Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Well....WAS it a successful, productive three days???

Mostly "YES."  I did cross off quite a few items from my ToDo list...but I also took a bunch of naps and
spent some time with my baby sister....so, it was a very pleasant, relaxing three days.

However....

Mother Nature had her own ideas of what this weekend would bring, too:

 

Lot's of tornadoes touching down all around Paducah, from the Texas panhandle up through the plains states and traveled all the way across to the edges of the Eastern Seaboard.  It WAS Mr. Toad's Wild Ride...thanking the Lord that He controls the weather.
(Psalm 147:8, 148:8)

Anyway, nasty weather did mess up one a whole day and evening...glued to Ryan Hall Y'all weather guy on YouTube. 
(I like him because he's a Kentucky guy.) I do feel bad for Eastern Kentucky, Eddyville and Dawson Springs.  They were hit pretty bad.  *
People will be talking about "The Memorial Day Storms" for years to come.

 

But, I didn't do a thing in the studio...not a stinkin' thing.  
I did sew the binding on Hat-on-a-Cat for June.  Other than that, no real sewing happened this weekend. **

 

I hope to change that TODAY!!

Finally work is at a slower pace for the next couple of weeks so I can relax more during the day and recharge.  I need to start with a good "tidy up" in the studio and get  encouraged to actually sit down and sew!!

Karen Brown calls this a "Reboot." ***

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Video of the Tornado in Eddyville, KY.  HERE 

**Something I learned from the FMQ class I took earlier this month....how to release the pressure from the Presser Foot shaft....I'm hoping to NOT have quilting puckers in the next "Hat" door hanger.

***One of my favorite Sewing Ladies, Karen Brown, on "The Reboot" HERE

Memorial Day

Let Us Not Forget....

 

The Price that was paid for our Freedom...

Three Lovely Days

Memorial Day Weekend is on the horizon .... the unofficial start of summer!!  

Three days off and I'm trying to decide what to do...  I'd hate to get to the end of a three-day weekend
and have nothing to show for it...

Making a list....checking it Twice.

 

I L-O-V-E to check of items from a list!!! 
(Sometimes I will put items ON the list right after
the item is completed just so I can check it off !) 

 

 

 

 Let's just see what actually gets done.

A Fun Day in the Neighborhood

...AND, learning a new skill.

I took a class at the National Quilt Museum...taught by Miss Cheryl Sleboda Whited....learning to "Free Motion Quilt." (FMQ)

Not as easy as I thought it would be, but I did learn a lot...

 

The main thing I learned...it takes practice!!

Where have I heard that before?   Learning to play the Ukulele!! It gets easier the more you practice...actually I should say
"the more consistently you practice."  Every Day...Every Day...Every Day vs a long practice once a week.  AND, almost any playing helps...does not have to be the piece you're struggling with right this moment! 
You know, that riff that goes from G to Bb.  Just playing and singing any 'ol song is good.

Well... surprise...surprise...FMQ also takes practice, consistent practice, and it's the little things that make the difference. 
For instance, Cheryl had us doodle with pencil and paper the pattern before we tried recreating with sewing machine and fabric.   "...the more you doodle, the better your FMQ will be..."

Has something to do with "muscle memory."   

Muscle memory is a form of procedural memory that involves consolidating a specific motor task into memory through repetition.  And, not to mention, for those of us who are no longer Spring chickens, it's very good for keeping our brains youthful.

There is many-a-night, when the work day is done at 7:00 pm (Central Time) that I just do not feel like going to the studio. 
Now, I can  doodle knowing I'm still doing something productive.  (The first thing I did after class was go to Office Depot and buy a sketch pad.)

 

 

 

I think the FMQ gloves are a big plus.  

It's more difficult to get that fabric to MOVE than I would have thought!!!

And, can I just say, Miss Cherly Sleboda Whited is really knowledgeable!  And, a wonderful instructor.  

What a pleasure to sit under her tutelage!

This was a great day!

May -- A Promising Month

 "The world's favorite season is the Spring. All things seem possible in May." - Edwin Way Teale"

While it doesn't look like I've accomplished much...on paper...it FEELS like I have.  March and April were busy months: 
Traveling....Total Eclipse.....AQS Quilt Show....(work was busy, too, but I'm trying not to think of that too
much as May promises to be, also. )

April Finishes:

 

 

 

 

Hat on a Cat:  May.  In the package, this was not one of my favorites. 
But I rather like the result.

