January, Flying By! (Quilt-Cam Today!)

This is where I want to spend my time.

And there will be time later this afternoon -

We’ve got a Quilt-Cam full steam ahead for 2pm EASTERN today via Facebook Live. and I am so excited.

We haven’t done a weekender in a long, long time. 

And the waves of String Frenzy going out the door are finally beginning to resemble a somewhat more normal pace – it’s still 100 orders a day, but they aren’t coming in to the tune of 500 in 90 minutes or less.  This is good.  This is very good.

I felt like it was time to change out machines as well – sometimes just switching up the vintage machines puts a smile on my face, pushing back those Winter Blues.

Remember when Mona and I found her?  It was December, 2016!!!  Click to THAT POST.

I went from this -

Pressing leftover border segments from Idaho Square Dance

(from the Addicted to Scraps book – it’s the cover quilt!)

and spending some evening time just sub-cutting and stitching:

5 piles of 10!

From just those left over borders!

Oh you guys – this is really chasing my Winter Blues away!

(Yeah, the Millennium Y2K fabric lives on and on and on!)

I finally ran out of border segments – but I need many more blocks to do what I want to do so I am digging into this:

2 baggies of strips – They've got to become LESS!

Going for variety here.

On the left – I combed through what was in the bags and pulled all of the SHORT strips so I had more variety, less repeat. 

The top photo of this post has me making strip sets of 4 and sub-cutting them into the segments you see in the right hand bin.

From here I am mixing and matching into pairs, and sewing pairs into fours:

And this is what I’ll be doing during today’s Quilt-Cam!!

If you miss it, it will be embedded here on the blog tomorrow, and archived under the Quilt-Cam tab at the top of the blog so you can always find it and the back story that goes with it.

If you are planning on joining in – I would love to know what YOU do to beat back the Winter Blues that can sometimes happen to us all this time of year.  So think of your answers and let me know during that time.

While I don’t have any photos of what is going on with the Quiltville Post Office and Quiltville Inn that have brought about my Winter Blues, I can tell you that we are turning a corner.  

The Hubster met with the new electrician yesterday and though we can’t get started right away, we should have the electrical to the Quilting Quarters done by JULY.  That is the goal.

That also includes the dining room ceiling lights that I want over the dining tables and some other things.  Just this one step moving forward makes me feel so much better.

New smoke detectors are going up to replace the aged and yellowed ugly ones.  Aesthetics are good, yes?  We want things to be functional, updated, but also NOT UGLY.

After dealing with the flooky gas fireplace knobs in the Quilting Quarters as well this winter (The pilot light turns off too easily creating a relighting problem for any retreaters) we are on schedule to have NEW gas logs installed, complete with REMOTES so that no quilter has to get down on their knees to turn a knob (which also turns the pilot light off if they don’t know which direction to go.)  ALL BY REMOTE! 

Flame up, flame down – by the click of a button.  This makes me SO HAPPY! It’s the best birthday present this girl could ask for.

Not sure the dates of installation on those, but just being in line for it is moving forward.

A roofer guy should be coming out today.  Moving forward on the Post Office.

The Hubster spent hours cutting through the metal bars around one window himself yesterday.  That window is now out, leaving only 3 more to go.  Plywood is now up covering that window.  if we get the other 3 windows out, metal bars and all, we can get the new windows in. 

Again.  Moving forward.  Take THAT you dang Winter Blues!

This also beats back my Winter Blues – Kitty time!

Lola has been a lap sitter from early on.  As soon as I sit in the chair, she is up and ready to curl into a ball and take a quick snooze complete with copious amounts of purring.  But look at Dresden!  I am short on lap space, and he is SO BIG, but he is bound and determined to get up there and claim a spot, too.

I may not be able to take time and smell the roses, but I can take time and pet the purring kitties.

Love and acceptance from these two do loads of good.

Did you get your copy?

There is still time to get your order in and back out my door on its way to you before I leave for Japan on Thursday.

AND you will receive a download link for my newly released Hunter’s String Star quilt at purchase – straight to your email!

2019 is the Year of the String Quilt!

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

Photo shared by Kevin the Quilter.

Now isn’t this the truth?

Just when you think you've got it all under control, you realize you never had it all along!

See you this afternoon!