Set up day at Salon Quebec 2024

It was quilt show set up day! My body and my Fitbit are going into hibernation mode. I have NEVER walked as little as I've done this past month, and I don't see that changing in the next few days. I'll be able to get back into my routine next week. Usually, I'd be up early as I would at home and have a long walk already in. I've slept in again. 

However, I know I'm fighting a cold and need my rest, so the rest forfeits the walk. It's not surprising that I'm fighting something with all the travel and long days. I stopped by the pharmacy yesterday and stocked up on some supplies, and I'll take it easy!

There are MANY quilts at the show—I think someone said there were 350 quilts, and OH MY—there are some beautiful ones. I can't wait to take a few minutes to study them rather than zipping around on the way out or to the washroom. 

There are many vendors. All the major sewing machine brands are represented, some through dealers and some through corporate booths like ours. 

We have prettied it up, and this is what it looks like. Here's the Husqvarna Viking side. 

Husqvarna Viking booth

And this is the PFAFF side. 

PFAFF booth

This is the Singer booth with sewing and embroidery machines and the Momento. 

Singer booth

So what's your preference. If you're looking for a sewing or embroidery machine - do you want to see samples of what the machines can do? We are the booth with the most samples, which has always been that way. I find it's even the same if you go to a dealer to do an event. I've been to several competitor events, and they take very few samples. We take suitcases full of samples. I want to be inspired by what the machine can do!!! 

And here's Paul!!! I told you he is everywhere! 

Paul and I

I'm not even sure how I met Paul or how many years I've known him. I wonder if he remembers? Anyway, Paul and I both write for QUILTsocial, and one year, we even made the same quilt (along with Claire, who designed the quilt) in three separate colorways. Drat—we should have each brought our quilts and had our pictures taken with them, as Claire is also here. 

Well, Paul just knows a lot of people, and as mentioned, he's everywhere! He stops at our Virtual Retreats and is a nice guy overall! 

I'll try to figure out how long I've known him or where I first met him. 

OK—so this is the booth across from us, and I was intrigued, so I went to look. At first, I thought they accepted old clothing to be recycled. Well, in a way, that's what it's all about, except they take the clothing, cut it up into squares, and then resell it! 

Recycled denim cut into squares

I've checked out their website, and they are an actual recycler of many products. They accept donations, or you can drop your stuff off, and they find a new life for it. Interesting -- this is the first time I've seen clothing cut up for resale like this. I didn't check the prices of the fabric squares, but the prices on the website are reasonable. I'm guessing that the squares they have here at the show are advertising in a way and also a way to show people that they can reuse clothing in this way. 

I've met lots of people that I know, and quilt shows are always like old-home week—getting reacquainted with people you haven't seen in a long time. I love these shows even though they are a lot of work—all the setup and then putting on the happy face for hours at a time. 

However, I am happy with the hours of this show. Today, it opens at 11, as there is a presentation of the winners this morning. The judges have been hard at work for TWO days judging all the quilts. The show closes at 5 PM on all days except Sunday, when it closes at 3 PM. It opens at 10 on the other days. That's a doable time frame. I never liked the shows that stayed open late at night. 

Be sure to check out QUILTsocial today- there are more great things you can do with the Husqvarna Viking DESIGNER EPIC 3. 

Well, it's time to organize myself for breakfast, and then I'll be off to the awards ceremony. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Christmas is coming

Before I get started today - I want you to know that I'm a very happy person and have an extremely positive outlook on life. I just have a different outlook on some aspects of life than others do and I'm quite happy to put traditions in the drawer and move on.

So Christmas is coming - it's just over two weeks away. Will there be hustle and bustle in our house? Are we out there madly shopping for gifts? No. Am I sad? Absolutely NOT! In fact, I'm feeling just the opposite. I'm thrilled. Zero stress, zero commitments, zero Christmas lists to make.

Here's a wee bit of background in case you think I'm heartless. I moved away from home when I was 17. I think I spent the following Christmas with my family (parents and two brothers) and probably the next one as well since one brother got married on Christmas Eve. There might have been one more Christmas in there, but I lived 3,000 KM away, had no money, and it was a long bus ride.

I do remember Christmases when we were kids, where one of my Mom's siblings and all their kids would get together. I did spend some great Christmas with my ex's family in Quebec. We did celebrate Christmas when M was at home. But now she lives over 4,000 KM away, so it's just the two of us and the girls. We long ago dispensed giving gifts to family members. They're so far away - costs a fortune to mail and what do you buy for someone you barely see? It was a total waste of time and money so we stopped that eons ago.

