The lost is now found!

I'm home!! And I have NOTHING on the agenda that requires an overnight stay until the end of March! Yes!!!! I'm so excited!!

Regarding Bluetooth, my brain isn't comprehending the matter this morning, and I need to process this a bit more. But I learned last night at dinner, after complaining about the Bluetooth issue, that the Sonos speaker I have is Wi-Fi-enabled. So I do not even need a Bluetooth device to make it work! I connect to the internet through the app (of course!), and then I link to Spotify or the radio. NO device required! 

Hmmmm--- I still don't get why the music followed me when there was a dedicated Bluetooth device sitting right beside the speaker the entire time. There was no need for the signal to follow ME. 

Anyway, I'll try the app later today and go from there. If that works, there should be NO signal drop in the future. Just connect to the internet! One of the retreat houses doesn't have internet for streaming, and I use my phone to hotspot, so the Wi-Fi connection won't work.   

While the girls were happy to see me, it wasn't the same desperation as before. My SIL is here, and she has been walking the girls, so they were happy to see me, but didn't go ballistic. That's a big positive. Plus, I'm sure she gave them way more attention than DH ever does when I'm away. Murphy was downstairs keeping my SIL company while she sewed, and Murphy barely registered that I was home! 

It's so nice to be able to rotate the blog pictures and have them stay that way!! During my planning session, I have a series of tech questions that I will add and see if I can find the answers. Those will be some of my goals for 2026. 

Before we packed up and came home, I got almost all the blocks I needed done for the new dog quilt with the brown panel! I know!!! I think there are 87 blocks on the left and the scraps to make 13 more on the right. 

Progress on the new dog quilt

I'm not sure that I have enough fabric, so when I got home and unpacked, I went to the basket of dog fabric and found a piece that works for this configuration, and I should be good! It's mostly browns (light to dark), with some black thrown in. A relatively cohesive quilt. 

I said goodbye to this fabulous sewing room because we might not be back for a while. A few things have changed, and I can't justify going back there. Nothing bad, but the cost for the size of the group I have is getting a bit high, which is probably the most significant factor. 

The sewing room at the retreat house

Plus, I have ignored the other house we go to for an entire year, so the retreats for the next two years are at our other retreat house. We are very fortunate to have more than one close by. The other one is a smaller house, which works just fine for the smaller groups that seem to be signing up. And in 2027, this house will have a bizarre check-in time of 4 PM, and I just can't cope with that, especially since the price didn't drop to accommodate it. 

But we may go back again - never say never! For the next two years, we're switching houses. Plus, the number of retreats I am organizing is less than in previous years, giving me time to be invited to other retreats or take more vacation, or just stay home and sew! 

When I got home, I unpacked the car and then went downstairs as I had a Zoom meeting to host. I had a few pictures to add, so I quickly added them. Thank goodness for cloud-based storage, because the file I made while at the retreat was readily accessible and updated on the desktop, and I ran Zoom on the laptop. I believe we were about 25 people on the call, and there wasn't a single internet drop, even though I didn't have the Wi-Fi pod hooked up! Go figure!

OK—so we have a problem. I did NOT use the timer, and everyone respected the time, more or less. But I do ask a lot of questions, and I want people to talk about their project, and I want to give them some advice if I see an area where it could be improved. We are scheduled for 75 minutes, but we went over that by another THIRTY minutes. Everyone had a ton of show-and-tell! And it was all good, with lots of learning moments or very inspiring moments. 

We have NO room to add anyone going forward, and probably no one will drop out. I'll just make sure I schedule those sessions for 90 minutes going forward, and maybe, just maybe, I may have a minute or two to show something I've done! Not that I care - the rest of the group is doing a great job! 

After dinner, I headed back down to unpack the bags I brought home. It didn't take that long, and everything has a home, which makes it super easy. 

There is one thing that is sort of lost in Studio B. I have some printed-on-fabric instructions that I plan to use for a scrap project. I got a few more pieces from one of the ladies who was making several children's fabric books. Hmm -- the question is, where are the other bits that I have at home? I'm not sure, so I plopped the new bits into this container and left it on a table so I can try to locate the remainder of the bits. I probably have enough to start my project, and it would be perfect for the next retreat! But then so would many other scrappy projects! 

