Virtual Quilt Canada - a BOOMING SUCCESS

 

I'm like a dog with a bone about the windows. I happened to run into my neighbor while walking the dog and their patio door with the integrated blinds/shades? It's a Pella with the "bottom stack." That is what the blinds that open from the bottom up are called. Elle commented that they also have some Pella windows with the same mechanism, which is the same brand that I'm looking at. 

I was back to the showroom yesterday, and GRRRRRRRR   - they no longer make the bottom stack windows. Why not??????  I've spoken to two different people in the showroom. The day before, I was told that customers weren't interested in the bottom stack. The person yesterday was perhaps a bit more honest and said that there were too many issues, so the bottom stacks were discontinued. And this happened only within the last two years! I should have ordered windows before! 

I've been searching the internet for comparable windows and have found nothing. I do not want to pay for the integrated shades when I doubt that we'll use them. I HATE the top to bottom - it's either all open or all shut. I want it for the privacy part and still, keep some light in the room. I think I've eliminated the integrated blinds from my quote. So all the fancy stuff is gone! Now we're down to bare windows. Sigh. That is still going to cost a lot of money. 

Now that I think I have all my questions answered, I need to request another quote. OH -- here's the thing, and I'm not sure if I mentioned this already. The government has a rebate program for making your home more energy-efficient. I've heard from TWO different sources that the requirement for windows is a TRIPLE pane with krypton gas, not argon which is the most common. So the extra money you pay for that triple pane in no way compensates for the rebate money. If you're thinking of renovating to get the rebate - read between the lines. 

I will investigate that avenue a bit closer as there might be other things that we could qualify for. But why pay $600 to get an inspection, only to be told that we wouldn't qualify for the rebate. I'll save my $600. 

I wore my new walking shoes yesterday. I love the black - they don't look nearly so big on my feet. These were LONG overdue to be changed. The heels on the other ones were gone or almost gone. It seems like such a shame to throw them away since they are not that old. But they are gone. I put a note on our Conquerer Facebook group to see how often others change their shoes. OH MY GOD - this is going to cost me a fortune. The "consensus" ranges from 300 miles to 600 miles PER pair of running shoes. OK -- by those standards, I was way overdue. I won't tell you how many miles I logged on those shoes. Perhaps that's why my knee is bothering me so much. Or why it started to bother me last year. Anyway - onwards and upwards!

One person suggested alternating running shoes daily. I'm not sure I'm into that, and not sure I want two different kinds. I do like these ones, and I've got two more pairs sitting in my cart. I need to get them ordered later today. 

But I'm making great progress and getting down to the final states/provinces for my two long treks. 

On my cross Canada walk, I'm just at the Quebec/New Brunswick border. That's exciting! I forgot to include PEI on my trek, so I need to get through New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland, and we're taking the long way around Newfoundland - across the top. I should be in St. John's by the end of the year! 

Welcome to New Brunswick

On the Appalachian Trail, I've just entered Vermont. That leaves three states - Vermont, New Hampshire, and finally into Maine. That'll take a couple of months before I arrive at the end. I find it amazing that people shy away from the long trails because they will "never" get to the end. Well, it's not about the end; it's about the journey. And if it takes two years or more, then it takes two years. Just enjoy it.  

Crossing into Vermont

I know that the challenges are a HUGE motivator for me to get out and walk. I didn't get out until just before dinner, and I wouldn't have gone if it hadn't been for logging those daily miles. The best part? I felt so much better after I got back. In my mind and my body! 

OK -- so if you didn't sign up for Quilt Canada, you are going to be disappointed. I "went" to the awards ceremony last night. What fun!!! It was so well organized, I can't think of one thing that needed to be improved upon. It was easy to log into the site. It was easy to find the ceremony, and there was a countdown clock, so you knew something was "happening" while you waited. There was a chat room, and I said HI to several friends. 

Then, Jane, the President, came on, and she went through the agenda. We got to hear the sponsors - they flipped to them live wherever they happened to be, some from Canada, some from the US. It was glorious. When the winners were announced, we got to see their quilt, and then we were whisked to their location to see their beaming faces. There were a few moments where the switching took a moment or two, but for the most part, it was SEAMLESS. I've sent them a note showing my appreciation for what they've done. Jane was brilliant - I don't think she stumbled on a single name, and well - she was just the perfect host! 

Watching the Quilt Canada awards ceremony

I have a tour (en francais) this morning at 8 AM, so the girls will go for a walk later this morning. I haven't had a chance to look at any quilts yet, nor visit the vendor's mall. But WOW!!!!  The show is amazing. Just goes to show that you can have a virtual quilt show and it can be well done. KUDOS to the entire Quilt Canada team for an amazing start to the show. 

Back to The Task Master. It's a brutal reminder of what I want to get done this week! I'm so motivated by numbers and lists. I went through the fabric buckets, and I found stuff to make up another 8 pillowcase kits. That's exciting. The fabric is now washed and dried - I'll be pressing it later today and getting those kits prepped. 

Fabric for more pillowcase kits

I finished the applique on this block, so that was great to get that done and out of the way. YES -- I am motivated, and what will I do next week when I have a pretty wide-open schedule? I'm sure I'll find something to keep me busy. 

My applique block for the barn quilt label

When I was listening to Quilt Canada, I was sewing! I mean, how can you not like that! OK - so it would have been nice to see the quilts up close, but we'll get a closer view over the next couple of days. We would NOT have seen the quilts up close last night, even in person. I think they should move the awards ceremony online ALL the time. People are tired from set-up day, winners can't come because of costs, and it would just be amazing to do this virtual to have more people appreciate the quality of the quilts. 

Anyway, I was assembling my Hello Sunshine (Kimberbell) quilt. I didn't bother changing any of those troublesome fabrics. Good grief - life is too short to worry about that. But I did pull that bottom green/yellow/white block apart and will make it into the pinwheel. The pinwheel has much more movement to it. 

Now comes the process of selecting a border. The original one in the bottom left has too much blue. It would be perfect, but just not the right color. I looked through the fabrics I have leftover, and it looks like it will be pink or coral for the inner border and a darker burgundy for the outer border. OK -- I will admit - this is NOT my favorite quilt. I love the techniques, but I'm SO NOT KEEN on the colors. But I learned. I tried something different, and I don't like it. 

Auditioning fabrics for the border

Now that I've "chosen" those colors, I will check my stash to see what I have. If there's nothing appropriate, I'll be out shopping. But I think I'm good. 

And now I have all this fabric to put away. I just changed the ratio of my pictures on my phone. Somehow it was set to the wrong setting, which is easy to do. BUT, I was able to change it back very quickly. Oh yes -- I'm getting to know my technology!

Leftover fabrics

Actually, all the fabric is now put away, and I now have an empty orange container. What will I put in here? I'm sure I'll find something. But, for the moment, it's floating. 

An empty container

On my way home from the window place, I stopped at the pet store to get food for a certain girl. And while I was there, I spotted this pink dish. She was very suspicious of it, and I'm not sure she likes it. Well tough! She inhales her food, and this does slow her down a wee bit! I can actually hear her crunching the food rather than swallowing it. How does she do that? Her kibble is large. 

MOM - What's with this pink dish???

Well, that's it for today. Yesterday was a busy day with appointments and presentations. Today, I have one appointment, one presentation, and the tour. So still a busy day, but spaced out nice. I hope to get to the long arm this morning after the tour! You have to LOVE the commute time!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!