Having a kid around who is going back to school

is a sure measure of how time flies.  Last weekend was school uniform  and school supply shopping.  All of which will be boxed up today and shipped to Kentucky.  I've had family here most of the summer.  The latest being my sis-n-law from California.  She came on Sunday for a visit.  She is at the airport now. 
Olivia is leaving on Friday.  Back to Kentucky.  School starts next week.   I really was trying to keep myself from saying "when I was a kid we didn't go back to school until after Labor Day".  I know, I am showing my age.  I am going to miss her, but she says now that she feels comfortable flying by herself, she will be back more often, "like for Thanksgiving".
Other things around here will change as well.  Rene will be travelling on business trips for the next six or seven weeks.  Not that we live in each others pocket, but just knowing she is close is comforting. 
This morning I woke up thinking, where has the summer gone and what have I got to show for its passing.  A finished commission that I enjoyed making.  A new sewing machine that I haven't bonded with and a quilt that is in the process of being quilted on the Janome instead of the HQ16.  I really have to put in more time playing around with it before I am as comfortable with it as I am with the Janome.
I've begun to establish a pattern with my days that still needs tweaking but two things that I started the Spring feeling like I wanted to do has taken a back page.  The first, getting into the garage to dye fabric.  Got the fabric, got the dye, haven't made the time.  The other thing; at the end of March I decided that I wanted to join another traditional quilting guild even though my experience with the other one here is Orlando wasn't good.  This new guild is in Lake County about 40 minutes away.  I joined  but because of this and that I've found that it is not easy to get there for the weekly Tuesday meetings. 
Shortly after Lyn died, I meet a neighbor who is a traditional quilter and we've become pals.  After I was able to get up and about and out, she invited me to join a group she belongs to that meets every Friday either at a church or on the alternate week at one of the members homes.  (the ones who have homes large enough to hold 20-30 people if everyone shows up.)   
Coffee and a breakfast bread thing, like donuts and coffee cake, (which I can't eat because of the gluten) and fruit is served.  The host can choose to provide lunch or tells us to brown bag it and they provide a desert.  We meet from 10 to not quite 2, depending on if we are in the middle of a discussion that doesn't want to end.  I tend to be reclusive so this group gives me a reason to get dressed in something other than a white t-shirt and shorts.  The hand work project everyone brings to keep their finger busy while we chat vary from quilt stuff to knitting.  I've taken a knitting projecton occasion, but mostly I am happy that  I have been able to finish bindings and sleeves on three project so far while sitting and chatting.  I love the informality of this group.  No rules.
Two months ago I was invited to be the 8th member of a small group of women who's quilts lean more to the art side.  They meet for dinner at a Panera's near where I live, which is great.  They do  small challengers.  That fact had me giving this  some thought, but I said, what the heck.  It's small projects, its bi-monthly and it's another opportunity to get out and about so I said yes.
I am not going to show you my challenge piece , but will show you what I have to work with and the two drawings that made the final cut in my design process.  I was told I could do anything I wanted and it didn't have to be in the form of a quilt, just not larger than 12" x 12".  Well since I don't do anything but quilts, something quilted it would be.

Two months ago before I joined the group, everyone agreed to bring strip of "uglies" from their stash to the June meeting which I didn't attend.  Here is the pile of what was sent to me in the mail after I said yes.  I dumped them from the envelopes yesterday and thought, "what!"  So I sat down and did several sketches and then refined the drawings on graph paper.  This project is a challenge for me for several reasons,
1.  not my color palette of choice,
2.  the project was to be much smaller than I normally work. only 12" x 12"
3.  I can't remember the last time I sewed to seams together.  Let alone matched intersections.
Thank goodness I could added either black or white.  I chose black.

 Here are the two drawings that won out.  I will  let you see the finished project after the meeting on the 21st of this month

Now I am going back to finish the quilting on this little piece and leave the hand work, binding or facing, sleeve, to do on Friday.