Some of my printed-on-fabric instructions

I restocked the retreat box with thread. I grabbed a spool of white and a spool of black and put both in the box. I should put in a new wash-away pen, since the one in there appears dead, as someone who borrowed it discovered. I must remember to check that later today. And I should check the lip balm, as that is important at a retreat (houses are very dry), and I think this one is almost done. I might just quickly grab that box and pull it out of the retreat tool bag so I don't forget. 

The retreat box is restocked with thread

OK -- that is done - the box is on the cutting table. Several bags of half-square triangle cut-offs are in the retreat bag, as are the rulers, the bell, which I forgot to put on the tables. People can ring the bell when they finish a project. My retreat sewing machine is still out, as I need to clean it and change the needle before putting it away. I'll likely add a spool of thread to it as well. 

I put the bag of blue flannel scraps back in the laundry basket, and you can see how full that basket of flannel scraps is! It's definitely overflowing! I might just go in there and resort a wee bit. Well, there are a handful of scraps that have been added to the pile, but aren't sorted, and I should sort them. It won't take long, and then when I grab a bag of colors, I have everything that is sitting there. More scraps will be added as I quilt more flannel quilts before the end of this year. 

My basket of flannel scraps

The rest of the top shelf, where that basket sits, is for the larger flannel pieces I plan to use as backings for the eleven favor quilts I have to do, so there will be more scraps. And as I'm doing my planning this week, I need to set aside one day a month as my scrap-happy day. I will now have time to do that, and I MUST continue to work on these scrap quilts because I LOVE working on them. It's fun. 

I had a big problem in Studio B. Many "current" projects were not placed in a storage box. They are sitting on those three tables downstairs, and I'm supposed to be making progress on them, which I am, but slowly. Everything I worked on at the retreat did not come from a current project table. Retreat time is sort of play time, and I choose to work on things that are not current. 

I also have tubs of things that I want to embroider, and well, there is a lot of stuff. But there was one machine embroidery project that I wanted to resurrect because of my trip to BC. I tried to find that project on the single day I was home, but I couldn't. I looked on the shelves, in the project closet, in the tubs, and through the mess on the current project tables. NOTHING. 

Obviously, I can't say I looked everywhere because then I would have found it. I was determined to find that project last night. I researched all the places I've looked before in case I overlooked it. NOTHING! I finally gave in and said that I would RESTART the project. My SIL was sewing and thought I was raving mad!

As I was about to throw in the towel, I looked down! OH MY GOD --- I can see the fabric poking through the plastic on this tub that is on the floor UNDER the current project table. For some reason, I thought this contained only the blue project you see at the top! DUH!!!!

My lost project is found!

Well, what an idiot I am!!! This is what happens when you move things around! So I reacquainted myself with the contents of the tub. And I found the project was almost done! There are four parts to it, and all four are complete, though I want to remake one. So remaking ONE part is much better than making four brand new parts! The thread, the fabric -everything was there. I am such an idiot!!! But there is no time to deal with that silliness, I must forge ahead and get this done! 

It is going to be a busy week. I have two big classes on Saturday, and then two show-and-tells on Sunday. There is nothing done for any of them, and so this week will be rather busy. Plus, I have some writing to do. Will I have time for a puzzle? Not this week - that will have to wait for the following week. After this weekend, there is the UFO club the following weekend, and my commitments are done for the year! OH -- I believe I have an in-person class this Thursday, but I need to confirm that. 

Well, on that happy note, I'm out of here!! Off to spin class. I'm so excited to be home and to get back into my routines. It's interesting to note that many people need to change what they eat for breakfast and lunch, or their activities during the day. I do not. Why? It just makes those "hard" decisions about what to eat - so super easy. You grab and eat, then get onto the fun stuff for the day. My mornings are very routine, and then the rest of the day is a crap shoot! I like that. Start the day with a routine, then ramp up when the brain is fully functioning. On spin class days, the first thing I do is write the blog, so my brain can't be that foggy when I jump out of bed! 

I have several virtual retreats scheduled for the holidays and the regular monthly one. I'll try to remember to post those tomorrow. 

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!

Making fabric from scraps

I hope you all get a chance to read the comments. There are some great ones, and I need to respond to them! 

One person keeps a torque wrench in their vehicle! Oh my, and the number of people who use EXCEL!!! I am very far behind the times! I'm not sure I would track some of the things people track, but hey—we each need to do what works for us!!!!

