What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Yesterday was a special day, and I almost missed it until I saw someone post about it last night. And someone mentioned it on the blog yesterday. It was Winter Solstice Day. While this means winter has officially arrived, it also means that each day is a little longer. Well, the day isn't longer (don't we wish!), but the sunlight is a little longer. I don't care if the daylight is only a few seconds longer— soon it will be summer! Don't worry -- I like winter, and as long as you dress appropriately, it's not ...

 OH MY GOSH --- someone else calls that fabric FORTREL!!!! They must be from the west, but what a great idea to make quilts for the homeless. That fabric cannot be destroyed. And now I have two boxes to deal with! But at least I know what to do with it! 

You are going to start saying that I sound like a broken record, but this new system of mine is working like a charm. As the number of projects in that blue box diminishes, I am so tempted to walk to the current projects table and pick up a couple ...

That feels better—I was off bright and early to meet with Brooke. My legs have been so tired since my last trip, but after my stretching and compression pants, they feel so much better! 

Well, I am loving this relaxed schedule and certainly want to take advantage of it for as long as I can! I have two trips, a quilt retreat, and one guild lecture to round out the last two months of the year, so that should be pretty easy. It's giving me lots of time to tackle those current project tables, but as we all ...

OK -- someone turned off the heat! It's cold. I wore shorts yesterday, but I think I'll find some pants this morning. 

So far, so good on the jet lag. With the full day of travel and the ability to sleep like a baby on the plane, I didn't need a nap yesterday and went to bed at my usual time. I did wake up in the night, but was able to get back to sleep, and so the day is now just like any other day! Let's hope I don't get hit with a whammy ...

OK -- so what happened to the weather? It's only 19°C this morning, cloudy, with rain expected. If it were me, I'd have all the AC units off, but I'm not alone in the house. I've turned the temperature up (or down), turned the fans off, and I'm still cold. I'd get my jacket, except my roommate is still sleeping! 

We are leaving today, and I'm glad that this retreat is a short one. OH - not because I haven't enjoyed myself. I've done a lot of sewing and met new friends ...

 It's funny how you have an entire day to sew, yet I didn't get much done! How does that work? I was on the phone for two lengthy conversations. I took both calls outside, and neither had issues hearing me. Was it my lucky day? Or are things looking up with my cell phone? 

I've noticed a heron flying overhead several times while walking the dogs. Is it flying to my house? I want to run home to see, but I'm pretty sure that with their large wingspan, it wouldn't feel comfortable coming into our ...

You all have some great suggestions! I can't use my phone as a camera because I sometimes attach it to the computer to share the phone screen (showcasing an app), so that won't work. But all is good! I have an iPad that will work fine after I get a couple of accessories. 

I used the saddle chair a fair bit yesterday, and I like it, although I did find it a bit "exhausting" staying in the correct position for a great length of time. But all that shows is how badly I sit in a regular chair ...

It's an interesting retreat. Heck, all retreats are interesting, but they are always different. It's never the exact same group of people who attend. It's funny, as when I first started going to retreats almost 20 years ago, we were a set group of nine people, and we went together for years. Then things happened, and that group fell apart. Now, we have a larger group of people; it's never the same mix each time. That makes it interesting! 

How am I feeling? I'm pretty good. I'm realizing that I can't sit well ...

The last day of this section of the marathon! Then, after two days of mini madness, I'll be back on the road! If you live in Penticton, BC, or the area around, come out, as I have a great event planned. Then I'll be in Chilliwack and Surrey for more great events. If you live in those areas, check out the shops. Tom's Sewing Center is in Chilliwack and Surrey, and Black Rabbit is in Penticton! I'm going to make it!!

Here's a couple of observations before I share my photos with you. Is your ...

Yesterday was the complete opposite of the previous day. I accomplished lots, and I went to bed, exhausted but happy, after walking over 20,000 steps.

Quite a bit still needed to be put away, so I got out my audiobook and got to work. I also had to start packing for Quilt Canada in one week, so as I was sorting and putting away, I pulled out the samples I needed for that show. 

Stuff to put away

Of course, my faithful companion was right there with me, lying in the middle of the floor space. It doesn't ...

