After a number of bumps in the road, I finished the doll furniture. Alas, I had to turn over the finished projects before I could take better photos, so this is all I've got for now. Again, I am not a good photographer and truly need to work on that skill set!
Every time I finish a project that really tested my patience, I return to the basics like sewing. For a while I worked on more soldered jewelry today, but gave it a rest after a bit, frustrated that I knew I was doing SOMEthing wrong, but didn't know what. I took a break, did a little internet research, and have figured out some problem areas I need to work on like going over the same spot so many times that I melt the adhesive on the copper tape or I'm loading too much solder. This is going to take a lot of trial and error, clearly.
I decided to work on a simple quilt project when I'm too frazzled to do anything else, starting the cuts today for a quilt called "Traffic" by Jaybird Quilts. I met the designer and bought the pattern at the Road to California Quilt Show last year. I still have to get a bit more of some of the fabrics, but have enough of the basics to get started. There is something very therapeutic about just cutting strips of fabric. If only I hadn't discovered that my cutting mat had been used by my son for a school project, the back of which was covered and lumpy from the plaster he mixed up for a science model. Ugh. The cutting came to an end and the scrubbing began. Since I'm cutting 28 strips of snow white fabric, I don't dare take a chance and resume the cutting until I'm sure the mat is perfectly clean or I just buy another and hide it when not in use.
All of this is going on while I hear football on the television and hollering in the background. I am certain that I have suffered at least a little bit of brain damage just from having to listen to the hissing and roaring noise of the crowd that is watching a bunch of grown men play "dog pile!" for hours. I'll never understand.