It's all abut Bear

NOOOOOOOOOO -- time goes by so quickly, and it's time for us to leave today. I confess I'm a bit sad. Not only were we here for a beautiful wedding, but we had a wee vacation, and spent a lot of time visiting with friends and family. Not nearly enough time, but we did what we could. Not only do we have to go home, but others must as well. Several people left yesterday, and I think the last of the guests, including the bride and groom, will leave tomorrow. We have a two-day journey home, so we need to leave today. 

Now we could probably have pushed and done it all in one day, but too many connections that could go wrong, so it's best to leave some flexibility in there, and no sense killing ourselves. 

We had breakfast with long-time friends in the Pointe Restaurant. The view of the ocean was spectacular, and the company was great. 

There are two bald-headed eagles in the neighborhood - could be more - we've only seen two at the same time. They were flying in very close proximity to each other, and OH—we could see why. One of them had a fish in its mouth, and the other one wanted it. They had a bit of a mid-air fight, and the fish dropped. WAIT --- I haven't seen any fish in the ocean, so what the heck was it? Anyway—whatever it was, it got dropped. 

Then we spotted one of the eagles, and perhaps he was looking for what they dropped. It was beautiful to watch soaring over the waves. We had seen them the day before as well. 

The eagle is looking for his lost lunch.

And here was my rhubarb waffle. A lot of decoration on that waffle. The portions are not huge, but the prices are! This hotel has the Relais & Chateaux designation. In my unsophisticated world, that means absolutely nothing. To DH and alas to M, that is a huge deal. I just see $$$$ when the bill arrives. 

My rhubarb waffle

But you can't beat the service at the hotel. Everyone has been super attentive, supportive, and helpful, remembering your name and why you are here! They are also young, and many have accents from around the world. As a matter of fact, I don't think I've seen any middle-aged staff members, let alone older ones! 

Bear and I had wandered out for a walk along the beach, and it was spectacular, as usual. I noticed that the tide seemed quite far out, and we never got the waves we had the previous day. But I'm pretty sure that's all in my head!!!! 

What was interesting was that this is the view in the morning. The sky is clear and sunny, and the view is spectacular. 

The view in the morning

This was the view (from a different window) a few short hours later. The fog just rolled in, and we couldn't see a thing. You couldn't even see the beach chairs close to the hotel. It was wild, and it stayed like that for a long time, but eventually the sun burned off the mist, and we were back to a wonderful day. Hmmm - that reminds me of the Stephen King book called The Mist. Very creepy book!!!!

The beach is gone in the mist!!!!

But let's talk about Bear because it's his day!!! He is so funny, and as I was getting dressed to take him out, I spotted him lying on the bed like this. What a pose. I think he knows he is special. 

Grandma, hurry up! I'm waiting!!!!

And then we were off for our walk. This is all pre-fog, and with few people on the beach, it was amazing. WAIT --- I had to drive one of the girls back to their hotel. More on that in a bit. 

Grandma -- I love the beach!!!!

And look at this cutie!!!! He is such a good dog and listens pretty well. I will say that the wedding was a bit much for him - he is 10 or 11, so it makes sense. 

Grandma - I'm so handsome!!!

He was exhausted by all the commotion the day before, and yet, he was super patient and sat for a long time while I fiddled with how to put the pillow on him. He slept a lot yesterday, but as the day picked up, he was back to his scampering and mischievous self. 

While I will miss visiting with M and Dillon, I will miss Mister Bear and his attitude as well. So we made the best of yesterday. 

The word was out that the "party" was on the beach, and as the afternoon wore on, more and more people came out and joined us on the beach. Little Bear needed a break and to escape the hot sun, so he found shade behind an empty deck chair. 

It's nice and cool behind this chair.

I mean - just look at him -- he's such a comic. He had a huge bottle of water in front of him, but you couldn't really see it because it was clear. But what a little monkey!!!!

Hey world -- look at me!!!!

At first, it was just a few people, and I spent a lot of time chatting with the groom's parents and their good friends. It was good to chat and get to know them better, since the bride and groom spend so much time with them. They went into town to get some food, and while they were away, the group exploded, and Bear and I decided we were done with the beach. 

