What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

It's in the 70s and 80s in Australia right now.  Our low tonight is 4 degrees.  I should really focus on what the weather will be there when we are having our summer, but it's hard when the air bites your face.  The ice hangs from the barns and the high tunnel looks more like a snow tunnel.  I reflect on the Spring flowers blowing in the breeze while I started seeds last year.  Patience grasshopper....

I quilted another Koala quilt.  Can you smell the eucalyptus?  

Here's a random question....what is your favorite mammal?  I love hippos.  I know they are ruthless.  Here are some unneeded facts about hippos:  A hippo can open it's mouth wide enough to fit a 4' child.  Hippos sweat their own sunblock.  When hippos are upset, their sweat turns red.  Hippos can't swim or float.  (They actually walk around.)  Hippos closest living relatives are whales and porpoises.  See, not only is my blog goofy, but it is educational!  LOL  

I have a grandson who loves whales.  When I saw this quilt...well, you know what happened.

I remember in the 70s when owls were so popular.  Mustard and avocado green (even that orange - remember??) graced kitchens all around the country.  I think one of my aunts had canisters, cookie jars, trivets and towels all with owls on them.  I think I even remember another aunt who did macrame and made everyone an owl wallhanging.  Everything comes full circle, so they say.  Now owls are all the rage again.

So, I wasn't surprised when these owls showed up in the shop mail.

When I first started longarming, I wondered if I would get bored with it.  Would it start to feel like a job in a factory?  As I watched quilts come to life with each stitch, I just knew it wouldn't happen.  I remember how excited I was when I hit the 1000 mark - yes, that's 1000 customer quilts.  I've been longarming for customers for 18 years.  Guess what??  I'm STILL not bored!  Each and every quilt offers a learning opportunity as well as the excitement of bringing them to life.  When I bought the second machine ...

When April Cornell came out with the Poetry line of fabric, it was love at first sight!  What I wouldn't do to have some of those ticking fabrics right now.  Here's a little secret - ticking fabric is a weakness for me.  Look at this pic and you can see the 'feel' of the line.  (stolen from Google)

We made this as the lighter version of ...

When I was doing the sewing room clean-up and getting rid of the totes, I found this is in the tote of UFOs.  It looked done.  But when I pulled it out, there it was - all it needed was two more borders!  Seemed easy enough....I pulled it out and added the final two borders.  I was all caught up on customer quilts, so out to the shop it went to get quilted.

We had our guild meeting last night via zoom.  I sat there - just staring at the screen.  The presenter did a great job.  But, I sat there staring.  I've been to more than my share of zoom meetings, microsoft team meetings, etc.  I've even virtually baked cookies!  Is this what we have become?  I think I am getting old.  *sigh*  I used to say that social media has turned our younger generation into a generation that will lose it's warmth.  I've been concerned that they will not know how to handle face-to-face conflict or interaction.  In ...

What does being a diva mean to you?  Are you a diva?  Before you answer that, here is one of the dictionary definitions of a diva:

a self-important person who is temperamental and difficult to please (typically used of a woman).

That is just flat out rude.  LOL  Now, I know I am not a diva! 

I remember when the Quilt Diva craze started.  There was fabric.  There were patterns.  It was worse than the Red Hat Ladies!  Of course we had to make up a quilt with one of the patterns.  We did the Amy Bradley one, which was ...

I have blogged before about quilts I have made over the years - some of them I love, some, well, not so much.  As a shop owner, you are tasked with making samples.  Samples of new patterns, samples of new fabric lines and samples for classes are all necessary to help customers envision what the fabric/pattern would look like.  Not everyone has the same taste as you, so you have to stretch yourself.  Sometimes you end up liking something way out of your comfort zone, so I never really minded much.

When I made this Christmas Ribbons quilt, I absolutely ...

Prodigal Son, Army Son and their families went to Florida to see Princess Daughter.  While they were gone, we kept Prodigal Son's puppy, Copper.  We had forgotten what it was like to have a sweet, time-sucking puppy around.  He was such a snuggler.  They came to pick him up last night and we were discussing their trip.  I asked how Puddin Pop did on the plane (she's flown before) and Army Son's wife told me the cutest story.  They hit some pretty rough turbulence on their flight to Chicago.  She had a white-knuckle grip on Prodigal Son ...

