The magic number is 7

Good grief -- the magic number is 7! 

There are SEVEN houses on our street with Canadian flags.

I have attended (will be attending) seven quilt retreats this year, not five as I mentioned yesterday. There are times when my mind goes into denial! There are only three scheduled for next year. 

So, yes -- you can't believe everything you read, especially on this blog. I sometimes lose my mind! 

Retreat houses come and go. The very first one we went to was Quilter's MisBeehaven near Bracebridge, and we went there for many years. The owner eventually sold, and we've been to numerous other retreat houses over the years. Now I might be resistant to change, but I'm a bit miffed at a recent trend. 

Each house operates slightly differently, but for the most part, check-in is at 10 AM and check-out is at 3 PM. I would have loved to have an earlier check-in, like 9 AM, but 10 works. I think there have only been two times in the past twenty years that our group or I have stayed until 3 PM. Most people are gone by 1 PM. 

Some places are now changing their "rules," with check-in at 4 PM and check-out at 1 PM. I completely understand the change to the check-out time, but what about the check-in time? Sadly, like most things, this benefits the retreat house, NOT the customers. With the old method, the house would be empty between groups for that one night while it was being cleaned. 

With the new method, the house can be fully booked for 100% of the available nights. 

What I'm not a fan of is that the consumer doesn't get a break on losing those extra hours. I have wanted to do the math ever since I heard about this, so here it is. 

Let's say you are gone for 3 nights, from Monday to Thursday. Under the old system, you had a total of 77 hours, with 14 hours on Monday, 24 hours on each of Tuesday and Wednesday, and 15 hours on Thursday. Let's say the fee is $650 a night to rent the house. So, three nights would total $ 1,950 - I'm not including tax. Then divide that by the number of hours, and you are paying $25 an hour to rent the house. 

Under the new system, those three nights now equal 69 hours. The rate is the same, so the hourly rate is $28 per hour to rent the house. 

Now that's not really a big deal - $3 per hour more, BUT the hours that you lose were the most fun hours -- you lose an entire day of sewing (6 hours!) 

I completely understand that some people didn't arrive until later in the day, but my group? They were waiting in the parking lots for 10 AM!!! I just can't wrap my head around getting to the house at 4 PM, setting up, and having dinner; that's pretty much my day gone. I did it once when we had an embrioery retreat - we arrived at 7 PM because that was how it was set up. I wasn't a fan, but that's me!

You know I'm an old dog and I hate change!!! That's not true -- I don't mind change when it's in my favor, but when it's not? I struggle!

Thankfully, there are still retreat houses that allow us to arrive at 10 AM, and I'll book those. 

I must give more thought to the revised sit-and-sew day. I'm all for that. It won't happen every month, so I'll see how to work it into the schedule. It might be as simple as inviting someone to sew, and they can borrow a machine so they don't have to bring their own. 

Yesterday was a bizarre day. There was a lot of coming and going in the house, and I find that extremely distracting while working. I had the furnace serviced, which is a rental, but I must say that I was a bit annoyed with the service person. He was an older gentleman, and from the moment he walked in the house, I knew it wasn't going to go well. 

He was here to service THEIR furnace. It's not mine - I just rent it. I also had a water leak from one of the hoses. I did not take a picture of the hose, but as soon as he entered the furnace room, he informed me that the leak was coming from the foundation. WHAT? I don't think so! So he traced the leak to the humidifier, which is NOT covered under the furnace rental program. WHAT? It's part of the furnace? OH - I guess not. 

There is a filter in the humidifier, which was clogged - the first time I had heard of a filter in the humidifier. And apparently, it's not something that can be washed or easily replaced. WHAT? So he unclogged the hose for the humidifier, closed it back up, without explaining how to replace it. His response? Everyone knows their humidifier has a filter, and you can simply Google how to cut a new piece of screening to replace it. Seriously??? 

I asked again if he had serviced the furnace, since that was the real reason he was there. OH - I didn't see that in the work order was his response. Well, he said, I checked the inside, it's dry. I checked the hoses, and they are in good condition. Yep - that's the service. That is NOT the service. He asked when I last cleaned the filter - I told him this week - he didn't even bother to look at it. Well, I guess he didn't really need to, since I cleaned it. 

I had an issue with the thermostat, and when I asked him, he asked me if I had the book to reprogram it. The seven-day programming feature had been disabled. Rather than show me how he re-enabled it, he asked me if I had the manual, and I said yes. I don't need a ^&*(&^ manual to program the thermostat. What I didn't know was that those features had been disabled. Why - I have no idea. 

All in all, it was NOT a good experience with their service technician. I will call or write the company because, seriously? The guy was an idiot and made me feel like one, and he didn't even bother to put his booties on when he came in the house, although he went to take them off when he got to the door. I did NOT like him at all. 

