What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

It's an interesting retreat. Heck, all retreats are interesting, but they are always different. It's never the exact same group of people who attend. It's funny, as when I first started going to retreats almost 20 years ago, we were a set group of nine people, and we went together for years. Then things happened, and that group fell apart. Now, we have a larger group of people; it's never the same mix each time. That makes it interesting! 

How am I feeling? I'm pretty good. I'm realizing that I can't sit well ...

 Two more Zooms are done! Sometimes, the weekends can get crazy, and I don't feel like doing much when the classes are over. So, instead of working as I should have, I lazed around yesterday afternoon and went to the mall to run some errands!

Something bizarre happened in our house last night. Murphy and Lexi got into a fight, and blood was drawn. I knew something was up when Lexi was skulking in the kitchen, and Murphy was hanging around for some reason. Before I knew it, an attack! I know Murphy is very jealous and is highly ...

 Yep -- here I am at a quilt retreat. It's a small group (intentional) and is one of the most relaxing retreats because of that! Plus, it's an excellent opportunity to catch up with friends we rarely see. After getting all the morning stuff out, I loaded the car and was on my way. I think this is our third or perhaps fourth retreat that this small group has done. 

I always look at what I bring and think do I need all that, but I've cut way down on what I bring. OK - so I threw in ...

Some days, I sit down here and wonder where to start. It's not that rocket science is being done at my house, but sometimes, the slow and steady process of getting rid of more stuff just blows my mind. 

So, you are NOT allowed to judge me based on what I'm going to share today. You can talk about me and how crazy I am, but you are not allowed to judge me. What I find entertaining is not what you would find entertaining, and vice versa. 

However, I know what I'm going to do when I ...

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 ...

Anne has a good eye! She not only knew what the quilt was that I was working on, but she sent me a picture. I'm not sure if that was her quilt. Great job, Anne -- you know your quilts!!!

Another productive day! It's amazing what you can get done when you can focus on the quilting and have good conversations and good working conditions! So, what does the quilt I worked on look like? I finished the quilt top last night. 

My bicycle quilt

I have no recollection of cutting this quilt, which is called Mod Geo Cruiser ...

And the progress continues! I get a chuckle at how much we think we can do in a day and how much we actually get done! Now that the miters on the 365-day quilt are done, at least for the moment, I had visions of using the remaining blocks as enders and leaders as I plowed through a quilt top that was totally cut out. 

Yes -- the pieces are cut out but NOT labeled, which is typical of ME! 

The background is cut but not labeled

This is not a quilt with the same block repeated over and over. It ...

Wow -- I'm not sure if I should be happy or not. I'm working on my 365-Day quilt that I started in 2016. I was working on the February blocks at the January 2023 retreat. This retreat? I'm working on the March blocks! If I continue this way, completing this quilt will take another NINE years. 

I thought it might be a good project to use as enders and leaders, EXCEPT the FOUR blocks I worked on yesterday all had miters in them. In total, I made 28 mitered corners on teeny tiny blocks! I'm not afraid ...

Sadly, I didn't get to the Oakville fiber show, but that's OK. It's a lesson to learn that I must plan my life a bit better. I did have a date planned back in November, but that got sidetracked, and I SHOULD have rescheduled a date in December. So, while I'm sad I couldn't make it, learn from my mistakes and don't do it again!

It seemed like I was busy the entire day, and do I have anything to show for it? Not much -- it was one of those days where I tried ...

 It was a crazy day, and there are two more Zoom presentations today. But after today -- I have ZERO presentations until January 6. I can hardly wait for two weeks of downtime! And next year, the classes have been slashed in half! So, there will be less prep and less follow-up! 

Zoom has been a great way to stay connected to people during the pandemic, but I definitely see a fall in attendance. And it doesn't help that we are one week from Christmas! 

I have already sent half the follow-ups from yesterday and two more to do later ...

Have you ever had a day that if you kept a gratitude journal, the day would overflow? That was yesterday! So many GOOD things happened. 

