A minor loss

 OK --- I tried to come up with a catchy title regarding toenails, but I didn't want to gross anyone out with a title. I'm happy to report that one of the two toenails fell off, and the second one, the one that was black and blue, is looking much better. Yeah!!!! Baby steps, and it's incredible to see the new, teeny-tiny toenail growing in place. It makes you wonder why we even need them. 

If you do some research on this, a toenail that falls off can happen for many reasons. My trauma occurred when I descended Mount Kilimanjaro. And it's mostly because your toes hit the end of your shoe and get bruised, causing the nail to separate from the nailbed. Or something to that effect. 

This time, I don't think that was the cause at all. My shoes were huge - almost too big for me. What I think is happening is that I grip the inside of my shoes with my toes, and of course, with the constant downhill, I have a grip of death with those toes. I suspect that intense pressure dislodged the toenail. It is only my right foot - the left has zero issues. 

The same with bunions, blisters, calluses - it's all on one foot and not the other. I strongly suspect it's all because of that darn toe that broke some years ago. So when the medical people say, "We don't set broken toes," I think that is wrong. I am suffering (OK -- suffering might be a strong word), but I have many issues with that right foot because of that broken toe. 

So I'm adding that to my list of things to take care of in October besides the grooming for Murpy, and other appoinrtments for me. I need to see a podiatrist to see if we can solve this issue once and for all. It's just darn annoying. And I want confirmation that my gait has changed because of how that broken toe sits. 

I've been wearing a sock on that foot constantly to protect the nails from catching on anything. One down and one to go!!! I'm sure if there were a nurse around, they would "rip" that other toenail off as well. But I'm letting nature do its thing!

Yesterday was a very long day, but I get totally energized by what I'm doing, and so I'm like the Energizer Bunny and I just keep going!

I was up very early and loaded the car. I didn't take pictures, but it was packed as I had an embroidery machine and two large suitcases in there besides some of the other samples. I'm getting good as it only took about 10 minutes to load, but where were those men to help me when I needed them! Thanks again to the gentlemen at the Buckhorn Quilt Show who loaded my car when I was leaving. 

Then I was off in the dark! I guess you know that it's very dark in the mornings now! Thankfully, the traffic wasn't too bad on the highway, but there are a lot of trucks. 

As I worked my way down to Windsor, Ontario, I thought of many people that I "passed" along the 401. You need something to keep you occupied as you drive! So people who live in Londa, Chatham-Kent, and many other places along the way. I stopped twice - once at Tim's to get some breakfast and once to take a bathroom break. I was fine with the driving, and all was good. 

Sunrise at the OnRoute stop

Thank goodness for Google Maps, because it brought me to the exact place and at the exact time it said I would arrive. I also used it last night to get to my hotel. For a minute, I thought it had gone crazy. The event is in Harrow, but there are no hotels around, so I had to drive to Windsor for a hotel. Lots of crazy little roads and then poof -- I'm in the city. OK - the roads were not little, nor were they crazy, just typical roads in the country! 

We have a great group of people at the machine embroidery workshop. And all levels - some of them are very experienced or very comfortable with their machines, while others are total newbies. 

So they managed to get the project done, although not without MANY questions. That is a result of people not understanding their embroidery machine, and I get it - we all have to start somewhere. Still, they definitely need to create something every day (at least until they get it) so they don't forget what buttons they need to push to make that happen. I'll be giving them a little chat about that later today. 

We started with a small project in the hoop, and then we moved on to an appliqué project in the hoop. 

One of our projects yesterday

I didn't get all the cardholders in that picture, but we are a fairly large group. 

Meals are provided, but people eat and rush back to their embroidery machines. Which makes me laugh, but they are excited and eager to learn, so let's run with it!!!

Then, after dinner, I presented a trunk show of all things machine embroidery. Some of it was commercial designs that I stitched, but most of it is stuff that I created from thin air! Well, with the help of my embroidery machine and the Creativate Embroidery Software. I will never forget when I first purchased that software back in 2008 or somewhere thereabouts. 