That set my mood for the day! I needed two naps to get over that! However, it's tough to get a good nap with two pesky pups!

We're helping you sleep!

However, I managed to complete several other tasks, so it wasn't a complete wash - some videos were filmed, some writing was done, and some trimming was accomplished. I also have a bit more homework to prep for the weekend classes. 

With all the coming and going - there were pick-ups and drop-offs, I didn't even get a chance to walk the girls. The boy got his walk, but not the girls, and it wasn't until dark that I had an opportunity to go to the grocery store. The issue was that I had a rather large and expensive pick-up scheduled, and I didn't want to leave it on the front step. That was supposed to happen between 10 and 4. They didn't arrive until almost 5 PM. 

Walking through the forest at dusk

However, there was good news! The office is looking pretty empty right now! There were not one, but two sewing machine boxes in here, which took up a lot of space since one of the machines hadn't been packed in the box yet. An embroidery unit, and a whole pile of quilts, as well as two boxes of donation stuff. Guess what? All of those items have been removed from the office and are now stored in the Pony Express staging area. The items are scheduled to be picked up or dropped off within the next week.  

The Pony Express staging area is clogged!

Sadly, there is still a lot of paperwork to clear up, but that's OK. Every little bit helps. 

There is only one box left to unbox in the office, and that's the new computer. I need to get it open and start using it. 

On that note, I'd better get myself organized to walk the girls and the boy, or I won't make it through the day! The girls were NOT happy yesterday. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!

Table decor rods are the best!

Although it was a busy day, I don't have much to show for it. 

But I do have something to show you about my table decor rod. I bought these a while back (IKEA). They were brought to my attention because someone used bungee cords attached to the rod and then to their quilt to prevent the entire weight of the quilt from causing issues with the arm on the embroidery unit. They can also be used for free-motion quilting to prevent the quilt from falling off the table. Both are excellent places to use that rod. 

I liked it because I could hang decorations on it. 

But the real reason I bought it was for this! 

A backdrop!!!!

I now have a backdrop to take pictures of anything! The light grey fabric I purchased is polyester and a bit heavy, so it hangs perfectly straight without a ripple or a crease. I'm in heaven!!! The fabric is wide enough that it just hangs over the other side, and I don't need to worry about pinning it in place. 

The back of the backdrop

I can very quickly hide the mess in my studio and have an excellent backdrop for anything. So the next time I have to do a Facebook live, I have THREE of those rods, so I can create a "room" and hang what I want on the fabric. Exciting!!!!!

I can even hang a piece of fabric in the opposite orientation to hide the table, and have a seamless backdrop with no join where the backdrop meets the table. Thanks again to Becky for bringing that to my attention. 

Some quilts were trimmed, some prep work was done on the presentations, and lots of stuff was prepared for the next writing assignment. So, a lot of things got done - just nothing I can share at the moment! 

I went out to lunch with a friend, which was great, and I really need to do that more often! 

When I come home and I see my Canadian flag proudly flying on the garage, it makes me feel good! Americans have always been patriotic, and lots have flags or bunting on their houses. Why don't we do the same in Canada? Then I counted, and six houses on my street have some size of Canadian flag on their homes. Way to go! Be proud of your nationality, whatever it is! This is where we live! 

My Canadian flag

I also have a small one still on my light fixture. Notice the bulldog clip to hold it in place! 

My small Canadian flag

I found my flagpole and flag at InSeason, a shop located way out in the country (St. Clements), but you can also buy them at Canadian Tire, I believe. 

So much for the deck being clear of leaves, it was - I swear I took the broom to it the other day and it was spotless. Now look! With all the snow and the leaves still falling, it's a wet mess! I doubt a leaf blower would do much good, but I need to get a new broom. Mine is a bit sad. 

The deck is covered with leaves

When I returned from Saskatchewan, I had a bag of items that needed to be put away. The old me would have winged it into a corner, hoping the tidy-up fairy would do a good job. Perhaps that's why we often can't find things. The tidy-up fairy is too good or too logical! 

My bag of goodies from Saskatchewan

These are a few items that I purchased at Fabricland in North Battleford. Remember that the store is not a corporate store, so it features a quilt store within its premises. 

This panel with letters on it was on sale, and how could I resist - oranges, letters, and on sale! It will be good for a collage, a title, or whatever. 

A panel of letters

They also have gorgeous birch fabric, which I just had to have. I don't buy a ton these days and certainly not a lot of any one fabric, but can you imagine some red cardinals on this? 

Birch fabric

At the Saskatoon Quilt Show, I purchased an "Oh Canada" panel. This is tucked into my retreat bag because I have a bag of Oh Canada fabric scraps, and I may need the panel to make the quilt large enough. It's still in the bag - I'm not unfolding it! 

