If you are new to the blog, you may be asking, "just what is a monthly update?" I decided long ago that I just can't keep up with blogging daily. I just can't. Sooooo, what happens is I document a day in my life within one post and if something special happens, a separate post takes place. See, you can stay caught up with a once a month check and then, if you're interested, see the other posts too. It's a great system for me.
In years past, I have set goals for each month and I will continue to do that simply to keep myself on track. I AM still in UFO mode around here and trying oh so hard to use or clean out the stash. It will be an ongoing project this year. If I want something to come in -- something has to go out. That is one goal. The balances change each month (hopefully) and will always show up at the bottom of the update if you read that far - and they are joined by links to the previous monthly updates for the year.
Now, grab a cuppa and sit back for a fun read and perhaps a new idea or two. (P.S. I format on a computer, so if you are reading on a phone, well sometimes the pictures will be before or after the story. It is what it is.)
So ---- here's February and all the wonderful fun it provided. Please remember that any links in here will open in a separate window so that you can keep your place on this page at the same time and there are no ads of popups EVER.
1st - It's a beautiful day here in the Salt Lake Valley - yes - I'm still in Utah.
Another month has begun and I'm ready. Are you? We have so much fun ahead this month and some of it begins today. The Talking Turkey Quilt-A-Long (QAL) has begun and our first step will be worked on by so many today. It is also the release of our second block in the Witch's Night Out QAL. Remember, I did all of this ahead last month since I'm still in Utah, so no pics of my work today but others are posting like crazy.
A new month also means another Roaring 20's change. I'm going to continue with my long arm this month, however - retreats start back up and that gives me another idea. My plan is to play more, be silly as much as possible. Some would say that isn't a change. Perhaps it isn't, but taking the opportunity to thoroughly enjoy each moment as they come is a change. I would like to feel solid joy at just having the adventures that are presented. My roar this month will be coming from the heart --- to feel and share more and help others as much as possible. It's a great change for me -- and one that I'm happy to make.
So, with that, let's get this month started. Spending time with family and enjoying each and every minute, even if it is just watching the kids run amok, is awesome. You can follow our time in this Day 5 LINK if you so desire. Cookie making is the creative outlet today and aren't these just wonderful?Oh, AND the second quiet book is now repaired and ready to go once again. I feel great having fixed all the pages that needed it and am leaving them with lots of fun ahead.
2nd - It is Mairead's Blessing Day and we are all systems go. Everything goes off without a hitch and the day is simply wonderful. Friends, family, and love have abounded. Here's the Day 6 LINK to see the happy family making memories for a lifetime. During quiet time, some red work went onto my quilt top.
3rd - Well, as far as sewing goes, not today. I think I made about a 6 stitch progression on my quilt top. Today was for playing and enjoying these littles to the max. Here's the LINK to share in our fun. Other than that --- look at this pic.
We did have a tea party with the tea set that I made a few years back. My heart just overflows when I see the kids actually playing with things that I have made for them. Pinkies up, y'all.4th - I am outta here --- packing up and readying kids for the drive into SLC occupies the morning and my flight pretty much takes up the rest of the day. Dang, it's cold in Dallas too. What is up?
5th - One day! That's what I have to unpack, do laundry, repack, and prepare for retreat. I am also meeting Stephannie for lunch so that I can pick up the name badges for our new ladies. She is a saint to make these for us for the past 4 years and I'm so thankful to have her in my life. So much happens at retreat and there are so many hands behind the scenes that make it all magically happen. I am eternally thankful for each one of those hands.Now, I have a few minutes to whip out a few of the string blocks that I need for Saturday's post on the next step in Talking Turkey. Sew girl, sew. I am sooooo thankful for all the prep work I do when deciding to make a quilt. These papers have been cut forever AND my blue strings are almost limitless. I took a ton out for Jamestown Landing, now Talking Turkey, and likely Dawn's Early Light will come from them as well.
