A Bit of Tuesday’s Doings -

I’m back on the Crooked Courthouse Steps train!

I started the day out hopeful that I’d be able to function well enough to record a scheduled podcast with The Quilting Company. 

And I timed myself – because we need to know these things.  Podcasts last about an hour, give or take a bit.

How long could I go without hacking up a lung, or play another round of Kleenex Tuba? 

Three to five minutes. Tops.

I tried talking out loud to see what I sounded like after more than a week of vow-of-silence recovery.

Like Kermit the Frog.  This just would not do.

I was sad to have to send off the email saying “Please, can we reschedule this?  I don’t think this will be fun for anyone to listen to!” 

The Quilting Company is moving offices, so next week won’t work for them.  And then I travel to California, and then on to Kenya so we will have to push that to another time slot.  DRAT!

But I did use my afternoon hours stitching up some more fun Crooked Courthouse Steps blocks.

And NO – the word you see is not DREAD, it’s BREAD!  I had been gifted some fabric with a bunch of country style panel blocks.  Not knowing what to with them, I stripped them down and tossed them into the neutral strings.

But DREAD should have been my word-of-the-day, because when I went to change CD’s in the stereo – I saw something a bit disconcerting.

SERIOUSLY?!

This is behind the stereo, and this creature evidently thought that skooching himself through the coils of speaker wires was a great way to rid himself of his hold skin.

But the question remains – WHERE IS HE NOW?!

I first saw the tail end, and nearly grabbed it, thinking it was just a piece of old scotch tape hanging there….NOPE!

DREAD.

I know this is life in the country.  He is ridding my space of other snakes, spiders, and other creepy crawlies – but I hope for sure and for certain that he also crawled himself right on out of here. 

I have no idea how old this skin is.  And I do not leave doors open.  Maybe he came in while they were installing windows or doing drywall?  Eeeeek.

So let’s move on to something more pleasant:

KENYA!  In less than a month now!

I’ve got my flights from Greensboro to JFK – I’ll spend an overnight at an airport hotel in New York, and then I’ll be meeting with our group of 40 as we fly to Nairobi!

That means I need to start assembling the kits for our stitching project -

Twiga!

Quilt Size: 20’’ x 24’’

Twiga is the Swahili word for Giraffe.  And it suits her, doesn’t it?

For those who have asked, YES – Twiga will be available as a digital pattern, including your print-and-stitch center image.  This will likely be made available after my return from Kenya.

The borders are simple – and all of the triangles borders were done with the Essential Triangle Tool.  My hopes are that folks will find fabrics they want to include in their own Twiga while we are in Kenya.

Due to the issue of not being able to travel with machines, and not wanting to add weight and bunches of supplies to everyone’s suitcases, all of our international travel trips will include SOME form of needlework.  I am finding the simple embroidery to be fun and relaxing and anyone can do it.

I am already planning on what we will also be stitching on our trip to Bavaria/Austria in December!  It’s going to be cute, cute, cute!

Of course, Ireland will have something to do with Celtic knots….the ideas for a center embroidery framed by fun patchwork are numerous.

And this arrived via UPS yesterday:

YAY!

I first saw these wonderful sewing signs while teaching for the Seven Sisters quilt show in San Luis Obispo, California.  I knew I wanted no NEEDED one for Quiltville Inn.

It’s cut out of sheet metal and measures 23’’ x 23’’.  I am going to find a way to hang it between the posts above the porch rail.  At least that is the plan for now.

Today is the LAST DAY to register!

If you are on the fence – jump in!

I am still hearing from several of you who who are interested in HollyAnne Knight’s online course: Free Motion Quilting Academy that is now in the registration process for the next 8 week session.
I am so glad you are excited and I hope you’ll share your progress as you work through this fabulous online course.

If you missed the info, click to THAT POST.

You can be free motion quilting that stack of completed quilt tops on your home machine in no time. Maybe you’ll be finishing your OWN version of Crooked Courthouse Steps?

If you want to know more, HollyAnne presented an intro via Facebook Live that I have pinned to the top of my Quiltville Facebook Page.

This is your chance for 8 weeks of online instruction, whether you are a complete quilting newbie, or consider yourself a novice with some home machine quilting experience.

There is no better time to develop your free motion quilting skills than now.  What are you waiting for?  What have you got to lose?

No matter your machine – you can make this happen -without having to lug your machine anywhere to take a class.  Do this from the comfort of your own home, whenever time is convenient for you. And the videos are yours FOREVER.

HollyAnne is quick to point out that she does great free motion quilting on a simple singer inexpensive machine she bought off the shelf big-box style.

Your upcoming Christmas sewing will THANK YOU for taking the Free Motion Quilting Academy course.

My day today? 

More Courthouse Steps blocks!  I need enough for 3 more rows, and then I can get the rows together, decide if I’m going to border or not, and get the quilt into the long arm.

And DENTIST this afternoon.  I hate it, but checkups are important as I want to keep my own chompers as long as I can. 

In my book, the dentist is right up there with mammogram and pelvic exams.  Hate it.  But go.

What’s up for your day today?

Quiltville Quote of the Day

Never give up on the person you are becoming!

And keep those dental appointments!

Have a wonderful Wednesday -