Quilts and Other Stuff from Frances

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Quilting (and life) is not a race!

October 12, 2026 No Comments

Have you ever looked at someone else’s finished quilt and immediately thought about all the unfinished projects waiting in YOUR sewing room?

Or watched someone quilt a beautiful design and wondered why you aren’t “there” yet?

It is so easy to turn something we love into a measuring stick!

Someone else finishes more quilts. Someone else makes more complicated blocks. Someone else seems to master free-motion quilting while we are still trying to convince our hands and feet to work together.

And suddenly, our own progress doesn’t feel like enough.

That is why I love the reminder in today’s quote….

YES!!

Quilting is not a race, although I sometimes act as if a finish line is hiding somewhere beneath my scrap pile!

There are things I want to learn, quilts I want to make, and ideas I can hardly wait to try. That excitement is part of the fun. But when I focus too much on getting to the NEXT thing, I can miss the pleasure of what I am doing right now.

So, as we begin a new week, let’s give ourselves permission to enjoy our quilting at our own pace.

What part of your quilting are you enjoying RIGHT NOW?

If you enjoy this blog, please share it with your friends!!!

Thank you…….

Big Smiles and Busy Hands at Sewrority Sisters Quilt Guild

October 11, 2026 2 Comments

You can learn a lot about a quilt guild just by watching its members arrive.

At the Sewrority Sisters Quilt Guild in Ellerslie, Georgia, they walked in carrying bags of quilts, bins of fabric to share, and most of all…

BIG SMILES!!

With over 100 members, this guild has plenty going on. But what caught my attention was the care they took to make everyone feel welcome.

The membership committee greets members at the front door…

Then it’s past the raffle quilt ticket sales table in the hall…

… and into a room full of quilters, fabric, and activity!!

For a guest, all of that activity could feel a little overwhelming. But the Sewrority Sisters have that covered!

Guests stop at the Hospitality table, where a committee member welcomes them and takes them around the room, explaining what’s happening.

There’s the “free table,” with treasures ready to find a new sewing room…

The birthday raffle…

…and t he 50/50 rafflle and door prize tickets!…

I loved that guests were given a personal introduction to the guild. It’s so much easier to join in when someone takes the time to show you around!

Like so many quilt guilds, the Sewrority Sisters put their skills to work for others through charitable projects and Quilts of Valor.

One particularly fun touch is their incentive for members who complete five charity quilts during a designated period…

A sunflower pin!!

What a sweet way to recognize the time, fabric, and love that go into those quilts.

And the welcome continues as new members join. They come to the front of the meeting and are formally presented with their guild pin…

That little ceremony says so much…

You belong here!

Before I start each of my talks, I love to take a group photo…

I had such a wonderful time sharing “Stop Thinking, Start Scrapping” with this group and meeting so many of its members.

Thank you, Sewrority Sisters, for welcoming me into your quilting community. Your generosity, enthusiasm, and BIG SMILES made it a visit to remember!!

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One of my favorite things about quilting is motivating others and helping them in their quilting journey. As part of this endeavor, I LOVE to present programs and workshops to groups and guilds around the world. All of my programs work well with Zoom meetings, and I would love to speak to your group.

You can find out more at this link…..

I Can’t Un-See It!

October 10, 2026 2 Comments

In 1996, I made a quilt inspired by watching autumn leaves drift lazily to the ground.

“Falling Leaves & Flying Geese”

I didn’t have a huge fabric collection, but I did have a number of inherited scraps. Those little pieces became the sky in a quilt that I have loved ever since.

One of my favorite parts was arranging the blue scraps into a gradation. The blues moved from the dark blue of a summer sky to the almost-white sky of winter. Against that changing background, I carefully placed the leaf blocks so they would look as if they were floating gently toward the ground.

At least, that was the PLAN!!

Every September since then, this quilt has hung in my home. It has become an old friend that returns each fall, bringing memories of those scraps and the pleasure of putting them together.

This past week, I was having breakfast with my husband when I glanced up at it…

And there they were.

THREE leaf blocks.

IN A ROW.

Facing the EXACT SAME WAY!!

How did THAT happen?

I remember carefully arranging those leaves. I remember wanting movement. I remember trying to make them look like they were drifting down, each taking its own little path.

Apparently, three of them decided to travel in formation!!

For thirty years, I have enjoyed this quilt without that little lineup bothering me. But now that I have seen it, I can’t UN-SEE it.

Every time I look at the quilt, my eyes go straight to those three leaves.

It is driving me CRAZY!!

I still love the quilt. I love its scraps, its changing sky, and the fact that it has been part of our home for so many autumns.

But I would really like those three leaves to stop demanding my attention!!

Have you ever noticed something in a quilt YEARS after you finished it—and then found that you couldn’t un-see it either?

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Do you struggle to decide what to quilt in your blocks? If so, check out my FREE series…..

Click HERE for more information

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