Hi quilters, how are you this week? I hope you’ve been able achieve a happy past week and that things are looking good for next week!! Well, it’s finally happened. I’ve been bitten by the “de-junk” bug and I’m starting to throw out “stuff”. I’ve watched all those shows about de-cluttering and downsizing and I’ve thought that it would never happen to me, it only happens to others. But recently I was looking for my one and only coin purse. You know the sort that we used in the good old days before credit cards and loyalty cards. All we needed was a purse that usually held more coins than notes! Well, I turned my bedroom upside down, and couldn’t find it anywhere. I went through all my “second drawers”. You know the drawers I mean, usually the one under the cutlery draw, or at the bottom of a chest of drawers – where everything goes when it doesn’t have a home. No luck there either (though I did find some extraordinary things I couldn’t even identify!!). I went down to Annie’s Room (our spare room) and went feral through everything, still no luck. I still haven’t found it!! BUT… I have decided to get rid of the stuff I haven’t used in 12 months and I’m afraid to say that might mean at least a quarter of our goods and chattels are going out the door. Naturally I haven’t shared this news with MD as he simply wouldn’t understand and would have an excuse to keep EVERTHING. EVERYTHING!!

So I’ve made about 5 trips to the opportunity shop so far, getting rid of old clothes, shoes, old pillowcases and sheets. Shower curtains (MD:you never know when we might build another shower onto the house), and lots and lots of cutlery and dishware that we saved for the kids to use when they left home. Ha ha, they only wanted new stuff not the old junk that belonged to Mom!! Well, I’ll keep you posted as to how I’m going with my “renewal”. I’m not thinking about liberating anything from my sewing room. Just can’t go there!

In between by frantic freedom fighting, I posted an article last week on two beautiful books I’ve received from Leisure Arts Publishing House. I get sent a lot of books from the popular publication houses to review, and I thought you might like to know about these two books I received recently. Here’s the link:

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art1327.asp

The quilting forum ticks along – any more tips for quilters? Pop over to the forum and have your say! Here’s the link to the forum:
http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=43

So onto your little gifts for this week: I’m starting to have a romance with quilting using old patterns and techniques. Here’s a delightful cushion cover made with Suffolk Puffs. It’s gorgeous. http://www.ohfransson.com/

Whilst surfing within this blog, I came across this pattern for a sewing thread catcher and pin cushion that really works. I know because I made one. Here’s the pattern:
http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2009/03/march-fabric-focus.html

Well, dear quilters, I’m making my exit, just as the washing machine is finishing – I’ve just washed three blankets and once they’re dry they’ll be “liberated” to a local homeless shelter.

Stay well and happy and keep busy with some stitching. Till next week.
Cheerio for now


Judie Bellingham, Quilting Editor
http://Quilting.bellaonline.com

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