A night on the town

OK -- this is late. Nothing I can do about it and I also didn't go to spin class. That's what happens when you go out and don't get back until late. I was awake at the usual time, and then I said "are you kidding me?" and went back to sleep. I ignored my second alarm - that still wasn't enough sleep and so the blog is going to be late. 

One more UFO is OFF the list!!

I sewed the last binding on. This was very fussy to do and I had to redo the join several times, before the binding actually fit properly. That's why it got left in the first place. And I did notice AFTER I had hand stitched the binding in place, there's one tiny spot where the binding isn't quite right, but I'm NOT fixing it. It's deep inside the long yoga bag. It's staying that way and NO ONE will know the difference. 

The binding is attached

And there's the hand stitching on the second end. 

Hand stitching is now done

There's the yoga bag and it's done and I've marked it off the UFO list. I checked and this one is on the 2020 list. The full recap will come later this week. Oh yes -- this project is COMPLETELY done. 

The yoga bag

I have to laugh at my scrap bucket on the cutting table. It's getting a bit full and I have to make some bags to be used as pet mats. There's no time for that! 

The overflowing scrap box

And this is why it takes me so long to finish a project. I put the next UFO project on the wall. It's a very srappy 60 degree triangle pattern. All the blocks are done, but when I put it on the wall, it loses a bit of its effect. 

A scrappy 60-degree quilt

Hmm -- and I had nothing prepped to fill in the sides. Can you see that I've arranged the triangles into rows of hexagons, with a row of diamonds between? Nope -- neither can I. So that means, I have a bit more work to do. I really like the idea of the hexagons, but I want them to show. I could fill it in with a monochromatic fabric, or I could make more scrappy 60-degree triangles but in a different color? I like that idea and I think that's what I'm going to do. 

You know what that means -- this one will NOT get done before the end of the year. But I'm going to pick another color -- I'm thinking yellow or blue. That would be very striking and then I can use the leftover green blocks to do something else -- I have something in mind and I seriously need to start tackling some of those scrap boxes. OR -- I could eliminate the diamonds and just offset the hexagons. I need to play. 

Do you think it's a bad thing when your furniture is in exactly the same place it got moved to when the window installers were here? Normally, I wouldn't give it a thought, but the cleaning lady is coming again and GASP -- nothing got moved back in place. I've been too busy sewing. Hmmm -- I could move a couple of things just to make it look like I did something. No pictures got hung up, no blinds got put on the windows and knowing me, this place will probably still look the same in a month. 

That's also why we still have contractor beige on the walls after living here for almost 20 years. It's NOT a priority in my life and you can see why I'm anxious to get rid of stuff. We don't need or want it and would likely not miss it!

On Monday afternoon, DH got asked if he wanted some tickets to the Raptors basketball game. Hmm -- he asked me to go with him. I'm not a big basketball fan, but these were season tickets in a good spot and I'd likely never get another chance so I said yes. 

We decided at the last minute (we were in the car driving) whether we would take the train or drive. We voted for driving - not because we were afraid to take the train, it was all a matter of timing since we decided to eat there as well. 

Yikes -- when they make these parking garages, those ceilings are LOW and there is NOT a lot of room to maneuver around the ramps. 

Low headroom is right!

I haven't been downtown in a long time and the number of condos would blow your mind! And the office buildings are all interconnected  - well that is nothing new. Here's one of the doors to the Scotiabank Arena. But NO -- that is NOT the entrance we would take. Nope -- we went around the corner to the club entrance, which are basically fancy restaurants and lounges where you can eat and drink and access the arena from them. 

The entrance to the arena

Let's just say that we almost didn't get in. Why? Because the Adobe app on my phone crashed and that is where my vaccine certificate is. ACK!!!!  It literally would not open. So I had to reboot my phone and then it worked. There were ZERO lines so it wasn't a big deal. 

It's quite a labyrinth under the stands, but we eventually found the club that was associated with the tickets we had. 

