Much ado about sleep!

If this post doesn't make sense this morning - it's not my fault!!! As I sit here writing, I'm sandwiched between a Husky and a Retriever who are NOT very happy! They are literally glued to my legs. I'll tell you why in a second. 

I didn't make it outside for a walk before heading down to Quilty Pleasures, which was just a few blocks from the hotel. All was good. The people who attended the events went home with their brains overloaded, but they had the opportunity to ask tons of questions, and we had a great time with lots of laughs. 

And you have to love it when all the technology goes as planned, like the computer connecting directly to the TV for the presentation. The Singer Momento connected to the computer without issue, and it cut like a hot knife through butter! That's how everything is supposed to work, but you know me and technology - there are some days when technology doesn't work as it's supposed to. It was a great day! 

I had a look around the store between presentations and a few things found their way home with me --- YES -- including some fabric which I typically do not purchase. I haven't unpacked yet, so I'll share later. 

I met up with a friend for dinner - a simple affair at Tim's and we had a grand chat, and I decided to hit the road about 7 PM. It was a five-hour drive, which should get me home around midnight. 

The GPS took me on a bit of a tour through the countryside. I was listening intently to my audiobook and didn't pay attention to the road signs, and, well, I got myself back onto the 401, but not nearly as soon as I had planned. The GPS must have been looking for the shortest distance. I will say that when I went there, I had about 15 km left showing on the gas tank. this time? I had over 100 Km. Now, why is that? Oh --- speed plays a big factor! It wasn't a big deal, and despite driving some of the country roads, the time to get home was the same. 

You drive faster but cover more KMs, or drive slower and go as the crow flies! It was the same thing. All I can say is that at that time of night, there wasn't much traffic. I saw several signs indicating that ALL LANES were closed as I neared Toronto, so I took matters into my own hands and took the toll road to bypass the closures. I didn't want to get stuck in traffic. There was NO traffic on the toll highway. It was very weird. 

The trip home was pretty uneventful, except when I was on the phone chatting with M. I wasn't driving super fast, and I spotted a deer on the side of the road. YIKES!!! It wasn't going anywhere, but it scared me -- you hear so many stories of deer running out into the road. This one was smart! 

I stopped once and had a nap. Could I have made it home without? Maybe, but I wanted a washroom break anyway, and since I fell asleep right away until my 30-minute alarm woke me up, I think the nap was warranted. I had no need to get home by a certain time. 

I got home and unpacked the car, and all was good. As I neared my neighborhood, the book took an unexpected turn. So when I was thinking I could easily fall asleep when I get home, maybe that's not going to happen. I sat in the driveway and listened to the end of that chapter and decided I could finish the book this morning. 

I did read one chapter in my ebook before falling asleep. It was 1:30 PM. 

I had not looked at the weather, but woke up to find Murphy standing by the bed, and the lightning and thunder were wild. It was crazy, and it was raining like mad. She tried tucking her head between the bed and the nightstand. I don't know why she doesn't stay in the stairs room since it's probably the darkest place in the house. 

She doesn't like cuddling, and she no longer jumps on the bed. She just needed to be close. 

 The lightning lasted about 30 minutes. I heard Murphy go downstairs, then went back to sleep. That was about 3 AM. Phew!

I had barely fallen asleep when I heard her at the back door barking her head off! I came downstairs, but couldn't see a thing. I got her calmed down, showed her there was nothing outside, and went back to bed. That was about 3:30 AM. 

My alarm went off at 4:30 AM. I shut it off and went back to sleep. 

The second alarm went off at 5:00 AM. I shut it off and went back to sleep. 

At 6:00 AM, I heard Murphy back in the room, and the lightning and thunder were incredible. The entire sky was lit up from end to end, and the thunder was booming. At one point, you could feel the thunder. I know that sounds weird, but you could feel it. And it sounded like a torrential downpour. I finally got up at 6:30 so I could write the blog. 

In case you don't believe me about feeling the thunder, here's what AI has to say about that. 

And I'm going to go back to bed the second I publish this blog. Of course, that won't happen because the girls will want their walk, and then I'll go back to bed.

I spent the first part of the evening trying NOT to fall asleep and the second part trying to fall asleep, which wasn't a problem, but I couldn't stay asleep!

I have a lot of work to get done this week before we leave, and OH MY -- we leave on SUNDAY, not Monday, so I'm going to lose a day here! How the heck could I make that mistake when it's very clearly marked in my calendar! 

