Don't give up -- just learn and try again!

OK --- you know how it is when you come across a new word, and you wonder about it, and then POOF -- that word comes up again! In this instance, the word is actually a name - Eilidh - pronounced like Hailey, but without the H. I thought it was a strange spelling, but it popped up this morning on something I was researching, and what are the chances of that? I'll probably see that name and that spelling in many more places now. That's so weird. 

It was a decent day - I managed to solve some of the problems that are on my to-do list. Things that need to be done in a relatively short time. Slow and steady! 

Here's one thing that has eluded me for a long time, but I'm happy to report that it's finally finished (again!), and this time I'm very happy with the results. OK -- so I'm very picky, but if I'm going to take samples on the road, I want them to look amazing, and I'm willing to rework them to make that happen. By reworking them, I'm learning methods that work for me. 

This was a cushion cover that I embroidered last year, and I wanted to use an invisible zipper in it. Well, I just whipped that zipper in and then turned it inside out, and the bottom corners were bulky. I know I can do better than that, so I took it apart, and it has sat for a long time. I cut parts of the zipper tape to reduce bulk, but it didn't work because part of it was in the seam, and the bulk wouldn't go away. 

This is not the first time I've inserted an invisible zipper!

So, while at the retreat, I reinserted the zipper, leaving the ends free at the corners. Yesterday, I serged the sides back together. 

The cushion has been serged.

And now, when I turn it inside out, all four corners look amazing, and there is no bulk at the bottom where the zipper is. YEAH!!!!! I learned a valuable lesson—if you do something wrong, study it and think about how to do it differently. Check out a purchased pillow to see how they insert the zipper, and then just do it, and you will have a great-looking sample. I absolutely love this saying, and it's something we need to keep in mind whenever we pick up a book. 

The cushion cover is done!

Here is one of the corners. OK -- so it's one of the top corners that never had an issue with bulk, but all four look like this. 

One of the corners

And for those who want to know the "secret," leave one inch at each end of the zipper when inserting the invisible zipper. Then, when sewing the sides together, keep the zipper ends out of the seam. I'm sure you all knew that, but I goofed. I now know a great way to insert the invisible zipper in a cushion.  

The bottom of the cushion with the invisible zipper

I managed to put one of the dog fabric scrap quilts on the design wall and place the pieces. It's not a very big quilt, but it's large enough for a child. 

The scrappy dog fabric quilt

Yes, it's very scrappy, and I tried to position the blocks with alternating light and dark squares, except for the top and bottom rows. It is what it is. 

Then I removed the blocks by row and attached them together with a label and a clip. All the rows are in a bag and ready to be stitched at the next retreat. I have two more sets of blocks to lay out, and then I'll be ready to sew and won't have to deal with the short design wall. Preparation is key!

Tagged and bagged!

Amongst my unfinished projects is this jacket. It was technically a prototype, using a quilted bedspread (thrift-store find) and a new pattern. It is cold in Studio B these days, and I had forgotten to bring down a sweatshirt this morning. So I grabbed this jacket. The bedspread had been washed many times, and when I put it on this morning, the first thing that came to mind was how SOFT this was and how comfortable the fit was. That's all the incentive I need to finish it off properly, so I can wear it all the time downstairs. 

My jacket prototype - soft and comfy

To finish the seams, I like to grade the thicknesses, but that is a challenge on this one because of the TRIPLE chain stitch used to quilt it, likely on a large industrial flat-bed quilting machine. The thought of unpicking those stitches doesn't thrill me, so I may end up binding the seams. I don't have any matching fabric for the lining, but I might grab some bright fabrics to liven up the binding and the seam finishes. It's got a boring and dull paisley print on the inside. But comfy? Soft? Oh yes—this is a great jacket. 

The Pony Express is alive and well, and I will have a doozy of a story to tell you in a couple of weeks about it. For the moment, we will focus on what happened two days ago. I got a delivery of three puzzles. I tried to trade the one puzzle in my trading pile, but I didn't find a taker for it with this person. These first two puzzles have very nice pictures, and I will likely pass these along when I'm done. 

