What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Have you looked at the calendar and wondered how you can possibly do all you have scheduled? I used to feel that way until I made a simple discovery.

Time blocking!

Time blocking is a method of allocating or pre-assigning time for specific activities throughout your day. It helps me keep my day and life more balanced. I accomplish more because I have structure to my day, I can focus on a specific task with a high value, and I am able to manage interruptions. I am the one in charge of my day. Here’s how to do this ...

At least for now, that is.  I just couldn’t stand it any longer. I had my scraps sorted by color. None had been precut to any particular size. I devised a plan to get a better grip on things (or at least my scraps!)  There were a lot of larger pieces which I cut into 5 inch strips.

I also cut 2 1/2 inch strips:

1 1/2 inch strips. I have a scrap string quilt in the process for these.

3 1/2 inch squares and 2 1/2 inch squares. There is a leader-ender quilt in ...

When Mr. Domestic asked if I’d be part of his blog hop showing off his new line of Aura fabrics with Art Gallery Fabrics, of course I said yes and started thinking of how I wanted to use these pretty fabrics. What I immediately decided was something simple and practical. Because while I love quilts, I have so many that sit in a chest waiting for their day in the sun. And I knew I didn’t want to do that with these beautiful fabrics. So, I created a Quilted Pocket Organizer. This is a simple wall-hanging that it ...

Hello there, and happy Saturday morning!  I'm pleased to report that I've actually STARTED on my son's graduation quilt.  I haven't sewn a stitch yet -- just prep work so far, but I have a feeling the upfront prep work on this project will pay off with an accelerated pace once I do start piecing.

Precut Geese Patches, Bagged and Labeled

Sewing retreats – so very much gets done! To prepare for a 4 day retreat I’m going to, I cut out not one, but two new projects! The first is for a gift for a little boy. I’ve never done an “I Spy” quilt before and thought it would be the perfect gift for the little guy.  Unfortunately, my stash is not very supportive of this quilt. I did manage to cut 9-five inch blocks and then the request process to friends and my guild for more. I’m going to do “square in a square” blocks, using various ...

Saturday's Song.
This video of God Only Knows by King and Country is shocking, but so true.  I just read that a suicide attempt is made every 28 seconds!  Dear one, God knows you, He never leaves you.  People will let us down, but not God.  Try Him.

Let us all look around us and who kindness.  A smile, a prayer, a gentle touch of encouragement to a stranger/friend/loved one could change their lives.  
Take good care!

Slow Stitching.
My slow stitching project continues to be my Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt.  I'll also be choosing ...

This is a song every quilter I know sings! “They multiply on their own” is definitely a favorite phrase. I was looking through my scrap bins – they are separated by color. One bin is all Kaffe scraps. Hmmm…I feel like I’ve been looking at these same scraps forever now. I’ve never used one of the many “scrap saver systems” that others use, but wanted to do something to empty these bins and start fresh. So….out came the studio Sizzix and the Big Kick.

I cut many of the larger pieces into two and one-half inch strips ...

What have I been up to? Oh the list is so very long! For one thing thing, at the prompting of Ann, I attempted to clean up my blog. That resulted in having to eliminate a few widgets that I rather liked, such as 'LinkWithin', thumbnails at the bottom of each post to previous, but similar subject matter. I don't understand a lot of it, but don't want people to feel unsafe coming to my site.

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The Big Woven Basket quilt in the hoop....

Like so many others, each January evokes a need to declutter and get rid of things that tend to accumulate during the year.   Simple things--that could be done during the year, but for many reasons just don't--become a challenge, a mountain to conquer.  I never get it done completely, but it is strangely satisfying to go on the annual declutter and organize campaign.  

On The Art of Doing Stuff, Karen talks about throwing away 50 things.  I can do that in short order, I thought, and started on kitchen drawers.  Spices past expiration date, packaging, items that I have ...

I have two traditions for New Year's Day: The first is to gather all the Christmas cards and disassemble them. Fronts are carefully removed from the backs, unless they're photo cards, and neatly stacked. The insides, with the card sender's name(s), are punched and threaded onto a ring where they will reside with our Bible and devotional material at the kitchen table.  Each morning, after

I have two traditions for New Year's Day: The first is to gather all the Christmas cards and disassemble them. Fronts are carefully removed from the backs, unless they're photo cards, and neatly stacked. The insides, with the card sender's name(s), are punched and threaded onto a ring where they will reside with our Bible and devotional material at the kitchen table.  Each morning, after

Some people seem to feel that quilting without a purpose is a waste of time, material, and talent. So what? So what if I go into the sewing room, sew a bunch of blocks and then end up hiding them in the closet? So. What? 

Since last week's organization ideas were so popular, I thought I'd add a few more. This one is all about pegboards. Here's hoping your craft studio finds a peg board or two.

While beautiful and fun, these organization ideas won't break the bank!

Good Morning, Quilters! Yesterday, Faye admitted that sometimes she’s too tired to sit up, but still wants to be creative–so she stitches in bed! I laughed out loud because it was so ridiculous… But then I remembered, I started quilting … Continue reading →

My goal for 2018 has been to reduce my Works in Progress (projects that have been started.)  These do not include Hospice quilts.  I had about 25 in January and now I have exactly 11 in project boxes.  In addition, there are  2 quilt tops that need a border, another that needs stitching around the appliques and one quilt top that I will quilt. One quilt top is on the way to the longarm this week and another that I am hand stitching the binding.

Then there are the projects – yummy fabrics and a pattern or sketch in a box ...

I'm happy to be working on various projects in my studio again. I use the design wall to hang works in progress or fabrics so I can study them to get ideas and inspiration on how to use them.

Another corner of the studio. There are 5 current works in progress laid out on the bed. These are ones that I hope to work on soon. You can also see many older works in progress hanging on the racks at the foot of the bed.
My studio is a pleasant and inspiring place to work. I also have art ...

I needed a break from playing Sherlock Holmes with the longarm machine over the weekend, and APQS Tech Support was closed anyway, so I dug around my studio looking for a small victory, something I could cross off my list easily without pulling out any of my hair or screaming profanity.

Remember This Quilted Machine Cover for My Bernina?