The Artist's Way

I fell into bed last night, totally exhausted. After the heavy upper body workout with Brooke in the morning, working with the embroidery machine and the giant quilt, plus a walk to the dollar store and the grocery store, I was done! But that's OK -- it was a productive day! Plus, I finished listening to a book, which I have to share the details with you. 

Let's start with the giant quilt! It is 109 by 109 inches. It is done, almost trimmed, and ready to be dropped off later today. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I am leery of larger quilts because they can go on the machine wonky (my doing), or the borders are wavy or whatever. Lots of things can go haywire with a large quilt. I'm happy to report that I got it loaded straight through to the end, and the piecing was bang on. I had no issues with quilting it, other than it took a long time! And now it's done!

Then I decided, why have one automated machine working, when I can have two!! And there is no longer any procrastination in my house. Make a decision and get it done! I sent the Zodiac constellations design to the EPIC 3, and it happily stitched for a good part of the day. 

Ready to stitch the constellation designs

What was even more helpful was that the design looked like it was made especially for that large hoop—260 by 465 mm. I mean, the design literally filled it. Otherwise, I would have had to hoop the fabric several times. Oh my—I planned that perfectly! OK — I got lucky: I designed based on the size of fabric I needed and was not restricted by the hoop size. It was my lucky day, as they were essentially the same size!

I considered using white thread, which would have looked amazing, but I was thinking of the gold thread on the border print, and I didn't like the two together. So gold thread it was. My machine wasn't particularly happy with the gold thread. It didn't break - the needle just kept coming unthreaded more often than I would have liked. I'm not sure why that happened, but it didn't matter - I was downstairs anyway, so I just kept rethreading the machine when it needed that to be done. YES -- I slowed the machine way down, and other than the needle coming unthreaded, it stitched out beautifully. Patience is a virtue -- no need to get frustrated - just slow and steady, and it all came together. 

The completed design

I forgot to take a close-up, so I'll do that later today, but I love it! I trimmed all the threads and removed the stabilizer last night while I waited for the giant quilt to finish. All I need to do is give it a good press and cut it to the correct size. I didn't trust myself last night to do that task. Perhaps this morning. 

And here are some half-square triangles that I trimmed the other day. All up-to-date on those. Just lots more of them to sew!

Trimming half-square triangles

I had some time to spare (GASP), so I dug out the scraps of solid black I had discovered while finishing that table runner. It's hard to believe, but all of these are sold as BLACK!!!! I'm going to make the pieced backing for my Abreviated Dear Jen quilt. I don't care if the blacks don't match—I just want this fabric used up!! I cut the first pass and will potentially sew the rows together this morning. 

The many colors of black

This is my next machine embroidery project, and it's much smaller than the Zodiac, but it's going to be fiddly, I think! The first step is done. YES --- those rings are all machine embroidered - the last step is to assemble them, also on the embroidery machine! 

The next machine embroidery project

I'm taking KU to a quilt shop that is some distance away, so the afternoon will be a lost cause for getting work done, which I'm OK with. It's good to take a break. However, the Pony Express will be active this afternoon, as I have two drop-offs near our destination! But I have the morning to get some stuff done, although I should be focusing on some paperwork. I'll see how I feel after walking the girls. 

Speaking of the girls, we now know who the culprit is who thinks that walking on the pond is a good thing. 

MOM - I'm ice fishing!!

And it's not enough for her to walk on it, I spotted her in the afternoon like this. 

MOM - nothing to see here!

Yep -- why just walk on the pond when you can have a ly-down on it! That dog is nuts about the pond and water. It's supposed to be warm today, so hopefully she knows enough (she does) to stay off the ice! 

I got a chuckle from her in the morning because she "accidentally" tossed one of her balls under the desk beside me. And she tried desperately to get it. She must have found this position comfortable because she stayed there for a while. What a silly girl!!!!

MOM - just hanging out!

And then while we were having dinner, Lexi rescued me again from Murphy begging to play ball. They had a good tussle, and everyone was entertained and happy. 

MOM - I'll keep Murphy away from you!!
MOM - HELP!! Lexi won't let me play ball!

Wait -- Murpy "broke" her ear!!!! Well, Lexi probably did this to her, but it was so cute. Every once in a while, that happens, and I managed to get a picture! 

MOM -- Look at my ear - Lexi broke my ear!!!

