A trip down memory lane

I LOVE hearing all your stories of repurposing projects, prepping for upcoming surgeries (good luck), and ideas for my Prince challenge. It's a process to be sure, but when you have a plan, or whatever you want to call it, life is good. I know the times I find hardest are when I have something (or multiple things) to do and no plan. Sometimes that is as simple as writing things down. 

I had several computer tasks to do, and I kept reviewing them in my head. That was taking up a lot of energy to keep track of them. I wrote them on a piece of paper (I KNOW - I should have put them in the computer to-do list), but this way they were right in front of me, and all of them were URGENT. This was motivation for me to get them done. 

Of those 9, I got 6½ done yesterday, which is great. The rest I can get done this morning. Writing the list down set my mind at ease, letting my subconscious work on something else without wasting energy trying to remember those nine things!

I had a chat with HP yesterday, and my computer is now up to date, and I know how to periodically check that all updates are up to date! It doesn't happen automatically! Who knew that? I'm ready for my fourth session with Microsoft this morning. BTW -- I asked the HP support person where he was located - Mumbai, India! Very nice person and very helpful. 

A LOT of things happened yesterday. It was Monday Sewing, and while we chatted, I was busy working. 

I pulled some "easy" things out of the UFO blue bin to work on. The first one was to deal with the leftovers from the soccer quilt that you saw last week. The leftover strips from the mitered border were too large to be considered a scrap. So instead of putting a mitered border on that square of fabric in the center, I did the opposite. I made the mitered borders and then cut the center to fit! And I got a 27" square table topper from those leftovers. 

The soccer table topper from leftover border prints

And there was enough fabric to make the backing. I used a solid black for the binding, and this one is ready to be quilted. I want to get it quilted this week, so I can finish it and then find a home for the two quilts. 

Ready to be quilted

I have THREE projects like this that were put in the UFO blue bin. I'll give you a better idea of what I started with and what I did on this next one. I think I remember what quilt this border fabric came from. It's in the "to be quilted" pile and has been for years! Anyway, I had a piece of floral yardage (top left), the eight cut-off pieces from applying the mitered border, and a length of the border print. Not shown are some leftovers from the border print. 

What I started with

Wait -- I took a picture of the leftovers from the border print.

The leftover border prints bits

 And here's a better view of the yardage. 

The yardage

This is called reverse engineering because I laid out the fabric to see what I had and to determine what sizes everything needed to be cut or where it could be used. 

Visually designing a table runner

YES -- I could make a decent-sized table runner out of this. I started by assembling the two short end borders. And then I constructed the long borders. I ensured that the two short and the two long borders were the same length, but honestly, I didn't really have to trim anything. They were equal! Good planning. 

Ensuring the long borders are the same length

And I laid it on the floor. It looks AWESOME!!! The tricky part is cutting the center to match the borders. I'm still working on that formula. 

That is going to look amazing.

But the MINUTE that was on the floor after I cut the center to fit, guess who came downstairs and guess where she went. She immediately went to that table runner and STOPPED. 

MOM -- is this for me?

Then she lay down! 

MOM - it's a bit small!

I have to say that when I went downstairs this morning, I half expected her to be lying on it, but nope - she was on her mat under the table. Good girl Murphy!!! And see that mat is plenty big enough for us to have a good cuddle.

Mat - I needed the extra thickness of my mat last night

I didn't finish the table runner yesterday, so I'll work on it this morning. And there is ONE more similar project in the UFO box. I'm going to get that one done this week as well, and then I need to set aside the UFO box for a bit. What is nice is that these small projects that have cluttered up the table tops are finally being done! I'm super excited!!!!

Oh my—sometimes we need to keep quiet. Remember the lady I ran into in the grocery store? Well, I took pictures of the project I had started for her and sent them to her yesterday. She didn't even remember the project!!!! ACK -- I could have just repurposed everything, and no one would be the wiser. But the guilt would gnaw at me, so we're going to discuss on Friday what to do about it. 

I had this border done, but it needs stitching in bright colors to really stand out from the background. And I have a ton of photos transferred to fabric, as well as a hand-drawn diagram of the direction we were going. 

