Walking for a Good Cause

AJ on his birth day

AJ just shy of 20 months!

On May 4th my daughter, Katrina, will be walking in the March of Dimes Walkathon here locally.   She is trying to raise money to reach her goal that will help the organization in research to help other preemie babies and their mommies. 

Her son, the AJ I talk about from time to time, pictured above, was a preemie and is doing remarkably well at 20 months old.  

Research has come a long way but more needs to be done to help babies and their mommies go to full term and be healthy.  
If you can and if you will please follow this link to donate to her team.  Any amount will help. 
http://www.marchforbabies.org/donate/donate_choose.asp?si&p=1&u=katr07&w=6618335&bt=11

If you can't donate that is fine, I just ask that you keep them all in your thoughts and prayers as they walk for such a good cause. 

Thanks again to all my readers.

Til next time -

 Tiny fingers and tiny toes

Tiny quilts, tiny clothes.

Watching each breath they breath

Watching they grow and achieve.

Little babies growing up

Learning, caring, loving.

Wrapped around our hearts - always.

written by Phyllis Dewey

~Phyllis~

 

Time Management

Glass etching by Phyllis Dewey

Here I sit with a list of things to get done by next Wednesday. I've already crossed off the things I needed to get done by this weekend.....well, almost. 

We all tend to get busy. At times it feels like we get TOO busy. We find ourselves with way to many things going on at the same time. Multiple places to be at the same time. Multiple things to do over the same time frame. Demands from others for our time. And things we want to get done for ourselves.

We have families, we have jobs, we are members of organizations, we belong to quilt guilds, we attend church, we attend school functions, we attend or give parties. 

We take care of our homes (some have spouses and others to help with that, others don't). We cook, clean, do laundry, get our vehicles repaired, we garden or take care of our yards/land. We pay bills, do paperwork. We have deadlines we meet.  We have pets to take care of and love. We take care of loved ones, and ourselves. We get hair cuts, get our nails done (or not).

We spend time on the internet. (and I thank you for taking time to read my blog). 


And --- we quilt, we create, we have hobbies. 

Once in a while ---- we take time to breath!  

While I'm winding down after a busy week and face a busy weekend, yes, even with it being Easter weekend, I realize I need to take time to breath. And I will.....right after I go get the clothes out of the dryer, fold the towels,finish an ornament, pay some bills, finish writing this blog entry, while drinking another cup of coffee. 

Welcome to my real time management:

I set deadlines, make a list of things that need to get done and do my best to stay organized in my mind as well as my desk, my orders, and my work production. 

I get up at the same (or close to the same) time each day whether I'm working in my quilt studio or my other job. I go to bed at the same time each night. I work best with less than 8 hours sleep, and generally get 6 or 6 1/2 a night. Once in a while I sleep in later. 

No matter what you have on your plate, what you have to get done, what you want to get done and what other obstacles may be in your way take a deep breath from time to time. Take a few minutes in the middle of it all and take a break even if it is a few minutes. 

Set your goals. Be realistic. If you have a business let your customers know the time frame when their job will be done. Estimate it for longer than you think it will actually take. It is better to get things done ahead of time and impress your customer than have to contact them and apologize for being late. 

Set time aside each day for yourself. It may only be a few minutes, or an hour. If you don't take some time out you will get burned out. As quilters we are always looking at the next quilt we want to make, the next line of fabrics we 'need' to have, the next step in the quilt learning curve, the next class to take, the next show to attend, the next technique to learn. We also find ourselves burned out and at an end of our enthusiasm for quilting. We ask other quilters how to get our creativity back. We fear we will have lost our desire to quilt. We may even panic. 

Don't panic. Take a break. You may need more than an hour, you may need a few weeks, or a year. Try new things. Enjoy what you do, whatever it may be. Don't make your hobby that you love, something that you dread needing to do. 

Relax. Accept the things that life throws at you. Count your blessings. Put everything in prospective. List them in order that they need to be taken care of. If life gets too busy and you can't quilt, or work on other hobbies that you have, for the amount of time you would like to, take just a few minutes to work on it. By taking just a few minutes to craft (quilt, crochet, knit, paint etc) you will be less stressed. I've talked with many people who seem anxious and on edge because they don't have time to quilt at this time in their lives. I feel the same way after just a few days. But I have found that by just spending even 30 minutes at it I'm o.k. I can get back to what I need to take care of. 

