Much ado about sleep!

If this post doesn't make sense this morning - it's not my fault!!! As I sit here writing, I'm sandwiched between a Husky and a Retriever who are NOT very happy! They are literally glued to my legs. I'll tell you why in a second. 

I didn't make it outside for a walk before heading down to Quilty Pleasures, which was just a few blocks from the hotel. All was good. The people who attended the events went home with their brains overloaded, but they had the opportunity to ask tons of questions, and we had a great time with lots of laughs. 

And you have to love it when all the technology goes as planned, like the computer connecting directly to the TV for the presentation. The Singer Momento connected to the computer without issue, and it cut like a hot knife through butter! That's how everything is supposed to work, but you know me and technology - there are some days when technology doesn't work as it's supposed to. It was a great day! 

I had a look around the store between presentations and a few things found their way home with me --- YES -- including some fabric which I typically do not purchase. I haven't unpacked yet, so I'll share later. 

I met up with a friend for dinner - a simple affair at Tim's and we had a grand chat, and I decided to hit the road about 7 PM. It was a five-hour drive, which should get me home around midnight. 

The GPS took me on a bit of a tour through the countryside. I was listening intently to my audiobook and didn't pay attention to the road signs, and, well, I got myself back onto the 401, but not nearly as soon as I had planned. The GPS must have been looking for the shortest distance. I will say that when I went there, I had about 15 km left showing on the gas tank. this time? I had over 100 Km. Now, why is that? Oh --- speed plays a big factor! It wasn't a big deal, and despite driving some of the country roads, the time to get home was the same. 

You drive faster but cover more KMs, or drive slower and go as the crow flies! It was the same thing. All I can say is that at that time of night, there wasn't much traffic. I saw several signs indicating that ALL LANES were closed as I neared Toronto, so I took matters into my own hands and took the toll road to bypass the closures. I didn't want to get stuck in traffic. There was NO traffic on the toll highway. It was very weird. 

The trip home was pretty uneventful, except when I was on the phone chatting with M. I wasn't driving super fast, and I spotted a deer on the side of the road. YIKES!!! It wasn't going anywhere, but it scared me -- you hear so many stories of deer running out into the road. This one was smart! 

I stopped once and had a nap. Could I have made it home without? Maybe, but I wanted a washroom break anyway, and since I fell asleep right away until my 30-minute alarm woke me up, I think the nap was warranted. I had no need to get home by a certain time. 

I got home and unpacked the car, and all was good. As I neared my neighborhood, the book took an unexpected turn. So when I was thinking I could easily fall asleep when I get home, maybe that's not going to happen. I sat in the driveway and listened to the end of that chapter and decided I could finish the book this morning. 

I did read one chapter in my ebook before falling asleep. It was 1:30 PM. 

I had not looked at the weather, but woke up to find Murphy standing by the bed, and the lightning and thunder were wild. It was crazy, and it was raining like mad. She tried tucking her head between the bed and the nightstand. I don't know why she doesn't stay in the stairs room since it's probably the darkest place in the house. 

She doesn't like cuddling, and she no longer jumps on the bed. She just needed to be close. 

 The lightning lasted about 30 minutes. I heard Murphy go downstairs, then went back to sleep. That was about 3 AM. Phew!

I had barely fallen asleep when I heard her at the back door barking her head off! I came downstairs, but couldn't see a thing. I got her calmed down, showed her there was nothing outside, and went back to bed. That was about 3:30 AM. 

My alarm went off at 4:30 AM. I shut it off and went back to sleep. 

The second alarm went off at 5:00 AM. I shut it off and went back to sleep. 

At 6:00 AM, I heard Murphy back in the room, and the lightning and thunder were incredible. The entire sky was lit up from end to end, and the thunder was booming. At one point, you could feel the thunder. I know that sounds weird, but you could feel it. And it sounded like a torrential downpour. I finally got up at 6:30 so I could write the blog. 

In case you don't believe me about feeling the thunder, here's what AI has to say about that. 

And I'm going to go back to bed the second I publish this blog. Of course, that won't happen because the girls will want their walk, and then I'll go back to bed.

I spent the first part of the evening trying NOT to fall asleep and the second part trying to fall asleep, which wasn't a problem, but I couldn't stay asleep!

I have a lot of work to get done this week before we leave, and OH MY -- we leave on SUNDAY, not Monday, so I'm going to lose a day here! How the heck could I make that mistake when it's very clearly marked in my calendar! 

So we'll have a Virtual Retreat on Saturday night, and I'll be around for part of Sunday. I'll post the links later this week. I may just have the virtual retreat on Saturday night since I won't be around. Good grief—well, since I'm now losing a day, I'd better get myself organized, but not before I get more sleep! 

It's always interesting to walk around stores, and I didn't think I had ever been to Quilty Pleasures, but after being there, I have a distinct memory of my bicycle parked in front of the store. Hmmm --- I need to go back and find that. 

OMG --- as quick as that, I found it. August 13, 2014.   Amazing what information you can find on the blog. This was the second time I did a cross-Canada trip on my bicycle, except it wasn't really cross-Canada. I joined the tour in Tottenham, north of Toronto. 

I rode my bike to Quilty Pleasures in 2014

Shoot --- I should have checked the blog BEFORE I went to that store. I would have taken a picture of my car parked in the space to the left of the bike. That would have been hilarious!!!! 

