Another senior moment

I don't feel (and hopefully don't act) like a senior. However, how the heck do we expect seniors to act these days? When we were kids - being past 50 meant you were practically an antique and had one foot in the grave. Today - it's like being in your 30s. We can still do so much, and we're still YOUNG! 

I feel strange asking for senior discounts at stores. I am more experienced, but I don't think I'm too like a senior. But I had another chuckle yesterday. I was at the bulk food store to pick up a few staples this time. As usual, I walked there - so I may be a senior, but I'm a mobile senior! 

I didn't buy much, so the senior discount would not have been much. The young girl at the cash counter said she would give me the $5 coupon instead as it would be a better deal. I'm OK with that, and I replied that I need help figuring out when the coupon is available and where to get it. To be honest, I was being lazy! So she responds, "Well, maybe you can get someone to help you find it with Google!" I almost wet my pants laughing (to myself) on that one! 

No worries -- life should be about laughing and enjoying, and there is never an end to the chuckles at my house. 

However, there was a very sad moment, and I felt this one to the core. OK - don't panic - it was nothing serious. 

But this happened. What? An empty table, you say? That's not just an empty table - that's where my Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC 2 sat for the last four years. The SUNSET one - the hot pink and orange colored sewing machine! 

An empty table in Studio B

Alas, with the new one (EPIC 3) arriving, I need the space, and I certainly don't need so many top-of-the-line machines. So I sold it. I spent a couple of hours explaining how it worked, and then it got packed up, and it was gone. 

Bye Bye SUNSET Epic 2

I always keep the boxes for the embroidery units and the machines - my cold room under the front step is crammed with stuff, and I need to make room for the new boxes to go. So, the old ones got dug out. Needless to say, it looks terrible downstairs at the moment, but I'm getting rid of boxes and moving boxes, and hopefully, by the end of the weekend, all will be back in order. 

A box explosion

I didn't take a picture of the machine before it went, but in case you don't remember the colors -- these are the exact colors. The front was white, the base was orange, and the back was pink. I was at the dollar store to find something for DH, and this RANDOM set of baskets appeared before my eyes. They were not in the basket section and seemed to be the ONLY set! How could I leave them? It'll be a reminder of my Sunset EPIC 2. YES -- in light of what I'll show you later, I did NOT need these! 

SUNSET colored baskets

The EXIT Game Advent Calendar is right on track. My mind goes blank whenever I read the story page and then open the daily box. How are we going to solve this one? Then I leave and go back, and then you start thinking. Between our two sets of logic, we've done very well. We only needed the help book for the day when the little emoji disk was missing. We don't just whip through it, but we ponder and discuss, and then - VOILA -- there's the answer. 

The escape room of the day!

Then something dreadful happened after dinner. Well, not dreadful -- amazing how words can conjure up visions of doom and gloom. But it was a mess. 

I needed to find something and couldn't put it off any longer. I've been dreading searching for it for the last couple of weeks. Last night was my time to look. I was pretty sure it was on the desk in the office. 

Now, I will rightfully admit that this could look like I'm a hoarder. And while I like things, and YES - I have too much, I'm not a hoarder. I'm trying to GET RID of stuff. I've been through the entire house, except the office, and we've gotten rid of so much stuff. I estimate the first time around, we got rid of a third of what was in the house? No furniture, but stuff! But once this office is done, I'm starting again at the top and working my way down. Watch out, Murphy and Lexi - you could be next! I know that will never happen, but there are days!

So there was a huge pile on this desk, and in reality, I'd like to be able to use the desk to work. For someone who does as much paperwork as I do, I have ZERO room where my computer is to work. It's been the bane of my life for a long time. I can't buy new furniture until the mess is cleaned and I can see what's what. I may NOT need anything new - just rearrange what I have. 

To clear off the table a while back, I piled everything on the desk. I would hate to show you what the table looks like right now. There are a few empty boxes on it. DO NOT yell at me for that - the boxes are there so I can fill them with stuff to donate. 

I forgot to take a picture before I started, but those boxes on the floor were on the desktop. And so the archaeological dig began. 

The site of a modern archaeological dig

Good grief - I found a bulk pack of embroidery needles. Well, I can certainly use those. 

Bulk pack of embroidery needles

A stack of Canadian Quilter Association brochures from Quilt Canada 2016 or 2017. They were in a box, and well, they are now in the recycling. 