An Oh Canada panel

This year, I attended several quilt retreats. Two were not planned as new houses opened up, and we got the opportunity to rent the house. Three or four others were planned by me. Going into 2026, I have only three events planned for the entire year. BUT in light of wanting to stay in touch with friends, why couldn't I host a small retreat at my house? No one can stay over, but I could clear enough tables to host three people. Hmmm -- I'll have to think about that. I do like the concentrated days to get stuff done. While I could do that myself and I often do, it's more fun with other people around. 

Something to contemplate as I walk the girls and the boy! 

I've already been to the gym to work out with Brooke. I swear, she must look at me in the morning and say - Your glutes look tight, so let's work on those. She kills me!

Well, I'm off to get the crazy day started. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Update on thread for the long arm

I'm not sure what it is about my scheduling, but I always seem to be getting to the long arm later in the afternoon, rather than early in the afternoon as I originally planned. Why is that? It doesn't matter; another quilt got done! I'm usually finished with the sewing/quilting day by 7:00 or 7:30 PM. Good grief - I'm a morning person!

Customer quilt - DONE

Yeah -- I love this quilt. It's Spice Market from the class I taught last year. I have some trimming to do this morning, and then these quilts will be ready for pickup. I have two more on my "urgent" list, and then I can take a break for a week. Well, no more quilts will be quilted until I'm back from the quilt retreat. I'm pretty much up to date with customer quilts after these next two, so all is good. 

And then when I'm back, I'll tackle those "favor" quilts (11) and the last basket of flannel quilts (7). I should be able to quilt all those quilts by the end of this year, leaving me to start fresh in the new year! Fingers crossed. 

I didn't get anything done on the dog quilts - I knew that. I had other things to do! 

Here's my collection of Superior Bottom Line threads. I'm not sure if I have all the colors, but when they first came out, a friend of mine and I splurged and bought every color they had. These are what I use for invisible machine applique, along with the Invisifil and Decobob (both from Wonderfil), which I've picked up along the way. What's interesting is that ALL thread companies are touting these finer threads for the long arm! I missed that trend! Decobob is Wonderfil's choice for the long arm. 

My collection of the Superior Bottom Line thread

These are random spools of 60, 80, or 100-weight thread that don't sit in a pretty box. They are also used for applique, but some of those larger spools could be used for the long arm and wound onto bobbins. I might just have a better peek through there and pull out the larger spools. It all has to be used up eventually, and to use this all up for machine applique? That won't happen quickly. I could also use it for machine embroidery. The thing is - I need to start using it faster! Especially if I want to buy more! 

60, 80, or 100-weight thread

And here's the bucket with the thread set aside for long arm bobbins. Somewhere along the line, I picked up spools of bright orange. Hmm - I wonder when I'll ever use those? Oh - probably for a quilt of mine! Because I had all my threads stored in that cabinet, it was easy to find what I wanted and to further refine it. I'm on a roll!

The new basket of bobbin thread for the long arm

I also went to pick up an order of batting, and we had a discussion on threads. I still have a bit more investigation to do, but I think I'll be good going forward. 

Just as I was leaving the house to pick up the order, I spotted this box on the front step. At last, some supplies I requested for a few blog posts have arrived! You might think there is more thread in that box, and the answer is yes! Now I must get busy, and hopefully I remember what projects I wanted to make with those supplies! 

More supplies arrived!

It was also seniors' day at the thrift store, so I had to go. The two quilts that I had spotted last week were gone. That's OK - I was going to buy them and donate them to Quilts of Valour, but someone beat me to the quilts. One was obviously a quilt made for Quilts of Valour, featuring all the 'Oh Canada' (Northcott) fabric. The other was created by a somewhat local guild, and both appeared to have never been used. 

However, I also had my eye on this book, and it was still on the shelf. It's a picture book of different quilt styles. My favorite kind of quilt book these days! Although my SIL (I have two from DH's family, and I'll have to give them specific names to keep the narrative clear!) wants to make a quilt after seeing my trunk show. I bundled her off with some fabric and a couple of books about scrap quilts. 

Found at the thrift store

There are days when I would love to see the processing that goes on behind the scenes. There is only a partial wall between the back and the store, and on some days, it sounds like they are madly throwing things around. I wonder how much of the donations gets thrown in the garbage? 

I also bought a few "craft" things. Hey - they were on sale and as I bought them, I told myself that I probably didn't need to buy them. However, I was drawn to shiny objects. 

My thrift store finds

And I spotted a huge piece of fabric, which I can use to make a jacket. I know --- do I need to? And will I? One of my SILs is getting married next year, and the color scheme is burgundy. The wedding is in Italy. Wouldn't this make a great sweater-type cardigan? The dress code is casual! So I'll be taking all that I learn in my jacket class to make such an item! I think I'll line it and do some embellishments on it. It was $8, less the discount. 

