Life is Simple T-shirt

Well… back in November I designed a new t-shirt.  I started with the idea that I wanted color and I wanted a shirt that both men and women could wear.  Also, I love the name of our blog and wanted to work it into the design idea… Wala!  The Life is Simple t-shirt design was born! It even has a Quilty Pleasures top 10 list on the back.  (Go to www.mikidiane.com/catalog.html to view and purchase the shirt.)

Shirt front:

Shirt Back:

Every Quilty Pleasure listed on the t-shirt has a story. I’ll share the one about Life’s Quilty Pleasure #3 - Getting “permission” from a friend to abandon a UFO.

Well, I won’t name names, but the person who inspired this is my business partner (and fellow designer).  We will just call her “D” for short…  “D” was working on a project and kept saying that it wasn’t fun and she couldn’t wait to get finished with it so she could work on something else.  After hearing her say this three or four times, I asked “D” if she liked the project?  Did she think it was something she would love when she finished it.  Guess what.  Her answer was NO!  I said, “Good grief woman, then get rid of it and don’t worry about finishing it!”  The look she gave me was priceless.  It was like she had a light bulb moment.  She never thought abandoning the UFO was an option.

Needless to say, she ”gifted” her project to a beginning quilter who was thrilled to have a project to work on and I think “D” even gave her a little lesson to get her going.  Talk about a win-win situation!

I’m sharing this story because I think we forget that our sewing time is precious and must not be wasted on a project that we really dislike.  I’m not talking about a difficult project that requires you to struggle through a tough part, I’m talking about the one that fills us with dread each time we take it out. 

So… get rid of the UFO you don’t want to finish.  It’s OK.  I give you permission.  Oh, yea - go ahead and post a comment and tell us about your UFOs.  We can’t wait to hear about what you are working on. 

Heading off to Waterloo

Just a quick post this morning.  My MIL and I are headed off to Waterloo, Iowa for a day of sewing with some friends.  I’m so glad she is able to come!  This is the same group (more or less) that did the retreat at Rosies, so it will be fun to see everyone again. 

Do you get a chance to have sewing days with your friends?  What kind of projects do you work on when you do?

Have a great day!

Hello All!

Hey everyone, welcome to our blog.  I have to admit, I am not an avid blogger (as you can tell since this is my first entry) but I’ll do my best to post when I have something noteworthy to say.  I don’t keep a diary and never journaled so this doesn’t come naturally for me.

 The retreat was a blast and it is great to get together with friends to sew.  Don’t be afraid to plan your own getaway; it really refreshes the mind and soul.  I wonder who that goofy birthday princess is?  It’s a good thing that what happens at Rosie’s stays at Rosie’s….for my sake.

 My daughter called and I think she is close to deciding where and when her wedding will take place.  She is thinking June 2008 in Prairie du Chien where we have our summer home.  If she doesn’t decide soon, it will be more like June 2009.  We’ll be checking out venues this weekend.

 I’m going to close and get at least one hour of sewing in before bed.  I hope you have had at least an hour to create today.

Go Cardinals!

Quilt Retreat at Rosie’s Bungalow

Who is this disguised quilter, aka “The Birthday Princess”?  I  promised I wouldn’t tell, but let’s just say it’s not Miki… Any guesses?

Diane and I celebrated our first annual Birthday Bash Retreat this past weekend.  Many of our friends have August birthdays (including me) and those who don’t were given honorary Birthday Bash birthdays.  The Birthday Princess actually had a birthday during the retreat, so it was even more fun.

We gathered at Rosie’s Bungalow, which is the retreat center owned by The Cottage Rose.  We had alot of fun working on projects, shopping at the quilt shop, (Thanks for the thimbles and the Rosie’s Discount, Deb!) and watching the weekend nightlife in downtown Marion, IA from the windows.  The food was wonderful and we were introduced to a new yummy drink, Pineapple Martini’s.  That is all I can say, though, because what happens at Rosie’s, stays at Rosie’s!

Back to the real world today… work on a customer quilt, bathe Alexandra, and enjoying some quality family time.  I feel recharged and ready to tackle the week!  ‘Til tomorrow, faithful visitors!