A new retreat house!!!!!

I love how we are all so supportive of each other!! And how we are all the same. We lose things, we go through recoveries, we screw up! It's so comforting to know that I'm not alone!!! 

I'm at a new retreat house this morning, getting myself organized in a new space. I realized, as I was setting up my computer, that I had NOT brought the mouse or the mouse pad. Sigh......  As I was packing up, I thought to myself to throw that in, but I did not. It sits under a shelf upon which my computer sits, so it's not super visible. Oh well, I have the built-in touchpad on the computer, which I'm not a fan of, but for a few days, I can make it work. 

I had packed some of my stuff over the weekend, and DH asked whether I was taking my entire sewing room. NOPE -- just stuff that needed to be cut. Well, have a look. 

The car is packed for the retreat.

OK -- perhaps that was a bit too ambitious for a four-day retreat. Oh well!!!! Better to have variety than not. And I left most of it in the car! 

I had some extra time to kill before arriving at the house, so I decided to stop at the thrift store in the town closest to my destination. Oh my—I found some interesting things—yes, a couple of puzzles came home with me. Don't say a word!! I am working on them, and then they are being donated, so they are not staying. 

I forgot to load the pictures and am too lazy to resend them to myself, but I got the next one all laid out and the border done, so when I get home, I can tackle it. 

Anyway, I love how the thrift stores are making the end caps look pretty neat. They created several displays, and it was very striking. 

Colorful displays at the thrift store

They even had an orange one, but I wasn't looking for this kind of stuff, so I skipped it. 

The orange display

I quickly checked the book section and found this book. Hmmm --- the answer to every problem? It sounds too good to be true!! I didn't even glance at it and certainly didn't buy it. I just make stuff up if I need help!!! 

The only book you need? 

But a few things did come home with me - well, they are sitting in the car. A couple of textile things that will be awesome for machine embroidery. I know -- how much machine embroidery does one need? LOTS!!!!

I had a ton of mini-quilts that I had made or won over the years, and when I heard that Kim was starting My Quilt Retreat (I hope I got that name correct), I asked if she wanted any mini quilts for the house. She went through the quilts and picked the ones she liked. The two on the right came from that stash. Oh shoot -- I need to take a closer picture of the one on the top --- it's a scrap quilt!!! The leftovers from a Thimbleberries quilt, I think. And the one below I won at a guild show - maybe someone will recognize it as their own. 

Mini-quilts on display

And this small one, which is very artsy. I guess I could have hung these around my house as Kim did, but I didn't. I'm OK with that. 

Another donation

And here's one more. I don't think I made this one - I made one that says "I Like to Teach". There are two more on the wall behind me, so I need to get a picture of those today when it's a bit brighter in the house. 

Another donation quilt

I did not bring a sewing machine with me - only some handwork and some cutting. So I got some table risers (I borrowed them from the house, but I have mine in the car) and started cutting. 

My workstation

WAIT A MINUTE -- let me tell you what happened on the way. While I packed somewhat carefully and didn't want to stack things, one bag sort of got tossed on top of the rest. At one point, a police car with flashing lights was coming towards us. The car in front of me pulled to the right and stopped in front of me. I had to put the brakes on a bit. I heard something fall with a thunk, but I didn't have the time to check what happened. Everything breakable or that could leak was safely stowed, so I didn't worry. 

When I stopped at the thrift store, I realized the bag with the box of white scraps had toppled over, and white scraps were all over the back. Yikes!!!! What a mess. 

Some of the mess with the white scraps

Now I will admit that this box was chock-a-block full, and the contents were "mildly" exploding out of it. But after this incident, the contents seemed to grow two sizes bigger than they were in the box. How did that happen? 

Good grief --- there were white sdraps everywhere, and I tried to keep them contained in the box, but they wouldn't fit. I worked on this yesterday and a bit this morning, and it barely looks like I've made a dent in the box. This box of white is long overdue for a trim. 

The white scraps

How long is it overdue? I don't remember ever using the white scraps for anything, except for the occasional piece for applique. Well, what do they say in the barber world? This box is getting a Number 2, or more likely a Number One, which means that everything, or most things, are being dealt with. 