Grandma - this is so soft! Is it for me? 

A certain someone thought it was for him! However, everything I brought home yesterday now has a place to call home, and that's the whole point of buying things! I also made good progress on my prep work for the classes this weekend, and I hope to be almost done with both of them by the end of today. Yeah me for not leaving all that work for the last minute. And without having so many classes, it's a breeze to find time! As much as I miss those classes, it was an excellent decision. And there will be one less class starting in January! 

Poor Lexi. I was home alone all day, and when I started working on the quilt in the late afternoon, I put her outside and forgot about her. As I was quilting with my headphones on, I heard some banging, but I didn't investigate. When I came up to feed the girls and the boy, I realized that she was outside. Oh dear!!!! We need to get her a doorbell or something. Those noise-cancelling headphones really do block out the noise!

And what was with Murphy yesterday? She dug into her toy box and rattled around some items. She has a toast-and-jam toy with a squeaker and crinkly paper inside. This is the first time she grabbed it and really played with it!

MOM - the toast and jam are really yummy!

And of course, there is the little troublemaker! He is truly a handful, despite his small size. Let's just say that it's not fun to have TWO incontinent dogs in the house. One is inadequately house-trained, and he is really pushing his welcome to the limit. While poor Murphy just needs to be taken out frequently, because when she is let out on her own, she doesn't always do her business. I swear, the two of them are like small children. Especially when you are getting them ready to play outside in their snowsuits. Do you need to use the bathroom? No - I just went. And then when you get them dressed up, now they need to go!

So it's a constant vigil to keep their two bladders as empty as possible. One dog does his mess intentionally, while poor Murphy has no control and doesn't even get the urge, and then a weak sphincter doesn't help. Keeping her bladder somewhat empty allows the medication to work effectively. 

But here is the little guy as he attempts to "help" me downstairs! Yes - he's cute - thank god or I would have shipped him home!

Bear and I

I must say that I'm not spending as much time on Facebook and Instagram as I used to. What's the point of watching the SAME thing over and over, and most of what is posted is just silly. I very quickly check a couple of times a day to see if any family member has posted something (IG), and then I check my groups on Facebook, and VOILA - I'm done. I'm so done with most of what people post. Who needs all that? 

I need time to watch my instructional videos, and I'm working my way through over 100 short videos! I think I've watched 15 of them, A few each day, and I'll get there!

Plus, I'm reading some interesting books, so there is plenty of time to do the things I want! 

On that note, I'm off to spin class.PLEASE don't let Ryan be in the class. This guy is a talker, and on Monday, he talked for half the class. He thinks he's god's gift to women and is annoying as all get out. His voice over the music grates like fingernails on a chalkboard. I was so tempted to get off my bike and go over and have a wee chat with him! Thankfully, he doesn't come often. 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

A day to reflect and remember how lucky we are!

Today is an important day in history, and for those who are too young to remember (I'm in that category), we need to take a moment today (and every day) and thank those who fought for our freedom. 

And NO to the silly people who always want Remembrance Day on a Monday so they can have a three-day weekend. We are fortunate in Canada that we've not had any major wars on our shores. There have been battles to be sure, but not a war. The current generation (and I, myself included) have no idea what it's like to go to the grocery store and not have choices, the rationing, and other hardships that came about because of wars. Can our current generation even handle such circumstances? 

War is ugly, loss of freedom is ugly, and death is ugly. Please take a moment to say a prayer or offer a thought at 11 AM to those who fought for the freedom we enjoy today. All you have to do is look at politics around the world to realize how lucky we are in this country. I think back to the recent election in Tanzania! Sadly, there is an overwhelming amount of hate and greed in our world. 

Many years ago, another person and I created a quilt with various blocks to represent all the special buildings in Streetsville, one of those small villages that has been swallowed up by the big city. I made a block for the Cenotaph. 

My quilt block commemorating the Streetsville Cenotaph

I support Quilts of Valour for our current veterans, and I am happy to donate my time, money, and supplies to make quilts for this organization. 

Wear a poppy PROUDLY today -- it's part of who we are as Canadians!

WOW --- I am way behind the times with the thread I use on the long arm! I've heard from many people that they use 60wt in the bobbin. Well, it's time for me to change that! I have some Bottom Line thread, and I'll keep the smaller spools for applique, but the larger spools can be wound onto bobbins. 

The issue I am going to face is that my supplier is going to put Superior Threads on the back burner these days due to tariffs, which is very unfortunate. However, the good news is that we have a Canadian Supplier (Wonderfil), and they offer prewound bobbins that fit my long-arm machine. So, I'm going to go in that direction, and I'm currently setting up accounts and other necessary steps to make that happen. I'm super excited and can't wait until every quilt is done with the prewounds. It certainly saves a ton of time babysitting, but I still take a walk to the long arm frequently to ensure everything is well. 