 

 

 

 

 

From the UFO list....well, there's a story here..... 

I had every intention of using Pauline Rogers' QAYG method and finishing up Pat Sloan's Summer Soriee.  HERE  But THEN I met Pauline, AGAIN, at the Paducah Quilt Show and had a chat with her.  Everything changed after that chat.  

Pauline has an interesting method for QAYG*...

Now it is back to the drawing board.  Pauline has given me a little homework assignment....

*QAYG = Quilt As You Go

AQS Quilt Week in Paducah, KY

 

 

As incredible as it seems, Paducah, KY has hosted
the AQS quilt show for 40 Years!

Is that amazing, or what?! 

Carolyn and I went to the show today and as usual, there were soooo many awe-inspiring quilts! 
She and I agreed they ALL deserve First Place!  I'm going to post just a couple of my absolute favorites:

The Detail on this quilt was amazing (they're all amazing.)  

This is not a Jen Kingwell quilt.  Shocking, I know.

 

I LOVED this red and black!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seemed like there were quite a few quilts with teensy pieces!  
These patches were about 2" finished!
The name of this Quilt was Omigosh!  I Second That!!

 

 

 

This is only a small part of a quilt of an apartment building...called
The Window.

It reminded me of where I lived in California.  (While I do not miss CA at all...I do miss the people.)

Also reminded me of 2020...National Quilt Day, but we were in the middle of lock down so we displayed our quilts the best way we could.

HERE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Midnight Zoomer made me laugh!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Even the kids got in the act. 
This is a quilt by a First Grade Class. 

 

 

 

 

 

 Something about this one made me think of Aunt Nyla.  We had so many quilt-adventures together...

There were so many beautiful quilts.  My little 'ol iPhone cannot possibly do them justice.

Link to view quilts HERE courtesy of The Quilt Show.

YouTube video all about Paducah. HERE  It'll make you want to come next year! 
Plan a Quilt Adventure with your favorite quilter!!

Feelings

 ...Nothing more than Feelings ... a song from back in the day.  HERE
Woke up this morning FEELING extremely overwhelmed!   Like I'm forgetting something important!

For me, a list maker, it helps to get it all down on paper.....

💥It's going to be a killer, busy week for work... rolling out a difficult project   👈    👈    👈   👈
💥It's quilt week and I'm going to miss out on most of the festivities...because of above.👆  👆  👆

 

💥The bird feeders are empty and I'm totally out of seed...I know that sounds silly, but I assure you, the birds don't think so.

I need to get down to Menard's and buy seed and suet blocks! (I should have done it yesterday.)
And, while I'm at it, I want a Blue Bird house.

I'm Late...I'm Late...for a very Important Date....HERE

 

 

 

💥It's already the third week of April and I still don't have any flowers planted in my beds....I ABSOLUTELY  MUST get some marigolds in the ground before the deer discover my dahlia!

AND, my raised beds are still EMPTY !!!😭

💥I can't move ahead on the Coffin Handbag until I get down to Muppins and check out how Cheryl put together the sample... I don't want to do it the way the pattern author does it, feels too bulky to me ... but, I don't think I can get down there until Saturday because of the killer work week (see above).... AND, by Saturday there will be Quilters EVERYWHERE  because it is AQS Quilt Week  (See Above!) Parking will be scarce! (But it's NOT too late to come join the quilting fun....all the rooms for miles around are taken, but I have a futon in the studio...sleeps two...just sayin'.)

 

💥And then there's the Lower Town Arts Festival coming up in less than three weeks and my song is NOT performance ready.  Still working on the tricky left-hand-muting.
The Sea by Sierra Ferrell. HERE. 
It's really hard...at least for me.

 

See what I mean?  Overwhelming.

It's been a couple of days and I feel better.

💢After today I'll be more than half-way through this busy week.  It occurred to me this morning that I need to change my attitude toward this busy week (teaching 10 classes ..that's a lot.)  I don't want to get to the end of the week and have complained the whole week away!

💢The birds are happy.

💢Made it downtown to Muppin's yesterday...and just as I thought she finished the Coffin Handbag exactly the way I thought it should be.

💢Practicing my ukulele. Did you know you cannot be in a foul mood and play the ukulele?  Try it!
Shirley Orlando is proof!  I Play My Ukulele