What's old is RESURRECTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY to report that I am BACK!!!!    I had no naps on Sunday so got a good night's sleep. Then up and early on Monday morning. Off to the gym. OK - so I wasn't going to break any speed limits or weight barriers, but I was back and that's all that counts!!!!

Then off to Monday Motivators. Was great to catch up with everyone!!!!

So it's a new year! And I have BIG intentions (as usual) about what I am going to accomplish. I prepared my 2013 shelf, and then there is the shelf for all the $10 quilts AND then there is all the extra that I am not sure where to put. For some reason, I have become fixated on the stuff that I don't know where to put!!!!

I started with the shirtings. Remember the shirtings????  I started cutting these up last year. Initially they were off cuts from a factory or some place that made shirts. I initially cut these pieces up into 15 inch squares and serged them together to get a backdrop for a theatre production MANY years ago.

Anyway - I persevered and got ALL the big squares cut down into 6 1/2 squares by Sunday at lunch.

A BIG box of 6 1/2" squares of shirtings!!!

Then I sorted them by colour/design

I was planning on making some quilts for men from these so wanted to make the quilts a bit bigger - well I like my GENEROUS lap size (60 by 72) and so I needed 120 squares for each quilt.

I got SEVEN kits of 120 squares each and the two in the back - one has 80 and the other has 88.

 There were a few squares left over and a bag of scraps. I was just in one of those moods on Sunday so I kept going. I pulled all the BIGGER pieces that I could get 6 1/2" squares from - that went in one pile

Big scraps to cut into 6 1/2" squares (still to do)

OK - NOW you can STOP laughing right now. But when I cut up those 15 inch squares (that were serged to each other), there were pieces left over. I kept those pieces - I know  - I know - I am WORSE than a pack rat.

Pile of left over bits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

 BUT - I got out the serger and I cut the strips in half and sewed them together and from that I cut SIX inch squares.

The serger all set up (I LOVE LOVE LOVE my serger) and here was an excuse to use it

Had to keep watching that I didn't run out of thread!!!   I was using up the small spools that I had inherited

BUT was very easy to get more from my well stocked, well organized and EASY to access serger thread cabinet

And what did I end up with?????   Well - have a look................

I was able to make NINETY blocks that are six inches. I know - who knew that I would get that much from those SCRAPS!!!!!!

Then I took the rest of the bits and sorted them by shape

Starting to sort the rest of the scraps

And here are the last of the leftovers...............

Left over bits - sorted and pressed

Now I need to sew these together so I can cut out squares. I should be able to get quite a few squares and hopefully will end up with TWELVE quilts from this bag of scraps.


I know - who would have thought and who would have the patience to do that!!!!!!!!!!!! Somewhere along the line, my patience level has increased!!!!   I am happy to make something - especially from NOTHING. I don't even care what - and if I can help out others less fortunate than myself - well so be it. What do I really need another quilt for?????   OK - so I like them, but I don't need them.

That does NOT mean that I want your stuff - I am thrilled to be working my way through what I have accumulated. But what is making me happier is that I am cleaning up messes that have been there for years and the best part - I am NOT making new messes. I am really trying to deal with stuff as it happens.

Don't ask about the magazines  - I did not read any yesterday!!!!

BUT - I have something to add to my completed projects list. I finished the binding on a quilt for a customer (and my audio book). So that is ready to go out the door. YIPPPEEEEEE   and I just picked up TWO more audio books from the library. This binding thing isn't so bad and I still have a "couple" that need binding - I shall just continue right on with them. I am also back to quilting on the long arm today. Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!


Before I go, I thought I would share this project with you. As you know - on Mondays, I like to take hand work and in the cleaning up process, I came across this project. I don't even know how it ended up in the Monday bucket. A number of years ago - a long number of years ago, I won block of the month at a guild. The blocks were HAND QUILTED on muslin. Yeah - the only blocks I ever won with that guild and it is a "quilt as you go" project which is NOT my style. Well those blocks kicked around for a LONG time, then they got partially put together and well - that project ended up in the Monday bucket and I stitched down the one row of hand stitching.


When I got home, I machine stitched the front part together of the LAST TWO seams. Then I laid it out and realized that the order of the rows was WRONG. I didn't check - I just continued the seam as it was. I guess that is why it was only partially sewn because it was supposed to be ripped out!!!!!!!!!!!!   CRAP!!!!!!   The seams were already pinned and ready for hand stitching.     ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!    What to do - what to do?????

