Sylvia's Bridal Sampler resurrected!

I'm fired up!! Today is the first day this year that I'm off on an away-from-home adventure! And it's almost the end of March. However, I'm going to make up for that, as I have several trips on the horizon in April. 

I'm in the process of migrating the data from that old hard disk to the new one. And it's slow, but I'm getting there. There are a couple of issues - of course, there are! I've tried a couple of folders, and despite using copy/paste or drag-and-drop, they won't transfer. OK—maybe I'm not putting them in the right spot. But NOPE -- after trying several times, the darn files stay where they are. The entire folder, that is. I don't have time to investigate it much this morning, so I'll look at it when I'm back. 

It's just annoying, and I see there is a lot of data that needs to be deleted, and technically, I should delete it before I move what I want, but I need to move that data. I don't want to say that a failure is imminent, but I'm getting signs from this hard disk that it's not happy, and I dare not wait too long. 

However, that's not even the best news! That is what I accomplished at the sewing machine yesterday. I'm not sure how much of this project I've mentioned before, so bear with me if there is any repetition. 

In addition to hosting a UFO Club, I also host Many Blocks. The premise was that many of us were working on quilts with many blocks, and some of us needed help. It's very similar to UFO Club, but focusing on quilts with lots of blocks. Anyway, I was working on my 365-Day quilt until I needed to take a break, and since I took that break, I've finished several quilts - Vintage Christmas, Farm Girl Vintage, and Dear Jen, which I've shared as I finished those quilts. Except for Dear Jen, which just needs the binding and a label sewn on, the others are done - binding, labels, etc. 

My next project is Sylvia's Brida Sampler, which I taught as a class at Ruti's Needlebed (now closed) back in 2012!!!! 

Sylvia's Bridal Sampler book

OH -- if you go back to this blog post from 2012, have a look at the setting in the first picture. That is beautiful!!!! And if you want to see more (I'll be going back to review some of the posts - the tag line is Elm Creek Quilts, which you'll find on the right-hand side of the blog.)

I had made many of the blocks, but I never finished them. So, for the Many Blocks homework this month, I dug out the container of blocks and fabric. 

The extra fabric

The completed blocks

I needed to take inventory of this project and counted out 100 blocks, which you see above, and there was a bag with partially completed blocks or fabric set aside to make blocks. 

Partially completed blocks

100 blocks are complete, and 40 are partially complete. The blocks were all labeled, so that was good. 

Each block is labeled.

 Plus, I had identified in the book which ones I had done. Everything checked out. 

A colored dot means it's done!

So -- it was time to get working on those last forty blocks. I've already decided not to make one large quilt. I will make three quilts instead. I have loads of fabric leftover to make sashing and borders. I have designed them in EQ8, but I don't have that information handy this morning. I believe I might need to make a couple of extra blocks to get three quilts. 

I split the blocks into bags by page in the book, resulting in four groupings. I decided to work on all the blocks on page one that had not been done. There were three - how hard can that be? 

As you saw yesterday, I had the first block laid out. Oh boy --- a LOT of Y-seams. 

The first block was laid out to sew.

The slow process of sewing the Y-seam began. I was very careful as I sewed each one, so as not to over-stitch the ends and to ensure everything was pressed well. 

Slow and steady

To sew Y-seams well, you must be 100% aware of how your sewing machine ties the knot, if it has that feature. I love the TIE-OFF (PFAFF) or FIX (HV), especially for this type of seam. 

I'm using the PFAFF Creative Icon 2, and it starts at one spot and goes back about 1/8" of an inch to start the tie-off. As long as you accommodate that, you are good. I'm pretty darn good at that after yesterday. 

Starting a Y-seam with a tie-off

And there we have the finished block. It's just shy of 6½" in a couple of spots along the bottom left corner, but otherwise, it's bang on. I'm happy, and one block down, 39 to go. By the way, this block was cut out. 

One block done!

