another change

i don't know why i did it.

the history is this:

after going to Quilt Festival in 2014 i made a serious of choices.

i decided i needed a website with a shopping cart.

the website i had at the time was insufficient and all the parts that i was utilizing weren't attached to each other.

it was a lot of work to get everything updated.

so i did some searching and decided on a website company that focusses on quilting businesses.

it seemed reasonable.

i chatted with them and put down A LOT of money and in the spring of 2015 my website was ready.

then at the end of september last year i got an email notifying me that the website company had been sold and i needed a new website and it would cost me more money on top of the A LOT that i had all ready spent.

since it was right before Quilt Market i decided to put the problem on hold until i got home.

by the end of 2015 i had made my decision on a new website company, one with a broader background and would cost me less every month.

this was a good wise choice.

i spent a good portion of the last 8 months adding, tweaking, writing and making this website become functional.

as i'm not a techie person this was more than my poor brain could handle.

and then the calls started.

that my website wasn't hitting on any of the search engines.

more money.

or more time.

and more of my patience with a topic that was strained to capacity.

then the beginning of august happened and i realized that my next step was to close the longarm quilting portion of my business.

a huge relief.

but, i was counting on that money to pay for the website until patterns really took off.

back to square 1, it felt like.

seriously.

i'm thinking about the website again.

then i do what i always do...

start researching.

that's when i discover that etsy is now doing websites.

it's connected right with the shop.

and that's when it hits me...

that's what my next website move is.

when i update the shop, it updates the website.

it also connects right with facebook and pinterest.

and it's cheaper than other website options.

heaven opened up and the angels sang!

as we speak the website is populating and is down.

i also do not have email for a few days.

once it all comes back online though it'll be so good!

right...we're going to head out and do some errands.

hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weeks!

xo,

~ h

in transition

i am in transition.

and today, of all days, has caused me to stop and realize that this transition is probably one of the best decisions i've ever made.

today.

today i did laundry.

wash, hang, and stand in the sun, hot on my back and warming to my insides causing me to break out in a sweat.

then to take it off, folding all the fresh crispness into a neat pile ready for drawers.

i picked apples, put them in the crockpot, peeled and sweet then, when they were finished, i canned the cinnamon-y sauce.

four jars.

two big.  two little.

i cleaned up from the 12 year old birthday sleepover.

plates, cups, spoons, food...blankets, pillows, quilts...

deflated mattresses.

i hugged my girls.

one fresh from the tent.

the other fresh from staying over at a friends.

i fed them.

told them to take showers.

we did school.

abi first.

chloe second.

spelling, handwriting, quiet time then math.

it took an hour.

i'm putting a quilt on the frame.

i've answered emails.

i looked for curriculum.

i snuggled my puppies, scritching their ears, rubbing their bellies, telling them how wonderful they are even though they don't understand the words.

for years i felt i was living a trade-off.

it was quilt for others, the responsibility and commitment i made.

or take care of my family another responsibility and commitment i made.

and yet i could never quite get that juggling act down.

but now...now that the closing of my business is in sight...i've felt a relief of burden.

i'm sleeping in a bit.

i'm slowing down.

paying attention.

taking care of my people.

i'm stopping and smelling the proverbial roses.

and you know what?

it feels really good.

really.  really.  good.

because, you know the saying,

you've only got this one life to live.

it's a really good life too.

so now i'm off to finish putting this quilt on the frame,

and to roast a chicken,

and to find my phone which seems to have disappeared somewhere.

this is funny.

it's huge, my phone.

how i can lose it is beyond me!

xo,

~ h

page 64!

that's Dan's Climb on page 64 of Keepsake Quilting!

i'll tell you the short version.

in 2009 my mom was diagnosed with lymphoma.

in 2010 our friend dan, who is a firefighter here in western washington, participated in the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb which is a fundraiser for the LLS (Lymphoma Leukemia Society).

when he found out that she was battling lymphoma he asked and climbed in her honor.

my mom and dan heading off to the award ceremony
for the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb award ceremony.

during the time leading up to the stairclimb my mom was between treatments 

and i was asked by a friend to design a quilt pattern.

then in 2011 my mom was told her cancer wasn't gone.

it was more aggressive than originally thought and she would need a stem cell transplant.

there's a lot that goes with any transplant.

the toughest part for my parents was my mom was going to need 24 hour care for three solid months after the procedure.

naturally that care would fall to my dad.

which meant no work.

they would need help financially.

that is when i realized i could hold a fundraiser to help them out.

dan's climb was my first mystery quilt for a cause.

we raised $800!

my mom's cancer is gone.

she is still recovering from the stem cell transplant but is otherwise healthy.

and dan?

he's gone to climb more of the Scott Firefighter Stairclimbs, though this year was his last

due to knee and back problems (darn old age *wink*).

seriously...they climb 69 floors (that's 1,356 steps) in the Columbia Center in downtown seattle in full gear.

the quilt design reminded me of stairwells and, thus, the name of the quilt.

it's still one of my very favorites and a stunner in Jinny Beyer's Malam Batiks fabric.

you can find the kit over at Keepsake Quilting.

and if you live nearby i would love to sign your catalog!

(i say that tongue in cheek because it feels quite surreal...but if you really want me to i will.)

all right...back to quilting!

xo,

~ h

hey y'all! big announcement...

i've decided to use my flip flops to announce that next year we are moving back to australia!

(totally serious, folks.)

as well, on august 31st i will be closing the longarm quilting portion of my business to focus on the girls and quilt pattern design.

*long pause*

this blog post has been pushing at me for a couple of weeks now.

no idea why it took so long for me to write it!

i'm not typically into shock factor.

which this news certainly has a lot of.

so here's the answers to your question of "why?!?"

as for the move...

our trip in january was nothing short of amazing.

near the end of it we realized it was time to go home.

we want to go home.

as for closing my business...

three reasons...

(there are four but the last is the move to au)

1) i started the business to provide for my family should anything happen to D.

(he was making some pretty bad life decisions at the time.)

that time has long passed, thankfully.

the need for the business in that regard is over.

2) i've poured 9 years of the girls lives into the business.

now it's their turn.

and i'm struggling to do both well.

3) i'm dealing with some deep personal issues.

i need time to sort through it.

so there you go.

the last few years have found me mired in inconsistency.

i've done very little well!!

that's a sure sign that things aren't coming together.

i kept thinking, "if i hire someone..."

or "if i offer..."

or "if i work harder..."

but the reality is that all those things only add to the chaos

not make the current chaos easier or more manageable.

needless to say we are all looking forward to the break.

it was an extremely hard decision to make.

i cried.

a lot.

for two days.

but when it was all decided i felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from my shoulders.

and i'm looking forward.

i'm filled with anticipation again.

this is the end for only one part.

and, i think, it's a beginning to so much more.

the blog won't go away...and you'll still be able to find me on facebook and instagram.

there'll be one more mystery quilt in october.

after that it'll probably be april 2018 for the following mystery quilt.

the spring quilting retreat will continue as my friend colleen will be taking it on.

so there you go...the new changes we've got going on.

xoxo,

~ h