Thoughts --- New Posting Schedule for Sharing!

2014 Update:
This is a good post to read, as it shows you the variety of things I post about.  I post by subject area or by topic and anywhere from 2 to 6 times a week, but not on specific days any more. See the links in my sidebar. Enjoy!

Thoughts --- New Posting Schedule for Sharing!

I am starting a new posting schedule.  For a year, I posted regularly at least 4 to 5 days a week.  I still will be posting 4 to 5 days a week, but I will be posting on certain topics, but not on set days. That works better for me!

Getting Up Close to My Quilting will be at least once a week and occasionally 2 to 3 times a week. I take photos of quilting designs everyday. Then I think I can't post it til the next week Monday, but then there is a cooler one... Well, not any more. When I quilt the quilts and take the photos, I am going to share them!

Hodgepodge Patchwork Tuesday will probably be around Tuesday.  I call it:  "Anything Quilting Post" - a tutorial, a share about a quilted item, and even some quilting challenges.  

I love posting Hodgepodge Patchwork Tuesday!


Wordless Wednesday will be around Wednesday and will of course be wordless.

Gabby and Toby

Since August, it has featured primarily my dog, Gabby and my Mom's dog, Toby as it was a way for me to share photos of them with my Mom, friends, and family.  That way they could all see sweet little Toby. Toby was attacked by two large dogs this summer and was in the hospital for five weeks. My husband and I are caring for him now and he has blended very well into our home. 

When I first started Wordless Wednesday posts it was a way of sharing a few more photos of quilting designs, a cool flower, or something that was visually pleasing to me.

Wordless Wednesday will be more quilting designs, flowers, and a few photos of my dogs, mixed in.


Thoughts Posts used to be called Thursday's Thoughts and the last time I posted an actual "Thoughts Post" was in October.  It is not that I don't have thoughts, I just seem to be sharing them in the other posts and didn't find a need to share an individual post just for thoughts.  So this will be an occasional post.

An example was the "I See Quilts Everywhere..." Look at all those colors.  Wouldn't they make a pretty quilt?
That is what started Lunch Looks Like a Quilt to Me Blog.

FAQ's Posts used to be on Friday's from April thru' August last year.  Again, I seem to be sharing the questions and answers in my other posts -- so no real need for an individual post for questions.  If you click here or on FAQ's Posts you can read some of the things I wrote about. It is a mixture of quilting business questions and personal questions.  Like do I cook? It was one of the questions answered in that post from May 2011. 

And these questions were answered in June: What do I do in my evenings?  and Why do I write a blog? 


Last fall, when I was at a quilting retreat, I posted several posts called: My Minutes for Me Adventures.  It was about all the quilting projects I was going to complete during the 4 day retreat. I posted about the progress on each one.  Here are a few of them.

I have been to two retreats, since then and just posted about the items under different titles.  I am going to another 4 day quilting retreat in the middle of April and I will again share my Adventures.


A Quilter with a Green Thumb are the posts I share about the plants and flowers in my home and my container garden.

I love when you share your posts on the Minutes for Me Linky Party!

First, I tried a weekly party and then a monthly party.  I may go back to the weekly party. How about just a weekly link up, but with no weekly features? I link up to many sewing and quilting linky parties, but they don't do any weekly features and that is perfectly fine. Any thoughts?  I love your input.


Are you doing May for Me Celebration with us?

In conclusion... I love sharing, but from now on I am going to share about all of these quilting topics, but not on specific days.  I enjoy blogging. Sometimes stuff in my life gets in the way of sharing a post at a certain time or day.  Now with my new posting schedule, I will share whenever I want to share with no time restraints.

That makes me smile.
Remember to take time to play - at least 5 minutes everyday!

Marcia
Linked with:
The Shady Porch: Rock'N Share
Quilting by the River: Linky Party Tuesdays
AND I am linking this up with Work In Progress Linky party as --- this post is a work in progress and shares links to several of my quilting posts.
Freshly Pieced: WIP - Work In Progress

Thursday's Thoughts - Quilting, Creating, and Photographing

Each week I think about what thoughts I am going to share on Thursday... Remember I work alone quilting all day long.  There is lots of time to think!
"Pause and View"... When you are doing something, almost everything and anything, you have to stand back and evaluate it --- "How's it going?" " How does it look?"
For example, when you are making a quilt, you have a pattern or a plan, if you are creating, like I usually do.  
You select your fabrics.

You lay them out on the table and see how they look together.  You imagine them in the quilt.  

As you are sewing and constructing your quilt blocks, you see how the fabrics combine to create the look you want to achieve.  

Then you lay out your blocks to assemble your quilt top.  You may rearrange them several times before you find the right color balance.  When you get it right, it will be eye pleasing and you sew them together. 

