The creep

How quickly the clutter returns to the desktop! I must set aside a few minutes each day to deal with the stuff! 

How quickly the days are flying by!!!! Can you believe that we are almost two weeks into this year? ACK!!

How quickly has our snow come and gone! Here are a couple of pictures from that folder that I accidentally deleted. The little plow came by very early in the morning and cleared the sidewalk. While we still have to shovel - well, some people think they don't have to - we still need to shovel the snow out of the driveway. If this is how people treat their outside, imagine how the inside looks? Not even going there! This photo was from January 7, and today, there is no snow except for a mound where I shoveled the driveway. 

The sidewalks are plowed

And here's the article from A Needle Pulling Thread on quilting and texture. It is NOT an article you can purchase on its own. I should chat with the editor to see how many of those articles aren't published separately and whether it makes sense to put some of them together. Anyway, it's a great article. I've written MANY articles over the years! 

My article on texture in quilting

Here's the issue cover in case you might already have it. But get it out and read that! 

And here's how quickly things can happen in Studio B, without you even knowing they happened. It's called the CREEP -- just like our weight! This week, I'm madly prepping or continuing to prep for the three classes this weekend. Well, two classes and UFO Club. So I've been busy working on the projects in that blue tub. I hope I get through them all, but I'm doing my best. 

This was part of yesterday's tasks. Let's just say that I made a lot of binding. 

Binding!

I would have prepped another, except that I realized the cut strips were straight of grain and I needed bias. I hate when that happens! Hopefully, I have enough of that same fabric to cut bias strips instead. DUH!!!! 

What I have decided to do for the UFO Club is to work on the projects on the Current Project tables. Why am I pulling something else out when there is so much there? And while I call them current projects, most of them are old enough or suitable for classification as a UFO. At the moment, instead of working on one big project, I'm trying to get a lot of small things done or almost-completed projects. Hence, making all those bindings. 

You'll get to see the complete UFO completion list after the weekend. I did more, but can't share them with you yet. 

Of course, you know me. Once I emptied that tub onto the cutting table to sort and prioritize how I spend the next couple of days, I had to fill the blue tub with projects for next month! Trust me!! This method of working is so satisfying, but that brings me to the creep!

As I was surveying the two tables, looking for candidates for the next month's UFO, I spotted two things. 

A wild pile of stuff on the current projects table

The blue bucket in the foreground has some thread and yarn that I want to experiment with, but it is technically not a UFO or even a current project. It's supplies to work on when I get there. So that got put away. Then the white basket of yarn behind that. That is also new stuff and not on my radar, so that got put away as well, as did that roll of green organza. All experiments that I'm not ready to tackle, and no project has even started with them. 

Those few items crept onto the table without me even realizing!!! And now this is what the table looks like. OK -- still jammed with stuff, but at least there is one spot clear on the surface!!! And after next month, that spot is going to be even larger! 

An empty spot on the current project table!

So yes—focus for me is the only way, and I'm being so very disciplined with what I'm working on these days. I still get to work on new things while teaching the jacket class and Colour My World. But anything new beyond that? Not happening, unless it's specifically for work, like the projects you saw last week. 

Am I making progress? You bet, and I'm pretty excited about it. Have I removed any of the "todo" from my visual list? No, but I'm working on those in conjunction with UFO Club, and all is coming along nicely. I need to maintain focus and momentum!

I also completed a customer's quilt on the longarm. 

Customer quilt - DONE

The next quilt is loaded, except for the batting. This quilt is mine, and I'll dig out some white batting bits and join them later today. 

I have to say that I had a fantastic workout at the gym. I also have a goal there, and it makes me much more focused. As I cranked up the tension on the bike (I certainly don't overdo it because of my tight muscles), I could feel the power without any discomfort! That's a huge improvement. And when I stretched, I stretched with intent! For twenty minutes! I think my getting off the floor is much more graceful than it has been in a while. 

And we all know how our weight can fluctuate throughout the day and change a lot. But when the scale says three pounds less than last Thursday? I'm going to take that as a turn for the better! I walked out of the gym flying like a kite and prepped for a great day! 