So we'll have a Virtual Retreat on Saturday night, and I'll be around for part of Sunday. I'll post the links later this week. I may just have the virtual retreat on Saturday night since I won't be around. Good grief—well, since I'm now losing a day, I'd better get myself organized, but not before I get more sleep! 

It's always interesting to walk around stores, and I didn't think I had ever been to Quilty Pleasures, but after being there, I have a distinct memory of my bicycle parked in front of the store. Hmmm --- I need to go back and find that. 

OMG --- as quick as that, I found it. August 13, 2014.   Amazing what information you can find on the blog. This was the second time I did a cross-Canada trip on my bicycle, except it wasn't really cross-Canada. I joined the tour in Tottenham, north of Toronto. 

I rode my bike to Quilty Pleasures in 2014

Shoot --- I should have checked the blog BEFORE I went to that store. I would have taken a picture of my car parked in the space to the left of the bike. That would have been hilarious!!!! 

OH -- it gets even better. I was at Quilty Pleasures on August 23, 2015. This time I had the car and the bike! It looks like I was riding the Waterfront Trail, but I'd have to figure out why I had the bike and the car. I think this year was the year of the Row by Row. I must find the license plate. 

I'm back at Quilty Pleasures.

Well, duh—I'm an idiot for not taking a picture of my car at the store yesterday, and who knew when I was there in 2014/15 that I'd be back 10+ years later for an SVP event!! I think that's hilarious! And I was going to take my row-by-row quilt with me. CRAP!!!!

I knew the store looked familiar when I arrived. 

I did find a pattern that might be interesting to teach in the fall. I need to put them all in one spot and start making some evaluations. 

As for the Christmas cactus? It was given to me with a bloom on it, and well, I'm not the best with plants. And the fact that I'm going away for two weeks - I don't give the plants much hope. Hey - it's already been sitting in the fridge, wrapped in soaking-wet paper towels for a week. Let's see -- it might be a Christmas miracle!!!

On that note, I'm a bit more awake, and I'll take the girls out for a walk since it's stopped raining, and then I can go back to bed. I need to get to work so I can put my headphones on and finish that book (1 hour 32 minutes). Where do women get such twisted tales? Even without the twist, this book (My Lovely Wife) is twisted! 

And maybe not -- it's raining again, and there is still lightning and thunder. Probably best to not walk in the forest, although the storm isn't as close. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Walking down memory lane is so much fun!

 When we were at the retreat this past weekend, we discussed many things, and you know what they say—what happens at the retreat stays at the retreat. But I wanted to share a couple of things—only because they are super fun! And some great memories!

One of the topics discussed was the Row by Row Experience, which I will share at the end of this post. 

We also chatted about the first time I met the owner (Laurie) of Stitcharie, which at the time was located in Wyoming, Ontario, but has since moved to Petrolia. 

That summer, I wrote a series of articles for QUILTsocial titled "50 Ways to Keep a Quilter Happy While on Vacation." Can you believe that was ten years ago? That summer, I planned to travel extensively to various parts of Canada, so I decided to write the series. There are multiple posts, and I will start sharing them today. 

Oh my—when I reread the post, they reminded me of the fun I had that summer. And yes, I did all that traveling and visiting solo! As I've said before, if I had waited for someone to be available when I was and had the time, I would NEVER have done most of the things I did. 

So, without further ado, here is the first post. It' may be slow to load. I started at 50 and counted down to 1. Don't worry—there are not fifty posts. There are 14, as we grouped multiple things together in each post. Anyway - be sure to check out that first one, and I'll post a new link every day until we reach Number One. 

Hmm --- what other fun topic could I write about this summer since it's ten years! I wonder how many of the shops I mentioned are still open? 

Oh my --- what memories! 

So, two more Zoom events are done for this week, so that is good. And I've got two more today. I tried to tidy up Studio B this morning, but my brain seems to be in a fog. There is so much sorting, and I'm also trying to start prepping for next week. This week finishes the embroidery series, but next month (March) is National Quilting Month, so I have many quilt-related events. There is some overlap (embroidery and quilting), and I need to get started putting the samples in the correct spot, putting away ones I no longer need, and digging out new ones. 

I have more time tomorrow to do that, so I might just let it all go for today and work on it tomorrow. Once this weekend arrives, I can do a significant reorganization, which will make my brain happy. 

See what I mean? The place is a disaster. While half of the table is now clear, it's still a mess, and I want it to be tidier. 

