Sew she grows!

The newsletter is out, classes are filling up and I still find myself short about 10 hours a day.  I had two days off this past weekend and did NOTHING!  I mean nothing!  I've been told that it was probably what I needed but still I felt guilty...with so much to do and so many projects on the go,  I really felt like I should have done something, anything, to keep up with myself.

I guess I gauge my output by my quilting which is probably not fair.  However, truth be told Rich and I managed to get quite a load of stuff out of the storage unit over the past week.  We want to give up the space and so now the boxes from the basement (from the townhouse and the last move) are finally being dealt with.  It's amazing what I've found, and to think all the stuff that was left behind.

Tuesday I worked at the store and came home to work on more boxes but I also managed to work on Lithia Park - there are 12 blocks sewn together with sashings!  It's slowly growing and since tomorrow night is "Don't bring your machine a.k.a. Applique Club" at the store I will be able to work on the last 2-1/2 blocks for the centre.  Here's what it looks like so far.....

 Lithia Park - 12 blocks and growing.....

It's  funny how when I work all day I can come home and just keep going but when I'm home for the day - I get nothing done!  At any rate I had to progress on this project in order to make room for my next project which is my 9 Patch Exchange blocks.

When I had my sewing room in the house this would not have been an issue as I just would have relocated the Lithia Park project but in the apartment I have limited space available so I really have to be more organized.  Don't get me wrong, my quilting is spread out throughout the apartment but because I share the living/dining room with Jonathan, I have to make sure I don't leave things lying around where they can be misplaced or moved.  A little frustrating but it works because I seem to move forward on projects faster.

So, I chose some fabrics for my first 4 blocks for the exchange.

 Fabrics for April (yes I'm behind) and May blocks.....

This gave me the opportunity to try out a few new products we have in the store.  When it was suggested that we host the 9 Patch Exchange, I was alerted to some great products that would insure accuracy in piecing these blocks.  So - I will try to take you through the process step by step here.

 First, a product called Cutting Edge....plastic strips that mark the underside of the ruler.

 The blocks are 3-1/2" blocks so I needed to mark the 1-1/2" on the rulers underside.

First I straighten the fabric....

 Then I butt the straightened edge along the plastic strips marked at 1-1/2" - and cut my strips.

 Fabric one, then fabric two.....

 Check out the markings, perfect 1-1/2" strips.....now we move to the sewing machine.

 The next product is called sewing edge!  (You can use a few layers of painters tape here instead)

 I take my 3-1/2" ruler and with my needle measure the 1/4" on my machine - then adhere a strip of the sewing edge tape which is about a 1/16" of an inch thick.

 You can cut these tapes but I chose to mark the machine and the table giving me a longer edge.  Then I stitched my first strip.

 Check the perfect 1/4" seam - I was thrilled!  So far, so good!

 The blocks worked out to exactly 3-1/2" - Voila - precision piecing!  To see my pinning method - look up Molly's Meadow on this blog - I give a demo there.

...and my second set of perfect 3-1/2" blocks!

I'm going to try posting this to the Cock A Doodle Quilt blog as a Tutorial Page shortly so you can refer back to it.  Hopefully I will be able to do it - I'm so not a techie!  FYI - you can use painters tape to do either of these things but I have to say I love the ease of these two products and they are both reusable and very accurate.....  

I've also been pretty busy designing quilts - a new mystery quilt for August and a Charm Square quilt as well as a quilt to use up my 9 Patch Exchange blocks.

Okay time for bed - a little reading, then some much needed sleep!

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann  

...

Oops!

It appears that I have dropped off the face of the earth for the past month!  I just updated the blog on Cock A Doodle and realized I hadn't been here for a while either.....didn't realize how long a while!

Today was my one day off - I get one per week and I relish it, usually, however, today I spent most of the day cleaning the house which has not been done properly in a long while.  Now, I wouldn't invite you all over to eat off the floors but for sure it's a huge improvement to what it was.  Now to do Jonathan's MOUND of laundry......because I couldn't stand living in a pig sty anymore or passing the room that looked like a pig sty every day I did the unthinkable and cleaned his room.

Guess I got lucky because his only complaint was that I put a dusty picture on top of his towel.....phew!!!!  Put it this way - it was more about organizing the room and moving the furniture into place rather than the middle of the room and getting everything (all the clothes) off the floor.

