New quilts to make!

First, let's get the pictures of the community project quilts straight! Here is the first one, which you saw yesterday. This came from a book whose name I can't remember at the moment, but the cover is pink, white, and black! That sure helps - doesn't it! 

Community project quilt - Number One

The blocks were all strip pieced and then cut into slices. I have no idea why I made these two. Wait - I know - because I could. I probably wanted to have some baby quilts on hand, but I never got any requests for quilts. And I just wanted to make quilts!

The second one is the same except for the outer border. I likely ran out of the fabric on the inside and had to use a print for the border. 

The second community project quilt

If memory serves, I have two more of these quilts (same fabrics) in the "to be quilted" pile. Pretty sure I have a couple of pink-and-white (larger) ones, also in the "to be quilted" pile. It is a super fun and easy quilt pattern to assemble, and you can easily make it bigger by increasing the number of blocks. 

The border is also made from the strip sets. The strip sets are made from 2½" strips. So super easy and can be made with a jelly roll and a white fabric. HEY --- that might just be a way to use up some jelly rolls that I have. I never even thought of this pattern. And I always have white around. That's the one staple that I can't get enough of - white. I'm always using it, and so I'm always buying it. Boring white! But it sure makes things sparkle. 

Perhaps I should set a goal for the summer to get all the quilts from that style quilted. WAIT -- I need to get that leader back on the machine, and I might just get that done today. I didn't get much done yesterday. I was a slug because I didn't sleep well the night before, but that's a whole other story that I will share someday. 

These are the two other quilts I'm working on. Another one of those: why make one when you can make two quilts? These were the second $10 quilts that I taught back in 2004. 

The status on the winter quilt tops

You can see the sled block in the quilt on the left, and there is now one made for the quilt on the right. While they had the tracing patterns for the guy on the sled, there are also trees and a dog to be included. However, there was no pattern to trace. Oh - you can free-form cut them from fabric. Well, that's an invitation to not get them done! However, I'm happy to report that the trees and the dog are fused in place, and I hope to get the satin stitching done on them today.

Then two more sections on both quilts need to be pieced, and my goal is to get those done this summer. I sure hope to have more than those blocks done. I'll have to find some border fabrics in the stash and then assemble them. I also want to work on the summer quilts. Those never got started, but since the fall, winter, and spring are done (or almost as above), I might as well finish the set! It would be great to get those done this summer as well, since I still have four other quilts on my UFO list this year to finish. Two need to be quilted, and two still need a lot of piecing. Actually, one still needs a lot of designing. 

I was saying to the Monday sewing group and probably those on the retreat that I rarely start a new project, and yet - I'm going to start to work on those two summer quilts. But that's not really a new project. It's more like I'm finishing the set, and hence a UFO. That doesn't count as new. 

But I had sent out a note asking for suggestions on what to do with the Tula Pink fabric bundle I purchased, and, of course, that would mean starting a new project I have no purpose for. 

Here are two of the suggestions, and I love them both!!!

Spanish Tile quilt

Spanish Tiles by Anka's Treasures has great big spaces, which is perfect for the large prints. You can find the pattern at that link - it's only $9, and you get an immediate download. I like the fact that the pattern is only $9. If I am downloading the darn thing, the designer didn't have to worry about printing, folding, inserting the pattern into the plastic bag, and certainly not about logistics and shipping. That is worth a lot of money, and I shouldn't have to pay for those services if I'm getting a downloadable PDF pattern. There are some designers where you get no break, and we deserve that price break if the services haven't been used. 

I am not sure of the source of this next one. I don't know the pattern name, and well, it's easy enough to figure out. I did NOT say that out loud. And I apologize to the designer, but some things just don't need a pattern. 

Another pattern with large blocks

The fabric collection it is showcasing is Ruby Star's Cascading Landscaping. I went back and checked the lookbook, and that pattern is NOT there, so someone else (the store?) has rendered the fabrics into that quilt pattern. Maybe the person who sent me the pattern can locate the pattern source.

I love both patterns and certainly have more than enough fabric in that bundle to make both. I just need to find the backgrounds (white, most likely for both) and then find a strong fabric for the trellis on the first one. A Tula Pink is NOT strong enough (color-wise or perhaps value-wise) or plain enough to make that work, and I think that is the issue I have with Tula Pink. Using only her fabrics in a quilt is a hot mess (in my opinion), but adding other fabrics can calm it down. 

