A new trend in pants!

Oh—I had a great opening line, and now it's gone! I'm overstimulated from everything I have seen at the show, and my mind has exploded, so I might not make much sense today!

Claire and I have had the chance to review most of the quilts over the last three mornings, and we have pointed out multiple things to each other, and it has been quite the learning experience. The number of pictures I took is, well, there have been a few. And there is ONE section left that I haven't seen yet, so I plan to hit that this morning. I also realized I didn't take pictures of the garments. 

I took the pictures to share with my Monday sewing group and my other classes, since I found some neat techniques/concepts that I think they are going to fall in love with!! 

However, that doesn't mean that I don't have pictures to share with you. 

Yesterday, we talked about the sock thing, and well, guess what? Here are more socks. Two of the ladies working at our booth both walked in yesterday morning with socks they had knitted on their rotary knitting machines. OK—I am behind the 8-ball, and I need to get my machine working. 

Socks made on a rotary sock machine

Socks made on a rotary sock machine 

Do they not look comfy or what? I need to get home, check my machine's brand, find some videos to get me started, and get knitting. It would be nice to show Mom a pair of socks I have made. 

I spotted this relatively large flock of geese on the morning walk. 

The geese are gathering.

I don't think I'll be going for a walk this morning. It wasn't the best of nights, and I got a lot of computer work done, so I don't have time for a walk this morning. 

I will say, the people working in our booth are pretty darn creative. One lady wore a pair of light-colored denim jeans (the short sock person) yesterday, and I asked her how she got the embroidery on the back pockets because it looked perfectly in place. OH NO—she MADE the jeans, and I swear they looked professionally made. I'm not kidding. She told me about the pattern, and I think I might give it a whirl. 

STOP laughing because I have so many things on my plate. And I keep saying I can do more! I guess, sadly, I'll cut back on what I teach next fall to make time! 

BUT the big trend here seems to be side insertions in pants. Remember back in the day (1970's) when this was so popular. Everyone wanted elephant pants. I think even Mom did it for my brother, but he wasn't thrilled with the fabric. I don't remember the details, but I had a pair of elephant pants, and only the bottom part was flared. 

Elephant pants have a totally different meaning these days—they are wide-legged and mostly made from lightweight cotton. 

Anyway - this is what I spotted yesterday, and I did not stalk these people; I stopped and had a conversation with them. Of course I did!!!

This first pair belongs to a young woman at the SMT Boutique quilt shop. She and her mom own it, and they are quite the pair. She made her insert from Tula Pink fabric. The legs were quite tight - this happens even to skinny girls, and so, with the insert, the jeans get new life!!!

Pant insert

This was another insert, also on a store employee whose name I have forgotten. Her insert is on wider-leg pants and is appliqued on. 

An appliqué pant "insert"

The third example was this one on a visitor to the Salon. These are also flying geese blocks, and it's an insert. Notice the matching shoes, and she had a beautiful quilted jacket, too. 

And yet another insert

Is it a new trend? No, but it looks like it's making a comeback. I've seen it at other shows, and well, I have a pair of denim pants that fit, but the legs are pretty tight. I was going to toss them, but I think I should take a closer look and see if I can figure out how to rescue them. Yep - just add another log on the fire and jump right in! 

The store that had the appliqued flying geese also had quilted vests, and this logo was on the back of the vests they wore. It is beautiful. 

Store logo on a vest

Here are some photos of quilts for you. This was a challenge, and the topic was puppets - Les Marionettes. I didn't get the full gist of what this challenge was for - something within the guild. I went back to my pictures to see if I missed one that explained what this challenge was all about, and I did not take anything. So here are all the quilts in the challenge. 

The challenge quilts

And I have a couple of close-ups. Oh my goodness, some of them were absolutely adorable, and they are all for sale - $50 each. By the way, because I know you want to pull the puppet strings on the bottom, they do NOT move the puppets—I tried when no one was looking!! 

And one more—this was very cute. Lots of them were 3-D in some form or fashion. 

And this one had finger puppets along the bottom - this one was sold. 

Finger puppets!!!

I spent the day messing around with sewing some things that we had cut on the Momento, and I almost got my little quilt top done. It's a challenge to make HSTs as I don't have a square ruler for trimming and the rotary cutter is a tad dull. So slow and steady wins the race. I might finish it this morning. 

