The finish line is in sight – this is my last week of almost full-time work.  My little Stella has been in childcare four days per week rather than her usual two days for the last four weeks and she is exhausted!  She actually ASKED to go to bed last night – unheard of!  Clare has managed pretty well but is still pretty happy about the thought of Mummy being around for more school drop-offs and pick-ups.  My husband is almost through four weeks of the Big Important Job and he is shifting into the settling in stage rather than the “oh my goodness there is so much to do in not enough time I’m feeling slightly panicked” stage.

And me?  I actually have quite mixed emotions about changing my role from full-time bread-winner with partner at home looking after the house and kids to part-time earner also looking after the house and kids.  I hadn’t realised how much I need to work outside the home.  I need to use my education and skills and talents in an environment where they are in demand and where they validate my abilities by paying me!  On the other hand I am really looking forward to more time with the girls – I have missed them so much –  and hopefully not feeling as constantly rushed and pressured.  Next year Stella will be going to childcare/kinder three days per week rather than two, so maybe I’ll add some contract work to the mix again then on top of my regular two days.  Or maybe not.  Who knows!  This year has been such a big one for all of us in terms of change.  We’ve all learned a great deal and I hope that we can take the best of those lessons as we move on into a new stage.  I really hope that we can make choices that will work for everyone in the family, not just one or two.  I think that we can do that.

But back to craft!  The title of this post refers to the first round of Meredithe’s Medallion Quilt-A-Long.  Over the past week or so I’ve gradually managed to cut out triangles and sew them together in little quarter hour bursts.  Last night in between ironing shirts and jeans it was done!

I decided to keep the triangles large to show off the fabrics. The centre medallion is 16 inches square and the flying geese are 4×8 inches. I really didn’t want to waste any of my precious Aussie designer fabric so used speed piecing method B from Quilter’s Cache for the flying geese and quick pieced half square triangles for the corner blocks.  There is still plenty more embroidery to be done on the bird.  I’m thinking of incorporating some of the final quilting into the embroidery.  I’m really enjoying this project – thinking about what might look good, choosing fabrics, drawing up a design, discarding it, drawing up another, then actually doing it!  Small, manageable bursts – at this early stage anyway!  I wonder what next month’s round will be.

And now the littlest is tucked into bed while the biggest is off on school camp.  So it’s back to the sink then up to the ironing board for me – because if I can get the chores done quickly enough I might be able to cut out Vogue 1250 before it’s time to go to bed!