Multitasking is not a good thing

I really do need to create a list of lost items. Not that that is going to help me find the missing items, but at least I'll know what I can't find and I can celebrate when I find the darn things. Like those bodkins and the doll patterns and a person's phone number and, and. I might have a stab at creating that list later today.

I actually got excited yesterday. Why? Because I had a couple of errands in the afternoon and another Zoom call. I had THINGS to do! I had three things to mail at the post office so that was my big excursion. It was a non-event. I was the only person in the store beside the clerk and she took my items, I paid with my debit card, and I was out of there.

I had to pick up something from Diane - more on that by the end of the week. And I had a great call with a friend. But besides that, I got a lot accomplished yesterday. I've realized that the more time one spends on the computer (and going through e-mail), the less one gets done in a day. I try to limit my time on e-mail, and I figured I'd have to spend 3 or 4 or sometimes even more hours in a day to keep the mailbox clean. That's not going to happen at my house.

I try to deal with the personal e-mails first and there are a few that I need to respond to. I haven't forgotten you! Then I try to deal with the work ones and lastly the ones from mailing lists. I check my favorite links first and then the rest - well. I'm not sure how to deal with it all. I don't want to delete myself from some of the lists as I do like to see what's currently selling in the quilting world even if I'm not buying.

These days, there is much more than just e-mail. People might send a text, or an Instagram message or through Facebook or Instagram. And let's not forget What's App. It can be a lot to digest in a single day and you could really spend a lot of time keeping up with it all. Matter of fact, you could spend the entire day! And as much as I love you all, I don't want to spend my entire day responding or reacting to messages and pictures. I aim for a happy medium.

I have to mention a new author (new to me) that I finished the audiobook yesterday. The Widow by Fiona Barton. Oh boy -- this is a thriller and it was great right to the end. I seem to be reading books set in Europe these days. First, it was France, then the UK, and my current one is set in Sweden. The bonus of the audiobooks is that the narrators use the accents that pertain to the region and it makes the book so much more interesting. I LOVE it. Anyway - if you haven't read The Widow and like physiological thrillers - this one is good.

I was busy as a bee yesterday. I did clean a few more things off the worktables. I tell you, why or why do we collect those little trinkets that we pick up at shows? The companies make them so darn enticing - shiny! And we NEED to pick them up. Seriously??? I think they should ban that kind of stuff. It just becomes junk when we get home. I think that's the worst problem that I'm dealing with. I'll be sharing some of those "treasures" with you.

I think with anything - the BIGGEST issue we all face is making the decision. Do I keep? Do I recycle? Do I give away? Or sell? Or repurpose? Or whatever - but we tend to fall short on making decisions and so stuff becomes clutter. I'm getting better at making decisions. Whether it's right or wrong - just make a decision and move on!!!

I think I now have ALL my embroidery floss in one area. I seem to have inherited quite a bit from other sources over the years and now it resides in one container and one basket. I'm sure that could be compressed a wee bit if I went in and sorted it a bit more. But my goal is to get like items together. Then I can sort through the stuff another day.

Two containers of embroidery floss

And there's one container with Perle Cotton.

Perle Cotton

Then I looked at some of the patterns that were sitting on the table. Oh boy - There's a small handful of some OLD patterns. When I gave all my patterns away last year, I went through the containers and kept a few as keepsakes. Don't ask - I'm allowed. There are less than 10. But what about those patterns on the right and in the middle. Do you all remember those?? That was the sort of thing that was being designed (and made) just as I was getting into quilting. Oh - yes - I can so see myself with that sweatshirt with the big flowers on the front! NOT!!!! And that dress? I don't think that's going to happen. It's just not my style.

Clothing patterns

I'm sure that no one wants those patterns. And I'm sure they have been circulated a few times from one household to another. So here's the thing - do I do us all a favor and toss them? I think I should. However - should anyone be interested, I can provide better pictures and you're welcome to them. Otherwise, I think I'm going to recycle them.

Some of the clothing patterns are definitely vintage - or close to it since vintage is supposed to be 100 years. Look at this little pattern for making a doll dress (16" doll). It's very old. I'm keeping that little stack for me. Just because!

Vintage doll pattern

I got the binding completely sewn on the wall hanging. The sleeve got made as well. It's pinned in place and now needs to be hand-stitched.

The sleeve is ready to be handstitched 

 I got a customer quilt done. Yeah!!! I'll get it trimmed today so it can be picked up later this week. The next quilt is already loaded and ready to go this morning.

Customer quilt - DONE

I got the border on this quilt that is going to Quilts of Valour. The binding and the backing got made as well and it's in the queue to be quilted this month.

Quilt top, backing and binding ready to be quilted

My current audiobook needs to go back in 4 days so I have a lot to listen to over the next couple of days. I decided to continue sewing in Studio B and got this little quilt together. This is the one that I ripped apart the day before. The one that had Cuddle, flannel, and cotton in it. The brown border and the corner blocks were supposed to be Cuddle. I substituted cotton for both. I realized when I went to press the last border that I sewed it on upside down (there's a directional print) so that has to come off today.

