chronicling the journey . . .

Nothing much going on here . . . still in a sling, still pecking away one-handed, still slugging through daily physical therapy. More notably . . . still no stitching. But there's light! I'm past the halfway mark of the five weeks in the sling . . . just a little over two weeks, in fact, until it comes off. Hurray! (And HURRY!)

The February installment of A Quilter's Journey, discussed chronicling one's quilting journey. I really do use my blog to look back and see when I did things and what things I've done. I found over the past year, when I wasn't quite so faithful, that I really missed being able to look back and see finishes (or more likely, starts), fabrics I'd purchased, a particular pattern I'd used. That was one of the reasons I've come back! Anyway, without further ado . . .

As I went through my quilts preparing for last month’s guild program, I realized that most of my *favorite* quilts that I’d completed were quilts I’d gifted away. And I’d imagine there are a lot of us quilters that feel that way. And if you’re like me, a lot of heart and soul goes into those favorite quilts (if not blood, sweat and tears), and while there’s definitely joy in the giving, there can also be that hollow feeling that comes from giving a bit of yourself away. 

Quilt Journaling. I’m convinced that may be the answer. 

Quilting journaling has become very popular over the last several years, with merchants coming up with eye-catching journals and layouts to tempt us into chronicling our journey of creation. Journaling can take a lot of different forms. Today’s quilting journal books provide prompts, blank spaces for photos or design doodles, areas for fabric swatches (and detailed information about said fabric), and some even have space for planning sewing time (or shopping time??!). A quick search on Pinterest revealed LOADS of resources you can print yourself. Project worksheets, quilt planner sheets, quilt design planners, quilting goals, even instructions for how to make your own quilt journal! (Want to take a look at a free quilt journal/planner set of printables? Patchwork Posse has a fun *free* set you can download and use as you see fit – a great, inexpensive way to play around with the concept of journaling, especially if it’s new to you: https://www.patchworkposse.com/16-days-of-free-quilt-planner-printables/.) 

Going through all these resources it dawned on me that I’d been journaling a lot of my creations from the first quilt I’d gifted. In fact, for my very first quilt, I kept a notebook of each month’s block construction instructions, along with small patches of the fabrics I used for each block, some scribbled notes/comments on the process, and after I’d completed a block, I took a digital picture of it and printed it along with the name of the block and which month it belonged to. At the end of the notebook is the date I finished the quilt along with a full-size photo of the finished project. I did that for all the block-of-the-month quilts I’ve done, which it makes it really easy to keep up with those. 

Not long after making my first quilt, my sister gifted me with a darling little 4” X 6” scrapbook she’d made especially for my quilting. The next quilt I made I used that sweet little book to document the making of a baby quilt I gifted back to that same sister and my newest niece. Pictures of the process and the completed quilt, along with notes of where I got the quilt pattern, snippets of fabric, and the website where I found the template I used for the bunny applique. 

And don’t forget about blogging! What a great way to journal the process *and* share it with a like-minded community (and make quilty friends around the world, to boot!). I’ve kept a blog since 2003 but it wasn’t until 2008 that I found the quilting community online and began sharing pieces of my quilting journey on my blog. But in 2010 – 2012 I blogged nearly every day, and my quilting life is laid out for all to see. This has been particularly helpful to *me* when I want to go back and check a pattern I used or particular fabric I had or check my timeline. Social media – Facebook and Instagram in particular – can also be a great way to digitally journal your quilt projects, and get feedback at the same time. 

Somewhere along the line I purchased a plain, lined journal. For a while I doodle-journaled quilt concepts and sketched out ideas, as well as some true-to-form journaling (deep quilty thoughts). Then I had the GREAT idea (famous last words) for a personalized hexie-crazy quilt, where each hexie was themed by a memory or hobby or other aspect of my life. So I drew out the appropriate sized hexie across the center of the journal . . . on about 40 pages . . . and then as I thought about it, I sketched out the block map with embellishments and embroidery stitches I planned to use for each block. This is a work in progress, so I’m still playing around with it—let’s just say it’s a LIFE project. 