We decided to eat dinner down there and I will NOT tell you how much the meal was. Way overp-priced, but it was good. I think we went to the movies for the same price as my plate of chicken!!

My chicken

But the tickets were in a good spot, almost center court, six rows back (not counting the rows on the floor). So it was all worth it. 

Almost close enough to touch

And the first half was OK, but the second half was exciting and it was a close game. So many fouls! They ended up losing by 5 points. 

Basketball game

There were NOT a lot of people and yes the players were mostly the secondary players -- I didn't recognize a single name, but then, it's not my game! But they were VERY serious about wearing masks. They had people with LARGE RED STOP SIGNS and they weren't afraid to talk to people about wearing their masks properly. No one got kicked out that I saw, but you got a warning and the second time, you got expelled! That's harsh, but necessary. 

It was a bit of a hassle to get out that tiny parking lot, but we were home in less than one hour so that was OK. 

As we drove past the CN Tower, I snapped this photo which was pretty cool. 

CN Tower

And on our way through the maze of buildings, we passed by this giant light sculpture.  I LOVE the colors. 

Giant light sculpture

On the way out, I snapped this photo.  WOW  -- that's amazing and you could make a quilt out of those colors/patterns. Do you see the secondary patterns in there? 

Well, that's a wrap for today. I'm not sure if I'll get to the sewing machine today. I need to get out and do some geocaching. I have until Monday to meet my monthly quota and I haven't started. So that's a priority. And perhaps I'll put some furniture back in place. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

UFO progress

I LOVE all of you! And I truly appreciate your reading my blog, and I've received so many fantastic suggestions. Jan gave me a BRILLIANT suggestion for the two UFO Clubs. I will pick a project to work on in one of the UFO clubs, and the assignment for the second one will be to quilt and bind one of my quilts. That's BRILLIANT. I'm going to have to do that as soon, I'm going to run out of room in those tubs, and I really don't want to buy another one. 

Yippeee!!! I love when a plan comes together. So thank you, Jan! You've made my day. 

And to emphasize that point here's what happened yesterday. 

I dug out some brown embroidery floss, and I did the wee bit of stem stitch embroidery that I had forgotten the previous day. 

The last part of the stem stitch on Enchanted Autumn

The backing, binding, and the top are now in the "to be quilted" pile. I CANNOT wait to follow Jan's advice and start quilting those quilts! 

I was delighted with the fabric I used for the border for that quilt. 

The border fabric for Enchanted Autumn

It has all the colors I used in the quilt and a leaf motif. It was perfect. Not sure where I found it, but it was in the project box, which is now empty and waiting for another project. As I return to decluttering, I know there are projects in plastic bags or no container, and those will get put into the plastic project boxes (Iris containers) that I've been using. 

I have other work to do, but now with the end of the year so close, I'm trying to reduce the number of UFOs as much as I can manage. What is wrong with me? Why couldn't I be focusing a bit more during the year? No worries -- I made fantastic progress this year, and I had other things to do during the year. 

I had to give the Double Wedding Ring bed runner a good press as I had not done that in my haste to finish it at the last sewing retreat. So I got that pressed, switched a couple of seams, so everything twirled nicely on the back, and I found one small seam at the edge that I had not sewn. So that top is done! This one is on the 2019 UFO list. 

Then it was onto the bias binding. It's always challenging to know exactly how much bias binding is required for a quilt with a curved edge, so I made lots! But the binding is also done. 

Making continuous bias binding

Then I searched the backings and couldn't find anything I really liked. I went through my boxes of batik fabric and found a couple of candidates, but not enough without some piecing to be done. 

Then I remembered that I had some green striped fabric that I desperately NEEDED many years ago. It was in the striped fabric bin, and IT WAS SUPER EASY TO FIND since I knew exactly where that was. The color is a bit bright, but no worries -- it's going to be just fine. 

The backing for the double wedding ring bed runner

And so this project got moved to the "to be quilted" pile as well and one more project off the UFO lists. 

