Birthdays are the best!

 WOW --- It's my BIRTHDAY today! It's not a big birthday, but then every birthday should be considered a big birthday. With what happens to us each year, I sometimes think it's a miracle that we have lived one more year! 

So much has happened between this time last year. More lock-downs, lots of walking, LOTS of snacks, lots of new friends, lots of sewing. Well, it's been a super year, and I thank all of you for helping make my year such fun. 

I'm also one year older, so supposedly I'm that much smarter? More logical? Wiser? Hmm -- I'm not so sure about that, but I don't care -- I'm more ME, and that makes me very happy!

And a BIG Happy Birthday to my Aunt Yvonne, who shares a birthday with me!

Today, I'm off on an adventure, so it's going to be one of those memorable birthdays. You know -- the ones that stick in your head. I've had a few - like being at a dude range in Arizona for a corporate event, boarding a ferry to finish off the last Canadian province on my cross Canada cycle trip, and for whatever reason, my 13th birthday sticks in my head! I was at home on the farm, but my Mom made all my favorite things for dinner! 

I have a wee dilemma that is driving me crazy. I've made some storm at sea quilts in my day. The last one I made is done. Well, the top is done, and it's probably in the pile of "to be quilted" quilts. 

I need to make a few of those diamond components from the storm at sea pattern. I SWEAR I have the Marti Michelle template for that block. Do you think I can find it? Nope -- I've been looking. I checked my blog to see if I had started another Storm at Sea quilt and forgot about it. NOTHING. 

Did I loan that ruler out and forget I did that? To my knowledge, I did not loan this template. I'm not even sure that I ever owned it. I might have thought about it, but I don't know if I actually ever had it. I did NOT use it for the original Storm at Sea quilt that I made. 

Let's just say that it's NOT on the wall with the other rulers. So if I do have it - it's in a project box, but which one? Sigh.............. 

Now - where will I find one in the next few days? I think I can get it through The Hobby Horse, but gosh -- I'm not going to be able to get there today or tomorrow. I'll call them later today and see if we can work something out. 

So you know I got a new phone last week, and I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra -- the one with the 100X zoom camera. Well, we all know that digital zoom lenses do not give you a good quality picture. It's all grainy. The quality of the photo is bad with the 30X zoom  --- I'm OK without the 100X Zoom. 

Look at this picture I took last night. I walked past this house the other day and saw these GIANT flowers in their front yard. I didn't have my phone with me at the time to take pictures. So I went back last night, and we had had rain since and the flowers were not as nice. The day before, they were out in full bloom. 

Giant flowers

It might be OK for an internet photo, but not if you wanted to print it. Why are these flowers worthy of a photo? They are at least SIX inches in diameter!!! They were HUGE. I wanted to get closer to take a picture with my hand for perspective, but it was on someone's lawn. 

And here's a picture of Murphy from across the backyard. While it looks OK for the internet, it's quite grainy. 

Murphy

Carol, who got the 100X zoom, said she can zoom in on folks along the lake and see what they are wearing. Perhaps we don't want people with 100X zoom on the loose, but then it's no different than binoculars. 

And after the rain, we had a rainbow. No digital zoom on this one, and it turned out fine. 

Rainbow

I'm happy to report that despite my long errand, I got another customer quilt done. This was the LAST customer quilt for August. It didn't need to be done right away, but I wanted it done. Now a few days with only my quilts to do, and then September 1 comes, and there's a list. 

Customer quilt - DONE

This quilt is super adorable. I have started this pattern as well. I don't remember if I taught this class or I took the class. It was that long ago! I dare not dig mine out as I have lots of other stuff that comes before this. But the quilt is darn cute!!!

I also got a LOT of sewing done, but nothing that I can share with you. That'll come at another time. 

But here's something that well --- how do I broach this delicately. This is the time of year when new fabric collections come out. I've been watching them. And I'm currently working with a fabric collection for a magazine quilt. I won't show any of them - well, I will, but not this morning because I don't have much time. 

Here's the thing -- so many of them are NOT useable as they are. Wait a minute -- let's back up. 

When a fabric company designs a collection, the desired effect is that the shop buys the entire collection, and you, as the consumer, buys the jelly rolls or layer cakes (if those exist), and you make a quilt. Or you buy some of all the collection and make a quilt. Or just put it in your stash. But so often, the collection is just a mishmash of stuff or too much of the same thing. The collection that I'm currently working with is all LIGHTS and then ONE very dark fabric. 

I find that many of the fabrics are gorgeous on their own, but I'm not a fan of them in the collection. This is why so many stores "cherry-pick" the fabrics they like and leave the others. Even some of the quilts that are designed to encourage us to buy the fabric -- well, the designers are trying too hard to add in as many SKUs as they can, and well -- too much is too much!

But the biggest issue I have is that there is NOTHING NEW -- nothing! I was looking at a lookbook last night. This particular company is just issuing "new" collections that are takeoffs of stuff they had in the previous collection or the collection before. Nothing NEW!!! 

Even the substrates - the type of fabric --- everyone is just copying each other. At first, all there was quilting cotton. Then there were rayons. Now there are knits and wovens. 

People are buying this stuff - I just hope they are buying and using it. Don't stockpile it because it's too pretty to cut up because a very similar print will be available before you know it - either from that same company or another one. 

OH MY -- I just heard them say on the radio that most "new" songs are not new. Just a mishmash of the old! Just like fabric!!!!!

Anyway - I digress on that. 

I've been packing for today and tomorrow  - our mini-retreat. I think I have more stuff packed than for a larger retreat. BUT -- most of the packed stuff is NOT coming home with me!!

On that note, I'm out of here!!!

Have a super day!

Ciao!!!!