The watchers

The UPS guys are working overtime these days. A package was delivered at 8:15 last night. If they have something for us, it's usually here by 5 PM. I knew it was coming, but it must have come just minutes after I checked and went upstairs. And they send a picture in an email as proof. I'm sure they appreciate that extra part of the job, but with all the porch pirates, they don't have a choice. 

Well, it was another slow, methodical day! I did NOT complete all the UFO commitments, but I still have time. However, I did get things done. 

Tidying up Studio U has been on my mind for quite some time, but there just didn't seem like a good time to make that happen. All my samples had been tossed into the room after the events, and nothing was sorted. How will I ever get room to work on a puzzle if I don't clean up the tables? 

The first thing was to move the rack of quilts out of the room, as that takes up a fair bit of space. It usually resides in the spare bedroom against a wall, but I took it out to give KU some extra space. 

My rack for storing quilts

The rack is also in total disarray after some trunk shows, and the quilts were NOTput back on the rack, but instead just thrown on a table in Studio U. Once the rack was out of the room, I had room to move. Of course, I had help! 

The current situation in Studio U

I mainly sorted everything that was on the sewing table. WAIT --- there are three puzzle boxes on the table and a jigsaw that I completed months ago. That needs to be put away, so I can set up the next one. Before that can happen, there are piles of HSTs that need to be put into the appropriate box according to size! This is only good for a 500-piece puzzle, so I will have to clear off the back table, which is larger! 

My space for jigsaws is unearthed! 

I started to sort the samples by type - what I need for a trunk show, although that's mostly the quilts. The smaller stuff, like wall hangings, will get further sorted by whether I use it as a sample, or for me, or if it never gets used. There are lots of other smaller samples as well and those need to be sorted to make it easier to find when I need something. I will put like things in plastic bags, and then there are two big tubs in the room. I'll put what I can in the tubs. Some of the things just need to be sold or given away as I will likely never use them. 

Batting supplies need to be returned to the batting closet. I have a nice cubby shelf in the spare room, where I used to store the smaller samples. Since I don't have access to that right now, I need to come up with a Plan B. I'll figure it out. I only spent about 15 minutes there, so it wasn't a huge time drain, but it was enough to get me started!

It's a huge mess, but it looks a bit more under control than it was at the beginning of the day!

Then it was down to Studio B to get some work done! Oh Murphy! She knows exactly where to put herself so you can't miss her! Why is she so needy? 

MOM -- I'm here in case you need me!! 

For those of you who question my sanity on saving bits of everything, here's a great example. Someone gave me a lace heart ornament the other day. Now what to do with it? I went to my box of ribbon bits and found a thin ribbon that would be perfect for the heart. 

A ribbon bit

I was going to tie a knot to make a hanger, but then I thought I could do better than that. I grabbed my bobbins of colored thread. These bobbins are different (larger) than the ones I almost used up for sewing. These two holders are for the machines I'm sewing on, so I'm keeping those. They come in super handy when I need a tiny bit of thread in a particular color. 

My colored bobbins

Then I grabbed a wee chunk of scrap stabilizer and sewed the ribbon ends together. Yes, I know - it was fiddly as all get out. But you know what? When I get in the zone and have nothing on my mind, like a deadline, then I can get all those fiddly bits done! I had some tiny buttons to add to another project later in the day, and I sewed them on by hand instead of hot glue! Imagine that!!!

Sewing the ribbon ends together

Anyway, the ornament got placed on my decor rod, and it looks fantastic!!! I can now remember the person who gave it to me, every day when I look at the heart! 

My lace heart hanging ornament

So, back to the UFOs. I managed to complete TWO more of the projects, so that was good. There are still three of them to finish for tomorrow. I doubt that is going to happen, but I have advanced them and that is what counts. When I got looking, one of the projects actually had enough fabric cut to make TWO projects, so that's what I'm focusing on! They are going to be super cute when they are finished, but I need to get something at Fabricland to complete them. Hopefully, that will happen later today. 

I am super excited to have decided to take on these small projects. And almost all of them got left at a finicky stage. That part needs quilting, that part needs some supplies, or whatever small reason that the project got abandoned. Sometimes, they get abandoned just because of time! The list of projects for January is all about binding, and I'm very good at that, so it should be a breeze to complete. But, alas, even some binding can be finicky, and I've left some doozies to stitch! But that's for January, and not to worry about today. 

If you've been around your local quilt shop, you've probably seen new scissors. They are a brand called LDH. They are a Canadian company based in hmmmm -- their mailing address is mere miles from my house! Oh my --- if you want to know what LDH stands for, go to the website. Interesting!!!! 

Anyway, they have a vast range of scissors, including snips. I used to use the inexpensive (think $1.00) snips, and those were good for cutting threads between chains of pieces. However, I splurged one day when I saw these in a store and bought a pair of the black snips. 

My LDH snips

They are SHARP, and it is very easy to cut something you don't want to cut. And they are heavy, so not everyone will like them. But when I needed to cut to some points yesterday through many layers, those snips cut right where I wanted them!! 

Anyway, there is plenty of information on the website, and you can buy from a quilt store or directly from the company. And that had better be the LAST pair of scissors or snips that I purchase in my life, as I have drawers filled with scissors. OK - only two drawers, and they are small, but still. 

I didn't take any pictures, but I made squash soup yesterday! I precooked the butternut squash in the microwave to soften it so I could cut it. Then, instead of putting it in the oven, I quartered it and microwaved it. That sure helps the process of making soup!

It's tough to tell in this photo, but Miss Murphy is laying under the bushes - you can just see one patch of gold. She is on the hunt for another rabbit and likes to lay outside the skirting of the deck to show the rabbit who is boss!

Stalking a rabbit - again! 

Look at the girls. While I was reading in the afternoon, the two of them were watching someone deliver a package to the house. Not the UPS man, because he came in the dark. Lexi would never dream of jumping up on Murphy's bed. Not going to happen! 

The watchers

And then they got bored, and Lexi went to lie in her bed, while Murphy attempted to chomp on her bone, which she managed to roll under my chair! That dog has a knack for annoying me even when she is trying to be quiet and sweet! I'ts like a farce. I just get comfortable with my glasses, my phone (e-book), water, and a snack. Then she decides that she needs something! Up and down, up and down. I guess it's good for my mobility, so I shouldn't complain. 

Moom - I'm trying to be quiet

And you never know when she is going to pop up! She's in Studio B and making it known that it's PAST 5 o'clock and she is practically dead from hunger! 

MOM - a dog could starve here! 

It was a weird day for the weather yesterday. It was windy and cool and while it tried to snow, it didn't really matter to anything! I see it's below zero celcius this morning, but will rise to plus 3. 

I was hoping to get some work done this morning, but I had a not-so-good night, so I slept in a bit. I'll set the sewing aside, as we'll be using the embroidery machines today. If any sewing gets done, it'll be later in the afternoon. I have to laugh because I'm getting much better at time management, but I still need JUST ONE MORE DAY. 

I desperately need to spend a day in this office to clean up some paperwork. Since it's not urgent, there is no urgent need to tackle it. But there is a need. The stuff is weighing on me, and I need to clear it.

I still have those UFOs, and even though they won't all be done by tomorrow, I'm going to push on until they are. Then I have two more "urgent" things to work on, and customer quilts. I hope to get all that done by December 31. Then I can start the new year with a fresh plate of things to work on! 

On that note, I'm out of here!!!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!