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Friday, May 27, 2016

A Finish on the Mountain!

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I finished the binding, the hanging sleeve and the stitching down of the label on this quilt last night!

It was about all I could do after settling in….grab a bite of dinner, throw the shoes off, climb into my comfy chair and watch something on Netflix and just unwind and bind.

Usually I am in for something mystery related, or a historical fiction, or even chick flick comedy.  Something with a plot and a hero/heroine, something that touches either my heart or my sense of good guys/bad guys in a crime/legal/police/lawyer drama.  Medical drama sometimes, as long as they are not too bloody gory.

And then something happened last night while flipping through “What’s trending” –a documentary on SUGAR and the sugar industry called “Sugar Coated.”

If you have Netflix, be sure to watch it.

I worry about our quilters. Quilters and chocolate and sweet things go together.  We laugh about it, we tease about it, but this is serious. Sugar is the most addictive drug that is out there.

I bet you’ll learn something you didn’t know.  Something you didn’t WANT to know. And it is going to change how you do things if you care about your life.



Sugar Coated Trailer from The Cutting Factory on Vimeo.

Just give it a watch!

If the trailer interests you, go watch the whole thing.

We all joke about quilting being a sedentary sport.  Just watch what we are doing to our bodies as we sit and sew, press and cut, and snack.

I thought about this long and hard as I went off to bed last night, vowing to change things.  For me.  I have too many quilts yet to make in my life to have my life cut short by the garbage that the food industry is putting in pretty packages and pushing at us as "healthy."

So this morning I went outside to get photos of this quilt back [[that I can show you]] and the front will have to remain a mystery for a while longer [[because I can’t show you!]]

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It’s a lovely day on the mountain!

There WILL be some blue ridge parkway motorcycle rides this weekend.  There will be burgers on the grill and a watermelon to slice.  There will be time for walks, time for naps, and time to start the step-outs for the Wanderlust Workshop I’m recording with Quiltmaker that will air in the fall.  My days to record are in August, so it’s time to beat the crunch and get some step outs and samples made, and perhaps even a bonus table runner started in different colorways and fabrics.  If you have started Wanderlust in the past, and if it still sits as a UFO Maybe it’s time to bring it back out to play!


You will find my post about it HERE.


Wanderlust was on the cover!

There will loads of half square triangles and flying geese in my future. Good thing I love them.  And I love making them with specialty rulers.  If you’ve always wanted to make this quilt, but wanted some guidance, consider waiting until the fall and take my online workshop – it will be a breeze and we’ll have so much fun doing it together.

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My little quilt hanging!

For those of you asking about the Quilt of Valor Silent Auction going on, you can view ALL of the quilts in the auction HERE.  There are beautiul quilts that have been made specifically for this cause by many well known quilters.  There is a phone number to call if you want to bid on one.  All funds go toward Quilts of Valor. Go take a look and place a bid!

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Quiltville Quote of the Day!

Sometimes we get stuck in a rut because we don't know what the road ahead has in store and we're afraid to take a step. But if you don't, you'll never get anywhere! Take the step!

Vintage churn Dash quilt found by my friend Irene in Kentucky. I love the simple quilts the best!

Enjoy your Friday, everyone!


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32 comments:

  1. I started watching that netflix the other night. Sugar really is everywhere and so hard to escape. I've been doing my best to eliminate it where I can and I've lost 10 pounds!
    Have an awesome weekend on the mountain!!

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  2. And posts like this one are one of the reasons I follow you. I will check out Sugar Coated. Yay for Wanderlust. I tried to start it shortly after it came out, but my skills were not advanced enough to do it. Now they are, so back on the active pile it goes. I have plenty of cool fabrics to use.

    Have a good weekend and holiday.

