What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Walking Through Time, Sue Benner

Flora 6, Anna Brown

Okay, am I the only one that just looked up today and realized it was July 1st?  How did that happen?  I mean it's half the year!  I was cleaning my studio and noticed the little pile of Christmas gifts I got that I never really dug into.  One of them is this amazing book, Exploring the Abstract: an Instructional journey by Joan Blackburn. Although it's explorations using paint, it could easily translate to surface
design on fabric.  It landed on my wish list because this book is loaded ...

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Using start for turn under applique

Well today I said enough is enough, I'm taking some time to just quietly sew.  My studio misses me. Hmmm well if I am being truthful, I'm quite sure, it's forgotten my name.  Luckily, my boss agreeded with me and gave me some VTO (Voluntary Time Off!)  It felt genuinely decadent to go sew when I should be working.

Once I got everything plugged in, I sat down and my body just went ahhhhhhhhh.  After a week of sewing at Marc Adams at a work station that was not efficient or ...

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This is why we asked Will for more tables!

 Is anybody surprised that a week after getting home, not only am I just feeling normal again but my
studio is not unpacked?  Gosh!!  There it all sits in the middle of the room just waiting to get back to its proper place.  It really was a great class....exhausting...but great.  After spending 2 years isolating it was so odd to be around people for most of the day!

Back in the early 90s, Marc Adams had the vision to start a woodworking school in the middle of a cornfield ...

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One of my favorite blogs to read on a daily basis is called  Ask a Manager.  It's not so much that  I need advice in the workplace but it's a great study of how different humans are in general.  Like Allison says, "Humans are weird" and THAT is interesting! (more on this at the end)

I bring this up because that is where I got the idea for today's post.  After over 11 years of blogging, I thought it would be fun to list MY favorite posts.  

1. What is a Focal Point...I love this one because ...

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Finally ready to Quilt!

How in the world are we looking at March already?  I mean you wouldn't know it since we are
expecting 6" of snow tonight...but still!  I look at my "Things to Do" list on my studio wall and thought I better start getting back after it!   One project I left on the back burner is the Cherrywood Challenge.  When I say on the back burner, I really mean, it's been ruminating around in my snow-covered mind, but I haven't actually done anything yet.   Back in October, it seemed like I had so ...

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 Sorry hectic crazy week....but I did want to add quickly under Things I like...if you love fried rice (and I mean who doesn't like fried rice!!)  I highly suggest watching youtube videos by "Uncle Roger".  Not only did he lift the winter blues away for a bit, but he has me working on perfecting my own fried rice.  Nygel is an interesting creative guy too who has shared his creative journey in interviews!

So What Have You Been Up to Creatively?

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 Last week I explained how I create an idea from the very beginning.  This week I actually put it into practice.  With the Sacred Threads Art Show deadline 7 weeks away, I really need to get my act together.  Of course, after the year I've had, sometimes I forget where my act actually is so I can get it together.  Luckily I found some creativity I had squirred away for a rainy day and the design is well on its way.  

Red and Orange Streak, OKeefe

#1 Theme - For Sacred Threads, it needs to be themes that explore joy ...

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Okay, I know fusing  quilt tops is popular with the time-crunched quilters of today....very popular.  But there are still those of us that are doing a lot of piecing.  I love to piece.  I love the texture that extra layer of fabric adds with the seams.  You can feel it every time you run your fingers over your work.  

All of this came to me this week, as I spent time hand piecing my pinwheels.  It's amazing what you think of when you quietly make stitch after stitch after stitch after stitch.  From there I got to thinking ...

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 So it's gettin' to be that time of year when my family asks me to fill in my Giftster list on what I want for Christmas.  This year it's harder than most since I really don't need anything.  I started looking through my studio and noticed how much digital fabric I bought this year.  Something about the vibrant colors and the funky abstract designs really appealed to me.  In the last 5 years, I haven't bought  much commercial fabric since #1 It's so Godawful expensive and #2 that midcentury "modern" design is not my ...

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 My family is a family of creative makers.  When Paul and I were just dating, we both started new
hobbies.  He bought a woodworking Shopsmith on a whim at a mall demonstration and I got a quilting book by mistake in the mail.  28 years later, we are both consumed by our passion for wood and fabric and our marriage is as strong as ever.  

Five years in, along came Tessa.  Now I diligently exposed her to all sorts of media as she grew up, hoping

to spark her "passion".   She played with them  - explored them - enjoyed them, but nothing ...

