Good Morning, Quilters!
Where have YOU been? I haven’t heard from you in a while…
Or was it me?
(Yes, it was definitely me!)
I’ve been loafing on my blog duties. What happened?
After nearly 10 years of blog, I just stopped writing one day.
I can’t completely explain it myself. It was a confluence of factors. At first, I felt a need to step away from social media for awhile.
Then I started working on some other projects like cleaning closets (argh!) and making curtains (yeah!) and gelli printing and dyeing vintage fabrics, and making books, and baking sourdough and crocheting amigurumi….
I visited some very creative friends in Texas,
And a very creative friend came to Minnesota (in February!)
In addition, I did a lot of in-person teaching and wrote some articles for BERNINA and American Quilter Magazine…
Mix in two weeks with Covid,
Some amazing travel,
and as much time as I could fill with family….
Just like that, my good habit of writing vanished!
The Plan
So I have a new blogging plan to get me writing again and to keep YOU quilting.
My plan is to return to blogging a few days per week with short, simple blog posts.
Easy to write. Easy to read.
Keep it simple.
What about YOU?
I’ve missed YOU!
How have YOU been?
What have YOU been creating? (Please tell me you’ve been doodling…..!?!)
Have YOU taken any classes? read any good books? watched any fabulous movies?
Any weddings, babies, grand-babies?
(BTW—I really appreciated the notes inquiring as to my health and whether I was in witness protection or something….
Thanks for not giving up on me!)
Let’s get back to work!!!
Your Faithful (Though Occasionally Lazy) Quilt Sister,
Lori
PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy Quilts and are intended for personal use only. Feel free to re-blog, pin or share with attribution to LKQ. For all other purposes, please contact me at Lori@LoriKennedyQuilts.com!
Check out my books on Etsy: LoriKennedyShop
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141 comments
Lorraine Doyno Evans
Glad you are back and missed you, but also glad your hiatus was mostly fun stuff and not due to ill health or family traumas. It’s nice to have you back.
Leslie Ferrell Kauffmann
Glad to see you back, Lori. Your posts always inspire me.
Debbie S Horton
I learned so much from you about FMQ motifs. And the doodling, practice and perseverance of this art form. I also really enjoyed your fine art Saturdays! I checked your blog to see “how you were”. It is good to know that you “only” stepped back from the public blogging to regroup and recharge. Smart woman. Life is comprised of so many things – glad your scales are balanced once again. But now, I have some pumpkins to doodle and quilt. THANK YOU for all that you do for us.
Debbie Mahlberg
If there is a quilt store that offers different classes, take them. You will always learn something, especially when offering a specific class. Watch videos from the internet. If one quilt turned out well why did it and the other 2 not? Think about that. What other problems are you having or think you are having?
jeff jackson
I just need a place to go for support! I’m a self-taught quilter since the pandemic and a lot of things I do are based on what I know so when they turn out to be disasters, (which the last two projects have) I get really discouraged. Funny though; I made a king size quilt on my own machine and did free motion quilting and it turned out really good! I was proud! But these last two projects have been really difficult. Where do you turn to learn more about quilting? Do you just take the basic skills you know and keep practicing? I need a basic “how to do” then progress to being better. I think I just need some “warm fuzzies” and a place to go to vent and ask questions!
gosiamir12
Uff . Dobrze,że wracasz Lori! Dobrze się uczyć z Tobą ! Pozdrowienia z dalekiej Polski.
Karen VR
Sometime times I think we need to step away for a bit and we don’t even realize it, until it just happens!then we come back feeling a bit renewed and committed again. I’m happy to say I have finally (finally) gotten a quilt sandwich or two under my sewing machine needle so it isn’t’ all dreams and reading about it now. I got a Bernina with the stitch regulator too, which worked fabulous with my rulers, but not so much free motion yet. Lol. Practice, practice, practice.
Pia Tønnesen
Dear Lori
So nice to have you back!
You don’t know me but I am a danish quilter living and working in the Copenhagen area.
I owe you so much for inspiration for my machine quilting!
I never had a nice and regular handwriting and I would never aim for a nice feather quilting.
The very first quilt I quilted on a long arm with almost no instructions. Since I didn’t know any fancy patterns I just quilted like I drew numerous naive flowers as a child.
And honestly many of my quilting friends didn’t appreciate it- I think they had expected something more “nice”. It was hard enough as it were and only having rented the machine for a few days!
But then I started buying your books and followed you website!!
And found out that quilting different figures and letting in insects and weeds -and later Covid-19 viruses- was okay!
So thank you for all you different patterns of animals, flower and all kind of different things!
