What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Today has not gotten off to a good start. I had a bad night and finally fell completely asleep at about 3 AM, so I'm late! But that's OK. Thankfully, that doesn't happen often. I missed spin class—big deal. 

I will not show you a picture of the office. The new computer is in here, along with a sewing machine box and those two bags of quilts. What amazes me is how much paperwork there always is. I don't even run a business (well, I manage my own things), but it's not like running ...

Thanks, everyone, for the fantastic comments! I MUST get back to responding to them. As for the floss, I did have a Waterpik at one point, which I don't think I ever used! BUT I understand the concept of it - I'll look into it. In the meantime, I flossed twice yesterday! And brushed once. It's a start! And yes -- I know that all that bacteria is not healthy for my insides! I'm trying! If I get a Waterpik, can I bypass going to the dentist? OK - just thought I'd try!

I have good genes, but ...

Old dogs can learn new tricks!!!! But they are also very forgetful! 

I make many presentations in a month, although that number will be significantly reduced going forward. The presentations contain pictures from me, which have been significantly reduced in size, and from others, which can be HUGE. Did you know that when you send pictures from your phone, you can resize them before you send them? Yep --- that way you can send up to THIRTY photos at a time and the quality is still good enough for people to ooh and aah over it. 

The next time you forward ...

And just like that -- I'm back into my routine! 

I spent the morning visiting a friend, and it was great to catch up with them. I hope to be able to do that more often in the future, but who knows! Then it was back home and to work! I'm so looking forward to a less "controlled" schedule. I won't be sitting around eating bon-bons, but I won't have so many time commitments. 

It wasn't one of the most productive days, but I knew I had to get those suitcases unpacked and work on the ...

YES to the towel on the ironing board! I love it. I was pressing under the edges of some hexagons using a cardboard template, and they didn't shift! And yesterday, I accidentally put a bit of fusible on the towel, and that's easy enough to get rid of. Well, it's still there, but I can wash that towel, and any crap, dirt, and stains are gone! Why didn't someone tell me this earlier? 

While I accomplished a fair amount yesterday, I'm not sharing it yet. Some of it is for a writing assignment, which should ...

I spent part of the day making and editing videos! I'm not good at it - well, I'm OK with it, I'm just slow because I'm still learning, and I don't do it often! What the heck would we do without Google?

For those who were unable to attend Quilt Canada 2025 and would like to view my concurrent show, "Celebrating 25 Years of Teaching Quilt Making," here's the link. I still want to make one more video of all the multi-part classes I've taught, and it seems I missed one! So I'll ...

I had some major running around to do yesterday, so I didn't get much accomplished, but I did manage to sort more crap. I'm happy to report that only this much remains to sort. 

What's left to sort

To my American friends - Happy Independence Day. Be strong! 

Wow --- there were a lot of comments yesterday, and this overbuying and taking on too much is a very hot topic! While I appreciate the positive comments about my teaching, I knew the only way to discourage people from taking too many classes was to not offer so many classes. But that's good for me as well, so I'm OK with that. 

Dare I say that I was at it again yesterday - sorting, pitching, and purging. But mostly sorting. 

The third shelving unit in the stash room held a ...

As I look back on when I started quilting, there are many things that I wish someone had told me. But there is one thing in particular I wish someone had drilled into me. I wish they had embarrassed me, harassed me, or taken whatever means to instill this message into my being. What is it? 

NEVER, and I mean NEVER, take on more than you can do! I'm talking about UFOs. 

Here's a piece of advice for any of you out there (not Elle, of course, as she's on top of it! and I'm darn ...

I saw in the comments that Bonnie Hunter covers her ironing boards with freezer paper. Hmm -- I wonder why that product? Wouldn't the freezer paper be slippery? 

I'm a convert to the terry towel on the ironing surface. I wish I had known about that earlier; it never occurred to me. This piece of fabric had a crease down the center, and that crease pressed out like it was butter. I used steam, of course. And then everything else I pressed that day was excellent. I would think the terry towel will prevent the steam from dripping through ...

