Don’t get me wrong.
I love having my family here for long holiday weekends. We had a great time taking the motorcycle onto the parkway, and over to Tennessee.
It was a LOVELY long break between teaching trips and I sorely needed it.
Since Sunday evening I’ve been able to spend solo time at the machine working on a couple of looming deadlines. Deadlines for me are kind of like that caption as seen on a rear view mirror: “Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear!”
Cabin alone time helps me get it done!
I think I have all of this time, that those deadlines are far off in the distance, miles away and BAM! I look at my traveling/teaching schedule and realize that there are just not that many home days to really get things put together.
July starts our new Leader & Ender project! August is my taping with Quiltmaker for my new online workshop to come. And all of my Addicted to Scraps column blocks for the 2017 issues are due in August. I’ll be taking those to Golden in person and hand deliver when I go to record my workshop.
And it’s time to really nail down what we are doing for this coming November’s mystery! With all of the busy things happening summer and fall, there has to be time to get that quilt made behind the scenes. Oh boy.
All of this MAKING takes time. So I am happy to be solo at the cabin to crank these things out in an uninterrupted manner.
This first photo is of my Wanderlust table runner in progress. You know, designing things takes time. And then there are the false starts and abandoned tries that just didn’t work or do what you thought it would do. See those flying geese units with the LIGHT wing triangles in the bottom right of the photo? They were to go along the edge. But they just didn’t do it for me. And they left the black triangles in the center of the star blocks just floating there looking like they didn’t belong either. So back to the cutting mat I went and substituted more of the black in place of the scrappy neutrals and I think I’m going to be much happier.
I talked to my friend Jessica last night [[So happy to hear your voice! Thanks for the chatter and the laughter on a Tuesday evening!]] and brainstormed more about this idea.
There are more geese in my immediate future!
For those of you anxious to pre-order my new book Addicted to Scraps, if you will just sit on your hands and be patient and wait just a bit – for those who order from my website, you will receive the table runner directions as a FREE BONUS in a PDF download at the time of book purchase.
The table runner pattern will not be a stand-alone pattern as you need the book for the block pattern to complete the table runner.
As an author who is constantly fighting big box book distributors like Amazon who often offer our books below the price we can even buy them wholesale at- leaving us with what amounts to a 90 cent royalty, I’m hoping that throwing in a bonus pattern or two with book purchase will encourage readers to just wait, and get that bonus when you order directly from my website.
If you are taking my online Wanderlust Workshop when it is available, you will receive this PDF pattern as a bonus for your workshop enrollment. Stay tuned for details on that.
And my day went on uninterrupted like that until…
He's Back! Or is it a she?
Hello, Charlie!
Or is it Charlene? When I posted these photos on Facebook and Instagram last evening, some commented they had never seen such a chubby fox. Maybe there is a fox family about to happen?
Charlie sure likes deer food!
There is a mix of corn and deer pellets that are a grass/berry combo from the local Tractor Supply. For those who thought that fox only eat meat, maybe this one has gone paleo? Or, if it’s an expecting she-fox, her cravings are getting the best of her!
Uhoh, did she hear me?
Foxy Smiles!
See you next time, Charlie!
If you haven’t checked my blog since yesterday morning, There is a Super Duper Double Barn Book Give-Away going on that went live last night! Check for that post HERE.
There are two books up for grabs to one lucky winner. Build A Barn by Julie Sefton and Following the Barn Quilt Trail by Suzi Parron. head on over to that post and follow the directions to be entered to win. Drawing will happen next Monday evening while I’m in Moline, IL.
Quiltville Quote of the Day!
Vintage tumbling blocks quilt found in Kentucky.
I’m going to see how far I can get on those table runner border geese this morning and head home this afternoon.
Enjoy your Wednesday, everyone!
18 comments:
Bonnie, I don't know how you do it, where you get the energy. My head swims seeing all the projects you HAVE to complete within a few months. my four or five projects seem very miniscule to what you do for all of us Quilters.
Thank you, Thank you. May God to continue to Bless you each day. You are a great inspiration!
