An evolution in long arm quilting

I had some major running around to do yesterday, so I didn't get much accomplished, but I did manage to sort more crap. I'm happy to report that only this much remains to sort. 

What's left to sort

None of the three containers are super full, but it's now down to the crappy stuff so I might just do a bit a day. I know - I shouldn't do that. Just get it done, and then it's done! OK -- I'll try to focus a bit more on it today. I need to move on, as I have a lot to accomplish today. 

There is room on the supply shelf for three more containers, and of course, a lot of this will fit in the existing containers. If I EVER buy another supply without checking those containers first, that is grounds for execution. OK - that's a bit drastic, but you know what I mean. The best part is that it will be easy to find something, since everything is organized. 

I had two spots where those templates could be, so I tackled one this morning. Good grief - I found a ton of stuff that is set aside to do. Since I'm not doing any of it, they are technically UFOs. I don't have room on the shelf for them, so they will stay on my rolling cart. And loads more supplies, but I left them here for the moment. I'll tidy up that area another day. 

More supplies on the rolling cart

This is what happens when you think something is cute. You buy it TWICE!!!! Since the price and the location where I purchased them are the same, it was likely very close in time that I bought two of them. Sigh......

Why buy one when you can buy two?

And how much ribbon does one person need? Good grief - I have one container for ribbon on a spool and one for loose ribbon. I should NEVER have to buy ribbon again. 

Two containers of ribbon

I found more fabric for making bags - this is nice stuff, a bit heavier than cotton, and features some fun prints. Again, I never need to ever buy more fabric, for anything, except maybe some backgrounds; but even then, since I make scrappy quilts, I'm set for the rest of my life. 

I still have a small pile of UFOs and fabric to attend to, but I can incorporate that into my day. I no longer have the luxury of time to focus on this stuff. I have a LOT of writing to do and some projects to make. 

More UFOs to deal with

If you have a long arm, you know there are different ways to load the quilt onto the leaders. The most common method is to pin the quilt backing and the front to the canvas leaders, allowing you to quilt. I don't mind pinning, it's kind of therapeutic, yet people make a big deal about getting poked, but seriously? I've never drawn blood with the pins. It's not that slow either, despite what you hear. 

However, it can lead to the disintegration of the leaders. I mean disintegration. The center of my pickup leader is gone. It's so threadbare, the threads are no longer there! See what I mean? 

The threads are gone! 

And the ends of the leaders can stretch with use. Keep in mind that this machine and those leaders are almost 20 years old. I think I bought the machine in 2006. I could be wrong about that. I purchased new leaders several years ago to replace the old ones, but I never got around to installing them. 

Years ago, it became fashionable to use zippers to attach quilts to the leaders. This was especially helpful if you quilted custom quilts and needed to switch between a custom quilt (which takes eons to quilt) and an edge-to-edge quilt (which takes a couple of hours). Instead of unpinning, you unzipped. I bought a set of zippers in 2012. I paid $70 for them and they are still in the package - never opened. 

A new pack of zippers

At some point, rods (inserted into a channel on the edge of the leaders) and clips became the big thing used to hold the quilt backings in place. Yes - I bought that too and paid $120 for it, and it was never opened. 

The leader grip system

My little journey yesterday was to buy a new system for loading quilts on the long arm. I know - you're thinking, ' Why bother? ' I don't think I ever used either of the previous two systems because it was too gimmicky, and I could never understand why it was easier. I only worked on one quilt at a time, so zippers weren't really necessary. The rods and clips just seemed too cumbersome to me, so I never installed them. OK - so why did I buy them? 

The new trend is to use magnets. OK -- if you are into machine embroidery, you know that metal or magnetic hoops (yes - they are NOT the same) are the best thing since sliced bread. A friend of mine started using magnets on her long arm about a year ago (they were introduced about four years ago), and my initial impression was that it was another gimmick, and this one wasn't cheap. So I didn't even look into it. 

After Quilt Canada, I had another friend who bought them and raved about them even more than the first person I heard use them. OK - I need to look at this a bit more closely. Well, guess what? I came home with magnets for the long arm. I will NOT tell you the price - these things are NOT cheap. Which is maybe what made me think twice last year. 