And can I just stop here for a minute and say that while I am NOT a fan of using AI for writing (only editing), it does a fantastic job at providing a synopsis of any question you ask it on Google. What stuns me is the speed at which it compiles that information. Of course, we must remember that it only compiles what it reads, so if what it reads is garbage, then the symposis is garbage. So beware, but it's good. 

Anyway, I saw that software demoed at a Creative Festival, way back, and I was enamored with it. However, I got it home, opened the software, and was like a deer in headlights. I had no clue where to start. I played around with it a bit, but had no idea what it could do. Now, many years later and several versions later, I'm still learning it, but I'm way more proficient than I was before. 

Of course, I did not book a hotel room before I left. How crazy would that be? I did check to see what the availability and prices were like, and knew I would find something. And I had no trouble finding a room, and can you believe that before taxes, it was under $100!!!! And it's a very decent room and clean. That's all I ask — I don't need fancy. 

So I'm now ready to go. We have a lot to cover today, and I'll be heading home later this evening. I'm sure it'll be slow, as I'll probably need to stop for a nap. I'm much better at driving in the morning than I am at night. 

And I'm almost finished with my audiobook - A Two Spirit Journey. It is unbelievable what happened to this person in their life. She overcame so much, only to be thrown another curveball, and yet she overcame that as well. I can only imagine how difficult it is and was for a gay person to exist in a world of heterosexuals when it was/is "wrong" to be gay. I'm not going into more detail than that. I don't want any kind of backlash! But wow!!!

And in case you are keeping tabs on me and wondering why I'm not sending out Zoom links for UFO Club tomorrow morning, those will get sent out early tomorrow morning, as I do not have the distribution lists with me. I must learn how to put those on the shared drive so I can access them when I'm not home. 

September 19 and 20 - Machine Embroidery Workshop - Thimble Quilts and Sewing Company, Lasalle, Ontario   --- call the store to get the details and get signed up. This is a great event and loads of information. If you are new to machine embroidery, you will go home an "expert." Or at least a whole lot more confident. 

September 23 - Stitch by Stitch, Kingston, Ontario, A what's new with PFAFF and Husqvarna Viking. Two separate events. Check for times - one is in the afternoon (PFAFF), and the other is in the evening (HV). 

September 25 - Store Opening - Sewing Machine Magic - Cobourg, Ontario. This store sells PFAFF sewing machines, and I'm excited to present a series of demos that day. It's all about the magic!!!!

September 27 - Colour My World (Online class hosted by me) at 9:30 AM. I need to send out an acknowledgment to those who have paid. But you have all the information you need. No supplies required for the first class. An email will be sent out on Sunday regarding the class. 

September 27 and 28 - Virtual Retreat - the links will be posted on my blog next week. 

I need to find another audiobook to listen to, as this one won't last the entire trip home. 

On that note, I'm out of here!!!! Wait -- this was the price of gas last night as I headed into the hotel. I should have filled the car for the trip home, but I was tired. It was almost 10 PM when I fell into bed. 

Cheap gas!!!

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Reflections on QUILTsocial

I had a super fun day yesterday at Sew Productive. We made MONSTERS, which you'll see in a moment. 

I presented a couple of lectures on Husqvarna Viking accessories. I will give one more on Friday and a lecture on quilting at Thimble Quilts and Sewing in Lasalle, Ontario. 

I have written so much about Husqvarna Viking sewing and embroidery machines and almost all the accessories, and you have access to all that information. 

Where do you find it? Well, on QUILTsocial.com, of course. 

So here's the deal: I can't provide links to all the posts. But here are a couple of them and where you can find some of the other information.  

I started writing in June 2014, using the Husqvarna Viking H | Class 100Q. Here's the VERY FIRST blog post from QUILTsocial on June 2, 2014. 