Speaking of which—when I look through the Lookbooks for the Ruby Star fabrics and other pattern sources, so many are copies of each other. I see the same things (motifs/styles) over and over again. And people are happy to pay good money for these patterns - just because it's in a slightly different setting or different fabric, it is the SAME pattern! And what I "love" is that a good part of the "modern" fabric look is all about vintage and retro things. So it's not modern—it's just retro revisited! 


Loads more to share, but I must get myself to the gym this morning. I guess the beauty of not having to attend Joseph's classes is that I can go whenever I want to spin. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

What NOT to sew!

I typically stay at Holiday Inns, and when I arrive in the room, it is COLD, so I have to turn the thermostat up a couple of degrees to turn the fan/air conditioning off. I have no issues putting on a sweater, but I am not a fan of cold rooms when I'm traveling, since I don't typically have my warm clothes with me. 

Something very unusual happened on my reading lists. I typically have an e-book and an audiobook on the go at the same time. BOTH books I'm currently reading are related to a long-time family feud! What are the chances? Lots of drama, but now I need to know how the drama ends! Absolutely amazing what can happen when you don't talk it out. Something as silly as a cake can cause a 25-year feud? Oh boy!! 

One book is called Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, and the other is This is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman. Both are good if you are into just following "normal" family lives. It's also amazing how today's generation feels guilted into things or traditions by their dead parents. I thought this only happened when your parents were alive. Yikes!!!

I have loads of books in my hold list, and two are on suspend, which I need to fix soon. I will be able to unsuspend at least one, probably later today. It's when they all come in at the same time that is a problem. But thankfully, you can suspend books if they come in before you can read them. 

So how did the day go yesterday? 

This is how my crazy dogs handle the heat. Murphy is outside lying in the full sun. 

Mom - I'm not hot at all!!! Pant Pant!!!

Lexi is happy to sit or lie in front of the fan. She has the hang of the fan now, and it's her trusty companion. 

MOM - this fan is pretty cool!!! LOL!!

For me? I went for two short walks yesterday. I put my hat on to keep the sun off my head, and with my ventilated Tilley, it worked just fine. That walk to the library was in the morning. Then I walked to the grocery store just before dinner. Not an issue - it's just a pain when you come in the house, and your face takes longer than you would like to stop perspiring! A few dashes of cold water help. 

I had computer work to get done in the morning, and then I went downstairs to see what was in those laundry baskets. Oh my—I'll share a bit more tomorrow, but I also found this bag of hankies!!! To be honest, I forgot I even had this bag. Someone gave it to me, but I don't even remember who. I have a few ideas for making things with these, so they will be set aside. 

A bag of hankies

I had an inkling of where my Goo Gone was, and when I opened the container, there it was. I should have looked the previous day before I borrowed a bottle. It's in a container with a lot of small things that need gluing, so the old glue needs to be removed. I should work on that container during the virtual retreat! 

My Goo Gone is no longer AWOL.

The good news is that after a LOT of hard work, that one rail is clean as a whistle. I ended up rubbing a coat of Goo Gone into the thick gob of glue on the rail. I let it sit, and then I went back with the scraper and scraped it off. It peeled off in long curls for the most part, but it was a slow process. Then I scraped up the little bits left, and I ran Goo Gone over the rail several times before it was clean. The floor is also clean. 

The rail is clean

I need to sew the channel with the metal bits into it, and I'll try to do that today. Then tomorrow, I can get the new leader on the long arm. Slow and steady. I don't need the long arm at the moment, although I do have quilts to quilt. And then I need to find out when the other two leaders will arrive and plan accordingly. It's going to take a long time to get each one on, but that's OK. I can do one at a time and take a break in between. 

I bought a bit of fabric on my recent voyages, not that I need any. However, one can always use white. I often use white as a background, and you never know if you have enough, so I just end up using several of them and make a scrappy background. Guess what? You never run out, and you are using up bits all the time. It's a great way to work with backgrounds. 

More white fabric

I also bought these two teal fabrics. They are gorgeous, and I don't need them, but I don't have a lot of these colors, so why not? 

Two teal fabrics

And then I bought a wide back. I love dandelions, and this one is gorgeous. It's from Northcott's Whisper collection. 