Now it is VERY HARD to see the problem in this picture, but two of the blocks were hearts. And YES - the hearts were not going in the same direction!!!!!   Otherwise I would not have cared. 

So yes - first thing I did this morning - I ripped out the two seams and fixed it!!!!!!!!    The old me would have tossed this in a corner (I think that is what happened!!!!)

Then I repinned the seams that require hand stitching

Here are the seams pinned and ready for stitching on Monday

Again - hard to tell - but NOW the hearts are both going in the same direction!!!!!!!!!!!!

I even chose the fabric that I am going to add as the border. This entire quilt is just a big old experiment in quilt as you go since it is NOT my thing. But it should be a warm comfy quilt when it is complete. And I see the end in sight!!!!!!!


Well - this blog is late because we had internet issues, so now that it is after lunch - well i need to get back to the quilting machine. Yes - BACK to work.


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


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

School is for losers!!!

MOM - MOM - MOM - where are you???????????????


No matter - I am HERE and having FUN FUN FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!


At the moment, I am RESTING. I am exhausted!!!!!

HEY LADY - I can SEE you taking a picture of me!!!!!   You are NOT that clever!!!!!!

Mom - I LOVE MY BOY!!!!!!    He took such good care of me while you were gone. We did cool stuff and the day he dropped me at my cousins, we went to see one of his friends in the morning and when I arrived at my cousins. I was EXHAUSTED. I didn't even have the energy to run around the house and grab something from the girl's room. I said hello to the cousins and well - I wasn't too energetic.

But MOM - I don't get it - why does my boy keep having to go to school????   I went to school for eight weeks and I got a certificate and everything. I am smart. Is my boy not smart????   My boy had to go home to clean up the house before he went to school. I guess he is smart enough to know to clean up the house before you come home - right Mom??????


Anyway Mom - this place is so cool and guess what I did before it was bedtime?????

YEP - found some toys and shredded them!!!!!!   Oh what fun!!!!!!!!    

I even got to try out the NEW rug. I love it!!!!!!   It's fluffy but like a back scratcher. 

Well that lady is feeling better and she better be - I am HERE TO PLAY and someone better keep up with me. Those old cousins of mine - well they are OLD and SLEEPY all the time!!!!!


That lady says she is getting BORED of reading magazines. But she is still plugging away and just one more week and she will get through that first pile. Do we think she will be able to do that?????   MOM - I don't think she can!!!!!!    She is weak and she will give up!!!!   I just know it!!!!



But that lady sat at the kitchen table and listened to her audio book and got the binding on Berke's quilt DONE. THEN she made a label for it and now the quilt is gone. Berke picked it up on his way home from work and I didn't even get a chance to sleep on it. MOM - something is dreadfully wrong that I didn't get to test the quilt before it left the house. That lady did NOT get a picture of it, but she will but she is EXCITED because she gets to write something on the COMPLETED projects page in her yellow book. You know MOM - it doesn't take much to get this lady excited. Oh yes - I forgot - she is sick!!!!!


That lady also spent a LOT of time puttering. You know when she putters she is NOT paying attention to me and I don't like that. But she seemed to be happy so I did leave her alone, but I really did try to help. Look at what that lady found in a project box..............

A pair of pliers AND a foot for the sewing machine. 

You know MOM - it is no wonder that lady (and Berke) complain when they go to find a tool and there isn't one in the tool box. That lady seems to blame others, but I think she is the one who has lost all the tools. Maybe when that lady gets through all this stuff - well, let's hope that all the tools will be back in the right spots.


And LOOK - MOM - she has cleared off more tables.

More clean tables (behind the magazine table)

I think that lady is getting tired of cleaning up and MOM - she is running out of room. That lady has been very creative in finding spots for things, but MOM - there is NO MORE ROOM. I don't know what that lady is going to do, but packing the extra in boxes is looking real good at the moment. I think that lady just wants to get it out of her eye sight. Then that lady can deal with it next year - which won't be so bad cause big progress was made this year. I think it would be OK if that lady carried some of the mess over to next year. It isn't a lot.


