What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

I see there are some new recommendations for books! I may have to give up sewing to get through them all! As much as I love to read, I could never read all day, as that just wouldn't work for me. Variety is the spice of life! So reading and sewing! 

A couple more flower pictures! I made Murphy wait while I took these; she was not happy! 

Love the color of this rose

Even in October, a full seed of a dandelion

You would think we would learn! Last night, we attempted puzzle number 2 in the Exit Game. It took a bit of thinking, and we came up with the correct answer, but it didn't have all the logic attached, so we looked at the clues and, oh, I see where we missed the logic. We got the correct answer, so looking at those clues didn't count. It was just to inform us! We are still good! 

But again - it was one of those 'aha' moments. We were struggling, and then DH looked at the puzzle and asked, 'Do ...

Oh my goodness — I love all the stories about typing class. I don't remember how many words per minute I ended up typing, but there are days when I wonder how I ever managed! That backspace key is so handy! And that IBM Selectric -- what a dream! 

As for retirement, someone mentioned that many retired people comment that they are so busy now that they don't know how they managed to work. Seriously? Do you want to jump from the frying pan into the fire? I guess if that is what you want to do, then it's ...

I love to teach - I think everyone knows that, and I seem to be a natural at it. Perhaps when I was a kid, I should have veered that way. But I'm happy things turned out the way they did. 

I lived a very isolated life as a kid, and the only job opportunities I saw were those of a teacher, a nurse, or a secretary. Can you believe that? But it was common, and that's why we have a lot of retired teachers and nurses who quilt. 

I learned to type in high school, either in Grade ...

I am on the home stretch of the craziness that was September. There are still a few days left, but come Friday, when I don't have to travel for a long time and only have one class to prep for this weekend, it's going to be heaven. 

I hope you realize that I typically have more than one class on the weekend, two of them back-to-back on Saturday. I intentionally did NOT start the jacket class this month because I knew it would be silly from a timing perspective. That one starts in October. Yeah me! See -- 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!!!!

I WAS going to say Rose of Sharon!! I am quite confused about plants, but I believe you are correct! It's hard to believe that my paternal grandfather and mother had green thumbs, yet I struggle to name even a few plants in my garden. 

But I was attempting to use my pale green thumbs as I puttered in the garden in the morning. More in a second. 

It was another fun day at the Virtual Retreat. Our new hours are 3 PM to approximately 9 PM EST, in case you'd like to join us in the future ...

I am a bit of a dolt, but we all knew that! I struggled a little bit with fatigue yesterday, but there wasn't an opportunity to take a nap. That's OK. But by 7:00 PM, I knew something else was wrong. OH MY GOODNESS -- I have a fever! 38.5! That would be a result of the vaccinations I had the previous day! I don't know how long I had the fever, but it was when my body just said, "we're done," that it crossed my mind! 

Having said that, I took some medication (although ...

YES to the towel on the ironing board! I love it. I was pressing under the edges of some hexagons using a cardboard template, and they didn't shift! And yesterday, I accidentally put a bit of fusible on the towel, and that's easy enough to get rid of. Well, it's still there, but I can wash that towel, and any crap, dirt, and stains are gone! Why didn't someone tell me this earlier? 

While I accomplished a fair amount yesterday, I'm not sharing it yet. Some of it is for a writing assignment, which should ...

To my American friends - Happy Independence Day. Be strong! 

Wow --- there were a lot of comments yesterday, and this overbuying and taking on too much is a very hot topic! While I appreciate the positive comments about my teaching, I knew the only way to discourage people from taking too many classes was to not offer so many classes. But that's good for me as well, so I'm OK with that. 

Dare I say that I was at it again yesterday - sorting, pitching, and purging. But mostly sorting. 

The third shelving unit in the stash room held a ...

You all have such great suggestions. If I get frustrated by the towel moving, I can use clips to attach it below. Problem solved! 

Happy Canada Day! It's a great day to celebrate our country, its people, and its beautiful lands. Take a moment today to reflect on the freedoms we have. 