The cutting table

The ironing board, which never gets messed up, is also a massive dumping ground. And it still looks like that at the moment. Sigh.............

The ironing board is a mess

All the quilting events will be hosted by a Husqvarna Vikiing or PFAFF dealer in Canada. Check with your local dealer to see what events they are hosting. You can always ask me, and I can help you figure it out. I will NOT post the events online. I prefer you go to a dealer's website and check there. I can provide a list of dealers hosting the events I'm doing. I'll try to put the dealers up tomorrow. 

As if that weren't enough, a massive box of supplies arrived yesterday. What does that mean? It's time for more experimenting and writing. But I love doing that, and this is an interesting topic, so I'll get started this weekend. It's a quiet weekend, which I am thankful for. I can't share what's in the box now, but let's say it's an exciting topic, and I'll share it with you when the posts go live. 

A big box of supplies

The weather has turned significantly warmer, and we have had a lot of snow melt or compact into the snowbanks. But what's the best? The sidewalks are mostly clear! I feel like I've lost 50 pounds! No more slogging through slush. They are also primarily DRY, which is glorious. Plus, going out and feeling that warmish breeze on your face is HEAVEN!! It's for days like yesterday that I love the change of seasons. YES - we could still get snow, but there was a feeling that spring is coming. A sense of renewed energy and, well --- I guess it's just one of those things you must experience. 

Clear sidewalks

During Monday's Sewing, I was sitting at my computer at the far end of Studio B when I could hear something rolling on the floor. WHAT? Nothing had dropped that I was aware of, and I glanced quickly but did not see anything. The rolling seemed to go on for quite some time. 

Later, when I went upstairs, I got a chuckle. Look what I spotted at the bottom of the stairs. 

What's this? 

Do you see it? 

WHAT?

That is a magnet from one of my metal embroidery hoops. I was sorting the hoops at my computer when one magnet popped off and rolled over 20 feet to the stairs. Then, it had to curl around to land like this. What are the chances? I also found another magnet stuck to my metal stool! 

OK -- so I almost died laughing when I spotted Murphy sitting near the table at lunchtime. 

Mom - just leaning against the table so I don't slip

That dog is so intelligent. The floor is slippery, so to help prevent herself from slipping, she parked her ample butt against the table leg. Oh, Murphy - there is never a dull moment when you are around. 

And then she went outside to sleep soundly in the snowbank! 

Mom - I'm exhausted

Speaking of Row by Row, I have oodles of license plates, and I was looking for a specific one, which I found. You'll see that another day. But this is the one that hangs on my design wall. Appropriate? I think so!

Row by Row License Plate

As usual, I have many emails to contend with, many follow-ups to complete, and, of course, sewing and quilting. But it doesn't matter—spring is coming, the temperature is getting warmer, and life is good! 

It makes me think of this quote I embroidered on fabric. 

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

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Row by Row Revisited

My readers are so intelligent. The flowering shrub is a weigela. I've never heard that name before, but it's pronounced wedge-eelia. I've got a lead on where to get more peonies, and the next thing I need is mulch—lots and lots of mulch. 

My schedule for June looks pretty good—one five-day trip away and then a few classes here and there, but it's pretty quiet. I love quiet! I have some personal stuff to catch up on, and I will try to get that done! And let's not forget the decluttering! 

Does anyone remember when we drove around the countryside collecting license plates for the Row by Row Experience? I went mad that first year (2014) and in subsequent years to collect as many license plates as possible. They are printed on fabric and were quite a hot item. We swapped them like mad! 

I made a quilt from the 2014 plates. Here's a link to that quilt and how it was made. 

The rest of my plates are stored in a box. 

My By-row license plates

Here's a side view so you can appreciate the quantity. Yes, I know—there's nothing like excess! 

ACK!!! 

So why was I looking at that yesterday? When we went to Maui, I had purchased a license plate. They had leftovers from previous years, and I looked through them and picked this one. 

My license plate I bought this year in Hawaii

I spotted this one from the same store when I looked through my collection! I could have ended up with the SAME plate as I'm sure they also had leftovers of this one. I wonder if they are from the same year. 

Already have one from Hawaii

When I was searching for something else in a different location, I spotted this license plate, which I know is a duplicate. 

Crazy Quilter license plate

I hung this one on my design wall so I could enjoy it rather than it being stuffed in a box. 

It was so much fun to go through all those plates, see the stores where I personally went (some are now closed), and look at all the slogans. Great memories! 

