Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop... my turn :)

Welcome to My Quilt Diet :) ...please note there is a bit of a giggle when I put quilting together with dieting :)

Grab your favorite beverage, sit in your most comfy chair and get ready to enjoy (hopefully) a nice [LONG] post ;D

My name is Marion and I am a 43 year old SAHM to 6 fantastic kids and wife to one sweet husband.

I named the blog when I first started quilting in January of this year.  I started quilting because my husband was about to have another major surgery and I needed a hobby to keep me sane and out of the cupboards while he recuperated for 6 weeks in bed :)  Little did I realize at the time how sucked in obsessed I would become with quilting.

My first quilt.  blogged HERE.

I decided to blog about my quilting almost instantaneously.  I was sending pictures from my phone to my sisters, friends and parents constantly, so blogging seemed to make sense.  I figured with blogging, my family and friends could check out my progress without getting 100 texts from me a day ;D

Quilt #2 ...a KING sized HST quilt :) named The Brown Quilt Blues. blogged HERE 

Now for a bit of my process.  As I finished my first quilt, I was talking to Heidi, a good friend, and asked her who she had quilt her quilts.  She gave me the name of her TOTALLY AMAZING QUILTER, Konda of Moose on the Porch Quilts but then added that she quilted her own quilts now. {Side note- Konda Lukau is a FAMOUS and extremely TALENTED quilt designer, unbeknownst to me at the time.}  But on with the story, I thought, "Wow, I wish I could do that!"  Well, that night I dreamed about quilting all night long.  When I woke up the next day I thought to myself, "God made me brave for a reason; I am going to quilt my own quilts!"

#3 My Valentine Quilt blogged HERE

All I have to say is thank goodness for the internet and hundreds of talented quilters who are willing to share their talent and skill freely. ...accent on the FREE ;D   I took some pointers from my friend Heidi and tons from the internet and dove in head first... straight into the deep end, according to Konda ;D

#25 Dad's Civil War Quilt blogged HERE

My first quilt was a full/double size quilt.  I did some straight line quilting and FMQ too.  I had it all finished by the time I was supposed to deliver it to Konda for quilting ;)  As for the quilt size, I have a motto, "Go BIG or Go HOME!!" ;D

# 19 The Retro Flower Quilt blogged HERE

The rest is pretty much history ;D  I started my first quilt on January 18th, 2012 and as of today I have completed 31 quilts.  I have quilted all but one of them. (Quilt #2 was going to KILL me, so Konda and I agreed that I needed a time out from that quilt and so I had her quilt it for me.)

#30 Granny Square Block Swap blogged HERE

HERE is a link to all of my finished quilts.

#29 Anne's Quilt blogged HERE

I have been sewing off and on since I have been married, but in the last 6 months, I have been enjoying a resurgence in my interest in sewing other things as well :)    THIS is a link to all of my finished sewing projects.

My Mom's Table Runner blogged HERE

I have also learned how to knit in the past few months :)  I have never been able to figure out knitting until my brilliant friend Suzy taught me to knit continental style.  My yarn exploits are HERE

So, do you know enough about me yet?  I gather that I am supposed to do a tutorial at this point in my post. I have been debating on what to share with y'all.  I get asked a LOT how I get so much done each week.  So here is my tutorial on how I get so much done ;D

Tutorial on How I Get SO Much Finished:
aka- pearls of wisdom, desperate tactics and other odd habits ;)

#1 Your baby can not actually be a baby.  My baby is a smart, independent 6 years old :)

#2  Have several teenage daughters who are very helpful. ...not too sassy... and do their chores [mostly] without being asked (please note the "mostly" should be DRAMATICALLY emphasized).

#3  Have three little boys, ages 6-11, who are very self reliant and do their chores [for bribes] and will play outside for hours [to avoid additional chores].

#4  Have a husband who NEVER complains when he runs out of [clean] underwear or when dinner is [VERY] late. ...or that I am binding a quilt every time we watch a movie. ...holding hands and snuggling is WAY overrated!

#5  Remember, laundry is magic and only has to be tended to for 10 minutes every hour or so.  You can get a TON of sewing done in between switching loads :)  (see Rule 8b, it works here to help with keeping on top of it)

#6  All chores (except laundry) must be finished before quilting may begin! ....almost always... Exceptions: in the middle of the night when you cannot sleep, when the quilt is the present for the party at noon, when the person the quilt is for is on their way over, if some one is leaving town and the quilt needs to go with them, or if you are feeling rebellious because the family just messes everything up anyway and you just don't give a [crap] :p  * the gist of this one is that I am WAY more productive [and less guilt ridden] when my house is clean.

