Do you worry?

I have to say that I'm super PROUD of my kid! While we don't always agree, she has a head on her shoulders and didn't panic! 

She's been in Turkey for the last couple of weeks. She met up with a couple of friends, and they've been having a blast by the look of the pictures. They were initially going to Turkey, Jordan, and Egypt, but thankfully, they changed their plans. I did not say anything. It's not my vacation and not my life! 

Now, it was time for her to return, and she was coming home by herself, which involved three flights. So something happened to the Turkish Airlines system, and they had to cancel hundreds of flights yesterday, and her flight to Istanbul was one of those canceled flights. 

She was at the airport with one of her friends who was flying to another Turkish city. Apparently, that flight wasn't canceled, but it was pretty scary with no communication? I'm not sure what that means. So M was now stuck in a small Turkish city, far from a big airport. My question was -- are there buses or trains? She managed to find a bus to Istanbul, which was a LONG bus ride, but she made it. 

When I went to bed, she was still on the bus. Did I worry? I did NOT and had no trouble sleeping. I took my phone off "Do not disturb" if she needed something, but I never heard her message at 1:15 AM. Some helpful Mom I am! But she had made it to the hotel at the Istanbul airport. 

It was about 3:30 when I woke up because of a bathroom break and after dreaming about people on airplanes!

While on the bus, she worked out the details of rearranging her flights. With self-checkin, she now has two boarding passes to Toronto! Can any parent be more proud of that? 

On the way to Toronto

When the going got tough, she had no choice, and it sounds like she actually enjoyed the adventure. I called it her Amazing Race! Anyway --- I'm super proud of her for keeping her head in a foreign country and finding a way to solve her problem. Did we help her? Only sending a few texts to offer support. She did everything on her own!!! 

There was ZERO reason for me to worry. What would I have gained? I could not help her other to offer support, which I did. She is a capable young woman, and I would be exhausted today if I didn't sleep. So, when I say that I don't worry -- I mean it! If I can't change something, worry doesn't come into play. 

There is only one bad thing in that entire story. It means that Bear's time with us is coming to an end. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO   --- I'm going to dognap him so she can't take him home! 

Before I tell you what happened in Studio B, here are a couple of pictures. Remember I mentioned that tree that collapsed in the forest? It was hard to get an idea of how large that tree was, but now that the leaves are gone from the surrounding trees, you can really see how huge it was. All the dead leaves are still attached. 

I wouldn't be able to put my arms around the trunk on the left-hand side, and the stump is about 12 feet high, so that gives you some perspective!! It was a HUGE tree, and I'm sad to see it collapse. 

A large tree that collapsed

The birds should be happy. They got suet, one new bird feeder, and the other one has birdseed in it. Let the party begin!!!!

Bring on the birds

So, what seems to be simple sample-making always involves some drama. And I have tools, so I made sure I use them. Here's my Singer Steam Press, which I always use for fusing stuff like Decor Bond (heavy interfacing) and fusible fleece. 

Using the Steam Press

Then, I had one of the embroidery machines going at full speed. 

Doing some embroidery

The embroidery software was also put to good use. 

Designing in the embroidery software

I got out the Scan and Cut to cut fabric. And let me say that I did NOT put fusible on the back of my fabric. Just cut raw fabric, and it cut like a charm! 

Cutting fabric with the Scan and Cut

Well, technically, I didn't get it out, but I had to clear off the table, as when I was looking for a needle, I hadn't put stuff back. 

The digital cutter table needed to be cleaned up!

I sorted through my bag of fusible fleece and now have two bags - -one for the slightly thicker fleece and one for the thin fleece I use for machine embroidery. 

Thicker fusible fleece scraps

Thinner fusible fleece scraps

I've been using the scraps of the thinner stuff like mad, and there are few scraps left. Thank goodness for that! They have been hanging around for a while, and I'm happy to get them used up. I seem to think there is another bag of scraps around here somewhere. I must find them as I'm going to need them later today. 

There were boxes of embroidery thread removed from the cabinet and strewn all over the place. 

Half the cabinet of embroidery thread is strewn around

As is par for the course, when making anything, there was a MAJOR hiccup in what I did. However, I managed to recover, and while recovering (aka stitch ripping!), I started on another embroidery. Only to discover that it would use way more thread than I realized. Thankfully, I found a second spool in the thread box! 

Thank goodness for extra spools

At the end of the day, I had almost finished TWO embroideries. They need to be trimmed and the edges finished. But that is great - I still have a HUGE list of samples to make, and I'll do what I can. I could use another machine about right now. Well, that's probably not true -- it's a challenge to keep all the machines working. 

Embroidery is DONE

Then, I got to work on homework prep for the weekend. Oh boy --- I hope I can explain CLEARLY to everyone what needs to be done. It's easy, and I have two pieces of advice for them. DO NOT PANIC, and take it one step at a time. 

Homework prep for the weekend

The tables between the sewing tables and the cutting table are still crammed with stuff. 

More stuff that needs to be addressed

Let's face it: Studio B is a WORKING studio, and it will always be messy. The critical thing is to keep things in some order so I can find what I need. That is a challenge sometimes, but I'm trying. And the most important thing of all is that I'm HAPPY!!!!! I love my workspace and wouldn't trade it for anything. Do I need it to be larger? No -- it would be just as messy! 

I went out for a walk yesterday to keep those KMs up. I'm making ground for catching up, and I'll have no problem, but there is no room for slacking off. I stopped by several stores and picked up the supplies for my samples. And then I stopped by Indigo, and look what I found. 

Embroidery Journal kit

It was only $20, and I was tempted, but I did NOT buy it. I know I would get to Feb 19 and then abandon the project. I'm not good at hand embroidery. Well, it's not that I'm not good - -it's that it's not something I do regularly!!

It will be a long day for me, but even longer for M. She arrives home at about 1 AM with layovers and flights. I don't envy her, and she's going to be exhausted. HEY -- she's young -- she won't be exhausted at all. And Little Bear will go mad when she arrives unless he isn't here!  

That long list awaits me, and there is so much to do! I need an extra week to get fully prepared! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!