Pre-wound bobbins -- are you in or out?

You know when you wake up and it's one of "those days?" That's how today feels. Thank goodness, I don't have to talk to anyone today! I slept well, but I didn't. Poor little Bear has an ear infection, and he kept scratching it. He has an appointment at the vet today at 5:45. 

Then I seem to be in a rut with those dog quilts. I'll admit that I'm getting tired of them. WAIT --- I can't - I still have three more to quilt. The constant process of making the batting and then the backing is getting to me. And if the backing is tight or the batting is short, that slows the process down even more.  

However, I'm happy to say that number five is quilted. 

Dog quilt - number five! 

The first four are trimmed and waiting for the binding. Number six is loaded on the long arm. The backing for number 7 has only one seam, and it's ready to sew this afternoon. I still have to make the batting for it, but the pieces are on the ironing board. I haven't done anything for number 8 yet. 

I'm going to push through - I need to get them done ASAP. I should be able to complete them by Friday, and then I'll work on the binding, which is an easier task. 

I think that in the future, when I'm working on quilts that require backing and batting, I'll work in groups of four. That seems to be a good number, and I won't feel so much pressure. 

I also trimmed all the half-square triangles that were sewn. 

More half-square triangles are trimmed

And that's all I got done yesterday! Oh well -- that's OK. It was Monday sewing, and I don't always get as much done when I'm on a Zoom call. I know -- I should have been working on my Mom's quilt! I need to get that border done before I forget my little system. 

We were chatting about the use of prewound bobbins for long-arm quilting and machine embroidery. I'm a fan of prewound bobbins in the embroidery machine and have used them for years. They cost a bit more, but seriously? They last a whole lot longer before you need to change the bobbin -- it's worth the slightly extra cost. 

But would I use them in the long arm? I bought some prewound bobbins for the long arm when I initially purchased it. That was many years ago, and I remember giving some of those prewounds away because I had not used them in years. I kept the black ones and have been using them on the dog quilts. Well, I have changed my tune! The prewounds are AMAZING!!!! No need to adjust the tension on my machine. 

And as we were chatting, I was thinking about the bobbins in my bobbin drawer, and guess what? I have a ton of prewounds! 

"Found" prewound bobbins

OK -- not a ton, but a decent collection, and there is a package of colored ones as well (not in the picture), which I need to keep handy for machine embroidery. I'll use these ones on the long arm. Now, at some point in my life, I did a silly thing. The two packages at the bottom, which are green, are Class 15 bobbins, which I can't use in my machines. Seriously? Why would I have purchased these? I used some of the tan ones yesterday and had to rewind them onto the long arm bobbin. Not all of the thread fit because my winder doesn't wind as tight. That's a bit of a hassle, but thankfully, there are only those two packages. 

I can't use these bobbins on my PFAFF creative icon 2 or the Designer Epic 3, as those bobbins are slightly larger. However, these will all work on the long arm. I'm going to contact Wonderfil and set up an account to get them in bulk. This is going to help empty that bobbin drawer for me!

The point is - I have them, so I should be using them! 

Oh, this little guy thinks he's pretty funny! He has no teeth, but DH and now my SIL are teaching them bad habits. The dogs hang out in the kitchen because they get fed scraps (veggies). It drives me crazy. OK -- I've done it once or twice, but Miss Lexi and Bear don't hang around me while I prepare something. Murphy will always be there - just in case! 

Anyway, Bear doesn't have teeth, but that didn't prevent him from stealing a piece of pepper from Lexi's bowl and running off to his bed to eat it. He realized he couldn't, so of course, he left it there, and guess who ate it? There is NO fairness at our house unless you monitor it very well. 

Sneaking food into bed!

Are you familiar with Bernie Tobisch's book? It's a perfect reference tool, and if you're having trouble, there are numerous troubleshooting steps to try and resolve the issue with your machine. While he mainly uses Bernina, the information applies to any sewing machine. 

An excellent reference book for sewing machines

He also wrote this one, which is packed with information. I think this one came out before the previous one. 

Another excellent reference book for sewing machines

When I was at the Saskatoon Quilt Show, I spotted Bernie in one of the Saskatoon quilt shop booths, and he has a new book. I purchased a copy and got him to sign it! He's been a technician for many years. 

Bernie's latest book

What I find today is that people do NOT want to read books to learn anything. They want to watch a video. I get it - I've learned things from watching videos as well, but you can't beat an old-fashioned book with pictures and very explicit information to learn from. You're a visual learner? Well, guess what a reference book is - VISUAL!!!! And if you read it beside your sewing machine, you don't get much more visual than sitting right in front of something! Reference guides, user's guides, and manuals are NOT meant to be read for hours at a time. Read one page, examine the pictures, try out the information on your sewing machine, and then reread the information. Make notes if you don't understand anything. Now you can ask valid questions of your peeps. And I haven't seen a sewing machine guide that didn't have a ton of pictures!   

Anyway --- I'm still a bit grumpy, so I'm not going to go down that road. But it's amazing what the world of books can teach you! Videos are great, but there are other ways to learn as well. 