Two new puzzles

But the third puzzle was intriguing. This is the picture! I did NOT mirror the image, so is that a problem with the picture, or is the puzzle totally backward? 

The picture on the third puzzle

And it comes in this drawer pull box. Hmmmm --- what a unique puzzle. I may ask my new puzzle peeps about that. I can't find anything about this on Google. All I get are instructions on how to make a puzzle tray with drawers or links to buy one. That's not what I want. 

A drawer pull on the puzzle box.

And yes—I hope to have new puzzle peeps soon. I'm slated to volunteer for a couple of hours at the end of July. I can manage that!! And, sad to say, I've been watching a few YouTube videos about the competition this past weekend. There is one young adult who is the queen of speed puzzling. She won the individual and pairs events and earned a third medal as well. It might have been in the team event, but she didn't come first. She looks very young, but I Googled her, and it said she is an adult (no birthday information). But can we trust Google?

I also received a penny in the year that M was born, so I'll give that to her when we see them. It's supposed to be good luck on your wedding day. 

And there was one more delivery to my door that same day, the puzzles came. I got a box of old quilt books. I know -- do not yell at me. I requested them. Some of them are to be given to others, and a few are to add to my stash. I'm OK with that. I have a wee bit of room left and will start to cull when the shelves won't hold any more. I need to sort through them and put them in their respective places. 

A box of books

The puzzle got picked up by the person who dropped off the books! Good luck with that tough one! 

We have a pair of cardinals in our backyard, and Mister Cardinal was pretty visible yesterday. I first spotted him on the gazebo railing. 

Hey, lady—fill the feeder! 

Then I spotted him taking a bath in the pond. WOW --- what a cool picture!!! Would that make a puzzle? It would make a challenging puzzle with all the rocks! But look at the reflection! 

Hey—a little privacy, please —I'm taking a bath!

One of the readers just got a new pond, and there is no end of fascination with birds and fish. I spotted four of the seven fish yesterday. Two were hanging out in the empty spot in the shade, and two were among the lily pads, checking out the sun. They are not used to us yet and scitter away faster than a speeding bullet. We don't feed the fish - we used to, but there is so much algae and such in the pond that we haven't fed our fish for years. Now with the new ones, let's hope they learn the same thing. 

Of course, Murphy had to be in the picture as well. That dog just runs hot, and since it's relatively hot outside, she was trying to find a cool spot to sleep. She loves to sleep in these bushes, even behind them, right beside the house. This area never gets sun, and the ground is damp.

I dug out her small swimming pool and filled it with cold water. She was a bit hesitant and put her feet in, but was not ready to take the plunge just yet. She will. I have a larger one that she can lie down in, but if she wants, she can curl up in this one to cool off. The big one is so cumbersome. I also bought her a sprinkler that I may bring out later today. 

MOM -- it's hot!!

I have loads to do, so I don't have much time to spend in the backyard, but I try to grab a few minutes in the gazebo every day. 

Remember that plant I rescued from its dead leaf trap a few weeks ago? Well, in case you think one small act doesn't make a difference, look at the plant. It's smaller than the others, but it's thriving. It probably would have forced the dead leaf off at some point, but I'm happy knowing that I helped it along. 

Small but thriving!

That brings to mind the story of some scientists or nature photographers (I've forgotten which), who were studying penguins somewhere. They realized that the penguins were in a spot that they could not get up the very steep, slippery slope of some ice floe, and if they remained where they were, they would die. The dilemma was that the scientists were not allowed to help the animals but were to leave them in their natural habitat untouched. They were torn, so they carved mini-stairs into the slippery slope, and the penguins made their way up to safety. 

I think that's a beautiful story. Should humans have interfered with Mother Nature? They did, and yet they didn't. If the penguins hadn't figured out the stairs, they would have died, but survival kicked in, and they problem-solved, and the group of penguins was freed. 

OH --- if you think I'm bad about puzzling, you should see some of the pictures I've seen online. These puzzlers are just like quilters. They have rooms filled with puzzles, and they thrift them all the time; one person thrifted 37 puzzles in one month. Oh gosh—did I do a bad thing by picking up this "hobby"?

It's good to branch out and just a fun thing. I won't go crazy. Says she who has a stash room. 