The saga of the jelly roll race quilt continues. I checked out the video, and YES, she has you join all the strips together (jelly roll race technique)and then cut the first length (non-jelly roll race technique). The next step makes me shudder: To make this quick, like the jelly roll race, she takes the remainder of the long strip and sews it onto the first cut length. And you continue to do so until you run out of fabric. 

That is a wonky quilt waiting to happen!

That first video was released five years ago and has 500 ...

Before I forget, here's the latest development on the Gordie Howe International Bridge: The gap is almost closed!! It's been fascinating to watch, and it will still be approximately one year before the bridge opens. 

Much has been happening here, and getting work done is hard! But I did. 

The quilt back is finished. Yes, I was short fabric by a smidge, so I added another piece. No big deal! That got rid of the remainder of a bolt of fabric. 

A quilt backing

This quilt is ...

The vertigo is better and seems only to affect me if I bend down. My world no longer spins behind closed eyes while lying in bed. But I need to watch some of the links/sources you are providing. It's one of those things—do I want to cut into my sewing time or watch the video? How silly of me! My health should be a priority!

OK—so I had some real sewing at the treat yesterday. I had gotten to a point on my QUILTsocial posts that I couldn't progress further without another tool, which I ...

By Jove -- I think we may have an answer to the comment situation for the blog. I'll go back and read the comments in greater depth. Thanks to everyone who commented, and I received some e-mails - I still need to look at those. 

We had Monday sewing, and I got stuff done, but not much. I'm not very productive on those Zoom calls. I can sew, or I can chat! I can't seem to do both. Part of the reason is I need to get my earbuds back working. Otherwise, no one can hear me if I ...

I'm curious about novelists - when they write their rough drafts - how rough are they? When I write a rough draft for my blog posts (not this one), they are ROUGH. The spelling mistakes, the grammar, the wild thoughts -- well, I dare not share that with anyone as it looks like a grade school student wrote it! I am very intrigued by the book-writing process - but I'm not there yet. And I wonder if I have the knowledge to write something longer than 2,500 words. 

I have another writing project that I really want to do. It's ...

So Murphy and I were out for a walk. We had just started down the multi-purpose path near us, and we spotted a skunk by a tree. WHOA! Of course, Murphy went nuts, but then I noticed the skunk was NOT well. I stopped to take a picture which didn't turn out, and a couple of joggers passed me and mentioned that the skunk didn't look well. OK -- so it wasn't just me. How does a skunk not look well? When they are having a seizure -- that's how! 

I stopped and called Animal Services. Good grief ...

I've been whining about my cutting table and how I can't seem to get it completely clear. Well, I've been whittling away at it, and this is what it looks like. Well, I should say, this is what it looked like last night. It looks even better this morning. 

The cutting table

The nice thing is that's it now only ONE layer that covers it! I hope you notice how much of the cutting mats we can see! Not a bunch of stuff stacked up. I'm going to keep whittling away and try to get ...

Oh my gosh -- we had so much fun at the Facebook Live event last night. I hope you were able to join us. YES -- I know I need to smile ALL THE TIME. My face just looks awful if I don't smile, but you forget! Oh well - it is what it is! 

Almost ready to start!

If you missed the presentation live, you can go back and watch it and see the fun stuff that happened while we did the Spectrum Quilt A Long. 

I'm not sure why I was so busy in the past - now it seems ...

 OK -- I promise that tomorrow, I'll get started on all the homework photos. I have things to share with you from the Virtual Retreat. 

What fun we had! We got to meet Barb from Maryland!  Lots of familiar faces that stretched across the country and over to Germany. We discovered MANY things, including there's an imposter amongst us! That's all I'm going to say about it, except that we had a good laugh over it. 

We talked about everything and anything, including the FitBit and what it tracks and do they do anything with the data ...

I know we've all had those days. You have the best intentions, and you're fired up to get lots done. Then POOF! You need a mental health day! 

After I finished the writing assignment, I couldn't get myself motivated to do anything. I had to laugh, though, as I needed one last picture for the article, and I was going to take it outside. As I went to go outside, it had started to rain! So I had to wait! 

I wonder if my motivation had to do with going for a car ride. It was something ...