There was a real run on this from 2014 to about 2018, and then people got tired of it? We all spent gobs of money as we hit each store, but had loads of fun swapping them. The pandemic took a big hit on this event, and I see they are trying to resurrect it again. You can check out this link, as several stores in Canada are participating again, but I don't think they have the license plate thing happening. It's like a big shop hop as you can get a pattern and buy a kit to hang a wall. 

I managed to fill those two plastic totes with novelty prints and stacked two cardboard boxes on top. It's much less precarious now, so hopefully it won't collapse again. Yes -- I need to be working on using that up, but there are a few more priorities to deal with first. The bottom line is that it's neatly organized and out of the way. 

Four boxes of novelty prints

I had to "wreck" my fun configuration in Studio B this morning. I have a Facebook Live on Thursday about applique, and I have a dry run for the cameras this morning to make sure everything is set up and connected. I think I got it all done to my satisfaction. This time, it took about 15 minutes. Last time? It took days because I didn't have the right bits and pieces, but I eventually connected everything.  

This is my last Zoom or Facebook Live, which required some reconfiguring of the space until the fall. So all is good, and I'll be able to enjoy all that empty space soon.  

OH - I found two more yardage pieces when I moved some of that novelty fabric, so those are labeled and on the shelf with the rest of the quilt backings. I'm sure there's going to be more that I find, but for the moment, all is good. 

Two more yardage pieces for quilt backings

Back to the wonky quilt - I had a look at the pattern. The pattern is called Adjustable Size - Jelly Roll Race Quilt. I totally disagree with that title because it's misleading. It implies you are making a jelly roll race quilt that you can make bigger or smaller. However, to me, the term "jelly roll race" means I'm sewing the strips together and then folding that long strip in half and sewing it together and repeating that 5 times, and voila - the quilt is done. Right? Isn't that what we all perceive as a jelly roll race quilt? 

This pattern has you sew all your strips together (with an addition between the strips). That's no problem. But then it tells you to cut a strip X inches long, cut a second strip (the same length), pin them together, and sew. That is NOT the jelly roll race method. It's a strip quilt made with jelly rolls, but the methodology is completely different. 

So, while the pattern tells you to cut the strips to the same lengths and pin them, it tells you to start at one side, sew the two first strips together, and keep adding the next strip to what you already did. It tells you to start one row from the bottom and the next from the top to prevent the bow, but that doesn't stop the multiple handling the first row gets compared to the last. Never mind the excess bulk for pressing and sewing. 

And finger press as you go. ACK!!!! 

Here's what I would do: 

• Join all the strips into one long strip, including the inserts if you want. The inserts are just spacers to increase the size of the quilt. More on that another day. 
• Once the strips are in one long strip, cut the first length. Then, cut the second length and sew them together. Set them aside. 
• Cut the next two lengths and sew them together. Always start these seams from the top. 
• Continue sewing until all the pairs are together. Carefully press the seams as you go, ensuring they are straight. Draw a line on your ironing board if necessary to keep the seams straight. 
• Then start joining the pairs and start your seam from the bottom. 

Let's say you have 24 rows or columns. After the first pass, you will have 12 pairs, and each strip has been handled the same number of times—ONCE. 

Next, you'll sew the pairs together, giving you six groups of four strips each. Press those seams and repeat the process, remembering to start sewing from the bottom. 

You should now have three groups of 8 strips. Sew the first group to the second and then add the third. All the strips will be handled pretty much equally. You never have to deal with the entire bulk of the quilt until you sew the final seam, and it makes it a lot easier to press with only a small portion of the quilt at any given time. 

I haven't had a chance to watch the video. My friend mentioned that she did not read the PDF but went by the video, and the video is different from the pattern. I'll check it out for tomorrow. 

So here's the moral of this story - just because you can, doesn't mean you should. And just because someone makes a video does not make it right. There are too many poor-quality (filming and techniques) videos on YouTube. Everyone wants to be a star and earn money by creating videos. I went back to check that $8K monthly. I don't know where that came from because I spotted another piece of information about this company: they only earned $1K monthly from their videos with almost 1,000,000 subscribers. So PLEASE be careful --- not every video is worth doing! 

If in doubt, double-check with someone else. There is so much wrong with this particular pattern (the name, the pressing, the piecing) that I can only imagine the "fun" when I watch the video. 

YES—I know I'm opinionated, but my friend was all excited because they made a jelly roll race quilt when, in fact, they did not. They made a quilt from jelly roll strips, but the method was NOT the jelly roll race. Am I being too picky? The methodology is so different. 

