Slow and steady is going to beat the deadline!

Well, you are NOT going to believe this!!! Miss Lexi and I were walking yesterday morning when we heard a terrible racket. OH -- that sounds like a blade scraping on the path. Sure enough - it was. 

We crept through the woods to get a picture, and it's not a very good one. But there was a tractor with a front-end loader, and he was "fixing" the ruts in the path. I didn't see a truck with fill, so I'm not sure what exactly was happening, and I didn't want to stick around to find out. 

Can you spot the red tractor?

I spotted this later in the afternoon when I went for my walk. 

What's all this?

A series of trucks, including one with asphalt, were outside one of the entrances to the forest. There was also a bobcat which was taking the asphalt into the forest. WHAT????? I didn't go and investigate, so we'll find out what they did this morning. I can barely wait!!! Did they fix the paths and then pave the hills? Why didn't they do the entire job two days ago? Why did they do the entrances and then go over that pavement with the equipment to get to the other spots? Stay tuned to see what happened!!!!

Someone in the UFO club asked me to keep mentioning my progress. Well, all I can say is the deadline made me do it!! I'm making great progress, and I'm so excited I could burst, but I'm going to contain myself with the knowledge that a little bit each and every day will get you to the finish line. 

And what a farce yesterday was. After I said how productive I was, I had a huge nap in the gazebo!! It just felt like the right thing to do, so I went out with my book, and before I knew it, I was fast asleep. I had slept well the night before, so I guess my body was just saying, "Take a break—it's OK." 

That meant I had to finish my applique quota after dinner, which is why I said the deadline made me do it—I try not to sew after dinner! But all is well, and if I can keep up that schedule, which isn't a big deal—it's about one hour of applique per day, which is very doable—I just might get that UFO done by the deadline! Baby steps!!!!

Here is the view from the gazebo! Although a bit on the cool side, it was glorious. When we have no humidity, 24 feels cool! I know—that sounds weird! 

The view from the gazebo

And, of course, Murphy was standing guard while I slept. What a good girl!!!

MOM -- all is good! 

I finished one more quilt yesterday but did not have a chance to put the binding on. The quilt is trimmed, and I'll attempt to put the binding on it later today. I don't want that job to pile up, so I'm trying hard to stay on top of my production line. 

Community projects quilt - DONE

Instead, I did something else. I had applique for four quilt blocks that needed to be cut on the digital cutter, so I dug that out—well, that's a lie. I simply turned the machine on since I try to keep all my machines at the ready! I'd rather have the projects in the closet, with the machines on the tables and ready to go!! 

Cutting applique on the digital cutter

The process was easy, and I had zero issues with it. Once you get a formula, nothing is difficult. Now, I might be able to start the machine embroidery applique and get all twelve blocks done. I could do that once the long arm is finished for the day. I cannot babysit two machines and sew at the same time. I'm good, but not that good. 

I also dealt with all the scraps from the previous quilts. Again, that tidy-up is a piece of cake if you have a system! I'm not getting much paperwork done these days, but that's OK. I managed to get all the fabric cut except for the binding for one of my upcoming projects, so that was a huge job. I hope to start creating the step-outs this weekend or Monday when the community project quilts should be done. 

Like I said, it's all about planning. I don't mean serious, down-to-the-second planning, but give yourself enough time to do the job well. Don't leave things to the last week, or certainly not the last night. I'm trying hard not to let that happen, but I know I fall victim to it occasionally. In the past, it was always like that. Today, it's a lot less. 

And now I'm looking for a home for these two things: a bag of binding clips. I only use two when I bind a quilt, so these are up for grabs. If no one claims them, they are going in the giveaway box. Or perhaps someone has a good use for them other than binding? 

Binding clips up for grabs

These little things were a gadget for basting a quilt with straight pins. Once you put the pin through the quilt, you pop this rubbery thing on the end to prevent getting poked. I will never use them, so if someone wants them, you can have them. Otherwise, these are going in the garbage. Or can we think of another use for them? 

A gadget for basting with straight pins

I still have one hour left of Harry Potter, and I will need to reread this book and the others. There is so much information that it's hard to grasp its totality. It refers to things that happened in the previous books and takes a moment to make all the connections. I listen to audiobooks with headphones on. I have no idea how people can just put the book on speaker on their phone and comprehend a book like this. Their brain must work differently than mine. Even with the headphones on, I miss lots!!!!

Here's an article that's been sitting open on my desktop for eons. It's about quilters and their tattoos. I haven't had a chance to read it yet—I should do that today so I can close the window!

Remember that we have a Virtual Retreat this weekend! I can't wait to catch up with everyone's summer activities! 

Saturday, April 24 - Starts at 6 PM EST

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89816483795?pwd=Mjc3M3pvVmZPdjdsQzlHS3Zhck52dz09

Meeting ID: 898 1648 3795
Passcode: 248667

Sunday, August 25 - Starts at NOON EST

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82983517671?pwd=ODdsa1FJenQwdFNaQWFTNGd4bEhPZz09

Meeting ID: 829 8351 7671
Passcode: 117636

Well, that's it. Murphy is excited to see what happened to the path, and I have to get moving!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!