I see so many people running around like mad trying to find just the right gift for someone. Why? Isn't our life stressful enough? Why not just suggest that you don't exchange gifts anymore. People have a tendency to buy whatever they need/want when they see it rather than wait for Christmas. And how many boxes of chocolates, candles, and perfume/lotion gift sets does one household need? Most of them get regifted (except maybe the chocolates!). I don't see the point in all that.

DH and I now spend Christmas Day going to a movie (it's a big deal for a lot of people - the theaters are packed!). We splurge for the VIP experience and have dinner or lunch there. We do cook a simple Christmas dinner at some point during the holidays (OK - DH does the cooking) and that's about it. Nice and simple. No stress, no credit card bills in January that we're going to regret. And we do something that we enjoy.

People seem to love the stress - baking for an entire month before and cleaning their house. They love to decorate to the nines. They seem to love it or at least I hope they love it because it's a lot of work and a lot of expense.

It's OK to say - "let's not exchange gifts" or "let's set a value" or "let's do something simple this year". It's PERFECTLY OK.

But if you really want to give someone a gift, then here are some ideas so you don't end up at the last minute buying chocolates and candles.

1. Buy them a subscription (or pay for an existing one) for one year or whatever you can afford. This might be a magazine subscription (yes some of them still exist). Buy them a subscription to a software package - a budding photographer might want Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom. If they like to watch TV or movies - then how about Netflix or Apple TV. For a wedding gift for my brother, I bought them a bouquet of fresh flowers once a month for a year. Get creative - I'm sure there's something out there with a subscription base that your loved ones would want. And put that on your Christmas list as well.

2. Make a donation in their name to their favorite charity. Here's a great story - I'm not sure that it's true, but it's a great story and might be something that your family would want to do instead of gifts.

3. Buy (or make) them a set of litterless grocery bags. I believe that most grocery stores have reusable bags that you can buy. I LOVE the ones from Longo's that are actually folding boxes. They are the BEST and they last forever. I did a tutorial on making the reusable produce bags. We use them all the time at our house and they're the best. Very inexpensive.

4. Buy them a service. Could be a manicure, could be a pedicure, could be a massage, could be housecleaning. It could be something for their yard - yard service for a year. The options are endless in this category.

5. Give them your TIME. Yep - you may offer to do a service for them - i.e. if you're a hairdresser, you could give them free haircuts for the year or whatever you wish. Maybe - it's as simple as making a date to have coffee. Give them a gift card to the local coffee shop and then make a date to share that card with them. Sometimes, our TIME is the most precious gift you can give someone. Offer to babysit, dog sit (does anyone want to take Murphy for a day or two? - just kidding!)

6. Plan a family trip or outing instead of presents. It depends on your budget and your family - but there are loads of things you could do. Make planning part of the present. Spend Christmas Day planning what and where you want to go. Perhaps you devise a system before Christmas to put your ideas in a basket or envelopes that you open on Christmas Day and that becomes the basis for your trip/outing. Great dinner conversation while you plan.

7. Gift the gift of knowledge and experience. Why not put your best advice in an envelope and have everyone open on Christmas Day? I know it's a challenge to take advice from our elders because we know best. But I remember my Grandfather gave me the best advice ever. I don't even remember how old I was, but he told me "Even if you're lost, look like you know where you're going." That piece of advice has stuck with me all these years and trust me - there are man times, whether I'm teaching a class, riding my bike, driving my car or just in a conversation - I try very hard to make like I know where I'm going (confidence in case you didn't get that) even if I have no clue where I am or what to do next. and you know what? It has always worked out!

8. Buy one large thing for the family. This again requires some planning - so again - use the envelope system. Have each member write down the item that they think the family needs the most and why. It becomes a GREAT opening for family discussions about values and money and a whole lot of other lessons in there. We MUST stop focusing on buying material things.

9. Give them a picture book. I'm referring to those books that you make yourself from pictures you've taken over the year. There are many services out there and we all have cameras in our phones and we rarely print out the pictures - why not make a book (even if it is for yourself) of some of those pictures so you can really enjoy them. These are the best! They take time  - don't' wait until the last minute. I use Blurb, but there are loads of other ones out there.