Canadian Quilter's Association brochures

My daughter's name tag when she worked at McDonald's MANY years ago. That went in her keepsake box. 

Name badge

Murphy's old dog tag. Yes - she managed to rip the tag open. Meanwhile, Miss Lexi still has her original tag. My sweet girl! I guess we do not need to keep this! 

Murphy's old dog tag

A folder of paper that needs to be filed or recycled. 

Paper to file

DO NOT YELL at me for this one, but another stack of paper on a chair needs to be filed. I'm sure by now that many of those papers could be tossed, but good grief - filing is NOT my forte! However, I think the filing cabinet will need to be cleaned before. There is still room in it, but what's the point of adding crap to crap. So that is a task that I face SOON! 

More paper to file

Several boxes of stuff went into the kitchen, so I can deal with those. There's a box of electric waste and a box of pens and pencils that I will donate to the local school, and that will give some kids some fun sorting through it all. A box that is designated to be dropped at the thrift store. I also found some product boxes from electronic devices that need to be recycled. I was going to complain to the companies that produced them about the waste in packaging, but I didn't. 

Sorting process

HEY -- there is that second pair of earbuds I've wanted to find! The ones I have won't charge past 10%, which is pretty useless, and I want to try this pair. I miss them on my Zoom calls. 

My earbuds!

I found not one but TWO "WINNING" lottery tickets. Let's pray they were not winners because they are past the date of claiming any prizes. Lesson learned - if you buy a lottery ticket - at least put it somewhere where it can be checked. 

Past their prime lottery tickets

So, I could sort and file or toss quite a bit. But then there is the crap in life. Those little things pile up, and you don't know what to do with them. This is the stuff you get as freebies (never PICK up freebies as they have CLUTTER written all over them!)

Stuff!

Good grief - I even found a brand-new set of glass nail files that I bought at Quilt Market in 2017. Never touched. 

Nail files

OK -- I will allow you to say that I have HOARDING tendencies because I'm doing what hoarders do. They acquire things and never use them. It's in my genes, and it's a mental illness, and I'm trying my hardest to not let it take over my life or my home. I'm doing great - I just need to get over the hurdle in the office. I've made HUGE leaps and bounds in this place, so I'm not worried. 

So, I grabbed these paint chips for some reason. But why? I have one person to ask before I toss them. I hate to do that, but what else would I need them for? I think it was some kind of art project. 

Paint chips

I found a large piece of fabric. Why did I buy that? No idea - I don't remember it. 

A piece of fabric

Oh gosh - it gets worse. An IKEA catalogue from July 1, 2015. Why? 

Dated IKEA catalog

Oh - the things I found - a urine sample bottle. There is no need to keep that, as I have since done the urine sample. NO - I do not need to keep it for dead needles or whatever. It's going out!

And then the desktop looked like this, which is alright. But then I kept going because I still hadn't found what I was looking for. HEY -- isn't that a song? Yes, it is - by U2. 

Clean-up in progress

By the time I was done, I had added to the crap on the desktop that needs to be sorted. I know -- I should NOT do that, but I did. The trick now is to nibble away at it every day until it's dealt with, and there will be days, like yesterday when I was at it for several hours. 

The dribs and drabs of life to sort

But if I could manage at least half of that mess at this point, that would be HUGE towards tidying up this place! OK -- I must make a valiant attempt since things are quiet at my house. 

OK -- you want to know if I found what I was looking for? Of course I did! But it was NOT on the desk. 

It was out in plain sight on the bookcase! I got a chuckle out of that. 

Found object!

And yes, those bookcases also need a bit of TLC, but they are in decent shape, so I'm not worried about them. My plan was to get the floor cleared. I did that a while ago. Then, I cleared the tabletop, leaving the desktop to deal with. I may get the desktop done and then just start all over again and pick one piece of furniture at a time in the office to empty, clean, and sort. Let's get through this mess on the desktop first! 

What I need to do is FINISH the bits that are partially sorted. Get rid of anything we don't want,  need, or can be recycled. Then and only then should I attempt to uncover more stuff! 

The bookcases

AHA -- I bet you also want to know about my applique. I didn't get to the sewing machine yesterday, but this morning, I managed to get the final bits of applique done. 

The final applique block

All that remains is to press and trim this piece and sew it into the quilt. 

