Just keep walking

 WOW -- I see that we are all experiencing quite different scenarios with the needles and fusible products. That requires a bit more research, to be sure. 

And I see there are other people experiencing issues with Fitbit syncing. Thank goodness it's not just me. I can't afford to lose a single KM. My big challenge this year is to walk 4,200 KM in 365 days. I'm right on track, and you'll see more of that next week. 

Not one to shirk from a fun event, three of us have signed up for The Big Canada Run this year. Nancy, Helen Anne, and I will attempt to walk 10,000 KM starting on July 1, and we've got one year to accomplish that feat! If you want to participate, there are provincial teams you can join, or if you have enough people, you can create your own team! We'd welcome one more person to our team, but you must be a quilter! It costs $60 if you join before July 1. It's going to be fun!! And there's an 8,000 option as well. 

Last year when we did the 8,000 KM walk across Canada (team of 4), we had to log our miles manually, which was a bit of a hassle. I faithfully logged the distance each day, but I did have to wait for my teammates to enter their KMs. As a result, some days, we'd "travel" hundreds of KMs in one day. Now this organization is using a NEW app, the SAME one that I've been using for a while with my Conqueror challenges. 

The new run on the My Virtual Mission website

There's the screen in my mission

That means we have a team page, no more manual logging, and we'll stay up-to-date as long as Fitbit keeps syncing. 

I'm super excited about the new journey! We'll be going through some northern bits of the country that I've not traveled to, so that's something to look forward to. 

It was a bit of a crazy day, and for some reason, I had ZERO motivation to sew. However, I had to sew because I have to get this homework prepped for the weekend. The sewing is done for one class, two of three blocks are completed for the next class. The last block is all cut, so that shouldn't take too long to finish. I have to cut all the blocks for the last class and the final one, which is a demo, I think I'll do live. That's minimal prep. 

So I'll get it all done - I really should start a wee bit earlier next month!

I hope that I have enough fabric to finish the blocks. At least, I know that I can still get this collection, but I think I will be OK - there won't be much leftover. I also don't think I will have enough of the background left for the border, but it's a solid cream, so that shouldn't be too difficult to match. 

Do I have enough fabric? 

The second quilt also has issues with the fabric. I don't think there's going to be enough fabric left to make the quilt. I started with a 10" layer cake in a bizarre colorway. Let's just say that I'm DONE with experimenting and using one colorway. No offense to Tula Pink, but this colorway - some of the prints are large, some are directional, and some - well, it's NOT my favorite quilt. NO MORE pre-cuts for making a quilt. 

I feel like pre-cuts are similar to The Emperor's New Clothes. Remember that story? Everyone said how beautiful his new outfit was, and he didn't have an outfit! Well, everyone raves about fabric collections, and so fun to see them in a pre-cut. And YES - they look good, but when you try to make a quilt from the collection or a pre-cut, it looks - well, some are great, some are not!!! I feel many times that fabric designers are the weavers with no morals from that story. 

I'm not sure if I included this before, but it's the latest issue of A Needle Pulling Thread. The theme is trees. Hmmm - somehow, I think I did this already. Oh well - you get to see it again. It's Issue 55, and the theme is trees.

Issue 55 of A Needle Pulling Thread

I LOVE the rich colors in this quilt. And all of it came from the stash. Just random fabrics - well, not random, but coordinated random, and that's where I feel the most comfortable. I NEED to be 100% in charge of the colors. I really, really HATE pre-cuts. Why? You are at the total mercy of what the designer did, and while many of them know what they are doing - I don't always agree with their choices. 

My TREE quilt

And I have a couple of tubs of pre-cuts! I actually saw someone who pulled their pre-cuts apart and used them as scraps. I like that idea!!! I'll be using them very carefully in the future.

Now for the exciting news. I have to keep this a secret, but let's just say that I'm packed for a couple of days of R & R&R. This will only happen if the numbers keep going as planned. And that's all I'm going to say!!!!

The retreat box

I did manage to get the rest of the red string quilt blocks trimmed, and they are ready to sew together. I'm not sure who sewed the original part, but all the strips were the same width, more or less, so no wonder MIL did the same thing. How did that happen???? 

The blocks for the red string pieced quilt

Now I think there is a blue one and a red one to sew together. There are still tons of scraps, but I need more foundation to sew them onto. I still have four bags of scraps that people gave me for pet mats a while back. I'm hoping there is a sheet in there that I can cut up. I would LOVE to get those last four bags of scraps dealt with this summer. And then somehow get all the strings sewn as well. Slow and steady - I can't do everything at once. 

I'll be heads-down at the sewing machine until my meeting this afternoon. So I'd better get lots done - no time for slacking off!!!!

OH - before I go - you need to mark on your calendar a Facebook LIVE event. It's June 29 at 7 PM EST. Carla, Claire, Paul, and I are chatting about our experience with the Spectrum Quilt a Long. Even if you didn't do the QAL, come and check it out!!! Be sure to come and be entertained. 

And here are the links for the Virtual Retreat this weekend. 

Virtual Retreat - Saturday, June 26, 6 PM -- 9PM

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89254233911?pwd=VGQrTnFybW1HMWpleHA4M2Q2NGVwZz09 Meeting ID: 892 5423 3911 Passcode: 982797

Virtual Retreat - Sunday, June 27, 10 AM - 8 PM

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87246635892?pwd=VGY1cUUyLzRaRi9VUVV2ZWFINXc2dz09 Meeting ID: 872 4663 5892 Passcode: 440473

And now I see that I've got to run. Got to walk those girls and keep clocking KMs. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!