But look at what I found. This fabric was for a project that I made in 1999. And the scraps are still in the box. 

OK—this scrap was generated in 1999!!!

I'm not going to share all the details on how I'm dealing with the box or what I'm cutting. I'm going to save that for my scrap class in the fall. But needless to say, it's an eye-opener. I will share the pieces I'm cutting later. I honestly don't think I can finish that box today, and I don't want to spend all my time on it. So I'll work until this afternoon, and then I'll switch to something else. I need to touch everything I brought with me - just to prove a point!!!!!

I went for a walk yesterday afternoon, and it was glorious. I realized that the main road, 1 km from the house, is Highway 2. Why is that significant? That is the road we cycled on when we passed through this area in 2013. We are near Newcastle!!! Oh my --- what memories, although the entrance to this road is not memorable because of anything on it! 

On my walk, I spotted this. Seriously? How is this even possible? There is still snow on the ground—OK, not much, but still. 

A caterpillar?

And look—there's a beautiful barn quilt on the garage. I knew I had arrived at the correct place. 

A barn quilt

And last - do you remember this quilt di that ended up at my house? Look what I found here!!! And that's all I'm going to say about it! I refuse to say more to protect the innocent!!! They know who they are. 

Hmmm -- is that a quilt di? 

Well, I'm off to continue cutting scraps!!! Oh, shoot —I just realized I didn't bring the charger for my FitBit, and I'm at 45%. I should be OK because, like my phone, I turn absolutely everything off. I don't get phone messages, I don't get any kind of notification. It doesn't even show the time unless I push the button. I like my solitude without a phone or Fitbit interfering in my day! When I need something, I check. 

I see there are some geocaches within walking distance, so I may do that this morning, although it's minus 6, which is nothing! Just get out there and walk!! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Tidying up the sewing room

Thanks for the suggestions on the topics for the basic sewing machine class. I'm going to put that agenda together and find a time slot. It WILL happen as I think it's terribly important for everyone to know the essential functions of their machines and how to make them work as they should!!

Yesterday was a bit of a topsy-turvy day. I had to get M and Bear to the airport by 10 AM. That was after spin class, and well, the girls never did get a walk! Now that the company is gone, we can get back to some serious work. Well, it's not like they greatly disturbed my schedule, but having someone else in the house can be disruptive! We had a good visit.

I'm sure that DH's plane and M's plane met on the runway. As she was taking off, his plane was landing. 

And now, I'm in clean-up mode. M still has stuff at our house, and while I have no issue keeping the things that she wants, I have an issue with keeping stuff that is garbage or that she no longer wants. I managed to get her to go through more stuff -- of course, the night before she leaves  Sigh................  But she did, and that's all that counts. 

So now, I have this mess to clean up. 

Stuff to be dealt with from M

I've already tackled some of it and moved what's left to the floor. My goal is to tackle a bit each day for the next week, so it's gone by the day the cleaning lady comes. I run out of steam tackling it all at once, but I give myself a week to make it disappear. I must dig more boxes from the garage and prepare a give-away box. 

Just a quick note about the weather  Yesterday was a GLORIOUS day. No mitts and no hat were required for the afternoon walk. But that sidewalk I mentioned the other day -- it serves 6 schools. I think I said 8 or 10, but it is actually six. It was a MESS yesterday with lots of water and slush. What drives me crazy is meeting the high school students, walking two abreast, and they expect me to stand to the side to let them pass. NO WAY!  I've taken to my full half of the sidewalk, and when we bump shoulders, and they look back to see what happened - I yell at them to walk single file when meeting someone  God -- I sound just like my grandfather  Although, he used to yell at kids to get their hair cut. 

The messy sidewalk

Thankfully, it's above freezing this morning, or that would be like a skating rink. 

I walked enough fabric/kits over to Diane's to make five or six quilts and picked up FOUR completed tops and binding. 

More projects for community projects

Then I was back in Studio B and trying to do some more clean-up  Well, not really clean-up, just the necessary task of keeping things neat and tidy. 

I started by trimming all the hourglass units that were sewn and pressed. 

