Hands off

I decided that I would walk to the grocery store that has a big pharmacy so I could stock up on some glucosamine. I should have started taking it long ago, but I didn't. So let's start now and move on. This was my first time in a grocery store since the pandemic was announced. There are normally two entrances to the store and one is closed off. For the open one, there's an entrance door with someone monitoring the people going in and there's an exit.

I wonder how closely they are monitoring stuff? Lots of signs - only one family member at a time. No bags allowed and other notices. As I was leaving the store, some guy, yakking his head off on a cell phone, comes in the exit. He got yelled at by a customer and the security guy. Like - you can't READ the *&^% sign?? Oh yes - he's on his cell phone - too important to follow the rules.

And then there's the girl (I want to say chick - but that would be stereotyping) who is standing at the end of an aisle, in a section of the store with narrow aisles, chatting up a storm on her cell phone. Seriously??? Can you not buy your groceries and get out of the store and talk in your car? And then there are the two young women discussing the merits of some beauty product or shampoo. I don't get it.  Get in - touch only what you need to touch and get out. Simple!

I did pick up some apples that DH had forgotten. OK - I got my grocery list to him late because I was on the phone and he didn't see the note in time. Big signs - TOUCH only what you are going to buy and wash when you get home. I did that.

But then I got to the aisle with the health supplements. Oh boy - the shelves look pretty bare and at first, I didn't think I wasn't going to find what I was looking for. The products are displayed by each brand. Hmmm - I looked with my eyes. I picked up one container because I thought it was the only kind there (only two bottles of it on the shelf). Then I glanced over and saw my favorite brand and so I put the one in my hands back on the shelf. I know - I felt really bad about that. But have you ever paid attention to how much we need to read the label? I wanted to see what was the difference between the products. I figure this is better than nothing at all. I can read the labels later.

Glucosamine

Then I picked up a magazine from the rack that is NO LONGER in the same place. I didn't even check to see what had been moved to that space. I went through the self check-out so I didn't have to touch anything and no one else touched my stuff and I was out. Phew - I survived a trip to the grocery store.

Lots of people with masks and I do feel a bit guilty not wearing one since it's supposed to protect others against me. I'm pretty sure that I'm clean and I'm not coughing and hacking, so I'm OK. Selfish? I don't know, but I feel comfortable.

BUT DH noticed something when he went to the store. What the heck has happened to the price of hamburger???

The price of hamburger has skyrocketed

Can you read that???  $28.64 a KG. Seriously??? That's a huge price increase. That package is TEENY tiny. I told him no more hamburger for me. I'll go vegetarian before I pay those prices for hamburger meat. Now I have to find a good recipe to use with lentils. I get the supply and demand pricing, but that's totally insane.

I did manage to get the magazine quilt blocks recut and I started sewing them back together. It shouldn't take long to get that together and I still have time (It has to leave by early next week) so I'm not worried. I am worried about my UFO homework. It's due in less than a week and I haven't started. I think I know what I'll be doing this week. I also have some writing and editing pictures to do this week, plus get the homework ready for the classes (three of them) this weekend. There will be NO TIME for fooling around!

I worked on pet mats and got all the bags serged together.

This is the stack that I serged the previous morning.

Bags for pet mats are serged together

Got a nice little bin of scraps from that exercise which will go into a pet mat.

The bin of cut off bits

I do love the little catch bin for the Husqvarna Viking Amber Air S|400. It's plastic and clips to the base of the serger. No fabric bag to clean out which is a pain. This is super easy!

The plastic waste container on the Amber Air S|400

This is what didn't get serged together the previous day. But it's all done now. I finished it up this morning.

Pieces to still serge

As I was tucking ends in yesterday while I watched an episode of The Quilt Show, I had to laugh. I had serged the sides of two bags but forgot to serge the bottom. Those are now done as well.

The scrap bin on the cutting table in Studio B got emptied.

An empty scrap bin in Studio B

This morning's exercise was a bit more complicated as the pieces were smaller. But four pieces made one side and eight of them made one bag.

Pieced sides for a pet mat

There are four small squares left. I put them with the rest of the upholstery samples and they'll get used when I do my next pet mat making marathon. I think I ended up with 15 bags? That'll go a long way to clearing up some of those bags of scraps. 

Four squares leftover 

I even had some practice quilting sandwiches which got serged and the thread ends will get tucked in. Those are good for small carriers. They are all going to the same home. They can use them as they see fit. Yep - I'm on a roll, but as mentioned, I'm going to have to take a break for this week.

