It's a DISEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Before I go any further - I want you to know that I am a VIRGO. And depending on which version of characteristics you read - well - we have a tendency to be "perfect" and "organized" and "shy" and well - you could search it all out yourself!!   While I tend to POO POO all that stuff - there certainly are a LOT of characteristics that are just like ME!!!!

Are you wondering if I got that third customer quilt done??  And the answer is YES!!!!!!!   It wasn't easy - there were a LOT of layers of steam a seam and the background and backing is TWILL. I know - there were a couple of times when I thought the needle had broke, but no - just banging into the fabric.

Customer quilt

It was a wall hanging and I knew it wasn't going to take all day. I had been keeping my eye on the weather and Friday was slated to be a BEAUTIFUL day. I just couldn't keep myself inside all day so I got a good part of the quilt done, then loaded the girls in the car and off we went.

Here we are - it was hard to find a place to get a picture this time as there were not a lot of downed trees or rocks, but we managed. 

And look at little  Sammy. She blends right into the scenery. She is SO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She also lagged on this trip. Way behind - now I am thinking  - she might not have been a happy dog that day. 

After the walk!!!!!!!

I know - I joined them for an hour. Then I was revitalized and was up for HOURS. Sammy is limping around now - and I am not sure if she was hurt before we went on the walk, or because of the walk or after the walk. She is still limping a bit today SO I do have to remember that both my dogs are old - well they are both about 11 or 12. (I am NOT good at dog ages) and we did go for a SEVEN KM walk at a pretty fast pace - we completed in 1.5 hours. My feet were tired - I don't think my boots fit quite right or maybe it was just the pace. I could have wore running shoes - the terrain was very flat. I'll know for next time we go in that area.


The data of the hike



And if you want to see where we went hiking - have a look at the above link. (And ignore the calories - I forgot to put the GPS on hiking, not biking!!!!) We did a LOT of circling - the first time, I circled back because I didn't think I had locked the car and then Sparky wanted to take a detour and I knew we would have to back track but that was OK - then at the end we backtracked once more so we could get a full 7 KM in. None of this 6.5 KM and calling it 7 KM.

I have a BIG hike planned in that same area - the girls (and M and Berke) are going to come along - but we will take two cars and the girls and M and Berke will do just a small part of the hike. However, I am going to get that Kaylee dog to come with me. She is young and will be good company!!!!   Any takers?????


So after I got back from the hike, had a nap and got the customer quilt done by dinner, then I was fired up to hit another area for cleaning. I know - what is the matter with me??????

The next area to hit is the peg board and the HUGE stack of minky/plush/fleece
Unfortunately even when I am done, the minky/plush/fleece will have to stay in front of the peg board. But the bottom container is on wheels, and it isn't heavy so easy to move out of the way. Just got to make sure the area around stays clear so it is in fact easy to move that fleece box. 

Now here is a dilemma I have in all this. There is enough fleece to put into THREE boxes. I have two and so what is sitting on top isn't that much now. BUT do I purchase another container so the fleece is completely contained? Or do I use up what is sitting on top and stick with two containers??????  I am going to use the fleece in these buckets for the backings of quilts so hopefully that will get it used up relatively quickly????

Anyway - here is the peg board - CLEARED off

As I took stuff off - I sorted it into categories

And VOILA - a new look for the pegboard. I moved the peg things around - used appropriate ones for the bits and pieces. In other words - I used a LONG one for the stencils which kept falling off the short one they were on. Grouped "like" rulers together, templates together, embroidery hoops, etc. Found several rulers for making flying geese that are STILL in the packaging. I WILL NEVER use them and if ANYONE suggests to me to purchase another one - well - I'm not even going to listen to them. I have determined that there is ONE way to make flying geese (and I am happy with the way I do it - I do NOT need a special rule to make them)

Now as I got thinking, I did find more rulers upstairs and on a shelf so they will need to be added. Don't worry - there is LOTS and LOTS of stuff that is being rearranged constantly  (even the scrap boxes have already been shifted around) so when I finally put this mess to bed - I will give you a tour.


Now one thing I did find on the peg board is this...............

Not ONE, not TWO, but THREE rolls of Wonder Tape. At first I was going to give it away, but WAIT - this tape might be useful when sewing plush/minky and velveteen together. I will have to try that before I give it away. 

