A sign of good organization - everything in its place

LOL --- you are so right! Facebook seems to be the worst for getting you in an algorithm loop! Just keep on deleting! But now I'm hooked on Sean The Sheepman, so if you get sheep reels - it's because of me. Sorry! 

It's also a shame how many popular videos are hijacked by someone with a similar name so they can get the likes and the money! For instance, someone has hijacked Sean's Instagram page and called themselves sean the sheepman. What's the difference? No capital letters and no watermark on the video. Beware, and don't feed the scammers!!

I noticed something peculiar when I sat down at the computer this morning. My monitor sits on a hinged stand, and the stand is the computer. There is no big box. And the hinge that attaches the monitor to the stand is tired! The monitor won't stay in place. I've had this computer for many years, and I guess it eventually wore out. I will not replace it because of a tired hinge, but I may want to prop the monitor up slightly. 

All three presentations for yesterday went off without a hitch! Everything was as prepped as it could be. OK - so I didn't have time to make any blocks for Dear Jen, but I went through all the homework. I sometimes do that when pressed for time. I know how to piece them - I don't have to make them. But I do want to, but that won't happen until April when the chaos of my calendar is gone. 

The three presentations for today are done despite the stragglers who sent pictures late last night! 

The big question of the day is: Did those cushions and pillow shams get done? Wait, and you'll see. 

As soon as I was done with Zoom, I hopped in the car to get those invisible zippers. But since I was in the neighborhood, I stopped at two places to find a longer cable to connect my video camera to my switch box. I couldn't even look online since I didn't know the one connector. AHA - the helpful people at the camera shop informed me that it was a MINI-HDMI, and the other end was HDMI, which I knew. I should know that - DATA is what you need for a video stream. 

They did not have the cable at the camera shop, but Best Buy had it. And it was in the CAMERA section, not the computer section. I had to ask, but someone helped me, and everything was good. This one is 8 feet, giving me more flexibility in positioning the cameras. 

Mini HDMI to HDMI cable

When I stopped at Fabricland for the zippers, I ran into two staff members I knew, so I had to chat! Something caught my eye when I reached the cash register with my zippers and matching thread. The lady showed me where they were, and I bought one. Shoot, there were two colors: flesh tone and black. I wanted black, but none were left. What does it look like? 

The rolled-up mat

It's a mat to put under your sewing machine. The bottom has a rubber surface to prevent the machine from moving. My machines are big and heavy and don't travel, but this mat looks nice. 

A sewing machine mat

When I was prepping my work this morning, I had to clean off the two sewing machine work tables. They were a mess, and I couldn't do anything. I needed to get the serger up, and hey - this mat would be perfect for the serger. 

Clean work tables!

The serger fit beautifully on it. It was nice to have my open space back! Don't those machines look fantastic? They match in color and style. 

Matching serger and sewing/embroidery machine

See how the serger fits perfectly on the mat. 

The mat is perfect for the serger

Even better, the colors match!!! 

The colors match!

The other fabulous thing was that everything I wanted was in its place and organized in a plastic bag. That means I'm doing something right, and things will be even better once my time crunch is over. All the samples and other stuff will get put away. 

When I wanted my invisible zipper foot, I went to the drawer of presser feet. All the zipper feet are in a plastic bag. 

Bag of zipper feet

When I wanted my needles to weave in the serger seam ends, I found them in a plastic bag with the serger supplies. 

The needles for weaving threads

When I needed the corner template for making cushions, the template was in a labeled plastic bag on the pegboard. 

The template for the cushion corners

That made my life much less stressful this morning as I worked on my projects. The key to that is to put things away when you are done. WAIT - first, everything needs a home, and then you can put it away. I've done a decent job; this morning was proof of all my hard work. 

Oh - I should mention something about my schedule. It's not so much the chaos of all the events. It's more when I have a project hanging over my head with a deadline that makes my brain shut down. The decorator is coming to pick up these items today, and that pressure just shuts my brain down and often prevents me from working, which doesn't help the situation. The same happens when I have a writing deadline. That can put me in a funk, and I can't do anything else because the task is hanging over me. It's so weird - if I were to focus and do the project, I'd get along better with everything else! I'm trying!

Let's talk about pillow shams. It was a beautiful day, and I took advantage of the open space in Studio U to cut the pillow shams there. The front of them is quilted like a quilt. I quilted extra fabric so it would all be done once. 

Cutting the pillow shams

Of course, I had a helper, and she wanted to watch out the window. Oh boy --- I'm sure some neighbors got a chuckle from that view! 

