What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

My sewing room hasn’t been functioning well for a little while. A non-functioning sewing room isn’t a good place for any quilter. We want so much to be in a space that simply doesn’t work. While on a vid call a few weeks ago I showed part of it, stuff I’d been working on and… Continue reading Clearing my Head

Dear Vi,You might have heard that the streets of Dawson City are paved with gold,but the truth is, they aren’t paved at all.Here’s evidence: boot brushes outside the door of every establishment.And miles of boardwalk.This summer has been a writing retreat for me. I left home with a sketchy idea for my next novel, and today I’m well over halfway there. I’m writing about 1,000 words every time I sit down, which has been about 5 days per week. Sometimes more, sometimes less. When I’m not writing, I’m ...

A couple of weeks ago I posted this: Something of an unofficial hint. Last night I had phone call with one one of the folks with C&T, while there are a couple of details to work out (mostly timeline) I am writing a quilting book. Giving up writing my first accepted book was and still… Continue reading On Second Chances

I can always tell when I’m a bit stressed as blogging and quilting become a bit of a challenge. Several posts are in the drafts folder waiting for inspiration, and perhaps something else, the trash bin, the right time? Writing ideas are much like quilt ideas: right time, right place, right skill-level – the words… Continue reading Well, I didn’t see that coming

Months ago, I came across an editorial piece in a women’s business magazine. The writer, a middle-aged female, was lamenting her reality; that she had spent so much time on building her business that she had missed out on precious time with family. Her business was very successful and over the years, she had expanded its reach.  She was rightfully proud of what she has created, yet so regretful of the day-to-day family activities she had not witnessed.

As I read her words, I realized it was exactly the opposite for me. I’ve always had such grand business ...

Good Wednesday to you all!  Thank you so much for joining me here.

Last Wednesday, I posted stage one of our first contest for 2018. If you scroll down to last week’s post, you can browse through all wonderful, thoughtful comments that we received.

Last week, I came across a Facebook post for Pantone’s Colour of the Year for 2018 – which is Ultraviolet.  You can see the beautiful, rich colour here.

I think it’s an inspiring colour and I love pairing purples/ultraviolets with teal and pink and sometimes yellow.

Now, for stage 2 of our contest ...

Happy Wednesday everyone. It’s still winter here in Calgary, and we’ve got a long way to go until it’s over, until it’s spring.

But nevertheless, I can’t help myself…..thoughts of spring are still rolling through my mind. I came across this fabulous piece from Houzz, as I subscribe to their email. It’s a wonderful article about “backyard retreats” and I so wanted to share it with you. You can find it here.

I’m particularly fond of the last little retreat, #8 – the one that looks more like an English cottage than a ...

Dear Vi,

I hate to be a complainer, but I just have to tell you:

Too much hand quilting, knitting, typing, and gripping heavy weights at the gym have given me tennis elbow in both arms and caused the arthritis in my hands to flare up.

It’s my own fault. I let it go too far. I let it get away from me. I let it get to the point where it hurts to even pick up a cup of tea.

And that’s not all. Poor ergonomics in my sewing and writing life are affecting my shoulders, neck ...

For the final post of our Write 31 Days series, I thought we'd take a look at posts that are popular but relatively easy to write, lists or guides. You can approach this type of post in a number of ways and you can provide almost any type of information. My favorite is to keep an ongoing list of resources that I can share with my quilting readers. 

Very often while I am reading or blogging, I run across sites that I've not seen before. After reading or perusing the site, if I'm impressed with it ...

Curate used as a verb can mean "to pull together, sift through, and select for presentation," as defined by dictionary.com. This is the definition I intend when using it in this post.

Note that this definition implies three separate actions: gather, sift, and select (not necessarily in that order). Let's say you decide to curate photographs of European castles for your blog. Generally there's a point or connection to your collection--a reason for pulling together these particular photographs. Be specific in explaining the reason so that readers aren't left wondering, "What is your point?"

Every ...

Writing about your personal library may seem difficult, but there's are reasons for the books you've chosen to bring into your life. That's how I think of my library--as part of my life. Very likely that's because I read daily. Yes, daily. Even if I'm busy. Or there are things going that overwhelm me. There's going to be some reading in the chaos.

Now when I say library, I mean literally (in my case) a library of books--mostly hard back. I don't do the e-book thing yet. I don't need to since ...

This idea of sharing your personal things may seem strange at first but can make for an interesting post. Followers, and people in general, are curious and most of us like human contact. I may not be able to visit you personally, but as I get to know you via internet, I am more and more likely to want to more. Sharing your personal things is a way of sharing your life.

• vehicles--For some people the vehicle you drive and ...

Dear Vi,

Today I sent out another query letter for Holding Space. That makes nine. Out of the nine, I’ve received two rejections and one request for a Full. That means the agent liked the query enough to want to read the full manuscript. That’s pretty exciting. Even if she decides it isn’t for her, it’s a huge boost to my writerly self esteem.

And I’ve got a short story out on submission, but I won’t hear for awhile yet.

Meanwhile, I’m working on two new manuscripts. This is a bit discombobulating –  I ...