In the works...

This is the Photoshop layout of the quilt I'm working on right now. The pattern is Shortcake and it's made for jelly rolls. I am using the Zen Chic Juggling Summer jelly roll I bought about five weeks ago. I discovered/fell in love with the fabric line just before this past Christmas and used it it two of my favorite pieces.

Quiltworks offered a class in this quilt pattern but I decided to download the pattern online and set out on my own. I wanted a 'modern' vibe, so opted for using a medium gray as my neutral—new concept for me. This is the second quilt top in a row in which I've used significant areas of solid color(s).

Although I've managed to streamline the process a little, it's a bit more tedious than quick-go strip piecing. Yesterday, when Savage Quilter (moved two doors north into far more spacious and better lit space) had its 5th Birthday sale, I bought the fabric for the binding. I haven't really thought about the backing yet. I've only done a dozen blocks so far. I'll keep you posted as it comes together.

<— Oh, and here is the original pattern. It's a much different and daintier look.

I'm in love...

There's a new line of fabric in my life. It first crossed my path when I saw the upcoming Quiltworks BOM. I liked the quilt pattern but didn't really NOTICE the print until a week or so ago. Since then, I've fallen hard.

After a hard search, I have some in my hot little hands. I found a jelly roll on Etsy and it arrived today.


It's called Architextures, designed by Carolyn Friedlander. Of course, I love the architectural elements, but even more so, it reminds me of the old textures we used to use in graphic design—Formatt, Chartpak, Letraset, and prestype—and all the old art board mechanicals we did in the dark ages, before computers/desktop publishing. Nostalgia!

The new BOM program does not start until April, and I haven't yet committed. Instead of standard piecing techniques, it uses paper piecing and I wouldn't mind learning more about that. When I first saw this quilt pattern, before I really looked at the fabric print, I was thinking about designing my own using this as a theme. Mine would have representations of homes in which I've lived over the years. I sketched out a couple and think it's all doable. So, do I buy their BOM and do it their way; customize it; or buy the fabric on my own and do my own thing?

Right now there appears to be a scarcity of this line fabric. Quiltworks is getting theirs in soon and says they're getting extra bolts to accommodate backing yardages. What shall I do? Ah, decisions, decisions.

In dangerous hands...

I don't always know why I buy things.

Sometimes, it's just because they are pretty. My friends know this about me. Especially Gwen.

Hence, the beautiful box of 108 pieces of felt from WoolFeltCentral.com, Gwen's felt source. For me, it is as much about the acquisition as the application. Once I had these gems in my hot little fists, I knew I had to—wait for it—catalog them! Sigh. Roll out a blank Excel spreadsheet and get to work! I love this stuff.

A couple of years ago, when I started organizing my fabric via a color system, I discovered Joen Wolfrom's Ultimate 3-in-1 Color Tool. She assigns a number from 1 to 24 to colors on the color wheel, and then sub-numbers for values/tints. When I get new fabric, I photograph it, assign it one of these color numbers, and then add it to my visual data base. When the images are sorted by color name, they display in spectral order. Bliss! It's not a perfect system but mostly does what I need.

So, I made the spreadsheet using the information the seller. This included their colors' names, the order in which they were packed, and the DMC floss match color they provided. I then went on the quest to find or create swatches for all 108 colors and then put the appropriate swatch on the appropriate row. Then it was time to assign the Color Tool numeric value. And if all this wasn't enough, I then assigned two different tonal values to each swatch. These values came from looking at each swatch under a red, and then a green lens. All tolled, this took much of one weekend and a few afternoons. Here's a screenshot of one of the simpler sorts. If it's not worth obsessing over, is it really worth doing? Ha!

On the more 'normal' side of life, I think it's fair to say I have friends who like felt. And actually make things from felt—REALLY darling things from felt. From Gwen, here are five monkeys waiting to jump on a bed, and a waterspout, spider, and sunshine. Pretty dern cute, eh?

Even if I never make anything from my beautiful pieces of good quality felt, I really enjoy having it all the same. And, when/if I do, you'll see it here!

Also felt-related, I relented and finally purchased a Christmas stocking kit, on clearance. Some of my friends make these and seem to enjoy the experience. I'm still a little befuddled about the process, but now I have a chance (and plenty of time) to try one, too! I haven't done that much up-close, detailed hand stitching in recent years, so this will certainly require a different set of skills. Truth be told, I loved it for the mouse and the candy cane! I'll let you know how it goes.