The next block I grabbed was not cut out, so that was the first thing I did. 

Cutting the next block

I had to make strips to cut into diamonds, and then they were also ready to sew together. Guess what? More Y-seams!!!

Block two is ready to sew together.

And then, before I knew it, that block was complete, and I was working on the third and final block for Page One in the book. It was a Bow-Tie block, with Y-seams, and it was NOT cut out. 

Blocks two and three - done!

I was on a roll. I put the three blocks back in Bag One and labeled it to indicate that all 28 blocks for the first page are complete. PHEW!!! 

Now onto Bag Two, which had 28 blocks complete, 8 blocks prepped, and four blocks with nothing done. The eight blocks are at various stages of completion, and I grabbed this Hunter's Star block, which is paper-pieced. Only to find that two pieces of fabric were in the incorrect position. So I fixed that and finished the block. 

Block four - done

That's as far as I got, but I managed to get 1/10 of the missing blocks done yesterday. My goal is to get the three quilts done this year. That is very doable, although I know some of the upcoming blocks are doozies!!!

Last week, when I was working on Colour My World, I took a presser foot off the sewing machine. Do you think I could find it? "I looked everywhere" is silly to say because I didn't find it; I did NOT look everywhere. 

Yesterday, a thought crossed my mind, and I looked under the free arm (I have an extension table on the machine), and VOILA—there was the missing foot. How it got there, I have no idea. The bottom line is that I found it! 

There's the missing foot!

Thanks to everyone who came out for the Virtual Retreat. It was loads of fun as usual, and we certainly do keep each other entertained! 

I had a lot of questions about the upcoming scrap class starting in the fall. Basically, after this class, you will know everything you ever wanted (and didn't want) to know about scraps. Will you be obligated to sew something? Nope! Will you need to buy a pattern? Nope! It's more of a technique, learning to work differently, and it will be great for everyone regardless of your skill level. 

Well, I've got to run. No spin class this morning as I had some last-minute packing to do (the portable office) and some computer work, and I want to be out of the house by 8 AM. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Trifecta!!!

Oh my --- I had a busy day, but I don't have much to show! But I tried, and what doesn't get completely finished, at least, is a sample. The finishing will come later! I trust the people looking at the samples aren't going for finesse -- we're going for the inspiration and the ideas! Plus, I have some finished samples. 

But the day started with the two Zoom classes, which went great! I am passionate about teaching, and well, I'm just darn good at it! No one toots their own horn often enough, but I'll say that I'm a pretty good teacher. I'm not a patient person, but when I'm teaching, I am. It's weird how that happens. 

And teaching on Zoom means the students walk away with so much more than they would in person. Video recordings, copies of slides, and so much more! I was up late last night sending out all the follow-up information, and I have one more class to send off stuff this morning. 

Then I'm all caught up until next weekend! 

I'm whittling down the list of classes and clubs being offered next year. I'm combining two of them into one and eliminating another. I'm compiling a list of what I'll be doing next year. I'll give you one hint. There will be NO PROJECTS - i.e., quilts I'll teach personally. I'll continue what's on the schedule, but after that, NO NEW PROJECTS, unless it's with a shop. That eliminates another two classes, and there will be no Jen Kindwell remedial, so there goes one more. 

The trick will be to NOT replace any of those with anything. I need the time to work on samples and to have days off when I can do something other than sewing! An entire day! So I'm making progress at this "downsizing" my time thing!

So here's part of what happened at my house. And please remember that these are not my machines -- it's a perk of the job I spend copious amounts of time doing. There has to be some reward somewhere. 

OK -- the first one is my machine. 

Let's fire up machine number one. 

The Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC 2

Anyway -- this machine spent most of the day embroidering ONE thing. And it's stunning. I won't show you yet, but I must spend more time embroidering. I love the results. 