OH -- it gets even better. I was at Quilty Pleasures on August 23, 2015. This time I had the car and the bike! It looks like I was riding the Waterfront Trail, but I'd have to figure out why I had the bike and the car. I think this year was the year of the Row by Row. I must find the license plate. 

I'm back at Quilty Pleasures.

Well, duh—I'm an idiot for not taking a picture of my car at the store yesterday, and who knew when I was there in 2014/15 that I'd be back 10+ years later for an SVP event!! I think that's hilarious! And I was going to take my row-by-row quilt with me. CRAP!!!!

I knew the store looked familiar when I arrived. 

I did find a pattern that might be interesting to teach in the fall. I need to put them all in one spot and start making some evaluations. 

As for the Christmas cactus? It was given to me with a bloom on it, and well, I'm not the best with plants. And the fact that I'm going away for two weeks - I don't give the plants much hope. Hey - it's already been sitting in the fridge, wrapped in soaking-wet paper towels for a week. Let's see -- it might be a Christmas miracle!!!

On that note, I'm a bit more awake, and I'll take the girls out for a walk since it's stopped raining, and then I can go back to bed. I need to get to work so I can put my headphones on and finish that book (1 hour 32 minutes). Where do women get such twisted tales? Even without the twist, this book (My Lovely Wife) is twisted! 

And maybe not -- it's raining again, and there is still lightning and thunder. Probably best to not walk in the forest, although the storm isn't as close. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Patience is a virtue!!!

I am glad to hear I'm not the only one who lived through "hardships" as a kid. Life was certainly different if you lived in the country or a small town, and probably also the geographical location. I think it developed a certain resiliency in us!!! 

Also, I do not expect everyone to be able to stand up and sit down without using their hands at this point in time. Maybe you are recovering, maybe you are building your strength, so you have to start small and build up your strength in your legs, your core, and your upper body. But do NOT for a minute think that just because you are "old" that you are excused from keeping that strength up! The strength thing is probably MORE important now that you are older than when you were younger. 

If you don't believe me, imagine this, and it won't be pretty. You walk to the washroom. Phew --- that's step number one. Then you need to get undressed for your task. You then need to sit down, and some places don't have handholds. You could use the seat itself to lower yourself, but that could be yucky. OK -- so you have maneuvered yourself down, now you have to get up. Imagine you are all alone!!! Imagine your body weight. There are many factors involved here. 

The issue is that if you cannot go to the washroom on your own, you have lost your independence for a very important bodily function. Please do NOT be one of those people. My Mom is now entirely dependent on my Dad, and that means he is no longer able to do the one thing in his life that he loves. That is a HUGE issue!!! And for the moment, Mom is lucky to have Dad around. He has his own issues and could easily become less capable than she is. What if he gets hurt or sick? 

I think we put the fear of god in her, but perhaps a bit too much, which is why she thought she could just get up and try to walk on her own. Not if you have let your leg muscles atrophy! But she doesn't get it! Sigh....................

I'm not trying to use this scenario to scare you, but just to face reality. And as the clock ticks, our bodies are happy to not listen. I just don't want to see any of you in that same position. It's not pleasant. 

As I dug out my laptop this morning in yet another hotel, I had to find a plug to plug it in. You would think that all hotels would have learned by now to put a plug on the desk so we don't have to search under the table for one. That takes me back to all those days so long ago when we had to hardwire our laptops to the internet in the hotel. And that plug-in was usually UNDER the table, not on top. 

While I might be a big traveler to some of you, DH does a lot more than I do. But if I were to think back on all the business trips over the years, there were lots and of course, loads of stories to share! And crap - I packed everything, but forgot to bring the charger for my Fitbit, so that battery is going to die today, but I certainly won't be getting any steps in today, so it's not a big deal. 

We had two great sessions in the morning yesterday. My current project for Many Blocks is Sylvia's Bridal Sampler quilt. This was assembled by Jennifer Chiaverini, who is the author of the Elm Creek Series. If you click that link, you'll see MANY quilts made by other people. The blocks have very different construction methods as they were compiled from 72 different people. 

There are 140 blocks in the quilt, and I taught this back in 2012 at Ruti's Needlebed. I know I recently mentioned that. After doing my recap a while back, I found I had made 100 blocks, leaving 40 blocks still to make. The blocks are 6," and altogether, they will make a very large quilt. I don't want another large quilt, so I'm going to make three quilts -- two of them will require 56 blocks each, and with sashing and borders, the quilts will be lap size. The third quilt will use 30 blocks and will be slightly smaller. It means I will have to make 2 blocks for that to happen. 

The big question is, will I make all the blocks in the book? Some of them are pretty complicated and require a lot of work. The answer is YES!!! I want to say that I have made all the blocks, and there is something to learn from the ones remaining. 

What I don't understand is how some of the blocks got abandoned. This block was all cut out and just needed to be assembled. YES -- there are a lot of Y-seams. 

The pieces were cut for this block.

A little bit of patience, and it was together and pretty square. You just take one small seam at a time. 

The bridal bouquet block is together.

Then the next one had the fabrics selected in a bag, but not cut. That was easy enough to cut out. I have all the skills for these blocks!

The next block is ready to sew.

And there was the bow tie block, which also required Y seams. I must have left all those Y-seam blocks for the end. And before I knew it, those two blocks were complete as well. 

