What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Today was the day.  School started again here.  I sent off a bunch…3 went from my home onto the bus and several others got on the bus at their own homes.

Next week on Tuesday I send off another bunch.  I’ll have four heading off to preschool.

I hate that school for kiddos here starts at age three.  Yes, THREE!  I think it’s too soon.  I’m comfortable with four.  At three there is so much more playing to do-so much outdoors to enjoy.  Here kids don’t have to go at three but most do.  They ...

One of my all- time favorite birthday cards was one from Sandra Boynton that uses hippo bird dogs two ewe as the refrain for happy birthday. (You can see it here. https://www.sandraboynton.com/sboynton/hippobirdiecards.html

Anyway, yesterday was the most lovely birthday! It was our big welcome back event for our ESD so I was able to see many of the coworkers I only talk to by phone most of the school year.

My “partner in crime” and long-time friend brought me fabric for my birthday (in a crazy cat lady bag… she knows me well) and ...

Wandering With Abandon is going to Quilt Expo in Madison, WI, then will be on the road for two years as part of an exhibit of quilts based on the traditional Log Cabin block.

Here’s it’s story:

“You belong among the wildflowers 
You belong in a boat out at sea
Sail away, kill off the hours
You belong where you feel free."
                                       - Tom Petty

The visual inspiration for this quilt came from a field of wildflowers in Switzerland where my heart wandered with complete inhibition….total freedom.

It is ...

I’ve not listened to near as many audio books as I used to.  I got out of the habit.  I wasn’t in the sewing room as much.  I had spend so much time with Kramer and with family.  I’m finding ways to sneak audio books back into my life.  I’ve missed books.

This is the book that pulled me out of my hiatus, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

I listened on audio.  It was my favorite reader Cassandra Campbell.  I often will go on the hunt for a book to listen to and purposely ...

I got a package in the mail.  I never know what is coming.  It could be fabric, things for the kiddos, yarn, or even occasionally quilt tops.  I opened this one to find fabric and quilt tops.  LOTS!!  For the most part, I don’t get a lot of quilt tops.  Readers have been sending them straight to Ronda or one of the other charity quilters on the list.  (Find the list HERE)  I often don’t see the tops until Ronda or one of the other charity quilters send me pictures of the finished quilts.  Either way, it’s ...

In 2013, I blogged about a quilt pattern designed by my all-time favourite designer, Mary Engelbreit. It was called “Playtime Pals”. I originally made a quilt from this pattern for my baby daughter, Shawna in 1982. It lay on her single bed once she graduated from her crib. She slept covered by it every single night. It was washed a million times, used to make forts in the living room and became an outdoor picnic blanket when the need arose. After ten years or so, after having been dragged everywhere, it was tattered and torn, reduced to a few pieces ...

I’m starting up a little series of posts that feature old blog posts.  Kalissa and I have been going back and looking at them.  It’s been fun.  I started blogging in June of 2009…WOW.  Ten years.  I’m so glad I’ve kept the blog as a diary of sorts.

For those of you who don’t know.  Kalissa is our youngest of five kids.  She was the last to leave the nest.  She’s a mom on her own now with two kids.  WOW.  We don’t live at the old farm house anymore.  What a ...

You might remember remember back to 2015.  I blogged and told you that I was helping out the firemen and first responders by being a victim in their Mock Disaster.  You can read about that HERE.

That was a pretty complex Mock Disaster.  We were big into makeup and went full out.  See??  Here I am.  No worries.  It was all fake blood.

(My hair was short then too)  Seeing this confirms I prefer my long hair.

For that scenerio I was a crazy mom who wouldn’t stop screaming….A few years before that, our two oldest and I ...

I was feeling a little better this week.  I started the beginning of the week still a little rough but gradually the week got better.  I’ve gotten into a bit a routine that in the early morning before childcare I do some sewing and in the evening after the day winds down I do a little stitching.  Right now, it’s a good balance I am content with.  I do know the next big stretch of time I get, like over a weekend, I am definitely going to put in some extra time in the sewing room.  I’m ...

Last week I met what I call “a friend I haven’t met”.  Long ago I started using that term for blog readers that I haven’t met and it’s so true.  So many of you would be my real life friends if you lived anywhere close.  The first time I met a blog a reader was likely about 7 years ago.  My own kids were warning me and telling me “Mom, you never know who you are going to meet on the internet”.  They were so worried about me and meeting blog readers that they would insist on ...

Have you seen this fabulous Ice Dyed Baby poster? Handi Quilter created this fun poster with the Debra Linker ice dyed pieces that were quilted by some of the Handi Quilter educators.

I want to share with you some of these quilts and their quilters. The quilting on them is fabulous! They will be seen at shows around the country. So keep an eye out to enjoy them up close and personal. Watch the Handi Quilter Facebook page for announcements of where they will be. Be sure to click the “LIKE” button so you will stay up to date on ...

Have you seen this fabulous Ice Dyed Baby poster? Handi Quilter created this fun poster with the Debra Linker ice dyed pieces that were quilted by some of the Handi Quilter educators.

I want to share with you some of these quilts and their quilters. The quilting on them is fabulous! They will be seen at shows around the country. So keep an eye out to enjoy them up close and personal. Watch the Handi Quilter Facebook page for announcements of where they will be. Be sure to click the “LIKE” button so you will stay up to date on ...

One of the things that I told you I wanted to work on and get caught up on is my flimsy pile.  I told you that WAY back at the beginning of the year…before cancer…before my husband died.  I had so hoped that I would catch that pile up and have no quilts in the stack by now.  That didn’t happen.

This is where quilt tops go to live until I get to quilting them.  I still want to get them caught up.

I started out okay this year.  I had two tops that were done that ...

Do you remember I went to town looking for a lamp?  It was back in June when I went to Hobby Lobby and saw this lamp.  I really liked it but then decided not to buy it as I remembered my brother had started making lamps and I knew I’d much rather buy one from him.  Besides, this one looked okay…but not authentic like Jim’s did.

So I called him and told him I wanted a lamp.  He sent me a picture of what he had available.  He had five finished.  None were spoken for so I ...

Being a traveling quilt teacher is something I have long dreamed about being. Now that it is a reality, I often think about just how UNGLAMOROUS this life style is. The logistics are maddening, the time in the air is tedious, and the details of teaching can be nerve-wracking. Still, every time I have caught up on my sleep, I look forward to my next teaching adventure. It is weirdly addictive.

In the hopes that one of my upcoming gigs is near you, I am going to share the rest of my teaching schedule for 2019.

AUGUST 2019
Next week ...

I just uploaded an update for the Fibonacci Quilt #1 Pattern on my Etsy shop.

Here’s the original quilt:

And here’s a mock up of a new layout with some variations!   The pattern addendum  includes info on fabric requirements for the new quilt size. You can customize this quilt to suit your interests–and your fabric stash.

This variation has a mix of improvisational blocks and a very scrappy look.

You can modify or improvise the individual patches in each block. Here’s a version that has variations in the blocks and an outside border.I even included ...