The next batch of trimmed hourglass units

I have to laugh about the cutting table. As soon as something disappears off of it, I add something new to sort, but that's OK -- it's something to sort, not something to store. So I'm good with the revolving stuff on that cutting table. And I'm trying VERY HARD to focus on one project at a time. I don't mean exclusively on one project, but since I can only work on one at a time, I try to keep the rest on the current project table. So far -- so good. 

The current state of the cutting table

Some half-square triangles needed to be marked to be stitched into the hourglass units - those are prepped. 

Prepped hourglass units for enders and leaders

I matched up some more of the triangles. When I do the initial matching, there might not be enough of one color/size to completely use the one it's matched with, so there are leftovers. I then take the leftover triangles and match them up. I'm not sure how many I'll have left at the end, but I'm just plugging away at it. 

Scrappy triangles to sew together

Then I did some counting last night. I have quite a few 5" unfinished units. Actually, I have almost enough to make a generous lap quilt. I checked the other sizes  Hmm -- only a handful of 6" squares and about 20 of the 5½" ones, so I decided to trim both of those sizes down to 5". 

Hourglass units in three sizes

Now they are all trimmed to " and the scraps are in the scrap box. I'm missing NINE units to start sewing this together, and hopefully, in that stack by the sewing machine, I'll get the nine units  I made myself a note on the bag and put it with the rest of the hourglass units. 

A bag of 5" hourglass units

Then I grabbed a box of stuff that I had set on the cutting table. This is still stuff from Pandora's Closet that I'm sorting through, and I'm almost done, but I know I'm leaving some tough choices to the end, and I'm OK with that. 

I taught this project a while back- Fancy Forest by Elizabeth Harman. 

The pattern for Fancy Forest by Elizabeth Hartman

All the blocks are made, and the sashings are cut, so assembling the top wouldn't take long. 

The blocks and the sashing for Fancy Forest

I still have all the scraps from the project in neatly labeled baggies. There's a piece of bright green fabric in the bucket. I think my intent was to make a smaller version. But why? Why do I need to do that? 

All the leftovers from making the blocks

I put everything back into the container, along with some other patterns by Elizabeth Hartman. When this comes up to assemble, I'll go through those scraps and put them away. For the moment, they are fine the way they are. But that will niggle at the back of my mind, and since this is a UFO (pretty sure it's a UFO), it might be next to sew up!

A box filled with Elizabeth Hartman projects

Then I grabbed a handful of smaller projects that were in the stack. Oh boy! There are MANY applique projects, some started and some not. Those not started will get pulled apart, and everything put away, and if it's been started, I'll put it back in the closet. OK -- I already evaluated them, and since most are small and just need to be stitched in place, I'll use them as samples. 

Small applique projects

I need some applique samples for one of my weekend classes, which was very timely. 

Here's what's left from the closet and a few things that got brought down from Studio U. So this is pretty good. There are essentially three stacks, and if I could deal with one stack a day -- I could be done. There is still lots of room in the closet, so I know that it can all disappear and that makes me very happy  Whether I'll have room for the excess stuff on the current project table -- that remains to be seen. 

All that remains from the closet

When I finished the stack that I put on the table the night before, I grabbed more stuff. I'm in the process of sorting through that  I am running out of time -- well, not exactly, but I need to get back to sewing as I have a lot to accomplish this month, and I'm on top of things, but I don't want to get behind. 

The last bit of sorting for today

I found this mini quilt that I designed and made. I used to teach this at guilds. It's about the size of a piece of paper, and it just needs the binding made and to be quilted. 

A mini-quilt

So this is what the cutting table looks like at the moment. The two bundles at the front are scraps or stuff that I have to put away. Why was there a bag (on the left) filled with bright scraps?? No idea -- no pattern, no notes. After this is dealt with, I need to get back to work!

To be sorted and put away this morning

And here's the ironing board and my sewing table, and both are in good shape. That basket is my current project, and you'll read about it tomorrow. 

Clean spaces to work on

I have a LOT of sorting and tidying up to do in Studio U as well. Remember, I switched the contents of the closets, and I never got back to finishing that  I'm going to try and spend an hour or so each day to get that done. 