It feel great to accomplish even that little, when I think about the past year and how little energy I had to even sweep a floor!  I've come a long way baby!!!!

Speaking of "things to do" - I better get working on the newsletter for the store a.s.a.p. so I can  get it out to everyone.  We've got some great stuff coming up and I don't want to slow down those creative juices.....besides which I have another Mystery Quilt pattern to write and I'm finishing up a kit which needs to be cut, and, and, and.......it never ends!

I tell everyone that I quilt while I sleep - the only problem with that is that when I wake up there's nothing DONE!!!!!

So - I'm off to get SOMETHING DONE!!!!

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

It's the little things!

Tuesday's are my usual day off and luckily today was not exception.  Last week I only took 1/2 a day because I had a March Break student for Beginner Quilting so although I had a good day it was still not a "real" day off.

I was very excited about today because I was having company around lunch time.   Needless to say, even though I did not put the alarm on, I was awake at my usual 7:30 a.m..  That was good because I got up and made coffee and then began cleaning!  It was great, I got 90% of it done before I heard the knock at the door and knew Trudy had arrived.

Our original plan was to go out for lunch but I suggested we go over to Metro and pick something up.  After choosing two Cobb Salads (very good I might add), a small loaf of Belgian Bread (also very tasty) and a fruit salad which we shared - Trudy stopped at the Wine Rack (also in the plaza) and picked up a lovely Jackson-Triggs Pinot Grigio and we came back and enjoyed a beautiful lunch.....We had a great afternoon.  I made a small pot of coffee after lunch and Trudy left about 2:30 p.m.

Originally the plan was to meet up later and go to the YHQG meeting but I was just too comfortable at home and I had laundry to do....by 5:30 p.m. I had finished cleaning and laundry and done groceries.  I felt like I had accomplished conquering the world!!!!

It's easier to get everything done these days with Jonathan at work (yes, he is still gainfully employed).....I start with the kitchen -

 Then on to the living/dining room.....

 The office area - all sorted.....

 Finally - my bedroom and the bathroom of course......

 ....and my stash of projects, as messy as this may look, it is really very organized.

Once the laundry and cleaning were done I sat down and relaxed in front of the TV with the two bindings I have been trying to finish....I loaded up my Needle Dome with threads for both projects and alternated.....

I'll call this my "tool" of the week.  I love it, I have two now because one arrived damaged from the supplier so now I can keep one for my bindings and one for my hand project of choice.....(need to order more in for the store, we seem to be out of them)!

Tomorrow it's back to the store and loads of things to do including an e-mail to go out to everyone with lots of news!

Hope you all had a great day today and had the opportunity to enjoy this fabulous weather!

Jo-Ann

Finally!!!

I was determined to get "Winnie the Pooh" quilted but as usual, time was not working in my favour!  I believe in my last blog I showed "Bernie" (my trusted Bernina) all set up for quilting with "Winnie" close by.  I managed to do a bit every time I sat down but last night I was down to the crunch....I needed the table for something else!

As soon as I walked in the door I put dinner in the oven to warm and started quilting.  That was about 7:00 P.M..  I turned on the hockey game, Leafs lost AGAIN!!!!  and listened while I quilted away - stopped for a quick dinner and finished by 10:30 P.M..

 I'm pleased with the result and find I can easily manage

a quilt this size on the Bernina

 This was all free motion quilting,except for the 4 patch squares

where I used the walking foot and there are a couple of

lines with a decorative stitch where I used the open toe foot with

the feed dogs up.

Today, at some point, I will square off the quilt and if I can find the prepared binding (I've obviously hidden it in a very "safe" place!) then I will put the binding on.  The patterns and the kits should be ready shortly in the store......like I said, FINALLY!

As I said, I needed to get something else done so at 10:30 P.M. I rearranged the dining room for "Sonia" (my fabulous Janome) and for "easy" piecing.  By pushing the table up to the red cabinet I am able to set up the ironing "station" without interfering with the back door and close to the machine.

There are two projects that I MUST get done.  One is for today, so last night I worked diligently on my Amish Shadow blocks.  These are for my Beginner Machine Piecing and Quilting Class which is at 1:30 P.M..  I managed to get everything ready for class and just finished writing out my class notes 1/2 an hour ago.  You can see the remnants of my cutting efforts at the top right hand side of the cutting board.

