Finn and Ivy spent the day here which means skirmishes between the boys, Keeper and Finn. Typical boys.
Thank you for your pet photos – I’ve enjoyed seeing them and reading your notes. Now I’ll get all of them organized and hopefully get this ready by next week. Oh, such great dogs and cats – even one buffalo!
The internet has kept me very busy. How about some reader quilts.
Thanks for reading the blog about nothing. Good night!
Some really fun quilts today! I love them all!!! But, Karla T…Wow. Your quilt is so special. All the quilts must have been so much fun to make.
Funny hunting dog photo. I got a hearty chuckle seeing that one.
Hope it isn’t too late to send dog pics. I have to take pictures of pictures since the gremlins in my computer took some away.
Sue in Oregon – not too late – I’ve been so busy with the Bullseye issue that I haven’t started on Pet Parade yet. I hate technology soooo many times each day!
LOVE the dog photo😂😂😂😂!! And love, LOVE this blog about “nothing!!”
Quilt show was great today as it always is. I have NOTHING that I have sewn on for months. My SewJo has temporarily left the building. I know it will return once a few things get settled here.
Rosie – maybe a new project to sew would help? Maybe engage your mind on something fun?
I did get in a bit of sewing on Wednesday, and it felt SOOO GOOD🙌🙌🙌!! Have been working on settling my husband’s estate which has been taking up way too much mental space. Plus dealing with the IRS for tax years 2018 and 2019, well before my husband left this world. UGH. Spent more than 5 hours on the phone with various IRS departments last Friday. Made progress with one of the “issues,” they can see the problem, but no one knew how to “FIX” it!!! So totally frustrating. After dealing with stuff like that, I know it would help to just sew mindlessly for a few hours, but my heart just wasn’t in it☹️☹️. I do have a long-term EPP project which I work on occasionally at home, and at some away from home sew days.
I know my SewJo will return once I can get all of these dang issues moving forward. Who knew things could be so complicated when one spouse dies, and there is a will in place? I had no idea, that’s for sure. Reading your blog helps get me out of my head, and really does help sooth my soul. LOVE seeing all the quilt pics. I just don’t have anything to contribute right now as far as quilting goes. SOON, I hope🙏🙏!
Rosie – just enjoy all the chatter and the quilts until you can send me a photo – I hate paperwork and issues like that. Could you just hide? I’m kidding but don’t you wish you could? Ugh. I thought wills were supposed to do away with all those issues.
Oh, Mary!! I’ve sort of been hiding for the past 1.5 years. I just wanted to bury my head in the sand for about 6 months., but it just wasn’t possible. My husband was still running his small construction company when he passed, and there were still jobs that needed to be completed, and bills that needed paying, and a crew to supervise!! I had never been involved in his business as I had my own career, and construction was HIS thing. Aaaaaccckkk!! HUGE learning curve trying to keep all those balls in the air. And this was right in the middle of COVID😱😱😱!! I leaned how to do many things in a 6 month period (had to sell 2 vehicles, had to organize a 2-day auction, had to sell his warehouse, had to run his business for several months). And then I just kind of collapsed from all the stress, and ignored the last few things that needed to be done. But I couldn’t deal with the IRS because everything hadn’t been processed by them yet. So I couldn’t pay them until I knew exactly what was going on.
The other thing was dealing with his HUGE antique carpentry tool collection. Kind of like dealing with a large fabric stash, but on a much larger scale😱😱😱!! I just didn’t know what to do with all that stuff!! It’s valuable to the right people, but the sheer volume of things he owned was just overwhelming to me. Just this past week, I have been in contact with a company that will take all of the tools on consignment. They are in NY, and I am in NE. The owner put me in touch with with someone who can arrange for packing and shipping everything back East. That was the piece I was missing. Tomorrow the guys are coming to finish up the packing. They have done in 2 days what I couldn’t do in nearly 2 years🙌🙌!! Shipping will happen in the next few weeks. Tools will eventually be auctioned at an international tool auction during the summer, possibly. Or next year. After tools are finally shipped, I can breathe a bit. And deal with the dang IRS😡😡😡😡!! Ugh and DOUBLE ugh.
Thankfully, I have 2 fur kids that keep me hopping. And I read voraciously. Am online WAY too much, mainly just trying to deal with all my e-mails, then chasing quilting squirrels🤣🤣😎😎. And I have your blog to look forward to every few days🥰🥰🥰🥰!! And all my quilting peeps that have helped me get through the past 2 years. What would I have done without those women, I have no idea❤️❤️🥰🥰!!
