I’ve been thinking!

August 30th, 2010

We dash through our days, doing what we have to do and trying to keep up.  Often there are little things that bug us but we don’t think we have the time to stop and really think about them because we are in such a hurry.

If you want to stop being bugged by something, put on your brakes!  Just stop!   Don’t think about anything else for a few minutes.  Think about what’s so irritating about it and then start thinking about how you could eliminate this one thing that’s been bugging you every time you have to do it or look at it.

It worked for me when I was so irritated about sorting socks (see earlier blog.)  Now I breeze through that chore without thinking about it while watching TV.  Not only does this get me through the chore, but I’m no longer bugged or irritated or angry about it.   YES!

Try it and let me know how you eliminated stress on one thing simply by stopping and thinking about it.  We can all benefit from it.

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Will this quilt ever be finished?

August 14th, 2010

Back in January, 2003, a large group of  hand appliquers in my guild (Mountain Laurel Quilters’ Guild in Clarkesville, GA, decided we should each purchase the book “Rose Sampler Supreme” by Rosemary Makhan, then get together once a month to compare notes on the blocks and do some stitching.  I worked diligently on my blocks and finished 18 of the 20 blocks needed.  Then it was put aside as my pattern business was growing fast.    Over the years I thought about the quilt but couldn’t find the time nor inspiration to go back to work on it.  Some others in the group finished theirs within a year and more after that.  I don’t know how many unfinished quilts there are besides mine.  The group broke up after some had finished.

Energy was leaving me year by year and finally, a couple of months ago, I found out I was dangerously low on Vitamin D.  I was tired all the time and the more I “rested,” the more I needed to rest.  I just couldn’t get up the desire to do anything.  I asked to be tested for Vitamin D deficiency as my doctor hadn’t much to say about why I might be so tired.   Here I was thinking that age was catching up on me at last at 73.

I was given a prescription for 50,000 IU’s of D to take once a week for 8 weeks.  The first pill I took was at noon.  The next morning my attitude had done a complete turnabout!  I was still too tired, but I was willing to think about doing things.  Over the 8 weeks period, I have recovered more each week.

I took my 8th pill last Wednesday and am now exercising 6 days a week.  I walk Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday it’s “Do it with Debbie” day.  That’s Debbie Reynolds and her old VHS tape for us older gals of stretching and staying flexible.  It’s all done with 40′s music in the background.  I sure wish it were on CD, DVD or MP3!    If you can find one and have a player, it’s fun and has 3 classes, each one a bit more strenuous.  Thanks, Debbie!

The Rose Sampler Supreme blocks have come out of hiding now and are on my design wall.  I’m almost ready to stitch #19.  When # 20 is finished, I still have to consider all the work on the four borders.  Does thinking about all that work ahead make me tired?  Sure, but “Inch by inch, it’s a cinch.”

Have you had your vitamin D levels checked?  It seems there’s an epidemic of low levels all over the country and it’s so important to our health.

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When making a quilt

August 4th, 2010

Are you able to do everything well from choosing the pattern to choosing the fabric to completion of the quilt?  Do you perhaps piece very well but have other areas you wish you could do better?

Which part of the quilting process makes you uneasy or hesitant?

Do these problems turn your project into a UFO?  (UnFinished Object)

Is there a way to overcome this lack of competency in any part of quilting?  Well, yes there is!

Did you know that you can become an expert, or at least a very, very competent quilter?  Is there a secret?  Here’s what some experts tell us.  I’ve read that if you learn about, practice on, try again, think about it and do something for 1,000 hours, you’ll be an expert on that thing.  OK, maybe you’ll only need 100 hours or even only 8 hours.  It just depends, but you should concentrate on it.  Just make a project of it.

What if you decide that you hate binding and don’t know how to do it.  How can you learn how to bind your quilt beautifully?  Here are a few suggestions you can use with this, or any other part of quilting.

