Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

Thursday evening. Dang it’s been cold. The older I get the less I like it. Carol’s car doesn’t like it as well. Doesn’t like to start when it is cold. The dealer says the battery is fine, car just don’t like the cold. The only real issue with that is that means I have to go out and jump it to get it running. Good thing my truck starts. Next week is supposed to be warmer. 40’s would be nice, melt the snow off the blacktop although they did sand it today. The only trouble with that, is that when you walk on the sanded areas, you track the sand inside. Winter problems. It seems that the sand that gets tracked in during winter is different. It must be the salt mixed in.

January Finishes

Carol here ~

January sure is flying by, I can hardly believe this is the last week of the month.  

I have had a bit of the January blahs but still have managed to get quite a bit accomplished. Lena Longarm and I quilted up this pile of quilts...

I thought there were six but when I just counted there were seven and I still have a week to go! I have appointments this week so might get one more done before February rolls around.

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

Thursday evening, frigid cold and snow for this weekend into Monday. Oh well, winter was bound to find us eventually. I’ll do my best to relocate whatever arrives, not going to worry too much about it until then.

Saturday I return to work with my new job at Sew Orchid Design, a local quilt shop in Norway. I am prepping now for a demo day celebrating your local quilt shops. I have been making different shapes ~ V-blocks. Corner beams, Half squares, Quarter squares, Combination units, Flying Geese, Square in Square blocks etc. using Studio 180 Tools.  Just making the blocks, I will demo trimming them on Saturday. I have a couple hours left of prep work to finish getting prepared. Hopefully I don’t make a fool of myself.

Dan's Ramblngs

Dan here ~

Thursday evening. Not a big fan of this lousy unseasonal weather, I would almost rather have snow storms than this wet icy mess. Oh well, I was not consulted so will need to put up with what we get. I did fire up the tractor and raise the blower so hopefully it will not need to be chiseled out of the ice after everything refreezes and it is maybe needed again.

With the weather not conducive to being outside I have been spending my time in the studio. Of course, I would probably have been there anyway, but the weather provided me with an excuse. I spent several days after finishing #45 for 2025 cleaning up and making shapes and usable, ready to go blocks. During that cleanup I made a scrap load of 6” finished (F) four patches. I also cleaned out my 3” F shape bin of odd shapes and half square triangles like I told you last time. That process made a scrap load of 6” F pieces ready for assembly into something.

What I've Been Doing

Carol here ~

I forgot to show you my new quilt-y socks I received for Christmas from daughter Vanessa.

Lemoyne Stars, one of my favorite quilt blocks.  She got them at The Sock Shack in Portland.  I love them!

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

Thursday evening. Today would have been my father’s birthday. Dad would have been 107, I believe. Too bad he only lasted until 75, still miss him. He taught me most of what I know, I could probably say he taught me all I know, because one of the biggest things he taught me was that I could do most anything I wanted, if I was willing to try.

Dad, me, brother Greg

Quilts & Family

Carol here ~

The town finally got some sand down on our road on Monday so I managed to get a walk it yesterday.  Sunny, no wind, temp in the 20's, was very refreshing.

Dan mentioned last week that he pieced 45 quilt tops in 2025.  🙄 I have quilted 23 of them and bound 15.  Don't think I'll ever catch up.  Here are 8, 9 & 10.

2025-8