And if you want to resize the quilt using the jelly roll race technique, I know how to do that, and I'll share that later this week. Yes, I spend loads of time thinking about this stuff! 

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

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

What I found on the internet

I did accomplish a lot, but not really anything that I can share with you. Gosh - the secrets still abound. The QUILTsocial blog posts will be up next week, and it's been a wee bit of a learning curve behind the scenes, but all is good.

I got about a third of my "to do" list for the week done! How cool is that? Even if it mostly meant dealing with events in my calendar and making a few phone calls. It doesn't matter - those things are done now, and I can move on to the next bunch of things to do.

Holy - I found some embroidery patterns yesterday, and well - I need to be stitching out at least one embroidery design EVERY day. There's so much that I want to stitch out - there just isn't time to do it all.

But it was kind of a nice relaxing day - no immediate deadlines and that felt really nice. I did have a wee nap outside but spent most of the day puttering around. Collecting supplies to do some embroidery, getting organized, and well just puttering!

I saw this sign somewhere recently and took a picture. Doesn't that look awesome! Make the best of every day! No hiding!

A cool quote

At one point, I was looking for some yarn. I came across this in the yarn stash. Now, what the heck is it?? I've no idea - something started - no pattern. It almost looks like a sweater for Barbie. I put it back like that, but I really should have ripped it out.

What is this??

I did spend some time looking at things on the internet, and a while back, I found this quilt. It's part of the Row by Row Experience. Ooops - It's now called the Quilter's Trek. This is a collaborative quilt by 9 shops in the Chicago area.

Winter's Window collaborative quilt

Here's the list of shops that have put the quilt together.

You could get just the free patterns, or you could purchase the laser cut kits. You can even order the kits this year, which is something we could never do before. I LOVE the quilt but figured that it was going to cost too much, and I still haven't done the one that we collected from these shops last year. But isn't it an awesome quilt????


Thanks to Daphne, I'm all signed up for the Kimberbell Love Notes mystery quilt. I signed up at Snip and Stitch, which is in Nanaimo in BC. I know - there's no reason for me to have signed up for this quilt. I don't need it, but honestly - I love anything that Kimberbell puts out. I should just say to them - send me one of everything. Thanks to Marianne, who also let me know of a shop in NS (Quilts by the Bay) that is doing the Love Notes Mystery. The first installment should be sent out on August 3rd.

And that new Halloween bench pillow? Oh god - I don't need this, but it's absolutely adorable.

Halloween bench pillow

What I need is a bench, so I can put the pillow on. Kimberbell has the best bench pillows ever. There are so many of them, and they are all adorable.

Then I found this as well that I think is a great idea. It's an iron caddy. 

That's why I don't go shopping much anymore. It's too easy for me to find things that I want. I seem to do a good job on the internet. However, other than the Love Notes Mystery quilt, I did not buy anything.

However, I'm happy to report that I've received all (I think) of the video equipment I need to get my live presentations up and running. Now to figure out how it all connects. That's a job for the weekend. I'm sure it's pretty easy - mostly plug and play. I may need to buy another tripod or two - I'll see how the set up goes.

Oh - before I leave, I see that Miss Lexi has finally got herself together and actually wrote a blog post. Now, what could be so important to pull her out of her laziness to make that happen? I guess you'll have to check it out.

On that note, I'm out of here to try and get a few more things off my "to do" list today. It would be great to get everything done by the weekend, so I could be a total slug this weekend.

Have a great day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

The Virtual Retreat - Day One

I learn all kinds of things at the Virtual Retreat. Everyone is such a wealth of information and inspiration.

I want to start by giving you a day trip option. As you know, many (OK - ALL) events have been canceled. That includes the SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) convention, which was to be held in Toronto in March. That was back in the days when the organizers were wishy-washy about canceling events. Now - there is NO choice. Cancel!

An exhibition of art quilts was put together specifically for that conference. Alas - we never got to see the quilts. However, I heard that the quilts (thanks Leslie!) are at Homer Watson House in Kitchener.   YES - the gallery is OPEN.  The exhibit is called Colour with a "U" and was created by Canadian members of SAQA.  You can visit some of the quilts in person at Homer Watson House (call for details, and I think you might have to make an appointment), or you can watch a 60-minutes virtual presentation online - the link is at the bottom of this page.