Double Wedding Ring bed runner - waiting to be quilted

There are still a couple of days before the end of the year, and well, this next project won't take that long. Not nearly as long as those other two I just completed. I've put off finishing the yoga bag for some time, and this one is on the 2019 UFO list. And all that remains was to add the seam binding to the two end seams. 

One of the seams to be bound

I knew the job would be fiddly - that's why I was procrastinating. So I put on my big girl panties and got to work. It would probably have been better if I had made bias binding, but I did not, and those corners were "fun" to go around. 

Attaching the binding by machine

The pattern designer (byAnnie.com) likely recommended sewing the binding by machine front and back; I was NOT going to do that. It's a HUGE challenge - I did that with my backpack, and it was a hassle. 

So once the first side of the binding was stitched in place, I dug out a needle and thread and did the hand stitching. It allowed me to watch a couple more episodes of The Great British Baking Show. And I wonder why my Mom is more interested in watching "her" shows than she is in talking to me!! Since we were kids, she has been that way -- god forbid if she missed an episode of "The Edge of Night" or "Another World."  Can you believe that after 40+ years, the names of those are embedded in my brain?

Hand stitching and watching The Great British Baking Show

That hand stitching was fiddly. It was hard to hold the bag, there were four tight corners to go around, and it was bulky. BUT the good news -- one end is done!

The binding looks amazing before I turned that half of the bag inside out. 

One side of the binding stitched in place

And there's the other side. With my tiny little stitches, I doubt that stitching will come undone. 

The other side of the binding

And there it is, turned inside out, and the binding looks fantastic. 

The binding inside the bag

And now I get the fun task of doing that all over again on the other end. But I'm motivated right now, and I MUST get that done. I WANT that project off the UFO list by the end of this year!

I'm perusing the list to see what else can get done before the end of the year. I have one project in mind, and I'll see how it goes later today if I pull that one out. Some of those projects just need to be sewn together. So the blocks are done, the sashings (if any) are cut -- they just need to be assembled. That won't take a lot of time. However, it may take time to lay the blocks out. While I'm fussy, the actual block placement isn't supercritical in most cases. I throw them on the wall, make a couple of changes and then start sewing!

But I have a couple of quilts that I would like to get quilted before the end of the year, and I do have a project that I need to spend some time learning and one more project that I need to write instructions for. Hmmm -- what to do? And I have a sewing machine to start reviewing for QUILTsocial. Plus, some paperwork for the class registrations should be done. Hmmm -- what to do first?? 

I won't be lacking things to do. 

OH -- I also embroidered one more block for the Kimberbell Candy Cane Lane. There were no issues with this one, but lots of fiddling trimming for that tree with foam beneath to make it extra puffy!

One more machine embroidered block

And I had a helper. Well, not really a helper, but I was snacking on some hummus and cucumber. Since DH feeds the girls veggie bits when he cooks, they think they can get veggie bits from me as well. OK -- I caved and gave her some veggie bits. I mean, she was begging but trying to be very discrete! How could you not surrender? 

MOM -- can I have some veggie bits?

And that's a wrap on yesterday. I just pulled up my UFO presentation to save a copy for January as I will start putting it together. I need to choose one of my quilts to quilt and bind for January! Oh, what fun I will have today as I peruse the pile to see which one screams the loudest! Oh -- I just took a quick tour downstairs, and I already know which quilt it will be. I'm super excited!!!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Fireside Retreat - Day Four

Sadly, today is the last day here at Fireside Retreat. But who cares about that - it's what happened yesterday that counts.

There was no bike ride and minimal walking as we had a rainy day. No one complained about the rain. Everything has been so hot and dry around here that it was a pleasure to get the rain. I did go for a short walk after dinner, and it was nice to get out and stretch the legs. I did NOT make my 10K steps for the day, and I'm OK with that.

I do have another flower photo, but I didn't download it, so you get a snail instead.

Snail on the road

The moment I stepped close to take his picture, he retreated to the safety of his shell.