The borders for the quilt

But as I was looking in the box, I spotted this! Notice the date - 2002! We weren't even living in this house at the time! And we've lived here for 23 years!  

Keepsake Quilting catalogue

For anyone who remembers that catalogue, it was the equivalent of being 6 years old again, and getting the Sears Wish Book, or the Eaton's one. The Wish Book was published from the mid-50s to the mid-70s, although I think the regular Sears catalogue continued for a few more years. 

The Christmas Wish Book

I browsed the catalogue while eating lunch, and what a trip down memory lane!! Here are some highlights that I found interesting. It was BIG -- 126 pages!!!!

EQ4 was the computer design software of choice. It's still going strong today with EQ8 being the current version. 

EQ4 for $110. CDN

OH MY -- the bugs in a jar quilt. This was a very popular pattern, and novelty prints were all the rage. Some people filled the jars with fruit and veggie-themed fabrics. I don't think I ever made this pattern (I'm sure I have it), but I have boxes and boxes of all kinds of novelty prints that are used for I Spy quilts. 

Bugs in a jar quilt pattern

There were many fabric clubs you could subscribe to, and of course, in 2002, there were NO PRE-CUTS. GASP!!! How did people survive? Well, you could buy collections like this one of 10" squares. I think this one was curated to make the jar quilt above. I may or may not have purchased some of these. 

10" squares of novelty prints

There's the pattern for Rosewood Cottage. Oh my!!! I taught that as an ongoing class in 2008 at The Hobby Horse, and again in 2013 at Ruti's Needlebed. My quilt is in the "to be quilted" pile. What fun we had with that quilt. If you click the link above, you can see the final show-and-tell. I don't have anything on the blog for the 2008 version. I was just starting to write my blog that year. 

Rosewood Cottage

And the final picture I'll share is Moonglow by Jinny Beyer. I made this quilt, and it is quilted and bound, though I'd like to add more quilting with metallic thread. WAIT --- this would be the perfect thing to do with the embroidery machine!!! Lightbulb moment!!!! This pattern was released again, but I'm not sure of the year. 

Moonglow pattern

I remember sitting in the Hobby Horse, and Gail was contemplating bringing in the pattern. So I quietly said, "I can make the sample." I had no clue what I was doing, but I LOVE the quilt. It was challenging, but the quilt is beautiful!! I don't seem to have any pictures of it on the blog either. 

WOW WOW WOW --- what a trip down memory lane. The catalogue is now in the recycling bin, except for the one page I wanted for that customer project - it was an idea for a family tree. Funny, how we keep the entire catalogue for one picture. 

WAIT --- I did this last night as well. 

Machine embroidery on tulle

I'm still designing the central feature for the bridal veil, but she also wanted Zodiac constellations on it. I managed to find those on Etsy, and they turned out pretty darn good. That is stitched on bridal tulle. Cutting away the excess water-soluble stabilizer was a challenge, and I managed to NOT cut the tulle. It's going to be on a plane tomorrow, so she can evaluate it. 

The only thing that needs to be changed, if possible, is that it's a bit scratchy on the back, which could be because it was quickly rinsed rather than fully washed. I will have to make another sample, or I could wash this more thoroughly today and let it dry. But amazing that you can stitch on see-through tulle and it's pretty strong. 

It was a jam-packed day, and I'm making progress in many areas. I will have to settle down later this week and start getting back to focusing on one or two things, not flitting around as I did yesterday. Some of the things done yesterday were just to see if we would go ahead with the project. If the answer is yes, then it needs to be scheduled in. 

My knee did just fine at spin class. Being clipped into the pedals helps keep the knee straight, and as long as it stays straight, it's happy. Try to twist it even one tiny bit, and it's not happy! So I'm extremely careful. It was fine all day, but it bothered me quite a bit last night, so I'm not sure what's going on. Slow and careful -- that's my motto. I only cycled for 30 minutes, with little pressure - I can crank out the equivalent of 30 KM in 60 minutes. Yesterday, I cycled 12 km in 30 minutes, so you can see I'm being responsible. I need to keep the knee moving. 

I'm running out of time, so I'll have to share another story about the knee tomorrow. 