I still am of the opinion that Eleanor Burns (Quilt in a Day) has some of the easiest directions out there.  We've taught a lot of her classes and have had her trunk shows in the shop more than once.  While she does 'waste' some fabric, she makes it easy for a beginner quilter to accomplish intermediate construction.  I've met her at several shows and she is NOTHING like she is on her TV show.  She is the kindest, sweetest person ever, but she doesn't have that 'baby talk' voice in real life that sends my Hubs ...

 It has been waaaaaaay too long since I've done a show and tell post and I have so many great quilts to show you. Sit back and enjoy!

This fabulous quilt by Val,

You've seen a quilt similar to this one before - it's those stinkin cute Koalas!  The pattern is by Elizabeth Hartman and is called.....wait for it....."Koalas".  LOL  This customer made another baby quilt with this pattern - I think the other ones I did were larger - and sent it in to us to be quilted.  She requested blue thread that would show up but not take away from the quilt.  The allover she chose "2020".  I had to giggle.

So many people want to forget 2020, but I'm with the customer.  I don't have a problem ...

I wanted to have this one up for Veteran's Day, but my binding fingers just weren't fast enough.  When I was quilting Gilly's Stars and Stripes, I was thinking 'this quilt doesn't look like what I remember it looking like'.  Ummm, that's because I was thinking of a different quilt!  I had totally forgotten about that one and was thinking of this one when I thought about that allover design.  Funny thing is -- this runner hasn't been hanging up for a long time.  It's relatively newer.  They say the first thing to go ...

Don't you just love a good "A-Ha" moment?  You know the one....you are going about your day and an idea just smacks you upside the head.  I love them!

I had just finished doing a snowflake allover design on a customer's Christmas quilt when I looked over at the flimsie rack.  This little guy was over there whispering for me to come get him off the rack.  After some cRaZy negotiating, he convinced me he didn't want to wait to be custom quilted.  He wanted to just have snowflakes.  I was a pretty easy mark, as ...

Yup - I finished another UFO!  This was a class I taught - I'm pretty sure it was one of our mystery quilts.  I miss those Friday Night Mystery Quilt nights!  We had so much fun.  Usually, we brought potluck.  Class started at 6 and went until midnight-ish.  The best part of it was the fellowship.  Why does this virus have to take away our fellowship?  *sigh*

I do love batiks.  I go back and forth between traditional and batiks when it comes to fabric.  I think that's why we stock so many.  (We have hundreds of bolts in stock ...

Batik fabrics are so bold and full of life.  There is just something about them that draws you in.  I haven't been able to show you most of the quilts I have been longarming for customers because they have been Christmas gifts.  One was a show quilt and there are 'rules'....

These two bunny quilts aren't Christmas gifts, so I am comfortable in showing them to you.  The customer wanted the bunny allover design.

The one that starts with a pink bunny at the top has a beautiful pink batik for the backing.

The one that starts with ...

There was a trend years ago where everyone was making mason jar quilts.  This image was taken from Google.  (I chose one with the website listed to give credit to the maker/designer.)

This one is called Lemon Zest.  I just quilted and bound it.  It's another flimsie/UFO that is now finished ...

As a shop owner one of the things you are tasked with doing is making samples to show off new fabric lines.  We used to carry all of the Thimbleberries - all of the fabric, all of the books, all of the patterns.  At some point the 'groupies' for a certain designer/style start to fall off and they try to adapt to current trends.  Makes good business sense, right?  Lynette Jensen tried to do just that when she came out with the Cottagewood line.  I'll be completely honest here - I was not a fan of the focus prints for ...

Some quilters will throw out a challenge every January based on what year it is.  For example:  10 quilts in 2010.  Up until about 2015 (think 15 quilt finishes), I participated.  Then, life got in the way.  I'm absolutely amazed at the ladies who are striving for 20 in 2020!  For me, having all the flimsies (finished tops that just need quilted) from shop samples and class samples, it seems like a great challenge to get some of them completed.  I even will challenge myself to quilt a flimsie if I 'allow' myself to piece yet another.  Back when ...