MOM - the view up here is excellent! 

While I was on a roll, I cut the fabric for the accent cushions as well. I wanted to get that done before it got too dark, as the lighting in that room isn't the best. 

Cutting the accent cushions

Once they were cut, I was done! I just couldn't face the sewing machine or the serger. So, I got the presentations ready. 

This morning, bright and early, I was in Studio B and hemmed the back of the two pieces for the pillow shams. 

The pillow sham is ready to serge together

Then they were serged, turned inside out, corners poked out as best I could, and pressed. 

The completed pillow sham

It's hard to see in this photo, but a 3" flange is stitched on all sides. Both pillow shams are DONE!!!

The flange

Then, it was onto the accent cushions. After trimming off the corners to prevent dog ears, it was time to put in the invisible zipper. I know how to do it; I've done several but had a mental block. But there was no time to dwell on it, so I forged ahead, and those zippers went in like a duck to water. 

Sewing in the invisible zipper

The first side is always easy - the second one requires more care, so the two pieces are the same length. Mission accomplished. 

Invisible zipper 

One of the cushions is completely done. The second one needs serging on three sides, turning inside out, and pressing. I could have completed it, but I was getting hungry and had already worked for a couple of hours, so I'll get it done before the Zooms or right after the second one this morning. There's nothing like leaving it until the last minute! The third Zoom is later this afternoon, so I have some breathing room.

The accent pillow

They turned out pretty OK. A touch smaller than requested, but the pillows are not that puffy, so I'm sure it will be OK. I'd rather a tight fitting cover, than one that's floppy. 

And how does this happen? 

Where's my slipper?

As I shut the machines off and was ready to come upstairs, I realized I only had one slipper. And it was the right foot. What happened to the left foot? I couldn't find it downstairs. When I came up, I found it at the bottom of the stairs to go to the second floor. I had made a trip up there, obviously with one slipper, and took it off (too dangerous on the stairs), and good grief - when I came back, I left it there. 

All this happens without my even thinking. I never know where those slippers will be. It's a good thing neither of our girls is a chewer! 

What a whirlwind day! But things are getting done. I still have a few emails to send out as follow-ups and many emails to prepare for this week. That's the job for this afternoon, in addition to embroidering some samples I need tomorrow. Yes -- the merry-go-round just keeps getting faster! 

There are more classes to prep for this coming weekend. There's also a virtual retreat because I'm away the weekend, so I would usually host it. That weekend away has put a considerable money wrench in my calendar, which is why many things got shifted around this month. But all is good!

I don't know what's wrong with the girls, but they've been asking to go out for the last hour. We had a lot of snow last night (one more thing to do today - shovel!), and I think they want to go and play!!!

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

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!

Living like a monk is a good thing!

 

Oh my -- there needs to be a handbook for new homeowners. Some people have bought homes with things that they really don't know much about, or it might be their first home and no clue. The item in question is the sprinkler system. I'm not an expert on the subject, but I do know that you shouldn't water your lawn every day, and it's best to water it really early in the morning or late at night. Why? Well, there's less evaporation if you water in the late evening or early morning, and the darn thing is on a timer after all. 

And it's less likely that people are using the sidewalk. OK -- so where is this going? 

Murphy and I were out for our walk. We hadn't gotten too far, and well, Murphy had to do her business. I'm being the good dog mom and bending over to clean up after her when all of a sudden - you know where this is going  - right? All of a sudden, I felt something on my legs and my butt. Yep - the sprinkler system came on, and I got a full shower! At least from the waist down and in the back! Thankfully, I had black shorts on, so you couldn't see how wet I was!

I sure hope that wasn't intentional! Anyway, we had a good laugh about it, and even Murphy got wet since she was sitting behind me, waiting rather impatiently but waiting nonetheless. 

Oh my goodness -- if you haven't read the book Think Like a Monk, it's interesting. And I will say that I'm somewhat biased towards the book since there are MANY things that he talks about that I follow. Like what? 

• Get up early in the morning to have absolute peace and quiet. 
• Learn something new every day! 
• Silence is golden! 
• Reduce the amount of time spent on your devices.
• Multitasking does NOT work. 
• Hardships are a good thing!
• Living with less is a good thing!
• Observe what is around you!

Oh my goodness -- there are so many similarities to the way I live my life. Am I a monk in disguise? I just think there is TOO MUCH of everything in this world, and we need to carve out a small niche for ourselves and learn to live with ourselves. When I see brackets that hold iPads to baby strollers? Well, you have to be kidding me!!!  

