Another day, another quilt

I woke up even before Chris' alarm went off at 4:30. I got up to drink some water and noticed the stove top light was on. I turned the dial until it went off. Then I went back to bed and told Chris. He got up to put his rice away. Then he got ready and went to the gym. I tried to go back to sleep but heard him come back around 6:30. The other guys did not show up so he worked out alone and it went faster. We sat together for awhile. I packed up the fabrics I would need for sewing class today. Then I started cutting fabric for a quilt. I drank my quart of water. I checked my e-mail to see if anyone responded to the sewing class post and got sidetracked reading articles. I made breakfast and ate it while reading more. I checked out an ad for EEG headphones for neurofeedback.
I took the cut pieces and ironed them. I sewed them together in a large nine-patch configuration. Then I laid a piece of blue flannel on the floor. I covered it with light weight fusible batting. I laid the top on and pinned the layers together. Then I fused it with the iron. I started quilting it in straight lines across and down. I ran out of bobbin thread. While I was filling the bobbin, the winding slowed, even as I pressed harder on the pedal. I stopped and grabbed the hand wheel. It would not move. I removed the bottom plate but could see nothing wrong. I replaced the plate. I took off the top of the machine, which I had never been able to do before. But again, I saw nothing wrong and the wheel was still stuck. I was afraid the motor had seized, in which case the machine was unfixable. It was my first machine and the most reliable. I cried. But then I realized it was almost time for class. I washed up and had a bite to eat. As I walked toward the chapel, I met Chris on his way home. I told him about my machine and he said he would look at it after work. When I got to the chapel, Suzanne was there and was so happy to see me. She said I looked great after our visit to the charcoal sauna.
We set up the classroom with sewing machines and stuff. Then other ladies came. Myra was late because she was sewing and forgot the time. Several ladies made the billfold project. Others had their own projects. I helped when I could. They liked Myra's quilt which Anna was binding. They didn't say much about mine, which I brought to give to Anna to bind. Chris stopped by to say he had put a little pressure on the hand wheel and it was moving freely.
We finished up pretty much on time. I went home to eat. I looked my machine manual online to see where to oil it. I oiled those places and a few other moving parts. I put the machine back together. I finished quilting the Dr. Seuss quilt. I trimmed the excess batting away and all but 1.5 inches of the backing. I trimmed the corners and sewed them together. Then I wrapped the backing up over the edges to bind them. I sewed the binding down and the quilt was finished.
I ate some fruit and looked at e-mail. Then I cut strips of dog fabric and paw print fabric. I sewed the strips together into one piece. I cut it across the strips and sewed the subcuts together to make a checkerboard effect. Chris came home from work. I talked to him as he changed his clothes. I shared insights I had from all the ruminating I did while sewing.
Then he made himself supper and I ate leftover chicken and cabbage. I went back to my sewing room to find a border for the checkerboard and a backing. It seemed best to wait for morning light to make the choices of what looked best. Then we watched an episode of Merlin. He went to bed. I was very sleepy but stayed up to post to my blog.