The friends party on the beach

Besides, I don't think the younger people really wanted us old fogies around!!! Oh my -- I haven't used that word in a long time. 

But then Bear and I found a quieter place, still in view of the big group, and it was somewhat shaded. I ran into a couple about my age, and their son is getting married next weekend, but not here. He's getting married on the other side (more populated) side of the island. Anyway, we got to talk about travel, and this lady would be the perfect travel companion for me. I thought of The Celestine Prophecy as we sat there. 

No cross-body bags for her!!! She has pockets in her vest to keep her valuables. I still like my small flat pouch, and I've been wearing it the entire time I've been here, including at the wedding!!! No one knew I had it on. I mean, how can someone even think about robbing you when they can't see what to take!! 

She had friends who had cross-body bags in Italy, and got swarmed and had passports and money stolen. I will never wear a cross-body bag while traveling. Take the MINIMUM you need (passport, room key, and a credit card); you don't need more. Unless you need meds, and then that is a whole different story. 

I forgot to mention, only because it didn't fit in the flow of the pictures, but I had an amazing visit with my aunt and cousin. Oh my—how nice it would be to be a bit closer, but our family doesn't work that way, and we seem to be able to pick up where we left off. If we lived closer, that may not happen! 

The owners had a dog named Charlie, and his dog house is still here. I think it's a wee bit big for Mister Bear, but he had to explore it nevertheless. 

Grandma, this doghouse is huge!!!!

Speaking of big dogs, we saw a couple with two retrievers yesterday. TWO big dogs. I can't imagine the chaos in the hotel room. It's bad enough with Bear and all his stuff. 

And see him scampering down the hall. He's back!!!!!

Grandma - let's run!!!!!!

That little devil. He was getting his mojo back and was happy to try to scamper down a hall when we needed to reach our room. And it didn't take him long to learn where his room was. He is so darn cute!!!!!

Before the wedding, M had sent out a note asking people to send her a voice message about the wedding day. Bear and I did that yesterday. We sent THREE messages about how we felt during the wedding and to wish them the best as they start their new life together. It was a very cool idea. 

I think the bride was a bit overwhelmed yesterday (and tired), and busy with her friends. She will have a lot to process when they get home. But first, they have one more, hopefully, less busy day, and more for themselves to enjoy on their own before they take on the enormous task of packing stuff in their car. I can't even begin to imagine how much stuff they brought. They are NOT light packers, and since they are in the car, it's easy to overpack!!! 

M even said that NO ONE was allowed to comment on how much stuff they brought. I totally get it -- it's like when we go to a quilt retreat. We have an empty car and X days to quilt, so you might as well fill the car and have lots of choices. I've been there and done it!!! But on a plane? That's different - I don't want to deal with all the stuff, so I pack very light. 

One thing I noticed over the last couple of days is how M and I are pretty similar. Well, certainly not in all ways, but a couple of things came to mind. I like jigsaw puzzles, she likes jigsaw puzzles. She likes to read, I like to read, and can you believe that we read a lot of the same books? She's not into the murder/mystery ones I love, but she's into many other philosophical ones (The Celestine Prophecy) and historical fiction. 

She likes cucumbers, I like cucumbers. And she always wore mismatched socks when she was a kid. I swear she bought new socks (or we bought them, more likely), and I swear she took one sock out of the package and threw the other away. When she left, I found a lot of single socks and never found the mate for any of them!!!! 

So imagine my surprise yesterday when I pulled out a fresh pair of socks to find this!!!!!

OH MY  - mismatched socks

I almost died laughing. They are similar in color and feel, and when I was folding the laundry, most likely not paying attention, I grabbed these and put them together as a pair!!! It doesn't bother me in the least!!!! Oh, M—you have no idea what's ahead of you!!!!! But I love you to bits, and that's all that counts. You have learned to be flexible, and you'll go far with that character trait. Very proud of who you have become!!!!

In the late afternoon, I left Bear at the hotel and took a long walk on the beach. Something I'm not always able to do with Bear, unless I carry him. He does get interested in everything - other peeps (not his own) and dogs. I decided that I had to put my feet in the ocean - at least just to feel the water on my feet. YIKES --- that water is freezing. 

