365-day PROGRESS

Did I accomplish three things yesterday? I did, but I would really have liked to have done one more. That didn't happen, but I went to bed exhausted and happy! 

What amazes me is that even with the "downtime," my days are filled. Well, I'll never be done with all the stuff I have to do. But since I'm enjoying what I do, I can't complain. 

Here's some stuff I finished up for our machine embroidery session yesterday. These items are made from clothesline rope. I think it was the day before leaving for Quilt Canada that I decided to make these. I grabbed some leftover bits of rope in the cupboard and started stitching. 

This first one was designed as a mandala using the mySewnet Embroidery Software. It's flat and about 10 inches in diameter. 

Machine embroidery clothesline trivet

I'm unsure where this center pattern came from - maybe the mySewnet Library? The outer ring was added later from mySewnet embroidery software. 

Machine embroidery clothesline trivet

Then, I tried applique in the center of a bowl. I made the bottom of the bowl and then embroidered the applique. The flower came from the mySewnet Embroidery Software, and I modified it as it had a stem, which wouldn't work. 

Machine embroidery applique in the bottom of a bowl

That's the bottom. Hmm - after I showed it in class, someone asked why I couldn't have also put fabric on the bottom. I still have more rope left!!!

The bottom of the bowl

Once the embroidery applique was complete, I finished the sides of the bowl. Look at that curly cue on the side!

The side of the rope bowl

Here's the final one I did. This is solid stitching, and the embroidery machine functioned like a champ—there was zero thread breakage or shredding. 

The front of the smaller trivet

I have to say the back looks very nice. I used ONE orange thread in the bobbin rather than changing it like the top threads. I'm thrilled with all these projects. I still have LOADS of rope (clothesline), so what can I do next? 

The back

I was downstairs working like mad when I decided it was time to go for a walk. I glanced out the basement window, only to discover it was DARK outside. No - it wasn't night yet, but when I arrived upstairs, I saw this. 

A windy, rainy day

There was quite a wicked storm with loads of rain and wind. So I ran around the house, closing windows and mopping up! I had my headphones on and had zero clue what was happening upstairs! 

The rain stopped after a couple of hours, and I went for a walk. 

So I went back downstairs and trimmed these half-square triangles, which had been languishing on the cutting table for a bit. 

Trimming half-square triangles

I quilted this rather large quilt. It's one of my own, sewn in January at a quilting retreat. The border is made from leftovers, but it looks amazing! It's a gift for a little boy, so I must trim it and put the binding on. That didn't happen yesterday, but I'll do it when I return next week. 

One of my quilts - DONE

I have to make the backing and organize pieces of batting for the next quilt, which will happen next week. 

But the huge news from yesterday is this. 

We had our Many Block session in the morning, and I have "failed" in this class. I'm working on the 365-day quilt. I tell everyone that any progress is progress. So perhaps I should say I'm SLOW—very slow. When we started this "Many Blocks" class to motivate us, I was on February 19. I've barely done anything in 18 months. Part of the issue was that huge mess of green scraps. 

Well, now that the fabric baskets are nice and neat and INVITING..... 

Organized baskets of fabric 

I managed to cut the blocks from April 1 to April 22!!! That is HUGE. I can actually feel like I'm making some progress. I threw it all into my bag for the quilt retreat and let's see what happens. 

Blocks cut for the 365-day quilt

Poor Murphy. She is NOT happy with the stormy weather, and I came downstairs from shutting the windows to find her like this. She's like a sentinel. You never know where you're going to see her on guard!

The sentinel!

OH -- I also managed to deal with more books and added a few to my list. Someone asked why I'm not taking some of those books to the used bookstore instead of donating them. Yes, I could and I used to do that when we went to a different used bookstore. To be honest, I never thought about it for this one. I'll have to think about that for the next time, and I hate to say this, but some of the ones I'm donating were bought from this bookstore. Because I didn't have a list, I didn't need to buy them, and I noticed a "do not return" stamp on some of them. I think they are OLD and they don't want them back!  I'll just donate them! But thanks for the tip!!

