What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Someone had asked me a while back if I was excited about this trip. It's hard to get excited when there is so much work to be done and so many things happening between now and then. Even now, when the departure is fast approaching, it's hard to get excited. I'll be excited when I step on the plane. 

Yesterday was a very long day, but I'm happy to report that the project I was working on is done. Or I should say complete enough that it looks done. There's a wee bit of hand ...

 Lots of questions today! 

First, Lexi and Muprhy have a babysitter to keep them company. I'm afraid I'm going to come home to find them with many new bad habits! But that's OK. They will get short walks, so they won't be totally wild when I return. I HOPE! 

How will DH cope? I'm not sure, but one thing -- he will NOT be climbing the mountain. He is doing his thing for the days I'll be in high altitude. It wasn't even up for discussion! 

The portable office? Well, the only reason I ...

The countdown is on for this trip, and I'm pretty much organized. I packed my small backpack yesterday - the important one with my protein bars, all the medication, and a few other things, like three pairs of glasses! I have a few other small things to pack, but it should easily be under 10 lbs. 

I got a chuckle as we've heard many times about small planes that you need to get from one destination to another, which we have to take for parts of this trip. I believe the maximum weight per passenger is 20 KG, and ...

Yes -- I need to figure out how to change the stride on this new fitness tracker. I haven't found that yet, BUT I found the sleep app. Someone at the retreat mentioned that they use the sleep app to monitor their sleep, and I dismissed it. How can this app know so much about your sleep from a little band around your wrist? You think I would know better by now. 

So I did that last night. And I had looked at my previous night's sleep. OMG -- it's pretty bang on. And the snoring? There's even ...

Thanks for the vinegar tip! I need a spray bottle for the vinegar to make it easier to apply. And I know where to get a great one. I've heard that before, but never got myself organized to make that happen. 

Shoot --- something bizarre happened in the morning and I was going to tell you about it, but it's gone! Maybe by the time I finish writing this morning, it'll come back to me. Anyway, I finished getting everything ready and packed it all into the car. There actually wasn't too much this time. Some items ...

I WAS going to say Rose of Sharon!! I am quite confused about plants, but I believe you are correct! It's hard to believe that my paternal grandfather and mother had green thumbs, yet I struggle to name even a few plants in my garden. 

But I was attempting to use my pale green thumbs as I puttered in the garden in the morning. More in a second. 

It was another fun day at the Virtual Retreat. Our new hours are 3 PM to approximately 9 PM EST, in case you'd like to join us in the future ...

Oh my goodness — everyone was in such a chatty mood last night, it was hard to get a word in edgewise! But that is great! We had some fantastic discussions, and I always learn a great deal from them. Remember, the Virtual Retreat starts today at 3 PM. Pushing back that start time is another way for me to recover some time for myself! I can always open the call earlier if people want, but I won't be there until three. 

I'm getting back into the swing of things, only to have my schedule turned upside down again ...

Thankfully, my arms are feeling much better. I have learned that I should have moved my arms around after the injections and during the day to help with discomfort. The doctor should have mentioned it, but while he gave me all kinds of advice, that was not one of them! I'll survive. 

I'll see what I can do about getting the Hep A & B and typhoid shots before I leave. It will be tight as there isn't a lot of time, and I have other things on the go! I know - my health is more important; it ...

Interesting comments about clips, pins, and magnets! So, does anyone use them for what they were intended? I think I also saw online that they "could" be used to baste your quilt. YIKES!!! How much would that cost to buy the magnets, and how heavy would the quilt be? And the cutting system? I don't think so! Too cumbersome. I understand that some people struggle to hold rulers, etc., but there are alternative methods to assist them beyond using magnets. 

Let's see if anyone else has some suggestions. I think I'm good with the hair clip type ...

And just like that -- I'm back into my routine! 

I spent the morning visiting a friend, and it was great to catch up with them. I hope to be able to do that more often in the future, but who knows! Then it was back home and to work! I'm so looking forward to a less "controlled" schedule. I won't be sitting around eating bon-bons, but I won't have so many time commitments. 

It wasn't one of the most productive days, but I knew I had to get those suitcases unpacked and work on the ...

 AHA -- another great idea about getting rid of the SCRAPBOOK stamps is to check with retirement homes! I need to make a few enquiries over the next couple of months and then see what I can do. It would be great to empty that closet --- I know she will fill it up again, but as long as she is not buying new stuff, I'm OK with moving things in there so it's less messy! 

I dropped off the bag of scrapbook stamps that I had sold (Facebook Marketplace) on my way to the airport, so that was good ...

WOW --- I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with crazy insect bites! And YES, I believe these are more than mosquito bites. The one on my leg seems calm for the moment, but the itchiness can flare up once I get walking outside. I may look into that other product someone mentioned. 

As for the tattoo? Oh -- I keep forgetting that not all of you have seen it. I'll see what I can do about getting a good picture of it. It's a bit challenging! Can anyone guess what it's a picture of ...

 AHA --- there was a full moon. That's why I couldn't get to sleep the other night! I slept so well last night! 

Please don't yell at me for saying this, but I was looking for a concept involving hexagons on a quilt. It's something I had spotted last year. There are many options, some of which are pretty complicated, while others are straightforward. I found what I was looking for - I had seen this in the past and wanted to refresh my memory on how it looked, since our minds often change ideas in our heads ...

Oh my --- I love reading the comments. However, there are some days when  I get inundated with spam. And for the most part, it's easy to know that it's spam. I wonder how that happens? I mean - does someone set a program to troll for keywords? I know I'm not the direct target, the keywords just get picked up, and then AI writes some creative, mostly nonsensical sentences. Thankfully, all new comments are at the top of the list, so it's easy for me to browse them daily and delete what shouldn't be there. 

But ...

 AHA --- this is why I hang around smart people! The thought crossed my mind that the ends of those elastic strips on the long arm would fray! Tammy suggested I serge them or put white glue on them! DUH!!! I might have thought of that years from now! 

I need to deal with the ends of the elastic

I'm going to chop off the ends with the holes and then start with new ends. I could even sew a pretty little tab on the end to make it easier to find. However, I must do something, as you can ...

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 ...

We all have them - UnFinished Objects that relate to our hobby of quilting. I have them, I have way too many of them, but I've been very fortunate to have room to hide them out of sight. But the UFO creep is hitting Studio B, and I need to do something about it. I have several places where I store my UFOs - in giant tubs under the long arm, two shelving units in the storage room where the community projects reside, three shelving units in the stash room, a closet in Studio B, a closet in one of the ...

You all have such great suggestions. If I get frustrated by the towel moving, I can use clips to attach it below. Problem solved! 

Happy Canada Day! It's a great day to celebrate our country, its people, and its beautiful lands. Take a moment today to reflect on the freedoms we have. 

Lately, when I've been walking the dogs, I've spotted people who were most likely not born in this country. They are out walking and exploring the neighborhood. They give me a hearty "good morning," and I almost feel their joy in living here! Perhaps they ...