What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

I've been working hard to get a birthday quilt finished.  It all started with a bag of shirts I received from my niece Lisa when my brother-in-law Dennis passed away.  Dennis was  my late sister Kathleen's husband, and I started to make a quilt for their grandson Adam, in memory of his Poppa.  Just a simple four patch, I decided, with red and black frames.  Then my beloved Robin passed away late last year, and this got put on the back burner.

It's taken me a while, but at long last, I've taken the Christmas quilts down.  With such gorgeous weather, what better to display than "My New Zealand Bird Quilt", made back in I'm very proud of this one, especially as it is hand appliqued and hand quilted, and was designed by NZ designer Mary Fletcher.  I'll let you into a little secret.  The design had a creepy crawly weta together with the iconic tuatara (lizard) block, but there was no way I was going to have one of those on my quilt!  

New Zealand Birds

Of ...

 This tablecloth dates back to 2012 when we traveled to the South Island with three other caravans for a three month trip.  I took along some pre sewn  rail fence blocks made up of strips of New Zealand inspired fabrics alternating with pale grey and my Micron ink pen. 

Table cloth documenting our mammoth South Island trip

 Our old cat Muffy was 16 years old back then and we had always placed her in a cattery when we traveled.  But I worried that at her age she might die while we were away, so we took her on  her very ...

 We've had a busy old time lately.  Robin had a hospital procedure recently, one of those which require drinking large amounts of horrible liquid before hand - I'm sure many of you have undergone this as well.  Driving up to the hospital early in the morning, he had his paperwork done, changed into a gown, and taken away.  While I waited I spent some time in the hospital cafe with my book, a cheese scone (not the best one I've ever eaten), coffee, my knitting, and my phone, waiting for the call to come and collect him.  The ...

We all have those days - you get "lots" done but have nothing to show for it! 

Yesterday was the day to get the car's tires switched. In the morning, I worked on the project for this morning's applique class, which I am able to double-dip for tomorrow's digital cutter class. 

All I can say about that, for the moment, is that cutting fabric with my Brother Scan and Cut is child's play. Why was I "afraid" of using it before? Oh -- I know -- because I had no idea how to make it work and had never ...

What a wild day!!!! The temperature had dropped, but it was totally bearable with the sun! Those who were able to come to the full-day INPERSON session for the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC 3 went home with their heads spinning from the amount of information I spewed at them! The intent was to give them a broad overview of the capabilities, but we need MORE than one day!! 

I was fired up and had fun!!! Thanks to Brampton Sew n Serge for hosting the event. I wonder if there are enough people with EPIC 3 around to host a Zoom ...

I'm comforted knowing that I'm not alone in this decluttering journey! How is it possible that we've allowed ourselves to accumulate so much clutter - physical things or digital assets. Oh well --- we'll get through it!

No one will care a single thing about my computer once I'm gone. No one would dig through those photos, and no one would need or want my old email. I only do this to make room for MORE on my computer and make it easier to find what I have! Then perhaps I could actually do stuff with my ...

 Last weekend we had a caravan trip away to Whanganui, stopping overnight on the way at Duddings Lake.  What a pretty, peaceful place this was.  We decided to camp off power so left the crowded motor camp behind and parked up around the lake on a large grassy area.  There were several caravans and campervans parked here, but plenty of room  between is all.

Our lakeside camping spot

The lake must be very healthy as we noticed plenty of bird life, and the frogs serenaded us in the evening.  How often do we hear frogs, we commented.  Their calls are ...

 At last -- the final two distribution lists are recreated! The more I put people into my contact list, the easier it became. The dates for the UFO Club are set, and all that remains is to send a couple of emails, which should NOT take long. I hope to get it all completed today!

Part of the homework follow-up from yesterday is done, and I should be good to get everything finished TODAY. That will be awesome. That was on my list of paperwork to finish before the end of the year, but with that little hiccup I had, it ...

I don't know about you, but all this decluttering and keeping things up to date is EXHAUSTING. I literally fall into bed shortly after dinner. I'm trying not to, but I'm tired! And that's a good thing - I'd rather go to bed tired than lie there unable to sleep. 

I'm not a messy person by nature. I used to be super neat and tidy until M came along, and then my brain went to mush. This "new" philosophy of tidying and cleaning started well over ten years ago, but getting back on track is ...

