Closing the Loops

Earlier in the fall, I wrote up an alphabetized list of all my quilting ufos in a small notebook. I was closing some loops in order to clear my head so I could better focus on the writing I have been dilly-dallying about for the past few years. We finally brought the rest of the geraniums inside mid November. They looked great for about a week then went into shock and I spent countless hours deadheading and cleaning up their mess. Loved every minute of it. 

So, as I started saying, I have no less than 28 quilts on this updated ufo list on the side-bar. I used a small lined notebook that is easy to misplace. It is light green and disappears often when left alone. I took time to look at them one at a time and made a comprehensive list of each step that needs doing to bring them to a flimsy. I know. A bit crazy. However, it helped me to see which ones I wanted to focus on in the coming year and which ones I would leave alone for another year. This was an investment of about an hour.

I also made a list from the back of the notebook of all the new quilts I want to start. Remember. I am a dreamer and a planner. There are 14. I have all the fabrics and patterns for each of these. Well, maybe not the SAHRR, yet. I wrote up steps for each one. This gave me a glimpse of the work needed to impulsively jump into each new project. This way, I can see all of them not just the one filling my brain with ideas. 

Still with me? These are some of the things that parade through my head throughout the days when I am not diligently reading or talking. And when I talk, it is often about some of the quilting I want to be doing or the writing I want to do. I also started a small notebook recording all the books I have been reading for the past few months. It is yellow. I have averaged between 12 and 25 per month. Some I have read twice. And why not? A good book is worth reading again and again. I often read with a pencil in hand. But I also have read a lot of kindle books. 

So, closing the loops. This is a term I found in a book called Redeeming Your Time by Jordan Raynor. It was recommended by one of my writing coaches. I write up to-do  lists, but often forget to look at them again and do what is on the list. Somehow, writing down the thought, helps me to park it on paper and I can come back to it another time. Hense, the small note book. I write all my quilting thoughts in there. I used to write them on random scraps of note paper and post-it note pads. I find these all over the house.

I also started a writing notebook. I am working on about 7-8 different writing projects. And I am trying to do them all at the same time. Silly me. These include blogging, journaling, morning pages, memoirs, as well as 3 books I have been working on sporadically over the years. I invited others into my writing space a few months ago and we are now proceeding together to begin writing our stories. I have a lot of stories. I have more than 72 years of stories. Many are recorded here on my blog. I had one book published in 2017. 

Before the last writing group meeting in November, I was a bit stressed over having to clear up my writing stuff spread out over 3 tables in the SonRoom. I did, after all, need to make room for humans.

Then I had the aha thought to just leave all my books and notes as they were and talk about what I was doing with each thing. It was a wonderful object lesson for them and for myself. As I picked up each book or notebook, I put them into a large project box and cleared off all the tables so my writers had space to work that morning. And then, I decided to just leave all the book stuff put away until after Christmas. We had houseguests all week and 25 for dinner. There was enough snow on the ground to look Christmassy, but is now raining. I finally planted the spring bulbs between raindrops so that is one more loop closed for the year. 

In the meantime, I am packing my bags to go on my 12th ministry trip to India next week. I was invited to speak at a pastor's conferences. This is so cool. And I still have to figure out what I am going to be speaking on. Good thing I closed so many loops that I can think clearly. One of the things I want to speak on is how my Sweetie and I stayed married for 53 years. I started a whole new blog for that a year ago. It's called How We Stayed Married for 50+ Years and even enjoyed a few.

Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of our lives as we welcome in 2025. This is going to be an epic year. We will welcome it in at midnight in the hot tub with our daughter and her family. I believe that laser tag is on the agenda. That and rain/snow showers. But hey. We are Canadians. Lots of people go jump into the lake on New Years Day. They call themselves the Polar Bear Club. 

I will resume my writing in February. 

Blessings,

Chris

What's Next?

It is the beginning of November and wonderful adventures. I flew out to Kansas City Missoura last week to visit my quilt blogging buddy Gail who I met in person last year at Scrub Stitching in Australia. We have been zoom friends for about 4 years. 

She took me to an amazing quilt shop that just had a gzillion new bolts of reproduction. I only had a carryon bag. And we went to Angela Walters shop. That is worthy of a post of its own.

When she asked if I wanted to go to Hamilton, to visit the Missouri Star Quilts well, I just had to say yes. After all, I live in Hamilton, Ontario Canada. We traipesed our way through 14 of the 15 shops. I chose to skip the wool shop. 

It was an amazing 86 F. Not bad, considering we were having daily morning frost back home that week.

It was a quilting kind of visit so I took along 17 Churn Dash blocks to finish sewing together. I had all the hard part done. Just had to sew all the units together. I brought them home and put them all on the big design wall and here they are. Somehow I goofed in the math and made one too many with the white center. So now to locate the rest of the bits and make one more with a coloured center. After that, I can sew them altogether and have a flimsy. 

This is the end of the 2024 chookshed Challenge. I managed to move forward most of the quilts on my list. All except the one I did not want to work on. Serendipity. So, since I did not want to work on it, I pulled out all the project boxes, the pattern binder holding all 100 blocks, and I organized what I still had to do and printed off a couple of FPP papers and now have it ready to focus on the next time I do not want to work on it. I have been playing around with a list for 2025. 

The Chookshed Challenge has us focus on 10 projects, including starting a new one if we want. Well, I want. I want to start at least 7 new quilts. So, I wrote up a list and itemized everything that has to be done in order to be ready to start. That is a lot to do. Before I actually start. Then, because I was challenged to close a few loops, (been reading Redeeming Your Time by J Raynor), I made a brand new list of all the ufo's in my cupboard and alphabetized them in a small notebook, then jotted down all the steps that need doing and some thoughts about moving them forward. I put a 2026 date on several that can wait. 