Kapalua Batik...

I am not sure how long ago I purchased this jellyroll, but I know it's been sitting around awhile. I never had much of a plan for it, but finally made a quilt top from it this month.

I knew I wanted to add some solids (yes, SOLIDS) to my next project, so what better place to hide some in plain sight among all these colors? I found four solids I could love—a bright chartreuse, a deep raspberry sherbet, scrumptious eggplant, and bright orange. I played around with several different designs on the computer. I wanted to intersperse the solids but wasn't sure about its order—randomness, hard pattern, or perceived randomness IN a pattern? And then, what would be the easiest way to sew it all together? My first runs at it looked something like:

Colorful, but not too orderly/orderly enough. Then I was reminded of a zig zag pattern I liked and came up with how I wanted to  sew 20 sets of two strips, then each of the solids onto that. I arranged all 40 strips into a spectral order I liked, numbered them (you'll see number labels in my layouts), and paired them. Here are those 20 sets of strips, arranged beautifully. Yes, it did take quite a bit of manipulating to get them to lay this way, but what good is having beautiful fabric if you can't fondle it?

Once all of the pairs were put together, I needed to add them to their solids. Which way to best attach the solids—long strips or short ones? Short ones won the day. (Based on the arrangement in this shot, I am wondering if I am a wanna-be bartender? Look at the cocktail napkin fanning of those blocks!) Problems I ran into in this jelly roll of strips was the fact that all the long edges were already 'pinked' and they were not all consistent in width. Using all those edges as guides gave me some wonky dimensions. This required some adjusting of seams along the way and that gobbled up lots of time. In the future, I will straight cut all the strips into a width I know is consistent and even.

So I had the idea in my mind and printed out so I could follow it while piecing. Zig zag. I attached 80 pairs of paired batiks to 80 solids and started thinking about the vertical strips I'd build to make the zig zag. Hold on a minute. What if I rotated these blocks and mixed up the pattern a little? Hmmm. Sure, I could do that. It wouldn't be a hard zig zag, but more of a suggested zig zag?
Time to commit. Here's how the columns of blocks went together. Having to go back and 'fix' some of the strip inconsistencies made this part of the process a bit more tedious than necessary, but all in all, it still went together fairly well. Oh, did I mention I wanted the back seams to be pretty, too? I pressed and flared my seams and love the effect even though no one sees them.

I'm not sure how I'm going to finish, back, or bind this top, but I'm happy to have this much done. Right now it's about 54" x 67". Voila!

Spokes, Totes, and Hand Warmers...

Last spring/summer, I became friends with Kelsey. I first became aware of her when she was in a series of some very funny sermon series bumper videos. It was a series about dating. Here is the link to the first of three* (see below) videos she did. What a funny way to get to know someone! She and I knew many of the same people, especially media team staff/volunteers. It also turned out that we'd just started attending a community group her parents led.

We got to know each other better over some Starbucks coffee and church activities. Within a few weeks, she adopted me as her 'Second Momma.' What an honor! I was tickled!

Kelsey and her roommate, Hailey, started riding bikes. Seriously started riding bikes. As in 'cycling!' They joined a group of mutual friends who have a cycling group. Their organization's name is Rollin' With the Homies. Here's their patch/label, a Group Fly design.

Fast forward to mid-September and Rollin' With the Homies is riding in the Bike MS: The Mother Road Ride | Tulsa to Oklahoma City. It was a 150-mile ride from Tulsa to Oklahoma City, with one overnight stop in Chandler, Okla, and benefitted the National MS Society. Kelsey was riding the first leg of the ride, and Hailey was doing both. We decided we want to go to Chandler and welcome them there. 

We got there with some time to spare. After a bit, we got word they were coming in. Click, click, click. I've gotta confess I love the little square single-shot photo on the right most because I know Kelsey's just saw us! The one next to it is what everyone else saw. Beneath is one of the two of them. Can you believe how lovely they look after cycling 75 miles up and down the hills?! Guess there's something to be said for good training!