Wide backing

And then I did a bad thing when I was in the store. I was showing a quilt that I made from "vintage" Tula Pink fabric. I am not a super fan of Tula Pink fabric, but I had bought some years ago. I actually have made two quilts, and I'm not a fan of either. The staff gasped (they stock some Tula Pink fabrics), and so I felt compelled to redeem myself, and I bought a bundle of some of the latest collection, along with some "blenders"  

My Tula Pink bundle

You can see the fabrics in the bundle here. 

The fabrics on the right side

And here are the fabrics on the second side. 

The fabrics on the left side

The big question now is what the heck am I going to do with it? I need a pattern that will accommodate those larger prints, or do I just cut it up and make something? I'll need to think about that. 

As I was unpacking my samples, or should I say, putting them away, I hung up my "goals" sign. This is my word for 2026. Now that we are in the second half of the year, I still have a lot on the Visual To Do list, and I need to make sure I am on track to get them done. 

My word of the year for 2026

And you also get to see the state of my Tequila Lime quilt. I had 3 of 8 sections done. I decided it would be a good thing to work on, so now there are only two sections left to sew. 

Progress on Tequila Lime

But it wasn't without its issues. I sewed the two sections of points onto the center diamonds, and then I needed to add two pieces to make the 1/8 triangle. Well, I sewed one piece on and realized that it was on the incorrect side of the diamond. So I took it off and sewed it on the other side and then added the final piece, only to realize that what I had originally sewed was correct, so more ripping! But at least three more sections were completed, and the top half is all together, as is the bottom-right corner. 

I should be able to finish today. 

However, there are some pins in the edges as markers. And I was remembering to take them out as I stitched. One was hidden, and I couldn't figure out why the sewing machine was veering off the ¼" seam allowance. I pushed ahead instead of checking, and it was only when the machine went into high gear that I realized a pin was there. 

And the sewing machine needle went right through the center of the pin. 

Oops -- I sewed right through the pin!

What are the chances of that happening? And that is what they mean when they talk about penetration power on the PFAFF creative icon 2!!!!! 

I'm not sure if you have seen the ads, but the PFAFF creative icon 3 will be released this fall, and they are releasing teasers. It seems to have a very interesting quilt feature, and I hope to have more information later this month when I get to see a working version in person. Software is a huge component of our sewing/embroidery machines these days. As we know with all software, it takes time to get all the components working correctly. 

I was clearing off the puzzle table from all the stuff I had brought home, and that was done, although I still have loads of things that need to be tidied up - i.e., serging the edges of samples. 

But since that table was clear and I haven't done a complete puzzle in a while, it was time. After all, look what this puzzle box says. 

So true!!!!

It is so true - you can mindlessly scroll for hours. And what do you have to show for it when you are done? Nothing! Probably not even any new knowledge, since there are a lot of political reels these days, and a fair amount is just for entertainment, but the bulk of it is just rubbish!!! But gosh -- they know how to make things that make you want to click!!!!

So I placed all the puzzle pieces (even for a 500-piece puzzle) onto my design boards and kept the border out. This puzzle is wicked, as there is one corner at the top where the pieces are very hard to place. There are no identifiers along the edge, and I had to leave the pieces out until I had the inside done in that area. 

The next puzzle is prepped.

I will share the puzzle with you tomorrow. I finished it this morning while listening to another chapter of the audiobook. Hey --- now that the child is old enough to participate in the story and the mom has fed her lies about her father - I want to know what happens!!!! 

I also dug out my UFO commitment for June - we had to delay the session for one week because of my travel, and now I need to finish that off today. So lots to do and that's OK by me. I have a very interesting audiobook to keep me entertained while I sew. 

And on that note - I'm out of here. Let's hope the heat breaks after today, and we have a bit more reasonable temperatures so that walking outdoors isn't a killer. Thankfully, my body is happy with the heat, and it's all about taking it easy. 

OH—the links for the Virtual Retreat. 

Here they are:

Saturday: July 4th from 6 PM - 9 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88967393876?pwd=vcTbpbd0PF0zZYrL5D8XH5jaRAugPg.1

Meeting ID: 889 6739 3876
Passcode: 753764

Sunday: July 5th from 3 PM - 9 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84936943764?pwd=F4GB0CFWZUDAukXjGmbNLR1GS6CreN.1


Meeting ID: 849 3694 3764
Passcode: 777609

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

The rescue!

 Even though yesterday was the full moon, I slept like a baby! Although, isn't that expression kind of silly since babies tend to wake up a lot! I slept well - let's just put it that way! 

