I couldn't help myself!!!!

Yes - it is great to be back, but time to knuckle down and get to work!!!

First I want to thank  The Quilting Library Lady!!!   for her advice on the book lists. Hey - check out her blog - she is a librarian and a quilter. I know many quilters who are also avid readers! Myself included - well not that avid, but I LOVE to read. Anyway - she had recommended several on-line book list places. I looked at them all and then thought - I have already purchased one of her recommendations - which I had bought to catalog my quilting books which hasn't happened yet. So after a couple of bad words while I try to locate the program on my computer and get logged in. The reason you need to be logged in it to capture all the data about your books. You plug in the author and title and all sorts of interesting stuff about the book comes up. I got playing around in the software and VOILA - there are columns for inputting info about reading the book - sort by date, year and it sorts it chronologically, not alphabetical which is PERFECT. So yes - I am on the road to getting my books input. I put in 10 just to see how easy it is and whether it does what I want - come on - I was using a paper NOTEBOOK before - anything would be an improvement.

Check out the software - I think it is amazing (now that I am using it!!) but need to get it up and running to the fullest. The only problem about starting a new software is the learning curve which seems to be pretty small. Just one small question remains in my mind - author name - last name first or first name last??????   I have it currently as First name, then last name. I can sort by author last name (the system knows that for heaven's sake!) and we (in none library land) would say Jeffrey Archer, not Archer, Jeffrey - so I think I am going to leave it this way.

Yeah - Quilting Library Lady!!!!!!!!    Thanks for the kick in the pants and I am now on my way to getting my books organized, both ones read and ones owned. Hey - I just might input all my novels and other non-quilting books, although I do not really want to keep any of those. Read them and give them away!!!!!

So if you want to check out the software - here is the link. I think I have mentioned it before on this blog, but you can use it for games, DVDs, movies, music. And the nice thing - you can download it to your Android or iPhone. Yep - that means if you are in a bookstore and need to buy a book and can't remember if you have read it or not - well you can check!!!!   Not that anyone would forget the books they have read!!!!!!!  OK - here is the link.....   (and thanks again Quilting Library Lady!!!!!!)

Collectorz


Yes - it is early again - I couldn't sleep. Well I went to bed at 8 PM so I guess it makes sense that I wake up at 3 AM. Why not get this blog out of the way - I have LOTS to say today and I have pictures, but NOT vacation pictures.

I decided to get back into sewing mode yesterday, but started with something small and easy - a binding!!!!

Binding for the purple quilt

Then I decided that instead of quilting something for someone else this week that I would WARM UP with a quilt for one of the guilds I belong to. It was a challenge (a challenge project, NOT a challenge to make it!!!) - not sure if I showed the quilt, but anyway - I dug through my batting LIST (I LOVE lists - can you tell???) and found THREE pieces that together would be the perfect size for the quilt. I used the fusible interfacing to join the three pieces and in a very short time - I had a nice piece of batting. 

You can barely see the join where I fused two pieces of batting together to get a piece big enough for my charity quilt. I love this method of joining batting. You can purchase the pre-cut strips or why not get lightweight fusible interfacing and make your own!!!!!  The quilt gets quilted today!!!!!

Our Elm Creek girls had decided to meet yesterday - not to get new blocks, but just to catch up with each other and see how the sewing was going. Only three people showed up, but then we knew the summer was going to be hectic for everyone. We had a good chat and talked about book clubs - hmmmm - not sure if I want to commit myself to one at this time!!!  But while I was there - I got fabric for the round robin. Came home and ditched the original idea and found something I like better!!!  I am sure the others in the group will hate it because they suggested the other idea, but too bad - this is what I want to do. I cut a couple of stripsand ready to experiment today. 

This is the fabric I choose for the round robin, but that's all you get at this point!

Then I did something bad!!!   Well it had to be done anyway - I have to make a class sample of this quilt. - It's a Bling Thing

It's a Bling Thing by Anka's Treasures

 I am going to make mine from batiks and yep - I got out the basket of batiks and I'm going to cut today. That is if I can stand much. The last couple of days my legs have been fine - last night and today - the muscles are screaming so much that stairs is a tad of a challenge. But I will live - more stretching and I'll be just fine!!!!

Batik's for It's a Bling Thing

And I spent part of yesterday keeping track of a CRAZY friend of mine. I met Liz on the Tour Arctic last year. She is a wonderful woman, a WELDER no less - anyway just the nicest person you could ever meet. She is crazy for cycling and decided to challenge herself to the max. There is a crazy group of people called The Randonneurs. Randonneuring started out as a walking group (sort of a walking rally!) and of course transpired to cycling. But they have restrictions like the following. You have time limits to do certain distances:

200 km (13.5 h)
300 km (20 h)
400 km (27 h)
600 km (40 h)
1000 km (75 h) 


The ultimate in Randonneuring for cyclists is to cycle from Paris to Brest and back to Paris - about 1200 KM in NINTY HOURS. My butt hurts at the thought. Anyway - Liz qualified for this crazy ride and is currently on the road and nearing the finish line. I watched her progress yesterday and still watching. I think the update links are slightly behind because the clock is running and if the data were real time - she wouldn't make it. I know she will!!!!!     Most amazing about this is that last fall she was in agony and couldn't ride to the corner store. She had a cyst removed from her lower spine in January and now look where she is!!!!!   I love her to death and keeping my fingers crossed that she gets back to Versailles safe and sound!!!  GO LIZ GO!!!!!


In case you are interested in learning more about these crazy people (yeah - they ride through the night, they have pit stops to sleep if they choose and food and a map!)


Randonneurs Ontario


Oh yes - while at Elm Creek yesterday, Pat brought me this cute little cutting mat that I had seen her using and I wanted one so she bought it for me.

Rotating cutting mat

See how it rotates!!!!

Oh yes - on the organizing side???   Well M emptied the hall closet, and we did NOT get a picture of the before. Now the closet wasn't jammed -(I mean that - we have closet organizers), but after eight years - well sometimes you forget what is in there. And I wanted to clean the closet. M emptied the closet and sorted the stuff  into piles for the three of us. I didn't get pictures last night and I am not turning on the lights to get pictures now. I will take them today and you can see the before and after of the pictures. I am EXCITED to get this closet in order and that would be one thing off our list of organizing!!!!!  

Went out and did my errands on my bike yesterday. I just LOVE that bike. I almost felt like I was in Paris again, except I was the ONLY ONE on my bike!!!!!!   Hmmm - maybe that is why my knee/leg is sore today???

On that note - it is going to be a busy day and I've got to get my butt in gear!!!!!

Don't forget to check out the links I gave you today!!!!!!   All worthwhile - well maybe not the randonneur site but interesting.


Have a great day!!!!!!

Ciao!!!!!