Progress is being made!

Again --- thanks so much for the comments! I need some quiet time to digest them, and I've put myself in a bit of a bind this morning for time. 

I got up at the right time but didn't realize that I booked a bike in spin class, and I hate to miss it, but I don't have time. I'm going, but only for half, as I still have a few things to do before leaving for the retreat. 

We had loads of fun at the Virtual Retreat. However, I was a bit "out of it" as I operated the long arm and the embroidery machine simultaneously, so I clocked many steps as I ran between them, changing threads, babysitting the bobbins, and so on. 

However, I'm happy to report that BOTH projects are complete! 

Here's the quilt from the long arm: MY Long Time Gone quilt. I will trim it when I return next week, but it's done. The Jen Kindwell remedial class is working! 

My Long Time Gone

The machine embroidery project is also done, and it was the second attempt at this design, which I created in the software. We always tell people they need to STITCH OUT their designs -- it's not enough to just create them. 

Threads from my embroidery design

The original file had close to 90,000 stitches, and well, there were a few areas that didn't work so well. As a matter of fact, I abandoned the project because I knew I had goofed on a couple of the designs I created. Not to be deterred, I went back and figured out how to do it correctly and eliminated 30,000 stitches! I would NOT have known that if I hadn't attempted to stitch it out! 

All the quilts for the retreat are quilted, trimmed, and packed in the car. Let's say the car is a bit full as I decided to throw in a sewing machine as I didn't get a chance to do much sewing at the Virtual Retreat yesterday, and I have a number of things that NEED to be sewn this week. 

I did get the binding for my 150 Canadian Women quilt done. Yeah!!! 

The binding for 150 Canadian Women

But the stuff that you can't see is the paperwork. I had "nothing" to do in the morning for three hours, so I sat at the computer and created e-mails, answered e-mails, and whatever else needed to be done. I still owe class follow-up on one class, which will have to wait until next week. I may regret doing this, but I submitted some designs to the magazines. I know -- do I have time to make them if they accept the design? Well, we'll deal with that when they say yeah or nay!

While I accomplished lots, I'm not up-to-date yet, but I'm doing OK. 

People are already asking what patterns or classes I'll teach in the fall. HEY -- we are not even done with the classes for this year, but they are rapidly coming to a close. We'll definitely be doing a large quilt in the paper piecing technique. The choice has yet to be quite firmed up, so be patient, and we'll let you know. That project will start in October, so you have loads of time. 

And here's another option, and I'll be running this privately. I hope I'm not out of line to put it here. But a local designer (Sandy Beintema) has created this quilt, and I like to support locals. It will be offered to guilds, but if you don't belong to a guild or your guild is NOT going to run the program, I will. Anyone interested? Let me know --- elainetheriault@gmail.com. I'm still determining the cost, but I WILL supply the pattern --- do not contact the designer directly; she will direct you to me!

Scrappy heart quilt for the fall sew along

I don't have any details yet, but I love this quilt, and it will s art in October!!!

OK -- that's it for me. I'm off to a shortened spin class and then off to retreat! I'm unsure if I'll know what to do with myself for an entire week when I get to sew!!! Well --- serge and sew!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!