CHRISTMAS

Taking time to wish you all a 

Very Merry Christmas! 

May you all be blessed 

while you celebrate 

the day 

 and 

on into the New Year.

Til next time - 

Enjoy family and friends and this special time of year. 

Phyllis  

 

TIME IS FLYING

Time is flying by on the way to Christmas! If you are like me, you are no where near finished with all your shopping. If you are a quilter you are busy trying to finish up that last quilting project for a gift (or two). 
We have all year to get these done, but we still end up rushing at the end to get things done. 

If you work retail you are even busier!  Longer hours, more stress from your customers. Office work or other jobs you are still under more time constraints with more to do. Dead lines not only for the month, but for the year! 

Add to all that come the Christmas parties to attend (or plan). The extra gifts to buy for each of those parties. The longer after hours time spent 'having a good time'.

Then there is all the extra food we make and EAT! Yikes, the extra pounds go on, the clothes no longer fit, we feel sluggish from all the extras and lack of sleep. And we feel more stress because of it. 

Now - sit back, take a deep breath. Get a drink of water. Make a list of things you have to get done and take care of. Make a list of the things you WANT to get done and take care of. Learn to say "NO". Put a limit on what you do, where you go and what you eat. (I know, that's easier said than done). 

Take time out over this season for yourself and for quality time with family and close friends. Know that you have limits to what you truthfully have time for. 

I wish for you all a happy and healthy Christmas season. May all your wishes come true. May the reason for the season be front and center in your mind. And may you be blessed beyond what you can imagine. 

Til next time - 

take time out for YOU. 

Put the needles down, 

put your feet up, 

enjoy the sights 

and sounds of Christmas. 

---Phyllis

and for shopping from home... for a different gift.....

 https://www.etsy.com/shop/QuiltersPantry

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving. 

So thankful this year for all the friends I've made through the quilting work I do, my internet contacts and well as all the new people I have met personally. Also thankful for all the work I have been able to do for my customers in finishing their quilts, making quilts for them and being able to share my love of quilting with so many. 

You all have been a blessing. 

I'm also thankful for a good year for my family, the health of all of us and the joy of watching my grandson grow and learn so fast. At 15 months old you'd never know he was a preemie at birth although he still is a bit small compared to other 15 month olds. 

As the year comes near an end I still have lots of work to do, ornament orders to fill, quilts to finish up and orders already coming in for 2014!  Yes, it's been a year of blessings! 

Til next time --- take time to count your many blessings large and small. 

Phyllis 

A BUSY TIME OF YEAR

A busy time of year and why I've not been here for a while. The above pics explain it all. These are just a sample of what you can find on my Etsy Shop. I started making these as gifts for family. Posted one pic of one, and they have taken off with orders! So.... In addition to the quilts I've been working on, my regular job, and other activities that come along with this time of year..... I'm making these! LOTS of them!  LOVE IT. 
Yes, they are a lot of work. Yes, they are time consuming. But, I'll be making them all year 'round now. 

I hope that you all are doing well and finding things daily to be thankful for. I am thankful for all of you being here and following me, or at least stopping in from time to time to see what's going on in my world of quilting. 

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and that is going to be followed by Black Friday sales and then the made rush to get ready for Christmas. Gifts to buy and wrap, cards to address and send. Meals to plan. Parties to attend. Memories to smile about. And loved ones who have gone on to miss and think about. 

Take time over this season to breath, enjoy, and have fun. Let the stress fly out the door. Make laughter your best medicine. 

Til next time..... 
keep those needles stitching, those creative juices flowing and the joy of giving in your heart. 

Phyllis

PHASES

Sitting here in the living room attempting all means I can to get rid of this major, almost migraine headache I am reminded of a few things. 1- this too shall pass. 2 - I have lots of quilting and longarming to get done. 3 - I also have quiet hand sewing to get done. 

And this brought me to thinking of the phases of quilting. There are many. And there are different ways to interpret 'phases'. 

One could be the phases we all go through in our quilting life. These include one extreme of wanting (or in some cases needing) to be quilting ALL the time and putting everything else in our lives on hold while we hide in our quilting space and quilt. 

The other phase of that is wanting to quilt, knowing there are quilt projects to work on, but you don't have time to quilt. You may be busy doing other things such as during the summer when there are so many other things pulling you away from quilting. You still spend any spare moment you have to at least look through magazines, books, videos on the computer. You are as active as you can be on quilting forums and facebook pages. But even this free time may not be as much as you would like. You do see an end to what is pulling you away and know that quilting will get back into your life. 

Yet another phase is when you have quilt projects waiting, the time to quilt is there as nothing in life is pulling you away from it, but your get up and go has gotten up and is GONE!  You deal with it in silence for a while. Friends or even family may even think that your quilting hobby has gone away as some of your other hobbies have gone and wonder what your next hobby will be. You go to your quilting space and look around. You sit at your machine. You pull out some fabric or a pattern. You may even attempt to cut fabric out and start stitching. The enthusiasm you once had doesn't come back. 