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 So this week I got my feelings hurt.  My husband and I heard of a local art show for artists over 55.  Since this year I have officially aged gracefully into that criteria, Paul brought in two of his woodworking pieces and two of my art quilts.  He chose a chest with a marquetry tiger on it as well as this nice concrete/wood table.  (Both of which were just taking up space here!) .  I sent the Lilies and Clapboards and Birdhouses quilts.  He came home with my two wall hangings.  Apparently, my work is not considered art.  It's ...

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 Back!  Finally!!  Thank you all for the prayers and kind thoughts!  This week I entered back into my real life after spending three weeks helping my parents out.  When you're gone that long, you're normal routine starts feeling a little surreal.  Four days back and I'm still not quite into the swing of things.  My good friend Rhonda said that all I needed was a little focus and routine.  She's so smart!

Just to show you how little focus I have, I was cleaning out my room and found the latest book by Jennifer Sampou called ...

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Me in Sewing Studio on my island

They say the first step in recovery is admitting you have a problem.  Now, I wouldn't say I have a problem so much as  a guilty pleasure...it's Nintendo's Animal Crossing New Horizons game.  Early this year, I decided that TV and social media had become toxic to my life so I made a change.  We cut our ties with Direct TV, bought a new smart TV that streamed easily and I got myself a Nintendo Switch game console. So now if we do watch TV it's usually something ...

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 My masterclass with Rosalie Dace continued last week with us delving into the world of pattern and rhythm.  Listening to these lectures which are recorded so you can re-listen to them I find very helpful.  It's not that it's new material.  It's that #1 material that you just don't think of in your everyday of housework, errands and laundry and #2 Rosalie offers these "nuggets" of wisdom that help you focus on what is important.  This lecture really focused on pattern and rhythm in your everyday life.  I especially found this fascinating.  I do promise to ...

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 So after writing last week's post on SMART goal setting, I had a good idea on how to go about it.  Now I just had to sit down and do it!!  hmmmmmmmm...okay....where to begin.  As most times in life lately, it began with a google search (of course it did!).  That brought way more information on goal setting and goal setting worksheets than one girl really needs!!  I settled on a worksheet layout that was created by Aimee, at the Crazy Craft Lady.  I liked how she broke up the time for the goals into a 90 ...

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 This is the hardest of time of year for making my weekly blog post.  So many things are working against my creative soul.  Work is in it's rush season; the days are short and sunlight is scarce; presents need bought & wrapped; the house needs to be decorated.  Omgoodness, I could go on and on.  Even in this year of social distancing, there are plenty of things that fill a girl's to-do list.  

Tonight, I took a breathe and curled up on my bed with my hubby, to enjoy one of our favorite Christmas traditions.  Gasp!!  Whatever you're ...

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I was thinking today about my "Why"?  Why is it that when I have a day off from work, the first thing I want to do is make a To-Do  list in my studio?  Why is it that all my Christmas gifts start at DickBlick's and the Fabric Shack?  Why are vacations required to be creative  rather than relaxing?  Why?  Why? Why??  (And yes for this discussion my Why will be a capitalized noun...why?? because I think my Why is that important!)

I think from time to time its good to re-examine your "Why".  Why look at your ...

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Okay, I'll admit it.  I'm getting obsessed...with thread.   Yes, there are more dangerous and worse things to get obsessed with but still, it's getting out of hand.  It all started when I saw that people were using bobbin thread to English Paper Piece.  Then I started looking at  new and different thread lines that have come out in the last 10 years.  Then I started ordering samples, trying them out, watching videos...etc etc....You get the picture.  Yes, I've gone  down that rabbit hole of THREAD.  

So what have I learned in my journeys ...

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 Yes, the umbrellas are continuing to take up all my free time and I can easily say that I've become addicted.  It's been so long that I've done this much hand work its so much fun albeit slow....I mean really....slow....so slow that I've only gotten about 12 blocks done.  Still the collection is starting to shape up!!  I have really love playing the pattern and color.  Some umbrellas make bold in your face

statements while others have soft edges that kinda just melt into the background.  Funny how this little block becomes an ...

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So right now I should be at Quilting By the Lake if it wasn't for this pandemic. I would be lying  if I said I haven't spent the week pouting.  After 20 years of going, I can stop any time of the day and know exactly what I would be doing there.  I know....first world problems......that doesn't mean I have to like it.

BUT...under things I do Like..... Global Quilt Connection

Sue Bleiweiss and Lyric Kinard came up with the brilliant idea to bring together quilting teachers from around the world with guild representatives ...

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