I'm enjoying the book - and yes, there is always room for improvement, BUT one must celebrate what is happening right NOW!!!  I feel content with my life, and it didn't happen overnight. There are still things that I'd like to change, but baby steps!!

I just read some of the reviews of this book on Goodreads, and many didn't like it. There is ONE factor that I find disturbing about the author. He lived three years as a monk, which I don't think qualifies you to be called a monk. He is now living his life as a motivational speaker/coach/author, which is totally the opposite mindset of a monk. It just makes you wonder......................

So what did I notice yesterday? I was in the backyard cleaning the algae off the rocks in the pond and look at what I spotted. 

Grass growing out of a stone

I didn't have the heart to pull this little stock of grass. If it found that minuscule speck of dust in which to take root, I thought it deserved to live! That little grass-root kind of sums up the entire book!! Good luck, little blade of grass!

There was a LOT of toing and froing in the house yesterday. I have to keep my sewists busy, and so Diane dropped off some bags of quilt tops that she has completed, and I sent a bit more stuff home for her to play with. Imagine being given BRAND NEW CURRENT fabric - enough to make a lap quilt and told - do what you want with it!  And it doesn't cost her anything, yet she gets to choose patterns and sew the fabric. She doesn't have to quilt it or bind it. Now - that's a bargain if I ever saw one!

More bags of finished quilt tops

Oh yes -- getting rid of my stash isn't just about the scraps; some yardages need to disappear as well. I found another brand new package of 2½" strips. I wonder what she'll do with that? One day - this mess will disappear. 

This is what the community project corner looks like. The four containers in the bottom right are filled with quilt tops to be quilted. The next set of four containers is all about backings - fleece and plush. And the shelf in the background is what's left to be sewn up. There are quite a few backings waiting to be matched to a quilt top or fabric to make backings. There is a bit more fleece, there is a couple of boxes of yardages that will go to Diane the next time she needs something, and there are a couple of containers of scraps that I'm giving to my MIL to make string quilts from. 

The community project corner

In addition, on the left is this. The box in front is filled with pillowcases that will need to be picked up at some point. There is a laundry basket and another box filled with quilt tops to be quilted. And the two bags that I got yesterday! 

More quilt tops to be quilted

A HUGE shout-out to Diane, who has been busy working like a bee! It's been a HUGE thing for me that she offered to do this, and I know she appreciates having something to do that doesn't involve making more quilts for herself. I mean, how many quilts does one household need? We won't go there! 

She doesn't have to spend a cent, she doesn't have to quilt and bind the quilts, but she gets to design and sew. Perfect!!! A win-win for everyone!!!

And then there's my MIL, who has called several times in the last couple of days DESPERATE for something to do. She finished what I gave her. So I went to her apartment to switch out what she had completed with more stuff to sew. 

Three more children's quilts are bound and ready to be donated. 

Three completed children's quilts for Project Linus

And another 30 pillowcases are ready to go. 

30 pillowcases for Comfy Cases

And I have to trim these string quilt blocks, and then I'll give them back to her to sew together. 

String quilt blocks

There is now a small bag of blue scraps left. And I think we made THREE generous lap quilts from the blue fabrics alone. That's crazy!!!!!! 

The last bit of blue scraps

I gave her two sets of string quilt blocks to sew together - both will make generous lap quilts. I gave her another small quilt to finish piecing that was almost together. And I gave her a bag of flannel scraps to sort by color. DH will take her the second bag today. Once those scraps are sorted by color, it should be easy to make them into blocks (by color) and make more quilts. Yep - nothing is going to waste, and as long as people want to work - I'll keep finding stuff for them to do. 

At some point, the scraps will be too small to do anything with, and I'll let them go!!!!

Speaking of letting go, I was keeping empty spools. Someone was giving them to a teacher, and they were using them in a kindergarten class. Well, COVID hit, and that isn't going to happen, so why am I still keeping these???  It's time to let them go!!!!

A bag of empty spools - GOING!

I went on a small road trip and picked up two rolls of batting, so that should keep me going for a while. This is for MY quilts and for customers. I still have three rolls set aside for the small children's quilts and two rolls designated for Quilts of Valour, so there is lots of batting in the house! 

Two new rolls of batting

Speaking of customer quilts, I wasn't going to quilt yesterday, but then I decided I had better stick to my schedule, so this customer quilt got finished. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I did get a couple of quilts trimmed yesterday, and I'll trim the others later today. Yes, I'm plugging away at the paperwork. As I said, I'm slow and methodical, and that suits me just fine. There is no rush - I just want it done. 