I knew I wanted to have some sort of surprise or trophy for the girls as they finished the first leg of the 150-mile ride. But what? A week before, while at Quiltworks, I saw this fabulous cream and dark blue fabric made into a tote bag. Free pattern with purchase of fabric? YES! I was especially fortunate to find two fabric color combos so I could make distinctly different bags for them (roommates having identical bags was impractical). And I lined them. I was concerned they might not be the most useful gift, but I LOVED the look, so took my chances. I presented the bags after they arrived and was so thrilled they loved them. Yay! Turns out they were perfect for carrying their helmets and shoes. Tah dah!

A little more time travel—Christmas. I came across a knitting pattern for fingerless gloves—plain, but a pretty moss stitch. After making a pair for myself, and a little inspiration, I knew I wanted to make some for Kelsey that resembled owls. I so enjoyed making those that I thought Hailey, avid cat lover, might get a giggle out of kitty ones. So, here ya go! My mind is a mysterious (and furry) place!

The owl eye and beak motifs came from the an Amigurumi Pattern I used in making Kelsey's little owl friend, Wilbur (see post). Then I added a couple little tufts for 'ears,' and there ya go.

For the kitty ones, I just added plastic cat eyes, pink nose, mouth stitching, and triangle ears. This particular pair was bigger than the owls, but I think it made the kitties rounder looking.

I'm so glad I have these lovely young women in my life to enjoy, cherish, and pelt with homemades! And I get a daughter in the deal! Wow!

*(Okay, here are the second, and third video links. Enjoy!)

Catching up...

I've written about my artist friend, Morian. I love her paintings. I love what I've learned observing her painting style. And she's a really nice person, too. So, every so often, she does a giveaway of some sort—random drawing, Pinterest pin, etc. I have won TWO of the two contests I've entered (a stuffed orange tabby kitty pillow and a print of one of her horse paintings). I was feeling a little guilty about this, beyond just curtailing the number of her contests I enter. Morian well deserved something FROM me, so she got a fabric bowl made from my favorite batiks. I'm happy to say it lives on her desk at work. Ironically, for the past 7 years, she's worked for the same company I worked for 16 years ago. Small world, indeed.

Back in September, friends of ours were having a special 'homecoming shower' for their little boy, Fletcher. He's lived at The Children's Center in Bethany, Oklahoma, since he was a little baby, just over 7 years ago. Anyway, they were hoping to bring him home to live in October, so friends were throwing a shower to help his family in getting some needed supplies and equipment to aid in the transition. Due to an insurance glitch, his homecoming has been delayed. Well, just a couple of days ago, the insurance company has relented and Fletcher is due to come home and live in his OWN room under her family's room for the first time. Everyone is very excited. This is the first Task-It™ Basket (pattern designed by my friend, Martha) I made. I made the process far more complicated than it needed to be but got it done with minutes to spare! Ha, ha! I loved the Dr. Seuss characters! We placed a few toiletry items and lotions inside.

Fast forward to December. Friends in our former community group were having their first baby. Dad is a serious Alabama fan. What better than a Tide Task-It™ Basket? I was going to put the baby's name on the crimson lining but decided dad may hijack it someday for his TV remotes! This basket it a bit smaller because of the one-way print direction and a first set of seams I misjudged. Their beautiful son arrived a few days early and has made his parents and family very happy. We couldn't be more pleased for them! Roll Tide!

These Task-It™ Baskets are becoming great go-to gift beginnings—make it, fill it, give it!

Christmas was...

It's been so long since I posted any creations, I really don't know where to start. I'm picking a couple of random items I made within a few days of each other. (Turns out I'm making a few shorter posts in near succession.)

New rug & grand puppy

I promised my son Matt's girlfriend, Ariel, I would make her a fabric bowl. I'd had a couple of ideas along the way, but didn't get around to it until just before Christmas which worked out great because she got a new area rug for her living room and those new colors inspired this new bowl.

Taking nothing from my other bowls made to date, I think this is my favorite. This one reminds me of a raku-style pot. I was always going to use the slate blues, and maybe some browns, but the pop of mixed colors the rug suggested really made this one stand out. Shown below are swatches of the three fabrics used to make the bowl. The third one (round discs of color) are from a collection I've recently discovered and absolutely love. It's from Moda and is called Juggling Summer from Zen Chic.