My long arm magnets

I only need three of the boxes; the other two are for the two people who changed my mind. Remember - I'm an old dog and I don't take to change very well! However, the timing was perfect because I needed to replace those leaders, and now I can establish the proper channel for the magnets, and all is good. See, I waited for a reason! 

The other two items were left at the long arm store in case someone wishes to have one of those loading systems. Yes - people still use zippers and the rods and clips. They work well, but just not for me. 

I have one more thing to get, and then I have all the supplies I need for the long arm spa day. I'm going to wait until I have all the customer quilts done and my personal ones I need for September. Then I can shut it down and work on reassembling the long arm correctly. 

Supplies for the long arm spa day

On my way home from that journey, I had a lovely visit with a friend as I dropped off a few quilts for people in her area. I still have some quilts to return from borrowing them for Quilt Canada. Less than half need to be returned, and I hope to complete this by the end of the month. Then home and back to work. 

I got the next small quilt on the long arm and got everything set. It was only when the bobbin ran out on the second row that I realized I had an issue. Somewhere, the machine jumped and OH CRAP -- the pattern is overlapping. Not by much, but enough that it wasn't right. 

The primary concern is to identify the source of the error and determine its cause. My guess is that with barely enough backing, it likely caused the machine to hit the clamp and jump. That was totally my fault, and I swear what takes five minutes to stitch takes more than an hour to remove! At least, I know the tension is spot on! 

Can you tell where the error was? 

I had loosened the rollers to make it easier to remove the stitches, and since I had removed my tape reference mark, how was I going to get the quilt back in the correct spot? That's easy - when you've done as many quilts as I have, it was a piece of cake to get it exactly back in the right spot, and if you looked closely, you would never tell there had been an issue. 

ACK - the reference mark is NOT on the quilt

And there is the quilt - done. 

Customer quilt - DONE

While my list of customer quilts is getting smaller and no new ones are coming in at the moment, the list of my quilts I need to quilt is getting longer. I would love to complete all my quilts before the end of this month; otherwise, it'll be tight in September for the Buckhorn show. I found one of the quilts this morning, and it will be loaded next week. I decided that the quilt tops I frequently pull out of the "to be quilted" pile for show and tell should just get quilted! However, when I put this one away, I didn't bother to put it in the correct tub. But I found it! 

DH is doing a lot of traveling these days, and he was coming home last night. Oh my - I had been a bit lax in keeping the kitchen tidy. I just had a few things on the table and the counter - OK - it was a lot. I moved everything into the office, recycled it, or threw it in the garbage. And I washed everything down - it looks so clean and tidy! 

The kitchen is neat and tidy for DH

With this beautiful temperature and NO humidity, it was lovely to be outside last night, and I did some more weeding in the backyard. I see it's supposed to be hot and humid today, but we'll see how it goes tonight. I'd like to get all the weeding done before the end of the weekend. I don't think that's going to happen, but I can dream. 

I had to get to the bank yesterday morning, so Miss Lexi and I did that on our walk! She's pretty happy to stand outside and wait for me. She NEVER sits, unless she wants to. 

MOM - I'm standing on guard!

And someone had a bad night last night. Her mat is all topsy turvy, and when I first spotted her, her hair on her ears was all tousled! Oh Muprhy!!!!! She likes the dark, and she likes that cool floor. 

MOM - I'm good!!!

It's so cold in our house (no AC - just cooler temps at night and no humidity), I've worn a sweater for the last couple of mornings. I have a fan blowing in the hall, and it's incredible how much it cools the air off. Granted, there has been no humidity over the last couple of days, and that makes a massive difference. 

I'm off to work as there is no shortage of that! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Sorting sewing supplies continues

To my American friends - Happy Independence Day. Be strong! 

Wow --- there were a lot of comments yesterday, and this overbuying and taking on too much is a very hot topic! While I appreciate the positive comments about my teaching, I knew the only way to discourage people from taking too many classes was to not offer so many classes. But that's good for me as well, so I'm OK with that. 

Dare I say that I was at it again yesterday - sorting, pitching, and purging. But mostly sorting. 