So, life is pretty good, all things considered. I just need to deal with mundane things like raccoons in my cellar (YIKES), a random black cat tormenting my dog in the back yard, a washing machine not working quite right, and ice and only SOME snow this time around. Ahhh, winter in the Midwest, right?
Rosie – I so wish some of us were closer to lend a hand. Oh, that construction business would be enough to do me in! I have tried personally to write a very extensive trust so that I can enjoy my collections without leaving it all behind to burden someone else.
Oh,the IRS doesn’t care about an overwhelmed wife, do they? They just want their money. I have no advice – none. Is there anything any of us can do to help you find your jou de vie again? We are a group of caring friends who will help even if it’s just a blog message.
Quick note to let you know emailed Quiltmania about bullseye quilt in Simply Vintage & fact is a copyrighted pattern by you & Connie & date/ where (book) published. Recommended there legal department contact you to arrange restitution, publish a correction about pattern origins & an apology for not checking facts before publishing. Am sure nothing will come of it but hopefulling will get someone’s attention..
Nikki – nothing may come of it but I know my friends are bombarding Quiltmania and surely they will take notice. They did acknowledge “similarities” to Country Threads Bullseye but passed it off as nothing too important.
Another laugh out loud photo, Mary! The quilts are beautiful once again. Everyone seems to be finishing things except me. I am working on several, but nothing finished yet. 🙀 I am happy those boys have so much fun together😺
I noticed your comment that Vintage noted similarities. Good grief, it is the exact same quilt. It is awful when people try to cover for their own mistakes. Ugh! Still a bit cool here, but supposedly 72* tomorrow. I hope you are ok in the Midwest blizzard. Stay safe😺
Diane – “similarities” made my mouth drop open!
Karla, I love your quilt. What appeals to me is how you coordinated the color family in each block. I tend to gravitate to what I have heard some people refer to as controlled scrappy. Anita, you have been busy and have some pretty cute quilts. I take it somebody really likes badmitten. Lol. Oh, my, I got a good laugh at the distracted bird dog. Thanks for the laugh. Jack the Ripper and I spent too much time together today, so a good laugh was just the ticket to end the day! Good night, Mary.
Hi Mary, l too asked for an apology and compensation from quilt mania, hope they come to the party! Looking forward to seeing all the pet photos. Working on decreasing the scrap pile, making spool blocks at present. Lovely to use my machine again after the cracked gear was replaced, can’t beat an old Bernina! Take care everyone, best wishes from Sandy
Great quilts today, ladies! I laughed out loud at the hunting dog for sale!
Another great variety of quilts today! Really like the fabric selections on the dragonfly, have always enjoyed the blue-green—teal—aqua range of colors. Thanks for sharing all of them with us.
RS in IA
Beautiful quilts!
I see that the Midwest is getting more snow, I hope you and all animals are safe and warm. Wonderful quilt show today and using rick rack around the baby quilt is adorable idea. It was 70 here yesterday and our lawn is finally drying up, our dogwood trees are almost done blooming, here comes the tulips.
Kim from TN – the storm is just beginning – everybody is buttoned up tight in the barn and I’m still drinking coffee – I see that it’s National Margarita Day and if I could get to town to the Mexican restaurant I would help.
Didn’t know it was national margarita day! Too bad I didn’t have the mix in the house! 😊. I was wondering if you were in line if you ere getting the snow too. It is really snowing here and blowing! Everything is closed! No air travel. Our roads still had drifts in th ditches that are rock hard!
Stay safe and snuggle with your animals and sew sew sew…..
Joy – snow is light so far but is coming heavier later today and tomorrow. I’m heading to the longarm machine that’s having issues.
Great quilts being made by all. Looked at them 2 -3 times they were so intriguing. I think the animals are getting restless. We have had stray cats around and last week we had to take our cat Barock to the vet.
He had a tangle with one and it wounded its paw. He got a shot of antibiotics and inflammatory med and pills to take for 3 days. Keeping inside for the week which is not making him happy.
Now just waiting for the ice and wind to hit Eastern Iowa.
Yesterday my therapist gave the muscle in my leg the electric shot treatment to get it to relax and stretch more. It was shocked for 10 seconds and off for 30 seconds for a duration of 10 minutes. As the shocking happens I have to straighten my leg. I do think I helped and will have it repeated on Friday. For those who don’t know I had total knee replacement in January. Using only a cane for outside and trips.
Rita – wow, shock treatment? Did your knee freeze up like I’ve heard mention? Was it very uncomfortable when shocked? Ooh – doesn’t sound fun to me. Storm has begun to hit – very windy but not much new snow yet. Too bad for Ash Weds services.