At least the floor by the chair is clear, the desk is in pretty good shape. Yes - I did move a wee bit to the kitchen table, but then I deal with it at lunch, so all is good!!!

I was off to the gym bright and early this morning and got a couple of KM in as well as some stretching! No geocaching yesterday - I had to go to the grocery store. It's 1 KM in either direction if I take the shortcut through the forest! 

Speaking of walking, I have 233.4 KM left to finish the Appalachian Trail!!! That means that I've walked almost 3,000 KM since November! Yes -- I can do this!!! And what will be the next challenge? 

My walking totals for the Appalachian Trail virtual walk

Well, lots of stuff going on today, and I hope to get lots done, but if I don't? Well, there's ONE thing that must be done - the rest - it can wait!!!

On that note, have a super day!!!!!

Ciao!!!!

A sweat shop

 We had the most AMAZING wrap-up session for Long Time Gone. I was truly impressed by the work of everyone! Color choices were a challenge, piecing tons of small pieces, not getting out to buy fabric, and a whole lot more. But the group came through with flying colors. I'll be sharing their wonderful projects later this week. And so many of the group got their tops together. 

I'm so grateful to all of them for signing up for that crazy journey. I don't think I would have made the quilt without them. It was truly a team effort. And thanks to everyone for your kind comments. I love teaching, and that just makes my heart sing!

I was in that Zoom class when my phone rang, and I ignored it because I don't think it was even beside me to cancel the call. It was my MIL. Could I please bring her more stuff to sew? Good grief - does she think I just have scads of stuff sitting here for her to work on? Well, I knew this would happen - she is like a dog with a bone. I was in the process of loading the third small quilt on the machine when I called her back. 

Community project quilt

So that quilt got quilted and trimmed, and now she has three more quilts to bind, as well as 30 more pillowcases to make and one more string quilt project to finish. 

And this is what I got back. 

Here are 30 FINISHED pillowcases. 

30 finished pillowcases

And she finished the string piecing on these blocks for the red quilt. She didn't quite get the concept because she trimmed the strips, so they were all the same width. Not necessary!!! It doesn't matter - there are now enough blocks to make one quilt. I need to trim these down with the rotary cutter, and then it'll be ready to sew together. 

The blocks for the red string pieced quilt

I dug out three more small quilts to quilt over the next couple of weeks. I have to get some customer quilts done, so I'll try to work those small ones in between. Then, I have to dig out more fabric for the next bunch of pillowcases. I still have FORTY to prep. And I have ONE more string quilt project that she can work on. 

Then I'll dig through the community project stuff to see what else I can unearth for her to work on. I also have a couple of clothing patterns that she could whip up in a few hours. I'll dig those out for her. Good grief -- between her and Diane, I feel like I'm running a sweatshop! But this is a situation where you do NOT look a gift horse in the mouth. If they want to sew and I have stuff they can work on - I'll take the time to do the prep work. I don't need to do much for Diane - I give her fabric and let her run with it. But MIL is NOT a quilter, so I have to have more stuff prepped for her. 

My scrap bin was overflowing, so that got made into a pet mat. Unfortunately, the serger is at MILs, so I can't close it up. Well, I have another serger, but I was too lazy to dig it out. 

The scrap bin overflows once again

OK -- so here's the start of our summer art project. Remember - this is supposed to be fun and totally a learning experience. We are NOT coming up with masterpieces, and we may not be thrilled with the results, and that's perfectly OK. There are so many ways to get started. 

Oh - what are we trying to make? Here's an example of what we're going to do. The key was my focus. 

The art project

Here are two links to show you how I made the piece above. 

Day One - making the background

Day Two - embellishing

I'll explain a bit more tomorrow. But we need to make a background, so we have something to play with. I sort my scraps in boxes by type/color. So you can make your background like this. It was made using light prints in mostly beiges. I just grabbed pieces and sewing them together. I'll go through the process of making that tomorrow - not enough time today. 

The background for an art piece

Or, you can do something simple like this for those who are not that "daring" and don't want to waste good fabric. This is a bit boring, but we all need to start somewhere. It's basically three strips of muslin. I will tell you that this is way harder to make look exciting than the example above. Let the fabric do the work for you. And I'm using scraps. Gosh - I wish we could meet in person because I have many scraps that I would love to share. 

A more basic background

I have a box of muslin scraps. 

The box of muslin scraps

And like all my other colors, it's FULL and needs to be dealt with. 

