What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Well, the blog is really late today! Yesterday was a whirlwind day filled with MANY Plan Bs, and I just went with it. But I didn't get to bed too early, and I was exhausted, so I just luxuriated in bed this morning, and I'm OK with that. I'm in a different bed again! But one that I was in before on this trip - more on that in a second. I'm here to stay until I leave for home. 

I finished knitting my cowl - at least the flat part - it's folded in half in this ...

 I should have said that the blog posts will be out of whack time-wise - at least this morning, since I am now three hours behind my usual time zone. 

And YES -- the chocolates could have been on sale, which is why I didn't get the senior discount. DUH! I didn't notice that fact when I picked them up. There are days when I wonder how I manage to get through the day and still be alive! 

This is NOT good news for my foot - I think I'm going to lose another toenail. It's looking pretty sketchy ...

Dare I say that everything is done? Well, that would be a total lie! I had so many plans to accomplish so much more, but everything takes longer than planned. 

I got done what absolutely needs to get done, but the quilt that needed to be quilted - notice that got downgraded from quilts to quilt. It didn't. I will have to do that next weekend when I'm back! I made a promise, and I need to follow up on that. At least that day when I'm back, I have NOTHING else on the list of things to ...

I didn't have a chance to check out the list of smart devices, but YES --- we have tablets, iPads, computers, three sewing machines, the front door, and a smart TV (forgot about those last two), one Alexa, and well, I'll have to check the rest of the devices. No thermostat connected and no fridge or microwave! 

You laugh— a friend of mine just purchased a dishwasher, and it's Wi-Fi enabled. Why? I hope to have some time today to connect those pods, and then we can hopefully get a handle on this Wi-Fi issue. 

It's going ...

OK -- Now I'm curious, as are a couple of other people. What retreat house (or venue) in Eastern Ontario are you attending that has late check-in? Is this a new trend in quilt retreats? 

I guess if your retreats were always like that - that works, but seriously --- with the new system, we are paying the SAME MONEY and losing an entire day of sewing. I'm not a fan and will not go there in the future for that reason. 

If they dropped the price, I might consider it. The rationale for the late check-in is that they can ...

Fall color came into its peak at our place this past week, and was gone just as quickly. Early one morning, as the sun came up over the mountain to the east, the oranges and golds were glowing in the light.

The colors were beautiful down the driveway and around the street.

Gracie, our resident squirrel, came up for a treat. Of course, she looks so cute that she got her peanut butter sandwich.

Across the valley, more red can be seen in the pear and maple trees.

Then, one morning, snow! OK, it is just a dusting, but we ...

OH MY!!!!! I forgot that I had mentioned a Virtual Retreat to some people this weekend. I totally forgot to post the links the past couple of days, or even to mention it! I would remember when I was out walking the dogs, and then poof! I totally forgot to add it to the blog post when I got back home. 

I'll be away the next two weekends, so those dates won't work. 

Well, if no one shows up tonight and tomorrow, that's OK. 

The links will be at the bottom of this post, if I remember ...

Good grief -- the magic number is 7! 

There are SEVEN houses on our street with Canadian flags.

I have attended (will be attending) seven quilt retreats this year, not five as I mentioned yesterday. There are times when my mind goes into denial! There are only three scheduled for next year. 

So, yes -- you can't believe everything you read, especially on this blog. I sometimes lose my mind! 

Retreat houses come and go. The very first one we went to was Quilter's MisBeehaven near Bracebridge, and we went there for many years. The owner eventually sold, and we ...

I'm not sure what it is about my scheduling, but I always seem to be getting to the long arm later in the afternoon, rather than early in the afternoon as I originally planned. Why is that? It doesn't matter; another quilt got done! I'm usually finished with the sewing/quilting day by 7:00 or 7:30 PM. Good grief - I'm a morning person!

Customer quilt - DONE

Yeah -- I love this quilt. It's Spice Market from the class I taught last year. I have some trimming to do this morning, and then these quilts ...

Today is an important day in history, and for those who are too young to remember (I'm in that category), we need to take a moment today (and every day) and thank those who fought for our freedom. 

