Temporary Time Out

I am dealing with a flare up of my diverticulosis/isis.  

My doctor has prescribed two strong/effective medications and I am resting as much as I can.

I'll be back here once I make upstairs, into the studio, and have something new to share.

Quiltdivajulie

Pushing Pause for a Few Days

Young Man hamming it up during morning care drop-off.

He and his dog will be with us this weekend while Mommy and Daddy handle work obligations. 

Monday is clear liquids day with my five-year recall colonoscopy Tuesday morning.

I'll be back with a new post on Wednesday.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Above all, never let age extinguish the fire of your inner child."

S. Ajna

Sabbatical - Week One

I have enlisted Little Man's help in the making of a donation quilt for Nancy's recent request.

LM brought this selected group of his mag tile circles upstairs to help "pick the best colors" from my resource boxes.

Once the 6.5" squares were cut, he laid them out on the design wall (7 across x 9 down).

And this is the result.  

I won't stitch it together until after he goes home at the end of next week.

As I cut, he nabbed the cut off pieces and started designing "a placemat" for his house.

When the slab turned out to be 23" x 26" he tested it as a quilt for Pikachu and Meri (his class mascot meerkat from kindergarten).

Their new quilt-to-be is pin basted and waiting to be quilted.  

The roll of leftover binding will work perfectly to finish it up.

Beyblades (and their arena) are one of LM's most-played-with-toys these days.

Dee Dah took him to Target and these new ones came home . . . but before they could be played with, LM had to promise to vacuum out the car. 

He was diligent about getting every piece of dirt.

He also found time to make this new beaded sun catcher.  

* * *

Daddy will borrow him one morning next week - the cast is due to be removed if all checks out okay on the x-rays.  

In its place, he'll have a removable brace (no more rubber shower sleeve).

Lots more things to do during Week Two . . . I'll check in again late next week.

Quiltdivajulie

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"It simply isn't an adventure worth telling if there aren't any dragons."

J.R.R. Tolkien

Sabbatical of Sorts

Little Man arrives later today for his two week stay at Camp Sefton.

There will be all sorts of adventures (unlike Calvin and Hobbes above) but I'm guessing not much time for posting here.

So I'll sign off for a bit, knowing that I might pop in if there are some particularly great photos to share.

See you again mid-month!

Quiltdivajulie

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"May the joy of simple things color the canvas of your soul."

Mary Davis

Checking In

I've made a few more color section divider cards for the Rolodex project.

This is the "front" of the brown card.  

(with two Eagle Scouts and a former Scoutmaster in our household, that Scouting stamp deserved a prime spot)

This is the other side of the brown section's divider card.

Next up was a divider for the "cool neutrals" section.  

This is the front side.

And this is the reverse.

I didn't like my first attempt at the purple section's divider card so I decided to make a replacement.

This is the front side.

And this is the reverse.  

Cream or "warm neutrals" is one section I'm looking forward to filling.

This it the divider card's front side.

And this is the reverse.

(does anyone else remember sticking S & H green stamps into the booklets as a child following grocery store visits?)

I also tried one card for the Red section using fabric as the background.   

(I make two cards (front and back) and glue them together to improve their durability - they are too flimsy otherwise)

I love the look of the fabric but time will tell how the edges and cut out areas for the "rails" hold up.

* * *

And just so you don't worry, I'm going to take a few days away from the blog.  

There's nothing wrong, just that I've been spending lots of time on the back porch listening to the birds and reading which means there hasn't been much quilting-related stuff to share (the rolodex project has somehow become my after-dinner activity before ending the evening with my current book). 

I'll be back . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

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"We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment is a miracle and a mystery."

H. G. Wells

Lessons from a Christmas Tree

Twinkle;

Share your gifts;

Bring JOY to others;

Be a light in the darkness;

We all fall over sometimes;

You were born to SPARKLE, even if your garland's a little droopy sometimes; 

AND

It's okay to be a little tilted.

Merry Christmas to all ~ Quiltdivajulie

Blog Break

There was no sewing of any kind this past weekend as Little Man was here for several sleeps.  Now I need to get ready for my NH trip to visit with Lynne while DH and YS hold down the home front. So I'm giving myself a few days away from the blog.

I'll be back here late next week with plenty of photos to share.

Quiltdivajulie

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“I am sure there is Magic in everything, only we have not sense enough to get hold of it and make it do things for us.”

Frances Hodgson Burnett

Summer Breeze - The Flimsy

The quilt top for Summer Breeze is sewn together.

39" x 39"

Inspired by Sujata Shah's Sunset design

in her Cultural Fusion Quilts book.

Now I need to consider how it will be quilted.

* * *

I'll be posting less often for the rest of July

while I invest some time in myself 

with a “build your own artist residency."

(phrase borrowed from Lynn Harris)

My weekly recap posts for Optic Strings

will continue and I'll pop in here and there

with any finishes that are ready to be shared;

but otherwise I plan to keep a low online profile

and focus instead on stitching and quilting.

Quiltdivajulie

Busy in So Many Ways

I won't be posting much this week 

for a wide variety of reasons 

that include dental work,

open enrollment phone calls/paperwork,

getting caught up after the quilt show,

putting our Halloween things away,

getting out the Thanksgiving decorations,

clearing away our frostbitten annuals,

and preparing for next Monday's colonoscopy.

As time and energy permit

I hope to fit in some studio time,

but it will be a few days

before I have much new to share here.

In the meantime,

The Best of Brain Pickings 2017

offers a lengthy list of 

thought-provoking articles.

