It all went downhill from the weekend

As you know, I had a GREAT weekend at the virtual retreat. While I did have a wee bit of ripping to do as I finished the Easy Street quilt, it was a pretty good weekend with minimal issues.

Yesterday was a totally different scenario. I don't think I've ripped so much in my life! I was working on the homework for one of my ongoing classes. The block was SIMPLE - you'll see tomorrow. I got the block together and it was too small. Seriously??? I couldn't sew a ¼" seam if my life depended on it. So I ripped the block apart.

The seams had to be pressed in a very specific way or they wouldn't nest together. Could I do that? Nope - I had to rip the block apart yet again! And make sure that darn seam allowance didn't get too big. It was a challenge and in the end, I managed to eke out three very simple blocks. That took almost all day!!

I had a great chuckle about it. It was just one of those days!  I was hoping to get the homework to the class yesterday, but that just didn't happen. The photos are edited and loaded into the document. The document is written and the videos are made. I just need to proofread it to make sure it makes sense and then I can hit SEND. Holy -- what a day. Thankfully that doesn't happen often at my house.

I guess I should have taken a break from sewing after five days of intense sewing. Next time - I'll know better.

I was having a mild panic attack about my Fitbit. The darn thing wasn't charging properly. I was even looking at new ones and how long it would take to get a new one to me. Turns out it was just me. Like I said - it wasn't a good day. I had plugged it into the computer as I always do and for some reason, it didn't like that. I plugged it into the wall socket and all is good.

Phew - who wanted to spend $200 right now. I sure didn't.

I had a good chuckle yesterday as I was putting away the leftover fabric bits from Easy Street. Bonnie also chooses paint chips to help her students get the right colors for the quilts. I came across the paint chips for Easy Street in the project box.

Paint Chips for Easy Street

I didn't follow the paint chips as I included orange in my quilt - I think I substituted the orange for the blue.

But when I got working on the homework assignment yesterday and really looked at the fabrics - guess what? The EXACT colors of the paint chips!!!!  I tell you - that was hilarious!!! I'm using white instead of grey.

The fabrics for my new project

It was such a nice day yesterday that I had to be outside. I sat in the backyard and read for quite a bit. Then I decided that I needed to get myself moving. If I wanted a snack, which I did (and had already eaten), then I had better get moving! I took the girls for a much shorter walk than normal - thankfully, they have NO clue as long as they get out.

Then I pumped up the tires on my bike and I was off. Ther's nothing like the freedom of getting on two wheels and going for a spin. I decided to stay in the city so I went up the bike path that's just minutes from my house. I went as far as I could go and then turned onto a normally busy street. It was busy but not as bad as it would have been under normal circumstances. Then I found another bike path to come back.

It was windy in the afternoon, but warmer. I just wore my bike shorts and a shirt with a vest. An orange shirt and a red vest. But do you know that TWICE cars came out of driveways (gas station and grocery store) and the driver wasn't even looking? Just drives forward. For god's sake when you're in a car - be mindful of what's in front of you and on both sides of you!! I trust NO ONE when I'm on my bike. NO ONE.

A stop for a quick photo

It was a short ride at 22 Km, but that's OK. I might head out of the city on the weekend. But for a short ride like this, it's best to stay in the city. I was passed by a police car and not stopped - hey I was keeping my social distance!

What's frustrating is that I keep hearing the radio announcers say - STAY INSIDE. Well, I get it. You need to be responsible, but you do NOT need to stay inside. Just be mindful of where you go and what you do. I'm not breaking any laws.

Someone sent me this picture of someone coping with our current situation. I think he's hitting the bottle a bit much!!

Coping!

I found a couple of videos to share with you. If you want to know all there is to know about bobbins, check out this video. It's 18 minutes long but well worth a look. One thing that amazes me is how many people do not know that each brand of machine uses their OWN bobbins. I've heard many times - "OH - I don't have an empty bobbin" and someone else will offer one of theirs. NO - that doesn't work. And the other thing that drives me crazy is when people have TWO bobbins total. TWO.  People, I have LOADS of bobbins. Probably close to 100 for my basic sewing machines. They do wear out - toss them. They don't cost much to replace.

I know that many people are cranking out masks like crazy. People are making hundreds of them for family and friends. I've made one. Not because I'm selfish, but because I'm very leery of the homemade masks. YES - they will provide an extra layer of protection and I believe I heard yesterday that we are encouraged to wear one if we go out. Here's the government's official stance on the use of homemade masks. 

Here's the thing -- you will breathe on those masks, the masks will get wet. They become less effective if they are wet. PLUS - they NEED TO BE WASHED. If they get filled with bacteria and you're breathing in that bacteria at a very close range? NOT GOOD. If you wear one - WASH IT. You probably need to boil it to be totally sanitary. So be careful with the homemade masks. Use with caution. You don't want to get sick from something else while you attempt to avoid COVID 19 virus.

I also heard that they are providing a false sense of security among the people wearing them and they now think they can stand closer to each other. NO - I just say NO to the masks. Just wash your hands and stay 6 feet away from everyone.

I'll leave you with one more thing. BluPrint (the old Craftsy) has a TON of FREE videos on their website. The videos are free until April 16. This is your chance to learn something new. Machine quilting, free motion or walking foot - with the top teachers. And there are other topics than quilting on the web site. Get over there and learn ONE THING during this time.

The last thing I'll comment on is my daily step count. Someone asked me how much time I spend each day walking. I walk about 2 - 2 ½ hours EACH and every day!! The girls are with me that entire time and because of that, it's a total upper body workout as well. I could go faster without them and cover more ground. Keeping fit is an important part of my life. I could be doing something else - in front of a screen most likely, but honestly? I'd rather be walking. I'm really trying to limit my screen time to a couple of hours each day. I know - and then I try to entice you with free class videos!

Hey - if you're going to spend time in front of the screen, learn something instead of trolling through Facebook and Instagram. I still don't see the point of spending hours with either of those. I just don't. I like to stay in touch and see what's happening, but to just spend hours seeing what others are doing? Nope - I can catch up in mere minutes! That's why I don't have huge followings - I don't promote and I'm OK with that!

On that happy note, let's hope that today will be a better seeing day than yesterday was!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!