SCAM!!!

Something very bizarre happened yesterday, and it sure gave me pause for thought. We only have one home phone, which sits in the living room. We do hear it ring, but never answer it. There is an answering machine attached to it, and I check it from time to time. It's mostly junk if there are any messages at all. I heard the phone ring and the announcement that it was Bell calling. I had heard this the day before, so I was wondering if they were trying to contact me. 

I thought I had better try to catch it in case there was something important. However, as I was walking away with the phone in my hand because I needed to make a call, it rang. I looked at the number and OH MY --- it's my parents. It has to be monumental news for them to call. They never call. 

It was my Mom, and the first thing she asked was, "Did M just call you?" Well, I had just heard the phone ring, although it wasn't my cell phone, and I doubt that M even remembers that we still have a home phone. Apparently, Mom got a call from a weeping granddaughter, saying she was in an accident, was now in jail, and needed bail money. It does make you think, but seriously ---- if you were in an accident, it would have to be very bad and your fault to end up in jail, not in the hospital! Plus, if it were that bad, wouldn't you need a lawyer? The whole story is just so bogus!

I assured Mom that it was likely a scam. Instead of just hanging up, though, she said, "Why don't you call your mom?" And then the girl hung up on her. So no money parted hands - my Mom wouldn't have the first clue how to access their money anyway! But the sad thing is that someone might fall for it and pay. You just wonder how the victim would transition from sobbing to helping the grandparent send them money. 

Thankfully, we have drilled into their heads not to deal with those calls, but why did she even answer the phone? We have tried to tell them that if there is NO name, it's a crank call. And there are times when they still want to know who it was and try to use a reverse phone number lookup. They do NOT get the concept of robocalls and scams using numbers that look like they came from their area. Sigh..........

However, during the same call, she confessed that Dad drove himself to the hospital because he wasn't feeling well, and she might have thought it was the hospital calling. Dad was admitted, but no news. I'll try to call the hospital today, although I don't know if they will give me information over the phone. 

I got in touch with M, and all is definitely OK. We had a chuckle about it, but a sad one, because someone might have been scammed yesterday. 

Remember what I said yesterday about it being an appliqué day. Well, that was a lie. It's funny how we have such amazing plans for our day, and then we don't get that done! It was still a very good day, but just not in the appliqué department. 

I did get the second block fused in place, but did not get to any stitching. 

The blocks are ready to be stitched.

I even had a helper watching from outside. What I love about her is her intent. She was outside, couldn't see me as she was watching the gate, but when I called her name, she glanced down to see what the heck I wanted!!!

MOM - Is everything OK?

The next customer quilt got loaded and quilted. Everything that is quilted is trimmed and ready to go out the door. 

Customer quilt - done

But of course, I have to wait until all 11 of those community project quilts are done before they go. The backing and the batting are ready to be loaded this afternoon. 

The backing for community project number three is ready.

As you know, if you've been around for a while, there is a huge amount of community project quilts to be quilted. And I need to get myself organized to start quilting those quilts. Well, I am, but very slowly, and when I downsize, the long arm will likely NOT be coming with me. But that is way in the future. The quilting of these quilts takes no time at all - it's the prep work. I must find a backing that fits, and that usually means making it. Then I need to piece the batting because I'm using the cutoffs from customer quilts to make those battings. That is what takes the time! 

But I'll get to it, and that is what I should be doing during some of this downtime. 

The puzzle and the table assembly sat untouched. As the day was winding down, I decided to tackle the HSTs again. And yes—I tackle them in small groups. I press four at a time, and then I trim four. And since I really didn't want to do anything else, I dealt with multiple groups of four, and before I knew it, I had this many trimmed. I typically do those little groups of four between pressing other seams or other small tasks. 

Lots of trimming happened.

And now I can say for this group of HSTs that the trimmed pile is much larger than the untrimmed pile. I may even try to finish that today. There are still three other groups to tackle, but I'm getting there, and that is all that counts. The same will happen for those quilts. Just keep whittling away at it, and it will happen. 

The trimmed pile is larger than the untrimmed pile.

