Just DO it!!!!!

Thanks to Nike for that slogan!!!

Well - I see it is going to be one of THOSE days today. Yes - it is a FREE day. God - I love free days. I feel energized - I feel - well watch out. Hopefully it will be a pretty productive day!

Reminds me of when I started to quilt 12 years ago. I had decided to take a leave of absence from work (for personal reasons) although my public version of the story was - I need to sew - sew - sew to get this out of my system. Hmmmm - 12 years later and I still can't get it out of my system!!

And the other thing I have noticed. So when you are a teenager you have no idea what you want to do in life. You go to school, get a job and all that. How do you know that you are in the right job? Well there are administrators (who love paper - not me! - I've tried), there are the bosses (yes - I have had my share of that - running shows, heading committees - yes - it is fun, but after a while you get tired of the responsibility and the same people popping up to help), there are the creators (yes - I've done my own designing and while I like it - I don't think that is my true calling). So what is my "job"???   I'm a DOER. I love just sitting at the machine and just making stuff. Can be anything - but I like making STUFF.  OK - practical stuff is more enjoyable than non-practical stuff. And if I can finish (well sometimes!) or use up bits and pieces - I am hapy as a clam. I guess this means NO more buying fabric!!!!

And now you want to see if I followed my own advice in the blog and took advantage of that free afternoon yesterday????   Have a look - you be the judge

Quilt top for community group that donates to cancer patients. Top DONE!

Quilt top done for community group - donates to children - TOP DONE

BTW - both of the above were kits that I picked up to do the sewing. Obviously the second one got chosen for one reason - can you guess why????

Then I made not ONE

but TWO blocks

These blocks are for the Block of the Month at one of my guild. When are they due???   Monday - hey - a couple of days in advance. Whoa!!!!!    This is a first that I am NOT finishing them mere minutes before leaving the house on the way to the guild meeting!!!!

Small memory quilt (again - a kit). for a guild that donates these to hospitals for babies. Top done  and quilted!!!!

 And while I was doing all this - I was even working on my computer!!!!!

See - computer - phone - sewing machine!!!!

 Actually months ago - I started to get this error message with Outlook. When trying to delete e-mails - I would get an error message - my file is too big. The message told me to delete something or move to a new format file. Hmmm - if I can't delete stuff - then how can I reduce the size of the file?????   I was able to delete ONE file at a time. That was so PRODUCTIVE. Anyway - I finally decided to purchase Office 2010. That seemed to work for a bit and then same problem. Now what????   I ended up purchasing a service contract when they attempted to fix this problem two weeks ago. You know - one of those places where you give them remote access to your computer. When I do that - I like to supervise the screen - although I am sure they are smart enough to get in and get info if they wanted. Well - not going to worry about that.

Bottom line - the problem came back - less than two weeks. I called again yesterday - around three PM. (THREE PM - remember that number)   Hmmm - I can put the laptop beside the sewing machine and sew and watch at the same time. Well at TEN PM - I finally said - let's call it a night). Yes - SEVEN hours later and they still haven't fixed the problem. Apparently the Outlook files are BADLY corrupted. New versions are trying to open new folders - the system doesn't recognize them and well - I am not sure all the details. Let's just say that this morning - there are some e-mails I can delete. Others I cannot. Some reminders I can delete - others I cannot. Some e-mails I can reply to and others I can not. Bottom line - I have to call them again today to get the job completed. They estimate MORE than a hour. Unbelievable!!!!!  Let's just hope that it gets fixed. In the meantime - there were things I wanted to do on the computer - OK - so I could have got the iPad out. But I was too busy sewing!!!!!

I even missed a dinner party because I thought they would be done soon and then it just got too late. I even left the house with them still working on the computer - then I felt that I couldn't leave them messing around with my computer and I wasn't there. I came back.

And good thing the computer doesn't register movement!!!!  I was madly sewing beside the computer and the table could be a bit more stable!!!!!


I had a sit n sew day on Friday - can you believe we were so busy - there was NO TIME to take pictures. But the girls got a lot done. I noticed that a lot of them were working on homework from some of my long term classes. Such devoted students!!!!!   Anyway - we had a super day. Honestly - I just love days like that - good company - good food (I did make a great shepherd's pie and yummy salad - see I can cook - when I want to!!!). the weather was iffy so was a perfect day all around. Those sewing days are just super all around - my charity benefits from the money raised, the girls benefit from getting advice and sewing done and I benefit from having friends over to keep me company!!!!

One of the results of the day was the design wall needed to get emptied. Yes - I tend to put something up and then takes forever to get that project sewn. So off with mine and on with Daphne's. Oh - I think I have a picture of her quilt. Let me find that......

Daphne's one block wonder. Then she labeled EACH piece so she could reassemble it at home!!!!

So yesterday - I was using the now empty design wall!!!

Design wall in use for two projects being sewn at the same time!!!!

Of course while I am sewing a LOT of stuff goes through my head. And I am HOT - well that sewing machine and iron were smoking!!!!   I kept thinking about a project that I did when I started to quilt. I could dig that project out and put it together. So off to the closet and dug out the box. 

Open up the pizza box (and I knew what was in it).

Look at how much fabric is here!!!!!!    At least SEVEN METERS!!!!

Plus FORTY EIGHT blocks done!!!!!

Here I started to trim the blocks and sew together (top left corner)

What are these blocks????   Well when I started to quilt - I belonged to a club called Quilt Sitters. It was at Hobby Horse. Based on Mary Ellen Hopkins techniques. The block is called card trick. When I took the class - I did not finish the blocks at that time. Many years later I finished the blocks, but they need to be trimmed (we just threw on the outside frame on the blocks). They trim down to 9 1/2" or 9" finished. When I put them - I wondered if I should make one big one or two small ones - got lots of fabric for borders. I decided to go with one big one. The finished size of quilt will be 54 by 72. Just a smidgen off my generous lap size dimensions. I can live with that. There is enough of the dark colour to make the backing and the bindings. The pizza box has already been filled with something else so I HAVE to get this done!!!!! 

See how easy I get off track!!!!!

I have already been busy at work this AM and you will see all of that tomorrow. 

But at one point I even had my serger out.....

Serger, sewing machine AND computer!!!!

 And did I tell you that I LOVE that serger. NO issues with the tension. I just love it!!!!!

Now for those who were here on Friday - this is what the studio looks like now!!!   It does NOT take long for it to get busy again!!!!!   And that literally is what it is all about - BUSY BUSY BUSY!!!!!!   I do have another sewing day on October 16. My goal - to get this room cleaned up - BUT not just to put things away because I need the space - NO what you see - I WANT to finish it!!!!!!    Wish me luck!!!!

Busy studio!!!!!

On that note - I have a few errands to do, a quilt to quilt and LOTS and LOTS of sewing!!!!!

Have a great day!!!!!

Ciao!!!!!