Lately, when I've been walking the dogs, I've spotted people who were most likely not born in this country. They are out walking and exploring the neighborhood. They give me a hearty "good morning," and I almost feel their joy in living here! Perhaps they ...

It warms my heart to read the latest comment on my blog. Someone volunteered at Quilt Canada to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes. That is so true! It also helps you understand why some things are the way they are. I don't know who that was, but I love you! Without volunteers, a show like that wouldn't exist. I understand that we all can't volunteer for various reasons, but I recently met a shop owner from out west who came to check things out and offered to volunteer her services. 

That makes me ...

Will the chaos ever end? I contemplate this every day! Will there ever be a lull in my life when I can work on my things and spend time as I wish? I get pockets of that, but then something crazy happens, and chaos ensues! 

Let's hope that in the fall, with fewer class commitments, that will be the case. We'll just have to see how that works out, as my schedule for September includes a Facebook Live, a two-day embroidery workshop, a seven-day quilting retreat, and the Buckhorn Quilt Show, where I'm the featured quilter. I ...

Balance - that's a good word. There's balance in life, as in work-life balance, which I still struggle with occasionally. OK - I struggle with it a lot, but I still get lots of ME time. There's physical balance, and it's hilarious because it seems like such a simple thing, but it's a critical factor in our physical well-being. As I left my doctor's appointment the other day, she said, "You are taking care of yourself, and that is good. Be sure to work on your balance!" Not that balance was an issue in why I ...

Good progress is being made in many areas. I spent the entire morning on the computer. I used to resent that time as I wanted to be sewing. I still wish I were sewing, but I've resigned to the fact that computer work is required for what I do. Get it done, then you can guilt-free sew and hopefully meet all the deadlines!

Just how the heck is there constantly something that needs to be done? I'm making progress for the fall schedule and trying hard to reduce, consolidate, and eliminate the commitments on my time. So far ...

I don't know what to say this morning, and that's a first. 

OK—I'm kidding, but I had a very eye-opening experience this morning. If I were of sound mind (which I'm not), I'd go downstairs and take every pattern in those boxes, bundle them up, and take them somewhere. I don't know where, but somewhere. I have NO RIGHT to even consider starting a new project. 

What happened to traumatize me? I'm working on this MASSIVE project for my concurrent show next week at Quilt Canada. It's called Celebrating 25 Years ...

You all have some great suggestions! I can't use my phone as a camera because I sometimes attach it to the computer to share the phone screen (showcasing an app), so that won't work. But all is good! I have an iPad that will work fine after I get a couple of accessories. 

I used the saddle chair a fair bit yesterday, and I like it, although I did find it a bit "exhausting" staying in the correct position for a great length of time. But all that shows is how badly I sit in a regular chair ...

I can cross the Facebook Live event off the list! All the prep paid off, and the technology worked like a charm, except for that brand-new camera. I could NOT figure out how to focus. Guess what? I'm returning it and will buy the more expensive one. It was a cheap camera, and I understand it doesn't have the bells and whistles, but it was a hassle to set up. All the settings had to be reset each time I turned it on. I'm prepared to bite the bullet to have an idiotproof camera. The cheap one ...

 Wow, someone mentioned another brand of socks, and they can make the left and the right in different weaves! I'm off to spin class this morning, so no time to post the link. I should do a recap of socks, but if you are willing to buy quality that lasts, there are many brands. There will be no more cheap brands in the future. 

Speaking of cheap, I didn't pay a lot for that extra camcorder, and it shows! But since I have two other pretty decent ones, I set the new one where I need it the ...

YES --- I like SmartWool as well. I have one pair! When I first bought hiking socks, I bought several brands! It was just that I noticed the bottom disappearing slowly on the WrightSock! 

My SmartWool sock

I just went to their website, and WOW—it's easy to pick what you want, as they have a checklist. It's very civilized. I signed up for the newsletter and got 15% off. I might be buying some new socks today! 

I must check with my brother, as the socks he buys have a lifetime guarantee. They are more expensive, but they ...