Well, it's going to be a crazy month. I haven't had one of those in a long time, and I look forward to all the packing and unpacking! There are lots of fun things coming up, and not much time for puzzling or sewing. I'll do the best I can. 

On that note, I'm off to see Brooke to see what torture she can find for me. 

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!

Be OPEN!!!!

I can breathe a huge sigh of relief this morning. There are two one-hour Zooms to do this morning, and everything is prepped - even the follow-up emails. Well, they are as prepped as they can be until after the class. My jacket is done - as much as is needed to wear it. We won't tell anyone! And there are 9 items left on my to-do list. I've been on fire this morning!! 

But let's start with yesterday. We started the day with the Color My World class. Here is my quilt so far. 

My version of Color My World

I still have a bit of appliqué in those center blocks along the edges, and there are two more blocks to stitch for the left-side corners. I made the Big Ben block in the top right as per the pattern, and can you believe I still have loads of millennium fabric, and I found a clock face there. That was suggested by Barbara Black when she ran this quilt as a Block of the Month for The Quilt Show. Otherwise, I'm not sure I would have remembered those fabrics. 

My Big Ben clock face

OK -- I confessed, and it's not the first time, that I was MAD to collect every piece of Y2K fabric I could get my hands on. I've used a very small portion for the backing of a quilt, and the rest sits in the basket. I may have an idea for that fabric! Oh yes --- I must dig it out and put it with the rest of the fabric I'm amassing for an upcoming project! 

However, it sure came in handy for this project!! But I could always have made a clock face, used a flower, or something else equally creative! No need to HOARD Y2K fabric just to have a clock face 26 years later! 

One of the blocks in the Color My World quilt was the One World Trade Center in New York. I have not seen the building in person, so it doesn't mean anything to me. I choose to substitute that block for the CN Tower. There is no pattern for the CN Tower, so I drafted my own. And I wasn't certain what color to make it, since the rest of the quilt is bright. We all know they light up the CN Tower, and I even took liberty with that color. 

The top of my CN Tower block

And yes, the right side looks a bit wonky as I think some of the lines weren't quite as straight as the left. Who cares --- it's done! I'm just darn proud of myself for "building" the pattern so I could paper piece it. 

Here are my two corner blocks. 

Big Ben

I just looked this up online because I thought it was called The Clock Tower with Big Ben being the bell inside the tower. Not so. Apparently, in 2012, Queen Elizabeth renamed the Clock Tower to Elizabeth Tower. 

My CN Tower block 

WOW --- I cannot believe how creative the participants have become with their quilts. Their corner blocks, which they have been working on for months, are so creative, and some blocks are so personalized to their lives. I'm blown away and can't wait to share their finished tops in June. Great job to everyone working on the Color My World quilt. 

Then it was on to the jacket class, and OH DEAR -- I had so much to say that I went over the hour. I rarely do that, but it happened. We had a lot to discuss, and there was a lot of show-and-tell. I've decided to run an extra (and free) class for the group. It will be open to anyone who wants and will be on Zoom. 

There is a series of videos for making the Tamarack Jacket by Grainline Studio. The videos are amazing, and I learned a ton. But there are some things in the videos that I would do differently, and I wanted to discuss those. So that will be the topic of probably TWO free sessions. If you are interested, hang tight - I'll be posting the information on how to get signed up when I'm back from vacation. 

The dates, if you want to see whether they work for you, are May 23 and June 27. 

Now is that darn jacket done? Well, yes, it is. There are no buttons on it, and the sleeve/shoulder seam isn't finished, but no one will know! It is a cropped jacket with long sleeves. I added embroidery to the sleeve ends and the back. Since this photo was taken, I have top-stitched around the edges, so it lies much flatter. 

The jacket front

OH GOSH—ignore my poor posture. I took this picture myself, and I keep forgetting to stand up straight. Is it any wonder that DH left an article from The Globe and Mail of one person's journey as they attempted to correct their posture? It will make me look like a million dollars if I can get it under control. I'm anxious to read the article. As we age, it's so important that we keep that posture under control. 

The jacket back

I'm very happy with the jacket, and it fits beautifully. It will look better when there isn't a T-shirt rolled up under it! 

