What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

OH  --- Elle mentioned in the comments about waiting to see the BIG totals at the end of the year. The number of quilts made, donated, the fabric used, etc. 

I am NOT good with that kind of stuff! Well, I am, sort of. I do have some tallies, but I doubt I've captured everything. I have a folder called "year-end review," and I think I put pictures in it at the beginning of the year, but it's missing lots. However, even the stuff I remember from the last couple of months will be impressive. 

I'm now at ...

Oh my --- we seem to be having some PASSIONATE discussions on our Zoom calls lately. Yes -- I am pretty opinionated, and well, some of those discussions come onto the blog, as in the cost of those fabric kits. I have another issue about that, but no time this morning. 

I will say that we are all still friends and have no hard feelings. We did have a great time at the Virtual Retreat, and we met Debbie again, who has walked a Camino! That was exciting, but I didn't want to bore the rest of the group to death ...

Well, it was a crazy day, and I got lots done. I just didn't get everything done that I had hoped to! Why is that? Because everything takes a long time to do and I did a few extra things. So I'll be working on that other stuff later today!

There is a thief amongst us, and I will have to do something about it. I hate when people do things behind you and don't come clean. 

Who is the thief? Well, she has four legs and lots of hair. I was in the kitchen, and I ...

I have a class and a club today, and am I prepared? NO!! 

Why? Because I was doing something else yesterday instead of prepping. There is NO ONE to blame but myself. Part of what I was doing yesterday was sewing for today, and one of the presentations is completely done - I just have to load some pictures into the second presentation, and I have time for that later this morning. So while not 100% prepped, not far from being finished. 

In case you wonder how I can get so many steps in a day -- here's the thing. As ...

 A note about the BIG guys, like my "favorite" online store. Someone commented about Wal-Mart, which was probably the first big store to take over the retail market. I remember when they opened up a store in my small community -- no one wanted to shop anywhere else. 

And let's think about the quilting community for a second. Who do we know that is doing the exact same thing? Yep -- that is the Missouri Star Quilt Company. Think about it -- they exist in a small town that was dying, so they were able to buy up a bunch of cheap ...

How many of you checked out the challenges the other day? For one of them, the idea popped into my head when I read the title and saw the colors. I've done some research, and it's possible, but it will require a wee bit of finagling to make it happen the way I want. The best time to start is NOW. 

OK -- so hopefully, some of you watched that 10-minute video on the Amazon tour. It's quite fascinating, but that does NOT make me want to buy from them. Not in the least. And I think they ...

Thank goodness I don't live alone. I would NEVER sleep. Well, that's not true, I would go to bed early and then be up at a ridiculously early time, but I seem to function best like that. DH is away, so I got up a little earlier than usual, and I've been so productive! I tried not to send any e-mail so people wouldn't think I'm a nut! Since he's gone, I didn't need to be quiet! 

So you've all heard the premise of six degrees of separation, which implies that NO ...

 Oh my -- it would appear that I'm back in the swing of things, and it only took one day! I have guild presentations this month -- some on Zoom and some in person. I have to travel to a quilt show (Courtepoint Quebec Salon 2022) for work. Oui -  in French, no less, and there are new store openings, classes, demos, and lectures to prepare! Yikes --- I knew this was all coming, so I'm not surprised. It just seems that I went from ZERO to 100 in 60 seconds. 

Actually, it's not all that bad -- it's just a ...

OH MY --- it's back to the ROUTINE! I'm on my way to spin class this morning, and I hope they let me in! I had put my membership on hold, and I see they put the return date as Novemer 30! I tried to get it changed the other day,, and they noted that I'll be in this morning. Then I can get it changed. I'm sure it will work out just fine! But it feels a bit weird to be in my cycling shorts!

I'm happy to report that the LAST of the eleventh ...

Choke! GASP! 

Did I actually write that? Yes, I did, and as I've said all along, I have zero problem buying from them, but I MINDFULLY buy from them. 

I bought my quick dry undies -- thanks to Lulu Lemon, those should arrive by Monday. I needed the water bottle holder for the backpack -- could ONLY find those on Amazon as well, as a clip to use with any disposable water bottle. And the last thing I need, which I could have bought at MEC but totally forgot was a holder for my cell phone. DUH!!! It was on the ...

