I think it started with the post-fun-trip dreck (laundry, cleaning out suitcase, realizing I couldn’t just walk out the door and play all day), then it morphed into I-got-an-RSV-vaccine blahs (a needed shot, as I already had a doozy of a respiratory illness last December and I don’t want another one). Add that to the I-just-don’t-feel-like-sewing, and before you know it, a week, then two goes by without ever turning on the machine.
I also started trying to find photos of my first 100 quilts, and regretfully, some just can’t be found. Or if they are found, they are a photo-of-a-photo-of-a-bad-photo sort of thing, and by this point in this narrative, the Hyphen-Police are going to be coming after me (and yes, I know that last one wasn’t a proper usage).
So, hiding out is the best term for what I’ve been doing. I like seeing you all on Instagram, but felt like I want to pull the covers over my head when assaulted by all of Meta-formerly-Facebook’s ads, including questionable movie ads filled with gore, cleavage, and anger. It’s a Catch-22 for all of us, so I try to find you to comment; sorry if I missed you! I haven’t even replied to the comments on my last blog post which is something I genuinely love doing, and I would offer up an explanation, but this whine has gone on far too long. So…photos:
That’s Susan there, and that charming sewing-machine quilt (proper hyphen usage: linking together two or more adjectives that can’t stand alone) is hers too. When I was feeling stronger after last winter’s events, I volunteered to help with our Guild website. Which turned into their FB (bad, b/c I hate FB), which turned into setting up a new website, helping my friend Char write a set of Bylaws (8 pages) and Standing Rules (16 pages), and take photos when the photographer doesn’t show, and notes when the secretary can’t. Yes, my simple little stream volunteerism has turned into a torrent, but those of you who are involved with Guilds know how this goes.
This next month we vote on these Bylaws (in 24+ years they’ve never had any and now the President of 22 years wants to retire, but it’s a process made easier if you have guidelines…hence the process) and then hopefully I can slink back into my favorite place: doing hand piecing while the Guild meeting takes place.
Still feeling the buzz after picking up my new phone (it’s for the camera, the camera, the camera), we walked through Pottery Barn and what to my wondering eyes should appear??
FAKE QUILTS! Boo! Hiss!!
Speaking of Boo, we decorated, both inside and out, both stuff from the bin in the garage and naturally. That spider is on like 15x zoom OUTSIDE my bedroom window and it has on its own grumpy scary face, like it has also decorated. It’s an Orb Spider and is pretty harmless. We used to spray for bugs, etc. all the time, but when they raised their prices and insist on coming every quarter (in our territory that is not needed), we do it ourselves (since my husband is a toxicologist and has worked with bugs). Which means we live with a lot more spiders outside.
Moving on, this photo means I had to weigh a package that is going to France. (Hint: one of the QuiltMania magazines)
I also set up my quilt stand in my bedroom, and let the diffuse afternoon light shine in while I photographed this quilt and this quilt and this quilt to enter into Road. I do love the back of the Autumn Leaves quilt, with blocks made for me by the Gridsters. I will link you a hashtag, but Instagram — in all their bone-headed wisdom — has decided to not allow us to see the full range of hashtags. But the Gridsters were, and are, quite active, with over 1300 photos of our blocks and quilts. (Do I expect to get into Road to California this year? Not in the least, but it’s good to keep in practice.)
Finally got this one pinned. We have our church’s General Conference this weekend, which is broadcast over the internet. We don’t go to our church buildings, but we get to listen at home to thoughtful, uplifting talks. It’s good to have a project to keep my hands busy, so I plan to quilt this one. Or make the one below:
I’ve already written the pattern, and here is one of the graphics:
Yes, there are TWO solar eclipses and I went back-and-forth on whether to label it “Dual Solar Eclipse” or “Double Solar Eclipse” and that’s how you know I am losing it.
So now there are double-not-dual graphics of the Double Solar Eclipse for you. The first celestial event is an Annular Solar Eclipse and is October 14th. The second one is a Total Solar Eclipse and it’s on April 8, 2024. Those in the southern Midwest and on the East Coast will have the best views of that one.
Lastly (finally!! She’s at “lastly!”) while I didn’t turn on my sewing machine for nearly three weeks, I did sew a stitch. I finished this little wool mat filled with pumpkins and all sorts of twiny-viney lines of stem stitching, which I can finally say I’ve mastered. I purchased this for a friend who was going through stem cell treatments, but her eyes took a turn and she couldn’t see very well until she got new glasses. (She is working on the larger one I already gave her.) So I kept it back, then lost it, then found it again, and decided it would make a nice doo-dah for our table.
Happy Doo-dah to you, too!
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Happy doo dah to you too!!
Glad to read that you stitch during Conference weekend. One of my dear friends kept all (ALL !) her ironing to do on Saturday while she watched / listened. I asked her what she wore during the 6 months between conferences – if she was saving those shirts and blouses up to “do later.” ;->
Elizabeth – good for you for stitching during our conference weekend ! I had a dear friend who kept all (she said ALL) her ironing for the Saturday sessions. I wondered what she did with those wrinkly shirts and blouses in the 6 months between meetings ! Love your words and pictures !
