2023 Week 5 Tuesday To-Do: More Announcements

Well hello there!

If you checked in with me last week, you saw the great

blessings that have been coming my way.  As if those

weren't enough, I have two more to share today!

Having great things going on is always fun but as they say,

Time flies when you're having fun!  And it certainly has!

So, once again Tuesday is upon me in a mere blink.

I'm checking in over at the  Tuesday To Do party 

at Quilt Schmilt to try to keep myself on schedule

throughout all of these blinks!

With the single digit temps out there, it's hard to believe

I got in two rounds of golf over the weekend but I'm

sure glad we took advantage of the unseasonably

warm weather while it was here.  Along with the golf

there were a few other fun things that happened but

let's start with the quilting...

Last week's goals: 

1) Work on Meadow:  Hoping to complete the top

DONE! Er, well, almost!

I didn't get another pic after this but right now, it has

one thin border and half of the next (and last).  I have

the strips ready so likely by the time you read this, I'll

already have it done.

This is a big quilt so I'm extra happy with the progress.

I might cut it down a bit to avoid having to buy a

king-sized roll of batting but as of now, it'll end up

around 92"X103". 

(I keep 40yd 90-inch batting rolls stocked.)

2) Start on Edyta Sitar's Quilt Along

DONE! Er, well, almost!

I'm a one-project-at-a-time person so switching gears

takes some effort.  I found some time Sunday while

watching football to get the first two blocks made. 

However, after watching the video today I discovered

I made the roof too dark on the first, and I guess that

second one isn't even the right one?  Well, I'm on a roll

with this one already, huh?  Can you blame me though?

I had to watch our Chiefs make it to the Superbowl again!

Woo-hoo!

I'll be watching the rest of Edyta's monthly QAL videos

before I start on the blocks from here on out though!

Let's move on to those last two blessings

that I have been, er, well, blessed with lately!

Especially this first one!

Grandchild #3 arrived!  And when Mom was busy 

getting this very healthy, happy baby girl into the

world, I took care of big brother and sister.

They are certainly both so excited that she is finally

here but big sis (3) is actually a bit obsessed with her.

I see "best buds for life" in the making!

Announcement #2

When I bought Lucey last year I wanted to take lots

of time to get comfortable with her before adding on

a computerized quilting system.   I got the pantograph

quilting down pretty quickly but I really haven't had

the time to work on FMQ like I'd hoped. 

(Hopefully that will still happen soon?  As in this year?)

I enjoy pantographs very much but lately I just feel a bit

off with them.  Vision issues or lack of time (rushing it)?

Both, or something else?  Does it even matter?

Because the fact is,  I'm just not getting any younger.

And my shop needs more quilts!

It's time for Quilt Path!

It should be here soon and then I'll be heading back down

to OK for a one-on-one training session with my rep.

  Another period of learning is hard to fit in when I feel so

behind already but hopefully I will be a quick learner!

In other news, I wanted to share some scores that have

joined my stash (yardage amounts in yellow):

The one on the left is a Kim Diehl!

Perfect for my fall projects! 

More reds.  Can you believe my luck?  All of these

on the $5/yd clearance rack when one of my major

focuses this year is to make red/ivory quilts!

But oh dear, after buying a record amount of fabric

last year, here I am off to another bad start.  I just can't

help but feel those prices are going to disappear one of

these days though, you know?!?  And if I could just stay

in my sewing room and make all those quilts...

So let's look at next week's goals:

1) Make backing, binding and label for Meadow;

come up with official name.

2) Fix my QAL houses; make Feb blocks (if released)

3) Update fabric tracking; work on business side of

my business.

Hubs is going to help me here.  I didn't do a great job

of this last year.  I actually love this kind of thing but

I've been so overwhelmed with trying to get started

(and so many other things!) that I've had no time for this.

Thank goodness hubs is a finance/business whiz.

Somehow, together we'll get me caught up.

4) Start next quilt

Happy quilting!

2023 Week 4 Tuesday To-Do: Great Things

Welcome to Tuesday To Do here at

The Morning Latte.  Yes, I'm finally back after

skipping an extra Tuesday.  That was not expected

but I was struggling to bounce back from things.

Big things.

First, I'd better link up to the Tuesday To Do party over

at Quilt Schmilt!  It's good to be joining again and I'm

ready to get all caught up on the fun projects

that everyone else has been working on!

So, what great things happened over the last weeks?

 

1) I closed on the sale of the last family property.