I didn't have time to process all the books, so I have ONE shelf of three that is neat and organized. The other two have books in piles on them. And I'll sort through them another day. In the meantime, I got my shopping list, which is short, but the books are old, and sometimes one gets lucky!

On that note, I'm out of here. I'm off to the gym for a shorter spin class and then off to retreat. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

It's good to be back home!

While being away on this retreat was so nice and relaxing, it's sure nice to be back home again. This was one of the best retreats ever -- I've never been so relaxed. The energy in the room was exciting, yet even-keeled, and we all just worked together in a way that - well, it just seemed magical with the mix of people. Not to say that I don't enjoy the other retreats. I guess you had to be there. 

The day dawned bright and sunny, and I got out for a short walk in the morning after a couple of people left early. Three of us stayed until after lunch, and we had some glorious chats, and I came home with two new friends! People I knew, but not well, so it was all good. And yes -- there were the usual things left behind - a rotary cutter, some bread, and a pair of boots! I ask people to check, but they don't! 

The view from the retreat house

The car is a muddy mess as the road past the house is not paved, so I think I'll be off to find a car wash later today. If I have time, I have a few other things to do. 

Just had a quick look at the calendar for the remainder of the week. I have THREE Zooms during the week and FOUR Zooms on the weekend, so I must start prepping later today so none of it becomes a rush. I know I already have a LOT of the work done, but not in presentation form. 

I promised pictures of what others were doing, so here they are. This is what one person made. Sorry, I'm not putting names. Some people are OK with names, but others are not, so it's best to just keep the names out of the story. 

She had brought some rope with her and had made rope bowls in the past. But look what happened when she used that variegated thread. 

A rope coaster made with variegated thread

It's a coaster, and she made four of them. They looked amazing. And then she whipped up a small bowl to put them in. I LOVE the trim!! And the thread color change!

The container for the rope coasters

Now that I think about it, many NONE quilt-related things were made. The pattern is the Double Flip Shoulder Bag by Emmaline Bags, but someone made the purse and put iron-on vinyl on the bottom to protect it and prolong the wear. The bag was complete except for adding the strap, as they were missing a bit of hardware. It was awesome! 

Double Flip Shoulder Bag

And after a few hiccups, one of three stacking tubs was made. I LOVE the design of these and how they looked on the inside, where the lining was NOT floating. And look at those web handles. We bought the webbing at one of the stores. I might just have to make one or two of these. This pattern was by Among Brenda's Quilts & Bags - Storage Solutions Bucket Bags. 

Storage Bucket

When I arrived home, I didn't know who was more excited. Little Bear or Murphy. Both of them were beside themselves with joy. And probably not so much from seeing me, but from knowing they would be "saved" and could now go for a walk! I did take them for a short walk individually, and all was good in their world. Lexi was excited but remained aloof! 

I immediately emptied the car, as DH had to do groceries. Later than usual, but that's OK to change the routine up a bit, every once in a while. And everything got taken to the appropriate spot - kitchen, bedroom, or Studio B. I have this to put away. I managed to put some of it away last night, but I need to unpack the projects I didn't have time for yesterday. 

Retreat stuff to put away

I still need to tidy up the stuff I brought home from the farm. 

Stuff from the farm that needs a home

And this is on the cutting table, and I need to deal with it. Much of that relates to classes for this week, so I can tackle that this week. 

Stuff on the cutting table to deal with

But that one end of the cutting mat is free! 

Part of the cutting table is FREE

I've decided if I need to shop for fabric or supplies, doing so at one of the retreats is a good idea! We got discount coupons at several stores, and we appreciated that and bought a fair amount. All is good! 

We have Monday sewing today, and rather than actually sewing, I think I'll be puttering and trying to get these three areas tidied up and put away. 

I have an ebook that will disappear in 13 hours! Yikes --- I thought I had more time than that. I still have 100 pages to go, and I'm not sure I can finish it. WAIT -- I can renew it, which I just did. This book had a long waitlist, but I guess the system can see that I'm madly turning pages, so it granted me an extension. Phew -- but I still want to finish it. So that's what I was trying to do last night, and yes - I had a circus to entertain me while I read in the living room. 