KU and I walked to the dollar store in the afternoon—it was a glorious day. She may regret living with us because I walk everywhere. No going by car to do errands! Anyway, we were looking for these felt portfolios. Which we found, thanks to KU. We at last found the right department, and I didn't see any, but KU moved a book and VOILA -- there was ONE left. 

The felt laptop bag

Hmmm—I think I need better friends, or more explicit friends. Whenever someone finds something at the dollar store that others in our group might be interested in, we NEVER get the right department. "OH - I think it was in the office supplies" section. So I went and couldn't find it there. Turns out it was in the ELECTRONICS section because it's a tablet case. Sigh......

So the bottom line is that if you find something you think someone else will like, PLEASE take a picture of it on the shelf or note where you picked it up. People then say, well, they could be in a different department. NO --- when you see the folks at the dollar store unpacking boxes, they have a MAP of the store in their hands, and each product in each store goes in the same department. It might be slightly different, but the employees do NOT make those decisions. 

I'm not sure if I should go shopping with KU, as she could cost me a lot of money! We were also looking for this - not to buy it, but just to check it out. This was in the crafts section. So if you want inexpensive markers for your blocks or rows, you could use this. And if the letters come off, get out your hot glue and glue the letters back on!

Letters and numbers on clothespins

When we were at the mall the other day and waiting for the movie theater to open, we had popped into one of my favorite clothing stores, and here is the pair of jeans I bought. KU found them. They are so not like a pair of jeans I would typically buy, and certainly a lot more money than my $6 thrift store find. HEY -- I LOVE my thrift store jeans, and they fit like a glove! 

OK -- I finished The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron this morning, and I can finally cross that book off my list. I never need to get it from the library again. 

It was a very interesting book, and I'm glad I finally had the chance to read it. To clarify, by using the term artist, she refers to anyone - whether you are a painter, a quilter, an office worker -- anyone. So don't think the book and its methods won't apply to you. Secondly, the book is based on many spiritual teachings, which is OK, and she addresses those who don't believe in a higher being at the beginning. She has MANY lists in the book—I mean, MANY. And she quotes a ton of people. So be warned. She also talks about the "recovering or blocked" artist and rarely mentions those who would like to become artists. But I guess those people are considered blocked because they can't make the first move. 

Anyway, despite some of the things mentioned above, which are NOT negative, but a lot of filler, perhaps the filler is necessary. Anyway, I highly recommend reading the book if you haven't. 

WAIT --- before you jump into your library app to find it, here are a couple of things. First, the book didn't really help me. WHAT????? Why am I recommending it? Because I've already done most of what she said to do. I am NOT a recovering or blocked artist. The ideas are flowing out of me faster than I can write them down. BUT I did learn a few tips from the book, but I mostly got 1000% affirmation that what I'm doing is the way to go! And sometimes we need that. 

Things to keep in mind before you start to read this book: 

1. If you are serious about unblocking yourself, get the WRITTEN copy of the book, and I think there is a workbook to do the exercises. 
2. It's a 12-step program—do each step over 1 week. I think it's harder to do the exercises in audio form, and you won't have time if you have the book on loan for three weeks.  
3. It will be a lot of work, but it's good work. It makes you think deeply about what you want to do in life, how to get out of a rut (art, love, travel, daily living, health, etc)
4. Try to find a group or a buddy who can help you. Someone who will support you, not cut down what you are trying to achieve.
5. Believe in yourself- you are creative - everyone is creative, if they let the creativity out. 

OMG -- I just created a list. But there are only five items on my list. Julai's lists have twenty items on them!!

What are some of the things that I already do that she mentions in the book? 