The third shelving unit in the stash room held a combination of supplies, my demo boxes, and UFOs. I pulled all the UFOs off and have dealt with them in some way. The supplies on those shelves were a mess. The supplies were somewhat sorted, but it was a mess. Most boxes were too full to add more items, and the pieces were scattered everywhere. I hated it. I decided, since I was "in the mood," to just keep going and deal with it all. 

OH -- first, here is the second shelving unit of UFOs in that room. There aren't many pizza boxes, and there are lots of odd-sized ones, so it doesn't look quite as fun. I did not count the projects; most of them follow the one-box-one-project theme, but there are two containers with smaller items in them. Let's just say that it will take two years of dedicated work to clear it off. 

UFOs on a shelf

Here's the third shelving unit with just the demo boxes on it. Again, I'm trying not to put anything on top. OK - so you may have spotted the tins on top. Those are super adorable, and while one is empty, another one contains a UFO and no space to put it, but there. I'll share it with you one day. 

The third shelving unit

The cutting table needed to be cleared so I could trim quilts, and I still need to deal with the other half. Wait - I need to address some of that before I go on retreat next week. I must remember to do that today. 

The cutting table needs some work

I needed to get some supplies (thread) for an upcoming project, so I decided to drop the donation boxes off on my way. These have been sitting in the front hall for quite some time, and today was the day to deal with them. Besides some smaller stuff on the Pony Express, there is only one box destined for shredding that remains in the hallway. I also dropped a couple of things at the shoemakers that had been sitting at the front door for months! I was happy to see a nice young man at the counter! We need more shoemakers!

Getting rid of the donation boxes

And can you tell me how my car knows about STOP signs? I'm in a drive-through for a fast food restaurant, and there's a stop sign at the end of that drive. My car knew that! How? Does it have a sensor? 

My car knows about STOP signs

My long arm needs a spa day. It's been on my calendar for years to tidy up some things. But I was waiting for the optimum moment, and that moment will soon be here. I needed some sticky velcro and wasn't sure where to get it. I was wandering around the fabric store yesterday when I bought my thread, and they had exactly what I needed!! Who knew? 

Velcro for the long arm

And now we come to the disaster of my day. You are probably wondering what I mean when I say 'supplies.' I mean zippers, snaps, ribbon, grommets, bag hardware, lace, and so on. I have no idea how I acquired so much stuff. However, it was a disaster - everything was sorted into containers, but they were all full. There were multiple containers of the same thing, or one category was stored in various containers.  

As I discovered more items, I had to switch boxes several times to find one that was large enough to hold all of the same items. Can you believe I have so many zippers? I should never have to buy another zipper in my life! 

The zippers are now in one box

This box was a wild card. I don't think I had been in it for years because it was a jumble of everything. 

A mishmash of supplies

I also found some bags that I had purchased at a thrift store or somewhere, as they contained a variety of items. I even found two candies. I did NOT eat the candies! 

Candies! 

I was doing pretty well and sorting and clearing, but the pile on the ironing board just never seemed to go down. 

One of my sorting stations

And then, while I was working on the sorting task, I decided to also tackle this area, which is located in the stash room, but on one of the shelving units along the wall. These boxes hold more hardware for bags, ribbons, cords, and gosh knows what else. 

More boxes to sort

Holy --- what a nightmare, but I'm glad I'm taking charge, and the next time I want to find something, I'm going to know exactly where it is. I have NOT found those templates yet, but I did find something else that I couldn't find a couple of months ago. I would never have thought to search for it in these boxes. 

The sorting continues

I think there are about seven or eight small boxes left to sort. And then I'm calling it quits for sorting and organizing for the moment. I have a lot of things to prepare, and I need to get started on that. I have two other spots that I'll quickly search for those templates. As I mentioned, the area I'm dealing with is the worst. It hasn't been touched in years, which is why it's in such a state. The other areas are in much better shape, and I could tackle them much quicker. But after today, I'm done with sorting for a while. 

Boxes to sort today

I still have to deal with a few things on the floor and then all those empty containers. 

The mess 

I managed to clear a few items off one of the tables, so that was perfect. I might keep up my sorting frenzy to clear those three tables. Then I would feel like I've accomplished something! What I've been doing doesn't free up any workspace, but it does allow me to find things quickly!