Bear was sleeping quietly beside me while Lexi and Murphy were up to their antics again. Lexi, in an attempt to get away from Murphy (as if), jumped up on the footstool, which she NEVER does. And when I told her to get down, Murphy was right there to harass her, so she stayed on the footstool. 

The three-ring circus

There is NEVER a dull moment with those three around. It's like living in a three-ring circus, to be sure. I think they'll be happy to get back into their routine this morning!

DH and I went out for dinner since we missed Friday and were chatting about my email woes. Then when we got home, he showed me his email. YEP -- he has all the components that I do NOT have. How can that be when we supposedly have the same version? He has a setting (very clearly marked) for Out of Office, and I do not. His signature file setting is where I would expect it, and I do not have that. I think I'm going to snap some photos of his screens and then have them ready for the Microsoft support team. They are making my life difficult by not including those commands!!!

WAIT --- one more very exciting thing happened at the retreat before we left. I finished sewing all that I had cut! Can you believe that? Yep -- so I tackled the jewelry case, and we came up with the most amazing remake for that. So that is very exciting, and I have a bit of homework to do before I can start on that. And I played a bit with the tote bag that I was working on, and YES -- I made some decisions on that as well. So technically, I made an advancement on EVERY project I took to the retreat. That has NEVER happened. 

Well, I'm off to spin class this morning. And then I'll be "back to work" for a somewhat intense week. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!

It's a NEW YEAR

 I woke up super excited! It's a New Year, and we have another 365 days to do stuff! This time last year, I was deep in the throes of decluttering, and I don't have to declutter today! WHAT?? No, I have some stuff to put away, as I wanted to start the year with all three main surfaces clear. That's NOT quite the case, and I need to do some machine embroidery. 

Since I won't have any decluttering tips today -- here's a link to last year's blog where you can get some tips and motivation. 

Since I've got my act together and kept my ironing surface, workspaces, and cutting table clear, it's been a joy to go down and sew every day. It took me a long time, but clutter is a visual distraction and a physical nuisance! Yes -- some of my stuff got put into closets or boxes, but it's out of sight. I know where it is (for the most part) and can find most things within a few minutes. But I don't have to struggle to get the space to work. 

I will spend today tidying up the little dregs of stuff that have sat around and get that all organized so tomorrow, when I'm officially back to work, it'll be so easy. It feels weird not to have something to sort in Studio B. I know a few more spots could be gone through, but I'll be dealing with the fabric as Diane asks for more. And that will free up a lot more space on those shelves. 

Yesterday, when Diane asked for more fabric, I almost panicked. What am I going to give her? OK -- so why was that? I already had five projects waiting for her, and enough are sitting in that storage room for the following five requests from her. But after that, I have no choice but to hit my personal stash. Well, most of my personal flannel is gone! Yep --- it's all going to Diane to make quilts. Most of it was super quality and NICE stuff, but I'll never use it, so it's gone. When I made that decision, I did have a minor twinge, but not now. Flannel? What flannel?

Then I'm hitting the fabric baskets, and my goal is to reduce the personal stash by 50%!! There's enough to keep her sewing for 2023 and hopefully into 2024! By then, I may not want any of my fabrics, and the entire room will disappear! Is that a possibility? You bet it is!!

I was excited to get up and see 100% completion on my 2022 Virtual CHallenge, only to find that my FitBit didn't sync last night! Sigh!!!!! I could manually enter the data this morning, but then it'll sync tonight and be double-counted. So I'll have to wait until tomorrow. Grr!!! But I managed to get my 6,600 cardio KM in for 2022. That included some spin classes and outdoor cycling. But I would bet that 2/3 of it was walking! 

I bought a new 2023 challenge and have yet to set the goal, but I'll only make it a walking goal. 

So this is how I spent my day. This was the puzzle first thing in the morning. 

Puzzle at the start of the day

And throughout the day, I worked on it. And this is where I am this morning. The darn thing is addictive, so this is the LAST puzzle for a while. I have work to do!! 

