More organizing

With a little bit more focus and NO priority, this is what happened yesterday. 

Yep --- I was at the embroidery machine and trying to get as much of the border on Green Tea done as I could. OK -- I wanted to get all the two flower motifs completed. 

And while trying to achieve that goal, I emptied three spools of thread and three bobbins. Well, that happened throughout the last couple of days. 

Using up supplies!

I spotted this on the floor at one point on the Monday Sewing Zoom. Seriously? How many times have I passed the Swifter and missed this? The big question is, how long has it been on the floor? I haven't broken a needle in a long, long time! 

The tip of a broken needle

It's challenging to embroider on something significant like a quilt, but it can be done. The trick is NOT to let that quilt fall off the table. And because of how I have to hoop the quilt, that can be a challenge. Because of the embroidery arm size on the Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic 3, I now use it pushed back on the table - at least the embroidery unit, so it sits on an angle. That gives me more space at the front to hold the project. And there's another table behind it, so everything is good. That quilt is going to need a good press when it's done! 

Embroidering the border

So, did I accomplish my goal? Yes, I did! All three-flower and two-flower motifs are complete! 

The machine embroidery on the border is ALMOST complete!

That leaves eight of the single flower motifs to finish off that border. OH, the quilt is sideways in the photo, but for the border, that's OK. One single flower motif template is pinned in the bottom right-hand corner. I am going to try to finish the quilt top this week. It would be nice to get it out of the queue so I can move on to the next unfinished project!

I thought I might add a few random leaves between the motifs, but I don't think I'll have any leftovers. The big question will be: Do I have enough leaves? 

Then I dug my heels in and got all my stuff ready for today's in-person events. I'm at Sew Productive in Acton, where I'll chat about Husqvarna Viking Accessories. There are two sessions - one in the morning and one in the afternoon. If you live in Windsor, Ontario, I'll be there on Friday (Thimble Quilts and Sewing). I'm also talking about accessories and quilting, so be sure to pop into the store and get signed up. I know --- no advanced warning! If you're on the store's distribution list, you should already know about the events. 

So here's the saga of that shelving unit I purchased a while back. It was still in the garage, as I needed DH to help me bring it into the house. 

On the weekend, we got it into the house from the garage. Remember, he has a bum shoulder, so I felt guilty, but being the "tough" man, he helped. Note Bear and Murphy, who were also trying to help. 

The shelving unit is in the house

There are now a few scratches on the wood floor steps, which is OK as the wood floors in our house desperately need to be refinished. But will I do that with the girls around? Nope—we have to wait a few more years to get them refinished. Anyway, there are a few marks on the wall (more on the bulkhead of the staircase) and scratches on the steps. The shelf is in Studio B. If the unit would have had wheels? Well, we could have taken it down sideways, not height-wise. There would have been no issues with the bulkhead or the steps. Well, it's too late now!

The shelf is in Studio B

I had the perfect spot for it, and it fit exactly!! How good was I at measuring that space visually? Of course, I didn't take a real tape measure to it—I knew it would fit! This is tucked over near the long arm. YES, there were a few things sitting in that spot, and I had to find new homes for them. 

The home of the new shelf

There are two tubs and a box of memory stuff that I've carried with me since I left the farm many years ago. I think it's time I went through those boxes and likely ditched most of what's in them. 

Memory boxes to deal with

Because the unit may be uneven and the floor slopes, I had to find something to put under one leg. Off to the garage, where I found a chunk of drywall!  There are no scraps of wood at our house—they are all gone. 

A scrap of drywall to level the shelf

So, what's going on the shelf? Well, I have accessories in larger boxes for the embroidery machines. It's time to get those in the same area. So, most of what's on this table needs to go on the shelf. 

Machine embroidery accessories

Then, this is the area where I store more machine bits. Those need to be walked over to the shelf. 

More sewing machine accessories

Let's remember the cutting mats for the digital cutters—now there are three cutters and MANY mats. Some have been stored on the floor, along with some vinyl I had purchased to cut up. 

Cutting mats stored on the floor

There were mats on the long arm and more mats in a drawer. 

Mats "stored" on the long arm

I purchased such a large shelf -- it's 24" deep, 48" wide, and about 5' high because I wanted to accommodate those big cutting mats and the embroidery arms, which need a 24" deep shelf. Currently, the mats are on the top shelf, and the accessories are filling up the next two. The bottom one is reserved for all my video equipment, but I'm going to buy a couple of plastic totes to put the stuff in, and I need it for a big event in the middle of May, so it'll all stay up until then. 

I thought of hanging the mats or the embroidery hoops along the outside edge. Does anyone hang their cutting mats for their digital cutter? It would free up that top shelf! 

Did I actually clear any space? It doesn't look like I did. I need some more tidying time to get things how I want them so I can have more room to bring out even more machines (don't ask) and to get all the cutting machines set up with room to work. I'm getting there! It's hard to find time to sew and do some tidying! 

I managed quite a bit while embroidering the motifs on Green Tea. Since I had about two minutes per motif, I worked in two-minute bursts and accomplished a fair amount!

Remember that photo of the shelf with Bear and Murphy? They are like peas in a pod. Whatever Murphy does (and I mean everything), Bear copies! They are so cute together. 

HEY -- we peed like you asked, and now we want in! 

OK, so I need to get myself organized and pack the car to leave on time! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!