Have you Tinkled Today?

Before I forget, DirecTV is making some amazing strides for the RV’er.  Check out this article for preview of what’s coming this Spring!

It didn’t get as cold as predicted last night, only down to 24 degrees. Nonetheless our water froze. We don’t normally have to watch it until it’s below 10 degrees, so I’m thinking that like last time it flooded like this, the water tripped the breaker around the water lines where the heat source plugs in, and has done so again. This is only a problem when I forget to fill my coffeepot prior to going to bed… which fortunately, I did not!

Over on the Garden Quilt Forum, they’re doing a “Quilt for Valor” in which everyone submits a 12” block. They’ll make as many quilts as they have blocks, each quilt will be 12 blocks with sashings and border. I’ll be digging into my limited stash to see what I can come up with, tons of red and white I’m sure, but no blue!

It would seem that quilters all over the web are participating in “Stash Busting” this year. Woe to the Quilt Shops! I guess that leaves some of us left to try and support them on our own eh?   My stash accumulates in fabric for entire quilts. I don’t buy (or rarely) stash just for the sake of stash. When I find a quilt pattern I have to make, I buy all the fabric (or a kit if I like the pre-chosen fabrics) for it and put it in one of my many baskets. That’s my stash. And it has indeed gotten out of hand. My goal is to make all those quilts this year. The problem is, I keep discovering new projects I can’t pass up!

Thread is actually my weakness. If I had the room, I’d own it all. Gorgeous, luscious threads make me positively drool! Cottons, silks and wool, I love the warm luster they have.

Over on Kim’s blog, she says ” The rules are simple - No frivolous fabric purchases. Only buy fabrics you need to finish a quilt.” Well I guess that makes me exempt, because I NEED all those fabrics to finish my quilts! Justification is such a scrumptious word isn’t it?

One of my goals this year is to start keeping a better quilt journal. I’d like to document not only pictures of the quilt, but to include each fabric manufacturer and name, as well as thread brands and colors, needle sizes, etc. So often I buy fabric for an entire quilt, then for whatever reason I may want more of one of the fabrics later, or someone will ask me what fabric that is… and I no longer know.

Click for larger viewIn light of promising myself NOT to check out what’s new with my favorite quilt designers, I promptly ignored that this morning and headed over to peek at Fig Tree Quilts latest offerings. Bad, bad idea. I’m in love, look at this, isn’t it gorgeous?

Last but by no means the least of this mornings discoveries was Judy Martin’s wonderful ironing board setup.  While I obviously can’t make it work for me, those of you not living in a box might want to build one.  She even shares how to build it in one of her newsletters.
Click for larger view

I nearly finished ripping the quilting out of my quilt last night, but my eyes gave out before I could finish.  I’ve managed to misplace my reading glasses (I’m turning into my Mother!) and having a heck of time seeing those tiny stitches without them.