Sunday, January 31, 2021

Weekly update: an unexpected gift, stash report, OMG finished and planned -- and reading

The 2021 ALA Midwinter Meeting was held virtually from January 22-26.  FLOTUS Dr. Jill Biden was the closing speaker on the 25th.  She was so vibrant!   The remarkable young poet Amanda Gorman appeared in a clip just prior to Dr. Biden's talk. 

 






Just a year ago I'd heard of Zoom but I'd only attended one meeting.  It does it much easier to convene groups of people who live both nearby and far away.  A perfect example:  on Saturday morning AAUW-Michigan convened a regional meeting with participants from 18 states. There was lots of good information and idea-sharing. Few would have been able to afford the time or the expense to travel (let alone risk winter weather conditions). 



Saturday evening the Magpies had their first Zoom meet up.  We all agreed it will not be the last.  (And we've begun -- with optimism -- planning for a 2022 in-person meet up.) 


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 I took Code Name Welcome Home to Barb-the-quilter on Wednesday.  "A friend gave me some quilting things she isn't able to use," Barb said.  "Can you use any of it?"  I told her I'd be happy to make it disappear.  

The top photo shows all the loot before I began to go through it.   



The original owner's name was on some of the things. I know her both from the quilt guild and AAUW, but I haven't seen her for a long time. (Barb said she is all right but slowing down and has realized she won't be able to use all of what she has.  Sounds familiar, doesn't it?) 

There were four different mini-irons, a bag of fiberfill, and notions -- including an unopened 6.5" square Omnigrid ruler that I actually had on my shopping list.  There were a couple of magazines and books.  And there were UFOs, and un-begun kits, and fabric.  

Fabric?  58 yards by weight!  The photo shows the pile of batiks on the right and all the "regular" fabric on the left.  


Look at the prices on these Keepsake charm swatches. [Tiny print at the bottom of each label.]

[I am not showing the kits or UFOs because I am finding new homes for them.]


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How did the gift affect my stash?

Here's January stash report, short and sweet:

Fabric IN:   58 yards, cost: zero

Fabric OUT:  61-3/8 yards

Net:  3-3/8 reduction  -- the right direction 

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My January OMG was  to make a mini-quilt for the Modern Quilt Guild swap.  This is Toward the Morning.

(You can see what my swap partner sent me here ) 







I pulled out a finished quilt to donate to an online auction and realized it wasn't labeled.  It turned out that I have a stack of finished quilts that aren't labeled.  My February OMG is to sew on those labels!





I'm joining other bloggers on these link parties: January Finish Link Up    Oh Scrap!    Monday Making

 Design Wall Monday   I found a new link party -- Favorite Finish hosted by Cheryl at Meadow Mist.

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This week's reading:   The Searcher is a very absorbing mystery. Retired Chicago cop Cal Hooper moves to a small village in Ireland to get away from it all.  He finds himself back in the detecting business when a local kid asks him to find his missing older brother.   

I've been gradually listening my way through the Cork Corcoran mysteries by William Kent Krueger.   David Chandler is a great narrator for the series.  Sulfur Springs is #16.  Cork and his wife Rainy go to southern Arizona when her adult son calls to say he is in trouble.  Immigration, drug smuggling, murder, and small-town politics combine for another case for the sheriff-turned-P.I. from the Minnesota Iron Range. 


P.S.  Six inches of snow Saturday night/Sunday morning.  Glad we didn't have to go anywhere today!




 





15 comments:

  1. Although I'd much rather meet with my groups in person, I'm really thankful to have discovered Zoom this year! It's been great for family get togethers, too - especially with my 90 year old mom not being able to travel. You got quite a haul there - glad you can both use some and pass some on. I haven't read a Tana French novel in quite awhile - that one sounds good!

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  2. I am so jealous you got a private listen to Flotus!

    Great score this month on stash.

    Happy quilting :-)

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  3. That is an amazing pile of goodies! And a reminder to use up my stash as much as I can.

    Your snow looks beautiful, but I know it must be a pain if you want to go places. Not something I have ever had to deal with!

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  4. loving the krueger mysteries...you had recommended them some time back...i'm on #12....lovely little mod mini...

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  5. Heh, so that's what I look like on the other side of the screen! Loved the flocking of the Magpies last night!

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  6. So many great scraps (we all lust after those!), fun Zoom meetings (Dr. Biden - wow!) and SNOW!! We’re dying out here in the West. Please sent a few feet of that snow our way!! xo

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  7. I don't envy you your snow. It's fine if you can stay in and look at it but I strained my back shovelling what little we had.

    I'm currently trying to knit my way through the boxes of yarn I have, I am on hat six. Every little bit of stash reduction helps.

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  8. The Krueger books are some of my favorites. I actually have the most recent Cork Corcoran book downloaded but haven't started it yet. Check out his book Ordinary Grace - a stand alone story. Wonderful writer.

    Christmas all over again with that gift of fabric and other quilting things. And I'm sure the original owner will appreciate that it will all find good homes to be used.

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  9. Lovely swap quilt. Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and congrats on your finish!

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  10. What a windfall, Nann! Glad to hear that you are passing along some of the projects and kits. SEW kind of you to share the wealth with the lucky recipient(s)!

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  11. I must be one of the few that has not used Zoom!
    Good thing you had to take a quilt to Barb the Quilter. Nice of her to think of you.
    Good luck labeling that stack. I should probably make the same goal. I usually but not always label when I gift it or donate it. I really don't enjoy labeling quilts.
    I kind of got in Catherine Ryan Hyde mode since she has a LOT of books in Kindle Unlimited. In between her books I read a historical fiction or mystery. Most of my reading takes place in the middle of the night when I can't sleep.

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  12. I never used Zoom before the pandemic and now find it perfect for long distance meetings. Plus, my family joins up every couple of months. It's good to visit and watch them interact.
    Lucky you to receive new to you fabric and a ruler just like you wanted.

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  13. Wowser! A very nice haul. Yummy batiks to delve into. And, wow, you still used more fabric than you brought in. Stupendous. We got a dusting of snow that didn't melt today. I'm happy we don't live in NY or NJ! Yikes. Enjoy staying close to home and reading and stitching.

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  14. A larger majority of my stash has been gifted to me. I feel very blessed.
    I can keep myself busy with what I have for the next 10 years.

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  15. I've done a lot of Zoom meetings, we use Webex and Teams at work. But it's amazing what you can do virtually now. Congrats on the stash enhancement. Good luck with with your February OMG.

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