I also went back to the Wonderfil booth—just say NOOOOOOOOOO. All I did was take pictures of other parts of the Halloween banner. The motifs are just so adorable. 

Halloween garland

Look how cute they are. 

More blocks from the Halloween garland

Any of that would be super easy: take a machine embroidery design, attach it to felt, and finish the edges. It will look totally different from those done by hand, but different is OK. The cuteness factor is what matters. Since I have a lot of wool felt at home, I should take a look. One could always do most of it by machine and then add an embellishment of hand stitches. Why not? 

The other thing I have to say is that it is exciting to work with the young people! Several of the PFAFF and Husqvarna Viking local store staff working in our booth this week are YOUNG. Fresh out of school, but both of them know how to sew. And both of them have pretty spiffy sewing and embroidery machines. And BOTH of them know how to use them. I just love it, and I'm sure they are tired of me telling them how excited I am for them. 

Can you imagine starting out with the tools we have and how eager they are to learn? They will be sewing circles around us before long. 

So I have to say there is a lot of eye candy around at this show. It may not be huge, but it's big enough. It's taken three days to see most of it. I'm determined to see this show this time round, as I usually wait for the afternoon and then I'm tired, so I don't care. I've taken hundreds of pictures. My Monday group is probably rolling their eyes at this, but it's not all for them. And I'm sorting them by type and style, so it's all going to be very entertaining for them. Plus, as mentioned, some of the other groups will profit from the pictures. 

Let's just say if you are in my scrap class, you are going to be whipping out your scraps faster than you can say BOO because I have loads of ideas, found some incredible examples, and can't wait to share them with you. 

But back to the eye candy. On our short walk to the past restaurant last night, we spotted a REAL candy store, and one of the ladies wanted to go in. It was literally wall-to-wall candy. 

A LOT of real candy to eat

They even had Harry Potter Beatie Botts. 

Any Harry Potter fans?

Check out all the flavors!!!! Who knew that existed? 

The flavours

And there was a large station for the Jelly Belly candy. I haven't seen that in a long time. 

Jelly Belly

And look at all the flavors, and they had recipes where you could mix the candy - I didn't really understand that part. 

Loads of flavors

So while my credit card did get a bit of a workout, I did NOT buy any candy. I bought a couple of patterns and some fabric for a jacket. STOP laughing!!! 

I am leaving this hotel this morning and will be dropped off tonight at the hotel near the airport because I am on a plane early tomorrow morning. I want to get home and get to work. I have a lot to do this week. Before I go down for breakfast, I need to finish packing, but I'm pretty fast, and it's mostly done. 

I am almost finished with my logic puzzle book. I'm on puzzle 47 of 50. Number 45 was a stinker, and it took me several days of trying to figure out who did what and when. I finished number 46 in a few minutes. Now, why is that? 

Hopefully, I can finish it off this week, and I have another one lined up at home. They are a good NON-SCROLLING diversion!!!

Well, that's it for today. I'll try my best to get a blog to you so you have some entertainment tomorrow morning. The show ends today at 3 PM, so we should be able to pack up quickly and then have some time after to relax and write the blog. 

It's going to be a WONDEFUL day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

It's all about the socks!

Oh my --- working on my projects at a quilt show -- yep - it works, but since I don't have all the tools (like an iron), or I like to take my sweet time to line things up properly, etc., it's not always conducive to working on my stuff at a show. And let's not forget that I have the gift of the gab, and when I'm at a show, there are MANY people to chat with, so I don't focus like I should! 

It all works out. I have to get some new quilt designs in order this morning, and I think I'm at the point where I want this quilt done, so if some of the designs are off because I'm still learning, then so be it!!!

Don't forget that all the gab is mostly in French! Yep—I didn't know French very well when I moved here back in 1978. I lived and worked in the Montreal area for 12 years or so, and I did a not-so-bad job learning. I was never super fluent, but the chance to switch from one language to another in a second was one of the things I LOVE about this province. 

Getting to do that while here at the show is fabulous. All the machines have been set to French, so that throws me for a loop from time to time, but for many functions, I'm so used to it- I go for the position of the function on the screen, not the words! I still struggle with a few French sewing terms, but it all works out. I might need twenty words when five would have sufficed. I don't care—only ONE person switched from French to English with me, so that is a positive!