I learn so much from coming to a retreat - well, any interaction with people! They are so much smarter than I am! Yesterday, we were talking about Zoom presentations and how some people can be a tad verbose! So we investigated the ability to add a timer to the Zoom screen. Good grief—what an ordeal. After much searching, I found the settings menu, but only after I had some help. Then, for the life of me, I couldn't see the actual settings until the same person looked over my shoulder and spotted it. 

Only to realize it was on and I just needed to find the app on the Zoom screen. All is good. So I can now turn that timer on. Hmmm -- do I use it, or just give them a warning that we have X number of people and we need to get through it all in the hour? 

I had to sit down and tackle that final puzzle. As mentioned, it was only 350 pieces, so it was pretty easy to do. 

The jigsaw puzzle is done! 

However, it was marked "Family" and contained three different-sized pieces, which I've never seen before. Here's a close-up so you can see the transition from the middle-sized to the small pieces. The shapes are totally random, which helps with the transition. I can't wait to get home and dig out a new puzzle, clear off the table, and get started! But maybe not this week! But I did THREE small puzzles this week, and it was glorious! 

Transition between medium and small pieces

Here was our observation of the morning. It seemed that every time we stopped at the creek, we spotted something new. The crust of water has frozen in a rippled pattern, mirroring the water as it flowed. How cool is that? 

The creek with a crust of ice

Here is the thread situation. I'm going to make it!!!! I still have this many partially filled bobbins with thread on them. Plus, there is one on the top and one in the bobbin. I'll make it with thread to spare! And I'll be down to a manageable number of empty bobbins for this-sized machine. Life is good! Yes - I could have gone to the quilt store to buy more, but I have tons at home, and I wanted to get these bobbins used up! Actually, I can put the empties on one side and the complete ones on the other, and I can give the bobbin holder to someone here! One more thing gone! 

I still have thread! 

A few more half-square triangles got completed, and depending on the situation today, I may just finish that bag off, and it will be done. It doesn't come back to the retreat! There aren't that many left, but when making fabric from scraps, I tend not to use many enders and leaders. 

More half-square triangles

But what's the main thing I worked on? How about this? 

My soccer quilt

This is a panel I bought years ago, with three coordinating fabrics, including a wide border print. Off to EQ8 to figure out how to make the quilt to MY regulation-sized quilt - approximately 60" by 72". That didn't take long, and soon I was cutting and sewing. I just can't say the regulation size is 152 cm by 182 cm. Of course, then I would likely say 150 by 180. 

But then it came to that border print. Hmmm -- does the black section go in or out? My initial thought was that it would frame the quilt's outer edge. So what does one do? Audition, of course. 

Dark edge of the border on the edge of the quilt

Green edge of the border print on the edge of the quilt

I asked for advice -- hey, that's one of the reasons, it's so fun to be here. And I even prefaced my question by - "I know what I want to do, what would you do?" And guess what? Hands down, except for one, they all said - black inside - green outside. After seeing it on the wall, I agreed, and the black border is in. I'll use a black binding, and all will be good. 

Someone asked me what I do with the leftovers from making a quilt, especially if it's all from a collection, like this one is. Well, you check to see if you have enough fabric to make the backing. Can you believe that I did? So the backing got made. OH shoot -- I bought that solid black fabric the other day and only used a small part of it. Well, it's packed in the car, but when I get home, I'll make the binding. And then it gets moved to the "to be quilted" pile. 

The backing for the soccer quilt

What will happen to this quilt? I've no idea. Someone suggested giving it to a kids' soccer team and letting them raise money. But that requires a license and is more hassle than it's worth. I'm sure I'll find someone. 

If you make mitered corners with border prints, you know you get those triangles after cutting the corners. Well, this border print is 10" wide. So I laid them out, and once I have some of the backing leftovers, I can put a strip in the middle of this and make a small quilt. It will be very small, so maybe a playmat or the center of a quilt. I'll see, but I'm keeping all this. 

The leftovers from the border print

Once that quilt was done, it was later in the evening, and it was time to select the next and last project for this retreat. I decided to dig out the scraps of dog fabric. Can you tell that making something from "nothing" is one of my favorite things to do? I could do it all day! And each project has a slightly different method. 

Sorting the dog fabric

You can see my apple snack. There are cookies, but I'm being good. I'm so tired of eating "away" food, although we have eaten like queens, so I can't complain. I just want fruit and veggies at this point! No cookies, no sweets, just plain food - that's all I want!

