Table decor rods are the best!

Although it was a busy day, I don't have much to show for it. 

But I do have something to show you about my table decor rod. I bought these a while back (IKEA). They were brought to my attention because someone used bungee cords attached to the rod and then to their quilt to prevent the entire weight of the quilt from causing issues with the arm on the embroidery unit. They can also be used for free-motion quilting to prevent the quilt from falling off the table. Both are excellent places to use that rod. 

I liked it because I could hang decorations on it. 

But the real reason I bought it was for this! 

A backdrop!!!!

I now have a backdrop to take pictures of anything! The light grey fabric I purchased is polyester and a bit heavy, so it hangs perfectly straight without a ripple or a crease. I'm in heaven!!! The fabric is wide enough that it just hangs over the other side, and I don't need to worry about pinning it in place. 

The back of the backdrop

I can very quickly hide the mess in my studio and have an excellent backdrop for anything. So the next time I have to do a Facebook live, I have THREE of those rods, so I can create a "room" and hang what I want on the fabric. Exciting!!!!!

I can even hang a piece of fabric in the opposite orientation to hide the table, and have a seamless backdrop with no join where the backdrop meets the table. Thanks again to Becky for bringing that to my attention. 

Some quilts were trimmed, some prep work was done on the presentations, and lots of stuff was prepared for the next writing assignment. So, a lot of things got done - just nothing I can share at the moment! 

I went out to lunch with a friend, which was great, and I really need to do that more often! 

When I come home and I see my Canadian flag proudly flying on the garage, it makes me feel good! Americans have always been patriotic, and lots have flags or bunting on their houses. Why don't we do the same in Canada? Then I counted, and six houses on my street have some size of Canadian flag on their homes. Way to go! Be proud of your nationality, whatever it is! This is where we live! 

My Canadian flag

I also have a small one still on my light fixture. Notice the bulldog clip to hold it in place! 

My small Canadian flag

I found my flagpole and flag at InSeason, a shop located way out in the country (St. Clements), but you can also buy them at Canadian Tire, I believe. 

So much for the deck being clear of leaves, it was - I swear I took the broom to it the other day and it was spotless. Now look! With all the snow and the leaves still falling, it's a wet mess! I doubt a leaf blower would do much good, but I need to get a new broom. Mine is a bit sad. 

The deck is covered with leaves

When I returned from Saskatchewan, I had a bag of items that needed to be put away. The old me would have winged it into a corner, hoping the tidy-up fairy would do a good job. Perhaps that's why we often can't find things. The tidy-up fairy is too good or too logical! 

My bag of goodies from Saskatchewan

These are a few items that I purchased at Fabricland in North Battleford. Remember that the store is not a corporate store, so it features a quilt store within its premises. 

This panel with letters on it was on sale, and how could I resist - oranges, letters, and on sale! It will be good for a collage, a title, or whatever. 

A panel of letters

They also have gorgeous birch fabric, which I just had to have. I don't buy a ton these days and certainly not a lot of any one fabric, but can you imagine some red cardinals on this? 

Birch fabric

At the Saskatoon Quilt Show, I purchased an "Oh Canada" panel. This is tucked into my retreat bag because I have a bag of Oh Canada fabric scraps, and I may need the panel to make the quilt large enough. It's still in the bag - I'm not unfolding it! 

An Oh Canada panel

This year, I attended several quilt retreats. Two were not planned as new houses opened up, and we got the opportunity to rent the house. Three or four others were planned by me. Going into 2026, I have only three events planned for the entire year. BUT in light of wanting to stay in touch with friends, why couldn't I host a small retreat at my house? No one can stay over, but I could clear enough tables to host three people. Hmmm -- I'll have to think about that. I do like the concentrated days to get stuff done. While I could do that myself and I often do, it's more fun with other people around. 

Something to contemplate as I walk the girls and the boy! 

I've already been to the gym to work out with Brooke. I swear, she must look at me in the morning and say - Your glutes look tight, so let's work on those. She kills me!

Well, I'm off to get the crazy day started. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!