Have a superb day!!!

Ciao!!!

Patience is a virtue!

And the busiest weekend for February is over! I survived it, and all the work got done on time, so my new time management is working out. By time management, I mean I have reduced the number of classes, which made time management so much easier. I didn't juggle my time better - I just had less to do. There's a huge difference, and I feel so much better!

I will always have things to do, but I will always ensure there is time for me!

If you remember, I talked about doing a couple of Zoom sessions on scraps, and the thought of scheduling them right now just didn't appeal to me. It's not so much the one-hour Zoom, but the hours of prep. While I want to do it, I didn't want to take away from my leisure time. 

I've decided to make it a four-part (or maybe longer) session that will run in the fall. My new schedule will include teaching a complete quilt, like Colour My World, and one other, preferably technique class. The scrap session will be the other. So that is on the slate for September/October, and you'll get lots of advance notice about how to sign up. 

I'm looking for quilt patterns for the new sew-along that will start in the fall. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Some appliqué is OK, but it needs to be pieced or mostly pieced. I have one quilt in mind and will be looking for others so I can choose. I will not break down and do more than one! I'm learning!!!!

Let me chat about Murphy first, and then I'll share my quilting stuff with you. This dog is persistent!! And like many dogs, she's smart. She knows when I am sitting at the kitchen table, that I'm there for a while, so she decides to try and get my attention even more, especially with that ball of hers!

She wants me to throw the ball, which I do, but it's annoying. Our ceramic floors are slippery, but she doesn't seem to mind. And if DH is on a call, he doesn't like the noise! He's always on a call! Thankfully, after about 10 throws, she gets overheated and needs to go outside to plunk herself in the snow. 

The other day, I was ignoring her, so she did this with her ball. 

MOM - Lexi is trying to steal my ball!

I didn't get up from what I was doing, so she grabbed the ball and plunked it into Lexi's food dish right beside the table. Of course, that action caused a kibble or two to spill out, so now those were fair game for her to eat! 

MOM - Lexi put the ball in her food dish!

I finally gave in, and then after our requisite number of throws, she went outside. 

MOM - I'm so hot!

She wants me to throw the ball outside, but I'm afraid it will sink into the snow, and she won't find it. OK -- I know that's a silly thing to say about a dog. She often has her head deep in the snow on our forest walks because she has smelled something. 

MOM - I smell a vole!!!!

And then don't forget the cuddles in her bed! I do NOT cuddle with her in that tiny bed in the office; rather, I cuddle her on her mat downstairs or on this larger bed in the family room. She loves it, and I think it's fun to get down to the floor and be with her on her terms!!! 

MOM - thanks for loving me!

You remember what happened when I put my quilt blocks on the floor the other night. Murphy took over rows three and four. 

MOM - I approve of rows 3 and 4

Well, I managed to get those rows together in the afternoon, but when I came down to work, she had commandeered rows 1 and 2 for sleeping. Why are quilts or even quilt blogs pet magnets? 

Mom - I'm testing rows 1 and 2

Such a silly girl. Anyway, the good news is that the entire quilt is together, including the border. It was a bit of an impromptu quilt that I'll use to advertise my upcoming Facebook Live. I'll wait until they post the ad on Facebook and then share the quilt with you. The topic is felting with your embroidery machine and will take place on March 11. It will be recorded, so if you can't make the March 11 date, you can still watch it. I have a "few" samples I want to make, but that's OK because I'm also working on a project on my Visual To-Do list. I wanted to learn all about felting on the embroidery machine as a goal. 

Now I have done felting before, but I don't have a ton of samples, and I want to really explore the technique, so I get to kill two birds with one stone! I told you that I'm becoming a master at this, and there isn't much I don't make that doesn't cover two or more goals!

Let's talk about why something becomes a UFO. In my case, it's often because I haven't thought it through all the way. I get to a spot where I'm stuck, or I try to "ram" the sewing through, think it's going to be OK, and then, when it's finished or nearly finished, I'm not happy. Then the project gets set aside. I have many projects on the current project table because of that scenario. 