1. Make mistakes! They are good for you! 
2. Affirmation of who I am. Yep — I'm not afraid to call myself an artist with a studio and toot my own horn about how good I am. 
3. Find your passion. I was fortunate to have found my passion almost 30 years ago, and I have never looked back. 
4. Teach others—yep, I've been doing that for 25 years. You will learn from teaching, not just about the subject at hand, but about yourself. I've learned so much from teaching - it was the best thing I have ever done!
5. WRITE --- it doesn't have to be a novel, but even nonsense, as she talks about for the Morning Pages, is good. Get your brain working, get that crap out of your head that you are struggling with. Get rid of it by writing it down. Never to be read again! I've been writing the blog for almost 20 years! Some good days, some not so good!  
6. Don't be afraid to do what you want, even if it means doing it by yourself. Yep --- riding a bike across Canada (with a group), walking across Spain on the Camino, climbing Kilimanjaro, etc. Many more adventures await me, and I wait for no person. If I had to find someone with similar interests to do those adventures, I'd still be waiting. 
7. LOVE yourself and be selfish a little bit. You need time for yourself, you need to learn to live with yourself, and to entertain yourself. I am the most important person in my life, and I'm proud to say it out loud. 
8. Stop procrastinating. This one is fairly new to me, and it took a very long time for me to get to the point where I just make the decision and go with it. No regrets -- just decide and move on. Life is too short to let details get in the way. For me, it was my visual to-do list and the desire not to leave this creative mess for someone else to clear up. 
9. Find a support group. Can you believe that I have found that in my Monday Sewing group, which has been going for almost 25 years? There were issues -- MAJOR issues, and the group got ugly at points with back stabbing, a police complaint filed against me (YEP  - that is not a lie), and moving from in-person to going online. It doesn't matter; the backbone of the group has held together like glue. Can you believe there are still three people from the original group (including myself) who started in 2001 who are still participating? 
10. Don't be afraid! While you probably can't do everything you want to do, don't be afraid to try new things or do things alone if no one is around to go with you. I used to be the most shy person you could imagine, and I have gradually cracked that shell. Thank god for that! START SMALL on this. 

OOOPs -- another list!!! 

But you get my point—I didn't need to read the book because I'm already there. But WAIT --- you are never there --- life is a constant journey, not a destination!!! Learn to make the most of it - stop and smell the roses along the way, take what comes with a grain of salt -- why let someone else ruin your life because they make silly choices? Nope --- your life is all about YOU!!!! 

OK -- I have to run, but seriously, if you are in a rut and want to make changes, the book is good. BUT WAIT --- here's another thing to keep in mind. You HAVE TO WANT TO CHANGE. If you think the book is going to help you, it can only do that if YOU ARE WILLING to change. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Progess on mitered border projects

Thanks for the information on the cadaver tendon use!!!! Apparently, the medical field has been using that technique for years!!! Who knew? And yes -- a lot is missing from the story of the man with the broken tibia/fibia. He's in bad shape, and I don't remember all the details - tendons pulled away from the knee and the broken bones (right at the knee cap) or something equally horrible. I must remember to ask his mother again. 

Another day - another project!!! And I managed to get through another item on that paperwork list, although a new one came up that I didn't even know needed to be done. All is good! 

Let's have a look at the table runner. I was making a scrappy backing for it, and that is now done. 

The table runner and the backing

Here's a close-up of the backing. I took the narrow strips of the border print and inserted a narrow strip of solid black between them to make the backing wider. I didn't really measure it, I just guessed, and WOW - it turned out to be the right size. What are the chances? I just go with my gut instinct, and again it worked! It also helps that the narrow strips should be the same length (or close) to the cut-offs of the wider strips, although the wider ones were sewn together. It doesn't matter - it worked. 

The backing for the table runner

And now the binding is also done, and so this is in the "to be quilted" pile. It's small, so I've added it to the list of what I want to accomplish this month. WAIT - make that next month. 

The table runner is now moved to the "to be quilted" pile.

I still had a few leftovers and didn't want to put them in my scrap bin, so I looked at it and decided I could make a placemat, which I could then donate to Meals on Wheels. I had two pieces of the narrow border print and some of the floral. I looked at the remaining pieces, made a few mental calculations, sewed the two narrow pieces together, and cut them to the same length. This is all I had left. 

The remains of the narrow border

Then I used the leftover floral pieces and the two narrow strips to get this. It's just the right size for a placemat! I swear—I didn't calculate the entire thing—I just went with my gut. I still had a few odd pieces, so I made a square-ish piece of the floral fabric and added solid black. I guess I forgot to take a picture of that. And then I found solid black to make the binding. It's rather pretty and won't show spills! The backing is pretty much the same size as the top, but it'll work for quilting on the sewing machine. 

The placemat is ready to be quilted.

There were two small pieces of black floral left, and those went into the scrap bin with the rest of the black with a bit of color. One day, that scrap bin will need to be addressed. 

Yeah!!!!! 

Now it was time to pull out the third (and final) project using leftovers from the mitered border prints. You will probably not remember this, but the wide mitered borders came from a zodiac-themed quilt I made for M. I don't remember what was in the center, but I used this very wide border print. The center was a picture that I had in the house. I wanted to get rid of the actual paper picture but keep the image, as it had special meaning, so I had it printed on fabric. So the picture got scanned and printed at Spoonflower. Can you believe that was in 2021? You can check out the story behind the print at that link. 