In the case of the third phase - wait it out. Personally I find those times are when I have forgotten to take my B-12 and vitamins on a regular basis. Once I start those up again I have the energy and desire to quilt. Others may find that joining a guild or other quilting group helps. Finding a friend who quilts, or going to quilt shows may help.  Head to a quilt shop for inspiration.   Some people have gone months or even years without quilting and then get back into it full force. So don't despair. 

Other 'phases' of the world of quilting may mean the progress of your quilt or quilts. Many quilters have several quilts going at one time, each at a different 'phase' or step. I have .....many. Some are for customers and even those are in various phases; some are my own. 
I decided this morning while suffering this headache that having more than one quilt going at a time at various phases is a good thing!  At the moment there is no way my head will tolerate the sounds of the longarm machine in operation. Not even sure how it will deal with the domestic machine going. Soooo I am blessed in having a binding to sew onto a large quilt that has to be done for a customer and this will give the the time to get it done.  

For those who wonder if or why we quilters never finish one before we start a new one... this is one reason.  A good reason!  Hey, works for me!   

So whatever phase you are in with your quilting process: whether it be the stages your quilts are in, or the desire to quilt as a whole, I wish you the best. 

If I can be of any help to encourage you along feel free to let me know. I love to help others who share this world of quilting. I never knew it would become so much a major part of my life when it started. 

Til next time....

Keep the needles stitching, 

the creativity flowing 

and the passion blooming!  

Phyllis

Oh, BTW - the picture above is the machine I started quilting with and the table is where it all began. The wall hanging peaking there is my first quilt. 

ONCE YOU LEARN IT......

I'm not sure where this pic originated from but it's made its rounds on the internet and is perfect for showing how quilters think at times. 

Over the last several days I've heard a lot of people ask questions about quilting on the quilting sites, forums, and groups that at first may cause an experienced quilter to roll their eyes and wonder why the question was even asked as the answer is so simple. 

Then as others, or I answer the questions I realize that we all started out not knowing and were either taught in a class, helped by someone who quilted, or found teaching resources on the internet. Those resources plus hours of trial and error (sewing and frogging) got us where we are today. 

As a quilter, think back to when you started quilting, or when you first thought about learning to quilt. Your first reaction was most likely, "I would love to make a quilt, but I don't know how". Or, "I could never learn to quilt".  Mine was, "I can't do that". 
But I'm here today with honestly loosing count of all the quilts I've made or longarmed for customers in just a little over 4 years. 
 
As we learn more and more about quilting and make more and more quilts we often start taking some things for granted. We tend to think of some aspects of it as common sense, or just as a given and assume everyone knows that. But not everyone does. And if we don't do a step or technique very often we may forget how to do it and have to ask or find the answer ourselves.  

Quilter's tend to form a specialty to what they like to do best. Some like to piece, some to applique, some to do scrappy quilts, some to do masterpiece/award winning quilts, some to make quilts for charity, some for gifts, and some to make custom quilts to sell. 
We all continue to learn and perfect our craft. As we learn we also like to share. It just comes with being a quilter. In the desire to share don't forget to continue to share what you learned in the very beginning. When you hear or see someone ask any question about quilting be willing to take time out to answer. You once were that person.

I plan on taking some of the questions I've heard recently and offering the answers here over the next month or two. So, if you have any questions, please leave a comment and ask your question. I'll be happy to answer what I can, or find the answer for you. 

Til next time..... 

keep those needles stitching, 

the creativity flowing 

and the warmth of a quilt 

wrapped around you. 

The Countdown....

Sitting here this evening after a busy day in the studio, I realize that I may not be the only one counting all the things I have to get done before Christmas and the end of the year. I usually start my count down and my creations of gifts in August. This year I am running behind. But that is o.k. I'll catch up.

I have been blessed with quilting work to do for customers who have ordered special quilts made for loved ones. I am thrilled and honored to be chosen to make their wishes and dreams come true. 


The countdown....  
Are you at a loss of what to make for each person on your list? Have you suddenly realized that time is slipping by quickly? Never fear. There is still time. Depending on how much time you have to quilt there is time to make a quilt or two. Don't think you have enough time to make a bed quilt? Use an easy pattern that you have done before, or even a new pattern that is easy to do. Not that much time? There are lap quilts, wall hangings, table runners, and mug rugs to be made. 

The countdown is also on for you to make out your wish list. What do you want for Christmas?  Do others know what you want? We all have our 'out of reach' wish list, and then we have our realistic wish list. Go ahead and make your list. 
Put everything on it that you have ever dreamed of. Everything from a longarm machine, a new sewing machine, an embroidery machine, notions, fabric, fabric organizers, quilting classes, and even gift certificates to your favorite LQS!  
As much as we all have a lot in our stash and all the equipment that we have I know there is MORE.

On my wish list this year?  I'd love an embroidery machine, even a small one. I'd also like another domestic sewing machine. I could use a new ruler or two as two of mine have nicks in them. And then there are the usual small items you never seem to have enough of. - seam rippers for one. 

Oh, and I still want a new camera. lol  That's quilt related!  I need to be able to take photos of my quilts and the work I do on customer's quilts right? lol 

So, as time passes by make your lists, check them twice and set to create. Don't set yourself up to get stressed over it. Do what you can and what you enjoy doing, nothing more. 

Til next time,

Keep those needles stitching, 

those creative juices flowing

and enjoy what you do.