I took pictures of everything, and I'll share them tomorrow. 

OK --- this snowfall we had is just the weirdest. The snow and leaves are falling at the same time, and it's bizarre. We have golden leaves mixed in with the white snow — something I've never seen before. Then the sun came out a bit, and most of the snow melted away, but I see we have a ground covering this morning. 

Falling  leaves and snow

But there is some exciting news about the snow! In the middle of the previous night, I heard a noise. It sounded like the plow went up and down the cul-de-sac. This is exciting. BUT it wasn't the plow for the road - it was the sidewalk snowplow! That will be the FIRST time ever that we've had the sidewalk snowplow hit our street. The entire length of the sidewalk was clear of snow! Now, who the heck am I going to complain about this winter? That's OK -- I'm happy not to complain about the neighbors who don't shovel. However, we still had one person who decided to park their vehicle on the sidewalk, so, of course, the plow had to go around. Seriously? 

The sidewalks are clear of snow

Look at this happy girl! I don't know why she was so happy at that moment, but I got a picture! 

MOM - I'm super happy!

And here's Bear playing with some fake leaves I threw in his bed. He is quite the devil and enjoys getting into trouble. 

Grandma -- are these leaves for me to eat?

And where's Lexi, you ask? That dog is so laid back that she often slips through the cracks. We don't notice her, but I make a point of going over to her bed throughout the day to give her a hug or a pat. If only all dogs were as easy to care for as she. These other two are just trouble! And very time-consuming. 

The quilt of the day is done! 

Customer quilt - done

And I'm happy to report that FIVE of the eight dog quilts are done! The binding is completely stitched on! It's hard to believe that the backing of all eight is dog-related fabric. As well as the tops, and I didn't buy any of it - well, at least not recently!

FIVE of the eight dog quilts are done!

I still need to top-stitch one more binding in place and then use those binding scraps to make two more bindings. I have to set them aside for a couple of days as I have some more pressing things that need to be done. 

I have two presentations this weekend, and there is a lot to prep for those. However, one of them is almost complete. See, I'm working ahead and not trying to do it all at the last minute. I can't, there is too much. 

However, you will be happy to note that with my excellent photo filing system on my computer, I can recycle many techniques without having to redo the photos. I wasn't always this smart, and I had to conduct a thorough search to find some of them, but I eventually discovered the correct images from several years ago. They are now filed in the right spot. 

Remember those sheets I made for my concurrent show at Quilt Canada? Those were the best, and I still need to make a video of all the quilts I've taught over the years. Well, they are sitting on one of the current project tables, and I've been referencing them to assist in finding material! 

Some of the classes I've taught!

I have a few floating pictures that I took a while back, but didn't have time to blog about. You know, I keep this mainly for me. When I need to find something, it's easy to go back and locate the information I'm looking for. That's the beauty of an online journal rather than a written one! 

Anyway, you remember I purchased those table decor rods a while back. Well, I LOVE the rods, but I needed some hooks so I could hang things on the bar when I needed to. 

I'm not a fan of online shopping, but sometimes, that's the only place to find obscure items. There were numerous options, but this is what I chose. 

Hooks for my table decor rod

It features a safety buckle, ensuring it stays in place. I suppose I could turn it around so the safety buckle would hold the hook to the rod, rather than my item. 

The safety buckle

And now it's easy to hang my ornaments on the bar. I have a few other things on the bar at the moment and will have to dig out some Christmas ornaments. I'm pretty excited about the bar and these hooks, as they provide a convenient place to hang decorations without occupying a lot of space. I was worried that it would take up visual space, but it doesn't. I barely notice it's there!

My Halloween decoration on the bar

There's another busy day ahead of me, and well, I can't wait to get started! I have a bit of travel ahead of me, so there are things that need to be done before I leave. There are two trips back-to-back - one trip and one quilt retreat. However, this is the absolute last travel or away time for the year. I also have a couple of events next week.

If you are in the Barrie area (All About Sewing) and want to see What's New with Husqvarna Viking (Tuesday, November 18, at 10 AM or 3 PM) or What's New with PFAFF (Wednesday, November 19, at 10 AM), or learn about Creativate (Wednesday, November 19 at 3 PM), then be sure to call the store and sign up! 

I'll also be at Castle's Sewing in Langley, BC, at the end of next week, and we have a hands-on project with PFAFF (Saturday, November 22)and a chat about Creativate on Friday, November 21! It's going to be a lot of fun! The hands-on project is adorable - I think so, anyway! 

And on that happy note, I'm out of here!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Forest bathing at its best

Where are the days going? Yikes-- before we know it, the end of the year will be here. I'm not ready! 