There has been one thing about mySewnet software that has niggled at me since I started to use it. Could I figure it out on my own? Well, sort of, but I just couldn't get the function to work properly. After watching a YouTube video --I got it! Watch me roll now!! 

I figured out the daily puzzle on the Advent Calendar. While DH was home, he was busy, so I attempted it on ...

What can I say -- but yesterday was an AMAZING day!! Yep -- I'm better, and I've got a plan, and I'm motivated, and well, what more could I ask for? 

I know - sleep. Seriously -- can you tell me why one is wide awake at 1:30 (a bit too early to get up, even for me!) and then can't go back to sleep for hours? But is it really worth getting up to do something? Then, when you finally wake up, you're exhausted? Thankfully, that doesn't happen often! And the dreams I had -- good grief ...

No naps yesterday! And I did not go to spin class this morning. I'm trying to ensure there are no relapses on this bug that I had. The prognosis is good. I had a slow-down week, but not a dead week! I can work around that, but this week will be super busy, and if I need to nap - well, I nap! 

What happens at Virtual Retreat stays at Virtual Retreat, but I will say one thing! We had a blast, and we had some conversations about some pretty serious subjects. It was an eye-opener for me, and with ...

The weekend is over, and four lazy days of sewing are on the agenda for this week - I can hardly wait to get started! But it'll be a late start as I have my knee ultrasound at 1:30 PM. And that's OK -- it's a perfect excuse to be late for a sewing retreat! How long will it take to see someone to discuss the results? 

After the two Zooms yesterday, it was time for the Virtual Retreat, and I hadn't sewn for so long that I honestly didn't know where to start. 

But I ...

No rain this morning, but now we have FOG! Yesterday was much better except for a couple of sudden downpours! No one got wet!

And we saw a rainbow last evening, so hopefully, that means the rain is over. The weather is supposed to get better, so let's hope! 

A rainbow

It was all about the Shop Hop yesterday, and most of the group went out at various times. Susan, Maryke, and I headed out after lunch, and we stopped at all four shops -- Ye Old Fabric Shop, The Quilt Place, Quilting by Design, and Heart N Home Creations ...

And it's all SMALL stuff. While I'm not out of the woods yet, I feel much better. I even tried to nap yesterday, and my body said, "are you kidding?" So I did have a wee lie down but didn't sleep. I went out for an uneventful short walk in the morning and a much longer one in the afternoon, and all was fine. 

My darn throat is still sore, but how much of that has to do with the dryness in the house? Even with my humidifier going full blast in the sewing room, it's ...

It's amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it. Oh, having a deadline also helps. It's the third year I've run the UFO club, and the amount of work I've completed is insane. I can vouch for everyone in the two clubs when it's been a godsend in getting some of those old projects done. I'm shocked actually because there isn't anyone policing us; however, there is that $10 per month that we could lose. 

And who wants to always miss the deadline in front of your peers? Not ...

It's that bittersweet day of any retreat -- it's time to go home! And we have a snowstorm today! Yippee!!! It's happened before, and I'm going to wait until about 1 PM to head out. The plows will have been out by then, and the heaviest snowfall is forecast to be over. I got snow tires, and we are Canadians, and it's not the first winter we've driven home in the snow. 

I had two Zoom sessions yesterday morning, which cut into the sewing time a wee bit, but that's OK. It's nice ...

 A week is a long time to be at a retreat, but it is heaven. I'm not thinking about the girls. They are in good hands. I miss them, but sometimes, it's great to get a break from their antics -- just like your kids! We go home tomorrow, and I'm sure I'll get the cold shoulder from the Princess and five minutes of love from Murphy, and then she'll be off to get into trouble! Dogs don't appreciate the passage of time; all is forgiven as soon as you are back! 

We have been ...

It was bound to happen - I've developed a sore throat! It's been years since I've been sick, and I could feel it coming on yesterday. Well, nothing that a few throat lozenges can't cure! (I hope!) I've no plans to go anywhere, and nothing urgent to do, so the timing is right. But still -- I HATE being sick! So far, it's just a sore throat; let's hope it doesn't develop into something more. 

I accomplished more paperwork, and I'm getting things under control. I still have one distribution list that has ...