Oh, what we didn't know when Carla asked me to write blog posts for her! And how the blog and I have evolved over the years. If my counting skills are on track this morning, I've reviewed 24 different HV machines. I've reviewed sergers, sewing machines, embroidery machines, and sit-down quilting machines. The machines have ranged from the basic machines like the H | Class 100Q to the top-of-the-line machines as they have been introduced! 

Not only have I chatted about the machines and their amazing capabilities, but I've also used many accessories in my blog posts and provided numerous tutorials. 

I can't even remember the frequency at the beginning, but I'm currently writing one set of 5 blog posts every two months, for a total of 30 blog posts per year. So let's take 9 full years at 30 posts per year - that's 270 blog posts. Then add in the ten I've already done this year, plus the ones from 2014, and some years, I wrote posts in back-to-back months, so I'm safe to say that I've written over 300 blog posts for QUILTsocial!!

Wow --- that's a wealth of information. It's like taking a brain dump and handing it off to you! And I must confess that I love to put in lots of pictures, and my posts are wordy! I hope they are not too wordy! 

All of the information is still valid today! How do you access the posts? Go to QUILTsocial.com and find this menu bar. 

Click on the MACHINES tab, and you'll find a list of all the Husqvarna Viking machines that I've reviewed. You'll also find a list of PFAFF machines that have been reviewed by other people (OH—I think I did the reviews on the sit-down quilter for PFAFF as well), and you'll find some machines by Brother. 

So, if you have a Husqvarna Viking serger, sewing or embroidery machine, or the sit-down quilter, click on the machine, and that'll take you to a list of five posts published in the same week. Sometimes, I've done multiple weeks on the same machine, so check out the "load more posts" at the bottom. Clicking on each post will bring it up, and the posts for that week should be linked to each other at the bottom. Monday will link to Tuesday, etc. However, the separate weeks do not link to each other if they involve the same machine. 

If you find that some posts within a specific week are not linked to each other, let me know, and I'll pass the information along. 

There are also tutorials written by myself and the other bloggers. Here are a couple of my tutorials for making quick gifts. You should never have to purchase a pattern for these essential projects, and you can embellish them however you wish! 

 Journal cover tutorial (follow the links at the bottom of that post to follow posts on more journal cover ideas)

Cushion Cover Tutorial (Part 1)

Cushion cover tutorial (Part 2)

Project Bag Tutorial (Part 1) Follow the links at the bottom to move to the next steps.

Tote Bag Tutorial  (I wrote this one when I was vacationing in PEI for a month in 2015!)

I tend to provide a lot of technical how-to rather than tutorials, so I'm sure I have more tutorials, but those four come to mind. 

Here's some of the technical stuff I write about. 

What's the perfect stitch length, and why? You would be surprised at how many people don't know this. Check the date on this! 

OH MY GOSH  --- You'll love the first picture in this post, which also reviews applique. I was sewing in the gazebo!!!! Oh my --- those ground cover bushes over the pond have grown significantly because the orange frog is still there, but he is now hidden, and I thought the other day about moving him. I'll get a picture today so you can see the difference.

And YES ---I harped about reading the User's Guide even way back then!

In the summer of 2015, I wrote a series of fun posts on what to do while on summer vacation. Here's the first of those! They were all quilt-related, and the pictures came from various trips that summer! 

Oh my --- I just led you down a rabbit hole, and I'm sorry! OK—I'm not! I definitely will go back and reread that series—the posts are short! It was so much fun! 

WAIT -- before I go, here's the picture of the monsters created yesterday. 

The monsters!

The ladies in the class had a blast making them, and part of the fun was choosing their eyes, nose, body shape, and mouth! There were loads of giggles, but it gave them an excellent opportunity to test out the Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90 and the Husqvarna Viking Designer Sapphire 85. So thanks to you all for hosting and attending! And if you want to find out more about either of those two machines, you can simply click on the links, and it'll take you to some QUILTsocial posts I wrote. You can also contact your local Husqvarna Viking Dealer for more information. 