I did take some time and sort through the entire bag, separating pieces that are less than 12" long as I will need those longer pieces for a later step. Might as well use up the smaller pieces first.
I get 15 finished and that's enough for a picture. Time to finish packing and loading the car.
6th - I am off to Brazos first thing this morning. It's time for some Quilt Sister love and I am in need of it right now. Bring it on. Ana walks in with beer. Oh yeah, we are all in sync. Here is the LINK for y'all to see just how much sheer joy takes place at retreat.My first project is the rag quilt I have been cutting on lately. Little packets are up first and I just chain the entire batch at once. Round two puts an X through each square.
These are ready to web into a top, but I'm tired of them for today. Moving on, I square up all of the string blocks made yesterday and then slice them in half into the triangles we will need for Talking Turkey. My pictures are complete and ready for Saturday's post. Woot woot. It feels so good to be staying just slightly ahead and not working at the last possible minute to host this QAL correctly.
7th - Day 2 of retreat and it's just divine to be back. We are trying a new approach with meals and it seems to be going well. There is food EVERYWHERE!!! I have webbed and finished the entire rag quilt top this morning (no picture) and moved on to the binding and label.My heart is so happy when a Sapphire Blues is spotted in the room.
Binding is going on the rag quilt and all I can say is this thing is HEAVY!!! OMG, I can barely manhandle it in this small area I have to sew. I'm not complaining --- I just didn't think. This would have been easier in a big flat area, which I don't have available at retreat. It is what it is.
My next step is to hand stitch the binding down and start clipping so I take up residency in the library until dinner and game night begins. Fun times with the bet friends ever.My love for these ladies is simply enhanced each time we get together and I am in awe of each one of them. The moments together are not to be forgotten --- I promise.
Good night y'all.
8th - Talking Turkey Week 2 is up and I'm seeing string work here at retreat (yes, there were several completing their nine-patches around the room AND sooooo many Witch's Night Out coming together as well). I put my aching hands to the test this morning and managed to crank out the last few rows of clipping on my rag quilt (guess who forgot her clippers and had to use scissors?). It is TA-DONE (and I blurred the pic, go figure).
My reward for a job well done, is a walk down to the river with Gwen. The day is beautiful compared to the freezing weather we have had the last two days and she manages to find a whole shirt full of new rocks to take home.I've had bread rising in my room all afternoon and it gets baked now --- wow. Even I'm impressed with the height and color.
For the rest of the afternoon/evening, my Frolic blocks are going to be finished. I am determined. I laid them all out and just webbed one right after the other. They are complete and I'm reveling in the glory of it all.
The only other item I brought to retreat is the sashings for Frolic, so I put those together and discover that for some stupid reason, I cut double on one part. I have an entire clue 2 cut that I don't need. Any takers? I guess I can just set them aside and make this type of sashing again sometime in the future. Who knows.I'm completely out of projects and it's late Saturday evening so I just break down my area. It will speed things up tomorrow morning. I'm am literally the last woman standing tonight and that hasn't happened in quite awhile. I don't really want this to end, BUT I am really missing my sweetie, so there is that.
9th - We are a busy crew this morning. Packing, packing, packing. Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. I owe so much to the ladies that pitch in and help so that I'm not here for 2 more hours all by myself. So much love for them. A pic of all our gifts/prizes this weekend and then Val and I set to recovering all of the big boards before they go into the closet. March will start with spanking new/clean ironing boards. Perfect.And with that --- we are Brazos Out! Hugs to all who were any part of this great weekend.
Upon my arrival home, I suggest that perhaps Mister would like a bit of time out of the house. He mentions a local brewery and off we go to Manhattan Project - yep that's your link to check it out. The beer and food are wonderful and the restaurant is all gluten-free for those who wonder. They also have a couple of beer that are so low on the gluten scale as to not register. They cannot call them gluten-free, but they are dang close and many who have intolerance are able to enjoy them.10th - I'm trying to get in the swing of things today, but there is just so much to do. Pictures are up first and I tackle them to get the Facebook post done. I'm also working on plans for March and we are going to make shopping bags to take to the store and try to help the planet a bit.