VERY cold water

People have been surfing along this shore, but they are wearing wetsuits. Others are going for short swims in the water. A bit too cold for me!!!!

And here I am on the beach. The weather has been perfect. This was about 7 PM last night. 

Me on the beach

DH and I ended up eating at The Point restaurant again last night, then we wandered back to the hotel room, where I tried to clean up some of the mess. I am usually very neat and tidy in the hotel room, but there was stuff strewn everywhere. So that all got cleaned up, and after I finish the blog, I can pack the office backpack. 

We have to make two stops on our way back to the other side of the island, and we have travel plans we have to meet at 4 PM, so we don't want to leave here too late. 

As I was packing, I found my wedding earrings. They were long and dangly, and they matched my outfit. I don't think the two greens in the earrings matched each other, but it all worked out. They were a bit heavier than I wanted, but I put my little studs back in, and my ears are almost back to their normal self. 

My wedding earrings

I bought a couple of other pairs while I was at the store, so you never know what you'll see me wear in the future!! You might as well have fun with this stuff!!!! 

After the reception, we went to the party tent. I would say that by 11 PM, most of the "older" people were gone. And I'm OK with that. The tent shut down at midnight, but it was still too early for the new couple and their friends to call it a night. So they changed, went, sat on the beach, and watched the sky. OH MY GOD ---- what a beautiful way to end the wedding night. I was so excited for them. 

I got the feeling that many of them barely slept. That was the case with the friend whom I drove back to her hotel very early in the morning. I am so glad that so many of their friends could make the wedding, and the comingling of friends from both sides was solidified that night. What a wonderful idea. 

While we had seen the stars on our walk home from the party tent, we did not see as many as if we were on the beach. So last night, I was determined to stay up until it was dark enough. That's why I puttered and put everything away. 

I know, it's very hard to see in this picture, but there are loads of stars. Not like what they would have seen hours later, but it was fun. 

A starry night

And then I grabbed these photos of the beach. 

The beach just after 11 PM

All of those photos were taken with my camera phone at about 11 PM. Wow!!!!!!! It's no wonder we pay a lot for those darn phones - the thing we are really buying is the camera!!!!!

And then I had some time before I finally fell asleep to check out some social media stuff and OH MY GOSH. Can you believe I found this?????

Well, I can't find the announcement at this point - it may have been on IG, but the World Jigsaw Puzzle competition will be held in Toronto in 2027!!!!! I will not be signing up, but I can volunteer and check it out!!!!!

I've already marked the dates in my calendar - it's the beginning of June. Good grief -- I had no idea this puzzle world was so big. I would love to get home and work on my gradient puzzle. I'll be there soon, but I do NOT have much time. When I get home, I have a couple of urgent things to finish, and I need to pack for the next trip. Nothing for months and then everything this month. Sigh.......

I think I got a bit too much sun on my head yesterday! Of all the days we have had here, the weather order was perfect for the wedding. The prayers that M sent up (and many others, I'm sure) were answered. I hope that's a good sign!!!

Well, I'll share more wedding pictures and memories another day, but I must get myself organized to take the little guy out for his walk, and then I'm taking one last bike ride into Tofino for my last donut. Tomorrow, no more donuts!!!!!

And on that wonderful note, have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

That's one BIG embroidery hoop

 Wow -- my head is exploding with all the new stuff! 

Let's say that the hotel was kind to me yesterday, as there were no issues. My key works; I have figured out (thanks to Claire) how to turn up the "volume" on the desk light - it's still very dim. And I've been sleeping with zero issues. I think a train could go through the room and I wouldn't hear it as we are so tired at the end of the day! 

I spent the day in a room full of Designer EPIC 3s. I was a helper in case the class of dealers ran into trouble. Despite the interface being so new,  they all did very well. Except for one or two who were a bit snippy as they didn't want to be reminded they were doing something incorrect. I was pretty polite! But everyone warmed up by the end of the day, and all was good. 