And then bonus because that lady has this BIG bag of batting scraps in the stash room. It is getting HUGE and I would love love love to play in it, but that lady said NO. Then someone e-mailed yesterday and wanted some of the batting scraps. That lady was VERY HAPPY. Someone is making small projects and these scraps are perfect for the small projects.

The big bag of batting scraps. Someone has asked for HALF the bag. Perfect. 

 Well MOM - I do not know what we are going to do today. More BORING magazines and more puttering. I want something seriously fun to happen today. First I need to rest up.


Have a good day!!!!!!!!!!





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



PS - MOM - did you know that EVERYONE is jealous of how many numbers are behind my name in the tag list. MOM - I have the MOSTEST!!!!!!    Cause I am the BESTEST!!!!!!   Love you MOM!!!!   Give Dad a big hug and a slurpy kiss from me!!!!!!

Dragon Star - January reveal

I don't think I have ever taught a class that early in the year, but in tune with our FIRST WEDNESDAY of the month, there we were on January 2 revealing our Dragon Star blocks.    Have a look..............

Marnie

Liz

Angela

Angela did the opposite of that center spike for the the outer spikes -  the other S

Judy

Sheila

Louise

Joyce

Atty

Lynn

Ladies - you are all doing a FABULOUS job. The pieces are looking awesome.



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


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

Feeling positively HUMAN again???

Well not quite, but I must say that I am finally getting my appetite back and food tastes like food so eating something makes me feel better!!!!   I know I will need a nap later today, but I actually feel like sewing today!!!!!!

I even took some pictures!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes while I wasn't feeling like sewing, I really have been puttering. Those tables that were a disaster - well they still are, but there is less on them.

Stuff on the tables - a LOT less than there was

More tables that need sorting and that table in the front is my magazine sorting table. Yes - I am still at it and I WILL NOT stop until I get through all The Quilter magazines. Will be working through 2006 today. I am enjoying reading through them and yes there are a few things that I want to keep - mostly for inspiration, not to make. And once this stack is done and in the "out of the door" bags, then I will choose another publication and do the same thing with it and so on until I get through those that I do NOT want to keep. Then there are publications that I do want to keep and will go through those as well. Let's face it - this is a MULTI YEAR job. How AWFUL is that. But if I don't start - my family will be throwing these magazines away without me reading them. The trick will be to NOT add to the problem. So I had REALLY REALLY REALLY better want that magazine or I'll be spending a LOT of time at Chapter's reading them!!!!!

Look - I even have a FREE table - well not free - but clear!!!!

In addition to puttering, I have been doing other stuff.

I made the next practice piece for the long arm class (which is NOT scheduled yet). I took all the other practice pieces, cut off the non quilted part - trimmed them up and sewed them together. Got a nice big practice piece - just have to join the batting today and then that task will be done. The quilted parts were serged and went off to the animal shelter for pet mats. I think I mentioned that last year. 

Have got just over half of Berke's quilt bound. The hand stitching part!!!!!   I either sat and listened to my audio book or I watched a couple of movies. The important thing - I am getting it done - of course he wants it and then I will have to get M's done. Then I have a basket of quilts that need binding - I will try to just keep going and get them done. 

So while I am not at the sewing machine - I am still getting stuff done. And I am going to take it slow again today, but may even attempt to make a block or something.


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


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

It's all about the FEET!!!!!!

I figure I better get back to blogging even if the posts are small. I just do not have the energy to sit in front of the computer and it was almost 10 AM before I turned the thing on. This cold is driving me crazy. But so far today I am feeling better???

While I have NO INTEREST in the sewing machine, I have been puttering in the studio trying to clean up that whirlwind mess I made before the holidays. The shelf is all organized for 2013 but what to do with the extra stuff that really hasn't had a home in a couple of years. While it has been languishing on the tables for the last couple of weeks, I have sewing guests coming next week and I need the tables. So I puttered around and tried to locate homes for some of the stuff. I may end up using a box or two, but so far I think I am in good shape. I may even have empty project boxes. Oh boy - we better record this!!!!!!!!!!    Don't worry - it is NOT going to be fun or pretty to get the last mess cleaned up, but after that - wow - I'll be singing!!!!!

I did get all the last bits of rulers on the peg board and I MUST be in a funk because I even had to go to Rona to get a couple of posts for the peg board. Then I had to move things around and then I had to move them again. Then I had to find the hole punch and a plastic bag. My body just shuffles along in slow motion, but I got it down and thanks to my small stool so I could sit down while doing all the work!!!!   Honestly I feel like I am about 100 years old!!!!!!!!