The box of scraps is full

I sorted through the top couple of layers - it's like an archeological dig. Some larger pieces got moved to the label box as I use muslin to make quilt labels. 

Sorting through the scraps

I found a large strip that I could use. This was from the days when I started to quilt, and my quilt teacher said it was OK to use muslin for quilt backs. NOT!!! I would never consider using muslin for a quilt back and haven't for years—it shows too many sins. 

Cutting the strips for the background

I cut three pieces approximately the same length—no need to use a ruler. 

Three strips for the background

But if you want to, use a ruler to trim up the sides. They don't have to be perfectly straight. There are NO quilt police. 

Trimming the sides of the strips

I make those backgrounds about 10" - 11" wide by about 13" - 14" long. Then we can embellish the heck out of them and trim them down. I'll share more ideas for these backgrounds tomorrow if you want to wait to see what I'm doing or come up with your own ideas. And don't be shy to share your photos with me. But I plan on making about 10 backgrounds, all in different ways and using different colors. Then we'll get to the embellishments, which can be decorative stitches on your machine, 3-D objects, machine embroidery, or whatever. We'll walk each other through that process. More on the backgrounds tomorrow. 

As I went for my afternoon walk, I spotted a drone flying over the major street near my house. Why? No idea, but the idea of that drone (with a camera) flying around is a bit disconcerting. There are spies everywhere!! A real estate agent was likely getting shots of a house, but it was directly over this major street. 

It's a plane, it's a bird - NO - it's a drone

I was trying to have some quiet time in the backyard. That wasn't possible. You see, I bought a new SQUEAKY ball for Murphy. Well, I can't throw straight, and I don't know how many times I've thrown the darn ball into the pond. Of course, Murphy is a quick learner (when she wants to be!), and she likes to throw the ball in the pond. It's hilarious!!

Ah - Mom - the ball is in the pond

She has also learned that she is NOT allowed in the pond and must wait for Mom to get the ball. Needless to say, I didn't get much reading done. I swear that dog is way needier than a child, but you can't help but laugh at her and her antics. She is brilliant, and she knows that!!

Lexi is not far behind. I went outside after dinner and was again trying to read my book. But she wouldn't leave me alone. What did she want? Oh yes - I need to get the brush and get all of her winter coat out. Those girls!!!! So needy, but so much fun!

I was madly finishing my homework for our UFO class this morning, and I emptied the glue stick that I was using for paper piecing. ACK! No worry - I have more glue sticks. But this is why you shouldn't buy a lot of glue sticks or only buy good-quality glue sticks. I think this one is toast. 

A wee bit dried up

But I had a couple more. I wonder how many other products I've purchased that should be tossed because they are dried up. It's a waste, but thankfully, it's just a glue stick. And I have to say that I find regular glue sticks work better than fabric glue sticks. Just saying............

A good glue stick

And on that note, I'm late!! The girls will be in here in a few minutes, demanding a walk, and I'm not ready. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

It's all about CREATIVITY

 It's the end of the week! How did that happen? There was so much going on that I just went from one thing to another, and well, here it is - FRIDAY!!

OK - so I didn't get as much done as I wanted yesterday, but I did have fun, and that's what life is all about. I watched one of the presentations for Quilt Canada (in french), and it was great. Amazing how much I still remember after all these years. And it's not even my first language. When I was listening to the French radio station the other night, they were talking about Zoom sessions where you could just converse with others in french. I must find out more about that. My writing will never be good, and that's OK - I don't want to write in french, but I'm a bit rusty in oral French. 

Why is this such a big deal? I'm supposed to be doing presentations in the fall in French, and I need to brush up. And I do NOT know all the sewing terms in french. So if anyone out there speaks French and knows sewing terms, let's talk. 

Well, after watching that presentation, I spent a good part of the day in the live (virtual) demos put on by the stores, and then I shopped. So far, I'm just window shopping - not for windows, but browsing what each store has to offer. I've found a couple of things, and yes, the shipping is higher than what I would like to pay, but what the heck - I would have spent more money if I went in person, so I'm going to buy a couple of things later today. 

There is just a small suggestion that I'd make to the organizers. The list of live demos is a bit convoluted, and I keep getting into the wrong session. It should be listed by TIME SLOT, not by store. That way, today being Friday, I can just look at the Friday sessions, not the way it is now. But overall, I give the Quilt Canada team a HUGE THUMBS UP. They have done an amazing job. I was into one of the galleries to see the quilts as well. It's very well done. I'm impressed. 