It's something I need to learn to live with or remake things properly! If the item is going to be a traveling sample, I simply cannot go out in public with one that looks a wee bit shoddy. Yes - there are times when a shoddy sample makes a good learning tool, and I'm happy to carry those, but there are times when I want the item to be a bit more perfect!!

So here's my latest ripping-out experiment. And YES - this is on the Visual To-Do list. See --- I am FOCUSED!!!! There isn't much, if anything, that I'm working on these days that isn't on that list. 

The theme of the Cherrywood Challenge in 2018 was the artist known as Prince. I loved the color - purple, and I had a great idea. Oh -- that's the case, I have the ideas, but don't always execute to my satisfaction. Anyway, you'll see the piece in a second, or you can check out this blog post. 

I wasn't happy with the placement of the raindrops. It never got finished to enter the competition. I decided to live with it the way it was and figure out how to quilt it. I wanted to use metallic thread, but the piece just didn't match the vision I had. I even tried free-motion quilting so I could just call it a day, and the piece YELLED at me that it wasn't happy. Neither was I. 

I added that challenge to my to-do list, and here is my plan. I need to rip out all the satin stitches around each raindrop, and there are a lot of them. WAIT --- first, I had to rip out all the quilting, which I did months ago. Then I could remove the satin stitches. 

The quilting has been removed.

OK -- now the satin stitches are removed from one raindrop. 

The satin stitching is removed from one raindrop.

Now those raindrops are fused in place, so will the fusing let go? I was able to pull the raindrops off after the stitching was removed. So much for PERMANENT fusing with a fusible web!!

And the raindrop peeled right off the background!

I had to tug some of them a bit more than others to get off, and a bit of residue remained on the background after removing the raindrops. Shoot -- what am I going to do with that? 

I gave it a quick press from the wrong side, and VOILA—except for the stitch holes, you wouldn't be able to tell that anything has been fused and stitched in place. The raindrops came off perfectly!!! 

Wow - the beginning of a clean slate

It's going to take some time to remove them all, as there are quite a few on the piece. I'm OK with that. I swear that sitting and doing this kind of project is perfect for Monday sewing calls, or Virtual Retreats, and it teaches a person patience. Patience is a very important virtue, and many people do NOT have patience these days. I find this kind of thing therapeutic. 

A lot of raindrops to remove

As you can see, I've made a start in that one corner. My plan is to put the raindrops back on the quilt, but in straight lines, so I can quilt straight vertical lines for the rain, hopefully in metallic thread. I was likely in a rush to get this completed and randomly stuck those raindrops on without much thought to the quilting, and then went, "ACK, how the heck am I going to quilt this?" and it's sat like that for years. 

I need to stop doing that! 

Am I upset with having to rework this piece? Not at all. Things happen, and I've learned to let them go. It was not a mistake, just a learning opportunity. I'm wiser now, and because I've made so many "mistakes" and allowed myself to make them, I can recover from them without beating myself up. How many times did famous artists go back and rework a painting? Probably way more times than we realize. So slow and methodical, and I'll get it to look the way I want. 

I'm off to spin class this morning. I'm going to take it easy and will probably only do 30 minutes, just to test out my knee. It's not really the joint, it's the darn tendons, which are not happy campers. Anyway -- more on that story tomorrow because I heard some wild news at the Virtual Retreat yesterday. I have to say that the conversations at the retreats are amazing. The number and variety of topics we cover blows my mind!!! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

What are you addicted to?

There are so many thoughts going through my head this morning. I heard some disturbing things yesterday. You've been in this situation - you might have been on a train, at the grocery store, in the airport, at the dinner table, and what is everyone doing? 

They are on their phone! And what are they doing? Endlessly scrolling through countless Social apps -- Facebook, IG, X, Pinterest, Facebook, IG, X, WhatsApp, X, Pinterest. It's ENDLESS scrolling. 

The sad thing is that you are devoting YOUR PRECIOUS hours left in your life to being entertained by total nonsense! What are you thinking? 

Do NOT YELL at me for that because you can't deny it! I have basically turned off notifications on my phone—it is a completely SILENT device. The phone rings? I don't hear it. A text comes in? I don't hear it. Do I care? I do NOT need to be connected to the world until I am ready to be connected. Before you yell at me - I get it that some people may need to be connected because of health issues, family matters, or whatever. But do you need to respond to every text message immediately? 

