Sewing updates!

Let's get back to the T-shirt quilt. All the shirts are cut up and hanging on the wall.

The first part of the T-shirts

Make that two walls. This second wall also includes the backs of the T-shirts, and thankfully there were only seven of those. There are 44 T-shirt fronts and seven backs. 

The second wall of T-shirts

I sent a note to Dillon to ask how to proceed, as they will not all fit on one quilt unless we make a giant quilt, and I'm happy to do that if that's what he wants. 

Let's just say that the T-shirt cull happened when they moved in together. M kindly suggested to him that I could make him a T-shirt quilt, but he had to cull his collection, which is mostly concert T-shirts. He saw the first picture and sent a note back that he wanted one of them back. LOL -- I kindly explained that what he was looking at was no longer T-shirts, but just the logos from them. I also said that if M found out that I returned a T-shirt, we would both get in trouble! 

I told him to take a week to figure out what he wants, and then the fine-tuning begins. 

As I was digging through the laundry basket where the T-shirts resided, I found my collection of T-shirt books. Yep -- why have just one when you can have everything published about T-shirt quilts? Good grief—I don't know why I do that. 

My collection of T-shirt quilt books

Hopefully, I can get started on the math later this week. It will take some finessing to make this one happen. And once that is done, then I have one for myself I'd like to work on. 

But in the meantime, I now have two weeks to complete 4 new samples and make a shirt for myself. The ONLY thing on my schedule is a massage next week. I'm in good shape, but I also need to deal with that garden. The weather has cooled right down, and it's the perfect weather to get out there. What's even nicer is the humidity is gone! Let's hope it lasts for a while. 

What is this new label all about? I only recently started noticing it, and it can intimidate a person. ALL chocolate bars I buy at the grocery store now have this label on them. If that doesn't make you sit back and think! Thankfully, I have halved my daily intake, so I'm good - a little bit of saturated fat is not a big deal. It's really how much you eat. I wonder what type of food has three warnings on it? 

New warnings on food labels

They have not resorted to putting danger pictures (obesity) on the foods we eat, like they did with cigarettes. Like everything, it's all about moderation. Just Googled it and it's a new label system that Canada has implemented. You will find it on packages of food items that are high in saturated fat, sodium, and sugar. Hmmm -- that makes me think of the book: Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss. I read it a while back, and it's shocking to learn how companies deliberately load foods with those three items to make us CRAVE more. 

When I went to the post office to mail that puzzle, I got a bit of a surprise. There was a line because our small satellite post office is closed, and the lady said their location is now quite busy. The line never stopped. Once I was done, several people were behind me. And it seemed that everyone took their time to run their mailing errands. 

And the other thing I noticed is that they changed the size of the flat-rate boxes. Yikes!!!!! I didn't know that. They are now larger, and I think they cost more. Of course, they cost more! 

New sizes of flat-rate boxes

When I stopped at Indigo, they had a puzzle sitting on the table. A few pieces were clearly in the wrong spot, so I took them out. 

The in-progress puzzle at Indigo

And then I stood there and found ONE piece. That was all I did because I could get caught up in the puzzle, and I was already running behind schedule, with a line-up at every place I went that day. 

My lone piece in the community puzzle

I was looking for some strong clips for the long arm. These clips had been recommended to me when I was at Quilt Canada. But where to find them? Imagine my surprise when I was at my friend's as we changed her leaders and she had the same clips (white) on her table and was switching to those clips, instead of the clamps that we currently have. 

She bought them online. I was determined NOT to buy online if I could help it. So on the way to the mall, I stopped at HomeSense and found exactly what I needed, and they were HALF the price of buying online. So I got four for what she paid for two! I have yet to put them on the machine. 

My clips were on sale! 

And in case you are wondering, I got the hem on the leader done the other day. I need to sit down with some peace and quiet and determine which way the leader needs to face and then sew in the channels. I might attempt that this afternoon once I get the long arm (sample-making) up and running. 

Hemming the leader

I'm also trying to get a handle on the stuff that's on the cutting table. That seems to be a constant battle, but that meant trimming more half-square triangles. These are the insane ones that are trimmed to 1¼". I'm not done with the bag, but I believe it's the last bag of ones that are sewn and not trimmed, and I made progress yesterday. Any progress is good. 