Well, that was a fun trip down memory lane and not what I intended to write about. Sometimes, my hands do not follow what my head says, but it was fun!

I would love a way to capture all the posts I've written. They are too huge to compile into a book, but perhaps I could come up with the best of them? I don't know, but it's loads of fun to check out the older posts. The information in even the first week is still valuable, as you can see if you check out the one with the stitch length information!

On that note, I'm out of here!! I have a "free" day today, during which I can answer some emails, do some embroidery, do more writing, and prepare for the next two days!

If you like ANY of those posts on QUILTsocial, share them with your friends, put the links in guild newsletters, or copy them to your blogs or other social media venues. We need to spread the word about the information in QUILTsocial. It's a hidden gem! 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

Pet Friendly

 I'm at the Quality Inn for the night. Well, the night is gone, and I'm getting ready to start the day. I had to laugh as they asked me when I checked in if I had pets. Can you imagine Murphy and Lexi in a hotel? There's a white duvet on the bed! Nope -- it's not going to happen. 

I laughed at the event as Heather mentioned that she was off to the vet as she has a 7-month-old Golden/lab mix. He's a boy, and she needs him fixed to calm him down. AH  -- good luck with that! They are the most enthusiastic dogs I have ever seen. 

And people friendly. Murphy can be walking along, minding her own business as much as she can, but if someone pays her the slightest attention -- she is all over them. The other day, a neighbor said, "hi,." That's it -- HI, and she went ballistic, thinking it was her duty to return the greeting with tail wags, barking, and tugging to get to meet this human. Ah, Murphy --- you are such a sweetie!! 

So I hope it works for Heather's sake, but I'm not so sure!

The drive went well. I know I can no longer do a three-hour drive at one stretch. The car just lulls me to sleep, so I got up early, packed the car, and was on my way. Believe it or not, at 5 AM, there is little traffic in the city! And within one hour, I was well on the other side of the city. I pulled into a rest stop -- you must LOVE the OnRoute stops along the way. I had a snooze in the car, got some breakfast, and was back on the road. And thank goodness I got out of the city early, as there is a LOT of construction! 

I stopped to change at the rest stop close to my destination and arrived with time to spare, but not much, so I planned that perfectly. 

I listened to The Seven sisters in the car almost the entire way, and when I arrived at my destination, I had 30 minutes left!!ACK!!! I finished before bed last night, although staying awake was a struggle. I had read some of the reviews earlier -- gosh, people are so darn critical, but I have to say I loved it. Is it a plausible story? How did we know so much? It's FICTION -- the author can make up whatever they want! 

I love how history was woven into the story and how they moved from present to past to the present. It's just over 18 hours long, and it's the first of 8 books. The next one, as I mentioned, is 21 hours. It's not available yet, so I'll have to find something else to listen to on the way home, as I don't have anything else in my app. 

I enjoyed it -- so if you like historical fiction -- be sure to read this. The author is Lucinda Riley. And there are unanswered questions in this book, and it neatly (perhaps a bit too neatly) segued into the second book. Hopefully, as we move along, some of those questions will be answered, and supposedly, book eight ties it all together - or at least answers some of the loose questions about the Dad. We shall see --- I have a LOT of reading to do before that. 

Two friends have read the entire series and are anxiously awaiting book eight. They better not breath a word of what happens until I get a chance to read that book, and it comes out in the spring. 

So here is where I am for yesterday and today. It's Stitch by Stitch in Kingston. 

Stitch by Stitch store

I was here years ago on my bike! And I think I came once by car. But Heather was not the owner at that time. The store has changed, and they have an AMAZING classroom. I have a large TV for my presentation, which I needed help connecting. DUH!!!

