A Contemplative Life

What I'm planning to write tomorrow, fingers crossed for a wordy NANOWRIMO start! Several years ago I made a decision that for a good while caused me a lot of consternation, a choice that I said I would never make again. Well, I'm strongly considering going back on that pledge. I'm thinking about publishing the first of a series without having subsequent novels written. Quick backstory: in writing The Hawk , I released the first 40K fully aware that I wasn't done, nor would I be able to gauge when I would be done. I did that because I rightly, if not painfully, assumed it would perhaps be the only impetus to keep me writing until the story was DONE. But OMG what pressure, tension, commitment! How many times did I say to myself, "You will NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!" Um, many. Yet here I am, giving serious thought to doing it again. Why, you might ask. Good question! Well see, there's this intriguing novel I've dug up from 2013 and.... Really, that...

Displayed on the old laundry line makes for a visual quilty treat! So I have finished what might be the last Honeycomb Stars Quilt I ever make. Never say never (and more about that very soon!), but boy getting through the end of this was.... Not quite a slog, certainly contemplative, and ultimately not that enjoyable. Not due to any fault of the pattern's creator; Rachel Hauser's delightful and informative write-up was clear, concise and if one is inclined to quilting beyond a beginner's level very do-able. Yet I am not the most precise cutter, nor am I super-fussy about scant quarter-inch and full quarter-inch seams. In matching the dog ears when attaching rows together, often I encountered the smallest but meaningful excess fabric and after the first three or four rows I grew tired of adjusting the ears just so. As I completed the final rows yesterday afternoon, I had to admit that while this pattern produces a beautiful result, I am not the quilter best suited to using i...

On the basting table at last! So while I didn't complete the Honeycomb Star quilt in total, I did get all the rows made, and even have five of them attached, with a sixth pinned in place, waiting on my work table. That alone is a win, but even better was hand-sewing the final stitches in a long-suffering Mandolin Quilt , which is now basted and merely needs some (or several) runs under the quilting foot on my machine! Having recently given to my granddaughter her Grandmother's Flower Garden EPP quilt , I am feeling very.... Pleased is one way to describe it, victorious is another, LOL! Also grateful, humbled too. The Mandolin quilt is for a dear family member who lost her home in the Camp Fire almost four years ago. Somewhat scrappy in nature, it also reflects her love for the Seattle Seahawks, hehehe. And especially it attempts to express my feelings toward her and all that she lost; her home, possessions, keepsakes. Nothing can bring back what she and so many others have endu...

Small blocks turning into short rows! November is quickly approaching, but I'm not rushing to get a novel prepped; we've had some beautifully sunny afternoons and I take my notebook outside, sit in the sun, then write what comes from my head and heart about various characters. I'll probably need to organize a timeline of past events; at times I am a bit OCD about that kind of plotting, but the main cast is about done, just need to ramble about the supporting characters, of which there are several, ahem. However I'm not scrambling (yet), preferring to soak up the warmth that disappeared yesterday and doesn't seem likely today either. Instead I'll work on a Honeycomb Star quilt that is coming together more quickly than I thought it would. But this project has been in the works since August, when I first cut the hexagons, so it too is not in a hurry. I did accomplish more with it yesterday than I had planned, which is sometimes the case when I dither; inevitably mo...

Today's beautiful view.   The last two mornings have been full of bright, clear skies, a wonderful change to our recent grey horizons. Shocking to see how far south the sunrise has moved along the treeline; mid October is here in force, but I appreciate the seasons. And with NANOWRIMO just a couple of weeks away my writing mojo is emerging, or I think it is. Character sketches are coming together in a rambly sort of manner, although a timeline of familial events will probably be necessary. But it feels good to spin those kinds of details, dramatic elements as necessary as the blue sky greeting me today. Years ago autumn used to mean big-time writing prep, as well as anticipating precipitation. Rain might indeed arrive this weekend, but I'm waiting a fortnight before diving into a new story. It's celebratory in nature, both the rain and the words, continued growth for me as a novelist as well as heralding what is so badly needed here in California. I recall plenty of soggy ...

Plotting out an EPP corner now, piecing together story ideas later. Over four years ago I began a Mandolin Quilt , a Jodi Godfrey pattern. It wasn't the kind of quilt that needed to be immediately finished, which was GREAT in that instead it became the kind of quilt requiring a slow simmer, tucked away safely until time for it to emerge. Which is NOW, lol, as it is spread out over my work table. I'm down to carefully basting the corner blocks so when I take out papers and cut threads the seam allowances aren't sewn to the adjoining shapes, ahem. (Been there, ripped out those errant stitches....) I do one corner at a time, then sew the block as per my usual evening hand-stitching. Playoff baseball and the last pre-season Warriors basketball game will be the soundtrack for tonight as perhaps by the end of this month another EPP quilt is completed. Not that I'll be bored when it's done; other paper piecing projects are waiting, in addition to a Honeycomb Stars Quilt ,...

Four of many that were mailed off yesterday; they shrunk to a good size and I hope bring copious smiles to their new owners. No rain in sight here, although a somewhat clear-ish morning has dawned. Autumn is fully upon us, afternoon sunshine at a slant, leaves falling from our black walnut tree, a few nuts on the ground too. I've spent the last couple of days mainly at my sewing machine, although yesterday afternoon demanded I take coasters outside for string cutting. I'll finish up five today, but over two dozen were mailed off to my eldest daughter yesterday; her neighbors relish the upcoming holiday and how better to use up scraps and warm many hearts in the process. What I complete today are solely for personal use; one can never have too many coasters, lol. My daughter took one home, an EPP experiment that she adored. Those I keep will go alongside my supply of autumn placemats, then I'll stash them away after Thanksgiving when my motherlode of Christmas linens are hau...