What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

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 ...

There isn't a day that goes by when I don't learn something new. What amazes me is that as people get older, they seem to lose their curiosity and their ability to live like children (OK - children back in my day), a simple life, uncomplicated by all the stuff that life throws you. I do the basics of life, but I don't stress about many things. Life is too short.  

But the learning? Well, I'm still stunned by what I learned this morning. 

I'm doing my writing assignments while I'm not home. The first ...

 NO --- that was NOT pieces of sod I spotted the other day. That is artificial turf!!!! I get that sod has seams and it comes in rolls, and pieces are identical. No, if you look closely at the picture of the "sod", it's in big chunks and will not grow. But my thought was - do they know that? Unless this is a new kind of sod! 

ARTIFICIAL sod

Another fun and productive day at the retreat house! I'm having to do some paperwork and prepping for the next writing assignment, and the clock is ticking until I need ...

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 ...

And I'm home! It felt good to sleep in my bed, but I'm also sad. Retreats are so much fun! I accomplished a lot, making me happy, and the girls were beside themselves when I arrived. 

I was up early and trimmed my flying geese units for the 365-day quilt. I also trimmed some more of the half-square triangles. 

Pressing and trimming

The weather is just totally insane. Earlier this week, we had high humidity and hot temperatures. I'm wearing my sweatshirt this morning, and it's only 14 outside. Zero humidity. I'm not complaining—I can put on more clothes, but it changes so much from day to day that you don't know what to wear! 

Sadly, we are leaving later today. I'm not ready!!! I have a lot of stuff to do at home, so I guess I'm good to go. Plus, those two girls will be very excited to see me. 

I've been ...

 It's always exciting to be at a quilt retreat. I love being at this retreat house (Retreat at the Farm); we missed all the chaos in the city yesterday. Apparently, the rain was incredible, and the flooding caused many issues with traffic and power. We didn't have problems with either in our immediate neighborhood, but it wasn't fun for some. 

We started the day with a trip to Creekbank Sewing, where we met with Sally, who added to The Pony Express! Actually, it was a very fortunate situation. She had something she no longer wanted and asked ...

 Yep -- here I am at a quilt retreat. It's a small group (intentional) and is one of the most relaxing retreats because of that! Plus, it's an excellent opportunity to catch up with friends we rarely see. After getting all the morning stuff out, I loaded the car and was on my way. I think this is our third or perhaps fourth retreat that this small group has done. 

I always look at what I bring and think do I need all that, but I've cut way down on what I bring. OK - so I threw in ...

While being away on this retreat was so nice and relaxing, it's sure nice to be back home again. This was one of the best retreats ever -- I've never been so relaxed. The energy in the room was exciting, yet even-keeled, and we all just worked together in a way that - well, it just seemed magical with the mix of people. Not to say that I don't enjoy the other retreats. I guess you had to be there. 

The day dawned bright and sunny, and I got out for a short walk in the morning after a ...

You know I've had significant issues with my Outlook (for email). Not only had I lost my signature file, but I had questions about some other features, and every time I looked up the answers in support, the tab/buttons never seemed to be in my version of Outlook. 

Well, thanks to my friends, I got the signature file back. Good grief -- the MOST important thing about this was where to find the command. Someone here who works with Outlook knew immediately where that command was. I think it's a bizarre place, but no worries -- the signature file ...

Where is the sun? We've been promised sun for the last few days, but those clouds never even broke up enough to see an inkling of blue sky! We're supposed to get sun today -- let's hope. 

There's one big advantage to sewing at a quilt retreat. You (hopefully) haven't brought a lot of projects with you, so you have to work on what you have. There have been numerous occasions when, if I were home, I would have abandoned what I was working on. Well, the old me would certainly have done that. You arrive ...

Anne has a good eye! She not only knew what the quilt was that I was working on, but she sent me a picture. I'm not sure if that was her quilt. Great job, Anne -- you know your quilts!!!

Another productive day! It's amazing what you can get done when you can focus on the quilting and have good conversations and good working conditions! So, what does the quilt I worked on look like? I finished the quilt top last night. 

My bicycle quilt

I have no recollection of cutting this quilt, which is called Mod Geo Cruiser ...

And the progress continues! I get a chuckle at how much we think we can do in a day and how much we actually get done! Now that the miters on the 365-day quilt are done, at least for the moment, I had visions of using the remaining blocks as enders and leaders as I plowed through a quilt top that was totally cut out. 

Yes -- the pieces are cut out but NOT labeled, which is typical of ME! 

The background is cut but not labeled

This is not a quilt with the same block repeated over and over. It ...

Wow -- I'm not sure if I should be happy or not. I'm working on my 365-Day quilt that I started in 2016. I was working on the February blocks at the January 2023 retreat. This retreat? I'm working on the March blocks! If I continue this way, completing this quilt will take another NINE years. 

I thought it might be a good project to use as enders and leaders, EXCEPT the FOUR blocks I worked on yesterday all had miters in them. In total, I made 28 mitered corners on teeny tiny blocks! I'm not afraid ...

I had packed most things in the car the night before, so there was very little to pack in the morning. The girls and the boy were NOT happy to see me packing. They knew that there would be NO walks this week. Oh dear, I'd bring them if I could, but it's impossible. They'll survive, as DH is there to put them out. I'm sure they all love that arrangement. 

The roads were good, which is quite different from two years ago! We couldn't even get out of the driveway on the way to ...

 ACK!!! I'm supposed to be on a plane today. I told you it was a stupid month. 

WAIT -- it gets better. I woke up this morning to see that the flight was canceled. Then I got an e-mail from Air Canada, who conveniently rebooked me to another flight. Without even checking the details, I went ahead and changed. Well? Did I have a choice -- I think not! 

So I have to change planes, but I'm Ok with that -- it's not bad, but it means we get in late, and we still have work to do when we ...

And it's all SMALL stuff. While I'm not out of the woods yet, I feel much better. I even tried to nap yesterday, and my body said, "are you kidding?" So I did have a wee lie down but didn't sleep. I went out for an uneventful short walk in the morning and a much longer one in the afternoon, and all was fine. 

My darn throat is still sore, but how much of that has to do with the dryness in the house? Even with my humidifier going full blast in the sewing room, it's ...

So I'm feeling better this morning. I did NOT walk much yesterday - I started by walking to the end of the driveway and back. OK --- that wasn't so bad, but let's not push the envelope. Later in the day, the snow started, and I was getting a wee bit restless, so I went to the end of the driveway again and then went for a bit longer walk. It wasn't my day because, YEP -- I slipped and fell. 

There's that moment when time stands still. You know you're off balance, and I could feel ...

 I'm sick! ACK -- how did this happen? I do not have time to be sick, but it happened, and I'll have to deal with it. 

Yesterday was a first for me at a retreat. I did NOTHING. I didn't even turn on my machine. In the morning, we went to the bookstore to pick up stuff we didn't have cash for the day before. We returned to the house for lunch, and the first of two Zoom calls for the day. 

I went for a walk and then had a good long nap. Got up to ...

It's day three of the retreat, and I seem to be sewing at a turtle pace.  

However, I am making progress. I got my T-shirt completed, but I forgot to take a picture. I'm slipping at taking photos. Now I'm working on the second project I brought, and OH MY GOSH --- the instructions are the worst! It was late last night when I had a eureka moment and figured it out. 

Then up early this morning to finish it off. I have one small detail to correct, and then it's done! I was using my quilt ...