The show is on until September 7. I'd call NOW and book an appointment. You don't want to forget this show, and there's a show catalog as well that you can purchase. This sounds like a great outing with your bubble people. What are you waiting for? Call now. Well, they are not open at this moment in time, but you know what I mean.

If anyone else knows of other ongoing exhibits - let me know. I do know that some other galleries are open - not sure if there are quilt shows there or not. It's probably more art. But check your local galleries to see if they are open. They do need our support to continue to stay open.


The other thing I learned yesterday was that a brand new quilt shop is now open. Watergirl Quilt Co. in Prescott.   Can you imagine opening during this pandemic? What crazy times! So if you're in the area - you should stop in. Or you can order online.

And we learned of another shop that closed its doors but has moved online. While they are still in business, it's sad. As quilters, we need those gathering places. The shop is Quilter's Bolt in Millbrook. 

This is part of life in the small business world. I get it that we can shop online. But if you're shopping for that one particular fabric, that one special tint or shade or hue - you're NOT going to be happy to shop online. You'll never get a match. If you're shopping for a new quilt or buying a collection - that's great, but not for matching up stuff. Sigh....................

As usual, I'm never as productive during a Virtual Retreat as I am in real life. But that's OK. I did manage to get one of the Quilts of Valour quilt tops together. The backing is also ready. Normally I would load this on the long arm and get quilting it today. However, as I was working, I decided that this is the quilt that needs to be custom quilted, and the one I'm going to make today (this morning) is the one that gets the overall pattern.

I had started the second quilt top yesterday. And to make my goal happen, I cut the entire quilt top this morning. The backing is cut, and I'll sew it together and load that before the virtual retreat starts. The half-square triangles are cut and marked. The next set of borders are cut and pinned in place. Oh yes - we're going for speed this morning!

I did manage to get a customer quilt done in the morning, so that was good.

Customer quilt - DONE

I had to do a wee bit of tidying up as well. Thanks to Rose, who dropped off three quilts that are ready to be donated to Project Linus. Her machine bindings are perfect!! Thanks, Rose.

Nicely finished machine binding

This is my "trunk" of quilts that are to be donated to Project Linus. I'd better get on the phone to them and see if they have started to take donations again. The trunk is full!!! And we've got more to add in the next couple of weeks.

The trunk of quilts to donate

I'm so snoopy!! As I was looking at people's sewing spaces yesterday, I had to ask questions. OH - first, we had two people join us from outside! I love it - Heather was on her front porch binding a quilt, while her husband supplied her with coffee!! And Leslie was on her back deck sewing masks!! You got to love how we can be anywhere and still be connected to each other.

I was looking at Mary's sewing room. Holy - it was super organized, and I asked if she would share some pictures with me. This is what she sent me.

The first one is a cabinet with doors where she stores part of her fabric collection. The fabrics are folded around those comic book boards. That's just way too neat!!!!

Fabric storage

Here's another storage unit with the comic book boards. You have to LOVE IKEA. Having those cupboards with doors, keeps the room looking neat and tidy (although what's behind the doors is very neat and tidy), and keeps the light and dust off the fabric.

Another fabric storage cabinet

OK -- this section looks like the cabinet was made exactly to hold those IRIS containers. And notice that they are all labeled. Imagine how easy it would be to find something specific??

Project boxes are labeled

Here's another section. I believe those labeled totes are for the scraps. Seriously??? That's a whole lot of labeling, but finding something at Mary's house would be a breeze. ANYONE could wander in and, in a few minutes, would find exactly what they needed. This is a dream!!!

More labeled totes in Mary's studio

Here's a shot of the two cabinets side by side.

Dream storage space 

And she's also got a bookcase that's tucked away behind one of the fabric storage cabinets—what a good use of space for books that aren't often used.

Bookcase

We're going to call Mary's studio - Studio M, since I believe it's on the main floor of her house.

Mary -- great job in the studio. I love it, and I'm sure you can be very efficient in that space.

We got talking about sewing machines, and it was hilarious to realize that MANY of the ladies on the Zoom call had 221s, 222s, 301s, hand-crank machines, treadles, and a whole lot of older sewing machine. Not only did they own them, but they are using them DAILY!!! Yep - so much for the big, fancy machines! If anyone has a 301 that you want to get rid of, I know of someone looking for one. It's not me.

When Carol logged on, I saw right away what was hanging in her studio that hadn't been there before. At the last Virtual Retreat, Carol had been working on a project with her license plates from the Row by Row Experience.

The project is now done, and it looks incredible.