The puzzle this morning

I haven't resorted to sorting the pieces by shape --- no -- I refuse to do that. But I'm going to focus on one side and then the other. Although those pieces are NOT the same color, they are very close, and it's a challenge to find the piece. Minuscule differences in shape are IMPORTANT. Then this puzzle I purchased at a thrift store will be packed away and passed along. I do NOT need or want to keep any of these. 

I still had that placemat to bind, and it's also done. That means no projects in my house need to be bound. Four quilts need sleeves sewn on, and I'll make that my focus - perhaps during Monday sewing since it's the perfect thing to do during Zoom. 

Placemat is done

Here are three more quilts that I picked up from Diane. I believe there are several more to be picked up, and I"ll get those on my walks this week. 

Three more quilts

Two pieces of clothesline have been sitting on the sewing tables, and I started to sew one yesterday. I needed to stop for a reason, which I'll finish today, and then try to get both off the table. It doesn't take long, but you have to sew slowly! 

Making a clothesline bowl

And I'm still working on removing the stabilizer from that machine embroidery. I have piddly little things that need to be cleaned up! Those are causing the minimal clutter in Studio B, and I was supposed to work on that over the holidays, but I did not. So that will be my focus for the next few days, and then I can start CLEAN for the year!

Removing stabilizer from machine embroidery

I finished The Shadow Sister by Lucinda Riley yesterday. Oh, shoot--- two weeks ago, the next book was sitting on the audiobook shelf. Now there's a 22-week wait list for it. How does that happen? I'll have to wait and hope it comes in sooner. I still have to add two more libraries to my Libby app. This is always a challenge to get everything back in order when switching phones. I'm happy to report that I've had ZERO issues with phone calls cutting out, so that is good news and makes the hassle worthwhile. And at last, I got my headphones paired. 

I'm reading a classic at the moment. And then there were none by Agatha Christie! Some books have been done with a similar storyline, but I believe hers was the first! I had to wait a LONG time for this audiobook to come in. And this book has several titles! 

Speaking of the library, I found this attached to the physical book I picked up the other day! Thanks to the librarian (gosh -- whose name I don't think I ever knew) who leaves me little orange things on my books! Thanks so much -- it brightened my day!!!! You know, small things like this are essential. It's nice to know that someone is thinking of you from time to time. So the next time you think of someone randomly during the day --- send them a text --- "just saying hi! I was thinking of you!" 

A leaf to brighten my day

So I want you all to be in the same clean slate I'm in, so get to work organizing your studio space. I find it hard to believe that I have nothing major to declutter today. OK - I could work in the office. 

But think about how you work, and why you dislike your space. Yes --- you may say that it's too small, so you must be more diligent about what you keep and where. Be sure to go back and read those tips from January 1, 2022. And it's going to be a long process -- so don't get discouraged. 

For today, I'd start by removing everything from your ironing surface. And don't just MOVE it somewhere else. Deal with it!!! Make sure everything has a home -- that has been the key to getting my space in shape!! Find a home for things so they are no longer clutter!

In case you're wondering if I made resolutions, I did not. I have a few goals -- the number of books to read, the number of KMs to walk, and that's about it. I have decent habits already, and my goal is to keep doing what I do! No relapses are allowed! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Virtual Friends!

 

Oh my gosh -- I had so much fun at the Virtual Retreat yesterday! A HUGE thank you to everyone who stopped by to sew with us or just to say hello. I learned about armadillos and caring for palm trees! I learned about quilt store expansions and other happenings in my area! We compared projects, and we talked about every subject under the sun. OK - so we didn't as we just didn't have time! And a few OLD projects came back to haunt me!!

But what an amazing day! I'm so thankful for my virtual friends - whether you join in on the Zoom call or make comments. It's so nice to connect to people that I wouldn't normally connect to. And it's nice to stay connected to those that are not close to me. 

So technically, I didn't get a lot done - I do spend a lot of time chatting, but you know what? I'm perfectly OK with that. I spend so much time working that the Virtual Retreat is like a day off for me! I LOVE it. 

Mark your calendars because the next one is scheduled for Saturday, April 24 (in the evening) and all day on Sunday, April 25. 

