August 2011
1 post
Where did the summer go?
Well, I was right…summer was hot! Still is.
Right now I am flying to Atlanta so that I can change planes and fly home to Myrtle Beach. It is so wonderful to be able to do this while I am in the air on a very long flight! Making time to do things when you can’t do much else!
I am returning from 10 days of travel. I was on cruise to Alaska. The group was a blast. Most of them are from...
June 2011
1 post
Summer
It isn’t really summer…yet, but the weather thinks that it is. It has been so very hot. Right now I am in Va Beach, VA. I came up here to visit some of my good friends. There is a group of us that still get together. They get together every month, but since I am not living here anymore I can only get up here now and then. This was my month to do the block exchange so I drove up. It was...
May 2011
1 post
working
Right now I am working on the first of two different kits for Long Beach Quilt Festival. The end of July this show comes around and I must say it is one of my favorite shows. The weather is wonderful. The location of the convention center is close to so many things and it is just beautiful there.
The two quilts that I will have this year are also pretty darn wonderful…I must say. I am...
April 2011
1 post
One person
Here I am again and I want to write about the results of part of my experiment. One of my ‘rants’ here was about a student who had to tell me about how disappointed she was with me. She didn’t get the fabric that I offered in class because of a mess up on my part. I didn’t have enough for the entire class since that would not be a wise business move on my part. Then we over...
March 2011
1 post
Time Flies
Whether you are having fun or not. So, you might as well have some fun!
I do think that quilting is just about as much fun as one can have. It is also good for teaching one to drive a car.
This has been something of a big observation of mine. If everyone learning to drive a car would take a simple machine quilting class the world would have better drivers and just think about all the fun!
When...
February 2011
1 post
Wow!
Well, it has been ages since I have thought to sit down and write. So, let me see, where do I begin?
My job is a very good fit for me. I don’t mind travel, love to quilt and teach, sharing ideas is fun to me…so this is a good fit. I like people, too. Most of the time I meet wonderful people. I will say that the majority of people in my classes are female. These women are intelligent, have...
October 2010
1 post
To say I have been busy just doesn’t cover it. BUT, tonight something funny happened and I am making time for this one short story.
Went to my sisters house tonight for a birthday cookout. My niece, Ashley, turned 12. My mother, sister, brother in law and three nieces were there to celebrate. It was a wonderful family time. After we had dinner my sister, Jennifer, her husband Roger and I...
September 2010
1 post
new car, new color underwear
I love my new car! The cell phone is in sync with the radio so I have hands free calling. Never thought I would like it since it makes me look like a crazy person talking to myself in the car, but I have gotten to an age where that really doesn’t bother me too much anymore. I am a bit crazy and others need to be aware of that. I do have to stop using my hands so much since I am driving.
I...
August 2010
3 posts
This made me smile.. Enjoy the Pipecleaner Dance
Pipecleaner Dance III « davidbessler.com
the end of summer
When we last chatted I was on my way to Morehead City, NC in a rental car. I found out that I really like my car and not so much the rental. When I returned home I got the windshield fixed on my car and was driving it with a big dent in the hood. Kinda looked like a baseball bat had a field day on the hood.
Nice group of wonderful women in Morehead City. The day flew by very quickly and I drove...
where have I been?
It has been ages since I posted! I know! Where have I been? It seems like yesterday I posted about Estes Park!
Well, let me tell you about my travels. After the fun-filled vacation in CO I got to go to Long Beach, CA. What fun that was! Debbie Caffrey and I went in early so that we could relax and have more vacation time. I do believe I have been missing something all this time without vacations....
June 2010
2 posts
June means vacation
When I was a kid we didn’t really go on vacation all the time. I think it is wonderful that families do this, we just went on ‘vacation’ a few times. My Dad was military so we moved in the summer about every three years. I guess that could be considered a vacation. We went someplace and it was new. It just ended up being where we would live for the next three years or so.
I am...
June
The older I get the faster the time flies by. Have you noticed this? It is June! What happened to March?
This has been an interesting turn of events. When I moved here one sister, Missy, lived in Conway close to where I moved. One sister, Tammy, lived in NC and the other sister Jennifer lived in Charleston, SC. Jen has now moved to Myrtle Beach. This is really great because I get to see them all...