#7 You must get dressed in real clothes [and shower] before you can quilt.  I am not sure how this helps with getting quilts finished really fast, but I think it may have a lot to do with why #4 is true.

#8  ALWAYS fix dinner.  This may sound really 1950's but much of why I can spend so much time sewing is because my family doesn't care what I do so long as they are fed, the house is [mostly] clean and the clothes are cleaned. ....more 1950's, I know...  ***now please don't think that I am really good at #8!  My family will protest that "dinner" is a [very] loose definition of what is made for them to eat in the evening.  I have a HORRIBLE saying that my family HATES (but it's true), "No matter what I fix, you are just going to poop it out later!  No matter what it is, it all comes out EXACTLY THE SAME WAY!!!"  Gross, I know, but true.  Sorry :(  ...the saying does not help their attitudes when we are having cereal or sandwiches for dinner :(

#8a  Have an 11 year old who REALLY wants to learn how to cook :)  He's doing a GREAT job and it makes him really happy.  Down side, my 18 year old is REALLY tired of spaghetti!

#8b  USE TIMERS!!!  Quilting minutes are not the same as REAL minutes.  Quilting minutes are kinda like football minutes.  Stuff cooks [and burns] in REAL time, so save yourself heartache [and cynical remarks from your family] and use a timer.  You can cook [safely] while you quilt, just get out that timer.

#9  Sew what you like and what appeals to you!!!  Seriously, if I don't like the colorway and fabrics it takes me FOREVER and tons of will power to get the quilt finished.  Have a small crush on your projects, it helps a lot :)

#10 LOVE the whole process.  Embrace the cutting out.  Cherish the pressing.  LOVE the piecing.  Get over it and become one with the hand binding :D ...yes, I am a HAND binding freak!  I just LOVE it ALL :)

#11 Learn to fmq yourself.  Expense is one of the biggest hurdles for prolific quilting.  Aside from the expense of having your quilts quilted professionally, I also like my quilts to be ALL MINE!  I feel like the one I sent out for quilting should have an asterisk by it. ( I am NOT dissing professional quilting, I am just saying that by doing my own, I can afford to do MORE quilts :)...and I REALLY like that I have done ALL of the work)

#12   Finish what you start!  There may be a rare time when you just need to cut bait and move on, but for the most part, JUST DO IT!  And once again, JUST DO IT!!  Did I mention, JUST DO IT???  :D

#13 The thrill/high of a totally 100% finished quilt is AWESOME!!!  It ranks up there with almost anything.  I LOVE finishing quilts as much as I like chocolate... seriously.  Just imagine if I could eat chocolate AND hand bind at the same time... heaven on earth!!!

#14  Make a list of priorities and work from it.  Evaluate your list frequently and don't be afraid to change things around if needs be.  Lists are a great way to keep you organized and they keep me from becoming over whelmed.  ***now for those of you who have seen my Monday list and HOW LONG it is, you may ask yourself..., "Seriously, that list is enough to make any sane person NUTS!"   All I have to say in response is, I NEVER claimed to be sane ;D

#15  Have a designated sewing area/space and keep it clean [almost all of the time].  Blogged HERE.  My sewing area is not fancy or big, but it works for me.  I can walk away, or run if my 8 year old stabs himself in the thumb with an Epi-Pen and it gets stuck in the bone and we have to drive to the Dr's office Mario Andretti style to have it removed with pliers. True story :(

#16 Buy and iron that shuts off automatically when left unattended just in case you have to run off because your 8 year old stabbed himself in the thumb with an Epi-Pen and it got stuck in the bone and you have to drive to the Dr's office Dale Ernhardt style to have it removed with pliers.  OUCH!!!!

THE LAST AND MOST IMPORTANT THING-  Be totally obsessed with quilting and you will find a way to get the time to do it.  I really love quilting and can't believe it took me so long to fall head long in love with it :)


Thank for READING this incredibly long post!!!
xo-
Marion


PS- Not everything that works for me will work for you [and your family], but I believe that women (as most reading are) are especially blessed with insight to know what is best for ourselves and those we care for.  Quilt when you can and be grateful for what you can do :)  ...and NEVER, never, NEVER compare yourself to anyone else, we tend to compare our own worst traits to the best traits of others, and that just isn't fair!


Don'f forget to visit the rest of the blogs for this week :)

Aug 21
        Marta from From Marta with Love
      
Aug 23
       Ginny from Fish Creek Studio
       May from Confessions of a Fabraholic