Two more blocks

This hunter's star block needed a bit of repair work, as I had put one of the fabrics in the incorrect place. It is paper pieced. The first part of the paper piecing (the thin lines in the middle that form the stars) was done, but the larger triangles still needed to be put on. I made a mistake with the fabric colors and had to fix it. 

Another block is complete.

So with very little effort, four blocks were made. And that completed the first page of the blocks listed in the book. 

I decided to forge ahead because there is very little free time between now and the next class. OK -- I have no idea what was going through my head. This next block is also paper-pieced, and all the components were done!! All that remained was to trim the components and sew them together. Seriously????

One more block

Why --- can you tell me why that block didn't get completed? And I've looked at the next one, and it's the same scenario. It's paper pieced, and all the components are together!!! It just needs to be trimmed and sewn. My brain obviously works in mysterious ways!!!

But then I looked at the next couple of blocks, and fabrics had been selected, but the pieces were not cut out. Well, I'm doing a presentation today on the Singer Momento, which is the 24" digital cutter, and guess what? I needed some samples. So I fussed around, and YEP—I cut the next block with the digital cutter. OK -- so it took a bit of time to figure out how to make that happen, but it took mere seconds (no kidding) to do the cutting. 

I don't have the block together, but it will be easy when I get to it later this week. I have prepped several other blocks that are fussy to cut (appliqué), and it will be good practice to cut them on the Momento. 

Like everything, there is a learning curve, and once you get that under your belt, the rest is easy. Yes --- I am cutting fabric without any stabilizer (fusible) on it, and it's cutting like a hot knife through butter. If you are in the Ottawa area, you should come and see what I'm doing this afternoon!!!! I'll be at Quilty Pleasures in Orleans, and that demo will be from 2 to 5. In the morning (9 - Noon), I'm talking about the Creativate ecosystem and what you can do with it, as well as the Creativate embroidery software. So much fun!!!

For those in the Creativate embroidery software world, here's something new!!! You now have access to this embroidery software on your tablet or iPad. yep --- you are no longer married to your laptop for that. You cannot make modifications, but can you combine and design? Yep -- you have that ability. When I was at my parents' one day, I only had the iPad with me, and I played around with designs from the online Design Catalog and created what would go on the back of my jacket, which I need to finish this coming week for the wedding. 

You just need to select the EMBROIDERY tab from this menu, and you are in!!!

The Creativate app on the iPad

My brain will never (and never wants to) stop learning. There is always something new, and I admit that sometimes it's hard to keep on top of everything, but you just go with the flow. What you don't know, you ask, you find out what resources are available for learning, and then you experiment. Trust me, I have never been so frustrated in my life as I have slogged through some of the learning stuff. But the minute I get it figured out? That is better than winning the lottery. And sometimes we are so impatient because we want it now. I totally get that, but teaching ourselves patience and practicing it is such a useful skill. 

The current generation has not learned that! OK—some have, but not everyone. We all need to learn to MAKE things with our hands! 

I don't know about you, but I am watching tons of videos about the four Artemis 2 astronauts, and wouldn't it be fun to think about going back and redoing your life path? WAIT --- I'm very happy with my life path, and I don't regret it, but can you imagine what life would have been like if we were encouraged from day one to do anything we wanted? As I was growing up in a small town, my path was to become a teacher, a secretary, or a nurse. Those were about the only jobs I had been exposed to. Seriously??? I could have done so many other things, but I had no clue!! 

I eventually became a teacher—who knew that would happen? I'm happy, but if I come back to this world in another life, I'm going far! I guess the important thing in all this is that I found my passion, and I can't complain one bit!

It's unbelievable what you can do in this world. I've been messing around with learning how to create files for 3-D printing, and well, I'm not really at liberty to show you what I did. Well, I can show you, but not in the context. I'll do it another day, when I've got it perfected. But it's been a learning experience, and I'm in love with more opportunities to learn. I'm using the program Tinkercad, and it's so easy to learn. 

During our machine embroidery club yesterday, one of the ladies showed us this, which was printed on a 3D printer for her sewing machine. 

A 3-D printed thread stand

It's a 3-D printed thread stand to keep your thread from falling off the table and to keep it lined up by color. The stand snugs around the handle and is brilliantly designed. 

When you start investigating the world of 3D printing, you will find all kinds of stuff that have already been designed, and you can buy or use for free. Take those files to your local makerspace (I went to the library), and they will print for a nominal charge. The item above would take a fair bit of time, and I'm not sure it could be printed on a public printer. It was printed on someone's home 3D printer. 

My Dad and I were having great discussions about it, of course, and it was because of him and his work that I was inspired to create my own file. It's super simple, and I'm still making a couple of prototypes. Remember --- patience is important!!! You can find tons of already-made files on Thingiverse.com.

The drive to Ottawa was fine. I'm not a fan of long drives, but it worked out OK. I stopped twice along the way - once to drop off my Cricut cutter since I no longer need it, and it's one more thing out of my house. It sat on one of my tables, and now it's gone! Then a second time for a potty break. It rained the entire way!!! Yeah!!!

I had a few snacks with me - I love snacking when I drive. Thank goodness I'm not a truck driver because I'd weigh 400 lbs before the end of the first week! But with a very twisted audiobook (My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing) and access to hands-free texting and calling, I made good time. Where do these authors get these twisted plot lines? I swear it is the women who have the most twisted minds. Most male authors used guns and gore -- the women? Not so much. 

If you are going to be kidnapped by someone, I want it to be a man. The women have too many creepy ideas! Just kidding -- I don't want to be kidnapped by anyone! 

