What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Something very weird is happening. I sent out an e-mail with a Zoom link this morning, and when I checked my inbox (I always send these to myself as well), the e-mail wasn't there. Hmmm --- so I checked my sent e-mails. Nothing. 

I decided to resend the link and saw it appear in my inbox. I made breakfast and came back, and the e-mail had disappeared? And it wasn't in the SEND box either. OK -- -what the heck is happening? I sent two Zoom links this morning -- one is OK, and the other is in LA LA land ...

read more

 Why is it that an organizational project always looks worse before it gets better?  I knew this would be a big job but WoW it's a really big job.  I had no idea how much stuff I had stashed in that room over the years. I am taking it seriously though and as promised I'm documenting as I go.  I decided that I'm going to have three piles....fabric that is organized by color.....fabric that is organized by collection .... fabric that is going to be donated to the sewing programs at the Erie City Mission. The ...

read more

Since I'm trying to get my life under control (LOL), and I didn't feel comfortable with that lottery business, I decided to contact the OLG (Ontario Lottery and Gaming). I got to the website and discovered I could talk to an agent on the computer. So we went back and forth, and she asked questions -- what time was I there, where did I buy the ticket, what date was the draw, etc. Never once did she say that this could never happen. She was very professional about the entire thing. 

I got a Reference Number, and she asked ...

read more

 This blog has been a lot of things over the years.  It's been a creative journal.  It's been a way to connect with other quilters.  It's been a way to give back to the quilting community who have shared so much free knowledge online.  Through it all, I've tried to stay transparent.  I mean it's so easy to go to big quilt shows or read magazines and say "WoW!  They are so talented.  I could never do that!"  What we don't see are all the trials and failures that led to those masterpieces.  So ...

read more

Those birds were waiting for snow before they hit the birdfeeders! It was like a switch got turned on, and before I knew it, a pair of cardinals, a woodpecker, and many other smaller birds were feasting away, and I loved watching them. 

Mr. Cardinal

Small birds

Woodpecker

Of course, the girls were excited by the snow and couldn't wait to get outside. Our area hasn't had much snow, and it was like a winter wonderland walking in the morning. Then it stopped snowing, but we haven't seen the sun in a long time! Where is the ...

read more

So many Advent Calendars -- so little time! Is it next year so I can order one? OK --- so that's pushing time limits a wee bit. But now that I've investigated advent calendars and found out how inexpensive some of them are, compared to the quilting ones -- I want a different one. Maybe I could "cheat" and buy one for myself this year!! No one will know! 

Had great presentations yesterday, and OH - boy -- I should learn to read the instructions. I seem to make things up when I'm sewing, and well -- if it works and it's ...

read more

 You had better sit down for this one. Even I was exhausted when I went to bed! 

I'll start with the quilt report. Yes --- more quilts are done for Quilts of Valour, making numbers 5 and 6 of eleven. Can I get five more done by Thursday evening? 

Quilts of Valour quilt Number 5

Quilts of Valour quilt Number 6

I know I will - - I'll make it a priority. Even with automation, quilting two quilts in one day is time-consuming! 

Four of the remaining five quilts

And I played bobbin chicken, and I won! I was getting close ...

read more

OH  --- Elle mentioned in the comments about waiting to see the BIG totals at the end of the year. The number of quilts made, donated, the fabric used, etc. 

I am NOT good with that kind of stuff! Well, I am, sort of. I do have some tallies, but I doubt I've captured everything. I have a folder called "year-end review," and I think I put pictures in it at the beginning of the year, but it's missing lots. However, even the stuff I remember from the last couple of months will be impressive. 

I'm now at ...

read more

Oh my --- we seem to be having some PASSIONATE discussions on our Zoom calls lately. Yes -- I am pretty opinionated, and well, some of those discussions come onto the blog, as in the cost of those fabric kits. I have another issue about that, but no time this morning. 

