I have been watching a lot of YouTube videos since I retired…quilting, cooking, bargains, and crafts.
I started to think about this after watching a video on the New Retired Me channel…also produced by a retired teacher.
I don’t want to substitute teach to make extra money. Why not be a YouTube star? 😎
Check out my first video here.
Thank you in advance for your help and support!
Later,
Lorrie
I told you a couple of weeks ago that I would share my participation progress in some sew alongs. To find this block of the month, google “Quilting Life 2023” or click here. This block of the month is run by Sherri McConnell.
Blocks for this year are available in 12 inch and 6 inch. So far, the pattern is on one page (for those of us who like a paper pattern to look at). Video tutorials are also available on YouTube.
The pattern is available on the first Monday of every month. Please check the website for availability after the fact.
I am making both size blocks.
I am using as much scrap fabric as possible, especially since I organized!
I also have a few spring pictures to share:
Now on a sad note…I am tired of deleting spam for pharmaceuticals, porn, and whatever is being sold or talked about in Russian etc., so I am turning off active comments. Please e-mail me directly.
I love to hear from you!
To wrap it up this week, I hope you are having fun making…maybe participating in sew alongs. Hope you weather is making spring flowers appear! What are you working on/ seeing in nature this week?
Later,
Lorrie
After my last post evaluating the goals from 2022, I have decided on the goals for this year. I am continuing to use my little green book. I am expanding my sewing days into a tiny calendar with specific tasks that are completed listed on the dates. That way I can feel like I am accomplishing more. I am also using a 3 ring notebook to keep track of sew alongs, reorganizing challenges, etc.
Time to finish up some tops that I have made for people that I love. I printed off a “list” organizer for just this purpose…maybe that will help. This step always seems like work to me.
Goal: Turn a quilt top into a finished product every month…or at least 12 for the year.
Last year I had a goal of 2 blogs a week. Sadly, I did not meet this goal. I would like to write more patterns. I think my blog will help me do just that. By setting this goal so low, I will feel that I have accomplished great things if I write more!
Goal: Publish 1 blog articles a week.
I am keeping the same goal. I did not meet the goal last year, but I was working from January until the end of May, plus cleaning my classroom out getting ready to retire. I think that I can easily meet this goal this year.
Here are my revised list of tasks that I count as sewing:
Goal: Complete a sewing activity from the above list at least 80% of the days in the year…that is 292 days.
I met this goal easily last year. I am not ready to increase it just yet, but I think I can meet it again!
Goal: Read at least one book a month…or 12 books in the year.
I am keeping this goal. We are currently reading Love and War by John Jakes. This book should keep us busy for quite a while. This is the second book in the series. We usually only read a chapter or two during a read aloud session…15 to 30 minutes a day.
Goal: Read to each other at least 2 days a week.
I am going to continue to use my little green book. It is numbered and set up. I also have a small calendar from the dollar tree and a notebook. Writing information down keeps me accountable.
So what do you want to accomplish this year? What habits help you maintain some calm in your life? I love to hear your thoughts!
Later,
Lorrie
This week I am trying my best to finish a quilt camp flower challenge project. I showed the huge rose covered center of the quilt in a previous post. It will add to the suspense and mystery if I do not repost that picture today.
I will be adding these three dimensional flowers to the outside border.
I made the petals using a clover device:
This is incredibly easy to use. I wish I could invent a simple gadget like this.
I also used a clover yo-yo maker:
Both of these products are available on Amazon and a variety of other fabric / craft stores.
What are you working on this week?
Later,
Lorrie
In my last post, I had a picture of the lake view from our cabin in Hale, Michigan. There were many usable items left behind by the previous owners, but some things just needed to be refreshed.
Let’s talk about curtains. The ones in the kitchen were serviceable…in the 1960’s! They were fiberglass, so there was no real issue with them catching of fire when they got caught in the oven door…OMG! (Yes, you could actually catch the corner in the oven door. Yikes!) I love this quaint kitchen. It screams 1955. It was perfect for the time it was built.
This is my modernization. Behind the valances are “wood look” blinds to be closed only when the cabin is shut down for long stretches of time. In the new picture, you will also notice that we stimulated the local economy by replacing the appliances. The good folks at the Do It Best Hardware in Hale were helpful and wonderful.
The curtains in the main living area are fine for now. I will deal with them next year. At the moment, they can be closed or opened as needed. They adequately block the view from outside, keep out heat/ drafts, or open to let in light. They are a pleasant color. I can’t decide if I want to keep some of them or change all of them…decisions…decisions.
The bedrooms all have black out curtains. Well, they would be black out curtains if they weren’t about 3 inches too short when they are closed. They also gap and hang awkwardly because of the curtain hooks at the top. In two of the bedrooms, the sun streams in right on the eyes of the sleeping guests. Wakey, wakey is not a good plan for vacation. I slightly modified the curtains to match the theme in each bedroom. I also eliminated the curtain hook.
To improve the bedroom curtains, I first cut off the pleats at the top. I know…I know…someone paid a lot of money for those pleats. I don’t care. I am short and could not reach them to close them without knocking them off the curtain rod. I added a fabric sleeve at the top. I used a self-seaming method that I learned while making homemade pillowcases.
Update: I read somewhere that this is called the burrito technique. All unfinished seams are inside after sewing just ONE seam. Miracle! This is a great seam technique to learn here.
To prepare the curtain to add the fabric at the top, the ends of the fabric are seamed so that the new topper is the correct width. The fabric is basically wrapped around the rolled up curtain. After the seam is sewn, the curtain is pulled out from the inside…turning the new topper out right.
Curtains are not the most exciting sewing topic because they are simple rectangles. This little project would have appealed to my great Aunts, those wonderful ladies that survived the Great Depression.
What make do projects have you been working on recently? Drop me an e-mail. I would love to hear about your work.
Later,
Lorrie
