Am I Blue ?

In these last days of 2020 I have found myself under a gray cloud.  I'm not sure why, but I'm just so down-in-the-dumps!  

Does this happen to you?  

Might I suggest

.....do something.....ANYTHING...

Get Physical:  A shout out to my quilting buddy, Miss Kate, who is also my walking buddy.  No one person can fix you or your blue-ness, but just being around other people is therapeutic, all by itself.  The good Lord made us this way.... we need each other.

And, then walking:  as my nutritionist said "there is something magical about walking..."  You might participate in other physical activity like Zoom exercise classes but there is something about walking, there really is.  Even if you don't have a walking buddy,  just being outside and walking is beneficial.

If you don't have a friend.....be a friend. Ask someone to walk with you.

Finish Something:  What is on your to-do list that you look at but just don't want to finish?  Even if it's as small as dusting that table top....just do  it.  

I finished two things yesterday;  the backing for the baby quilt I have been working on (which did not come together as I had envisioned in my head....I had to piece it all over the place because I did not have enough fabric) and I finally got a label on my g-sons birthday quilt. (My least-favorite thing to do.) I took it to him last night and his little face just lit up!  Medicine for the soul!

 

Finally, make a plan.  Here it is Sunday and tomorrow is MONDAY....again! 
Today is the day to plan for tomorrow and next week.

Today I am going to church, pick up a few morsels of food for the week, drop off the baby quilt at the LAQ  and practice my ukulele.   

My planned accomplishment for next week, binding and labeling two finished lap quilts. 
AND dust that table top!

Remember, the journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step.

Getting Back in the Groove

 Returned home from my Kentucky trip a week ago and I'm still struggling with getting back in the groove.

Working on The Horse while I was in Kentucky didn't work out very well.  Got a small start...not much.

When I returned home I thought "I'll finish Krystal's baby quilt and get it to the quilter by Sunday."  Wrong again....I didn't work on it much the entire week and then when I finally did go to the studio Saturday afternoon I decided to do something different with the back, but I needed more fabric.  

"OK, off to the fabric store"  only to discover when I arrived they close at 3:00 pm and it was now 3:20 pm. 

AND, they are closed on Sunday!!!!  ARRRRRRGGGGG

I'm feeling frustrated.

Today is Sunday....the first day of the week....time to refocus.....

I'll go to church...go to lunch with the gang...go visit my Babes.  After all "Tomorrow is another day..."

 

Girls Day Out

Still visiting family in Kentucky...I DO like it here.  (Of course, it isn't summer so there is no humidity. Under those circumstances, what's not to like, right?  It's A Southern Thing - Humidity.)

Sissy returned from her travels and we decided on a Girls Day out taking a trip out to Mayfield to Backyard Fabric.  It truly is in someone's backyard.  Very beautiful countryside and grounds with a duck pond and everything! 

 

Much bigger and much nicer than one would have expected out in the middle of nowhere. They have a good selection of fabrics, kits and pre-cuts.  The prices were very good!  The most expensive yardage was $7.00 per yard.  If this were my home, this would be my go-to shop, even though it's not in MY backyard.  Trip Advisor had a lot of compliments and as far as I could tell, all true.

They even have a barn quilt!

 I want a barn quilt!

The lady tending the shop was very nice and helpful during the audition process. Especially appreciated was the fact that, although the sign said "Half Yard Cuts Minimum" she cut most of mine 1/4 yards. She explained when they first re-opened and they were very busy it saved time. (I still don't understand that logic.... but, oh well....)

I came away with an impressive array of Grunge fabrics for The Horse.  The pattern calls for "3 to 5 for each color hue"  that would be about 18 different fabrics.  But with the variation in Grunge fabric I believe this will be sufficient.

I did purchase a few other fun things I absolutely could not live without.

Not the sewing machine.  It does look like one of mine.  One named MaMoo after my Great Grandmother.

No Girls Day Out would be complete without lunch!  We stopped for Southern Bar-B-Q. 

A & B BBQ in Mayfield was quite impressive and delicious.  Even my sister, who is a card-carrying Southerner, commented on how delicious it was and how nice the people serving were.  On that note, can I just say one more time how friendly and polite people in the South are?!  I haven't met a rude person yet.