I may have rambled a bit here. If I have, sorry. I may read this and delete it later who knows. For now... I still have clothes in the dryer, an ornament sitting here waiting on me, a cold cup of coffee and  the only sense of accomplishment.... the rambling of words I've just composed. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend. May you have time to spend with family, take time to relax, and remember what Easter is all about. 

God bless you all and thank you for being here to read what I write from time to time. I hope you enjoy it. 

Til next time...

take time to relax, 

to breath, 

and to quilt. 

Phyllis
 
 


 

Welcome to April

Quilts by Phyllis

Good morning and welcome to April! 

Temperatures have become warmer, grass is turning green, buds and tiny leaves are blooming on the early trees and plants. Flowers are growing and blossoming!  Spring is in the air --- along with a few rain showers. 

Many people slow down in their quilt making at certain times of year, starting in Spring and into Summer. Other things take the place of #1 importance and quilts get put away. And then we begin the feelings of withdrawal!  It's a true emotion felt when we separate ourselves from something we love. Don't let this happen to you this year! 

Set a time aside each week to quilt. Since there are many phases to making a quilt you can deal with the withdrawal in many ways. Go fabric shopping! Stitch just a seam or two on a single block. Cut out pieces for a quilt...... even a little at a time. Design your next quilt. Attend quilt shows. Reorganize a room or area in your home for quilting. Buy containers to hold your fabric. Make or buy a quilt hanger to display your favorite quilt. Stay up with quilt blogs or forums just to stay in touch with other quilters. When you travel, stop in a quilt shop. Take a quilting class. Read a book related to quilting or quilts. There are a few novels out there to help with that. Read quilting magazines. And, as comes so natural for quilters to do, talk about quilts and quilting with those you meet. Share your love of quilting with others. 

I don't have time NOT to quilt. Orders are coming in and I'm booking into the summer ! Love it!  I will take some time this summer for ME. I promise. Of course ME time will still be quilting, but it's on personal quilts that a long overdue.   I deal with deadlines with my customers, so have set deadlines for my own quilts as well. (well, unless something comes up). 

Classes to plan as well....never a dull moment. 

May your day be special today, may you not be hit by April Fool's jokes or if you are may they be fun and silly. 

Til next time---- 
Keep those needles stitching, your creativity flowing and your imagination wide open. 

Phyllis

 

Wonderful People

Fabric Ornaments

My booth at AHQ Quilt show

We had a wonderful time at the quilt show today. Met some great people, sold some items, had a few ladies sign up for classes (one of which I don't even teach yet!). And several took my cards and discussed my longarming services! 

For those who were at the show and that we talked with - Thank you for stopping by!  We love meeting fellow quilters, getting to know new people and sharing our love of quilting.

To the gentleman who asked if I could write, "Harley Davidson" with the longarm, and I appologized for it not being in black thread when I wrote it.... when you figure out a way to move the pool table and make room for a longarm that can write, "Harley Davidson" and even quilt a motorcycle give us a call! Or when you decide a spot on your wall for a "Harley Davidson" wall hanging....

To the gentleman who saves his quarters to buy the newspaper, I hope the quarters in your change from your wife's purchase helped you out. I look forward to hearing from you and your wife again soon. We're just around the corner. (sort of).

For those who talked about longarming: having us do it for you, or buying a longarm machine - stay in touch we will do what we can for you. 

For those waiting for me to schedule that class I don't teach yet..... stay tuned and in touch! I'll get there!  I'll have your list of supplies ready soon. Same goes for the beginner quilting classes that will start up again in July/August.

For those who looked at and/or purchased ornaments ---- I do special orders all year round, so contact me for those as gifts for the special people in your lives. 

For those who just stopped in and chatted and shared a great story, a laugh or even just a smile - thank you for being there. 

For those who were unable to be there today, I hope you can stop by tomorrow.  

For all of you  -  feel free to "Join this site" here or follow our posts; join us on facebook at 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Quilters-Pantry-Quilting-and-Longarming-Services/199944510017542

Also feel free to post comments here on the blog. Have questions? Send me a message, email me, post a comment...etc.  I'll do my best to answer it for you or find an answer for you. 