I spotted this on Facebook yesterday, and I thought it was so appropriate for us sewists. This is what happens to me. 

It's all the prep work that takes so much time, and the actual sewing is just a small part of it. 

I have sewn part of the sixth binding onto one of the dog quilts. It was the black one, and I knew I would need more strips, but how many? So I sewed what I could. Then I got stalled doing other things, so I've pulled out some black fabric and I'll get to that later today. 

However, I've completed a customer quilt! That is such a pretty design - I think it is a block of the month. I could try a Google search, but I won't make it, so I don't need to know the pattern. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I have four more customer quilts to get completed by the end of this month. However, a few events are coming up, including some time away, so I don't really have a lot of time. It's all scheduled, so there shouldn't be an issue. 

When I was searching through the thread cupboard, I spotted several spools of thinner thread, and I decided to try winding my own bobbins. And it worked! Those spools were set aside for use on the long arm. I usually use that thin thread for applique, but I have enough set aside in those same colors. I'll take a picture to show you. Each spool did almost three rows - it was glorious and looks fantastic. 

The current EXIT game has been sitting on the kitchen table for a while, and with a lot of coming and going in our house, there really hasn't been a quiet evening to focus on it. Last night was that night. 

Our current EXIT Game

It is a three-circle puzzle, categorized as a moderate difficulty level. The first two puzzles were easy, and we thought we had it covered. Then they start throwing in rogue cards, and you have to figure out which cards to use for which puzzle. We had that figured out, but we also had an issue. We got the riddle, and we were on the right track for the answer, but we missed some visual clues. 

We are getting good at searching everything that comes in the box, and we did - several times, except we missed a couple of minor things in our search, and of course, that's where the answer was! DUH!!!! I hate when that happens - it makes me feel like an idiot, but such is life! Then we went on to solve the following puzzle, and no issues! I feel vindicated!

It was a snowy day yesterday. I don't think our first snowfall of the year has ever been this snowy. It snowed all day, although there wasn't much accumulation. The little guy got out his winter jacket! It's bulky and stiff, and I don't think he likes it, but he needed to go out. 

Grandma - I HATE my winter jacket

Lexi, on the other hand, was prancing around. This is her element! And Murphy was happy too; several times during the day, she went out and just flopped on her stomach on the deck. That girl runs hot!

Mom - Snow, snow, beautiful snow

But then she joined me downstairs and is getting used to the new spot for her rug in Studio B. 

Mom - I need a nap!

OH -- I should mention that while I was working on the long arm, I also had another machine working, but it wasn't an embroidery machine. Nope - it was the digital cutter. 

The Brother Scan n Cut

I hadn't used it in a while, and I needed to get something cut for the Digital Cutter Club. I feel pretty comfortable with it now for the things that I want to do. I still have a lot to learn, and, well, there just isn't enough time. BUT in twenty minutes, I unearthed the cutter from under a stack of batting, found the pattern I needed to cut, cleaned up the image after it was scanned, added seam allowances to the image, and within nineteen minutes, I had my homework ready to show! 

It's never good to leave the homework until the last minute, but what could go wrong? Nothing! I have also developed some good habits, aside from leaving things to the last minute. After a cutting session, you should ALWAYS clean that mat. There is nothing more satisfying than getting out the cutter and having everything ready to go. And yes, even though the mat wasn't too dirty, I cleaned it before putting it away. 

Nothing like starting the day with a clean mat

So I don't need to cut something every month, but when I do want to cut, I need to know how to use it, and so far, so good! Yes, I have three different digital cutters, and I'm okay with that. Each one has a purpose, and the Brother Scan and Cut was the perfect tool for yesterday. 

And now back to the weather! There are still many leaves on the trees, so the forest was quite beautiful. Yep -- I had to go to the grocery store in the afternoon. I know -- who in their right mind walks to the grocery store in a snowstorm? I do! It's not far and I needed a walk. 

Snow on the leaves

And honestly, you never know what you'll find if you look. Remember, we talked about the Tactile Warning plates on the sidewalk? Isn't it nice to know the names of things? I love it!! Well, look at these. Hmmm --- there must be a bar or something on the underside to cause that image with the snow. You would never have seen that from a car! Yes - I've learned a great deal from walking around and then using Google to help me understand. 

A cool pattern on the tactile warning plates

The one thing I've noticed is that I don't really feel those plates when I'm wearing my running shoes. I suppose if I were visually impaired, I would be walking at a slower pace, and I would be feeling for them. But just walking? I don't feel them. And your foot only touches them ONCE when walking by, so you have to be on your toes or you'd miss them. Again, I have zero experience with being visually impaired. Hmm — wouldn't it be interesting to take a walk as a visually impaired person? You would "see" things from a completely different perspective. 