And NO to the silly people who always want Remembrance Day on a Monday so they can have a three-day weekend. We are fortunate in Canada that we've not had any major wars on our shores. There have been battles to be sure, but not a war. The current generation (and I, myself included) have no idea what it's ...

Where are the days going? Yikes-- before we know it, the end of the year will be here. I'm not ready! 

I spotted this on Facebook yesterday, and I thought it was so appropriate for us sewists. This is what happens to me. 

It's all the prep work that takes so much time, and the actual sewing is just a small part of it. 

I have sewn part of the sixth binding onto one of the dog quilts. It was the black one, and I knew I would need more strips, but how many? So I sewed what ...

November is showing off its colors in our area as we hit the peak this past week. Beautiful russet and gold adorns the view from our veranda. The colors are not as vivid as they have been in the past. Mainly this year was too dry in the late summer, and the winds picked up blowing off many leaves before they could change fully. Still, there is beauty here in my favorite month of the year.

Wildlife has been coming by regularly. This small herd of four female deer was busy with the acorns on the driveway.

The resident black ...

And????? Do you think I made it? I did!! The eighth dog quilt is quilted! However, I finished it this morning - too heck if it wakes up the family! I had a lot of interruptions yesterday afternoon, and I was too tired to stand at the machine last night. So it's done, but it's still on the long arm. I'll take it off once the girls have their walk. Oops -- girls and the boy!

A lot happened, and it was all for the better. Instead of my having to chase a couple of people down, they contacted ...

The little jobs around the house NEVER end! 

I "fixed" the bubbler for the pond. I had brought the entire thing into the house and realized that the teeny tiny hole at the end of the tube was clogged with debris. So I poked that all out, put some water in the sink, and VOILA - the bubbler is working again. Now, to put it back into the pond. 

Then I opened the door to the furnace room to get a basket and saw water on the floor. The furnace, which is only a couple of years old, has sprung a ...

I took my SIL with me on my trip to the Kawartha Quiltmaker Guild! She said she got to learn a lot about quilting, and a lot about me! We had a great conversation, the driving went by in a flash, and the weather was decent!

However, a great deal of fun was had at the guild meeting. What a wonderful group of ladies, and there were a lot of them! They will be hosting their quilt show on May 8-9, 2026, so be sure to put that on your calendar! I'm sure with the talent we saw in ...

Good grief! How much more grief can those dog quilts give me? Everything was going just great - the backing for the seventh dog quilt had one seam. That was easy. The top was done, and the three pieces for the batting were on the ironing board. 

The other quilt was loaded, and I started it in plenty of time, but alas, it was not to be. 

While I'd like to blame this one on the machine, I can really only blame myself. Why? Because I need to change those leaders. 

There is a weak spot in the center of ...

You know when you wake up and it's one of "those days?" That's how today feels. Thank goodness, I don't have to talk to anyone today! I slept well, but I didn't. Poor little Bear has an ear infection, and he kept scratching it. He has an appointment at the vet today at 5:45. 

Then I seem to be in a rut with those dog quilts. I'll admit that I'm getting tired of them. WAIT --- I can't - I still have three more to quilt. The constant process of making the batting and ...

 And just like that -- it's a new week. So many ideas and so little time, but the important thing is just to do! 

Speaking of batting bits, it's amazing how many quilts you can quilt with those bits! I've pulled a few pieces from that stack I brought downstairs, and it doesn't seem to have made a dent. I calculate there is enough batting here for about 20 quilts! That should cover the remainder of my dog quilts, and the ten for the favour, and a couple more! This is the last favor job I do ...

The Pony Express worked overtime yesterday. I started my day here. 

At the airport - notice the daylight out the windows

Same screen - notice the night sky in the windows

These three 8″ x 8″ bears are great for incorporating into a child’s quilt, a table runner, or used as a repeat for a larger project. The three are all different patterns emphasizing the different head shapes that make these bears distinctive. They are meant to be pieced using the folded Freezer paper technique, but other methods work well too. The patterns are simple enough to be weekend.

The pattern comes as a PDF download for you to print, small enough to print on one sheet of paper. Click here for the $8.92 pattern. You can pay with ...