The Virtual Retreat - Day One

ownMy apologies to whoever tried to dial into the Zoom call last night after 8 PM. No one had been on for a while, and I decided to nip out for a walk! I shall be ending the calls at 8 PM just so I can get that walk in. I should have thought about that when I did my planning. I'm averaging 6 miles these days, and so I'm going to have to make up some time when this week is over. Also, the heat didn't help, as I wasn't walking the dogs in the afternoon. I think we're in for some cooler weather in the next couple of days, so I should be good to get back in the groove. 

Here's the current picture of the day from my Virtual Challenge as I leave the Battlefords in Saskatchewan on my Cross Canada walk. I suspect that all the photos along this stretch of the highway will look the same until the bridge to cross the river, then the river valley will be on the left! That's Saskatchewan - FLAT. But not all of it. That is a river valley to the right, and that's not flat!

On Highway 16 east of the Battlefords in Saskatchewan

Here's my position on the map. Getting close to my little hamlet of Baljennie! It's pretty exciting, but then it doesn't take much to get me excited!!! I'm surprised it still shows up on a map! Notice there are NO highways near that little hamlet, but there's a gravel road!!!  I was absolutely stunned when I arrived in Ontario years ago to find that almost all roads are paved. Really??

And now, back to the virtual retreat. It was a load of fun! People were popping in and out pretty much all day. We weren't many, but that actually made it better because I had some terrific conversations with people. The same conversation that I would have had with them in person. BUT - it was even better because I saw some sewing rooms, some computer setups. I had a great time!! Thanks to everyone who logged in. I saw someone was trying to log in with the links for TODAY, so remember today is THURSDAY. I'll be working with the THURSDAY links, and there are two of them today as I have to make a presentation at 2 PM EST.

The links are posted at the bottom of this blog. And I'll post the Friday link as well, but make sure you log into the correct one. If you log in and no one is there, check to make sure you have the right link.

So what did I get done? I got the magazine quilt together and got it loaded on the long arm. It's quilted! I'll be trimming and putting the binding on this morning. I was going to do that last night but decided I better proofread my presentation. It's as good as it's going to get.

I have the written part of the homework from last week to write up, and after the presentation and UPS picks up the quilt today, everything is back under control! Then it'll be time to evaluate the situation and see what's next on the list of things to do. In the meantime, I'll spend a bit of time sewing this weekend.

I dug out the laundry basket of prepped projects. What project should I choose? I decided to grab the tote bags that I had found in that other laundry basket.

The prepped tote bag covers

There wasn't a whole lot of time to work on them before I shut it down for the day. I managed to get the interfacing fused to the pockets, and I got all four pockets stitched to the linings of the bags. I used the Bi-Level Guide Foot (PFAFF) to do that job, and it was super easy. I moved the needle over a couple of positions and then used the guide to get a consistent (and straight) line of stitching. 

Topstitching the pockets in place

 I'll be stitching the dividers into the pockets later today, and I've decided to focus on the bags until they are done! That means dealing with the handles and flaps and bottoms. Just get them DONE!!!!

One pocket in place

So I have a dilemma. On my Celebration quilt, I don't have enough of that center fabric to complete the quilt. I took a quick peek in my stash and found these two fabrics at the top of the pile. Hmm - could they work as substitutions? I think I like the one on the right better than the one on the left, which is quite a bit darker. I also want to check Northcott Toscana (I have the shade card so easy to check fabric swatches) to see if one of the colors would be a better match. The thing about the two fabrics below is that I know the name of the manufacturer, so it'll be much easier to find them on the internet. I will NOT attempt to match fabrics by using the computer screen. It's just not going to happen!

Looking for substitutions for the center fabric

That's a project for next week. Next week is already filling up with those two LONG days of Quilt Market Schoolhouse! Never at a loss for things to do at my house!!!!

I ordered a few things the other day. I was pleasantly surprised when I went out for my walk last night to find one of the three items had arrived on the doorstep. No ringing of the doorbell. Do you know what this is? I'm very excited about it. No time to play with it today, and I sure could have used it last week. BUT - I'll open it up next week and show you.

A Slow Dolphin

Here's some advice - if you have ordered something and you know they drop at the front door - I'd advise you to check your doorstep each night before you go to bed to see if there's a package.  I know on my morning walks, I often see boxes sitting on the doorsteps, meaning they have probably sat out all night. It's a good thing there are not a lot of porch pirates in the area. Or maybe there are, and they've just missed a few boxes!

Here's another QUILTsocial blog post. I have so much fun making these blog posts. This post is all about learning new embroidery techniques. All the learning tools that I've discussed this week can be done at HOME. Loads of tools to help with remote learning!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the links for the Virtual Retreat for THURSDAY, May 28th


Join Zoom Meeting THURSDAY -- May 28th -- 9:00 AM EST - 1:30 PM EST https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89125426288?pwd=TzRkMlhBQXhoT3pjQlBEMW5UV2o2dz09 Meeting ID: 891 2542 6288 Password: 734096


Join Zoom Meeting THURSDAY - May 28th - 3:30 PM EST - 8 PM EST https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85187367927?pwd=bUkwYldJYkE5OE1IUUh5MkU4Y0daUT09 Meeting ID: 851 8736 7927 Password: 008919



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Here is the link for the Virtual Retreat for FRIDAY, May 29th. 

Join Zoom Meeting FRIDAY - May 29th - 9 AM EST - 8 PM EST https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81124634129?pwd=blRUck9xYTRZVCthd2ljQTBBS0srdz09 Meeting ID: 811 2463 4129 Password: 910014


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It would appear that I'm a quick learner, or I just got lucky! No passive voice sentences today!


On that note, I'm out of here. I've got to start trimming and binding, but first, I might just run through that presentation one more time and tidy up the "film studio," so it doesn't look like a mess!!!

Have a super day!!!!!


Ciao!!!