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Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Endless April!


Be careful what you wish for!

That April you were always missing because you are always on the road – may just be the April that keeps you home!

It’s been ALL GOOD, really.  But I shake my head in constant wonder at how things evolve in ways we never saw coming.

Two years ago yesterday I signed the papers on the purchase of what is now known as Quiltville Inn.

We barely got running with our beta test retreat Black Friday weekend, and our first real retreat happening Valentine's Day weekend.

I am uncertain as to what will happen with the rest of 2020 but we are hoping for the best.

I know this one thing.

We will be ready when we are given the go ahead!

This may be a short delay - or maybe a long one. And while we could bemoan it, a better alternative would be to grasp the opportunities and make it even better for when that reopening day comes.

The sky was overcast when I took these photos making the blossoms look a bit dingy and grey.  Today – the sun is shining so I may need to get a redo. Blue sky and sunshine is such a much nicer backdrop.



View from the cabin -

The curtain of green isolation is returning, oh my allergies! Still, Spring is my favorite season – and being here to enjoy it – ALL OF IT – has been a blessing in disguise.

I was planning a long walk with Zoey Jo yesterday that never materialized.  We finished up the mail order, got everything ready to go, opened the back door of the QPO and – it was raining and windy. UGH. Nope.

I love hiking in these mountains as much as the next hiker person – but I admit I am a bit of a fair weather walker who doesn’t enjoy mud.  So maybe today?

Instead – I put on a podcast and stitched while listening:


THREE!

I’m finding a lot of my cut off triangles are good for the first couple of rounds, but then the last two rounds require larger pieces.  Charm squares to the rescue!  Some of these have been sitting around a lot time – so it is good to see pieces being used from multiple corners of my Scrap User’s System.

Strings will also work for the first couple of rounds, but not for those last two as my strings are usually under 2’’ in width.

I know it may seem difficult for some to comprehend – especially those asking what book this pattern is in – but it’s kind of like the “What comes first? The chicken or the egg?!” 

I am just getting started on this project, so how could I have already published it?  And if I had published it, would I be making it again?

My inspiration came many years ago in the form of an antique quilt that I took a photo of and drafted when I got home.  I made some test blocks that ended up in my random sampler quilt.  They were at least 10 years old at that point, so likely pieced late 1990s. 

I DO know that this is a traditional Snail's Trail block and can likely be found through many sources so do some searching – start with Google and end with Pinterest and you might find something that will do for you.  Make it any size you desire.

As I am just getting started – there will be no pattern for the foreseeable future.  Thank you for understanding.  I am excited that you are excited – but there needs to be a completed quilt before there is a completed pattern.

Unless you are participating in our Unity Quilt Along that has me working mere days on the next round before sharing it with the word!

Monday our round 5 went live – Yesterday (Tuesday) I found this posted under our #unityquiltalong tag on Instagram:


Holy Guacamole, Batman!

And there are many more shares going up as the hours go by- check it out!  Leave comments and show the folks doing the sharing some love – they could use your encouragement, and you just might make some new friends in the process.

I spent time all the way until dinner working on Part 6 – and that will continue through the afternoon hours today so that we can be ready for next Monday.

It’s not too late to join in – you’ll find all previous posts including the introduction which gives yardage amounts and finished quilt size under the Unity Quilt Along tab at the top of the blog.

I have figured out (how DUH I was!) that while working in secret behind the scenes only a few days ahead of each reveal means that there isn’t so much to share photo-wise in my daily posts.

I'm not traveling, I'm not hosting retreats, I'm not visiting antique malls so there so so much less to share.

My life has gone into pretty much the same routine on a daily basis as anyone else who is “working from home.” 

Get up, take the dog out, post my quote of the day to the socials, get breakfast, pour a second cup of coffee, come down and edit photos and write this post, take the dog out, get a shower, take the dog out, go to the QPO to get the day’s orders out, get in a walk if I can, sew a bit, take the dog out, make dinner, take the dog out, sew a bit, take the dog out, watch a bit of evening TV, take the dog out and go to bed.

And there are some cute moments like this one.  Click to Play:


And today will be much the same!  But while I do it, I’ll be looking out the QPO windows at Quiltville Inn next door and saying “Happy 2nd Gotcha Day!”


Quiltville Quote of the Day

There is a difference between just living and really making a life. (Even while quarantined!)

Sometimes it takes long term planning, and if you don't make a plan it may never happen.

I am considering this still part of our long term planning.  It’s a speed bump – not the end of the road.

It's all about attitude. Have you checked in with yours lately?

Have  a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!



27 comments:

  1. where would we be if we did not have to take the dog out and enjoy that time with ZoeyJo

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  2. Thanks for the reminder Bonnie... so true!
    It has been a hard adjustment, but now I feel like I'm hitting my stride with the routine, the loneliness, and just being comfortable in the seemingly endless holding pattern.
    I love seeing your scraps and what you're working on and appreciate all the work you are putting into the Unity project for us to enjoy through the pandemic isolation. You keep up connected to our quilting medicine and to our community. Sending you much love and gratitude!

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  3. Not much has changed for me because as a long arm quilter for the public I've worked from home for years, although the business has slowed way down in March and April I'm still working a bit. I kind of like this slower pace it's given me more time to concentrate on some projects I never made time for before. Staying positive is so helpful for your mental wellness.

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  4. I always love seeing photos of your furry family. Your daily agenda sounds a lot like mine - let dog out, let dog in, repeat all day! Love the pink cat fabric in your snail blocks. Happy 2nd Anniversary - hope to visit this fall.

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  5. Quote on a t-shirt: "2020 is a unique leap year. There were 29 days in February, 300 in March and 5 years in April."
    Thank you for sharing with us!