When I arrived, I was down to fumes in the gas tank. Well, not really, but my low fuel indicator was on. So I gassed up last night, so I don't have to do it today when I'm finished and heading home. 

But seriously--- I think this is silly. When you fill up, be sure not to put diesel in the car. Some pumps have gas and diesel options on the same pump. And usually, the diesel is highlighted in yellow and is off to the left. I had to look twice before I realized that this was a gas-only pump. It was only the price that alerted me that the left-most one was gas. 

An all-gas pump

And I made it to the hotel in Ottawa (Orleans) and am just down the street from Quilty Pleasures, where I'll be today. 

Oh -- the joys of travel, and even though it was a long drive (5 and a half hours), it was probably faster and more reliable than air travel. By the time you get to the airport early, land, wait for luggage, get a car, and drive to the hotel, I thought it would be just as efficient to drive. I'm glad I drove. I'll likely need a nap on the way home, but that's OK. Plus, I didn't need to worry about how I packed. I literally threw stuff in the car in open bags. And I got to drop off the Cricut as well. 

I think it's going to rain all day today, but it's supposed to be warmer. It was cold yesterday, and with the rain? That went right through you! 

On that happy note, if you are in the Ottawa area, be sure to come and see me today!!! We don't get out and about super often, and we have great stuff to share. 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!!

Quilting in space

I'm glad to know I'm not the only space nerd who also enjoys quilting. We live in an amazing world. People like my parents went to school in horse-drawn cutters (like a sleigh) and wagons, or they walked several miles. No electricity for my parents when they got married in 1954. No TV, no running water! And now, from the comfort of their Lazy-Boy chairs, they are watching the Artemis 2 circle the Earth while we hear everything they are saying in crystal clear voice communication. 

The last 100 years have been amazing. 

Not to disappoint my students, both presentations are done. And, my curiosity got the better of me for one of them, and they may regret asking me questions! BUT --- if you don't ask questions, you don't learn. I ask questions, then I try experiments to test the theories. I want to understand the WHY of how most things work. Some of it is over my head, but for the most part - I'm good. 

Oh my --- I finished reading a book yesterday—well, listening to an audiobook —and OH MY --- this sounds familiar. Then I chalked it up to the narrator's voice and the same physical scenario as the one I listened to recently (same author in a series). I realized after I listened to it that it was a series, so I decided to go back to the first book. 

Imagine my surprise when I went to log it and found it was already in my database. WHAT? How could that be? Yep—apparently I read it in February, 2021. Well, that's a long time ago, and I must have had COVID fog!! It doesn't matter - it was a good reminder of how the series started! But sheesh—you would think I would remember this. Maybe I do, and I'm just blocking it. In his favor, DH said, that 2021 was a long time ago! Thanks, DH!!!!

More drama on the parent front. I had a discussion last night, and they confessed to the issue up front. Mom just doesn't listen, tries to do things she shouldn't, and runs into trouble. I explained how she should progress to get stronger, but NO! Two falls this week since I left. She thinks she can manage on her own rather than have a physiotherapist come into the house, as I suggested, to help her regain her strength. Dad is home with her to help with washroom duty (the man is a saint!), and not a single complaint about him not being able to go to work. And he is chatting with a doctor on Monday to arrange for in-house physio. She just needs some guidance as to how to address this situation. Instead of asking, they just let it slide. Sigh...............

I said I would be on a plane tomorrow if they needed me. Let's see what happens. But let this situation be a lesson to everyone. If you lose strength in your legs and can no longer get to the washroom on your own, that is a massive issue for staying in your home! Stand up/sit down and do it many times in a day. It's important! And even if you end up in a care home, and you can't do the washroom on your own, you are at the mercy of the overworked care workers! Stand up/sit down! Preferably not using your hands! 

Yesterday was a bit of a whirlwind day! I did a wee bit of sewing until I realized I had to switch the stitch plate to the single-hole one, and I was getting tired by then. No worries -- I have show-and-tell this morning. Then I watched some videos on YouTube (I have so much to learn!) and, while I was doing that, I did some handwork. This table, where my serger typically sits? No room, as I spread stuff out to take pictures today or to get ready for my presentations tomorrow. 

A very busy and messy work area

I learned a ton of stuff yesterday. And yes—there were many frustrations, and the air was a bit blue when YouTube asked for a password. Well, it was Google, but still. Passwords and I do not get along - at all! 

And with the upcoming vacation, two classes, and UFO Club next weekend, plus making a jacket, I envision that next week will be a bit silly. Not over the top because I have started on all the stuff - it just doesn't allow for much downtime! But that's OK. 

Technically, things won't get back to order until I'm back in May. Oh well --- it's life, and there isn't much planned for the rest of the year, but we all know that can change in a heartbeat. 

When I met that old boyfriedn before leaving Saskatoon, he gave me some well-watered plant clippings. ACK!!!! I'm not good with plant clippings! Anyway, they are sitting in water at the moment, and I think the small ones could be planted directly into soil, while the Christmas cactus needs to sprout roots. 

My plant clippings

Let's see what happens. 

Since we are all quilters and space nerds, here's a video from 12 years ago featuring Karen Nyberg as she attempts to sew a quilt block in space (on the International Space Station). I wonder if she got those scissors preapproved? LOL. I love seeing the female astronaut's long hair in space. Christine from Artemis 2 had curly hair, and it was all over and looked amazing!! Imagine if all of us had hair like that! I mean, how it reacts in zero gravity. 