Traveling always takes such a hit on my sewing, both before and after a trip. Your Gridster leaves look great and I love the colors in your block. Your wool pumpkin piece is really beautiful. Great job on it.
I like your ramblings even if they’re not quilt related. At least you are still engaged in blogging/Insta. I have completely fallen away and can’t say I miss it that much. Although at times I wish I was still active as a record of my work. I have also searched for photos of my early quilts and found few, mostly bad, photos. I’m still hoping to document my quilts but so far have made little progress. You do inspire me in that regard as well as your writing and quilting.
Welcome back! We missed you!! (Fall to my knees and hug you around your legs) (That’s probably bad-grammar but I hope you-get-the-picture)😀
I would never go to Instagram or FB if I didn’t feel like it was a necessity for my small business; I much prefer blogs. I hope to be able to travel to Hot Springs, AR, to see the eclipse on April 8th. Fingers crossed for clear weather. It sounds like you have a good plan in place for weekend stitching. I just spent 4 days on the floor marking and then basting a quilt, so I plan to rest for a few days before starting the quilting to let my back recover.
It’s always good to see what’s happening in your world. We haven’t chatted in what seems like forever!!
Good to hear from you! Having bylaws and standing rules is like having a fire extinguisher in the kitchen. You never know when you might need them. If your guild is a registered California nonprofit, changes to bylaws need to be reported to a couple of state agencies, but changes to standing rules do not. So it’s good to put the more changeable things into standing rules. (Speaking as a former guild treasurer and parliamentarian.) Congratulations on Quiltmania!
Ooooh, a Quiltmania contribution. That sounds exciting! Thanks for the reminder of the Gridsters bee. It seems a lifetime ago that I was part of it, especially as now that international postage doesn’t even enter my thoughts, except when Amazon make a delivery. I had a lovely time going back through the hashtag.
I’ve been gone so long. Do they still hold the Doo Dah parade in Pasadena?
I will be monitoring my Quiltmania issues for your contribution. Imagine if our mail carrier knew that she was only a couple degrees of separation from one of the designers in those “fancy magazines” she stuffs into our rural box with such gusto.
Lastly, a big gold star for the new camera, which beautifully conveyed the softness of your wool pumpkins, so much so that I would like to reach out and give them a gentle pat. That mat is lovely, and the tendrils are a charming touch.
I tend not to fret when I’m not sewing. I just shrug and say that I was doing X, Y, or Z instead. All that’s missing for you is the shrug. You sure haven’t been idle. While I do enjoy looking at photos of quilts on MeWe groups, Instagram etc. , I did have to get over guilt at not keeping up with those who give quilting a higher priority than I do.
I love the way your quilt top looks on your kitchen island. The colors are perfect for your new kitchen!
You write with such wit. Though I’m sorry for the lack of a turn-on (of your sewing machine! – Ha!) it’s good to know you’re still reflecting on quilt-y things, old and new. There’s no way I could ever come up with all the pictures of my previously-made quilts, and I don’t have a list either. You’re ahead of the curve on that one! Sure sorry about your guild duties morphing into more than you expected. It’s amazing that your guild functioned for so long with no bylaws! I wrote ours for Central Florida MQG, and we’ve updated them twice in ten years. As for photography… I’ve had to step in too, and like you, am thrilled to have my new IPhone 14 for picture-taking! That’s the only reason I wanted it. Now, if we could just get Instagram (Meta. Ugh.) to go back to an iPhone 5 level of performance, we’d all be happy. Truthfully, I’m seeing fewer and fewer quilters posting regularly on IG. Or else they are, and I’m not seeing their posts at all! (Forgive my improper use of hyphens throughout my comment. 🙂 )
Oh dear Elizabeth! I’ve been away from the blogs — all blogs, including my own and Jim’s — for so long, I’d forgotten how much I enjoy your writing. With no humility I can say it’s because it reminds me of mine, or the way I imagine mine could be. Oh instagram and fb… I quit using IG completely maybe 3 years ago? And started again with looking at a few things this spring, making a small number of comments. And then I didn’t use it for a few days and completely forgot about it again. So it’s lost its hold on me, hurrah! As to the guild volunteer stuff, I know all about that, and after not volunteering at all for 3 years (hm…) I find I’ve asked to be on the finance committee. We’ll see how that goes. Good to hear your voice again.
As always, reading your post with my coffee this morning was a real pleasure! I just love your autumn quilt and it is inspiring to see it again. As the colors start to blaze here in northern New England, I want to start working with these autumn hues again,
Oops – hit reply too soon to finish the above! Was just saying your work is inspiring me, but I don’t dare start something new without finishing a gift quilt and a donation quilt first!😊. Also, I start to feel a little lost and unsettled if I haven’t used my machine or done some hand sewing in several days- 3 weeks is a long time! I wonder if that will change over time as I get older….
Well! All that certainly made my head spin! I’m amazed at all you’ve done!
P.S. – I’ve been going back and forth about whether to do the Summer Camp Quilt-Along, but yours is so beautiful it may tip the scale in favor 😀