bits and pieces

Thanks everyone, for your comments on my last blog!

Someone wanted to know if I designed my own banner - nope!  It was made for me by none other than Madame Samm, who's done quite a few of the makeovers you've probaby seen.  I think she's pretty fantastic!

I've been busy with last minute prep for my retreat, but I took a few minutes to make a few more bookmarks using african fabrics.  I like to use plain ole card stock for the middle, it gives just the right amount of stiffness without being real thick.

This is fabric I used to make the new batch:

I also pulled a few fabrics for my water-bearer piece:

I decided to use the medium sized picture... isn't that always the way?  It shouldn't take long to finish, but I have been known to change my mind midway through a project!

Well, yesterday we had the Cherry Blossom parade and streets were closed off all over the place, so I avoided downtown, yeowww!  Quite frankly I thought it was a bit too chilly at 10 a.m. to stand along a parade route, but hundreds of other people had a different opinion... whatever.  I took a few minutes (or hours) to do a little shopping out in Wheaton Plaza (technically "Westfield") at Old Navy and Bath & Body Works ... stuff I absolutely had to have  ;o)  It's all good!

That's it for now, have a great Sunday, sew forth and sew on... 

In or out?? Yes or no??

Open or shut down?

As a government worker I'm as concerned as everyone else about the impending decision to either shut the federal government down tonight or grant another extension while they battle over the budget.  The first time they threatened a shutdown I "knew" it wouldn't happen, but this time my gut feeling is that it's for real.  The good news is, if we are shut down tonight, my agency has enough funds to keep operating until the 15th.  I think a shutdown is a really stupid idea, it won't just affect "federal workers" - there are a lot of peripheral businesses that depend on federal workers for their income such as eateries, the Metro, parking garages and so forth.

I was really concerned about my retirement date, as in how a shutdown would affect my uninterrupted time in service, but our HR office said my service would not be considered "interrupted" unless I had 6 months of leave without pay.  Which I don't have, thank the Lord for that!

When I applied for my passport renewal last Friday, she said it would take 4-6 weeks, now I'm hearing passports will be delayed if there's a shutdown. sheesh

Moving right along...

I tried my hand at making bookmarks, I think they're turning out sorta okay - I started with these fabric pieces and scraps:

I sewed the pieces together in a random pattern:

Then cut them into strips

  Here you're looking at the front and back view of a single piece. I'll trim, stitch around the edge, add embellishments and they're done!

I might do a tut on these later, they're pretty easy to make and I think they're kinda cute.  What do you think?

Well, today I'll be doing a lot of running around, starting with loc maintenance at 9:30.  But before that I need to head out to K-Mart and/or Target (do they open at 8 o'clock?) to get a pair of "quirky" pajamas for the retreat next week... the quirky ones I already have aren't ready for prime time!  Sometime after that I'll need to get a pillow form, maybe Hancock's will have something I can use. Also, I haven't gathered up all the stuff I'm supposed to take, I'd better get a move on, put them all in one place!

And sometime before I sleep tonight I simply MUST do my taxes, I don't know why I put it off every single year, knowing full well I HAVE TO file them by the 15th.

That's my plan and I'm sticking to it - have a great day everybody!