What’s your go-to pattern for charity quilts? Unless I’m using precuts, my go-to patterns come from the 3-Yard Quilts books published by Fabric Cafe. Most quilts finish at approximately 44″x58″, which is the equivalent of a lap/small throw size quilt.

One of the charities my guild supports expressed an urgent need for quilts suitable for girls ages 10 years & up. I’ve used up most of the yardage in my stash over the past year, so it’s slim pickings when it comes to fabric choices for another 3 yard quilt. Not to worry, the Labor Day Sale is on @ Joann’s, so Sadie & I went shopping this morning:

Big Girl supervised the cutting of 1-1/4 yards of each fabric. (The clerk used a noisy electric cutter, which caught Sadie’s attention – she put her paws on the counter to watch.) Yes, I buy a 1/4 yard more fabric than is required. I prefer to do a traditional binding rather than the economy binding featured in the pattern. Any extra fabric will be incorporated into the pieced backing. Everything else will come from my stash. A loopy FMQ design, an ECQG donation label and a quick wash will mean this quilt is ready to be turned in to our community service group. My total out-of-pocket cost for this? $20.00 and I’m happy to do so.

Quilt purists will complain that I used fabric from Joann’s in my quilt. Extremely frugal quilters will be aghast that I spent my own money on supplies for a charity quilt. Who cares? I, as the maker, certainly don’t. I can guarantee you that the ‘tween recipient certainly won’t. She’ll be beyond thrilled to have a quilt to call her own.

Go forth and make quilts to donate to a charitable organization in your local community!

As I learn about new quilting and sewing events, I add the ones that interest me to a running list I keep with my agenda book. I make a note on my monthly calendar when the event registration details are to be released, so I can follow-up to see if it’s something I might want to attend. Location and projects offered are the biggest draws for me, tempered by cost and other events happening about the same time.

Details for a new-to-me retreat in January were released today. Location: Myrtle Beach, SC. Projects: three potentials out of 8 offered. Cost: still waiting on hotel info. Due to drive time (six hours each way), I will need to stay two additional nights. My best guesstimate is this event will cost about $1350 all in. Not bad for 5 days/4 nights at the beach.

My conundrum is there are three other events happening between January – June 2024 that I’d also like to attend. Hubs has indicated he’d like to tag along to one event since it’s at a location on both of our bucket lists. If the stars align and this bucket list trip happens in May, then I’ll merely make a quick visit to QuiltCon 2024 in February (Raleigh, NC) and call quilty travel done until later in the year.

No worries. As with not being able to make all the quilts, one cannot attend all the quilting events (but we sure can have fun trying!).

Have a safe and relaxing Labor Day weekend.

Have you seen the short video clips on social media featuring individuals doing simple housekeeping chores? Viewers are invited to come along as the host does a “reset.” Everything is magically clean once again with a spray, a wipe and a snap of one’s fingers! It doesn’t exactly work this way in real life, but I do like the term “reset” used in this context.

Honestly, I tend to concentrate my efforts on the main part of the house because I can always shut the door to my basement studio and leave the mess behind, Occasionally, I take the lazy way out, but I’ve discovered that I avoid going into my studio if I leave it messy for too long. I’m much more productive with a tidy home AND studio.

Do you set aside time each day for a daily reset – to quickly tidy up and prepare for the next day? This should take no more than 30 minutes. Your morning will likely get off to a much smoother start thanks to your efforts the night before.

What about keeping your house clean? Maintaining a home can easily turn into a full-time job. Hiring someone to come in to do the heavy cleaning a couple of times a month is worth it. A daily reset in conjunction with what Fly Lady calls a weekly “house blessing” is all that is really needed to keep your house presentable. The key is to stay on top of clutter and laundry. How deep you want to dive down the CleanTok rabbit hole is up to you.

Sunday mornings are reserved for my weekly planning reset. Once we’ve had a leisurely breakfast and time with the Sunday paper, hubs and I compare calendars for the coming week. Then, I set about planning my week – including menu planning, shopping lists, errands and any special prep/follow-up tasks I need to do for upcoming activities. I also pay any bills that are due (if not already on autopay). This system has served me well for many years.

For us, Sundays are for relaxing, spending time with family and doing whatever we want to do. Hubs is volunteering at an event today, so Sadie & I will visit the Sunday farmer’s market followed by a visit to the library to pick up books I reserved. Later, she’ll supervise me making samples and finish prepping for this week’s classes. She may also provide a quality control services if I’m able to add borders to a quilt top this afternoon. After dinner, we’ll all go for ice cream. Big girl loves her pup cups! A nice way to end our week and prepare for the upcoming one!

Enjoy your last unofficial week of summer. Labor Day weekend is upon us. Hard to believe the calendar will show September by week’s end.