The homework involving partially completed or finished jackets in class was amazing. It's crazy how many of us (yes—myself included) are deathly afraid of making garments. Why is that? We used to do it all the time. And then, when we make something, we don't think it's worthy enough to wear. That has to stop. I am encouraging everyone in that class, or even you --- make a jacket and wear it all the time! If you want a comfy jacket to wear in the house, then make a sweatshirt jacket. That is much nicer than wearing a plain sweatshirt!!! 

But the participants in the jacket class came through, and the homework just popped out of the woodwork. Great job to everyone who made a jacket, and we all learned so much from each other. I would not be nearly as smart as I am if I didn't teach. It's amazing what you can learn from others!!! 

I will admit there are times when I "resent" a comment or suggestion from a student. How dare they interrupt my class? But when push comes to shove, those comments and suggestions often turn into wonderful ideas, and all we need to do is keep our minds open and realize they are NOT criticizing but offering a different point of view. We all learn differently, and sometimes their suggestion hits home to another student, where my point of view may fall flat. 

Be open!!!!

I will have the potential list of classes ready for you tomorrow. 

And I want to remind you that there might be a blip in the blog posts while I settle into a new time zone, but since I'm going ahead of you by 5 or 6 hours, that shouldn't be a problem. I have NOT found that darn keyboard, although the minute I woke up this morning, an idea popped into my head. I looked, and it was not there. I've decided to take my iPad. 

I also did something yesterday that I typically do NOT do. But I'm packed! Why so early? That's what DH asked me! I had a few minutes to spare, so I dug out my clothes and threw them in the suitcase -- it's a small carry-on and doesn't weigh much. I don't need a lot—shorts, shoes, underwear, etc. I still have the toiletries to pack, but that won't take long, and I may have to zip to the drugstore as I don't think I have a travel-size toothpaste! 

Most of the remaining tasks for this afternoon involve the computer, so that shouldn't be too bad. I should be able to get everything done, and what doesn't get done can wait. 

I always lament that going on vacation is a pain because of all the prep work I need to do. However, if I look closely at the list of things to do, it all could have been done weeks/months ago, and now the crunch time is here. So I have no one to blame but myself. I'm getting better, and that's all that counts. I'm not stressed - I don't stress about things like this. Just keep moving! 

The girls are going to be in a tizzy when we leave. They were already getting excited when KU and her friends left yesterday. We are on the same flight but one day later. 

Phew -- just took a few minutes and completed one more task. The more I can complete before the UFO group, the less I have to do after! All is good. I sure wish I could find that keyboard, but I'm not going to waste my time looking for it. I'm not hiking on this trip, so the weight isn't a big deal, but I sure hate to take that iPad with me. One expensive thing to lose. 

On that note -- have a wonderful day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Quilting classes

 I thought someone said the weekend was supposed to be nice, warm, and sunny. WRONG! When I left the house to teach an in-person class, the skies were stormy, and at one point, I ran into a torrential downpour. And when I arrived at my destination, the sun was shining! We've had rain for the last three days—guess what? I don't get to try my new hose and water the new plants! Darn! 

Hopefully, the weather will be somewhat nice this afternoon so I can do some gardening. I know - ME! Excited about gardening! I love puttering, and moving mulch will be better if the sun is behind the clouds and cooler. I'll start with ten bags and see how far that goes (not far as I remember from last year), but a bit each day should do the trick. Getting complete coverage might take many days and many bags of mulch. I'll see how long my enthusiasm lasts. The individual bags are just easier than getting a yard of mulch dumped in the driveway. 

We had our last assignment class on Spice Market, and the reveal will be next month. This pattern is well—the instructions leave much to be desired, but we are managing to make it work, and I can't wait to see all the finished quilt tops. There are some fabulous colorways, except for one or two, I think everyone switched the colors up! 

Spice Market

Then we had the in-person jacket class. Instead of creating our own quilted fabric, I recommend using a quilted bedspread. Well, what a hoot when the students brought out the show-and-tell. That Wendy! She scooped this quilt at MY Value Village. 