OK -- how hard can it be to sell a car? There are several platforms, such as Kijiji and Autotrader. To sell a car, you need some paperwork from the Provincial Government, which I got. Then, I took pictures of my car and listed it on Kijiji. I should have researched the price more, as I listed it a bit higher than I should have, but no worries -- I can negotiate. 

It was suggested on the Kijiji website that I get a VIN report indicating that the car had not been in any accidents, etc. I chose not to get it ...

Hmm -- some interesting comments on the blog. Some of us joke that when someone says "interesting," it can have a negative connotation, as in - you see someone wearing something you don't like or think is inappropriate. You politely say, "Oh, that's an interesting outfit!"

But that is not the case for the comments. Someone mentioned going to a one-car family that I would be giving up my independence. Hmm --- that is NOT the case at our house. 

Both of us work from home and have for years. I walk to EVERYTHING in my neighborhood - the doctor, the dentist ...

 From time to time, one must charge the Fitbit. I had plugged it in the other day, only to realize that the charger was not connected to anything! Oops. 

So I had it charging yesterday morning. I try to put my phone under the Fitbit as it charges, so as I grab my phone, I'll remember to grab the Fitbit. That did NOT happen, and I was part way through my walk with Murphy when I realized - no Fitbit. NO!! 

I was a bit dismayed, but I soon got over it. I can simply not track that distance (about ...

The best-laid plans went out the window pretty quickly! I took my car in for servicing and took my laptop to work on a document. However, when I got there to work on my document, I could not find it on Google Drive. Maybe their internet didn't allow that to happen? I checked and found it on Google Drive this morning. Sigh................

However, that didn't matter as I spent the entire time working on a blog post for YOU! Yep --- all the classes I'll teach in the fall and the sew-alongs/clubs for 2023. As usual, I ...

Pay Your Credit Card. Yes Home Depot does recycle batteries.

Husky 20 Ft 4 Gauge Ul Booster Cable

I was in Home Depot looking for a special light for my home when I discovered that they now sell car batteries.

. Find Car Batteries ready to be picked up today at your local Home Depot store. 2 years is longer than I own most cars. Exhaust Pipe in Auto Parts.

Another place to recycle your car battery is at scrap yards. If you do not turn in your old battery at the time of. Does home depot sell car batteries.

Many ...

 I'm all set -- I finished the Appalachian Trail and confirmed the address for my medal. I started the Pacific Crest Trail. Why not just dive right in? While I will always walk the dogs in the morning, there are some days when I wonder if I need that second walk. But the aggressive goals I've set for the virtual challenges get me off my butt and onto the road. 

And here's the thing -- while it's called a Virtual Challenge, I still have to WALK the miles to make that happen. It's not like I just ...

We could be facing a MAJOR decision in our household. We both have cars - mine is 2019 with only 24,500 KM on it. DH's car is much older and has many more KMs. It's on its last legs, and one day, it will die, and then it will be towed. 

Now under normal circumstances, he would buy another car, and life would go on. However, we probably don't use either car to its fullest extent, so do we need to have two? 

Let's backtrack here a second. I took my car in several months ago ...

Oh my -- I just had a peek at my phone bill online. There's so much to see and do! I'm going to go back and have a better look later. It's always a good idea to check that bill regularly as the rate plans change. And while I'm more than 100% satisfied with my Samsung Galaxy S10, I will be able to look at a new phone at the end of August. Will I upgrade? Not sure - I'm going to check it out. 

A note that we are no longer buying (or renting) cell phones ...

 A day without frustrations is a good day indeed! So I didn't necessarily get as much work done as I needed to do - well as I wanted to do, but progress - it's all about progress!! OH -- I did have one SMALL issue when I couldn't find my presentation for yesterday's class. But it all worked out! It's good to be able to think fast on one's feet. 

I'm happy to report that my Long Time Gone quilt is looking awesome. Sections 5 and 6 (the right-hand side) are now together. It's getting ...

I really should look at the notifications that appear on my blog. However, I have techie friends who alert me to upcoming changes. Thanks to Morgan for this. For those of you who subscribe to the blog and get a daily e-mail, that feature will go away in July. There is some option that I need to implement so you won't miss a single crazy episode. I'll be looking into that and let you know what's happening!

I also need to put together a distribution list and a newsletter - just because I want to. I've got ...