Two halves make a whole!

Thanks for the tips on magazines! And yes, while I love them, I rarely make anything from them. Not that I don't want to, but in the quilting circle of life, I do NOT need another project on my plate. I'll leave those for the newbies!

So, I downloaded the most recent Quick + Easy Quilts issue onto my iPad (through the Libby app) and browsed. OK—so I did NOT browse. If I'm going to read a magazine, I like to read it cover to cover. Don't ask me why, don't ask me to change. If I'm going to indulge in a magazine, I want to enjoy the entire thing! I even look at the ads and check if there is something interesting. 

Reading a magazine on my iPad

I learned two things, and I'm only a third of the way through this issue. First, the magazine is now a quarterly publication, not bimonthly. Hence, the extra pages and the extra cost. The second thing I learned was a tip. I'm sure some of you do this, but it never occurred to me in all my years of quilting. 

When you change your rotary cutter blade, mark the date on a piece of tape and stick it to the handle. Last night, I watched a video about the tools you need to get started. It's in French, so I'm listening to it—trying to get a better grasp of the lingo. They talked about changing the blade after every project, but that's a bit much. 

OH—remember how I said that I would love to live in Montreal for six months to improve my French? You should have seen DH's face when I said I could move into my ex's house (yes—I have an ex) while he and his current wife winter in Florida. Now, wouldn't that be a good solution? 

Back to the cutters. I know I don't change the blade often enough, and I currently have four rotary cutters on the cutting table. So I should do myself a favor later today and put two away, keeping the 60 mm cutter and one of the 45 mm cutters. Change the blades in both and mark the date. That would be a good deed!!

I'm not cutting like I used to—well, I haven't had a large project to cut in a while, but I also know that it's been a very long time since those blades were changed. 

Later today, I'll return to the iPad to finish reading this magazine. Since the price of all of them has increased, I suspect that those issues by that publisher have all gone quarterly. 

The other thing I "like" about a digital copy of a magazine that doesn't belong to me is that I can read it when it comes in and not have to deal with it many years later. 

This is where the larger iPad comes in handy. It's as large as the print page, so no pinching or expanding is required. In fact, it's easy to enlarge slightly to get a better view of some things. OK, so I'm hooked, but what is going to fill the spot of going to the store to check the magazines out in person? 

A very bad thing happened last night, and I am NOT to blame for it. I could NOT get to sleep, and it was all because a "friend" (she knows who she is) suggested an EXCELLENT idea to me earlier in the day. I could not get it out of my head—so much so that I had to get out of bed and work on the idea for a couple of hours. And it didn't help that she was sending me messages late as well! 

Who needs enemies when you have friends like that? Honestly, the idea is fabulous, and I want to see if I can bring it to fruition! 

You'll learn about it at some point, but it spurred me to do something that I've wanted to do for a long time. I might even put it out as a poll for you to vote on! This project could be developed in several directions, and I have to think about each one carefully before proceeding. 

I've meant to finish compiling the list of "$10" quilts I taught since 2003. In the beginning, there was only one quilt a year. Some years, I think there were five. I've never missed a year. Does anyone want to hazard a guess at how many there are in total? 

If I remember, I'll tell you at the end. Let's just say that I started a list a few years ago—OK --- ten years ago. It was two pages because of different stores, and the pages got separated over time. I found one recently in the office, but I didn't have the second half. I might have found that on the computer since it was in a typed chart. 

Then, while teaching a machine quilting class a couple of weeks ago, I found the second half. Now, where the heck is the first page? I knew it wasn't far away in the office, so in the middle of the night, I was shuffling papers, and guess what? I FOUND IT! The two halves are reunited! 

Oh my gosh—what an amazing journey it's been over the years. Some of the people in those classes have come and gone in my life, but some are still very much a part of it. Many friendships, with me or amongst other members, blossomed and grew because of those quilts. 

I should mention that by $10, we took a somewhat daunting quilt and broke it into manageable pieces over one year. 

My blog helped me fill in the gaps. And then I went to bed and to sleep! I should have gotten up a lot earlier to do that. 

So here's a question: Did anyone take this style of quilt from me at Sew Sister's in Toronto? There is only one quilt that comes to mind and it was called Northern Lights by Marti Michele and used her templates. I taught other classes at that store, but I think there was only one year-long one. If I'm wrong, let me know. elainetheriault@gmail.com

It would be amazing to see how many of those quilts got quilted and bound! 

I might ask more questions about some of the other projects, and I'll certainly publish the complete list once it's in better shape. 

Oh, this might be hard to read, but it's all the quilt magazines that come up in our library's Libby when I type in the word "QUILT." There are twelve titles, and I suspect that a couple of them only contain back issues—like the Sampler Quilt. 

List of quilt-related magazines on Libby (at my library)

That is plenty of reading material, and I do NOT need to buy the ones on the list. OK—I'll confess, there are a couple of other titles that the library doesn't have, but I'll check it more thoroughly, as there is more than one resource, and see what I can come up with. 

I got all the fusible tricot onto the backs of the T-shirts, which are cut out. I LOVE this 20½" square ruler. It's the best thing ever. I don't use it every day, but when I need to cut large blocks, it's perfect. I sorted them into three columns and washed the flannel to go with the T-shirts. 

Cutting the T-shirt blocks

And there's the community project quilt. I'm a bit behind on that goal for the year, but there'll be loads of time between now and the end of the year to complete the ones on the list. 

Community projects quilt

I know that you are laughing when you read that statement above. I have a potential of four weeks of travel or being away from home before the end of the year. Two are guaranteed, and two are maybes. I just need to be productive with my time, and I'm back on track, so that's good. But now I've added this other project and need to work on a project for my Mom. It must be done! It's not just for her - it's for me. 

I chatted with my Dad for a long time, and he told me the story of two people who came to the museum where he "works" and asked for information about the Baljennie Cemetery. Well, one of them was a long-time manager at another branch of the museum, and the other was a complete stranger. My Dad, whose nickname used to be Roadrunner, hopped in his truck on two different occasions and drove the 30 miles to Baljennie and gave them the tour of their lifetime! So much has changed over the years, but my Dad knows where everyone lived even if the house is gone and the homestead is now in the middle of a field. 

When I return, I think it's time for one more road trip before it becomes impossible. The guy is 91! He is fiercely proud (and rightly so) of all that he has accomplished. He never talks about farming—I think he did that just because it was a way to earn a living. His accomplishments are his tinkering and making. And he makes a darn good tour guide! 

I don't even know how you would capture something like that to treasure - it's a memory that will live on in my head forever. 

OH -- and this is how strange things can get. The great-grandparents of the museum manager used to live in the area, and she wanted to see their graves, for which my dad made some markers. They ended up at my parents' apartment for lunch after the tour. My Mom had a small powder box that belonged to this woman's grandmother, and my mom gave it to her. Can you imagine how blown away this woman would be? My Mom had it because it was gifted to my grandmother when the lady died, and my mom got it. One less thing to deal with!

It's tough to see in this picture, but that guy in the white sweatshirt is "walking" his dog. 

How to walk a FAST dog

He's on a motorized skateboard with ONE WHEEL, called Onewheel, and he's moving! I've seen him on numerous occasions, and I keep my distance because I'm afraid of him failing off and hurting himself or the dog. He is moving at a pretty good clip! We've seen him in the forest and on the streets. Yikes—I can't imagine, but the dog seems happy and is well trained to follow along. The dog is on a leash, so that makes it even trickier!

I see my sleepless culprit is up as well! I'll have to bounce more ideas off her today. I'll also write the project out so that it will NOT keep me up tonight. I think a nap might be in order today. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!