What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Like all the quilters out there, MOST of us struggle with focus. We spot a new class, a new pattern, some shiny new gadget, and we are off in another direction before we even know what happened. After many years of following my eyes and ignoring the ever-growing mound of UFOs, a few UFOs are hanging around. 

I also had no issues buying fabric, like it was candy! It was because of that mound of fabric that several years ago (around 10, I believe), I stopped randomly buying fabric just because I liked it. I still buy fabric, but only ...

I hope no one was offended by my comments about the technology and the class in yesterday's post. Yes --- the participants were very accommodating, but all it takes is one offhand comment to go the wrong way. I should be above it - I'm a big girl. But there are times when even my shiny disposition just has enough, and it was 99.9% because of the technology.

My apologies if anyone was offended, but I was FRUSTRATED!

I had two classes with presentations yesterday morning, and a Virtual Retreat all afternoon, and not a single drop! Of course ...

Go Jays Go! 

I'm not a dedicated fan (no Jays sweaters or other merchandise for me), but I do like to see "our" team win. Unfortunately, I can't stay up to watch it. Besides, we don't have a working TV at the moment, but I could watch it on my phone. But I do check the score! Go Jays Go!

Yesterday was UFO Club, and you all know that there are three tables filled with stuff that needs to be done. In the past, I've focused on larger projects that take months to complete, but I ...

Only a few more days to get through this crazy schedule. It took quite a while to get the UFO presentations put together --- many group members were very busy over the summer, and we had a lot to see! 

Time was running out, and so I shortchanged the girls on their walk. They were not happy about it. I was about a half hour late in getting out of the house with them, and can you tell they were not happy? 

MOM -- we are waiting PATIENTLY!!!!

Yesterday was a bit of a crazy day. It seemed like I spent a lot of time on my phone—yes, my cell phone, which does not work at my house. It actually doesn't work well in my neighborhood, but it works just fine elsewhere. 

This means it's the connection to the tower, which I was told a while back. I need to be persistent in getting my provider to fix the connection. But sometimes, it's nice not to have a working phone! It's a good excuse not to talk to people—not that I don ...

Today's post should be called EXIT Game excitement! We sat and mulled the darn puzzle over at dinner, and I was getting tired of it and wanted to leave it. DH continued to mull it over and then said something VERY IMPORTANT. We forgot a VERY VISUAL clue, and as soon as he mentioned it, finding the answer was easy! So, points to DH for solving that one. Hanging up the laundry was easy. 

We moved on to the next door. I was trying to print a quilt label as he mulled over the cards. What could it be ...

 It was a crazy day, and there are two more Zoom presentations today. But after today -- I have ZERO presentations until January 6. I can hardly wait for two weeks of downtime! And next year, the classes have been slashed in half! So, there will be less prep and less follow-up! 

Zoom has been a great way to stay connected to people during the pandemic, but I definitely see a fall in attendance. And it doesn't help that we are one week from Christmas! 

I have already sent half the follow-ups from yesterday and two more to do later ...

There are some mornings when I look at this blank screen, and I think to myself - what witty thing are you going to say today to encourage people to read on! You know - it's like the first impression - you have 30 seconds to make a first impression. Thankfully, I NEVER freeze when I see a blank screen, or if I do - I just start to babble on! 

I just like to write, and that never used to be the case! That comes from my Mom. It's amazing where we pick up our traits and how they eventually influence ...

WOW -- I have no idea what has happened, but for the past three nights, I wake up at ridiculous o'clock even for me. Should I stay in bed and try to go back to sleep, or should I get up and do some work? I've opted for working, but I hate this because it "wrecks" my day. Well, not really, but I may or may not need a nap. 

So if you're getting e-mails at weird times from me -- don't worry! This morning was bad because I was thinking about a thread issue on someone's ...

Hello Jenny from Australia!!! She figured out the time zones and popped into our Virtual Retreat last night! How fun is that? It was Sunday morning for her, while it was Saturday night for us. Gosh -- I absolutely LOVE the Virtual Retreat. We get to stay in touch with our friends, and meet new people! And if you're traveling, as was Karen, no problem -- just pop into the call from wherever you are!

