Rayen

Last week I had a dream about being out and thrifting with another person (maybe a woman) and finding some cool bags of yarn and embroidery thread. It was very vague but happy, and I love shopping dreams that are that way. We left the store and were driving down a road very similar to one by my early childhood home when I looked up and saw a large passenger plane about 500 feet in the air deploy a colorful parachute out of the empennage (the tail end) ala space shuttles when landing. I turned to my companion and told her that plane was going to crash, and we needed to get out of there. She seemed paralyzed, and then the plane looped around and crashed just ahead of us. The world then exploded. I woke up with my heart hammering in my chest, like it had actually happened. I've had crash dreams before now, and they're unsettling. I don't think the FAA is going to start putting parachutes on passenger aircraft, or that I'm psychic and predicting something that...

The green patchwork quilt I won from my last round of wannabuts bids just arrived. Let's take a look. It's a lovely quilt, pieced and quilted on a domestic machine. I love the gold quilting thread the maker used. The backing is a dark tonal green that matches the binding. It's a pretty quilt, and once I wash it I'll keep it to snuggle up with on the sofa in my home office.

It's odd that I have written and rewritten this post so many times when the clarity of it is crystal for me. I think I'm still worried about hurting the feelings of others by being open rather than guarded as I usually am. But I'm also gradually getting over that. Some years back I began ending all contact with people who for many different reasons were toxic to me. This included colleagues, friends, and nearly all of my adoptive family members. I did this as politely as I could, but I know I hurt some feelings. I have always tried to be accessible and helpful to the people in my life no matter what was going on with me. They counted on me to listen to them and offer them comfort, advice, money, or whatever else they needed (usually money.) Unfortunately they did not reciprocate, so my relationships were always me giving and them taking. I'm not wired like other people, and I don't fit in very well, especially with groups. When I've tried to ...

The vibrant quilt I thrifted as a wannabut for $9.99 just arrived, and it's even prettier in person. The log cabin pattern is a favorite of mine. Someone really had an eye for tropical color combinations, and using predominantly orange and blue novelty prints in such bold shades was brilliant. I also adore the black print sashing because it acts as the perfect foil (and I usually dislike dark colors.) It's definitely not a new quilt; the center of the backing shows moderate fading. Someone might have draped it over something that sat in the sun, like a table or a pet cage. I like the quirkiness of the backing fabric, too. Really interesting, and possibly east Asian in origin. The quilt was long-arm quilted with a simple loop pattern, and expertly bound by machine. It resonates with positive energy and love of color, and it's far too pretty to cut up as I originally planned. I don't mind; I'm delighted to add it to my collection.

The two baskets I thrifted last month look pretty clean (and I'm careful about checking out what I want before I buy), but I still like to give them a clean before I use them. Both are made of natural fibers (wood and rattan) so it's not a good idea to get them wet or immerse them in any manner. First I spray a towel with Lysol cleaner and wipe them down inside and out to remove any dirt. Although the baskets don't smell, I still spray them with disinfectant spray and let them sit out in the sun for a day or two. After that they should be fine to use. I might line them with fabric or just use as they are. When you're thrifting baskets condition is everything. Along with how clean the basket looks check out how sturdy it is. You may find a few broken pieces (my rectangular basket had one small broken piece inside) but if they don't make the basket rickety you can trim any jagged ends with scissors (for thicker materials, tin snips work well.) One ...

February was a great month for getting things done, both for the day job and my creative projects. I kept up with my work assignments and completed some extra small projects for work, got most of my spring cleaning finished, and made not one but two crocheted throws along with my February tote for my calendar quilting project and all the other things I made. The two reasons I think I got all that done (and on time) was because I planned my time very well, and I'm happy, thanks to some changes I've made. One is to stop spending so much time worrying about, well, everything. I can't do anything about the evil and darkness out there except stay in the light and refuse to allow it to poison me. I'm much happier when I create. Crochet has helped me so much this year with keeping me calm and centered, too. I'm going to continue with the weekly mindfulness lessons from the Anna Black book I thrifted, as that's helping me sort out my thoughts, emotion...