I have loads of samples and stuff to share, so that is fun, and people were madly taking notes of all I had to say. I got lots of good feedback, and one lady asked me how I knew as much as I did!! When you do something you are passionate about, it only makes sense that the knowledge stays in your head. And I feel like I have so much more to learn! So if you have a local Husqvarna Viking or PFAFF dealer and want them to host an event -- ask them!! We are almost done for this year, but we'll be on the road next year!!

We had a discussion about advent calendars the other day. And some stores put them out early, and they are sold out. If you want to be part of the Advent Calendar FOMO, you can sign up for one at Stitch by Stitch. They will be shipping out in a couple of weeks, so get your order in NOW, so you can open your daily present along with us! I know -- I'm an enabler!

Quilter's Advent calendar

Mary, one of the Monday sewing ladies, came to the presentation last night. And look what she brought me? Some of her Halloween cookies that I was admiring when I saw them posted on our group sight! 

Halloween cookies

Oh, my gosh --- they look amazing. Thanks so much. Mary, we forgot to get a picture of us together, and I'm so not used to doing that that I forget all the time!

Well, that's it for me. It's time for breakfast, and then I must get myself off. The session doesn't start until 10 AM, but I have to rejig my presentation, which I forgot on the USB at the store last night. So I'll get a few geocaches while I wait for the store to open. 

And what's with the weather? It's like summer! I love it, and as I was about to leave yesterday, I had to run back into the house to get a jacket, just in case, the weather went bad. But holy -- it's warm!

It will be another long day as I plan to head home tonight and will cross the city when there is no traffic. But I'm sure I'll be stopping to have a wee nap before that happens. 

Have a super day1!!

Ciao!!!

Wrapping up

After the late finish on the first day of presentations, I stayed in Cochrane. I wasn't about to travel to Timmins in the dark when I was tired. I was up early yesterday and back on the road. There was a bit of snow coming down but nothing too significant. The roads were just fine.

If you've never traveled in Northern Ontario this is what the roads look like. YES  - I stopped in the middle of the road to take that picture.

The "traffic" in Northern Ontario

I've driven across Canada in my car in various segments and I think I've only once driven through Northern Ontario. And I rode my bike across Canada several years back. Let's just say that there are a lot of trees. There is no rock per se in this area. No one passed me (in 100 KM) although I did meet traffic coming north. A long lonely stretch of highway. As I mentioned, the roads were good, the sky got lighter as I drove and I had a good radio station in the car. Speaking of which - that's the weird thing. I had dialed into a Timmins radio station in the car and I had amazing reception all the way to Cochrane.

When we're in Orillia, we have terrible reception. Now why is that?? Perhaps - it's the radio. Not the one in my car, but the one in the retreat house.

Yesterday I wasn't doing my presentation in a store. Instead, we were at a church where we had quite a few people in the morning and a full house in the afternoon. It was exciting to see so many people out. It's not often that "guest" speakers get up this way and everyone turned out in full force.

I met some great ladies and we had loads of fun. I don't know the numbers exactly, but there are a lot of bilingual people living in this area. It's quite impressive. Perhaps I can move to Northern Ontario so I can practice my French. Kidding! But you got to love the traffic or lack thereof. I mean seriously, how much time and energy (gas) do we waste in the city. Something to think about when I retire.

I have to say that by the end of the fourth presentation in two days (same presentation all four times) that I was getting a wee bit talked out. Yes - even me. So while I was sad to see the presentations end, I was very glad at the same time. And as far as I know, this is the LAST trip for the year. My December is so wide open, I could roll a bowling ball through it. Don't get me wrong - the next two weeks are crammed with classes and sample making and blog writing. And there's still Sit n Sew days, charity sewing days and UFO classes.

Now I can be home with my head down making samples and trying to get some of my UFOs completed before the end of the year.

As I run through my examples and samples, I realize - OH - I could make this or I could make that to show off some of the techniques or features. It just never ends and I'm OK with that. I need to get my creative thinking cap on.