I will admit that from time to time I get caught up in watching reels, but after a couple, I remind myself that most of them are AI-generated, have ZERO point, and are a complete and utter waste of time. 

I hear stories from my friends that they meant to look at Pinterest for five minutes, and hours later, they are still scrolling. Or they just spend an hour checking out Social media platforms. 

What I don't get is why we are so interested in OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES and yet we don't care about our own? You could have been stretching in that hour, you could have been having a phone conversation with a family member or friend (GASP - does anyone do that anymore?), you could have been tidying up your house, learning a new skill by watching a YouTube video, or reading a book, or any other multitude of things. 

I totally get that these apps are addictive, and guess what? They were created that way! Those reels with their 1-second intro and enticing titles. They are made to grab our very short attention spans. But what many people don't realize is that this addiction to your phone is as bad as an addiction to ANY OTHER substance abuse addiction. Yep --- it's an addiction. Remember when the iPhone first came out? Many of the bigwigs in Silicon Valley, including Steve Jobs, would NOT allow their family members (or maybe just their children) to have one because they built it to be addictive. 

We're going to have to start the 12-step program for phone use. 

Sometimes people say they are bored, so they reach for their phone. Did you know that being bored is a VERY GOOD THING!!! We need to be bored; our brains need to have a break from the constant barrage of information. And then we wonder why everyone is so anxious and impatient these days. Yep --- "If I don't get instant gratification for anything, I'm not happy." 

Our world is quickly becoming a very sad place. Trust me, I'm not perfect, but I have greatly reduced my screen time - no TV since 2010. I confess I haven't even watched the Olympics, aside from the Opening Ceremony. I only have two social media accounts - IG and Facebook. I might check them a couple of times a day, but I'm probably in each account for a maximum of 10 minutes a day, unless there is a special event, like Quilt Con or the Olympics, in which I spend a bit more time. 

I'm not wired any differently than anyone else, but I have made CONSCIOUS decisions to not get addicted! I'd really like to remember who taught me Grade 7 Social Studies, because whoever it was, that is the class I remember the most. We were taught all about how companies market to us and try to suck us in. Gosh -- I wish I could remember more about that! But that fact has remained with me for years, and I still live by that. 

But all that brings me to the current book I'm reading, called The Brain at Rest by Dr. Joseph Jebelli. His research has led him to believe that our brains are so overworked that we are heading to significant issues with our brains, which can lead to breakdowns, forms of dementia, stress, anxiety, and many other ailments. He equates those little things like forgetfulness (not to age, not to dementia), but to overloading the brain so that it can't handle the small details of our lives. 

He talks about just sitting and doing NOTHING -- not even with a cell phone, which is an onslaught of verbal and visual diarrhea to your brain. Open and empty your brain every day, meditate, forest bath, or whatever you need to do, but our brains need to rest! That is how people rejuvenate, and often after a rest period, you come back to your desk, with a new perspective and filled with ideas. 

Hmmm --- not to toot my own horn, but I do this EVERY SINGLE DAY and most days - I do it twice, once with the girls and then on my own. I don't listen to audiobooks or music. I just look at my surroundings, I let my brain just wander, and I've had so many exciting things happen on those walks. 

Why don't you try it? Turn off notifications on your phone, then schedule a time once or twice a day to check your social platforms. Can you do it? I dare you!!!! The predominant use of my phone is the CAMERA. I will NOT get rid of my phone, but I refuse to let it dictate my life or waste my precious time. 

OK --- after that rant! Let's see what happened yesterday. 

Another call from Microsoft - at least they call when they say they will. But not fixed yet. More information gathering, and the support rep will go back to their engineering team. It's all about two big kids who can't play well together in the sandbox! 

I have to update the BIOS on my HP computer, and then there will be another call from Microsoft on Tuesday. 

Look at that roof of ours. Yep --- that peak in front is an issue. Is it the valleys? The pitch of the roof? What causes the snow to not melt quickly? I'm not worried - the ice dam is gone, but I need to follow up with the insurance and an engineer this week. 