I have often joined a finish it up challenge with different bloggers hoping to move quilts to the finish line. I do not work well with that kind of pressure. I want to enjoy my quilting, not feel like a failure when I do not. I do have a complete finish I am dying to share but need a couple of tall helpers to photograph the thing. Outside. In the autumn colourfulness. Soon.

I had the second writing workshop here this past Sat and am so excited to now have 10 women who want to write their stories. We will meet again at the end of November to learn how to write a "scene". We all know how to make a scene, well, at least I do. I have had lots of practice. But to write a scene - new learning curve.

My November writing goals are to write something, anything, every single day. Today I have written my morning Pages and the rest of this blog post. Now to document this on one of my tracking sheets. I have several. For writing and for quilting. 

My November OMG quilting goal will be to complete that Churn Dash flimsy. And any other machine sewing I manage to get done. 

Blessings,

Chris

linking with: alyciaquilts.blogspot.

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Is it Tuesday Again Already?

 I got most of the things on last week's list done. Sort of. I did no work on the RSC blocks. And my tables are all still cluttered even though I had moved a lot of stuff. 

And what does Chris have on her tables in the Blue Room aka Quilt Room/Office?

Here is the FPP paraphernalia for the Wedding Quilt. Notice the vintage Singer Featherweight and 3 lamps 

Beside that is the 6 foot ironing board sitting atop the ends of both 8 foot tables. This is a pile of blocks that have been prepped for at least a couple of years. Some longer. I thought if I made just 1 block a day I would have noticeable progress. Did not happen.

This is the small design wall sitting on top of one of the 7 tables in the room. The Wedding Quilt blocks were up the day I took these pictures. It changes often. In front is the box of notes for the books I am writing. No progress on them either. On the floor behind are containers of photographs from the past 50 years. I have a plan for them.

Moving to the left is the big desk calendar I use to plan out and track my monthly goals. On top of that is a see through lid from butter cookies, which are quite yummy. I love using these as shallow trays to keep my hand stitching things from wandering away like onto the floor. I was working on a Morrell block.

Moving more to the left is my Morning Pages notebook. I have eased up on how often I write them. I no longer write them if I sleep in. Sleep in you say? Sure. I do that 2-3 times a week when I stay up half the night reading or playing, but seldom working. Sleeping in is getting up after 8 am. 

I keep a plant nearby to dump the left over water from my cup. It has thrived. The yellow one is plastic. What can I say? It was a gift from my Sweetie. It stays. I had been reading the Bible chronologically over the past few years and this week I finished it. Behind that are about a third of my journals. I was looking for some information from a few years back and ended up sitting up half the night a couple of times reading. I love reading my old journals! Besides having memories on a time line, I can see how far I have come over the years and how I am still writing up the same goals and to-do lists. Too bad no one else will be able to read my hand writing. It has not improved with age. 

What has in proved with age is my attitude about a lot of things. This book landed in my hands the other day and I am so excited about it! It is 40 essays written by 40 Christian women over 40 on aging, faith, beauty, and strength. It is right up my alley. I am giving serious consideration to doing a book study this summer with my Women's Small Group. It can be 40 days. Reading 1 chapter a day. 

I even have a small notebook I use to plan out my weekly To-Do Tuesday lists. This week:

1. Write 3 times. Already wrote today and taking part in a Virtual Writing Retreat later this week. 
2. Do not touch Lucy this week. I will to put her out of the way.
3. Sew one, just one Morrell block. I have had it ready for more than 4 years. It should take an hour. 
4. Sew one Bright Jane block for RSC. No point in pretending to be part of the group if I do not actually participate. One block? How hard can it be?
5. 15 Minutes a Day Sewing.
6. And my darling eldest granddaughter conned me into doing a Whole30 clean eating program with her. We started yesterday. That means no sugar, no grains, no dairy, no legumes, no additives or chemicals. Sigh. I probably will thank her for the prompts. She is trying to figure our her acne and I need to feel better. She is reading the labels and had Grampa take her shopping to buy some compliant foods. Basically meat and vegetables with a bit of fruit and plated fats. It's only 30 days. No, its only 28 more days. We can do this.

Blessings,

Chris 

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September 2022 OMG Goal

 I participate in a monthly Virtual Writing Retreat with my online writing group Christian Book Academy. We meet monthly for 2 days and write. I have been part of this group for about 4 years. Sometimes, I have written blog posts, which is what I am doing now. Other times I worked on coursework for my doctorate. But I finished all that more than a year ago. But starting mid-September, I will be refocusing my attention on making significant progress on the 3 books I have been writing on and off for the past few years. There will be a week-long Christian Writers Conference and another retreat at the end of the month. 

Our retreat generally starts out with some encouragement about the writing, editing, and marketing process. Progress is the keyword this month. What exactly does progress mean to me? Duh . . . I had no idea. We are told that progress is taking one small step forward. Then doing it again. We are told we should take time to celebrate our progress. This in our writing. I celebrate progress in my quilting. I take pictures as I start, work on and complete blocks, and sometimes finish quilts. And that is what my blog is all about. Well. Mostly. It is also about family and farm and travel and ministry. And for me, writing about my quilting progress and successes is to celebrate them. Now to take that attitude into my writing. Quit whining and complaining about lack of completion. Instead, celebrate the progress. 

My writing goal for September is to make some progress on at least one of my book projects. Which one? I will pray about that and see what direction God gives me this month. 

My quilting goal is to finally and completely finish the wedding quilt. End of story.

Linking up with Patty at Elm Street Quilts.

Blessings,

Chris