It will be a busy week as I try   NO - get all the homework assignments to everyone. And I need to play catchup on that TODO list. But all is good - it's going to be a fairly quiet week - lots to do, but no major deadlines. Deadlines are the worst! And the best part? There's NOTHING on the schedule for the weekend. Yeah!!!!

What did I get done yesterday? I finished hand stitching the sleeve to my Trend-Tex Challenge. I have to make and sew the label on later today and then walk it to the post office. It HAS to go today. 

I also made the sleeve on this piece. It's only been sitting on the current project table for almost a year! But now the sleeve is on. 

The sleeve is on my challenge quilt from 2020

I even had a spot to hang it up, and so now I can enjoy the piece. I love the design and the quilting!!!

A challenge piece from 2020 is now hung up in Studio B

I did get some quilt blocks sewn together for the homework blocks - you'll get to see those in a couple of days. 

But then, like usual, I picked something that did not have a deadline. I wanted to play, and so I grabbed some black thread and started this project. 

A black UFO

I know - what the heck is it?? Well, I used cord and made a hot mat, so to speak. It's just over 8 inches in diameter. It took quite a bit of time as the cording I used is very small. I have a plan for it - but I'm not going to share it with you today. 

Macrame cord used to make a hot mat

Here's the cording that I used. It did puff a wee bit in the center. Because it was so thin, it was a bit of a challenge to get it started. But I gave it a good press with steam, and it's now flat as a pancake!!! I can't wait to do step two - maybe today??? 

Speaking of walking, I still keep up with my walking - even on retreat days. I'd love to sit and chat all day, but I really do need to get out and take a walk. While the weather isn't as nice as it's been, it's still great to get out and get some fresh air. 

Here's a medal that I got for walking in January. The goal was only 60KM, so that was pretty easy to get in a week. It's been sitting here for a while to take a picture, and well - I got it done today. 

Oh yes -- I trimmed more half-square triangles at the end of the day, but I forgot to take pictures. Trust me - little bits of stuff are getting cleared up. Just not fast! 

No idea where that missing thread is, but that's OK - I'm going to quilt something else. Hopefully, it'll surface by next month. 

It's short and sweet today! It's Monday sewing, and while I have a bit of "work" to do, I can still do that and chat at the same time. This time, I need to work more and chat less!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

The Virtual Retreat - DayTwo

I know that some of you are missing in-person visits with family and friends - the sit and sew days, the laughter, the camaraderie, the sharing of stories. Well, I can't say that I'm missing that at all. While the Virtual Retreat isn't the same as seeing people in person, it comes pretty darn close.

To be honest, I kind of like the whole virtual thing. Why? Loads of reasons - where else would we be able to visit with people all the way from Germany to Vancouver Island and loads of places in between? Nowhere else. Where else would we be able to share our sewing spaces? Nowhere else. And where else would we be able to sew with friends and not have to bring our sewing machines and supplies? Nowhere else. No packing, no forgetting your cord to the sewing machine or some other important tool or supply, you get to have a nap or go shopping or make dinner for your family, and when you're done, you can come back to the group.

What about those that don't drive or would never come out for a day, but would pop in to say HI. Oh, yes - I love the Zoom thing. I think the others are as well because I got asked if I was hosting the Virtual Retreat in August? I hadn't even thought that far ahead. However, it's now booked - the weekend of August 22 and 23. Mark it in your calendar and come and join us - even if it's just to say hi. It's so much fun.

I don't know how many people in total stopped by - some stayed the entire day, and some just popped in to say HI. That's perfectly OK - whatever works with your schedule.

OH - and where else can you track the weather? Sure - you've got an app, but there's nothing like getting a visual from locations around our province, letting you know when the rain, wind, tornado warnings have hit. Yep- yesterday was a pretty stormy day. It was hot in Berlin and Vancouver Island as well - 30 degrees. So this crazy weather is everywhere.

This is a picture of the trees in my backyard. I didn't even know I took that picture. It's hard to see, but the wind was blowing like mad, the rain was driving down in torrents and well - it was dark and very stormy. Unfortunately, from our house, we can't really see the skyline, but some of the cloud pictures I saw afterward were pretty spectacular.

