Your nursing home sounds great, but am hoping I am a long way from ever having to use it. In recent years hubby has cut back on my fabric budget. In years past I would spend like $50 - $80 and buy all my fabric for a queen-size quilt all at one time. And in years past, and am finishing one up now, I have been very controlled in my quilting making quilts like backwards pinwheel and card tricks quilts. I am finally starting to accumulate some scraps and am finding that buying fabric in smaller quantities seems to gives me less fuss from hubby. So am starting to buy more fabric quarters and 2 yard segments here lately. So my next quilt that I make for me I want to be a scrap quilt, a Grandmother's Flower Garden, a simple version of it with just one ring per block. I have also learned how to machine applique and how to hand applique during the past 9 months so am finding it handy in those projects to use fabric quarters. I am finding ways to be a frugal quilter and buy things in small amounts so my husband doesn't freak out on me, LOL that way we can both be happy with my quilting projects. I have found a good pace though. I spend 2 to 3 years making a queen-size quilt and then in the years between I start additional queen-size quilts and make lap quilts and baby quilts. I try not to have more than 5 or 6 quilts going at any one time. The last 2 years I have been working on 9-inch block quilts. This year I am starting one that is a 12-inch block quilt. I am also participating in the Round Robin Seeds-N-Stitches Swaps and that has me trying out new things like machine applique. It does take me a little out of my comfort zone, but am happy to be learning new things. And I like to browse through the internet and print out free quilt patterns. Ones I might possibly make in future years. And I print them out in case those websites aren't there in the future. Well back to my quilting. :-) Best to you, Sandra

When I get them arranged by issue then you can ask me if a certain pattern is in a particular issue and then I can direct you to it . I think there were 20 or so patterns in each one. As an off topic Crocheted Quilts this is an afghan I did and it looks like my miniquilt Here is a link that might be useful:

I'm another mulitple-magazine subscriber who keeps them all and re-reads them for inspiration. I find it fascinating that I can look at a magazine from several years ago and see something in a quilt pattern, color combination, or technique that I did not see or appreciate quite the same way the first time I looked at it. I no longer require that a magazine "redeem" itself by including patterns that I might actually make someday. I simply enjoy reading and re-reading and looking for inspiration. Right now, I like Quiltmaker (good instructions) and American Patchwork & Quilting because they include: a full photo of the quilt laid flat, so I can see the entire design in fabric (not just a layout diagram/drawing, but the entire actual quilt), sample color variations of the same block pattern, and the quilting motifs used to quilt the quilt in the article. AP&Q just recently started including quilting motif info at the request of readers. I'm getting annoyed with magazines that have one Artsy F**tsy photo of the quilt draped over a chair or something, so you can only see a small part of the layout and that's the ONLY photograph of the quilt; there isn't even ONE other PHOTO of the quilt anywhere in the entire article, only diagrams and drawings. Eye candy, it's all eye candy, so I want lots of PHOTOS. CMC

WOW, what question. I guess it depends on the moment. I love looking at patterns in magazines, have made lots if your counting wall hangings as well as bedsized. Have bought books and pkg. patterns and used them. Sometimes following the plan and then again the idea. I have made some via the graph paper plan, some from kits, and usually find the fabric in my stash but maybe not. Right now I am trying to use up some of my stash and the BD blocks help. I have gotten ideas from the forum such as the rag quilt and 4/9patch, charm quilt, and crumbs. Now I have a tray with some browns I have been collecting waiting for and idea as well as some Brown Bear panels along with other baby panels that are waiting for and idea. I guess I don't have a good answer to your ? as I do them all and as long as it is part of the process I love it all. Jayne