The Saskatoon Quilt Show

I love how some of you ALSO had to dust those knick-knacks! I can hardly wait for this morning to do my job! 

OH MY GOSH --- The Saskatoon Quilters Guild Show. What can I say—it was a fantastic show, and I am so glad I decided to come. It was the BEST (by far) of any guild show that I have ever been to, and I've been to a fair number. Why? Well, I'll tell you shortly. 

I stopped by the apartment for a little bit before I left, as I had some time to kill before I needed to go. I am ALMOST done binding the second side of that hexagon quilt, and I should get it done this morning as I'll be at the apartment for most of the day, although I have more visiting this afternoon. 

I had a few errands in the morning as well, and ran into another cousin. Actually, she recognized me and we had a quick chat as she was opening up the place where she works. What fun to catch up with everyone in person. 

The plan yesterday was to meet up with Brenda for lunch. Brenda found me online and has followed my blog for a bit, and is now in one of my online classes. We had a grand chat over lunch, and it always amazes me how easily perfect strangers can have a meaningful conversation about so many things. Yet, it's so hard sometimes to have meaningful conversations with people we've known for many years. 

Brenda and me

This is a picture of Brenda and me, and in the background you can see Cathy's quilt—the Tula Pink Butterfly. Cathy took that class online with me, but she custom quilted it on her long arm, and well, the quilting and the quilt are spectacular. She won first place in her category, and it is well deserved. Congratulations to Cathy, and it's so lovely to meet you, Brenda!!! 

What was so funny is that Brenda is from Calgary, and, like me, happened to be in town for the show. She was there by accident at the same time as the show, while mine was planned. I haven't met some of the people from my online classes who live closer to me! It's a small world. 

While we were at lunch at the Prairie Ink restaurant at McNally Booksotre (a must-stop for any trip to Saskatoon), we spotted two ladies wearing these pants and figured they were heading to the show or had already been there. 

Patchwork pants

Roomy pocket

They were super funky, stitched with a serger with exposed seams, and large, roomy pockets to store all your stuff. I LOVE them, but they didn't make them; they purchased them somewhere. I want to say Las Vegas? But I could be wrong. There was so much to take in yesterday that my brain was about to explode. 

If the wearer of the pants is reading this, thanks so much for letting me post the picture!!!! No way to put flashing lights around the pictures, but I love those pants!!!

Here is the guild banner that greeted us as we walked into the building. The show is at Prairieland, and the venue is massive. The entrance fee is $15, but for what we got in return, it was well worth the price. PLUS, they took cash or card. Now that's civilized, since I rarely carry cash, but I made specific arrangements to have some money on hand. 

The guild banner

But this is what you see when you walk in. The floor is carpeted, the lighting is pretty decent, and the hall is enormous, with WIDE aisles between rows of quilts hanging on black pipe and drape. It does NOT have the feel of a guild show. I was stunned and overwhelmed before I even saw one quilt. 

What you see when you walk in

 I noticed a few ladies grabbing the corner of a quilt and lifting it to see the back. WAIT -- is that allowed? Then I realized that every quilt had a clothespin attached to one corner, so you could grab it and flip the quilt over to see the back. Now, what a simple idea that completely eliminated the need for gloves. 

A clothespin to lift the corner of the quilt

 Not to brag or anything, but these prairie girls are SMART. Does that count for me since I grew up in this area? 

There were many categories of quilts, and there were a lot of ribbons. I don't know the details of how that worked, but I loved that they had a category especially for Machine Embroidery quilts. I took pictures of all of them to share with my machine embroidery club. I just thought that was a brilliant idea—a lot more work, but well worth it to display the items and add to the diversity of the show. 

I spotted a Boho Heart quilt—this was not made in my class, but I love seeing how others handled the same quilt. I see she added extra at the top of the heart, just like we did! 

And there was a Long Time Gone (previously known as Gypsy Wife) as well. An unusual color palette and very busy backgrounds. Again, this was not someone in my class, so it was interesting to see another colorway that was totally different from anything from my class participants. I love the wave of color. 

I took many other pictures —how does one choose which ones to post? The quilts were stunning, and the featured quilter's quilts were amazing. Debora Barlow is a very accomplished quilter. As mentioned, there was so much to see that it was overwhelming. 