I have to share this story about doing things four at a time. I'm not sure where that number came from, but when I was a kid, we often had canned Saskatoon berries for dessert. I would scoop the berries into my dish and then eat them FOUR at a time. I still do to this day if I have any. I have no idea why I developed that habit or where the number four came from. It was always a bonus day when it worked out perfectly, which was very rare! 

So Quilt Canada is next month! It's hard to believe that it's been one year already. The latest issue of Canadian Quilter arrived in the mail. 

The latest issue of Canadian Quilter

Last year, it was very exciting to see so many people attend the event, but it was also very disheartening to hear so many negative things because of the crowds! I wrote about it on my blog, and I was then asked whether CQA could publish the information in their newsletter; I said yes. It is mostly about avoiding the crowds because, believe it or not, it is possible, but you have to help yourself! Don't just show up and expect the aisles to be empty, just for your enjoyment. 

So if you are attending this or any other large show, please read it. If you don't get the newsletter, then you can check it out on my blog. I get it, it's frustrating to you when the crowds are so large. But there are things you can do to make attending the show easier. So whatever your situation, please read that article BEFORE you attend your next large quilt show. 

My article about attending large quilt shows

There is so much to see and do on the internet these days -- there just isn't time for it all. As is typical at my house, there are MANY windows open on my computer, each with the intent of ordering, watching, or reading something. Yikes!!!! But here is something I discovered, and I think it's very good for anyone going through a studio/sewing space organization. It's from Jen at Grainline Studio, and her videos are very good. 

She has broken down the process into chunks, with the first day focused on Understanding How You Sew. Here's the link to the blog post, or you can watch the video on YouTube. I haven't had a chance to watch the video yet, but I suspect it is the same information except in video form. You can pick one or the other, or do both. I really like Jen - her patterns (clothing) are very good, her videos on the Tamarack Jacket (applicable to any quilted jacket) are amazing. The editing is great, and she's just a lovely person. 

As I go through the videos (I think she is on number 9), I'll share the links with you as well. 

And on that note, I'd better get ready for my workout with Brooke. The knee was pretty decent yesterday, but frustrating. Slow and steady is all I can say, and I don't do well with that style! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Lost and found

Have you ever lost things in your house? Of course -- we have all lost something because we put them in a safe place, and where that safe place is remains a mystery! I keep saying that I'm starting a list of all the lost things because when I find them, I get the satisfaction of crossing them off a list! Because I can't remember what is lost and then found or is still lost. And do I have anything else lost in my house? That's why a list would be great!

While I was at the retreat, someone asked if I still had an external CD drive. Yes -- of course I do, since I have many embroidery patterns that are still on CD and not transferred to the computer. HEY -- I still have a 3 ½" floppy disk drive for the same reason. We won't go there. 

So, I was asked if I could transfer some patterns for this person. I said yes, but in the back of my mind, I was certain I had the same pattern at home. Yesterday, I took a minute to dig out a box of machine embroidery patterns, and while searching through the box for the one she wanted, I found this!

AHA -- a lost book

I had been looking for this book for a while, but no go! I had since got another copy from someone who no longer needed it. That means I can pass along a copy to my new colleague who won't have one, but it's a useful book for learning various serger techniques! It's called Serger 101 by Katrina Walker, who is an SVP freelance educator in the US. She focuses much on clothing. 

And one more thing is off the imaginary list of lost things. 

It was a great mail day yesterday. OK -- so it was a holiday for the mail delivery, but no one had picked up our mail last week. I wonder why we need daily mail delivery. In the country where my parents lived, they got mail delivery twice a week. It wasn't a big deal. And now, with most of our mail coming via e-mail, there really isn't a need to have mail delivered daily. We usually pick it up once or twice a week. 

You've got mail!

I forgot to take a picture of what was in the box, but I'll try to remember to share it tomorrow. But I got TWO magazines. One was from the Canadian Quilter's Association, and the other was the most recent issue of A Needle Pulling Thread. I have TWO articles in this issue. I think it's two. 

