Learning is so much fun!

 

Another GREAT day - I hear rumors that our temporary pandemic closures might be lifted this weekend. That means we can get back to the gym next week - observing all safety protocols, of course! I can't wait except that I won't be around next week for the spin class. I'll be leaving for my sewing retreat with our small bubble of people. I can't wait!

Two more great presentations yesterday! It's so refreshing to actually do the presentation and not worry about the internet going down. And the fact that most of the presentations are totally organized with files on the shared server, samples made, and an agenda written out, I don't have to run around like an idiot to assemble everything. 

December will be a major planning month as I have a ton of samples that I want to make. I've been messing around with the software as well, and OH BOY - the things you can do with the embroidery software, and I've only scratched the surface. I need to place a major thread order, so I'll be good come December. I love the new software! Did I mention that the file I created yesterday has almost 500 THOUSAND stitches in it? Yes - 476,000 or something outrageous! And am I going to stitch it out? You bet! It's all a learning process! I wonder how many DAYS that will take. Not days, but it's going to take a long time. Thankfully I have a couple of machines that will let me do that. 

BUT WAIT - there's something new coming out next year. I see the information is on the website, so that means I can share it with you. There's a NEW PFAFF creative icon coming. It's called the creative icon 2. Now here's the thing - when we were at a training session last January, I suggested what I wanted in a sewing machine. I'm sure this new feature did NOT come from my comment, but guess what? There is speech recognition, and it talks to ALEXA and Google. Oh - I want one. NOW. This is very exciting, and I think we're going to see a whole lot more of this high-tech stuff coming in the future. Imagine being at the cutting table and asking ALEXA how much longer the embroidery has to stitch? 

Seriously, there is so much NEW in the sewing machine world. I couldn't be happier. Here's the new mySewnet account webpage. Loads of stuff to contemplate there. 

But - if you're not into the fancy stuff, there's loads of good stuff at the regular level as well. If you have a PFAFF and want to learn more about using your fancy stitches, check out the Facebook Live event tomorrow. Here's a link to the trailer. Karen is the BEST educator in the market. She's creative, and she'll show you how to perform crazy stuff with decorative stitches. DO NOT MISS it. It will be taped so you can watch it later. Even if you don't have a PFAFF, I suggest that you watch - you WILL learn something from Karen. And she's so much fun!

I spent the afternoon doing logistical stuff. Booked an electrician to fix the power line that runs to the gazebo that the rabbits or the opossum ate last year. Called someone to come and repair the garage roof, booked an appointment to visit the bank and stuff like that. I'm still way behind in e-mails and invoices and ordering stuff, and I hope to get to some of that this afternoon. 

I went for a long walk yesterday, and it was glorious! I popped into Indigo, and I see that the 100 Modern Blocks Book for the ongoing class next year is still there!!! So if someone wants this book - call the Indigo at Erin Mills. 

100 Modern Blocks by Tula Pink

Then I was off to the grocery store where I bought the fudge mix to make my Bear Paw cookies. I'm going to make them at the retreat, so I just need to find the peanuts and the candy kisses. I'll head to the mall to get those at the Bulk Barn. Perhaps a mission for today. 

And the last stop was the library. I forgot to put the books on suspend for this month, and FIVE new books came in. Oh boy! I'm in trouble. The biggest issue is the book I'm currently reading is so weird that I'm not enjoying it. I know that I should abandon it, but I don't usually do that, and I would always wonder what happened. That's two duds in a row - I wonder how that happened? 


So we have Murphy! She's - well, she's Murphy. She LOVES to play ball and loves to drop her ball into the gap in the deck. And then expects us to get it for her. Why? It's a narrow gap, so she's doing it intentionally. And if I'm not sure there's a ball under the deck? I use my phone to view under the deck through the gap. No ball this time, Murph! 

The view under the deck

But isn't that cool to use the camera to see somewhere where you can't? I just have to make sure that I don't drop the phone because I wouldn't easily retrieve it in some of the spots. 

I got a bit more work done on my hollyhock block. All the applique is prepped, and I did a good part of the stitching this morning. Yeah!!! That feels good to get working on this block. 

The hollyhock block

There was one thing about the block that bothered me. See the green stems? Well, they didn't go through the applique blocks. So I changed that around to add the green stem BEHIND the pink applique. That took a wee bit of finagling. It's not perfect, but I think it looks so much better. 

The original block

Then I thought I was done with all the blocks. Ah - no. There's a house, a sunflower, a fence, some butterflies, then the four borders with piecing and applique. Oh well. 

OH OH OH  -- if you're following the QUILTSocial Spectrum Quilt a Long, the latest blocks are up. Here's a link to Block three for Claire.    Here's the link to Paul's block three.  And here is the link to my version of the same block.      It's amazing how all three of us made the same block, but not in the same way!!!  Totally different, and that's what quilting is all about. Finding a way that's easy for you!

If you are making the blocks, send a picture - I'd love to see what you're making!

That's all I have time for this morning. It's going to be another crazy day with two more presentations. But I LOVE doing them. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!