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  3. Thank you for the Netflix recommendation. I'll watch it.
    I found a good short series on Netflix, only three episodes, that was GREAT. It stars Adam Beach, filmed in 2001 or 2002 and may have first aired on RBS. It's called Skinwalkers. It was filmed on an Apache Indian Reservation in western US. Adam Beach plays a young Indian Reservation policeman, Jim Chee. Solves crimes, murders committed on the reservation. He is also a medicine man learning the old ways. Lots of beautiful scenery. A little love interest. Guy friendly,too. I highly recommend the series.

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  4. I will be sure to watch the Netflix show about sugar. I have been trying to eliminate as much sugar as I can due to health problems. I know you try to avoid gluten, Bonnie. Be careful of the gluten free products as many of them are loaded with sugar. Thanks for all you do for us.

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  5. I'll check out the show about sugar while I'm sewing. I don't keep any candies or snacks in my sewing studio, except for sugar free hard candies. I know my weakness for sweets, especially chocolate, and if it was there, I'd be eating more than sewing.

    Have a wonderful, fun time at Quiltvilla!

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  6. Anonymous12:22 PM EDT

    I have this issue set aside with a pile of fabrics to make for my daughter. It just screams Bevin's name. In lots
    of purples. Just got finish some others first.
    Kim
    kaorosz@sbcglobal.net

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  7. Sheila - that Skinwalkers program was based on a book by Tony Hillerman. He wrote a whole series of Navajo nation based mysteries featuring Jim Chee and his mentor Joe Leaohorn. They are among my favorite mysteries.

    As i am a diabetic i am very aware of how much sugar i eat. I don't cut it out altogether, but i do make sure i don'teat it just because it's there. I did buy fudge at Mackinac Island - it's required! Now it's in the freezer, to be doled out in small amounts. :)

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  8. Lovely quotes, and as for chocolate, I love it, specially after not having any at all for 5 years ( Drs thought it contributed to severe headaches) ...It didn't, it was a spinal problem!!! I ate some last night, probably the first for this year.Your words are so fitting, for many of us... enjoy time up there and just relax.

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  9. Kudos to you for bringing up the sugar issue in the food industry. I gave up sugar a year ago after I learned just what it is doing to me inside. I feel so much better staying away from it. It's not always easy but I consider it a poison to my body and that helps. I am like you wanting to live long enough to make all those quilts for loved one and do it feeling good. Thanks for all you do for all us quilters.

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  10. They will not tell you that chocolate actually is HEALTHY, when there is more than 70% cocoa in it. A professor from Belgium, specialized in geriatric illnesses leading to shorter living, tells so in his book about what he calls the "hourglass of food", a double pyramid shape. Google on Kris Verburgh, and try the delicious recipes from his regime.
    This diet appears to partially reverse diabetes, up to 80 % less insulin.
    Hope you'll enjoy your time up in the mountains!
    Love from a sunny Witmarsum,
    Irene

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  11. Anonymous2:44 PM EDT

    I would be a serial killed without a dab of chocolate now and then. I can't give it up 100%. Just don't eat it all the time.

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  12. So glad people are finally getting the sugar message. I finally gave it up almost entirely 10 1/2 months ago. Every three weeks my body wants some and I give it... but it is one small piece of chocolate or three Twizzlers.... small small small amounts and then I can put off the headache, the popping ears or the upset tummy.

    Went looking for the Quiltmaker magazine today and could not find it....bummer... will have to wait another week probably.

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  13. Anonymous4:49 PM EDT

    That may be the last comment I do..... you know some of us don't see real well and the pictures are a challenge.... and I get it that spamers are the pitts but the numbers are hard to see....

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  14. I watched that sugar documentary last week! wow oh wow!! Our government is just horrible and should be ashamed of itself! Sugar will be the death of us all if we don't educate ourselves on what we put in our mouths. Good tip: shop around the outer edges of your grocery store where all the healthier foods are and not in the center isles where all the processed can and box food is! I'm going to go quilt now and get my mind off it.