The more that I do, the more I want to get done. As mentioned, most of the tidying is very close to being finished. What's happening now is the refining process. How to optimize the space I have and keep only what I need. Once I get through everything, I'm sure that I'll probably start all over again and want to get rid of more. 

But this process is eliminating all the projects that were never started, and I have no desire to start, and it's helping to sort out UFOs, excess fabric, and all that. So it's been a beneficial exercise. Technically, I have a couple of other places to do the same thing, but that closet downstairs was the worst spot. OK -- so there's a shelf in Studio B that is as bad. But thankfully, it's a smaller space. 

It just dismays me that it's taking so long. That's a lot of sewing time that I'm giving up because I have to manage my mess  NO MORE! And I can't imagine how someone would handle this if I had left it for someone else to deal with. It would be a nightmare, and the dumpster would probably be the best route! 

So no dumpster will be required at my house. At least, it'll all be neat, and when I decide to downsize, it'll be a snap to move because there'll be a lot less at that point. 

Anyway -- happy sorting and cleaning. I haven't given you a task in a while, and perhaps it's time to tackle something. Before you get started, make sure that your sewing area, ironing board, and cutting table are clear, and that's something you should be doing regularly. 

Then grab a UFO or two and look at them. Do you want them? Are they organized? All the fabric in the box  That's your task -- organize/sort at least three UFOs today. You don't have to do anything with them -- just make sure they are organized and on a list!

On that note, I'm out of here. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!

The best quilting tip EVER

 

Happy Birthday, M!!!!  It's hard to believe that my little kiddo is 25 today!!! I have to say that I'm quite proud of her. She's fiercely independent, although she's still just a kid - at least to me. She'll always be a kid! That way, I never age! 

She was born around 2:30 AM, and it's bizarre because I woke up at 2:30 last night. I NEVER do that. Perhaps I was reliving the moment 25 years ago. Have a great day today!!!! Love you lots!!! 

Yesterday was our Virtual Retreat, and oh my - we had a blast. We had the usual culprits who joined us, and we had some new people as well. Welcome to everyone!! It's so nice to put a face to a name. I'm a very nosey host - I like to know about everyone and what they are sewing or what's going on in their lives or where they live. 

It sounds like the pandemic situation in Germany is pretty much the same as here. Some of our local regions are in lockdown, and others are not. I don't even bother with it because it really won't change what goes on in my life, so I only go and FIND the information when I need it. I don't see the point of hearing the same thing over and over again. It's depressing. So I stick my head in the sand and just ignore it. 

I don't care when I'm eligible to get the vaccine. When it's my turn - it's my turn. I can't change that - I don't really care since I'm socially distancing, staying at home, etc.  My brain just doesn't have the capacity to deal with the stress of all that. When it's time - it's time, and that's all I care about. There are so many variables, and they change daily; why get myself worked up about something that will probably be different tomorrow. 

So - I bet you are wondering what the best quilting tip could be. Any thoughts? I mention it pretty frequently, and it has taken years for me to grasp it. 

Are you ready? 

OK - it's a one-word tip! 

FOCUS!! 

I know - seriously? Focus? That's it? You bet. So here's how I've been focusing. First - I have that list of UFOs that I need to deal with. It's going to take years to get them all completed, but that's OK. The point is that I'm focusing on them a few at a time. See what I did by making those lists? YEP  - it's called FOCUS. 

The one that I'm currently working on is from the 2018 list. Yes - a bit behind, but that's OK. If I didn't have that list, this project would likely still be sitting on the shelf - NOT touched.  

The second part of my focus is the UFO club. Each month, I commit to the group and myself that I'll get a certain part of one of the UFOs completed. If I don't, I have to pay money into the kitty. Not only that, but there's the pride of keeping up, making commitments, and knowing that we're all in this UFO club together and we're all struggling to finish projects. It sounds super silly that I need others to help me finish my projects, but FOCUS and FRIENDS are good when you're overwhelmed. 