A Needle Pulling Thread issue 64 - Textures

YES --- I'm in there twice - once for an article on creating texture with quilting, and the second one is about a joint project between Carla (the editor), Paul Leger (everyone knows Paul), and myself. That was a fun project, and we each tell the story of our contribution! 

I've been in the magazine twice!

This is the joint project quilt. 

The Selvage Quilt

Before you go on, you should check out that web page. WOW --- I haven't been in a while, but they have broken down the articles by category --- machine embroidery, quilting, knitting, etc. and if you're looking for some specific projects, it's easy to find. Then you can pay for the project only. Be sure to check it out. Here's the link one more time. WOW -- go to the list of designers in the quilting section on the left-hand side. I'm in there a LOT! Who knew all that was there? And so nicely organized! 

Look at the lid for my teacup! Its job is to prevent the liquid from cooling too quickly. I must remember to use a mug rug under the cup as there is a LOT of condensation! 

Teacup cover

Can you believe this dog? Nope -- she's no longer a dog but a princess. At first, she was so timid, and she kept to her blanket on one side of the couch. Now - she thinks the entire couch is for her! I hear her and DH discussing how much space each takes and which part is theirs! 

DAD -- This is MY couch! 

Meanwhile, Murphy is quite happy to lay on the floor. She's not big on sleeping on the couch. WAIT -- her favorite place to sleep is where she doesn't have permission! If we leave the cushions off the furniture in the front, she thinks we did it for her. 

Mom -- I'm a good dog, not a princess!

But yesterday, when I needed a nap, they both were there to keep me company! How sweet! 

MOM -- we're here for you!

On my walk, I spotted the work they'd been doing at the grocery store. Yep -- you can see that big box they have made instead of the peaked roof. I have no idea what's going in there yet. They are also working on the inside, so I imagine we'll see some signage soon. 

The new roof line on part of the grocery store

Then, I walked to the thrift store and checked out the books. Boy -- some of those books seem to turn over very quickly. And others not so much, But that is a good thing because if they turn over, there is always something new to look at. 

Based on that article about quilting with sheets, I decided to look and spotted these. 

I was tempted by this one, but the print is fairly large but very pretty. 

"Vintage" sheet

But there was a striped sheet that would have gone nicely with it. 

A striped sheet

A cutesy small floral print. 

And then a larger floral print. 

I did NOT buy any -- if I want something, I'll go on discount day, which I believe is today. WAIT A MINUTE  --- Did you know that many hotels, restaurants, etc., will give you SENIOR discounts??? I want my money back!!!! I have some things I could get a discount on. I'm not sure if I need the CARP membership as mentioned in this article, but if so -- the $20 membership would save a lot of money. 

And yes -- my thrift store has a senior discount day on Tuesday. I spied a piece of fabric I would like, so it'll be cheaper today!

What are you doing Thursday evening (Thursday, November 16)? Nothing? Then, you should sign up for this FREE Zoom session on World War II quilts made by Canadians. I can't wait!!! Many years ago, I spoke to the presenter as part of a project I wanted to do. She has written a book on Alberta Quilts -- which I now need to get! 

Oh -- there are so many projects that my mind can't grasp even a tiny portion of what I want to accomplish! I look at the long list of UFOs and the stuff sitting around Studio B, and well, I won't get overwhelmed. I will look at it as one of the methods I use to keep myself busy. If I wasn't busy, what the heck would life be like? I cannot imagine. And right now, as I finish up the year with a bit more travel than I would like, I know next year should be quieter. 

You can stop laughing right now! First -- the work travel will lessen as we have a full-time person to take over some of what I was doing. Then, if I look at the list of monthly clubs/classes I run (17 currently), four for sure are being dropped for various reasons (all good ones), and two are being joined into one, so that means there will be 12 next year, not 17. That is almost a 30% reduction in the number of classes, and that is HUGE because for each hour on Zoom, I may spend up to four or five hours prepping/sewing for that class. Several project classes will be finished -- Barn Star and Jen Kingwell Remedial will end in December, Heartfelt finishes in April (so four months in 2024), and EQ8 will be dropped (they don't do enough homework for me!). Digital cutters and embroidery software are combined into one class to focus on FABRIC applique. 