The wind and the rain

Besides all the crazy stories and laughter, loads of work got completed. Heather hand-stitched the binding on a QUEEN sized quilt. I wonder if she got that hand massage or just the ice packs? Jane was binding some quilts by machine, Shelly was making rope bowls.

Shelly's rope bowls

Morgan and Kathy were working on their Christmas Fig homework. And there was so much else being done!!!!

Katheleen made more masks. She is now up into the hundreds (600++) of masks that she's made for her local senior organizations. She now has strict instructions to take a break for a while. That's a lot of mask making. It can be draining and take the fun completely out of sewing. Great job, Katheleen!!! You've done a great job and deserve a break!

Katheleen's last set of 35 masks

There were three long arm quilters on the call, and we hung around after the others left at 8 PM. We had a great chat about the differences and similarities of our machines - yep - we each have a different machine (from three different companies). Sharing of good practices - it was awesome. Thanks, Carol and Karen!!!

We also got to chatting about jelly roll rugs. I promised that I'd post the pictures of the ones that I've made. This is the one that made headlines in the industry. I think everyone (OK - so I'm exaggerating) made one of these. It's the oval rug designed by RJ Designs. There is so much "noise" on the internet about these rugs that I can't find her original site.

The oval jelly roll rug

Then there was the rectangular rug. Made the same way with the batting filled tubes. But sewn in rows, not in an oval. Same pattern designer.

Rectangular rug

And then years ago, I made this rug which is made with the batting filled tubes, but you make blocks and then stitch the blocks together. This pattern is by Auntie's Two Patterns.

A block style rug made with batting tubes

Here's the pattern number from the Auntie's Two website.

All these rugs, of course, are reminiscent of the rag rugs that were made years ago. NOTHING is new. I have two more balls of batting stuffed tubes, all ready to sew into two oval rugs. But no time for that.

I also made a few promises for the next Virtual Retreat. OH NO - how did that happen?? Well, I plan to take most of August off. But seriously - what does that mean? OH - I have no blog posts for QUILTsocial to write, no magazine quilt due until September 8, a few customer quilts that can be delayed until September if they don't get done before the end of this month. NO - I'll still be sewing the entire month of August! Just different things. I'm such a dreamer.

Anyway - I did promise that I'd learn or figure out how to work my hand-cranked sock knitter. I really want to get this thing running. I will leave the book out so I can start to figure out if I even have all the pieces.

The sock knitter book

As for me at the Virtual Retreat - what did I get done? I finished the second quilt for Quilts of Valour. I finished the piecing and threw the top on the long arm, and while we Zoomed, I managed to get that quilt quilted as well. It came off the long arm, and I trimmed it this morning. The binding is ALMOST on. I should have it done in less than 10 minutes.

Putting the binding on the Quilts of Valour quilt

I love having the clock on my sewing machine. I glanced at it while sewing that binding on and realized that I was going to run out of time.

The clock on the Designer EPIC 2

The quilt is still in the machine, and once my morning chores are over, I'll get it finished. I need to put a sleeve on it, but that'll have to wait. I'll hang it up with my hook system and take a picture. That's all that's required for the moment. The second quilt made with a different fabric collection is draped over the long arm, and I hope to get that custom quilted this week.

Because we hung out so long on the Zoom call, I didn't get in a very long walk. But I did manage to hit the Manitoba border on my virtual walk across Canada. That's exciting - one more province gone.

Just crossed the border into Manitoba 

I need to start booking some Virtual Classes for the fall. I'll be doing that shortly and let you know all about them. I have actually booked events on my calendar starting in September. That's awesome and relatively easy to schedule because I don't have to allow travel time. I need to purchase a couple more pieces of equipment before I'm up and running to my standard.

And a HUGE thank you to everyone who stopped by the Virtual Retreat - I had a blast and hope you did as well. See you in August!!!   Welcome to Anita who got her video and audio working. It was great to see you this time!!!  I can't wait to see your tumbling block quilt FINISHED or at least progress made on it in August.

