What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

 AHA -- we have it from a produce manager that bananas come in the box in bunches, NOT singles. So, can you tell me why people remove one banana from the bunch and leave it behind? If I were a produce manager, that would drive me BANANAS. I would stand there and watch the consumer and then ask them why they did that. If you want five bananas, pick up a bunch with five; don't pick up one with six and remove one. That's just silly. I still think the grocery store should give us a discount on those ...

Even though I have a hectic week ahead of me, with many day-job presentations, some of which require considerable sample-making and five Zoom meetings on the weekend, I am calm. I am in control!

What happened? After yesterday's three Zoom calls, I looked at the chaos and said, "ENOUGH!" There were samples all over the floor, which Murphy thought was great to trod upon as she attempted to get some petting. Scissors, needles, thread, and hoops were strewn everywhere, and the situation was not working. The visual clutter alone made me—I don't know what's a good ...

LOL --- you are so right! Facebook seems to be the worst for getting you in an algorithm loop! Just keep on deleting! But now I'm hooked on Sean The Sheepman, so if you get sheep reels - it's because of me. Sorry! 

It's also a shame how many popular videos are hijacked by someone with a similar name so they can get the likes and the money! For instance, someone has hijacked Sean's Instagram page and called themselves sean the sheepman. What's the difference? No capital letters and no watermark on the video. Beware, and don ...

In a heartfelt journey of transformation, we embraced change, moving closer to our grandchildren, and creating a new dream studio. Through meticulous design and cherished memories, I built a space brimming with intention, comfort, and inspiration. Blessed with love, light, and creativity, it reflects a life dedicated to passion and purpose. Continue reading →

I got a chuckle from Elle's comment. Tiny home living is for those without "space-required" hobbies! Oh my! I did say that I would have all my sewing stuff in another space! What a hoot! But seriously - that should be something everyone needs to be told upfront. If you are going to quilt, you need SPACE. I know some people (Paula Neidlestern comes to mind) sew in tiny spaces, but where do they store stuff? OH - they don't buy a ton of things! 

BTW - Paula lives in a small apartment in New York City. She used to sew ...

It’s once again time to break open a new planner and see if it helps me get through my year!

Last year, I used a planner from Planner Envy, and I loved it. I used nearly every drop of it, and it suited me very well. Because of that, I fully intended to just get another one from them for 2025, but decided to have a look around first to see if maybe there is something new out there that might be even better for me.

Once again, I agonized over which one to get, and I shopped for ...

Decluttering! A lifelong skill that no one teaches, but they should! Clutter creeps up because we don't have homes for the things we own. And we are notorious for buying MORE. For fun, look at this short video. Need I say more? 

Here's something that I've noticed about myself. Years ago, I would quickly get bored at home. I know -- how could that happen? It wasn't boredom so much as the need to talk to someone. So, who did I talk to? Diane and Susannah at Ruti's Needlebed. I'd go over and chat for ...

Stand up - sit down! Do that ten times an hour, and WOW!!! That makes a difference. It gets easier! If you can't do ten times - try ONCE an hour! Your quads will thank you! I won't say that my leg feels better because of this, but with all the extra stretching, it's so much better than it was. I have my moments, and they are really dependent on how I sit. So, I'm learning to live with it until I get some answers. 

Now, I need to catch up on other things that have happened over ...

Well, it was a long day, and not without a few glitches, which HAD to be solved. But the good news is that everything got done! I even used up all the extra samples I had made the day before. I wasn't sure I would use them, but I did! 

Everything for Project Two is tagged, bagged, and labeled. It's all packed and ready to go to the airport early in the morning. 

So, my original plan to take a carry-on didn't happen. As I set aside stuff to take, I wondered how many pairs of scissors ...

I see no one dared to comment on that quilt pattern! It really is in the eye of the beholder what the "correct" way to place those ribbons is. The fact that we are different is what makes the world go round, even if we don't always agree. 

The same is true for a directional print on the border of a quilt—do you turn the border upside down?

I hope you had a chance to check out the classes that I posted yesterday. You have time to think about what you want to learn, and we should always ...

One final word on doing things alone. It's not that I don't have friends - I have friends and acquaintances I could call on to do some things. It's not that I couldn't drag DH along, but here's the thing. We need to learn to live with ourselves and FOR ourselves. When we are alone - how do we handle a crisis? How do we handle the good times when we have no one to share our victories with? How do we handle the mundane things that happen every day? If we don't know how to ...

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 ...

I "caved," got a scrap of paper, and made a list. It was a short list, but it was a list of sewing/quilting things I wanted to accomplish. Mostly, I wanted a goal for the Cabin in the Woods applique. I know this will sound silly, but I wanted a place to stop so I could move on to something else - at least for that day. 

It's kind of what I aim for with the monthly classes. If we tackle a huge project and stick with it until it's done, it gets boring, and that's all ...

Before I forget, I wanted to elaborate on two things from yesterday. The first was that jelly roll quilt. 

The jelly roll quilt

Years ago, when trying to figure out what to do with my scraps, I read about a famous quilter who loves to work with scraps. Cut your ugly fabrics into strips, she said! So I had a bag of 2½" strips, which never got used, and some 1½" strips, which are still unused. 

When Diane was sewing all those quilt tops, I gave her the bag of 2½" strips, and she made the jelly roll quilt with ...

What are they doing to my forest? OK, so it's a woodlot, not an endless forest, but I call it my forest—it sounds more impressive! There are a number of entrances to the forest from the sidewalks surrounding it. Since we have lived here, all but one of the entrances has had a paved path for a brief distance into the forest. In all cases, the pavement has prevented erosion on the trails (small hills), which has been good. 

You've heard me mention the erosion. That has only been in the last five years? And I swear ...

OH MY GOSH!!! Here's another reason why those hairbands are so important! And not just any old hairband. I have no idea where I bought the orange hairband I wear today, and I have no idea how long I've been wearing it. But yesterday, I mentioned in one group that I had known one of the attendees for several years but met for the first time last month at Quilt Canada. 

Oh no -- she says! We met years ago at Quilt Market! She remembered the orange hairband! People do NOT remember me per se - it's that darn ...

 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 ...

What did I say about getting three things done in a day? Despite having good intentions, I only accomplished three things and not all of what I wanted to do! I finished a few projects on Mount Projects, but I'll share those tomorrow. They were needed for the machine embroidery class this morning. 

A customer quilt was also finished, and all quilts have been trimmed! 

Customer quilt - DONE

The third thing I did wasn't on my list, but it was a task that needed to be done. I'll be away for a few days at a quilt ...

I had to chuckle as I went to bed last night. Someone sent me this in the morning, and that's how my day went!

I needed a picture of a package of needles, so I dug out my bag of needles. 

A mess of needles

The needles are ...

I will post the information on the textile recycler when I have the specifics. I have two potential contacts, and once I firm up, I'll share. That might be an incentive to go through the remaining three blue bags of scraps. 

Something profound is happening to me, and I'm so excited. But it's not really exciting, it doesn't involve anything exciting, and most people would say that I've become a very boring person. 

I have found the BEAUTY of downtime! I have a few classes to finish off the summer, but I booked myself off ...