Clips, magnets, or pins?

And just like that -- I'm back into my routine! 

I spent the morning visiting a friend, and it was great to catch up with them. I hope to be able to do that more often in the future, but who knows! Then it was back home and to work! I'm so looking forward to a less "controlled" schedule. I won't be sitting around eating bon-bons, but I won't have so many time commitments. 

It wasn't one of the most productive days, but I knew I had to get those suitcases unpacked and work on the cutting table. As I was bouncing around doing that, I decided to glance at my handiwork that I had done before I left. I looked at the shelf in the stash room. And there, before my very eyes, was the jacket sample that I had wanted to take with me last week. It's tucked behind the orange box with the sewing machine on it. 

My missing jacket sample! 

I knew I had put two jackets together so I could work on them, but where? It never occurred to me that they were here. I now have to learn (or remember) the new location of many things, but drat - I didn't think to look on that shelf. No worries! 

I'm still searching for a specific set of templates. No luck so far, and there are two more places to pull apart before next week. Let's hope I find them. 

Anyway, a good number of things got put away, but there is still quite a bit to tidy up. Sometimes, I'm able to sort and put things back into their proper bag or container after a presentation, and sometimes I don't have time. I didn't bother with some of the things, so I'm dealing with that as I unpack. But I made good progress and that's all that counts. 

I fired up the long arm and got the small quilt done that was loaded. There is one customer quilt left in the queue, and nothing (so far) is scheduled for the fall. If anyone wants something done, please let me know so I can schedule it; otherwise, I'll be planning other tasks. 

Customer quilt - DONE

The next one is sitting out to get done, and I hope to get to it later today. 

I was also working on the embroidery machine. If you are into machine embroidery or anything that requires delicate trimming, you NEED a pair of these scissors. They are called Easy Snips, and there is a pair branded for both Husqvarna Viking and PFAFF. They are the best scissors I've ever used for trimming very close to the edge. There are probably other brands as well. 

Easy Snips

They look flimsy and as though they won't cut anything, but they are very sharp, accurate, and cut to the point. I would NOT be without a pair. They are fantastic for machine embroidery appliqué when using pre-cut shapes. 

I was going to unpack only one suitcase yesterday, but I had taken those scissors with me and I needed to find them. Hence, I had to go through both suitcases and ended up finding them with my clothes. OK -- so I'm not always super neat and tidy when I travel. Especially when I take a lot of things with me. 

Has anyone tried these magnets? They are the same brand that I recently purchased for my long arm, but I saw them at The Sewing Machine Store in Saskatoon, so I decided to get on the bandwagon like everyone else and buy a set. They are NOT cheap!

Small magnets for sewing

Where would I use them that I can't use these? 

One binding clip

Those are binding clips that I bought many years ago, and they are the best for binding a quilt. Yes -- there are the plastic clips, but I'm not a fan. What gets me is someone who will flip the binding back and attach clips all around. Why? All you need are two clips. One is used to mark the start point, so you can easily see where you began, and the second one is placed about 3 inches to the left (or right) of where you are stitching to hold that section in place. As you reach that clip, simply reposition it to hold the next section down. 

It takes far less time to move that single clip than to clip the entire quilt. You don't need a container to hold your clips, and you only need two!!

I once clipped the binding for an entire quilt (small sample) that I was going to machine stitch in place. It was the most cumbersome thing I've ever done, and hard to keep those clips from catching on things. 

Back to where I would use those magnets rather than a pin or a clip. Hmmm -- they are big and heavy, so would I use it where I could use a pin? Like the edges of my quilt that I'm whip stitching together? It's also two parts, so it's easy to lose one part — hey, I had lots of issues with losing a single clip, let alone two parts. And because it's two parts, I bet I can't put them on the quilt with one hand. 

Where I can see them being handy is for things that I can't put pins. So maybe things like adding a vinyl pocket to a project or using cork or vinyl? I will have to put my thinking cap on to see where I could use them. Where do you use pins, clips, and magnets? I'll have to put some examples up later this week. 

My girls are just funny! Last night at the dinner table, they were trying to entertain us, as usual. Ah -- they have come up with a synchronized sitting routine, which involves looking left. 

Look to the left

Then right. 

Look to the right

And finally, to make sure Mom is watching, and to say "Good girls" to us! 

Wait for applause! 

They are forever a source of entertainment! 

We still have some details to work out for this upcoming vacation, and I need to retrieve the bags we are using to ensure everything is in order. OH - please don't yell at me, but planning is not my strong point, and I'm not a fan of doing it, but we must. And DH wants to visit many places he did or didn't go to as a kid. How many days should we stay here? I wish we didn't have to plan the entire thing because I'm sure we will want more freedom once we arrive. Sigh.................

I'm off to spin class this morning, and I MUST actually get some real work done today. There is also a virtual retreat this weekend and here are the links. 

Saturday, July 26 -- STARTS at 6:00 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82693702241?pwd=QpQkm8Ppppy1XwCPOqva1bcgJCWKdP.1

Meeting ID: 826 9370 2241
Passcode: 795071

Sunday, July 27 -- STARTS at 3:00 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81073536036?pwd=uxRqMnK1aSKrmrcSO78w8QQs5g44eA.1

Meeting ID: 810 7353 6036
Passcode: 596838

I have some emails to get out to people, follow-ups to do for some classes (that's long overdue), quilting, machine embroidery, and writing! It's going to be another busy day!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!