I did get a few pictures of what some of the others were working on. Here are a few of them.

Ronda seemed to be in bag making mode the entire weekend, although she's now working on some machine embroidery, and I think I saw that she completed another sports quilt.

The Crafty Tote

You can check out the FREE pattern at AllPeopleQuilt. And if you want the exact same panel that I used in the original, you can find that at Lens Mills in Cambridge.

Then onto a couple of A Little Duff'll Do It. Hmm - with that fabric, I wonder who these are for?

Little duffle bags

And lastly, a couple of zippered pouches.

Zippered pouches

Laura also finished off a Crafty Tote. This one had been sitting around for more than three years. It doesn't matter - it's done, and that's all that counts!! 

Laura's Crafty Tote

Claudette was hard at work on her Professional Tote. However, that bag, as I mentioned yesterday, is loaded with detail - pockets, trims, snaps, and who knows what else. This is one of the sides of the bag.

One side of the Professional Tote

One of the hardest, NOT the hardest, but one of the challenging feats of making this kind of a bag is getting all the supplies assembled, cutting and prepping the pieces. And don't forget to label them all, or you are in BIG trouble.

Pieces of the Professional Tote

Time for me to get something done! I pulled out the yoga bag so I could at least get that done. I wasn't going to be able to finish the backpack, so that went back in the laundry basket.

After I sewed the straps onto the yoga bag, they needed to be secured. I was going to turn this giant piece of fabric to create an X and then remembered that I had an 8-way stitch on my Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC 2. I used that stitch and stitched, left, right, backward and forward, and diagonally from left to right and right to left. It was super easy.

The 8-way stitch on the Designer EPIC 2

I had to deal with a LOT of thicknesses.

Stitching out the 8-way stitch

This is the reinforcement that I stitched on the handle. I love it. The stitches are a wee bit small, but I have a feeling that's due to the MANY layers of fabric. I'll have to practice that a bit. Using the 8-way stitch was way easier than rotating that large piece of the bag.

The reinforced handle

 The zipper got put in, but not without a wee bit of difficulty. It's a long zipper, and between Ronda and me, we had no issue putting the zipper pull on. It was the topstitching along the LONG tube of the bag that became a problem, but I got it done.

I had to laugh at one point - each of the clips on my sewing machine skirt represents a piece of bag part that got sewn into a bag. Thankfully, I had those clips with me as they became very handy when sewing the rest of the yoga bag together.

Clips attached on the sewing machine skirt

I'm chatting about the photos in the order they appear today. I'm too lazy to move them around. We've been talking about our Junque journals and what we could put in them. We NEEDED a date stamp. So a couple of us were off to Michael's to see what we could find. The store is small here and did not have date stamps, so we popped over to Staples, which was next door.

We found this display of Crayola crayons. Buy the tin and fill with 24 of your favorite colors - what a great idea.

Fill your tin with your favorite Crayola crayons

And these were the colors you got to choose from. I didn't buy any as I have several boxes of 96 crayons at home that are brand new—no need to add to the supplies when I don't need them.

Crayons to fill the box

It started to pour rain when we were in the store, so we had to make a dash to the car.  Then we were back at the retreat house and ready to get to work.

While most of us have been somewhat productive, we've also been very relaxed. Coffee (or tea) and chatting on the deck in the afternoon, although we didn't get a chance to do that yesterday with the rain.

I decided to take a break and work on something else. I pulled out those tumbling blocks. Yikes - all those Y seams - it sure does take a long time to work on these. But that's OK. The retreat is the perfect place.

14 tumbling blocks - DONE

The bad news about these blocks is that even though the blocks might be together, sewing them to each other is still a royal pain! But I want to get it done, and if I do a little bit each retreat or each day at home, it'll happen.

I see that I'm going to have some cutting to do as I have quite a few more dark diamonds than I do of the light and medium. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

The pile of diamonds still to sew together

Then it was time to tackle the yoga bag once more. The ends had to be stitched into the bag. I tried this way with the bottom next to the needle. That wasn't fun at all.