Back to the dog fabric. Step One was to sort the fabrics. By the way, this bag of dog fabrics is all the leftovers from making the eight dog quilts for the vet and his staff. There are the leftovers from cutting the fronts and trimming the backs. Plus, I have this brown colored dog panel that I bought when I was in BC. 

My new dog panel

I sorted into three piles. The bright colors, the browns, and others. That is a huge step. 

One, it is easier to "make" fabric when the fabric styles are sorted. I'm making blocks, so it's not a huge task to sew a couple of seams and trim a block down. 

The second reason this sorting is excellent is that it's a huge task with a massive pile of fabric. This way, I have all the bits for each print together as I try to put like fabrics together in one block. When I need to get creative, I try to match at least value, but I do what I can. 

The other reason is that I'm making blocks with a cohesive colorway, which makes it look less scrappy!!! 

Sorting fabric into styles

Then it was time to open EQ8 again and see how many blocks, along with the panel, are needed to make a quilt. I'm back to my original tricks with EQ8. I never put the panel in the program. Why? I just need to know the sizing. For the brown quilt, I need 98 six-inch blocks. They finish in the quilt at 5 1/2."  And I'll need to put a coping strip around the panel so the blocks fit. That's OK. I'm not making the quilt today, just prepping the blocks. 

"Making" fabric with the brown dog fabric

I already have 38 blocks!!!! But I cut what I can from the "yardage," which is often just strips of fabric. I keep the smaller pieces in view, and if I'm short, I can look at the scrap inventory and grab the appropriate piece. It's all super easy!!!! And logical!

I have a pile of pieces ready at the sewing machine to be sewn, which I'll get to right after I press PUBLISH this morning. 

Pieces of fabric ready to sew

I should have no trouble finishing the components for this quilt before we go. 

The next time I touch the pet fabric bag, there shouldn't be any brownish fabric in there, and I can choose to work on the bright colors or the others! I'm guessing there will be one quilt of each category. Amazing how those cast-offs can accumulate, and you can make something pretty impressive from them. That is the kind of thing I want to present in a Zoom meeting - hopefully in January, once I give myself some quiet planning time next week. 

My presentation for this afternoon is almost complete. All the photos are saved, and I just have to load the ones I received late last night. 

Sadly, today is the day we leave, but I think we're all ready to go home. It's been super fun. Loads of laughs, so much learning that my head is exploding, and I should have made a note (perhaps in EXCEL) of all the things I want to check out in the coming year. I'm not talking about becoming an Excel expert, but there is one thing I want to learn that shouldn't take too long, so I'm trying to be very specific so I can understand it and then move on to the next question!!!

OH --- here is a mystery. I am using my iPad as an expensive tool to stream music, whether that is the radio or music. I use my iPad because otherwise, when I leave the house with my phone, it disconnects from the speaker while I'm walking. However, when I leave the house, the connection to the speaker still drops, and Spotify starts playing on my phone. Why is that? There is some SYNC feature that is causing that to happen, but what? I hope that makes sense -- Spotify wants to play music for me whether I'm on the iPad or the phone, and follows me! 

Most of my stuff is packed, which is good because then while the rest of the others pack up, I have time to go through the house - take out the garbage, ensure beds are stripped, etc. We will be gone by 1 PM. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

On excelling at EXCEL!

I often wonder how many people no longer have a computer and simply use their tablet or iPad to connect with the world. Well, tablets seem to be merely a connection to the world, although they are changing and now have programs (excuse me - apps) that actually allow you to do things. Impressive things like a lite version of Photoshop and the Creativate embroidery software, to name two. 

But I am surrounded (almost) by people who use EXCEL to run their lives. Yep -- a bunch of EXCEL geeks!!! Who knew? Books read, budgets, and MANY other things. I'm kind of out of the loop since I only use EXCEL to prepare my expense reports, and now I have that list of QUILTsocial articles. I am way behind the times. And here's something else - did you know there are ESPORTS? Yep --- there was a tournament in Vegas (of course) for EXCEL!!!! I am not making this up!!! Here's an article about it. You won't get rich winning one of these tournaments, but you get some money and a BELT!!! Oh my --- I must up my game for sure! 

Plus, I learned about an app that I can use to track my books instead of the two I currently use. Hmmm -- that might allow me to get my books off that online one. They do NOT need to know which books I read. I'll see how that works, but guess what? It likely means I have to convert the data to an Excel spreadsheet and download it into the app. 