A wee bit of time at the sewing machine allows me to complete the remaining string blocks for Talking Turkey. Now to square and cut - tomorrow.
11th - LOTS of time in the office this morning. Blog posts are up, retreat emails are done. Books are balanced and I want to forget about this part for a few weeks. Yay. I want to sew today. First, the Talking Turkey units are finished and then I move on to the March block for Witch's Night Out. I already have two of the blocks finished (last month when I reorganized the monthly assignments, I came out two blocks ahead) and this one has me ready to post. I love the cauldron and the only part that gave me any fit at all was the feet. Lining those up took me three tries.
De-papering while watching a show with my sweetie.
He decides to clean a machine for me and since the blue strings are still out and I might as well make a dent in the next item I need them for. I need 16 pages for the borders on Talking Turkey. I know that is down the list on our QAL, but they are here and so am I. By the time he has the machine finished, I've sewn three pages and trimmed them too. It's a start.
12th - I LOVE strings and since the machine is still there, I find myself settling in to complete ALL of the required pages. I know, I'm naughty, but I did have BLUE STRINGS on my goal sheet for this month. I'm trying to tackle all projects that need strings, one color per month. That means that next up is Dawn'w Early Light and I still have plenty of strings to make that happen. Goodness.Okay, time to get back on track today. I have Week 3 of Talking Turkey on Saturday and no picture to post. That means my strings need to be attached to the nine-patches. It doesn't take too long and I'm ready to make dinner and spend the evening with Mister.
Oh, one setting triangle for Frolic is completed as a leader ender. These are confusing, to say the least.
13th - Lunch with my bestie is on the plate for today. I had planned on a trip to the laundromat and down to Harry Hines for charms. It didn't happen, but lunch did and I'm grateful for this time together. Once back home, I opted to set up my applique machine and set to finishing up this row by row. The stitching is complete and all that is left is to add button eyes. That will mean a button sort. Not today.
Instead, my sweetie wants out of the house for a bit. Alrighty then.
14th - It's a day of love. I'm spending it in a complete form of vegging. You can check out how my sweetheart handles that with this LINK. My day DID begin with so many fun treats scattered around the house. 
15th - Talking Turkey Week 3 went live today and I love how this is turning out. It's also a Red Hat Day for me and that can be seen through this LINK. I really need a hairstyle that fits a hat. I'm thinking, honest. It may just go a whole lot shorter. That seems to work for several of our members. Back to my veg state after coming home. Yep, there's an addiction going on --- Longmire. I'm getting close to finishing it and letting life begin again.16th - My sweetie pulled me out of the house early this morning to get the rag quilt washed at a local laundromat. It happens to be right next door to a coffee shop. That's cool One Chai Latte please. Check out the cinnamon adornment.
Free dryers helped the process along as the tumbling sped up the whole fraying act. It needs a couple more washes, followed by some tumbling, but that will take place over time. I'm really loving this one so much - even with the weight. The squares are from jeans of mine that I had to admit I would never fit back into again. The plaid is a fabric my sweetheart picked out during one of our very first trips to Harry Hines. All in all --- love.The button sort has taken place and although I created a huge mess without proof in pictures, several choices were made and dismissed. I settle for simple black buttons. This block is TA-DONE
Now to get a start on the geese I need for Talking Turkey --- there are a bazillion of them. I get about 1/3 of them with one wing. Yeah, this is going to take a bit. Calling it a day to spend the evening with Mister.