Serging the edges of a quilting practice sandwich

I did get three of those quilting sandwiches finished off yesterday, as well as one pet mat after I emptied all the scrap bins.

Finished pet mat

That was a HUGE job and I made amazing progress. I figure a couple more days and that entire mess will be history. Have you noticed how good I am at procrastinating in the office? I can clean and tidy anything else but this place! Oh - it's turn is coming. I'm running out of things to tidy up! I don't really care what gets tidied up, as long as stuff is happening. That's all I care about.

Om 2015, I rented a house in PEI for a month. I loaded the car with two dogs (not my current two), a portable sewing table, a sewing machine (just one), and loads of projects. The car was packed. I had asked friends to offer up some tidbit of stuff that I could use to do a "while I'm away" challenge. I found the suitcase with all the stuff in it this morning. It's not a big suitcase, but it's packed.

I started the challenge and I really need to get back to it and finish it off. There are all kinds of crazy things in that box. I've put it in a UFO box for the moment, but I will get back to it!

As you know there is a virtual sewing retreat starting next week. I'm going to share with you tomorrow how to prep for the retreat so that you'll make the best use of your time. 

I have two projects that I'm going to prep since I did want to add one more to my laundry basket. And there'll be room in the laundry basket for both - but only after they are prepped. One of them will be my tumbling blocks quilt and the other is in this laundry basket. Wait until you see what's in here. It's totally insane!!!!

A project to prep for the virtual retreat

When I left Studio B this morning, this is what the work tables look like. That's pretty impressive. Oh, that white laundry basket in the distance is the one above so it's technically on the cutting table to be sorted through later today.

The 6 projects that need the binding finished are by the sewing machine so that does empty a wee bit more space. The best news? Nothing has been added to the tables because there is NOTHING to add. Unless I start pulling things off a shelf or out of a bag to further sort. But there's no need at the moment. This is all the stuff that doesn't have a home. Oh, there are bags of UFOs and new projects under the long arm, but I'm not counting them since that's their permanent home for the moment.

I'm impressed. The items at this end of the table mostly need to be put away and the other end of the tables is UFOs that I want to work on. I'm not even touching the weekly laundry basket of stuff upstairs. ACK!!! That's why all this cleaning needs to be done. So I can get to the laundry basket and other UFOs.

I've been observing clothing projects online or in magazines. Hmmm - I do NOT want to revisit the romper or jumpsuits era. I wore them when I was younger - gosh - I had a WHITE one. What was I thinking?? They are cute - sure. But have you tried to go to the washroom with one of those? This is not for the older generation to be sure. That's why kids' onesies have snap fasteners in the crotch!!!

Rompers are back!!!

I haven't been walking in the woods lately because Murphy just can't control herself. She has to chase everything and well - that's why my joints are protesting. All the jerking around is not fun. But we did take a detour the other day. The trilliums are out. They've probably been out for a while, but my first time seeing them was the other day.

Trilliums in the forest

Don't' worry - I've shortened the walks with the dogs so there's not as much pulling and jerking. I'm already feeling better.

There's a small creek in the forest as well and guess what? I saw the mommy and daddy duck. They visit my pond about twice each year in the spring. Then they go to the creek and when that dries up? I'm not sure where they go. Gosh - they are hard to see in the picture, but they are just above the logs in the middle.

Ducks in the creek

I see another one of the quilts from our North Star class got finished. This is Valerie's. It looks amazing. I swear this is the quilt that almost everyone in the class finished and even got them quilted. I love that quilting pattern.

Valerie's North Star quilt

Shoot - I was hoping this next picture would have turned out better. But if you look close, there's a wobble in this fresh cut. If you don't keep the rotary cutter parallel to your ruler, your "straight" line isn't so straight. That happened just because I changed the angle of the blade and it created a significant wobble. Watch that when cutting. Keep that rotary cutter straight up and down, don't let it wobble sideways.

A wobble in my straight line

 

Don't forget the Virtual Sewing Retreat. It takes place on May 27 - 31. I'll have an open Zoom meeting from 9 AM EST to 9 PM EST. You can check-in and out as often as you want. Stay to chat, stay to sew. And don't forget that I'll be providing some tips tomorrow to help you make the most of the retreat. It's going to be fun and besides - what else do we have to do???

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!