It’s been a pretty boring day – the only thing I did was go to therapy and then came home to sit in my chair with an ice pack. So boring. I worked on the book organizing and made some progress.
This is a partial pile of books that I hope to sell. So many books that I’ll never use because I won’t live long enough.
I have piles of books all over the room – I wish I could make a quilt from every book!
Connie sent pictures today – that’s exciting.
She’s making tiny houses.
She also sent a picture of the kitchen and screened porch which she says Betty enjoys.
Looks nice and warm, doesn’t it? I know many of you are in the path of the storm that’s heading eastward and into New England. Stay safe.
I took some great pictures of Telly.
Let’s hope tomorrow is not so boring.
Telly has such a gentle face. :). He makes me smile.😃. You are making good progress with your books. You have a LOT! Some snow coming to Central Ohio, but not much, and it won’t keep us from the retreat. I hope you stay warm and can keep your leg up. It will get better😸
That dog is adorable!!!!
Dear Mary. . . I’m with you in a pretty nothing day. . . Actually several in a row!! All the disturbing news on, radio, TV, newspaper etc. so unsettling!! Then take a look at the calendar. . . Yup!! Full moon comin’ on Sunday!! 🌝
There’s got to be some better days ahead. Sure hope so!! Hang in there girl!
Love the pics of your Telly girl!!
I’m SO hoping for better days, but am really not sure when that’s ever gonna be…..things are bad in the US..
Love your pictures of Telly. So cute. I also have more quilt books than I will ever use. Just hate parting with them. Quilt magazines also. I am trying to weed some out and get my sewing room in some kind of order. ha ha It is a total mess right now. I am not touching my machine until I get this job finished. I want so bad to sew, , but promised myself….no sewing until you finish this job of getting this room in order. So back to work tomorrow. Today I had shots in both eyes (MD) so can’t do anything more today. Look forward to your chats and pictures. Hope the therapy is helping the healing process. Love ya, Mary
Love the pics of Telly. I know exactly what you’re going thru with your books. I did the exact same thing last month as part of my decluttering. I still have stacks of books I plan to give away to either my 2 guilds or our library that has a huge book sale at the end of April. I did keep a lot but I went from 2 full bookshelves similar to yours down to one. The other now holds my precuts (both purchased & my own) & my kits. I also cleaned up (but no decluttering) my precuts & my kits. Was planning to declutter my quilt patterns too but only got as far as downsizing my collection of “free” patterns from the internet & those I’ve torn from magazines that are now eons old. I know I’ll never make any of them since my tastes have changed over the years & I’ll never live long enough. Still want to go thru my purchased patters because I still have a lot of old ones of those too. My fabric stash will stay as is for now. I’m not worried about it! I just last week finally got back to sewing. Found a UFO I still LOVE & started working on it. Makes me feel so much better!
We had 5-7″ of rain the past 36 hours & now they’re talking snow tonight & tomorrow! Not inches probably but still! This TN weather is crazy! This is the 3rd year in a row we’ve had above average rainfall by this time of the year. Crazy, I say!
Jan from TN – books are a good place to start to make some needed space. That’s a lot of rain!!!! Keep up your good decluttering! It’s inspiration for the rest of us!
Connie’s houses are tiny! So they rented a house for a month? Sounds so fun.
Mary, you have your work cut out with those books. I am watching Greenleaf, that is a bit addicting, even tho messy lives they have.
It’s so nice to be having a milder winter. I am sewing paper hearts by The Pattern Basket. Easy and fun.
I sorted all my fabric into neat piles and got rid of stuff I don’t like anymore.
Hang in there.
Mary Hawk – I’m on Season 4 of Greenleaf and I have enjoyed it so much but how can one family find so much trouble???? Yes, they rented the place for a month on Sanibel Island – doesn’t that sound wonderful?
What is a good way to get rid of old quilting magazines? I can’t bear to part with them
But know I will not be using them either. I am with you Mary – too old to do or make all the patterns I would like to.