I'll try to find the blog post featuring M's quilt. I'm running out of time to do that this morning. 

I laid everything out on the floor. Hmmmmm. There is NOT enough border print unless I cut the picture down, which I didn't want to do. 

Hmmm - the border prints are not long enough.

When I really looked at the print, I don't think the colors went with the border print. OK -- time for plan B. 

Hmmm - the colors are a bit off.

I removed the printed picture, and I'll deal with that another day. Then I put the border prints together to see what I got. Hmmmm -- now I need something else to put in the center. What? What? 

OK—looks better. Now what to put in the center?

Then a brain wave hit me as I had literally just stitched out a new sample of one of the Zodiac constellations for M's bridal veil. What if I embroidered all 12 of them on some fabric for the center? OH MY GOSH --- what a brilliant idea. I can do the embroidery in gold metallic thread. 

Then it was time to audition some fabric. Well, guess who came to help? I swear - dogs can hear fabric of any size when it touches the floor. 

MOM - sorry I'm a bit late! 

And the situation got progressively worse as I auditioned more fabric. It was when I laid down this one that Murphy did, too. I guess that is her way of saying, "I approve!" Oh Murphy!!!

MOM - I approve of this one! 

The next step was to join the border pieces so I could get a rough idea of the size of the center piece. I put the lengths on the design wall, so Miss Murphy couldn't make a mess of my border. I had to take down my Many Blocks quilt top. I must get the backing done for that quilt! So much to do and so little time! But focus!!! 

I got a rough estimate of the size and then popped over to the computer to see what it looked like with all 12 Zodiac Constellations in one spot. OH MY --- I think it's going to be perfect. I had thought about rejigging the placement of the border pieces so the wall hanging would be square, but with 12 Zodiac signs, square wasn't going to work. I did a vertical orientation, then a horizontal orientation. 

I'll have a better look at them today and see which one I like. Hmmm—let's put them on the blog and see which one looks better. OMG — do you know how nice it is to decide at the last minute to add a picture that wasn't in the initial email, and have it come through in MERE seconds? That alone has been well worth spending time with the Microsoft support team. I must remember to tell them on our next support call next week. 

Horizontal

Vertical

I put the constellations in order, starting with Capricorn. I'm leaning towards the vertical orientation because it seems less contrived. I'm not sure that is the correct term! I still have the option to move them around, and then let's see what happens. 

I have a jacket that I want to make for the April wedding, and it's bright fuchsia. I also wanted to embroider on it - just because I can. I found a design to test, and I finally got around to it last night. It turned out amazing!!! The big thing now is, do I want that particular design and what color? I asked Google what color I should use for the design. I'm stunned at what I got back. Who needs ChatGPT when I can get some basic information from Google? I'm sold. 

Anyway, it suggests that for a formal look, I can choose this color; for a casual look, I can use this. I think it gave me four options, and some I hadn't considered. So I need to pursue that later today and make sure I have the correct thread colors. I also need to settle on the design. I don't want it to be too formal-looking, since the jacket will be casual but dressy, but I also want whimsy. WOW --- that was an exciting exercise! I didn't take a picture of the sample last night as it was wet. I also did some more experimenting with the veil sample. It was very rough on the back, so I did another, and this time it's much softer. It's all about knowing how to set your embroidery machine!

And I got this giant quilt on the long arm. I've been neglecting the long arm for a bit, but I need to get this huge quilt done. I have four more quilts that need to be done fairly soon, and I need to get working on quilting the tops I've produced over the last couple of days. 

The giant quilt top is loaded on the long arm.

And now for the daily dog story!! Lexi is shedding like crazy, and unless I keep on top of it, she looks very scruffy. Her hair comes off in clumps. I don't always get to brushing her on cold days because I need to take my gloves off to do so, and I only brush her in the forest. This is the latest massive clump of hair. It's a daily thing and helps to keep the dog hair down in the house. 

The results of Lexi's daily grooming

Murphy was in her glory yesterday. I was in the garage several times as I finally cleared the driveway of snow. Not only did I have snow from yesterday morning, but I hadn't shoveled the snow from the previous week. I injured my knee on the day of the snow, and I didn't feel like hobbling out there to shovel. And no one else did either. Sigh......