We all survived the weekend! There were five Zooms, which I hope will never happen again. I have no one to blame but myself. But all is good! Going forward, it will be different. In the fall, I've decided that I'll do my teaching on two weekends, and that will leave room to schedule them so they don't fall on a weekend with a special event, or if I need to move them because of travel, there is some flexibility. No more than two a day, and so on. I have set guidelines, and I won't ...

I don't know what to say this morning, and that's a first. 

OK—I'm kidding, but I had a very eye-opening experience this morning. If I were of sound mind (which I'm not), I'd go downstairs and take every pattern in those boxes, bundle them up, and take them somewhere. I don't know where, but somewhere. I have NO RIGHT to even consider starting a new project. 

What happened to traumatize me? I'm working on this MASSIVE project for my concurrent show next week at Quilt Canada. It's called Celebrating 25 Years ...

It's time for a reality check! I did say that there was NOTHING in July; however, that is false. I have a LOT of writing to do in July. I love writing, and I can do it on my time—even in the middle of the night if I want. So yes, I will be busy in July; there just won't be classes. That's why we have editors—they remind us of our commitments and keep us on track! 

Today is going to be a traumatic day for our house. Miss Lexi has to get some dental ...

 It's funny how you have an entire day to sew, yet I didn't get much done! How does that work? I was on the phone for two lengthy conversations. I took both calls outside, and neither had issues hearing me. Was it my lucky day? Or are things looking up with my cell phone? 

I've noticed a heron flying overhead several times while walking the dogs. Is it flying to my house? I want to run home to see, but I'm pretty sure that with their large wingspan, it wouldn't feel comfortable coming into our ...

Thanks for the tip on eliminating SO from my vocabulary. That's all good advice. I used those techniques to switch "hit" with touch or select. This, too, will happen, but until you are aware, you can't change a thing! It's like the quote from the other day. 

Quote of the day

Self-awareness is crucial to self-improvement, but most of us are unaware of the little annoying things we do. Getting constructive criticism or someone to film you is key to fixing that. I understand that no one wants to watch themselves on video, but ignore how you ...

YES --- I like SmartWool as well. I have one pair! When I first bought hiking socks, I bought several brands! It was just that I noticed the bottom disappearing slowly on the WrightSock! 

My SmartWool sock

I just went to their website, and WOW—it's easy to pick what you want, as they have a checklist. It's very civilized. I signed up for the newsletter and got 15% off. I might be buying some new socks today! 

I must check with my brother, as the socks he buys have a lifetime guarantee. They are more expensive, but they ...

So here I am at the retreat house! It was a challenge getting everything organized, but it's all done! And can you tell me why this happens? I had a drawer from the fridge that had been sitting on the counter for weeks (I know—not a priority) and needed to be washed. I then needed to wipe down that part of the fridge. I hate housework—can you tell? 

But that needed to be washed before I left yesterday! And the fridge got wiped down, but I see the entire fridge needs to be emptied and wiped down ...

People always say they can't wait to go on vacation. Do you know that prepping for vacation or even a couple of days away is one of my most stressful things? There is so much stuff to prepare, so much planning. It's one of the reasons my life at home is so routine—same breakfast, same lunch. There's zero mental ability expended on those tasks!

I'm not sure how I'm going to cope with planning for this upcoming vacation. I've left it to DH, which I know I shouldn't do! After Quilt Canada ...

WOW --- I hear you loud and clear. We do not like scents. So if we don't, who are those products marketed to? Maybe younger people. Anyway -- they won't be coming into my house! Thanks for all the comments and suggestions! 

I'm happy to report that the articles are finished for now. Well, that's not true. I have one more that I need to write, but it's not super urgent, so I can stall on it a bit. That gives me some flexibility in getting back to the paperwork and the emails, and there are many ...

I have a question to ask, and I don't mean to offend anyone by asking—that is not my intent. I'm merely curious. Is there anyone out there who uses scented laundry products? That could be detergent or dryer sheets. I'm curious because the scent is too strong for my nose. And I think that's just because I've become so used to NO scent that anything out of the ordinary becomes too much. 

Even walking in the neighborhood and smelling the dryer sheets from vents, if someone is drying clothes, is too much for my ...