I guess I'll be adding learning EXCEL to my list of things to learn! The learning never ends. 

I learn so much from others when I'm at the retreat! Well, it's not just at retreat. It's also the 30 minutes before our Zoom session, virtual retreats, and whenever I have the opportunity to ask questions. But who knew so many people use EXCEL, or I'm just amongst a bunch of geeks! 

The other thing I learned is that I can edit my pictures on this silly computer. To do a quick edit, I can RIGHT CLICK, and that allows me to rotate the images. But there is a limit. Somewhere in the settings, I need to change the default photo editor. So that's a joyless job for later today!! 

We saw the moon the other day. What about the sun? This was sunrise yesterday. It was beautiful, and while the day was cold, we still went for a walk. 

Sunrise on the farm

It was more pleasant than the previous day because there was no wind!!! We always stop at the creek to see what's new!! I tell you - looking at the creek is fascinating, and we both have a similar curiosity about the world, so that is great. I spotted this set of tracks right down the middle of the creek. The ice wasn't thick, but thick enough for a fox or a coyote to walk down the middle. And there was a section of cracked ice, so he must have taken a quick exit! 

A set of tracks on the creek

Helen Anne spotted this one. The wind (afternoon) was moving this grass around like it was drawing in the snow. Sadly, many people are in too much of a hurry to observe anything these days. Pole Pole!!! Remember --- life will pass you by before you know - so slow down and enjoy!!

Grass sketching in the snow

Sadly, the right-click photo rotate did NOT save them that way, so they are wonky again today. 

What did I work on yesterday? Well, it was a day for ORANGE scraps. I had started a scrappy orange project a few years back. ONE block was completed, which you can see in the top-left corner. And the rest sat on a mini design board for a long time. A while back, when I was cleaning up, I grabbed all the loose bits and threw them into a bag. That bag went into the retreat bag, and it surfaced yesterday. 

The orange scraps

This is the type of thing that makes me happy. Playing with scraps. Yes - working with new yardage is fun, but scraps? Well, that excitement!!! 

I hope to schedule that scrap session in the new year on Zoom, so I can share some of the fun with anyone who wants to join. I'm home soon and won't be going anywhere until perhaps the end of March, so I will actually have some time to get myself organized. Here's a tip for working with scraps - divide and conquer!!!! 

Making scrap blocks

I went through a process; the strips in the back are the pieces I could add to the "blocks." The pieces in front are ready to sew. Because I'm making blocks that I'll trim down, I could rip through them with the sewing machine. It's so satisfying and fun!!

Preparing to sew

As I neared the end of the process, I realized I could finish this task in one day! And I wasn't going to bed until it was done. 

I put the blocks on a design wall as I sewed, and when I was having dinner, I got to see them from a distance. OH MY --- I'm loving them. Of course, the debate for me was how big would I make this? Would I use it as a background for some applique, and if so, what kind of applique could I use? Lots of questions. 

After the count, I was missing ONE block to achieve a 9-by-6 configuration. The blocks are 6 inches finished, and I was thinking of a wall hanging. No need to make a big project. 

I looked at the table and found these scraps that I was hoping I could eke out one more block form. 

Making a block from nothing!

And voila -- the last block. I had found several tiny triangles - well, small, not tiny. 

They were too small to go in the HST box, but one of them was perfect for the corner of this block. 

The final block

This is what was left. Some of the pieces didn't make the cut, primarily because of the color. I think I did pretty amazing with the bag of scraps. 

The leftovers

So what did it look like when I was finished? This is not the final configuration - it's just how big the design wall was. But I LOVE it!!!! I think it's busy enough and doesn't need anything else. 

My orange scrappy blocks

Here are the last two blocks that didn't fit on the design wall. 

The last two scrap blocks

And there's the bag of scraps that will become a pet mat. Before you attempt those, be sure you have a home for them. Not all places will accept that style of pet mat. 

A bag of scraps

I'm running into an issue, though. I have now emptied the two partial spools of thread I brought with me. The only thing I have left to sew with is that tray of partial bobbins. I think there are 17 of them, and some are fuller than others. Working with the scraps uses up the thread faster than sewing something you have to cut and sew. I have a different project for today, so that will slow me down a bit. 

My last spool of thread is done! 

I should be fine for one more day, and I will get those bobbins used up!!! But I must restock that retreat box with thread, or I'll be in big trouble at the next retreat. 