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  15. Having been married to a trial lawyer, I always watch ANYTHING that is another's opinion or produced or anything media related at all; with a grain of salt. I enjoy movies like this and love documentaries. I believe in looking at all sides and educating myself from all angles. I believe in moderation. You should read the book, "why French women don't get fat". I am a test mouse on the subject! We went for two weeks and Ate foie gras, cheese, bread, wine, pot de creme, pastries wine, pate, wine, croissant.... You get the picture . I came home and had lost a pound a day! Seriously! My calves ached. WE WALKED everywhere! I, personally, think you can eat a little of anything and everything and be fine, as long as it is all balanced out with movement. I don't mean on a treadmill either. Weed the garden, stack firewood, clean house, walk the dog, park as far away from Walmart as you can and walk (I never go to Walmart!-another problem; impulse/binge/impulse/bulk buying). I digress.
    I was in a car accident almost two months ago. All three airbags deployed. Whatever I breathed in, no real conclusive studies or info for long term effects on that that I can find, about killed me. Couldn't breath well. Very weak and I live alone, hard to climb stairs, etc. a hey all over like the flu. Stayed in bed for days. I began to eat comfort food. Who feels like cooking alone, let alone when you are sick?! I live very remote so quick trips to the store are 3o min away. I've always prided myself on eating healthy. I just like it! It's always come natural to me. Salads, homemade soups, homemade everything. A bar of chocolate could stay In the pantry for months. Welllll,,... Let me tell ya! I began to eat comfort food! Ice cream (I've thrown it away from freezer burn in the past!),'cookies, chocolate and more chocolate, chips, pasta... The damnedest thing ever seen! It was a vicious infinite regress! I've gained weight due to this and NO ACTIVITY. They are correlated! One leads to the other and then it goes round and round and I'm now on the hamster wheel that I never had a problem jumping on in my life!
    So... It's all very interesting. To me.
    Hell, life is all very interesting. Lol

    Enjoy your weekend!

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  16. P.s.

    I think all the REFINED EVERYTHING we eat is stripped and that's not good. Brightly colored boxes and packing, instant happiness. Carbs are sugar, broken down. I think chewing gum was a huge hit and Hershey's chocolate, during the worst economic times in America because it was inexpensive and made people feel good. What's going on in our world today?? Economics are not great. So many are not happy. Oh, just let me treat myself to this.... people eat out too much! I never eat out! It is very rare. When I do, I'm disappointed. I know that I'm not a good example of "normal", but I AM a good case study for being alone and isolated and remote where you live like you were meant to live. I know better! And this has happened To me! Lol
    A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips...
    I don't even drink wine anymore... I can't win! Lol

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  17. I have worked for weight watchers for 4 years. They have taught us that sugered is bad for you. I have discovered because of some health problems that it is not sugar alone that is bad for you. Any high starch food converts to sugar in the blood stream.

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  18. I have worked for weight watchers for 4 years. They have taught us that sugered is bad for you. I have discovered because of some health problems that it is not sugar alone that is bad for you. Any high starch food converts to sugar in the blood stream.

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  19. Hi, could you tell me via email what ruler you use to make the qov quilt in your ending blog tonite, it's to be an online class, please
    Kingcooper0001@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi, could you tell me via email what ruler you use to make the qov quilt in your ending blog tonite, it's to be an online class, please
    Kingcooper0001@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. Did you know you can buy, with food stamps/ebt cards; red bull, soda, sugar, cake mixes, cookies, etc? Yeahp.

    If government wants to get involved with fixing the problem, I suggest starting by stopping GIVING it away!

