Off to a good start

I've had a few good days in a row, so I've been busy on the first of the mini quilts I want to make for a few peoples Christmas pressies.  Thankfully all my naps have been right after I ate, and whenever I sat on the sofa, so not too many mishaps this week! 

Did have a bit of a zone out at one point, thought I was doing quite well then realised I didn't quite remember doing the last few strips...  Sure enough when I checked them I'd put one in wrong side out.  There's a reason half my seam rippers are blunt!  Its called "Automatic Behaviour".  Basically my brain kind of thinks "yep, okay, we know what to do here.  Body, get going, brain, have a quick kip."  Happens all the time.  I'm sure for most people getting into a rhythm when doing something is a great way to get things done quicker and easier.  Not me.  No...  that's just prime opportunity for screw ups. 

The worst trigger for me seems to be our stairs!  Two steps and my brain thinks "okay, up means going to the bathroom, you can do that in your sleep" or "down, that means going to the kitchen for a cup of tea, no need for brain to be awake for that one".  Needless to say I drink lots of tea and my boyfriend thinks I have a micro bladder...  I, on the other hand, get extremely frustrated knowing that's not why I was actually using the stairs in the first place, and it seems to take half a dozen trips before I manage to get whatever I'm going for... but I might as well drink the tea.

Anyway... mini quilt no 1, top done!

I'm not entirely sure I got the bottom panel right, but I do rather like my monkey face :-) 

Next step, basting the quilt top / batting / backing sandwich...  I've got some basting spray to try out this time, so I'm looking forward to finding out if that's any easier than pinning the whole lot with safety pins.  Then I need to decide how I'm going to quilt it.  I've only just got a sewing machine that can drop the dogs and free hand, will I be brave enough just to get stuck in and try it out? 

Introduction

This is Ellie cat, my little shadow, who needed her own space on the shelves to stop her sneaking onto my knee when I'm trying to sew.  She's not your normal independent cat, she prefers to follow me around and take her naps wherever I am, like I do... 
Hopefully this will be a blog about whatever I'm up to in the sewing cupboard, but I'll probably make a few references to my Narcolepsy from time to time - I hope you don't mind!

My new sewing machine arrived last week, and I must say it's a lot of fun to use.  I've got a freehand embroidery foot too, so I plan to learn how to use it soon. 
One of the (many) drawbacks of having Narcolepsy is a fairly limited concentration span, so I tend to have lots of projects on the go at the same time.  Gets a bit messy, but it means I can pick whatever project I feel I have the energy / concentration to do at that particular time.  For instance, some days I just want something to do that doesn't require too much thought (time for embroidery or simple straight line sewing!), and sometimes I need something that isn't in any way repetitive (no point piecing a quilt top then, as I've learned the hard way when I found I'd joined half the squares of a quilt back to front).  And sometimes I just need to give up and go sleep somewhere else, once I've peeled my face off the top of the sewing machine...

At the moment I have 2 main projects on the go.  I'm making a doll which is to be a caricature of my brother (long story) and I'm almost done cutting out the pieces for one of the lap quilts I'm making as Christmas gifts for friends and family.  But I have a good dozen projects in mind, just wish I could stay awake long enough to get on with all of them!