I am NOT my father's daughter after all. If Dad wants to learn something, he goes to YouTube. Well, never in a million years did I think I would find videos on rotary sock knitters. But after chatting with some ladies in the morning, OH MY --- there is a ton of information on rotary sock knitters. I have one - it's a gift from Mom - my brothers got the coin and stamp collections, and I got the sock knitter. Hmm -- who got the better deal? I'm happy with what I got, and I already have it. 

So when I get home, I need to carve out some time to watch a few videos to see how the thing works and get mine set up! 

Claire and I went over to the show early again so we could check out the quilts. I'm determined to see them, and we have almost seen them all. So many are original, which is very interesting. Many are in the hand-quilted category. I have taken loads of pictures with the labels, so I hope to add a few more to the blog over the next couple of days. Today, there are no pictures of quilts, but lots of quilt-related things to chat about. 

When I went for a walk in the morning, it was misty, but it was fine. I didn't get wet, and all was good. There is this sculpture in front of the hotel, but what the heck is it for? 

A sculpture in front of the hotel

Inside, there are names on pieces of metal. No sign, nothing. I checked online and couldn't find anything about it. I should ask at the front desk. 

Inside the sculpture

AHA—I went back and looked at the name on the very top. Here's a link to the information about the sculpture. 

And every time we come here, which is every two years for Salon Quebec, there are always these buses of tourists. There are two vans, and they have tons of luggage, all of which fits in the back. I don't know how, but it does. But it's funny that they were here two years ago and they're back again! I wonder if they are from a cruise? It seems far from any port. 

Tourist buses

OK—I must confess that I have set my phone down several times in our booth and then forgotten where it was. Thankfully, the others are on alert, and someone finds it for me. I need pockets! Or I need to make a tool belt, so I can put my bottle of water and my phone in it! 

Of course, I'm looking at all the garments that people wear, and look what I spotted. These two beautiful skirts. They even had retro sweaters on!! I said it was nice to see "younger" people wear these kinds of things, and they replied that they were not as young as I thought. My response? You are younger than I am!!

Patchwork skirts

And I will say that I followed them and got this picture, and then I thought - how silly. Just ask them. 

Creeping a lady in a patchwork skirt

We are demoing all day long in our booth, and someone was cutting snowflakes on the Momento 24" digital cutter. Look how small those snowflakes are!!!! They have fusible on the back and look amazing!! Imagine them on white fabric? 

Small snowflakes cut with the digital cutter

And here is me giving a demo on the PFAFF creative icon 3. 

Doing a demo on the PFAFF creative icon 3

I had a chance to walk around a wee bit, and I spotted some quilt-related goodies in some booths. Of course, there are jigsaw puzzles. I did NOT buy any of this stuff, but I wanted to show that if you are looking for quilt-related gifts, there is a lot out there. 

Jigsaw puzzles

How about some quilt-related spatulas? You can make a quilt for your kitchen and then have some fancy spatulas to match your fabric. 

"Quilt" themed spatulas

Of course, there are socks!!! 

Quilt-themed socks

Speaking of socks—we've talked a lot about socks today. But here is a mystery, and only certain people will get this. A sewing machine brand recently released a Harry Potter-themed sewing machine, and this was hanging near it. If you know your Harry Potter, then you'll get this. If not, don't worry. 

Socks for ????????

For the paper puzzler, there is a book of various puzzles. This is volume 3. I might have one of these at home. 

Quilt-themed paper puzzles

Charms made with metal—these are absolutely stunning, but again, I did not buy any. I have so many already at home that I don't need more. 

Metal charms

And then I went to the Wonderfil booth to look at things for my upcoming wool appliqué class starting in January. I'll be advertising it again in a week so we can get everyone signed up and get their supplies organized. While I am good at handwork, it's not something I spend a ton of time on, but every time I go into that booth, I want to buy EVERYTHING. The things they made are absolutely adorable, and look at this little square, which is part of a Halloween garland. 

Part of the Halloween garland

And thanks to Pauline, who recently rode the BC Ferry and spotted the Villager Puzzles in the gift shop. Thank you so much. Pauline has taken numerous pictures for me when she was where I wanted to be, but couldn't make it. 

