Let ER RIP!!

Do you ever have one of those quilts you can't get right? I have one, and I swear that every time I turn around, there's another mistake in the darn thing. Don't get me wrong -- this is not a pattern issue; this is an operator issue! 

We had our last class for Wonderful Woodland yesterday, and I'll share the pictures later this week as I give the others (and myself) time to get caught up. But I swear, the last three blocks have been a nightmare. I made the wolf block at a retreat in May and had taken some fabrics with me, and I wasn't happy with them but progressed through the block anyway. 

The initial wolf block

OK -- so I picked the wrong color for his back -- that looks like a raccoon. And what's wrong with its mouth? It seems like he has a prominent chin! Sigh...

I intended to replace the raccoon fabric on his back, but the block has sat there for months. I need to get this quilt finished! Should I make a new block or just replace the fabric? I decided to replace the fabric since I hated the block. But I would start by fixing the mouth. 

The mouth is now fixed

OK -- that looks so much better with the mouth fixed. But that fabric just doesn't cut it. I even bought a new brown to replace it and still didn't like it. I decided BOTH fabrics (the skinny strips in the back) had to go. More work! And you wonder why I never finish anything? Now you know!

Last night, we had our Virtual Retreat, so what better time than to chat and fix it? 

So section by section, I ripped apart the old and could get away with only replacing the two fabrics I didn't like, and I could reuse all the small cutoff triangles of the background fabric. 

The big replacement begins

And here's the new wolf. I like it much better, and while it was a pain to do, I'm glad I persevered, so a big thank you to all the people on the retreat who distracted me! Yes -- there should have been a bit more contrast between the two outer fabrics, but at this point -- I DON'T care! 

The new wolf

Then can you believe it, but I received an e-mail from someone in the group who said the legs on my Canada Goose were upside down. NO WAY!!!!

The Canada Goose block

I must confess that I thought he looked a bit off kilter. 

I went back to the pictures I took while making the block. 

First, I had it wrong. 

The legs are upside down

Then I had it right, but somehow, between this moment and the final sewing, I got it switched around, so guess what I'll be doing today? Yep -- fixing that block!

The legs are right side up

And there's one more block that I'm not sure about. It's the raccoon. 

The raccoon block

I used that raccoon fabric in his tail and face, where you can barely see it. I'm tempted to replace his body with the raccoon fabric, and I'll test it out later today. 

I have no idea why this quilt was suddenly challenging -- I've struggled with choosing the fabrics for all the blocks (this is where I should have bought a kit!). But wait until you see what one of the ladies did -- it's so fun. 

At this point, I just want the quilt to be done, and I hope to work on it today because it's Virtual Retreat ALL DAY! I know -- it's a beautiful day, and I should be outside! But there are more days for that later this week, and I have some sewing to do. 

When I was at Michele's house a couple of weeks ago, I spied this eyeglass case on her hall table. Hmm - that looks very familiar. 

An orange and pink eyeglass case

What do you think??? Is this the same box, just closer? 

More orange and pink

Nope, that second picture is the back of my sewing machine! The colors are so similar. She offered me the eyeglass case, but I said no! In hindsight, I could have put my reading glasses in the case! But no worries! I can live without it. 

After the two class wrap-ups yesterday, I presented a lecture on batting!! There's so much to learn about batting. And I managed to give away the last 5 bundles of the batting samples I have. I had just put the darn things back into the batting closet, but I eagerly dug them out and earmarked them for specific people. 

Batting samples

Little rolls of batting samples!

What's great about these batting samples is that if you don't know anything about batting, this is an excellent way to feel the difference and, even more important, make some samples. It's a great way to test the density of your quilting and how far apart you can get without the quilt looking hideously lumpy when it's washed. It's a chance to practice free-motion quilting, and it's a great idea to play with the batting!

And another customer quilt is done! 

Customer quilt - DONE

That leaves me with a few more to quilt, and the next one is small, already loaded, and ready to go today!