Best regards
Pia Tønnesen
Birgit LÖwin.g
Hello to Denmark from Austria
Birgit
Susan Brausch
Sounds like you have discovered your “balance”….welcome back!!
Di
Glad to hear you’ve taken time to enjoy self enlightenment and the treasure of family. You have been missed and worried about. Your recent note came in time to break of the monotony of January reorganizing. Thank you
Mary Kay
I’ll keep it short and simple too – welcome back!! What nice things you have been enjoying with your famiy!
annieofbluegables
Yay! I missed you!
susan hilsenbeck
We are all delighted you are back… Everyone needs a break and a restructure. Take care of your self — looking forward future posts (no pressure — 😉 ).
RitaB
Oh!! You were having a full on personal life, that’s cool!! 😊
Janette Billings
Welcome back, have missed you. Ready when you are. Thank you!
Gloria Olson
Welcome back! You need to do what you need to do! Taking a break is therapeutic!
I miss the doodling but I have all your books so no excuse on my part!
I started reading William Kent Krueger the Cork O’Conner series (Minnesota guy) and traveled to Maryland to visit grandkids ( they are the best) Gloria (MN)
Debbie Mahlberg
I felt better after reading your “confluence” report. I have stopped sewing for about 2 years now, bought new machines, cabinets, etc. I just can’t seem to get in the spirit. A girlfriend said, Debbie, I just can’t imagine you not sewing. Just not sure what to do.
Marilyn Larkin
Hooray, you are happy and well, surrounded by a loving family. It seems your creativity is boundless and, you have been sharing with friends, quilters and all who can get to see you. I almost want to come to live in the USA to meet you, but family and warm sunny days in Australia keep me here in-spite of that nasty episode of Covid. We have all been touched by it in someway or another. Me… I took time out and created an Applique quilt of Australian terrestrial orchids . I drew the designs from botanical drawings -, researched the colours from photographs and raided my Bali and batik stash of fabrics, then lo and behold, I coloured with fabric pencils those little areas I couldn’t quite find a fabric for. Never in a million years did I think I would do something like that .The quilt has been in a virtual show and even an orchid show. However, in spite of your expert tuition and wonderful books, I was so scared that I could not quilt it to do it justice, I outsourced the quilting to a friend who does amazing quilting creating unique Australian designs,we collaborated on the ideas and between us we created for me; a masterpiece. Three months of lock down with Covid raging all around us helped to create an impossible dream. Now it is back to doodling to re-kindle those skills I truly needed then.
Mary Wolfersberger
Hi Lori! I think of you every time I reference your books when free motion quilting on my Q20 (which I never would have purchased without your confidence building instruction). I love seeing your smiling face and beautiful family (give a special hug to Pat from me…you two are dynamite together). Life for my family is still good and my quilting obsession lives on. Looking forward to hearing from you again soon. Mary Wolfersberger, the self-appointed leader of your JCCFS Fan Club).
wendy
Missed you glad your back
Carol S
I have missed you and wondered. Glad to see you back.
Jill Coy
Glad to hear you and your family are well. Enjoy your teaching so much! Still have not done a single quilt stitch, but I have been doodling!! I am full of Hope that this year will be my creative time! Have lots of ideas. Welcome back❤️❤️
Alice Strieter
I had a great time with your internet class on 25 weeks of machine quilting. It left me with a huge pile of practice samples which I just finished assembling into a quilt which i plan to donate to a charity for relief from natural disasters.
Margi
I am glad ou had a wonderful hiatus and that you are back online!
Diane Fabec
Good to hear from you!
Joan
Love your style whenever you share and rely on your books when I need to!
Sue Schwabauer
I am so glad you are back. I missed you and your posts. I have learned so much from you. I recently retired after 45 years of nursing. I am hoping to do more quilting, traveling and volunteering. While working, I would doodle on paper towel on my lunch break, now I need to get serious about doodling again. Glad you had some time of refreshment…..don’t forget to keep working that into your busy life. A great book I recently read was “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry”.. I think I will be reading it over and over….it had great tips.
PS You got me hooked on Azul. :o) :o)
Cari Janssen
Everyone needs to refresh and regroup…just happy you didn’t leave entirely.
Teresa Dillon
So glad to see your pictures of friends and family! And grateful we will continue to receive your blogs, short, sweet, and simple is just great! Can’t wait to see what you have for us to quilt!
Joan E Gale
Welcome back! I also needed a break since covid helped us all rethink how we are spending our time and energy amonst other things. I’m looking forward to reading your posts again.
Gretchen Berg
Welcome back. Your posts are so much fun. Glad you’ve taken time for yourself and family. We started building a home in January of 2022 and moved in August 10th. Had my right shoulder replaced in July so I’m just beginning to sew again. Recovery is a slow process and I’m still unpacking.
