Sherlock and Dr Watson

 OK -- so what has happened to the weather? It's like someone turned on the faucet, and the hot water heater is broken. It's cold and rainy! I see it's overcast again this morning, and it feels like minus 2! Thank goodness I didn't bother bringing my bike! Although the weather gets better as the week goes along!

So I'm making progress on the stuff that I brought. Perhaps slower than I would like, but some of this has a learning curve, and well, I'm learning. I'm OK with that. And a lot of chatting is going on, which is perfectly OK! Phone calls, e-mails, visits from non-retreaters, and a quick shopping trip all ate into the sewing time, but a retreat is not just about sewing!

Since it was a rainy day and I needed a geocache, we headed to New Hamburg to catch an Adventure Lab in the library. OK -- so how is this going to work? It was very cool as we had to search out specific books and find ONE specific word in the book. 

The trusty sleuths, Susan (Dr. Watson) and Maryke (Sherlock) solved that puzzle in no time! 

The sleuths are hard at work

OMG --- it was a very neat adventure, and there were a couple that we had to think about before we got the correct answer! I can't imagine the person who set it up! I love this picture - does it look like she discovered a naughty thing in the book!! 

Sherlock is hard at work!

It was interesting that the young girls working there knew nothing about the Adventure Lab, and what happens if the book is checked out? I don't think these books were going anywhere! 

On our way to the library, we spotted a quilt in a window. WOW - what's this? Then we realized it was a credit union, and this was their logo. 

Logo of the local credit union

OK -- so we all know those units as flying geese, and the block itself is called Dutchman's Puzzle. I did NOT go in to get a picture -- I thought it was weird enough that I took the picture outside the window!

Dutchman's Puzzle Quilt

OH -- this library was very cool as they had a jigsaw puzzle swap. You could swap a puzzle for another one. What a brilliant idea. There were a couple of interesting puzzles, but since we didn't have a puzzle, we couldn't take one. They also had a seed lending program as well. How cool is that?

I spotted this puzzle. YES -- that is a puzzle. Don't ask me why. 

A Swiss Chalet puzzle

If you live in our area, you are probably a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, and they are in the playoffs. There was an audience here watching the game. But alas, the seats got abandoned - well, this was during intermission. 

Intermission at the hockey game

There was much cheering during the goals, but sadly our team didn't win. But there's always Thursday night! Go, Leafs, Go! 

I see the group is slowly getting up, and let's hope the rain stops soon, but everything is super green here! Even the farm equipment, and there is lots of that, as in addition to being a retreat house, it's an active farm, and the men are always doing something on the other side of the yard with the equipment. I imagine they want this rain to disappear as well! 

So lots of stuff to sew, and I have to get out for a walk, so there's no time to waste! 

Oh yes -- I've got the information for the scrappy quilt by Sandy, and it's a go! I'll provide more details once I'm home and have time to check the calendar. I think it's a bit too early to sign up for the class, but as long as you express interest, I'll put you on the list. Here's a picture of it again. 

Send me an e-mail (elainetheriault@gmail.com) and put SCRAP in the subject (I did get all those that put something else in), but it helps me locate all the e-mails. I got everyone! I'll add you to my list, and you'll get more information. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

It's a beautiful day!

OK -- so I've already done several things this morning that I haven't done in a long time. First, I had a relatively late night and NO nap during the day, so I slept in. That was until I heard naughty Lexi, who spent the night outside, barking! That dog never barks! It must have been something very important. 

After scolding her, I left her outside. Only to hear her barking again but in a different corner of the yard. I captured her and brought her in. She is NOT happy. Murphy went ballistic in the house, so if anyone was sleeping, they aren't any longer

The second thing is I started a blog post and then decided I didn't have time to do that topic justice, so I left it as a draft. I'll finish writing it tomorrow when I have more time. 

Last night, I presented my Scrap Quilt trunk show to the Grand Quilt Guild. Yes, - I managed to get everything packed for that show and in the car in the afternoon. 

Suitcases packed for a trunk show

It was a pleasant drive to get there, and the temperature is amazing. They host a hybrid-style (Zoom and in-person) meeting, which I had never experienced. I had heard horror stories about these, so I had no idea what to expect. 