The normal me would be popping up to take pictures as I write this, but I just do not have the energy. OH BOY - this is sounding depressing!!!!

Well here is something that you can LAUGH your socks off at.  When I arrived home from the 5 K walk on New Year's Day, I happened to glance down at my feet. Have a look...............

Do you see what I see?????   Yep - those are TWO different running shoes. The one on the left is my old mucky shoes for the garden. I HOPE NO ONE NOTICED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     I certainly did NOT until I was safely back home!!!!

Now there is definitely something wrong with me or perhaps I am getting back to normal. I have been doing PUTTERING jobs. Jobs that I hate under normal circumstances. Jobs that require mental energy - must be that my brain and body aren't talking. Anyway this morning, I repaired a quilt - OK - I just sewed on a bugle bead that had fallen off and then - I mended a pair of socks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My mended socks

Now don't get me wrong - I could have just bought a new pair, but I LOVE these socks. They fit in my cycle shoes and running shoes just perfect and well - the holes weren't that big (never mind that I have new socks - never opened), but they are NOT THE SAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That should tell you something about my mood!!!!

Now you are wondering about the magazines. I have to say that despite being totally out of it  - I have kept at the magazines and this morning, I am headed into 2005 (started in 2000). I haven't really photocopied anything. Lots of interesting articles, lots of neat patterns, but nothing that I want to keep. SEE WHAT I MEAN!!!!   This is NOT ME. Better get through those magazines and get them out of the house before my real brain wakes up!!!!!!



Oh my - look at the time - it is time for my mid morning nap!!!!!!


Have a good day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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

Reflections

January 2 and life gets back to normal (whatever your normal is). My normal is going to take a few days longer than usual as I battle this stupid cold. While I am feeling much much better, I am still very tired and I HATE that.

But I did start the year on a positive note! Lifetime was having a COMMITMENT DAY run/walk. It was 5 KM and since I am NOT a runner, I got bundled up and walked the entire distance although there were times when I felt I could do a bit of a shuffle, but why bother. I didn't take my GPS with me (for the distance - not the directions!) but I do believe the 5 KM was more like 5.8 KM and I finished in 53 minutes so I was happy about that.

As the new year starts we get all excited - I want to do this and I want to do that, but what is in fact realistic? Well NOTHING is more realistic than writing it down. Making a verbal commitment is NOTHING - no one knows you made it - not even yourself and it is so easy to forget - I don't know how many verbal commitments I have made to myself and then promptly forgot about them.

One of the things that I promise to do this year is go live a healthier lifestyle. I know - you are all rolling your eyes and saying that I live a pretty healthy lifestyle, but it is not enough. I need more stretching, more yoga, healthier eating habits - get out and move more!!!!!!    I am going to work on it a baby step at a time. We got a book from our walk yesterday and hopefully I can use that to help me. My fitness goal for this week is simple - get to the gym three times and I was there already once yesterday (hey - outdoor walks count) - so just twice more and I am done with this week's goal.

As for the quilting, well it was a BIG deal to keep track of those five categories - and to recap - here they are..................

Completed Projects (this means the label was on and the project winged it way to its' new home)
EIGHT (a pathetic paltry EIGHT of which FOUR belonged to me). BUT - it is eight projects that are NOT UFO's and that is what it is all about. Finishing up!!!!!

Backings/borders/bindings (these items are ready for quilting). I tried to do one a week
THIRTY-ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!    (that is exciting and given that TEN of those are already quilted! - those darn Halloween quilts!)

Stuff that I completed for guilds community outreach programs
 - Senior lap quilts - SIX (these are small quilts with no batting)
 - Quilted SIX quilts (and put on the binding which then went to someone else to stitch down)
 - ONE log cabin block for a raffle quilt
 - 120 gift bags (with a little help from my friends to insert the ribbon)
 - TWO quilts from jelly roll (both of these were fairly intricate), I quilted them,
               attached the binding and let someone else hand stitch the binding down.