Of the twelve, six of them are run from several shops - The Hobby Horse (two classes), Thimbles and Things (two classes), Brampton Sew and Serge (one club), and Stitch by Stitch (one club). As long as the stores are good to continue, then so am I. The remaining six are ones I run personally - Out of the Box, Many Blocks, two sessions of UFO, Machine Embroidery Club, and the new one focused on fabric applique. 

The trick is NOT to fill that space with something new, and I'm not going to! I have ZERO plans to add anything except what is mentioned above. I'm going to enjoy the extra time on the weekends without a Zoom call, and I'm going to enjoy the extra prep time, or lack thereof, to work on the other things. So, all is good, and there are positive vibes for next year! 

Oh - someone asked how I liked my new car. New car? Oh yes -- I bought a new car. I haven't even given it a thought since the salesperson told me over a week ago. A couple of people expressed interest in my current car, but the timing wasn't right for them. Heck -- the timing of this car is NOT right for me. So, I hope to pick it up late next week or perhaps the week after. Seriously -- I can't even get excited about it.

On that note, I'm out of here!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

PS -- If something seems wonky, the grammar checker was NOT helpful this morning and caused more issues than it fixed! 

It's in the bag

Yesterday wasn't quite as productive as I would have liked it to be, but it was still great work!

I got myself down to the long arm and I finished quilting that lap quilt by lunch. I do need to trim it, get the binding, label, and sleeve on today. My plan is to deliver it tomorrow, but not before I make one more quilt also scheduled for delivery tomorrow. That quilt is cut out. It's small and very simple, but very cute. The quilting will be simple and thank goodness for machine binding. I'd be in big trouble if that wasn't happening at my house. 

It took a while to get that quilt cut out as there were a lot of fabrics (40) involved, but once I got going, it didn't take long. I confess that I had a chill out session in the afternoon - I was tired and I just wanted to veg out a bit. Don't ever worry about me burning both ends of the candle - I rarely stay up late, I rarely get up early (well earlier than my scheduled time) and I have no problems to take a nap if needed. 

My alarm went off at 4 AM this morning. Oh, shoot - I had forgotten to remove that alarm after we had to get Bear to the airport last week. Gosh - it seems like forever since he flew home. I miss that little muffin. He's so cute. But he is well loved and cared for at home and he's WHITE. Imagine that! He was white for only one day at our house. 

I had some books that had to be returned to the library so, after my nap, I took a brisk walk to the library to return them. As I was walking, I remembered a comment made recently by someone. They said that they found it hard to walk without a destination. Hm - that's interesting. I like to walk but I have to confess that most times, I do have a destination. So here's the thing - if you can't walk without a destination, then make one up. Decide that you're going to walk to the corner of X and Y streets. Or you're going to walk to the grocery store  - doesn't mean you have to buy anything - just create a destination and walk there. Then walk back. 

We do get set in our ways and one of those is what we eat. While we were at the retreat, we had a discussion on desserts. I'll be sending out a note to all the attendees for the next one. We had so many rich desserts - it was totally insane. Yes - I ate them, but I didn't really enjoy them. No - that's not right - I enjoyed them, I just didn't enjoy how I felt afterward. I had brought the lemon and coconut flavored yogurt pots for the dessert for my meal. They are light, they have 100 calories and it was a nice way to finish off chili for dinner. As we were having our dessert discussion, one of the ladies said that she didn't consider yogurt as a dessert. Hm - why not? We are so set in our ways that we can't have pancakes for lunch or dinner or we can't have eggs other than for breakfast. NO - we have to think outside the box and eat whatever we feel like when we feel like it. Switch things up - try foods at different times. I sometimes have oatmeal for dinner if I'm alone. Why not???

Here are the books that I bought at the used bookstore in Orillia. It's called the Book Re-View. It truly is the best bookstore around. No - it's not huge by any means, but the books are well organized. What makes this bookstore shine is the people. Carol is the friendliest person around. She cares about her clientele and will provide book lists of authors (if you need one), recommendations are very forthcoming if you ask, the staff is excellent and well - you just get a warm and cozy feeling when you're in the store. 