Progress on trimming the small HSTs

These next ones are from the sewing I did on a quilt, which I need to share with you this morning. 

More HSTs trimmed

And some others, so everything, except that one bag, is pressed and trimmed. 

More HSTs trimmed

I almost forgot to show you what I've been sewing. My Tequila Lime quilt is in one piece!!! Now I have to remove the paper from the back, but that's OK. It's a mindless task to do while watching some YouTube videos. 

Tequila Lime in one piece

And someone had quilted two community project quilts for me, and I got them back the other day. I must have made these twenty+ years ago! Having them quilted was an experiment, and I realized it's so much work to prep them for someone else, so we won't be doing it again. But the quilting she did is gorgeous! It sounds silly that it's so much work, but it adds another deadline, and I don't need one. 

Quilt number one

While these two quilts look identical - wait, I think I used the same picture twice. But you'll see in a minute that there are two quilts. I had to check - the borders aren't even the same! Pictures tomorrow. 

Quilt number two? No -- that's the same picture.

The backing of one is purple. 

One back is purple

While the backing of the other one is blue. 

One backing is blue

The binding, made from lovely polyester fabric, is on both quilts. How can I tell it's polyester? The smell when it's pressed. It stinks of synthetic. 


Well, I have lots more to share, but I must get the day started. 

Have a great day!

Ciao!!!

Multi-tasking at its best

My brain always seems to be working overtime, and yesterday was no exception. I'm sure you all have your favorite people that you follow on Facebook or IG. You know the ones that are either building/renovating a house/castle/chateau or own pets (goldens, huskies, or other breeds with a few cats thrown in. And as they reach their various milestones, they post the numbers. 

But have you noticed how the number of content creators has exploded? Everyone thinks they can be a content creator because how hard can it be? And some of them are definitely better than others, but have you ever considered the competition between them and the pressure to produce more and better videos than the others? More exciting videos and they get a bigger share of your time, and thus money. 

And all it does is make us spend more time online, and we get nothing done. Putting those videos together is a lot of work and can be extremely intrusive to the content creators' lives, but a number of them have given up good day jobs because the videos (and your views and likes) are more lucrative. 

But here's the thing—if you think your day job is stressful, what about constantly being on camera, thinking about the next topics, and editing? And you can't complain to your boss because you are the boss. 

And you are setting yourself up for a lot of criticism. When these content creators first came out, I thought it was very cool and subscribed to several of them. I don't watch them as much anymore. Why? Because what they are showing has just become silly, and, in some instances, I find it wasteful to see so many dollar-store props end up in the landfill. 

Or to be told by a young couple, "you probably don't understand our vision, just wait for it to be finished," when it's perfectly clear that whatever they are talking about is NOT new. We understand perfectly what you are saying because we already have that feature in our house or whatever. And many times, in house building, I see people adopting trends because they're trendy, but they're certainly not practical. The worst offenders are the "smarter" ones who install some feature because it's going to be maintenance-free. HAH!!! Owning a house, no matter the features, requires maintenance. Sorry! 

Will these content creators ever go away? I'm not sure, but just be mindful of what you watch. 

It was a crazy day, as I have a few tasks to finish before next week, and I don't want to fail at them. Do you know how hard it was to find a dog sitter for one day in a different city than where you live? 

It was insane, and I swear I spoke/texted/emailed every dog sitter in Nanaimo to find someone who would even answer me. I started by leaving phone messages, then realized these people were probably younger and only had cell phones, so I could text them. But the number of people who never responded is obscene. 

Anyway, I was on my phone and computer a lot yesterday as I tackled that task. I had another task that needed a lot of attention with multiple phone calls and emails, but it was accomplished as well. Fingers crossed that it all works out. It's out of my hands now. 

And let's not talk about passwords or phone verification issues. I swear that is going to be the death of me. I got booted out of a site for exceeding my attempts at phone verification. I get it that these steps are there to prevent AI from encroaching on websites, but it has become absolutely crazy!!! 

I want to go back to a simpler time when we didn't have cell phones! OK - I might not be that crazy, but all these security levels are insane, and it's only going to get worse as AI becomes smarter. Sigh........

I managed to get one more of the community project quilts done. This is number six of eleven. I'm on the other side of the mountain now!!!

