What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Thank you all who identified this border below as Prairie Points...what a sweet name and, of course, I had to look that up. Turns out there are tons of video tutorials showing how to make this. How did I not know about it till now?? It looks really intricate but makes such a unique border. Here is what I'm talking about in case you missed it. 

While I got things done, it was a frustrating day! Why? My computer just seemed to have an upset tummy! I couldn't open apps (trust me—they call them apps on the computer now instead of programs—it drives me mad) on my computer. I rebooted MULTIPLE times. I even shut the computer off and let it sit by itself to contemplate life as a dead object, and even then, I struggled. I'm not sure what that was all about. 

I did not get the blue screen of death - I got WHITE. 

Not a good sign when you ...

I was up early and out the door to refill the bird feeders. I've added a third this winter as it's turning into an especially cold one. Wind chill then was -35C ( up from the -39C low overnight) and wind in strong gusts made it most uncomfortable. That cold makes it such a relief to be out of it and back into the warmth of the house. But there are drifts over the front steps so I'll be back out there soon to shovel which will warm me up. 

I always feel lucky to get a glimpse ...

I was excited to get up and continue knitting my cowl. However, as I was knitting, it just seemed wrong. I know that I hadn't planned to make it and was just using up some knitting worsted that my aunt had hanging around, and when I started, it seemed like such a good idea. But that niggling feeling wouldn't go away. And my aunt kept saying she thought the needles were the wrong size. 

So I went back to read the instructions only because we were going to the NEW yarn shop on Salt Spring Island, and I ...

Every year I tell myself that I'm not going to buy fabric without a plan. And every year I buy fabric without a plan because the deal was just that good. Or, the fabric was too awesome to leave behind. A local quilt shop owner retired and the shop changed hands. 

New ownership means new fabric lines and aesthetics. That means the old fabric needs to go and the discounts were great! They bundled several 1-yard cuts together and I couldn't leave them behind. I pulled two with Halloween prints and one with mid-winter prints.

I also picked ...

 It's the flight of the geese season now, a natural cycle here in Canada. I've never been able to get a good photo of them with their marvelous vees marking the sky. But I am getting photos of the bright colours beginning to mark the landscape these days too. We both noticed it's getting darker earlier too or "closing in" as the old people called it.

I'm so glad you enjoyed those "through the ages" photos. It's hilarious to see how we age, especially under the harsh requirements of those pictures - no smiling! 

What a wild day yesterday. OK -- so it wasn't that wild, but I was married to those two embroidery machines. 

Two embroidery machines - hard at work

They are on opposite sides of those two work tables, and it seemed that I went around in circles all day as I fed them thread. Except for two broken needles, everything went as planned. 

ACK - -a broken needle

I have a funny feeling ...

It was a crazy busy week.

Last Sunday I went to Quilt National in Athens, Ohio with friends. It’s always an interesting exhibit. The contributors push the boundaries of what constitutes a quilt, and I always see something I’ve never seen before.

Thursday I went with a different friend to the AQS show in Grand Rapids, Michigan. So many quilts, so much creativity. The level of workmanship was impressive. I spent so much time looking at quilts that I skipped most vendors. I was looking for a few specific things that I didn’t find and bought nothing ...

 I used to be the queen of list making. Put my hand in any pocket of any dress, skirt or coat and I could most likely pull out a list. Sometimes it was groceries to buy, but often book titles, fitness ideas, phrases or words I liked, too.  Having goals, especially deliberate, defined ones is a great thing and I'm never short on ideas of what I want to do, explore, achieve, etc. Here is a list of what I'm thinking right now this minute...

1. look into isometrics- can I really tighten my stomach muscles by breathing ...

Well, it's June and someone should tell the weather that. We had an overnight frost warning one night last week and someone told me there were snowflakes in the air one afternoon. I didn't see that, perhaps because of all the rain pouring down in spits and starts around us here at the wooden house. And it's been cold, single digits most of last week climbing into double by day's end. This week it's been climbing higher and yesterday we had a hint of humidity- so maybe the sputtering start is about to end. 

But ...

Yesterday was supposed to be a "lost" day, but it turned out completely different from what I had planned. I had to get the car serviced and the tires changed. Yes, it's a bit late in the season for the tires, but with the weather, it wasn't a big deal. 

The appointment was scheduled in the fall when I had the last service. About a month ago, I received an email to confirm that appointment, but I happened to be away, so I ignored it. It was in the back of my mind to call them and confirm ...

My sole lilac tree is starting to sprout. It's very old and getting slower to bud every year. In fact I had thought it was done, and am delighted to see these few sprigs.

And just like that, I spy a Dandelion too. 

Though cold and rainy so far, spring is moving along in our neck of the woods. 

One thing about decluttering your house is what to do with all the stuff! Most of us don't want it to go to the landfill, but I can see a lot of good things going there because people don't want to take the time to find a good home for things, nor do they want to take the effort to deliver them. 

When Yagana cleaned out M's stuff upstairs, about 10 or 11 boxes were sitting in the hallway. Five boxes remain, and I'll deal with those later. I sorted half of the boxes, and now ...

It is Cyber Monday, the day we are encouraged to shop at our favorite online merchants. So, come shop with me! Thank you for using my links when you can, your purchases may earn a small commission for me that does not affect your total cost, and you can use your own accounts. Supporting the costs of the blog means I can continue to create and share free patterns, ideas and inspiration through the year. I only share these links when you can take advantage of a sale or special.

Fat Quarter Shop has new Cyber Monday Combo Craze for ...

You must go back and read Elle's answers to my questions. It sounds like she had loads of stuff, but it was all neatly organized. A "catastrophic" event (needing a new carpet) was when she realized that she had too much. 

For me, the moment was when we had a water leak in the basement. Nothing was damaged (we were blessed), but the walls and floors had to be redone, so everything had to be moved. That was my moment. 

She was much faster at resolving the issue than me! But I'm getting there—I'm a turtle ...