I popped down to the used book store but I didn't have my list with me and I quickly went through some of the authors I remember but didn't see anything.

I had a long leisurely dinner last night in a restaurant right beside the hotel so that was great. Then back to the hotel to read for a bit. I have to repack my suitcases this morning as I just winged a few things into the car. So I had to haul all that into the room and now I have the fun of packing it all up. It never fails - I leave for a destination on an airplane and everything is neat and tidy. I get in the car and my suitcases seem to explode. EVERY single time. I guess that's why when I go to retreat, the car is filled.

Thank goodness I don't go to retreat via airplane. I'd never make it. How do people do that anyway???

Looks like the weather is good this morning so I shouldn't have any problems getting home. Which is good since I have a class to teach later this afternoon.

On that note, I'm out of here to cram everything back into the suitcase.

Have a super day!!!!


Ciao!!!!

It's all about the Polar Bears

What a great day!!! I presented my session twice yesterday. We had loads of people in both sessions and that was very exciting. It's super fun to share samples with people, provide tips and also to showcase the incredible new sewing and embroidery machine - the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC 2, the Husqvarna Viking Amber Air S400 serger and the Husqvarna Viking Platinum Q165 quilting machine. I haven't had a chance to play with the Platinum Q165, but I can't say enough about the other two machines. So MUCH FUN!

And there's so much new technology integrated into the Designer EPIC 2 that - well, it just blows my mind. The improved apps, sending files wirelessly, the new embroidery design library - well, I could go on and on.

One of the presentations was in the morning and one was in the evening leaving a couple of hours in the afternoon with nothing to do. Christina, the shop owner, took me to the Polar Bear Habitat.  There are currently five polar bears at the habitat.  If you check out the website, they have live cameras in each of the three enclosures so if the polar bears are out, you can see them.

When we arrived, we saw two bears in one of the enclosures. Both of them were being pretty lazy and just hanging out doing nothing.

One of them was hanging out at the fence while the other was back near the trees. We went inside the building where you can view their swimming pool, but obviously, they weren't in the pool

The polar bears

Here's a picture of me all bundled up against the cold!  Notice my northern themed jacket! That fuzzy jacket is made from recycled pop bottles!

Me with the polar bears

I snapped this picture of the other polar bear from inside the building. All this guy would do is wiggle his butt and lift his head. His back legs were totally splayed out so he was lying right on his tummy. Murphy does that too!!!

Having a look around

Then the other one by the fence started to get frisky and was moving around, stretching out on his back, grabbing his back paw with his front paw. So darn cute! So we went back outside.

Having a good stretch

The size of their paws is unbelievable. They are huge!!!  And they are so huge and furry. They look cute and cuddly although that is hardly the case and much care is taken to prevent any mishaps.

Then the other bear finally got up and lumbered over to the bear by the fence. Next thing we knew, the two of them started rolling around on the ground and wrestling. It was so fun to watch. I have to say that they reminded me of Lexi and Murphy. They played exactly like those two silly girls of mine. Grabbing each other by the neck and snapping with their teeth but all the while knowing to play gently and not kill each other.

Polar bears playing

I think we were there for an hour and well worth the visit. This was my first time seeing polar bears in real life. Did you notice that they are far from being white? They are a definite cream color.

The polar bears are from other locations and have been orphaned or born in captivity. They can never go back to the wilderness.

I'll be sure to check out their activity later today.

Driving back to Timmins this morning for two more sessions and then flying home tomorrow. I need to get better at scheduling my flights. I could have flown home tonight, but originally I thought the timing was too tight. Now I realize I would have had enough time. But the cost to change is way too much for my liking so I'll get a hotel tonight (it's way cheaper than the cost of the flight change) and leave in the morning. Shoot - next time - do NOT be in a rush to book a trip. Think it through and then book.

It was almost 10 PM by the time I got to bed last night which is super late for me! But I had a great sleep and ready to hit the road soon.

