Hello Friends. It happened – it is September. If you’re like me, you never quite lose that back to school feeling. The start of a new season! I still get the urge to buy new pencils, or perhaps some paper. I did take a walk-through Business Depot last week and bought some new office supplies. (I couldn’t help myself) More so for me, it is the start of a new quilting season and for the quilting guilds, a new year. I tend to slack off in the summer and feel tremendously overwhelmed in August. I know that once the kids go back to school and everyone is home from camp and outings, they begin to search for their next quilting project. Excited to contact quilty friends who have been put aside to make time for family and vacation.

Fall is a great time to revisit being organized both at home (ie washing windows Blahhh) and in our quilting world. I started the new creative year with a new planner. I bought it weeks ago and have been chopping at the bit to make the first pencil marks for the fall of 2017. I have had quite a few bookings for workshops this fall, so it wasn’t hard to make “to do” lists. (Check out my calendar here to see where I will be and when.) I find my planner keeps me accountable and as I get older and busier (thing tend to slip my mind like washing the windows. LOL) jotting things down is just what I need as a gentle reminder. A kind hint – just don’t write down the things you would rather not remember, like cleaning the oven.

I have been trying to come up with a few new projects for Christmas. Things were going great until one morning last week someone posted a cartoon caption of how many weekends there were left before Christmas (16 weekends and only 113 days). People, really! I do not need these stressful reminders in August when I am at camp, blissfully by the lake. One of the projects that has sparked interest is by my dear friend Katrina Thomas of The Hope Chest Quilting. She has just published the cutest Christmas stocking.

I will be starting mine in the next week or so.

Fall is also a great time to take stock of essential quilting items for the new quilting season. It is always good to check your blade on your rotary cutter. Give your machine some TLC. A good cleaning saves on problems down the road, and we know dust bunnies make babies! Change your needle. A mere price to pay for problem free quilting.

There are a few new Technique sheets available from Studio 180. The techniques are not really new but the sheet gives you the “how to” for multiple sizes and in my opinion, is a must have in your tool box. Remember that all Studio 180 (Deb Tucker) tools and products are available here at Quilting by the River.

Any spare time that I have had in the last few days has been spent stitching the binding onto the very large King size quilt I have been working on. Two more sides to go, so I had better get at it. Thanks for dropping by. Until next time, stay safe, enjoy the holiday weekend, and start planning your next project.