Smooth sailing

 I passed! I had two curbside pickups to do, and I aced both of them. The issue is that there are four different kinds of curbside arrangements. Maybe more. One is easy - you knock on the door - the owner knows you, opens the door, and discreetly hands you your bag of stuff. Another is that your bag of stuff is on the front step with your name on it. Those works for small stores, and I've seen both options at quilt stores. 

Then you get to the curbside, where you drive up and stop in front of the store. You give the store a call and ask for your order. You pop the trunk, and they bring the products out and load them in the trunk. That's easy - I got that one down from the start. 

It's the fourth one that threw me for a loop. This is where you drive into a spot in the parking lot and call the store and ask for your order. They bring it out to you - this time lowering my back window so they could drop it in the car. 

Some stores have apps, some have a number to call, but all in all, I think that the stores have done a great job at doing curbside, and there always seems to be someone waiting to get their stuff. 

And then I went through the drive-thru to get a treat for lunch. That was easy. 

It's super easy, and I got everything I wanted. Lexi was happy because she desperately needed dog food, and now she has a brand new bag. Well, she wasn't that desperate; she finished the other bag the night before and normally doesn't eat in the morning. Since I gave her some of Murphy's food, Murphy was very suspicious that the food routine was changing! But all is good. 

I do have one more thing to order today that will require a pick-up. There's no rush, but I really want those orange threads! 

So what did I order? I got my three folders with pockets from Staples. Now that I think about it - I could have used one or two more, BUT I will work with what I have. And if I find that I need more, I may order two more. Let's just clutter up the newly gained space with products that I may not need.  

And look, one of the folders is ORANGE!!!  They are all different colors from my other folder, so that's good. 

My new pocket folders

And I'm happy to report that I've started to fill them with the relevant information. I might make some pretty covers to help with identification or use my label maker and label them. But they are the best!!! 

Pocket folders already in use

My day got totally derailed. I was in a meeting that was supposed to last 2 hours. I think it went for at least 4, if not longer. Yikes! That just killed my schedule of things planned. And even worse, the meeting resulted in a job that had to be done YESTERDAY!! So that involved a lot of work, and it was well after dinner before I hit SEND on the last e-mail that was needed. But it was all for my benefit, so I didn't mind. 

Remember how I said that we need to put similar things together? Well, my sewing machine feet are together. They may not be well-organized, but they are together. Currently, they are stored in these three plastic containers. 

Sewing machine feet in three containers

And more are in this container. 

More sewing machine feet

I might add that these are just my Husqvarna Viking feet. I have two more boxes with feet for the PFAFF machines. I know - it's insane. 

I'm now trying to rethink how to further organize those feet. A lot of them are for my original sewing/embroidery machine, and while they still work, they are too narrow to be used properly for the new machines I'm using. 

Hmm - what to do? Well, I've got a couple of ideas in mind, and then I'll try to sort them and see how it goes. 

And LOOK - I even worked at the table in the office!!! Oh my - that was exciting. Yes  - half of the table is clear, and I had my iPad out with the Accessory Catalogue installed, and everything fit. Yep - it was a good day! But loads more work to do in this area. The nice thing is that all the feet are together - it's just a question of taking the organization one step further. That's the same with many areas in my house. All the products are together - I just need to figure out how to further refine the organization. 

Working at the table in the office

As I went for a walk yesterday (and I did call my Mom for her birthday), I spotted this fountain. How cool that they leave their fountain running all year. The ice buildup is very cool. I must remember to walk past that more often. I believe the water is coming out of the mouths of two fish. 

A fountain still working in the winter

There have been all kinds of porch pick-ups and drop-offs at my house as well. Diane, who is sewing up a storm during the lock-down, is my BEST friend. She's been madly sewing quilt tops and backings for the community projects. And there is no danger of running out of stuff for her to sew. This first one is a quilt backing that she put together. Notice how she labels everything. I LOVE her!!!  This backing was made with rayon samples! Yep - what do you do with a bunch of samples? And in rayon? You make quilt backings - that's what. I've used rayon for the back of a quilt before, and it's super soft!

A rayon quilt back made with samples

And there's one of the John Deere quilts. I think there was enough fabric in the bag for three of them. 

A John Deere quilt

A HUGE thank you to Diane for diminishing the stash of fabric that was "donated" by me to the community projects pile. I need to get to work quilting as those rolls of batting that some of you donated money for are sitting here waiting. I hope once I get past the first classes that things should settle down. No laughing is allowed!!! 

As for the e-mail? It's dangerously close to 1,000! I hope to have a bit of time today to tackle it, but I've got a new class starting tonight and two more new ones starting tomorrow. Then two clubs on Sunday. Then, well - I guess I start getting ready for next month! 

But all in a day's work. I love what I do, and I'd be cranky if I wasn't busy, so I'm not complaining. 

Well, I'm off to figure out to unclog a can of starch. I tried soaking the cap in hot water. But I didn't let it dry. Sigh........

Did you clean up the kitchen table? I didn't. I have a couple of quilts sitting there, and I NEED to attach a temporary sleeve to take pictures. There just hasn't been time for that. Perhaps on Sunday afternoon. Otherwise, I'll wait until Tuesday next week and take the entire day to take pictures. I have to confess that all those quilts are still stacked in the living room, and I need to move them. 

So - I have a new job for you today. Where are all your sewing machine feet? Get them together in ONE box or several boxes. This includes accessories and embroidery hoops if you have them. Put them all together, and we're going to sort them. I have some ideas of how I'm going to sort mine, but first, you need to assemble them. 

The other thing you can do is download the catalog for feet and accessories, which will help you take inventory. Here's the link to the PFAFF Accessory Catalogue.   I would suggest that you download this to your computer or tablet. DO NOT print it - it's huge. And here's the link to the Husqvarna Viking Accessory User's Guide. If you have a different brand of machine, check out the web page for your brand, I'm sure they have such a thing. Again - I would NOT print this book. Here's an opportunity for you to start to learn to keep your manuals in one spot - ONE a tablet or computer. 

Once you do that, I'm going to give you more direction. 

I thought you'd get a kick out of this video. This is what the stash room looked like when it was in terrible shape. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!