheet on the same rack.

Oh, the other thing I did. I typed up the form for Pell City so I could TYPE in the information. I had done that before with the Gadsden form so I knew it worked well. Trust me, typing is always a good idea. Years of charting as a nurse have made my already somewhat difficult handwriting harder to read. I half print and half cursive, the "n's and m's" looks like " u's or v's"---DJ can't decipher it. UGH! Anymore I am so used to using a keyboard to communicate that I'm rusty. When I botched up three forms trying to fill in the description part, I knew there was an easier way.

LOL, I even entered this one which isn't finished so I would do the honors and quilt it. The "Winter" and "Spring" pieces are going to the same show. "Autumn" is not even started. Oh, I also need to finish that name tag thing next to it in time for the show. Add it to the mental "list".

Today is a cool, damp and drippy day. Tropical Storm Lee dumped about 4.2 inches in our rain gauge. We were under a tornado watch and also flash flood warnings much of the day yesterday. At one point even high wind advisories were in effect though I don't think that was really a problem. Blessedly, the temperature has dropped to the mid 50's over night. I had the window cracked and slept under my light quilt last night. I have been waiting for this for months! The temps in the house finally dropped to something reasonable 70-73 instead of the usual 80 with the a/c on once it hits 81-82. See what I mean by reasonable, LOL? DJ, of course, is "cold" and put on an undershirt and has his throw pulled up over him in the recliner but I am still going to keep my windows open a bit.

Sewing goal for the day: continue the hand work on Pat's bday gift. I probably won't be able to get it all finished today but make a bit of headway anyway. I am hopeful that my Brother will be ready for pick up sometime this week. I want to get back to the Prairie Stroll top tomorrow. It would not matter at this point which machine I use for assembly since the blocks are all done and the quarter inch variances wouldn't matter with little seam matching.

And sew it goes-------