 

 

 

Some Cities are Wakingn Up - - - Slowly

Arriving....while I've been to Paducah many times over the years, I've always flown into Nashville and driven the two-plus hours to Paducah.  This time I decided to pay the extra $$ and fly direct.  This airport is even smaller than Walla Walla, Washington! (Which has two flights a day back-and-forth to Seattle.)  Paducah has only one flight a day--to/from Chicago.

 

 

 

You know you are in a small-ish town when you can call the taxi driver at home...
Population and information about Paducah HERE

The Family...After hugs all around and my nephew, Wilbur, leaves for home in Nashville, Daddy and I settle in.

Sunday we went to one of his favorite places for lunch,  Waffle Hut, where everyone is polite and calls you "ma-am."  Honestly, I miss that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Plan...Then came Monday...Yeah!  I made my plan ... walk the dog,  hop over to Hancock's and pick my fabrics for The Horse, maybe stop for a yummy coffee....

 

Woah....Not so fast there, Bucky.....

While normally I would never actually buy quilt fabric at JoAnn Fabric, the thought did cross my mind...except the closest JoAnns is 173 miles away!!

Ok, well, let's see what they have at Hobby Lobby.

Of course, Hobby Lobby has A LOT of stuff (including all decked out for Christmas) but not much fabric.  Certainly not what I'm looking for.  Strike Two!

The Hobby Lobby lady suggested: "try Calico Country, ma'am. They're just down the road a-piece." Taking her advice, I drove on over since it was close by.  NOPE! Closed. Strike Three--You're Out!

 

 

 

Quite disappointed I had about decided to give up on The Horse altogether until I return home (and Charlotte-the-Tall could help me pick fabrics) but decided to check out the National Quilt Museum and buy some post cards for my besties.  Chatting with the gift shop volunteer she suggested Backyard Fabric in Mayfield (an hour away.) 

A Google search took me to their Facebook page.  I sent them a message asking if they had Grunge fabric and they answered YES!  And they are OPEN!  We're back up to bat!  I can hardly contain myself! I'd go today except daddy wants to go to his second favorite place to eat, Hutchins, and he is not interested in a road trip.

When sissy returns from her respite on Thursday we'll have a sisters afternoon out. Auditions, here we come!   I'll treat Joy to lunch.

TO BE CONTINUED.....

After lo these many months

 ... I'm actually hopping on a plane and traveling.  

Traveling Music HERE 

Where am I headed?  QUILT CITY U.S.A.!!!  Paducah, Kentucky

This is not my first trip to Paducah.  The Quilting-Auntie and I have made this pilgrimage more than once.

These are some of my favorite pictures -- Sisters -- now there are only two.

The AQS National Quilt Show is not the biggest draw for me in Paducah.  I have family.  My Sister (and her hubby) and dad live there so even if there is no "Q" show, I try to get there a couple times a year.  Because of COVID I have not been there since Spring 2019.  So, I'll bite the bullet, mask up and fly away.  Sissy needs a break (dad lives with her) and I need to see my daddy-o.

Because Baby Sis will be skipping town for a break and because my dad does not venture out much these days, I will have a fair amount of time on my hands.  I cannot take Miss Ellie (1953 Singer Featherweight) because it is a carry-on and I'm already carrying on my Ukulele so I need to work on a project I can pack in my suit case.

The Horse by Emily Taylor

This will be a birthday gift for my daughter, June 2021.

Other Paducah places of interest:
National Quilt Museum
Hancock of Paducah
Downtown Floodwall Murals
Mellow Mushroom Pizza

Let Me Count The Ways

How many different quilt sites are you following on Facebook?  I bet I follow a dozen, or more.  Some because I want to learn more about that designer, or technique.  Some because I just plain like them.  Here are a few of my favorites:

 

Sew Very Easy:  I LIKE this lady!  She is probably one of my most favorites.
Her YouTube videos are always informative and she has a nice voice, as well as beautiful hands!  A recent YouTube video is a tour of her sewing studio.  Watch it HERE.

 

 

 

Panel Quilts:  I'll admit, I do use panels.  Some are just too cute to pass up.  Some I use for quick baby quilts, such as the one I just finished last night. So, what do you do with a panel to cute-it-up? 
Lots of ideas here.

Here is a quilt I made for my great-niece in 2014, Olivia.  And I recently found this panel again by posting on this site and asking if anyone had it!  Surprise!  Not only did someone have it, she sent it to me FOR FREE!  Gotta love it!