And here's another video of Karen after she retired. What a fascinating story, and there are lots of other videos you can watch as well. 

My computer desk looks like a tornado hit it, and it's likely not going to get better until May. I'll just have to live with that. At this point, May looks pretty empty, and barring any unforeseen things, I should be good to get caught up and get everything tidied up! 

OH -- I'm reading a very fun book at the moment. I think this one came from The Globe and Mail lists. It's called The Murder at World's End by Ross Montgomery. It's supposedly the first in a series, and oh my --- what fun!! A locked room mystery and an unlikely cast of characters. I'm whizzing right through it, which I shouldn't be because I have stuff to do!!

On that note, I'd better get myself organized and walk the girls before the presentations. 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

If you live near Ottawa and have a free day tomorrow, April 13, why not come to Quilty Pleasures to see me? From 9 AM to noon, I'll be chatting about the Creativate ecosystem and sharing some cool things I've created using the apps, the embroidery software, and how it all ties together. Super fun. This is appropriate for anyone with a Wi-Fi-enabled (SVP brand) sewing and/or embroidery machine. 

Then from 2 to 5, I'll be chatting about the Singer Momento - 24" digital cutter. How to make SVGs from paper templates, cutting fabric, and a whole lot of other things. This is appropriate for anyone who wants to learn digital cutting, and it will be specific to the Singer Momento, but anyone is welcome to come. 

Click the appropriate event (or both) in the calendar to register. See you there!!!!

Splashdown

OH --- I had the blog already to go and then forgot to press PUBLISH!!!

OH MY --- I'm totally obsessed with making up these presentations. When people are interested, I'm prepared to go to the ends of the Earth to find the information. I spend tons of time researching stuff for my groups and even if they don't appreciate it, (I'm sure most of them do!), I still learn a ton of stuff by finding the information. 

I just discovered something else that I need for my research. I'll share it all next week! 

Did anyone watch the splashdown of Artemis 2 last night? I was glued to that. It's hard to comprehend that the space capsule was hurtling towards Earth at approximately 24,000 MPH, and within 15 minutes, it was floating down at 32 MPH with three massive parachutes attached. I must say, when the final three parachutes deployed, my heart was in my mouth as it seemed to take forever for them to fully open!! 

What an adventure, and I'm sure those four astronauts will be very busy in the next couple of months as they process everything - both the data they captured and what their brains and bodies processed! I found it totally fascinating, and I'm glad to say I was able to watch both moon missions, though I only remember the 1969 moon landing, not the liftoff or the splashdown. Perhaps we didn't watch any of the rest, or more likely, there just wasn't the same coverage as this time due to the lack of technology. 

I had an interesting day as I madly worked on samples for my upcoming presentations on Monday. I'll be at Quilty Pleasures (Ottawa), and the events are open to anyone. Check the calendar at that link. 

As usual, I'm learning loads -- it really doesn't matter that none of this is new to me -- it's just that the technology keeps getting updated. My experience and knowledge expand, so I'm better at it every time I give a new presentation!!

OH MY GOODNESS --- the day started with cleaning the floor in Studio B, and then I noticed a lot of dog hair wound around the wheels of one of my chairs, so I cleaned that as well. The joys of hair! Don't worry --- even if you don't have a dog, this will happen, and I've seen lots of hair getting wound up in the wheels of walkers and wheelchairs last week!!! Long human hair! I guess that's one reason to keep your hair short, but even short hair will get wound around the wheels. Let's not forget the threads!!!

Dog hair wound on the wheels

I'm happy to report (knock on wood) that my cell phone seems to be working much better than it was. I'm able to take phone calls, and my voice doesn't disappear. However, old habits die hard, and I am still cautious when answering the phone or settling into a lengthy conversation because I'm always thinking I'll cut out. It'll take me a long time to regain my confidence in my phone! 

A friend of mine recently got a puppy -- a Golden. She lives up north and was wishing the snow would disappear because it's getting soft and hard to walk on. WAIT!!!! Don't wish for that because the next stage is MUD and those goldens love their mud!!! 

I do not know why Miss Murphy insists that this flower bed is hers! It was even raining, and she was still content to sit out there and get wet and dirty. The dirtier and wetter the better! Sigh...........

MOM - thanks for providing this beautiful outdoor dog bed for ME!!!!

And then this is the two of them in the house later in the day. Seriously? How would you caption this picture? It looks like Lexi beat up Murphy, when I'm pretty sure that Murphy lay on the floor to make Lexi feel superior. How civil is that, especially for a golden who is pretty much in your face all the time!!! 

They are just a hoot to watch and provide hours of entertainment. 

MOM - Murphy is broken!! And it's not my fault!

I stole these pictures from Cynthia Frenette's Facebook page. This is the artwork she created for a new fabric collection. OK --- those flowers look simple, yet it's not something that I would be able to do. I love her simplistic style and the colors - grey, white, yellow, and black- are right up there with the modern crowd. 

Cynthia's artwork

And there's the resulting fabrics. The collection, called Blissful Blooms, is produced by Ink & Arrow. Here's a link to their page so you can see it better. Ink & Arrow is the "modern" fabric division of QT Fabrics. 