Number six of eleven of the community project quilts

As I was buzzing around Studio B looking for something that I never found, I discovered the kit for this small pillow. All the fabrics were in the kit, and I had pulled thread for it. Good grief—if all my threads were pulled from all the projects, I might need to buy a new cabinet to store them! 

A kit I found 

All the embroidery was completed yesterday. I didn't put a red tail on the bird, but in hindsight, I should have. I am NOT ripping that out. It is what it is. You know what? He looks just fine the way he is!!! A bluebird doesn't have a red tail. By the way, this is a free download if you want. It's on Kimberbell's site and called A Little Birdie Told Me. 

The embroidery is complete.

I just might forge ahead and finish the pillow today. It's small and very cute. 

Then I needed to get the backing prepped for a quilt. OH MY --- I bought this fabric recently, and its quality is amazing. It's thick, and you can't see a single thing through it. That's pretty unusual these days. 

Incredible quality (excellent) on this fabric

I laid out one more of the dog fabric quilts on the design wall and arranged the squares. They are now in labeled rows and tucked in a bag for the next retreat. I had to add two squares, but quickly found an appropriate print in the still-full basket of dog fabric in the stash room. 

This dog fabric quilt is ready to sew together.

That left the design wall empty, so I dug out the next large project that I want to work on. It's part of my 2026 UFOs and is on the Visual To-Do list. OH MY --- I thought it was more together than it is. Only one quarter of it is intact, and the rest is in pieces. 

Tequila Lime quilt top

I'll have to sort that out later today so I can start to sew it together. I see I still need to do some trimming, but thankfully, all the paper piecing is done. This was Tequila Lime that I taught in 2023. Oh my -- how quickly time flies! 

I was given a few other tasks for the upcoming wedding. Things that I had to make or alter. Thankfully, none of them were too complex, but some required a bit of ingenuity. In total, there are five things I was asked to make or wanted to make. Four of the five are done, and I have all day to work on the last one. 

Of course, I'm still in the process of making travel arrangements. So help me god, but I have nothing on the calendar, and then everything hits at the same time. Sometimes, the only thing required for travel is booking a plane ticket. But this time, I need multiple planes, cars, hotels in various cities, and multiple dog sitters for various dogs! I'll make the final arrangements later today, and then I think everything will be done. I'll need the weekend to finish some packing for when I get back, as I have back-to-back events this month, and it's going to be fun to keep everything straight. 

As I find or remember things, I'm setting them out in piles so it won't be a mad scramble when it's time to pack them. 

Does anyone have any experience with this tool for setting snaps and rivets? VARIO creative tool by PRYM. I spoke to Emmaline Bags the other day as I was contemplating buying the big table press. But they said they are moving to this lighter tool and mentioned that unless I was riveting into thick leather, this one was likely suitable for all my needs. 

On that note, it's time to get moving on the day. Lots to do and hopefully today will be stress-free!!! Yesterday was a bit more stressful than I would like! OH -- just made the final travel arrangement. Well, that is, until we need to come home! 

OH MY -- I have the back door open, and the smell of lilacs in the house is almost overpowering. I can't imagine what it smells like in the gazebo!!!

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Doing what you think you don't like

OH MY --- someone mentioned in the comments about Mary Ellen's book -- "It's OK if you sit on my quilt." Indeed, there were NO quilt police for her! Mary Ellen was quite the spitfire - I heard that from the shop owner where I used to hang out. And definitely, there were no quilt police in Mary Ellen's life. It's a great book. All three of her books that I have (well, technically, now two) are amazing. The amount of detail, flexibility, and freedom she gives is refreshing. 

We need NEW books like that. Books that give you permission to play, meat to sink your teeth into, and not another book filled with patterns. The good stuff came in the old books! Which is why a lot of my books are the old stuff! 

I'm working on the items from the handwritten to-do list. I just can't work with the list on the computer. I have no idea why -- it's just not in my blood, but I'll keep trying. I'm great with audiobooks and ebooks, but not my lists! 

This weekend is the Color My World class, and I still have some appliqué to do on the house blocks I made earlier. I seem to have a mental block about appliqué. I have no idea why. I have a good machine that does great appliqué. I have lots of stitches that work amazingly well for appliqué. The machine has zero issues and is easy to switch between piecing and appliqué, and I have all the proper tools and plenty of thread. But the thought of stitching out appliqué just doesn't sound appealing to me. Why is that? 

