Hi and welcome. There isn't much happening here but today I changed up the quilts on the one wall of the house that I can re-organise. I wanted to share my Imagine quilt - it's as good a time as any.

Imagine - 2015 Music Challenge

I can't believe that it's already been 10 years since this quilt was created for our guild's Music Challenge. I had a lot of fun putting it together and even more fun FMQ it. You can read the blog posts (see Related links below) if you're interested.

Imagine - created 10 years ago!

We woke up two days ago to snow! I had noticed that my phone said that there would be snow/rain but there was a good foot of snow in the back yard, and it kept snowing most of the day. It's partly melted and with luck will be gone by tomorrow ❄ I know...it is just April.

Our April snow - showers to come eventually

A very brave bird...
I'm glad that I put food out the day before!

Fun Scrappy Runner

When I'm stressed, I reach for whimsical - so I bought these two stuffed doggies, in their bunny ears, to put at the back of my car. I'm hoping that it might help me identify my car from the back - because it's a white car, like every second car in the parking lot!

I brought down my scrappy bin that is mostly filled with strips and a few orphan blocks. I grabbed two orphan blocks from my Exit Strategy piece and started attaching strips. I want to make a runner to place under these two cuties so that I can Velcro them into place on the back - otherwise they keep wondering off!

Cuties on top of the new scrappy runner

Tomorrow I'll go measure the back of the car since the dogs will be on each side of the middle head rest. I haven't driven my car since the snow storm. I'm hoping that by then, the snow will be completely melted off it!

Scrappy bin of mostly strips and a few orphan blocks

What I learned and updates

Taking some time off for self-care was a great idea. I was too tired to get excited about anything quilty - I know...scary!
Hubby is back home with an IV of antibiotics. It's really amazing what they can do - the IV is replaced once a day and then is pumped out every 8 hours. We go to the clinic once a day to get it changed.
I'm still having fun with my Finch bird Minty - I'm achieving many goals so that she can go on adventures around the world. Right now she's in Vancouver discovering Nanaimo bars and Stanley Park.
I went into my studio for the first time today to do some stitching. It's still a disaster but I'm quite good at working around and ignoring piles of stuff!
It felt really good to stitch up scrappy strips.

Free Motion Mavericks

Welcome to week 526 of Free Motion Mavericks! Thanks for linking up. Here are the projects from last week that included FMQ, ruler work or walking foot quilting.

Kat from Scrapbox Quilts has two lovely Bear Hug quilts to share with us. These are the perfect pieces to practice FMQ on. Way to go Kat! You can see details of her quilting by visiting her post.

Kat created Bear Hug #8 from an orphan/test block

Bear Hug # 9 made by Kat with a twist n' stitch tool

Denise from the Quiltery made a quilt with a variation of the Drunkards Path. Not only is the fabric beautiful but her layout is truly stunning! I love all of the mouvement in that quilt. Denise FMQ it with four petal flowers.

Denise's Drunkards Path Variation

It's now your turn!

Hi and welcome. I don't have much to share with you this week so I'm just going to let you get on with the party without me 😊. Hubby is doing much better but I have no energy except for a little bit of self-care, which does include 10 minutes of doing something creative every day. That can be as simple as watching part of the latest video from the TextileArtist.org's Stitch Club or stitching up the binding on the Small Blue Scrappy Quilt.

Finch Self-Care App

I'm not promoting this, but I've been using the Finch app (the free version) for 22 days now. It's so very cute and actually useful. It encourages me to choose and do my goals, which can be as simple as getting out of bed, and more personal, like doing something creative for 10 minutes each day.

Minty is on an adventure, and her friend Scout is visiting.
Guess where they are!

Progress on the Small Blue Scrappy Quilt

I am very slowly stitching on the binding. I just need to get our quilt guild's label from my studio and attach it to a corner. It will be delivered at our next in-person guild meeting in April. This is my March One Monthly Goal. As soon as I finish the quilt (and hopefully wash it) before March 31st, I'll add the finished picture below and link it up to the OMG party.

March OMG - almost finished

Small Blue Scrappy Quilt done ✓

A close-up of the top part of the quilt

A close-up of the bottom part of the quilt

You can see the FMQ in the back

What I've learned

Self-care is crucial and not selfish if I'm going to survive this period of my life. I know that it sounds overly dramatic but I'm not only a sensitive person but also a nurturer, like so many of you I'm sure! It's easy to give until there is nothing left but I've had one burnout already in my life and I know that it's easier to take care of if before it happens then to try to pick up the pieces once it's done!
I do miss my creative outlets but these will be with me for the rest of my life, so taking some time off is not a terrible thing but a gift to myself. 😉
Using the app to fulfill my creativity goal, I've been reading a magazine article for a few minutes, or stitching up the binding a little at a time. I love those quilting clips. They make starting and stopping easier than using pins!
I'm also relying on my little lamp with the magnifier to thread the needles. With regular thread, I just can't do without it.
I'm afraid that I haven't made any progress on either of the SAHRR quilts. It's still a priority for whenever I can get to them.
I've also given myself permission to skip the review part of the linking party. I hope to get back to it in the next few weeks. My goal will be to read your posts. Thanks so much for linking up!😊