monique

Unquilting

My reference to *unquilting* on my basics page for today
refers to what I am doing to three quilt tops. One is
sashed with a garish orange. The over 100 five-inch blocks
are beautiful little stars made from 1930's fabric but the
orange just overwhelms them so I'm taking the top apart.
There are two other tops I want to do the same thing to.
One is a nine-patch, also made from 1930's pastels, but the
alternating blocks are a much too busy print which simply
overwhelms them. The other is a four patch with
alternating blocks made of an obviously inexpensive
and rather sleezy fabric. If I'm going to spend hours and
hours quilting a top I want it to be worthwhile!

We had *white rain* off and on throughout the day. That is
what the weatherman called it. It's snowing but it's not
cold enough to stick so it melts when it hits the ground.
The best of both worlds! I get to watch the snow falling
but don't have to worry about slipping and sliding while
driving in it!

John and I had an unusual week-end afternoon today with both
boys gone. Gavin went to visit his girlfriend and Hugh went
to a friends house to watch movies and eat snacks. John and
I are lucky that we often have time together alone because
of how his schedule is arranged--four days (or rather two
days followed by two nights) working and then four days off.

He told me that for the next two cycles he'll be working
upstairs. He likes this job because it's less physically
demanding and it pays more. He tells me when he's working
there because it's entirely self contained. Once he's there
he can't leave (except in an emergency situation, of
course.)

This means he can't go to his locker for more juice or
something else to eat; everything has to brought upstairs.
He has a bathroom and his own little microwave and little
refrigerator. I make certain he has extras on those days;
if he doesn't eat or drink everything I've given him he can
just put the extras in the little refrigerator for the next
day. I like it because I can call him and I'll be sure to
reach him. The job has a flurry of activity at the bottom
and top of the hour (as they say on the radio) when the lab
reports are called in to him but it's usually quiet up there
and lonely, (no one will climb all those stairs if they
don't have to) especially at night.