The third part of my FOCUS strategy is to MAKE the time to actually get the work done. That's where the Virtual Retreat (and Monday Sewing) come into play. I sat in front of the computer with my Zoom friends, and I stitched blocks in place, I did applique, and I stuck with it the entire day (except when I took a break to go for a walk). When we closed the call down at the end of the day, I was THRILLED with my progress. I was on a high, knowing that I'm almost done!!! This project was started in 2017, so not that old of a UFO, but still a UFO. 

Thanks to a wee bit of FOCUS, the project should be finished TODAY!!!! And that's well in advance of the UFO deadline later this month. 

I'm thinking of which UFO I should work on next. After this one gets finished, there will be two projects left on the 2018 list. One is a heavily appliqued quilt - UGH, and the other is almost together. I'm going with the easy one, and then I swing back to applique. 

If you're struggling to get things done - you have to ask yourself why? And then figure out how to combat that. In my case, it's all about focus. I'm like a feather in a tornado - I can fly around and get nothing done, but when I buckle down and have a focus, I'm great. And if I don't have my virtual friends to keep me company, an audiobook will do the trick. 

Speaking of audiobooks, the one I'm currently reading is creepy. It's called Sister Dear by Hannah Mary McKinnon. Oh boy - talk about revenge, self-loathing, mental health concerns, and well - something bad is going to happen. It's good, and I need to finish it by tomorrow!

Let's have a wee peek at what I worked on yesterday. And as usual, I'm always "shocked" at how long it takes to do things! 

This was the status of my board of cut-pieces after I came back from my walk. There were still a lot of pieces to deal with. 

Progress was being made on piecing the borders

After cutting and piecing and pressing, I got the borders pieced together, and I had all this leftover. Hmm - a bit overzealous in the cutting process!! 

The leftover pieces 

Then it was time to start the rest of the applique. I had prepped all the shapes a couple of weeks ago, and since I'm machine stitching them down, they all have to be very secure with all the thread ends tucked in before I can start to sew. 

The bird applique in the middle of the quilt

Stitching the bird down wasn't hard, but it did take a bit of finagling since the applique was pretty much in the dead center of the quilt top, so a lot of twisting and turning. I don't think I got the angle of the bird correct, but you know what? It's staying this way!!!

The bird on the garden shed

I still have a bit more applique to do today. It's Monday sewing, and so this project is once again on my MUST-do list. The little project board is put away as there are no more little pieces to sew together, but this bucket of thread, applique shapes, and applique tools is all that remains to be dealt with. Yeah!!!!

I think there are about 15 applique pieces left to stitch in place. They have to be glued down, and lots of thread changes, and I think I have to make one more flower, so that's going to take a bit of time today. 

My applique bucket for today

There are five border sections on this quilt - two on the top and one on each side, and the bottom. Three of the five are completely done and stitched to the quilt!!!  YEAH!!!!!  Let's just say that I was jumping up and down this morning when I pressed the bottom row. 

The quilt top is ALMOST done

I have to open up a seam on the left border to stitch the applique in place, and that's my focus this morning. Then it'll get stitched in place. Then I have to open up a seam on the right side and repeat the process. That's for this afternoon. So it would be AWESOME if this is done today. The binding is cut, and I'll have to find something for the backing. But it wouldn't have got this far without FOCUS. It's a lot of work, but I love it, and I'm thrilled that I persevered to put those remaining borders on. 

I also got this mini quilt together. Each of those half-square triangles measures 3/4" FINISHED. So yes - they are teeny tiny. But I love them. I need to put a border on the quilt, and then I can call it finished. 

My mini quilt made with half-square triangles

How exciting. I still have Summer Moon on the design wall, which I can't seem to get enough time to stitch together, but I will. I'm so focused on this Quilter's Patch that everything else is taking a backseat. But I'll play the rest of the week, and then next week, I need to buckle down and get back to prepping the homework. 

There are so many e-mails to respond to and homework assignments to finish - that's my focus in the afternoon today. 

And why does everyone laugh when I say "in two weeks" things will quiet down. No one believes me anymore - they just laugh!!! Actually, looking at the calendar, I have eight presentations, two classes, and one author talk. That's it!!! That's an easy week! But it's the timing of events that has me sticking close to my computer since there's something every day! But that's OK. It's all doable. 