A room of Designer EPIC 3s

So many exciting things, and I don't even get to see it all. I'm in a different room today, and from what I heard yesterday, this will be a fun class! And it's all about sergers! Who knew that a couple of years ago, I knew very little about sergers and today, I'm a helper!

It was fun catching up with the Canadian dealers, many of whom I have met through previous conventions or meetings in Canada or running an event at their store. We had a great dinner with some of them last evening. 

There are so many exciting new features on the Designer EPIC 3 that it's hard to even know where to start. I'll be doing some blog posts on QUILTsocial, so watch for that. Let me say that when I first saw the specs many months ago, I was totally blown away by the new FREE ARM embroidery unit. The new machine comes with FOUR hoops. Plus, there are some specialty hoops - one of them being the MEGA turnable hoop with the largest stitchable area in the market. 

This thing is enormous, as you can see in the picture below. I CANNOT wait to get my hands on it and start creating textured fabric with embroidery stitches! Oh yes --- I love doing that, and it will be loads of fun. 

The MEGA turnable hoop

The current turnable hoop actually fits INSIDE that hoop. Even better news is that all hoops have been reinforced for more stability during embroidery. More stability, less shifting of fabric. Oh yes --- this is a good thing. 

I tell DH he's fortunate I work with the company because I'd buy one now. I will buy one, but a bit later on. 

I popped out for a walk very early (6 AM). I walked into the gated community beside the golf course. The sky is beautiful at that time of the day. And YES -- you can see the stars. I can't remember the last time I saw stars in the sky. How sad is that?

The predawn sky

I have to say that I took that picture around 6:30 AM. So the sky was dark, and I used my cell phone. Yep -- the cell phone cameras today are amazing!!!!!

There is a sidewalk that goes along the main road into this community, which seems to be HUGE. 

This is where I walk

I started at the Marriott (on the right) and took this picture when I was at the blue dot. Shoot -- I almost made it to the other side but ran out of time! 

I'm heading out this morning. Even though it's dark, there are just enough light posts to keep it lit to walk on the sidewalk without tripping over anything. I've not encountered any issues (knock on wood), and I'll be out there shortly. 

After our dinner, I needed to make up a couple of km for the day, so I headed back out to the gated community, and this was the moon. 

The night sky

The light in the picture is from the CAMERA, NOT the lighting in the area. It was DARK. 

On that note, I'm out of here. Not much exciting happened during the day as we were in the classroom all day (out for snacks and lunch). But the engineers are here, and I have a list that I want to share with them. Some of these suggestions have already been made. Yeah!!! I discovered a new stitch that I wanted, and I spoke to the "Stitch Witch" (she's the one who designs all the new stitches), and she showed me exactly what I was looking for!! How cool is that! I'll be sharing that one with you!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Ooops - I did it I again!

I've got myself into a nice little routine. Every day is almost the same, but yet it's not. There's always something new going on and yesterday was no exception. I screwed up! Big time!!!

We have a pond in our backyard and the crew was over bright and early to open it up for the season. We have three small waterfalls and we love to hear the sound of the water. That's my sleepy time music when I'm in the backyard.

However, when I went to turn the water on for them, I knew there was a problem. The darn copper pipe UNDER THE DECK was broken AGAIN!!!  It turns out that when I drained the tap in the fall, that I very carefully closed the tap again instead of leaving it open for the condensation to escape. I've done that for years (kept the tap open), but twice now, I've closed it. Why?? I've no idea. I'm making myself a BIG note to not close that silly tap, once it's drained.

Fortunately, they were able to fix it, but I'm going to have to cough up money for that! Let's just say that we're lucky the boards on the deck run parallel to the copper pipe!!!

Some of the deck boards had to be removed to fix the copper pipe that had burst

More boards to be removed to fix the burst pipe

I'm such a dolt - how could I have done that? Well, no matter - it was a mistake. It's now fixed and life goes on.

It was interesting - four of us physical distancing in the backyard and NO ONE mentioned the current situation, although one of the workers was sporting a mask. I LOVE it - it's nice to chat with someone and NOT talk about the virus!!