Til next time either here or in person - 

Keep those needles stitching, 

those ideas and dreams flowing 

and your creativity expanding. 

Phyllis

Spring is HERE!

Spring has sprung....at least according to the calendar!  
The weather and temperatures may not agree. 
 Why not take this time to take in a local quilt show? ! 

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

Quilter's Pantry will be set up as a vendor at the 5th Annual Appalachian Heritage Quilter's Guild Quilt Show.

I will have quilts for sale, ornaments for sale and other items.

Stop in and say, "HI!"

LOCATION:  Crossroads Christian Church in Gray, TN. 

DATE: March 28 - 29th

TIME: 9 -  5 each day.

FREE ADMISSION ! FREE PARKING!

See over 100 quilts! Meet other quilters,

Vendors include Quilter's Pantry, Memory Lane Quilting (Notling Longarm Rep).

There will also be a quilt appraiser there if you have a quilt or two you would like appraised!

 Hope to see you there! 

QUILT SHOW SEASON IS HERE

It's been a long, cold winter with lots of snow for so much of the U.S.A. this year. We've had our share of cold and snow even here in East TN.  

I think it's time for warm weather, sunshine and flowers in the gardens, leaves on the trees and birds singing in the air. 

It's also time for quilt shows!  The guild I belong to is having their 5th annual Quilt Show March 27 - 28, 2014 at Crossroads Christian Church in Gray, TN! 

I will be one of three vendors set up there. I'll have quilts for sale, ornaments for sale and other items for sale.  Mike H. from Memory Lane Quilting will be there with Nolting Longarm machines and have a machine set up for customers to try out and play on. Another vendor will be there to work on sewing machines and to sharpen scissors.  There will also be a quilt appraiser there to appraise quilts for informational as well as insurance purposes.  Somewhere close to 100 quilts will be on display from tiny to large, as well as vintage quilts. 

Admission is free!  
And you can have a chance to win a king size quilt made by members of the guild. This year's quilt is worth over $1,600.00.

While large quilt shows with over 100 vendors and all the latest and greatest tools, techniques and fabrics are fun (and expensive) to attend, once in a while stopping in at a small quilt show and getting to know the local quilters and seeing their work is pretty amazing. You get to see work done by beginners as well as more advanced. The quilts are not all intimidating to a beginner like most seem to be at bigger shows. A smaller show is more intimate so you can talk to the quilters and get to hear their stories.  

If you are in the area or can get to the area for a day or both days---stop in and say "HI"!  

Til next time -
Keep those needles stitching
Your seams straight
and
Your stash building! 

Phyllis

 

FRESHNESS!

Winter has hung around for a while this year. More snow than we have had in a while. Businesses closed, schools closed and events canceled. Through it all there was quilting to do and time to do it. 
But.....
I'm so looking forward to springtime.  Today was a great teaser with warm temps and sunshine!  A surprise trip to Asheville, NC. with my husband to meet with his cousin and her husband. They had not seen each other since they were kids!  We had a great day!

Back to reality, but also realizing that every once in a while, no matter how busy you are, you need to take a break. 
Go for a short trip (or a long one if you have the time). Get away from work, get away from home, and yes, get away from quilting. Take a look around a different area even if it's just a few miles away in a direction you rarely go. 

Look around at God's beauty. Look at nature, look at architecture, look at people. 

Breath in the fresh air. 

Enjoy a good meal. Give in and try something new. 

And laugh. 

Let the cares of the world, your personal worries and stresses melt away. They will be there when you get back from your mini vacation - or be gone - which is even better! 

Yes, Spring is in the air (even though they are calling for snow again this week). A feeling of newness as the flowers start to grow and bloom. New energy as we enjoy the feeling of sunshine and warmth. 

New ideas for quilts or wall hangings, table runners, etc.  The beginning of quilt shows to attend, new techniques to learn and try. New fabrics to find and buy. Old quilt tops to find and send off to have longarmed! (hint hint).  

I will leave you all tonight with thoughts of spring, of new quilts and a fresh new look on life. 

Til next time.....

Keep your needles stitching

Ideas flowing 

and

every once in a while..... 

Take a deep breath, 

and take in the freshness of a new day.