Yesterday was an interesting day. We had a visitor, and the Pony Express is alive and well. Actually, we had a visitor the day before as well. Both were making pick-ups and drop-offs for the Pony Express. And besides the rescue, which I'll get into in a moment, I just didn't seem to be working very fast. I'm not even sure why I was in slow-motion mode. 

I had great intentions of getting those placemats done (the day before), working on the soccer quilt, and doing some knitting, and well, I'm happy to say that the placemats did get finished as much as I could. 

There is a piece of fabric in the center, which I quilted through all layers - the fleece and the backing. Thankfully, I had orange thread on two bobbins in my bobbin holders to do the quilting. I also needed that orange thread to sew the borders on, since it was stitch-and-flip. But I basted the skinny little border on and used a different color to conserve the orange thread. The basting stitches had to be removed as I added the outer border. 

The placemats are pieced! 

Once that task was finally completed, it was time to trim the placemats. Sorry for those silly non-rotated pictures. It drives me mad! But the placemats are fun and bright. I did not add any quilting to the borders - I don't think it needs it. 

The placemats are trimmed

And these are the bits that were left over from trimming. Of course, I kept all those bits!! I can use the small black triangles as enders and leaders for half-square triangles; the larger triangles will go toward making hourglass scrap blocks; and the orange strips can go in the orange scrap box. The fleece - well, I can sew two triangles together to get a square for a hot mat, and I really should throw the other pile away. Those are really too small to do anything with. 

The scraps are sorted

Since I had purchased some solid black fabric the other day, I was able to make and sew the binding onto all four placemats. 

The binding is applied to the back

But not before I ran out of black thread for the top. ACK!!!!! Technically, I could have used any color for that part, but since the binding is black, I chose black thread. 

One empty spool

I got offers from several people to borrow black thread, but then I looked in my bobbin holder and VOILA - there are THREE bobbins of black thread. So I used one on the top and one in the bobbin. Perfect!!! 

Bobbins of black thread

When I was done putting the binding on the back, I put those three partial black bobbins in the retreat box. And when I get home, I MUST remember to stock up on the thread, as I'm almost out of my white sewing thread as well. Good grief -- how did that happen? 

The white thread is almost gone

But no worries because I can always use those bobbins on the top and in the bobbin to get me through the remainder of the retreat. All is good, and it sure feels good to use up those bobbins, but it's going to take a long, long time before they are all gone. 

By the way, when I was adding those black borders, I had just enough for the bobbin. Then it was totally used up!! How crazy is that? I played bobbin chicken and won. I think I had two inches left! 

Here are the four placemats with the binding on, but not topstitched to the top. I need more orange thread for that, and I'm happy to wait until I get home. I made GREAT progress on those. 

The four placemats are almost complete

The center is slightly wonky, but seriously? It doesn't matter. And I will likely keep one of them to show what can happen when you don't use a walking foot to quilt, but I may end up donating all of them. I'm just glad that they are almost done!

The center is slightly wonky

Helen Anne and I braved the wind and the colder temperatures for our walk, and it was fine. I actually think it was warmer than the previous day. Although from the house, it looked like it was almost blizzarding because of all the drifting snow. The little creek is still open because of the running water. 

The creek is still open

Lots of stuff is being made at the retreat, and two more people joined us yesterday, so we are now 8. I used to show all the things people made, but well, I don't anymore. It's hard enough to keep track of what I do. But here are two things that were made, and I asked permission, so here we go!! 

This is the Tula Pink Butterfly quilt that I taught several years ago. This one has a dark background, and it's stunning. Helen Anne made a different border than in the original pattern, and it's gorgeous. I won't go into details on what happened with the border, but let's say there was a wee design element at one point. The bottom line - it's done!!!! Beautiful quilt, Helen Anne!!!!! 

If you think there is a hole in the design on the bottom row, the half-square triangle at the point doesn't have much contrast. It's already been verified!!

We never know what Susan will be working on. She has several grandchildren and always seems to be working on something for them. She wanted to make a car seat poncho, and this is what she came up with. She never uses a pattern - she just wings it! It's adorable, and she made it with the two-sided fleece, and it's soft and so cozy. If I were the baby, I'd never want to take it off!! 

Car seat poncho

That is the same style of cozy fleece Princess Lexi sleeps on at home, and she loves it! But only if her bed is made!

A couple of the ladies went shopping, and boy, they were taking their time. But it's their retreat, so you can do whatever you want. And they had gone to a chocolate shop and a quilt store, so you can see why it took so long! 