Next you add the borders to complete the quilt top.

Then the quilting.  I think this is a very important part of the process, as it not only holds the quilt together, it gives it life! It adds bounce and character! Then the binding finishes your quilt.

I created this quilt for a Project Quilting challenge.


Many things that we do everyday, have a plan. With each step in the process, we "pause and view" to see how it is going.  It is important to pause and view in order to have a successful accomplishment.


As I prepare the posts for my blog,(for you), I pause and view.  
My plan:  share what I do everyday.  I quilt, create, and photograph...  But the hardest part for me is the writing.  I am not a writer. Finding the right words is not easy.  Somehow it all comes together and I can share... I can share what I do everyday!
  
So if my words are not real clear, I am doing my best to say it, the only way I can.  Thanks for reading about what I do, because I am going to keep right on sharing, everyday - Well not everyday, but at least 4 to 5 days a week. That's my plan!

This is one of my favorite photos.  It reminds me of all the projects I still want to do!  The tomatoes are spilling out of the bowl, like the ideas in my head...  


I plan to quilt:  Develop new free style quilting designs and share them.


I plan to create: Using free form patterns to construct interesting quilts and quilted items.


I will photograph My World:  My quilts and quilting designs, quilted creations, fresh colorful food and place settings, my container garden, and last, but not least my dog, Gabby and my Mom's dog, Toby.  Oh and sometimes my family when they allow it!


I enjoy quilting, creating, and photographing... 

and sharing!

What do you enjoy doing?  Share with me...


Enjoy your day and thanks for being here with me!


Marcia
Click Here for the Zig Zag Quilt Block PDF Pattern on Craftsy.com for Only $1.00.

Linked with:
Favourite Things Friday - Oct. 13, 2011
Stuff and Nonsense: Fridays Unfolded - Oct. 13, 2011

Thursday's Thoughts --- Smile and Share...

Smile and enjoy the happy moments!  

Wednesday morning I opened my emails and smiled!  

Two features in one day!  

Yippee!  Made me smile from ear to ear!  

Bloggers share their posts thru' Followers, Facebook, Twitter, Emails, and Linky Parties.  Recently, I started sharing on the linky parties.  I love the sharing.  I am finding so many creative ideas.  My list of projects gets longer and longer!

First I was featured on RoCa and Company Blog!  

Carmen highlighted the most visited blogs.  Mine was number 4!  I had linked my post about Sharing Your Quilted Creations - "Come Fly With Me Bag"











Thanks to all who visited Carmen's Linky Party.  As Carmen would say: " You Rock!" 


I also put a link in my sidebar to RoCa and Company's Blog, if you would like to visit the party. 
I would like to invite you on Carmen's behalf to join in this Friday and every Friday!  Share a post and link it up or just join in the fun of visiting all the wonderful blogs!

Next I was featured on 

Blog Paws Wordless Wednesday Linky Party & Blog Hop 

This is my Mom's dog, Toby, all wrapped up in a fleece blanket.  It's Cold in Wisconsin was the post I linked up last week.  This week I linked up this post - Wrapped in My New Denim Quilt with Wool Batting.  
The Blog Paws is a great place to share photos of your pets!  Who doesn't take photos of their pets?  Why do we do that?  I think it is because we just think they are so cute.  Maybe we are envious of their lives...  They eat, sleep, and play all day long!  Anyway check out the cute pets at Blog Paws Linky Party. You can share a photo of your pet too!

I was smiling on September 15th....


The very first Linky Party that I linked up with, was at the Thrifty Groove Blog! 

Then on September 15th Diann featured my blog post! I linked up the post "Up Cycle" This! What Does That Mean? ... Diann shares all her thrifty finds -- fantastic finds on her blog! This is a great party to link your cool finds.  Hop over to the Thrifty Groove and check out! 

I finally completed the "up cycled" blue patchwork shorts into a quilt. --- Click here to see the Post.

So... why am I smiling?

I am enjoying the happy moments.  

I am having fun sharing.  You can have fun sharing too.  You will find several of the Linky Parties where I share in my sidebar.  

Go check them out.

I would love if you left a comment that you found them thru' me.

I love when someone tells me how they found me!

Enjoy your happy moments! 

Smile and share today!

Marcia  

Thursday's Thoughts -- Sharing Your Quilted Creations...

Quilt Blogging is all about the "sharing"!

Recently, I have been sharing my quilts in the Online Weekly Themed Quilt Show Contests at Quilting Gallery.   What a great place to share your quilts and quilted projects... You can join in too and add a photo and description of your quilted projects.  Quilts are shared from all over the world! 