Well, on that note, I'm out of here—a wee bit of paperwork to be done before we start Monday sewing. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Just keep walking

 I'm feeling pretty accomplished these days. I still have a lot to do, but I'm making progress in all areas, which feels good. I have the time to work on things that are not urgent, and well, things are under control. However, I did forget that I had a meeting yesterday. Oh - it was in my calendar, and well, I was so focused sewing in the afternoon that POOF - the thought never occurred to me. 

I must get better about reviewing the day's events in the morning so that the items stick in my head!!

The good news for today? There's only one reminder today, and that's it. The rest of the day is MINE!!! Oh - I've got loads of plans for today, but I don't have any deadlines. No pick-ups or drop-offs, so I'm totally on my own. 

I think I was excited yesterday, which is why I forgot that meeting. I went on a road trip! Or - should I say that Ronda and I went on a road trip. We went to get my CUSTOM - MADE metal rack for my walking medals. 

Oh great -  there was an accident on the highway which slowed us down for a wee bit, but not much. 

The rack for my walking medals

Isn't that amazing?? I love it! He had previously made some Keep Running, but I didn't want that since I'm not a runner. I asked for Keep walking, and he even changed the figures to walkers from runners!! I would have loved to see his shop, but that'll have to wait for another day. Fortunately, he's not far from our retreat house (Fireside Retreat), so we'll have more opportunities to be in the area. The name of his business is Twisted Wrench Studio. He has a Facebook page.  Thanks to Pat for the recommendation!!!!  

Then a quick stop at our favorite quilt shop (Thimbles and Things) to do some curbside pickups. Holy - that store is hopping even in this crazy time. Not only with online classes but in ordering and servicing customers. All - within the guidelines of the current rules. A BIG thanks to Sue and all her staff to keep things going and stay cheery while doing it! I'll show you my curbside pickup tomorrow or Tuesday when it'll get put to use. 

It was a quick trip up and back. I used to think this was a long way away, but you know what? It's not that far at all. I was listening to an audiobook, and I knew that it would disappear at 1:40 PM. I listened to it on the way to pick up Ronda. I had ELEVEN minutes left when I picked her, so I waited and listened to those eleven minutes after dropping her off. I swear that about five minutes after that - the book disappeared! That was close!!!  The only disadvantage of audiobooks - you can't hang onto them for just a wee bit longer. 

I'm now 20% into the next one, which is long, so I hope to get a good part of that "read" today. Plus, I finished a physical book last night. 

I finished another customer quilt. I don't have a huge pile, so I'm trying to get them all done as one or two have been there for a wee bit longer than I would have liked. Can I get them all done before the end of this month? I sure hope so. I would like to get back to some Quilts of Valour quilts so I can start using those two rolls of batting. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I even managed to get some sewing done - FOR ME!!!!  The blue string quilt is HALF together. So that's good, and I should be able to finish it off later today. 

The blue string quilt

Then I'll need to think carefully about what goes back on that empty wall. I have one more project on the current projects tables where the blocks are done - they just need to be sewn together. I might put that one up, and I need to finish the other one that is half sewn on the other wall. 

But I got a chuckle as I was pressing. I noticed this fabric in one of the blocks. The pink and blue striped one. Yes - it's ugly, but wait. 

A wile arrangement of scrap fabrics

The SAME fabric was in one of the blocks for the other scrappy quilt that I had stitched the night before. What are the chances of that happening?? 

The same fabric is in this block

Oh yes - at one point when I was cleaning (years ago), I had a huge bundle of ugly fabrics, and I cut them up to be used in scrap quilts. I did start to cut them into strips of varying widths as per Bonnie Hunter. Then I realized that I wasn't using the strips. That's NOT how I function - I want to decide on a project and then find the fabrics. I don't like having stuff pre-cut. Anyway -- I don't like the pre-cutting of my scraps. That's just me - I know it works for others. 

Her's what I have left for scraps that have been cut into strips. 

Pre-cut UGLY strips

I'll find a purpose for them. I think they are 2" and 1½". 

I got two more blocks made for the latest scrap quilt. Only 10 more sets to sew. I CAN get this done!