I also managed to sew a few half-square triangles. I doubt I'll finish that bag, but I might!!! No worries - there are still more bags of them. 

Half-square triangles

And for fun, I grabbed one of the house puzzles to have a diversion from the intense sewing of the scraps. The puzzle had only 350 pieces and was labeled "family." What does that mean? Oh my -- when I opened it, I got a laugh. There are three sizes of pieces—huge, medium, and regular!!! I only put the large and the small in this photo. Look at the size!!!!

Puzzle pieces from a family puzzle

With minimal effort, I got the big and medium pieces together. How does it work? The puzzle is split into thirds. One-third is giant pieces, the center is medium, and the right side is small. It's pretty clever how they go from big to small!!! My goal is to finish that later today. 

Two-thirds of the puzzle is done

And that's all the "mutterings" for today!!! I heard that from someone yesterday, and I got a chuckle over it!!!

The temperature is much warmer today, so we'll definitely be out walking. We actually went for a second walk in the afternoon, and it was glorious. I get it that walking isn't for everyone, but what a change in mindset it can be to get out in the fresh air!!! And it doesn't have to be for long. 

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!

The rescue!

 Even though yesterday was the full moon, I slept like a baby! Although, isn't that expression kind of silly since babies tend to wake up a lot! I slept well - let's just put it that way! 

Yesterday was an interesting day. We had a visitor, and the Pony Express is alive and well. Actually, we had a visitor the day before as well. Both were making pick-ups and drop-offs for the Pony Express. And besides the rescue, which I'll get into in a moment, I just didn't seem to be working very fast. I'm not even sure why I was in slow-motion mode. 

I had great intentions of getting those placemats done (the day before), working on the soccer quilt, and doing some knitting, and well, I'm happy to say that the placemats did get finished as much as I could. 

There is a piece of fabric in the center, which I quilted through all layers - the fleece and the backing. Thankfully, I had orange thread on two bobbins in my bobbin holders to do the quilting. I also needed that orange thread to sew the borders on, since it was stitch-and-flip. But I basted the skinny little border on and used a different color to conserve the orange thread. The basting stitches had to be removed as I added the outer border. 

The placemats are pieced! 

Once that task was finally completed, it was time to trim the placemats. Sorry for those silly non-rotated pictures. It drives me mad! But the placemats are fun and bright. I did not add any quilting to the borders - I don't think it needs it. 

The placemats are trimmed

And these are the bits that were left over from trimming. Of course, I kept all those bits!! I can use the small black triangles as enders and leaders for half-square triangles; the larger triangles will go toward making hourglass scrap blocks; and the orange strips can go in the orange scrap box. The fleece - well, I can sew two triangles together to get a square for a hot mat, and I really should throw the other pile away. Those are really too small to do anything with. 

The scraps are sorted

Since I had purchased some solid black fabric the other day, I was able to make and sew the binding onto all four placemats. 

The binding is applied to the back

But not before I ran out of black thread for the top. ACK!!!!! Technically, I could have used any color for that part, but since the binding is black, I chose black thread. 

One empty spool

I got offers from several people to borrow black thread, but then I looked in my bobbin holder and VOILA - there are THREE bobbins of black thread. So I used one on the top and one in the bobbin. Perfect!!! 

Bobbins of black thread

When I was done putting the binding on the back, I put those three partial black bobbins in the retreat box. And when I get home, I MUST remember to stock up on the thread, as I'm almost out of my white sewing thread as well. Good grief -- how did that happen? 

The white thread is almost gone

But no worries because I can always use those bobbins on the top and in the bobbin to get me through the remainder of the retreat. All is good, and it sure feels good to use up those bobbins, but it's going to take a long, long time before they are all gone. 

By the way, when I was adding those black borders, I had just enough for the bobbin. Then it was totally used up!! How crazy is that? I played bobbin chicken and won. I think I had two inches left! 

Here are the four placemats with the binding on, but not topstitched to the top. I need more orange thread for that, and I'm happy to wait until I get home. I made GREAT progress on those. 

The four placemats are almost complete

The center is slightly wonky, but seriously? It doesn't matter. And I will likely keep one of them to show what can happen when you don't use a walking foot to quilt, but I may end up donating all of them. I'm just glad that they are almost done!

The center is slightly wonky

Helen Anne and I braved the wind and the colder temperatures for our walk, and it was fine. I actually think it was warmer than the previous day. Although from the house, it looked like it was almost blizzarding because of all the drifting snow. The little creek is still open because of the running water. 