Around four PM, I received a distress call. Their car broke down, and they were not far from the house but were waiting for CAA to tow it. The car was making a big racket, but they could run the engine to stay warm, so they didn't need an immediate evacuation! They gave me an address so I could track their location, and I was waiting for their call that the tow truck was arriving shortly.

As I was driving down one road to turn onto another, I saw the tow truck lights flashing and knew I was close, and they were exactly where I envisioned them. As I drove up behind their car, I spotted the tow truck driver standing outside it with a large wrench in his hand. What? NO WAY!!! The lug nuts needed to be retorqued? 

This tow truck driver was excellent (CAA in case you didn't catch that before). Instead of immediately hooking up the car to the truck, he asked questions. What was the problem? What did the noise sound like, etc? Well, it turned out that the lug nuts on the wheels were barely hanging on. He could remove some of them with his bare hands!!! Yikes—they are lucky they stopped when they did. 

I often see signs on the toll highway to get your tires retorqued after switching tires in the spring and fall. I never do, but this was a good indication of what can happen. So I waited until he was done, and then he drove off, and I followed their car to the retreat house. All seems to be fine. This is something that this person does every year - she gets the tires retoqued, but this year, she didn't get back to the garage to have them do that. 

So it was all good and a good lesson. But something else happened. While I was driving down the road, I glanced up and OH MY GOD -- the full supermoon was out, and it was spectacular. So I stopped MANY times along the road and took many pictures. WOW --- it was stunning. 

A full SUPERMOON

The colors in the sky changed as I drove, and it was fascinating to watch. If I had NOT received the "distress" call, I would have totally forgotten about the super moon. 

This picture was taken from the house's porch when I got back. 

Another shot of the supermoon

After my placemats were done, I dug out the knitting bag. Here are my thirty squares for the afghan. Yeah --- a couple of them have the knitted sashing done, but many are just blocks. I also checked out all my tools in that little tin I showed the other day. 

Thirty blocks for my afghan

And I found this gorgeous half-done set of hand warmers!! I LOVE them and have a few pairs, but this pair is very delicate, and the yarn is lovely. 

My hand warmers

I must get myself back to finishing those. I had a peek at the knitting this morning, and well, I'll explain what I'm doing tomorrow. It's quite the job I have ahead of me. Actually, it's super easy, but using some new techniques like casting off and sewing at the same time! I did it on some of the other blocks, so I can do it on this one. The only problem is that it looks backward (the wrong side is showing up on the right), so I must investigate how to fix it. 

And that allowed me to pack another bag that can go in the car! Yeah!! One less thing to pack when we leave. 

One more bag to load in the car

I also dug out another scrap project to work on, and the knitting. I dug out another puzzle from the retreat house and may or may not start it. It's only 350 pieces, so it should be easy to finish. 

Well, that's it for today! Things are going well - just need more time, but that's a constant issue. 

Today should be a quiet day. I mean, no one is coming, no more drop-offs or pick-ups, and well, I should be able to stay focused - I hope!!!

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!!

What's in your fridge?

It's so nice to have time without a looming deadline! I have loads to do, but with no deadline, I had a great visit with my colleague yesterday. Of course, that put me behind with the day's schedule, and only ONE piece of paperwork disappeared, so this morning will be devoted to paperwork. 

However, loads still got accomplished once she left. I'm still working on the cutting table, which is like a revolving door. Something might get placed there, and it's gone within a day or two. This is its current state. 

The current state of the cutting table

I can easily work there if I need to do some cutting. Right now, it's more about tidying, and for whatever reason, I'm ready to tackle those ridiculous little jobs that have sat forever. I've been prepping them for the retreat, along with the necessary feet, thread, and other supplies. That dedicated time will force me to work on and finish them. 

I still have the problem area on the floor that I need to tackle. However, there is little there, and I've also been pulling from the current project table. Oh my --- wouldn't it be nice if I also got that table under control? And there was an overflowing tub under the table, which I looked at yesterday. Imagine if these last three problem areas were resolved? 

If I cannot tackle some of the projects soon, I will find a home for them on a shelf, which I haven't done, so that is good. And I know that as soon as those three areas are finished, I'll find something else to further refine. And I'm OK with that. But it sure makes you think about the quantity of stuff you have and how much time you want to spend managing it! 

Kudos to those who don't start another project until the current one is done! They would have NONE of this to deal with! 