Well, I need to get my butt in gear and make this happen, so this morning, when I woke up and lay in bed contemplating what I would do today, that appliqué popped into my head. It's Tuesday, and I need this done by Saturday. 

So I got everything prepped, which took about 1 minute, and then I started. I also connected my audiobook. And before an hour had passed, I had completed all of the fiddly bits and only had seven pieces left to stitch down later this morning. 

Four house blocks that need appliqué stitching

So, can you tell me why it's not my favorite thing to do? All that remains is to stitch the two pieces of tree down (one tree is already stitched in place, which is why there are seven left) on four blocks. Then I'm done and only have this month's homework left to finish. Finish? Who am I kidding - I haven't even started it!

I have other appliqué to do as well, and I really should just leave the machine set up and continue. It's not hard, and I'm good at it! Mindset change!!!!

Yesterday was Monday sewing, and we had a great time. There is a lot to be said for being close to an amazing and extremely supportive group of women. What I love about Zoom calls that you will not get in an in-person group is that if you are seeking information (that's me every week), EVERYONE usually has something to offer. While they are listening, they can continue working. This DOES NOT happen in an in-person sewing session. 

While people like to get together in person, and I agree that I like that as well, I will NEVER give up my Zoom calls. Learning to take turns talking, actively listening, and participating is something you will NEVER get in an in-person group. OK—depends on the size of the group. But Zoom? Something very good came from the pandemic. 

A HUGE thank you to the ladies who answered my many questions yesterday; I feel much better about a lot of things. And you know what? People like to share information, and they typically have a ton to share. Some people need a bit more encouragement than others, and I find that the ones who usually talk are happy to talk over the quiet ones. WAIT!!! Let person X respond, since I asked THEIR opinion, not yours! I find I have to do that frequently in the Zoom calls. But it's a "trick" to engage everyone - ask questions. It's not just about YOU! It's about everyone! I don't always do a good job, but I try. I think that's why every casual Zoom call requires a moderator to keep the conversation going and to encourage everyone to participate. 

While they were chatting and answering questions, I had something important to work on. 

M is getting married in just over three weeks! Oh my --- how did that date come up so quickly? And she is following the tradition of something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. We also added the phrase about the penny for the shoe. And thanks to Jane, who found a penny for the year she was born. 

She had taken care of everything, but needed something old. I couldn't think of anything, but she remembered this little pinafore that I made for her when she was tiny! We have a family photo of her in the dress. She drooled on the embroidery in the yoke, and I don't think she ever wore it again. It's been hanging in the closet for 30 years. I'll take a picture of the dress, which doesn't have quite so much work on it. 

Pinafore for the dress

The dress and pinafore went out to BC with a friend of hers and then came back. She asked if she could use the lace along the bottom to wrap her bouquet in. At first, I was resistant, and then seriously! I gave my head a shake. If she remembers this dress from when she was a babe, the least I can do is let her use the lace. I must remember to learn from my mom what not to do! 

As we chatted yesterday, I attacked the bottom of the ruffle using the seam ripper. 

Time for some ripping

Not wanting that lace to ever come off, there were two rows of stitches - of course, there were, and because of the ruffle, there was almost 4 meters of lace. OK -- it's technically eyelet trim, not lace. I had staystitched the bottom of the ruffle, then stitched the trim onto the bottom of the ruffle, and then topstitched it in place. 

That's a lot of stitching.

It took FOUR hours to carefully remove the trim, but it's off! I just have to remove all the threads from the trim and give it a good press. Amazing how much it has yellowed in thirty years in a dark closet. I'm not washing it -- that's the concept of OLD! I must try to find a new picture of her in the dress - the one that's been sitting in the living room for 30 years is quite faded. 

The trim is off the pinafore.

If the trim comes back in good condition, I can restitch it to the ruffle. Why? I don't know because who the heck would ever dress their kid in a dress like that? Unless it's for a photo! Perhaps if she has a girl someday........ But mission accomplished. Now I have to resize a bowtie for Bear, and I'm waiting for scraps of wedding-dress fabric to arrive so I can make a ring-bearer pillow. 

I'm waiting for my outfit to arrive, as I broke down and just ordered one online. I have to rent a car, check the Hullo ferry schedule, and then I'm done with my wedding plans! 

I also completed another community project quilt! 

Community project quilt - number 5 of 11 - done!