17th - Chores are calling for today. Laundry and perhaps cooking a meal. I really have been terrible in the whole "making dinner" arena lately. With laundry under way, I aim to get the second wing on the first half of my geese. I have one half cut with the Easy Angle/Companion Angle ruler combo and those are what I am working on. The other half is cut with squares to use the sew and flip method. These were cut eons ago and I have no idea why there are two options. A pot roast makes it into the oven throughout the day and I finish the first half and get one wing on all the remaining geese. Whew. I almost called it a day, but couldn't sleep so drew templates for the quiet book for about another hour. I have half of those pages drawn now and once the others are complete, I'll start gathering supplies.
18th - I AM going to do better today. I have finished my Longmire binge and no longer feel drawn to the screen. That means my focus can move on. It's a great day! The pictures and blog are current and I'm dressed and off to run errands. Charms need to be purchased for the entire retreat year. I have a goal. A stop down near Perth street - our beloved fabric warehouse district - and the devastation is still so intense. There is some good news though --- one building is under construction and making strikes towards reopening.
Onto the charms ---- this is the Asian Market District -- not my words, for there is a sign depicting it as such. It is divided into segments covering many different items. I'm off to the jewelry/beads area and for some reason, it was spared major trauma during our tornadoes last year. All charms are located and I believe I have several pounds in my little basket by the time I leave.
Some birthday season shopping for my sweetie and a few fat quarters picked up for March retreats. That's it for today, but I am stuck in a rainstorm and just wander the shops a bit longer. Once home, I'm ready to sew. Talking Turkey part 4 begins on Saturday and I do not have my picture for it yet. That means more flying geese. We are talking hundreds of the little buggers. I am on the last part --- the second wing of the second half, but I still need to press and trim the first wing. Time to get going. They are done by dinner time and I have these pictures of the trimmings to show the vast difference in waste between the two methods. If I were to sew these "bonus triangles", they would finish at 3/4" - 1" and since I don't do minis, I rarely have a need for them, much less 400 of them. Thus --- waste and all that fabric still cost money. At any rate. TA-DA
A break in the middle netted me these:
19th - Another rainy day here in Dallas. It's cold as well. I had hoped to do some quilting in the studio, but - well, I'll give it til noon and check then. In the meantime, the blue string blocks for Dawn's Early Light are still waiting to be finished. I have kept the small pieces separate to use them first and the longer strings are still in the bag, awaiting their turn. By noon, I have half of the required blocks sewn and am needing to make a decision. It's still too cold so I settle for working on the Whimm's blocks in the house. That means setting up a machine and threading it with mono-filament thread on top and regular on bottom. SO many issues before I change out the bobbin case, and make lots of tension adjustments. I'm trying a variegated thread in the bobbin and when the color runs light, it works beautiful. When it hits the red areas of the thread, not so much, and I see little tiny red specks showing through. Even though my backing is red, I guess I'll have to opt for a light bobbin thread. Dang it anyway. Two hours of no progress has me frustrated and walking away. "Step away from the machine." Tomorrow is another day.Mister suggests a night out for BBQ and I'm oh so ready.
After a perfectly delightful evening, it is once again pouring when we leave and my sweet man gallantly tells me to stay put. He braves the rain to bring the car over to me. How sweet is that? There is not a day go by that I do not stop to realize how very lucky I am to have him in my life. In the words of a song, "Somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good."20th - Cold, cold, cold. No sense in even trying the studio so I am going to knock out the remaining blue string blocks for Dawn's Early Light. I have over 40 to go and it's sew, sew, sew. Followed by trim, trim, trim but now I have these cute little squares.
One more step and I now have what feels like a bazillion triangles. My sweet hubby settles in with me for the evening and de-papers as we watch a show. This task is in the done column and I'm glad as I gotta admit that after Jamestown Landing, Talking, Turkey, and these --- I'm kinda tired of blue string. I wonder which ones to drag out next.
My late night adventure has all the remaining pages drawn for Mairead's quiet book. That earns me a second check mark and a smile as I head to bed. See ya in the morning.21st - I am determined to complete the half and corner blocks for Frolic today. Settling in, it's one episode after another of Cheers and instead of chaining, I just work one block at time. By 2 in the afternoon, mission accomplished.