On that note, I'm out of here!!!

Have a super day!

Ciao!!!

A good day!!!!

I bustled around the house getting one more sample done before I went to do my events at Brampton Sew and Serge. Two things of note. First, it's amazing how simple little things can annoy the heck out of you when you're pressed for time. I've been known to completely dump everything off a worktable in one of those moments! I think I've only done that once! The second thing is how quickly we learn. I needed to bring my embroidery design into the Premier +2 software. Now, how the heck do I delete part of the design? I learned very quickly how to use some of the different tools and make that happen.

The bottom line? The design got stitched out and I grabbed the hoop and the stitch out right off the machine and took off! Only to find that the area near the exit to the highway was being repaved and that wasn't really a good option to go that way. No worries - lots of alternate routes.

The events were full! A lot of people showed up and that's always exciting. They were an amazing group too. Very inquisitive, asked lots of questions which is always a very good thing. The last one ended at 9 PM so it was getting late! I loaded everything in the car and made my way back home. What a fun day and a HUGE thank you to everyone who came out! I'll unpack later today as I have to start to repack for the next event which is the big annual dealer convention. This year it's being held in Phoenix.

I had a glorious time testing out the unlimited data on my phone. I connected the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC and my laptop to the hotspot on my phone. Then whenever I needed access to mySewNet account - I was golden! It actually didn't use a whole lot of data despite the fact that I was logged in for almost 8 hours. I'm loving my new phone plan.

I love doing these events even though there's a lot of prep work and now I must work on new samples - sometimes to find out the answer to questions posed by the audience, sometimes to find out things that I thought of during a presentation or just to keep up with the changes in the technology.

There's never a lack of things to create and stitch out!

It's Sit n Sew day tomorrow and I don't have anything to tidy up! Studio B is the same way that it was when the ladies left the other day. I don't know why in the past that the moment they would leave, I'd bring all my stuff back out onto the tables. Why? Because I'm just a silly person - that's why.

I did a wee bit of tidying up this morning and I put this away. This is a small piece of fabric that I acquired earlier this week when I was at Thimbles and Things. It's a digital print of doors. The print is gorgeous. It would make an excellent bag. It's by Hoffman - they always have some amazing prints. The collection is called Globe Hopper.   I think the door print is the best one from the small collection. The colors of digital are just spectacular.

Digital door print

I don't have anything of mine to share with you today so here's a couple of pictures that I took of what Diane is working on. These are machine embroidery designs from Lunchbox Quilts. This is the Christmas dogs - actually called Holiday Hounds. So very cute.

Wall hanging from Holiday Hounds

And if you're into cats, this is the Christmas Cats. What I love is that if you can't find these patterns at your local sewing machine dealer or quilt store - you can buy them online and get an immediate download! Love it!!!!

Wall hanging from Christmas Cats

As I mentioned earlier in the week, it's National Jelly Roll Day TODAY. I mentioned this to the Sit n Sew group earlier this week. Their reaction? OH - is there a sale on jelly rolls? Seriously???  Their immediate thought was on BUYING, but the Jelly Roll Day is on MAKING!! Here's a link to one blog with a couple of ideas. Shoot - I should have created something for you! OK - I promise, I'll be making a quilt pattern sometime that I can share with you! Not going to give a time frame in case I get waylaid and October is going to be a super busy month.

I have my jelly rolls sitting out and after my class today, I'll be working on my jelly roll quilt. Which I'll share with you later this week.

Katheleen sent me this link about tidying and creativity. I love it!!!  While I've been doing a load of decluttering and tidying up, having a totally clean workspace is NEVER going to happen. Here's another article on the topic. So we all know what that means - stay tidy, but not too much!!!

I'd better get myself organized and ready for my class this morning. OK - all I have to do is grab the pattern. The sample's at the store and it's going to be a great day!!!

Have a super day!!!!  Have fun MAKING something from your jelly roll.

