Ten blocks down and 2 left to go – Vintage Pinwheel and Wool Star shown above.

Ever since I discovered Lori Holt at the FW Retreat in Idaho last summer, I’ve been hooked. To me, her projects are happy and fun to make. The Bee Patriotic Sew Along allowed me to make a considerable dent in the Farm Girl swag leftover from the retreat. It also motivated me to get back on the Granny’s Flower Garden project that has been languishing for several weeks.

While I didn’t meet my deadline to have the wall hanging ready for July 4th, I’m okay with that. The top can be displayed for the July 4th festivities and I’ll quilt it next week later.  The day job, my part-time summer gig and home projects took priority the past two weeks.  My sewing space was still is a hot mess. Don’t know about you, but I can’t work in a highly disorganized, chaotic mess. I need *some* semblance of order to work effectively. I get distracted by all the visual clutter.

Honestly, the protests, rioting and looting that took place in my own city also took a toll. As did all of the viciousness related to the current political landscape that spilled over into quilting circles. It’s crazy how a handful of quilters with a large social media following can turn on one another so quickly.  I know a few of them personally, which is why I spent WAY too much time online getting sucked in by all that drama. I was amazed by the name-calling, finger-pointing and bullying. It made me sick. I literally lost all desire to quilt.

I turned it OFF.  I culled my social media feed. I unfollowed and left several online quilting groups. I will not be renewing my memberships to certain craft industry organizations when they expire. 90% of the drama originated from two specific groups.  I don’t have time for that nonsense!

Today, I ventured into my sewing room, tidied up a bit and cranked out Block 10. Creative mojo restored!  Bonus – I discovered there’s a new Lori Holt club forming at an area quilt shop.  Not sure I’ll join right away, but it gives me something to look forward to. [#7 in my post from 6/28/20]. As does the Flea Market Flowers sew along that is definitely on my calendar for January 2021. 🙂

Stay safe and stay quilting!

Ten of the kids in my Stitching Stallions Learning Club had their blocks accepted into the 2019 show. It was a great experience for everyone!  Grab all the details here.

Sewing machines will be incorporated into the library’s maker space (if we ever get back in the building) and I’ll encourage my private sewing students to also consider preparing a quilt block for the show. Just for fun – why not make one from all of the left over mask scraps or from worn out masks?

Go forth and sew!

During our shelter-in-place, I listened to a number of audiobooks and podcasts. I kept notes of ideas that resonated with me in a small notebook. Here are some notes I wanted to keep in perpetuity.

Actions express priorities better than words ever will.

Learn to say no.

Health and personal connections need to be a higher priority (for me).

Staying sane in our chaotic world:

1. Limit news consumption to 30 minutes per day (all sources)
2. Daily meditation (Calm app is great)
3. Exercise and get your daily does of Vitamin D (go outside)
4. Connect with loved ones
5. Get stuff done (keep a schedule/do projects that you’ve been putting off)
6. Laugh
7. Schedule things to look forward to.

#7 has been the hardest because I love to be on the go during summer break and there’s literally nowhere to go.  All sewing events have been cancelled until the end of the year.