If I remember, I will  take some pics when I have the blocks up on the design wall at the store this afternoon.  I might even piece it together tonight, however, there is the second project that is pressing......MY MYSTERY QUILT!!!!

I will be cutting for that tonight for sure and of course, no pics until after the class on April 28th......but in all honesty I still have that bolt of fabulous hot pink fabric at home that needs to make it's way back to the store so I can share it with everyone.

One of my customers asked me yesterday if I get to quilt all the time!!!!  I guess I probably thought, when I opened a quilt store, that I would be quilting all the time.  Unfortunately that is not the case....Admittedly I do get a lot more quilting done than I did when I was working full time and quilting as a hobby.  I think that my priorities at that time were a little askew and I missed out on a good form of relaxation.

When I had the house, I had a designated "quilting studio" and I really didn't use it nearly enough, even after the store opened.  The townhouse, already a memory, had everything set up in the dining room and I did manage to get quite a bit of quilting done there but I was also housebound for nearly eight months. 

The apartment is ideal in that I haven't got far to go to get my quilting done, again, set up in the dining room.  If Jonathan ever moves out (not too soon I hope) then I will replace his bed with my quilting room!!!!  (Once he leaves, it better be for good - lol)  He' s still working and got his first pay cheque on Thursday.  I can only imagine the feelings he's having of being able to "pay his own way".  Not to mention being able to contribute to the household expenses.  He's beginning to realize the struggle it's been this past year for me.  He's also getting an education in what things cost!  Reality check!

Well, I have to get off to the store and get some work done before I teach so, on that note....

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

Miracles Do Happen!!!!!

JONATHAN GOT A JOB!!!!  (My son, for those of you who don't know)  For those of you who do know, you realize that this is really a miracle!  It is so BIG a miracle that it almost overtakes the fact that on February 8th - the day before my Birthday - I was at the oncologist and got a CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH!!!  I am officially cancer free for 4 months and 12 days as of today!  Yeah me!!!!

However, it appears, even with my renewed energy level and my new outlook on life I cannot squeeze more than 24 hours out of one day!!!!  I have been very busy in the store, working 6 days a week and loving it but also trying to reorganize and restock and even find time to teach some classes.....

As you can well imagine this all cuts into my "quilting" time!!!! Ugh!!!  At any rate, the apartment is coming along slowly and I finally got "Bernie" set up and went straight to a project I have been working on - it seems forever!  I am quilting my Winnie The Pooh design and it should be kitted and available in the store in about 2 weeks.....

 I've also designed the Mystery Quilt and like a good girl, went to my stash to find the fabrics I want to use.  I am waiting for a "smushie" to arrive in the store as I don't have enough of the hot pink to make the sample.  (You will be getting fabric requirements shortly and I think the class may already be full!)

I've also started teaching a beginner student, Shirley, and we are having a fun time working on a quilt kit she bought for her daughter.  The pattern is Yellow Brick Road but unfortunately I made a big BooBoo when starting her off and didn't read the pattern right!!!  Duh!  By the time we are done it will be a completely different pattern!!!

These are Shirley's fabrics, one of my favourite combos - Black, White and a touch of red!

As luck would have it, I bought a kit to make this quilt about 12 years ago on one of my trips to New Jersey.  It's been in my "kit cupboard" waiting for an opportunity to jump out and become a quilt....  I thought it would be cool if I worked side by side with Shirley to make this quilt and so these are my colours, and they are lucious flannels!

In my beginner classes I always take the time to explain thread choices and would like to mention that now.  I chose a neutral medium beige to piece my quilt, that way the stitching will not show.  Shirley is using white thread for hers and should be fine with that.  It's important to try to keep your thread choices neutral or even try to match them to the colours you are working with.  This way, your seams with just blend into the block designs.  Just a "little" quilt tip to make your day! 

On that note, I better get my act together, it's late and I have to leave for the store in 20 minutes!  I'm not even dressed yet......see what I mean, only 24 hours in a day!!!!

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

Finally!!!!

I realize that having just moved on January 4th, I wasn't expected to be completely organized and ready to tackle quilting projects right away.  That was a given conclusion, but, I have so missed being able to come home and "play" with Sonia or Bernie over the past few weeks.

Friday morning before work I finally set Sonia up on the dining room table so that I could get a much needed binding done for an upcoming store feature.  I can't tell you how wonderful it was to get back to my machine!