I don't usually discuss unrelated personal things here

on my quilt (and occasional garden/chicken) blog but

this has consumed such a huge amount of my time

that everything was affected, most especially as I

coordinated this sale for my 6 siblings and me.

It is impossible to sum up here what all was

involved but the actual sale took over 230 days.

(Realtors, re-zoning, platting, civil engineers, lawyers, etc.)

The construction of an assisted living facility just beyond

our backyard will now begin.  I've made up my mind to

 just accept it.  And to plant more shrubs and trees.

For the last 9 years (after my mom's death) I have

handled the sale of my mother's house, 

commercial properties and the farm ground that

we rezoned into commercial.  There are some

loose ends yet but for the most part, it's all done.

It's probably not productive of me but sometimes I

let my mind wander over how much this has involved,

how often it dictated my life and pulled me away from

my own family here.  And how many times did I think

I finally had a day to work on my quilt business only

to get a phone call that took half (or more!) of my day?

[This was not any sort of paid position, btw, nor did

I want to be paid.  It was just a job to be done.]

Some moments really stand out.  Like having to review

and sign a contract for a commercial property from the

airport just after giving my son over to the US Army 

at West Point.  Or the time my own family was all

together here (those occasions are getting rare!) but

I was off in the other room handling LLC issues.  And

definitely the most intrusive was last April as hubs and I

arrived in Puerto Vallarta and discovered the prospective

 buyers felt there was a conflict of interests between our

 lawyer and theirs.  I didn't even get to peacefully take in the

*&@#^! ocean view (sorry/not sorry) our room offered first.

(Holy moley, I thought that was just the final straw!)

Instead I saw it through a few tears but then I toughened

up and spent a large portion of my so-very-much-needed

getaway finding a new commercial real estate lawyer

and going over a very long contract with him.

From Mexico.  Not kidding.

But hey, it was a good contract!

The months that followed were not great, and the closer

we got to closing, the farther away it seemed but finally

the buyers set a date:  just a few days after hubs

and I would get home from this year's vacay.

After our vacay.

 Knowing how last April's vacay went, isn't that just a

recipe for having this vacation completely interrupted

with last-minute closing issues?!?

Miraculously--and I mean miraculously--at the last

minute, the buyers decided they would be ready early.

(Prayer works!  Can I get an Amen!?!)

Just 3 days before we left the closing took place and I was

able to celebrate 30 wonderful years of being married to

the greatest guy (and my rock during all of this!) without

 that weight that has been on my shoulders for so long.

Another view taken in through tears?

Tears of relief and happiness!

This vacation was so much more relaxing!

Sun, ocean, hot rock massage and exclusive dinner

on the beach with our own private staff.  The works.

While on vacay, I listened to the book A Man Called Ove 

[pronounced "ooh-vah"].  You'll likely recognize it as the

newly-released movie, "A Man Called Otto,"

starring Tom Hanks.

I laughed.  I cried. Then I laughed some more. 

And I just Could. Not. Stop. Listening!

When we got home, I listened to it again with hubs

(and laughed and cried all over).  Hubs agrees with me

that it's the best book we've read/heard in many years.

I don't often refer books on here but this is an absolute

must-read.  And you must read it before you see the

movie because it's mostly Ove's thoughts.  I can't see

any way a movie can do justice to this story.

Read it!  Trust me.

And then let me know what you think.

I did physically-read 2 other books but for laying out

in the bright sun, you can't beat an audio book.

I kept the volume low so I could still hear the waves

hitting the shore--I wouldn't miss out on that!

But back to those last 9 years...

I don't mean to focus only on the negative.  Yes, it

has been very hard on me but, for my parents, I would

do it all over again.  I'm glad they didn't have to do it.

And wow!  The things I learned!

And, what is productive is for me to look back and

just be proud of what I accomplished in their place.

I think they'd be proud of me too.

So what now?   Closure.

In so many ways, so many things and...

Well, things not to be bothered with here!
Instead, let's move on to the fun quilty things

like what I've been up to in the sewing room!

Last year I participated in the 350 Blocks Challenge

at Prairie Moon Quilts.  I ended my year at 934 which

sounds pretty great to me but as this is the first time

I've ever tracked them, I have nothing for comparison.

I was the December winner so I received some

nice goodies in the mail.  How fun is that?

Shelly is hosting it again this year so if you want a

little extra motivation, head over and check it out.

Maybe I can hit 1000 this year?  Time will tell.

Now from my last list, er, ahem, a few weeks ago:

1) Finish "With This Ring"

Making do with one's stash can sure bring out some

extra creativity.  With ample fabric, I doubt I ever would

have settled for slipping in a thin gray border among

more white background but it's all I had. 

