making the best of a bad situation!

I got major sick at the office yesterday. So sick I called my parents to come get me! I was so violently ill I could not drive. So, I have stayed home today to try and recuperate. I slpet until around 11, then ate some rice and chicken broth. I haven't spewed since about 10 last night so whatever it was seems to be over. I started to feel some better and went into the sewing studio. I started and finished a bag for a Christmas gift. This is another of the Mary Ray tote bags from the July issue of Threads and the class I took from her in August. Easier and faster and even more fun the second time around! I am looking through my stash for the fabric to make another!

more quilted beauties!

1 table runner (top) + 2 quilts (middle and bottom) out of the same 20 fat quarters. I love using my scraps!

Love and Happiness

What a special treat to be able to bask in the love and happiness of my nephew (and new niece-in-law!) on their wedding day. The sheer joy was all around us. The rain clouds cleared away to show the bright Carolina blue sky, the bright autumn sun lit the turning leaves into a fiery glow and the smiles, hugs and kisses enveloped all of us. For a short time, the past animosity, anger, petty quarrels of extended family was smothered by all-powerful, life-changing love. I wish the new couple a long and happy happy life!

Goin to the chapel...

My dear, sweet nephew, Jeremiah and his beautiful, equally sweet fiance, Jessica are getting hitched today! I am so grateful and blessed to have 2 such loving loving people in my life! I remember when Jeremiah came into this world. He was such a beautiful baby and always so loving. I hope they have a lifelong adventure of loving each other!I made this quilt for them.

keeping the head down

and trying to fly below the radar.
Things are bleak around lately. I just want to curl up and be left alone for a while.
I need to get back in my sweatshop studio and finish quilting a Christmas present.

Wednesday

Four more people from my area were "eliminated" today.
Hard to be motivated to do anything with all this happening. I feel guilty for still having my job. While I rationally know why they kept me, I still wonder if there is a future for the business. Seems senior management wants to get rid of Designers but not reduce the number of custom projects we accept. Our weavers and developers are laid-off, but they are expecting us to be timely and innovative. I am coping by sewing. And taking my on-line business class (3 straight 100s on quizzes!).
And bad times, like good times, come and go. I really hope all my friends find new jobs that are as great as they are.

Black Monday 2008

My team went from 7 people down to 3 today. I had to lay off my 3 Senior Designers and our clerical assistant. I was demoted from manager down to Senior Designer. I am okay with my position change, I was never happy in management. But I have been in a state of disbelief, shock and pain since 8:15 this morning. Having to go from person to person, friend to friend and tell them their job has been eliminated due to the market conditions has really sucked. I do not expect to have my job 4 months from now. Our senior management team has no strategy and they believe that by cutting designers they will save enough to perpetuate the brand. Where are the future patterns going to come from? I am good, but not that good. I can do my part, but I can not make up for the design talents of 3 others.
This day has sucked. At least I have my hubby, son and hounds.

Busy sewing!

Proof: I have just been
Lolly gagging around, sprawled on the sofa watching political TV.
I have been in the studio/sweatshop, sewing. Making things for myself and gifts for family for Christmas! If the fall of the economy is upon us, at least I have a skill that is both productive and therapeutic!



Plus, the hubby and "Early voted" yesterday and the man-cub has mailed in his absentee ballot so now, we wait and hope and pray!
But, again, I will not be a quivering mass of gelatinous ooze, just waiting for fate to befall me. No, I will be playing with my hounds, loving on my man, and sewing up a slew of stuff!

TGIFF!!

Whew, made it to Friday! And took my second on-line class in my "Starting Your Own Arts & Crafts Business" course. It is better than I had hoped and making me think about business stuff, which is what it is supposed to do! I really want to sell my quilted beauties and designs, so I am taking this class to figure out what to do and how to go about it. I can sew, and I want to find the right outlet for my work. Then maybe I can quit the corporate rat race!
Since it is Friday night, I am doing this quick entry before heading back to the studio. I am piecing a quilt top tonight!
Then tomorrow, off to see my man-cub play football.

New works

these are 2 of the 4 color swatch sample layouts I made today. It has been fun to work on the color selection, layout and manufacture of our collection tools!