The gift shop on the BC Ferry

And there it is—the new puzzle, available only online (Villager Puzzles) or on the BC Ferry. The artwork is by another friend of mine, Cynthia Frenette, who painted the picture for the puzzle at M's wedding. 

Cynthia Frenette's new puzzle for the BC Ferry

I got Pauline to buy the puzzle for me (more meaningful, even if I didn't buy it, than buying online), and I'll get it from her when we are both home. 

Yes—you can buy online, but buying it yourself, or having someone buy it in person, makes the story way more interesting and therefore makes the puzzle more interesting. I shall think of Pauline and Cynthia as I assemble that puzzle. 

My rib is feeling much better, and I decided to try a night without painkillers. It's still tender, and I can still feel the pain, but the biting edge is gone. I'll take one today since I'll be moving around, but I can lie down and get up without feeling like someone is stabbing me in the ribs. All progress is good!! And I'll keep up the healthy eating and walking. I feel so much better, and I must keep it up as I go on future trips. I got lazy, and it wasn't good. 

Well, I'd better get myself organized, as I have some computer work to do. Last night, I spent some time getting my flights organized for the rest of this month. I didn't catch it at first, but my flights were booked from MONTREAL, not Toronto, so I had to change everything. Sigh...............

And on that note, I'm out of here!

It is going to be a FABULOUS day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Jigsaw puzzles and bridges!

Oh—of course—I MUST walk or cycle over the Gordie Howe Bridge—how silly of me to think I should drive a car. That would be a waste. If I walk or cycle, I can go slowly, stop, look, and take pictures. I must give my head a shake on that one!! 

And if you are interested in other bridges, here are pictures of the Jacque Cartier Bridge in Montreal, which I have driven over countless times. It seems that it was also built from both sides. 

The Jacque Cartier Bridge in Montreal

That bridge was built from 1925 to 1930. So yes—even way back in the day, how the heck did they figure out how to make the bridge meet in the middle? I know it was the wonders of engineering and all that, but it still amazes me. 

Someone sent me that picture -- I won't mention names. But THANK YOU. 

Here is a picture of the entire bridge. It goes over a lot of water to connect Montreal (an island) and the south shore. Two other islands are involved in this bridge: Île Sainte-Hélène and Île Notre-Dame.  

Jacques Cartier Bridge

Imagine quilting a quilt, starting at the top and the bottom, and hoping it meets in the middle. Slightly different medium, but still! 

OH MY GOSH -- who the heck is above me because they love to stomp in the morning!

And look at those jigsaw puzzles. Not only do we find them in garden shops and pharmacies, besides all the usual places for gifts, but now in a WINERY!!!! I think this person is in BC. Jigsaw puzzles are everywhere! 

Jigsaw puzzles spotted in a winery

I have previously mentioned that jigsaw puzzles were "invented" around 1760 by a cartographer. Jigsaw puzzles really took off in the United States around 1907-1910, then in Europe a year later. 

In the 1930s, jigsaw puzzles became popular again because they were a cheap form of entertainment for people who didn't have much money. 

And of course, the pandemic, which kept many people at home, is the reason jigsaw puzzling became so popular again. Competitive puzzling also started to be a thing in 2019. 

As we always say—what comes around goes around. I'm sure at some point jigsaw puzzling will fall out of favor, only to be brought back again sometime in the future. It's pretty fascinating, and you can read more about the history of jigsaw puzzling at this Wikipedia link. 

Oh my --- near the end of the day yesterday, I decided to wander away from the booth, and I got only as far as the second booth before I stopped for something. I took pictures, and I'll support the booth by buying the product I saw. It will work well in a class of mine, but I also realized that I have the same product at home in a different form. OH - and I was going to give that away! Isn't that what our mothers always told us—don't throw that away; you may need it for something. So I can go home and dig that out. 

So sorry—no picture of that until I share it with the class. And in the same booth, I spotted the cutest pattern, which I think I can make on my own, or I might buy it so I don't have to figure the darn thing out. It depends on what else I spot; in the same booth, I also saw some quilted jacquard that would make a beautiful lightweight jacket. The problem is that I already have material to make jackets, and I haven't made them yet!!!!

Here's a photo of the quilted jacquard. It's beautiful, but do I need it? 

Quilted jacquard

Here is the best-of-show quilt designed and made by Collette Dumont. 