Part of what I was working on was an experiment that went well but not as well as I expected. There are two things that I learned. And here's something to think about for next year. I plan on hosting a class that is focused 100% on marrying our technology together -- digital cutters, sewing machines, embroidery machines, and embroidery software. Watch for more details on that, but it's going to be super exciting and will blow your socks off with what we're going to do! You do NOT need an embroidery machine to participate!

Anyway, thank goodness I checked that I had an extra spool of thread because I emptied the first one! 

One spool of thread bites the dust

Then, it was onto machine number two. Oh my -- -what a beauty!!!! Yes -- I am spoiled, but I work hard!

Husqvarna Viking DESIGNER EPIC 3

It was also set up to do embroidery. Again -- another experiment. Actually, two of them -- and they both worked out beautifully. All new stuff!!!

Using the free arm embroidery hoop!

And then, for the trifecta, let's get the third machine going. 

The PFAFF creative icon 2

It was also set up to do embroidery and, again -- another experiment. I'm happy to say that this also worked quite well. It was really a test of the Embellishment Attachment, and now I can do the real thing. OH -- wait until you see -- it's adorable!!!

Using the Embellishment attachment

Let's just say that the areas around those machines were a mess of tools, scraps of fabric, or thread. Studio B is a bit scary right now! 

Messy area!!!

This was an accident waiting to happen -- presser feet mixed in with the scraps, so I cleaned that up before I threw anything valuable away. 

Another mess

And to top it off, I had the digital cutter working. 

Using the digital cutter to cut fabric

Again -- another experiment. It seems that everything I do is trying new things. Imagine if I were the timid type! I wouldn't survive long in this job with new stuff, ideas, and supplies coming out all the time. 

Speaking of finishing things - I need to get better. I have a couple of small samples that I thought would look great on a presentation board. This is a 9 by 12" artist's canvas. I attempted to use tape to secure the back, but that looked back. So, I tried spray glue. The glue has dried somewhat, so it doesn't look nearly as bad!

Using spray glue to mount the sample

Those are NOT perfectly entered corners. They make it look so easy on a video. I will cover the back with another fabric and fuse it in place, but for the moment, this will work. The sample is stinking cute, and I'll share it later. I don't want to steal any thunder from my presentations. 

But I managed to get glue on my fingers, and then I was working with something fuzzy, and I had fuzz all over my hands!!!

Sticky!

Again -- if anyone wants to check out a presentation by myself on the NEW Husqvarna Viking DESIGNER EPIC 3, I'll be at Hamilton Sewing on Thursday and K& A Quilt Shop on Friday. Check out the links to get signed up. Some of the sessions are already sold out. 

I'll be in North Bay and Sudbury later this month - Gem Sewing, North Bay on November 15th, and Sudbury on November 17th. Then at Brampton Sew n Serge at the end of the month - November 24th. 

For those in the West, I'll be in Winnipeg at Carellen Sewing from November 27th to 29th to show off the DESIGNER EPIC 3. I'll be doing other events in Winnipeg, so call the store.

On that note, I have an early start this morning, and the car is only partly packed (in the garage). I need to get that done, walk the girls (short one), pack a few clothes, and I'm off to meet a bunch of local Husqvarna Viking dealers today!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Twirling is an obsession

Don't worry -- I'm not moving! The neighbor who just sold her house is a single person and lives in that big house all by herself. It was time for her to move, and she had talked about it for years. We are NOT moving! My girls love their backyard, we love the backyard, I love the location, and as Jannette mentioned, if you sell, where the heck will you buy? The prices are crazy everywhere!. 

I spoke to another neighbor who had been thinking of moving, but they've looked in smaller towns and decided to stay put because of prices. I don't blame them. 

After the last one sold, we had a real estate agent knocking on our door, asking if we wanted to sell. Nope! I didn't even take her literature. Besides, I did contact a real estate agent a couple of years ago to give us some tips on what to do with the house. And he is my best buddy! He texts me the asking and selling prices of houses on our street and checks in from time to time. He's just waiting for the day when we decide to sell, and he's been good, so I would call him. 

