To Blog, Or Not to Blog?

Happy June everyone!   I've received emails from several of you and have been asked in person (some of you have asked more than once - thank you and I sincerely mean it!), why I haven't been blogging and if everything is ok.  Thank you all for your concern.  I truly appreciate it.  Everything is just fine.  I've been really busy.   I have 47 draft blog posts in my drafts folder.  Writing this now feels a bit like when someone writes you a snail mail letter, and after so much time goes by you can't figure out how or where to even start. So I'll just jump in in the middle and fill in around the edges later!

I'm on Facebook some - maybe 2 or 3 times a week.  I hardly post there; that is just mostly to keep up with family for me.   I'm also on Instagram.  You can follow me there.   Instagram is so quick and easy to just post a quilt photo and a couple of words, and you're finished.  I think a lot of bloggers have gone that way just to save time.  A lot of the bloggers that I used to read regularly have stopped posting.  I enjoy reading blogs, but I also know what time is involved in taking the photos, editing them, and then writing a post.  I guess what I'm wondering is if those of you that see and read this would rather just see a photo once in awhile on Instagram, or would you rather read a blog post?  I miss the blogs that I used to read regularly, and I would like to know what you think.

I've published 7 patterns to date and have taught some classes and workshops on them.  I'll post photos from some of my workshops in a later post.  You can see my patterns in my Etsy shop here.

I have been trying to work my way through my stack of UFOs.  My daughter-in-laws Mother passed away in early February, and she was only 2 years older than I am.  So I thought maybe it was time I do something with all of the tops I've finished.  My thinking is that someone would be more likely to do something with them if they are actually finished rather than just a top.  So, I sent the larger quilts like the Bonnie Hunter mysteries to my favorite long arm quilter.  (I'll take photos and post later.)  The smaller ones that I think I can manage, I'm doing myself.

These 3 quilts were all quilted by me on my home machine (a Bernina 160).  The is a Kim Diehl pattern called Short and Sweet from her book Simple Charm.    Her pattern had petals around the outside of the quilt in the border, but this border stripe was in my stash so I used it.

This is Peppermint Twist from Jo Morton's book Remembrances.  This book has been out since 2007.  Doing a quick Google search, it is out of stock most places.  I did echo quilting around the center.  I really enjoy echo quilting.  Maybe it's because there is an imaginary quilting line to follow.  

This quilt is my own design.  I had the hexagons either left over from another project, or they could have been from a project I'd started that never saw the light of day.  The baskets are from the book When the Cold Wind Blows by Barb Adams and Alma Allen.  This book is from 2008.  The baskets in my quilt finish at 3" and are the result of staying up too late at a quilt retreat.  A lot of us were making the famous basket quilt called Trick or Treat from the book.  As I remember it, the quilt has 300 or so baskets that finish at 5".  Someone thought it would be a good idea to downsize them to finish at 3".......and I was too tired to think straight.  I did the 3" baskets you see in the quilt below and stopped.  My 5" baskets are still in a baggie waiting to be sewn into a top.  I haven't counted them, but I didn't come close to the 300 baskets in the book.  

I drew the basket, made some stems and leaves and then added the hexagon flowers.  I did echo quilting around this center block.  I try to keep with the Dear Jane motto, "Finished is better than perfect."

My favorite books on machine quilting are Heirloom Machine Quilting by Harriet Hargrave and the Shape by Shape books by Angela Walters.  I think the best way to do machine quilting is just to "go for it".  It's like learning anything:  the best way is to just practice.

I hope you will answer my question:  To blog or not to blog?  You can leave a comment below or email me at lakrug@comcast.net

I hope you are finding some time to stitch today.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!