Speaking of messes, I talked to someone yesterday who is helping a hoarder clean. I saw only a tiny part of the problem, but OMG --- these people have lived in this house for 18 months, and it looks like a garage dump! And from the sounds of it, it smells that way as well. It sounds like the people living in the house have severe mental health issues, and there is little desire to improve. I mean -- how can you amass so much junk and garbage in 18 months? 

After that conversation, it made me look at my trouble spots and want to run into the office and throw everything in the garbage! At least my stuff is clean, dry, and odor free! And it was mentioned that she removed THREE bags of "garbage" from the fridge! Seriously? I could never understand that -- my mom, who is a hoarder, is the same way. The refrigerator is PACKED -- but with what? 

We couldn't even fill one garbage bag from what's in our fridge. Although I did remove three things that needed to be tossed. There are a few bottles in the door that I should look at, as well. DH has an issue with condiment bottles and likes to keep them, but seriously? OH -- he's away; I should go through them all. 

My fridge

I decided to tackle the suitcase from last week. I won't need my serger samples for a while, so they are all neatly packed back in the tub. The key is to remember that they are in the tub and where I've stored it! It's under the long arm! By writing that down, I probably won't forget! I have so much more that I want to make with the serger, and well, that's on a list! 

Filling the tub with serger samples

The samples I will need when I go to Kingston are in the suitcase. Not all of them, but from what I used last week. DH is away for part of this week, and I told him he's fortunate that when he goes on a trip, all he needs to pack is his laptop!

Filling the suitcase with garment samples

And my monsters, which I will need later on, are also tucked in the suitcase. 

The monster mash!

Even though I started this quilt later in the day, I got it done. It's the Butterfly Quilt from Tula Pink, which belongs to a customer and quilted up beautifully. 

Customer quilt - DONE

The next quilt is loaded on the long arm. It will be tight to get all the quilts done that I promised before I go on retreat, but each one is scheduled, and as long as I have no more delays, I'll be good. 

When I get in the tidy-up mode, I go wild! It was time to get those picture/history quilt books off the table and back onto the shelf. I'm not halfway through sorting those book types out of the rest, and I've already got TWO shelves full! I knew I had a lot and some fantastic quilts! 

Sorting the books

I found a duplicate! Of course, I expect to find a few more, and I will get a library app to scan them and avoid duplicates in the future. If anyone desires picture books of older quilts, the duplicate is up for grabs. 

A duplicate book 

Those girls are quite the characters. They are just crazy and can't help themselves when showing off. 

MOM -- are you watching us "fight"

And then they look all innocent and sweet. 

MOM -- we LOVE you! We are GOOD dogs!

So I took pictures of one of the pouches, and when I went to take pictures of the second one, I couldn't find it. However, I just remembered where I put it, so you will get pictures of both tomorrow, as both are quite different. So bear with me one more day. 

Murphy's ball has been missing for quite some time, and it may have to go missing again. She is totally obsessed with the darn thing. She is pretty clever, and notice how it conveniently rolled within my reach so I could throw it for her? 

Let's play ball!

Oh, Murphy! 

Good grief -- for whatever reason, that triggers a memory of a dream I had last night. Walking in an urban area, I saw a zip line from one house to an apartment building across a busy street. They were ferrying big dogs in a basket over that line! Now why would I dream about that? 

I'm reading a book by Nicole Lundrigan called The Substitute. I think I found it in the suspense/thriller section. It's creepy, and I didn't want to read it once I started it. I read some of the online reviews, and their comments intrigued me. I still have several hours to go, but I laughed when one of the reviews said she didn't like seeing the "c" word (a bad four-letter word). What about the animal cruelty (both described and implied)? That's a whole lot more disturbing than a word. 

It's read by two different people (I think), but there's one character in the book that we have NO IDEA who they are. As I said, it's very disturbing and creepy. And apparently, we have to wait until practically the end to understand the connection between the two stories. I keep guessing, but the reviews said they didn't figure it out until the last page. 

What is very scary is that the characters are believable, which frightens me because one is a psychological killer! With ZERO emotion! 

Hm.........................

Well, I'm off to walk the girls and then get to work!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

A seamless move

Another long but successful day! An extraordinarily productive and worthwhile meeting, which took way longer than planned, but I'm OK with that. If good comes from it - I'll meet all day. Now I have some work and new samples to make, but I'm super excited! Don't worry -- you'll get to see it all someday!