10. If you're hosting a party, ask the guests to bring food for the Food Bank instead of chocolates and candles!



Hmmm - I can't think of anything else at the moment. That was a lot of thinking.


Here's a couple of pointers about wrapping paper. DO NOT USE IT. Here's an article with shocking statistics about wrapping paper and other Christmas waste.   There are loads of other ways to wrap a gift other than using Christmas wrapping paper.

1. Use an envelope (that can be easily recycled) for smaller things. Yes - it doesn't look as glamorous under the tree - get over it.
2. Use reusable gift bags. Here are some large ones that I made for each family member when M was home. A friend told me that each family member (and the children are all adults) has a bag. No name on it. As the gifts come in, Mom and Dad are responsible to put the unwrapped gift in the appropriate bag. Then on Christmas Day, one at a time and taking turns, they reach in the bag and pull out one item until all bags are empty. A SUPER great idea.

Large reusable gift bag

Or you can make these quick and easy small gift bags. I have a pattern for these or you can find online. If you have a serger, they are done in mere minutes. They can also be done on a sewing machine. They are RESUSEALBE.

Reuseable gift bags

Reusable gift bags

3. Use gift boxes and reuse them the following year. I found a nice set of nesting boxes and we've used those over and over again.

4. If the item is large - hide it in the garage or a closet and create a treasure hunt for the recipient to find the gift. No need to use huge gobs of wrapping paper to wrap it.

5. Use brown paper and decorate that with stamps and paint. This is a great pre-Christmas activity for children. I did this for M and one year, she treasured the wrapping way more than she did the gift inside!

I'm sure there are way more ideas, but you get the idea here.

So - if your Christmas preparations are stressing you out or making you change your entire routine to fit in all the extra stuff you have to do, then I'd suggest that you have a serious chat with your family, your friends and yourself. What can you do to simply Christmas? What can you do to make it FUN? What can you do to bring back the spirit of Christmas (not the Christmas that the marketing firms of each and every company out there is trying to sell you, but the Christmas of having fun with family and friends)?

On that note, I'm out of here. It's a CLEAN-UP day and I'm so excited to get started.

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Mom - there's nothing to eat!

We're all familiar with that phrase. Except that my kid is gone. That was me who said that this morning as I glanced into the refrigerator this morning. I got a text from DH yesterday asking if I could stop and pick up groceries. Ah - since I left the house about 8 AM and wasn't planning to be back until about 9 PM, I don't think that's going to happen. I come home to find that he ordered pizza for dinner and there is NOTHING - I mean NOTHING to eat in that fridge or the cupboards. No bacon, no bananas for breakfast. No soup - pretty slim pickings. Good grief - you think he could have gone to the grocery store. Oh well........

Yesterday was a bit of a crazy day (as usual). I had three classes to teach and then zipped off to a meeting and then dinner. I'll share the homework from two of the classes with you this coming week.

But I've been up for hours this morning and I've been pretty productive already. Well, most of it was prepping for today which is another Sit n Sew. I've got bindings, I've got backings, I've got embroidery - everything is prepped and ready to hit START. I'll be sharing all that with you in the near future!

I started off this morning by getting out the hot glue gun. I've been known to hot glue embellishments to some of my projects. In this case, I had three quilts that needed a bit of repair. All is done, but well - some of these pieces are damaged just from being carted to trunk shows. No worries - I'll find time to stitch/fix them up at a later date. But for the moment, the bits that were hanging around are now back on the proper pieces.

Hot gluing embellishments to the quilts

Here's MY set up for today. I've got a serger and two machines ready to go, plus I have another machine to the right of that. You can just see my orange stool at the bottom of the photo. Actually, there are three embroidery machines so technically I could get them all working at once since I do have a LOT to embroidery - Hmm - that's a thought!  But that would be too noisy with others in the room. Mind you, we're only going to be five today. But still. It'll be bad enough with one machine going.

MY sewing station for Sit n Sew

I dug out my Halloween quilts and hung them up on the design wall this morning. So cute! It's hard to remember to hang them. Isn't that bad?

Halloween quilts

Shoot - I have about three lap quilts with a Halloween theme. They are hanging around the house - well not hanging up, but around. And then there's my embroidered Halloween quilt. See that one block is still missing? I have some repair work to do on it. And I'll share that with you when I get to that point.

