Block #38 for Fahima

This block is dedicated to a very special lady, Fahima. Today is her birthday and this is my way of saying “Happy birthday pretty lady!”

Fahima is the amazing mother of three beautiful children. For my husband’s birthday we invited several of our friends and their kids to go bowling with us. She had a baby at home and couldn’t come but her husband came out and brought her two oldest. Everyone at the party commented on how well behaved and polite his kids were. His response, “Oh thank you, but it’s not me, my wife runs a pretty tight ship”.

Credits:
My husband picked these fabrics.

Date Made: February 7th, 2015  
Block #38
Days on Project: 38
Blocks Made: 41
Husband’s Picks: #17

For Fahima

Block #37 For Cullen

This block is dedicated to Cullen. He is a great project manager and a great person. We were briefly on the same team and I learned so much from him during those few months. Mostly, I learned how to play nice with others.

Cullen used to live out in the country (I think) and he always had great stories and pictures of the critters he trapped. He hung them up in his cube. I always thought of them as the closest thing you could get to mounting a dear on your wall in the office. Instead of a big buck, he had possums and raccoons on display in all their ugly glory.

To Cullen – may you have far less of an issue with wildlife where you live now.

Credits:
My husband picked these fabrics.

Date Made: February 1st, 2015  
Block #37
Days on Project: 37
Blocks Made: 40
Husband’s Picks: #16

For Cullen

Block #36 For Fauzan

This block is dedicated to my very good friend Fauzan. Fauzan and I joined the same company at the same time (it was my second time, truth be told). Later he left that company and then I followed him soon after to his next company. Then he left me again! Honestly, I am beginning to think its me…

At that first company we were put on the same project pretty early on. It was my first time working with him and I didn’t realize the extent of his awesomeness. I was ALWAYS questioning whether or not he could do something he was proposing. At one point, he stopped me and said “Don’t worry Paula, I’m smart enough”. And to this day, I have never let him live that one down… Can a joke still be funny 7 years later? Yes, yes it can.

Credits:
My husband picked these fabrics.

Date Made: February 5th, 2015  
Block #36
Days on Project: 36
Blocks Made: 40
Husband’s Picks: #15

For Fauzan

Block #34 for Mala

Yesterday was for Uma so today has to be for MALA!! Uma and Mala were the dynamic duo working together and being most excellent developers. While Uma has moved on, I still get to hang out with Mala. We don’t work on projects together anymore but we do get to go to lunch and let off some steam.

Mala is a great developer and has a knack for building relationships; earning a customers trust and keeping it. And believe me, in our world, that is not always easy to do.

Our company likes to mix things up, and because of that Mala and I have worked together, not worked together, and I have personally had 4 managers in 3 years. I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up working together again. It certainly never gets boring, and thats good, right?

Credits:
My husband picked these fabrics.

Date Made: February 1st, 2015  
Block #34
Days on Project: 34
Blocks Made: 38
Husband’s Picks: #13

For Mala

Block #33 For Uma

This block is dedicated to my former co-worker Uma. Uma was great, she was a very nice, quiet lady. Almost never said a bad word about anybody; never hurt a fly. I truly miss working with her.

Short story tonight:

One day at work a group of my co-workers came out of a meeting and they were all upset. They were venting and I was listening. I keep a canister of york peppermint patties on my desks for times like these. Chocolate tends to make everything better. Right?

But Uma, she was mad. Frankly, I had never seen her mad before. She took her peppermint patty, unwrapped it and took a bite, then ceremoniously threw it on the ground in protest during a rant. It was the funniest thing. I had only ever seen people in movies do that. It is one of my fondest memories of our time together.

The other funny thing she would do, is that she would take one or two of these home to her kids occasionally. She didn’t let them have sweets very often, so she didn’t do it every day. Come to find out, when she didn’t bring them home she would tell them that I (Ms. Paula) didn’t give them any today. Blamed it on me!

Credits:
My husband picked these fabrics.

