At a Standstill

 My 2 baby quilt projects are going nowhere.

This is as far as I got. I cut away the sashing and decided on the 9 squares I want to use and that was it! This photo looks brighter than the actual fabric which is much more drab looking. I will use this for something but not the baby quilt I had in mind.

The allover kitty print I ordered is a much smaller scale than I anticipated; only the construction print is suitable for what I want to do. I am not motivated enough to proceed for several reasons,

First of all anything I am considering requires some fabric shopping. Lately that is getting to be a problem just getting the time.

Because I have not been sewing, everything that needs to be put away keeps finding its way to my sewing space and limiting available working space.

Arthritis in my hands has made every aspect of sewing more difficult. Everything just takes longer and I really need to be excited about what I am making.

This week I was motivated to make a lanyard for my mailbox key after having to call our apartment management  twice in 2 weeks for a new key. I had an electronic key finder on both of the keys I lost so I know it is not in our apartment. I think I must have dropped the keys when my hands were full of junk mailbox.  I decided I need to wear it around my neck when I go to get the mail. I made it long so it reaches to mailbox without having to stand on my tiptoes. I was going to put it on the purple lanyard with my whistle but that was too short. It should have taken 20 minutes, at the most, to make this but every single thing I did was cumbersome. Picking up the thread to thread the needle, inserting the bobbin case, pins and binding clips and even pulling my chair up to the machine were all awkward. I am not giving up on quilting yet but I will really need to be excited about what I am making.

 If you wonder why I have a whistle, it is for walking in the park. I use a hiking stick when I walk and feel  pretty secure but if I tripped and fell I might need help. I do carry my phone but the whistle is just an extra bit if security.

I have cleared my sewing room of all the things that don't belong there and I am ready to get to work again after a trip to the local fabric shop. It will take a while. We'll see how it goes!