Blocks completed for exchanges

SIXTEEN blocks for the block of the month
NINE postcards
ELEVEN blocks for the tinners projects at Christmas Club (one more to finish this year)
SIX blocks for tinners at a guild
NINE big blocks (at least eight inches) for the retreat exchange (one more to finish this year)
THIRTY-ONE small blocks (4 inches) for the retreat exchange
ONE mini quilt for the retreat exchange


Customer quilts
Sixty three customer quilts (all of which were trimmed and some I made the binding, backing and stitched on the binding and in one RARE instance, hand stitching the binding down!!!!!)


And this doesn't even begin to look at what I worked on, but didn't get to completion. Or some of those quilts needed a bit of work to get it so it could be quilted - like a raffle quilt.

All in all - keeping these lists has been extremely telling. WOW - while I didn't get everything done that I wanted to - I still accomplished a HUGE pile of stuff. I am very happy. I now have my 2013 shelf in place and hope to get to work soon, but first I need to get through this mess so that I can feel like working.


I am going to keep the same categories for this year - needless to say, the BLOCKS completed for exchanges is going to be considerably smaller as I complete stuff that I owe people and NO new commitments.

One thing I am going to add this year is magazines. How many magazines did I get rid of!!!!!   You laugh, but it is a time consuming thing and I really really do NOT want to just rip through those magazines. I LOVE magazines and I want to enjoy them and then pass them on. Otherwise -- why did I buy them????   Just to throw them out? That is just so senseless. I went through another 6 last night and I think I photocopied a maximum of eight pages. NOT BAD!!!!!!   And someone else gets to enjoy the magazine - there are some very interesting articles in these magazines.

Well - I am off to make a "dent" in the mess.


Have a good day!!!!!!!!!!!!


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

Happy New Year and LET IT GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy New Year everyone!!!


Just starting to feel like a human again. I went out with M yesterday and when I put my running shoes on, it felt strange. That is bad when it feels strange to put on running shoes - when you haven't worn shoes for five days!!!

I do not regret getting sick - I did a LOT of reading which was nice, but I did miss out on a few VERY QUIET, NO DEADLINE days where I could have worked on my own stuff, but that was NOT to be. I guess there was a reason, I got my 2013 shelf all organized a couple of weeks ago. Not that the studio looks very organized at this point. M was doing a photo shoot for a school project and we shoved everything up to  one side and well, I just don't have the energy to deal with it yet.

The studio in TOTAL disarray

But I did manage to get a bit of work done yesterday. And I choose to work on Easy Street since the final clue was posted this AM. I haven't peeked yet, but I will - who cares. It is JUST a quilt.

Here is Clue THREE done. Wait a minute - why is there ONE green triangle left?????   At first I thought maybe I had cut one too many, but after stacking them in piles of ten - I realized that I have lost...............

ONE OF THESE. Now it is possible that I miscounted on the cutting of these parts, but I doubt that. So far, I am holding off on making a new one. I just know that as soon as I make it, the lost one will appear!!!!!!!!

And the third colour, I am going to add is a deep rich purple

Last night (OK - I told you I was sick), but the parents of M agreed to ANOTHER party. Now my child is SNEAKY. Let's start low - just eight people. OK - we are fine with that. Oh mom - those eight can't come, so I need to ask a few more so that everyone knows someone. Well you know how that goes. There was a VERY STRICT order to make a list and keep to that list. Well - that didn't happen, but at least it wasn't as huge and unruly as last time. I JUST HATE HATE HATE when kids can't follow directions.

So I was confined to the basement along with the girls. Well -  I wasn't confined, but I choose to stay down there. Sparky was OK and slept the night away as if nothing was happening.

Sparky partying it up on New Year's Eve!!!!

Sammy, on the other hand is a nervous nelly!!!!    If we let her upstairs, she would get nervous and bite or try to bite people. But she didn't want to stay downstairs and certainly NOT with me. So I resorted to this (OK - I don't have a baby gate!!!!!!!!)

Barricaded stairs!!!!!!!!!!

I finally had to put several layers of defense since she was desperate and paced the ENTIRE night. I don't know what was driving me crazy - her pacing or the idiot who was tossing the bottle cap onto the floor every 5 seconds.

But I figured that I am fired up, I am awake and I might as well do something constructive. I have also determined that I should make a VALIANT attempt at getting the reading material under control.

I grabbed a stack of magazines - The Quilter - they had already been sorted or weeded out with this very purpose.

MY stack of The Quilter magazines. 