I'll be very happy to get these done, but I also have another grouping of ten of my quilts slated for community projects, and I need to dive into those. I must make some kind of dent in the pile this year, or I'll never get them finished. 

It's definitely a treat to work on something where the backing has already been prepared. But I'd better learn to "like" that task, because there are about 250 community project quilts with ZERO backing or binding. Yippee!!!!

Here was the quote in my tea the other day. OH!!!!

A great quote to live by

I cannot express this fact often enough, and we need to encourage people (quilters) or any other person to embrace this philosophy. We NEED to make mistakes, we need to fail, we need to embrace all those so-perceived negative things. Because if we become used to the negative things, we don't feel bad when something really bad happens. We will have developed coping mechanisms to get over it. Today, the youth do not have those abilities (not all), and it's hard for them when something goes wrong, and they develop anxiety! 

Can you imagine being shielded from failure all your life, and then going out into the world and facing failure for the first time as an adult? You'll have a meltdown! 

The section in The Celestine Prophecy I am currently reading is about children, encouraging them to grow, and giving them your full attention. OH boy -- if the author could see the world today, where parents are walking their children to school, and the parent is on the phone. Why are other people on the phone more important than the little one in front of you? 

I really think this book could be rewritten as a "self-help" type book. Outline the nine principles and forget the story. Although the story helps illustrate each of the nine principles. Actually, when you look at it from that perspective, the storyline is pretty clever. While the storyline is so contrived, I'm enjoying the book and really, really believe in these nine principles. It's about self-awareness, energy, and how to get it, and living in harmony with each other and the planet. But I'm curious why the author feels it necessary to give each character the main character meets an age?  

Perhaps I'd better take the lesson from the dealing with children section and apply it to Murphy. I was on the phone for quite a bit yesterday and sat in the gazebo to make the calls. 

Of course, she wanted it to be all about her! And this was her adoring face, only because I took her ball away from her! 

Mom - give me the ball, I'll be good! I'm a good girl!

It's almost like the instant I sat down, she grabbed a ball and threw it into the pond. Her acts are so intentional that you can't help but smile. But then, when I don't pay attention to her, she barks! And she doesn't like to be disciplined, won't be quiet, and you can't catch her. Indeed, one very naughty girl! 

MOM - the pond is a magnet for the ball!

At one point, she finally got the message that we were not playing ball, and she lay like this - staring at the ball. 

MOM - My ball is beautiful!

If the ball comes close enough to the edge, she can pick it out. But it's more fun to have someone throw the ball! 

The rabbits in our neighborhood are pretty bold. They hang out along the walk, and for the most part, Murphy can contain herself, but she can get hysterical. Lexi just wants to play with them. 

The rabbits are bold in our neighborhood.

After dinner, I attempted to work on the jigsaw puzzle. While my butterflies and birds are more together, I'm still a long way from being finished. I need to start moving those pieces into the proper position in the puzzle. I love having the puzzle on the end of the table like this because I can swing my chair around and work from THREE sides! All the pieces are on those boards, which are out of the way. But notice how many pieces I have lying in the puzzle. And I can't find homes for them. Yet............

Progress on the puzzle

This morning, as I walked by (the puzzle is too big to be completely covered by the boards), I noticed that I'm getting a lot of work done in the bottom-left corner. Notice how the corner is floating; it's not connected to the left or bottom border! 

A floating corner!

The cleaning ladies are coming today, so there are a few things I haven't finished (sorting books I don't want), and I must take care of them this morning. It's a good thing to have a cleaning service because it forces you to deal with the "junk" that has accumulated since they last came by! 

I'll have to tell you the story of the cleaning lady another day! I have a few things to put in the garage so they can be packed in the car for the upcoming quilt retreat, and I have things in the kitchen which will get plunked into the office, which is why the office is never clean and tidy! One day!!!!

There is a virtual retreat this weekend. Saturday evening, starting at 6 PM, and Sunday, starting at 3 PM. I'll post the links later this week, but in the meantime, you can add that to your calendar if you want to attend. It throws the Zoom security computer into a tizzy if I post the links on a public blog! Remember what I said about our Monday Zoom -- the information sharing and the way it makes you realize you are not alone in any aspect of your life are priceless. 

