Memories are precious

 Wow --- I heard from Jackie, whose father-in-law recorded his eulogy, and it was played at his funeral! How cool is that? I really think it would be fun to touch base with your friends in such a manner. That is there are any friends left! While it's a sad day, it's also a time to celebrate and embrace the moment. Life is so short - we need to have fun with it - right to the end. 

So here's something else related to that. As you know, I'm watching old episodes of The Quilt Show. I started at the beginning (2007 - I think) and am working my way to the present day. Sue Garman is making numerous appearances on the show. Sadly, she passed away in January of 2016. Here's a beautiful tribute to her. 

And if you want to see her quilts, check out this link. They are stunning, and I may have a pattern or two of hers. I can happily say that I even finished the quilt top of the gingerbread men - or, to be politically correct - the gingerbread people because there were girls and boys gingerbread! 

And today, I watched an episode on Libby Lehman. I took a class from her many years ago at the Creative Festival. Libby had a brain aneurysm in 2013 and a massive stroke. I believe she is still alive and doing some quilting. But she is a shell of her vibrant self. It was a bit sad watching her in her amazing home studio with everything labeled and knowing what has happened to her. 

You know what that means? It's even more important for us to get cleaning up those studio spaces. That's what Alex Anderson is currently doing. Getting the studio organized, and I LOVE it. 

However, if you were to look at Studio B this morning, you would think a tornado ran through it. Twice!!  

What happened?

I'm not sure what has happened, but a few things have piled up. And I didn't really have a lot of deadlines this week. Oops - am I getting lax? Not really - I pulled some stuff that I'm working on for this weekend. And things that I need to work on next week. Oh boy - I better slow down and get busy. 

Look at the floor!

I'm happy to report that I fixed the sewing machine. I sat down and studied what the problem was. I was sure I knew what the problem was, and I was lucky that I had another machine with the exact same assembly in this area. AHA - just as I thought. That long L-shaped (backward) piece to the right of the presser foot got pulled out of place. I had to take a screwdriver and give it a good shove to snap it back in place. I'm back in business on the Designer EPIC 2. Now how did I dislodge that while cleaning? 

Hmm - something is out of place

Oh -- I had to laugh when I was watching the Libby Lehman episode. She showed the pattern she used for her first quilt. HEY - I have that same magazine. 

An early quilt pattern

I may have a lot of stuff, but it's mostly organized! And I know where this is! I'm going to dig it out later and have a wee peek at it. 

Back to the long arm where I got a customer quilt done. 

Customer quilt - DONE

And, of course - the thread ran out a mere ½" from the edge of the quilt at the end. Why does that happen? 

Bobbin thread ran out

I also spent a good part of the afternoon trimming quilts. I still have two quilts to trim today. But I have four classes this weekend, and well - I'm not prepped for any of them. One is almost done - the other three, not so much!! 

Here's the stack of community project quilts that now need to be bound. That'll happen next week. 

Quilts that are trimmed and ready to be bound

Don't forget the Virtual Retreat this weekend - it starts tomorrow. A great place to chat with people if you feel the need. And if you don't, then you can just hang out and sew and listen to the chatter! I've got loads prepped to sew, and I hope to get a lot done!!!

Saturday, April 24th, 6 PM - 9 PM

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89254233911?pwd=VGQrTnFybW1HMWpleHA4M2Q2NGVwZz09 Meeting ID: 892 5423 3911 Passcode: 982797

Sunday, April 25th, 10 AM - 8 PM

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87246635892?pwd=VGY1cUUyLzRaRi9VUVV2ZWFINXc2dz09 Meeting ID: 872 4663 5892 Passcode: 440473

Remember, life is too short to not do the things you want to do. If it's important enough to you, you'll find a way to make it happen. 

I want to thank my family for giving me great genes and for giving me some wonderful advice that has stuck in my head for years. My paternal grandfather - Bert Mills - said this to me when I was a teen. I don't remember my age exactly. But he told me - "Walk with a purpose - ALWAYS. Even when you're lost." Oh gosh -- that makes me cry as I miss him. But that advice has made me who I am today, and I think of it often. The number of times that I've been lost - literally or lost in my train of thought or something goes horribly wrong in a presentation or a class - keep your cool. Don't let them see you sweat! Super advice Grandpa - thank you!!!!

We had an interesting discussion at dinner last night. I said that one of the reasons people are struggling these days is that they do NOT know how to entertain themselves. DH said - you can only watch Netflix and play games for so long, and then anyone would go crazy. I said - LISTEN to what I said. People do NOT know how to entertain themselves - NO DEVICES, NO ELECTRICITY, NO OUTSIDE stimulation but using their own brain for entertainment. There's a huge difference. 

It seems that everyone wants their 15-minutes (or more) of fame, and some go to great extremes to get MORE likes on social media. Do you really trust any photo or video you see these days? All it does is makes us feel less of a person than the person who posted the original pictures. I rarely go to Facebook or Instagram these days. I go to find things, but I don't scroll. 

When I hear some of the things that are happening in the world, it's scary because there isn't much left for us to problem-solve. That's why everyone should take up quilting, and you can do it without electricity, and if you use everyone's scraps, it's pretty cheap as well!

Speaking of keeping yourself entertained, I could spend hours and hours without any other stimulation. When I rode my bicycle across Canada in 2013 (with a group), we were on the road for ten weeks. We did not have TV, radio, or newspapers, and we basically entertained each other with our conversations or thoughts when we were on our bikes for hours every day. I'm quite happy with who I am, and I could keep myself entertained for years without running out of things to do or think about! 

And I walk one or two hours every day. I sometimes talk to my Dad, but most times, I just look at the environment, and I pay attention to what's happening around me. My phone is with me, but it's in my pocket. 

Anyway - enough preaching about that. It's time to get the day rolling. Today - you're still working on your eulogy. I want to include some of my family members in my eulogy because they shaped who I am, and I want to acknowledge them!

Have a super day!!!!