Mary my knee did not freeze up but when I had the surgery done Doc really tighten the hamstrings and not having used them correctly for so long I’m having to really work hard on getting them to do what they are suppose to do. The shock treatment was intense but I keep telling myself it will help. I’m determined to get the range of motion to 120. See the Doc on Tuesday. Thanks for the concern.
Rita – it all sounds painful! I never did know what “freezing up” meant.
Rita and Mary,
When I had my knee replacement in 2016, one of MY side effects was that I lost all feeling below the incision on my right leg. I had no feeling below the incision, all the way down to the tips of my toes, and that meant I couldn’t flex my right foot😱😱!! So I couldn’t drive until I had feeling and flex back in that foot. UGH. Had to learn how to walk without that “flex” of my foot. Knee was fine, and I got my “bend” back quite quickly. It felt kind of like when your mouth “wakes up” after having a dental procedure using Novacaine. It was kind of tingly like that for nearly 3 months. And I had that “shock treatment” to help in recovery of the numbness in my foot. Can’t remember exactly how it was done, but ONE particular session was just AWFUL!! All the other sessions were relatively painless. My PT said he had only used this particular technique once in more than 20 years in practice. He called it “The Russian.” I refused any more of the shocks from that point forward. Went back to PT one more time after that one awful session, and then I said I was done. I so feel your pain having gone through it myself. Knee is fine, and I eventually got all feeling and function back in my foot. My ortho Dr will NEVER forget me as he said he had NEVER had a patient with that numbness last that long. As I recall, he had not mentioned that particular side effect was even a possibility!!
Rosie – oh, good heavens! You had quite a time – I didn’t really have too much trouble that I can recall. Must be something like childbirth – you forget the pain – especially since there was so much pain before the surgery? I have no feeling at the location of the replacement parts but I understand that. I hated PT!
Great quilts everyone. It is so fun to see how creative our group is.
I wonder if spring will every come to SE MN. 5 inches of snow overnight . Maybe 10 more by Friday. Wind will pick up to bring blizzard conditions. Churches have canceled Ash Wednesday services and schools are closed.
Hunting dog for sale was a good laugh!
Stay warm and safe everyone!
The quilts are imaginative and fabulous. The picture quilts are so imaginative that I could look at them all night. Anita your quilts are wonderful and the badminton birdie was fantastic. Great work all around.
Can’t wait to see all the pets including the Buffalo WOW and THANK YOU Mary for bringing this venue to allow us to enjoy the experience. I LOVED the Goat Gazzette and was sad when it ended but this is great as well.
Wow ! Wonderful quilt show to let us see what you have made. Love the scrappy look in Karla’s. And I never would have thought to use ric rac around the transportation panel. Good idea. I try to buy those panels when I see them as not always in stock when I want one for a gift or charity. Stay safe everyone. I don’t like the ice coming our way so preparing today in case of power outage.
Mary, your NOTHING is interesting and reminds all of us out here that we’re not so different from everyone else. We are not alone. We all struggle with something and we all enjoy life little things. Hang in there and remember God loves you.
Vickie – yes, this blog about nothing is ordinary life – nothing very exciting but very good in so many ways! And you readers help make it very friendly – I wish more would comment but they’re afraid to join in – I think because they assume they’re more ordinary than the rest of us. Haha! They’re not.
Great to see a quilt from the cover of your latest book. I have been working on the blocks too and have so many with light backgrounds and then dark backgrounds too. Now I’ve decided that I have to make 2 quilts to use them all. My size preference is queen . So far I have made 22 light backgrounds and 15 dark so my goal is at least 30 of each. Might have them done by summer. Not being as productive on the road as I would be if home.
Pattie – you have more blocks done than me and you’re traveling for cryin out loud!! I just loved Karla’s BIG quilt!!
Mary, your ‘nothing’ is the same for all of our ordinary, everyday lives. Things that say everything is alright in our own worlds. It keeps our world going when the other parts of the world are in a mess.
Anita, I love your I Spy quilt and the travel, which I’d use for the back. Great rick rack trim, too. Looking at them has given me a couple ideas to make mine a bit different. You know we are always on the watch for great ideas.
I haven’t been out of the house since Monday morning, so I only know what is on the news. Everybody seemed to be on their toes cancelling events, business and remote school. That keeps a lot of the traffic off the streets and parking lots so they can be cleared — but not yet! From my living room window, it looks like we got about 3-5″ snow yesterday and last night with not much wind, BUT thru today into tomorrow it is supposed to really hit. Even our garbage pickup is cancelled! That is here in town. The surrounding areas were getting hit harder yesterday and even worse for today and tomorrow. Time will tell and my shovel is waiting, plus I got new snow boots hoping I’ll get better traction — spend more time on my feet than my butt? It is cold, forcast 11 below the next 2 nights.