Now, what happens when you get a warm and cozy feeling in a used bookstore? You buy - that's what!!! Here are the books that I bought this past trip. Yikes - way too many!!!!  There's one more book that I forgot to ask about so I'm going to send them an e-mail today. I didn't take my list with me. 

Books I bought at the used bookstore

Here are the books that Mary dropped off for me at Monday sewing. One of those books was on my list and one was not. One more book off the list!!!!   I have to find the list - it's on my desk somewhere and then I'll post the last couple of missing books. I may have to break down and buy them online. That book list was a super fun summer activity.

Books from Mary

 I've put all the new acquisitions on my bookshelf which is now a tad full. NO MORE BOOKS!!!  When I was at the library, I did NOT even look at any other books. I just returned the books, paid my fine and then I was out of there. I have a "few" on loan from the library that I need to get read.

My "to read" bookshelf

 Last night, I was teaching a class on zippered pouches at Oh Look Fabric. (Check the link for the workshops for the rest of the year.) The class was full and it was a busy class. All the girls are fairly new to the sewing world and of course have basic sewing machines. They all did an amazing job despite the couple of machine difficulties we had. I'm very spoiled when it comes to sewing machines but I don't judge! We all have to learn. The frustrating thing is that you don't want to spend a lot of money on that first machine. But that very basic machine doesn't have great features which would make learning to sew so much easier. And who wants to lay out a lot of money for a machine if you're not sure you're going to sew? It's funny how the machines that the clientele bring to that shop are very basic (just learning to sew) while at other places I teach, we have a very different scenario with the machines.

Three of the five people finished their pouches and the other two were very close but we were already over our time.

Zippered pouch from class

Another zippered pouch from the class

The third pouch with a metal zipper

I don't think that any of them had ever put in a zipper so getting the pouch cut (and some had never used a rotary cutter before), zipper in and finished was a huge task given the size of the class and their skill level. Job well-done ladies!!!!!

It was late when I got home so I "slept" in after that 4 AM alarm. No spin class this morning. I so wanted to go, but I was tired. Next week or maybe I'll go on Friday. It's a different instructor on Friday, but I could still go!  Don't get set in your ways!!!

Hopefully, you've got the dates marked in your calendar for Quilts at the Creek. Don't forget those workshops. They're going to be loads of fun. Check out the link again and get signed up! There's a trunk show on the Sunday of the show. Why not come out, learn something new, see the quilts in all their glory in an outdoor setting, check out the Prince Cherrywood Challenge in person, and maybe even volunteer for a two-hour stint. It's all about supporting our local quilting activities. We need to build an AWESOME quilting community in Canada. We have the talent - let's build the community so we don't have to look elsewhere to get our fix. 

Speaking of Canadian Quilting communities, don't forget to check out the Canadian Quilter's Association. The big show is in June 2019 in Ottawa. There are lots of great shows scheduled at that event. There's the Trendtex challenge that you can take part in (a great way to stretch yourself), there's a guild challenge involving the color purple, great resources on their webpage and other social media pages. It's easy to find things on the website - just click on the appropriate button. 

Why not enter a quilt into one of the shows??? The Quilts at the Creek is easy. You just enter the quilt. There is no judging, there is no jury. You just enter your quilt. Drop it off at one of the drop-off spots near the show date and you're good to go. It's easy and who doesn't want to see their quilt hanging in all its glory?  

Pick ONE major thing that you'd like to do next year. Take a workshop, do a challenge, enter a quilt show. Set the date in your calendar and work backward with your schedule so you know when you have to do what. I love challenges, so I'm going to do the purple challenge and I'm going to do the TrendTex challenge. 

But first, I need to get four more urgent quilts out the door. That snuck up on me very fast and I wasn't mindful of the dates. I've got to watch that in future!

On that note, I'd better get the day started. 

Have a super day!!!!!

Ciao!

Canadian Quilters!

I came home last night, got the mail and was EXCITED!   The latest Canadian Quilter magazine had arrived.

I've been a member of this Canadian organization for a long long time, and I was somewhat active for a while (I entered a couple of quilts in the show and wrote a few articles for the magazine). After teaching and attending Quilt Canada this past June, I feel a whole lot more connected to the people in the magazine and also the organization.

