Quiet time

Do you remember the first time you travel or even school field days? My very first school field trip happened in my first grade and the location was the big green grass inside the school. You might not know that schools in Taiwan has walls and gates around the school property and students access their way within school. I remembered weeks before first school filed trip, I would talked over and over at our dinner time. I asked mother and father if I can buy any treats and bring them to school. Of course, I always asked to be sit still and finish dinner. Likely the same conversation taken over and over next few nights, but I never get the answer if I can buy treats to school. I remembered, maybe was the night before that I asked father again, he smiled and handed me 50 dollars (which is around USD1.50). You might think with all that money what can I get. Actually back then I could buy lots treats and still have changes to send back to father. I remember I bough all my favorite kinds of treats that mother always said, NO! I got two chocolate bars, two small bags of chips, and maybe a bottle of drinks.

Then as I get older school field trip would taken a little further away from the city. The last school field trip was before the high school graduation. It was 4 hours away from my hometown and we got to spend two nights in the local village and had dinners with classmates. It felt quiet growing up at the time and yes, this time father sent 2000 dollars with me, which was about USD 95.  I think I spent USD 10 and bought all kinds of treats; yes, more chocolate bars and more soda pop cans and the rest of changes sent back to father when I returned from the trip.

Oh, believed me this was just the start of my travel journey. I never pictured myself travel so much when I was a kid! I always though I will stay in the house I grew up and lived in that same place till I am a hundred year old. But one thing that I didn't predict is that once you start something fun you never want to see it ends!  I think that description is closer to who I am and how I see life in my little perspective!

As of last week, I put a note for taking long break from the part-time job. I am in preparing of our trip to visit family oversea and needed the time to slow down. I didn't write a long list for what to accomplish or to achieve, but I knew that I like to get half sandwich quilt top done first then the birthday quilt. Oh, how did I not think about the time frame for making the quilt. The half sandwich quilt has total of 100 blocks and involved 800 half triangle squares and plus the trimming. Each day of last week, I was able to sew for 5 hours on blocks then another 2 hours pressing and trimming.  I am so very satisfied when I put all the assembled rows together and gave it a nice gentle press. Oh, it is a huge quilt! The backing will be a fun concept; lots wording for sure!

I hoped to get to S' birthday quilt, but I have trouble to walk away the #mysmallworldqal  {My small world Quilt Along}. You can read all the detail information at Kerry's blog aka {verykerryberry}
The most attractive reason for this quilt that I decided to follow along is the idea of small world that were shared!  After learning this quilt will be all the small piecing throughout I just can't resist! I plan to hand-quilting the entire quilt after the quilt top is completed! Most of all the pattern instructions are so well written. I like how this quilt is break down to sections and parts. It makes so much sense for someone like me; reading instruction step by step. I prepared my blocks by following each part's diagram. I didn't jump ahead and cutting all of them. To be so honest with you. I get confused with all the pieces I just cut! I didn't specifically pull any fabrics out for this quilt, but use some of my favorite prints. I combined some fussy cuts in the window prints and some random cuts. It is nice to make some mixed randomness to the quilt. I plan to apply same to other parts of this quilt as well. Well, it is ok to get clutter around the space once in awhile.

There are also few small accomplishments from the week. I finished two mini dumplings and they are so perfect for the trips and little things. I will be taking one for Fifi aka my sista, so she can put her little things in that. I finished so many patchwork piecing and started quilting them. They are in my backpack now, so maybe I can try to hand-quilt them this time while we are waiting for our flight.

This is actually an unexpected trip as I planned a road trip to West coast this summer, but with all the happening at home. It seems a top priority and important to see family. We'll do the road trip next time. There's always next time and I think the west coast friends will still be there when we come visit.

It has been really challenging two years after graduate school. I am not able to explain some of the disappointments that I have to myself, but I have learned and failed so much since then. Sometimes, I do feel all the people around me are judging me, but I think truly that I am the one put the judge filter in front of my own face. I think that finding self-compassion still on my top of list and getting out of the depression time is important as well. Meanwhile, I will continue create, sew, sell my works, and some patterns for the future. Finding my own voice is important and that new balance I try to keep up is slowly making process! I hope you all will still be here to keep me motivate and support me like you have always been!

The house is all pick up and the last load of laundry has finished this morning! Luggages are packed and the fridge is empty. Since I determined to travel light this time. The laptop will stay home, therefore I will not be able to blog at all this summer until we return. It is a piece heavy hardware to take with me, since I am getting older!  I will be posting  photos via Instagram and you can find me at quarterinchmark or you can check out the photos on the blog sidebar.

I have {The Daffodil Joy Quilt} finished and packed away. The post is scheduled ready for you next week and if time allows, I will get the another post up on the little patchwork tote that I finished for a little friend of mine that I will be meeting this summer.

Meanwhile, I hope you have a wonderful summer:
Soak up so much sunshine as you can!
Drink lots sun tea
Enjoy lots fresh summer veggies and fruits!


On the other hand....

I will be...
-Soak up way too much sun and get burn
-Drink lots bubble tea and get sick
-Enjoy lots summer veggies and fruits and probably ask father if I can stay till I'm a hundred year old
-Get lots Lucky kisses and want to bring him back
-Much cousins time and probably will get into some little troubles since we'll joke badly about our parents
- Best of all, I will be home! And you know "Home is where everyone belongs"!!

I need this, actually {we} all need this!

xxc

p.s As of now, we are probably have boarded our flight to Tokyo Japan. We'll be spend a few days there and yes, that involved fabric shopping, eating good rice, traveling with a child and best of all meeting our special friends!

p.s.s. The {shop} is open and only available for the PDF file patterns as I will not be able to ship your orders while I am away!