Here's a close up of one section. Carol sewed a frame around each of the license plates. Then added a border along the entire length.

Carol's license plate border

She sewed the "blocks" into long rows and has hung them on the bulkheads in her studio. She sent me a couple of videos - hopefully, you can see them.  You may have to click the small PLAY button in the left-hand corner if the big PLAY button doesn't work. They should work - I watched them myself.

OH MY GOD -- those are fabulous!!! I love what she did. She broke them down into categories - one theme was "naughty" sayings, one has sayings that related to her and I can't remember the other theme. But they look amazing. Great job Carol!!!  The only sad part of this is that she still has a LOT (over one hundred) license plates!! Sigh............   It seemed like a good idea at the time to collect them!! I'm sure she'll come up with something very creative to use the rest.

 We got to see some familiar faces yesterday and met some new ones as well. Hello to Jill and Morgan. Hmm - I can't remember right now if there was anyone else who was new.

Seriously - it was loads of fun as we got to see what is happening around the country with quilting, the pandemic, the pandemic, and quilting. What stores are opening, what stores are closing or changing their structures, or moving online.

It was great fun all day. I did zip out for a shorter walk after we shut down last night. Today is another day, and I can't wait to get started.

The one theme I did notice yesterday that when several people left the call - they left because they had been invited to go swimming! OK - I can't compete with swimming!! I'm sure they had fun!

Here's the link for the Virtual Retreat today. We start at 9 AM and go to 8 PM EST. Stop by to say HI, show us something cool in your sewing room or that you've been working on. And you never know what the conversation will end up - we compared long arms, treadles, and a whole lot more!!!

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82603125773?pwd=a1FiYTI4VlhoRUJuL2lxait2Q0ZTZz09 Meeting ID: 826 0312 5773 Password: 774537



Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

The Virtual Retreat - Day Five

NO - the Virtual Retreat is OVER!!!  Oh my gosh - it was an amazing five days of catching up with friends, meeting new friends, information gathering, and general frivolity! I had such a great time, and from the e-mails and messages that I received from everyone who participated, they also enjoyed it.

As a matter of fact, we all had so much fun that we all want to do it again!!! I'm going to schedule more dates, and they are going to be sooner than you think! So watch for those. I won't do five days again - I did find that a wee bit long for me. But here's the weirdest thing - even though I was at my house, I barely interacted with anything in my house, so I truly felt like I was away!

One of the ladies who joined yesterday said, "I'm not sure why I didn't call in on the other days, but I'm so glad that I did today!"  So if you were sitting on the fence, link in next time. Some people sewed, some people chatted (that was me for a good part of yesterday, but I was ripping something out), and I had to laugh when one person signed in for a while and then confessed that all she did was fidget with a zipper the entire time.

This is a picture she posted, and she was playing with the zipper on the left-most pouch.

Pouches made to match a purchased bag

Hey - this Virtual Retreat wasn't about SEWING. It was about reconnecting, it was about being there to listen to what people had to say, it was about making new friends, and it was about sharing and caring. Our mental health is critical, and I feel so much better after connecting to these great ladies. Oh, and Paul stopped in briefly to get birthday wishes for his 60th birthday yesterday. Some people connected to the link, then muted their microphone and just sewed while they listened. That was OK. There was ZERO pressure to produce anything!!!

We learned so much yesterday, AGAIN! We got the inside scoop on the insurance industry as it relates to our cars and the current crisis. We had a car expert in our midst who gave us advice about our vehicles - again what to do during the current crisis. We got to meet Jackie from Surrey, who gave us an update of what's going on in BC, and we learned how different guilds are coping or going to deal with the current situation. And loads more.

I don't even know how many people in total called in, but there were quite a few. I don't think we were ever more than 13 or 14 at a time, and that was great as we got to really chat with each other. I asked for them to send me pictures, and this is what I have to share with you today.

If you or someone in your family has one of these shelving units, it makes an EXCELLENT storage facility for fabric!!!!  I know - every family needed one of these. Karen snagged this from a thrift shop near her, and it's now her fabric storage unit. Most of the fabric is behind glass doors! Two parts of my storage unit like that is currently sitting in my office. The other one is downstairs with the thread for the long arm.

A super fabric storage unit

And Karen also has this sturdy little table on wheels. It tucks under her cutting table. It actually looks like a desk for a typewriter. Or something like that. Anyway, she also found it at a thrift shop, and it's an excellent extra table to pull up to your sewing machine!!