The earliest I had of this magazine was 1999, but I didn't see that one in this pile, so technically I started at May 2000. Until recently, I bought EVERY issue of the magazine and while at the beginning, I did read the magazine, I haven't actually read most of these magazines. Since they are mine and I paid for them - I WANT to read them before they go. I know - I know - I've said that before!!!!

Anyway - I did manage to get through eight issues last night. Anything is a start.

And I did NOT even rip out a single page. I did photocopy a couple of pages (leaving them intact means I can donate them to our guild so they can sell them at the upcoming quilt shows). Hey - there ARE some interesting stuff in the magazines - just not what I need or want anymore.

Why did I not rip out any pages????   Well - I asked myself a couple of questions regarding the patterns

1.  Do I want to make this pattern enough to put it on the 2013 shelf?  (No sense ripping it out if I have NO intention of ever making it.)  Trust me ladies - you may laugh at that shelf, but that 2013 shelf is a GODSEND. Nothing smacks one in the face of the excess than to weed out a small part (supposedly doable  in one year) and have it on display (and knowing what is still behind the scenes). That act alone had a very sobering effect on me!!!
2. Will I learn something from making this pattern?
3. Am I inspired by the colours???

I think I copied TWO patterns. One I am sure that I have already made, but I really like it and it is simple and cute. The other would be perfect for a bundle of fabrics that I have. One pattern went with the bundle of fabrics so that at some point when I get to that bundle, I know what to do with it and the other one - I will double check if I have made it. I would make it again - but not right away!!!


When it came to articles - I asked myself
1. Is this something I don't already know?
2. Can I get the information from the internet or the book written by the author?
3. Is there something inspirational in the article???

I think I copied one article. On Thimbles and I will put that with my antique thimble book.

I also copied pictures of TWO quilts that I am putting in my inspiration book.


Now like all of you - I am sure that your magazines were covered with sticky notes????

Sticky notes with LISTS of interesting projects

Well - after I looked at the projects and asked myself the above questions, NONE of the marked projects made the cut. I mean really - how does a sticky note help to sort through this mess. OK - we all did it - we all had the best of intentions. But back when you had a handful of magazines - who knew it was going to blow up into something HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I had a GREAT visit through memory lane. I remember browsing these magazines and came across this quilt - Hey Carol - remember this one???????

I am certain that Carol made this quilt!!!!!!!!!!!!    

Then I came across this little gem!!!!!!!

Cute little quilt!!!!!

Oh dear - I have a confession to make. You see - I made a small mini for a give away at our guild - many years ago. It was a sail boat just like this except there was NOTHING in the last box. Hey - if they are going to capsize - make it look good!!!!!!

Anyway - I was certain that I had gotten the idea from a lecture from Fons and Porter when I was in Houston in 1999. But maybe not?????   Oh well - I had a good laugh when I came across this picture. It brought back memories of my little quilt. Mine was in a different setting and I don't think my sail was the same. Ah - yes - the benefits of DOCUMENTING and listing inspirations. Well - I am learning!!!!!   And I may have it in my book which is buried at the moment.


Anyway - then I came across this quilt. Somewhere recently I saw a picture of this quilt or this pattern. And I can't think where that was???????    A block of the month???? - maybe that was it. But funny what goes around comes around!!!!!!!!!!!

Where did I see this quilt recently?????

As I read through the magazines (and they didn't take long to go through each one) and don't forget that I was trying to comfort little Sammy, and grin and bear it through the noise so in a typical evening, I could go through more.


Anyway - it was funny to see ads for cheques with quilts on them, book clubs (do those still exist???) and mail order addresses - no internet addresses!!!!!!!!!!!


But I did learn something - I often wonder why I became a stickler for detail and good technical skills. Because at the time I learned, people like Jinny Beyer and Harriett Hargrave (among countless others) were QUEENS. They were focused on quality of quilts - not just cranking out another pattern to see how many could be made in one day. I thank all of them for providing me with a good base of technical skills. I was fortunate enough to meet with both of them soon after I started quilting. And let's not forget Eleanor Burns - who taught me all there is to know about using a stiletto!!!!


There you have it. An interesting evening and I can see by the stack of magazines, that I have a few more evenings ahead of me. Oh - I know why the 1999 issue isn't there. I think I started this stack a while back and said at that time - I will do a year in an evening. Well that lasted ONE night!!!!!   Got to do better this time.



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


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