What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

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 ...

YES—absolutely YES—you can break down a longer task into 60-minute or less segments. I'm going to do that once I finish the smaller tasks. It's just all about getting something done that has been sitting around for a long time. 

And on that note, this happened yesterday. 

I will be honest about it. All day yesterday, I knew I had a small project to do for my 60-minute or less challenge. Hmm - let's call that a goal, not a challenge. Anyway, it was only when I woke up this morning that I realized that I ...

If this week is indicative of the pace of retirement, I say bring it on! Having only two classes this coming weekend is the only urgent thing I'm dealing with. That's not true since I'm also writing, but the pace is manageable, and I have time to goof off if I want. I can deal with that. 

Well, this weather is helping, as I have no desire to stay outside and lounge in the gazebo. I could freeze to death if I did that! And it's not really going to warm up for weeks. That's ...

I haven't purchased anything yet, but I'm going to! Thanks for the recommendation on the Garmin tracker. I guess the bottom line is that I won't be going back to FitBit. 

So here's the silly thing about charging devices. It is highly recommended not to charge your devices 100%. I don't understand the technology, but something about the battery (obviously) and how charging to the max is not good for the battery's life. 

WAIT -- I can Google that to find the answer. OK -- have you Googled anything lately? If so, have you noticed what ...

Another day—another appointment. This time it was for the girls. Let's just say the day was traumatic for all. 

It started with them going outside to discover that a rabbit was in the backyard. However, the rabbit was quicker than they were and scooted under the fence. But then the big investigation started. Why was that rabbit in the backyard? Was it digging a nest? And so on. 

MOM -- that rabbit was here!