Home Sweet Home

And as John (Denver) says -- It's good to be back home again!!

It was a pleasant surprise to see how busy the fourth and final day of Salon Quebec was. Shows usually peter out, but this one kept going strong until almost the end, making the day pass quickly. 

Many people came to the booth, and I was pretty handy at presenting a sewing machine in French. I need to find a place in Montreal to stay for six months! Imagine how much better I would be. And I could offer my services (for free) at a sewing machine store and learn all the language! 

The biggest "issue" is what language I should speak! Is that person Anglophone or Francophone? ? Which language works best for both of us? Oh yes --- we had loads of fun, and whenever they tried to switch to English, I didn't. Why? I'm not perfect, but for not having lived in that dual-language environment for over 30 years, I think I'm doing not so bad!

I'm feeling much better today. I'm obviously still tired and dehydrated, but I'm OK. It's incredible what sleeping in your bed can do for you!

As far as a travel day goes, it was very unexciting! Except that my colleague and I had a lot of luggage. She had four personal pieces, and I had two, and then there were the elephants in the room. We had two suitcases of stuff that we usually ship via truck. Since it was only two suitcases, we flew it home rather than ship it. 

We were unsure of the weight of those big suitcases, but I have a status allowing me to check in three 70-pound suitcases. One was just under the limit, one was about 10 pounds under the limit, and the other was about five pounds over. They said nothing and checked the bags. Strangely, they did NOT tag the bags as heavy, which they usually do. 

But we got those bags checked, and we just had our carry-on. We arrived at the airport THREE hours before our flight. Since I wasn't the in-charge person, things were a bit more relaxed! I would have pushed for an earlier flight, but I didn't want to rock the boat, and we had a nice, relaxing dinner in a sit-down restaurant. Imagine that!

I wanted to try a "juicy" beer, so I got a small sample, which was good. It was almost like a Radler, but not. Look how small the sample was. Then I got the big glass as well. Having not eaten much all day, I kind of felt that. It was NOT the same as the Corona I usually have. 

My baby sample of the 'juicy" beer

Even though the flight was short, it seemed to take forever, and DH came so thoughtfully to pick me up! Because I was the one who was going to manhandle those two extra heavy suitcases to my house! They are still in the car. They are going into the garage later today. 

Of course, the girls were so excited to see me. And then I unpacked my small suitcase and left the larger one for later today. 

This welcome sight greeted me this morning when I went downstairs. Oh my gosh—I've missed this place so much. Since I don't have anything urgent, I'm going to try starting at one end and doing a clean sweep to get it back in shape. I have a few projects that I prepped for some of the events, and they are not finished, so my goal is to get them finished. 

Studio B

We always say that samples sell. Well, let me say that is true. I went into the Wonderfil booth to chat, and I spotted a sample. Oh my --- this came home with me—the entire collection of colors (60) of InvisaFil (100-weight) thread. 

Box of InvisaFil thread

The sample I saw was applique, and I know how to do impeccable applique, but this applique (by machine) was PERFECT. I've never seen a sample as beautiful as this one. It was absolutely perfect. I should have taken a picture of the entire thing, but I did not. 

Applique sample

Here's a detail of the stitching. I know—I looked MANY times to find the stitching. It's so perfect that you can't even see the stitches. 

Detail of the applique sample

But this is the back of the work!!! 

So I had to cram that box of threads into my suitcase, which barely fit, but I made it work. I usually use a 60-weight thread because that was what we had at the time. But this thread is even finer! Oh yes -- I'm in love with the stuff!! I can't wait to try a sample. 

I unpacked and put away some stuff this morning. Someone gave me this bag many years ago—many years ago! And it's the BEST foldable bag ever. It's made of nylon and is a snap to wash, which is important since a banana sort of exploded in it this past week. 

My folding reusable bag

It folds into a small bundle, making slipping into a pocket or my small waist pouch easy. 

The bag is folded up

I've used it to carry groceries, take trips to the thrift store, and take clothes to the shower when on vacation. It goes with me everywhere, and it's the best folding bag ever!

I got a chuckle yesterday. First thing in the morning, I got a plea for help with a serger. We had some help in the booth, but they couldn't get the serger to thread. I looked at it and threaded the needles. Well, that didn't make the serger work. Then I realized one of the loopers wasn't threaded properly. Then, when I got looking, I realized that one of the settings was not set correctly, which had disengaged the upper looper. Let's say that one year ago, I probably would NOT have been able to figure that out. 

I'm not ready to call myself the serger queen, but I got it set correctly, threaded, and working. Was that a test? Or was that a lack of knowledge of the person who asked? She's not familiar with machines, so switching that setting could have been an innocent mistake. But part of me thinks it could also have been a test. 

Today is Monday sewing, and I can't wait to chitchat with the group while I putter to get things done in Studio B. It will take some time to get that place back in order, and since I'm not in a rush, it will be a luxuriously slow week. I have appointments on most days, but nothing that can't be worked around. 

I'm off later this morning to get DH to the hospital for his surgery. At least I feel he's taking this a bit more seriously. He might be a bit incapacitated for a bit, instead of attempting to jaunt off next week on a plane trip, and he has some serious physio in his future. I'm sure it will be a lot of fun and games as we get through it all! I get to be the chauffeur, which is payback for the times he's picked me up at the airport late at night! 

The one thing I'm thrilled about today is that I do not have to talk all day! Even though we have the Monday call, I might just sit back and let them all chat. My throat needs a break!

On that happy note, I'm out of here. I have stuff to get ready before I take him, and then the girls are going to want a walk, which may not happen this morning. As soon as I mentioned them, they both came into the office—one on either side of my chair! It's NOT time. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!