Then here comes Christmas. I was invited to Ariel's mom/step-dad's house in Tulsa for their family gathering. I wanted to make a hostess gift for her mom. I was still desperate for an option the night before and asked a friend of mine who happened to be on Facebook overnight. She suggested I make one of her Task-It™ Baskets. I'd bought the pattern a few months ago and have already made a few of them. After a little hemming and hawing, it wound up being a great idea. Martha also told me that a box of Keurig 18-count K-cups fits perfectly in it. Bazinga—perfect hostess gift. I hated parting with these two wonderful fabrics, but I guess that makes the gift all the more special. (And, I replaced the fabric a few days later, of course.)

And then there were a couple of Christmas ornaments. Years ago, as a child, I had a little felt mitten into which Santa would leave a dollar bill each year. I am not quite sure what's happened to that mitten, but I was feeling sentimental about it and decided to create a new one. This started me on my quest for BETTER felt. What's readily available in sheets at Hobby Lobby is pretty pitiful. This particular felt was not their standard white, but a thicker version with glitter. (I've got a whole post about felt coming soon.) Apparently Santa has become pragmatic over the years. I got a note from him this year saying only little girls under 13 still get dollars, but he's held on to my last 'Little Girl Dollar' since 1969, and with interest (complete with CPI inflation calculator data), I got $5.93 (rounded up to $6.00). 

And then there were the Froebel Stars (Fröbelstern). A friend in our D'art group showed these to us just before Christmas. They are part of her German heritage and she'd made and boxed dozens of the beautiful ornaments to accompany the Christmas cards she sent out this year. I was immediately taken by them and came home and started folding some. I found the easiest material to use was gift wrap ribbon. It provides long, consistent widths. I first tried cutting strips of scrapbook paper but had mixed results. The star on the left is the traditional 3D version. On the right is a modified '2D' version that can be mailed flat. It loses something in the flattening, but is still interesting.

T-shirt quilt...

This was the first I've ever done. When my friend, Denise, said she'd saved all of her daughter's T-shirts since she was little and wondered if I knew how to make a T-shirt quilt, I figured—sure. The learning curve wasn't too steep. Some parts of the process were definitely easier than others.

Part of my process is to layout my design on my computer first. I took photos of all the fronts and backs I was going to use. After I figured out some consistent measurements, I chose which designs/colors would be where. I presented Denise and Kayleigh the computer images for their approval. The chosen layout was without the sashing and border (bottom image).

Once I got all of the shirts cut, I adhered each knitted panel to fusible interfacing to stabilize each panel. After that, I joined together each column of panels and then each row together. And this is where it started getting heavy. Ah, ha. Add to that a layer of fleece (used as batting, and another layer of fleece for the backing, and you get one rather ungainly mass of fabric. After a couple of hit-and-miss tries (read: stitching and ripping out), I wound up hand-basting the entire quilt sandwich together. I think  this totaled ten rows of basting—multiple runs horizontally, diagonally, and vertically. And though that was a bit time consuming, it made quilting all the layers together much easier. I just stitched-the-ditch and called it done. I found I also need to make my binding narrower. This one wrapped a little wide over the backing. Somewhere along the line, I got the idea I needed to make 3" binding. After further investigation, I think 2.25" might work better.

Anyway, here's the finished piece. I appreciated them waiting over 90 days from start to finish. Rumor has it, another one of their family members wants a T-shirt quilt, too. Because I 'gifted' my labor, I have no idea how much I'd charge for something like this. Early in the process, I was thinking, while I was on a roll, I wanted to make one for myself. After I was done, I decided I needed a break.

Pay it forward...

The first five people who comment on this post will receive a special little handmade gift from me sometime in 2013. May I ask in return that you also post this and pay it forward to others in some way?

I just recently tried doing this on Facebook and did not get five takers, so we'll see if this gets a better response. And, if you're one of the three Facebook commenters, please let fiver others 'win' this time. Thank you.

And thanks to Jeanne at Spiral for re-inspiring me to try again.

SmartHours winding down...

With only a few hours remaining in September, we're coming to the end of our enrollment in OG&E's  SmartHours program this year. Our most recent bill reflected a $93.24 savings this past month due to time-of-use savings.

In summary, from May through September of this year, we:

• Spent $595 less than the same time period in 2011.
• Used only 91% of the kilowatt hours we used last year.
• Paid only 68% of what we paid last year.