In the interesting world of fabric production, this collection was available for shipping in January 2026. But all fabric companies produce limited early yardage (digitally printed) or GASP—some companies print the fabric, and it sits in a warehouse until it's time to ship to stores!! You can't have all the fabrics shipping at the same time, so the delivery dates are staggered. 

Here's a quilt that was remade with this collection. 

If you look at the picture of the marketing material linked to the fabric collection, you'll see this. All those images are digitally produced. They used to be REAL quilts, but many companies, especially in the modern world, do not actually make the items—they just render the fabric onto shapes to give consumers ideas for where and how the fabrics can be used. 

It doesn't really matter—many of us are visual learners, and whether it's a rendered drawing or a real picture, I think we all get the ideas!!! 

I absolutely adore the contemporary floral print that you see on the bottom of that marketing page. It's so soft and pretty, and the repeats are AMAZING. You really don't see the repeat -- well, you do if you look for it, but some repeats, especially of large-scale animals, just look fake! 

Well, nothing specific on the agenda for today as far as meetings or online stuff, but I'll be busy as a bee in Studio B as I assemble my samples for Monday and as I make new ones. By the way -- the information on the Quilty Pleasures website says the instructor is Claire. I'm subbing for her as she is unable to do the events. 

And on that happy note - I'm out of here!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Change is coming!

I received some shocking news yesterday while I was at the gym, and big changes are coming for me! OK -- I'm exaggerating, but for me, it will be a big change. I will not be like my parents -- I will embrace the change, although it's very upsetting. What happened? 

I learned that Joseph, the most amazing spin class instructor, was LET GO!!! No one seems to know why, and I don't have his contact information, but I'm going to try to find it so I can reach out to him. I'm also going to write a few emails to the local club and to the head office in the US. 

I'm sure he would only have been let go because of complaints, since this is a person who went above and beyond to ensure everyone was having a great time in his classes. He prepped videos to keep us entertained while we cycled; his music playlist was amazing and so motivating. Apparently, the class participants found out on Wednesday (I didn't go because I was getting ready to drive to London), and everyone is in an uproar. 

Will there be an uprising? I don't know, but I'm going to find out. I'm not sure I will go to spin class on Monday—it's kind of... Should I boycott the classes because of what happened? Or embrace the change as if nothing happened and continue attending the class. I need to see how the others are going to react. He was so well-loved! 

He must be devastated (OK—men don't get devastated over stuff like that), but he was so passionate about what he did. I can envision TWO people in our class who would potentially have precipitated such an action. One of them I heard is no longer a member of the club. Apparently, she was asked to leave about two weeks ago. She was very annoying! She told the story of health reasons that caused this behavior, but somehow I don't think so. But let's just say that she was LOUD and very disruptive across the entire gym, and it's a huge place. When you notice someone is NOT in the gym, that means they were extremely visible or vocal. Let's call her Jane. 

The other person who could be involved considered herself a close friend of Jane. Let's call her Mary. Mary was so grumpy and never smiled. Once, when there was an issue with sitting on the wrong bike (we are creatures of habit and like to sit on the bike we have reserved), I mentioned after class that perhaps we could just agree on which bike each of us would sit on. I mentioned it to the other ladies who sat in this one area of the spin room. Mary looked at me with daggers in her eyes and said, "I need to be with Jane because Jane needs me now."

Meanwhile, Jane is chatting with Joseph with not a care in the world, but according to Mary, she is grieving because something happened to her son. Anyway --- it's a very mixed-up affair, and if this has something to do with Jane and Mary, I'll scream bloody murder. Thankfully, Jane is gone. She was very socially awkward. 

Obviously, there is more to that story between those two and their interactions with Joseph, but I never gave it more thought than that -- both of them liked chatting him up, but I don't know all the details. But if Jane was getting negative vibes from the club management, I can see her trying to take others down with her. 

I'm not sure you'll appreciate these next pictures. They show up, but not as well as seeing them in person. Here are two table runners that I've done - I stitched them with edge-to-edge quilting on my embroidery machine. The first one has a black thread on the front and back. See how the black disappears into the black fabric and stands out quite a lot on the lighter parts? 

The black thread disappears on the black fabric and is very visible on the lighter fabrics.

And the black thread is very visible on the orange backing. 

The black thread is very visible on the back.

Then I tried a gold thread on the top for the second one, and you can see it more evenly across all the different fabrics on the top. 

The gold shows up equally on all fabrics.

The orange thread on the back literally disappears into the fabric. I like the second one much better than the first one.

The orange thread disappears into the backing.

All the cables and tripods got packed up into their labeled bags, and it's great knowing that when I need them again, it'll be easy to find all the bits. There are a lot of other cables in that white bin, but all I need for Facebook is right here! I must remember to order a new power cord for that switch box, as I still haven't found it and am using the one from my Cricut machine, which I'm selling. So I will need a new one. 

The bag of cables for the Facebook Lives

I got some machine embroidery done yesterday, and while I was babysitting it, I decided to forge ahead and finish the puzzle. Yikes --- that green in the bottom was a bit of a challenge, and it was after 10 PM when I finally went to bed. That is very late for me, but I was determined!!! I will hang on to this puzzle, as it was purchased especially for me in anticipation of my upcoming vacation!

My Mount Etna puzzle is complete!