Sewing the ends in the yoga bag

I flipped it (and I should know this by now) so that the end of the bag was on the bottom, and I was stitching on the side pieces. That worked much better, but still, it was NOT a fun seam to sew. While the corners of the bag were rounded, it was challenging to get the bag to match to the ends. I would NOT recommend this pattern to anyone unless you are a very experienced sewist.

Sewing with the end of the bag on the bottom

I can see Shelly rolling her eyes right now, saying - everyone should know that this is the way to go. And it makes sense, and I teach it all the time in any class with curved seams. The fuller side of any curved seam should always be UP so you can control the excess fabric. I don't care - the seams are done! However, I do have to finish off those seams with bias binding, which I don't have with me.

See how handy those clips were. I can't imagine pinning those two pieces together, and the bag is very long (tall), and that made it cumbersome to sew.

Using clips to secure the two pieces

And here is the yoga bag!!!  I need to add a tab at both ends of the long zipper. There were none in the pattern, and I didn't think to add them. The moment I went to close the zipper, I thought - OH shoot - no zipper tabs. I'll do that when I get home, along with the seam binding.

I used batting in the bag and was a bit concerned that it would be limp and not keep its shape. However, with the pockets down one side and the squarish ends, it has loads of shape. I'm happy with it, but not ready to cross it off the UFO list yet. Close, but not yet.

The side of the yoga bag with all the pockets

The other side of the yoga bag with one pocket.

The other side of the yoga bag

Now that I think of it, I have a couple of projects on those Task Master UFO lists that are almost done. I really need to focus and get those crossed off the list. It would be great to create a new list for next year and have the other lists completely done. That's not going to happen, but I'm making good progress, and that's all I care about.

However, for the next retreat, I think I'm going to bring quilt blocks - super easy quilt blocks!!!! I don't think complicated bag projects are the right projects to bring to the retreat.

I snapped a photo of the rain pouring off the roof during the afternoon, right about the time that we would be out for our afternoon tea. As I mentioned, we did NOT complain as it was so refreshing to get the rain.

The afternoon downpour

 We needed to watch the rest of the movie we had started the night before. We decided to bring our movie screen into the sewing room as it was still raining, and the rain on the tin roof was going to drown out the sound. A couple of books to hold the sheet in place on the ceiling beam, and we were good to go.

Movie night

After that movie was done, another movie got put on, but it was past my bedtime, and so I went to bed as did a couple of the others.

So here's the thing about the food. We've done very well over the past couple of years to reduce the number of treats that we bring. We eat enough at the meals that we technically don't need treats. However, there seemed to be lots of treats, and we narrowed down the source. Hmmm - next time, those treats need to be hidden - well hidden within that person's private sewing space.

They sat on the table during movie time last night, and I did NOT touch one treat. The previous night was a totally different story. Too much is too much!!!!

On that note, that's it for today. I'm not riding my bike today. I never do on the last day. I'm going to finish up a zipper pouch, a mask, and I have a couple of other small projects to work on. I touched almost everything in the laundry basket. That system works!!!! But you must have your projects well-prepped - or at least not forget any of the supplies at home. I did very well this time.

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!

Fireside Retreat - Day Three

Why does time pass so quickly when you're having fun? We still have one more full day, and then there's no reason to rush home tomorrow, so I should be able to get a lot more done.

I can see the bottom of the laundry basket, but that doesn't mean that I'll get everything finished. And remember that a couple of projects that are "done" while I'm here, are in fact, not done as I didn't have the thread for the applique and so on. But most of the stuff that went into the "done" bag here is pretty much done.

I'm loving being this organized.

A HUGE thank you goes to Nina this morning. I'm trying to get that darn backpack of mine done. I wanted to change the straps on the back. Why??  Well, this is the way the straps are made according to the pattern. They are made from webbing that has been covered with fabric.