You do NOT need to belong to a gym. The stretching I did for 20 minutes was on the floor, on a mat. No equipment. Which means I could do the same stretching and a bit of abs at home every day! And my abs are getting stronger, which is what I need. They have become flabby, and that doesn't make me happy! 

I went for a walk in the afternoon, and while I didn't need to go very far to meet my daily goal, I went for a long walk anyway. That netted me over 20,000 steps for the day! And cleared my brain, and all was good!

The girls were happy on their walk, and Murphy found a stick to bring home. I threw it in the backyard as I didn't want her chewing on that in the house. 

Mom - I went shopping and got a stick!

And then, the two of them got frisky while DH and I had dinner last night. Ever the entertainers!!!!

MOM - DAD- are you watching us? 

So we have a destination wedding this year. Actually, two weddings, the first is in Italy in April. What to wear? What to wear? The wedding has a fuchsia color scheme, and the events last four days! Good grief! I'm only taking carry-on and will extend my trip by a bit, so I'm madly planning what to wear. I've got it figured out - I just need to make the stuff! 

But as I was trolling the internet for ideas, this popped up!! 

I did NOT even ask for a color, and well, how about those hats! Could that go in my carry-on? 

Which look should I go for? Actually, none of these - you know me - I'm not a dress person. But I could have exposed abs, and if so, I'd better get to work on them! That's not happening either!!!

On that note, I'd better get moving as it's going to be a busy day - a play date is planned, and I can't wait!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Virtual Retreat

 

Oh my - I have the BEST friends in the world! And a lot of them showed up for the Virtual Retreat. We got to meet new people, we got to chat with people from Western Canada and many from Ontario and Germany. I want to thank EVERYONE who stopped by - I learned so much. And I honestly don't feel shut in at all. Yes - I get it that it's not the same as in person, but what is nice is that people change up each time and even throughout the day. That brings up all sorts of conversations that would NEVER happen in person. Of course, I can't tell you anything that we discussed. You know what they say - what happens at Virtual Retreat  - stays at Virtual Retreat. They truly are the best thing ever. 

The Zoom retreats allow me to stay in touch with people that I normally wouldn't be able to stay in touch with, we share Show and Tell, and we get a peek into their sewing spaces. It's totally the best, and I can't wait until the next one. Mark your calendar - February 27 (evening) and 28 all-day). Watch for the Zoom links closer to the day. 

Oh boy -- remember that little password book I found? Well, I gave it away yesterday. Why? Katheleen reminded me that I'm trying to make junk journals and having a junk journal as a password book - well - that's just way more fun than the little purchased book I had. Besides, WHO would ever suspect that a junk journal would hold passwords and how easy it'll be to hide the passwords. So - I need to carve a wee bit of time in the schedule to make that!!! I'm such a dolt for not thinking of it myself. Thanks, Katheleen!

I was also reminded of the upcoming Quilts of Valour sew a long day, which is THIS FRIDAY. Have you registered?? I designed a pattern for them, and I'll be spending some time on the sew-along, or there'll be a video explaining how to trim a panel to put into the pattern and how to make the hourglass blocks. I'll try to find out the time of those videos. Let me try to find the link that you need to register for the event. But here's the link to my pattern that you can purchase. All proceeds go to Quilts of Valour - I designed the pattern exclusively for them for their fund raising efforts. I did NOT receive any compensation for that. 

OH -- I didn't get as much sewn at the Virtual Retreat as I would have liked, but then you know how it is. EVERYTHING takes much longer than we think it will. And several of the things I made can't be shared with you at this time. YES - that means I was working on projects WAY in advance of the due date. I better do the write-ups right now before I forget, but I took loads of pictures. 

But I did get this quilt done. 

When your child says they want a quilt - you jump! I ordered this panel for M, along with the border print. Everything had been trimmed before the Virtual Retreat. So it was easy to put the mitered border on. No matching at the corners as that just wasn't going to work with that print. 

The cosmic quilt

I wasn't sure if I needed a black border on the outside, but once the printed border was on, it became obvious that I needed the black border, and it looks awesome. 

The cosmic quilt with the outer border

I made the binding this morning, and it's ready for the long arm. 

