One day at a time........................

I had the best day ever! And then I had the most fantastic sleep. I will say that I almost didn't make dinner. I tried to get some computer work in before dinner, but I was fading fast due to my late-night reading the previous night. So I was in bed shortly after dinner and slept through the night! Yeah!

As you know, I'm doing some virtual walking challenges, and I follow the group on Facebook. Some fantastic stores get posted - how people have used the challenges to help them kick an addiction, lost weight, and got motivated to change their lives in any other form. And then you have the people who complain that there are no "wild animal's on the Kruger Park walk. Or that all they see are trees along the side of the road. Or Route 66 is long and boring. It's incredible how "entertained" we all need to be. 

Seriously?? The pictures along the way are secondary to the walk. Yes -- the pictures can make the walk more interesting, but we are NOT talking about a video game here, folks. These are pictures taken from a car driving down the road with a camera attached to the top. And yes-- you can use your little yellow avatar guy to move you around, but then YOU have to do the work. 

They actually shortened one of the walks because of the complaints. Good lord -- what is the world coming to? Do we need to be 100% entertained with fascinating pictures the entire way? Take a drive through Northern Ontario -- while the terrain is the same -- rocks, trees, a bend in the road -- it's all fascinating if you think that you just walked that distance or on a bike or a car. The point of these walks is NOT to be entertained on the computer, but the pictures you see when you ACTUALLY put in the miles to log in to the virtual challenge. Sigh.......................

Anyway -- our little group is just outside Saskatoon, and mere KMs from the 50%mark of 5,000 KM walked since July 1. That's pretty darn impressive. Go team, go!!! And I've got 403 KM to reach St. John's. Yeah!!!

So when I got home from our mini-retreat, I was fired up! As I mentioned yesterday, when I was at the mini-retreat, I missed some of the colors I needed and decided to get myself organized after dinner. My sewing machine is in another spot at the moment, so there was this wide-open space on one table, and I took it. 

My applique prep area

And don't forget that I was listening to a "page-turner" audiobook - a character page-turning audiobook! Not a thriller! How bizarre is that? 

Anyway, this is what happened. I started with this big block. All the pieces were cut, except I had nothing for the pail or the acorn. I grabbed a piece of grey fabric and the scrap boxes, and this block got assembled and fused in place.

One of the blocks for Autumn Splendor

Then it was onto another block. I needed red for the birds and brown for the acorn, and then very quickly, this one got fused in place as well. YES -- I know I have to stitch around the pieces, but I've got plans for that. We'll be at an IN-PERSON retreat in a couple of weeks, and I might take this. It will mean taking a bunch of spools of thread, but I think I can manage that. At least, if I get a couple of blocks stitched, that'll be good. My ultimate goal is to get this quilt together BEFORE the end of this year. 

The second block fused in place

When I first started to make this pattern, I intended to turn under the edges of the applique shapes using the starch method. This block was almost done as the pieces were cut and the edges turned under. I decided to mix applique techniques in the quilt, and so this one is glued in place, and I'll do a zigzag on the edges. 

Block three glued in place

I was still on a roll, so onto the next block. Don't forget - this is my UFO project, and the deadline is fast approaching. So the next block got done as well. I had started to turn a couple of leaves under using the starch method. Those quickly got abandoned, and the entire block was fused in place. 

Block four - fused in place

I think there are seven more blocks to assemble. That's HUGE progress. 

I'm missing my design wall! So I interspersed them with Urbanologie! OK -- that sure looks attractive!

The design wall with two different quilts

But that's OK. It's Monday sewing, and well - I need to have something to sew today. Not sure what I'll work on, but there is plenty that needs to be sewn, and I think I'll sew rather than do applique. I'm almost up to date with the UFO deadline and my commitment, but other stuff will be more urgent soon. But without that UFO deadline -- I would NOT have done this. I would not even have this quilt on my radar, and for that - I thank the UFO club every day! Little bit by little bit - I WILL clear the UFOs. 

I also quilted a quilt yesterday, and Lady Luck was in my corner. I was advancing the quilt, and NOOOO  - I noticed a HUGE gap. Not only was this seam open, but there was NO seam allowance. Notice how the quilting just cleared that gap -- that would have been a HUGE disaster if the pattern were about ½" further ahead of where it ended. 

A potential disaster

I babysat the next row, but I knew it would clear it. I've alerted the customer. I know - we get excited and want to finish things, but these gaps should NEVER happen in a quilt. We need to watch that the two pieces of fabric match up always. She'll have to put a patch over that since there is no seam allowance to even hand stitch back in place. Sigh.....................

The quilting missed the gap in the seam allowance

The quilt itself is super cute, and once that tiny patch goes on, no one will ever know what happened. The top is busy enough to conceal that. It's just extra work and could have been BAD - very BAD. 

Customer quilt - DONE

Even though my calendar is jammed for the next two weeks, I had a hankering to pick my December jigsaw puzzle. Seriously??? What am I thinking? I pulled out a 2000 piece one. It looks beautiful and HARD. But not really, when you break it down into colored sections. Anyway --- I'll be clearing a spot in early December and hope to get it all laid out! Two thousand pieces --- I'm mad!

My December project

I made significant progress on my writing projects yesterday, so that was good. I think that was why I felt "safe" to pull that puzzle out. Not to start it, mind you - just to choose it! I believe there are fourteen lectures/classes to do this week, plus I have an IN-PERSON guild meeting. Wow -- that's going to be weird. I actually have to pack up a suitcase with quilts. So I will make it through the week -- one day at a time. That's all we can do. You can't think about the entire week and how much work needs to be done behind the scenes to make everything happen -- you just focus on what needs to be done in the next day or so. 

One day at a time.........................

It's the same thing with the UFO -- you take it ONE project at a time. And then ONE block at a time. And if you don't let it get shelved or forgotten, before you know it -- you'll be done! I'm still scattered a bit, but that's because I have no choice. But since I'm much more focused than I've ever been, I'm getting so much more done!  And a "page-turning" audiobook helps a lot!

Despite the crappy weather yesterday - drizzle with some very light snow at one point, I went for a long walk. I took the umbrella and wore a warm coat. I soon warmed up, and it was great. I think I met ONE other person along my 6 KM walk. I tell you - it's all about learning to dance in the rain! Once you know how to do that with a happy face, NOTHING is impossible. 

On that note, it's spin class this morning! I can "hardly" wait! But I do enjoy the class itself - it's great thinking and reflection time and the feeling you get afterward? That's priceless!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!