What a long day ... after all the excitement of the weekend and spending so much at the emergency vet, the plumber came today to replace the hot water heater. We actually have three ... we have a granny flat, and the hot water heater is in our garage for the granny flat. I noticed on Saturday that it was leaking terribly, and had been for a couple of days. We have had the same plumber for about 20 years ... I really like him and he does terrific work. When he said we needed a new hot water heater and he would go get it and install it, I didn't think twice. Now I realize my first question should have been "how much is this going to cost?" Have you bought a hot water heater recently? I hadn't and had no idea what one cost ... the tank was about $400, and the labor was almost $600 ... we had another minor repair to our kitchen sink, so the bill today was $1,000. I nearly dropped over ... it just made me sick to my stomach. Even though the heater needed to be replaced, I would have certainly called my husband, and we would have probably put it off for a short while. I can't begin to explain how heavy the atmosphere is in our house right now ... dropping that much money in a couple of days that is not in our budget is a little depressing.
The labor was so high because it took several hours to get the old one out and the new one in ... I was waiting for the plumber to leave so I could finish the month 2 Cotton Club blocks. I had three of the four done. I am teaching the class tomorrow for month 2. Here's what my version looks like ...
I think I'm going to redo block 7, which is the one on the top right. I'm not liking the colors on that one. I was trying to make it more like the original in the quilt I made, but I've decided this version is going to have a different look. The class has nine people in it, so it should be lots of fun ... and busy! If you've ever done small blocks, you know how precise you have to be when piecing them. If you are off just a hair and your block is 5 1/2", and you have five different seams in a block, that can really throw your whole block off. Part of what we're going to talk about tomorrow in class and learn is how to keep an accurate seam allowance, and the importance of taking your time, pinning, and keeping your seams intersecting. I did the Little Women's Club by Jo Morton at our store for several years. Those pieces are all really small, and that is where I learned how to be really accurate in my piecing skills.
After my long day, I sat on the couch for a little bit watching t.v. and finished the end of my January block from Heart and Home ...
I just love the way this is looking ... wool and Daiwabo fabric ... it is beautiful and so fun to stitch on. I picked up block 2, and will start working on that this week.
Off to bed to try and make up for some of the sleep I've been missing ... more tomorrow on my Cotton Club class, and that block of the month. I'm going to talk about half square triangles, and how I piece the blocks together, giving you some of the tips I'm sharing with my class.
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