(I especially enjoyed 

This is a Poem that Heals Fish)

Quiltdivajulie

It's That Time of Year

It's back to school season

which means it's time for me to stop and reassess

the variety of projects in my studio.

Those of you who've followed my blog for a while

know I go through this process every year.

I've already spent several hours

sorting through potential backing yardage

and assigning them to various projects.

You can see by the collages of those backs 

that I really do love all sorts of fabrics.

Some of these projects are at the idea stage

with potential fabrics pulled for consideration.

Others are cut out and ready to be sewn.

I've already decided to jettison a few

that were at the idea stage.

Their previously-pulled fabrics 

are now back in the stash.

There are two others I'm on the fence about.

They're wonderful fabrics,

although far less saturated than my true loves,

and I'm questioning whether I want to 

spend the time finishing them or let them go.

For now, they'll move to the bottom of the list

and if they're still lingering the next time I re-evaluate,

I'll know for certain they should be gone.

I am going to take a week or so away from the blog

while I continue stirring and sorting.

Taking a break always brings new energy and ideas

along with a renewed sense of focus.

I might even get a quilt or two quilted

(there are six ready to be done)

and maybe a few small things for family members.

I'm quite sure the Squirrel of Judgment

won't mind if I take time to clean and tidy

and prioritize the many ideas filling my head.

Quiltdivajulie

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"The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings."
Kakuzo Okakura in The Book of Tea

Thanksgiving Week is Here

Postcard ca. 1960s

Thanksgiving week is upon us  . . .

Click here to explore the documented history of this annual tradition

(and, for those who don't know, click here to read about my connection to that history)

Despite the very real issues of today, 

we have so much to be thankful for . . .

* * * 

Blessings and happy holiday wishes to each of you . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

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p.s.  Check out four of my quilts listed on the Quilts For Sale page at AAQI

Making Waves  

All Buttoned Up  

Sapphire Mornings  

Yin Yang 

And remember - funds go to Alzheimer's research grants

Time to Rest & Recover

It's a seasonal cold with cough (I hope) . . .

So, if you need me,

I'll be under a quilt in the recliner

with my mug of tea near by . . .

Quiltdivajulie

Weekend = Break

photo courtesy of Google Images

* * * * *

photo courtesy of Google Images

* * * * *

See ya'll next week!

Quiltdivajulie

Thinking it Through

"A Moments Rest" by Julien Dupre' (1851-1910)

* * *

Lots of things going on in and out of the studio,
including plenty of thoughtful contemplation.

As I've noted before, the "back to school season"
feels much more like my "new year" than January 1 ~
so this pause is very much part of my process.

* * *

Not to worry ~ I'll be back soon!

Quiltdivajulie

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"Impartial observers from other planets would consider ours an utterly bizarre enclave if it were populated by birds, defined as flying animals, that nevertheless rarely or never actually flew.

They would also be perplexed if they encountered in our seas, lakes, rivers, and ponds, creatures defined as swimmers that never did any swimming.

But they would be even more surprised to encounter a species defined as a thinking animal if, in fact, the creature very rarely indulged in actual thinking."


Steve Allen

Touching Base

Photo courtesy of Google Images

Dryness promotes the formation of flower buds...

flowering is, after all, not an aesthetic contribution,

but a survival mechanism.

(Ann Haymond Zwinger)

* * *

Lots going on,

just nothing to show right now.

Will be back soon!

Quiltdivajulie

Wednesday WIP

The flimsy has now been pressed and trimmed.

The back needs only its final center seam stitched

before I can press and trim the giant four-patch to size.

This one will be ready to go to Chris by Thursday.

Yes! 

Well ahead of the 6/15 deadline I had set for myself.

* * *

I've tried to leave comments on many blogs

over the past 24 hours ~

Blogger seems to be a tad cranky about that.

Are others having issues, too?

* * *

And now, in honor of the

(already-started for some lucky folks) long weekend,

I'm taking a few days off from blogging.

I'll be back next week ~

see ya'll then!

Quiltdivajulie

Too Many Details!

So many things to be done . . .

Work exhausted me this past week

and I feel like I'm just going in circles.

Time to pause and re-group.

Be back soon!

Quiltdivajulie

New Beginnings . . .

Time to stop for a bit . . . 

to listen to the birds sing,

to feel the sun's wintry-warmth and to smell the fresh air . . . 

. . . to clean and tidy the studio,

to sit and savor some of my colorful quilt books,

and to refresh my work-weary spirit . . . 

Also to spend some time catching up on my blog reading

(two-three weeks behind in most cases).

p.s.

Have you read Tonya's recent post?

I'm SO happy her mojo has returned!

I absolutely LOVE her current project!!!

(I hope my mojo is enjoying its vacation and comes back soon,

inspired & eager to move forward).

Here's to the adventures that lie ahead!

Quiltdivajulie

Finally Friday . . .

What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, and makes a slinkity sound?
A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing! Everyone knows it's Slinky.
It's Slinky, it's Slinky. For fun it's a wonderful toy.
It's Slinky, it's Slinky. It's fun for a girl or a boy.

Here's to the weekend!

Quiltdivajulie

Quick Update

The project I've been given at work is giving me multiple bad hair days ... I've made a dent in the long list of elements involved, but there are LOTS more to handle. And, all the while, the attorneys continue their regular work.

So, I'm still here . . . just not stitching very much in the evenings.

p.s. There will be a giveaway for post 600 which is coming up shortly ~ stay tuned!

Quiltdivajulie