What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

I had to laugh several times since I arrived. Torontonians would fail miserably if they had to live in Calgary. Calgarians are TOUGH, as no one seems to dress up for winter! In the airport, many people were wandering without jackets. I get it -- their coat could be in their luggage, but even though it was a cold day, no one seemed to mind. I saw airport office staff outside with no jackets, and no one seems cold. 

Now at the hotel, people are in and out without winter gear. And some of them are even wearing shorts, shoes with ...

 OK -- so I'm still at the hotel. A few left last night, and more are leaving this morning, but three of us are staying until this afternoon. We have MORE work to do! 

While it's been a lot of work, it's also been a fun week. We've been able to get to know each other a bit more, and we've learned a ton, and it was well worth the time to be here. 

I don't think I know how much I must do when I get home. I'm in denial. I'm always ...

 Yep -- the blog is late this morning! It was a very late night- sorting stuff and playing Santa! Then I couldn't sleep, so I was late getting up, and based on the weather forecast, I went for my walk as soon as I got up. Good thing I did because when I reached the turnaround point, I felt a few sprinkles, which turned into ice accretion. Do they say that? 

Anyway -- I made my KM for the morning (not for the day, but close), and there was little rain, just those ice pellets. The roads were still in pretty ...

 WOW --- I quickly glanced at the comments, and we are all learning new things! Life is just so cool!

OK -- this is not to make you jealous, but I have the BEST job in the world. Keep in mind that I have several jobs, and I LOVE all of them. Who else can say that? I met someone yesterday who says the same thing. He used to work in health care, and now he's an artist and LOVES every minute of his day. He probably doesn't make the same amount of money, but health and happiness trump money ...

 It was one of those days. I still have a couple of quilts to trim, and that other quilt is almost off the long arm, but the top is still pinned to the leaders. It's lying nicely on the long-arm table, and I'll deal with it on the weekend. 

We had two AMAZING club sessions yesterday. One on EQ8 and the other on Digital Cutters. So much information and so little time, and I hope the participants get as much out of the sessions as I do. We had design exercises in EQ8, and it was amazing to ...

 Here we are on Day Three of the retreat. How fun to run away from home for a week and get to sew with friends all day. And if you don't want to sew -- that's OK. I only brought a few projects, but I brought some doozies! Lots of improv stuff, which is fun to do, and I don't really stick with them at home. 

We took a wee break in the afternoon and went to Creekbank Sewing. While they sell a competitor's sewing machines, I really like the store. It's currently situated on a ...

Well, well  --- another hurdle has been passed. There are two UFO sessions this morning, and will anyone be paying money? Late last night, I felt like the Little Engine that Could late last night and early this morning. "I think I can, I think I can." Then that changed to "I know I can. I know I can." You'll just have to wait until tomorrow to see if the little train pulled into the station - on time! 

When I went for my walk in the afternoon, I had the shock of my life. OK -- so I'm exaggerating, but ...

Oh --- running short on time this morning; I'll deal with the comments tomorrow. I love comments, so thanks for sending them along. 

We all know that you must be careful when searching the internet as sometimes you don't necessarily get what you want. At least my secondary search was CLEAN but unexpected. 

I was searching for the power tower, so I could figure out where to buy it. This is what I wanted. I love the bilingualism in the photo. The measurements on the left are in inches, and those on the right are in millimeters. A true ...

What a great Christmas Eve we had! I wasn't sure how many would be able to make the Zoom call, but because of the crazy weather, a few showed up because their plans had changed. Family members got caught in the highway shutdowns and had to make some crazy detours, and we all cheered when they got home! As usual, I went to bed, and some were still on the call. 

Sorry -- I'm tired and need my sleep! 

Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope your day goes as planned! I bought tickets to the movie, and that's ...

I'm not out of the woods yet, but feeling better. Let's hope this doesn't develop into something serious -- I don't have time for serious! Lots to drink, lots of sleep -- that's my healing process!

It's probably too early to think about cleaning up, as most of you will be thinking about Christmas, but if you're starting to think about how to downsize your stash, here's an excellent and FAST way to make that happen. Comfy Cases, an organization that distributes colorful pillowcases to sick children, donated over 4,500 pillowcases across Ontario ...

