I'm still waiting for my schnapps

Last week was "Ooooh - a package!" week here at Chez Bitchy. First, I took delivery of Harper's new bunk bed from Ikea, which is of course, so much more than a mere bunk bed. It is also a pirate ship, a castle, a basketball hoop (a really, really big basketball hoop), and the source of a conflict with my husband that made me walk out of the room and take an hour-long shower just to make him have to struggle with the damn thing alone while the kids asked every two minutes, "Is it done?" Good times.

Then I received the nicest package from one of my 7 or 8 regular readers, Michele. She had asked me a few weeks ago for my address, and helpfully added that she was not a stalker! Because, boys and girls, a blog stalker generally announces his or her intentions to kill you right up front. So, when handing out your personal information to total strangers, always look for the Non-Stalker Guarantee: I AM NOT A STALKER. You're welcome.

I had assumed that Michele was responding to my plea for chocolate and schnapps back when we got dumped on (i.e., endured a massive snowstorm), and, indeed, she came through with the chocolate:



But then, to my giddy surprise, there was more:







How cool is all that? I don't usually invest in quilting books of that sort, though I love them, and this one is fantastic. The pattern is for a PAPER PIECED quilt, and she even included some fabric strips to get me started.

Yep, paper piecing. the magic origami method of quiltmaking, possibly even more mysterious than applique. I only just figured out very recently that you are supposed to tear off the paper when you are done making the blocks - I had always assumed that you left it in and were stuck with a very crinkly, though intricately pieced, quilt. WELL I DON'T KNOW THESE THINGS.

AND she included a couple treats for my girls. How sweet is that?

Then I received two packages of some sale fabrics I had snagged on eBay and from the J. Caroline site. First I got some Prairie Gothic:



And then some Michel Miller Whimsy:





Doesn't it all look pretty stacked together on my shelf?



And lest you think I have only been using my new sewing studio to eat chocolate, watch episodes of "Dexter," and read trashy books (which I have done plenty of), I have also churned out a few more blocks for Labyrinth 2: Electric Boogaloo:



The quilt retreat article is going well, by the way, so thank you all for your tales of drunken debauchery.

Oh, and for those who asked, my cutting table does have adjustable legs and it is awesome. It is, like pretty much every other piece of furniture in my house, from Ikea. I highly recommend raising up your cutting table if you can, even if you just set the legs of what you already have up on blocks or books. I have started cutting fabric whenever I feel a migraine coming on, because it keeps my head and neck aligned in a way that seems to relieve some pressure somewhere.

Okay, I think that covers everything I'm going to talk about today, unless you're really keen to hear all about the uncontrollable itching on my legs. No? No one? Okay, but don't email me askin' about it, 'cause you had your chance.