Bottom line—if SmartHours is the same/similar program next year as it was this year, we'll be signing up! I can honestly think of no real sacrifices and loved the savings. We maintained a high level of comfort and convenience. IF we got SERIOUS about, I know we could have saved even more—according to the charts, we used almost twice the power as our neighbors' average. Wow. Again, if you'd like to read all posts about our SmartHours experience, simply click here.

I've also enjoyed participating in the blogging program. It's been fun telling my friends/readers about my experiences and I'm thrilled I had so many wonderful stories to report. Thank you for inviting me to participate!

*This is a sponsored post. As always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.

More bowls...

Here are the most recent bowls I've made. The aubergine and crimson one was for our daughter-in-law. They are in the process of updating their home and hopefully this will fit in with the facelift.

The lighter color one was for a friend who moved to Tulsa. She's decorating a new home and these are her three colors.

Bowls minus "B" minus "s" equals OWL!

My sweet friend Kelsey was telling me about collecting owls when I saw her several days ago. I happened to come across a cute owl pattern on Etsy, via Pinterest. That pattern was sold out, but I came across a few more. I made a sample, liked it, then set out to make one just for her. He's been named Wilbur and she sent me a photo of his new home. I'm so tickled!

SmartHours—winding down...

SmartHours runs through September so there are only a few weeks remaining. Our newest billing was last week and here's the highlights. Soley due to SmartHours pricing, we saved $81.63 this billing. This billing cycle was $75.61 less than last year at this time, and that includes our moderate run of 100˚+ days, including some 109˚ and 113˚ days! We used 97% if the kilowatt load this year compared to last. And, had we been on SmartHours last year, our bill might have been $64 less. All tolled, so far we saved just over $350 this summer soley due to SmartHours pricing and time of use. And our bills have been $484 less this year than last from May through July.

Based on this year's experience, I'll gladly sign up for SmartHours next year. I can't think of any reason why I wouldn't. The savings are incredible and I can't really think of a downside. Once I got over Tom's initial misgivings, it was smooth sailing. I know we could have saved even more if we were uber vigilant, but for a couple of comfort hounds, we did well. I'll have one more summary in late September—stay tuned!

Fabric bowls...

Two fabrics + 80 feet of clothesline = Fabric Bowl

We were invited to a friend's 50th birthday celebration. I knew I wanted to make Leesa something, but what? As it worked out, I was able to wrap each of the two fabrics two ways which gave me a four-level range of gradation. When I purchased the fabric, I was thinking of mimicking a zebra pattern. I knew, a few rounds in to the base, it probably wasn't going to succeed. But I kept on, lightening the black/white balance until the top four rounds which were my darkest tone.

Made from 2011 BOM Batiks

A few days later (I think that was last night) I started my own bowl. Months ago when I was working on my BOM batik quilt, I saved .5-inch wide strips intending to make a fabric bowl someday. This was also before I took the class. From the background color fabrics, I cut the supplied 3-inch wide strips down to 2.5 inches. I started with the dark tones, worked into the middle and light tones, and finished with more dark strips.

Paper piping ready to be wrapped

Instead of using clothesline, I tried out some paper piping cord. I bought this stuff decades ago when I was sewing spa and makeup bags from vinyl-laminated fabric—it was c.1988-1991. One thing I really liked about using this piping is that it is on a spool so unwinds easily with no tangling or twisting. I LIKE. I worked directly from the spool; wrapped the cord at the sewing machine; then stitched a bit and wrapped some more. I like the shape of this one—a little curvy and a turned down lip. Got this one done mid-afternoon.

More Giardiniera

I've been wanting to make something special for a young friend of mine from the same fabric as my Lemon Pepper Poppy Quilt. I cut mostly .75-inch strips from the remnants and arranged them into a pattern I liked. This wound up being another bowl with a 6-inch base (as were the two previous ones above) with a slightly turned under lip. I loved it for her! And she loved it, too!

I've got a couple more bowls to make for friends and family while I'm still in the bowl-building groove.

from The Gourmet Yarn Co.

