What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

I never received any training to be a teacher; it seems to come naturally to me, for which I am eternally grateful. I never planned on being a quilt teacher, but the opportunity fell into my lap (thank you, Gail, at the Hobby Horse for believing in me!), and I took to it like a duck to water! 

I also try NOT to DICTATE RULES to my students. I try to create an environment where they feel comfortable asking questions, and I explain why we do something a certain way. If they want to do it differently, that's OK ...

While I accomplished a lot yesterday, I have nothing to show for it! I was in the car most of the afternoon and on a call in the morning! However, I managed to cross several things off my list! Yeah! I hate those kind of days, but every once in a while, they need to be done. 

I have to say that I LOVE the navigation system in the car. Actually, LOVE is not strong enough. It is so easy to use compared to the other vehicle! Well, there is NO comparison. 

I have Android Car Play, which I love ...

People are much more relaxed about getting Zoom links, but seriously? Certain people need to relax or STOP making a nuisance of themselves, and if they read my blog -- they know who they are. It's FREAKING ANNOYING! 

Some instructors will send out the Zoom link several days before the class. People are comforted to know they have the link and won't miss the class. I do NOT send the link out several days in advance because many people lose them, which results in more emails. People are WAY BETTER than they used to be, so issues are rare ...

Is there hope? I'm leaving for a week-long quilt retreat. I may or may not have a one-hour Zoom to present while I'm away. Just ONE! I have a couple of other phone calls, but nothing is work-related, so all is good. No preparation is involved, and they won't last one hour. 

All my admin work, except one tiny detail, is up-to-date. I've sent out emails this morning, all the follow-up from classes is done, and I'm sitting here with NOTHING to do until it's time to leave! 

As if! I'm writing the ...

WAIT -- there's a Virtual Retreat tonight and tomorrow, and I kept forgetting to put it in the blog this past week. DUH!!!! So much for the warning. I'll be working away, so if no one shows up, I'm OK with that. The link will be at the end of the post. 

 The decluttering stopped DEAD! Was that because DH was home? Was that because I had a deadline to meet and struggled with passive writing versus active writing? Or was it just time to take a break? I think it was a bit of everything. HOWEVER, I ...

Gosh -- it's hard to believe that 24 years ago, we were all watching the New Year ring in in Sydney, Australia. Everyone was expecting the world to start ending as the computers couldn't handle the switch from 1999 to 2000. Now, here we are 24 years later, and all is well. But if the "experts" were that shortsighted for "small" detail, imagine how many more things are being ignored - like the disposal of batteries for electric cars! But I won't go there!

I want to apologize to those who came to the Zoom call yesterday, and I ...

Why is there always so much to do before leaving? At least this time, things are a bit calmer - I just have to pack myself and a few clothes, and then I'm out the door - no samples to pack or sewing to finish. But still, there are e-mails to send, and it always seems like there is a ton of stuff. But what doesn't get done will get done when I get back. I'll be back before the Virtual Retreat, which is next Saturday and Sunday. YES -- I get it's a busy time of year, but ...

I caved and looked at the third clue for the 10th puzzle in the Advent Calendar. Even after getting a hint from someone also doing it, my brain just wouldn't go down that route. Even though we had a similar type of clue earlier, well, it just wasn't happening! I get it, and it makes perfect sense. At least we figured out the first part of the clue, so we're not complete idiots! 

The puzzle that almost brought me down

I had a day to myself, which was glorious, even though I didn't accomplish much. That's part of why we need days to ourselves, so if we don't accomplish much -- it's OK! 

I had two Zooms in the morning, and both went very well. One of the projects is down to the wire, with the final reveal next month. I have started sewing my Barn Star Sampler together, and I have three small blocks to assemble, and then I can finish the quilt top. There was one more Zoom in the afternoon for our remedial Jen ...

Wow -- back in the saddle this morning. I have two presentations to prepare; of course, nothing was done last night! 

But there is good news - my two sample suitcases were sitting in the hall waiting to be unpacked. I was missing some samples, and the store where I was sure they had disappeared had checked and could not find them. I could not find them in my suitcases. Guess what? When I unpacked -- there they were! How that happened, I've no idea. I need to pack my suitcases in the future to know where everything is. 

