Finally some sewing done

Yes, I'm still alive. Today was the first day in weeks I managed to get some sewing done. I was home last weekend but so stressed out from work and then the light bulb on the machine went and I didn't have any spare ones so I achieved nothing.

This new contract has been a bit of a nightmare but good at the same time. I know, I am contradicting myself there but there are loads and loads of challenges with it. I can't understand how big companies commit 10's of Millions of pounds to project but screw up the planning and resources so its a massive squeeze near the deadlines to make it work.

In our part of the project they didn't resource at all and now as an emergency loads of people have been brought in, myself included. By next week it will be 23, a lot of whom have no useful experience. The manager seems to have left his brain at home with family problems so I am trying to organise them all, train them, get them actually doing something useful and learn about the project myself. Like I said, nightmare.

However, there are mainly good people I'm working with and a few I know and really trust from the past so its been lovely catching up with them. And for me, it has given me a massive confidence boost. After a few years of not being in this sort of position, I had a few unhappy contracts and ones that I couldn't really contribute very much to the last few weeks have made me realise how good I am at my job and that is really satisfying. Even though it is a job I don't intent to carry on with for much longer I feel a lot more confident in myself because of it.

The hotel we are staying in is in a lovely setting although the rooms are a bit rubbish. At the back of the hotel is a conservation area, so in the evenings after dinner I go down to sit in the trees for a few minutes and commune with nature. Having people chattering on to me from breakfast til bedtime is draining so this is my quiet time. Its a lovely place to sit.

But back to the sewing, I finished quilting my 2nd QAYG block for Lilys QAL. I'm hopelessly behind on everything, but never mind. I am really enjoying doing these blocks, its so much easier than wrangling a whole quilt.

I am going to do some of my paper piece blocks for Beckys QAL at Sarcastic Quilter this evening after watcing the next new episode of Dr Who. I hadn't shown a pic before of my finished blocks. I have kept them all on the foundation paper as I have no idea when they will be pieced together. For the size quilt I am aiming for, I need 40 of each colourway. I have 20 yellows done and 12 green. Not too bad considering.

I also want to follow Sheilas mystery QAL but haven't even read the fabric requirements yet! I may try to focus on that next weekend. Buttons for all these QAL's can be found over on the right. For the last year I have joined in with the bloggers quilt festival, but this time I'm going to give it a miss. If I start browsing all the great quilts on display I will get nothing done. I am barely keeping up with my normal blog reading, even though I'm not really commenting. I've dropped right back into lurker mode, but rest asure, I am enjoying everything I see on your blogs.

That ended up a longer post than I expect, 10mins until the Doctor!!!