Getting the pond opened

At least the little shed is all cleaned out and organized so it was easy for the guys to get what they needed. I bet they are happy because it used to be a nightmare to get into that shed.

Some shifting around the pond has occurred over the years so a bit of work had to be done to fix the skimmer. But I got an A+ for keeping the leaves out of the pond! I've just been hand skimming them out with my net. It's kind of therapeutic and I'd be doing more, but this weather is not really conducive for standing there skimming leaves out of the pond.

The pond is open for the season

I see someone else was happy that the pond is open. We have company this morning and of course, Murphy had to alert me. I checked out what her problem was to find this happy couple.

A pair of ducks

I'm not sure where they nest, but they (or a different pair) come by every spring. They use the pond for a couple of days and then they are gone. I've seen them in the little creek in the forest behind the house, but that doesn't stay full so I don't know where they go. But they come by every year to say HI.

This is the second time I've seen them this year.

Lots of stuff happening and I won't have time today to give you all the news.

I thought I would share some information on cutting mats. Here are some tips about cutting mats:

1. Buy the biggest one you can afford and have room for
2. Buy GOOD quality - my preference is for the OLFA green mats. Some of the mats (gray ones in particular) are very hard on your rotary cutters. The OLFA brand (as well as others) are self-healing. 
3. Look at the precautions on the mat - no extreme heat, no extreme cold, store FLAT, no irons.
4. Keep them clean - I like to use a kitchen scrub brush to wipe off threads and lint
5. Do NOT use the lines on the mat to cut. You'll wear your mat out prematurely. Use the lines on the ruler instead. If anyone needs a lesson - let me know. 
6. Try to rotate the mat around so you're not always cutting in the same spot
7. Flip the mat over once side one is crapped out - yep - a whole new mat. 

Here are some pictures that illustrate the above.

OLFA brand is the BEST - but HEED the warnings on the mat to keep it in good shape

Most mats have a SECOND cutting surface on the reverse side with NO lines. That's OK - it's still a self-healing cutting surface.

The back of the mat is a second cutting surface with no lines

This is what happens when you cut in the same spot all the time. Rotate the mat or move your work to a different area. Cutting on this surface will prematurely dull your rotary blades and you'll get skips in your cutting.

Avoid cutting in the same place all the time to avoid premature wear

I have TWO of the 24" by 36" mats on the cutting table in Studio U and also in Studio B. A bit excessive, I wouldn't be without them. Two of them fit perfectly on my cutting tables, which are tabletops that I purchased from IKEA.

Mat with the lines showing

But the second mat has been flipped over as the front has seen better days.

The backside of a cutting mat

I do need to be careful in Studio U as there is a HUGE window that lets lots of light in and in the summer - lots of heat. So I'll move the mat that is closest to the window on top of the other one when I'm not using it so it doesn't warp. Yep - direct sunlight can warp the mats!!

It's a huge investment to buy these mats - but so worth it when you want to lay something out. Take care of them!!!! And KEEP THEM CLEAR of clutter and junk. It's so inviting to see that cutting mat so clean. It gets me very excited when I walk in and see the mat totally empty.

I did a little bit of digging yesterday and found the quilt in the "to be quilted" pile that used the same backing as I was trying to use for the Night Sky quilt.

The backing fabric on the Pickle Dish quilt

I've made a note on both quilts where the extra backing is and what needs to happen with it so the day that I get to quilting these quilts, I'll be able to finish off that backing for the Night Sky quilt. That might not happen for a while, but that's OK. The note is made!

So now I can cross this project off the UFO list for 2017. AH -- satisfaction!!!  Today is my day to prep my work schedule for the week and I have to choose the next UFO project for our group meeting which is tomorrow (virtually of course). I need to make the decision as to which of the two that remain on that list (2017) that I'll work on next. There were 13 projects on that list - so I'll be doing a bonus when I get these next two done.

Night Sky ready to be moved to the "to be quilted" pile

I'm currently reading Educated by Tara Westover. I'm almost finished so I had to get the next physical novel ready. That was easy - went to my shelf and found something. Oops - it's the second book in a series. I found the first one in the audiobook format so I downloaded it. Since I'm almost finished my audiobook as well, that was a good thing. BUT I also have an audiobook that I had on hold for a couple of weeks and that just came in so that one needs to be read first. No worries - I can read one in a week - easy.

