A winter wonderland

So what happened yesterday? This is April -- the Easter Bunny has already come and gone, and we get this? 

A winter wonderland

Thankfully, the roads and sidewalks are dry this morning, but we do NOT need this snow. The landscapers are supposed to come and open my pond this morning, and I was going to clean up the backyard (from the dogs), and well, I was out when it started to snow. So the yard didn't get cleared. Sigh..................

I'm happy to report that I was able to finish all the quilting on my Cherrywood Challenge with the Monday ladies chatting away to keep me amused. Yeah!!!!!  I'm not going to show you what I did, but let's say that the new PROJECTION camera on the PFAFF creative icon 2 made it super easy!!! It still took hours to quilt it, but it would have taken days without the projection camera! 

I went on a shopping spree to find something to add to the embellishments, and I was wandering around the store and couldn't find what I wanted. AHA -- I missed one aisle, and there it was, and it was the EXACT thing I was looking for. So I'll be using the projection system again today to help make some of the embellishments. Then a few more embellishments to create and put the binding on, and things are looking good to complete it on time. Fingers crossed. 

I have other commitments that I'm working on, so it's another busy day. While I was at Fabricland, getting more thread --- OH --- I should mention that I had just enough thread to finish the quilting. Barely any left, but I needed to go for the embellishment stuff. 

While there, I took pictures of all the cotton Guterman threads they sell. I'll compare this to the ones I have, and then I can pick up a few more colors. 

This is my go-to thread for quilting on the domestic machine. Why? It comes in many colors, it's readily available to me, and it works really well on my sewing machine. If I'm using fancy threads in the top, I'll use this in the bobbin. And the price is right! Since the spools are small, you can store a lot in a small space. It works for me!!! I also use it for sewing the bindings onto quilts and topstitching. 

I wrote down all the colors that I have, and when I went on my shopping trip, I picked up a few more colors. It was surprising that when I wrote down those numbers, very few of them were duplicates, and I've always randomly selected the colors! 

My color list and new colors!

I went to Micheals' to look at weeding tools for the digital cutter. Hmmm-- not many choices, and I settled on this package. It would be great if we could buy the individual tools -- do I need two more tweezers?? I heard I could find the tools or ones similar in the hardware store or the dollar store, but each one of these costs $6. That wasn't bad. Now I can do some practicing on vinyl!!

Weeding tools for the digital cutter

I changed things up a bit in Studio B. I pulled all the quilts off the design wall that I used as a backdrop. They are folded up and put away for the moment. I took the four (make that five) quilts that I'm doing in the sew-alongs and put what is completed on the wall. You can't see it in this picture, but my Long Time Gone is on the footstool at the bottom of the image. 

Some of my current sew-alongs

Actually, these are the ones that I'm hosting at Thimbles and Things or The Hobby Horse. The ones hosted by myself are not on the wall. That would be The Tula Pink Butterfly and Green Tea and Sweet Beans. Yes -- SEVEN quilts at one time. What was I thinking? I must dig them out, and it'll look even more impressive. It's exciting to see them like this instead of crumpled on the current project table. Each of those has been a ton of work so far!!! And they are NOT done yet. Starting in the fall, there will be a maximum of FOUR. 

But I managed to get the final grandmother flower garden block almost complete for Boho Heart. 

My English Paper Pieced block

I still need to remove the paper and stitch it to the background. I'll try to get that done later this week, but I have a couple of urgent things that take precedent over everything else. 

And then we have Murphy. What a dog!!!  While she is happy to play by herself, she loves to play ball, and that's all she wants right now. Why or why did I give her a new ball? 

So here's she trying to hide the ball in the blanket? I don't know, but that expression on her face is priceless. What a cutie pie!!! Yes -- Murphy, we love you and all your silliness to death!!!

Trying to hide her ball in the blanket

Then she proceeded to pull the dog bed into the middle of the floor. The blanket was removed from the bed to make room for the ball. Now she can see it in all its glory!!!

The bed is moved to a more convenient location

And if she stares at it long enough, the ball might move! Did you notice there are two teddy bears in the picture above? One on the floor and one near her bed. 

MOM -- the ball won't move!

Oh, Murphy!!!! And where's Lexi? She's too grown up to play like this. Nope -- she's sleeping in her kennel -- away from the noise!

I have a software club this morning, and then the rest of the week is pretty wide open. So there'll be lots of work going on in Studio B. Lots to do and lots I want to do!!!

If you had to buy a new laptop and you could save a couple of hundred dollars by purchasing an open box -- would you? I think the open boxes are ones that someone bought -- took it home, then decided they didn't want the item and returned it. Nothing wrong with it, but it's now several hundred dollars cheaper. 

On that note, I"m out of here!!! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!