In the meantime, I’m in the middle of my living room surrounded by wonderful piles of fabric and at least a million ideas.
Carry on everybody, this will pass……. Betty in Rapid City
Beautiful and creative quilts are not “nothing.” Thanks for another show!
Beautiful quilt show. Thanks everyone for sharing. Was wondering if the maker of the dragonfly quilt could give the pattern name and fabric line she used?
I’m looking forward to the pet parade! And I did send a picture of my grand dog. I’ll try to send a photo of my 13 chickens whom I love! I have 2 white chickens named Snow White and Einstein, so named because she sits up high on the coop looking down on the other chickens! And she looks so smart up there! My other 11 hens are all reddish brown and I call them all Henrietta!! I never forget anybody’s name that way.
Weather terrible here in southeast Michigan. Windy, pellets of snow and icy rain at times. Great day for sewing and I’m working on a baby quilt with just the binding to go! It is a 3 year project but almost done. And just last month my daughter gave me a bag of college tshirts she wants made into a quilt. I’ve got them cut into patches so far. In January I made her nearly 70 blankets for the cat cages at the pet shelter where she volunteers. They were fun and made up fast plus I used up almost my entire stash of flannel and fleece. Take care, Mary, and everyone!😊
Hi Sunfli, How do you make your cat blankets? Do they have batting? I have to use some scraps up! Thanks.
Stay warm and safe.
Diane, the cages at the shelter she works with are 10 x 24”. Some of them I made 20 x 24 so they could be doubled over. Most though, I made 10 x 24. I did use a piece of cotton, a piece of batting, and a piece of flannel. And for some that I used fleece, I did not use a batting. Some of the fleece blankets I made had cotton on the other side or just two pieces of fleece. If you have a local shelter, you can find out the size of cages they have. My daughter said where she volunteers, they have two industrial sized washing machines and two large dryers, and they have volunteers come in to the shelter just to do laundry!
Thank you Sunfi for this information and to Diane for asking as I wondered the correct size. I would make whatever size was leftover for the cats from dog blankets made with fleece but now I am encouraged to cut some odd flannel yardage. Our rescue shelter loves fleece blankets and I use to frequent JoAnns for remnants and have gotten away from shopping since the pandemic so it’s time to use my skills to help again.
This blog keeps us all motivated with these ideas and pictures.
Thank you, Sunfli. I will be off to the shelter this week. I have lots and lots of nice sized flannel
Scraps. Thanks😺
Sunfli – I love your take on your chickens!! I, too, love my chickens – only about 19 left after owl/hawk attack. Don’t know if I can bear the heartbreak again if I get chicks this spring.
The dragonfly quilt is beautiful – I love the colors. Anita you have been busy making some fun quilts. I like the I spy quilt – it’s a great way to use up charm squares and scraps. The Fresh Start quilt is nicely done – I like the colors.
I’ve been working on getting some tops, backings, and bindings ready for quilting. I pin baste a lot of quilts and quilt them as I feel like finishing something. I’ve been good at starting new projects lately. I found my oldest sewing project while looking for the binding strips for one quilt. It’s a backpack that I cut out back in 1978! It was in a plastic bag and my mom found it years ago and gave it to me. All of the pieces were there but I must have run out of fabric to do the side strips. I’ll have to find a fun fabric for that. It’s time to get the project finished – 45 years is probably enough marinating.
You made me laugh, thanks for sharing the photo if the “hunting” dog!
Very nice collection of quilt photos today. The badminton birdie is quite eye catching!
I woke up this morning to the sun coming up!! Yay!! Everything is perfect and white outside! It looks pretty deep! The temp is 4 degrees!
The interstate 29 Sioux Falls to the north Dakota border is closed and 90 is closed from Worthington to the west not sure how far. The state highways around Sioux Falls are messy with people stuck. Not that I was planning on going anywhere!
I did finish twin size quilt yesterday. Hubby fed the kitties and blew the snow away from the garage doors and shed doors a few times.
Stay safe and sew on
Sunfli the dragonfly quilt is the beginning of a quilt by Jen Kingwell. There are four more borders to go. The name of the pattern is Midnight at the Oasis. I didn’t use a fabric line. I used the dragonfly fabric to pick my colors. There are around 60 fabrics used. The dragonfly fabric is from Joann’s a couple of years ago. I’ll post the whole quilt when I’m done. Hopefully in a month or so
Marie, Thank you for the information!