What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

 Happy New Year!!!!!

If the year is going to be anything like my first 30 minutes of being awake this morning, it's going to be a heck of a ride!

But first - did I stay up last night? I did NOT, however, I needed to use the washroom, and I checked my watch just for curiosity, and it was 11:58. So technically, I was up! But I wasn't celebrating, and thankfully, I went right back to sleep after the clock turned over!

We had great fun at the Virtual Retreat, and well, that's where my morning ...

I totally get the hungry feeling after eating oatmeal. I have tried hemp hearts, and they work, but they are sometimes hard to find. And then my big question is, do you want whole hemp hearts or ground hemp hearts - which one provides more nutrition? I'm going to use my protein powder because I have it and need to use it up! But first, let's use the carbohydrate powder. It's time to clean the cupboards! 

So many choices!! I laugh about eating oatmeal for breakfast, because when I was chatting with my aunts earlier this year, most ...

Whoever said that traveling is fun - well, think again! The prep for travel is insane. I had to pack two suitcases of samples, and that was after I finished making some of them. And there is one jacket that I'd like to take, but do you think I can find it? Nope! I've checked everywhere, except that's a lie since I couldn't find it; I haven't checked the one place it is. Oh well --- I'll talk about it. But where the heck could it be? I swear I had two jackets set aside because ...

I'm glad to know I wasn't the only slug! Sometimes, that's the kind of day we get, and we just make the best of it and move on! Tomorrow is a brand new day! And for me, it was. I got lots done, and all was good!

My girls are over 10 years old, and I'm in denial about that. They are still puppies! They are so different; after all those years, I still can't wrap my head around it. Murphy is filled with enthusiasm, while Lexi is still enthusiastic, but she's a princess ...

If this week is indicative of the pace of retirement, I say bring it on! Having only two classes this coming weekend is the only urgent thing I'm dealing with. That's not true since I'm also writing, but the pace is manageable, and I have time to goof off if I want. I can deal with that. 

Well, this weather is helping, as I have no desire to stay outside and lounge in the gazebo. I could freeze to death if I did that! And it's not really going to warm up for weeks. That's ...

The biggest takeaway I'm getting from the comments about retiring is the ability to do what I want, when I want! YES --- that is what I want! DH sometimes travels to exotic places, and I'm not able to go because of commitments. That didn't bother me in the past, but this year - well, it did! So I'm considering that when I plan my gradual slide into complete retirement. Because of what I do, I don't have to cut everything off at once. But I must keep working on that plan!

Now, where's his next ...

I sure wish I were playing car bingo yesterday because I saw lots of stuff on my drive to and from Cannington. 

First, I want to say that this guild is small, but it's MIGHTY. The number of quilts that came in for show and tell and were then donated to their Outreach program was astounding! 

Some members were given blocks or panels and "had" to make something from them, and they were outstanding! 

And they very warmly received me, and I had oodles of great feedback. Of course, I never seem to have business cards with me. So ...

Hopefully, some of you visited the Libby app to check if your local library has quilt magazines. We've had them for quite a while, but I like the paper copy. However, I'm going to change my mindset on that. Besides, Libby will alert me when a new issue comes up. It's all very civilized, but we all know that change is challenging, and I must let myself go with the flow! 

If Libby doesn't have them, check if your library has Hoopla. Often, magazines are also available from that app. Digital has many advantages, and it ...

Oh gosh—I'm a hypocrite!!!! I went to the event and brought something home! No, it was not a brand-new, top-of-the-line sewing and embroidery machine, although it was very tempting. No - it was a charm pack. 

A charm pack

I got caught up in the moment! When they went around with a bag of prizes, I reached my hand in, and this is what I got. Wait—I cheated and peeked into the bag to get something I might use rather than some swag that I would not! I can easily sew those squares together and make a child ...

What a surprise when the girls and I took our morning walks to find this. 

The path is paved!!!