Here's the link to the Cherrywood Graffiti winners. I don't know why a search wouldn't find this link yesterday. They are so amazing! 

I did not make it to Studio U to do any decluttering. Hey -- we all need a break from that. But in a book I uncovered the day before, I found this list of goals for 2009!!! 

List of goals for 2009

I swear that I have the same list every year! Did you see number 9? Basement (Studio B) organized. Well, after 12 years, that is finally done (more or less). How about number 10? Dining room organized? Yep -- it's been years since all this has been on my mind -- it's nothing new. The difference is that I'm ready and willing to make a difference. Previously, it was just an item on a list. 

Sadly, the improve posture one is still on the list. I'm working on it, but it's a challenge. But every time I catch myself in a window or a mirror, I frown on that posture, and I'm trying to keep my pelvis tucked in and lining up my shoulders with my hips, shoulders down, but back. It's not fun to remember to do all that, and so easy to slip back into bad habits. 

I didn't have parents who were on my case about posture, and I was a "large" girl when I was young, and I guess I rounded myself in to make myself smaller. Sigh... Why is body image such a big deal in this world? It's going to take a lot of stretching, exercise, and strength training to fix the problem, and I guess I should focus a bit more on that than I'm doing. I do NOT want to get old and be hunched over. 

We all should be careful what we wish for. We have two houses on our street that are not well maintained. One is the owner, and apparently, she has the nickname Mustang Sally as she used to drive around in a convertible, and she no longer does. But her house is a disaster. 

This large tree has pretty much engulfed the entire front yard and is now covering the driveway. Even though last year or perhaps two years ago, someone came and chopped down one of the limbs that covered the driveway. 

The tree is blocking the drive

I noticed that the overhang was chopped down and lying in the driveway. For how long? No one knows. 

And two doors down from me, the house has been occupied by renters for NINE years. I didn't realize it was that long until yesterday. I noticed a truck in the driveway a couple of days ago and many cars on the street. Could they be moving? Our entire street is holding our breath. Well, on the walk yesterday, I spied the man of the house walking (practically shuffling) to his car. I asked, "are you moving?" He replied, "yes - and can you believe how much stuff accumulated in nine years."  

So it's been 9 years, and there is a HUGE pile of stuff in that house. The front and back yards are in total disarray and need tender loving care. The garage is piled with junk, and I can only imagine what the inside of the house looks like. This is the house where the windows are wide open even in winter. One of the windows in the front has been hanging askew at times. 

And now there is a HUGE pile of junk at the curb. I'll get a picture today. But I swear the city should NOT allow this to happen. And when people move into a house, they should be given a rule book on how to live in a North American city, how the garbage system works, and how to take care of the property. This family is not from Canada and lived in that house as they would have lived in their native country, where it's acceptable to put junk on the street. 

I'm not picking on them, as we've had other houses in our neighborhood (from all cultures), and people seem to think it's OK to just toss their junk onto the curb and let someone else deal with it. Meanwhile, I'm taking my small crap to the dump and even had to pay $6 to dispose of three blinds! 

And then people wonder why our taxes are so high. Sigh.....

Let's just hope that whoever moves in will treat the place with more respect. I imagine some work will have to be done before that happens, and I could NOT find a listing for the house, so I suspect it's not on the market yet. 

Well, it's time to get moving! I have loads I want to get done today, and I hope to get some more tidying up in Studio B while chatting with everyone! If you have some time today, stop by and say hi! 

Thanks to Gwen, I learned something about Zoom that I didn't know, which was a beneficial tip! Thanks!!!!

Here's the link, and I'll open the call at noon. NOTE -- the call is starting later than I planned. I'm going to get out for a bike ride this morning! It's really too lovely to be inside. 

Sunday, July 31 -- starts at NOON. 

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81693717518?pwd=STNoVVQzbDd4ZnROQndNNlpvcC90QT09 Meeting ID: 816 9371 7518 Passcode: 579285

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!