And here's some food for thought. Tanzania recently held an election. The politics in that country are highly volatile and have considerably worsened with the recent election. We messaged family and Erick (my tour guide), but didn't hear back for days. Why? The country shut the internet down!!! This is 100% true - we heard it directly from people we know and trust. Can you imagine? Let's pray that doesn't happen in North America, but it could! Can you imagine a world with no internet? 

I feel so much for the Tanzanian people -- they are wonderful and so giving, yet they live in such a corrupt country. 

Well, I'm going to try to make this a good day! It will be a good day, and if I need a nap between the appointments, then I'll take one. 

Oh - I forgot to mention that while standing in line at the bank to do a favor for DH, who doesn't like to stand in lines, and I needed something to do in the afternoon, I got a phone call from the groomer - it's only been two weeks. So now Murphy and Bear have appointments this week. And for once, the teller did not tell me that I could have done that type of transaction online! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

PS --- OMG --- Lexi just did something that turned my day around! No time to share -- but I took pictures! That's for tomorrow. 

Fun at the post office

Thankfully, the predicted ice storm didn't hit our area, and I hope no one else was severely affected by it. They had forecast significant ice, power outages, etc. I don't think our area was ever in the eye of that storm. 

Oh, the TV and surround sound system are gone! The guy came a little late but was happy to get the TV and thought it was a good deal. I'm not sure about the other stuff, but that's not my problem. That TV is heavy, but the guy picked it up from the front step like it weighed nothing and shoved it into the back seat of his car! 

The official week is almost over; I have one presentation later today. But there are no classes this weekend. The final day of the Etobicoke Quilt Show is today, but I've decided not to go. It's not that I don't want to support the guild, and I always looked forward to that first show of the year. 

I've decided that some downtime for ME is more important. My brain just needs a break from talking, and I have to be back by 1:30, so I'd feel rushed. I need to be selfish with my time; having most of the day free is a luxury, and I need to learn not to fill every moment with something.  

So, I will spend the day puttering, tidying, and putting things away since I can put almost everything away now. 

I had a small sewing job and was in a rush, so I didn't even add the extension table. I had a small item that needed topstitching! It's done. More on that in a second. 

My sewing machine is back in place

This is my main sewing area. The serger hides under that cover on one side and the sewing machine on the other. The amount of crap on the tables isn't so bad, but they are supposed to be empty except for the machines! My goal is to attempt to deal with the mess. I don't want to set things on another table. My preference would be to deal with it and then put it away. The cutting table and the ironing board are the same! It's time to make some changes; today feels like that day. Then I also have all day tomorrow. It will take a little while to make all that happen, but slow and steady! 

The main work tables are a mess

I also need to do some computer work, so I'll do that. I have two urgent things to accomplish. 

I did a lot of work using the Singer Momento (digital cutter). It's so easy to use, and now I feel like I've unleashed a tornado! Yes - one more toy to play with. I love that you can put the pen and a cutter in the two holders, and it'll write and then cut. I had a little "issue" with that and had to recut since I forgot to put the cutter in! But I learned how to recover from that little error, and all is good! 

Writing and cutting with the digital cutter

But I was able to make exactly what I wanted, and it all looks amazing. Unfortunately, it's a gift, so I can't share it yet. 

Then I grabbed the small item I had sewn, everything I created with the digital cutter, plus a few things in the Pony Express staging area, and I was off to the post office. I love how we no longer need to find boxes to mail things. You just select the appropriate size box from the post office, fill it, and pay for it. 

What I also love about this one post office is the manager LOVES to fill those boxes. I now just ask her what size she thinks will work, and she's pretty amazing. She even offered to help shove everything in! It's hilarious - I wish I could film what she does! But she is like a Tetris queen. Everything but one item fit in the box, and the next size up would have been way too large. That one item will have to wait for the next box. This one is expected to arrive on Thursday. 

Mailing the box

On my way home, I decided to stop at Indigo to check things out. They moved the quilting magazines to the front side of the magazine rack in front of the craft books. I did not buy anything, but on my way home, my brain got to thinking. 

The magazine section

I know some people refuse to use self-checkouts at any store because it's the loss of a cashier's job. And they are right. But how do you deal with some of the other areas where automation has taken away jobs, although they are less noticeable. Do people refuse to download digital media (books, whether purchased or from the library) because fewer cashiers and shelf stockers are needed to deal with the physical versions? 

A programmer or data entry person is required to deal with that stuff, and much of it becomes automated. I think if we look at many other instances, we'll find that the jobs are shifting—not necessarily going away—just shifting. 

However, I will not criticize you if you choose to use the cashier rather than the self-checkout. We live in a free country, and you can do what you wish within the long arm of the law. Did you know that that expression was started MANY years ago—in the 18th century! 

I have to post this because I'm stunned. I won't put the context because I don't want to make a big deal out of it, but this is a comment (in response to a repost I made) from someone I met many years ago. WOW—that's all I can say.  

Should I feel glad or sad? It truly is a strange world in which we live these days. 

Well, I'm off to have a wonderfully quiet day, except for two hours this afternoon! I feel blessed, happy, and giddy that I have "nothing" to do! 

Have a super day! 

Ciao!!!