Progress is being made on the Cherrywood Challenge. Not fast enough, but progress is being made, and that's all that counts. I need to finish the quilting, but there are still hours left before that is done. If I could get it done by the end of the weekend, I'd be happy. It's mindless and boring but looks amazing, so I'll keep plugging away at it. 

I just need a good audiobook, and that should keep me focused. I've never been good (physically) with quilting at a domestic sewing machine. I can do about 15 minutes, and then I need a break. But that's OK. 

And speaking of good audiobooks, I'm reading Apples Never Fall by Lian Moriarty. Notice that I did NOT direct you to that other review site owned by that massive conglomerate. I'm trying to find alternatives. I won't be able to rid myself of Alexa, however. Sigh..........   Lian's books are amazing -- there's not really any drama in them, well, there could be, but we don't know yet, and it's all dialogue, but the way she writes is amazing. What happened? What secrets? Her books are all about secrets, which no one talks about, but everyone has secrets! 

Last night, I presented my scrap quilt lecture to the Hamilton Quilter's Guild. Oh, what fun we had, and their quilt show is coming up at the beginning of June, so be sure to put that on your calendar! I can't wait to go -- they have a ton of quilts in the show and vendors, a mini quilt raffle, and much more. 

Spin class was uneventful. That girl went back to sitting in front of me, and all was good. I was careful of my throat clearing!

I created a virtual challenge for myself of 8,000 cardio miles for this year. This includes cycling (indoors and outdoors) as well as walking. I'm almost ¼ of the way there! Can you believe that? I wanted to map that 8,000 KM somewhere globally, and I chose Africa. 

My 8,000 cardio KM journey mapped in Africa

 

I started in Cairo, and I'm currently walking along Libya's coast. This area is NOT mapped by the Google car; however, people have posted pictures along the way. There are not many pictures, but enough to give me an interesting idea of the area. But I'm not expecting a lot of pictures as I start to cross the desert. There are many photos of mosques or prayer areas, the inside of stores or homes. They sure have a different lifestyle from us. 

But here are some interesting sculptures I saw in one of the pictures this morning. 

Sculptures in Misrata, Libya

That looks like a giant domino and a puzzle piece with a handshake in the center. Hmm -- I wonder what this is all about? There doesn't appear to be many sculptures or monuments along the way, but then I am at the mercy of whoever took pictures and posted them. 

This is possible through the Conquerer website with a paid membership. There is loads of stuff to keep one occupied for a long time! I'm about 283 KM behind as we could not do spin class in January, and I had counted that in my planning, so I'll have to make that up this summer on my outdoor bike. 

I've also been playing with the projection system on the PFAFF creative icon 2. There is NO NEED to ever mark lines again! In addition to the green grid (you can change the color), you can project the stitch that you are stitching out. In this case, it's red and is a straight stitch. I should have put something more exciting there. 

The projection system on the PFAFF creative icon 2

Here is the onscreen menu for selecting colors, brightness, spacing for the grid, etc. Lots of options to play with for sure. 

The menu for the project grid on the PFAFF creative icon 2

My biggest issue is when I open the menu for the projector. Then I start pushing buttons, and nothing happens. OH YES --- after this menu comes on the screen, I have to turn the projector ON. One day, I'll get it!

But it's definitely fun to play with, and the fact that no lines need to be marked is super exciting!

I managed to complete more homework for this weekend, and progress is being made - just not fast enough for me! So you'll get to see all that soon enough. Let's not forget the UFOs. ACK ---I've got to get working, and I'm not really good with late nights! And I'm on the road again today -- I did NOT plan those trips very well. But this is the LAST trip for a while, so that is good as I will need every spare moment to complete things on time. 

OH -- the last trip for a while -- make that the last trip for a couple of weeks. Then I'm on the road again! The transition between Zoom and real life is a tough one!

But speaking of the UFO, I decided that I could not live with this. 