Gorgeous Double Wedding Ring quilt

And she scooped it on her way to class! It's a great quilt to make a jacket. We all got a huge chuckle over this, as while I've been able to find quilted bedspreads, none of them had a pattern like this! She was lucky and paid $20 for it, which isn't bad. That one couldn't wait until seniors day for that, as I'm sure it would have disappeared quickly. I think it's a commercial pattern, but it's pieced, not a wholecloth! 

The remainder of the students all had interesting bedspreads that they managed to find, and the jackets will all be amazing. 

Now here's the thing—I like quilted jackets, but some of them have weird shaping and are very boxy around the back and shoulders or gigantic in the arms. I quickly threw the jacket from this book together, and when I tried it on, it fit amazingly well for a quilted jacket. I didn't take a picture, but I'll attempt to get one for tomorrow. I LOVE the jacket and can't wait to use my REAL bedspread. I'm not going to provide more details at this time, as this will likely become another class in the fall, and I dare not reveal any secrets on the blog. 

Patchwork Jackets book

What's funny is that I didn't think I would like the jacket. It's got some weird pieces, but it's a great fit. Now the question is, what should I do with the other jackets I've made in the past? I definitely had a body image issue, and everything I made needed to be at least two sizes too large. I did lose a bit of weight between then and now, but not enough to compensate for these gigantic jackets. There's one that I love, but I've never worn it because it's enormous. Do I take it apart and resew it in a smaller size? I'm tempted! And now you know why things take me so long to finish! 

Speaking of the forest, see how it's encroaching into my backyard. Once a year, I need to go behind the fence, snip, and pull all the stuff growing too close. It's not a big job; I might do that later today. I'll see how the weather goes. I see no rain in the forecast, but it's very cloudy, so you never know what will happen. 

The forest is coming through my fence

And look what I spotted on my doorstep last night. Someone conveniently moved the empty robin's egg the other day, but this looks like a big bird left me a note! 

Bird poop on the step!

I'm glad I wasn't flying yesterday, as there was a lot of turbulence in the air with the storms. I'm glad DH took one for the team and dealt with that, and not me. We went out for dinner—I know—two nights in a row for me, but that's OK. 

Then I went downstairs and sewed for a couple of hours, and it was glorious. While there was a deadline attached to that project, it was fun and easy to sew. Now I've run out of fabric, so I need a plan B. I'm missing fabric for THREE pieces of sashing. I'm going to whip out the scrap box to see if there's anything there. If not, then I will find another solution. 

I'm on a treasure hunt. I'm trying to find someone who made a specific quilt in 2010! I managed to find the distribution list for the class. The question now is how many of those email addresses are still valid? I also have the phone numbers, so I'll try those as well. I doubt the person reads my blog, so I'll try Facebook or something to see if I can locate her. I've sent a message, but she's not active on Facebook, so I'll see if I can find her another way. 

OH -- I have decided to cut back on teaching, and the more I tell the classes, everyone has had such a positive reaction, and I'm feeling so much better. I think some of them are as well, as they won't have to choose what to take! I am teaching this quilt below, but it starts in October. So, if you are interested, you have time to think about it, as I'll be posting more information closer to the starting date. This will be a class independent from any quilt store. 

Color My World by Wendy Williams

It's called Color My World by Wendy Williams. Perhaps you downloaded the pattern if you were a member of The Quilt Show. They offered it as their Block of the Month several years ago. Maybe you bought the pattern and it is stalled, or you downloaded it and did nothing with it, like me. Whatever, I'll be running that as a class starting in October (until June or slightly longer), so you can decide if you want to join in or not. The pattern costs about $50 CDN if you don't have it. It's mostly done with foundation paper piecing with freezer paper; obviously, there are curved seams. 

And there will be one more multi-part class at Thimbles and Things, starting in October. I'll tell you more another day. That's it! There won't be any other multi-part classes. Perhaps the odd one or two part here and there, but those multi-part ones just tie up all my weekends, and after 25 years, I'm done with that.

WAIT—that's not true. I'm done booking all my weekends. I don't mind having classes on one or two weekends, but not all four, which is currently happening. That doesn't allow me much flexibility, and working around long weekends and holidays is hard. 

All is good, and I'm excited. That's all that counts! 