The straps on the original backpack

It's not that I use straps a lot, but sometimes, it's just very convenient to have them, and I intend to put my laptop in the new backpack, so I want something way more substantial than webbing for the strap. I also don't like the way the strap gets attached to the backpack. Essentially, it's attached to the back pocket. That doesn't make sense to me.

The straps are attached to the pocket

Even the handle. Can you tell me why the handle is attached to the pocket and not the seam between the back and the gusset? I'll have to rethink where my handles go.

Anyway, there's another bag called the Out and About bag. It's much smaller, but the straps are so substantial and padded, and I thought I would take the straps from that bag and apply them to this bag. For whatever reason, the instructions had me totally lost. There weren't good pictures in the pattern, and there were tons of pieces. A good diagram would have gone a long way. I thought I had it figured out, and then I remembered that Nina had made the Out and About bag. If she could take the time to send me some pictures, that would be awesome.

And she did!!!!

This is the link to her blog (which I must start to read!!!), where she made the same backpack that I'm currently making.

And this is the link where she posted pictures of the Out and About bag, including very detailed shots of the straps.

There is no pocket on the back of this Out and About backpack, so the straps and the handle are attached into the seam at the very top, which makes more sense to me. But the straps are padded and then also have the webbing attached to the padded part, so they are more substantial and probably way more comfortable.

I wonder why the pattern designer doesn't use the padded straps on the bigger backpack???  Oh well - this is where one takes a pattern and makes it their own!!!! 

Again -- thanks Nina -- those pictures are perfect, and now I have enough info to make the necessary changes.

I didn't get started at the sewing machine until almost lunchtime. I went out for a bike ride in the morning—an easy 34 KM. I stopped a couple of times to take pictures. NO - not because there was a hill. Just to take some photos. That's part of what a bike ride is - enjoy the scenery around you and not just ride and ride.

This is my flower photo of the day. I actually took this one while I was out walking. I've no idea what it is, but it was pretty, and I only saw one grouping of them along the entire walk.

My flower photo of the day

Don't you just hate when you open your camera, and there's your face because the camera lens got turned around? I thought - oh well - just take a selfie and move on! So here I am, after about 20 KM. I thought my face would have been a bit redder and more sweaty, but I look pretty chilled out!

A selfie while cycling

I was stopped when I took that picture. But this is why I stopped. This property had a big long stone fence, and this bike was permanently attached to the rocks, which I thought was kind of neat.

A bike attached to the stone fence

I found another route where I still have a hill to climb, but it's much shorter and only 7% incline, not 10% like the other hill. The only problem was that I then took that road all the way to the end, it landed me right on Highway 11, which is a pretty busy highway. II don't mind the traffic, and I was NOT going to turn around and bypass that part. I simply sucked it up and rode on the highway until the next turn off - a couple of KM. It was fine, and all the big trucks were very accommodating and moved over.

I was on lunch duty, so I had to run to the grocery store to get supplies. Then after lunch, I was finally able to get myself organized and back to work.

I wanted to make some progress on that darn backpack. There were still loads of pieces that needed to be sewn on, and I wanted to go home with a bit more work done than I had accomplished so far.

I got the gusset completed! Actually, it's called the zipper insert or something like that. The front and back of the backpack get sewn into this circle. The zipper (on the right) is the top of the backpack.

The zipper insert

There are two side pockets on the backpack. I made mine with the quilted fabric, but I think next time, I'll be using a mesh which will not add a whole lot of bulk.

Pockets on the side of the backpack

OK -- let's forge ahead and try to get more done. This is the front of the backpack. There's a LOT of work in this. The flap has a magnetic snap, which needed to be placed just so or the snap wouldn't close, and you want that flap to lie perfectly flat. A wee bit of jiggling, and it was done to my satisfaction. This was the part that I goofed up previously, but with a little bit of engineering, I got it to work.

The front of the backpack

Inside the flap are some little pockets where you could put a credit card or room key or whatever. If you didn't have those small pockets, whatever you put in there would drop to the bottom of the pocket. A lot of work and it all adds bulk, but I think they are worth it.