Then I found FIVE rolls of basting tape. And YES - I was going to give this away as well. But WAIT - if I am going to be making community project quilts - I am sure not going to hand stitch the binding down. This basting tape might do just the trick to hold that binding in place while it gets stitched down. Must try it out. 

Then I found THREE rolls (and another one later) of Quilter's Tape. Now what the heck am I going to do with this?????   I do not hand quilt. Hmmmmmm - anyone want this or know what to do with it??????

Then I found Stitch Witchery (which I gave to M - might help her with her sewing), HeatnBond on a roll - that went in the fusible box and will be useful for closing the opening of place mats or other items that get turned inside out. The other rolls are double sides tape - that went in the scrapbooking area. 

See - when you find a home for things - well - now it will get used. Before - I had NO CLUE that this stuff was hiding on the peg board!!!!!!!!!!! Now if I want a ruler or template - I know EXACTLY where to look.


That was it for the day, but yesterday I got excited again. I know - I can't help myself. This time - I tackled another shelf that is in the stash room.

You see - there are shelves on all four walls (one also has the peg board on it), but in the center of the room are two movable shelves - back to back. So you can walk around the room and have ready access to everything - well in an ideal world.


OH OH - this is going to get UGLY. Brace yourself................

This shelf was a bit of a catchall 

Everything came off!!!!!!!!    There was a LOT on that shelf!  Including a bag of corks (that I am supposed to be making a bulletin board from). I haven't been able to find the bag for a while, so I have placed the corks in a small container. Well, I found the bag of corks when I heard them falling out of the bag onto the floor. I was picking up corks for a while!!!!!!!!

M and Sammy hiding among the debris!!!!!!!!!!

Now some of this is going to be easy. Don't want, don't need, totally useless. But now the going gets tough - there are projects in here. Scraps, supplies - OH DEAR - this is not fun any more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   HELP!!!!!!!!

Off to Canadian Tire to get some boxes. Not for the fleece, but for some of these projects. I mean how can you see or properly stack a project if it is in a plastic bag??????

Chaos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am not done with the shelf (but almost done) and I cam across a couple of things that will require a bit of work and then they will fit better on the shelf. YES - I am going to take the time to do it later today. Then you can see the shelf.

Now if you are a betting person and have been wagering among  yourselves as to how long I could hold out with the 2012 shelf. Well you BOTH win. Because I took the SMALL rolling shelf (you can see it in the picture above) and I emptied it. That is part of the mess on the floor.

Then I got out the list of $10 quilts from 2003 to current.  I know - I just couldn't help myself!!!!!!!!!   Well as I was starting to come across projects, I needed a place to put them so I bit the bullet and found them ALL.

The $10 shelf (past and current)

So yes - this shelf holds all the $10 quilts that need to be completed and all those ongoing projects for 2014 (there are seven of them). Amazing that I could find them all!!!!!!!!!!!!   Only one escaped me for a bit, but I got it!!!!!

Now that leaves the big shelf for all the other projects I want to do next year. Oh SHUT UP - I do NOT need to hear you laughing at me!!!!!!!!!!!    Anyway  - I really am freeing up a lot of time, not doing blocks of the month and exchanges so I am totally delusional!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I came across this lonely basket of odds and ends and what to do with it all???????????   I think some of it will go on the peg board.

Lonely basket of STUFF

On that note - I have another quilt to get done today. Only FIVE more that NEED to be done by Christmas.  Three of those need to be bound by Christmas (my hand aches just thinking about that), but since I was teaching M to hand stitch last night - I am going to have to help perfect her technique so she can help me.

She brought home her dress from school (but don't tell the teacher). Only because she wanted me to show her how to do the hand stitching properly. She is making a dress with a button placket down the front and yes it needs to be hand stitched!!!!!!!!!!   All the way down both sides!!!!!!!!!    But I discovered that the collar wasn't on properly so I made her take that off. Once she gets the hand stitching done, then SHE will reattach the collar and hand stitch the collar on the inside. She better get to work - she has to get it back to school tomorrow.

Well - I am out of here. More adventures today - never a dull moment in our house. And the new library system - well - It has found out my little secret to renewing books so I now have to figure out a new way to manage that task. OH better yet - only take out what I can read in three weeks. What a concept that would be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friends......................

Time for some more reveal and behind the scenes stories!!!