Do you journal your quilts? What steps do you take (especially when the quilt won’t be spread on your own bed or hung on your own wall) to preserve the memory of the time, effort and energy spent in creating? Do you create photo albums or keep fabric snips, or write notes? How do you preserve the creative process? Things to ponder . . . 

My name is Denise and I’m a quilter. :)

midweek mindset . . .

I started this blog in September, 2003 . . . nearly FIFTEEN years ago!  I got to looking at the posts in that first year (late in the year), and realized there were only three; and two of those were in the same day.  LOL!  I was determined to do at least that many posts in 2018 (hence *this* post).  But I really do enjoy blogging.  I enjoy writing.  Early on my blog was a place to journal.  What I was studying for Sunday School or in my quiet time, what was going on in my life, and even diet and exercise.  One of my favorites, though, is my second ever post, on the first day of the blog . . . this one.  I go back and re-read that one frequently, just because I miss my grandpa and I when we moved to the RV, I gifted the particular gadget I refer to, to Jocelyn.  Wish I'd put pics on the blog back then -- but it may have been before we had a digital camera!

Here's a pic from Etsy -- this is exactly what it looked like.  Cool, huh?

Anyway, the blog evolved.  I started using it for quilting and chronicling my quilting journey.  It really stepped up in 2010 . . . especially after the accident. I was non-weight bearing for a lot of the next two years, and blogging was how I spent a good portion of my time (that's when I found other quilting blogs; a whole new community).  My second ankle surgery was in 2012 (which was also the year I set my record number of posts per year).  And then in 2015, I went back to work full-time . . . and it seems it's all gone downhill from there.  :)

Still . . . here I am, tenaciously hanging in there.  Because, like I've already said, I enjoy writing. And I like being able to look back and not have to do so in book (journals) and to be able to use labels and the search function! Ha!  

I've been working on a guild challenge project -- which I can't really share or talk about, because one of the rules is that it has to be SECRET.

Which drives me crazy, because I've had SUCH fun with this project and I can't wait to unveil it!  The theme is "Stitchin' the Blues"  We can only use blue and/or white fabrics, the finished project must be square/rectangular (no odd shapes), with a minimum size of 18" by 18" and a maximum size of 36" by 36". The show isn't until our July 19 guild meeting, but I'm having a bit of shoulder surgery on June 26, so I've got to be finished well ahead of that. I'm nearly there!

In the meantime, I've continued to work on my hexie flower quilt (initially introduced in theory, here).  

I only have 99 more hexies to baste before I can start whipping them together!

I also was gifted a sweet little pattern, and some fun prints, at our last Stitcher's meeting.  

Put 'em together and what have you got?

A fun little happy for a happy little butterfly-loving girl.  :)

And a new book . . .

Loving the sweet designs in these pages and making plans for some late summer stitching!

Still hanging in there?  I appreciate it!  Have a great rest of the week -- I'll post another "A Quilter's Journey" later on this week.

:)

cause for celebration and a giveaway . . .

What a celebration!!  First we hit the new year . . . 

And then I mark it with the big

One THOUSAND posts!  That's big stuff!  Major stuff!  GIVEAWAY stuff!

So that's exactly what I'm going to do.  A giveaway!  But first, the revelation . . . 

I spend too much time on blogs.  There I said it.  It's in writing and undeniable.  I spend too much time on blogs . . . posting, reading, commenting, responding to comments, taking pictures for potential posts . . . some nights I'm even sleepless, thinking about possible scenarios I could write about.  Too much.  The thing is, I really enjoy the writing and the blogging/quilting community and the camaraderie and the inspiration and, well, all the incredible, wonderful *friends* I've made through blogging.

Still, I know in my heart that I'm being called to scale back.  I'm not sure exactly how I'll go about doing it except that it won't be cold turkey!  I may reduce my number of posts (which is really ironic, considering how I pushed to get to 1,000, isn't it?) or I may limit posts that can be commented on.  I will probably do less commenting (but I probably will NOT do less visiting).  Oddly enough, it may even involve a little blog revamping.  I haven't got it all ironed out yet . . . I just know I've got to do something.  Two days ago, I didn't have the first goal or resolution for 2013.  Yesterday morning, after an hour or so of quiet time, prayer and introspection, I have an entire list!!  LOL!  The blogging is just a *wee* little part of it -- but it's important.