Honestly, how can you not enjoy a walk through the forest on a snowy day? The trees protect you somewhat from the wind. It wasn't super windy, but enough that the snow was nasty on your face. But here? It was forest bathing at its best! 

Forest bathing

More video watching and more reading were accomplished during the day. As well as a long nap! It was just one of those days. My "to-do" list is waiting for me, although it's Monday, so I don't think I'll get too much done on the paperwork side. 

And on that happy note, I'm off to spin class this morning. Stay safe on the roads, as I imagine they are slippery. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Going for Olympic gold in productivity

 A fairy ring! That's a terrific concept to explain the circle of fungi I spotted. It wasn't on my lawn - it was on the property line separating two front lawns on a different street. I took a closer look and OH MY --- what clusters of fungi!

Here's a better picture of the fungi. OH MY!!! It's almost a perfect circle!!

The fairy ring

And look how dense the fungi are!!!! That's pretty incredible. I've never seen anything like it before. I walk past those two houses every day and only noticed this now! 

Clusters of fungi

Do you know why this phenomenon occurs? According to the internet, this started with a central fungus. Once it depletes the nutrients in its area, it sends out feelers to find more, and apparently, it sends those feelers out in a circle. Once it finds nutrients, the fungi grow!! You can read more about it at this link. 

Oh my -- talk about Prioritize - Focus - Win -- I think I just won an Olympic Medal in that category. This is what happened yesterday. 

First, let's talk about the binding box. I decided to split the bindings into approximate color groupings. And I decided to give them a quick press, at least those that needed it. 

The binding bits are sorted by color

And then they got tucked back into the box in an orderly fashion. Amazing how much more room there is when things are neat and tidy. The box was put back on the shelf in its designated space. OK, so I removed a few pieces, which helped everything fit! 

Much neater!

But not before I removed some pieces of binding to use on the dog quilts. More on this in a minute.

Binding bits removed for the dog quilts

Speaking of the dog quilts, let's have a peek at what happened to them yesterday. The last one was removed from the long arm. In its place is a customer quilt, loaded and ready to be stitched later today. 

The eighth dog quilt - DONE!

This last quilt is now trimmed and ready for the binding to be applied. This is the small stack left over from all the quilt backings. There isn't much there, but still a lot of fabric. I thought I did a pretty good calculation, considering I quilted eight quilts. 

All that remains from eight quilt backings

This got added to the other scraps of dog fabric that were left over from making the eight tops. I've put the bag into my retreat bag, and it's the perfect thing to do at retreat. I have MANY of those types of scrap bags. And I bet I could get at least ONE more quilt from this scrap bag. 

The scraps from making eight lap-sized quilts

All this talk of scraps makes me think of the scrap session I plan to host. I know some of you already sent me emails, but I'm not ready, so hold on! I now have this on my "to-do" list, and although it likely won't get booked this morning, it's on the list, and I hope to complete the list by the end of next week. So watch for those details. 

And now back to the dog quilts. I've got the binding on the back, ready to applique it to the front on five of the eight quilts. Yes, that is always the most challenging part because one has to make the bindings. Well, I haven't had to make any bindings yet - I just needed to join the pieces, trim, and press that seam open. That is amazing! 

The binding is half completed on FIVE quilts

Two of them have brown binding, and three have black binding. In that small grouping on the ironing board you saw above, there is enough to complete most of a fourth black binding. I may need to cut a couple of extra strips, and one will have red binding, while the last one will have green. 

Three quilts still to stitch the binding on

Oh my goodness -- that is so exciting. And all the other binding bits in the box? They will be used on some of the scrappy quilts that I have to quilt, but that won't be until next year. The quilts I'm doing a favor for do not require binding (thank goodness), and the ones I want to do are flannel, and I will have to make the binding for those. But in groups of FOUR!!! 

I did some preparatory work for the upcoming classes this coming weekend. There are two classes and both require a lot of prep work, so I need to get started NOW. And there's the UFO club, but I think I'm good for that. Thank goodness! Not having as many classes to prep for is making a HUGE difference in my schedule. 

The cutting table is a bit congested this morning. I put all the dog quilts back on it, but I have some items to take pictures of, the dog quilts, and other things. I don't need to cut anything today, so all that is staying on the cutting table. The bottom line is that it's all current projects that need to be addressed this week. 

The cutting table is congested! 

Instead of going for a walk yesterday, I decided to finish tidying up the backyard. All the furniture is put away, and the hoses are drained and put away. I had to sweep the decks of all the leaves. I was going to use my leaf blower, but a part seems to be missing. Great! I wasn't going to go through the shed to find it. I was actually going to go and buy a new one when DH came home and said he would call the garden guy. The weather isn't going to be great this week, so now the leaves will hang out in the backyard! I should have gotten a new leaf blower. WAIT --- I should get one when they go on sale, since I bet they'll be on sale soon. 