If you couldn't get the videos to work yesterday, you have to click the small arrow in the bottom left corner of each screen. Actually, I think you have to hit the big PLAY arrow in the middle and that brings up the small PLAY arrow in the bottom left corner. Have a look - Carol did a great job with those banners.

On that note, I'm out of here. I have a "few" things that need to be done this week. After this week, my schedule is almost completely empty. How does that happen that everything hits at the same time? Well, I'm lying - you all know that because the moment that something gets done, something else pops up!


Have a super day!!!!


Ciao!!!!

Sit n Sew day!!!

What a crazy day! We had a Sit n Sew day scheduled, but was the weather going to cooperate? Well, it did and it didn't. We didn't get nearly the amount of snow that was forecast but it was cold. I left it up to the ladies to decide. Three die-hards showed up! Lynn, Linda, and Ronda and we had a blast. We almost (but didn't) say that we should have small groups for future sit n sew days!  NO - that's not going to happen, but it was a calm day, to say the least.

Took me about one hour to shovel the driveway clear of snow. It really wasn't that bad despite the fact that we have a wide driveway. It was great to get out and get some exercise and it wasn't as cold as they say on the radio. Mind you there wasn't any wind. Don't you love the doom and gloom the weather station is always talking about? OK - today it's cold. It's minus 20 with no wind chill.

We were chatting about the snow plows. I knew from past experiences, that our street wouldn't get plowed until late or the next day. Well, I know that at 11:06 PM when I was sound asleep that Murphy and Lexi were greeting the tractor that cleans our cul-de-sac. They were barking their heads off. But the tractor is noisy and bright so I can see why they were freaking out.  He did a great job with the windrow at the end of the drive. It's pretty small. I can drive over it this morning to get to sewing.

I didn't have time yesterday to walk the girls and I think it's a tad too cold this morning. Not for them - oh no. But for me! Up to minus 10, no problem. Minus 10 - 19 - double layers of clothes. Minus 20 and below - let's stay in the house! They are NOT happy. However, when your Husky is standing at the door with paws lifted, you know it's cold!

So what happened yesterday at Sit n Sew? We did some crazy stuff - as usual.

Ronda and I are taking a class on Friday - quilting with your walking foot. Hey - it's a good idea to take classes even if you already know how to do something. I want to learn more and I don't have the time to do it on my own. This is the fast way to gain some knowledge.

We need quilt sandwiches so we have something to practice on. Yep - I had forgotten. But Ronda reminded me and I got out scraps of batting from the batting closet and made the batting pieces that we need for the class. Five 20" squares for her and five for me.

Batting squares for our upcoming class on walking foot quilting

I always forget, but Ronda's Mom has a birthday today and so does mine. Happy Birthday to Mom and to Ronda's Mom. Gosh - I don't know her name! Oh - it's Karen. Happy Birthday Karen!!!!  Karen wanted a rope bowl in PINK so Ronda made this for her yesterday. I think Ronda has the rope bowl technique down pat. I love the shape of the bowl!

A PINK rope bowl

Linda was working on some zippered pouches. She managed to get THREE of them done yesterday. I love these pouches or bags. They're so cute. Great job Linda!!!

Linda's zippered pouches

Lynn was working on adding sashing to some blocks. I didn't get a picture of that.

I flitted around the room trying to focus although I did get a lot done. I started off by finishing a pet mat. I had a bag of scraps that needed to be dealt with. I added that pet mat to the one that I had rescued from my car and now I've got two to deliver this morning. I started the third one and there's still two bags of scraps in the laundry basket. That'll have to wait as I have a totally crazy week this week.

Two pet mats ready for delivery

So we chat about decluttering from time to time. Here's something BAD about decluttering. If you do manage to get everything tidied up, then you freak out when the slightest thing is out of place. Case in point - my kitchen. It wasn't really in bad shape yesterday morning when I got up, but there was stuff around so I put all the stuff away.

When I came up at one point during the day, I saw this "mess". Can you spot it???