First, the guild members were so helpful and nice, and a few faces that I haven't seen in a long time! And one lady brought in a quilt that she had started in a class with me, and the quilt was done. 

Completed quilt by a student

This is the Schoolgirl Sampler quilt which, funny enough, I just quilted the other day for someone who was also in that class. 

Anyway -- I have to say that this group has the hybrid thing down pat! It worked like a charm, and we could see the people at home, and they could see me and my quilts and anything else that happened in the room. It's a little tricky to get everyone to use the microphone so the people on Zoom can hear everything, but I was super impressed. Way to go, Grand Quilt Guild, and if anyone is struggling with the technology -- give them a call! 

And a HUGE thank you to the guild for allowing me to bring my stories to them. 

I have to laugh because I had ALL the technology that they used, so technically, I could make it work if I wanted to do something like that, which I don't! 

The drive home was equally pleasant, and I fell into bed. 

Yesterday morning, I spotted the first daffodil - the first of many, I'm sure, but spring is here. Or perhaps spring just bypassed, and we are into summer? Although I see from the forecast that next week will be cooler, which is good. It's too early to have super hot weather. 

One daffodil

See those two red marks on my middle finger. Where did those come from? That would be Murphy. When we were out for a walk, she decided that the half-eaten bagel on the side of the path was for her. I didn't see it in time to prevent her from picking it up, but once I realized it, I stopped and pried it out of her mouth. She does not need extra food, and you never know what's in the crap along the path. 

My throbbing hand

Let's say that she was NOT happy and was trying very hard to eat the bagel while my hand was in her mouth. I felt those teeth clamp down hard, and it hurt, but I was NOT giving in. And soon, the bagel was tossed aside, and Murphy was happily on her way again. Meanwhile, my hand was throbbing. She didn't break the skin, and there doesn't seem to be a bruise, so I'll live. 

I've been bitten on the hand by a dog before (poor sweet Sammy and it was my fault entirely!), and it's extremely painful - I got off lucky!

All the mounds of snow are fast disappearing. There are just a couple of sad-looking piles in the mall parking lot. 

Not much snow left

I did something naughty -- I did not finish my three goals for the day, so that means I'll have to do them today, but I don't think I have time as I need to find a few more samples and finish off the presentation for my two events at Hamilton Sewing. Those events are today, and I need to unpack one of the suitcases and pack it up again. So there's very little time to get that done. 

And what was I doing during the day? I could NOT help myself --- the gazebo was calling, and I was out there for quite a while. There was a gentle breeze, the wind chimes were tingling, and it was absolutely too nice to be inside! 

The view from the gazebo

There will be a bit of cleanup to happen in the yard, and we'll call our guy to make that happen. Yes -- we could do that ourselves, but for the cost of him doing it, why would I want to? I don't mind the work, but I'd rather sit in the gazebo! For the most part, our backyard is very maintenance-free, and I like it that way. The pond people are coming to open that up next week, so the sound of water will be added to the mix. I may have to start sewing out there! 

And yes, my trusty companion was with me. 

MOM --- just hanging out

You can't see it in that picture of the backyard, but I have a lot of eclectic art along the fence, and I love looking at it. Well, I've decided that we need something else for the backyard, and I will order it tomorrow! You have to wait - I'm so excited about it!

Gosh -- it makes me upset when I look out my window -- I used to use those cedars as a wind gauge, although I can still see trees out the window. And this would be the time the birds were building nests, and I won't see any of that this year. I should have stopped him! 

I had to laugh at the spin class. I moved to the opposite of the room (GASP -- no one moves) to get away from a couple of people on the side where I usually park my butt. Then a guy shows up that we haven't seen in a long time -- he's relatively young. Oh my gosh -- he was so NOISY -- grunting and groaning on the bike. And so vocal! I HATE that in a class!!!

So when he gets off his bike, he makes a HUGE deal about how hard it was, and blah, blah, blah! Then he asks the room at large, "How do I handle all the work?" I shot back --- you PACE yourself. I wanted to add - "you idiot!" but I held my tongue. 