Why is that?  I got to spend some quality time (because I volunteered) with the people in the magazine!

And did you know that we have a LOT of talent amongst us Canadian Quilters!  Many of you who have those talents are so reluctant to share for fear of failure, for fear of exposure or perhaps for fear of public speaking!

As I gear up for the "new" year, my calendar is filled with speaking engagements at guilds and I'm so pumped - it's going to be loads of fun!  Trying to plan some events in local stores as well and let's not forget the classes. While I don't have as much time to teach as I used to (and I miss it dreadfully!!), I'm going to have to rely on the few opportunities that I do have to keep in touch with everyone.  Stay tuned for some pretty exciting events!!!!

I'll be putting together my calendar and sharing it with you all very very soon so that if you want to take a class or attend one of my lectures, you'll know if there is anything close to you!   What I really really need is a good web site but alas, there seems to be no time to make that happen!

Speaking of classes, I do try to take a class from time to time myself.  I have a small window of opportunity at Quilt Festival this year and trying to choose from the many options as to what to take and then hope I can get in!  Something that doesn't require taking loads of supplies - I hate those classes because you rarely use most of what you take!

OK - back to the magazine.

Current issue of Canadian Quilter

There are loads of interesting articles in the magazine. Inspirational messages from the President and other members of the organization. Articles about Canadian Designers, Canadian quilt stores, a couple of patterns and so much more.  I flipped through it from cover to cover last night - didn't read everything yet, but noticed a couple of things.  A couple of topics for future magazines caught my eye that would make interesting articles - might write one or two. And there is the Trend-Tex challenge which will be available.  I bought one of the challenges last year at the silent auction.  It's hanging in my office right now or I'd take a picture of it for you. That brings me to another thought - challenges - why do people enter challenges and what makes a good challenge????   I have to say that some of my most creative pieces have been the result of a challenge.  I think I'm going to take note of the entry date and get a kit.


And as a bonus, in this issue is the catalogue of the quilts that were in the National Juried show. It was so fun to have a look back at the quilts. Having handled everyone of those quilts during the judging process - I felt like I got to know each piece a little bit and now having access to who and how and why the pieces were made as outlined in the catalogue (yes that information was on the labels at the show, but not the same) - well it was wonderful to look back at all the quilts and see the prize winners in the magazine.

National Juried Show catalogue 2016

Seriously - we should all be members of the Canadian Quilter's Association. Over and over again, I hear laments about stores closing (and there are some shockers at the moment - did you know The Quilting Bee in Fonthill is for sale or it's closing?  (just the store - not the long arm business).    We have to support LOCAL.  While it is one thing to be part of the BIG movement in the US, (they are big because they have more members, stores, etc). But if we don't create those numbers in Canada - guess what?   GONE!!!!!!!!

 That goes for quilt guilds as well.   Yes - I know guilds can be a pain in the side sometimes, but I've been a guild member of numerous guilds for my entire quilting career and I love them.   What I get out of the guilds can never be had off the internet. Sharing experiences in person, getting access to books, meeting new people - well - it just doesn't get any better than doing all that with real people!!!!

As if all that wasn't exciting enough, some fabric that I've been waiting for arrived at work so now I have some exciting designing ahead of me.

You see where all of this is going????   Yep - crazy busy!!!!!!

And yet last night when I got home, I was tired. Still fighting that cold, but I'm keeping it at bay - just a slightly scratchy throat in the morning and it had better stay that way! And what's with this LONG LONG storm last night - much lightening and thunder for hours (or so it seemed).

I think it's time to get out the calendar, mark some deadlines and get back to that weekly goal setting and it had better be for more than just quilts!  

Yes - scheduling is going to become a HUGE thing in my life.  I won't be able to get everything done if I don't.

Now I'm off to the International Plowing match today to see the quilts and a couple of vendors.  I'm excited!!!!  And I'm throwing in a bit of Row by Row and classroom prep.  Can you tell - it's a jam packed day!!!!!!

Have a super day!

Ciao!