What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Can you believe that the year 2020 is officially half over already?  My brain is still stuck back in February, before the whole world came to a screeching halt and we all woke up at the Mad Hatter's tea party with Alice in Wonderland...  

One of my favorite practices as a creative arts entrepreneur is to keep a business journal. As the leader of your business, you have so many hats to juggle that it helps to have a place to track those ideas. It also helps you make decisions about where to grow your business and yourself.

I know that my clients who keep a business journal, find it extremely valuable, a real difference-maker in their businesses. This is true regardless if journaling is done in a pretty book, on an iPad, or with our weekly Success and Strategy Summit tool.

Have you ...

We try to take Sunday as a day of rest.  Grandpa & Granny never let us work in the garden on Sunday - especially planting.  They said "nothing good wood come of it".  So, we try not to.  It's hard for us.  Yesterday we kept talking about all the things we needed to do.  I knew we would fall into the trap of working, so I suggested we take a little drive.  I was antsy to get some work done and knew I didn't have the willpower to hold back.  I always feel that way after I have had a ...

"Brother Bear"  ~37.5" X 43" Working from the stacked, numbered, boxes in the closet I am endeavoring to finish one UFO each month until the end of the year. May's box contained all the elements for this precious little hand embroidered baby quilt, I even had all of the fabrics selected for the setting "logs" but scrapped them because it was too busy. I did keep chosen the border and backing

"Brother Bear"  ~37.5" X 43" Working from the stacked, numbered, boxes in the closet I am endeavoring to finish one UFO each month until the end of the year. May's box contained all the elements for this precious little hand embroidered baby quilt, I even had all of the fabrics selected for the setting "logs" but scrapped them because it was too busy. I did keep chosen the border and backing

Hello and happy Monday, Friends. Today I’m writing about a favorite topic of mine, and I’ve also filmed a video discussion of these ideas. I know things are crazy everywhere now, so I feel like these 11 Productivity Tips for Quilters are pretty timely. Whether you are getting a lot accomplished these days or are […]

The post 11 Productivity Tips for Quilters appeared first on A Quilting Life.

It has been seven weeks since my last outing with friends, and I am hitting a wall.   The only activity we’ve had is going to the post office and grocery store once a week, otherwise we are at home.  We did take a short drive to see the apple blossoms, but we were a bit too late for them.  I’ve tried my best to find different things to do, ways to fill the time, creative ideas to try to inspire and help me keep from pulling my hair out in boredom.  I’ve done a bit of photography ...

It is a new month ( finally). Time to focus on 3 UFos for the month of May. I want to make a top of the unicorn quilt I started 2 years ago for my Granddaughter. I am winging it for the pattern. I have a unicorn panel and I want to make it bigger.

Last week's to do
1. start quilted twins mystery
This was an adventure- In all this house of fabric, I couldn't find enough brown or gold for the constants in this mystery quilt. I started looking online for any suitable fabric. I didn't see any that thrilled me. I wasn't going to risk going out. Then, Joann fabric sent a coupon for curbside pick up. hmm. It took 2 attempts, but I found what I wanted. I was very frustrated in the end, but I have the fabric. That is as far as I got.

Last week I posted that I was feeling somewhat aimless with all these days of being at home stretching out before me.  I made some goals, and posted those (Staying Busy in Challenging Times), and I’ve been working on them.  I think this is easier for me than most because I have so much space to leave things up.  I can move from piecing, to handwork to longarming as I want.  When I am tired of sitting, I can stand for a while.  So, I have several projects going at once.  Scrap Dance Twist is accelerating the pace, so ...

A month ago none of us would have known that we were going to be where we are today.  If you had known, what would YOU have done differently (besides stock up on toilet paper...LOL)?  How are you doing right now?  My prayer is that you are all doing well.  I have watched the sometimes funny social media memes depicting everything from how parents are handling new-to-them homeschooling to concerns about grocery shortages.  Would you have lived your life the same way?

I never knew how to 100% explain the rationale why Hubs and I live the way we ...

What does your to-do list look like?

I just added a book to mine. Admittedly, I did not just add it; it has been there a while. I just cannot get to it. More realistically, I don’t make the time to get to it.

Let’s get real honest.

My list includes lots of other things of varying import from ziplining to a trip in June to Ireland to working on my latest social media campaign to polishing my Photoshop skills to making a quilt for my niece who graduates from high school in May to …. Lots of business ...

March is going to be an exciting month! Today my sweet grand daughter is celebrating her 3rd birthday! Then later this coming week, her little sister will make her entrance to this world of ours! My daughter in law is scheduled for a C-Section on Thursday assuming the labor and delivery department isn’t overwhelmed with other babies arriving that day. I am so excited to see this baby and to learn her name. My son and his wife like to know the gender ahead of time and they save the name to be announced when the baby arrives. However ...

I am really hoping to get more time to sew this month but it seems all our weekends are busy already so I'm not sure about that really. Anyway, I'll throw a few goals/ dreams on my list and see how many I manage in the end!

Quilting:
1. Dear Jane - finish row E

(Now I can't get that song out of my head!)

I told you I was going to need an intervention, but you didn't believe me.  The thing about being a gardener is you sit all winter and wish it was spring/summer.  You plan for all the things you will grow.  You plan for all the new things you have never tried.  You think about past successes and failures.  Then those seed catalogs start coming.  You envision your garden somewhat like this:

Have you ever found yourself procrastinating, overwhelmed, or just plain stuck when it comes to getting your work done?

Recently I did a webinar called “From To Do to Ta Da Done!” about how to get more — and the right — work done.

I think of it as a simple five-step process. Of course, simple does not always make it easy.

Step 1 — Clarity

Are you clear on the big picture?

If you do not know where you are going or why, you are going to stay stuck.

Think about a time when you knew what you needed to do and ...

I recently got back from two weeks in Aruba.

I had a lovely time. Sun and sand, good meals, good books, new friends.

Just as each day at home, I was open to any lesson that was waiting for me. Here are four.

Start where you are

One of the things I love about the resort where we stay is its focus on making wellness available. I can choose from 3-4 exercise classes every day. I usually workout in the gym, take a mile walk along the beach and then go to a yoga or stretch class.

The second day ...

It is February!! A. new month means another goal to set for what I will accomplish in the sewing room. This month I plan to finish assembling the quilt top I am making with the Mosaic Mystery QAL hosted by Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs.

I have really enjoyed making this quilt and it is exciting to be this close to finishing up the top. Cheryl did such a great job with the drafting of this pattern. Her instructions were great. One would think this would make it easy for me to ...

February is a short but also very busy month in our house with all the birthday celebrations. Time to sew will for sure be reduced. There are so many projects I would love to work on though. I am lucky to start this month with a full "sewing day". Let see what I can get to...