What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

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 ...

It was another insane day at Quilt Canada, but that's wonderful. It's so nice to see the enthusiasm and the pent-up excitement being released within the walls of Hall One! I have not been out of our booth much, and my head is swimming with ideas! 

I did manage to get over to my concurrent show later in the afternoon, and I wish I could spend the entire show there, as it was exciting to see people's reactions to the show. My most profound appreciation to everyone who managed to get there to see the show, and ...

Thanks for the tip on eliminating SO from my vocabulary. That's all good advice. I used those techniques to switch "hit" with touch or select. This, too, will happen, but until you are aware, you can't change a thing! It's like the quote from the other day. 

Quote of the day

Self-awareness is crucial to self-improvement, but most of us are unaware of the little annoying things we do. Getting constructive criticism or someone to film you is key to fixing that. I understand that no one wants to watch themselves on video, but ignore how you ...

I can cross the Facebook Live event off the list! All the prep paid off, and the technology worked like a charm, except for that brand-new camera. I could NOT figure out how to focus. Guess what? I'm returning it and will buy the more expensive one. It was a cheap camera, and I understand it doesn't have the bells and whistles, but it was a hassle to set up. All the settings had to be reset each time I turned it on. I'm prepared to bite the bullet to have an idiotproof camera. The cheap one ...

YES --- I like SmartWool as well. I have one pair! When I first bought hiking socks, I bought several brands! It was just that I noticed the bottom disappearing slowly on the WrightSock! 

My SmartWool sock

I just went to their website, and WOW—it's easy to pick what you want, as they have a checklist. It's very civilized. I signed up for the newsletter and got 15% off. I might be buying some new socks today! 

I must check with my brother, as the socks he buys have a lifetime guarantee. They are more expensive, but they ...

 Oh --- another bonus about the TruEarth laundry strips—they are Canadian (Port Moody, BC). I remember seeing that on a website, but I forgot. Thanks for the reminder! I'm excited to give them a try!

I'm almost embarrassed to show you what I did for my 60-minute-or-less challenge, but as I said, it doesn't matter what you do, and if it takes only 60 seconds but gets done, that's perfectly OK. This item had been sitting near my computer in Studio B for months—probably close to a year. I finally tackled it yesterday. 

I have ...

I got one task out the door last night - well, not out the door, but it was completed, so that was good. I have one more urgent thing to work on today, but I need space to work before doing that. It was not just physical space; my brain needed to see some empty flat surfaces. 

As I pulled out patterns or other needed items, the cutting mat had become the dumping ground. I took photos, and then everything got left. I'm happy to report that the mess on the one cutting mat is done, and I can cut ...

Murphy's thoughts are rubbing off on me! No, I didn't want to throw my sewing machine into the pond so someone could rescue it. But as she and I were walking yesterday, a thought popped into my head, and oh my goodness. I realized that if I added the embellishments in their two separate components, I could stitch them to the wall hanging. No glue required. It means sewing part of it with a sewing machine, which I like, as that's sturdier than glue. The second part of each embellishment can be hand-stitched. 

Thank you, Murphy, for ...

We're back!! DH and I both read the story in the graphic novel EXIT Game. Then we collaborated, and between the two of us, we got the answer! Not before I goofed AGAIN and missed a bunch of letters, so we had to redo the puzzle multiple times. Although DH insists we found the answer unconventionally, I don't care! We solved it without using the clues. He's so black and white; I'm every shade in between! 

Teamwork! It's all about teamwork! 

Should I mention what happened to the kitchen table? This happens when you use ...

Did you notice what I missed yesterday? As I was walking the dogs, where I get my most profound thinking done, I realized that if I don't change the pharmacy on my chart at the doctor, they will merrily send the next prescription to the old pharmacy, which hopefully won't be for a year, but I'll forget by then. So I called the doctor to make that change. Good grief - they need the fax number. FAX? I didn't have that, but when I went to pick up the prescription, I got the fax number, so that ...

Oh my—what a treat yesterday was! I had nothing on the agenda, and I could do what I wanted when I wanted. I certainly needed that mental break. I haven't even cleared up the tables in the film area yet. 

A bit of tidying needs to be done

I'll do that later today, or maybe I'll do it during Monday's Sewing and set up for the final presentation. Yeah! Then, I think April will be very quiet except for my "personal" classes and a couple of challenges I must work on. A few quilts need ...

Dare I say that I'm out of the woods? Or that I can finally see the trees in the forest? I am almost finished with this crazy workload that overtook my February and March. 

I want to acknowledge your comments about that "opinion" I mentioned yesterday. This was not the only instance. I saw a different person post something similar to someone else. The gist was, "Why are you voicing an opinion about our country?" Well, I couldn't help myself - I had to respond. But seriously? Do people not realize what is happening? Some people seem to be ...

Thankfully, the predicted ice storm didn't hit our area, and I hope no one else was severely affected by it. They had forecast significant ice, power outages, etc. I don't think our area was ever in the eye of that storm. 

Oh, the TV and surround sound system are gone! The guy came a little late but was happy to get the TV and thought it was a good deal. I'm not sure about the other stuff, but that's not my problem. That TV is heavy, but the guy picked it up from the front step ...

Phil Collins had a song called "One More Night." I should rewrite it and call it "One More Week." I have one more week of intensity in my work schedule. At the beginning of February, I had no idea how I would survive the number of presentations and keep up with my other work. I have struggled with time, although I have still tried to take time for myself. I've read a few books and kept up with the gym and walking. 

One more week and then, I still have loads of stuff to do, but the flexibility comes ...

OH my -- I always get a chuckle from the comments, and I need to get back to answering them individually. I'm not a math nerd, so I don't calculate how much batting cutoffs get used in a year, but it is shocking when I see people throw those batting bits away. I "glue" them together for smaller projects like table runners, bags, placemats, etc. I am working my way through the batting cutoff closet, and once April is here, I plan to be on the long arm to try and finish up some community projects where I use ...

Regarding yesterday's post about changing needles, I wanted to add something. The "rule of thumb" is to change the needles after 6 - 8 hours of sewing. But what exactly does that mean? Some sewists could be sewing (needle moving up and down, NOT just in the sewing room) 6 - 8 hours in one day. For others, that might be several days or weeks. 

The guideline I use is to wind 4 or 5 bobbins, and when they are done, it's time to change the needle and CLEAN the bobbin case. You'll have to listen to your machine ...

 It's funny how the days just seem to jumble together. It's almost like Ground Hog Day when the same things happen repeatedly! I am somewhat "chained" to the house because of those presentations. They are all over the schedule, so I must watch the clock. But all is good! I had two presentations yesterday, and both went well. I'm back in the groove for the new topics, although I still have some samples and supplies to organize. 

Guess what I did with my "free" time this morning? I sorted and organized, and every little bit made me ...

OMG -- did you see the exercise Elle recommended for strengthening the legs? Squats! I hate squats. Well, I hate them because my legs are so weak. But she's right! In the short time that I've become more aware of my situation and doing something about it, I feel much stronger. Not using hands to get out of a chair or using hands to sit down. Let the legs do the work - they are quite capable! People -- we do not want to walk with canes or walkers or, god forbid, we'll need someone to help us get out ...