So back to Educated. This is a shocking book. In case you're not familiar with the book - it's a memoir of a girl growing up in rural Idaho. It's shocking for several reasons - how could the family be so backward (mental health issues), how could other family members (who did not live there) have allowed some of the stuff to go on that did - abuse - mental and physical, the refusal to go to doctors despite some horrific accidents, etc.  But what is totally crazy is how DEVOTED the girl is to her parents and that she is torn between walking away and staying loyal to them.

It's that kind of control that is very DANGEROUS. But that kind of control is very evident in a lot of rural settings. I'm sure non-rural as well. We're not talking about physical restraints for control - this is total mind control. There's a HUGE example happening in the US today!! I won't mention any names, but I bet you can guess what and who I'm talking about.

It took me a bit to get into the book as it's a tough read because of the subject matter. It's not my favorite book as it makes me very angry and frustrated but it's a good life lesson. Please - please - please teach your children and grandchildren to NOT be meek and mild. Get out there - shout out issues - get them to take a stance and for gosh sake - if there's a problem inside a home that you know about - get everyone out!!!

Speaking of books, Jane sent me this picture which I just love. Read the book titles carefully. I'm not sure where it came from, but it's cute.

Read the book titles

Let's see - I have time to show you a couple more things. I did get another quilt quilted. This is supposed to be the fifth one this month for Quilts of Valour. It might be a wee bit too small. I'll have to check with the team. I should have put borders on it, but there was already a backing made and it was now loaded on the long arm. Oh well - someone else can use it if they don't want the quilt. Surely there are some small people in the military??

Quilts of Valour quilt - DONE

The binding strips are cut and I'll attempt to get that one bound later today.

Binding strips for the quilt

And I finished the binding on the one I was working on the previous day. That's Number FOUR for the month (of five) that are completely done and ready to be delivered. One more to go.

Another quilt has the binding on

I still have a stack of quilts and other projects to bind on the worktables. There are six of my quilts to finish off. Yikes - I just can't keep ahead of myself. But the next quilt is loaded - or at least the backing is. It's a small one so I'll have time to get something else done. That quilting process eats up a lot of hours in a day! Even with the computer.

As I was doing some more tidy up, I dug into the box with the hourglass blocks made from the border cut-offs. HEY - I found more pieces that could be matched up with that stack I had. So those are now sitting beside the sewing machine to be used as enders and leaders.

More large half-square triangles to sew together

Here's a link for you today. This is the quilt that a lady made after she rode her bike across Canada. The same trip as me, but she did it in 2018. She collected fabric along the way and actually made a quilt. I think I collected fabric but never made a quilt.

I've got more to share, but it's going to have to wait until tomorrow.

OH -- I forgot to mention something that I'm grateful for. So today - it's another person. Today it's all about Diane. Diane has been merrily sewing together quilts from our community quilts project. I got three quilt tops from her the other and in some cases, the binding is also made. She picked up four more kits! She's a super star! And I can barely keep up with her. The stack in the box is getting huge.

Since it's unlikely that we'll be able to get together for another month or so, I'm going to have to start going through the box and get those quilts bound and work on backings. The backings are not a rush, but I should go through what's she provided me and take out the scraps and deal with them. Thanks, Diane -- I appreciate all your help!!!

On that note, I'm out of here.

Have a super day!!!!


Ciao!!!

Same as yesterday!

I feel the last couple of days are just repeats of each other - kind of like the movie Groundhog Day. Quilt a quilt, do some binding, do some sewing! Going to have to shake it up a bit! At least the things I work on every day are a bit different, but not much.

However, there's always a challenge that each day presents. The first one yesterday was getting my package shipped. I was going to do the paperwork and then just drop it off at the UPS office. I normally get them to do all the work.

