Workshop in Progress - Feb. 16

I'm taking a couple of weeks off from working on my quilt (though not from thinking about it) to finally make the amp cover I promised The Dude, way back last summer. Way back before I was sewing on any regular basis and so was completely unrealistic in my estimates of how long it might take me or how complicated it might be.

So, the amp measures 11x18x24", with a handle on top that I'll need to accomodate. My initial plan was to make columns of horizontal stripes, using the jeans/pants materials that you see cut into strips above, and then line it with the t-shirt material at the top and quilt the whole thing.

After all the previous discussion about using knits I've decided to forego the lining/quilting for this project and instead embellish the completed cover with embroidery. And in the process of sewing the strips together I decided I actually like the look of rows of vertical stripes better instead. I also realized that I didn't have enough material so ended up slicing up another pair of misfitting pants (the darker brown below) and will incorporate that into the rows as well. Below you see smaller blocks of stripes --- I'll combine them into different-sized rows, depending on the width needed.

I was planning to edge the bottom and the handle opening with the brown ribbon, but now that I've added in another brown fabric I'm thinking I might switch to a navy blue ribbon for edging instead.

Feeling very happy about the progress I made yesterday. I can see that I didn't cut all the strips on the same grain, something I want to pay more attention to in the future (I did start paying more attention to that towards the end). But this is not something that is ever likely to get washed so I'm not going to worry much about that right now. Looking forward to assembling everything over the next week and then doing some embroidery.

What a Gift

I've been looking at the online blogs for Hand/Eye and Spirit Cloth for a while now, and today I was directed to an article about using fabric for healing with children that just took my breath away. What a gift --- from the therapist to the children, from the artists to the therapist, and then to us to see what could be.

Stirs up all kinds of things in me...

Other Races

Not that I'm trying to be coy about what races I'm training for this year, but... I don't quite know myself. I'm trying to not be so intense about racing this year, and just train for the heck of it. My focus right now seems to be more on recovery and weight loss and building up my base. Plus, I want to leave myself room to be in a more, ahem, delicate condition, and not worry about how any such changes may affect racing plans... So no signing up for races months in advance this year.

But I've been upping my mileage (slowly) and my overall number of workouts, and am swimming steadily again, plus fitting in more yoga and strength training, so overall I feel pretty good about where I'm at and where I'm going, even if I don't have any amazing progress to report. Trying to practice balance in all things...

Races I Am Not Running

The Dude signed up for the Chicago Marathon today.

I am so happy and excited for him.

I wish I were too.

I am very grateful that my pleasure in his training for it is not diminished by my sadness that I am not. Especially since the one is a direct cause of the other. Evidently I have grown (some) in maturity along with years.

I am also not signed up for the Wrigley Start Early 10K, and I am sad about that too, though for an unexpected reason. I was looking forward to having that be my fundraising event for the year, and now that I am not doing it I feel oddly bereft (it's on Easter weekend this year and we expect to be traveling).

Well.

There are all kinds of good reasons beyond scheduling to not run the marathon this year --- I do very much want to spend the year building up my base and getting more experience in racing mid-distance events. And now that I know how important it is to me to have a fundraising event I will keep my eyes open for another one. So all will be well...

But for today, big sigh.

Six Miles

Oh, how I've missed you. This is the distance at which I feel I am finally ready to begin something, the distance at which I actually feel confident in saying, yes, I am a runner. A nice easy six miles on a lazy Sunday, an intense six miles worth of intervals at the track or on the treadmill, a busy six miles for work days when I just have to do a little more but don't really have the time for it. And of course the wonderful six miles plus in a 10K --- long enough to feel worth investing time and money in a race, but short enough to not make too big a production out of it (or short enough to bust my gut on, should I feel so inclined).

I took my six today slowly, slowly, staying on main roads near bus routes in case I had misjudged this returning fitness thing. I ran it with a small pack so that I could end at the grocery store and library --- we have a major storm coming up and I don't expect to be able to run errands during the week. And since I had the day off (worked Saturday) I ran it knowing I could spend as much time stretching afterward as I might need to, as much time in a hot shower as I wanted, and as much time lolling around the apartment feeling absolutely glorious from having run my six miles. And I did, I did.

Blessed be the six-mile run, for you are perfect in all your many forms.

Studio Space

Oh, I dream about having a room of my own --- or at least a significant chunk of space where I can lay projects out and leave them there for a while.

In the meantime, some photos from the space I currently work in, which is a corner of our main room.

Actually, I'm blessed by good afternoon light, and a nice stretch of floor and our eating table to lay things out on when I'm working on them. I just have to always, always, put everything away again.

The center table is my "office" space, so I don't use that much for projects. Maybe not the best layout, now that I think about it, though of course all this has kind of just grown up and around my middle desk as I've been doing more with my hands. We plan to do a major re-org of our two front rooms soon, so these are good things for me to think about. 

And while I'm wishing, a bit of wall space would be nice too!

Ow, Ow, Ow

Hmmm, did something to my ribs and shoulder and now everything hurts. I don't remember being hugged by a bear. Decided to forego the gym and weights this morning and went for a run instead, hoping that once I warmed up I would feel fine. Nope --- anything deeper than a shallow breath hurts. Well, at least that kept me running as slowly as I should be right now. Best guess is that this is actually very delayed pain from my aggressive weight-lifting on Sunday, maybe made worse by the cold and an always-growing young imp.

It's been disheartening to see how slow I am right now, and how short my runs are. One would not believe that I'd run so much last year. So I'd hoped to do four miles today, my old route. But I changed things up to avoid running in the park (probably still icy), and in the end my USATF route tracker had me at 3.88 miles. Hrumpf. I also noticed that my ITB was a bit louder than it's been when running on the treadmill, even at higher speeds, so I think I need to keep all speedwork to the gym right now, and just slog out my long runs slowly. And be more compliant with my treatment plan (that is, actually follow one).

I did miss the pool today, a swim would have been just the thing for my poor upper body I think (slow steady stretching and letting the water massage me), but I need a new suit first.

Well, at least I'm running, and I got to run outside, and I have other options at the gym as well, now just down the street from me and with working machines. Keeping on.