On that note, I see the clouds disappearing as I write. The sky is crystal blue, and well, it's time to get those girls outdoors! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!

Spell check!!

Where is the time going? It seems like it was January 1, not so long ago, and now it's May 15. 

And where did the warm weather go? I started out in shorts and had to change to long pants as it was cool. 

We had two great presentations in the morning, and while I love all the classes, I love the machine embroidery and software one. So many creative ideas, and people are using their machines and software in so many creative ways. Well, that goes for the digital cutters as well. 

But I had created this large embroidery and even stitched it out, and one of the attendees mentioned that there was a SPELLING MISTAKE in it. You have got to be kidding me!!! But yes -- there is was -- plain as day. 

What are my options? This will be on display at Quilt Canada next month and needs to leave my house soon, but there was no way I could send it with a mistake in it. So Plan B was to redo it. OK -- I learned another valuable lesson yesterday. I EXPORTED the file but did NOT save the original file - at least not the final version of it, so I had to recreate part of it. CRAP

However, the more that one does a particular function, the easier it becomes, and it was no big deal to recreate it, although it still took over a half hour to do that. But there were parts of it that I didn't like, so I fixed those as well. At last, I was ready to restitch it out. 

Back to square one with the embroidery

There were even some thread colors that I wasn't happy with, so that spelling mistake was probably meant to be. I'm not quite finished, but I'm much happier with the design. The third time stitching it out is a charm. The first time was a total disaster as I had made a huge mistake when designing it and didn't realize it until I went to stitch it out.

I'm learning so much by doing, and it shocks me that people are so afraid of making mistakes. I don't know how to get it through their heads that the ONLY way to learn and remember is to make mistakes. Oh well --- that's their loss.

Thread ends!

While that was working, I needed something to do, and I would like to get my jacket done by Thursday. So I was back to that. Everything was now cut and ready to sew. I decided to put the WELT pockets in the jacket. There are way more steps to making those pockets than the jacket itself. 

There are the jacket fronts. YES -- that pink is bright! Did I mention this jacket is for Shelly? Just kidding -- she hates pink and wouldn't likely be seen with me wearing this jacket!

The jacket fronts

And here are the welts stitched in place. Ah -- those terms -- grading seams - I haven't seen that in a while. The instructions were to make ONE pocket, and then it said to go back and do the second one. I got this far and decided I better do only one and see how it goes. My original plan was to do all steps to both pockets, and I chickened out when it came time to slice through the fabric. 

The welts are in place

But I'm happy to report that ONE pocket is done. Well, it's not entirely done; I still have to hand-stitch the pocket to the lining. This pocket was well explained, but you had to have your project in front of you to make sense of the pictures in the pattern. Just reading it on its own was confusing. 

The almost completed pocket

And this is what the pocket looks like on the inside of the jacket. AHA -- you can't see the pocket, but if you look close, you can see the pins holding it in place. I finished the pocket seam with seam binding, and I'll hand-stitch the pocket to the lining. Now that I've made one, I have to do the other, but in the future? I won't put pockets on the jacket. 

The pocket on the inside of the jacket

This is the Tamarack jacket, and I see other people put patch pockets on the outside. I HATE pockets on a jacket -- well, that's not true. Pockets can be practical, but NOT when people use them to put their hands in. They look terrible. I went ahead with the welt pockets for the experience and to show my classes, but in the future -- NO pockets. Then the jacket could be together in about two hours. 

I have so much work to do today -- I'm behind in writing, so I'll need to focus on that, but I also have some quilting that needs to be done, so I'll be jumping between a machine and the computer! 

It's hard to see in this photo, but two woodpeckers were trying to find a good spot to peck on this tree. They were hopping around and around. I usually see one, but never two. 

Woodpeckers on a tree

And look at this tree -- it practically covers the front of the house with its beautiful blossoms. 

Where did the house go? 

And what's with Murphy? Is she into towel folding for her bed? What a dog! 

Murphy's attempt at towel folding

But she is ever persistent with that ball. She always carries the darn thing with her in hopes that someone (me) will throw it for her. I need to take a few more minutes today to keep her happy. 