So many Advent Calendars -- so little time! Is it next year so I can order one? OK --- so that's pushing time limits a wee bit. But now that I've investigated advent calendars and found out how inexpensive some of them are, compared to the quilting ones -- I want a different one. Maybe I could "cheat" and buy one for myself this year!! No one will know! 

Had great presentations yesterday, and OH - boy -- I should learn to read the instructions. I seem to make things up when I'm sewing, and well -- if it works and it's ...

WOW  --- it appears that flannel is on the way out! Two people commented that they got rid of their flannel. I mean -- there comes the point when you just say, "why are we keeping all this stuff?" More on my flannel in a minute. 

And YES --- I am taking care of my feet, and I'm taking care of me. But after NINE hours of laying in bed, my back was NOT happy! So there has to be a balance. For those who know me, I'm a slug these days, and while I can live with that for a ...

As I mentioned, I'm away and technically working, but not at work! What a LONG day we had! However, I learned a TON of stuff and passed on a lot of information, so that was great. 

Why am I away from home and working but not really working? I had the opportunity to play with one of our sit-down quilting machines. Something I've never really had the chance to do. Oh yes -- I've had the opportunity to take a few test spins from time to time, during a show, when there are a ton of people around ...

I'm as cozy as a clam in my hotel this morning. I've got the AC off, so it's quiet and a beautiful temperature! I got a quilt on the bed, and I'm listening to my home radio station! How cool is that!!!!

This retreat definitely has a different vibe than many I've been on. Perhaps it's the location? I'm not sure, but it's very relaxing. I headed out in the morning for my walk, and I decided to go for a long walk. A bit longer than usual, but I was still back in two hours. 

It was brisk in the morning, and I wore my vest the entire walk. The sun was out yet again, and I was comfortable. The environment was stunning. Since it was Saturday morning, there was very little traffic, the sky was blue ...

Mother Nature is playing with us! We've not had the best spring, as there were lots of cooler days with loads of wind and rain. It's been nasty at times. However, the last two days have been PERFECT. The temperature was warm enough to walk outside in a T-shirt, no wind or very little, no rain -- it's been perfect. So much so that it's been a challenge to stay inside at the quilting retreat. And I'm OK with that. 

Right after breakfast, I decided to go for a walk, and it's always better to ...

Is anyone having trouble getting my blog notification? Susan has been using the e-mail link on the blog, and it seems to be coming later in the day than usual. I'm not sure what is happening there, but hopefully, you are all getting the links OK. 

Day Two of the retreat has come and gone. OH MY --- what a great group of people. We have someone new on this retreat, and it's her first retreat with a small group. You always worry if the new person will fit into the mix, and I'm happy to report that ...

 There's nothing like going to a retreat and spending quality time with friends! And yep -- I'm at my second retreat for the year. And it's definitely NOT my last. We're staying for an ENTIRE week, which is a luxury, but I've found that staying in a small group at a house, rather than a large group in a hotel, is much more cost-effective. The total per person for the week is often less than at a hotel for a couple of days. 

Lunch is a very casual affair with sandwiches that we each make. One ...

OH MY GOSH --- there's a real IN PERSON quilt show coming up soon!!! What????? 

This guild took a big chance that things were going in the right direction. We love you, HAMILTON QUILTER'S GUILD. Here's a link to their show -- it's on June 3 and 4. The location is pretty close to me, and well -- I'm ready to go!! There are vendors, and it's going to be a real quilt show! 

Wow -- I could stop right there. That's enough excitement to blow me out of the water. I don't know of any ...

We had a great day with the Monday sewing group. It's always a good day -- loads of laughs, show and tell, tips on many things, and a place to vent (politely) if something isn't going your way. OK -- it's mostly me that vents. Here's one of my little peeves. I must be getting old because I seem to do that a lot. 

And this peeve isn't restricted to the quilt world. What I hate is that someone gets recognition for something they did. Let's say that I win a big prize at a quilt ...