Well, I love, love, love what it did for this quilt

and I sure plan on doing that again!

This quilt would have been awesome for some FMQ

but knowing the recipient's taste, I felt a simple 

repeated pattern would be best.

With This Ring finished up at 72"x72".  The pattern is

"Circle of Friends" Jelly Roll Quilts In a Weekend

by Pam Lintott and Nicky Lintott

2) Choose next quilt

DONE.

I've had a fantastic one picked for a couple months

but then a crazy thing happened (I'll get to it in a bit)

that led me to pick out something more simple.

After tearing through my room for way too long, I settled on

a basic Ohio star from Missouri Star's BLOCK for the quilt

and Lella Boutique's "Flower Pot" layer cake for the fabric.

In my stash was an almost-full bolt of "Night Stones" by

Laura Berringer (Marcus Fabrics) that matches perfectly.

It's a little busy for a background but that's a look I'm

getting more and more comfortable with.

(Pic is a bit darker than real life)

I have all the hourglass sections pieced so I'm ready

to get them into blocks.  I'll be referring to it as
"Meadow" for now but I'll work on that.

So, what crazy, impromptu thing happened? I love my

Elna but there's been a glitch in the embroidery for some

time and now that I make quilts to sell, I really need my

labels to look professional.  So, I've been thinking that

in a few years I'd start looking at a new machines. 

Before I left for vacay, I took Ms. Elna in for a tune-up.

[Because that's the only time we can part from 'em, right?]

While at the shop, I started looking around...aaaaand

you probably don't need to be told the rest of the story.

I'm now the proud owner of a Pfaff Quilt Expression 720.

We didn't settle in as quickly together as I did with my Elna,

(and I had a moment or two of separation anxiety!)

but after a couple days and an intro class, I know it was

the right move, especially as much as I sew these days.

The embroidery options are so above and beyond what I

need but it all looks really fun so perhaps I'll expand my

skills in that direction?  As for all of the other features,

the bottom line is that I'll be sewing much more efficiently

and that is what I'm most happy about.  I am anxiously

waiting the arrival of its extension table because once

you have one, it's so hard to sew without it!

And now, the week ahead:

1) Work on Meadow

Hoping to complete the top

2) Start on Edyta Sitar's Quilt Along

 Edyta's new quilt along really caught my attention so

joining everyone in making a selection of blocks from

various quilts in her book, A Season In Blue.  At the end,

Edyta will reveal a new layout just for these blocks.

I have the book, I like all the quilts and I have the fabrics.

Sounds like a no-brainer to me.  And it's at a pace that

should cause only minimal interference with my other

quilts. 

On that note, Etsy sales continue to trickle in.

But at my price point, a trickle is good, and with the

way things have gone around here, I haven't even

had time to replace those sales!  So that is my main

goal right now, even though--get this--I still have

more big things coming up!

With that cliffhanger, I wish you all a great week

and I'll meet you back here with two more big

fun-fun announcements next week!

Happy quilting!

2023 Week 1 Tuesday To-Do

Now how is it that my last post was Dec. 12?

I'd ask that overused phrase,  

"Where did the time go?"

but we all know where it went, right?

Instead, I'm going to link up with Carol of

Quilt Schmilt for the debut of her stint

at hosting the Tuesday To-Do Link Up!

A big round of applause for Carol for keeping

it--and us!--going!  Yaaaay!

And now on to my list from, er, last year...

1) Make cookies with the grandkids

DONE!

(meant to post pics, ran out of time!)

2) Finish Christmas shopping & wrapping

DONE!

3) Finish house cleaning

DONE!

4) Work on that wedding quilt

DONE!

Here I just needed progress but I have since

completed the entire top, pieced the back and

cut out the batting.  Today this gets loaded and

the quilting will begin!

Due to time constraints, I'm going to put off notes

on this quilt until I post its finish.  For now I'll just

share that it's approx 70x70 and that I'm pretty

happy with how it turned out.  I'll likely make more.

The week ahead

1) Finish "With This Ring"

2) Choose next quilt

Well it looks like I'm picking this year up right

where I left off last year:  short on time.

So those two goals will have to suffice.

There are some pretty big things ahead for me 

over the next two weeks so I'm likely skipping

next week.  That's right.  One week into the year

I'm going to go AWOL already.

 But I'll make up for it.

And I'll get caught up on everyone else finally!
It's going to be a great year with

more quilting than ever!

Happy quilting!