What bugs me is that it's all for show. "Look at me -- I worked so hard," yeah -- well the rest of us work just as hard, but we're smart about how we work. And when he was done, he took a selfie while he was still on the bike. And then, because he's friends with some of the others, he took a picture with Joseph (the instructor) and a couple of others. He was laying on the floor and making a huge demonstration of how exhausted he was. Good grief ---- are we, adults or children? 

Don't get me wrong -- I like to have fun just like the next person, but I don't like to draw attention to myself, and I don't like making an idiot of myself, and I certainly will NEVER put myself out there as an idiot -- at least I hope I don't!

Well, it's time to get the day rolling -- time is short this morning, and lots to do!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Quilts and magazines

Here's a question to contemplate today. Are shopping trends set by the consumers or by the retailers? I read an article yesterday about it. The retailers said that consumers are planning better (really?) for the holidays and want to get their shopping out of the way earlier. Therefore, they put Christmas decorations out earlier and earlier. Black Friday sales are no longer for Black Friday - it's Black Friday every day for a month! 

It's a combination of both, but I say the retailers are behind the trends. And before the retailers get their hands on the products, the marketing departments of the various companies are trying to gain an inch of competitive advantage. 

My philosophy is to buy what you need when you need it and can afford it. Who cares what the trends are - I don't care about what everyone else is buying (OK -- I cave from time to time - at least in the quilting area), but it's mostly about what I need/want. 

OK -- so I'm making slow progress in the vortex of paperwork. Progress is good - I wish it could be faster, but hey -- it'll get done. And seriously?? I need a second monitor, so my calendar is always handy. For whatever reason, I plug things in the calendar and then don't translate the correct date or time in e-mails. What is that all about? That requires a wee bit of jiggling today to fix that small detail! 

I was looking for a magazine that had one of my quilts in it. After a lengthy and thorough search, I could not find the magazine. I have tried to keep all the magazines and all the paperwork in the same box, but obviously, I haven't. Actually, there was a period during the pandemic when we didn't or couldn't get print copies of various magazines.  

My magazine box

However, I did find this quilt which I love. 

My Sweater quilt in a publication

But alas, it is now washed and destined to be gifted later this week. I hope they like it. 

Sweater Season!

It's in this issue if you want the pattern, and it's made from Maywood Flannels, which are gorgeous!! That's the December/January 2021 issue of Quick and Easy Quilts. 

Quick and Easy Quilts

I will contact the publisher to see if I can find the one I want right now. There were so many changes in publications for a while, and editors have come and gone; I've no idea how they keep their records. I don't even know what publication the one I'm looking for was in! 

It was made with precuts, and I wanted to share the pattern (hey -- it no longer belongs to the magazine) with my precut group! I found the EQ8 diagram, but that's all. 

Let me know if you recognize this quilt and have the magazine. 

One of my precut quilts

It would have been around 2019, and initially, it was to go in Quickly Quilting, but I don't know if that publication ever got off the ground. I LOVE the quilt, and I could write the pattern for the group. But I'll wait to see how many want the pattern. 

We had an excellent precut class. So many great ideas and so much inspiration; who knew there was so much to learn about precuts! The goal is to make at least ONE quilt from the precuts over the course of the class. My goal is three - the first is cut and ready to sew!

Then we had our scrap class. Oh my -- so much that one can do with scraps, and it all depends on your definition of a scrap. Here's a block I quickly threw together yesterday morning. There will be a few more like that coming. 

Scrap block from orange batiks

And the table runner class focused on free motion quilting was a HUGE hit. I can't tell you how excited I was when I saw the homework and how everyone thought about their designs and then found a way to execute them. That's what it's all about -- how to solve a problem and get it done! And they excelled at that! I might share them later this week. 

There are two more sessions this morning, and all the presentations are ready! The next customer quilt is on the long arm and ready for this afternoon. And yes, there is an e-mail or two that has to go out today. The first priority will be to get those darn dates in order. How the heck did I mess myself up like that?

OK -- I'm printing off that introductory e-mail to all the groups so I can see the darn dates when plugging into my calendar, and I'll keep it in my book as a reference. 

Are you watching the world cup soccer? It's been on in our house since the beginning, and Miss Lexi is getting pretty comfortable as she watches the matches. Although, I wonder if she can see anything with that table in the way. Seriously -- she now sleeps on either side of it and couldn't care less. 

