It's all about the birds!

 It's funny how you have an entire day to sew, yet I didn't get much done! How does that work? I was on the phone for two lengthy conversations. I took both calls outside, and neither had issues hearing me. Was it my lucky day? Or are things looking up with my cell phone? 

I've noticed a heron flying overhead several times while walking the dogs. Is it flying to my house? I want to run home to see, but I'm pretty sure that with their large wingspan, it wouldn't feel comfortable coming into our backyard. But you never know. I have spotted them sitting on my neighbor's roof contemplating the space down to my pond! 

However, I was walking through the forest yesterday with Murphy when something rustled in the trees overhead. I thought it was a squirrel jumping from one branch to another, as they love to do. NO—it was a bird. It was a big bird, so I suspect it was a hawk waiting along the path for some little rabbit or squirrel to be its victim. It was a large bird—I didn't get to see it, but you could tell by the movement in the trees. My first thought was - that is one giant squirrel!

In the last few weeks, I've spotted large hawks soaring above the area. Thank goodness Little Bear is not here because he would be a target. But what really freaked me out about birds yesterday was this. Notice how I use those new zoom buttons on my phone, yet I rarely used the manual zoom. That's just laziness on my part! But the new settings are great—thanks to Samsung for adding them. 

A very LARGE bird

I spotted this giant bird feasting on road kill ahead of me while walking Murphy. From a distance, it appeared black, and I thought it was a crow. As I approached and it moved to the sidewalk because of the cars, I was surprised at its size. It was HUGE. Then it flew to the nearest rooftop. That was no crow - it was a turkey vulture! I've seen them in the country, but do not remember seeing them in the city. Maybe I just missed ever seeing one. 

Yikes -- the day was for the birds! 

But nothing compares to the video my SIL took when they were on a quick weekend vacation on Bowen Island in BC. OK- this is gross, and while I saw the video, I am not sharing it, but it is the circle of life. A snake swallowed a frog! Knowing that an amateur photographer got that was the most incredible thing. He was in the right place at the right time, and neither reptile nor amphibian was interested, nor could they slither/hop away. Totally gross/totally fascinating! 

Let's talk about nice things now—pretty things and some progress. Here is my 60-minute-or-less project from the other day. Technically, it didn't come from those buckets, but it was for Dear Jen, and I was happy to make it happen. One block needed some appliqué. I used a wide satin stitch to go around it. It was very fiddly, but it's done! 

AppliAppliqué Dear Jen block

Speaking of abandoning a quilt project, I found this in my stash. I have a bundle of odds and ends of solid black fabric, which I used for my Dear Jen's sashings. When I opened up this big piece, I wondered for a minute about the lines. Then I realized the lines were most likely drawn to help position a stained glass project. 

I was happy to find that in this fabric stash, not in a UFO stash. It's now cut up and used for sashing. Well, technically, it's a frame, not sashing. 

I'm happy to report that all 25 blocks for Dear Jen are framed. But not before I had to take two of them off. Good grief—the framing had to be in a certain orientation to avoid butting seams when it joined the next block. That's what happens when you don't pay attention! I rearranged the blocks as best I could, calling it a day. I don't think I took a picture at the end of my framing session. 

The Dear Jen blocks

Then, the question was whether I should trim down the framing. I cut 1½" strips, although the quilt I used for inspiration used 1" strips. Well, it's better to have them too big and cut them down than not big enough. And I think I was using the bigger pieces to make the quilt larger quickly. 

However, one of the ladies used the smaller-sized framing, and it looked amazing. I got out the square ruler and the rotary cutter, and off with their heads! I LOVE the look with the narrower framing. YES, this is the way to go, and I completed the entire first row and part of the second. 

Which framing size do you like? 

Isn't that an incredible difference? I was blown away. The larger sashing makes it look like a traditional sampler, while the narrower one makes it look funky and modern! That's the difference a ½" can make. I was pleasantly surprised and am excited to continue with it. Before I decided to chop the blocks down, I measured the size needed to go over the sewing machine, and the smaller size works better than the larger size. That was the deciding factor! 

I didn't make a ton of sewing progress yesterday despite having a free day, but with those phone calls, the walk, and the snack break, it all adds up. Plus, I quilted a quilt, and that takes way more time than I think it does. Yes, even with a computerized long arm. 

But here is the latest customer quilt. 

Customer quilt - DONE

If you think that is the same one I showed you last week, it is not. I have one customer who loves this fabric style, and she brought me five quilts, four of which all use the same fabric. I have two more of hers to quilt, but I have to shift gears this week as I have a couple of quilts that are higher on the priority list. I'm doing great, keeping up with the customer quilts—there are fewer than ten in the queue, and I want to keep it like that. 

That brings me to a subset of my discussion yesterday. I've had to rifle through a lot of my projects in order to find a couple of things. Come to think of it, I'm constantly rifling through the projects for samples, or a quilt top, or whatever. I have loads of samples everywhere, including the "to be quilted" pile. And yes, I have my list of what quilt is in what tub, but holy, that entire corner of the room is one big mess. 

WAIT -- it's not a mess in the sense that I can't find anything, because it is very organized. But there are so many tubs (22) and each one holds MANY quilt tops that need to be quilted. I need to focus more on those quilts than I have in the past. 

ONE of the tubs in the "to be quilted" area

Yes, some quilts have come out and then been quilted, and I'm trying to quilt more tops as I finish them, but the amount being added is greater than the amount coming out, which is NOT good. I also need to consider the tubs in the storage room of the tops that Diane made. 

WAIT—I am not complaining, and I am not asking for help. It's all a matter of switching priorities in my life because I like using the long arm. I like the process of prepping and loading the quilt. I love seeing the quilt come to life; it makes me happy when I pull it off. It's just a lack of time that prevents me from doing more. 

June is somewhat quieter from a class perspective (8 one-hour Zooms, Quilt Canada (4 days), a quilt retreat (4 days), and the Virtual Retreat (reduced hours this month - starts at 3 PM on Sunday). The rest of the time is mine! Although there is a bit of class follow-up and some prep work involved, it's relatively quiet. July has nothing, and I want to use my time wisely. WAIT -- there are two 4-day quilt retreats in July. Don't ask how that happened. But if anyone wants to come on a quilting retreat, I have space in early July!! Just shoot me an email for more details. elainetheriault@gmail.com

When fall comes, I will have less class prep and more ME time, and I'm trying very hard to keep it that way. As some people very sneakily say, "What about this?" I am adamant—I am NOT adding anything new. Thanks for the suggestion, but you take the class my way or the highway. There will be no adding something just because. I am NOT doing it! I'm not even tempted to break my rules! 

I even warned one of my groups that it'll likely hit the chopping block because of a lack of participation. Perhaps you can explain something to me if you are one of these people. You attend a Zoom class, which is strictly show and tell, with a few tips and tricks thrown in as we discuss the issues people had. Why do people attend and never show anything - EVER? Yes - you are learning, but are you? What are you learning if you never apply the knowledge, or have never used this tool, and thus have no clue what is being said? 

It's not like this is a social event, as no one gets to talk unless they have a sample. That mystery has come about with Zoom calls that I do not understand. If someone can help me know that, I'd be grateful. Anyway, with the drop in participation level, I'd rather spend that time (and the preamble, the potential overtime, and the prep time) doing something for me! 

I apologize if that seems harsh. I understand that some people are busy and can't participate every month. I'm totally aware because the same happens to me. But if you NEVER participate, then what's the point? 

Anyway, I'm off to spin class this morning, and then we have Monday Sewing. I hope to continue working on my Dear Jen, plus there is a bit of tidying on the cutting table to do. All is good. 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!