 

 

 

 

 

Scrap Quilt Enthusiasts:  Because scraps happen. When I was a little girl living in Southern California, we'd drive past this "disappearing mountain."  I was fascinated by its shrinking and the bulldozers working, moving "earth" around.  It was called Lime Mountain.  I learned it was part of a cement-making plant and Lime Mountain would eventually disappear altogether.  

Even though I've given away a mountain of scraps lately, unlike Lime Mountain
Mt. Scrapmore rebuilds itself!  More-and-more scraps by the minute!  Start here for ideas.

Speaking of scraps, Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville Studio: Who hasn't been inspired by Bonnie Hunter?! Her website has TONS of free patterns and a new mystery quilt each year.  You've seen this one before;  completed by Charlotte-the-Tall a couple of years ago.  On Ringo Lake.  We teased Miss Charlotte to no end about the number of HST and flying geese she made for this quilt.

 

Getting Started - Quilting with Westalee Rulers:  Learning to free motion quilt has been on my bucket list for a long time.  I've been inspired by these rulers....haven't actually purchased any yet. 
Click HERE for a YouTube video.

 Jen Kingwell Designs and Gypsy Wife Quilt Group I liked the Gypsy Wife the very first time I saw it ... at a Desert Lily's Quilt Show in Yuma, AZ with the quilting Auntie.  I have the pattern, it is still on my UFO list ... one of these days....  

Truth be told, I like ALL Jen Kingwell patterns!

 

Quilting Free Patterns: What more needs to be said.... FREE pretty much says it all. 
Plus I do get inspiration.

Here is a log cabin from this site that I really, really like. 
I love the colors.

Even though I could figure out the pattern  and color placement with EQ8*, it's nice to have someone do the heavy thinking for me.

 

Click Here for the pattern. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last, but certainly not least, Quilt Along with Pat Sloan: If you like L-O-T-S of content, this is the site for you.  Lots of questions, lots of patterns.  

Pat, herself, reads these posts and often answers.  Hats off to her!

I could go on...but, truly, there is no end.  Check out some of these. 
You may pick up a new skill or even a new favorite.

*Electric Quilt 8

 

A Label by Any Other Name....

There is a reason we label cans in our pantry.  Without labels on the cans you'd be having apple pie filling and garbanzo beans for supper.  

Labels are a very important piece of your quilt heritage.  When my Quilting-Auntie Nyla got me addicted, one of her rules
(after "save ALL your scraps") was "always label your quilts."  

She had specific things that needed to be on the label, mostly.

 

 

Name of the pattern.

Who pieced it and where they live.

Who quilted it and where they live.

Message to the recipient.

The date.

There are soooooooooo many ways to label a quilt.  Go to Pinterest and search for "quilt label ideas." 

There is no end to the ideas.

I agree with the Quilting-Auntie.  Label your quilts.  When my mom passed nearly four years ago and my sister was sorting through all her worldly treasures, one of her questions to me was "Do you recognize this quilt?  There is no label."  No, I did not recognize it.  I hadn't create it.  I was involved in most everything Auntie made and it didn't look familiar.  No idea where it came from.  Sissy sold it in a garage sale. (Confession:  I did make a lap quilt for my mom a number of years back.  It was the ugliest thing: that rag-quilt style with little pigs all over....I didn't label it.  I was embarrassed.  But, my nephew found it among mom's things and claimed it...bless him.)

There is no wrong way to label a quilt.  I like to print mine on Computer Printer Fabric and include a picture.  

Here are a couple of  my examples:

This was attached to a quilt you can see HERE.

This label was attached to a quilt you can see HERE.

 

 

My quilting friend, Dawn of First Light Designs has her own style for labels.  Her labels are round.  HERE is a link to one of her blog posts about labels.  

I'm actually going to go back and read this particular blog page more carefully.  I tried the freezer paper method and it did not work for me.  Obviously I missed something.  I'm going to give it another try.

Labels do not have to be difficult or time consuming.  If you can stand just one more YouTube video, watch this one by Jenny at Missouri Star Quilt Company about pre-printed label panels.

Here is one of Auntie's.  Short and sweet.  
She used my childhood nick name.

So, take the advice of the Quilting Auntie....
Label Your Quilt.

 

 

 

 

This photo is from Auntie's younger days.