The Princess 

Oh -- my call for the soccer? Morroco versus Croatia, and Croatia takes it all! What do I know about the game? Nothing! 

Murphy, on the other hand, is the outdoors girl. That's a total lie as she also likes to be in the house with Mom and Dad, but boy - does she love to go for a walk. Chasing leaves is her favorite thing, so windy days are NOT fun! And yesterday, she climbed up this dead tree. 

Mom -- Look at me -- I'm a dog in a tree! 

Hmm -- what happened to the birds? I don't have the right kind of feed? I spotted a mommy cardinal yesterday, but it's been pretty quiet. 

The bird feeders are quiet

Well, that's it for me. I've got two girls to walk, and then the day starts!

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!

PROGRESS!

I'm so excited, as I made excellent progress yesterday on my projects, and it makes up for the lack of real progress on projects over the last couple of days. 

It seemed to take forever to get the first one done, and I thought I was doomed for the day. But at last, I got my scrappy green quilt done. Well, this is step one of the project. It's not super big -- about 21 inches. I made 49 blocks that are 3" finished. It was totally from the scrap box, and it took a long time to complete. So if anyone is complaining about not having enough to do -- start sewing from scraps. That'll slow you down!!!

My scrappy green quilt top is done!

Then I changed the thread color and finished the binding on this quilt. 

The binding is done on this quilt

I see the edges are a bit wavy, which means it should have been blocked before I put the binding on, but I'm going to try and steam it to get it flat. It's not bad and just needs a sleeve on the back, and then it's done!!

The binding is on the wall hanging

Then it was onto the next project. I had THREE almost finished tote bags. The only thing left to do was add the flap. The flap was cut, but I couldn't finish them - why? Because the three pieces of Velcro were missing. One part of the Velcro had been attached to the bag, but the second half was missing. When cleaning up something in the closet upstairs, I found the Velcro bits. So I brought the three bags with me to get them done. 

The missing flap on the tote bags

I stitched that Velcro in place even though it's supposed to be fusible - I never trust that. So three tote bags are now completely done. 

Three completed tote bags

Then onto the last project slated for yesterday. Could I get that done as well? It was a tote bag that I promised to make for someone. When I was prepping for my serger class, I needed a piece of very loosely woven fabric to showcase the serger, and this was precisely what I was looking for. 

I had prepped all the pieces by fusing the fusible fleece and the Decor-Bond to the fabric. I used my Singer steam press, which made that task extremely easy and took seconds instead of much longer with an ordinary iron. If you are into making bags, you NEED a steam press. 

This tote bag was a preprinted panel that the manufacturer suggested you sew together with NO LINING and no interfacings. I've seen it done that way, and it looked like a limp rag. Very sloppy, and with the loose weave of the "canvas," this would fray to death. So I made it like I make all my tote bags -- Fusible fleece on the outer part of the bag, Decor-Bond on the lining, and the handles were made substantial!! 

Speaking of handles, I used the bits that came on the panel as decorative trim on black fabric for the handles. That meant I had to turn the tubes inside out! That's not a fun job when you don't have a tube-turner. But I found tweezers in my toolbox and used those. It was still a fiddly job, and several times, I was tempted to give the entire thing back to the owner and have her finish it. But NO -- I persevered. 

Turning the tubes for the handle trim

Then it got down to the wire -- the last bit, which is to turn the bag inside out. I hate that part, and I was tempted to give it to Ronda like this. 

Turning the bag inside out

But NO -- I persevered. It helps when you sew with friends as they keep your brain occupied while you do those awful jobs. And VOILA -- the finished tote bag. 

The completed tote bag

Notice how it stands up on its own? It would never have done that if following the instructions written by the manufacturer. And personally, I think the proportions are out. It's too long for the width, so if you have a short person, this will drag on the ground! Sigh -- not my bag, not my problem!

So you want to see what some of the others are working on? Dede and Kathi both got their tulip table runners completed. Now they just have to quilt them, which I think Dede will attempt today. 

Tulip table runners!

And Katheleen is working on the strips sets for a bargello quilt. Plus, they did a lot of other work, but that's all I got pictures of. 