Halloween quilt

Notice that there is only ONE fabric hanging there for the outer border. The last Sit n Sew group nixed the purple border that was there. I think that was a wise choice. Now to pick a fabric for the cornerstones and get those embroidered so I can get this thing together. I might have some time to work on it today????  I've got BIG plans for today and there's only so much that can be done.

Here's that table I was talking about yesterday. My sewing machine is to the bottom right of that picture. It's a portable sewing table so it's not overly huge and this table was supposed to give me room to work on large quilts. Well, that's not happening. It became a dumping ground for things that needed to be sewn. So given that today is a dedicated sewing day and there's quite a bit of space to work, I might just get some of this done!!!  And that would get rid of a few UFOs as well.

Table of STUFF to finish up!

I'm so excited that I'm so prepped I can hardly wait for 8:30 to arrive.  And I'm super ready for the upcoming retreat. I was bustling around doing something the other day and I quickly pulled some projects (those Dirty Dozen UFOs from 2017 and 2018) and they are in the retreat bag. One HUGE IKEA bag. To heck with trying to fit it all in a laundry basket.

Oh -- someone had asked me the size of my main studio room. I measured this morning. It's 22 feet by 24 feet. And there's a darn pillar right in the middle of it. I would love to get rid of it, but then the house would fall in so that's not an option. I knew someone who had their house jacked up and inserted a massive steel support beam beneath the house so they could get rid of that post in their family room. Obviously, they had money to burn. You could buy a lot of fabric and probably a new sewing machine for the cost of doing that! Not happening at my house!

Anyway - there are seven 6 foot banquet tables set up at any given time. There's a cutting table which is also 6 feet (it's an IKEA table with storage underneath), there's the Reliable ironing board and then in the corner, the one with that messy table, there's my big sewing cabinet that's fully extended at all times, my small portable sewing table (which I use all the time) and a 4 foot table. In a pinch, I can add one more 4 foot table beside this grouping. And if I move my crap off that 4-foot table, we can fit 11 people in to sew. I have a long section of bookshelves in this room as well that's tucked along one of the walls which I would LOVE to extend. I need to extend it as there are way too many books on the floor.

Keep in mind that my projects and fabric are NOT in this room. There are storage rooms for that stuff. And the long arm is in the other side of the basement. Yes - I'm lucky! Very lucky - it didn't come without a lot of complaints from someone else in the house. But seriously if he can't even get out to do the groceries? Well - I digress.

Here's an interesting article about textile waste and what to do with it. It's from Quilter's Connection blog and talks about Vancouver, but we should all look to see if there aren't similar programs in our area. I used to make pet mats from my scraps, but now I give them to Diane who makes pet mats. And I keep the small scraps. Oh - I have a very cool idea to share with you later this week about what to do with scraps. If you live in the Region of Peel, they have an excellent website that you can search for almost ANYTHING and you'll get information on how to get rid of stuff that still has a life. 

I really, really need to schedule some days (in the spring) where I focus on getting rid of the excess stuff from our house. Just two days would make a huge difference. You know what - I just popped over to my calendar and scheduled two days in March and I marked them in HUGE letters and also added a note to NOT RESCHEDULE those days. I'm pretty good at respecting a commitment if it's written down.

One last story to share with you before I go. As you know, the long arm died the other day. I found an electrical supply store and was there at 8 AM yesterday when they opened. I had to wait a few minutes as the man was late, but that's OK. I was very patient. He tested all three fuses that I have. Yes - the one that was in the machine is DEAD. It was black and I suspected it had blown. It's the FIRST fuse ever to blow on the machine and it isn't that uncommon. The other two were fine. BUT upon investigation, the amperage of the other two are different. There are two different fuses used on some machines. I'm suspecting that those extra fuses are NOT the right ones for the machine, hence it wouldn't work when I inserted them. I've got a pack of 5 of the same one the blew and I'll try it later today. I'm hoping it works and I can't bear the let down if it doesn't. Total denial!!!!  I'm going to call my Dad later today to ask what is the difference between them and why one would work and the other doesn't - all that technical stuff. But I like to know this stuff.

Anyway, the man at the electrical supply store was very helpful and he asked me what machine I was using the fuses in. I told him, but I think he had no clue what I was talking about. I should carry a picture of the long arm with me so people can see it!

On that note, I'm out of here. I'm debating taking the girls to the park. It's wet and they're going to get filthy. I think we might just go for a walk.

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!