Two weeks ago, I took a class at The Gourmet Yarn Co. on knitting the Spectra Scarf designed by Stephen West. Owner Margaret Schroeder taught the class. It was a sluggish start but after two hours, we all got the hang of it. I've been working on it off and on and am pretty pleased so far. The only part I didn't like was finding a mistake I couldn't live with 70 rows back. Yup. A big part of knitting is fixing mistakes. I'm getting better at it. I pulled the 70 rows; managed to get all the stitches back on my needles; and am now back about where I was before. I've learned a couple of things through this project. First, I've been purling incorrectly for years. I was throwing my yarn the wrong direction and twisting my loops. Ugh. And two, with long sessions of knitting, I've much improved my hand positioning/use and cut down of lots of extra repetitive motion. I am only about 25% done, so there's lots to do. It takes a certain kind of faith/folly to knit in the summer on 113˚ days while dreaming of cooler temps down the road.

Tosh Merino Light (Ruby Slippers) and Crazy Zauberball

I fell in love with this scarf when I first saw it on TGYC's Facebook page in a near-Cherokee Red and blues/gray variegated yarns. They were out of the red when I bought my supplies, so I chose a plum and orange/taupe/gray/purple variegated yarns. I still think I'd like to do a red one that will remind me of Fallingwater's tower of windows.

Same song, second verse, more $avings...

Hi, all! I first mentioned it on Facebook and here it is—solely due to OG&E's SmartHours pricing, we saved $125.79 this billing! Additionally exciting, this billing cycle's total was $252.90 less than last year at this time. Part of that is due to us using only 75% of the kilowatt hours as last year. But even so, let's imagine last year's usage at our current average kilowatt hour rate—had we been on SmartHours last year, our bill might have been $160 less!

For 143 hours every week, we pay only 4.5 cents per kilowatt hour. From 2–7 p.m. each weekday, we pay anywhere from 4.5–46 cents per kilowatt hour. That rate varies due to energy costing more to produce when temps and usage volume are up.

We are now in the midst of 100-plus degree days and higher nighttime temperature lows. I notice this in our 'base load' overnight usage. We've even turned off the heater on the hot tub, but are keeping the pump running for a 'cool tub.' I have also recently turned off the window unit in the sun room area because we spend so little time in there. Other than early morning, it is mostly shaded throughout the day. If we plan on working in there (Tom's plastic model building; drafting table; my sewing/crafts) for any amount of time, I'll crank 'er back up.

I've moved most of my energy-gobbling chores outside of the 2-7 p.m. SmartHours. These include baking (yeah, right), running the dishwasher, and washing/drying/ironing clothes. The one activity I've not moved past 7 p.m. is cooking dinner, so we do have some usage spikes around 5-6 p.m., but that's still only a matter of a dollar or two.

I've been thoroughly pleased with SmartHours. I'd encourage my friends to try it. To check your OG&E account eligibility, click here. (Homeowners, renters and those in multi-family residences may qualify if those residences already have SmartMeters [were likely installed outside in 2010] in place.) Remember, you, the CUSTOMER retain COMPLETE CONTROL over how cool or warm you keep your space as well as how and when you use your energy. Want to know more about the SmartTemp thermostat tool that's at the center of your money saving? Check out this video.

If you've got questions, please comment below and I'll get back with you. If you want to read my other SmartHours posts, check them out here. As you'll see in the tiny tagline below, these are sponsored posts. Rest assured, if being enrolled wasn't worth it, I'd tell you that, too.

*This is a sponsored post. As always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.

Two years later...

Back in July 2010, before I gave serious thought to ever making a quilt, I came across this quilt when I was merely fabric shopping at Oklahoma Quiltworks. I was in the midst of becoming enamored with poppies. This was one of two quilts I fell in love with. Only recently has its colors reminded me of Italian giardiniera—simply lovely pickled vegetables like carrots, cauliflower, and peppers. Did I mention I loved bright greens and oranges together? I bought fat (22" x 18") and linear (44" x 9") quarters of each of the fabrics with the idea of making little fabric yo-yo discs, but with no final project in mind. Those pieces became the beginning of my now-sizable fabric/fat quarters stash.

Fast forward a bit. I came across a pretty little quilt pattern called Lemon Pepper from Madison Cottage Design. What attracted me to the pattern was that it was made of fat quarters, and I have lots of those on hand. I made the crib size one, with a bit of variation. It called for 35 blocks (five across by seven down), but I made 36 blocks and arranged them six-by-six. That total helped me mathematically as well. Oddly enough, I did NOT build this in Photoshop first. That said, it meant I organized the fabrics differently.

