It's that time of year again when Cheryl Sleboda of Muppin.com has challenged us as quilt pattern designers to up our blogging game for the month of December. This is the second year I have joined in this challenge. I started strong last year and then fizzled out. This year my goal is to post every day of the challenge. I stretch so many of you with my patterns and sew alongs; this is something I will do to stretch myself as a professional. I still feel like a hobbyist most days, but I have this vision for my business to grow and actually begin to support the hubs and myself as we near those happy golden years of retirement. That day keeps coming closer and closer and yet we just mentioned the other day that we have a hard time grasping we are reaching that age. He will qualify for the senior National Park card next year which we are thrilled about; and the Golden Eagle Pass for discounts on campground fees too! There are some definite perks. My brother is celebrating his first day of retirement today and that too is blowing my mind. The days keep zipping by at breakneck speed. Those days lead into months which lead into years which, well I shall just stop there. Let's just say I am a child of the 60's and it is starting to show. I made my first quilt in the 1980's to celebrate the birth of a niece. Followed closely by a second to celebrate the birth of our firstborn son. These quilts were made using cross-stitched blocks as that was my first love in needle arts. Those two quilts took me on a journey of quilt discovery that continues to this day. I learn best by reading and doing so that is I how I started; with McClun and Nownes' classic Quilts! Quilts!! Quilts!!! (1st edition baby!) I poured over that book, learned techniques and dreamed of someday being able to make even the most intricate of quilts. At the time we lived in Michigan near Amish country and I was inspired by the beautiful work being done in that community. It spoke to my desire for the simple things in life. And so a quilter was born. Back then I did pieced on my machine and hand quilted everything. My hand quilting was good enough that I was noticed by a woman who made her living restoring antique quilts and I learned quilt restoration from her. That aspect really spoke to my hidden history buff. Which may be why I continue to be drawn to classic blocks. Though ever evolving I am drawn to all sorts of quilts these days, art quilts, modern quilts...quilts, quilts, quilts. I am pretty new to the pattern writing side of things as this is only my third year. It has added a whole new dimension to my quilting life. But there is more to my life than quilting. I also love to get out in the world with my camera and capture moments in time. My main subjects are birds and landscapes, but sometimes the minutest detail will capture my attention. I love to bake and cook a wide variety of foods. I enjoy trying international cuisines. After Sunday worship at church my favorite thing to do is go for a drive in the nearby woods. Doubly fun if there has been a recent snowstorm. This Great Gray Owl is one of my favorites to come across and this is only the fourth one I have seen in my, ahem, many years of birding. I am looking forward to letting you in to see a little bit about me and my life this month. I am not alone on this journey though, there are more bloggers to discover and you can find us all by clicking on the following link. http://muppin.com/wordpress/index.php/the-2020-31-day-blog-writing-challenge/ Thank you for coming into my online home and visiting for a bit. Feel free to explore my site for patterns and tutorials. And if you would like you can even say hello in the comments. Whatever the rest of your day brings I do want to wish you as always.... Happy Quilting!
Laura McFall
12/1/2020 06:17:34 pm
Nice to meet you!! Watch out for that retirement spiral!! Six years ago my hubs decided to retire in six years at age 62 and we were going to sell everything and become full time RVers. But.... one thing led to another and he retired at 60, cutting the plan short. So he cut me some slack and we kept the house and started traveling. The first few trips were awesome!! And then came 2020 and we are SO glad we have a home base!! Sorry to ramble, but watch out - he may decide to jump early!!! 😉😁
Debra
12/1/2020 07:13:49 pm
I am so glad you had a home to stay in this year! I will certainly keep an eye on my man and his plan, lol.
Patti
12/2/2020 09:25:43 pm
Hello! I enjoyed reading this blog article and enjoyed hearing about the other creative sides you have! You need to add writing to your repertoire and look forward to your next article. Comments are closed.
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Welcome to the site of Debra Davis-a woman who loves the Lord and loves to quilt.
My other blog where I share about my walk of faith:
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