The creek is still open

Lots of stuff is being made at the retreat, and two more people joined us yesterday, so we are now 8. I used to show all the things people made, but well, I don't anymore. It's hard enough to keep track of what I do. But here are two things that were made, and I asked permission, so here we go!! 

This is the Tula Pink Butterfly quilt that I taught several years ago. This one has a dark background, and it's stunning. Helen Anne made a different border than in the original pattern, and it's gorgeous. I won't go into details on what happened with the border, but let's say there was a wee design element at one point. The bottom line - it's done!!!! Beautiful quilt, Helen Anne!!!!! 

If you think there is a hole in the design on the bottom row, the half-square triangle at the point doesn't have much contrast. It's already been verified!!

We never know what Susan will be working on. She has several grandchildren and always seems to be working on something for them. She wanted to make a car seat poncho, and this is what she came up with. She never uses a pattern - she just wings it! It's adorable, and she made it with the two-sided fleece, and it's soft and so cozy. If I were the baby, I'd never want to take it off!! 

Car seat poncho

That is the same style of cozy fleece Princess Lexi sleeps on at home, and she loves it! But only if her bed is made!

A couple of the ladies went shopping, and boy, they were taking their time. But it's their retreat, so you can do whatever you want. And they had gone to a chocolate shop and a quilt store, so you can see why it took so long! 

Around four PM, I received a distress call. Their car broke down, and they were not far from the house but were waiting for CAA to tow it. The car was making a big racket, but they could run the engine to stay warm, so they didn't need an immediate evacuation! They gave me an address so I could track their location, and I was waiting for their call that the tow truck was arriving shortly.

As I was driving down one road to turn onto another, I saw the tow truck lights flashing and knew I was close, and they were exactly where I envisioned them. As I drove up behind their car, I spotted the tow truck driver standing outside it with a large wrench in his hand. What? NO WAY!!! The lug nuts needed to be retorqued? 

This tow truck driver was excellent (CAA in case you didn't catch that before). Instead of immediately hooking up the car to the truck, he asked questions. What was the problem? What did the noise sound like, etc? Well, it turned out that the lug nuts on the wheels were barely hanging on. He could remove some of them with his bare hands!!! Yikes—they are lucky they stopped when they did. 

I often see signs on the toll highway to get your tires retorqued after switching tires in the spring and fall. I never do, but this was a good indication of what can happen. So I waited until he was done, and then he drove off, and I followed their car to the retreat house. All seems to be fine. This is something that this person does every year - she gets the tires retoqued, but this year, she didn't get back to the garage to have them do that. 

So it was all good and a good lesson. But something else happened. While I was driving down the road, I glanced up and OH MY GOD -- the full supermoon was out, and it was spectacular. So I stopped MANY times along the road and took many pictures. WOW --- it was stunning. 

A full SUPERMOON

The colors in the sky changed as I drove, and it was fascinating to watch. If I had NOT received the "distress" call, I would have totally forgotten about the super moon. 

This picture was taken from the house's porch when I got back. 

Another shot of the supermoon

After my placemats were done, I dug out the knitting bag. Here are my thirty squares for the afghan. Yeah --- a couple of them have the knitted sashing done, but many are just blocks. I also checked out all my tools in that little tin I showed the other day. 

Thirty blocks for my afghan

And I found this gorgeous half-done set of hand warmers!! I LOVE them and have a few pairs, but this pair is very delicate, and the yarn is lovely. 

My hand warmers

I must get myself back to finishing those. I had a peek at the knitting this morning, and well, I'll explain what I'm doing tomorrow. It's quite the job I have ahead of me. Actually, it's super easy, but using some new techniques like casting off and sewing at the same time! I did it on some of the other blocks, so I can do it on this one. The only problem is that it looks backward (the wrong side is showing up on the right), so I must investigate how to fix it. 

And that allowed me to pack another bag that can go in the car! Yeah!! One less thing to pack when we leave. 

One more bag to load in the car

I also dug out another scrap project to work on, and the knitting. I dug out another puzzle from the retreat house and may or may not start it. It's only 350 pieces, so it should be easy to finish. 

Well, that's it for today! Things are going well - just need more time, but that's a constant issue. 

Today should be a quiet day. I mean, no one is coming, no more drop-offs or pick-ups, and well, I should be able to stay focused - I hope!!!

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!!