A little or a lot??????????????

You know how it is - you have the GREATEST intentions. You are going to tackle those magazines. Yes - it is going to happen. I can work through ONE a day and it will be great. Well - the sad truth is that last night when I was tidying up (OK - so I spend a LOT of time tidying up or so it seems and yet if you were to see the studio right now - it looks like a tornado hit!!!). Anyway - as I was tidying up - I came across about EIGHT partially read magazines. You know - I have a few minutes so I will browse through one. Then it gets put in a pile of stuff and next thing you know - you have a different magazine in your hands.


Well last night, I sat down at the table and started going through the stack - you see - I had to start anew because where was I in browsing????  I know - some of you would have just tossed the entire stack, but NOT ME. Those are MY magazines and I want to enjoy them even though many are now old, but I don't care. That's the way I am.

My stack of HALF read magazines

Got rid of a couple very quickly - just needed to have my dog eared pages ripped out (got to get those page protectors out and deal with those or that will become another issue!!)  As I was browsing - I remembered when I last looked at these - September 11. Now I know  you are thinking why that date???   Well we all know what happened on September 11, 2001. And look what was in the magazines..............


An article on Dottie Bliss

Dottie Bliss - an amazing quilter (she paints and quilts)

But look at this ...........

And this quilt - Windows by Jinny Beyer  which was inspired by the aftermath of 9/11

Both of these quilts were in DIFFERENT magazines but I read them both on the same day. What were the chances of me reading about TWO different quilts made from the aftermath of 9/11 on September 11?????    That was pretty weird. But then all the magazines got put aside.

Sometimes, the magazines gets set aside because I want to do some research based on an article I read. I installed the iPad beside me last night so I could do any research while I was right there. Well - can you believe this Dottie Bliss has passed away. (OK so the magazine was from 2004), but from the little that I can glean from the internet, it sounds like she died not that long after the magazine was published. Very sad - because she was TALENTED.

And now that I have told you about that - that magazine is toast!!!!   Actually I did not take anything from it - so it will go in the Guild Garage Sale bin. The others that I ripped something out of - recycle bin. And VOILA - three magazines are GONE. At this rate - I will still be browsing magazines from the grave!!!!!!

Elaine S came and picked up her Halloween quilt yesterday. She loved the backing - thanks Carol for making that happen. Kind of fitting since they are related !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    (Carol and Elaine S - that is!!!)

Then I loaded Ronda's onto the machine with that minky backing. And things are going well - just did not get it complete yesterday, BUT I did manage to get Marian's top done.

Marian's Halloween quilt top

The backing is cut, the binding just needs to be pressed in half and hopefully loaded later today.


I'm getting on a tight schedule. I still have my three to do, but - well we will see what happens. The tops will be done but not quilted before next week.


Then I got busy with MORE organizing. I know - I can't help myself. I LOVE LOVE LOVE doing it.

First - I was NOT allowed to get a picture of Marian's shelf. TOP SECRET stuff happening in that room - I can't wait to see it. But she did send me a picture.

Marian's shelf

Hard to see in the picture, but the shelf extends beyond the sewing table by about 6 inches. The shelf covers the right hand side of the sewing table and also covers the gap of about one inch between the edge of the sewing machine and the edge of the cutout for the machine. But we just need that extra 6 inches. Very creative way of solving a problem for LITTLE DOLLARS!!!!   Thanks for sharing!!!!!!!!!!!!



OK - so I got busy and this is what I found.................

You see there are a number of doors to storage areas off the studio. They are OFF LIMITS to prying eyes when people come, but every once in a while I share them with you. Here is one of them.............

A storage closet. 

Yes - yes - this is FILLED with projects. Yes - UFOs. No skeletons in my closets - just UFOs. Lots of them. But notice on the right hand side of the door - there is a rolling drawer unit. The big problem with this closet is that there is a tad too much stuff on the floor so when I want something, I have to empty the stuff out to get to what I want - doesn't happen often, but my serger thread is in that rolling drawer unit. So this is perfect to take that rolling cabinet out of the closet.

See this serger thread is sitting on the table because I was too lazy to dig out the rolling drawer unit.   I know - after it is done - don't you feel like an idiot!!!   Amazing what we put up with because it has always been that way?????

The new home of the rolling drawer unit. As I was cleaning out the stuff on the floor, I came across TWO big bags of serger thread that people had given me. Oh boy

A LOT of serger thread

And this is what I already had

More of my serger thread

I got busy and this is what it looks like now...............