There are a LOT of leftover pieces to deal with and I'm going to have to really work through these to put them to use. Perhaps some shams to match the quilt or just some bed pillows? I will use them, have no fear, but . . .That leaves me with the border pieces to assemble and then I will be ready to set this sweet girl.
Only one little BAD block for today and a partial of another one as I was using the project itself as leader/ender.One of Mister's requests for Birthday Season is Thai food. We try out a new restaurant, Lemongrass, and it is good, but we still prefer Thai Opal to any we have found. Lesson learned.
22nd - Happy birthday to my sweetheart. I have devoted my entire day to him and we are outta the house, not to return until late. That is the only way to keep us from screens and worries. Talking Turkey Week 4 began today so once that post is up, we are making plans to depart. First up is donuts, followed by so much fun. This Bday Post 1 goes through out time in McKinney and the Antique Post shares all the goodies we spotted.
Anna and Sherman are shared in this Bday Post 2
Leaving this Bday Post 3 to end the day. Such fun together, as always. Love ya, my Mister.We never fail to find off-the-wall, unique things along the way and that always makes me feel good. Learning is the BEST!!
23rd - It's Mardi Gras time and we are continuing my sweeties birthday fun. Starting with a coffee shop visit and some shopping before home to do chores/quilt changes, then to Oak Cliff for the parade and dinner. Here's your Part 4 LINK. Also a view of the new Leaning Tower of Dallas. Hahahaha. Ya gotta look this one up.
Chaining at it's best takes place and before I know it I have two great little stacks of finished pieces. I am ready for Saturday and this is packed up and ready for retreat next week.
Now, while I'm sitting here. The Frolic borders are calling as well. I want this one ready to set as well so that it can go into the retreat bag. Ten days will give me lots of time to set both of these quilts as long as most parts are ready to go. I'm doing all eight borders at once in a giant web.
Separating them into two groups of four. They are done. Woohoo!!! Cornerstones are made and inner border ready to go as well. Pack 'er up. A trip out to the studio to locate backings that have been set aside and all is happy in my world.
25th - I have goals today. One is grocery shopping - ugh. It's such a necessary evil. First though - it's a trip out to the studio to determine colors for the quilt-a-long that starts in May. Carolina Crossroads is on tap and I am using shirtings. I was shocked to discover that I have three tubs of these fabrics. One is nothing but strings and pieces. I KNOW what's coming next down the pike. Settling on an orange/green/neutral and a blue/brown/neutral I have one tub packed up and ready for retreat. All cutting will take place there and, yes, I'm making at least two of these. I am out of "male" quilts and several grandsons will be asking again soon.
Planning on a barn quilt I wish to make is next and then off to the store. My late afternoon fun is attempting to do my QAYG Whimms blocks. Nothing has gone as I wished with these, so I have settled on just getting them done. One blocks is complete by the time I call it a day, including threads being buried and block trimmed.
Two more blocks are partially quilted (I had to stop on them and bury threads as they were overtaking the project.). Hopefully tomorrow I can finish them up.
26th - It's catch-up day for the personal blog. When a busy weekend takes place, I get behind on pictures and then have to devote some time to editing and posting. That's this morning and I'm happy to be current once again. I have a pot of chicken soup underway and am turning my attention back to the remaining Whimm's blocks for this month. A few sewing machine issues give me a stumble, but the glory of vintage machines is that I could find the problem and fix it myself. LOVE so much. Back to stitching and then burying threads in the evening. January and February blocks are complete (except for coloring in the gingerbread man's eyes) and I'm okay with how it is going. I've pulled the two blocks for March and will get them quilted before retreat next week. How's that for thinking ahead?
27th - Sunshine!!!! What could be better at the end of February? The flowers in the office are in bloom and my heart is happy. Violets and orchids --- so, so pretty.