The instructions for this quilt were not exact. It said 'mix it up.' Random order? How does one make order so it appears random? That took my brain on quite the hamster wheel ride. Each block contains nine fabrics. Nine. Like Sudoko. I can find a solved Sudoko puzzle and assign each fabric a color number and arrange them accordingly. Ouch. It started out as a good idea but wound up searing my brain. So I ranked the fabrics and noted/classified the nine as three greens, three reds, and three grays. I let the greens dominate the order. Oh, did I mention in this strip quilt, each row is made of three widths of strips. Sorting strips to make the 36 blocks was another short course in random order. 1-2-3, 2-3-1, 3-1-2, 3-2-1, 2-1-3, and 1-2-3. It made sense to me. Once I arranged each three-strip, nine-piece block, I knew I didn't want them jostled. I got the idea to lay each block's components within a 'page' of a filing sorter—31 plus 12 slots (below).

I got it all pieced together and wound up taking the top with me to Prairie Quilt where I'd gone for a demonstration, but I hadn't really thought about what I wanted to use for a backing. Loved the demo on hexagon piecing. (I absolutely love the folks at Prairie Quilt! If I ever need to buy another sewing machine, I'll get a Pfaff from them!) The demo was upstairs which is also where they display their sale fabric. And from across the room, my eyes lasered in on the same orange lantern pod fabric used on the front! Okay, to have a real appreciation for this amazing find, consider this: I found this two years later, in a completely different shop, AND on sale for 30% off! Divine providence for sure!

The last trial for this quilt was in the quilting. I still have not gotten comfortable with free-motion sewing. It's kind of like 'random order'—very foreign in feel and uncomfortable to do. But maybe I could build up some muscle memory and power through it. So I did. I used my Bertie's BSR (Bernina Stitch Regulator) to stagger, swirl, stutter, loop and curl my way over my quilt's surface. I told a friend it looked like I had Tourette syndrome spasms—and I probably inappropriately cussed a few times, too! Sigh. I finished up the binding and now it's done! Haven't a clue what I'll do with it, but think I will use some of the left over strip pieces for some gifts. I glad to have another project done, especially because it goes back to the beginning of this fabric journey of mine.

Here comes the heat...

Well, not THAT Heat. But while I think of it, thank you Oklahoma City Thunder for an exciting playoff and finals extended season. It was kind of fun how fans (recent and die-hards) supported our wonderful team.

We are back into those 100˚ days since Tuesday and for the next several days. This is a great time to put SmartHours to the test!

SmartHours pricing with OG&E began at the beginning of the month and runs through the end of September. In a nutshell, we pay 4.5 cents per kWh (instead of 11.3 cents per kWh all of the time for non-enrolled customers) for all of our electricity usage over these four months, with the exception of no more than 30 hours a week—2–7 p.m. Monday–Friday (excluding national holidays). Our SmartHours price may be the low 4.5 cents per kWh; standard 11.3 cents per kWh; medium 23 cents per kWh; or high 46 cents per kWh (see graphic above).

I am notified (via text and/or email) the day before of which price point I may expect for the following day's SmartHours, and plan accordingly. In addition, I have, thus far, received two additional Critical Price Alerts which notify me of an even higher billing rate per kWh within the 2–7 p.m. window. Today's Critical Price Alert was from 4–7 p.m.; yesterday's was from 3–6 p.m. Both times, the rate bumped up to 50 cents per kWh. See the graphic to see how the rate fluctuated through the day (light red line).

In addition to consciously planning extra power usage outside the 2–7 p.m. window, using my thermostat is a tool that regulates our AC usage. Several days ago I tweaked some of my setpoints and edited my schedule. The temperature is still quite comfortable. In addition to setpoints and schedules, there's also an Conservation setting where the thermostat takes my settings and applies my choice between Comfort and Balanced and Savings. As you can see, I keep our setting between comfort and balanced, so it keeps temps a bit cooler than if it were set more toward savings. Again, it is MY option to adjust/modify these settings.

There's already good news for tomorrow, Friday. I've already received my alert that the cost per kWh for 2–7 p.m. tomorrow is the standard 11.3 cents.

I took a look at my OG&E bills from 2010 and 2011 (before SmartHours enrollment) and our June bills were in excess of $500 each time. I look forward to not only a lower total bill but am also excited about how much SmartHours usage will save us. Remember, it was $143.70 last month! Stay tuned for more!

*This is a sponsored post. As always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.