Another set of scrap blocks done

And while sewing those, I'm putting those little blocks together made from the teeny half-square triangles. Yep - look at the size of those things. They are tiny! I think they finish at 3/4". 

Tiny half-square triangles

I know that some of you are madly cleaning, and I got this picture from - well, I won't say her name to protect the innocent. But she had a LOT of embroidery software products, and well, these just won't work any longer. First - the operating system they work on is not current, so that's one clue that these no longer have any value. Let's face it - some of us have software that is more than ONE generation past. PLUS - there are newer, easier to use, and more powerful features than these products. Why would you want to use the older products when you have newer ones? 

A few boxes of old software

We know that we should get rid of this stuff, but it's hard. Why? I think the owner of that software summed it up very nicely in this statement. 

" But the good news is that I had room to get more off my countertop into this now clear space.

 The downside of throwing out is you see the price you paid for these, and the manuals weren’t even opened. ☹"

And sadly, she is right. We see these great products that we bought with the best of intentions. We paid a LOT of money for some of these products and to find that the package was never opened? That's very sad. Plus - one thing about some of this software, and I mean ALL software, comes in a HUGE box containing a little manual and a CD. Takes up a LOT of shelf space. Even if you decide to keep the manual for the moment, it takes up a whole lot less space. 

However, now she has a lot more room on her shelf to put something else there. And here's the thing - if you have Embroidery software - Premier Plus (please!), I'll be teaching some classes through a local sewing machine dealer. So watch for that - I'm sure the spots will fill quickly. The idea is that if we've purchased something, we should use it. At least try it - maybe you won't like it, but at least you know that. 

And even better - if we decide to get rid of it, it's one less thing to clutter our spaces and one less thing for our families to deal with when you're gone. Or imagine having to downsize? I've been at the decluttering for years, and I can't imagine what will be involved in downsizing. 

So when it comes to software (and I NEED to tell myself this repeatedly), if the OPERATING SYSTEM is old on the software, NO ONE else can use it. Well, they may have an older computer, but what are the chances???  Just be mindful of that detail. I find that one VERY HARD to comprehend even though I know better. I'll have to tell you the story of my Dad one day and software. 

Just wait for it - I have a picture to share with you tomorrow that well, I need to be more ruthless.  

Since we're on the software kick - here's your assignment for today. I know we talked about the software before, but I bet you weren't ruthless enough. And your significant other may balk at this one. But dig it all out. ALL of it. Look at the operating system, look at the dates of the programs. Things like tax software, security protection system, and operating systems are all quickly outdated in the tech world. Recycle the boxes, and YES - you can throw the CDs away. Katheleen gave me permission to do that!!!

On that note, I'm off to have a glorious day!!! All by myself with my audiobook, my long arm, and the sewing machine!!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Winter Wonderland

 

What a difference 24 hours can make. I snapped this photo when I was returning from our morning walk. I think there's a bit of a mixed message here. 

Let's get both meanings of Christmas in the same scene! 

The meaning of Christmas

It's a bizarre display, but if it makes the owners happy, then it's their right to put this on their lawn. Just wait for the "after" pictures of outside at the end of the blog. But notice how green the grass is in this picture.  

As I searched for something the other day, I found this small quilt that I had made for a challenge several years ago. The theme of the challenge was Gone Viral or something like that. I think the theme was related to quilting on the internet. I think it's appropriate for our current situation! It's a bit difficult to read the word, but there's a word on it. 

My Gone Viral challenge quilt

When people saw it, it reminded them of a virus, so they didn't like it. Well, it works now! I was ahead of my time!

OH MY GOSH -- we had so much fun at the Virtual Retreat yesterday. We had some new people join us, and well - the day literally flew by. I'm not kidding - do you know how much more fun it was to sew with everyone than it was to sew alone!  Some people stayed most of the day, some people popped in to say HI, some people popped in and out as it suited their day. We got to see some amazing show and tell, answered some questions, solved the problems of the world, and just had FUN!!!! A HUGE thank you to everyone who logged in. 

The next one is scheduled for December 19, and 20 so get it on your calendar so you can stop by and say HI!!! 