So how about now I lighten things up a little and get to that giveaway?!!  This giveaway is a thank you for my followers only -- new and old -- so before you leave a comment, make sure you're a follower.  But what to giveaway?!  How about this . . .

One $25.00 gift certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop -- spend it however you like! All you have to do to be eligible to win is to leave me comment letting me know about the one thing you know in your heart-of-hearts that you need to do/not do/change for 2013. One comment per follower. Simple and easy! I'll leave it open until midnight (CST), January 10th ... Ellie's first birthday ... and announce a winner on January 12th!  And please make sure I have a way of getting a hold of you if you're the winner!  :)

So what are you waiting for?!?  

Happy New Year, my sweet friends ... and thank you!!

:)

**Comments now closed -- a winner will be announced on Saturday!!**

nine hundred ninety-nine posts on the blog . . .

Wow.  I can hardly believe I've written 999 posts.  It's really weird to see it in writing, too.  And it's my last post of the year . . . post number one thousand will hit the stands at 0:00 on January 1, 2013.  And with it will come a GRAND giveaway and thoughts for the new year as well as a startling revelation. But enough about that . . . today's post is about the past.

In December of last year, Joy, of Joy & Comfort, emailed me to say she'd won a giveaway over at Cat Patches ... a charm pack of Little Apples.  Joy had found the contest from a link on my blog and decided to share her winnings with me.  True to her word, a couple weeks later I received a squishy package of Little Apples! Subsequently we decided to make something and share . . . we decided on a swoon block, which was very popular and showing up on lots of blogs at the time.  We set a date -- early in March -- to come back and share our projects, and set about to craft our projects.

I took mine to quilt retreat and put together my top.  

I posted about it HERE.  And I'm linking it up as a design wall from design walls' past at Patchwork Times.  LOL!  :)

But knee injuries and grandbabies and gardens and LIFE happened.  And so we didn't post our dual posts in March.  Or April.  Or May, June, July, August, September, October, or November.

And then we were ready!  Another December ... a year has passed ... and we're both ready to share!  Here's my sweet little project . . .

A plump and cushy little swoon pillow.  I'm not sure where it will end up yet . . . I like the idea of paying it forward!  And when I do, I'll pull the pillow form out and do a special, personalized embroidery in the center.

And so you should *definitely* check out my benefactor's project . . . Joy worked the same block, but with a different outcome and it's beautiful and go see it!

:)

the morning after . . .

Gracious!  To say that I was overwhelmed by the response to yesterday's post would be an understatement!  Whew!  I've *never* had that happen before . . . what fun!!

And what a fun day it was, too!  The day started with lots of happy calls and birthday songs and wishes from my sweet husband, both James and Jocelyn and my sister.  Then, as we were about to leave for the day, a car pulled up and this pretty little thing was delivered . . .

Aren't they gorgeous?!  Look at all those pretty oranges and deep pinks!  What a wonderful husband I have!!

My daddy and I went to lunch at the renown Severn Inn, at the foot of the old Severn River bridge.

The food was marvelous.  I started with a crock French onion soup and then had a Maryland crab cake over fried green tomatoes and grilled corn salad.  

I'm not sure how well it photographed, but I can assure you it was YUMMY!!  Good thing I'd gone light on breakfast!  (And yes, in case you're wondering, there is a bite missing out of the back!)

Our view as we ate was pretty spectacular, too.  That's the Naval Academy you see across the river on the other shore.  It was such a lovely, clear day!

We'd made a stop at Teavana.  Oh.my.goodness.  I'd never been in one before (the nearest, I think, is in Chattanooga).  

I got two lovely teas (the two they were featuring that day) and a new tea strainer!  Aren't my tins pretty??  I picked these two because they reminded me of Dresden Plates and fancy applique!!  :)

Aren't these pretty?  This is a mix of Youngblood and Orange Blossom tea.  They both look like potpourri  . . . 

And smell heavenly!  They taste even BETTER!  This is an Oolong/Chai mix.  WOW!