A quilt moving to the "to be quilted" pile

By request, the backing is Minky, which I had purchased at Christmas. 

The Minky backing

Yep - that quilt, including the backing were sitting on the current project table, which is now gone. 

Speaking of the current projects table, even though I've been sewing a lot - well, sort of, it doesn't look like a dent has been made in that table of projects. But I've been poking, and prodding and a few things have disappeared from the table. All is good. 

The current projects table

Notice that the projects do NOT encroach on the next table. They are restricted to that one table. And YES - one day, this area will be cleared off. The trick is to NOT add anything to the table. A few things got adding, but most of the shuffling has settled down, so now - it's time to sew. Of course, there's the stack of 2021 class projects, which is NOT on this table, and that keeps me hopping. More on that tomorrow. 

The current projects are restricted to ONE table

One other thing that I pulled from the table was this stack of string pieced blocks. My intention was to create a diamond shape with a set of four blocks. OH dear - the base shape is a rectangle, and ALL The strips are going the same way - they can't be rotated to make a diamond. I guess I didn't think about that when I was piecing. EXCEPT - ONE block got sewn in the opposite direction. How did that happen?? Now, what do I do?? Leave it like that? Or take it apart and sew the strips in the opposite direction? Good grief!! Thankfully, it's only one block. 

The latest string pieced quilt

And this is how the cutting table looks this morning. I'm finishing off an embroidery project for someone. That's the bit on the left. The rest of the stuff needs to be prepped - cut and some applique to get ready for ALL the deadlines this month. I might do some of the prepping today at Monday sewing, or I might do that later tonight. 

The cutting table with prep work waiting

But here's the thing - my studios have NEVER been this organized. I'm so thrilled. We discussed a project yesterday, and I was able to put my hand on the fabric within seconds. More on that one tomorrow. Tools? Supplies? I know where they are! It may not be NEAT, and yes, there is a TON of stuff, but it's organized. That's what I've wanted for YEARS, and now that I have it - well, it's super easy to keep clean and tidy. 

I did a bit more digging yesterday and uncovered a couple more treasures, and those will be shared tomorrow. 

Now - here's an update on the mileage. WOW  - I can't believe how much walking I did in January. YES - that says 365.3 KM, which is the equivalent of 227 miles. Yikes!!! That's a lot of walking. 

But I'm on a mission - I have 4,200 KM to walk in 2021. I'm just over 8.5% of the way. That means we need a healthy 2021 to make that happen. Fresh air, good food, lots of sleep, and being careful on the ice and the stairs - I think we can do this!!!!

Not only is my studio organized, but I'm getting my e-mail (somewhat) organized - at least my folders are super organized, I've got my physical folders, and the office is slightly less cluttered. So HUGE progress is happening all around. I feel so much better and so MUCH more in control. That's a huge success, and you bet that I'm going to celebrate!!!

Did you notice that I slacked off yesterday and did not give you an area to clean?  Well, no slacking today. Get ready! How about your coffee table?? We don't have one - thankfully, as they seem to be dust and junk catchers. So get out there and clear off that surface. And if you think you need a container to hold stuff like remotes or whatever, then find one or make it! 

I have a wee pile of stuff on the floor beside me that I want to deal with later today, and of course, I'll share it with you. If I have to suffer the pain of throwing stuff away, then so should you! I'm NOT in this by myself. We're all in this decluttering mess together. 

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

Have a SUPER day!!!

Ciao!!!!

What do I do with this?

Thank god for audiobooks. I actually had the hardcopy of this book, and when I realized I could get the audiobook version, I switched. I get so much done while I'm listening. My headphones have become a fixture on my head. The BEST investment I've made in a long time. 

So what has me so engrossed at the moment? It's called The Broken Girls by Simone St. James. A murder - actually several murders - old ones and a bit of creepiness thrown in. Let's just say that my skin has gone cold a couple of times! I'll finish it today, but I'm still getting my work done. I'm happy! It's the second book I've read by this author - both were excellent if you're into ghosts. 