Best of Show by Colette Dumont

The workmanship on this quilt is stunning, and I have no idea how many hours it took her to complete, but it's a work of art. The center, outlined by the darker blue below, is all lacy with fabric appliqués and thread lace. She has used machine and hand embroidery. It's exquisite. 

And here is the border - sorry, the pink and black behind it is another quilt - I will try to get a better picture. 

The border

Wouldn't you say that that yellow border is tatted? Yes—I just checked the label, and it is needle-tatted. 

So the quilt is exquisite in its workmanship. And you may consider me uncouth to say this, but I don't like the colors. For some reason, the teal and the darker blue are jarring to me. And the yellow? I love blue, white, and yellow quilts, but I think the teal doesn't cut it for me. 

I always tell people that if you dislike something, you should identify what you don't like, and I realize it's the teal. My eye is not happy with that color. So I appreciate the workmanship; I'm not a fan of the colors. 

I went to the washroom, and this threw me for a loop. The entire wall of stalls has advertising on it! It's all about WATER, which is very appropriate in the bathroom. 

Advertising on the washroom stalls

Coincidences are just too uncanny these days. Am I tuned into something? I was walking yesterday morning and wondered if I would see any Quebec flags, as this province is very patriotic, and BANG—within a minute, there was a flag. It was the only flag I spotted on my entire walk. 

A Quebec flag

I seemed to have "failed" on photos yesterday. The flag was flying, but not when I took the picture. I got the pink background in Collette's quilt. I shall try harder today!! LOL. 

I NEVER work on my personal projects at any show, but I decided to bite the bullet and work on this quilt, which I need to get quilted. It's been hanging around on the sample table far too long. 

Using the embroidery machine to custom quilt my quilt

So I set it up in the metal hoop, but the design fit EXACTLY, and I didn't have the time or patience to make that happen, so I moved to the MAGNETIC hoop, which is bigger, and it was a piece of cake. OK -- I confess I LOVE LOVE LOVE that large magnetic hoop. I have already sent my order to the R&D team; they need more sizes. We want more!!! And let me say that all the positioning tools on the PFAFF creative icon 3 (and on other machines as well) make this process so simple. We can scan the hoop, move the hoop with the projection, project the design right onto our fabric, achieve exact positioning (now with scaling - creative icon 3 only), and there is no end to the level of precision we can accomplish. 

Our group went out for dinner last night, and the place we went to gave us popcorn instead of bread. I like that idea, and it did NOT stay on the table long. 

Popcorn snack before dinner

Then I had an apple and chicken salad, which was to die for. The vinaigrette was quite spicy, and it was very good. I'd have that again in a heartbeat. 

OK -- I must tell you about my dream. I had woken up a bit early, but went back to sleep since I didn't really need to be up. I was somewhere, and someone called me out because my embroidery piece (to me, it seemed I was making a Noah's Ark machine embroidery piece, but I can't be certain) wasn't politically correct. I think the premier of my province was there, and I don't know who else, and they didn't like the wording on the project. 

Needless to say, I wasn't happy, and when I woke up with the issue unresolved, I thought I needed to just grab the project and RUN!! What are they going to do? Put me in jail? What jumbled thoughts produced that dream? It was so vivid when I woke up! 

An update on the rib thing. Someone mentioned that it might be costochondritis, which is like an inflammation of the ribs and can be caused by trauma - i.e heavy compression on my back when lying on my tummy. It sounds exactly like what I have, and it explains why the X-ray came back negative. This is the same thing that can happen when you have a major coughing fit, and you think you have broken/cracked ribs, but in fact, you have costochondritis. Who knew!! 

So it is better, and I even contemplated NOT taking any meds last night, but decided that it wasn't worth letting the pain get ahead of me. So meds it is. Heat and/or cold is a good treatment, and I didn't do any of that, so that will just take longer to heal. 

It's time to get moving - I need to get out for my walk, and so far, I'm doing OK on the eating healthy, and I feel so much better for it!! We went to the grocery store in the morning and bought salads for lunch, and I even bought bran muffins for my snack - just like at home. I really need to start making my own to cut out the sugar! But not right now. I need to get the darn oven fixed. 

It's going to be a glorious day!!!

Ciao!!!

Teach someone a new craft today!!!

