Amish Circle Quilt Project - #80 - "Laundry Machine"

Block #80 - "Laundry Machine"

Started on 7/13/11

Completed on 8/16/11

Technique: Applique'

I can not imagine washing clothes require manual labor. I guess that's because my whole life long I've had the benefit of automatic washers and dryers. I'm wondering if my generation was the first one for that to be typical of?

I remember Granny still hung clothes out to dry on clothes lines, even though she had a dryer in the house. I don't know if it was to save electricity (therefore money), out of old habits, or to simply let them soak up the sun and the freshness of the outdoor drying process. Perhaps a little of all of the above.

I've tried to get myself on a Monday wash day. It doesn't always happen and it isn't always effective. I prefer to do all of the laundry in one day rather than a load a day. I picked Mondays because that seems to be the wash day for most Amish families as well. One little misstep can throw off my whole day though. If I forget to set the timer just once, the timer that tells me when loads are ready to be shuffled, I can literally go the whole day without thinking of it again. This drives me nuts!! I don't know how it is even possible to forget a chore you are in the middle of for the whole day.

I did pretty good with it this week even though I didn't do laundry on Monday. Mark was off work and I chose to hang out with him (not to mention he gets underfoot sometimes). The kids help with laundry too which is good for them and good for me. I keep giving them more and more responsibilities with it and soon they'll be able to be on their own for clean clothes. It is an important skill to master and plan for.

I think I have 5 of the 9 blocks of my Christmas quilt quilted now. Hope to do another today. Yay.

I've got two more blogs in mind to begin. I'm not sure if I should add both to this same blog or if I should start a new blog for each "series". One will be called, I think, A Little Piece of Peace. This one will be small daily tasks to begin decluttering and organizing our homes. Clutter has crept in over the last several months and it is driving me crazy. Thought I'd share that journey with others. Might make it a little more fun than funky.

The other new one will be called, I think, The Patchwork Heart. This one will include devotional thoughts, quotes and scriptures as I daily walk with the Lord. I'm hoping someone else will benefit from the things that appeal to me, touch me, and speak to me each day.

Father, show me Your purposes for my life. Empower me to act on those purposes. Remind me, dear Father, to trust in You; a trust I can count on.

Blessings Y'all!