The seams are not twirled!

This is a large quilt of which 2 of 9 sections are together, and my UFO is to work on the third. The seams are NOT twirled on the back, and I decided I can't live with that. I know --- what am I thinking? It's not like I have time to redo this. But redoing this part is NOT part of the homework. But while watching the baking show (I do need a bit of downtime!), I've been ripping it apart. 

I need to rip apart the rows, repress some of the seams, and resew them back together. It's not going to take that long, and I'll be much happier with the results. 

The rows are being ripped apart to repress the seams. 

The seams need to be repressed

It's no wonder it takes me a long, long time to get things done! But it's a hobby, and we should be enjoying the slow pace. Quilting is NOT rocket science; nothing bad will happen if someone's quilt is late so enjoy the process! 

The other thing that we really need to be aware of is our commitments. Yes --- I'm in way over my head, and I know that, and I'm not going to hide the fact. But I've learned a good lesson this year. This will not happen again! 

This bad thing called FOMO (Fear of missing out) makes us NEED to sign up for everything our friends or our quilt stores offer. Then we fall behind, and nothing gets done, or we are constantly behind. 

We all need to evaluate the amount of time we want to put into any project. If you sign up for a project that is intense (like any of the Jen Kingwell projects), you know that the homework each month will take several days, while others may only take a couple of hours. That is something you never know when starting a new project. 

You also have to factor in your lifestyle. If you have small children or grandchildren, you may only have a couple of free hours each month. Then it doesn't make sense to take on a big project. Guaranteed, you'll never have time. And if you sign up for more than one project, you're in trouble even before you begin. 

So that's your task for the next couple of weeks. Most of us are in a huge mess now, so we have to look at what we want our quilting life to be like. Do we want extra time to start a random project, or do we want time to play with a new tool, like a digital cutter? How many commitments from your quilt guild, your local store, or whatever can you possibly take on? How many hours per week would you like to sew? How many hours per week can you ACTUALLY sew? 

Start keeping track for the next couple of weeks and see how much time you have. As I put forth the projects for the fall, I will try and estimate the number of hours of homework involved to help people decide which class to take, and the number of classes overall will be significantly less. 

Again -- make sure you mark the Hamilton Quilt Show in your calendar!! It will be loads of fun to get out in person -- I can hardly wait. And they have VENDORS so you can easily shop at several stores in one stop!! That alone is worth the trip. But we need to go with a shopping list! I need neutrals, and I'll buy ONE fun thing as a treat!  

Hamilton Quilt Show -- June 3, 4   

On that note, I need to get moving as I have to be on the road in one hour. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

 

The transition from Zoom to in-person

 

We've all been waiting for this moment -- getting back to in-person events. Well, we must be careful what we wish for! 

In-person events require getting in the car and traveling! It's a challenge to go from ZERO traveling by car to spending THREE hours commuting -- that's 1 1/2 hours each way, and I have one more day to do that. It's not that it's a big deal, but I paid almost $80 to fill the car the other day -- I wouldn't have had to do that if I were doing an in-person event. My butt was sore and stiff after spending that much time in the car, and I could have accomplished a lot in THREE hours. 

Then we need to worry about the weather. Have you noticed that we're all checking the weather app these days, or is that just because we are older? And there's a weather advisory every day, or so, it seems! Yesterday it was freezing rain and today it's high winds. I lucked out yesterday -- the drive to the city was absolutely dry. We got some freezing precipitation while I was there, and there was some rain on the way home. When I arrived at the house, the cars and the house's windows were covered with ice.

Ice on the windows of the house

More ice

And let's not forget the issue of getting dressed. It was so easy to grab a sweater and a scarf, run a brush through your hair, and you were good to go. Hmm -- now we have to add pants and shoes to that mix. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about clothes not fitting as I kept an eye on that during the pandemic. 