Yep -- those Virtual Retreats are here to stay! And so will the Monday sewing -- I can't help it -- if some of them want to go ...

I have accounts on several social media platforms, but I don't hang out that often. I know people frequently post pictures of whatever, but I post various photos of my girls and sometimes a project or two from time to time. But I mostly use social media for my classes - at least these days, and I use it to stay in touch with people in my life, but not close enough in distance or relationship to see what's going on. 

My brother's MIL is not well and likely won't make it out of the hospital. Her ...

Progress is being made -- I've got the homework done for the class tonight and working on the presentation, which won't take long. The homework for the weekend classes is mainly cut and ready to sew, and that's a job for later today. The best part of all this is that I should have ALL the homework for February finished and up to date with the Virtual Retreat this weekend. Then I get to start all over again next month! I have a bit of applique to stitch in place and some strips to sew together. 

But not ...

The best-laid plans get thwarted by the weather! So we have NOT had a significant snowstorm all winter, and I've been quite happy to stay tucked in my house and not go anywhere - well, nowhere really to go, so the weather didn't matter. Then the DAY that I wanted to go somewhere and had planned to go somewhere, we got a massive snowstorm! 

OK -- I was tempted to venture out, and then common sense prevailed. Why should I go out NOW in rush hour traffic when I can wait a couple of hours, sew with my friends on ...

So no presents to wrap, but my goal is to WRAP up some UFOs before the end of this year. I'm running out of time. 

If I were a bit better at time management and focus, I'd be working on those UFOs a bit more often during the year and putting a push on to make that happen. 

However, in my defense, the quilt that I'm about to show you was a TON of work, and it wasn't really a UFO in the sense that any of it was done, and I needed to finish it ...

What a difference life is without a monkey on your back! Knowing that I didn't have to deal with that package changed my whole perspective on the day. Now here's the thing - I will have future shipments, and I will continue to use UPS. Why? The logistic part of UPS has worked like a charm. Even when other shipments, including those through the postal service, were delayed by huge amounts of time due to the pandemic, UPS NEVER once screwed up on the delivery date. 

No -- I will continue to work with UPS. The "boys in brown" do ...

 Oh dear -- I got in trouble AGAIN.

I saw my neighbor -you know the one, walking down the street towards me as I walked home with Murphy. I decided to say "Good morning" as I do to so many people that I pass along the street. HEY -- for some people, it might be the only interaction with someone else during the day. And it's fun as we've got to "know" others in the neighborhood. 

I must admit that I said "good morning" rather enthusiastically to her as we passed, and I did add on "neighbor", as the last ...

OH --- I LOVE Terri's idea about the shoebox. I intended to take the images of quilting designs and patterns and put them in an inspiration book. She says that doesn't work for her. Instead, she keeps ONE small box with loose pages from magazines, etc. Periodically she goes through and cleans up. Hmm -- that might work. I need to empty a box to try that out! 

That method will be faster  -- I like that idea! Thanks, Terri. I love that we can all learn from each other. I'll see how the day goes, but I might have ...

 So - it's another crazy morning. It's very early, but I'm on my way to spin class, and since I didn't write the blog last night - I'm reversing the order of things. While I'm getting things done, there just doesn't seem to be enough time this week. I should know better by now that when I have the three classes on the weekend, I need to do some prep work before the week of the classes. I think there's going to be an all-nighter coming up!

Why? Well, I'm taking part of ...

 What a crazy day! I swear you can never be done with sample making! Just when you think you're done, you think of another sample to make! I've got more to make later this week, but for now, I'm set. 

Oh my -- I LOVE Monday sewing. I was a bit distracted as I made those samples and took pictures and videos. But it didn't matter; we chatted about everything and anything. I feel so connected to these ladies! They are my family! And it's a great way to do some mindless sewing, although it was ...

UFOs are NOT unidentified flying objects. At least, not in the world of quilting! Nope - that means UNFINISHED OBJECT. And there are a ton of other acronyms that have so cleverly been put together over the years. OH MY -- I just found a site with a LOT of acronyms. Check them out! Some pretty funny ones. 

Before I get to the show and tell, I need to clarify one small detail about my wee rant yesterday. Some people sign up for classes with excellent intentions. Then life deals them a blow, and they are not able to continue or even ...