The "messy" kitchen

I'm laughing - it was a plastic bag on the island next to that white bowl!!  Someone left it on the counter and threw the feng shui out of whack! No need to worry - I dispensed of the bag and soon we had our tidy kitchen back again.

And now everything is neat

I have to laugh when I look at the kitchen. Do you notice that "bouquet of flowers - right beside the red/white canisters to the left of the microwave??? M made those flowers in kindergarten or something like that. They are full of grease and dirt and grime. But I can't bear to throw the darn thing out! Oh well - it's just one thing and we can live with that! I remember trying to throw it out once but she was here and she begged me not to! How can you argue with that?

And then you go downstairs and see this and you wouldn't know that the two rooms belong in the same house! I'm OK with that!!!

And then there's the studio

But back to the sewing stuff. I decided I was going to put bindings on yesterday. No need to accumulate a pile like I did last year and besides, the two quilts that needed binding have deadlines.

I started with the local guild charity quilt. The guild had given me strips to make the binding so I made the binding and started to sew it on. Oh boy - I'm short - TWO INCHES.

Short of binding by two inches

No worries. I got out my tin of leftover binding and pretty much right at the top, I found some solid black that was very much the same black as the binding I was working on.

My tin of scrappy binding

It's hard to see in the picture, but the blacks match which is a miracle.

A scrap of black binding matches

And now that quilt is DONE and it's ready to be delivered at the next guild meeting. Oh, shoot - I forgot to write that in my book. That is finish Number Two for the year.

Charity quilt - DONE

In case you don't remember or never saw that millennium fabric, here's a closeup. It's the black fabric. There were several prints. I still have all of mine - totally untouched - 19 years later!!!  That quilt has been hanging around my house for a couple of years - not that I didn't have time - it was never a priority. This year, my goal is to get all quilts that do not belong to me out of my house.

Millennium fabrics used in the quilt

After the ladies left, I headed to the long arm. I don't really have time to quilt this week, but there are a couple that I really want to get done so I can deliver them when I go out.

I got this one quilted. This project was dropped off at a local quilt shop as the owner no longer wanted it or the family didn't know what to do with it. I pieced it a couple of Sit n Sews ago. And now it's quilted. It's only been hanging around my house for a couple of months, but the fabric is OLD. I think I saw on the pattern that it was from the early 2000s. I'm donating it to my local guild's community projects.

Community projects quilt - DONE

I couldn't make the binding until the quilt was quilted as I had to use the leftovers from the backing to make the binding. I cut the strips last night and they are ready to sew together. The quilt is trimmed. I'm not sure I'll get time to finish it this week.

As I get to the end of quilting one quilt, I think about what's on the list for the next quilts to be quilted and I choose one. So while the green quilt was being quilted, I got the next one ready to load. And now it's loaded and ready for me to quilt later today - I hope.

Next quilt - ready to be quilted

But wait - there's more! I was on a roll yesterday. I still had one more quilt that needed the binding put on.  I was merrily working on the front of the binding when I felt a tug on the thread. I looked up - oh shoot - I'm playing thread chicken yet again! See where the arrow is pointing? Yep - I was running low. I love using the PFAFF Creative Icon for sewing binding on - that IDT system is awesome.

Sewing the binding on

Phew - I had this much left once the binding was on.

Leftover thread after sewing the binding on

I used the same color to make the sleeve and once the sleeve was sewn, the spool was EMPTY. That was perfect!

Another empty spool

The sleeve is made and pinned on the quilt. It needs some hand stitching. Hopefully, I'll get that done this week. If not, early next week.

Sleeve pinned on and ready for hand stitching

Oh my - I'm having fun with my Vitamix. I see there's a function for making smoothies. I tried it this morning. It sets the timer to 45 seconds. Starts off slow and then kicks into high gear which is very NOISY. Oops - to those trying to sleep at 6 AM.

Still way below my calorie intake for the day. I need to have a second protein shake each day just to make up the calories. With all the exercise of shoveling the driveway, I had an extra almost 500 calories added to my intake. I think I missed almost 700 calories in the day which is NOT a good thing.

On that note, I'm out of here.

Have a great day and stay warm.

Ciao!!!