You are accomplishing very much – getting well and healing.
We have Red Flag exercises happening a few times a day at Nellis AFB so the sounds are like a war zone with the jets flying overhead.
❤️
Rhoda -:hope those exercises aren’t a sign of trouble ahead. I hate the mess in Washington and just can’t bear to watch any more of it. I guess I will take some of the books and magazines to the thrift store or I could set them aside in case Connie and I have a sale sometime.
It was a boring day! So glad the sun was shining though, that helps. I watched more of the coverage on the mess in Washington. I have a number of things I could work on, I need to find some incentive. I have joined a group of ladies making diapers for missions…I made one today and will do another in a few minutes. We sewed as a group yesterday. I still haven’t heard about an apartment…that is my biggest prayer so I can get settled. One of these days!! Your pictures of Telly are wonderful!! We have snow coming this weekend, guess that is OK it isn’t supposed to be too cold. I can deal with the snow. Keep up the good work with your knee so you can enjoy the coming spring! I left most of my books and magazines in Montana…hard to do but i knew I wouldn’t have any place to keep them. I did bring some with. You are in my prayers.
Beryl in Owatonna – I hate to get rid of these books but I have newer ones to put on the shelves which will help with the congestion in my sewing room. I so hope you can find an apartment before spring! Have you looked in neighboring towns or just Owatonna?
Mary, I need lo-income housing, most of the small towns around don’t offer that service. One will come when the time is right. I have heard there have been a couple available but there must be someone ahead of me. I will have much more to get rid of when I do get the apartment…it is small, about 600 sq feet!! My bedroom will be my sewing room, I will have to get rid of my double bed and get a twin so I will have room to sew! It will have to work.
Those pictures of Telly are wonderful! Such a sweet, expressive face!
Connie doesn’t press as she goes? I see it is a Country Threads pattern. Is it in one of your books? The little houses are so cute. The Japanese lady’s book looks very nice, too.
Do you need a good blizzard to enjoy staying in the house? We’re supposed to get snow off and on over the next days, but not a lot in town. The hills and surrounding area will get more. Isn’t it nice what a good night’s sleep does for a person? For women I think that doesn’t happen for women past the change. Chin up, spring isn’t far away.
Betty K – I had several nights of great sleep but now the last two nights I couldn’t get to sleep again – so maddening and if I get up I’ll have to go down the stairs which is somewhat of an ordeal and everyone in the house except Rick will be awake! Yes, the little house is in one of our very earliest books – maybe Connie would tell us in the comments so I don’t have to search.
The book with the little paper pieced houses is called “Leftovers” dated 1997. They are cute.
Betty – thanks so much!!
Love the pictures of Tlly. What a wonderful face. Lots of wisdom in her eyes. I sure recognize a lot of books in your piles—looks like my book stash. I gave a lot of magazines to my guild several years ago but keep the quilters newsletters as I knew Bonnie Leman. I have her first issue til the magazine was shut down. I am in a finishing mode and had such great expectations with the Dirty Dozen. The January draw is a doozy—a king sized quilt to finish—what was I thinking! Have of the others done but not a good spot to do photography. Take care—knees take time but you will be fine. You are not that far out of surgery—healing is a long process.
Great progress on the books. I found the app mentioned in a prior post. It has helped me tremendously in organizing, finding, and most importantly kept me from purchasing another copy of a book! LOL
Connie’s PPd house block looks very familiar. I do believe I made that sometime.
Telly is so cute, and has such a sweet face. Sometimes I wish our little guy could talk, but then again… he’s deaf now but we taught hand commands early on and he hasn’t forgotten.
Karen – hand commands? Like what? I only know sit as patting my fist on my chest! And Hazel knows that one – tell me some more!