Package to be shipped via UPS

So I logged on - YES - I have an account with UPS and thanks to a password saver, I was able to get logged in without having to reset the password. That in itself was a HUGE hurdle. I got the paperwork sorted out - how much does the package weigh, what's the size and all that. Then I was asked the question of drop off at the store or pick-up. Well surely pick-up costs more, but let's see. OH boy - no extra charge. After what I paid yesterday, I swear the UPS store charges me to do the paperwork.

I had to figure out how to generate the commercial invoice that needs to accompany the package. Got that done and the box sat on my step all afternoon. No porch pirates in my neighborhood - at last no one took my package. Not even UPS. The window was between noon and 5. So I brought it in and was going to call today to figure out what to do with it.

Then when I was reading my book after dinner, I saw the UPS truck drive up and I jumped up and tossed the package onto the front step. Phew - it's gone. Let's hope that it makes it there on time.

A few other bits of paperwork and I was good for that. Paperwork is SO time-consuming. But it has to be done. I've got more today. Yeah!!! 

At last, I made it to Studio B to get the next quilt loaded. While I'm babysitting, it was time to tackle a few more things on the table. I grabbed this piece of wood. Now, what the heck is that for? Oh - I know what it's for. I've been shuffling that piece of wood around for YEARS. I could have thrown it out, but then I decided to put it back where it belongs.

A piece of wood

You see, my Aunt Irene gave me (or sold me - I don't remember) a Singer sewing machine years ago. It was green and in a cabinet. One of those neat ones with the flip lid. The sewing machine tucked away when you weren't using it. The sewing machine had a wee accident during a move and it was toast (I bought a NEW Singer, but I wish I had of kept the old one). Here's the cabinet.

The sewing machine cabinet

 I screwed a wooden shelf into the cabinet so my machine at the time would sit inside the opening. It provided a nice flat surface. I used this set up for machine quilting for a long time.  You can see the screws holding the new shelf in place in the photo below. Well, that piece of wood fits inside the bottom of the cabinet. Its job was to protect the sewing machine - well it failed! But I managed to get the piece of wood inserted back into the cabinet. I feel better and that only took 20 years?

The bottom of the sewing machine cabinet

I found this great little hardshell case. It's quite small and what the heck to do with it? Hmm - I decided it would be good to put presser feet in when I travel. Some of them are delicate and shoving them into a suitcase in a plastic bag probably isn't the best. Now they'll be well protected so that got stored with the presser feet. It had only been hanging around for a couple of months.

Little hard case for storing delicate things

I did a bit more tidying but didn't clear as much as I would have liked. But that's OK. I'm almost to the point, where all the stuff that has to be put away is put away and I'd be happy to just leave the rest on the tables and get it done. Saturday evening is my time to get things organized for the next week. So even though there's a bit of stuff left in the weekly laundry basket, I may just add a thing or two. I'll see how focused I am.

The work tables

The stack of empty containers is getting larger. It's time to work on that and use some of them for storage. I'll figure it out.

Here's the next quilt for Quilts of Valour. This one came from the local organization so I don't have to put the binding on. Yeah!! It's trimmed and ready for delivery. There's ONE more to quilt to get my quota of five quilted this month. It's only the middle of the month!!! But I'm not delivering until the end. There's no rush.

Quilts of Valour quilt - done

I finished the binding on one of the others that I quilted the other day. So that makes two that are completely done with the binding and the third one is quilted and trimmed.

The binding is one the quilt

The binding was made for this quilt (the fourth one for Quilts of Valour) and I managed to get it sewn to the back of the quilt. I'm aiming to get it done today. And the next one is hanging off the long arm waiting to be loaded today.

The binding is partially on this quilt

Then it was up to Studio U to sew. Well, it doesn't quite work that way. But as far as the blog goes - that's what happened.

I love having my sewing machine in a cabinet. And I really do like that little one that I got from my aunt. But I now have this big one and it's great. There's loads of room in front of the needle to match up seams. I LOVE that.

Loads of room in front of the needle to match up seams

And there you have it - the SECOND Night Sky quilt is done!! You can bet that I did a happy dance when I took that photo. This has been on my 2017 Dirty Dozen (UFO) list. I haven't crossed it off yet. You'll see why in a minute.

Night Sky quilt top

The binding is made.