OH MY GOSH!!!! If you didn't see it, you need to read the comment about yesterday's fire alarm. It's hilarious!!! I bet those firemen had a story to tell when they got home. I'll be chuckling about that one all day. 

And yes—we could turn around and sell our quilts, but it isn't worth it. I do try to find good homes for them, and I should be doing a whole lot more of that this coming winter. I have many that are the appropriate size for Project Linus, and I should just go forth, dig them out, and donate them. 

If I have grandbabies, they will get a quilt made especially for them. So the rest can be donated, and there are so many that never get used for anything - no trunk show, no pictures for a class- so they really don't need to be filling up space at my house. Some will work for Quilts of Valor, too. The great quilt purge!

Trust me, I've done some of that, but there's still so much to get rid of. It's time to get it done now. Well, not now, of course, since I'm not home, but I have lots of decluttering to do. When we are ready to move, I'm hoping that all the "heavy lifting" will be done. Heavy lifting isn't just about weight - it's about deciding what to keep and what to throw. But honestly, I think we are good. The ONLY things I want from the kitchen are my two china mugs. I don't care one iota about the rest. 

OK—I don't get it, but I called the doctor yesterday, and they said the X-ray is negative. So no cracks, no breaks, no dislocations. How the heck can that be? I am feeling better, but still taking Tylenol so I can function. Can I have a bruise that bad? Can compression alone cause it? It doesn't really matter since nothing will be done with it, but I find it hard to believe. Life goes on, and I just need to be careful, and all will be good. 

But it makes you laugh when you see the movies, and they have those huge fights. Bruises, broken bones, and yet they still keep going. OK -- they are tougher than I am! But I guess it's also adrenaline, and let's not forget it's a flipping movie!! Those actors are invincible! 

I have contemplated many times going to a naturopath to discuss supplements and such. What I'm afraid of is becoming "addicted" to the naturopath and following some crazy regimen of taking so many supplements and following a strict timeline, etc. We had a short discussion on that subject while we were setting up the booth. But if I am going to take supplements, I would like them to work properly. 

It's absolutely HILARIOUS and spooky at the same time, but yesterday we were talking about magnesium. When to take it and with what. And guess what? A post came up this morning on Facebook talking exactly about that. Now that's spooky because when I discussed this yesterday, our phones were nowhere near us. They were under a table in the booth. Creepy!!! And I did NOT search on any search engine! 

Speaking of creepy, I'm reading a book about the haunted locations in Niagara-on-the-Lake, which was the scene of the War of 1812 and, of course, if you are familiar with history, a very bloody battle that lasted longer than one year took place there. Lots of creepy things, and who are we to say that ghosts do or do not exist? The book is called Ghosts of Niagara-on-the-Lake by Maria Da Silva and Andrew Hind. 

They have many ghost tours in the area, especially around Halloween, which means they are monetizing the ghosts, but who cares. I told DH we should go. I don't think I would have the courage! Even some of the high-end hotels have ghosts. Great—that's all I could think about if I stayed there. I wouldn't sleep a wink! It's the same as when I read all about the ghosts in New Orleans, but would I actually have the courage to step inside one of those haunted buildings? 

OH—if you click the header on that link above, there are other towns in that area with ghost tours. I did NOT know that. 

I'll just make pretty haunted buildings with my embroidery machine! I'm a wimp!

I haven't been walking the huge distances like I have in the past. I think it was too much for my body, especially since I wasn't doing any recovery (stretching) afterward, but that doesn't stop me from walking, and my goal is 10,000 steps a day, which is sometimes a challenge when I am not home. 

So I headed out in the morning before breakfast and found a bike path across the street. There is a large polytechnic school across the road, and the path is probably because of that. I thought this was neat, as there is a bike repair post if anyone needs it. That's handy!! And a portapotty as well. 

A bike repair post on the bike path

I was nearing the hotel and spotted this on the school lawn. 

An adult jungle gym - it's called the Bamboo Jungle.

And there are instructions posted as well. It's kind of like a jungle gym for big kids. So when there is loads of testosterone to get rid of, they should be heading here! There is a climbing structure behind it. I wonder if people even use these two structures? Both would be great exercises. I didn't even try—I don't need to be silly at this point in my life, and not with a bruised rib. 

