Tula Pink Show and Tell

 It was one of those days where I spent a good part of the day on Zoom. All for good reasons, but it sure eats up the day! I think my e-mail is the one thing that is suffering the most. I have e-mails that I need to respond to, and well, I'm ignoring them. And I NEED to go in and unsubscribe from a lot of lists, because, just like that, my inbox is close to 4,500 e-mails. Now how does that happen? 

I did get a customer quilt done, so that was good. I'll share that with you tomorrow. I spent the rest of the day getting prepped for the Tula Pink class last night. This is the 100 block sampler quilt. The blocks are really quite fun and easy to make. The hardest thing is choosing the colors! I'm making the color grid quilt, and well, it's a challenge to get the correct number of blocks in the right color. You'll see what I mean in a minute. 

I didn't even get a chance to take a walk until after the class, so it was dark when I got back to the house. Well, as dark as it gets in the city. But the temperature was perfect for walking! 

And what's with all this rain? It rains every day, and there are the western provinces in a drought. We're all going to pay the price for that with higher food costs. What irks me is that some of my neighbors haven't shut off their sprinklers. Seriously?? Do they not see their water bill? Do they even know that they pay for that water? 

Before I get to the show and tell, I have to tell you about this book I was reading. I'm going to say "was" because I can't really get into it. It's about the art of gathering. Basically all about meetings or any gathering of people. I don't think the author has a lot to say - or it's not well written? Or I'm just not into it. But here is one nugget that I think is critical. The author suggests that if you arrive at a room for your gathering and it doesn't work for you - then CHANGE IT!  

That makes perfect sense to me. It makes me think back to the first sewing retreat house we went to many years ago. There was ONE table in what used to be the dining room of the house. Eight people were supposed to sew around that table. Well, it would have been squishy for eight - we didn't even attempt it. It meant three people had to sit along the longer sides of the table. The middle person would have had a devil of a time to get out and iron and would have disturbed the person to their left or right. 

We looked at the big beautiful harvest table in the kitchen and four people set up there while the rest sewed in the dining room. The very first day, the four of us removed our stuff from the kitchen table so we could eat there. We did that ONCE. Every time after, four set up in the kitchen to sew, four in the dining room, and we ate in the living room using the large coffee table as our table. 

YET - some groups squeezed into that room with eight people to sew all day and then went to the EMPTY kitchen table to eat. I don't get it - why do people do that? 

We did the same thing at the next retreat house. It seems that the owners of these places think that we need only the space for our sewing machine, but you need much more than that! So we did the same thing as before - some people sewed in the dining room or set up additional tables. It's silly to go to a retreat and be squished. And let's face it, not all retreat goers will fit into a small space!

So I had to laugh when we arrived at our latest retreat house, and before the machines even went on the tables, the room was totally rearranged! It was WAY more efficient and less dangerous with no cord hazards!! I have to confess that we even measured the room and the furniture because when we go with more people, we'll need a wee bit more room. Before we left, we moved everything back, and it sure made the room seem smaller! 

The moral of that long story - just because a room is designated for a certain function - you are allowed to do something else in that room, like my dining room which is now an office. Or you go somewhere, and you are ALLOWED (within reason) to make changes to the configuration if it better suits your needs. We ALWAYS put things back in the same way we found them. This is not being rebellious - it's called making things work for you!!!!  

The other thing we always did was with a set of knives at one location, and its "home" was in a crazy spot on the counter. So one of the first things we did, was to move that set of knives to the other side of the kitchen where it made more sense! Do NOT be afraid of changing things around! But be courteous and move them back, although I don't think we moved the knives because we were trying to make a point!

And NOW - we can look at the show and tell. Some people were on the call last night but haven't given me an updated picture of their homework. Some people have been busy with work or have been ill. 

Carol is doing the color grid quilt, using black and white as her fillers. I love the mix of dots and stripes, and can you see those fussy cut pandas? And she has found the perfect color for the sashing - a dark grey that allows the black in the blocks to stand out. 

Carol

Corrie is also doing the color grid, and these rich, saturated colors are awesome. 

Corrie

Grace was a wee bit behind, but I think she's almost up to date now. She's using Kaffe Fassett, and those colors are popping! 

Grace

Grace

Grace

I think Kathy is also doing the color grid and has started to put her sashings on. 

Kathy

Lynn is also making the color grid version. That panda bear fabric is trendy! I see some fussy cut elements in this quilt! She's going to use black as her sashing. 

Lynn

She has chosen a different way to make her quilt. She's making it row by row, which involves MANY fabrics and colors each month. It works for her!!! These blocks look very dramatic on the black background. She hasn't started to sew it together yet. 

Lynn

Monica is doing a different setting and has chosen PINK as her sashing. She had auditioned several colors, and we all agreed that pink was the best. And there are more of those pandas!!!! 

Monica

The group is definitely having fun fussy cutting the components of the blocks. Morgan is also using some Tula Pink fabrics in her quilt. And she's using a darker grey for her sashing. 

Morgan

See what I mean about the fussy cutting??? Did you see those eyes???? 

I SEE you!!!

Sharon is working on TWO versions of the quilt. One in colors and one in black and white. Some of her black and white blocks have pops of color, and some do not. I love that idea - little pops of colors throughout the quilt will be awesome. So many different ways of doing things!

Sharon

Sharon

Vicki is making her blocks in some vibrant colors! I can't wait to see this one together!

Vicki

Wendy has gone rogue! She's using only two colors - purple and green, and she's got a plan. I can't wait to see how this one turns out! 

Wendy

These are my blocks. I'm in the green zone at the moment. 

Elaine

And here's my version of the color grid quilt. I've since added the new homework blocks in this picture. You'll see close-ups next month. I don't have any fancy fabrics that I can fussy cut. I'm using my scrap boxes, and things are getting tight! I thought I had enough green blocks, but I had to pull from the last row, so there's one row completely missing from my quilt. 

My quilt so far

This has been sitting on my design wall all year, and it'll stay there until I get it sewn together. Today, I'm going to make a list of the block colors that I'm missing. First on the list - TWO (at least) completely green blocks. Then I need MORE green/blue blocks, then solid blue blocks. And then I'll move into the purples. There are thirty blocks to go, and I can't afford to mess up. I'm thrilled with the results so far! It's looking awesome. I could get THREE rows completely sewn together and a LOT of sashings sewn on the rest of them. I'll see how the week goes. 

In looking at that quilt, I see a couple of blocks in the yellow/pink/orange range that should be switched. Then I sew it together! I'll make the switch before determining how many more blocks I need to make in each coloring. 

There's so much to do, and I attempted to get the next quilt loaded on the long arm, only to discover I had to make the backing. I did that this morning and the backing is loaded. I'll get the top on later today and get that quilt done. I've got more writing to do today and some machine embroidery. 

Yep -- another busy day! But I'm happy and not stressed about a deadline, so that feels awesome! But the paperwork - it's waiting, and some of it I can't put off, like getting my new credit card number to the gym before Monday as they are opening on Monday. WOW -- the gym - what is that? I think I'm going to go first thing Monday morning! How will I ever work that into my schedule? Oh yes -- I'll miss the afternoon walk! Which will be good on these hot days!

On that note, I'm out of here. Remember - it's OK to arrange things to suit YOU and your purposes! Don't get caught in a rut! Look beyond the norm!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!