It is time to party again! I do hope that you will join in and show us what you have done over the previous week... or month. It does not matter if you haven't offered an update in a while. I understand! Life happens and, at time, at a very rapid pace! If it has been a while... I don't mind - I'll grab a cup of tea as you get me (and a few friends) caught up.
The featured party participant this week is Amira from the Little Mushroom Cap. She shared a cozy fall quilt and offered a gentle reminder to "focus on the now." Many people view fall as a ramp-up for the busy, hectic holiday season.
All of the hubbub and fun of Halloween with the kids, costumes and candy followed by Thanksgiving and moving into December with Christmas and then a New Year right on the heels of that celebration.
November is a good time for gratitude... every little thing! Like Amira stated... small finishes, the satisfying reminder that progress, no matter how small, still counts.
So, here’s to November — to gratitude, to slowing down, and to cozy quilts that make our hearts full.
Remember when I started my "Blessings Jar"? I have been remiss in adding an ordinary blessing each day, but I have added bits here and there. Some days are easier than others to remember the little things.
Just the other day as I pieced a backing for the Little House sampler quilt, I offered a quick praise that I had just enough fabric to get it large enough for the quilt. It meant that I have some extra seams. Given the log cabin design of the blocks, I have lots of seams there. As I started quilting the FMQ feathers (it has been a while!) I was struggling with skipped stitches and thread breaks. (3 in just the short section on the right side of the feather.) Every single one of them was where there was extra bulk from the seams. **sigh**
I was getting frustrated and even considered ripping it all out and doing something easier... like a lattice grid or hanging diamond. I was finding and using every excuse to avoid sitting at the machine to do the free-motion quilting. Excuses like cleaning house (what???), checking the mail, doing the grocery shopping (when I had just gone the day before)... painting the shop with Dave (yes, I even enjoyed that 4-hour distraction 😉)... and the laundry.
I kept hoping the backing fabric that I had ordered for the Memory Keeper quilts would arrive so I could legitimately work on something else! I had a headache on Saturday morning that was increasing in pain. I finally sat and listened to a book and looked, searched and dug into deep storage for fabric options for an upcoming quilt retreat project.
As the pain subsided, I returned to the machine. I had decided to try the other side of the feathers and had much better success. Whoop! Whoop! I still need to figure out and adjust my positioning of the quilt on the machine to get the right side of the feathers completed. It is a struggle I have every time! I just need to pull out a practice piece and figure it out... But I felt more accomplished since one side of the first run of FMQ was done. (Yes, I know the coloring in this photo is awful, but it shows the quilting and the points of thread breakage.)
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At some point I will then need to finalize my fabric pull for the quilt retreat quilt... And gather everything I need for the retreat. I am praying that nobody shows up sick and shares as they did the last time I joined the retreat.
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| Options... Maybe 2 quilts? |
I'll let you know which I choose later. I have things to do! Quilty things to do!
Let's get the party started!
But before you go...
Tell me one thing you can do this week that will help you to slow down and enjoy the moment
I'd love to hear from you!
Keep Piecing,
Melva
Linking with:
Free-Motion Mavericks at Quilting & Learning
m
The speaker at our woman's club meeting on Tuesday is a life coach (ImperfectlyCharming (dot) com). She spoke to what you're saying in this post: how to slow down and calm down. I can't say that I have it mastered, but I keep trying!
ReplyDeleteI think your feathers look gorgeous! I mostly just quilt straight lines or gentle curves, so any curves like those are always admired. Amira's fall quilt is lovely, and I enjoyed reading her post about it. I like November - it does feel like a nice quiet time before the busy holidays. Good luck with finishing up those memory quilts and prepping for the retreat!
ReplyDeleteI like what you wrote about November. As for your feathers. . .can you raise your foot a bit? Sometimes that helps when crossing seam lines. Also, slow down when you are approaching those areas. Try a larger needle, sometimes that helps with thread breakage. Your feathers look good to me too. Keep going!--TerryK@OnGoingProjects
ReplyDeleteI would love to learn to FMQ feathers. I haven't gotten there yet! November always feels hectic. We will have 18 people for 10 days over the holidays with a number of food allergies, so I try to use November to plan menus and grocery lists so that I don't need to do that in December. Gratitude list are helpful!!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry about your headache but glad it eased. I do love the Little House quilt! We will be forced to slow down for a little while tonight while we babysit our grands. Our daughter and SIL have a dinner to attend, so we will be out late driving back home 50+ miles. But we are looking forward to being with those sweeties.
ReplyDeleteHopefully you can resolve the quilting problems soon. Sorry about the headache, those are never fun. Enjoy preparing for the retreat.
ReplyDeletewhat a fine question
ReplyDeleteI will try to put some things away, sorting slows me down and organization makes me feel more in control
LeeAnna
Slowing down is important. I'm sitting in the patio for a few minutes to get my breath. And sorting in the sew room gives me a calm feeling. You've got some lovelies to work on. Congrats.
ReplyDeleteYour Little House Sampler is so pretty! I'm glad you've gotten your feathers figured out as they will add the perfect touch. Thanks for sharing on my weekly show and tell, Wednesday Wait Loss.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.inquiringquilter.com/questions/2025/11/12/wednesday-wait-loss-458