Jonathan snuck the camera out last night and snapped a rare picture of me.  I was so content sitting in that chair sewing on that binding that I didn't even notice right away what he was doing and if the flash had not gone off I probably would have never known!

We are still busy organizing and finding places for things around the house but all in all most things have found their home and the chaos is dissapating (I won't show you my closet yet!)....

Tonight my plan is to work on both the binding plus a quilt I have been trying to get quilted for a long while.  It's nice to get back into my groove.....while at the same time trying to keep up with things that have to get done at the store!  Of course it is all related in some way!

Hope you are having a great day!

Jo-Ann

Happy Chaos!!

I couldn't be happier!  Richard, my son Jonathan and his two friends Ian and Dana moved 99% of the Townhouse yesterday to the apartment and I am thrilled because everything FITS!!!!  Well, there was an extra bed, an extra sofa and the TV cabinet didn't come either but those were planned, everything else fit exactly where I thought it would!!!!

 We ate standing up last night to make room for all the "grocery" bags being used to transport stuff, but once those bags are out of the way, everything fits in my dining room.....

 The living room is big enough to accomodate everything that was in the townhouse and the wing chair that was up in the guest bedroom at the townhouse....

 ..from another angle it also accomdates my large antique cabinet now being used to have the TV on as well as my pine desk and the pine storage unit that was in the den/office at the house!

 The kitchen counters have become makeshift storage while we moved the "big" stuff it all came out of....and my stove is now computerized with a built in monitor - NOT - wouldn't that be cool!!!!  Make Spaghetti and Meatballs and it's done by the computer/stove......

 No surface area was spared until I get it all in place....

 Even the floor is covered in the kitchen, but it all has it's place which it will soon find.....

 My red bookcase from the office/den fits perfectly in the front hall, in front of the door - makes me feel scholarly (and we don't actually use the front door to go in and out - we use the patio door!).

 Jonathan's room - still nothing done but in all honesty this picture was taken before they came back to build the bed at 10:30 P.M. when they finished with everything......

 Looking from the other side to the kitchen, my red bookcase......

 My bedroom - has all the furniture in place and I couldn't believe it but I even got the sea chest in which for me was a major bonus!

 By taking the sliding closet doors off, I was able to fit my second dresser into the alcove and the wing chair and hassock leave plenty of walking room.......Hopefully at some point in the near future there will be a curtain up to hide the "stash".....but Rich says he likes it that I have to wake up and look at all my unfinished stuff, maybe I won't start anything new!!!!  Uh-huh!

...and my dresser fits in great along with the little bookshelf for my craft/quilt books that was in the guest bedroom at the townhouse....the little greenmarks are the painters' tape marking the drawers and where they go!

I still have to go back to the townhouse tonight after work to clean and gather up all the little odds and ends the "boys" didn't take with them and there are still a few....I think mostly breakables which have to be packed up and transported carefully!  So that's where I'm off to now but I am SOOOOOO excited to be in the new place, I can't express how happy I am!

Off to clean - have a great day everyone!!!!

Jo-Ann

P.S.  I'm really hoping to be saying Off to Quilt in a few days!

Happy New Year!!!!!

You have no idea how much I am looking forward to 2012!!!!  Well maybe you do!  If you've been following my blog for the past year you know I am very glad to see the back of 2011 - the last 6 hours are ticking down now!

....and what I am doing for New Year's Eve!!!!  I am going to pick up the keys to my new apartment!  Yep - we are on the move again!  Not too far from where we are but to a much smaller place and a place with NO STAIRS!  There are a number of reasons for the move but one of the most rewarding will be not having to climb stairs.  After last night I am even more grateful for this - I came home to find that the steps up to the courtyard in front of the townhouse were extremely icy but worse than that, the courtyard was like a skating rink.  I'm not sure exactly how I made it to the front door without falling but thank heavens I did......

The hard part about the move will be finding a way to fit three floors of furniture into a two bedroom apartment, ha! ha!  It appears I will be learning how to use E-Bay, Kijiji and Craig's List in the very near future!!!!  It's a good thing I have that big room at the back of the store to "dump" stuff until I either sell it, give it away or dispose of it!