Katheleen's bargello

I dug through my project bag to see what I could work on today. I have to say that it's kind of fun to get caught up on or finish a project and move to something new. I did FOUR things yesterday. At some of the retreats, I work on ONE project for the entire retreat!!!

Today, I have another scrappy project. This is all the leftover yellow flannel that came from the community projects. Most of the scraps were prepped and ready to sew (it's good to be prepared), so I started last night. I now have 31 blocks made. 

31 blocks scrappy yellow flannel blocks

There's a larger piece of flannel that could be used for the backing. Using that as the backing, I would need to make 64 blocks, and I might just have enough scraps to make that happen. 

Sewing scraps of yellow flannel

The blocks are 5" unfinished. And there's one more piece of flannel that will work for the binding. My goal is to get the top together and the binding made. 

Then I have one more scrappy project and a small paper pieced project on the agenda for today. 

Tomorrow is our last day, and this is what is left in my project bag. There are three projects there; none of them will take super long to do, but they will still take time, so I feel that I packed very well for this retreat. I'm finally learning!!!

My project bag is almost empty

Let's not forget that we took a trip to Creekbank Sewing in the morning. This is a store on a Mennonite farm about 30 minutes away. We all came away from that store completely energized, and I'm sure they were happy with our visit. Here's the thing -- the two ladies in that store were the BEST salespeople I have ever seen in a quilt store. If you were looking for something, they showed you what they had, offered suggestions, and weren't afraid to dig out whatever to show you more. They were never pushy, but they were good!!

It was hilarious, but I swear that we all almost walked out with some form of quilting or sewing machine! Yep -- if we could have fit those boxes in the car, we would be sewing on Berninas today! Anyway -- those ladies were very professional, and I love the store. They have some classes that sound very good, but unfortunately, I won't be around on that day. Darn!!!!

I spotted this old sewing machine on a shelf. This was probably the top-of-the-line (or the ONLY) sewing machine offered by PFAFF at one point in time. 

An old PFAFF sewing machine

And today -- this is what they have. 

The creative icon 2

We passed a ton of wind turbines on the way there, and I managed to get this picture as Katheleen was speeding down the road. 

Wind turbines along the road

We're done!!! We completed our 10,000 KM trek across Canada on March 31. We came in 66th of 243 teams, which is fantastic considering we are four people and NONE of us are runners. We averaged just under 36.5KM each day!!! That's pretty darn impressive. Thanks to Helen Anne, Nancy, and Shelly for a great adventure!!! What's next for our little group? 

I slacked off with the walking yesterday; although I did walk 8 KM, it's nowhere near my norm. I'll get back to it seriously after this retreat. It's probably good to take a wee break. In the afternoon, I walked to the grocery store and picked up something for dinner tonight. And on the way, I spotted two Canda geese. Did you know they branch out into pairs at this time for nesting? I had no idea, but now that Katheleen mentioned it, I'm noticing them in pairs everywhere!

A pair of Canada geese

So the class that wasn't Zoom, but is now hybrid so we can attend is on today!! That's this afternoon, so I'm looking forward to that. I have loads of learning to do with the Brother Scan and Cut, so hopefully, this will help. 

On that note, I"m out o  here. I have work to do, and there's no time to waste!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Questions to contemplate for cutting with the Scan and Cut

 OK -- so I have FOMO. Linda's Sonos speaker works with Alexa!! I think I could make that happen, but it has to be connected to my phone via BlueTooth. I'm not quite awake yet - I may need to think about that one. 

The GREAT news -- I'm done working for the week! I can now enjoy the rest of the retreat, which is super exciting. At first, I was slightly miffed that the timing was terrible, but it worked out OK, and I'm glad I went. Met new people, visited with people that I already knew, and it was worth my time to be away. 

Now I'm organized and ready to sew. OH -- we're going to a quilt shop this morning, and I signed up for a zoom class tomorrow! LOL. I'm don't really care how much I get done -- I'm on vacation, and I can do whatever I want!

I came back with a HUGE sewing machine in a box, which filled up the car. I'll need to go out and rearrange everything later today to make sure I can get the rest of the stuff in my car when we pack up on Sunday. 