Of course, I had help! 

MOM - Can I play in the leaves?

I wonder if Murphy would like me to pile up those leaves for her to play in? 

MOM - just checking in the forest

And at one point, I found her in this little garden. She seems to think that spot is just for her, but lilies are trying to grow there! I also removed more leaves from the pond, and I don't think I can remove any more without potentially disturbing the fish. I'm not happy with the quantity of bubbles from the bubbler, so I may try to clear the tube again or just get a new one. 

MOM - I LOVE this spot

Here is a much better picture of Murphy after her haircut! She is just one big goof!!! She looks like a lioness! 

MOM - I'm beautiful!

HOWEVER, I must remind myself of the importance of keeping her groomed. After we tromped through the forest, she didn't have a single leaf attached to her. Usually, we have to stop and I deleaf her!!

MOM - look at me - no leaves! 

WAIT -- who has leaves stuck to them? I had a leaf on my shoe! Oh, what a farce!!!!

Great - I have a leaf stuck to my shoe

I was able to watch a couple more videos in this educational series. There are 96 in total, and they don't seem to be in any particular order, which is unusual. It doesn't matter; I'm learning things and confirming things that I already know. I'm good with that. Sometimes, we just need that confirmation to make us feel good! 

But here's an essential tip I learned from watching a different video the other day. 

I'll share the link to the videos with you. The videos are from SewingMastery.com. Sara, a dealer in South Dakota, has taken on the task of creating videos showcasing the products she sells. I'm sure this is in the hope that people will watch the videos and get the answers to some of the questions they may have about their new sewing machine. She has videos for Husqvarna Viking, PFAFF, Singer, and Bernina. You'll see the brands at the top right of the main page.

For instance, if you own one of these Husqvarna Viking Embroidery Machines, there is a whole set of videos available for you to watch about your embroidery machine. Trust me — there is excellent information here, and if you haven't watched them, you are missing out on a lot of learning! Each machine has a hyperlink to a list of videos. Check out your machine!!!

And if you only have a sewing machine, guess what? She also created videos for those. Here is the list. 

And let's say you have a Husqvarna Viking serger - yep -- there's a list for those machines as well. 

All of the above are FREE. And if you check the homepage, you can find the links to the Bernina, Singer, and PFAFF videos. They are also on YouTube. Again, these are free, and if you are not watching them, you should be! Not only does she discuss the machine, but she also provides tips on needles, threads, and threading, stabilizers, and many more. You NEED to watch these videos. You will not retain all the information, but hopefully, you'll know your way around her website, so that when you want to know something, you'll be able to find it there. 

And if there is a tool on your machine that you haven't used in a long time, or just don't understand, like positioning, guess what? She has videos for that! Not sure what the applique tool is? Color sort? There are videos for all of that. 

For those of you who said you are visual learners -- guess what? Instead of reading the User's Guide, watch these videos. AHA -- no excuses now! I've been doing this for over 25 years. I'm still learning loads!!! Every day and from every source!

Additionally, she offers some courses that you can pay for, which will enhance your learning experience. I'm tempted to sign up for one - just for fun! 

Now, here's the interesting note that Sara made in one of her videos from the Bootcamp class. There are some free videos, and I've been watching them as well. 

As a dealer, she receives numerous emails with questions from people, likely including her customers and others. Often, the emails arrive late at night or during hours when they are not open. And usually, the customer is frustrated and needs to get their machine up and running again. It may take one to two days for the store to respond. Sometimes, Sara said that they don't know the answer and have to research it. 

OK -- so what should you do in the future? Have you ever considered asking Google or any other AI generator the same question? You would be surprised what Google (Meta AI) can come up with for an answer. In mere seconds, it scans its databases and presents an answer. And guess what? That answer is pretty darn accurate. It doesn't pull from one source - it pulls from many. 

Take, for instance, the circle of fungi. I didn't know it was called a Fairy Ring. So let's see what happens when I type this into the Google search: "What is a circle of fungi called/"  And this is what I get back. 

If that link didn't work because it was long, type in that sentence yourself. And I type it right into the top box where the URL goes.

We NEED to become more self-sufficient. I like to ask questions here because I know you are all so smart, but I could look (and often do) for the answers myself. Or I explore the topic in much greater detail, which is why there are usually 20+ windows open on my computer. No, the new one is still in the box, and I need to get it out this week. Remember that you can also conduct a Google Image search. 

The next time you have a question about your sewing machine, quilting, or anything else, try typing the question into Google or another AI platform and see what you get. You'd be surprised! 

Hey -- I was all done and reading my book by 7 PM yesterday! Yep -- I'm on a roll! 

It's going to be another jam-packed day, and I woke up super excited to get started!!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!