The instructions on how to use it

Here is our booth at Salon Quebec. We did a pretty good job of hanging the quilts quickly along the wall, and there are MANY sewing and embroidery machines in that booth. One of the dealers came by and said it looked just like a store! And it is just like a store. We have so many samples that the booth is exploding. It's a lot for someone to take in, and we debate it every time—how many samples is too many? But how can you appreciate these machines (and their price) if you don't see all that they can do? And even for the sewing part, we want people to leave our booth INSPIRED, even if they don't buy a machine. 

The Husqvarna Viking side of the booth

The picture above is the Husqvarna Viking side, and the one below is PFAFF, with Singer in the middle. 

The PFAFF side of the booth

I didn't take pictures of the Singer machines, but they are pretty cute. And they sew very well - they just don't have all the bells and whistles of the larger machines. I LOVE that they are simple, light, and easy to thread and sew! 

And in light of yet another post that showed up on my feed, sewing is definitely making a comeback. Imagine if the entire world took up a creative craft of some kind. Wow—people would be happier, and the world would be a better place. 

YES -- sewing is making a comeback

So if you have anyone in your family who mentions they want to learn to knit, crochet, sew, or whatever odd craft comes to mind, BUY or find them the tools if you can, or teach them. Be patient, be kind, be encouraging. If knitting isn't their thing, maybe crochet will work better. I've worked with entry-level sewing machines a few times this past month, and I love that they are light and can be packed up in a heartbeat! 

And wait until you see the NEW small, very reasonably priced embroidery machine that operates through a smart device/internet. If you want to get away from technology, this probably isn't the machine for you, but it's very cool. That one is called the Singer 9120 and retails in the three figures. It's an EMBROIDERY machine. That's crazy!!!! This is a link from a US dealer who attended the Global Sewing Summit, and it explains it a bit better than I can in words. Here is a longer video from Singer if you want more information. 

Last week, when I was talking to my parents about the eventuality of a nursing home, my dad, like most parents, wasn't a fan. He was visiting someone recently, and as he looked around, he saw people who did nothing all day. And he is right. 

But then I told him something that I think is profound. I told him that he and Mom are very special people, not just because they're my parents. Even though they have health issues, they are active. Mom still crochets and reads; Dad uses the computer all the time and goes to "work" at the Museum. Mom also makes cards and sends them to all of us multiple times a year. They are doing things. 

I said that the people who end up in a nursing home or even a retirement home do NOTHING all day at home. So they lose brain function and end up doing nothing when they get to a retirement or nursing home. OH—they had a totally different view after that. I know that simplifies the situation, but you know what I mean. 

One of their worries was what would Mom do when she gets to the nursing home. She will go because of physical limitations, not because her brain has gone. She will be allowed to crochet, and of course, will be able to read, so she is set. 

But many people do not have a hobby, and work is the only thing they know. When you retire - then what? I can't imagine how boring a life that would be. I don't think I'll have that problem. There is just too much I want to do in life and not enough time. 

You have heard me mention the Gordie Howe International Bridge a couple of times. This bridge connects Windsor, Ontario (Canada) to Detroit, Michigan (US). While I have seen the bridge in person a couple of times, it was still under construction. Then the bridge was ready to be opened, and a few snafus arose. But the bridge is finally open (end of July, 2026), and LOOK!!!! Someone drove (well - I think they were in the passenger seat) and took this picture. That bridge is stunning!!!!!! THANK YOU for the picture -- you know who you are!!!! I really appreciate it when people take pictures of things I can't get to!!!! 

The view from the Gordie Howe International Bridge

Since engineering is not my thing, I find it absolutely fascinating that they started building that bridge from both sides of the Detroit River and it met in the middle! How absolutely cool is that? 

One day, I'll have to drive across the bridge. 

I'm also trying extremely hard to eat healthy on this and all future trips. I don't do well with a lot of bread, so I'm aiming for salads and just PLAIN food. I don't need sauces and I don't need complicated. I just want plain. We are stopping at the grocery store this morning to get a salad or something that is already prepped. 

Well, it's time to get the day moving. I want to get out for a walk and then meet my colleagues for breakfast. The award ceremony is this morning at 9 AM, and we have wandered through the show to and from the booth, and there are some AMAZING quilts. I MUST get out and take pictures to share with my Monday Sewing group. 

It's going to be an amazing day!!!!!

Ciao!!!!