I've got my projects set out for what I want to accomplish today. I'm not too optimistic -- finish the binding on a small quilt, attach a flap to three tote bags, finish my greens scrappy quilt, and make a tote bag that is all prepped. So -- will it happen? Let's see!

Here's my scrappy green project. I finished all 49 blocks last night, and I want to get all of them together. Then I'm going to use it for something else, which I'm not sharing! - At least not yet. You'll have to wait for that, and I hope to get at it this coming week. 

My scrappy green quilt

So I bought a Brother Scan and cut a couple of years ago. I haven't used it much, but I really want to use it. I want to cut applique shapes with it for machine embroidery applique. Now that Katheleen has a larger embroidery machine, she also wants to do the same thing. OK -- she is more motivated than I am, but I dare not let her get ahead of me!! 

We are both determined to learn this, and there are many steps along the way to make it happen. Lots of software is involved, scanning, cutting, and a lot more. So -- that is why I signed up for the Zoom class on Saturday. Shoot -- I hope it's a Zoom class. It better not be an in-person class, as I'm not driving to Kingston for that! I never even thought to check, and it doesn't say on the website. 

 ACK!!!!!   -- It's an in-person class! Why didn't I check that before I signed up! Good grief --- I'd better get myself together for future events. OK -- so I really want to see this information but not this weekend. 

But here was Katheleen last night cutting away. She cut her applique shapes and had a lot more on the wall that she had cut earlier in the day. 

The Scan and Cut hard at work

The shapes came out great -- just a wee glitch on a couple. But I'm wondering how much time this is saving? Even if you do the machine embroidery applique and have the embroidery machine do the final stitching -- are you saving time? You will undoubtedly get a better-looking end result unless you're really good at applique stitches which I am. But it's all in the spirit of using the technology, and once you learn how to be proficient at it -  it should go smoothly. OK -- going to have to get in the groove of testing and see how quickly I can make that happen. I really think it'll depend on the project. 

How clean is the original file? How quirky are the shapes to cut? What results do you want? How will you finish the edges? I can see it being handy and much faster if you had a lot of the same shape -- that certainly speeds up the process, but if you had to clean up and scan and position a bunch of one-of shapes -- that would take a LONG time and probably way faster to do by hand. 

However, if you purchased a design that already had the SVG files created --- that would be a time saver. So like everything --- there is a time and a place. I'll be spending some time investigating this line of technology, but I think I already know when and where I'll use it. 

I dug out a small bag of enders and leaders, so I'll be good to go as I sew my green top together. 

Enders and leaders ready to sew

Here's the update on our virtual challenge of walking across Canada. We are 11.2 KM from the end. Shoot -- if I had been able to walk my typical distances the last three days, we would have been there. However, we have one person who enters her data every couple of days, so we should be there if she inputs her data TODAY! And we will have finished on March 31. This is the LAST time you'll see us on this map! 

Almost at the finish line

I'll let you know our final standing -- 65, 66, or 67? I have to wait until we cross that finish line. It looks like it's only us near the finish line, but there are three teams very close, so it depends on who gets the date in first! 

There's nothing like a little friendly competition! 

I had a great sleep and stretched out my IT band along my leg a bit. I was in a lot of pain yesterday because it is so tight. That's what happens when you don't stretch properly. Nothing to do with my hip joint, just a darn muscle that is not happy! So I'll go through the pain and torture of breaking down the fascia today with my foam roller. Oh yippee -- I love self-torture!

On that note, I'm all set up and ready to sew until it's time to visit the quilt shop! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Another good deed

 

So Murphy and I were out for a walk. We had just started down the multi-purpose path near us, and we spotted a skunk by a tree. WHOA! Of course, Murphy went nuts, but then I noticed the skunk was NOT well. I stopped to take a picture which didn't turn out, and a couple of joggers passed me and mentioned that the skunk didn't look well. OK -- so it wasn't just me. How does a skunk not look well? When they are having a seizure -- that's how! 

I stopped and called Animal Services. Good grief -- my second time in a couple of months. Yep -- they would send someone to pick it up. 