MOM -- -play ball with me

It amazes me what people do when they leave. I suspect this house was recently vacated, and whatever they didn't want was dumped at the curb. There was more furniture in the driveway. What a mess, and why do people think it's OK to leave that for the city to clean up? I don't get that. Call a dumpster to do it -- wait, that would cost money, and why pay for a dumpster when the city will do it for free. Meanwhile, it sits on the curb, looking like a huge mess for a week or more. 

Dumping on the street

I don't know about your area, but during the pandemic, many Starbucks closed. Actually, Starbucks used to be in bookstores. Well, that has changed, and they are now setting up smaller shops in the grocery stores. My grocery store got a Starbucks, and when I stopped at another store last night to get bananas, I saw that a new Starbucks kiosk was going in where the book and magazine rack used to be. This shows the back of the kiosk with eye-height windows to ENTICE you! 

The back of the new Starbucks kiosk

I guess there is MUCH more foot traffic in a grocery store than in a bookstore these days. But having a coffee in the bookstore was much more relaxing than at the grocery store. The entire store is undergoing a massive renovation as the floor was ripped up, and many areas had plastic blocking them. I'll have to go back in a couple of weeks to see what's happening. 

I'm lucky to have two grocery stores within walking distance of the house. I mainly go to one, but if I need something and happen to be in the opposite direction, I'll go to the other. 

And since I took myself out for Mother's Day, I was in the opposite direction and stopped by this store on my way home. Yep -- I was going to go out on Friday, our usual night out. But there was a hockey game, and I thought it would be crazy. Then Saturday, I was listening to the audiobook, so that left last night. It was fun to go by myself. The server wondered where DH was since we are always together. And I got to walk there and back!!!

And now, a new week is starting, and there's so much to do. For the life of me, I can't figure out why there's always so much to do. ALWAYS!!! It's those darn sample-making that is causing the problem!

Anyway, I'm off to spin class this morning and Monday sewing and then heads down!!

Remember, I'm in Kingston this week (Thursday and Friday) at Stitch by Stitch if you still need to sign up!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to everyone. Gosh -- I totally forgot it was Mother's Day; thankfully, I got a text from Spain to remind me. 

DH is still away and wished me a good day and hoped the girls would bring me something nice. Nice? I don't want anything but peace and quiet. And we all know that's not going to happen. 

Murphy is PERSISTENT with that ball of hers. I throw it, but it's never enough. I try to hide it, but she barks. And then this happened. 

MOM -- I needed a bath

She dropped the ball in the pond and was teetering on the rocks at the back as I was busy weeding. Next thing I knew, she overreached, and PLOP -- she slid in! 

She managed to keep her head above the water as she went in. I wonder how they do that? 

MOM -- I'm sorry (well, not really!) 

Oh, Murphy!! 

The only way to get peace and quiet was to come into the house, and it was getting dark by then. 

OK -- so I HAD to finish that Louise Penny book (How the Light Gets In). I had five hours left, and it was late afternoon, but I was determined. I had even planned to walk to the restaurant since I didn't go the night before (hockey game, which would have been insane). But I didn't want to take the time to go to the restaurant, so I stayed home. How sad is that? 

I managed to finish the book at 9 PM. It was good and made up for all the angst I felt reading the last three books. Well, I think it is three books. I'm almost ANXIOUS to read the next one, but I'll wait a while. There are loads of other authors to read!

All I can say is thank goodness that the plot line is over, and it shows that patience is a virtue!

The three presentations went well yesterday, and always so many things to learn! Even myself! We never pat ourselves on the back, but I will say that I'm a quick study! I may not think of doing something, but if I see someone else do something, I can devise a better way. Not always, mind you, but it's my out-of-the-box mentality! 

The two presentations for today are almost ready - just a few more pictures to add and switch the order of some slides! Sometimes, I go down a rabbit hole when making up these presentations. The research I do online, and the things I learn are well worth putting them together! 

So by the time I was done with the presentations, there didn't seem to be much of the day left, but I HAVE work to do and lots of it. I decided I had better get my jacket cut out. OK -- those scissors are AMAZING! They cut through TWO thicknesses of quilted fabric like a hot knife through butter. 