What's even better is that I accomplished a TON of work, and I was a happy camper!!!

I started the day by going shopping. I needed some backing fabric for those two small red/white quilts that I finished a couple of weeks ago. I dug out the basket of red fabric and searched through them for something that worked. 

Shopping Chez Elaine

I found some red and white striped fabric, and that works for me. So this is the small quilt that I made with the four leftover blocks. The binding and the top were done, and now the backing is ready as well. So this got moved to the "to be quilted" pile. 

A mini-quilt ready to be quilted

I had enough of the striped fabric to use for the backing of the larger quilt as well. Hmm - that high-contrast could be a problem in those white setting triangles, but I don't think it'll be that big of a deal. The striped backing stays, so one more got moved to the "to be quilted" pile. This quilt is only 23 by 27 or something like that. 

A second mini-quilt ready to be quilted

I see that I"m missing a few pictures this morning. I was so focused that I didn't snap a lot of pictures as I was sewing. I must do that today!!! I need credit for everything I do! I was just so happy to have a day of personal sewing that I completely forgot to take pictures!!! But I swear I took pictures. 

I got quite a bit of stuff put away as well, which was GREAT. I have all the other Art-To-Heart books, so I had to have it when I saw this latest one. It's now on the bookshelf!

New Art-to-Heart book

All of the thread that I purchased this past week got filed away into a drawer, so that was good. I hope to fire up the embroidery machine this week, so I can get started. 

New thread purchases stored away

I also had some other spools hanging around, and now everything is in the same cabinet. Yeah!!

More thread

Even though I said I wasn't going to sweep everything off that cutting table, that's what I ended up doing. I got a block cut out and sewn together, so that was a huge thing to happen. You can't see the block, but you'll see it later this week. I love having the Zoom link on my laptop because I can move the group around as I need to in the studio to keep talking to them. 

Cutting out a block

Oh, for gosh sakes - I just found the four missing pictures. I finally emptied the scrap box, which was a little bit overflowing. I filled two small pet mats but haven't dug the serger out to close off the end yet. 

The overflowing scrap box

I had a customer who wanted me to add the border to their quilt before I quilt it. So that got put on as well. It's a GIANT quilt. 

Adding a border to a giant quilt for a customer

Here are the two Halloween quilts that I finished off a couple of weeks ago. Now the backing is ready, and I made the binding for both of them yesterday. Two more quilts get moved to the "to be quilted" pile. I have to confess that I've not been filling out the book but just stacking them in a pile. I'll deal with that once my time crisis is over. 

Two more small quilts added to the "to be quilted" pile

And speaking of the time crisis - yes - we all know that it's never going to get better at my house. I'm just a busy person - it's my nature. I knew November was going to be a crazy month, and it didn't disappoint. However, I'm happy to report that December and potentially January will be "quiet". They'll be quieter, so that will give me a bit of breathing room to catch up on some stuff. I'll be busy, but with no deadlines, it allows a lot more flexibility. 

Oh - I even handstitched a snap onto my jacket. Well, half of it had come undone, and I stitched it back in place BEFORE it fell off. Wow - that never happens.

My snap is now securely stitched in place

As if that wasn't enough, I also got half of my Summer Moon quilt sewn together. There are two columns on the left and the blocks still to sew together on the right. I'm happy and hope to get it done today as I desperately need that design wall for the next quilt that has a deadline. 

Summer Moon is half sewn together

Shortly after I got back to the house in the morning, it started to snow, and it snowed most of the day. It was so weird to chat with the others here in Southern Ontario and see the snow's progress as it moved east. It was like the day we had the thunderstorms when we were on a Virtual Retreat. 

This is the backyard at some point during the day! A LOT of snow fell. 

The snow in the backyard

But it sure looked pretty last night with the Christmas lights on in the neighborhood. 

A winter wonderland

I'm working on three documents that NEED to be finished off today. I made good headway this morning and hope to finish off later today. So progress is being made, and that makes me happy! 

This week, there are five presentations and four classes, and most of the prep work is done or almost done. Still busy, but a bit more relaxed! 

On that note, I'm out of here! It's Monday sewing, and that's always a good day!

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!