Hey Everyone, welcome back to Quilts by Jen.

Yep, it has been a long time since I wrote a blog post but it was a much needed break. Over the past 4 years I have been working on my business and kind of forgot to live. One can only do that for so long and it catches up with them. It caught up with me this summer and I needed to step back and take a break from the business and quilting for a while.

That while turned into a few months but it was a wonderful break and now I am ready to get back to work but at a slower pace and with a different focus. I will still do some pattern writing but not as much as I was – plus I will do patterns that I want to do not what others want me to do. That is the whole idea of working for yourself – do what you want not what someone else wants you to do.

Being at the cottage this summer taught me that I need to step back, relax and enjoy my life as we all know life is short and anything can happen in a split second to change it. I loved the cottage and the peace it offered me to relax and rejuvenate.

Along with these changes comes another change in our household – 2 new furry friends. Meet Milo and Daisy.

Milo & Daisy

Milo is a very energetic 2 year old husky who loves to chew and steal shoes. The shoes have now all been put away behind closed doors. He decided if he couldn’t have shoes then the books off my bookshelf would work well as a replacement but only the leather-bound ones. Oh boy – we do have a bit of work to do.

Milo – not quite so energetic

Daisy is a 2 year old lab-x who is just so sweet but very timid. She is warming up and becoming braver as the days go on. Milo is her hero and best bud. She will not go anywhere without him.

Daisy – such worried eyes

Milo and Daisy were adopted from a dog rescue.

Best buds

We adopted them last Sunday and it has been an interesting week so far getting to know them and learn all about them. They also need to get to know us and realize that they are in their forever home – safe and loved.

I’ve been on more walks in the last few days than I have been in the last few months which is a good thing. I had stopped walking since our last dog Soda passed away almost 2 years ago. Not good to stop walking but in my head the business was number one – now looking after me is number one and the walking is great. It is hard to walk alone and I am so happy to have 2 companions to walk with even though it can be a challenge to keep them under control when they see a squirrel.

I have two buddies again in my studio to keep me company as I create, design and experiment over the next few months. Oh what fun we are going to have.

Stay tuned as I will still be blogging but not nearly as much as I was, still creating, designing and writing some patterns, developing new workshops and creating new art quilts. But most of all I will be living again and getting outside of my studio to enjoy the world around me.

Happy Quilting!