The binding for Night Sky

When I went to make the backing - I was short!!  That's my fault. I said that Ronda helped me measure the pieces. Well, I also measured some or put the leftovers from a previous backing away after I remeasured. I think that's what happened. I'm short a piece 16" by 39". I'm going to find the other quilt that I used this fabric for and see if I can do a bit of magic. Once that backing is made, I'll cross that off my list. And then I'll have only two projects left on that list. I guess I lied yesterday when I said there were only two - in fact there were three. I guess in my mind, I was thinking this one was done!!

Later today, I'll figure out which of the remaining two that I'm going to tackle next.

I was using that mini Block of the Month as my end/leader project, but it's pretty darn fiddly for that. As I was cleaning the worktables, I came across a previous ender/leader project and it got brought upstairs. I save everything. I know - it's sad. Anyway, I always join my borders with a diagonal seam and that leaves some pretty big triangles. I've been matching them up (size and color) to get half square triangles which will then get sewn into quarter square triangles or hourglass blocks. I've got a whole pile made.

Big triangles to sew together

There was only one half square triangle that I could sew. I need to make another border or two to get some potential matches for the triangles that are left. These will go back into the appropriate container until I have more border cutoffs.

In the meantime, I have this container full of sewn half square triangles. They need to be pressed and then matched up to sew the quarter square triangles. I probably have enough to make a quilt. I should get these done and get to work on the quilt. It's going to make a great scrap quilt.

Half square triangles to sew into quarter square triangles

I'm also sewing some of the smaller triangles that I cut off from bindings (so you can imagine how many I have) to make small half-square triangles for another scrap quilt. Oh yes- I have more than enough to start sewing that one together.

Keep the small triangles

NO - I do not want your small triangles. I have generated loads myself. But thanks!!!

Even though I'm not quite finished the backing for the Night Sky quilt, I dug out the next project from the laundry basket. It doesn't seem that I've made a dent in that laundry basket of projects. But at least all that remains are relatively small or don't require a lot of work, so I hope the rest will go a bit more quickly than the last couple that I worked on.

The laundry basket of projects

So here's the next project. I've decided to focus on the mini Block of the Month.

The mini Block of the Month

There are two blocks left to sew together. One of them is prepped and ready to sew.

The next block is cut and ready to sew

These blocks are small and fiddly but hopefully, it won't take too long to make the last two blocks - especially if I'm focused on them. Then cut the sashing and the borders - it shouldn't take too long!! Yeah!!! A simple project. I must remember that when packing that laundry basket. Get some variety into the mix when choosing projects!

While I was out walking with the girls - guess what we saw?? A dandelion!!!! Now I'm not one to get excited about dandelions, but does that mean that spring is near at hand? It feels like winter out there and on the afternoon walk, we had snow, sun, wind, and everything in between. But what a difference it makes to walk in the sunshine. Holy --- you can feel the heat instantly. So I plan my walks accordingly. I walk along the shaded part at the beginning and then bask in the sunshine on the way home.

My first dandelion!!!

And have you noticed how much lighter it is in the morning? I love it!!!!!

I know that tons of you are making masks for family, friends and to be donated. Some of them are adorable and people have gotten extremely creative with elastic, buttons, ties, etc. Some of the fabrics have been super cute, bright and cheery. I've seen people posting pictures wearing the masks and I can only hope that those masks get washed BEFORE they get donated.

But this mask is the BEST mask picture that I've seen. It's so adorable. This is Christine's little dog. Gosh - I'm not sure I even know his name. I do, but I don't remember it. Christine is my cousin and not sure if she made the mask, but who cares. It's just the cutest thing ever!!!!  Mr. Bear better not see this or he is going to be asking for one.

Who is that masked dog???

I have a link to share with you today. It's about how retail will never be the same again. Ten ways that retail will change after this pandemic is over. Have a read - it's pretty interesting and I think it's true.

On that note - I'm out of here. The guys are here to open the pond and the water tap froze again this winter and it's broke. GRRRRRR  --- two years in a row after years of no issues. What the heck????

Have a super day!!!!


Ciao!!!!