Shoot -- I thought ...

There's been a considerable debate going on since the pandemic. Do we want to return to work in an office, or are we happy to stay home? I get a chuckle out of all the people who were upset because they couldn't go into the office during the pandemic. They were going crazy looking at the same walls all day and craved the day they could go in. Now that many of them have the freedom to go in, they don't want to, citing additional costs and time. 

It's funny how people change their minds when ...

 I'm happy to report that I'm back on track! Someone mentioned to me that I appear to be guilty of "wasting" time. I wouldn't say that's true -- I'm as happy as anyone to laze around the house, but it bugs me if I "waste" time because of lack of sleep or having to wait or whatever else that is beyond my control! If I'm in control of taking the day off, I'm good with that.

But all that to say that I had a great day yesterday! I had a visitor in the ...

Thanks for the speaker recommendation -- the one I have isn't cheap! It's a SONOS Roam, but from scouring the internet, I'm not alone in the issue of it cutting out. I might just have a look at the Bose because I tried the Roam when I got home, and it wouldn't work. That's not acceptable! I'll also call their support to see what they say! Why do I ALWAYS have issues with my technology? This speaker is NOT old, and I paid $200 for it - not cheap! 

It's so good to go away ...

We all love to shop --- lots of goodies -- patterns, threads, fabric, and whatever else there is to buy! I started quilting in 1998, and I had no problems buying stuff. Or even worse -- getting freebies from various places. I see so many people winning things they will NEVER use -- why do they even bother to sign up for it? It's all a big marketing ploy. Sure -- they will sell or give it away, but then it will sit in someone else's house. We are KEYED to want free stuff! 

Sadly, I learned a bit too late about accumulating ...

OH, GOSH  - There are quilt shows this weekend, and I haven't had time to think about them. But there's the Region of York show today and tomorrow!!!! Here's the link to their website. I don't know if I can sneak that in because of my classes, but maybe tomorrow? 

There's also a quilt show in Cornwall. The first day was yesterday, and it ends TODAY. 

I have three Zoom classes today and am happy to say that all three presentations are ready! Just made that deadline in the nick of time! The homework for one ...

I'm home! And it's for three weeks this time, and I'm so excited! As much as March was pretty fun and exciting, that was a crazy schedule, and I'm glad it's over. The best news -- I met all the deadlines, had a blast, and learned so much stuff. And for those of you who laugh when I say, "I just need to get over these next two weeks," those two weeks are over! FOR REAL! 

Now it's time to get back in the groove of life. I've got a studio that desperately needs ...

I'm excited that I'm on my way home today, and my event for tomorrow got moved, so I, in fact, have an entire day off on Friday! However, I have to prep for three classes on the weekend, including one on Saturday, which I had forgotten to put in my calendar. But the critical thing here is that I won't have the same amount of pressure I've had for the last couple of weeks. I can actually take a few minutes off and relax - hopefully in the gazebo!

However, the pressure of prepping for this event ...

I'm home! 

It was a long journey home! And while I appreciate help when packing up, I really don't need it or want it. I always feel RUSHED, and I shouldn't, but I do! But I got the luggage packed, and then the question was -- how much does that suitcase weigh? I knew I would be borderline as I had left some room for the samples I needed to pick up in Montreal, but when I weighed the case, it was just over 50 lbs, and that won't do. 

I switched a couple of things around ...

OH --- what a slug this morning. Thankfully, new beds do not bother me, so I've been sleeping well. However, I had noisy neighbors last night, and then during the night, the temperature dropped, and the wind picked up considerably. I could hear it howling all night and creaking the window and walls. As a result, when the alarm went off, I decided I would not walk in that weather - I would for the girls, but not me. I lazed in bed for quite a while before I got up!

The final day of meetings is over, and all went ...

 Another successful day of zoom! I almost got all the homework sewn, but in one project, two blocks were similar, so it didn't matter if both were together. I'll finish that today, and then I have a bunch of follow-up e-mails to do. 

One of the projects we're working on is called Toes in the Sand by Jaybird Quilts. The pattern was released ten years ago and rereleased with Tula Pink fabric for the 10th anniversary of the pattern. I don't know why EVERYTHING released in Tula fabric has to be rainbow! Sometimes, it works, and ...