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  22. Kathleen Gillian6:10 AM EDT

    Thanks to you I got a Garmin and I get 7000 - 10,000 steps a day. When I need to take a break out I go in the neighborhood for my walk fix. Thank you it is a wonderful thing to keep track. Kathleen

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  23. Johanne H Hagar6:39 AM EDT

    Thanks for the reminder that sugar (and carbs) are so detrimental to our health. Cooking at home so much better than dining out. Restaurants always sound so good but are disappointing too, either too much, too undercooked or vice versa and cool or hard toast when it's served.
    Someone was pleased for the Fitbit/Garmin suggestions, it does really push me and my husband as well. Walking out an ailment really does wonders in so many ways. Just being outside changes our view and that allows us to think on many other subjects, meet friends or see interesting things in nature.
    Yes, I want to make many more quilts (at least the tops). Any suggestions on sharing or displaying them with others, I have gifted many to family and charity. Thanks for ideas

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  24. Ann Gillett8:02 AM EDT

    Bonnie , you are so inspiring . Not only with quilts and quilting but also on living life. I've read so much on sugar and what it does to us and yet I can't stay away from it for to long. I even took a challenge and got rid of all sugar in my diet for 21 days. I felt great, not only physical but also mental. Sugar makes arthritis much worse because it contributes to inflammation . Thanks for this nudge. I'll watch the show and just maybe I'll help me change my life.

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  25. Anonymous8:25 AM EDT

    Bonnie, the great and powerful. Please teach us how to eat, and I can sit and read your words of wisdom while wearing an 'I love Bonnie' tee shirt. I am sure you can find a way to make this add more dollars to your pockets. Or you could just get over yourself and stick to quilting.

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  26. Commentator #25/ Anonymous' comments are uncalled for. I appreciate Bonnie's reminder, as quilters we are involved in a sedentary activity and the sugar in our diets is not good for us. We need to eat less, eat healthy and move more. As far as Bonnie "adding more dollars to her pockets" I know of no other quilter who gives away so much of herself, her tips, her patterns, and yes, her reminders of things we need to do to live healthier lives if we want to live long enough to make all the quilts we dream of. The person who needs to get over themselves is you. If you don't like Bonnie's commentary, then don't read her blog.

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  27. Sorry you got an ugly comment, Bonnie (post 25). Probably someone sensitive about being overweight. I appreciate your bringing up this issue. I am always saddened by the pictures from your workshops, because 90% of the quilters who attend are so big. I'm sure it has got to concern you too... Thanks for addressing the issue. I know it's because you love your quilters! America becomes more obese with every decade. If we don't change this, we are going to completely lose first our quality of life and then our life itself.

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  28. Thanks for the tip about the sugar documentary. I watched it yesterday. As a type 2 diabetic, I read labels, and look for overall carb content because as others have mentioned, carbs break down through digestion into sugar. White rice and brownies have the same effect on blood glucose levels. That said, there is sugar in virtually all processed foods. Try to buy salad dressing without added sugar. New food labels are coming soon which will list added sugar in addition to that naturally present, if any. The hope is that consumers, once informed, will demand lower sugar content in foods. Won't help with fruit leathers though. Or grape and other juices. Thanks again, Bonnie, for a good and informative post.

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  29. Oh ho -- so is this THE mystery? It sounded like you were designing the next mystery in January already, but maybe this is still too soon. I am already planning my colour scheme and collecting fabrics. :D

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  30. Oh, and you can always just turn off the Anonymous option on the comments...

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  31. Nasty comments are uncalled for! Having said that, my husband and I have gone gluten, low carb and processed sugar free since the first of January. My husband is like a different person. His joint and muscle aches are almost gone and our minds are clearer. It is a lifestyle change and not just a diet. I read labels and have found out what the ingredients are and it is amazing what is put in our food. I recommend to everyone.....Bonnie, Thank you for all of your inspiration both quilting and health.

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  32. Bonnie - thanks for posting about the evils of sugar. I have recently (due to health issues) come to painfully recognize my own addiction to sugar and trying to give it up is like rowing up stream. It is in EVERYTHING! Your post is another reminder of the Truth About Sugar. I'll be watching that documentary (as soon as I'm done with all of the Nurse Jackie episodes)!

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