One of the worktables has some empty space!

And here's the shelving unit with the sorted boxes. I'm still in the process of rearranging things, and I believe I'll still have some empty space at the end of this exercise, including the empty shelf at the top. And there are a few missing labels!

The supply shelving unit

I switched my phone over, and while it's mostly easy, it's a hassle because you have to reset some of the settings. Granted - it's way better than it used to be, so I'm very thankful for that. I will return the old phone next week. 

My next group of customer quilts is comprised of some very small ones, so they will quilt up quickly. Which was good because not more than 10 minutes after I finished, and the quilt was still on the long arm, the power went out! For FOUR hours. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I spent some of that downtime outside in the gazebo. There must be a rabbit underneath again because Murphy was quite content to stare under the gazebo and attempted to dig several times. 

MOM - there's a rabbit under there!

It was so pleasant last night that I was out weeding the garden. Why do the worst amount of weeds grow in the hardest place to get them? Oh well, I managed to clean up the side yard, but I need my pruners to take out a couple of branches. I might just do that later today. It's nice to get out of Studio B and away from that horrible sorting job. I cannot imagine doing this for someone else. 

I've been to the gym this morning, and I swear Brooke is trying to kill me! However, I'm also very grateful that I can push my body to its limits. A few months ago, I wouldn't have been able to do some of the things she asks me to do. And that makes me very happy! However, I'll need a nap later today, as I didn't sleep well, and with all the lifting and stretching, I'll need a rest.

Don't get me wrong - we need to be supporting our local quilt shops. But we also need to send a message to the manufacturers of this stuff. We are NOT endless pits of money that will continue to line their pockets! Be mindful of what you buy. 

Here's another way of looking at it. For those of you still contemplating a new project, consider this approach. Before you buy, consider how long it will take you to complete the project. A simple quilt from pre-cuts might only take a day, but with our busy lives, it will more likely take a week to get quilted and bound. Do you have a free week to make it? What projects will be bumped? If the project is more complex, add weeks or months to complete it, and if there's appliqué or other handwork, add additional weeks and months. 

I know some of you can rip through a project in a short period, but at what cost? The cost to your body, the lack of time for gardening or other hobbies, or the lack of time to spend with grandchildren and friends, or bumping the projects that were must-haves when you bought them. 

So, don't just buy on emotion; think about the logistics. One less project to do now is one less project that gets bumped, and therefore frees up some of your time for other things. The best part? There will always be another project that you like and can you afford (in terms of time) to continually add to the emotional baggage that comes with buying something and not starting or completing it. 

As I mentioned, I will focus on achieving fast finishes until the end of the year to increase my success rate. I will NOT take on another big project for a long, long time. Other than the ones I'm teaching, and there are only TWO. 

Well, on that happy note, I'm out of here. I have more phone calls to make, more email to deal with, and of course, to finish cleaning up those last boxes downstairs! Perhaps we will see some progress by the end of the day. By progress, I mean open spaces! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Quilting UFOs

As I look back on when I started quilting, there are many things that I wish someone had told me. But there is one thing in particular I wish someone had drilled into me. I wish they had embarrassed me, harassed me, or taken whatever means to instill this message into my being. What is it? 

NEVER, and I mean NEVER, take on more than you can do! I'm talking about UFOs. 

Here's a piece of advice for any of you out there (not Elle, of course, as she's on top of it! and I'm darn jealous!) 

Whenever you think you want to start a new project, don't. Look at what you already have for UFOs, as well as those projects that you thought were stunning and bought the pattern, kit, or fabric for. That alone should be the deterrent. Never ask me if you should start a new project, because I'll just tell you you're an idiot - OK, I might say it a bit more politely than that. I think it's one of the reasons I don't follow any influencers on social media or belong to any guilds. Why? Because they are always trying to get you involved in THEIR current project. Fellow quilters? I have so many projects, it would make your head spin. I do NOT need another one. 

I know you are all like the teenagers we once were, and our children were, and you will NOT listen to me. That's OK, but please don't have your husband call me when you can no longer sew. I'm so done with being the person to clean up someone else's mess. I'm DONE and DONE. So, that advice once again — because this is important — do not start a new project. There will always be another cute pattern, project, or kit. They get more adorable by the year. Do NOT get sucked in! Be strong! 