I really am looking forward to a smaller space for a million reasons, one being, it is so much easier to keep clean.....even Jonathan will have a hard time living in squalor!  (I hope!)  There's a 24 hour Metro right around the corner (Jonathan could actually get a job!)!  We'll be on the ground floor, so, easy access from outside - won't need to wait for elevators!  It also gives us a nice little garden space in the summer.  At this stage in my life I also have no objection to "purging", whether it be furnishings or all the other stuff I've managed to accumulate over the years.

This move is going to force me to go through all the boxes in the basement that have yet to be unpacked since last February when we moved.  You know what that probably means!!!  If we didn't miss it - we probably didn't need it!!!!  In a way I'm looking forward to it but the new house will be in total chaos for the next few days,weeks, even months!
I'll just need to focus and get it done!  It should be interesting to see what's there....I have a vague recollection but I'm still not sure what's in all those boxes...... I may have to change the name of the store to "Second Hand Jo's"!!!!! ...and start selling "used" items!

I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!  I wish you all everything you wish for yourselves and more!  A wonderful 2012!!!!  I just want an uneventful 2012 - a nice quiet year which will give me the time to "re-group" and turn my energies towards the store and my quilting!!!!

Hoping everyone has a great evening this evening and a Happy day tomorrow!

All the best,

Jo-Ann

I'm hooked!

Popeye's Chicken!  Yup - I love it!  Every once in awhile I get this craving for KFC, so last week I broke down and ordered it - it's been awhile.  It was absolutely awful and to top it off, it came from a different location because the location near us has closed. 

Last week Rich and I went to Costco and Walmart to pick up some stuff and the Walmart on St. Clair is right next to a Popeye's Chicken,  Rich raves about it and Nancy mentioned it a couple of weeks ago so I said - let's pick some up ---- oh my, how delicious!  Loved it so much that Nancy and I had it last Thursday night for dinner too!  I've had my fill for now but honestly - it really is good chicken!!!!

Back to quilting - all my leaves are done on Lithia Park - finished last night while watching a little TV - now the flowers.....

Today, being my only day off this week, I've been busy, busy, busy!  First thing was to take photos of all the stuff I'm selling that is upstairs -

The DVD/Video Player $30.00

The Wing Chair - Green Plaid $150.00

The Classic 3 Seater Sofa - $250.00

The Sleigh Bed/Matress and Box Spring + 2 Night tables $500.00

The Cottage Clock - $30.00

 The Cottage Night Light - $30.00 - the tent lights up, it's one of those cool things I couldn't pass up when I saw it!!!!

Most of it has already been posted on Kijiji but I know I'm not finished yet!  After that I folded laundry and cleaned the bathroom, took a shower and dressed! 

We're packing again, downsizing!  So I'm really trying to get everything in order so there will be very little to move.  Stuff has to go to the store (no fabric - lol!  That's all mine!!!)
and I have to repack everything I packed up last year at this time......de ja vu!!!  As much as I love the townhouse, it's just too much for me!  Too many stairs, too much house to keep clean and it's also really pricey when you consider how much time I actually spend at home......

I've been doing alot of reevaluatiing after what I've just been through and when I think about what I want going forward, because now I can look forward.....just a little space to come home to, a place where I can quilt, a cozy little spot to call my own!!!  Well - rent as my own!!!  I'm going to see a two bedroom apartment the end of the week and hopefully it will be our next home.....aside from the moving part, I'm actually looking forward to it!  This way, if Jonathan ever moves out I'll have a designated sewing room, but up until then the dining room and possibly my bedroom will have to do!!!!  

Okay - gotta get back to work, I want to get the borders done on my Trip Back In Time and maybe even get some quilting done tonight on another project that is long overdue.....

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann 

I do make mistakes......

We won't go back to the beginning and comment on all of my mistakes!  We will concentrate only on the un-sewing of the past two days.....

It's actually a miracle that I only made one mistake on my "trip Back In Time " pattern since I don't have that great design wall at home that I have at the store, but in fact I did have to do some un-sewing last night.  I came home from a day at the store and then a Merchant's Association meeting and completed the quilt centre - tomorrow I'll get Nancy to help me "audition" the borders and then to the quilting.....

Notwithstanding the mess in the house and the great shot of the downstairs toilet,  Jonathan is a great quilt model!!!!

So this morning I'm showing off my Lithia Park flowers to a customer and what do I see!!!  Three of the flowers are out of order....I mean, I did them all consecutively.  My customer said, just leave them, but after all that work I just couldn't - so some more un-sewing!  Now I just have to re-sew them which I will do while watching CSI.....my TV time should always be productive!

