What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

 I've finished the last of the blue sewing for RSC this month.    I'm on a quest to use up the last remaining few selvedge strips this year and found a small handful of blue ones.  So, another double handed oven mitt was created.   Just like the pink  ones I stitched last month, there were just enough strips to use on the top of the pockets, and I used dark blue fabric for the rest.  Insulbrite and toweling in the middle, and hessian (sacking) on the back.

This morning, I was up and found Patrick was thinking ahead of me. I wanted to drop off the garage sale stuff for Colleen. He had it on the table before I even walked out in the living room. Then he put it in the car for me. What a sweet fella! 

He headed up to Olympia for his blood tests. I told him I would pick up his coffee from Starbucks since there was a free on. He couldn't get his usual, but I did get him the Pike's Place coffee on my way home. 

Went to ...

There has been much discussion about friends at this retreat. What is a friend? Do you have a friend you could call at 3 a.m. if you need help? As we went about our business yesterday, I looked at my pencil. Oh my!!!

Oh my!!!

I got quite a chuckle from that. 

But a bit of chaos happened at the house earlier in the day. You know what I'm talking about if you saw the picture on Facebook. Those red chairs around the firepit were calling for someone to sit in them. I had no takers. Seriously? We ...

 This morning, I was enjoying sleeping in. It felt good, but I was still up before 9 am. lol 

Patrick went golfing around noon. Then Debbie called and asked if I would like to go get "coffee" and I told her "sure." So, she picked me up and we went to Dutch Brothers. Then we stopped at the museum, and I paid my dues. I hadn't gotten a reminder, but told Sam I would pay. 

Came home and I was watching my British shows - "Vera" and "Marple" which I like. Patrick doesn't care for those, and I don ...

—they hit every January. 

This morning, I needed stop and get gas before heading to the Grange. I got gas and coffee for Sandy. Once that was done, I headed to the Grange. Sandy E had just arrived when I did. So, we chatted for a while. Then Sandy V arrived, and we had a good visit. Poor Sandy E wasn't in the mood to work on anything, so she chatted. Mom can in about 30 minutes after we did. It was a good visit, and mom had the baby quilt about half done already. She wanted me to draw the bunny rabbit ...

 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 ...

I am hopeful that 2025 is a year of discovery, fun, family and friend gatherings...but mostly, quilting!

Hey, it is what it is! I spent the bulk of my first month of retirement just relaxing, and that was good for me. Very little happened in the way of quilting other than tearing off the foundation paper from the Tattoo Quilt and adding sashing to the blocks. In the crafting area, I played with my ScanNCut and cut out names from vinyl for each of our granddogs and grandcats (and our own Jolene and Jedi) and adhered them to bandanas ...

Recently a former co-worker-turned-friend called me and asked the standard opening question - How are you? Unable to hide my sadness, because I had received yet another rejection email, I replied - I've been better.

I've been better

In a year so dark, it is easy to pinpoint the two bright spots:

1. Our long-awaited trip to Hawaii ...

 This morning, we were up bright and early. Patrick had his kidney doctor appointment, and it was at 8:30 am.  We were out the door in time. Got up there and were in and out pretty quickly. Even Patrick's blood draws were done fast. I like his kidney doctors, she's a kick and she's on it with his medications. She's the first one to call him when his electrolytes are off. Too bad she's not a GP, or I would go to her! lol 

We then went to Costco! OH, MY! It was crowded ...

Back to forgetting to post at night lol.

Yesterday was cleaning up in the morning.  Trash day is today so needed to clean up. Played my games for an hour before I needed to get to the Brit Bites in Centralia.  We were early.  They were getting everything set up because the ones before us were just leaving.  They had it at 11 am and 2 pm. We did 2 pm. 

Sandy V, Sandy E, Geralyn and myself.  Geralyn and I had earl Grey tea while both Sandy's had a blackberry type tea. I am not a fruity tea ...

 This morning I was up early. One of those mornings, but I needed to be. I had things to do today. 

I headed to the bank to find out why 3 checks were not cashed. It was a month since I wrote the checks. Then I stopped at Phils to give him his ornament.  Once that was done, I headed to the grange. 

Sandy was there already and ironing her fabrics. I pulled out my bonsai tree embroidery and worked on it. 

 This morning I was up, played a bit, and went back to bed. Before I did, I wrote a piece in the kingdom chat letting them know how ticked I was that because I didn't spell out the name, and put "..." they assumed I said, "@%$!" which I didn't. I let them know who wrong that was to go after someone over spelling. I don't know it if will help - but it made me feel better and I went back to bed. I slept another 2 hours. lol 

When I did get up and become part of this ...

…but let me catch my breath. 

So…a lot has been happening. Others may not think so much, but this old gal just retired last week after working full time for the last 49 years and I am exhausted. 

Tattoo Quilt: All blocks and center panel are pieced, and I’m almost done ripping off the paper! And yes, it is the ONLY project I have worked on this year. 

Studio: I had been researching electronic or digital cutters. After going down the YouTube rabbit hole, I borrowed Cindy’s ScanNCut. End result was going to the Brother dealer to ...

Today was embroidery day - or was supposed to be. There was 4 of us today.  Jeannette is here from Canada visiting her sister Sandy. It was so good to see her. Gerilyn worked on her quilt while Sandy and Jeannette worked on there embroidery pieces.  I worked on my crocheting. 

I finished the top one at home, then I started the red and blue one. Thinking of groupings of potholder to give out. 

Had to stop at Safeway on my way home. Panicked that I thought I lost my credit card. Ended up paying cash instead. Then when I got ...

 My friends Robyn, Shirley and myself take turns hosting a lunch every few months.  Sadly, their husbands have passed away, but the six of us used to get together in earlier years.  Robyn was the hostess this week, so it was us three girls plus my Robin.  The last man standing, they joke.

After our tasty lunch and a good catch-up we had some show and tell.  Robyn and Shirley both do a little quilting and Shirley had brought along a couple of things to show us.  She had recently finished this top featuring nine patches and snowball blocks on ...

This morning I was up before Patrick went golfing.  First things before breakfast was getting the black-eyed peas cooking in the crackpot.  The getting my bread ready to cook later in the day.

After walking I decided to watch a show on Britbox. Shetland, which I had watched a few years back. I started from the beginning.  I think I only saw 2 seasons but not sure. 

I worked on my panel. I got this far and Debbie texted me. She wanted to know if I wanted to go to DB for coffee.  I said, 'sure.' She picked me up ...

I often wonder why I even have a blog anymore.  I hardly ever post (it's been months) and I've yet to figure out how to attach my custom domain (aquiltedpassion.com) to Blogger.  Alas, I'm here and there's no time like the present for an update. 

Most of my free time has been spent in the gardens. You can read about my gardening journey here,  here, and here. Be on the lookout for a gardening update in the near future!  But, I have done some sewing/quilting during the last several months.   

After I finished my ...

 Watch out - the pirates have arrived, rattling their cutlasses and flying the Jolly Roger Flag!  These pirates were a RSC start in January this year.  I had a piece of pirate fabric and cut it into squares to make Happy Blocks.  All the colours of the rainbow were not represented in this fabric, so I made blocks bordered with green, red, yellow and light and  dark blue.

Pirate blocks bordered in green

As the  months rolled by the other blocks were made in the appropriate colours, and then I had fifteen.  It was time to assemble them this month, I ...