In the fall, our community projects team for one of the guilds announced a challenge!  I love a challenge. You heard about it - we got a jelly roll and were to make a quilt out of it. Well I took TWO. Initially I took one for Marian, but then I thought - "she is NEVER going to make anything so I won't even ask". I just found a second pattern and made TWO quilts. 

Remember me lamenting last month about getting them done. I think there were 24 rolls in total and GUESS WHAT - the guild got back 24 quilts. How is that for return!!!!!    They were amazing..................

OOOOPS - A 24 HOUR interruption!!!!    I'm back.....................

OK - so here are the TWENTY FOUR quilts that were made from jelly rolls for the guild. 

Pretty impressive all of them. A couple of them also had a pillow sham. So I made two - can you guess which ones are mine??????

I'll give you a hint - 543 BLOCKS.  

Did you guess?????   

OK - here goes.......................

Purple/green one - I added a bit of fabric from my stash and had to make a trip to Ruti's when I ran out!!!!   Just needs the binding sewn on

And this one - well it took a bit of time, but I was VERY HAPPY with the results. Also ran out of fabric on this one - can you see where???????   Just grabbed something that matched close from my stash. 

Very simple quilting - straight lines. It also needs the binding sewn on

And now to get some other stuff done............

Another customer quilt DONE!!!!!

I ordered some fabric from eQuilter.com a week or so ago. It arrived this past week and I laughed when I got the package. They must have SAT on this envelope to get it closed. 

Both ends were SPLIT wide open

It must have POPPED when they dropped it or something.

However there was so much stuff in the package - there was NO WAY it was going to come out. I had to pull pretty hard to get it out. And how much was in the package - EIGHT yards and a pattern. And $12.50 shipping. Remember that when you order - watch the quantity - otherwise they put it in ONE big envelope which costs a LOT - sometimes TWO smaller envelopes is cheaper.


So did you figure out which of the challenges (that I posted a couple of days ago) was mine??????    That would have been Number TWO - Out on a Limb. My first thought was to do a wall hanging with a little owl by himself - out on a tree limb. They are EVERY WHERE these days - patterns for that. Then Marian and I had a chat about it - several months ago. We (make that "I") could make a 3-D owl and he could sit on a real tree branch. Nope that won't work, how about an arm (a limb?). Hmmmmm can we find a mannequin arm?????   Search the internet - nope. How about a REAL MANNEQUIN???????    OK - we find one - nope - gone.


I keep searching and guess what!!!!   Yup - I found a mannequin for sale. I buy it and then we had to go to Niagara Falls to pick her up!!!!!!    What a HOOT!!!!!   (ooooops - a pun)

Meet Manni Quin!!!!!!!!!!

Before I had got her home, a friend asked me if I knew anyone who had a mannequin. What were the chances of that happening??????   Anyway Manni Quinn had her debut at a 50th wedding anniversary party and she was the BRIDE!!!!!!!    And I got a wig for Manni in return for her being a star. Everyone apparently got their picture taken with her!!!!

Now she sits in my studio and (wearing M's dress which M wants back) and she keeps scaring the heck out of ME!!!!!   I am pretty used to her now, but at the beginning - I kept thinking there was a real person there. Kaylee went BIZERK when she saw Manni. Wouldn't stop barking. It was pretty funny. 

Well - I braved the weather this morning. Did 52 KM on my bike despite the WIND. Crap - thought I was going to wake up in Kansas a couple of times. A bit of rain, but not much. 

Now I'm back - had a shower, something to eat, dressed in toasty warm clothes, and FEELING AWESOME. if you don't believe that adrenalin thing - well you haven't pushed yourself 52 K through crappy weather. My legs are STRONG STRONG STRONG. I did a pretty good pace and quite happy with the whole ride. Now in case you think I am Lance - NOT EVEN CLOSE. When I say STRONG - I am still a weakling compared to most of the people I see as they BLAZE past me. But compared to last year - I am MUCH BETTER. 

On that note - I am off to spend the entire rest of the day by MYSELF in my studio. I have errands - they can wait, DH is playing golf and when he gets home - will have a nap, M is away for the weekend, I have gardening - it can wait. 

Oh yes - spent another day with Elaine S and her sister Sharon yesterday. I worked on one of my 12 for (20) 12 projects. An embroidery project. I will show you tomorrow. I got a block done that I started YEARS ago. I am so HAPPY.  Yes - there is a light at the end of the tunnel!!!!!!

Just don't let me talk to anyone today so I can't make commitments about anything!!!!!!

Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!