In addition to that, I am sharing some of my posts with quilting, sewing, and craft blog linky parties.  There are several links in the side bar. --->

I share my quilted creations here... and on my second Quilting Blog.  On my second blog, I am in the process of adding photos of 40 years of my quilting and sewing projects.  I have a Picasa Photo Gallery and a Flicker Photo Gallery.  There are hundreds of photos on both.  I add photos of my customer's quilts and my personal quilts every week.  I share my blog posts and photos on my Crafty Sewing Facebook Page too. 


Quilt blogging is all about the sharing... 

This weekend I am sharing my "Come Fly With Me Tote Bag and Passport Bag".  I will share the direct link in the sidebar on Friday,(September 30th), when you can click on it, view all the beautiful quilts, and vote on your favorite ones. Link is in the sidebar and you can click here also.---> Enjoy the quilts!

I created "My Come Fly With Me Bag" for a quilt challenge at Project Quilting.  I based my Project on the art work of graphic artist MC Escher (Maurits Cornelis Escher).  I found the two pieces of artwork on Google images and decided I could place triangles in a similar pattern to create a cool design on the front of the quilted bag.  I used orange and purple for my complimentary colors. Then I decided I needed extra borders to make it larger and added the strips in a log cabin fashion creating a step like design element to the sides of the bag.  

Then I repeated the V on the back of the bag - upside down.   

My original plan was to make a small passport bag for myself, but I was having so much fun with the triangles, I decided I had to make a larger bag. So when I quilted the fabric to make a large bag and created a little flying geese design to make my small passport bag. 

My Fly Bag is about 14" wide by  15" deep.  I used a poly batting to make it a little lighter, as I will pack it full for flying.  I don't have a passport --- yet, as that is another long story... I plan to eventually apply for one, but it seems I never do it!  Maybe next week!

Scroll down to the very bottom of my blog to view the quilted projects I have shared in the past few weeks on the Online Weekly Themed Quilt Contest.


I posted this today, so you can enter the contest too.  You can enter up until Midnight on Thursday.  The contest is every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Hop over and check out what the themes are for each week. 


Share your quilts!  That's what it is all about!


Enjoy your day!


Marcia




Linked with: 
Stuff and Nonsense - Fridays Unfolded-Sept.29, 2011
RoCa and Company - You ROCK Party - September 30, 2011
Homemaker in Heels Weekend Craft Soiree and Blog Hop - October 1, 2011
It's Sew Stinkin Cute Craft Thursday #74 September 29, 2011

Thursday's Thoughts - Sharing My Thoughts About --- Stitching, Stitching, and Stitching...

 I like to piece simple quilts with free form artsy blocks, 

because I love to quilt them!

I love "Stitching"!  

I like combining the thread colors just to see how they will look.  I think that is why one of my favorite quilting styles is Two Color Ribbon Quilting.  I featured Double Bubble Quilting on Monday and used two thread colors to create the shadowing affect on the bubbles.  

It's fun to try new quilting styles.  

Really makes my job interesting. 

I compare "stitching" to coloring. 

Do you remember coloring? I do! 

I would sit and color for hours and hours, just filling in all the sections of the pictures in the coloring book.  I had a hard time staying in the lines and sometimes I would add things to the pictures and color that too! When I completed the picture, I would sign my name with the date.  

It was delightful!

 That is how I feel when I am stitching. 

It is truly delightful!  

The front of this table runner uses light colors. You can make a table runner reversible by using a darker color of fabric for the backside.

I used my Easy to Sew Quilt Pattern to create 

the Dragonfly Simplicity Table Runner.

  I think the coolest thing about this pattern is that every block looks different, yet at the same time, similar!  

When you make this quilt it looks different every time!

I made three table runners at the same time in just a couple hours.  I only quilted one so far.  They are perfect to make for gifts for friends and family!  

I just mailed this table runner off to my sister-in-law for her birthday.  

I also entered a photo of the Dragonfly Simplicity Table Runner in the Quilting Gallery Weekly Theme Quilt Show.  

If you would like to vote for my quilt or any of the other quilts click here 

this Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Thanks!

I love stitching! 

What is your favorite part about making a quilt?  

Enjoy your day!

Marcia

Linked up with:
 2805 Potpourri Friday - Linky Party
 At Picket Fence - Inspiration Friday - Linky Party
 The Thrifty Groove-Thrifty Things Friday - Linky Party
 Stuff and Nonsense - Fridays Unfolded - Linky Party
 Rocking Party - Every Friday - Linky Party
 Sew Many Ways-Sew Darn Crafty Sunday-Linky Party   Sew Chatty: Made with Love Monday-Linky Party
Sew Happy Geek's Manic Monday Linky Party
WOW Us Wednesday Linky Party at Savvy Southern Style