I'm not sure I'll start another until I'm back from my vacation, but we'll see how it goes. I also started working on the two online presentations for this weekend, and I have mostly completed my part, which is always the largest. Now I wait for the participants to send me their homework pictures, and I insert them. There is SO much to discuss. In a way, I compare myself to Joseph. We are both passionate about what we do, and we don't get paid for all that prep time, but we don't care. While I love the time I spend with the groups, I thoroughly enjoy the prep, especially when I have loads of time to do research. And OH yes—I've been doing some research!!!!

I needed to go back to the library yesterday—yep, I'm becoming very friendly with the librarians, and it's all in the name of research. Research that can't be done online! And that's all I'm going to say about that. And when I got back, it was warm, so I sat in the back with the girls for a bit. 

And guess who was up to her tricks? The instant I sat down, Murphy threw her stuffed fish into the pond. Dogs are very intelligent. She knows that she will get a reaction from me when she does this. 

MOM -- the stuffed fish JUMPED into the pond!

Thankfully, it was close enough so she could dig it out herself. Did you notice that Lexi is just happy to lie down beside me? 

MOM - I rescued the stuffed fish!

Not content with the stuffed fish, she went into the house and grabbed a ball, then dumped it on the ground. I swear she is losing it, though, because she stares at that ball like she expects it to move. 

MOM - Why won't the ball move?

And when it doesn't move on its own, she takes action and grabs it and throws it in the pond. 

MOM -- the ball moved - into the pond! 

Knowing that I wasn't going to get up, she decided to stare at it in the water. 

MOM - the ball is going to drown!!

And when I still wouldn't get up, she rescued the ball herself. 

MOMO - no worries - I saved the ball

The same thing happens when I sit at the kitchen table to eat. Murphy decides that it is the perfect time to play ball, and we are no longer going to play ball in the house. Well, then you can pet me!!!! She is relentless in her attention-seeking. I try to spend some quality time with her every day, but that is not enough. 

I put on my headphones and listened to an audiobook -- I have a few that I downloaded in the last couple of days. Focusing on the book put me in the zone, and I puttered around doing some machine embroidery, getting the tables back where they belong, and actually attempting to clear the cutting table. There is literally NO room on it at the moment, but I don't need to cut anything yet. 

Work continues on the two presentations for the weekend, as well as the in-person ones. I need to make a few samples, review the already-made presentations, and gather more samples that have already been made. 

And if you are looking for a retreat house and you live on the east side of the city, here's the link to the house I was at several weeks ago. It's called My Quilting Retreat. The house is large and in a beautiful, rural spot, but it is about 6 minutes from Annie's Quilt Shop. Lots of bright light in the sewing room and everyone gets a double bed!!!! Check out the link. 

On that note, I'd better get organized as it's going to be a lot happening today, but at my new relaxed pace! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

The more you do, the more you know!

Oh my --- What a crazy day, but it was a great day!! Three things went off without a hitch! 

I was up early and had those suitcases loaded in the car - the girls were NOT happy that I was leaving without taking them for a walk. More on that in a bit. 

The drive was great even though there was a lot of traffic. A lot of truck traffic, but no accidents, so that was a bonus. I didn't have time for accidents or major slowdowns. 

The Thames Valley Quilt Guild is a great group of people, and OH MY --- I met someone from the Mississauga Guild who now lives in London (Ontario), and then I met two people from the Brampton Guild who now live down that way. Thanks to them for coming up and introducing themselves! That's better than spotting them from the stage during the presentation, and well, it was good to see all three of them. 

My, how times change, and I'm sure new people have joined those two previous guilds of mine. I haven't been a member of either of them for quite some time. I'm one of those people who feel that if I belong to an organization, I need to be involved in the executive or helping out on a committee, and I just don't have the time. And even if I did, I just don't want to, so I'll stay connected with my online peeps. 

I had to laugh at the topic they chose for me to speak on - it was Modern Quilts, and apparently, the members did not know because the program person thought the guild would veto that topic since many of them are traditional quilters. I think the presentation was a hit because I don't think I've ever had so many people come by to ask questions at the break, take pictures, or have a good look at the quilts afterward. 

My presentation is really about how modern quilts aren't modern. Modern quilts have been around forever - decades and probably even longer. It's a very interesting lecture. If they were naysayers on modern quilts before, they didn't feel that way when I left. 

I typically stay until the end, but I had to scoot back because I needed to finish setting up the Facebook Live. Technically, there wasn't really anything to do, as I had done it all the day before, but I still had a couple of things to check. And when the moderator let me in the call 30 minutes before we started, I realized that my laptop was running on battery. WHAT??? So that got fixed. And then the battery warning came on for my main camera. WHAT??? Trust me—NOTHING runs on battery during those presentations. I have power cords snaked all over the floor. Murphy must have rubbed against the cords, as I noticed that the main camera was slightly out of whack - thankfully, it was the camera that was sitting on the very sturdy tripod. 

But all was good -- no technology glitches, though I did notice a couple of slow spots when I rewatched part of the video-- nothing major. 

Phew --- and then that was done. 

If you wish to watch the video, you can do so on YouTube. You can check out some of my machine-embroidered samples of weird things near the beginning. I had so much stuff that I kept losing things! But it was loads of fun, and I was so happy when it was done. Not happy that it was done, but happy that it went off so well. 

I really need to do something about the lights, as I feel there is a dead spot in that room. Of course, there is, almost half the lights are no longer working. I must get the electrician in. But this was what it looked like when I was done. 

The view into the film area

And I literally threw everything on the floor, which is why I kept losing things!! But all was good. I made up for that with enthusiasm! Hopefully I spoke slower - I tried - I really tried, but at some points, I couldn't help myself, I was so excited! 