Ciao!!!

Calendar of Events

From time to time (and to help me get organized), and especially since quilt show season will be upon us very very soon, I'm going to post a list of upcoming events.  I'll try to keep a brief list of the events at the end of the blog on a daily basis so you can be reminded of stuff.  If you have a guild show or other exciting event that you'd like to have added, e-mail me the details.


Now I do have a list of brochures in my paper piles somewhere so not everything will get posted today.  And speaking of piles, I have several little piles around my office and my goal is to take ONE a day and deal with it. Not reshuffle the papers, but toss them, file them or well, I guess those are the two choices. Toss or file. Come back tomorrow to see how I do on that one.

Check out the links below and get these dates on your calendars!


March 20 - 25  My blogs on Quiltsocial will be posted.  I'll remind you on the days and provide the direct link, starting March 20. There are some neat tips on sewing machine techniques and a very cute little project that is super easy - you won't be able to make just one!


March 23 - Brampton Quilter's Guild - I'll be speaking at the Brampton Quilter's Guild. The topic will be "What's new at Northcott!"   Going to be a load of fun and I'm going to take you behind the scenes a little bit (just a wee bit) to see the process involved in creating fabrics.  The meeting is at Jim Archdekin Rec Center, 292 Conestoga Dr in Brampton.  The meeting starts at 7:30 and there is a small fee for guests.


April 1 -2  - Region of York Quilt Show in Newmarket.  And check out this link to a video advertising their show.

April 4 - Wasaga Beach Quilter's Guild - I'll be speaking at the Wasaga Beach Quilter's Guild. I'll have to dig the topic out - I don't have the information beside me!


April 8 - West End Modern Quilt Guild meeting (note - this name is totally unofficial but it sounds good!) We're trying to get a Modern Quilt Guild off its feet in this area. So we've got a meeting scheduled to see how we should proceed. The meeting is from 10 AM - 12 Noon and will be held at Streetsville Kinsmen's Center, 321 Queen Street South, Streetsville. Free Parking. Note there will be a small fee to cover the cost of the room - $5. I'd like to figure out logistics, future meeting dates, ideas for the guild, how traditional quilters are really modern quilters in disguise.  If you have show and tell, please bring it. I'd like to chat about how we can take traditional quilts and with a few changes, they can become modern. E-mail if you plan to attend or just pop in.


April 10 - Lindsay Creative Guild. I'll be speaking at the Lindsay Creative Guild in Lindsay. I'll post the topic tomorrow.


April 12 - 16 - Fireside Retreat (there is still a spot left if anyone would like).  You can take one night, two, three or all four nights.  E-mail if you're interested and I'll get you the details.


April 17 - Dufferin County Quilt Guild. I'll be speaking at the Dufferin County Quilt Guild.  Topic to follow.


Yikes -- there are tons of other things - I just don't seem to have all the information at my finger tips. Don't worry as I know exactly where it is, but I'm running out of time this morning so I'll complete the list tomorrow.

But speaking of keeping things. The other day, it came to my attention that perhaps a purchase that I made hadn't been paid for. Yikes - seriously???  It was from months ago and how the heck would I remember. I could check bank statements I suppose as the amount was for several hundred dollars and I never pay cash for those amounts. My recycle bin in my office has been sitting here totally unemptied for several weeks as I thought I may have dropped something important in it and I didn't remember what!  I know - I'm such a dunce!  Anyway, besides going through my little stack of paper, I thought I should once and for all, empty the recycling bin and double check that something I need didn't get thrown in. Guess what!  Yep - a VISA receipt for the amount in question popped up pretty much right away!  Now how is that for weird things happening?

On that note, I'm out of here as I still have a few more papers in my pile, I've got a quilt loaded on the machine, I've got a Task Master who is very patiently, but persistently tapped her fingers and I must get to work!!!!

Have a super day!!!!


Ciao!!!!