On the bright side, I have a wonderful sewing room and storage closet for all my various projects and hobbies.
Verna Kay
I have been busy getting my country house set up and livable. Cannot believe how much STUFF we had accumulated in 47 years. I will never move again!!!! First thing was to find a local quilt guild which is in Emporia, VA. Already adopted 5 feral cats who were waiting on me to arrive. Oh, well, with my 4 four that makes nine mouths to feed above my husband and me. Certainly a chunk out of my quilting budget will be involved. 😻
Kirsten Weiss
Welcome back! Missed you but totally get it.
Debbie
So glad you are back. It sounds like you had a fabulous time enjoying life while you were gone.
bobbie campbell
I’m so,so happy to hear all is well with you and your family. I’ve had some ups and downs these past few years as well- I’m guessing we all have. I’m still doodling. Let myself be talked into ordering a specific quilting design for s machine embroidery project- what a waste. Won’t happen again, really don’t understand why people don’t try to do their own quilting…. I’m guessing they didn’t read your posts or your books. Anyway I’m way glad you brought me to FMQ!
quilter1522
Always enjoy your posts, Lori. We all need a break now and then. Looks like you’ve been having fun!
Mona Triplett
So glad your back we missed you!!!
Jane (Little Aussie Stitch House)
Hi Lori, Lovely to hear from you again and to read about your adventures with your family and friends. Sorry to hear about your Covid experience but glad you are ok now. Sometimes a break is all we need to get our mojo back. Glad yours is back now! During your break, I stared a little hobby business to share some of my stitching projects with other people (which does have the benefit of helping to pay for my stitching addiction lol 😜). I’ve been concentrating on Machine Embroidery and really need to start quilting again too!! Thanks for your inspiration! 😀 Looking forward to reading your new posts and seeing your fabulous Silent Sunday pics. Happy quilting, Jane
Darla Kimmes
Welcome back. I missed you, but understand a break can be refreshing
Mary Oolders
hi Lori! So glad to hear from you. A few of us have kept up with your FB page, all of us sharing our different projects and questions . Me, I’ve been to the Netherlands, worked on a teen quilt for a granddaughter (56 rectangles with 17 seams each 😄, I just finished those) and when I went to organize my fabrics I found more and more yarn. That is now getting turned into squares to make 2 other granddaughters’ blankets. We drove cross country four times the past year and this has helped the crochet project a lot 👍. Recently I finally bought a larger-throat machine so now I can make real-size quilts much easier 😍😍😍!
Love, MaryO
s5821140gmailcom
a good thing is always worth waiting for and you are one of the best. so glad you’re back. i’ve had some grandchildren, another great grandchild, two weddings of grandchildren and some births of new grandchildren while you’ve been busy. i also finished a four year project , whew…sounds wonderful and exhausting!!!!
Donna Mallen
So glad to hear you’re OK! We were worried.
Chris Graeve
Welcome back. We all need that ‘down time’ after the last few years of turmoil. A big hug from an Australian fan.
Looking forward to more inspiring chats.
Chris Graeve
Patty Hooley
Hi Dear Lori!
Good to see you blogging again! <3
Joanna
So happy you are back and, especially, that you are OK now! Yep, many fought that stupid Covid and glad you overcame! We all do need a rest now and then and it’s good that you took some time to help yourself. Looking forward to great advice and designs in the future! Truly, though, take care!
JoAnn
After isolation and Covid, many of us need a break to recharge. Many lives have changed. So glad you’re well and took a break. Looking forward to the year ahead.
Barb Czarniecki
I have been in the midst of basement rebuilding (the floor sank) so my sewing room is still in storage :(. Hopefully it will be done in 2 months!
Birgit LÖwin.g
I’m happy to see you’re back in good health and good mood. I see you have been in Salzburg – so close to my home in Innsbruck – If I’m honest, I didn’t doodle this much, but I giftet me a Bernina Q20 Longarm with the table and did more practice on the machine, then on paper ore my whiteboard… I finished five quilts, made many pillows, some bags and four quilt tops that have to be quilted … For me it was a very busy creative year 2022 and I think I’m stoppable in 2023 and with all the ideas in my head, I know time will be against me .,. and like you I want to activate my blog again … so I’m really looking forward to this year and your new teaching and blogging activities… Birgit
kaywelch
Happy New Year! So glad you’re back. You’ve been missed. Totally understand – we all need a break sometimes. I love your Silent Sunday posts very much. They give me a “break” each week to ponder and reflect. Thank you
Pamela M Peterson
I’m happy to see your address in my email account! You’ve been happily busy with family and friends so all is great! Looking forward to hearing from you again.
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