Thankfully, I had some diversions. I ran into Cathy and Jocelyn, who I know from my classes. And I've met Cathy many times now -- in the airport, at Quilt Canada. Cathy is everywhere! But I also got to meet more of her sisters, and we had a good chat. 

Then I ran into a longtime friend (you can't say "old" friend) and we sat down and had a good chat, since I hadn't seen her in a long time. Susan is the one I met because of the barn quilt they had on one of their outbuildings along the highway! That was so many years ago! So much fun catching up, and I knew she would be there —how to connect? She spotted me (orange flowers in the hair) and sent me a text, which I missed, so she called me. 

It is such a small world!!! I chatted to Debora for a bit as well and bought some raffle tickets—maybe I'll be lucky. If not, it supports the guild, which is terrific. I even considered joining the guild since they have a hybrid component to their meetings. 

There was only one thing that disappointed me, and it had nothing really to do with the guild. There was a demo area set up so professionally, with large TV screens and cameras. Very impressive. The topic was machine embroidery on quilts, so I thought I would see something spectacular or perhaps glean a new idea or two. The demo was given by one of the vendors, and well, all she did was show a couple of kits that she makes to sell. She didn't even have any of the quilts in the demo because they were hanging in their booth.

That was disappointing, BUT I ran into some of the ladies who have been in my classes at The Sewing Machine Store, so we had a good chat. And well, something bad came out of that conversation. NO ONE is allowed to yell at me, but I might take on another small job. It's just opening up another club, so that's one hour a month. There is a HUGE need for this kind of thing, and all that would be required of me is to book the monthly hour, load pictures into a presentation, and moderate it. I LOVE that kind of thing, and well, I think I'm going to do it. I even have an idea of where that extra hour will come from without adding to my schedule. I'm good! 

Thank goodness the show was open until 6:30. As a vendor, I would have been so exhausted, but it was nice to be on the other side of things for a change. I could sit down, leave, or do whatever I wanted. So I managed to check out some of the vendors. I actually have to thank Susan for saving me some money, because I had just stepped into the first booth when she called me, so I had less time to spend! 

A friend back home has been looking for bread fabric, and I knew it existed because I'm sure I have a small piece. Well, guess what I found? Yep --- that's bread fabric - it's sideways, but many kinds of bread. So, a quick text: I am bringing a meter of that home with me. 

Bread fabric

One booth had ALL of the Legit Kits for sale. Now, why would anyone want a giant pickle quilt? I guess you have to really like pickles. I suppose it would be suitable for your kitchen. It is kind of funky, but would I make it? Probably not. 

The giant pickle quilt

I did make a few purchases, but I didn't take pictures of anything yet. I'll likely do that when I unpack when I get home. I tried to be good and I was. 

I had a good, long chat with the staff at The Sewing Machine store, and that could bring me some more work—we'll see how it goes. Not that I'm looking for work, but I'm so passionate about what I do that I can't help but share what I know! That's just me!!! But nothing in the immediate future. 

I left the show at 6:30!!! Oh boy—it was a long day, it was exhausting, but I am so fired up. I wish I could be home right now so I could sew all day!!!! I did not join the guild, but I can always join when I get home. I need to think about that, and I might consider it for later. I'll see. I don't belong to any guild for specific reasons, and I know those reasons exist within this guild. Too much politics!!!

Whenever I'm at the bookstore, I always check out the quilts on the balcony. Here are a few —they are amazing. 

Not that I need to add another quilt to my list of quilts to make, I love this one. It's a pixelated double wedding ring. Can you imagine making this with scraps? I have the perfect box of scraps. Does anyone know what pattern this is? I tried a quick search this morning, but didn't find anything, and the way it's hanging, I can't get a better picture. 

Pixelated double wedding ring quilt

This is another great scrap quilt. I love it, and what a great way to use up scraps. It looks like plaid, but it's pieced!!! 

A "plaid" quilt

And this alphabet quilt was also cute. I think the pattern's name was on the label. I'll have to check that out more when I get home. 

Alphabet quilt

While I don't want to start a new scrap club because I don't have time for that, I was considering running a one-hour (or perhaps slightly longer) workshop with the "best of" scrap patterns and practices. Would anyone be interested in attending? OK -- we will make this happen, so watch for more details -- I just need to remember to book that when I get home. 

And on that note (don't yell at me), I'm out of here. It seems warmer this morning by 12 degrees, so it's practically balmy!!! 

