It took a couple of days to recover from that quick trip to California but by Wednesday I decided enough is enough and I got back to work…
I have a busy few months planned for the beginning of 2023 (shocking I know!) and I have found the best way to get through it all is to be prepared!
Yes, I was a Girl Scout, actually a Girl Guide in the UK… I was a Queen’s Guide with all the badges and a certificate to prove it.
Back to work… I have seven classes booked for Road to California and they all have required kits. With a maximum of 30 students in each workshop that’s a lot of kits to prepare. I have decided to ship ahead this year to cut down on the checked luggage so I need to get everything ready SOON!!
I started with some of the easy classes. I provide needle kits with good quality needles. First up was my basic embroidery needle set, two #24 chenille needles and one #1 milliners needle.
They go into a little bag with a business card, needle threader, floss winders and a binder ring… ready to go with the other goodies. These ones went in the box for Fun with Hand Embroidery… stitching on Malaysian batik panels from Turtle Hand Batiks.
I’m teaching two button classes, each student gets four 1 1/2″ plastic rings. I need 60 sets of rings.
Introduction to Folk Art Embroidery needs a custom panel, threads, needle pack and a photograph, to go with a copy of my hand embroidery stitch guide.
Dimensional Stitches has a similar but different kit… more needles!
Then there were thirty Dorset Feather Embroidery Needle-case kits. I’m going to need to order more of the Belgian linen panels for my February classes.
I still need to cut the wool for the Intro to Wool Applique kits.
But then there are two more classes I’m teaching in the Handwork Learning Lab, a brand new experience at Road. One hour mini classes that come with a kit so you can reserve your spot on the day.
Paper Pieces donated the paper templates for a Pentagon Bowl kit. I added cut fabric pieces, threads and needles.
My other Learning lab class will be a wool scissor fob with scissors donated by the folk at BOHIN… yes, I still need to cut the wool for that one.
Lots of classes, lots of kits. I’d like to have all the Road kits boxed up by the end of the week and be well on the way to having my kits for AQS Daytona Beach done before I clear up for Christmas visitors. It’s good to have plans?
Meanwhile, the members of the Chicago Sewing Social got together last week at BERNINA of Naperville. It was fun to catch up and get a little stitching accomplished. We managed a quick picture before we all went our separate ways.
I finally got around to getting a copy of Modern Quilt Bible at the weekend.
It was published back at the end of 2019 by David and Charles and I received an email back then saying that a quilt of mine had been included. It was about time to take a look!!
It took me a few minutes to track it down, but there it was, on page 63, in Visual Effects…
Iberian Tiles originally appeared on the set of my Walking Foot Quilting workshop in 2017. (The on demand class is set to be available from Quilting Daily in January. Watch out for registration details coming soon if you are interested)
Then it appeared on the pages of Modern Patchwork magazine in 2018.
The pattern is available for purchase at Quilting Daily here. I gave the quilt to a new home when I was in the UK in the summer. Seeing my work in print does not grow old!
Which brings me to the next thing going on in my life…
Have you seen me on The Quilt Show yet?* If you subscribe to the newsletter you saw this at the weekend. 
The link in the picture does not work. You need to go here to find the puzzle. If you want to know what the completed puzzle looks like?
And if that isn’t enough, my In the Jungle quilt appeared the next day!
It really has been a busy week.
I only had one lecture on the calendar for December and that was on Zoom last night with the Quilters’ Guild of Arlington, Texas. It was the first time I have zoomed with a hall full of quilters. Here’s what I could see…
I hope they could see and hear all right. I just had one question at the end. I logged on early and was able to chat with the members who weren’t in the hall which was fun. Then I stayed for Show and Tell at the end. There was good lighting on the stage so we could see quite well.
The guild did the drawing for their 2022 opportunity quilt. It was won by one of their own members who was very pleased. Then their 2023 quilt, Friends Fly Together, was revealed from behind the curtain. 
You’ve got all year to buy a ticket!
I bought myself a present last time I went grocery shopping. I do like fresh flowers but they don’t last long. A planted arrangement lasts a little longer so I splashed out on this amaryllis and hyacinth combination.
I was playing with my new camera (iPhone!!) and took the picture at the top of today’s post. I’m not sure how long it will be before the stalks get too tall and the flowers topple over 🙂 I’m looking forward to the hyacinths blooming. I really like that smell.
It’s going to be another kit making day today. I have a Zoom thing at midday and then I will be talking to @michelemuska and @leslietuckerjenisonlive on Instagram at 4CST . If you miss it you can catch up later on Michele’s Instagram page. Too much fun?
*I still haven’t watched that episode yet!
BERNINA of Naperville is hosting a viewing party on Friday evening so I am waiting to watch it in the company of friends. If you are local you can register on the shop website. There is a $5 registration fee but you can use it against any purchase on the night. I will be bringing my pop up shop “offering you nothing but the best for my hand embroidery and quilting techniques”!