I'm loving the scrappy Wanderlust Table Runner. Glad you got some alone time to think on the future projects with Looming deadlines. If you need a quilt again for Golden, you can call on me. Good that Sadie went home so the Fox and she didn't get a closer view.
I love your fox pictures!! The last two are award-winning in my humble opinion!
Loved talking and laughing with you as always. The tablerunner is turning out quite nice for a thong......Lol! Love you girl!
Jessica
I sure do appreciate your spunk and pictures and quilts and offers and inspiration...I get a re-boot from my busy day, when I read what you do, each day. I know I can do more, and I try. Enjoy the Quad cities, I lived there for several years and know what a nice area that is. (I was managing a motel and single handedly rearing 2 children...my sewing was limited to their/our clothes and dolls, when I was lucky!)
ok, i'm convinced, I will buy all future books from you, rather than Amazon. I will be patient and order when yu say it's time and love the table runner, yes it will be smashing in "hliday" colors... AND if that fox is preggers, betcha she'll be bringing the kits to the deer feeder for an additional fiber boost to their diet... thanks for all you do and for showing us, "the way"... smiles, hugs and blessings... cats
Bonnie -- You are such an evil temptress! A couple of days ago, you posted your Tumbler finish on Facebook. I resisted for a day, then gave in to temptation. I had some fabric chunks left from the scrappy Xmas tablecloth/sofa quilt I'm making as part of a wedding gift. I cut 8 or 10 tiny tumblers at 2.5 inches tall. THEY ARE SO CUTE! I now have about 214 L/E projects in progress. -- LOL! -- The allure of something new, the addiction to distraction seduces me to travel the path to UFO perdition. I am thinking the tiny tumblers might make a cute hem/pocket trim on a holiday apron. Hmmm? Yeah, yeah, yeah -- like I need another UFO. Oh, well.
Myra McFarland in Fort Wayne, Indiana . . . and sew forth
To Bonnie:
Oh, simple sacred solitude
Will fill my mind with bliss
To face the humdrum of my life
My chores and duties hiss'
I love my family and the cats
And dogs and friends galore
Some now and then I surely need
Only fabric to adore
The silence and the humdrum are
Just both a part of mine
The other and the one I need
To feel both whole and fine
Love your blogs all the time,
Irene from Witmarsum
Hi Bonnie. I used to be a busy bee like you when I worked. Quilting, garment clothes, canning and working. People would say I made them tired just watching me. But I always felt charged and I only felt overwhelmed on occasion. I admire your spunk! Deadlines are a good thing, though. They keep you focused. People thought I would be bored when I retired. No such luck! I feel like I have more energy and still not enough time. I'm working on 2 quilts with 2 leader and ender projects also. I just love it. More quilts to share. I do my books and designers supplies directly from them all the time. It's like supporting the local quilts shops. Thanks for all you do.
Wouldn't it be nice if your fox friend comes back with her babies.
Trapper Bill says this is a grey fox which is bigger than a red fox. A much "blocker" animal than red. He also said they would not be pregnant at this time of year. (He has given up trapping by the way) smbabel@yahoo.com
I think foxes are pretty much omnivorous. We had a hummingbird feeder hanging from a tree in our back yard, and our local fox used to climb the tree and lick the sugar solution from the feeder.
Loved the fox photos! By the way, I noticed that you pinned several hour glass quilt blocks on Pinterest. So, is that going to be our new leader and ender? You know how you love to keep us in suspense, but still want to entice us with a few clues. You are so much fun!
Bonnie.... Where do you get all that energy? You are amazing...no doubt about it...
The fox pictures are wonderful! Imagine having such a magnificent animal in your bavk yard... Wow...
Sandy
This fox pisture looked different than the earlier one. The first one seemed to be a different color and more dog like. Today's looked like she/he rolled in gray mud except for the reddish face. Could there be more than one?
The fox here in No. Florida eats out of my compost all
the time. They love dried cat food too. Wonderful
Photos...Your are terrific....Eager to see the new
Challenge as my 1580 piece tumbler is on the rack....
Absolutely love the fox photo! You are so fortunate to have the opportunity to see such beautiful wildlife.
Thank you for sharing!
I vote "she"
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