1.  Ask a quilting friend to go over the process with you.

2.  Take a class on the subject.

3.  Go to a quilt shop and ask for help.

4.  Purchase a book or check one out at the library.  They have quilting books!

5.  Search the internet for answers.  eHow.com or go to a search engine like Google and type in “How to bind a quilt.”  You’ll get many locations with instructions and/or short videos on how to do it.  Many famous quilters have teaching videos on their sites.

6.  Once you have some instructions,  it’s time to practice on a sample.  A small sample can be made from fabric you wish you hadn’t bought and may never use.  (What was I thinking!)  It could be made of old clothes you cut up or from bargain cloth from discount stores or garage sales.  Bind 8″ to 10″ squares until you have it down pat.

There are parts of quilting I need to practice also.  Let me know when you’ve tried some of these suggestions and how they worked for you.

Get To It and Do It!

Florine

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Correction to last blog

April 29th, 2010

I had to change the date of the radio show and forgot to change th to rd! Sorry. Hope you can listen in.
My web site is being updated also. It’s looking really good.
Take a look and let me know what you think.

http://www.florinejohnsondesigns.com

Florine

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I’ll be on the internet radio!

April 29th, 2010

Monday, May 3th, I’ll be on Pat Sloan’s radio show. Come and listen in. If 4:00 p.m to 5:00 p.m. (I’ll be on at 4:30) isn’t convenient, you can access it for awhile as it will be taped.
To listen in, go to:

http://toginet.com/shows/creativetalkradio

I’m giving away a packet of 3 of my patterns so go here to leave a comment about the show and be eligible for the prize until Friday at noon the week of the show.

Come check in to listen or download to a player for later listening.

This should be a lot of fun!

http://www.patsloan.typepad.com

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Quilter’s FabriCalc now going for wholesale price.

April 23rd, 2010

Quilt Design and Fabric Estimating Calculator!!    On sale!  Only 3 left!

Dedicated Functions

* Work in Yards, Inches, and Metric measurements – convert between dimensions
* Estimate material requirements. Use dedicated function keys to enter Quilt Width, Length and Border Width; find total Quilt Yardage, Backing, Batting, Binding and Border Yardage; Drop; Border number of Strips, Binding number of Strips, Binding Cut Width and more
* Calculate the total Yardage for Squares, ½ Square Triangles, ¼ Square Triangles, 45° and 60° Diamonds
* Reverse calculations to find the number of squares and diamonds that can be cut from fabric in your “Stash”
* Create quilt designs using Block Key functions, with or without sashing
* Find diagonal for total Quilt Yardage, Blocks and Squares
* Set and store values for Length and Width of Drop (3 sides)
* Store fabric yardage solutions for six individual types of fabric and view total yardage required for all fabrics required for all fabrics

Additional Features

* Easily calculate total costs for material
* Works as a standard math calculator with +, -, x, ÷, %, ? and Memory
* Define (change calculator default values) and store material values
* Easy-to read (LCD) display shows answers in simple quilting terms Includes
* Protective 360° Hard Cover Door
* Long-life Battery (one CR-2016)
* Handy Pocket Reference Guide
* Easy to read and understand illustrated User’s Guide
* Full One –Year Limited Warranty

Quilter’s FabriCalc- Take pride and satisfaction in a finished quilt that starts with accurate dimensions, design and layout. Use the Quilter’s FabriCalc to convert your ideas into usable dimensions – Yards, Inches or Metric measurements. It’s easy to do the math with a few simple keystrokes. They add up to fast answers to just about every quilting task. Solutions are built-in for Blocks, Squares, Diagonals, ½ and ¼ Square Triangles, Diamonds and much more. Calculations that create quilt designs:· Create quilt designs using Block functions with or without Sashing; solves Diagonals· Find total Yardage, including Backing, Binding, Borders and Drop for any quilting project.

