Sunday, October 07, 2012

Retirement Laziness

I have been retired for one month and feel like I've turned into Ms. Lazy Butt.  My inner clock must be "off", I am awake in the middle of the night, remain unfocused, undriven, lazy, impatient, etc.  This new chapter is going to take some getting used to.  If you have suggestions, I would welcome advice on how to "settle in." 

My Retirement Reception was absolutely wonderful, more than I could have imagined, with many well-wishes, expressions of love and respect, many gifts and cards - including a LOT of gift cards to my LQS, two beautiful cakes - one with a quilty design, and a lot of folks saying really lovely things about me.  I was hoping DH was listening closely!  LOL

Above is a Diana Phalen signed painting that used to hang in my office, and which was given to me for keeps.  I don't have the best place for it yet, but it certainly looks good with that quilt, doesn't it?   

Below is a corner of MY quilt that looks a lot like another one I did, called "RED," and a lot like one from a German lady that I've recently shown.  This one is  called "Jody Blue."  My quilting friend Jody visited me weeks ago, and behind her back she hid a giganto bag of blue scraps. She said she was totally TIRED of making blue quilts, and I was gifted what was left (which was considerable!).  So a gal just HAS to make a blue quilt, doesn't she?  There are bits of lavendar and red, from 4-patches I already had.  The border is chunks of parts.  The blocks are 6 inches, and this quilt measures about 67" x 74".  If you haven't seen "RED", they are almost twins. These blocks are Jewel Box, or Buckeye Beauty and are no more than 4 patches and HSTs.  This is an easy quilt, and setting possibilities are plentiful.  


The colors are more lively, in person.
 I made so many errors with this simple quilt, I KNOW I'm not concentrating.  Jeeesh!  Embarrassing!!! 

For the backing I opted to use what I already had from stash , and made a bunch of 10 1/2 inch squares.  This is a stack of about 100.  I will need 80 for the back of "Jody Blue."   I'll show that backing another day.

We have a warm day coming up so I'm hoping to baste it soon, outside in the garage.

100 ten and one half inch squares, more lively in person.

Below is a new book, recently out, by Judy Woodworth.  She is a member of our Guild and an amazing long-arm machine quilter.  Her long list of long-arm machine quilting awards is incredible.  Many of her quilts are made with her friend Mary Sue Suit, also a quilt book author and member of our Guild, and some of Judy's assistance is provided by her talented husband. Judy does complex and intricate machine quilting, and has the most amazing "spirit"!  She's a quiet little woman, with a gigantic talent.  This is her second book and this one is about designing your OWN patterns and motifs.  If you want to expand on your machine quilting (especially long-arm) this is an excellent resource.   (The lack of color on this photo is totally MY fault!)


13 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your retirement! I know the adjustment must be challenging! I have 4.5 yrs til I can retire and know I'm going to have to have a schedule of some type to keep me sane... *lol*

    I'm sure you'll get into the rhythm of retirement soon...

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  2. Congratulations and know that adjustment will come slowly, but they will come. Try to enjoy those little moments that you didn't have time to appreciate before. If you celebrate Christmas think about how many people would appreciate a handmade gift from you and get busy.
    Enjoy life and give thanks each day.

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  3. Congratulations on your retirement. I retired a couple years ago and decided to take the first year to rest, think, read, meditate, pray, and consider my blessings--in other word, to re-create myself. I did what was necessary and what I enjoyed doing (usually cross-stitch) and just took the time to slow down since my job had been so hectic for so many years. It worked. I was able to decide what kind of volunteer work I wanted to do, how much I wanted to help at my church, what I wanted to learn (quilting and Hardanger embroidery) and now I do that. Each day brings its joys and I try to be intensely aware of them. God bless you as you find your new place!!
    Pat Lauen from NE Oklahoma

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  4. What a beautiful print. Love it.
    Your Judy Blue quilt is made all the more interesting by those little touches of color. Very nice!
    I wish you well adjusting to this new phase of life. : )

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  5. Great quilt from your friends blue scraps! Take your time with the retirement and gradually you'll get into a routine that suits you and your new life :)

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  6. You likely need a short break before getting into retirement mode! Blessings on you as you mark this milestone. Oh, I like the blue one even better than the red quilt. You are good at these. And I have Judy's book and love it. Do tell her so!

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  7. Congratulations on your retirement. it is kind of like the first week or so each spring when the kids finish school when they are at loose ends on what to do. I remember them saying so many times they just couldn't think of what to do when given so much time...you will soon fill it up as they always did.

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  8. I'm happy for your retirement time, many congrats on that! As to feeling lazy, that will change when you get a rhythm going. Hope you find a project that returns that enthusiasm that is so inspiring to us all ~
    :-}pokey

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  9. i was unemployed for 19 months, endless days stretching ahead of me. it helps to have a plan for each day, doesn't have to be carried out, otherwise time slips thru the fingers...rough out a month at a time, not written in stone, but gives a bit of structure when absolutely none is needed...

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  10. Liebe Elaine,
    herzlichen Glückwunsch zu Ihrem Ruhestand, sie haben ihn sich reedlich verdient, so sagt man es bei uns.
    Es wird sicherlich noch dauern sich an den neuen Tagesablauf zu gewöhnen.
    Ich muß noch bis Mai2013 arbeiten, aber dann hab ichs auch geschafft und freue mich drauf für unser schönes Hobby mehr Zeit zu haben.

    Ganz liebe Grüße aus Deutschland
    Uta

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  11. I've been retired twelve years now and LOVE IT. You do feel like an old horse at the gate ready to run the last race for awhile. But teachers sent me this little reminder, "Don't plan anything big" and I came to realize that it's baby steps working into retirement. Some days I do nothing but I do it VERT WELL and I am sure enjoying quilting/grandchildren. Happy Retirement.

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  12. Quilting can be quite the enjoyable pastime when you have so much time in your hands! But if you want to have a bit of variety in your retirement, why not travel and meet different people who also love quilting? This way, you can make another group of friends who have the same interest as yours! You can also join in clubs that do quilting projects. Just goes to show that there are lots different ways you can enjoy your retirement without leaving behind what you love to do.

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  13. Lord, I've got so much catching up to do! Congrats on retiring!!! And you are not lazy---you now "make your own schedule"!

    Hmmm, I suspect that quilt frame is going to be real busy......

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