All the coloured thread in one drawer - organized by colour

Black and white - again - nicely organized

A drawer of wooly nylon (serger thread) - why I have so much of this - I have NO IDEA

Next time someone asks me if I want some serger thread - guess what the answer will be?????   NOOOO


I feel like I should be serging now - with all that thread - I want to serge something!!!!!!!!!!!!
The other drawer in the unit has the manual and some other parts for the serge. Isn't that cool - all the serger stuff is together. At last................

Now this is the stuff that was sitting in a basket in the closet (odds and ends) and the stuff that was in the rolling drawer unit.............

Stuff - what to do with these odds and ends?????   HEY - I did find a ruler that I was looking for. Why it wasn't with the other rulers is beyond me. Lots of quilting thread which went in the quilting thread bin...........  

Found all this thread for a UFO. It is small - I should just finish it!!!!

This still needs to be dealt with.

And this is the closet now. Doesn't look like too much change, but it is way BETTER. My goal for 2013 - try to get everything OFF the floor. That means, I have to get some project finished in order to put these UFOs on the shelf. 

I know - you are thinking you have a lot of UFOs. Don't want to brag because it is shameful (to brag) and especially about this - BUT I doubt anyone could top me for the number of UFOs. Don't worry - I have another walk-in closet upstairs that is also full of UFOs, but we won't go there.

The new home of the rolling drawer unit. These are all organized so nice. I am EXCITED!!!!!!!

Then I went off to get a MATCHING unit for the small drawer unit under the front of the sewing table. I was taking M to get to work, but I had a few spare minutes, so I zipped back into Zeller's. Oh boy - those four drawers units are now HALF PRICE. Great - I am NOT buying a second one and taking the original back. Too much hassle. Anyway I have to zip down to the far end of the store because I could not find the colour I wanted. Great - the blue four drawer units are SOLD OUT. So I grab a red one.


I get to the cash - now you have to realize that Zeller's is closing. Our store is one of their clearance stores. Everything is getting sent there and yesterday everything was 60% off. Well big clearances off most stuff. I go to the cash - there is ONE cashier and it looks like it is going to take a long time. People dickering with the cashier. I zip to the other cash. There is a couple with a HUGE comforter set. It is obvious they have opened it to look because they didn't put it back in the BIG PLASTIC case properly. There was some discussion with the cashier as to the price and the number of items included. They probably put in something extra!!!!   (I am very synical these days).

Anyway - based on the price, they decide NOT to take the thing. The cashier walks it over to the corner so it can be restocked and then the couple proceeds to say -"oh yes we will take it". If I had a gun - I would have shot them. They were very RUDE. The cashier said they would have to pick it up since she had a bad foot. She did limp over.

The couple then proceeded to ask if the cashier had a BIG plastic bag to put this in. FOR GODS SAKE - it is already in a plastic bag - you just need to squish the comforter into the bag and zipper it shut. I couldn't believe it. By this time - I was boxed in and I grabbed my shelf and STORMED past the couple exclaiming that they were crazy and went back to the original cash.

No way I am getting through there in a hurry. So I dumped the cabinet and took M to work. Back to Zeller's to get my cabinet. M texts me to say - Oooops - I don't work today. CRAP - what the heck is going on?????   Then DH texts me - his mother needs a new iron - what should she get????   I zip to the iron section and pick up a Black and Decker for $50. My cabinet was $25 and I bought a magazine  $7 (I know - couldn't help myself). The total purchase including tax was $45. Yep - the iron was on sale - $20. and the cabinet was half price. The magazine was NOT on sale.

Then back to McDonald's to get M and back home. I mean - what a crazy shopping trip.

Bottom line - I did get the cabinet home and filled it with supplies and whatnot for the featherweight and the quilting machine. How nice to have all that stuff handy when I need it.

And both of them fit perfectly under the table. I LOVE it. 

See stuff related to the quilting machine - the Mega Quilter - not the long arm. 

  I know - TOO DAMNED many machines.


The other day when I was putting the garbage out, I thought this is CRAZY. I visit Tim's a LOT and what a waste - all those cups. The other day, Margo had this nice CERAMIC cup. I have tried the plastic travel mugs and I hate them. I bought the ceramic mug and so far haven't had a paper cup since.

My CERAMIC Tim's cup

My perception is that it doesn't keep the contents as hot as the paper cup?????   Maybe I need to fill with boiling water before I get it filled?????   Actually it isn't a big deal - it is just fine. And NO MORE PAPER CUPS.


Speaking of going green - I found these pencils at Staples the other day. Yes - even pencils have gone green literally!!!!!

Apparently they take less wood, write longer, no latex. blah blah lbah

OH yes - the other thing about a little or a lot. I said I was going to input/verify one or two pieces of info everyday into Ancestry. Is the same thing going to happen that happened to the magazines?????


Blogging time is up - I'm out of here. A very exciting day today. Got to run.


Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!