A trip to Micheals

 AHA—I never thought about using the Snipping Tool—I have it installed. I'll try that next time I want to crop a photo. It's not the right way to do it, but it's one way to make it happen.  

I have a very early morning flight, so I'm writing the blog the night before. However, I will say that with 45 minutes left on my audiobook, I'm torn - write the blog or finish the book. My brain won't let me do both at the same time!

So the blog it is! 

Oh my - this picture didn't turn out as expected. I ws taking a picture of the freight train that I got stuck at this morning on the way to the store.. BUT - look at all the bugs smashed on the windshield! Oh shoot—I was supposed to fill the car with gas tonight and totally forgot. Oh well -- I'll do it in the morning. 

Yes -- if you can see through the bugs on the windshield, there is a long freight train! 

That 800 KM trip on the highway took care of a few bugs, to say the least!! 

When I got to the store today, I took my waist pouch off, but attached it to my backpack so I wouldn't leave it behind. I double-checked when I left the store, and hopefully I didn't leave anything behind. 

Attach my belongings together.

I did find a few things at the store that interested me, and they found a home in my suitcase. Wait until you see the one fabric I purchased. I don't have a picture of it, and it's in the car, so I'll show you when I get home. It's so nice to travel with no weight restriction. Otherwise, I would have to be careful to balance the two bags! 

I love doing the presentation on the new PFAFF creative icon 3. It's a beautiful machine, and all the new tools and features are amazing. They are amazing, and I have so many things I want to try when I get home! So much to stitch and so little time! 

I ventured out for dinner tonight, and there's a big-box store area across the road, so I walked over. After dinner, I spotted a Michaels and decided to check it out. 

On the way there, I spotted some rabbits. OK—these are NOT rabbits, but we used to call them jack rabbits, or they are also known as hares. 

City hares

Look at the length of their ears, and their hind legs are long!!! I wasn't a threat, so they didn't move far. 

I went to Michaels to see if this store had fabric, and yes, it did. This is the cute little cutting station they have. 

The cut bar at Michaels

They use electric scissors to cut the fabric, which is super fast. The table is slick and small, so it doesn't take up much space in the store. They have one aisle of fabric. Much of it is licensed, but there are also some solids and fancy fabrics. And of course, they have interfacings and some batting. 

The fabric aisle at Michaels

The bolts are Everyday Value, so they don't qualify for extra discounts, including coupons. 

Fabric is an Everyday Value item.

When I walked around the corner, I spotted a rolling cart with more fabric and a huge pile of empty shelves. Apparently they have had fabric in the store for 6 months, and it's been so successful that they are about to get inundated with lots more! I spotted batiks - nice ones and many other cool fabrics including a lot of seasonal stuff. 

Shelves ready to receive more fabric.

It all seems to be reasonably priced. The person cutting uses a small device to record the purchase, then puts it on a card with a barcode. That gets scanned at the checkout counter, and you pay. 

My fabric purchase and ticket

It's all quite civilized. Would it be the place for me to go and color-match fabric to make a quilt? Probably not, since they don't have the selection to do that, BUT if I want to make crafty items, this is the place to go, and Michaels is much easier for most people to get to than a quilt store. 

Did I mention that they sell Singer sewing machines? Yep—quite a variety of them, and for the beginner sewist, this is a great place to go and get yourself stocked up! 

I won't spill the details yet, but I have an event at a Michaels store in the near future. I don't know many details yet, so you will have to wait. 

Yep -- the first part of the year was pretty dead, and the fall? It's becoming pretty full with talk of more events, and I already have another 8 full days on the schedule! So much for slowing down and being semi-retired! I love this and will keep doing it for as long as I can!

Remember, my next event is Monday at Heather Bell's Sewing Studio in West Lorne, Ontario. Two sessions on the PFAFF creative icon 3. Each time I present, it gets a little bit better! Smoother! 

I got a notice from Air Canada that, due to thunderstorms in Toronto, I can change my ticket free of charge. I didn't change my ticket, and so far the flight is on time. 

Poor Murphy did NOT fare well in the thunderstorms today. DH sent pictures, and she was so freaked out. The poor thing. 

Fingers crossed that there are no issues in Toronto, and if everything goes according to plan, I should be home by noon! If there are issues, well, who knows when I will get home. 

And on that note, I'm out of here. I still have 45 minutes of audiobook, and I hope to finish that book tonight! I can always sleep on the plane!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!