Listen Up! - Quilter's Podcasts

Another fun thing I've been doing this summer is downloading lots of podcasts.

Apparently some people didn't get the memo that it is SUMMER, so I am driving the kids back and forth to sports practices, camps, and workouts at an alarming rate. On one leg of the drive I am usually in the car alone or only with Grace, and it's a perfect time to listen to what's new or funny in the quilting world. Or at least the podcaster's studio.

I love listening to what other quilters are up to. I always have a burst of creativity and work after bee or guild. I suppose it is just inspiring talking about what everyone is working on. Did you ever notice that? I haven't been able to get to bee group much this summer, though, so this is a not-bad second best.

My favorite podcast is with Alison at Within a Quarter Inch. Alison is a mom of toddler twins engaging in some serious retail therapy to cope with the ups and downs of stay-at-home-motherhood. She frequently veers way off topic, so if you only want quilting info this may not be the blog for you; however, I find it hilarious and charming and engaging. I feel like I know Alison, Jared, Max and Sarah. I also end each podcast with a renewed gratitude that my children are past that precious, precocious toddler stage. Phew!

Alison lives in what I imagine is a smallish town in Ohio and travels to nearby larger cities for the twins' doctor appointments and so on. As often as Alison goes off on a tangent about the children, she also goes literally off the path to find quilt shops that are "only thisfar on the map" (as my husband likes to say) out of the way between her destination and home. With her trusty GPS she has visited and reviewed several shops that I would love to visit. It would be even better if you lived near her and could check out her favorites without an extended road trip, so if you are in that part of the country I would highly recommend it. I will have to settle for vicarious pleasure until we get around to visiting those cousins we've been swearing to drop in on forever.

The other quilting podcast I subscribe to is with Jean from The Quilted Cupcake. Jean's seems more structured and almost all quilt related (go figure - her kids are both over 10!). It's a trade off, though. I don't find myself laughing out loud and drawing stares from the driver in the next lane, but she does share lots of helpful tips and information.

One of the best of both of these podcasts was the episode they each posted after they got a chance to meet. I was so envious!

There are more podcasts than I could have ever imagined on every topic under the sun. I look forward to searching for other subjects I care about to sustain me through the long carpooling days ahead as we face the prospect of our three children being in three different schools for the first time in our lives.

Check these out, and let me know what podcasts you listen to and like.