But I had a good laugh yesterday. I try not to turn on the lights when I leave -- I'm pretty good at knowing where everything is. I left my shoes in the porch, and I put my socks and running shoes on so I'd be ready for my walk when I arrived at the hotel. Then I switched to my day shoes and went in. 

I thought my shoes felt a bit weird several times, but I didn't think anything of it. Then I was at the front of the room, and I glanced down. OH -- I have my indoor shoes/slippers on! Not my dress shoes which were still under the bench in the porch!  

My indoor/slippers

Not that they were very noticeable as slippers, but I had a good laugh. Thankfully, they weren't pink or something outlandish. The joy of being totally conservative with clothing choices! 

What was even funnier is the day before, we had talked about doing the event in our PJs!! 

Other things to consider as we transition from Zoom to in-person. You can't have a nap when you want -- sometimes, I sneak a 20-minute nap between calls, but that would have been a challenge unless I crawled under a table at the back and had a snooze!! And eating -- you have to eat what they put out for you and eat when they put it out! So if you wanted an apple, you'd better have brought it! 

The whole in-person thing requires a lot more time and planning. Hmmm --- do I really want this? I was really having fun with the Zoom thing. OH -- and the girls were never alone. Well, it's fun to be in-person, don't get me wrong, but it involves a WHOLE lot of things that we aren't used to. 

Let's say that I was EXHAUSTED when I got back to the retreat house last night. I slept like a log. 

Our sixth person didn't arrive as she now has COVID, so good thing she checked before she came. And now I have a permanent spot for me to sew.

I LOVE having a retreat with a small group of people in a house because we all sat around the table at dinner and talked and talked for hours! We couldn't or wouldn't do that with a large group in a hotel!!!

I did manage to get a bit of sewing done before I had to crash. I'm working on scrappy quilts again. Will I ever use yardage again? 

Scraps for another quilt

I'm making some little blocks with the scraps -- I need 49 blocks that measure 3 1/2", and I've got 14 more to complete. I'll sew them together, and then you'll have to wait to see what I will do with them. 

My scrappy green blocks

This is the retreat where I've had to move my sewing spot the most. I set up the sewing machine, then took it down to take it with me. Then I used the serger and then took that with me. Now I have the sewing machine back, and look what I get to sew on!!! I've got rid of four sewing machines, so I will only have to load one machine back into the car at the end! There was a LOT of packing and unpacking happening at this retreat, but all is good now. 

The PFAFF creative icon 2

YES --- this is the NEW PFAFF creative icon 2. 

The creative icon 2

It's a gorgeous sewing machine and does embroidery as well. And look at all the incredible technology incorporated into the creative icon 2. The way it sews is a dream! It's powerful!!

Technology in the PFAFF creative icon 2

I love my little portable office setup. The Bluetooth speaker runs off my phone and uses data to stream the live radio! I'm using the phone also as a hotspot to run my laptop on the internet. It's' just like being at home!! Thankfully, I've learned how to do all that stuff. So much more to learn, but hey!!! What would life be like if we weren't learning something new every day? 

I have so many samples that I want to make with the creative icon 2 -- I need to get that machine fired up when I get home and have it running 24/7 to get everything that I want to stitch actually stitched out. 

The other nice thing about the in-person event was that we got to chat with the shop owners. What is going on in their world of in-person versus zoom? Do people want to return to in-person events? Who wants to teach via Zoom? What is the future of educating the consumer? So that was a good thing. There's a different group of people today, so those conversations will be new!

So for those anxious to get back out in the real world of in-person events or work, be careful what you wish for!! It's a massive change, and while some parts are good, it's a significant change! The biggest issue is the "wasted" time in the car! I've always resented travel time, and doing that three days in a row -- that's a total of NINE hours in the car when I could have been doing something else!!!

We did discuss the future of teaching and how to keep a social aspect to the entire thing. If anyone has suggestions -- be sure to pass them along! 

Good grief -- I just asked Alexa to turn off the radio again! She's NOT here with me! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!