More news, we are moving yet again!  I'm not sure exactly when but I'm going to see an apartment next week and will know more then!  As much as I do love the space, etc. of the townhouse, the stairs are not doing me any favours and the $$$$ are doing me in as well.  The townhouse does not include heat or hydro, more bills to pay......The apartment includes everything including one parking, albeit outdoor, but still - one price, everything included!  This means we have to "downsize" again!  I may have to open a second hand furniture store - maybe in the store to devoid me of all the extra stuff!!!!!  There's so much to sort through and not alot of time - not to mention I am full time in the store now so there is literally NO TIME!  I hate that word - it's a 4 letter word!!!!!

It will be another NEW beginning - hopefully better than the last one!  Last year was not one I want to repeat - EVER!!!!  On that note, I am off to watch TV a little before bed....

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

I've been missing!

I can't believe that I've been off the grid for 5 days!  It really didn't seem that long but the evidence is the blog which shows the last posting as June 7th!  At any rate I have had some pretty good days - mostly doing alot of paper work which has been long overdue.

I was getting ready for a short visit from my friend Libby and her mom, Pauline, who are on their way to Mexico for a week.  They arrived last night at around 4:30 P.M. but more about that later.  I spent 3 days cleaning the house and even though it felt like it took forever it was well worth the effort......you can actually see the floor!!!!

                                       

 ....and the coffee table is finally clear of all kinds of stuff, because it's so big it tends to be a catch all for just about everything....just organizing everything was a chore!

 For me it was a major overhaul, getting all the projects sorted and put aside.....of course it's important to let you know that not everything got sorted but the floors all clean and clear and it just feels great.  I really would love to keep it that way.....Surprisingly, Jonathan has been pretty good about this, he's been keeping it pretty clean but it's early days yet.....

 Even the hallway is clear (can't wait to get some stuff up on those blank walls - soon!).......

 So, even though it's been cleaned, the boxes of paper work and bags with projects still needed a home and the office/den is not so clean looking......it soon will be though because those boxes are going to the accountant shortly......

 Unfortunately my desk still leaves alot to be desired!  Once Rich gets that Bulletin board up I will fix up the desk and get some great stuff up on the walls.... the house is still a work in progress but it's slowly coming along......

So in honour of Libby, since she went to so much trouble cleaning, cooking and doing laundry while she looked after me in May after my first chemo treatment I wanted her to know that all her efforts didn't go to waste.  They arrived yesterday afternoon and then came Suzi and Barb and the 5 of us headed out to dinner at Zets out by the airport!  The best food ever!  Chicken souvlaki, gyros, burgers, steaks and to die for Fish & Chips!  You can't go wrong - the food is amazing!  I've been going there for a number of years and I introduced Libby to it a couple of years ago - she never misses an opportunity to go there when she's in town.....

We all went back to my place for dessert, Strawberry Shortcake, and coffee!  Admittedly I was exhausted but it was an amazing evening spent with good friends.  Libby brought two quilts which she machined quilted for Suzi and they are both absolutely amazing.  Once Suzi has the binding on them I'll ask her if I can take some pictures......Libby is an extremely accomplished machine quilter, all this in one year, she took to it like a duck to water!

Speaking of quilting, I started my "Milestone Diary" today.  It's basically a list of the things I want to accomplish each day (the blog was #7 but so far I still need to do 2-6, I skipped ahead for the blog).  It's not that I have to accomplish everything each day - it's just a guide for me, but each time I tick something off I feel great! 

Barb took me shopping on Friday evening and it took me two hours to go through Metro - it never took that long before, I feel so slow moving!  The walking is a chore but I got everything I needed and that included quite a bit of fresh meat.  This afternoon, in two sessions, I prepped and froze what we're not using immediately.  That used to take 1/2 hour to an hour, today I had to split it up but still I got it done.  Learning my current limitations appears to be part of the process here.  Before I would just push on and then end up sick or just not feeling well.  Now, I stop as soon as I feel I've had enough....

So now I'm off to layer and pin two baby quilts, maybe set up the Bernina and/or the Janome and quilt or piece....I fgure I owe myself some "fun" time and relaxition and that begins with a Q for quilting!!!!!

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-An