Saturday, April 17, 2010

Never enough time.

Greetings. I was listening to a speaker saying that the only thing that can be stolen and never replaced is time. I have been giving that a lot of thought. Who or what has been steeling my time? My first thoughts are the television, newspaper, telephone, computer, husband, mother, family in general, and poor planning. It seems like I have been work all week to strip wall paper and paint a bathroom. Í started Monday and it's still not done and I find that very upsetting. Part of the problem is depending on somebody else to do their part. I was scheduled to start the painting at 7:00 a.m. today and I'm updating my blog and catching up on emails because the old flooring wasn't removed and that needs to be done before the painting. That flooring was to be out Thursday and no later than Friday. Oh well. Dare I hope for this project will be completed by May 1? I have so many projects around this house that need completing and I can't afford to have my time stolen.

A great use of my time is attending a quilt guild meeting. Thursday night the Pioneer Quilter's Guild brought their 2010 Opportunity Quilt to show off and sell raffle tickets. This is their beautiful quilt. Their web site is pioneerquiltersguild.org and their show is November 5 and 6th.
This is Judy showing off her Dresden wall hanging she started at a workshop a few months ago. She hand quilted it. Judy's work is beautiful.
This is Julie's Dresden quilt. I love her use of blue's and a splash of yellow. Julie is another accomplished quilter.

Barbara did the same pattern as Judy with different colors. She said it wasn't intended to be a Christmas wall hanging but it just might end up that way. When I see the beautiful projects these ladies create I want to start my own. I'm fine tuning the art of self control. It's a very slow process.
The upcoming week should be very productive, that's the plan anyway. I'm hoping to get my 19th Century Reds quilt pieced this week and who knows, maybe that bathroom will get finished. I do believe in miracles.
Wishing you a blessed and productive week.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Philanthropy and Quilting

On Tuesday's some of the Manteca quilters meet at a church in Manteca to put together quilts and other items for philanthropy. Some of the ladies work on their personal items too. Connie brought in the quilt below, that she pieced and quilted. She still needs to finish the binding. She spent most of the day working on philanthropy projects. I thought she did a great job and wanted to share it with you. This quilt is my Sister's Choice pieced with fabrics from the More Pink and Chocolate collection from Windham Fabrics. I worked on this at the Gold Beach retreat. I have an idea how I want to quilt it but, I'm not too sure of my skill level. We will see.
This is a shot of some of the worker bee's enjoying good company and doing for others.

That's Janice with her arms up. I'm not sure why but I know it wasn't a touch down. In addition to quilts we also make small pillows, hospice gowns, wheelchair and walker bags, and knitted infant caps.

These ladies are pinning a quilt top, batting, and backing for stitching. This is truly a group effort.

This is Rosemary and Judy showing off a quilt that Rosemary just completed. It's a boy's print and I'm sure it will give lots of comfort to the little guy who gets it.

The first Tuesday of month there is a Potluck. There was a lot of great dishes and desserts. Good thing they don't do that every week because I would end up big as a house. These ladies are good cooks. So I have to tell you, meeting every Tuesday with these awesome ladies is just another perk of being retired. I am so blessed. I did a lot of visiting so I brought the project I was working on home so I could finish it. I think it's terrific to be able to help others by doing what you love to do.
Have a blessed week.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Just checking in.

I hope you all had a blessed Easter, I sure did. The day was filled with so many of the things I love. I started my day with Easter services followed with friends, family, food, and fun. The afternoon was topped off with a steady rain. I worked on a few quilt blocks after I cleaned up the kitchen. Life is too good!
Today is Mary's birthday. I wish I was in Oregon celebrating with her. Happy Birthday Mary, we love and miss you. I'm looking forward to Sister's.

I've been trying to find a way to spice up this blog, hence the new look. I'm not sure I will stay with it. This process takes up a lot of time I should be spending on other things. I thought being retired would free up time but it seems I'm busy doing something all the time. I'm sure that's a good thing, I just need to be selective on the things I choose to do.

I'm looking for ways to arrange my quilting studio and make it more efficient. I want to hang shelving on the walls and and get things off the floor. My hubby is not being very supportive on this issue. I did find some great pic on the web and hoped they would inspire him. If they did he sure isn't showing it. Any suggestions out there?

This week I will post a picture of the quilt I was working on at the retreat in Oregon. I'm joining friends for a quilt day tomorrow so maybe I'll have some other fun pics to share.

Have a blessed day.