I can't wait to dust those teapots!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

PS -- I think DH was in his glory watching another amazing game—the first in the World Series on the TV instead of his phone!!! So glad that saga is over. 

PSS -- One other observation. I don't recall seeing many quilted jackets. Hmmmmm, I wonder why? 

Springhouse Retreat Day Two

Late—I'm going to be late this morning. No, not because I was sleeping. Oh no—chatting! I accomplished stuff yesterday and actually accomplished what I planned. However, I did my fair share of chatting, and well, isn't that what a quilt retreat is all about? So I'm good with that!!!

I am still thrilled with what I'm accomplishing, and that's all that counts. So what did I get done? Have a look. 

I got all the flannel I brought sewn into squares. There are 107 squares measuring 6 1/2", so that's a nice-sized quilt top. And there are plenty more flannel scraps in that laundry basket!!!

My flannel squares from scraps

Then I pulled out a quilt top that was part of that donation from a few months ago. Guess what the project was? A FLANNEL quilt that was partially together. 

I decided to make the top larger by one row and one column. There were enough pieced blocks and fabric in the bag. This person was very organized; she had just run out of steam on some projects. 

Then, I added two borders, which took hours to complete. Not because there were any problems—I just was very easily distracted. But at last, it was done!!!

The flannel quilt top

It was a kit from The Hobby Horse many years ago. It was easy to finish, and the binding fabric was in the bag. The binding and the top are now done. 

A quilt top for community projects

When I'm home, I'll put it in the community project pile for 2025 - it's FLANNEL!!! And then I'll add the scraps to the laundry basket!!! 

But wait—there's more!!! I should hope so! I had a bag of half-square triangles that needed to be pressed and then trimmed, so I got all of them pressed!!!

Half-square triangles to trim

Most of them are trimmed, and that makes me very happy!!!

Trimming the HSTs

Speaking of flannel, here are my Christmas flannel sheets. They are so cozy!!!

Flannel sheets

And here's a clapper! I've never found a need for a clapper, but some people swear by them. 

A clapper

The ladies made pizza for dinner last night, which was pretty amazing!!! And we each got a small gift: a Christmas-themed mug rug! Thanks, Ronda! 

Christmas-themed mug rug

So, the other thing I finished or went as far as I could with what I brought was my LegitKits project. I snapped this picture this morning as I was working alone and had no distractions! 

Piecing the Legit kits

Here is the top right corner of the piece. I have three more sections of the same size to complete, but I have to do the paper piecing first. 

1/4 of the project

And here's the picture with my section, 

Looking good

I'm pretty pleased with my fabric choices, which saved me a lot of money from buying the expensive fabric kit. Besides, I think the patterned fabric adds some texture!! The bits all came from my scrap boxes.

Now, I've pulled out a new project for today. Let's see how far I can get with it!

I went for a walk yesterday, and while the road was fine, the driveway to get to the road was slippery, and yes - I fell. It wasn't a good fall, but I'm OK. Nothing broke, and no concussion from smacking the back of my head on the side of the road. I'm not sure I'll go for a walk today, which would be out of character. If I do, I might drive to the end of the driveway and walk on the road. I'll see how the day goes. I would like to get out for the fresh air. 

Anyway, that's it for today. I must get to the sewing machine, as I have 18 FIDDLY blocks awaiting me. 

Oops -- I forgot to mention the online shopping expedition that the machine embroidered amongst us went on. But I won't go there!! Today -- it's all about WORK!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Personal trainer approved!

WOW—I'm surprised at the response about the personal trainer! Thanks for reminding me that this is an excellent idea! 

I've worked with personal trainers in the past but just got out of the habit. I think we got stale, and it was time to find someone new, which I did NOT do. I'm anxious to see how it works out. Brooke was recommended to me by another trainer I've known for a long time. Maria is stepping back as she wants to enjoy more free time and has no time to pick up a new client.  

The gym is "sneaky" in that it gives you a complimentary meeting with your chosen trainer. But all you have to go on is their background. I hadn't even seen a picture of Brooke, so I had no idea what to expect. I didn't feel a connection the last time I met with a trainer a few years ago, so I didn't go back. 

But this time, even though Brooke and I are very different, I think we can work together. And although she's younger, she totally gets the aging body. So I must get myself organized and do those exercises at home and the gym. I am now ACCOUNTABLE to two people! I was flat on my back—well, not exactly, as I had the foam roller with me, and I was doing my thing! Murphy soon got bored and left me! It's no longer a novelty!