I'm happy to report that the quilt top and the backing for the magazine quilt are DONE. I have to make the binding later today, and I have to get it quilted, but first, there's a small table runner on the long arm. Guess where I'll be this morning? I also got all the stitching done for the second magazine project. No - I didn't get any writing done, but that's for later today. I've found it's a bit difficult to listen to an audiobook and write! I'm right on track!

There's no time to show off the new tidy spaces. But soon! I found more pictures of what I had to deal with! It's hilarious! Well, not really, but laughing at the mess makes it easier to deal with. 

Let's see what I found. 

Good grief - I found a kit for the Little Lacie Bag. I found a pattern that contained 5 zippers, and I found an extra pattern. 

Supplies to make The Little Lacie Bag

I don't think I need two copies of the pattern, so if anyone wants it - you can have it. It's cute but is made with those fancy zippers, so if you have fancy zippers and don't know what to do with them - this is the pattern for you. 

The pattern for The Little Lacie Bag

Here's a couple of things that got hung the other day. The letter E, a bicycle, and a quilt-related scene. These are all on some form of thin tin. I grabbed some nails and my hammer - they are now hung up after how many years of languishing in a box? 

Wall art - now displayed

One year at Quilt Market, Moda, had these cute little patches that they were giving away. Well, FREE is good. Not always! I collected as many of them as I could. I think they also sold some of the patches in the stores. Now they are all bundled together and in the bag making supply box. They would be good to add as an embellishment on a zippered pouch. 

Sewing related patches

Don't think that I'm writing all this to entertain you! Well, that's part of the reason. The other is that if I write down where those things are stored, I'm most likely going to remember, and if not, I can always search the blog to find where I squirreled some of the stuff away!!

OH MY GOD -- I was SURE that I had two of these open-toe applique feet. I only had one in my foot box. The other one? Who knows? But look - I found it at the bottom of this container. How long has it been missing? A very LONG time. This just shows you the importance of putting things back where they belong - ALWAYS. 

My missing open-toe applique foot

It's back to the pink and green theme. I found a spool of green thread and one of pink thread. They are now in the box with the rest of the threads. How many spools of thread does that make that I've found? No idea, but it's a lot. Note to self - you do NOT need any more spools of thread unless - well, you just don't! 

Green and pink thread

So far, I've been good with figuring out what to do with stuff and where to put it. However, I have a couple of things this morning that I've no clue what to do with. I inherited this pattern from someone. Their mother was making the vest. I think it's a given that the pattern can be tossed - seriously??? Who wants that? I have a way of disposing of patterns - recycling where possible. I've not done that, but I seriously need to start going through my pattern boxes and getting rid of some, but that's not for today.

The pattern for a vest

The pattern is the easy part - I also inherited the fabric, which is cut into strips. Now, what the heck am I going to do with these strips? They are not the same width, and I think they might be silk?? Not sure. I guess they could be sewn together to make a quilt top - I hadn't thought of that. I'm not sure how much is there, but there might be enough. Or does anyone want this?? If so - it's yours for the taking. Oh - and the pattern if you want. There's also some yardage in the bag. 

Fabric strips

And candles - what does one do with a dead candle. The wick is now gone in this thing, but there's a ton of wax left. OK - so I'm cheap, but I hate to throw something away that still has life - I'm trying to be good here! I suppose you could melt that down and then add a new wick! I do have other candles, which I'm adding one at a time to my cozy evening spot. I  may never leave that area, but I need to make one of those things that go over the chair's arm to hold pins and needles and threads. I must have a pattern somewhere for that. 

A dead candle

I also found this small tote bag that has obviously seen better days. But it's such a shame to throw that out. I thought of taking it apart and making it smaller to get rid of the damaged areas. Oh god - just shoot me now! 

A worn tote bag

I did some cleaning in the office, which I'll share another day. But look what I found—a bowling ball. Yes - I used to bowl in a league - I was NOT good but had fun. When I met DH, he was horrified that I belonged to a bowling league, so I haven't bowled in a long, long time. What does one do with a pink, personalized bowling ball? In a carrying bag even. 

A pink bowling ball

There's also a pair of bowling shoes. Probably size 8. 

Bowling shoes

See what I mean - these are the hard things to deal with. I'm ready to get rid of it all, but what to do with it? It would be a shame to throw the bowling ball out. Up for grabs for free should anyone want that stuff. 