Having said all that, I finished the second day of sorting and organizing my UFOS, and I've barely started. That's why I'm talking about this. You do NOT want to be me. Never!!! I'd much rather be sewing than sorting UFOs. 

I took so many pictures yesterday, and it's such a mess, I don't even know where to start! Yes -- it's that bad, and I'm sad and very disappointed that I didn't have a friend to shake me up many years ago and make me realize what I was doing to myself. I am SHAKING you all -- don't do it! It's not worth it! 

OK - let's try to make sense of what happened. 

I found this project for a Mariner's Compass, and I think it was a class taken at Quilt Canada in 2000. Good grief - only this much was done, and what an awkward way to do a Mariner's Compass. The fabric is back on the shelf. I'm not touching this one with a ten-foot pole. In case you are wondering, I'm ripping that center apart and keeping some of the pieces. 

A dead UFO

Oh, God — I found another tool. A ruler for foundation piecing. Thankfully, it is one of the old-style rulers, but still. 

Another lost tool

I found some bookmarks for two guild shows in a paper pieced project, both dated from 2015. Yikes!!!

Quilt show advertising

This is one of the blocks from the project. It was a class I taught in 2015 (most likely), and I remember Linda W taking that class. I have no idea why I remember that! Linda? Is your Christmas Pickle complete?

Christmas Pickle block

A considerable amount of fabric has been set aside for that project. And it doesn't fit nicely into my "one-project-one-box" theme. I've left it out to see if I can figure out how to reduce the fabric stash. I may even take it to the quilt retreat next week. Shhhhh -- yes, another quilt retreat. 

Fabric for the Christmas Pickle quilt

Let's say that with all the fabric I've put back on the shelves, it's as if I just went fabric shopping and bought hoards of fabric. What a silly, silly girl I've been! I believe that the space I'm sorting through now is one of the last places to sort, and it's a mess. However, I still need to review all the UFOs in the other areas. But I might wait until the fall, so I can at least do some sewing. This is time-consuming and exhausting, both mentally and physically. 

I found bins of fabric that had been sorted by type. NO --- this is wrong. That fabric is now organized by color in the fabric baskets. 

A collection of polka dot fabric

You know what they say when you are decluttering: the mess is only going to get worse! And it did. I started the day off with this pile of empty containers. I hadn't had time the day before to deal with them. 

Empty containers

And the ironing board was also covered with empty containers. Empty containers are good! 

More empty containers

Now let's see what we can do with some of those containers. I bought this suitcase-style container years ago, and it has sat on top of one of those shelves for years - EMPTY. It's time to use it. So I ditched the round cookie tin and paper bag that my scraps of binding were in, and they now reside in the suitcase! It looks much more fun. But there isn't a lot of room in here, so I'd better make a scrappy binding or two soon. 

My suitcase is filled with binding scraps

This next picture is embarrassing. It's downright indicative that I had some mental health issues at one point. It's about totally irresponsible behavior with no regard for money. This is ONE of many areas in my house that houses my UFOs. 

Pizza boxes filled with UFOs

However, they are neat, tidy, and labeled. And if you're counting, there are 75 boxes on that shelf, and some boxes contain two projects each. Even if I could manage one a week, that would take over ONE year to clear that shelf unit. Just that one shelf unit. 

WAIT --- in case you think I'm beating myself up, I'm not. I'm verbalizing it here because I want you to see the severity of the situation. I'm OK (sort of) with this mess - I knew it was there, but now I want to deal with it! I'm ready to tackle it and make progress on completing some of it. The first step was to clear my schedule for the future, which I've done and must continue to be diligent about what I take on. 

At one point in the day, as I was nearly done with finding a home on those two shelf units for the UFOs, I glanced up at the window and spotted this. 

A watcher? 

Wait - here's a closer look. 

MOM -- are you OK? I'm checking in!

Yes, that is Murphy spying on me. Just checking to see I haven't got killed by the deluge of crap in that space. 

But it also reminded me that along the top of that bookcase are more UFOs. I swear they are hiding everywhere in my spaces. It's somewhat overwhelming, to say the least. So I pulled them down and put them with the rest to see if I could find a home for them. 