And then there was a little trip to the local quilt shop, Cottonseed Glory, which just *happens* to be on the route to the rehab center where my mom is getting that knee back in shape.  Yikes.  Since it's right on the way, I see additional stops.  Rut roh . . . 

Another blown stash report, huh?!  But what can I say??  Buy 10 fat quarters, get 1 free!!!  LOL! I also got a little yardage to bind June's quilt -- along with some butterflies for one or two of the pendants.  Oh my, I had such fun!  Do you see that little owl at the top right?  You might be thinking he looks a little Wicked, non?!  You might be right!  I found a little Fairy Frost in pink, and another pretty batik with a *sparkly* thread running through it (like my gorgeous silver batik).  Actually, you probably wouldn't be surprised to learn that most of what I got had sparklies running through it!  LOL!!

So, all-in-all, it was a lovely happy JUBILEE birthday!!  And thank y'all for sharing it with me!  And if you haven't made it over there, my giveaway is open until Saturday the 20th, so please do check it out -- the more the merrier!!  

I'll leave you with the photo of the day that just melted this Neesey's heart . . .

Birthdays and grandbabies?  Oh yeah, I think that qualifies for a link up with Favorite Things!! 

:)

winner, winner . . .

But before I share the winner, may I ask a favor?  I have a local quilting/blogging friend -- Melissa, at I Am Beautiful Bee.  She's a relatively new quilter and blogger, but she's jumped in wholeheartedly with both feet!  She fell head-over-heels in love with quilting and is waiting for her new long arm to arrive so she can start up her new business.  Give her a look-see and share some blogger love with her!!

So . . . 

Late last night I met a random generator about a number.  I plugged in my numbers and waited to see what he had to say.  It didn't take long before I had my number . . . 

And thus, my winner:

Yay!  Shari, you won!  I've contacted Shari by e-mail to let her know she's my *big* winner!

Since I'll be getting books from Bethany on a regular basis (I hope!), I'll be passing them along to my bloggy friends as I finish them!  And who knows what else might end up in those packages, right?!?

Today I'm off for my monthly weigh-in ... still going strong, still pressing on!

At least I hope that's what the scales reflect.  My doc's scale is a little more high-tech than mine.  Still, I'm encouraged by the fact that I didn't gain a single pound on vacation.  Of course, I didn't lose a single pound, either!  LOL!

And tonight is our guild's annual potluck social and officer election.  Along with a covered dish and our own place setting (which can be quite fun), we're also to "bring some scissors, bright colored buttons (1/2" to 3/4") and thread to share."  

Hmmm . . . that sounds intriguing!  Eat, sew and chat; it doesn't get any better than that! 

Happy Thursday!

:)

a stitch, a pin, a pattern . . .

Do you ever have one of those nights?  I evidently spent too much time collecting sweet little embroidery patterns on my Stitcheries pin board yesterday, because ALL night long I dreamed--in color--about finding the perfect pattern and how I'd stitch and embellish it.  Gracious!

I finished up the bow on my little black dress embroidery block.  I'm one-third of the way through and it's looking good! 

I was so thankful that Lisa, from A Cuppa Tea With Me, mentioned in a comment that she was thankful for Thread Heaven when working with metallic flosses.  What?!  You can use that?!?!  I was having a horrible time with the metallic floss twisting and had considered using the Thread Heaven, but wasn't sure, so I didn't.  After an exchange with Lisa, I *am* using it and what a difference it made!  Whew!  Thanks, Lisa!

I wanted to share a couple of my favorite pins.  I'd posted pictures of some HERE, after being inspired by a story on Madeline Albright, a couple of years ago.  Then my friend Melissa, over at The High Altitude Tea Duchess, mentioned she might do a linky party of blogger's pins, and I knew I had to share!  Just a couple of quick sets . . .

The copper poodle was a gift from my daddy, many years ago.  He brought it home from a convention.  I think I was in 8th grade.   It's the piece I've had the longest (not the oldest, mind you).  The roadrunner actually belonged to Todd's mom's, but I held onto it because it reminded me of my Grandma Willie and their snowbird trips to Arizona.  Her postcards would always have roadrunners on them!  And my chorus pin from high school.  Who holds onto these things besides me?!?

