Thankful Thursday - November 16, 2017

I'm mixing things up a little this month with a Thankful Thursday blogpost.  It's good to be thankful in life!  This week I want to share how thankful I am for technology.  WHAT!  Technology.... said by the person who manages to hang up on everyone when a second call is waiting and who publicly asks at the AT&T store if they have a rotary dial cell phone! 

Yes, technology... after all, without it - you wouldn't be reading this blog post .... 

Earlier this week I was a  guest on the American Patchwork & Quilting Podcast hosted by Pat Sloan.  You can listen to the podcast as we talk about why I like teaching online classes.

And yes, without technology, we wouldn't have online classes, Facebook Live or any of the other video options that we have come to expect.

Online classes allow me to share my knowledge with so many more people than I could ever expect to reach if I were just teaching in person.  I would love to take a quick poll here - so give me a simple yes or no in the comments ... Have you taken an online class?  If you want to share more information about the class, that's fine. And if it's one of my online classes, then you get bonus points :)  - just kidding :)

I talk to a lot of people who are hesitant about taking an online class for a variety of reasons.  I love them not only as an instructor but also as a student.   You can see all my online classes available through Annie's Craft Store.  They are all professionally produced and some are even on sale right now!

Even though technology can be a big pain in the "you-know-where" some days, it is part of our lives and it is here to stay.  So we can either reject it, accept it or be thankful for it!  I choose Thankful!

Thankful Thursday - November 9, 2017

I'm mixing things up this month and am writing a series of Thankful Thursday posts - some will be "quilty" and some will not. 

This week I want to share how thankful I am to be working with Island Batik as one of their Brand Ambassadors this year. This is an amazing experience.  Not only do I get to work with beautiful fabrics, but it has challenged me as a designer to create outside of my usual style ... and we all know, when you are out of your comfort zone, that is when personal growth occurs!  And for that, I am thankful! I'm also thankful for all the other designers I have met and now become friends with through this ambassadorship. 

I always get a lot of questions about what does a Brand Ambassador do?  We aren't employees or independent contractors for Island Batik but we work with them to promote their beautiful fabric collections.  Twice a year Island Batik gives me the batik fabric that I used to make these projects as well as other projects for independent patterns as well as magazine and book submissions.   

Here is a quick look at three of my favorite projects I have made as a Brand Ambassador.

Early in the year I made the Blossom wall hanging and you can read more about it. This wall hanging really kicked off all the raw edge fusible applique projects I have designed this year - which has been a good thing!  The pattern for Blossom is available as a pdf download  on Craftsy. 

Another of my favorite projects was my Rory Baby Quilt pattern made using Island Batiks.  I don't know which version I like best - the original or the remake? You can read more about Rory here. The pattern for Rory is available pdf download on Craftsy. 

My absolute favorite quilt so far this year was made using my Black & White Express pattern but changing out the fabrics to Island Batik's Sakura Collection. My Back to School blogpost gives you all the details.  Again it's a toss up whether I love the original or the remake better.  The batiks lend so much color to this quilt and just make it so bright and cheery! 

I hope my Thankful Thursday posts have inspired you to take some time to think about all the things that you are thankful for too!  Have a great week and I will see you back here next Thursday!

The Simple Sampler Quilt A Long - Coming Soon

I just wanted to quickly let everyone know that I will be hosting a 13 week Quilt-A-Long using one of my latest patterns ... The Simple Sampler. 

I've given it a lot of thought and I will NOT release this pattern for sale until after the Quilt-A-Long is over, so this is your chance to get it first and it will be FREE to you!  

So here are the details - real quick...

The Quilt-A-Long will run 13 weeks, 1 week for each of the 12 blocks and 1 week for the sashing and borders.

It starts the week of Sunday January 7, 2018 and concludes on Saturday April 7, 2018.  

Each week you will receive full color instructions including drawings and / or photos PLUS a weekly FB Live or video that talks about the block and how to make it. 

The Quilt-A-Long will happen in my FB Group: Masterpiece Quilting Design Group, so be sure to join the group if you want to participate or get more information.

Thankful Thursday - November 2, 2017

I'm mixing things up this month and am writing a series of Thankful Thursday posts - some will be "quilty" and some will not. 

Many times we get caught focusing on what we don't have, wished we had or think we need.  Instead I want to flip that focus around to being Thankful .... 

There are a multitude of things in life we can be thankful for. It's pretty easy to categorize these things - family, pets, friends, health, job, a place to live.  Sometimes it gets a little harder when we try to narrow down to specifics. 
And other times, it's pretty easy to be specific - especially when looking at old photos - and you are very thankful your hair today doesn’t look like it did back in the 1980's!  :) 

The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.      Eric Hoffer

Sometimes it takes a conscious effort to be thankful.  

Everyday - take time to think about the good things in your life.  I will admit, there are days that this seems like a major effort. But do it...  

If you are inclined, write them down.  I normally do my "thinking" time while I'm driving, so that makes it a bit more challenging to wield pen and paper. But writing them down makes it easy to review, reflect and redirect our thoughts on those days when we feel less than thankful.

After a while your brain will catch on to being thankful and it will become easier to be more specific.  In no time, you will be counting your blessings everyday.