The times - they are a changing..................

I am happy to report that progress is being made on that special project. I am now working on the LAST section. Then the twelve sections have to be sewn together and then onto the machine to hopefully start quilting tomorrow. Life is just a blur of deadlines.

After my lecture yesterday at the Waterloo Guild, I think I have solidified what changes need to happen. I'll get into that in a minute.

The Waterloo Guild is so large, they have an afternoon meeting and an evening meeting. I left earlier than I needed to and made a stop on the way. I went to see the Log Cabin display at the Wellington County Museum. If you love old quilts or log cabin (that is my FAVOURITE block), then you MUST go and see this exhibit. The quilts are stunning - all are old. After I went around and took pictures (no flash) and read the cards, I noticed something. ALL the blocks are small - well let's say 4 - 8 inches depending on the quilt and almost all had at LEAST four or five or MORE logs on each side radiating out from the center square.

Here are a couple of blocks to entice you - (I'm not posting the pictures of the quilts - you have to go there to see them in person)

Yes - my finger is there intentionally so you can see how small these logs are

Close up of log cabin quilt

Definitely an interesting display and well worth stopping. There is also a small display about the Titanic - you should have a peek at that as well. Although I have been to the Wellington County Museum a number of times, I don't think I ever went to the top floor. I had some time to kill, so I did some exploring. Oh my goodness - some of those displays brought back a few memories and a few laughs.

An old fashioned kitchen. See that wood stove in the background?????   Now don't get me wrong - I am dating myself, but not as much as you think. I grew up in rural Saskatchewan and this is what we cooked on and heated water to wash dishes, until 1967!!!!   I remember when we got that new ELECTRIC stove, I promised my mom that I would clean and polish it every day (I must have thought it was an idol!!!) I don't think that lasted too long. 

Look at the lady of leisure because her electrical appliances (in the background) are doing all the hard work!!!!!

Remember those old linoleum floors - HEY - this is a great pattern for a quilt!!!!!!

Too bad you can't read these captions. They are pretty funny about the dos and don'ts of cleaning!!!!!

Anyway - hopped back in the car and arrived in plenty of time at the guild meeting. First off - they have a gorgeous room with a stage so they can very nicely display the show n tell for the month.


AND WOW - and the show n tell - well it blew my socks off. My camera was in my bag at the front, so I didn't get any pictures, but it is a VERY talented group.


I did my lecture on scrap quilting and organizing your sewing room. I love doing that lecture - so much fun and I had several people come up and thank me at the end. It seems they are as anal as I am about keeping things in their place. But they looked HAPPY!!!!!

Also amazing how many people you know in the quilting world - well make that the quilting AND biking world. Vicki was there (she is one of the program people) - Vicki arranged that trip to Iceland, The Netherlands and Germany on bikes (2010) and I tagged along. She is a PRETTY proficient quilter. WOW - I hadn't realized. Then I met up with Jan - I went on my trip to the Arctic with Jan. She lives not far from Waterloo and newly retired, has picked up quilting. And Trudy (also a program person) who I worked with at the CreativFestival and Robyn who comes once in a while to Monday Motivators. I mean - there were lots of people that I knew. It was like "old home week".

But overall - I think people enjoyed the lecture and if they go home and do ONE THING - they will be making progress to getting their sewing space tidied up.


Have a look at this cool idea.....................

Shoot - you can't see, but that pink sign on this box - says SCRAP BANK. I think it kind of got out of hand!!!!!!    But what a great idea. However - I think people were just DUMPING and dumping is not allowed!!!!!    But wouldn't you like to get into that tub and see what you could make??????   OK - so most of you wouldn't, but I would. Well - I would rather go through my own stuff because it is ORGANIZED!!!!!!!

My scrap quilts on display - isn't that a great space to display the quilts????   I love that. 

OK - so here is my issue with myself. While I love to participate in exchanges, I love to teach and I love to quilt, I realize after looking at all these quilts laid out that I haven't done much new for myself in a LONG LONG LONG time. And you know what - I LOVE doing scrap quilts, I love intricate piecing. And I DO NOT have time. My first thing to go will be the exchanges. Once I am done the existing exchanges I am in - I am NOT signing up for any more. I am currently in THREE of them and while I love the groups - they just take a lot of time if you want to do them justice. Also - it is THREE things I have to worry about each month. Block of the Month - I am doing one series of block of the month with a local guild. Once this is over - I am NOT doing any more in the future years. Yes - it is fun, but again - is that really where I want to focus my time. NO. I am doing a postcard exchange - again - once the postcards are complete - NO MORE. Wow - there is FIVE things off my plate already. Well I have to wait until they end before I can take them off my schedule.

Now let's see what else can go??????????????????    As much as I enjoy teaching these $10 classes, they are HUGELY time consuming. Currently I am doing SEVEN of them. YES SEVEN - how did that happen??????    I will continue to do them, but there is going to be a LIMIT - THREE - maybe FOUR, but NOT seven.

And just doing that will open up a HUGE amount of time for me, but I am going to get even more ruthless. I am going to try to NOT teach anything that requires me to make something new. I will teach technique classes, I will teach classes for items that I have already made (OK - I might throw in the occasional new item). And then I am going to take ONE DAY a WEEK and it is going to be MY DAY.

Actually we are looking for a new BIGGER space for Monday Motivators and if we find something - I might start sewing and stop PREPPING new stuff unless I have prep to do.

Oh yes - there is going to be CHANGE cause this is CRAZY. I don't know how this happened, but if you see me SIGN up for a new EXCHANGE - JUST SHOOT ME!!!!!!!!!   I need to finish off some of these exchanges. I mean - it is INSANE how many are sitting there that need to be completed.


On that note - I have a block that I NEED to get done TODAY for an exchange and I still have to get my special project complete.

Where's the valium????????

Between meetings, I managed to sneak a quick trip to Quilter's Nine Patch  which is a great store.

Got some ORANGE fabric for my Dear Jane quilt

Word fabric that was on sale

and a COOL bike fabric!!!!!

OK - got to run.

Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!