Oh Telly..! You have my heart 🐾♥️
How good it will feel when those books are pared down. I sewed most of the day and am making an effort to keep at it while the weather outside is frightful. I know once winter is over, I don’t wish to make time to be inside sewing much so I will put my energy into accomplishing things now. It’s been snowing today and ice on the windows. I just don’t want to lose power. Going to sleep with a flashlight on the floor next to me. Made chicken chili for dinner with a bowl of fresh fruit so it was quick and easy and back to sewing. Tomorrow is more nasty weather so quick potty breaks outside the back door for the dogs will be enough for me to wish spring was here. Telly is so very sweet and I love her face. She reminds me of my dog with the way she likes to be cuddled in a chair smaller than she is. Enjoyed seeing what Connie is making. Thanks for writing a blog post even if it was a boring day….. we all just like to know “our friend” is doing well.
I think Telly has it “made in the shade.” Just precious.
Telly is beautiful and kind of regal. Love that face.
Why is it so hard to part with quilt books and magazines. I go through them and try to sort and then end up putting them all back because I just Might need them someday. My somedays are getting shorter though.
Greenleaf ended tonight for us. What an ending!!! They must be planning another sequel in the future.
It rained here all day long. It was the kind of rain that isn’t hard but just gets you drenched if you go out in it. And, I did when I fed my hens.
Have you read Whistling In The Dark.?? It was so good.
Sue in Oregon – I am closing in on the final episodes of Greenleaf and I will hate to see it end. I have several more waiting however. Who’s the author of the book you liked Whistling in the Dark? We’ve got to do a book list soon!!
Are those houses paper pieced? I have never seen a close-up of Telly before, she certainly is a sweetheart. Wow! That is a lot of booksI have quilting books that I bought many years ago and I wasn’t even quilting then and I am so slow is a joke for me to start a project. However, I am still working on my little blocks.
Felicia – yes, the little houses are paper pieced – tiny! Don’t give up on your little blocks – they were perfect!
Thanks for the great pics of Telly; she is adorable!
We awoke to about four inches of snow west of Peoria IL. It was enough to warrant a trip to Ace for a new snow shovel.
I am organizing my first leader-ended project and am excited to be using more of my stash. 😀👏
Take care, Mary.
You nailed it with Telly! I think she posed for you. Such a doll.
I did purge a few books a while ago. Now, after looking for hours for a book, in chalk it up to given away.
I’m sure it’s not my memory 😳!
A friend and I went to a beautiful presentation tonight. Another friend is working on her Masters Degree and presented a collection of textiles from her family and shared their gift to her love of all things needle and thread. Several audiences members participate in show and tell as well. It was so well presented and we enjoyed homemade bread and jam too. I just love it when the day ends like this.
Jo in Wyoming – you probably deserved a relaxing evening and a sublime ending to your day!
The pictures of Telly are wonderful! It seemed I could just reach through the screen and pet her. ❤️🐕
Telly does have such a sweet, gentle face!
I really like house blocks too. I have about 1/4 of the quilting magazines that I used to have. I went through each one and tore out a few patterns that I want to try and put them in a notebook. I have given some to my 11 year old granddaughter. Others went to the thrift store. I have also decided I won’t live long enough to make the ones I like and then I’m always finding new ones.
Once in a while you just need a boring day!
I down sized my magazines recently, tore out patterns l wanted to keep( and maybe make one day), the got I’d of 16 plastic carry bags of old magazines! Still resting on my laurels.B est wishes,sandy
I see books that I have. I know going through patterns and books gives me inspiration. I also find books that I need to donate.
What cute pictures of Telly! He is a sweetheart!
Look at your progress ! You are feeling well enough to be bored! Not focused on how much pain you’re having. That’s real progress and soon enough you will catch up and be able to do all you want to do. ❤️
I always look for quilting magazines at thrift stores. Usually you can buy them for a quarter. I love sitting and looking through them and return the ones I won’t use back to the thrift store. I recently started looking for a quilt magazine from 2014 that is priced at $14.99 on eBay so will wait until I see it at St. Vincent’s for 25 cents.