Duh, I am a Liberal

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 35% Conservative, 65% Liberal Social Issues: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal Fiscal Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal Ethics: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal Defense and Crime: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

new things to focus on

I have (obviously) changed my blog template. I want to get back to focusing on the things that make me smile. The media is doing plenty to make us all panicked, angry and unsettled so I want to counteract that. To this end, today's post is simply about the beauty in my little part of the world.
What is beautiful in my world:
My family
my dogs
the blue sky outside of my window
my studio
the morning glories growing in the garden
SugarFree Jello Pudding snacks

Gaining perspective

I thought today I would blog about the "WalMart" effect, where people want every thing as cheaply as possible and everyone feels a sense of entitlement and no one seems to save up for things. I was organizing my thoughts on my drive home. As it was raining, I knew I needed to get in and change out of my work clothes before letting the 2 wet dogs in. So far, so good. I get into sweats, grab some old towels to dry the dogs. I let them in, Murray loves the toweling experience, then I start on Pepper. Her feet are black, and my soil is not that dark. I wipe them and the towel is covering in black. I smell the towel and my 6 month old pup has somehow gotten covered in motor oil. I picked her up and dashed to the shower where I spent 45 minutes trying to scrub this off. Her sweet pink belly, covered in oil. Well, I got most of it, I will pick up more Dawn dish detergent tomorrow (bonus tip: Dawn cuts all manner of oils and grease) and bathe her again. I also found an old bottle of oil that Hubby had used in his chain saw had fallen off the window sill where it was residing. Not much oil sure goes a long way on a golden puppy. So, while I had spent a great of the day pondereing our lack of business and what products to design and sample along with keeping up on the collapse of the world financial markets, my focus was shifted in the blink of an eye, by a 25 pound ball of puppy love! She did not enjoy the bath, but she has since enjoyed the snuggling.

When the horrible news gets you down, love on your family and your pets. They are what really matter.

The Beauty of October

October brings clear, bright, brilliant blue skies, the kiss of a chill in the morning and a soothing heat midday. The sky is so very blue, the edges show violet. The rays of the sun are bent at such an angle to bring every little thing in perfect focus. The beauty of the light in October is edged in cruelty. With the slanting rays of the sun, one is aware of the precious shortening of daylight. The growing darkness that is winter. I do get a touch of dread for the coming months of darkness. This change of season seems especially poignant this year, coupled with the dark, uncertainty our current economy has fostered. It is difficult to find any encouragement for hanging on, persevering, lasting through the winter. I am a fervent believer in a free press, but lately the majority of press I see is overtly sensationalistic. 72 point type headlines, dread, fear, bankruptcy. Instead of reporting, I see agitation. I do not feel news reporters should insert their personal feelings into their stories. They should tell it as they see it. Well, I am no reporter, but this is what I see:
The Super WalMart parking lot is full. The wait time at our new Fatz Cafe is an hour or more. It is hard to find a parking space at the mall in Hickory. While the whole price of oil has fallen by a third, our gas prices have stayed the same. My employer has reduced manufacturing operations to 4 days to save overhead, our yarn suppliers are closing. Our customers still want new products. With the pessimistic outlook, we can not travel nor purchase anything. Once again, we designers bear the brunt. We are expected to save the day by designing and developing the next great thing by pulling the ideas out of thin air. Am I going to have a job this week? How about next month? How can I be expected to come up with new and exciting ideas when I am not nurtured, but restricted? I am so angry at the rampant greed of the finance industry, those greedy bastards are truly responsible for this mess. And, yes, they lose their jobs, but millions of dollars in severance soften their unemployment. I really believe in what goes around, comes around. I just hope when their Karma bites them in the ass, they realize it was their own actions that caused it.

Fun Friday Quiz

I'm a Talent!

You're a risk-taker, and you follow your passions. You're determined to take on the world and succeed on your own terms. Whether in the arts, science, engineering, business, or politics, you fearlessly express your own vision of the world. You're not afraid of a fight, and you're not afraid to bet your future on your own abilities. If you find a job boring or stifling, you're already preparing your resume. You believe in doing what you love, and you're not willing to settle for an ordinary life.

Talent: 64%
Lifer: 33%
Mandarin: 33%

Take the Talent, Lifer, or Mandarin quiz.