Small quilt is back together

I checked the hunk of fabric (flannel) for the backing. Of course, it's not the right size. So I'll have to find something else. I was thinking of adding another border to make it a little bit larger. It's 30 by 36. I'll see what I do about it later today. I might even replace the flannel as well. I should have done that right off the bat.  You know- we all talk about multi-tasking, but I am NOT good at it.

If I'm listening to an audiobook, I need a totally mindless task to do. I can't think about two things at the same time. Stop the book and PLAN, then do the mindless sewing. Oh well - I'm not worried about it. It's not like I have anything with a deadline right at the moment. OK - that's a total lie, but you know what I mean.

I'm just plugging away at the piles - one thing at a time with the odd small (new) thing thrown in. I'm loving this process.

I got this block back in one piece (and all points are now going in the right direction) and the seams are pressed to my satisfaction. I'm happy and the block will be filed away with the other Christmas Fig blocks.

Christmas Fig block

In my cleaning, I found a little bag of half-square triangles. Already trimmed so later today, those will be placed with the others in the tin.

Half-square triangles

I trimmed the last of the random ones sitting on the cutting table and those will also be filed away later today. It's one thing to get these things sewn and then trimmed, but one must be diligent about putting things in their permanent home or it becomes clutter. Ask me how I know that!!!

More half-square triangles trimmed

AHA -- it was time to grab something NEW from the laundry basket. Remember - this isn't new - it's just the process of whittling down some stuff that's been hanging around.

I grabbed this. Now - you're NOT allowed to judge me. I like to fiddle with small things and I'm a keeper of all things. This was in one of the scrap bags from a while back. I had embroidered snowflakes on the border of a Santa quilt. I didn't like the look, so I ended up appliqueing snowflakes. What to do with the border? Instead of trashing it, I saved it with the scraps and never dealt with it.

The seam is split open

I managed to get FIVE little blocks with embroidery on them. This last one was on the mitered corner seam. And the seam had started to come open. What to do? I zigzagged the seam back together and then cut out the block.

That required setting up the sewing machine for something other than a straight stitch. I do love the safety setting. Even though I choose a zigzag stitch, the machine wouldn't sew anything but a straight stitch UNTIL I turned off the Stitch Width Safety. Thank you Opal 690Q by Husqvarna Viking for that little safety feature.

Safety message

And why is that important? because I like to sew with my Straight Stitch plate on the sewing machine. So I switched stitch plates, changed the foot, and changed the threads to bobbin weight thread and decorative thread.

Rejigging the sewing machine for decorative stitches

Here's a picture of my repaired snowflake block.

The repaired snowflake block

And here are the six blocks. Now to find something to make with them. In the meantime, they go into the orphan block box.

Six embroidered snowflake blocks

So with that small task out of the way, it was time to choose one more "new" project from the laundry basket. I choose this one.

NEW project

This shouldn't take that long to finish. The applique is all fused in place, but I like to do a satin stitch around the raw edges. It's just a "ME" thing. The stitching is completed around the lettering, but not the cat, the bats, the stars and the moon. I had brought up the necessary supplies (thread and stabilizer) and I was ready to go.

I managed to get one of the bats done this morning. All those points, but when you know how to turn the corners and you have a sewing machine (the Opal 690Q) with the most AMAZING satin stitch ever, well, it goes fast.

One of the bats is done

Here's a closeup of one of the points. Not bad!!  And I have WHITE Bobbin thread in the machine. Like I said, the satin stitch (not a compressed zigzag) is the BEST ever.

Detail of turning the corner with satin stitch

A quick update on the backyard. Those lily pads are growing like weeds and the leaves hit the surface a couple of days ago. This is a picture I snapped when it was feeding frenzy time. Those fish are little pigs. They love to eat.

A feeding frenzy in the pond

I've got a load of things to get done today and one of them is to finish off my presentation TONIGHT on needles.

Sewing machine needles

Here's the information to get into the presentation. You should just be able to click on the link and that'll take you to the meeting. You shouldn't need the ID or the password. But just in case.


Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89221265363?pwd=SWxkV0srSFAxd2s5dmFGSDJvWURuZz09

Meeting ID: 892 2126 5363
Password: 480367

 I was hoping to set it up as a webinar, but I can't do that. So it's going to be like a meeting and we can have up to 100 people attend. I really just want to test the format and my tools and see how it goes. I'll welcome any feedback. There'll be a chat room on the right-hand side of the screen so you can ask questions. I'll explain all when we're at the meeting. And if you have any specific questions, you can send them to my e-mail and I'll try to have answers by tonight.

On that note, I'm out of here!!!!

Have a super day!!!!!


Ciao!!!!