Murphy and I walked up the path for a couple of blocks and then turned around and walked back down. I was NOT walking on the sidewalks yesterday -- they were treacherous. By the time we got back to that corner, the Animal Services van was there. As I approached, the officer approached the skunk with a cage and quickly walked away with the cage. I'm guessing the animal was so sick that it didn't budge, and she just used her foot to nudge it in the cage. 

OK -- so the area was pretty smelly with the skunk smell, and I wondered how she would deal with that in the van. AHA -- there's a little platform on the back of the van, and she strapped the cage onto the platform. So the smelly skunk got to ride outside. I'm sure he's long gone by now, but the way he was acting made me think of distemper or rabies, and we don't want that in our yard. 

The skunk gets a ride on the back of the van

We had a great Monday sewing. We will be very hard-pressed to go back to in-person sewing when we would be allowed. I really like Zoom as it allows people to participate from anywhere. Two people are vacationing in Florida right now, and even when they are back in Canada, they are too far away to come to the in-person sewing. One person lives in Massachusetts, and one other person was in the in-person group and moved to Eastern Ontario. It's the packing up of machines, the driving, and the set-up -- well, I think Zoom is here to stay for the sewing group!

It's a shame that more people from our group didn't embrace the technology. It's been a saving grace for us during the lock-downs. 

And now onto some work that I did! YES -- actual sewing. I was a bit behind in the homework for Wanderer's Wife. I had only made one of each of these two blocks, but I needed two, so I made the second of each. 

Blocks for Wanderers Wife quilt

And I remade these blocks. 

New courthouse step blocks

I had originally made them all yellow. 

Old courthouse step blocks

But I realized that I should have made blue and yellow blocks, not just yellow. So those are remade. 

And here are the other blocks that we've made so far. 

Pinwheels

Square in a square

More square in a square

And one final square in a square

Two of these blocks are pictured above, but the third block is different. 

My background strips are cut. I'm not sure if I have cut enough, so I need to work on the sub-cutting, labeling, and assembly of those strips. That might be a job for the virtual retreat that's this coming weekend. But other than working on the strips -- I'm up to date! It's a challenge to keep up with all these sew-alongs. I'll be evaluating the number that I start in the fall! I love teaching them, so I'll always be doing some!

But after we finish the four Jen Kingwell quilts that I'm working on, that will be it for Jen for a while! 

And this weekend, there are FIVE classes to prep, so it's going to be a busy week. Plus, that French serger class will finally start this week - I hope. It's been delayed two weeks in a row now for various reasons. 

I also finished my scrappy green quilt. Here's the top. 

Scrappy green hexagon quilt

The backing and the binding are done, and it's now in the "to be quilted" pile. 

Backing and binding are done

This quilt was on my 2020 UFO list, so that leaves eight more projects on that list. Yes -- slow and steady, these giant UFO projects are getting done. 

And I added two more hourglass blocks to my bag. So now I only need five more before I can start to sew that project together. 

Two more hourglass blocks

 

I hope to get five more from the stack of triangles by the sewing machine. We'll see how it goes. It's not like I'm in a rush to start sewing that quilt together. 

Hmm -- as I'm writing this, I remember that there were two things I thought of last night as I lay in bed. I did NOT write them down, and now -- do you think I can remember what they were? Nope! Hopefully, it comes to me today! 

I don't know what Murphy did, but it looks like she put herself in the dog house. Sleeping in her bed facing the wall? She doesn't normally do that. Poor thing. Maybe she was traumatized by the skunk incident!

Facing the wall

Don't forget that we have the Virtual Retreat this weekend! I almost forgot! It starts on Saturday, February 26 at 6 PM and technically goes until 9 PM. And then Sunday, February 27, it starts at 11:30 AM and goes until whenever. I'll post the links starting tomorrow. It will be super fun, and I'm getting stuff lined up and ready to sew. 

On that note, I'm off to see the condition of the sidewalks this morning. Yesterday was a glorious day, and I walked a LOT after Monday sewing. But it's hovering at zero this morning, and my guess is that those sidewalks are going to be treacherous with bits of ice patches all over. We might be walking only on the multi-purpose path again. That's OK -- we can go for miles on it, and Murphy behaves because there aren't many squirrels. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!