Still snow in the roof valleys

OK -- I was trolling Facebook (on my limited allotted time) yesterday and spotted this. Isn't this a nice thing? 

YES --- we need to do this!!!

 

What nice thing have I done for others recently? Well, in my Colour My World class, I know a few people are struggling with timing issues -- they may have a health problem, be moving, or whatever. I have offered to give them a few extra classes (for free) after we formally finish the class. I want them to be successful in completing their quilts!!

Speaking of Colour My World, here's what my quilt looks like to date! 

My version of Colour My World

I've used bright batiks, and I absolutely LOVE the quilt. It's coming together nicely, and there has been some seam ripping along the way, but for the most part, it's been amazing to work on. We still have a lot of work to do before the final reveal in June, but I am confident the class will succeed. 

Here's an interesting situation that has happened to me. I've been a quilt teacher for 25 years and have enjoyed meeting all the students, seeing their creativity, and listening to stories of how I have helped and inspired them over the years. What I particularly like is seeing the students and their skills grow -- I push them hard sometimes, but when that lightbulb goes on, that is what teachers live for! 

I wrote an entire story about this, but I think I'll condense it to this. 

As a teacher, what is better: 

Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day?

OR 

Teach a man to fish, and he eats for the rest of his life? 

My job is to teach them to make, sew, and design blocks, NOT to give them a pattern, unless there is an absolute failure with the patterns/instructions from the designer. I'm just there to guide them. 

Whatever will I do with that, Miss Murphy? She thinks the entire house, especially Studio B, is her sleeping spot. I often catch her around the corner in the stash room, completely happy to be by herself. However, when she needs attention, she DEMANDS it. I think she knows that she has to turn her brain off every once in a while. Maybe she has been reading my book! 

Fast asleep in the corner of the stash room

Then last night, I had to lay my quilt on the floor because the design wall was full. This is what happened. 

MOM - are these for me to test?

Oh yes -- she got even cosier as she stretched out in full. So the quilt rows 1, 2, and 5 have been assembled, and I'll have to do 3 and 4 this afternoon. What a silly girl!!!!! 

I remembered to take a picture of the painting that Cynthia painted of our dogs. This was not a favor; I commissioned her to paint the picture. I love supporting artists because that is how they make their living. 

This is Little Sammy on the left, and the detail Cynthia put in the tail is incredible, and it's exactly like Sammy's tail was. I gave her photographs of the forest and the dogs, and this is what she painted. The only artistic license she took (with my permission) was to paint the background sky. You can't really see the sky in the forest. 

The dog on the right is Miss Lexi, and the dog in the back is Sparky, who had already crossed the Rainbow Bridge at that time. Miss Murphy hadn't arrived at the time. Sammy passed before the painting was done, but we knew it was imminent. 

The girls BEFORE Muprhy

I'm sure that Murphy is miffed every time she looks at it, which must be often since it sits on our fireplace mantle in the family room!!

I have lots more to share, but I've run out of time. 

There is a Virtual Retreat today, starting at 3 PM. Here's the link. 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89869001291?pwd=h57kT9axwTnd2xtJvuO0z2UOmUo45w.1

Meeting ID: 898 6900 1291
Passcode: 136711

Have a great day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Learning to be creative!

It was a positively boring day yesterday! The third-level Microsoft support called, and she took about 5 minutes to poke around my Outlook setup, then decided it needed to be escalated to a higher level! Yikes!!! But Microsoft and Google don't seem to like talking to each other, and there's an issue with syncing. Now I understand why it takes so long for my email to sync - that's always been an issue, but I never thought much about it. If Microsoft is willing to spend time on it, I'm happy to oblige! I have another call window this afternoon - maybe the problem will be resolved? BTW, I believe Microsoft will support the Classic version until 2029.

In the meantime, it was so nice to send emails to my groups, and I switched between Outlook versions as needed. There is a lag in the syncing, so hopefully I got everyone's pictures. 

The knee is progressing nicely, but I'm still not pushing it. Pushing it for me is different from pushing it for others - I get that. I did almost 9 KM yesterday. And my knee felt much better during and after the walk. I'm still applying heat, but no meds are required.  

