A Quilters Investment Portfolio

I was watching one of those house cleaning shows, where designers come in and organize your house. But first you need to have a rummage sale. Everything was going fine until they found a box of T-shirts that the lady was planning on making a quilt from, for her child. As soon as I heard, "come on, do you really think that you will ever do anything with these?" I cringed. After basically belittling her and shattering her dreams, she caved and gave up the t-shirts.

What a shame! I call all of my fabric, patterns and books; my "Investment Portfolio". I have invested in my portfolio over several decades (with Hancock Fabrics, Moda, Martingale, Maxi Lock) and I continue to invest occasionally. My major investment these days, is my time, I am rolling over some of my initial investment into construction and development.

The other day I assessed my investments, and have determined that if I never invested in my portfolio ever, I could keep 5 quilters busy 5 days a week for around 5 years (just piecing quilt tops, table runners and baby quilts). This estimate includes fabric, thread, rotary cutter blades, patterns, etc. They only thing to purchase would be the batting and of course sewing machine oil.

God Bless all my quilting friends who can say, "I have a diverse Investment Portfolio that is yeilding returns at a consistant rate".

Lylah

I think that this picture is adorable. Lylah is my 7th grandchild, she has her daddys cheeks (made for pinching), and she is definately a little beauty already. She misses her daddy, and can't wait for him to come home for good from Iraq. She keeps her mom busy and always on the move.

My First Born & Her Family

This is my daughter Sarah, her husband Jeremy and their two boys; Brody on the right and Aiden on the left. They just bought a new house and are working home so they can be in it by December 15th (the day they have to be out of their old house). It is a very busy time for them. My prayers are with them all!

Oh Sweet Chilly Winter!!!

A dusting of snow is covering everything and creating a Winter Wonderland. Makes a person want to sit in front of a roaring "pellet stove" with a hot cup of cocoa. The snow started about 3 hours ago and is still going strong. Probably won't have the quilt group Christmas Party this pm. Well that's what makes living in the Midwest in winter a challenge.

Little "Lo"

Lorelei is a tiny bundle of joy, she is my 9th grandchild. It's funny how a baby can change the running of a household.

I watch her while her mom (Autumn) is in school, and it is a joy to be able to help out.

When on "hold" QUILT!!

There is nothing more irritating than being put on hold when you are on the phone. The other day this happened to me, so I decided to turn that down time into quilt time. I took the phone and headed to my sewing area and began sewing on the first thing I saw. It was a blast, I was able to get 2 blocks totally finished.

My only regret is that I didn't think about doing this years ago. Maybe my UFO pile would be smaller. Give it a try, I can guarantee you one thing, you won't mind waiting when you are doing something you love.

Unfinished Business

I stood in my quilting area the other day and decided to take count of all the quilt projects that I had started. I dug through boxes, bins, and bags. I must admit that after I had finished my search, I had 42 projects (15 without a pattern or a clue).

Now I have decided that I need to get a move on. I will attempt to finish 2-3 projects a month (these range from table runners to bed size quilts). *I will post pictures of finished projects* Now this may not sound like a lot to some people, but when you consider that I do long-arm quilting for people (with a 3 week turn around), and charity quilting, my time is limited.

I am using Bonnie Hunters system of "Leaders and Enders" to work on these projects. For more information on this method and the Scrap Savers System, go to Quiltville.com. I think you will enjoy the site.