I don't think I shared these photos with you for a while. This is for reference! It's the pile of current projects. I know - totally ridiculous. But I'm OK with that. It'll keep me entertained for several months. The trick is to NOT add to it. Unless - it's these crazy little things like the quilting of that table topper. And since I won't be having people over to sew, I don't care if the table is heaped - I don't have to move it! 

The pile of current projects

And this is the table from the opposite angle. I need to start working on that double wedding ring because it's the thing that occupies the most space on the table. It makes the pile look HUGE. 

The current pile of projects from the other angle

While I was busy sewing yesterday, my darn magnetic pin cushion fell off the table - AGAIN! I'm not sure how many times that has happened. 

Oops - the magnetic pincushion fell

But so far, I've been able to put it back together, and it works as good as new. No tape required. Each time, a few pieces break off, but it still works. These little pieces are what hold the magnets in place inside. 

Back together minus a few pieces

I will say that there's a HUGE problem with all this cleaning and tidying up. I'm finding all kinds of silly things that aren't finished or just need a bit more work. 

Last night, the handwork session involved sewing three labels onto finished items. One is a quilt that I'm gifting to my goddaughter's son. It should have been out of the house months ago. I just have to wash the quilt today and then get it ready to be shipped on Tuesday, when I can walk to the post office. 

The other two items were some of the very first projects I ever worked on in the quilting world. These are the pieces that I made from what was supposed to be a queen-sized tumbling block quilt for M. I realized that that was a complicated pattern, and so I made two pieces that were the size of a placemat for her night tables. 

I even made these hand-stitched labels - what did I know about label making then? Oh boy - look at that date!!!!

Label for the table topper

Here's the thing - I was sewing the second label on when I did a double-take. What the heck????  Oh, boy - you're kidding me!!!!  Have a look and see if you spot the issue. 

Beautiful outline quilting

That first one looks just fine - right? Now have a close look at the second one. 

Oops - something is missing here

Do you see (or not see) what I saw last night? Yep  - there is NO quilting in the medium blue diamonds. How many years have I handled those and used them in samples, taken pictures of them, and never realized that some of the quilting was missing. I had a good laugh about it!!!

And now that one is in the pile of current projects so I can finish quilting the darn thing. See what I mean about cleaning? It's a LOT more work than one expects!

I have to confess that I'm NOT good at stretching with all the walking that I'm doing, and it's starting to catch up on me and my hips! So, I got myself installed in my cozy spot last night with my yoga mat and an online yoga class from my gym. OUCH!!! That wasn't good, but I have to say that I was starting to feel ever so slightly looser towards the end of the half-hour. So - I have to add that to my list of activities. It's actually a good thing to do before bed. And my favorite part? The end when you get to lay on your back and - well, I might just drift off one night. That part is called Savasana - my favorite part! 

It's only 30 minutes, but 30 minutes is better than none, and it helps to clear the brain of everything in the day. I have to say I slept well. 

The sun was beautiful yesterday morning on the freshly fallen snow. The pictures just do NOT do justice to the beauty, but this picture will remind me how beautiful it was. 

The sun on the snow-covered trees

And look at these tracks I spotted at the foot of my front step. What made that track?? Someone suggested a puppy with a stick!! Ah no - that would be an opossum. There is one that lives nearby - remember Murphy spotted it the other day. 

Tracks of an opossum

It's hard to see the opossum, but he's sitting on the rock behind the tree. 

The opossum sitting on the rock

I haven't been out shopping in a long time - well, several weeks, and I see that we're running out of a few essentials. That means a trip to Costco. Hmm - do I dare, or do I just order online? I'm getting cozy with having things come to me! But I might venture out later this week - just to get out and run the car for a wee bit. 

On that note, I'm out of here! Loads to do today, and I know some of you are expecting e-mails from me. I tried to get most up to date yesterday. I need to work on the deadline stuff today and then focus on class stuff this coming week, so a few days of patience!

Have a super day!!!!  And don't forget to set your timer for 10 minutes. What can you get accomplished in 10 minutes? 

Ciao!!!!