The engineers got back to me and said they will look into the beam issue, but not the roof issue. There is no attic, so no place to investigate. Hmmm—have they ever considered that the drywall has to come off to be repaired, so they will have a wide-open space to investigate? Maybe I need to say the drywall is gone! I'm going to contact another company, and then we'll see. The ice is mostly gone from the roof, and everything has settled down. 

Like I said -- positively boring and I'm OK with that! 

I spent the entire day running around, taking and editing pictures, and putting together today's presentations. The two of them are ready, and after this morning's classes, I'll spend the afternoon prepping the UFO presentation for tomorrow. That one should be easier, as I just have to get the pictures from email and a few pictures of my stuff. 

OH -- as I was doing my research, guess what I found? Yep -- a printout of the distribution list for the jacket class!! I guess I'm not as silly as I thought I was. I had a physical copy of my two big lists. 

My jacket class distribution list

I did a lot of research yesterday, both online and in my resource library. 

Doing research

It also necessitated getting out the User's Guide for my sewing machine. GASP!!!! Yep --- that is one of the most valuable tools you can own. It's a shame more people don't use it!

The User's Guide

I can share what I was looking for another day. But I felt like a detective as I tried to figure out what I was doing wrong! 

Well, as I was digging through that stack of Threads magazines, I glanced over to see Miss Murphy sleeping on her mat under the current project tables. It's like a little den for her, surrounded by tubs on two sides. I decided that we needed some quiet time together. I got on the floor, and we had a good cuddle. 

MOM - I LOVE when you cuddle in my space!

You know something? I'm glad I'm still able to do that. Because of all the stretching, getting back up isn't a big deal anymore. YES -- instead of letting my body continue to regress, I'm fighting back to keep myself limber. It took a wakeup call, but I listened. Should I be blessed with grandchildren one day, you bet I'll be on the floor to cuddle and play with them! 

At least that's what the quote in my tea told me to do - listen!!!!

Listen!!!!!

Getting up may not be as graceful as a ballet dancer (I've said that before), but at least I can do it, and it doesn't feel awkward! Even with a bum knee, so yes - the knee is much better. 

But while I was browsing one of the early Threads magazines, I spotted this article on COMPUTERIZED sewing machines!!! 

Hmmm -- how to buy a computerized sewing machine

There was a comparison chart of the various brands. The prices were under $2,000, although at the time, that was probably a lot of money for a sewing machine. 

Comparison chart of sewing machines

Here's a close-up of some of the top-of-the-line models. These are NOT embroidery machines; they are simply sewing machines. 

The Viking 990

There was no Husqvarna at that time. 

PFAFF Creative 1471

HMM -- at some point, Pfaff became all caps, and Creative lost its capital C. 

Bernina 1130

Brother Compal Galaxie

New Home Memory Craft 6000

This later became Janome. 

Shoot, before I put it back, I should have looked at the features, but I was in a bit of a hurry, so I didn't want to stop. 

Here's the cover of the Threads issue, so you can tell it's a bit dated. Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what year this was? 

One of the early issues of Threads

There it is -- August/September 1987!!!! And look at the price—$3.75. This is an amazing magazine, and I think I have every issue. Don't ask! I noticed that when I looked for three particular issues, they were NOT in any order. They were, but then they got moved. So it really is time to organize that resource library. 

Aug/Sept 1987 issue

Speaking of the library, I got two recommendations for Libib to store books, but I already have a paid subscription to one online, so I might try that one first. I can scan the books - I just need to figure out how to set up a second database. The first database contains the books I have read. I refer to that VERY FREQUENTLY, so I might as well use it for the quilt books since I'm already paying for it! 

As part of my preparation, I had to find two items I needed to photograph. One of the items I had been looking for a couple of weeks ago, but didn't find it. Well, that's because I didn't look hard enough. Both items were on the pegboard. There are loads of things on this pegboard that probably don't need to be there. But all my specialty rulers and odd notions are stored there. It works for me. 