Projects are still looking for a home

Wait -- this is the more recent picture with the stuff from the top of the shelf. My goal is to keep the top shelf in the stash room and the bookcase clear of items. 

More items that need a home

I left two things on top of the bookcase as I knew I wouldn't have room for them. But doesn't that look neater? 

So much neater!

I took some more pictures this morning, but didn't get them transferred to the computer. The two shelf units are now full! Everything is labeled, although when I went to look for a particular box this morning, I couldn't find it! FARCE!!!! 

It doesn't matter, and I've put the jacket-making boxes on those shelves as well. I hope to pull them out before the end of the month so I can work on them. As a result, a few things will need to go back on top of the bookshelf. It can't be helped, and I'm OK with that. I have a few things on the floor and the tables, and I may just load up the top of the bookcase just to get it out of my daily visual sight. 

I finished another customer quilt, which was good. 

Customer quilt - DONE

And of course, I had some assistance. Can you spot her? 

A spy among the sewing debris?

How about now? 

Mom - just a wellness check! 

She's very creepy because when you least expect it, she's watching me! I wonder what is going through her head? Something like, "I think my Mom needs help. She keeps muttering to herself in the dead silence of that sewing space. I'm just going to keep an eye on her to make sure she isn't sick." More likely, she is saying this instead, "MOM - let's play ball!"

Here are the two of them waiting in the hallway - likely because they thought they were going for a walk, which they were not! 

MOM - Are we going for a walk?

Although it's not super hot in the house, I set up a fan for Miss Lexi, and she was quite happy to sleep in front of it. But do NOT turn that up too high because she doesn't like the breeze! Go figure!!!

MOM- I'm OK!!

And when I was reading a quilting magazine on my iPad, I chuckled when they suggested putting a piece of flannel on the ironing surface to get a better grip on what you were pressing. HA --- I love my towel, even though I didn't get a chance to sew anything yesterday. 

I need to switch to my new phone this morning, so I downloaded all the 13,000+ photos to my computer and then deleted them from the old phone. The new phone and the old phone are now charged up. I can't make phone calls from the old phone, nor can I use TEXTING. So that has to be switched this morning. 

And I spent a long time on the phone yesterday with my service provider for other reasons. Well, if you remember, I saved $90 per month on my cell phone bill. I can potentially save over $100 on my internet, cable, and home phone bill as well, with a few changes that I must discuss with DH when he gets home later this week. 

It took forever to chat with the agent, but it was worth it. What will I do with all that extra money? Buy quilt projects? Not on your life! 

I am going to say it one more time. DO NOT - DO NOT buy a new quilt project. Just because your friend signed up for a class doesn't mean you have to. Just because a new pattern was released, doesn't mean you need to buy it! As I mentioned earlier, an equally cute one will be waiting for you when you're ready. 

I'm trying to envision the "FREEDOM of deciding to start a new project and actually having the time to complete that project! 

Now, don't get me wrong - I have no issues with starting a new project, but think about the reason: will you learn something, or is it a social thing? Starting a new project should NEVER be about FOMO (fear of missing out). That is the wrong reason to start something new. 

I have two classes in the fall, and in case you think I'm a hypocrite for offering them, I assure you that I'm not. As mentioned, if you can learn something, have a bit of social interaction (on Zoom), or the class will help you finish a project you already have, and you are committed to completing it, then I say sign up for the classes. But do you sign up just because? That's not good. I'm going to call it MINDFULLY choosing what you want to bring into your house! 

I also have a new strategy for my UFO club, which I should write to the group about, hopefully today. I will focus on those projects that can be cleaned up quickly. I found numerous panels with border fabric. I kept those because they are cute. Guess what? I could make two or three of those in a month and clean up several project boxes. Yes --- I'm going to try that and see if it clears some of the backlog. Those small projects will be donated to Project Linus. I do not need them! However, I also don't want to burden someone else with them, and I enjoy the process of making them. So, fast projects will be on my list of things to do for the fall! 

The hilarious thing is - I don't need to start a new project; I have so many, and many of them are still very new to me. I love all the ones I kept, and I will finish them or die trying! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!