My sweetheart has such a green thumb with these orchids. Color me green with envy. House plants and I have always struggled. It's a memory thing. Ya gotta remember to water them. I love having them around, but . . . I do believe, however, that if I was solely responsible for them, I would calendar it and take proper care. With him around, well, I just let him handle it. Seems better right now.I have been coloring this morning. My pencils are not quite the right colors, but close enough. There's a new project brewing here today.
AND - tackling small projects is happening as well. This label received its wording. Man, I'm on fire today. I even settled onto the sofa for a couple of hours and finished up the redwork on Winter Wonderland. It's amazing what the end of the month will do to motivation.Some clutter cleaning of the house took place next as I have a visitor arriving tomorrow and it's easier to do actually cleaning if the mess has been put away.
28th - Dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, scrubbing. All of that and more occupy my morning. Such fun stuff but required every so often. I've said before, Mister doesn't mind guests as it gets the house cleaned. When all I have left is the bathroom, a peek at the clock shows 1:00 and her arrival is around 6. That is five hours and I go skipping out to the studio. Can I get a quilt off the frame in that time? I'm gonna give it the old Girl Scout try. TA-DA. Done is better than perfect and I learned a TON this go round. My machine and I are making strides towards friendship and that's what really matters. "Let it go."
Oh, this. The backing that remained at the end of quilting. Whew.
An evening filled with love and laughter and a great Thai meal. Thank you, Kelly, for sharing yourself with us. It's a pleasure to have you here. Night all.29th - Happy Leap Day! Talking Turkey Week 5 has released and upon posting the pictures this morning, I discovered that I had made one of my parts incorrectly. Drat. Apparently that will be this evening's bit of handwork.
Kelly left for the airport around 8:30 and we went straight to the zoo for a walkabout. From there it was breakfast (late) at Dallas Diner and onto Home Depot for some supplies. My project is taking shape. You can follow our day and see Mister's beautiful pictures with a click of THIS LINK. They are worth viewing --- some great up close shots of the animals.
Home to watch a movie and fix my Talking Turkey parts.
One final activity for the day --- dinner with Mister's family at Kalachandji's. A last minute birthday treat from his brother. Fun times with family are always treasured and our nephew, Bob, is making the big move to New York City in less than two weeks. Times, they are a changing.
With that, we have come to the end of another month. Building on previous months, I am still working to feel more accomplished with my long arm and striving to help others more often. In addition, I think I'll ROAR towards organization. Not sewing organization. Life. I feel like I'm pretty organized most of the time, but I've let a few things sit and they need to be settled. This month, by the end of it, I hope to have all my ducks in a row for the year. I can do it and that will free up my brain to roar in far more fun ways --- like being silly and sharing with friends more often. How about you? Let's make a month of it.
If you made it this far on this post, I commend you. Sincerely. Thank you for reading and know that I love my life. I feel very grateful for the opportunities that are presented to me throughout each day and am trying oh so hard to hold them tight -- through memories on these pages. Hugs to all.
UFO's to quilt:
BOM #1 - quilted and bound
BOM #2 - quilted and bound
BOM #3 - quilted and bound
Ohio Star - quilted and bound
Jamestown Landing - quilted and bound - Quilting/trimming complete
Current Projects:
Frolic Mystery - Clue 9 - All parts are complete, ready to set
Witches Night Out - Monthly Assignment Finished - Yes
Quiet Book - Finish drawing/printing pages - determine order Done
Stash Buster project -
Denim Rag quilt - DONE
Blue Strings - TT and DEL - DONE
UFO Items for This Month:
FOUR Whimms blocks (QAYG) - Yay!!! Done
1 Row by Row block - YES
BAD blocks as leader/enders - A couple, but that is better than none
Talking Turkey Quilt-A-Long - Week 1✓, 2✓, 3✓, 4✓, 5✓
UFO Handwork Items:
Hand Quilting -- roll the quilt once -
Red Embroidery on Winter Wonderland - Done
Links to Previous 2020 Monthly Posts:
January 2020
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