Something weird is happening in our neighborhood, and it's about deliveries. For whatever reason, the couriers can't seem to find this house. We had that issue with the package a week ago, where the box was supposedly refused, then we received the wrong package, which later in the day got swapped for the correct package. And then, two days ago, we had another issue. 

When Lulu (and Katheleen) were here, the doorbell rang, and I ran up to see why. There was a box on the front step. Oh yes -- I was expecting a package of thread from someone. I didn't look at the return address, brought it downstairs, and plopped it on the cutting table to be opened later. 

Later in the day, I got a text from a friend (not the one that supposedly sent me the package) asking if I was home. Well, that's a weird question when this person isn't even in the country. I said, "Yes." Then I realized that he had also sent me a package, and Canada Post seemed to be having trouble delivering it to me, as he was getting the notifications on his phone. 

I checked the box I had received earlier in the day, and it was from HIM, not the other person I was expecting it to be from. OH!!! I had forgotten that he was going to send me something. But look what was written on the package. 

Moved? When?

If I moved, I missed the entire episode! This means that the package was again delivered to the wrong address, and rather than them saying "delivered to the wrong address," they marked it "moved." What is happening? 

I have received everything that should be coming to me. Just in time to place a couple more orders today! In all instances, the address was CORRECT. 

Here is the customer quilt of the day. It was from someone in my Tula Pink Butterfly class, and this coloring is one of my favorites. Yep -- I like it even better than mine! She used Kaffe Fassett fabrics and solids. The colors blend nicely -- I prefer this one to the one on the pattern. 

Customer quilt - DONE

Here's a close-up of the fabrics. 

Fabrics in the butterfly quilt

And here's a shot of the backing fabric, which is perfect for the quilt. 

The backing for the butterfly quilt

This is one of the reasons I love these ongoing classes or sew-along. Some people are happy to make the original quilt using a kit, and others want to do their own thing. Sometimes those work, and sometimes they don't, but it's about learning about color and trusting your gut instinct! 

There is a lot of white on this quilt, and one must be careful during the quilting process to get rid of those wee bits of thread, so they don't show through. There is NOTHING a customer can do about this -- it's up to the long arm quilter to try and get all the bits off. I'm sure I missed a spot, but I try to get it all off. 

Errant threads that need to be removed on white backgrounds

I walked to Diane's again and got four more bright flannel quilts. Yep -- this is all that flannel that has been languishing on my shelves for years. It's now or soon will be sewn into quilts, making me happy! I've got fabric for the backing and the binding sitting in the community project storage area, and I hope to get some more quilted, but I need to finish those bindings first!

Four more community project quilts

I also got some batik scraps, which got sorted and will be put to use later today. 

What did I find in my "shopping" advent calendar? Zipper tape. White tape with a pewter zipper and nice zipper pulls. Oh shoot -- this reminds me that we saw the BEST tool ever for putting the zipper pulls on the tape. I MUST find that when I settle down to the computer this afternoon. It was the slickest thing I ever saw -- much better than a fork that some people use. 

Zipper tape

That sweet Lexi is such a suck. She did her business, and I wanted to walk it back to the garbage rather than carry it through the forest. She didn't want to backtrack, so I dropped her leash and made her sit. That's an ordeal -- this dog knows NO commands at all. Well, she knows how to sit but does it so reluctantly. 

And she is quite happy to sit there. I wonder if she would sit there if she didn't have her leash on. But she is a good girl. Once I picked up her leash, we were off, but man, she stops to sniff a LOT. 

Waiting for Mom

On the other hand, Murphy likes to be indoors and LOVES watching TV. Oh yes -- she knows the word TV. She was totally doing something else, and I mentioned TV, and she was there instantly! Do they have big remote controls for their paws? She would love it! 

Mom! Where's the nature channel?

I know they have video cameras for dogs. Well, that's another day!

I don't think I'll get any quilting done today. I have errands this morning, and then I have some class information and e-mails that MUST be sent! So I'll be doing that this afternoon. Once that is done, I can start planning the upcoming classes/clubs. WAIT -- I also have three classes to prep for tomorrow. Yep -- another busy day!!

If you are a Jack Reacher fan (Lee Child author), you should try and get your hands on the short story Second Son. It's only 1½ hours long, but it goes back to his childhood when he was 13. Far fetched? But very realistic! Now to find another audiobook. I can't listen when doing e-mails or planning, but I'll need one tomorrow!

On that note, have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!