So I'm in good shape for two of the three classes on Friday and Saturday. The third one? Well, I have all day tomorrow to deal with it. Today, I have plans! Everything popped up as a result of stuff that happened yesterday, and today is now shot! But that's OK. 

And on that note, I'm out of here! I have much to do today, and I must get started.

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Trifecta!!!

Oh my --- I had a busy day, but I don't have much to show! But I tried, and what doesn't get completely finished, at least, is a sample. The finishing will come later! I trust the people looking at the samples aren't going for finesse -- we're going for the inspiration and the ideas! Plus, I have some finished samples. 

But the day started with the two Zoom classes, which went great! I am passionate about teaching, and well, I'm just darn good at it! No one toots their own horn often enough, but I'll say that I'm a pretty good teacher. I'm not a patient person, but when I'm teaching, I am. It's weird how that happens. 

And teaching on Zoom means the students walk away with so much more than they would in person. Video recordings, copies of slides, and so much more! I was up late last night sending out all the follow-up information, and I have one more class to send off stuff this morning. 

Then I'm all caught up until next weekend! 

I'm whittling down the list of classes and clubs being offered next year. I'm combining two of them into one and eliminating another. I'm compiling a list of what I'll be doing next year. I'll give you one hint. There will be NO PROJECTS - i.e., quilts I'll teach personally. I'll continue what's on the schedule, but after that, NO NEW PROJECTS, unless it's with a shop. That eliminates another two classes, and there will be no Jen Kindwell remedial, so there goes one more. 

The trick will be to NOT replace any of those with anything. I need the time to work on samples and to have days off when I can do something other than sewing! An entire day! So I'm making progress at this "downsizing" my time thing!

So here's part of what happened at my house. And please remember that these are not my machines -- it's a perk of the job I spend copious amounts of time doing. There has to be some reward somewhere. 

OK -- the first one is my machine. 

Let's fire up machine number one. 

The Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC 2

Anyway -- this machine spent most of the day embroidering ONE thing. And it's stunning. I won't show you yet, but I must spend more time embroidering. I love the results. 

Part of what I was working on was an experiment that went well but not as well as I expected. There are two things that I learned. And here's something to think about for next year. I plan on hosting a class that is focused 100% on marrying our technology together -- digital cutters, sewing machines, embroidery machines, and embroidery software. Watch for more details on that, but it's going to be super exciting and will blow your socks off with what we're going to do! You do NOT need an embroidery machine to participate!

Anyway, thank goodness I checked that I had an extra spool of thread because I emptied the first one! 

One spool of thread bites the dust

Then, it was onto machine number two. Oh my -- -what a beauty!!!! Yes -- I am spoiled, but I work hard!

Husqvarna Viking DESIGNER EPIC 3

It was also set up to do embroidery. Again -- another experiment. Actually, two of them -- and they both worked out beautifully. All new stuff!!!

Using the free arm embroidery hoop!

And then, for the trifecta, let's get the third machine going. 

The PFAFF creative icon 2

It was also set up to do embroidery and, again -- another experiment. I'm happy to say that this also worked quite well. It was really a test of the Embellishment Attachment, and now I can do the real thing. OH -- wait until you see -- it's adorable!!!

Using the Embellishment attachment

Let's just say that the areas around those machines were a mess of tools, scraps of fabric, or thread. Studio B is a bit scary right now! 

Messy area!!!

This was an accident waiting to happen -- presser feet mixed in with the scraps, so I cleaned that up before I threw anything valuable away. 

Another mess

And to top it off, I had the digital cutter working. 

Using the digital cutter to cut fabric

Again -- another experiment. It seems that everything I do is trying new things. Imagine if I were the timid type! I wouldn't survive long in this job with new stuff, ideas, and supplies coming out all the time. 

Speaking of finishing things - I need to get better. I have a couple of small samples that I thought would look great on a presentation board. This is a 9 by 12" artist's canvas. I attempted to use tape to secure the back, but that looked back. So, I tried spray glue. The glue has dried somewhat, so it doesn't look nearly as bad!

Using spray glue to mount the sample

Those are NOT perfectly entered corners. They make it look so easy on a video. I will cover the back with another fabric and fuse it in place, but for the moment, this will work. The sample is stinking cute, and I'll share it later. I don't want to steal any thunder from my presentations. 

But I managed to get glue on my fingers, and then I was working with something fuzzy, and I had fuzz all over my hands!!!

Sticky!