While I was in the garage, a black garbage bag sprang out of the corner. Hmmm -- in it was the towel to wipe the dogs down after a romp in the dog park and FOUR Chuck-It balls. I quietly put them in Murphy's toy box, and not long after, she discovered them. She must have smelled them. 

MOM -- something new in the toybox!!!!

And then she hounded me to play ball with her all day!!

Let's play ball!!

Notice that one ball is in Lexi's bed!!

Hmm -- which one? 

MOM - Can we play ball now? 

How about now?

MOM - I don't know which one to play with!

Until finally, even Lexi got tired of it and tried to divert her attention with a rousing game of rough-house. Thanks for rescuing me, Lexi!!!!

Hey Murphy - cut it out and play with me!

Spin class went well, and my knee is healing nicely. As a matter of fact, it behaved pretty decently all day. But when I went to bed, it started to hurt. It doesn't like the lying-down position, so I got up, got a heating pad and a pillow, and that seemed to do the trick. The heating pad was so hot, I think I cooked the knee! Anyway, it's feeling good this morning, and I'll be off to the gym shortly to see Brooke. No fancy things with the legs, and especially no bending of the knee. It works, but I'm still very leery of anything that isn't keeping the leg straight! All is good!!!

I've got more stuff to get done today -- of course I do. And that one project is now two because I need to figure out something for the printed-on-fabric photo, but the mitered border project is the priority!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

My day off!!!

OH OH OH --- I love the idea of using the soccer quilt as a NICU quilt. I will look into that!!!!! Thanks for the suggestion. 

I cannot say enough about the Microsoft support team, which is also located in India. I asked yesterday! Every person I've talked to has been great, but the most important thing? When they say they are going to call, they call at that time! We usually set a two-hour window because they could be on a call with someone else, but for the most part, they have called right at the start of the window. 

Thankfully, Reesha knows the history of my claim and said I had homework since our last call. Did I get it done? She even checked!! And yes, my computer and BIOS are completely up to date! Yesterday, she recorded a video of various areas of my settings, downloaded it, and will share it with the engineering team. 

They are determined to find the answer. I'm OK with that, and I will say that when I send pictures to myself, the darn system syncs pretty quick. I sent one email from my phone this morning, and in 30 seconds it was on my desktop! Persistence and patience -- two good virtues. 

The only thing left is that all the emails come back to my folder system. However, I have access to them in the new version, so it's not like I don't have access. 

Well, I took the day off yesterday! GASP!!! Yep --- I knew it was going to be a busy day and I did some work in the morning, but then that was it for the day! 

Here's what I accomplished in the morning. I completed the top of the table runner!! I have to say I'm pretty impressed at how well it turned out, considering it was leftovers from another project, and had been hanging out for years on that current project table. 

The table runner 

I had an AHA moment about the size to cut the center piece. When I get too tired, my brain just doesn't want to work, but once I got back to it yesterday, I realized what I needed to do and look at those mitered corners!!! The blue strip is the edge of the border fabric. I did take a bit of ripping, and I had to cut 1/8" off the short ends, and then it fit perfectly. 

The mtiered corner

The first corner I had stitched just the night before looked too wonky for my liking, and I know I can do better. I'm much happier. Then I figured out how to use more of the leftovers for the backing, and that is cut, and I'll be working on that later today. That leaves the third group of leftovers, which I'll dig out today and hope to finish all three projects while this technique is in my head. They will get quilted later this month.

I had a chuckle when I went downstairs after walking the dogs. Hmmm --- if Murphy is going to sleep on my quilts, she really should learn to tidy up after herself!!

Someone has been sleeping on my project!

The tablerunner is off the floor, and a box is in its place. Hmmmm -- I can see the wheels turning. How do I open the box and spread out the fabric inside so I can test it? 

MOM - I need something to sleep on!!

She doesn't look too happy, but I needed to dig out that box because it contains my photo transfer stuff, and I need to transfer a photo onto fabric. That has to be done today!

Then I went for a massage, and while it was painful, my shoulders didn't seem as tight as they had been in the past. Could all that stretching be helping? I must remember to keep my posture in check and try a bit more stretching through the shoulders. At least, I'm not in pain daily like I have been in the past - that was many years ago. Our bodies are just one big item that requires a lot of maintenance!