The pavement ...

I had an interesting chat yesterday morning. After spin class, I walked the girls separately, and when I was walking Murphy, I saw one of the city workers inspecting the damage in the forest! Yes - I know it's a woodlot, but I call it a forest. I'm allowed! 

We had a great chat, but he was only a worker bee, so he didn't know much. I asked about the removal of the pavement, and he said that it was "lifetime" maintenance, that they were waiting for the ground to settle, and that they would repave just those ...

It feels like Ground Hog Day at my house. Another day and I did the exact same things as the day before!!!

Someone suggested that I take my handy labeler and put labels on those drawers, and that would be awesome since I sometimes open the wrong drawer. BUT WAIT—I'm going to show you something about those labels, but it'll have to wait since I do not have a picture of it this morning. 

The latest community project quilt was loaded on the long arm and quilted. I've got a good system going, but it still ...

 Before I forget, here's the photo of the reorganized books. 

Reorganized bookshelf

The top shelf is all the quilt-themed novels, which I'll deal with another day. The middle two rows (and there is a double row on the second from the top shelf) are all series books. I'm a stickler for reading books in the order in which they were written - at least in a series, and so if I want to read a particular author, I check my shelf and correlate it to the order of books and what I've read and I either grab ...

I got up this morning feeling content! What a great feeling. I'm making progress on the list of quilts to be quilted, I have a few bindings that need to be put on, and I need to get back to writing those last blog posts. But I made phone calls yesterday to get on top of some upcoming events, and well, it just feels good to be in control! And if I can't, I need to learn to live with that. I think I do a good job, but sometimes things go awry. Right now, the stars are ...

Before I forget, here's the latest development on the Gordie Howe International Bridge: The gap is almost closed!! It's been fascinating to watch, and it will still be approximately one year before the bridge opens. 

Much has been happening here, and getting work done is hard! But I did. 

The quilt back is finished. Yes, I was short fabric by a smidge, so I added another piece. No big deal! That got rid of the remainder of a bolt of fabric. 

A quilt backing

This quilt is ...

I'm almost up-to-date with things! What a wonderful feeling knowing I can start the week with very little on the overdue list! I have one more follow-up to finish this morning from the weekend Zooms. There have been so many questions to answer or additional information to provide, so that is good. But there also seem to be questions about stuff we've already covered! OH -- I sure hope people go back and review the slides I send each month. It's a lot of information, and sometimes, it's a challenge to grasp everything the first time. 

If ...

I have a class and a club today, and am I prepared? NO!! 

Why? Because I was doing something else yesterday instead of prepping. There is NO ONE to blame but myself. Part of what I was doing yesterday was sewing for today, and one of the presentations is completely done - I just have to load some pictures into the second presentation, and I have time for that later this morning. So while not 100% prepped, not far from being finished. 

In case you wonder how I can get so many steps in a day -- here's the thing. As ...

WOW --- each day at my house brings something new. No two days are alike, as I'm sure is the case at your house. But when the totally unexpected happens, and it's a good thing, the world needs to know about it. 

Like most new quilters (or even the more experienced), you buy fabric because you like it and it's precious. So precious that you can't even cut into it, but then you get to a point when you realize that it's OK to cut into that precious stuff. And how many of you have said ...

I have so many pictures to post -- there just isn't enough time. I'm teaching an in-person class today, and everything is prepped and ready to load into the car! Yeah! 

I still have pictures from the weekend to post, and I don't think I'll get them all done today. Let's see what happens. 

Maryke, Carol, and I did some swapping; here is part of what we exchanged. I loaned Maryke some templates, and I got two books in return. The first one, I've put with my Mixed Media projects for the year, and I ...

This quilt has been on my mind for months, and I’m so excited to share it as a Ruler of the Month quilt! Many times, when you see a quilt like this, it has been either foundation paper pieced or the pieces have been cut with a template. With 100 trees in this quilt, I […]