I have less than one week left before I leave. So far, no changes in the plane schedule. Am I getting things crossed off that list? YES -- but it doesn't seem like I'm moving fast enough! And I was up way past my bedtime last night. I was working on a customer quilt and went with a very dense pattern, the quilt was HUGE, and it took a long time to get it done. 

The good news is that I was sewing while that was happening, so I got a fair bit done in the sewing department. However ...

I'm sure all of you are in the habit of reading labels. Here's an interesting thing about milk and milk substitutes. I remember many years ago when M started buying almond milk. "Oh, Mom -- you should try it -- it's the best." My response:" NO. I don't want to drink that stuff- it tastes terrible and doesn't have the same nutrients as regular milk. Not touching it!" And we had numerous discussions about it. 

At some point, I tried it, and I never looked back. I LOVE almond milk now, and while I sometimes have to ...

The clock is ticking, and I wrote a list of everything I must do before leaving. I'm in good shape, although as much as I'm trying to be ahead of the game, I'm sure I'll be running around on the last day like an idiot! 

I still haven't bought all my clothes! And certainly haven't packed - I mean, what's to pack? Someone asked about my backpack's weight and where I came up with the 10 lbs limit. 

So here's the theory -- I'm NOT doing what they call a thru-hike, so ...

I had to laugh yesterday as the mystery book I was listening to mentioned the Camino! One of the potential suspects was walking the Camino, which ruled them out as a suspect! How timely!

Over the years, millions of "pilgrims" have walked the Camino, and many have written books about their journey. I've read the Jane Christmas book (What the Physic told the Pilgrim) -- that was probably the first one I read. I know there's a movie (The Way) I will watch when I get back. Watch that trailer -- it makes me cry!!!! I've seen the Shirley ...

So before I tell you all about the back, let's talk about the firsts! 

As you are probably aware, I love to find geocaches. Now I'm not a huge geocache person as I haven't hit 600 yet, but I like to do it from time to time. And it's something fun to do in a location you are visiting. As with all things I love, there are many ways to measure what you do - the number of caches you find, the level of difficulty, the size of the container, and many other things. One thing that ...

Do you ever have one of those quilts you can't get right? I have one, and I swear that every time I turn around, there's another mistake in the darn thing. Don't get me wrong -- this is not a pattern issue; this is an operator issue! 

We had our last class for Wonderful Woodland yesterday, and I'll share the pictures later this week as I give the others (and myself) time to get caught up. But I swear, the last three blocks have been a nightmare. I made the wolf block at a retreat in May ...

I got LUCKY!!! Even though that grey fabric is years old, I found a shop in Ontario that still has it in stock! Yeah! She will be sending me a half meter next week, so I can make the binding for my quilt! As I said -- I got lucky, and it wasn't critical that I use that fabric for the binding, as I could have found something else. Still, it shows that you must be flexible in creating something, especially from fabric you purchased years ago, because you might not find more if you need it!

I was busy ...

I'm going to have to start blogging at night! I know some people like to read the blog over coffee or breakfast in the morning, and well -- I'm going to be late. Not too late, but it'll have to be short!

Why? Because I started reading a darn audiobook -- that's why! I started it yesterday - only 9 hours, but the darn thing is a page-turner (so to speak!). 

I listened with my big headphones on while I was out setting up the sprinkler, then I sat at the kitchen table while I waited 20 minutes to ...

Seriously? Fireworks because of a full moon? At 11 PM? I would have run to the park and yelled at them if I was decent. No one needs to have fireworks on a full moon. Although, based on history, I guess fireworks are pretty tame for a full moon evening. Actually, I think it was a super moon, so of course, that justifies the fireworks. Thankfully, it was only for a minute, but I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was woken up. 

WAIT -- I sleep with the windows open rather than rely on the air conditioner ...

 I seem to be taking my sweet time to unpack everything from the retreat. It's SUMMER, and I'm in summer mode -- slow, and I'm OK with that. 

They are making progress in leaps and bounds in the front yard, and the girls and I christened the patio last night. 

The new front patio

They still have some stuff to plant, but the three "big" trees are in. Let's not forget my little patch of grass has to go in. I don't want it; the landscaper does. I'll let him win, but then, I might ...