The gamble paid off!

I received a very exciting text and email early this morning. I only saw them while making my breakfast, and I rarely looked at my phone until 9 a.m. However, I'm UPGRADED to business class for my trip! At least the way there—I still don't have a ticket home yet. Yeah, the flight is late at night, and I get a flatbed. Life is good! Now, what will I do with the $1,200 I saved? 

I finished the binding on the 10th donation quilt. Yeah! That goal is done. 

The last binding is on!!!

All ten quilts are now in the Pony Express staging area, and arrangements for a drop-off have been made. There is one last item that I need to get ready: the books for donating to the book sale. The drop-off is on Tuesday, so I still have a day or two. 

The Pony Express staging area

Yeah -- this is a great system, and we've done very well as we learn to make it work! There's so much coming and going at my house that I needed an area, and this works like a charm. Lexi is happy to donate the top of her kennel to the cause. And she gets a few treats because she's such a good girl!

I was sorting a bucket of paper yesterday and came across this book. Oh yes -- this is one of the BEST half-square triangle books around. It's OLD - published in 1995 or something like that. I'm putting it with my buckets of trimmed HSTs so when I want some ideas for patterns, I won't have to look far! I swear that the older books are the best! 

A book on half-square triangles

I have figured out why I've been tired lately. I'm pushing the envelope as to when I go to bed. I need eight hours of sleep, and I haven't been getting that much, so of course, I'm tired! I had a nice nap in the gazebo yesterday, and it was glorious! The surroundings, the waterfall, the gentle breeze—you can't beat that! And for being in the city, it's pretty darn quiet! 

The view from the gazebo

Then, it was time for another task. I finally brought all the components for this shelf upstairs from the garage, where it's been sitting in pieces for a couple of months. Well, maybe not quite that long, but it's been a while. The shelf is 48" wide by 18" deep and if you have ever put one of these together, it's a two-person job. However, I did it myself. 

My unassembled shelf

Let's say there were a few "moments," like when half of one clip flew off the shelf and over the railing or the shelf got askew and was now jammed in place. The lower shelves are the hardest, and it gets easier as you get closer to the top. 

The bottom shelf in place

But soon enough, the shelf unit was assembled. And the BEST news? It fits through the doorway. I didn't think it would, but that was a super bonus. It's on wheels, so I can move it wherever needed!

The shelf fits through the doorway

Now, what's going on the shelf? You have to wait and see. I started, but I didn't finish yesterday. 

I got a lot of paperwork done in the morning, so that was good. There are still a few emails to write, and I should have just enough time to do that. Can you believe that I'm actually excited about doing paperwork now? Exciting might be too strong, but I don't resent it like I used to. 

We had a Virtual Retreat last night. What the heck was I going to work on? I decided I better get to work on my UFO. It's not due until September, but we all know that time flies!!!

I managed to finish the stitching around the bear. There are a lot of bumps on its perimeter! 

The applique bear

Here's a close-up of the stitching. I used my double blanket stitch, which I love, but it takes a bit more thought to avoid messing up the stitching. It wasn't a good thing to do while talking, but it looks just fine. 

Detail of the stitching

Then the question was - do I keep working on the one wall hanging, or go to the other one and do the same thing on it. Since my thread was chosen, I decided to go for the second bear. So it's also done. If you don't believe me, look at the purple paw prints - they are different!!!! 

The second bear applique

Of course, I had a helper. I discovered a huge hunk of Murphy's hair by my foot pedal. I probably dislodged it as I tried to sew, and she was trying to lick my feet. That dog has a thing for feet. 

A clump of Murphy's hair

Without having a quilt to load or prep for the long arm, I need something to do! So I have a project for the digital cutter and I  managed to cut out two blocks this morning. 

Cutting applique shapes with the digital cutter

Cutting out the shapes is as easy as pie if the SVG files already exist. I could do it blindfolded - well, maybe not, since having the fabric in the correct position is essential. You have to love the scanner to make that happen. I would like to get the remaining nine blocks cut, so let's see what happens. I also have a LOT of applique on those two quilt tops, and I said I would have them both done for the next UFO session. Hmm - I might have to rethink that! 

Let's hope that today will be as good a day as yesterday. Well, technically, the upgrade news came today. 

Someone asked where I'm starting this year. For the past two years, I've flown to Paris and taken the train to Saint Jean Pied de Porte, near the French/Spanish border. Let's just say that this year, that is not happening. I cannot imagine flying into Paris at this time. The security and whatnot would be insane. So I'm not flying to Paris! Hence, I'm starting somewhere else; you'll just have to wait to see where! It won't be long now! 

On that note, I should make a list of everything that needs to be done so I don't forget anything. I sort of have a list, but I might be missing a couple of things. I just remembered two things that need to be added. 

I've been walking up a storm, and my new daily required average is 12.5 km, down from 12.7 on July 17. That is great news. Yep, I continue to walk in the afternoon even if it's hot. Did you know that a wide-brimmed hat can make you feel cooler? Yes, it keeps the sun off your face and neck, so you can actually see instead of squinting. I used to think hats were overrated, but now I wish I had started wearing one sooner! 

If you didn't spot it yesterday, I put out the list of what I'm teaching in the fall. You must wait for the stores to put out their lists, and that's OK. You at least know of one project. My little experiment worked, but I had to open Outlook to trigger the rule that sends the acknowledgment. I hope that opening Outlook on my phone will trigger the rule. Oh - you'll get an acknowledgment when I'm back and open my desktop version. Outlook works in mysterious ways. 

Remember, we have a Virtual Retreat today starting at Noon. 

Here is the link. 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82983517671?pwd=ODdsa1FJenQwdFNaQWFTNGd4bEhPZz09

Meeting ID: 829 8351 7671
Passcode: 117636

See you there!!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!