This will be short this morning as I'm prepping to leave for the retreat, and there is MUCH to do. OK - that's a lie. All I have left is to pack the food and throw everything into the car. That might take a bit. While a lot is going out, I hope that about 1/3 of it will not come home with me! The Pony Express is alive and well!

I had a couple of twin-sized duvets that became clumpy after several washings (I don't remember how many). Hmmm—do they need a good shake? We hadn't used them in a long time, and it was time to deal with them. So I cut them in half and serged the ends closed. I'm donating them to an animal shelter.

It appears that a layer of polyester batting was sewn between the two layers of the duvet. Over the washings, the batting broke down, becoming lumpy and clumpy. 

Clumpy batting

Wow, I wonder if that will happen with some of the batting we use. The answer is YES! But what I suspect happened is that the batting they used was not graded for the density of stitching. The squares in the duvet were about 12" square, which was all the stitching on the duvet. Much more dense stitching was required to hold that particular quality of batting together. 

The batting broke down

So let that be a lesson. If you are unsure what batting to use, check how dense you want the quilting and buy the batting appropriately. If your quilts are quilted by a long arm, that's probably not an issue since the quilting is dense. But for those who quilt on their domestic machines and try to get away with minimal quilting, it's IMPORTANT to check the label of the batting. 

I think this next story started at a retreat this past year. If not, it may have been the year before. One of the ladies came back to the house from a shopping trip, all excited about this new way of paper piecing. I could not make heads or tails of what she was saying, so I looked it up online. I was intrigued, but it still made no sense at all. 

So I went to the store and purchased a couple of patterns (I know—shame on me). Each package contained a ton of paper, and they were not cheap. 

After perusing the pattern, I was going to write a letter to the company saying that half of the paper in that package was waste! Thankfully, I never did. 

This fall, I asked Paula at Thimbles and Things if I could teach a Legit Kit pattern, as she had just started stocking them. Only a few people signed up, but we went ahead with the class. 

WOW -- I'm hooked! I LOVE these patterns, and the result is fantastic! And those extra papers that I thought were wasteful? Oh no --- They are the most IMPORTANT part of the pattern! It's all about understanding what you don't know. 

I taught this pattern in the class. It is only 15" by 20" and was an excellent first pattern. We did NOT use a kit but fabrics from our stash. The kits are costly, and using my stash worked just fine. 

Orchid Mini pattern

I've accomplished this so far and only started paper piecing the other day. I got all the pieces for the remainder of that section sewn and threw them in my retreat bag so I could finish piecing this section! That will be 1/4 of the pattern together. When I get home, I plan to continue paper piecing. I'm in love with them. 

My progress so far

Yes, they take a bit of time to set up with all the colors, but I found a great system, and I'm on a roll. So, if ever you wonder if the Legit Kits are good patterns, yes, they are. Now, perhaps I can start one of the other two I have!

On that note, I'm off to finish packing, grab a quick shower, walk the dogs, and load the car! I tested my new laptop for Zoom yesterday, and all seems to be good. So, I'm taking only that laptop with me, and let's hope for the best. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Dear Jen update

There is nothing to report about progress in the office except that I did deal with a few things sitting on the floor beside my chair. I must get that pile dealt with before I dig into one of the containers on either the filing cabinet or the desk. I'm excited to tackle one, but I had three Zooms yesterday and two today, and there was a wee bit of prep involved. 

All the homework except one email is done, and the two presentations are ready today. Yep -- I'm trying very hard to keep on top of things. 

I have a pattern to finish writing this afternoon, and the coming week is devoted to writing and quilting quilts. But I'm sure I'll be able to sneak a few 20-minute sessions in between those tasks. 

Here's another trick I've been working on to help decluttering: visualization. Yes - I can visualize myself working on the sorting. I have it all laid out in my head, and whether it works out that way or not, I see the process. I even see the box of paper on its way to be shredded! And trust me - I want it done. I'm tired of seeing it, I'm sure you're tired of me talking about it, and it's time to put the paper mess to bed. I'll continue dealing with the paper until it's all under control. Well, that is a BIG dream, but they say to dream big! 