This set is fun ... the "Once Upon A Time" pin was given to me by a darling friend after I met Todd and he proposed (to commemorate finding my Prince Charming and happily ever after.  :)  The monkey pin was a secret pal gift, and was one of my favorite to wear when I was teaching high school (for obvious reasons).  It makes me laugh, as does the computer screen with the cat tagging the mouse!  That was a gift I received during my IT/software troubleshooter years.

Some more whimsical pieces.  The cat tickles me because his tail moves!  The dragonfly just appealed to me because of the colors (oooh!  sparkly, pretty colors!), and the little angel I found in Gatlinburg, TN, one year at a craft show.  It so reminded me of my Pop and the fun art he created with tin cans.  I had to have it (and the sweet matching earrings that went with it)!

Finally, at some point, I need to get busy on a challenge piece for guild.  Our challenge exhibit is next month.  Yikes!  The theme is:

It doesn't necessarily have to be a crazy quilt but the theme of 25 (for our 25 year anniversary) is encouraged ... and gets extra points, too.  I happen to have it on good authority that there will be some awesome prizes and door prizes that night, so I definitely want to give it my best shot.  I've got some ideas ... I just need to flesh something out.  And SOON!

That's it for me today.  Lots of busy things happening up at the camp and I've got to get a move on!  Have a happy Wednesday!!

:)

ending well . . .

I received a fun *squishy* in the mail from my darling friend Pat, of A Little of This and a Little of Pat. I've enjoyed Pat's friendship for a while and she really is a kind and thoughtful lady, as well as an excellent quilter!!

In the package were lots of fun fabrics ... perfect things for an "I Spy" quilt!! There was also a Lapel Stick for me to give a try *and* Pat knows me so well ... two little heart frames for the sweet faces that have captured my heart; Sawyer and Ellie!

Thank you *so* much, Pat!!

I finished up the inner quilting on one of my MOC blocks. I decided with this one that it makes sense to stitch-in-the-ditch around that square that encompasses the inner block. Which means I'll now have to go back and do the other six blocks I'd already completed. But that's okay. I'd rather have it *right* for me, than just finished.

At a later date I'll have to walk through my thinking on how I'm quilting this ... and get some feedback!

Yesterday didn't end up being all slow going ... I did head out to spend the evening with my Sawyer Graham! See what greeted me as I walked up to the house?!

I have to admit I felt pretty special!!

I tried to capture the perfect profile shot to do another cameo . . .

 

I'm hoping one of these two will work for it! I had found a great tutorial for converting ordinary photos into cameos. I'll fool around with it later.

We had a fun evening playing around. He likes to look through the opening between the living room and the kitchen.

He's growing up so fast I can hardly stand it!

At one point he got on his little rocket scooter. He kept reaching behind him and patting the little white tail fin and saying something to me.

It took a little while, but I finally figured out he wanted me to sit behind him and go for a ride! LOL! Oh, little man -- would that I could!!

At dinner I tried to capture a few. When the orange light from the camera hits his face, he knows a picture is getting ready to be taken and he grins his cheesiest grin!

After I showed him this one, his grins got cheesier . . .

And sillier . . .

I don't think he can show anymore teeth than he is ... seriously, I think every single tooth he has is showing in that last shot!  We were both laughing so hard -- I'm glad this kid has got a great sense of humor!!

After dinner we did a little coloring.  As you can see, he's got his serious side, too.

Until finally it was time to get into pj's. Sawyer headed right for the rocking chair ... he wanted me to sit in his lap.

Bless his little heart! He's quite the adorable little fellow!

Today I'm headed to see my Ellie! And I'm making Joc and I a Quinoa-Avocado Salad that I found on Pinterest that looked quite yummy, and I'm also making them Chicken Packets for dinner. Should be a fun day (and I'm really glad Ellie got her *tumultuous* day out of the way earlier in the week)!!

Lastly ... I'm gearing up (and really excited) for our Stitcher's Quilting retreat in less than two weeks ... besides the normal stuff (sewing machine, iron, projects, etc.) what do you *absolutely* have to have with you when you go on a quilting retreat?!

:)