I will say that we are all still friends and have no hard feelings. We did have a great time at the Virtual Retreat, and we met Debbie again, who has walked a Camino! That was exciting, but I didn't want to bore the rest of the group to death ...

read more

 

Seeing Toni's great studio last week brought to mind how important it is to stay organized.  I mean, let's face it, quilters accumulate a lot of stuff.  I mean if I'm being honest, one of the best things about being a quilter is having a good excuse to accumulate stuff.  I remember once I had a teacher who encouraged me to take up another hobby, rug hooking.  I laughed and said I didn't have time for the all the quilting I wanted to do now.  I could not possibly take up rug hooking.  "But think!" she ...

read more

First the Decluttering

This week I spent as much time sorting, cutting, and folding fabric as I did sewing. My sewing room is a DISASTER and the cutting table was heaped with clutter. This happens every time I declutter and de-stash. This is my cutting table last Monday.

And here it is this morning. As you can see, some of the mess is gone and I still have a ways to go. At least I can cut here again! 

I cut some of my scraps into common sizes so they are readily available when the inspiration for a scrap quilt ...

read more

Toni with her Mosaic Dog

 I love seeing where other people create.  Normally, I'm not the nosey type, but when it comes to seeing people's sewing spaces, the voyeur in me comes out! This tendency popped up recently when I asked
my new friend, Toni Raynolds, to show off her space.  I met Toni in a class we took with Timna Tarr at Marc Adams School of Woodworking.    Toni's space seemed to strike the right balance of practical and cozy so I thought I'd ask her to share it with everyone.

Thanks, Toni for accepting my ...

read more

A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say. This "before and after" shot is no exception. What makes the greatest difference here? Shelf dividers! They're worth every penny, (I ordered them through Amazon) no more fabric stack avalanches! So, what led to this insane decision to drop everything and make some improvements in the organizational department of the stash closet?  I have been

read more

A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say. This "before and after" shot is no exception. What makes the greatest difference here? Shelf dividers! They're worth every penny, (I ordered them through Amazon) no more fabric stack avalanches! So, what led to this insane decision to drop everything and make some improvements in the organizational department of the stash closet?  I have been

read more

Some people know how to say NO! I think it's definitely a learned skill, and I wish I were better at it, but I often get caught up in the moment. I'm MUCH better, but still, a long way to go. 

I think it's super fun to get excited about starting a new quilt project - I like that as much as the next person, but I learned that if you get too excited, you'll end up with a ton of UFOs. You'll be frustrated and guilty because you have started so much, but nothing is ...

read more

Hello friends, and happy Monday. First, I want to say thank you so much for your patience as we worked on some upgrades to the blog over the past several days. I’m hoping the changes we made will provide a better reading experience for you. Today I’m sharing the Quilting Life Planner & Workbook March […]

The post Quilting Life Planner & Workbook March 2022 appeared first on A Quilting Life.

read more

Ready or not -- I'm as prepped as I can be for my first session of serger events in French. Yikes --- it's like a whole new language! OK -- so it is a whole new language. I remember so many things in French, but I never sewed in French, and my vocabulary of things sewing is well -- limited. What are tweezers called? (pinces) - what are those loopers called? (boucleur inférieur and boucleur supérieur and boucleur chaine). (Sorry -- I don't have time for the accents!)  I mean -- it's one thing to talk about a subject, and I could go ...

read more

It is time!

If you haven’t changed your needle on your machine since before Chirstmas, it is time to put in a new one.

If you haven’t recently changed out your rotary cutting blade, it is time to use a new one.

If you haven’t cleaned out your sewing machine since Thanksgiving, it is time to pull out the bobbin and dig out some lint or schedule service so that your local professional can make sure that you are running in tip top shape.

If you haven’t cleaned your iron, now is the time to take ...

read more

Hello, friends! Today I’m sharing the A Quilting Life Planner & Workbook: February 2022 helps for using the planner and workbook to take control of your quilting life. I hope you’ll enjoy the ideas in today’s post and that you’ll also watch the video content for even more ideas. A Quilting Life Planner & Workbook: February 2022 […]

The post A Quilting Life Planner & Workbook: February 2022 appeared first on A Quilting Life.

read more

It was exciting to get downstairs and do some sewing, but not as much got done as I would have liked. But that's OK. What's important is that I completed the master task list for February, which was a job in itself to finish and get everything on one list. 

My master list for February with the patterns

The list contains the sew-along assignments, documents to write, and quilts to quilt. This is something I should have been doing a LONG, LONG time ago instead of scrambling the night before trying to figure out what to do. 

Now ...

read more