May 2010
2 posts
Quilt Market
Twice a year there is what is called a Quilt Market. One is in Houston right before Quilt Festival. The other moves around the country. This year it was in Minneapolis, MN. I like it when it is there. It is a nice city, the food is good and it is easy to get to. This year, with all that is going on, I was not sure what to expect. It was wonderful. The shops that were there buying for the future...
It's hot outside!
This year I have been traveling like a globetrotter. It has been loads of fun but I reached a point that I really wanted to go home. For the last two weeks I have done nothing but rest. I am getting up late, going to bed early, taking naps, staying inside. I went to my Mother’s house on Mother’s Day and back home to rest some more. I wish we could store sleep. That would be so...
April 2010
1 post
since we last blogged....
It has been a busy time! I am once again in the airport, this time coming home from the last Chicago Quilt Festival. Although it was fun going to Chicago, actually Rosemont, the show didn’t grow as it was hoped. The classes were smaller and there were less of them each year. There were few places to eat and stay close to the convention center as well. So, the show is moving to another...
March 2010
2 posts
On the road again....
I am in the airport. Yep. Another airport. This time I am leaving the Lancaster Quilt Show. This was the first time AQS has had the show there. Very nice place. The town is wonderful. The convention is located in the Marriott and has wonderful places to go downtown all around the show area. I hope that AQS has great success with this location and continues to offer such a wonderful experience for...
Just Perfect
Perfection…” the quality of something that is as good or suitable as it can possibly be.” Yes, I looked it up on the computer and that was the definition that I got. I like the ‘being suitable as it can possibly be‘ part. As I travel around, teaching quilting to people, mostly women, I notice more and more the need to be perfect. Some will actually pick out so much that the piece doesn’t even...
February 2010
3 posts
Escape month
Over the years I have had many different retreats. I did Quilt Escapes in Virginia Beach when I had my store, there were Quilt Camps in MI and now I am offering Escapes to SC. This year was the first year where there were two different locations for these Escapes. The first one in the Charleston area and the second in the Myrtle Beach area. Both offer great fun, a kit, food that I cook and...
Snowing!
Back when I owned Quilt Works in Virginia Beach the rule of the shop was if the snow sticks to my car then we close. It is now snowing in South Carolina. Never thought that would happen. The road and sidewalk are covered. I know that it won’t last, but it is nice to see. I really don’t miss the stuff. Living 8 years in the northern part of Michigan cured me of ever wanting to see it...
January 2010
3 posts
Escape!
This coming weekend will be the first of two Escapes I have planned. I do retreats for other groups and enjoy them, but there is something to be said for doing all the work myself. There is the regular stuff like the quilt and getting all that done, but add in the food, goody bags, bus trips/tours/out of the house day, massages and pedicures it just adds up.
Everything seems to be in place so now...
BUSY!
I have worked 2 months of jobs in 2 weeks time. That is because I am my own schedule maker and I am an idiot! There was a job I put on the calendar but in the wrong place. Lucky for me it all worked out but it was a quick first two weeks of this month. It has taken me this week to get back to some sort of normal activity at home.
Now, I am getting ready for the first of two retreats I am doing...
New Year
With the new year we start making promises and wishing for stuff. I wish someone would go into my studio and pitch all the stuff that I just can’t. I want them to promise me that they will not tell me where it went.
I want to promise to never let it get this bad again. Yeah, that’s it, I promise to keep my studio straight. WHAT? That can’t be right? How can it stay clean if I am...
December 2009
5 posts
Christmas
Yes, I am saying it out loud! Merry Christmas!
This isn’t to hurt anyone else, or to say that whatever you believe in is less important. It is say what I believe in is important as well. So, Merry Christmas to you all!
Whatever you believe in I hope this time of year brings you great happiness. Being with family and friends is so wonderful and if that is what you are doing then be blessed...
November 2009
2 posts
Escape to the beach
It is about this time of year when I realize that getting away with my friends is really important. We have long conversations about jobs, relatives, book deals and other business related topics. We also relax, get our heads around cooking a meal and sewing. We just have a great time together.
When I first started offering my Escapes to the beach to others I didn’t realize just how much fun...