Date Made: February 1st, 2015  
Block #33
Days on Project: 33
Blocks Made: 38
Husband’s Picks: #12

For Uma

Block #31 For Keisha X

When we first moved down here we left all of our family and friends thousands of miles away. We were alone and pretty soon after my husband’s job took him out of the country and I was truly alone. In those first few weeks, I got very lucky. The neighbors just across the hall from us were super nice and took us in. We had an instant group of friends and a church to go to. In truth, I don’t know any of those people anymore, it’s probably been 15 years since we have seen or heard from them. I often wonder how they are and where they are.

Keisha was that neighbor. I was always volunteering to help her out with baby showers, wedding showers, moving people…  One day, Keisha says to me “You are such a servant”. This was meant as a compliment, a testament to my faith. I, being young and immature, didn’t take it that way. I was infuriated. I was a strong, independent woman! I was no servant! How dare she! 15 years later, I get it and I hope that I can live up to that colossal compliment one day.

There are some moments in life that just stick with you…

First Month of Birds – In the Books!

I have quickly realized, sewing a bird a day is not going to work. It is just not practical. There is a reason my Christmas tree is still up. (at least I took the ornaments off). I started thinking about it and I would never make a quilt this way, sewing one 4 inch block a night. I would spend a day on the weekend sewing 10 or 20. So that is what I am going to do. Tomorrow I am going to set up the BIRD FACTORY. I will still post one a night, but the goal is to churn through a bunch on the weekend. I am also hoping to realize some efficiencies in the process. There is no way I can chain piece with foundation piecing but I can try to assembly line them. We shall see…

Credits:
My husband picked these fabrics.

Date Made: January 31, 2015  
Block #31
Days on Project: 31
Blocks Made: 34
Husband’s Picks: #10

For Keisha X.

Block #30 For Cathy J.

This block is for my former neighbor Cathy J. We love our new house but we miss all of our colorful neighbors. Cathy was a wonderful neighbor and she has the best dog, Wags. Wags was found by another neighbor in a very hot parking garage. Someone just left him there as a puppy to get rid of him. He bounced around through a few neighbors yards until one was found who would keep him. We think wags is a mix of a lab and basset. He is low to the ground and has a little extra around the middle (don’t we all…). When Wags smiles, he bears all of his teeth, he looks like he has just smelled something awful or he is about to bite your hand off. My husband has nick named him “Mr. Teeth”.

My old neighborhood was the kind of place where you knew the dog names more so than the people names. So our girls had plenty of play dates and friends. They also got plenty of attention from other humans on our walks as well. While they have an enormous yard to play in at our new house, frankly, they seem a little bored just hanging out with us.

Credits:
My husband picked these fabrics.

Date Made: January 30, 2015  
Block #30
Days on Project: 30
Blocks Made: 33
Husband’s Picks: #9

For Cathy J.

Block #29 For Mike N. (Tapeworm)

This block is dedicated to Mike N. Early last year, my bosses boss declared Mike N. to be my “work husband” after hearing the story below. And I have to admit, he is. We hang out at work, go to lunch together, look out for each other, get each other’s advice on things (mine is typically more useful than his). He also falls into the week of “These people know too much “stuff” on me so I better get their bird knocked out”. He is not the first work husband I have had, but hopefully he is the last.

And the story goes….

One day Mike, me and another co-worker of mine were at lunch at a vietnamese restaurant. I was feeling horrible: snotty, coughing, sweaty gross (sorry but you really need a visual for this). I ate all the meat in my noodle dish and didn’t each much of the noodles. Mike looks at me and says “You’re not going to finish that??” in an accusatory tone.

Me: “No”

Mike: “Well give it here”

Me: “No you really don’t want to do that, I am really sick”

Mike: “I don’t care, I never get sick, I’m immune to ebola”

Me and our other co-worker were so shocked when he started eating it we both started laughing so hard I nearly feel out of my chair. It was freakin’ hilarious. However, as we have gone out to lunch with others, I have realized that I’m not that special.There is a reason Kendra R. (Bird 27) nick-named him tapeworm…  To his credit, the ebola statement was made before the outbreak happened.

Credits:
My husband picked these fabrics.

Date Made: January 29, 2015  
Block #29
Days on Project: 29
Blocks Made: 32
Husband’s Picks: #8

For Mike N. (Tapeworm)