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    1. Love your quote, it feels so true.

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  6. Take the dog out battles the sunk in blues that could occur. A break,maybe some sunshine and the wonder of her appreciation of the world. These are priceless gifts to you.

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  7. I'm with Zoey Jo! I love to watch the critters outside around my house! Thanks for sharing her with us.

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  8. LOL It's totally okay that your content has had less variety than usual lately. We're all right there with you, and the Zoey updates have been super fun. She's a character!

    We agreed to buy my aunt's house and acreage - a major fixer-upper - four years ago this week, so I'm celebrating a Gotcha Day, too. Each of the springs since then have seen a family calamity, horrible weather, or both, so we've made very little progress outside since we moved in. This year, the weather has been gorgeous for the most part, and we're all healthy and staying at home, so we're slowly chipping away at cleaning up some of the decades worth of junk, trash, overgrown brambles, dead trees, and other neglect on this property. Hard work but the results are satisfying. I have a raging case of poison ivy, though - not cool. My second cup of coffee is almost empty, so it's back to the shovels and pitchforks!

    Happy Gotcha Day, and have a great Wednesday.

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  9. Oh I just love that Zoey Jo!
    Yup, take the dog out and take the dog out! Mine was out through the dog door barking like mad at 4am.... but we all got back to sleep eventually....

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  10. Wow! 2 years of owning Quiltville Inn. Congratulations on the purchase and thank you for having the faith and willingness to invest the time and money into the project, for all the physical work and emotional effort to get here! I think you were looking at 2020 as a "testing" year. Time to try the inn out with groups, what worked, what needed tweaking. Lining up cleaners and "house" Moms for when you were away and finding a balance for your travel and stay home selves. Give yourself and the Inn an A+. No one anticipated the ultimate 2020 Corona test but most of us are finding ways to cope with help from many others including you! Thank you for being you!

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  11. Thanks for the daily fix of Zoey 🥰 She is just too cute

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  12. Love hearing about Zoey Jo and seeing pictures of her. Love seeing a glimpse of your life in Mouth of Wilson. And of course your quilts!!

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  13. My hubby has a t-shirt: let the dog out, let the dog in, sweep the floor, let the dog out, let the dog in, sweep the floor.

    And there's always dog snot on the windows! LOL!

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  14. We need to take one day at a time and enjoy the ride where ever it takes us...it is God’s hands!

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  15. It's okay with me if it's not a mystery ;) although I'm still on round 2 so who am I to say? I've been mostly stuck at home attending meetings by phone and sending emails! however my hand quilting is progressing well during all those meetings. Recipes are good too.

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  16. Yes, home is the best place to be during this. I just borrowed a hoop to do some hand quilting while I'm here in Nebraska. A Quilt not for a Show or a Grandchild. Relaxing, no pressure stitching to calm my heart. Thanks for your positivity!

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  17. I just love your posts. Your description of your day had me laughing a deep belly laugh. My pup is older, so doesn't need to go out as much, but I do remember those days. Thanks so much for the giggles.

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  18. Today my husband and I sell our home of 37 years to our daughter and embark on a new journey... the house was his grandmothers and my granddaughters will grow up as the 5th generation in this little house! I am gaining a large quilting space and he is gaining a garage...so win-win for all of us!

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  19. Thanks for the posts, appreciate all your scrappiness, your gorgeous dog, your positive sayings and beauty you add to the world.

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  20. Just keep posting about the dog and cats! Love the update. Dog lovers unite!

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  21. Thanks for showing us the snails trail block. I did go to google (Lord knows I don't need another project) and was very happy with what I found. The units are simple and the pattern I found used a size of material I didn't have, I realized that the subsequent cut units were parts of the scrap users system! Bingo! Thanks for your inspiration!!

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  22. Your blog is the only one I subscribe to, it is always so interesting and uplifting, and I have loved your dog and kitty pictures and comments about them over the years. Zoey Jo is just such a delight to see! I loved that picture of her yesterday with her all curled up on her back with her legs sticking up! She has such a loving and innocent look in her eyes when she is looking at you taking a picture of her. Such an absolute delight! I have two Lhasa Apso girl doggies, and they are so much company to me since my husband passed 8 years ago. Thank you for all the enjoyment your blog gives us. I love the snail tail blocks you are making, they are so much more interesting to me in a scrappy setting than just one color. Thank you for all you do that enriches our lives so much!

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  23. You need to train her to run the treadle while watching out for the squirrel bandits.

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  24. I love seeing pictures and videos of sweet Zoey JO. For years I have thought about making a Snails Trail quilt and never made even a block. You have inspired me to make a small one. I have a pattern that breaks the blocks down in to several sizes. It is time for me to make a snails trail table topper or trunk topper and maybe even a mini Snails Trail too. I used to make minis and haven't for years I think it's a good time to start. I love your blogs and inspiration.

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  25. I'm only on part 3 of Unity. Just want you to know I LOVE these small pieced stars! I have learned so much from you. Thank you, Bonnie!!

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  26. Haven't stopped by for a visit in far too long and it was so nice to get caught up on recent happenings. Have to say too that I enjoyed watching Zoey watching the world go by outside her window. My dog does the same when he's laying on the front porch sunning himself. His head comes up and his ears perk forward at every slightest sound while he decides if it needs further investigation. Most of the time it doesn't, he's an old man and has experienced quite a bit before he came to us. Snail's Trail, nice and scrappy is on my bucket list to make too. It's a big bucket and I'm a slow stitcher. I love the rhythm of the needle going up and down on my machine that on occasion I've been known to dial down the speed.
    Thank you for everything you so generously share with us, the big and the little.
    Stay safe and 'Stitch On'.

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