An extra table on wheels

I love it when people share their sewing rooms and storage ideas. Everyone has different tools and space available to them, and everyone has such creative ideas! It's great fun. Thanks for sharing Karen!!

We also got a view of Jackie's sewing room, with storage cupboards from IKEA!

Some of us sew in the dark basements - well basements with little windows like me, and then some of us sew in this fantastic space. Carol lives at the lake, and her basement is a walk-out. This was her view while she sewed. OK -- totally jealous, but then they have BLACK flies, and we do not!

Carol's view

This is my water view, and I think I'll stick with it!!!! This was feeding time at the pond. Those fish are hungry these days. The second I drop the food on the water, they make a mad dash to get it. One fish was so excited the other day that he flipped himself onto a lily pad. That's not good, but he flapped around once or twice, and he was back in the water. I kind of freaked out, but he knew what to do.

Feeding frenzy

And I had to laugh as Nina joined us again yesterday. The time difference between Germany and my location is 6 hours. So while we're having lunch, there she is sitting with a  glass of wine because it was dinner!!!

I got one more binding project done! This is my rectangular jelly roll rug. I used up some scrappy fabrics, but do you notice that I took care to create somewhat of a pattern with the darn strips? At least, it's symmetrical!

Binding is on the jelly roll rug

The corners are not the best - do I care? Nope. I'm over it. It's a rug for the floor.

The corners are a bit wonky

I also got the binding on my North Star quilt. I decided that I'll hand stitch that one down! I know - me? Hand stitching? I have two full days of Zoom presentation to listen too over the next couple of days. I figured it would be a good exercise and very therapeutic.
I got a few more things done, and I'll share those tomorrow.

Carol was madly working on her Row by Row license plates. Remember those?? Well, we all went crazy and ended up with loads of them. Carol was showing me one of the ones she worked on. The shop's name was Elaine's Attic, and in my honor, she framed it in orange. !!!

The Zoom quilt gang!

 Carol is putting a border around each of the plates. She has loads of license plates, but went through and picked out the ones with the best sayings. When she gets done what she wants to do, I know she's going to share the photo with me!!

Carol's license plates

Nina was working on an English Paper Piecing project. This is one of the millefiori quilts. Not the famous one she said, but one of them. It's a great take-along project when you don't have a lot of room. She made significant progress over the five days! This is one of the corners of the quilt. I LOVE it and can't wait to see the rest of the quilt.

Nina's millefiori quilt block

This is the third in a series of milkweed themed projects that Helen Anne is working on. She took a class with Jane Sassaman. I know the picture doesn't do justice to this. It's gorgeous, and I can't wait to see it in real life. We helped picked the background fabric and watched as she did all the applique and decorative stitching. Great job, Helen Anne!!!! It's stunning!

Helen Anne's milkweed project

Heather joined for a bit yesterday and was working on a project by Missouri Star. She had two blocks completed and made significant progress on the sections for the other blocks! This is going to be amazing. I love quilts with black backgrounds!!!!

Heather's quilt blocks

As we spent a lot of time chatting about Row by Row, Karen, showed us one of the kits that she had purchased from the quilt store in Whitehorse several years ago. HER kit is DONE.

Karen's Row by Row quilt kit  - DONE

Loads of other stuff that happened, and well, you just had to be there!! To everyone who signed in - THANK YOU!!!!  You made the Virtual Retreat a huge success. It was loads of fun, and I can't wait to do it all again!!!

Now it's time to get to work! I need to find some fabric for my Celebration quilt. I dug out the color swatch charts for Toscana (Northcott). There's nothing in there that matches that light blue, so I'm going to search the internet for the Patrick Lose fabric. Yep - something else might be better, but there's no time for that!

No suitable matches for this fabric

BUT I did find a pretty good match on one of the other missing fabrics. I'm going to do a bit more digging today.

A good match in the purples

So I was a slug yesterday. I was freezing all day, and then I realized it's because I barely moved. Our Zoom session went really LATE, and by the time I stopped the call, it was too late for a walk. I did 3.2 miles yesterday. A total SLUG!!!!  That's OK - I'll make it up up this week.


Here's my picture of the day. Yes - more sky, more scraggly trees.

Highway 16 east of the Battlefords

My position on the map for my Cross Canada walk

 Oh - I have so much more to share, but there is no more time today!!! I've got to get moving. We're having a Zoom sewing day (4 hours only) with our Monday seeing group today! I can't wait!!!! And then I have a TON of work to do after that session.

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!