Speaking of our bodies, here is the story about the knee. It's not my knee - it belongs to a 49-year-old man who fell off a ladder and broke his tibia and fibula. Quite badly, it would appear. It seems he will be getting new tendons from a cadaver! Yep — it's a thing, and if you want more information, I think this link will work, or you can simply Google it yourself: Cadaver Tendon Graft. 

I would love to have new tendons in my knees, but I'm in pretty good shape, so I'm not complaining. I'll save the cadaver tendons for those who really need them. Anyway, my knee is feeling decent, so I'm going to the gym this morning, and I'll stay for 60 minutes, but at reduced pressure. That is all about keeping the body moving, just not at the same intensity while healing! NO rule says I have to do the same thing every week in that class. 

I saw Brooke at the gym on Monday and told her that I'm healing, so we'll work on the upper body tomorrow. 

Oh gosh -- I had a small package I was preparing to send with one of M's friends who is going out to visit her for her birthday on March 1st. Do you think I could find the birth certificates I wanted to send to her? Actually, now that I think about it, it's pretty funny to get your birth certificate on your 30th birthday! But I had slipped those papers under something, and I couldn't remember what. I thought it was the files in the office, but nope—it was under the files in the kitchen. All is good - the package was picked up last night. 

The missing paperwork!

I have two copies of this book, so if anyone would like it, I'm happy to send it off to you. Hopefully, you live close by, so I won't have to ship it! Anyway, free for the asking if anyone wants it; otherwise, it will go in the giveaway box. 

Free for the asking!

And look at that big, brave Lexi!! She is usually so timid about many things, especially about jumping up in this bed, which was technically for both of them. So I pointed to the bed and invited her up, and up she jumped!! She didn't seem too comfy, so I must try to encourage her to spend more time there!!! 

MOM -- this is kind of scary!

Yesterday was the final day of the $5 movie passes for February, along with a small popcorn, also for $5. I invited KU along, and off we went. We walked!!! Yep — she was a good sport and walked with me to the theatre — it's about a 25-minute walk, and the sun was out, and while it was minus 6, it was nice. 

We were early, and the theatre hadn't even opened yet, so we went shopping. One of my favorite clothing stores, Melanie Lynn, is around the corner from the theatre. So we went in, and it was very interesting. While I'm not in the market for new clothes, I saw some very cool items. Oh my -- it would appear that cutwork and lace are in, in a big way!!!! I MUST try something on the embroidery machine!!!

Can you believe that I ended up buying a pair of jeans? Yep—I'll share those with you another day. 

Anyway, when we went to buy the tickets, the movie had been moved to 4 PM, not 3:30, so we had even more time! And yes -- we were the first ones in the theatre! This seems to be a thing for me, because when DH and I went to the movies on Christmas Day, we were there very early, too! You would think I'm getting old and need to be at the theatre to get good seats or something. We had assigned seating yesterday, so that wasn't the case. It's just how it worked out!

The theatre is empty!

I had a gift card with enough to pay for two tickets, two popcorns, and two (very expensive) bottles of water. WAIT -- I was short by 17 cents, and they took that from my Scene card! We went to see Send Help, and OH MY! We had watched the trailer, and it looked like a good movie. It was, but it was NOT what we expected! I won't say more than that in case you want to go. 

But as we watched the trailers for upcoming movies, there seemed to be a lot of gore, scary, and satanic-type films coming up. We did see two that we might like to see in the future, and I hope to go again next week to see Crime 101. I think that is what it's called. 

But holy!!!! They are really getting in your face about disturbing others in the theatre and rightly so!! They called out five bad habits people do in a theatre: sending messages on your phone with that clicking sound on, getting phone calls, the light from your phone if you are texting but still in silent mode, and talking to your companion through the movie. There was one more, and I don't remember it. 

The hilarious (NOT!) part was that KU's phone kept going off! OK -- it was not constant, but she received several phone calls and texts while in the movie. It's not enough that it rang silently, that was NOT silent to me, but her flashlight goes off. Seriously????? She needs to address that before I go with her again! 

Anyway, it was great, and when we walked home at 6 PM, the weather was still nice (crisp), and it was still somewhat light. 

What's with the weather? We had snow again last night - not much, but just enough to cover the sidewalks, so if there are icy patches, you can't see them. Just dump the snow, let us shovel, dry off the sidewalks, and let it be!! Nope, small snow every second day. Annoying!!!

OK -- I must go, or I'll be late for spin class. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

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!!!