What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Thanks for the suggestions on computers—I'll look into them because I'd love to get the old computer off the second desk! It takes up a lot of room! 

There was a lot of trepidation in the house as I unboxed the second HP printer. This time, I took pictures as I unboxed it. There's that heavy paper strap around the shrink-wrapped printer. And it worked like a charm. No need to bend deep to pull the printer out of the box. I was very impressed. 

Pull on the heavy cardboard strip to remove the printer

Then ...

 OH MY GOODNESS --- Someone mentioned in the comments that Southern California is already in fire season. Our thoughts are with you, and we hope there are no serious fires. We are so at the mercy of the weather in all we do and how we live our lives. 

I could go down that slippery slope of climate change, but I won't. All I have to do is think back on my short life to see that the weather is NOT the same as it was when I was a kid! 

Well, what a day it was yesterday. It was ...

Have you ever had one of those days? You have things planned, and all the tools and supplies are in place, and then BAM - something goes wrong, and the rest of the day aligns with that? That was yesterday!

The first item on the agenda was to set up the new printer so I could print the pattern I needed to make the blocks for the class on Saturday. How hard can that be? It's a printer. Right? Wrong! 

I unboxed the printer, which I thought was very cleverly packaged. The printer was on its side in the box ...

After getting some feedback from people, I'm glad M is using the trim from her dress for the wedding. Someone else dismantled their lace wedding hat, so her daughter could use it to wrap her bouquet! It was worth the four hours to take it apart!

To answer the question about the community project quilts, the group of 11 I'm working on is NOT among the ones Diane made. Someone did me a favor and picked up a bunch of scraps I was using to make scrap quilts for more community project quilts. She was looking for scraps ...

OH MY --- someone mentioned in the comments about Mary Ellen's book -- "It's OK if you sit on my quilt." Indeed, there were NO quilt police for her! Mary Ellen was quite the spitfire - I heard that from the shop owner where I used to hang out. And definitely, there were no quilt police in Mary Ellen's life. It's a great book. All three of her books that I have (well, technically, now two) are amazing. The amount of detail, flexibility, and freedom she gives is refreshing. 

We need NEW books like that. Books that give you ...

I see I am not the only one who pushes the long arm to the limits! Yes—you can get away with minimal excess on the backing, BUT only if it is your quilt and you are the operator! It's fiddly, and you must babysit that thing along all the edges! And sometimes things happen, like when the pin (I no longer use clamps) that holds the elastic grip on the side gets caught on the machine bed. I had to do a wee bit of ripping yesterday. But not a big deal because I was standing there and ...

OK --- I'm sitting here with tears streaming down my face, and I can't help it. They are tears of joy, but still. And even when I got ahold of myself and then came back to edit, these pictures still bring tears to my eyes. 

I just had a quick peek at Facebook before I started writing, and I spotted this post. I knew my nephew, who recently got his pilot's license and bought a small plane, wanted to fly from Winnipeg to visit with my parents in North Battleford. It's about 840 km. 

When I talked ...

Happy Mother's Day

I must say, it feels great to get back to sewing, and, well, I just picked a "random" project to work on. Actually, it's on my Visual To-Do list under UFO, so I'm allowed to work on it! I had picked five projects under the UFO category, and my plan is to finish them all this year. They are in various states of completion. 

When I first started the sew-along quilts, in year two (2004), we did something different. Instead of choosing one large quilt, we picked two small quilts from a four-season collection ...

I received some shocking news yesterday while I was at the gym, and big changes are coming for me! OK -- I'm exaggerating, but for me, it will be a big change. I will not be like my parents -- I will embrace the change, although it's very upsetting. What happened? 

I learned that Joseph, the most amazing spin class instructor, was LET GO!!! No one seems to know why, and I don't have his contact information, but I'm going to try to find it so I can reach out to him. I'm also going to write ...

Oh my --- What a crazy day, but it was a great day!! Three things went off without a hitch! 

I was up early and had those suitcases loaded in the car - the girls were NOT happy that I was leaving without taking them for a walk. More on that in a bit. 

The drive was great even though there was a lot of traffic. A lot of truck traffic, but no accidents, so that was a bonus. I didn't have time for accidents or major slowdowns. 