And on that happy note, I'm off to tidy up a bit and get a LOT of items checked off the to-do list. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

To-Do Lists

I see I am not the only one who pushes the long arm to the limits! Yes—you can get away with minimal excess on the backing, BUT only if it is your quilt and you are the operator! It's fiddly, and you must babysit that thing along all the edges! And sometimes things happen, like when the pin (I no longer use clamps) that holds the elastic grip on the side gets caught on the machine bed. I had to do a wee bit of ripping yesterday. But not a big deal because I was standing there and could press STOP. But if I hadn't been there? It would have been a big mess!

Have you ever noticed how so many little things accumulate on your "to-do" list? Just things around the house that need to be put away, fixed, or whatever. It drives me mad, and I finally had to write out a list (a long one) this morning so nothing would be forgotten. I hate having a long list. 

Here is the next community project quilt - done. This one was tight along the sides, and I had to join a small strip of batting on the end. But it's done and trimmed! That is number four of eleven. 

Community project quilt - number 4 of 11

And then I spent quite a bit of time making the backing for the next one. There are three different fabrics in this one. Some of the fabrics were strips, so it took some time to join them. It looks just fine, and it's helping to use up those flannel bits that are hanging around. The batting is also pieced and ready to go, but this one will get quilted tomorrow, so I'm ahead of the game!

The backing for the community project quilt #5

While I'm babysitting the quilt, I'm also trying to clear up those tables - yet again. This is a constant job. Anyway, I have the Trendtex challenge sitting there. I came up with an idea pretty much before I ordered the kit. I missed the April 30 deadline for the quilt to be judged. And I knew the deadline for it to be in the auction was coming up. I checked that date yesterday. Hmm -- May 20. I guess I won't be making a Trendtex challenge (for Quilt Canada in June). You know what? I'm OK with that. I took all the fabrics, put them in their respective color baskets, and tossed the paperwork. 

The Trendtex Challenge kit

I removed the Trendtex challenge tag from the Visual To-Do list and wrote on the back that I did not complete it. Am I upset? Not in the least. Things happen. I find that with this particular challenge, the fabrics are always very difficult to work with, not only in the type of fabric (the one on the left is a heavier weight than the other cotton ones), but also in the colors. 

Personally, I'd like to see a more cohesive coloring that would make it easier to blend (you can't add any extra fabrics), and perhaps more people would participate. Well, they typically get close to 100 quilts, so maybe they don't need or want more people to participate. Bottom line -- it didn't happen for me this year, and I'm OK with that. 

I typically participate in two challenges a year: Trendtex and Cherrywood. I'm not always a fan of Trendtex's fabrics, and the Cherrywood is getting so expensive. I think I might refrain from doing them in the future. I like making challenge quilts, so I may decide to make my own challenge. I'll have to think of a theme and go from there. Hmm --- what could the topic be? Or the fabric? 

Then I found this small table mat that was hanging around. I had used an orphan block (from a raffle quilt for the Brampton Quilter's Guild - many years ago) and tried a new edge finishing. The piece is completely done, and why is it still hanging around? So it went in the binding sample box, and one more thing off the table. 

A small table mat is complete.

And I stitched the final two half-square triangles from that group I was working on the other day, and those are now put away. 

The final two HSTs from a group

All these little things take up a lot of time and mental energy! But I wanted to get back to those two winter quilts. I decided to bypass the appliqué for a bit and settled on the next two blocks, which required a TON of half-square triangles!

This is what I accomplished last night. I finished an audiobook while I was working. If the book is good, that keeps me sewing. If the book is long and boring, then I struggle to stay focused! I know - abandon those books, but I can't!

Working on HSTs for my quilt

But I know why I work in groups of four! I start with a group of squares for the half-square triangles and sew one side of the pairs. And while you can't see it in this photo, the projection setting on the PFAFF creative icon 2 makes it so fast, with ZERO marking! I love that and will never (hopefully) be without a sewing machine with that feature! 

Sewing one side of the squares for the HSTs

Then, so it isn't totally boring and repetitive, I turn the row around and sew the second seam on two squares. Then I cut them apart, press, and trim. 

Working in a group of four

Last night, I finished one book and started another, and I thought it was going to be a bore, but it's quite interesting. I'll tell you a bit more in a minute. So I was on a roll, sewing, pressing, and trimming to my heart's content, and continued this morning.

Lots of trimming of HSTs

I also decided to tackle one more group of HSTs that had already been sewn. So, while I worked on four HSTs for my project, I pressed four of the other HSTs and trimmed the two sets simultaneously. 