* Calculate the total yardage for Squares, ½ Square Triangles, ¼ Square Triangles, 45° and 60° Diamonds
* Reverse the calculations: find the number of Squares and Diamonds that can be cut from fabric in your “stash”· Store fabric yardage solutions for six individual types of fabric and view total yardage required for all material
* Use Preferences settings to select Fractional or Decimal displays, Mitered or Straight Corners and more
* Find total costs for material

Quilt Calculator – Only 3 left! Was priced at $39.95 but now we are letting them go at only$20.00 + shipping.
Get yours now.

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Competition

March 27th, 2010

Look around you at your next quilting meeting. Who are you in competition with? How do you feel about competing with Tammy, Dolly or Helen? Does it make you feel inadequate? Frustrated? Tired? Hopeless?

Well, STOP IT! Really, the only person you should compete with is yourself. Yes, you. Are you better than you were at cutting, sewing, quilting than you were last year? Of course you are. So you’ve won the competition games.

Competing with someone else is a losing proposition. You don’t know their inborn talents, their hours of practice or their environment for learning. You can’t possible know what they know and can do.

Decide today that you’ll compete only with yourself from now on. It’s more fun that way!
Florine

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March 22nd, 2010

Oh, oh!  It’s been almost a month since the last post and I thought I could do one a week.  Optimistic, wasn’t I?

I’ve been reading about procrastination and have learned that a reason for being one of those people could be that you’re a perfectionist.  Seems true to me.  Sometimes we need someone to kick us in the butt to get us going…or keep us going.  Now I know I need someone like that, but it can’t be my husband!   I need an outsider to do the dirty work. Does anyone want to nag me?

Anyway, I do have some goals and one is to complete a project I call “pieces.”  Let me explain.  When I teach fusible web applique, I give each student a couple of sheets of drawings of each of the individual pieces of the pattern we’ll be using.  These “pieces”  all have the proper seam allowance drawn on them which allows the pattern to be assembled on an applique sheet instead of a fabric background.  These seam allowances are there just to hook the pieces together so that when finished, the pupils can gently peel off the entire design,  place it on a background fabric, be it a block, shirt back, etc.  Then all they have to do is press it down.

Because I have been required to make shop models quickly, I devised this way of constructing the models fast and easy.  It was a trial and error method of learning.

It has occurred to me that lots of people with my rooster designs want to do them the fusible way and they could use these tricks of the trade pieces I’ve devised.  So I’m working on them now and will have them available as soon as I finish up each one.  They will be in sets (both the simplified and advanced versions) .  Ralph is finished and Hilda  (only one version) will be ready in a day or two.  I’ll keep you informed of my progress.

I’m looking forward to my visit with the Hearts ‘n Hands Quilt Guild in O’Fallon, Illinois on May 11 and 12.  We’re going to have some fun!

Florine

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Bad Blogger!

February 27th, 2010

I can’t believe it’s been so long since my last post. I’m a bad blogger!
I tried, yes I did, in 2009 to get totally organized. I did get some done, but still have a long way to go. Life keeps getting in the way. So the organizing will continue in 2010. However, 2010 will also be the “year of learning” for me. There are so many things I do not know how to do with computers in general that I must start learning how to do them. Time gets shorter every year and it’s too frustrating not knowing that which I should know by now.
Have you numbered any white socks lately? I just sorted mine out again and it sure saves time.
Until next week and an announcement just for you people who love to do fusible applique.
Florine

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Time Sure Flies!

September 18th, 2009

Being busy is good, and bad.  Thinking of saying something here but then deciding maybe no one would be interested keeps me from blogging.  Anyone out there with the same problem?

Anyway, I have been working frantically on a new design for my BON APPLIQUE! division.

The project has turned out so well that 2 of the 3 people who’ve seen it said, “WOW.”  The 3rd one just couldn’t get over how beautiful it turned out.  Hopefully, everything will be ready for Quilt Market in Houston (Oct. 10-12, and Quilt Festival Oct. 15-18.)  I’m keeping my fingers crossed.  Until then, no one else knows what it is.

I will try to keep posts lots more current.  See you soon.

Florine

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