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Who used to cross stitch--raise your hand! I used to cross stitch a lot. I had a little pillow that had this rhyme on it (I forced my sister make it for me!)

I like me.

I like me, being what no one else can be.

Yes, I like me.

Some of my recent healthy living/weight loss/weight maintenance blog reading made me start to wonder--what if “self-acceptance” is a key component when it comes to long-term weight loss maintenance?

The National Weight Control Registry is often quoted by the experts as the definitive gathering of information on what it takes to maintain weight loss. I am a member of that society, so I know the questions they ask to gather this information. They don’t ask any questions about your psyche. I think that they would say that, as scientists, that kind of data is hard to quantify. Its simpler to say things like:

78% eat breakfast every day.

75% weigh themselves at least once a week.

62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week.

90% exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day.

Its not so easy to report what these weight loss maintainers think about themselves.

But it seems to me, in all my reading, that the people who have been successful at maintaining their weight loss either went into it already thinking well of themselves, or else they did a lot of work during the weight loss or after they reached “goal” on self-acceptance, or “liking themselves.”

Anyway, its just something to think about, whether you are starting on your weight loss journey, or you are “maintaining.” Do you like yourself?

To read more of my thoughts about maintaining your weight loss for the long term, click here.

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Don't want to throw out that old pair of jeans?  Here's a great way to recycle your denim, use up some scraps, and organize your craft supplies all at the same time.  "Make" yourself some fun Denim Do-it-All Bins from Makezine.com and Betz White.

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(Photo: heavy.com)

Ricky recently received the following mail:

As you know, Arkansas was hit by an EF-4 tornado on Sunday. The two hardest hit towns are in my county. Mayflower was the site of an oil spill just one year ago and now are dealing with the destruction of this storm. Vilonia was hit by a tornado just two years ago. This tornado took almost exactly the same track destroying many rebuilt homes and lives. 

If any quilter out there have finished charity quilts, I am sure they would bring a special kind of comfort to the people affected by the storms. Thank you for posting this to a much larger audience than I am able to reach.

Anyone who wants to send a quilt can send it to Lynn Wilson, 83 Woolly Hollow Road, Greenbrier, Arkansas 72058.

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Linda shares her inspirations, her studio, and her work.  The visitors to her studio will bring a smile to your face.

You can learn more about Linda in Episode 1409: Bringing in the Great Outdoors: Quilts Inspired by Our National Parks.

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Click to play this Smilebox slideshow

 

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Here is the Viewer's Choice Award for AQS QuiltWeek® – Paducah, Kentucky 2014 Small Wall Quilts. It is Feathers and Farms by Joanne Baeth, Bonanza, Oregon.  You can find another of Joanne's quilts in our Zoom Quilt area, click here.  Or listen to her talk about another one of her masterpieces by clicking here. Congratulations Joanne!

The Viewer's Choice Award for Large Wall Quilts is Storytime by Monica Mackison, Ozawkie, Kansas. Quilted by Pam Estrada. Congratulations Monica!

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Little Scraps of Magic is a series of fun, doable, confidence-building techniques that TQS has been sharing throughout the year. 

Have you been making Little Scraps of Magic? Head on over to the Show and Tell page and see what everyone else has been up to.

Click here to learn more about Little Scraps of Magic.

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(The Video lessons are great even for those not doing the quilt.)

Join us this month to work on letters "K" and "L" and "M" of our 2014 BOM quilt, designed by Janet Stone.

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And don't forget to watch the companion tutorial with BOM Specialist Julie Cefalu to get great tips on piecing perfect blocks.

P.S. You can watch Janet in Episode 1401.

 

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Even Alex is tired of the hassle involved with squaring up a quilt. Well . . . things are about to get easier! Just try this super-clever method using a tool readily available from your neighborhood hardware store.  

 

Michelle of quiltsalot uses laser levels and square rulers on a tabletop after washing and blocking her quilts. She says "It pays to have a couple of large trestle tables to work on if you can't crawl around the floor." We think Alex might have a trip to the hardware store looming in her near future.

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Congratulations go out to TQS member noralg was the winner of her own copy of Ruth's fabulous stitchery book. A big thanks goes out to all who played. 

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Would you like to take your stitchery to a new level but need bit of help? Let Ruth Chandler show you how to take dozens of traditional embroidery stitches and transform them into a whole new art form. 

Ruth's book, Modern Hand Stitching (Landauer), details the how-tos plus fabulous ideas for stretching your creativity with free-form alternatives. With clear, easy-to-follow directions and lots of images, this book is sure to inspire you to add a bit of stitchery to your next project.

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Marcia Baraldi of Campeche Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, was inspired by the 15th anniversary of the Festival of Quilt And Patchwork in Gramado, Brazil to make this quilt named "Debut". The Quilt won second place in the "Bed Quilts: Home Machine Quilted".

One feature that really caught our eyes was the shine in the thread that "glowed" in the fabric.

Marcia tells us, "I did use Glitter Superior Threads and Marathon Threads Metallic. Thank you! I'm very Happy!!!"

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