Pin It Weekly #168

My pinning has been lacking lately. We're back in school and, goodness, it's kicking my backside! I'm already swimming in papers to grade and we're starting our first essay tomorrow.  But I'm not complaining or whining. Well, not much. 

So, as I have been doing, I'm going to introduce you to other pinners and their boards. Luckily, several of you have mentioned that you enjoy these posts. Thanks for the notes.

Carmen Urra, has over 2,000 pins on her 10 boards, one of which, "perritos," is all about puppies.

Sandra Samiento Musalan is another pinner with lots of pins--over 6,000! You may want to follow one of her 18 boards. Look at these Christmas pins...aren't they just adorable?  She has lots of idea and patterns to share. Definitely check out her Pinterest!

These brilliant "outdoor fun projects" and "beachy" boards by Cynthia Holmes are just two of 19 that she has on her Pinterest. 

These last ones are from Martie Nutuschil's board, "Time and Tide Wait for No One." She's a pinner extraordinaire with over 79,000 pins and 345 boards! Yes, I keyed that correctly!

This last board reminds me of my "forsaken, heritage" board which contains many buildings, places, and objects forgotten by everything but time.  In fact I recognized a few of the pins. I think I'll have to revisit this board and pick up a couple of pins.

Thanks for visiting and a special thanks to my followers. I hope you enjoyed meeting a few pinners.

Closer and closer to a finish!

I may get this one finished. This big, huge king-sized quilt. The one I've been working on for such a long time. Since July 23rd, in fact. Over a month. That's a long time for a quilt made entirely by machine. Especially for me. 

And it's not even finished. Yet. But I'm getting closer.  I took this picture to before pulling it off the machine so that I could show you just how big the quilt is. My machine is 120 inches wide, the quilt backing has a wingspan that stretches from one end of the machine to the other. It should end up about 105-110 inches.  And it's just as long. 

Oh wow, I just had a hint of the amount of binding I'll need. I may as well shoot for 450 inches--12 yards?! That just can't be right. I double checked my math. Then I had Richard do the math. Yes, 12 yards of binding! 

Each of the chevrons has a different quilting motif which really stretched my brain and forced me to work with a few motifs that I'm not entirely comfortable with. 

But somehow I managed to get through the entire quilt and took it off the machine. I hope to begin cutting out the binding tomorrow and perhaps sew it on over the weekend. 

Sunday Quilt Inspiration: O R I G A M I

Can close count in quilting?

I've been working on this big ole quilt for weeks now. I know, I know, it's taking me longer than I anticipated forever, but what can I say? I have a full time job that does not include time for quilting. 

For some reason there's this idea in places (where there are no teachers) that we teachers work from 8 to 3 and then we go home to eat bonbons do nothing.  Well, let me dispel that lie myth: I start work at 7 a.m. and, while I may not get paid after 3 p.m., it doesn't mean that Elvis I have left the building. 

In fact, on Monday and Tuesday I worked until 4:30, still teaching-- but at that time teaching the teachers. Some of our new people and a few of the older retired people who have returned don't know how to use the computer programs specific to education. Somebody has to help...it's said I'm a sucker patient mentor.

Then I spent an afternoon helping to repaint the big panther and letters on the front of the field house. I was there to support my art teacher/friend and our Betas. I was there for forever less than an hour, which was about five minutes of hell heat more than I can handle. But we survived and somehow finished the job. 
The panther is nothing short of ferocious. 

And last night. Well last night was my night to work slave at the football game. It was the first game of the season and our jamboree. The jamboree just happens to be the one time that all three high schools meet up on one field and play ten two games each. Sort of a tournament for the parish schools. Sort of the biggest night for the ticket booth. Sort of the longest night, too. Sort of includes some algorithmic math. Oh, the luck! (Who even knows what algorithmic means? Is it really a word? I may have to look into that.)

You know how hard it is for an English teacher to do math an entire night for four hours? Hard. No, real hard. Difficult. Herculean. So I decided to make a cheat strategy sheet: something to help me remember how much to charge. Multiplying 8's is not easy, especially when I don't have time to count on my fingers. 

I found an old bag and tore off a chunk, used my metallic Sharpie to write the algorithms multiplications and taped it to the wall where everyone could see it. Turns out that I wasn't the only one to conceal take a peek.  (Also turns out that algorithms is a word--meaning a set of rules for solving a problem in a finite number of steps. Yeah, I don't believe it either, but it's in the dictionary.)

Me...don't let the smile fool you! I looked
like a Mack truck had run over me at the end.

And that's my work week...a few extra hours at regular no pay. According to my algorithm, the total number of hours is nine, and then there are the two hours of grading papers. But who's counting, right? I'm a sucker a teacher...what matters is that I have summers off.

Pin It Weekly #167

What's going on in your world?  There's lots of rain here. Plus, it looks as though there will soon be more if the weather systems headed toward the Gulf comes just a bit closer than the weather guy is predicting. I don't know how Louisiana could possibly hold more water. 

Martha Fultz has 218 boards and well over 100K pins! Wow! Now that's dedication! Here are a few pins from her boards:

Isn't this piece gorgeous?

Who doesn't love a toile look?

Sewing room organization! Oh yes...need some of that!

Martie Netuschil has over 11K pins on her board of cake stands alone! Talk about going over the top! But look at how pretty these are?

Don't be fooled by Simon (sorry no last name)'s 15 boards...he has over 1,000 pins on those boards. The first one is a texture of rocks to make it hard and crumbly. The second has some soft grass. 

And from his "Abstract/Design" board.

Have a great weekend. I'll see you for Sunday Quilt Inspiration...you know when!