Again -- if anyone wants to check out a presentation by myself on the NEW Husqvarna Viking DESIGNER EPIC 3, I'll be at Hamilton Sewing on Thursday and K& A Quilt Shop on Friday. Check out the links to get signed up. Some of the sessions are already sold out. 

I'll be in North Bay and Sudbury later this month - Gem Sewing, North Bay on November 15th, and Sudbury on November 17th. Then at Brampton Sew n Serge at the end of the month - November 24th. 

For those in the West, I'll be in Winnipeg at Carellen Sewing from November 27th to 29th to show off the DESIGNER EPIC 3. I'll be doing other events in Winnipeg, so call the store.

On that note, I have an early start this morning, and the car is only partly packed (in the garage). I need to get that done, walk the girls (short one), pack a few clothes, and I'm off to meet a bunch of local Husqvarna Viking dealers today!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

A thief amongst us

I love when I have a deadline but it's not knocking on my door. I was able to get a lot done yesterday and worked towards the two projects with imminent deadlines, but I was relaxed, and it was a great day! 

Almost all the embellishments for the Cherrywood Challenge are done. I still have some work on the two final pieces, and both will be a bit fiddly, but I'm putting that on the back burner because I have something else that needs to be done first. I also made significant progress on that, and the first part is complete. There are three bits left to finish on that project. 

To finish the bits, I'm learning more about technology! Now that my Scan and Cut is sitting out, I'm determined to make that thing work! I have a goal, and I accomplished part of that goal this morning. A lot more experimenting to do.  

I started out in EQ8 to design a block. I'm using the applique tools, and WOW -- that's so much fun. I was "afraid" of that tool in the past. Seriously??? What is wrong with me? So I played around with the tool. Wouldn't it be great fun if the Scan and Cut could cut my shapes? Well, it can. 

I printed the templates and played with various options to make the shape BOLD, and then I loaded that paper into the scan and cut and SCANNED the images. In mere seconds, I had SVG files of my project. YES!!!  I mean -- it's not rocket science, and it's just a matter of knowing your way around the super simple cutter functions. That two-hour class I took a couple of weeks ago was AMAZING. 

Scanning my EQ8 templates

I used my handy dandy scraper I bought last week to ensure that the paper was well secured before scanning. 

My scrapper for digital cutting

Then I took a piece of fabric and put Heat n Bond on the back. I loaded that onto the cutting mat, and it went into the Scan and Cut. 

The fabric is loaded onto the cutting mat

So, while the fabric didn't cut as clean as I would like it -- I used the auto settings, and I may have missed something, it did cut. What's most important is that the fabric didn't budge! It was solid, and I had to peel it off. There's a learning curve ahead to make this work perfectly, but I'm confident that it WILL work. It's like our sewing machines; just because it says AUTO doesn't mean that we don't have to tweak things! 

And my fusible didn't seem to be well stuck in some places. But here's the thing --- let's say that I'm OK with manually cutting that shape. How much time will I save by having the Scan and Cut TRACE the image onto the fabric? OH YES --- I can see where I will be using this. I want it to cut, so I'll be experimenting this morning as I finish my projects. I'll try cutting and tracing -- just because I can, and I KNOW how to make it happen. 

I may increase the cutting pressure by 1 and see what happens!!

WOW --- that just opened up a TON of options! This will work for English Paper Piecing if you have a lot to do with the same fabric. You could, at minimum, trace all the shapes onto the fabric and cut them by hand. Or if you were really good -- you could cut using the cutter. I wonder if I missed a setting where I was using a bonded fabric?? Oh -- that was a command for a different brand. I think I need to change the pressure or the blade depth slightly. 

I would NOT use it for cutting shapes where I could use my rotary cutter -- NO cutting device will ever be as fast as the rotary cutter!

I do have one problem with the cutter. My power bar in that area is not large enough, and I have to unplug something to plug it in. 

An octopus of power cords!

OK -- we need to start our SVG club NOW. I want to get feedback from the other group members. I have things to share!!!!

So I was sitting at the computer in the morning, and I heard Murphy moving around, and then I heard something that wasn't quite right. I ignored it for a few seconds and then thought I'd better check. Having Murphy in the house is like having a naughty toddler. 

Murphy! Bad doggy!!!

Murphy! What are you eating?

What does she have in her paws? 

Mom -- I was trying to help by getting the label off!

