Saturday’s Musings

I’m NOT a fan of shopping … if I go shopping, it’s usually for something specific, and it frustrates me to have to spend hours going from store to store looking for just what I’m shopping for … and all too often, I don’t find it … so all that time was wasted.  Ugh

So I love to shop online … so many choices, and going from website to website takes a matter of minutes, not hours.  Chances are, if I can’t find it online, I’m not going to be able to find it in a brick-and-mortar store.  So many online stores have free or discounted shipping … and frequently lower prices (less overhead), so for me, online shopping rules!

DH used to mock me for shopping online … I’ve told him all the positives about shopping online, but he’d still insist that it would be cheaper to shop locally.  I think I finally made a believer out of him when I found a leather belt case for his new iPhone … no tax, no shipping and $7.50.  He found one at the phone store … it was designed for a non-smart phone, so while technically he could get his phone in the case, it really didn’t fit properly.  And even with a 50% discount, it was $13.50.  He finally had to acknowledge that shopping online is the way to go. 

About the only exception I’ll make to shopping online is if I’m looking for fabric for a quilt.  I’ve shopped online when I know exactly what fabric I’m looking for (like some of Moda’s Midwinter Reds for a Minick and Simpson pattern) or when I need some extra wide backing fabric (it doesn’t have to match exactly … as long as the print or color coordinate, I’m good with it).  Usually if I’m shopping for a specific project, I’m trying to find several fabrics that will all play together nicely (I’m not into scrappy quilts) … so I need to audition fabrics. 

I’ve discovered (the hard way) that shopping online for fabric does indeed have its drawbacks.  On Thursday, I ordered fabric for DD’s herringbone quilt.  I had DH sit with me as I tried to logically calculate how much fabric I need to make the quilt … the only thing I knew was that I’d be making the quilt from 6” half square triangles (finished).  After we determined how much yardage I’d need for the top, it was time to order the backing.  As a hand quilter, I always order extra wide backing – no pesky seams to worry about.  The quilt needs to finish at 96”x96”, and the backing fabric was 108” wide.  I determined that a piece 108”x108” would work well.  After 30+ years as an accountant, I have become so accustomed to having a machine or software to calculate for me, I wasn’t confident that my math was accurate when I divided 108 by 12 … DH confirmed that the correct answer was 9.  So I inserted 9 as my quantity and placed my order.  Friday morning, I got to wondering … did I order the correct quantity of backing fabric and looked up my order online … yep, 9.  The problem is fabric is sold by the yard, not the foot.  I ordered 9 YARDS of backing … I only wanted 3 YARDS!    I immediately called the online shop, but alas, they shipped the order out yesterday afternoon.  Now, normally, I would be singing the praises of such a fast turnaround!  But not this time.  <sigh>  Of course, I cannot complain ... the error was all mine.  I suspect that had I been shopping in a brick-and-mortar quilt shop, I would have caught my error when I saw the clerk unwrap the bolt time after time after time to measure and cut out 9 yards. 

We are now into our second week of spring … and I’m still looking for some spring-like weather.  Not too many new signs of spring here at Chez Nana, but at DD’s yesterday, I discovered a few signs of spring … enough to give me some hope.


I had planned to get out and get to work in the yard today … I should have pruned my roses a month ago.  It’s not very warm, quite cloudy and still pretty windy here … but I also know that if I keep putting off this job until it gets warm enough, it will be too late.  There’s usually a random warm day in late February or early March when I can get out and prune … but not this year.    In a few more minutes, I think I can guilt myself into getting out there and getting the job done.  I can reward myself with an afternoon spent with needle and thread. 

I’m down to one last “get-up” on my morning “gig”.  While I have to admit that I am rather looking forward to getting back into my normal routine (and sleeping in … although I’m not sure an additional 30-45 minutes constitutes sleeping in ha!), I sure am going to miss seeing my precious Ts every morning. 

Have a wonderful weekend!
Kathy