Once I'm done with the desktop, a "few" small boxes of paper are stashed in the cupboards here, so those will get dug out. I'll leave the odds and ends for later. Let's get the paper under control. That's my goal, and I WANT IT DONE! 

And remember that quote from yesterday. 

A quote to live by

And here's something to add to that. Do you realize that you are also the master of your happiness? If you're not happy, what can you do to change that? That's a topic that we don't have time for today. 

Here are my blocks from the Dear Jen quilt. I was a bit disheartened when I put these few blocks on the wall a couple of days ago. Instead of creating a checkerboard of light and dark backgrounds, it looked like a hodgepodge. But I'm trying to work with busy prints for the background. How can I rescue these blocks?  

A hodgepodge of Dear Jen blocks

They were more likable as I finished additional blocks and put them on the wall, arranging them in light/dark checkerboard fashion. 

This looks better

 It will be a busy quilt, and I may put a tiny solid black sashing between the blocks. I still need to audition for that. I aim to make two of each block, although I have three versions of one block. The block is the same; it's just that the construction method was a bit different for all three. And I need to switch around the top left block - the colors are inverted! DUH!!! But I still have seven blocks to make this month to complete my homework. Then it'll be time to work on the next round of blocks because in December, all four classes fall on the same day, and if I wait to finish the homework, it'll kill me! 

I may also remove a few of the busier black-on-white prints, as they are messing up my light/dark pattern. I have lots to work with, so no problem there. 

This morning, I was working on another block; this is all you can see. 

Trimming a block this morning

We started this project yesterday. Thankfully, it's a small quilt, 15" by 20", more or less. I've been intrigued by the darn patterns for a while, and well, now is the time to work on them. It's really quite simple, but the fabric requirements are crazy. I think there are 69 different fabrics in this piece. 

Legit Kits

Rather than buy a kit with so much extra fabric in it, I'm using my stash—or, I should say, my scraps. So this happened on my nice, clean ironing surface. 

Some of my pink scraps

 I'll sort and organize that later today or tomorrow. Then everything has to be labeled, and I can start to paper piece. I can't wait to get started! I'll be using solids and prints mixed together. 

Speaking of getting organized, I told Miss Murphy that she had better get herself together. She has TWO toy boxes in the office. Does she need two? So I dumped them both out, and we're sorting. Most of it will go in the garbage. We'll decide which of the boxes to keep. 

Mom -- decluttering is so boring!!! 

The good news is that she gets to go to Petsmart and pick out a couple of new toys! She's excited about that but not too keen on helping me sort. I kept her teddy bears and will find the old ones in the backyard and toss them, as they are thoroughly disgusting now. 

We noticed these signs in the forest yesterday morning. Hmm—there was no warning, and we have no idea what they sprayed for, although there is a contact on the sign that we could call. It was only off the trail, but how can you control where you spray pesticide? We stuck to the main path yesterday. 

A sign in the forest

I wasn't looking forward to my afternoon walk. I had no errands, but it was too nice to stay in the house. I was bored of walking alone, so guess what? The girls each got an afternoon walk, and Murphy picked up a stick. She's not a huge fan of carrying sticks around, so long before we got home, the stick was history. 

MOM - I found a stick!!

We returned to our EXIT Game puzzle last night, but although the next jigsaw puzzle is together, we still need to find the code. These are multi-step puzzles; we will not win any speed races, but we are muddling our way through them. 

However, I discovered that I was putting my items on the OUTSIDE of my backpack. 

The items on the OUTSIDE 

They should have been placed on the inside. It doesn't matter in solving the puzzle, but sheesh—I'm not good at following instructions. 

THE INSIDE

So, another successful and happy day is over, and there's another one ahead of me today! I can't wait to get started, as I have loads I want to get done!

I hope you're doing OK with the decluttering. You may not get to declutter daily, but try visualizing how to make it happen. If the task is too physically daunting for you, why not invite your children, grandchildren, or a friend(s) and offer them lunch while you direct them to clean up? I bet they would be THRILLED at the opportunity, knowing that you are taking responsibility and control of your things rather than leaving them behind for someone else. Give that a thought!!! 

I would be happy as a clam if my mom had suggested that. I'd be on a plane once a month if I knew she was willing to work to clean up her mess! Besides, you can make an adventure of it. It's bonding time, and your child is going to start respecting you a whole lot more!! You can set out rules if you want that they are NOT allowed to judge!! I won't judge if you consider me to help! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!