The messy pegboard

And what about the girls? They have become extremely vocal these days. When I go for a walk with one, the other one protests while I'm gone. Last night, Murphy would NOT leave her ball alone, and when I took it away, she made a loud protest. The only way I can get peace and quiet when reading is to go upstairs, which I don't want to do! Eventually, they settled, but not until they had a play fight to entertain me!

MOM - we NEED YOU NOW!!!

Oops—I forgot to get a picture of that painting. I'll try to remember today. But I'll chat about the two books I'm reading. The audiobook is The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. I think I have taken this book out of the library a dozen times and never got around to reading it. I figured I'd "force" myself to read it by listening to the audiobook. While it has a lot of good information, I don't think the book is for me. 

The premise of the book is to help people become creative. Help artists who are blocked to get back to painting, writing, creating, making movies, or whatever. It also encourages people who are NOT doing what they would love to do, to take that giant step and do it! Lucky for me, I took that step back in 1998 and haven't looked back. 

She has a ton of lists, and some of the items on them I feel are just fillers, so she can get to 20 on each. But hey—if one of the items piques someone's interest, it needs to be on the list. Now I almost need to see the physical book to review those lists! But I digress. 

I got a chuckle because the first thing she talks about in the book is the Morning Pages. To help open the floodgates, she recommends that you get up each day and write three pages longhand. It can be whatever you want --- and if you can't think of anything to write, then you simply write, "I don't know what to write" or something to that effect. 

These pages are just for you -- you don't need to read them or share them with anyone; you just need to write! 

On that note, I couldn't agree more! And I'm going to equate my blog with Julia's morning pages. I get up and just write. I don't think of a topic - it just comes to me. Can you believe I've been writing the blog for almost twenty years? At first, it was sporadic, and then it became a daily thing. 

I chose to use the computer because I can't stand handwriting with a pen. My hand just cramps, and the writing isn't pretty. I much prefer a keyboard. I put it online because a then-friend encouraged me. But it's the process of writing that is important. Why? Because I said I was going to do things and wrote it down, I now have to follow up. Because I struggle with issues and I write about them, it becomes less of a struggle. Because I share my successes, I feel more successful, etc. 

So while you may feel motivated, inspired, mad, or happy when you read the blog, it's really a brain dump of my thoughts, which helps me clear my head and move on for the day! I'm going to call my blog my morning pages, and I will continue doing so for as long as I can. I'm also a storyteller, in case you haven't figured that out, and as long as I can continue to tell stories about the day, well, I'll be writing. 

I'm sure DH is thankful for the blog because he already has to listen to many ridiculous, nonsensical, and meaningless stories from me. Imagine if he had to hear them all? It keeps me young and brings lots of laughs to our house! 

But reading that book alone would NOT make you creative. There are loads of exercises that Julia recommends you do. Writing my blog can take up to 1½ hours each day, and I actually look forward to the process. So if you want to become more creative, do the things you have always wanted to do, but were afraid to, take a look at the book. But it will take WORK and COURAGE to get there. 

Speaking of stories, I didn't tell you this one. Because of my knee, I am taking a slightly different route with the dogs. I don't want to slog through the forest with a dog on a leash, even sweet Lexi. That requires me to cross a busy street during school drop-off time. As I was crossing the street to return home, a car started turning left towards me. He was in a rush to get ahead of the car that had stopped to his right. 

Turns out that was an Uber driver, and DH was on his way to the dentist in that car. He had to shout at the driver to not hit me! Can you imagine the headlines for that one? 

So many drivers just care about the cars and not the people. The sad thing is, this happened very near an elementary school shortly after drop-off, when there would still be lots of people around. Sigh.......

I'll have to tell you about the other book I'm reading tomorrow. I've got to get moving!

Here are the links to the Virtual Retreat this weekend. 

Saturday, February 21 --- starts at 6 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89610782501?pwd=7dCrhiL5t8Xa4TVwZPvhL6cOymbcjK.1

Meeting ID: 896 1078 2501
Passcode: 148311

Sunday, February 22 ---- starts at 3 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89869001291?pwd=h57kT9axwTnd2xtJvuO0z2UOmUo45w.1

Meeting ID: 898 6900 1291
Passcode: 136711

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!