I've Got Some 'Splainin' to Do!

I've been quiet on my Blog for way too long. As the saying goes...Life gets in the way sometimes. Bear with me as I recount the past several months.

The first reason/excuse was because I was a quilting-sewing maniac this past summer. I found my creative mojo as smoke seemingly wafted from the motor of my Bernina! I might add that (of course) none of the projects on which I was working had anything to do with simple or easy. Here are a few of the items I produced last summer...you might have seen them on Instagram or Facebook or at one of my guild talks:

There are over 3500 one inch tumblers in this quilt that I designed.

Detail of the border from the above Tiny Tumbler Quilt

This is my Positive-Negative Ode to My Accucutter

Detail of above Positive-Negative Quilt

My second reason/excuse that I have not blogged or even bothered to updated my blog for a very long time was that I had an incredibly full schedule of guild talks, vending at quilt shows, and book signings last fall. It was an immense amount of work but, as always, a lot of fun too. I presented my first workshop in September at the Eastern Iowa Quilt Guild. Getting ready for the workshop was no small feat. The workshop that I offer is a Tiny Tumbler workshop. I pre-cut packets of 100 tumblers which will make a 10 1/2 x 10 1/2" block and made a pattern to explain my method of sewing tumblers. Pre-cutting the tumblers took so much more time that I guessed!  Here is a photo of my first class with everyone proudly holding their semi-finished pieces:

Thank you Eastern Iowa Quilt Guild!

Reason/excuse number three of why I fell behind in my communiques: TKR...Total Knee Replacement of my right knee. I scheduled the surgery not to interfere with my book schedule...or so I thought. Three days after my final guild talk of the 2016 fall season...there I was with a rather large scar on my knee and as helpless as I've ever been! In a million years I never thought it would hit me so hard. I admit to being stubborn and can usually push through anything, but I quickly found I was NOT in control! Add to this a few other health issues that I was having and yours truly was completely out of commission for about 3 months. 😟   No pictures of my knee here!!!

Book 5 News

Okay, this is the hard part for me to tell you about. I guess I'll just spit it out and get it over with...the release of Book 5 will be delayed for a few months. I had hoped #5 would be out by early spring but realistically it appears as though I won't be able to have it finished, edited, and published until early summer.  I have rationalized to myself that I've managed to get four books out in four years, so if I run a little late on the 5th one, I shouldn't be so hard on myself. ...But I guess that's what we do when we fall short of our goals, isn't it--we beat ourselves up!

Oh dear, will my ramblings ever stop?

My hubby and me

After graduating from college in 1977, my DH and I opened Frame Masters, Ltd., a custom picture frame shop. For forty years we have been at the same location in Matteson, Illinois. You can probably guess where this is going... We will be closing our beloved business and selling the building that has housed it for the past forty years. WE ARE RETIRING!!! But not from writing, guild talks, or vending...those will be part of our many new adventures as our next life's chapter begins. Until then, we have 40 years of de-cluttering to do at the building.

Thanks for your patience about Book 5.