Just throw those samples on the floor.

What amazes me is how it can look like a disaster in real life, but on camera, it looks nice and uncluttered. Yep --- just like in TV or the movies. And angles? They are your friend in the film world. 

Those table top decoration rods are perfect for creating a wall! It allows me to set up my film studio wherever I want in the room. 

The fake wall for the film studio

That is a heavy piece of polyester fabric that is hard to keep in place on that rod because it's longer in the front than the back. However, I found the perfect solution to that. I bought these decorative bobbles from Cynthia Frenette a while back. They have a large glass bobble on the end and are made with beads. They hang on that rod every day, but when I was setting up the curtain, I used them as weights on the back, and they held the fabric perfectly. I noticed that Cynthia has released a new fabric line with a company. I don't have time to find it this morning, but I'll try to remember to share tomorrow. 

My bobbles become weights for the curtain.

The darn things are very hard to photograph because they are so long. I must tell Cynthia that, in addition to being pretty, they also have a very practical purpose in Studio B. They are supposed to hang in a window, but I don't have windows downstairs, so they hang on the rod. 

The decorative bobbles

I snapped this picture before leaving the house yesterday, and it made me think of those four astronauts so far from home, barreling their way back here at high speed. It makes me very sad to think there are theories out there that this is all fake and they are being filmed in a green room. What is our world coming to? 

The moon is so far away, and yet it's not.

It's been fascinating listening to all their stories, seeing the amazing pictures, and knowing that they circled or at least went to the dark side of the moon. I'm surprised that it has taken 50 years for man to get back into space travel. Sadly, so many of those theories are being fed to uneducated (and probably some educated) people. And they believe the fake stories, and well, I'm not going there. 

I had a bit of downtime yesterday as I waited for the Facebook Live to start, so I got to work on that puzzle. I must admit that I had to do that sky one row at a time because I was looking at the shapes. The shading in the sky was so subtle that shape, for the most part, was the way to go. And when it got down to these few pieces, I simply grabbed the first one in line and tried to find a home for it. If not, it went to the back of the line, and I tried to find a home for the next one. 

Nearing the end of the sky

And before I knew it, the sky was done!!!! Now for the hard part -- all those green trees. 

The sky is done!!!!

I think puzzles with photographs are very challenging. But did you know that doing jigsaw puzzles is very good for quilting? Yep—paying attention to details, learning to appreciate value (related to gradations), and a lot more are amazing exercises in color, detail, and value!!!

After dinner, I decided to walk the girls and took both of them-- BIG mistake. I also had something to do at the library. I realized I had an overdue book, and it needed to be returned before I could get anything done. 

I tied the girls up outside the library, well away from any paths. The two of them were good. My intention was to return the book and ask some questions. When I got into the library and asked my questions, I found the PERFECT person: she was willing to do what I wanted right then, asked if I had a few minutes, and gave me a mini-lesson. WOW!!!! That librarian sure loves her job. 

However, once the job started—don't worry—I'll share with you, but not right now. I had some time to kill, so I wandered around the library, then went outside to see the girls so they wouldn't think I had left them. They went wild!!!! 

MOM -- we are bored and need to get moving NOW!!!!!

Anyway, I eventually finished at the library, and it was time to come home. I swear the two of them were like wild horses that had never had a bridle on. They were insane, and both of them were tugging at their leashes most of the way home. Lexi is never like this, but she was jumping and leaping around like a crazy dog. She never talks, and she was pretty vocal. 

MOM - we need to get home - Dad is alone!

I guess they were happy to go on the walk, but not so impressed to be tied up outside the library for 30 minutes. Look at Lexi - she is pulling on her leash, and she never does that on the way home. 

When I let them in the house and off their leashes, they went wild. Lexi ran into the family room at full tilt, jumped into her bed, and then off the bed, running around the kitchen, and then back onto her bed. It's like she went mad. Muprhy wasn't much better. So I let them outside, and they ran like wild dogs around and around and around their obstacle course. 

MOM --- we were trapped for 30 minutes on our leashes 

And when they finally calmed down, Lexi came in and went to her bed. I had to remake her bed as the blankets were shoved into one corner by her jumping at full speed into it. But look at that look on her face!!! 

MOM -- I'm beside my Dad, and I'm happy

All in all, it was a hugely successful day. Why is that? I certainly didn't get lucky! I was prepared, and the more prepared I am, the more likely that everything is going to be a success. The more Facebook Lives I do, the more comfortable I am with the technology. It's all about the more you do, the more you can do, and start refining the process. My next Facebook Live is in September, and I'll be sure to let you know as we get closer to the date. 

What blows my mind is that I'm in Toronto, the moderator was in Texas, and people joined the call from all over. That is NOT fake! 

Well, I now have three days to prep for two in-person presentations (in Ottawa) and finish two online presentations. Hopefully, I won't have any issues and can get all the embroidery done on the jacket. Once those presentations are over, I can hit the road running to finish it. It's going to be tight to get everything done, but a little bit of pressure every now and then is good. I would NOT have had this time issue if I hadn't had to step in for my colleague, who wasn't able to do these scheduled events. My time management was right on and allowed me to do this favor. 

On that note, I'm up and on my way to the gym with Brooke. I haven't been there for two weeks and didn't do as much stretching as I should have. It might be tough!!! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!