November
It is already November? That means the Holiday season is once again looking me in the eye. This sounds like I am ready doesn’t it? Well, I am anything but ready. It is my job to warn you that Christmas gift giving is around the corner. It is my schedule that has prevented me from doing much about it.
Don’t get me wrong I do have a few gifts. I have made a few things, shopped for a...
October 2009
3 posts
A month?
Has it really been an entire month since I last wrote? I feel like it was yesterday in some ways and a year in others! I have been WAY busy.
Houston Festival has come and gone and I am still standing! The quilts were made, one even got quilted. As the binding hung off the sides of the quilt I knew not many of those students had any idea what it took to get it that far. Since I have been home I...
September 2009
4 posts
Fabric on shelves
Well, one thing is certain, my stash is getting a home…finally. I have not only unpacked 10 boxes of fabric and put it on the shelves I also took the boxes to the curb for pickup. The floor is visible in my studio. It isn’t complete but it is getting to look more like the place where I work.
The weather here is still pretty hot, but it isn’t 100 degrees any more. I am looking...
The Studio
or the garage as it is called from those who have no idea what is behind that door… I started to clean it. Yep, I have a space of carpet and less of a mess. Some of the boxes of fabric and crapola are getting unpacked and thrown out. There is stuff that has moved with me from here to there and back again only to be pitched at this point. How is it that I can’t find a simple bill on my...
more on the kits....
I told you a few posts ago that I would continue to tell you about the kits and how it is that they come to be.
Right now I have the blocks done for one of the two quilts I will be teaching in Houston at Festival. These blocks are for the “Let Me Surprise You! More!” class. They are a little different from the normal blocks…one of the MORE things. There are lots of them as well....
This year has been a great year for good gigs. I have been working in wonderful places, seeing/meeting new people and for sure eating fab foods. It has been a blast. Now, don’t get me wrong, no matter where I go it is a good place, but this year has been outstanding.
I am on my way home from yet another good place. My friend Annette Clark calls it the Cod…but most people refer to it...
August 2009
7 posts
Cleaning and diets
I have been on a diet. Not that anyone could tell…but I have cut out some things and have been trying to eat better. I do believe I feel better but not so sure that I look better. Hummm. Diets suck. Now that is my opinion on that.
Finally got into the corner of my bedroom where a pile of stuff has been lurking for a year or so. That pile produced a mountain of hanging clothes...
Because we have to cook....
Gracie Allen’s Classic Recipe for Roast Beef 1 large Roast of beef 1 small Roast of beef Take the two roasts and put them in the oven. When the little one burns, the big one is done
Houston Quilt Festival
I feel like singing! The designs for both quilts have been given to John for his part. Now the back and forth of where colors go and how big this is and that is, where does this go and what does that mean…all starts.
Most students have no idea how the process goes. I tell about it briefly before the sewing starts but there is a great deal that happens with this. First off, I am very lucky...
wash day
For reasons that I won’t go into, I washed the quilt on my bed today. This came about really because I was changing the sheets. When it came out of the dryer I remember not too long ago how I worried about this process.
Back in the dark ages when I began quilt making I washed all my fabric before starting a project. Those days are long gone. If only I had the time to do that now I might...
Vacation time
What is it about being on “vacation” that eats up time? This month I had no jobs so I thought of all the millions of things that I would get done. Yeah, right.
I did go to Virginia and visit with my friends there. If laughter is good for you then none of us will be sick for a long time! It is so wonderful to get together with friends. The kind of friends that even though you...
Happier note
There is a great new online newsletter that I am sure you will be interested in. It is free and written by quilters…most of them you know. Register for the first issue which will be out Sept 1.
http://www.quiltposium.com/NewMember.phpJoin now! You will read lots of great things, get free patterns, learn of quilt trips and lots more. I am writing the comic side rather than the serious side...
So, that sums up what I have been doing the past few weeks. I am going to be getting ready for my next adventures soon…hope to see you there!
Cape Cod Sept 3
Hilton Head Sept 19
Houston Quilt Market and Quilt Festival Oct 8-18!
Quilt Patch in Michigan Nov 6-7
Plank Road Quilt Guild, Cicerio, NY Nov 11 &12
Still booking for next year so if you belong to a group that needs a quilter...