From another perspective – boring can be good. That means no drama, no trauma. No raised blood pressure, no anxiety stress. Boring mean you can enjoy and savory every moment. I do my best sewing on these days!!!
Sometimes a “boring day” really fills the bill. You got a lot done on your boring day! Just have to love Telly and want to give him (or her) a big hug – such great pictures! Taking a quilt to a long arm quilter today, have another to go soon too. That one is a memory quilt for a trip to Hawaii and now I am doing another one for a memory of our trip to Maine in October. Loved printing pictures on fabric so I could put those memories in the quilt too with the fat quarters that I bought in a quilt shop there. So glad to hear that you are doing well with your PT – you soon will be back to your “original” self and will be set to go in the spring, can’t keep a good woman down!!!
I don’t envy you going through all your books. I have a hard time letting go of things, but it needs to be done. Good luck!
i so relate to your issue with too many books. i’ve given some of mine away (not enough). have been sorting and re-cycling (if i tear things out of them). if they are intact i can take to the thrift store. not sure what to do with patterns when i get to them. i gave about a dozen cookbooks to the thrift store. it’s the quilt books i’m having trouble letting go. i have stopped most of my subscriptions. for the longest time i could provide what people were looking for most of the time. never had good luck selling books. would just as soon give them away to the thrift so they can get something for them. am taking some books to my quilting charity group today. hope i don’t come home with any. take care of yourself. hugs, patti in florida
LOVE the little houses! I am recently into tiny little piecing, too! Such fun to cut up left over fabric and know not an inch is wasted. Sewnbyleila.blogspot.com is my new little time eater…look at her scrappy triangles! So, yes, I am awaiting Connie’s answer as to which of your books the little houses are in! I loved Connie’s other houses quilt. She must look forward to February sewing all year! Such an inspiring you two: cleaning books AND sewing!
Tanya in Houston – well, Connie didn’t answer but Betty did – the little houses are in Leftovers book.
MANY thanks! I will scour my bookshelves!
Tanya in Houston – please let me know if you don’t have that book!
Tanya – I looked at the scrappy triangles – I don’t know if I’ve got that much patience – but I do love them!
Woke up yesterday to a light dusting of snow. Today, the sun is shining and it is about 68 degrees. We will have to enjoy the warm weekend because next week we are due to have rain every day. I can deal with a day of snow and cold, but daily rain, overcast sky, and cold are not kind to me.
I cleaned out some of my quilting books and donated them to our local library. Some of the books were put on the library shelves for checking out and the others were put in a used book store the library runs to make money for newer books.
Mary, the author of Whistling In The Dark is Lesley Kagen.
Don’t know how productive today was, but got pantry cleaned out..removed everything washed shelves, reorganized everything , label things and it looks so good. Just few patches of snow left, in shady areas. Got up to 60 today, crazy weather!! Supposed to be near 70 Sunday then another front next week, hopefully no snow. Ms Maci didnot like the snow. We got over 5 inches total and son got none. Friend in Denton had just a light dust that was gone almost immediately.
Nikki – I’d say you accomplished a lot! Wish my pantry was clean and organized. From snow to 60 degrees – unbelievable ! We are under a winter storm warning through tomorrow – sounds like quite a lot of snow coming.
Mary, one of the amaryllis bulbs shot up another flower stalk and I have 2 more blooms. That makes 13 blooms on those 2 bulbs. The bulbs are now growing leaves. Sorting books and magazines ,for me,just leads to hours of looking and reading. Never get done. I am a doll maker collector and had many doll magazines. I actually threw away the stack of American girls magazines,they send to promote the dolls. It was HARD to throw them away. Silly I know. Memories of when my granddaughter was into AG dolls. Now her daughter has her dolls. Judy
Judith – your amaryllis must have been very special – how fun to keep watching it! I just can’t throw some of these magazines away either – thrift store donation, I guess.