That would be a ball of yarn that I recently purchased and hadn't put in the box where it belongs. There were two balls, and I guess she liked the orange one best. Oh, Murphy!!!!  She didn't cut the yarn, which is good -- not like when she stole a spool of thread and, with one bite, cut the spool into lengths of about 12 inches! But she was trying to take the label off! 

She stole the yarn from here!

Both skeins of yarn are safely put away!

Murphy, this is what you are supposed to be playing with. And she is so persistent with that ball. She will sit and whine if it goes under the furniture. A note for future furniture buying --- the pieces will go RIGHT to the floor or be very high off the floor, so no balls can get stuck. Guess who has to get on their hands and knees to rescue the ball? 

MOM -- this is my favorite toy!

And all she wants is to play ball. Throw it for me! Mom -- throw it for me!! Throw it NOW!!!

I had to make some bias tape the other day, and I discovered something. There are two kinds of tape makers -- the one with fusible tape on the back and one without. 

¼The front of the bias strips

The back of the bias strips

While they were both made with the ¼" tape maker, I find that the one without the tape is slightly narrower. 

One version is slightly narrower than the other

And why is that important? I once made yards and yards (about 50 yards) of bias tape using the tape, and it was slightly too wide to go around the tight bends of my project. I should dig that project out again and see if I can enlarge the pattern to make it. It was gorgeous!!!

Use the bias tape maker with NO fusible tape to get a narrow bias

I got to one of the sewing machines late in the afternoon, and YES -- there was the update. 

The Designer EPIC 2 downloading the update

I love how the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC 2 keeps track of how many hours of sewing and embroidery it's done. It doesn't seem like much, but this is the amount of time the needle has been in motion. And we do a ton of other stuff when the needle isn't moving. Plus, I work on MANY sewing and embroidery machines, so this one doesn't get used all the time. 

My time spent with the Designer EPIC 2

Once the update was downloaded, I got the message to install or wait.

Install now or wait

I decided to install it at that moment. It took about 15 minutes to do the update, which was great. And I didn't have to leave the house. 

Updating the embroidery machine

This update now allows me to use the new metal hoop, and I downloaded the new designs for the metal hoop as well. I didn't have time to look for that info, but I'll try later today. 

The pond is now open, and the sound of the water falling is glorious. 

The pond is open

There are three waterfalls in it. You can bet that Murphy will be in there like a dirty shirt -- playing on the rocks and in the water. OH, MOM --- this is fun!! I can hear her now!

One of the waterfalls

 I have to try and get a few more leaves out of the pond. They did a fast job of opening -- basically just connected the pump. I don't want all those leaves accumulating over the summer, so out they come! And I need to do it before the lily pads start to grow. 

I'm progressing on the Pacific Crest Trail, and I am at 75% of the way and currently in Oregon. As a quilter, do you all know what's in Oregon???  Well, look where I am. 

Close to Sisters, Oregon

Yes --- I'm as close to Sisters, Oregan as I could get on the PCT. I might have to go to their outdoor quilt show and then spend a day or two hiking the trail. One more trip for the bucket list. I'm going to have to quit my day jobs!!!

Speaking of going forward, I think this tire is toast. Thankfully, it's NOT my tire. I spotted this on my walk yesterday morning. Hmm -- you think they came home on that tire? It sure looks like it, and the back tire on the same side was flat. It wasn't shredded, but it was flat. 

The tire is tired

The car was one that a somewhat experienced person had tried to fix up. A bad paint job in places and no logos on it. You get the picture, but good grief --- could they not change the tire? I wonder how far they went on that shredded tire? 

Well, that's it for today. I'm off to finish off that project -- it's simple, but it's cute. It's for a magazine and well, if you make something too complicated, people don't want to make it. This is a quick project that you could do over a weekend. That's my kind of project -- at least right now!

So if you have a digital cutter -- get it OUT!!! You just need to play with it to make it work. I have lots of plans for my cutter, and I'm going to try marking the design for the next shape rather than having the cutter cut it. Just because I can. It's all about learning. 

And then, if I really wanted to, I could take that SAME file from EQ8 and bring that into mySewnet machine embroidery software and create the embroidery file to do the stitching! That is my ULTIMATE goal, but not for this project. I will do it for the embroidery club (I hope I have enough time). WOW --- endless possibilities!!!!

So much to learn, so little time. But I love being able to take all my tools and software and marry them!! WOW  --- my brain is about to go into overload! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!