I put my wireless earbuds on and started "watching" Quilt Canada. And while I did that, I got a customer quilt done. 

Customer quilt - DONE

It's trimmed and ready for pickup! 

I got all the fabric pressed and cut, and I have 30 more pillowcases ready to be sewn together. Yeah!!! I have one more small quilt to get done, and then I have the next batch of stuff done for MIL. Oh yes - if she is going to sew, I will keep prepping stuff for her. 

30 more pillowcase kits

OK -- here's what happens when you have a brain fart. I'm participating in the Barn Block Quilt-a-Long at Thimbles and Things. The bonus this month is to make a very complex paper pieced block. I'm reducing the size of the blocks from 18" to 9". We received the 18" block pattern. I thought I would be clever and recreate that in EQ8 so I could print the pattern out for a 9" block. 

Oh boy - I looked at it and started to draw and thought - "why am I reinventing the wheel?" So I sent a note asking for the file so I could resize it. Then I walked the dogs. Hmm - it's a paper pieced pattern, I can simply reduce it by 50%, and I'll be good. 

So when I got home, that's what I did. Thankfully before I started to piece the block, I tested the size. Hmm - NOT the right size. Then I realized that the original was also wrong. I had printed "fit to page," NOT actual size. 

I had to reprint the original, and then I reduced it by 50%, and now it's perfect! Of course, the seam allowances are wrong, but those are easy enough to add on. 

And here's my reduced pattern. Now to figure out what color goes where. 

My paper pieced pattern

Thankfully, we have one more month to get this block done. I was able to cross one more thing off The Task Master yesterday, and I have FOUR things that NEED to be done, and that will leave four things that can wait. I might just get it all done by the end of the weekend. I'll see how it goes as there are some scheduled things over the next couple of days. But overall, I feel in good shape. 

Oh boy -- it seems that we have a neighbor gone rogue! I was almost home, and Murphy was freaking out because of a squirrel. She tries so hard to be good (OK - she doesn't), but if I don't see the squirrel first and start saying "NO" to her, she goes crazy. So I was telling her to calm down and stop barking like an idiot. One of my neighbors accuses me of swearing at the dog and being a bad dog owner. Seriously???  What is her problem? And then she made a comment that I didn't really grasp at first, but after I thought about it - it was a RACIST comment.

Using her arm to encompass not just me but our house, she said, "we were NOT her peeps.". Well, thank goodness for that! I want to walk over and give her a piece of my mind, but it's not worth the trouble. But we really need to be careful what we say and to whom. It's easy to tell someone, "don't let those kinds of comments bother you," but you know what? It made me feel angry and upset for part of the morning. I'm over it now, but seriously - am I supposed to just let Murphy pull and yank on the leash? I should have offered for her to walk Murphy when the squirrels are out. 

Sigh........................

On a happier note, I found the article about creativity from John Cleese. You need to read this. It's the FIVE things that he feels are important to make your life more creative. Check out Number 2 and Number 3. Both of them are TIME. Yes - we need time to play. 

What's really scary is that when kids are small, they are supposed to have playtime to learn to explore, be curious, get creative, etc. However, their lives are filled with screens and organized activities that they don't have time to make houses from leaves and sticks. Not only do they not have time, but they are taught that leaves and sticks are not good enough. They need to have LEGO or whatever. 

I might have said this before, but what exactly is creativity? I was asked that question in an interview for a sales job. WHOA! That took me aback. What does creativity have to do with a sales job? Well, I've learned that creativity is not making quilts or coloring in a coloring book. Creativity is the ability to play, learn to make mistakes, recover from mistakes, solve problems, explore, and not be afraid to make mistakes. I did get that sales job, and I had to be very creative as I solved problems, like what to do when the cables for a computer didn't get shipped and other crazy situations. 

So do yourself a favor. Book some time where you can just play. Play with your fabric, your threads, your sewing machine, and other tools. You do NOT want to make something perfect. You are here to make mistakes with fabric choices, color, techniques. And that's how you're going to learn. Don't go for something large. Make small projects - about 9 by 12". I hope to do a bunch of that over the summer, and of course, I'll share that process with you. OH YES --- the project just came to mind. OK -- so start collecting odds and ends of STUFF in your favorite color. By odds and ends, I mean stuff that you could attach (or photocopy on fabric) so you can attach to a small project. It could be trim, ribbons, buttons, fabrics, etc. 

I made myself a note so I won't forget that. I'll start collecting today so you can see what I mean. 

Well, it's time to get the day rolling. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!