And look how many of this group I got trimmed!! I was pretty pleased with my progress. And before you know it, I will be done with this group. 

Trimming another group of HSTs

As for the HSTs for my block, I got this many done! I'm over halfway done, and I should be able to make short work of those. I certainly can't count, though. I had to manually calculate how many squares I needed, and I ended up cutting way too many! 

Progress on the HSTs for my winter quilt

I'm determined to use up these meds that the doctor gave me. The one that requires me to take it at least 30 minutes before eating. The boxes had been sitting on the cutting table all week. And last night, when I closed up shop, I put the container right in the middle of the cutting mat. So it was easy this morning to take the pill, and I consolidated all the pills into one box, which I will leave on the cutting mat. It's now so ingrained in my head that if I forget, well, let's see what happens!

I remembered to take the pill!

Last night, I took some time to work on the puzzle. I find this is a tough one, and with lots of birds and flowers, it's going to be a challenge. I still have not found all the border pieces! But slow and steady! 

Progress on the bird puzzle

I was going to work on the table assembly, but the first step of the instructions, which I had not looked at before, said to lay the tabletop upside down. Oh— I guess I need to bring the tabletop downstairs. A job for later today. 

The other job I had to do was clean the printer's print heads. The blue one is clogged, and I need to print something that requires all colors to work. 

Trying to clean the print heads

I Googled it to see what I could use from around the house, as I don't have an official cleaning kit. I used rubbing alcohol, and it didn't work the first time. So I soaked the heads again, and we'll see what happens. If that doesn't work, I'm just buying a new printer. This one is quite old, and I can't connect the app to my new computer, so it may just be telling me it's time. I hate to get rid of it since it still works, but not the blue ink, which is OK for printing text but not for anything in color. The problem is that we don't print much, so of course, the print heads are going to get clogged. Hmmm -- I need to figure out something, even if we get a new printer, the same thing will happen eventually. 

The print heads

Do you think Murphy is trying to tell me something? She just looks so dejected. How could you not grab the ball and throw it a couple of times? 

MOM - I'm so bored!!!!

And then when she decides she needs a nap, it's RIGHT where I need to stand when I'm on the long arm. Oh, Murphy—we love you, but you can be a bit too demanding!

MOM - I'm exhausted from playing ball

I swear that children would be less of an issue than she is! But we love her to death! 

When I went for my afternoon walk, I spotted some lilacs that were just coming into bloom. I love how they smell! It started off as a warmish day, then it rained, and we did get some sun, but it never got to the point where you wanted to sit outside. Which is probably a good thing, although I have several jobs that can be done anywhere, so I won't mind sitting outside. 

Lilacs in bloom

Let me tell you about the audiobook I started yesterday. It's called The Celestine Prophecy: An Adventure by James Redfield. I'm not sure where I got the recommendation to read this book, but it's been on my HOLD list for well over one year. It's kind of a philosophy/spiritual book, but it's a novel, and I was a bit apprehensive as I started to read. Yes -- it's very contrived, but it does have some very good messages (about life and the earth), and I'm actually enjoying it a lot! Who knew! It's better than women suffering at the hands of their husbands or fathers. 

I was very curious about the book because of the long wait, and I just had a peek at its reviews. There are a lot of cheesy things about the book, and as I mentioned, it's very contrived, but if you look past that, there are a lot of good messages about our planet and how we interact with it. And without saying anything like "forest bathing," he talks about the energy one gets from nature! I couldn't agree more! 

After this one, I have two more audiobooks on my shelf, and then I can release something that is on suspend hold, or I might just get that murder mystery and enjoy the break! 

I have two things to take care of on the Visual To-Do list, which shouldn't take long, and then I'll share a before (January 1) and after (now). I've made good progress, but I still have a lot of things to do this year. I truly believe they are all doable this year, and I shall continue to work on them. It's been a great tool to allow me to focus. 

I didn't see the fish at all yesterday, and I'm starting to remove more debris from the bottom of the pond. There is a LOT of dirt and leaves in the bottom of the section without the lilies, and I am determined to get most of it out this year. Trust me, I'm checking very carefully that I'm not accidentally scooping up one of my expensive fish! 

Well, I'm off to tackle that massive list of things that need to be done. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!