The Thames Valley Quilt Guild is a great group of people, and OH ...

You are the BEST!!!! Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. I don't have time to digest them this morning, as I need to be on the road shortly for my guild presentation. I'll be at the Thames Valley Quilter's Guild, and it's an hour and a half to get there. Their meeting starts at 9:30, which I think is the most civilized thing I've heard from any guild. A large percentage of guilds meet in the evenings because many members work, but I would no longer go out to an evening guild as ...

I'm home, but it might have been faster to walk! OK -- I'm kidding, but there were a few hiccups along the way. 

As I lay in bed the night before, I contemplated the issue with my mom. Do I leave it and deal with it next time? Should I try to talk to her healthcare workers and have them broach the subject with her? Do I ask my aunt to deal with it? I decided to be a big girl and address it with both of them during my short morning visit before I left for the airport ...

You are all too funny, but the bottom line is that you catch more or accomplish more with sugar than with being rude. It's not sucking up in the least, but simply respect. If I could change one thing in the world, it would be for everyone to have more respect for everything, not just people, but property, the earth, animals, and each other. 

Well, it was an interesting day, and as usual, when you ask if there is anything that needs fixing or doing, the answer is no. Then, as the day rolls on, OH MY --- the little ...

I love the stories of people's post op knee surgery! I love that people are PREPARED for the recovery and their reduced mobility. That's what I call sanity!! Good luck with the recoveries - I know there are two of you who very recently had knee replacements! Probably about a week apart! 

My two presentations for today are done! I need to stop tweaking them! My brain just goes on and on, not stopping as I dream up more examples and do more research to help the students. I can only hope that they watch the presentation, get inspired ...

While I got things done, it was a frustrating day! Why? My computer just seemed to have an upset tummy! I couldn't open apps (trust me—they call them apps on the computer now instead of programs—it drives me mad) on my computer. I rebooted MULTIPLE times. I even shut the computer off and let it sit by itself to contemplate life as a dead object, and even then, I struggled. I'm not sure what that was all about. 

I did not get the blue screen of death - I got WHITE. 

Not a good sign when you ...

I love how we all have similar interests!!! And we have no end to the creativity and fun we have while doing those. I got a picture from Lynn, and she used the orange collage fabric in her butterfly quilt! It was probably used near the bottom in that orange bit? But maybe also on the border. 

Another use of the collage fabric

Either way --- it's a fun fabric, but I won't be searching for more. I have my fat quarter of orange, and that's good enough for me. 

As for doing puzzles on the computer -- that ...

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with the HST fetish! They are easy to make and reduce the amount of waste quilts produce. Did you know that textiles are among the largest items in landfills? I'm sure lots of that comes from fast fashion, but I bet quilting and cotton fabrics are right up there! 

PLUS --- these units are small and will not take up much room, so as we downsize, we can still sew lots without requiring a ton of fabric. You will always have enough fabric, and you'll never run out ...

Ah -- the weather! Yes -- it's pretty amazing how different the weather can be, even in nearby locations. Those different weather conditions have given our sewing group a chuckle from time to time. Because we all live in different locations but are somewhat close to each other, we can forecast what is coming to the others! It's especially neat during a thunderstorm! OK -- that's when we are on a call. 

Most of our snow disappeared yesterday, even though it was only zero. The sun was out for a bit, and that sun is mighty powerful! One had to ...

What a day! I got out my bucket of cables and other supplies as I was setting up the cameras for today's Facebook Live. No fear of losing a tripod since they are relatively large, and I keep the two video cameras attached to them. The third tripod is for my cell phone or the iPad since I now have a holder for it. 

Tripods and cameras - check!

Bucket of cables and document camera - check!

And then there is the swtichbox. As I was sorting through the cables (I ...

OH - I love the fact that puzzles helped calm someone down. I can see that. I find it extremely relaxing to sit and work on a jigsaw puzzle. I am going to try to always have one on the go since I have learned how to tackle my addiction to them. 

MOVE OVER MOM!!!! 

Hello everyone, this is Murphy and Lexi, and we have something to say. 

It's the girls -- Murphy and Lexi!!!

We love our Mom, and she is very good to us, although we do NOT get nearly as many treats as we need. We are starving ...