Cutting out my jacket with my KAI scissors

Yikes -- is there going to be enough fabric? Because the batting was a bit skinnier than I would have liked, I didn't have the full width of fabric to play with. However, after some strategic placement, I had JUST enough. I don't remember what batting I used, but I'll get the name this week when I'm in Kingston. OH -- I didn't focus much on grainline; I hope it looks OK. 

Just enough for the last sleeve

I had to rip out some of the larger sections (which I'm very good at!) to get enough unquilted fabric for the pockets. I hope to get most of it sewn today? I don't know about that as I have writing to do and the long arm is sitting idle! 

It's incredible how a few small stretches and those toe spreaders make me feel. I've been walking STRONG the last couple of days. Not that I didn't before, but I can feel those tight muscles, and they restrict my gait. Not so with the stretching, so why don't I do it more often? I LOVE the toe stretchers. My feet definitely feel less tired, and why is that? And why is the change so sudden? I'm sure it's all in my head, but that's OK; there's nothing else in there! LOL! 

I saw an ambulance outside one of our neighbor's houses, and I think the elderly gentleman who was NOT strong on his feet had fallen. Oh dear, they just lost their dog about a month ago, and now this. I hope they are OK, but I have a feeling that the house will be up for sale one day soon. 

Here's a mystery - I was out walking yesterday and spotted this neon green dot on the sidewalk. OK -- no big deal. But then I kept seeing them. Is someone trying to mark the path to find their way home? 

A green dot

Little by little, I'm weeding the backyard. It's therapeutic, and I can listen to my audiobook while weeding. I know - I should be listening to nature, but yesterday was an exceptional day trying to finish that audiobook. I spotted this dandelion seed ball, and it was in perfect shape, so I had to take a picture before it went into the garbage. 

Dandelion seed ball

They really are beautiful! 

I came into the house when it got dark and continued to rip out those bits of fabric and finish the audiobook. Of course, the girls followed me in the house, and Murphy proceeded to play with her ball, and YES -- it goes under the furniture where she can't get it. 

When buying new furniture, everything will have to be touching the floor or high enough that she can get under it. What a persistent dog. But eventually, she went to bed. 

Mom -- I'm exhausted! 

Remember, if you are in the Kingston or Regina area, check out these events. You WILL learn my mistake with the serger and many other tips. 

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I'll be at Stitch by Stitch in Kingston on May 18 and 19. 

May 18 (10 - 1) is Embroidery - Where to Begin (Husqvarna Viking)

May 18 (6 - 9) is Accessories, Attachments, and More (Husqvarna Viking)

May 19 (9 - 12) Garment Sewing Techniques (PFAFF)

May 19  (2 - 5) Accessories, Attachment, and More (PFAFF)

The accessories and attachments are geared to specific brands of machines. The other two will focus on the particular brand of machines, but there will be loads of tips and tricks for EVERYONE, regardless of your machine brand. You do NOT need top-of-the-line machines for any of them. They are all lectures/demos, so come, sit back and relax and learn! 

This is the place to ask questions, so get signed up! 

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Then I'm in Regina, Saskatchewan. 

I'll be at Peachtree Quilt Shop (Northgate Sewing Center) on May 23 and 24

May 23 (9 - 12) Quilting

May 23 (1 -4) Quilting

May 24 (9 - 12) Serging

May 24 (1 - 4) Serging

Again, these are lectures/demos, so all you need to do is come and listen. I have loads of samples to inspire and loads of tips to share, and we're going to have a super time! Even if you've been quilting for a long time, there's sure to be something new to inspire, and as for the serger class? Well, I know some of you are terrified of your serger, and trust me -- you won't be when we're done! Loads of tips and tricks to make you WANT to get that serger out! 

Check your calendars and get signed up!! You'll be sorry if you miss these events. 

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FYI -- the Virtual Retreat is on May 27 and 28 this month. 

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And I have ONE last thing to share with you today. I haven't had a chance to check out the website yet, but it's eye candy. It's the result of the Sustainability Challenge hosted by The Canadian Quilter's Association. WOW --- I had a quick glance, and there are some very cool projects. 

OK -- I'd better run as I can't be late! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!