Card slots inside the front flap

Then there's another pocket on the inside of the front. That pocket has a zipper and is made with just fabric—no extra support.  I used one of my big zippers (zipper tape), but next time, I'd probably use just a regular zipper and mesh. Mesh was suggested in the pattern for the side pocket and the inside pocket, but I went with the fabric instead.

The inside of the front of the backpack

So those were two major components of the backpack - DONE. That leaves the straps and the back. Now that I have more information from Nina, I think I should be able to do a bit more work before we have to leave tomorrow. I thought I was missing some fabric but then realized that I had already cut fabric to make the original fabric covered webbing straps, and I'll just reuse that to add the webbing to the padded straps. I think I can almost get it completed this weekend. That would be great!!!


Then it was time to move onto the yoga bag. I know -- why all these bags? Quilts are so MUCH easier to make. All these pockets and zippered pockets and topstitching - it's a tremendous amount of work. Don't even think about asking for one unless you're prepared to make it yourself!!!

Both of these bag patterns are from byAnnie.com.  I do love her patterns and the end results are very professional looking - but I'm a bit ticked about things like the straps and the lack of pictures in some cases. And why should I have to pay $5 to watch a video on her website or buy a NEW version of the same pattern because she changed the instructions? Oh well --- let's move on.

Here is one side of the yoga bag with ONE pocket on it.

Side one of the yoga bag

And here's the second side of the yoga bag. This one has two zippered pockets (which we doctored at the last retreat as I didn't feel the zippers were inserted with enough stability) and there's one slip pocket.

The other side of the yoga bag

 The handle is also made and that's what I get to work on this morning.

It's definitely been a retreat filled with lots of bag making. Ronda made her backpack and then tons of zippered pouches and bags. She made a Crafty Tote, Laura made a Crafty Tote as well and several small Everyday Baskets. I'll try to get photos of it all today so you can see what we've been up to.

Claudette is making the Professional Bag. She was hoping to get it done this weekend and we all laughed at her! That's another very fiddly bag with loads of pockets, trim and other details. It's a very time-consuming bag.

She's using webbing for the handles and she dressed it up with some fabric that I LOVE. This is a super creative way to use webbing for a handle and not have it look like webbing.

Dressed up webbing for a handle

Then Katheleen blew us all out of the water. She made each of us a Junque Journal.

A junque journal

 It's a journal that's essentially made out of bits and bobs of stuff. I'm so excited about it. She also customized it with the topics of our group exchange a while back. Every time I look through it, I find something new.

Inside the junque journal

 She spent an enormous amount of time on the journals, and they are GORGEOUS. I'm going to start putting bits of stuff in the journal from our retreats. It's just the best. THANK YOU, Katheleen!!!

OMG -- we just had a chat about journals and I'm so inspired to get home and start a very cool project. It's so amazing to chat with each other and offer up suggestions.

Ronda is our entertainment coordinator. She's been wanting to have a movie night for a while. I brought along a projector and she somehow brought a movie.

I didn't even know what was going on with the setup. And I'm not good at watching movies late at night so I wasn't sure that I would last. This is the set-up for the movie. I had to laugh - there's a big sheet hung up and honestly - it worked like a charm.

Movie night at the retreat

 We had snacks that I ate too much of! And I wasn't going to sleep so that was good. We were watching the movie inside the screened-in porch which has a tin roof. Then the rain started and it started to pour. We had to stop watching the movie.  To be resumed later today!!!!

Rain pouring off the roof

What can I say? Retreats are just the best!!!  Good friends are even better and when you combine the two - well, it's heaven!!! 

I don't think I'll be riding my bike today. It's raining a bit now and it's going to rain most of the day. That's OK - we desperately need the rain and I didn't bring any rain gear. My knees and feet would be happy for a day off.

And I'll get my yoga bag done or almost!

Have a super day!!!!


Ciao!!!!