The naughty and nice list

Excellent news this morning! Yesterday was the winter solstice, meaning the sun rises a little earlier each day! I also have to be thankful that I live south of where my parents live, so the sun rises earlier than in Saskatchewan!

While I had "stuff" to do yesterday, I took the day off and sewed all day! I'm working on my UFO, which is due tomorrow, but despite having a specific goal, I'm doing something else—the same project but another part. You'll see it after I show it to the group tomorrow. All I can say is that I'm happy, and that's all that counts. 

But as I work on this project, it begs the question, "Why was it abandoned?" And why with bits half completed. There was no issue to resolve, no missing fabric. Everything was easy to pick up, but I just left it. 

The half-finished UFO

From working on other UFOs, I know this is not unique. It boggles my mind to find so many abandoned projects. Thankfully, the UFO club will continue in 2025 and probably for many years beyond that. I'll be making a new list for 2025, even though I still have loads on the lists from previous years. I'm holding myself accountable, and it's nice to see progress. 

I will show you one thing about this project: paper-pieced ornaments in the shape of mittens. And yes, they are adorable! But some pieces are very bulky, especially this one, where I had to join two sections. Bulky for sure, and hard to press? Not a chance. 

Look at how flat that seam is. 

A VERY flat seam

And here's the back so you can appreciate the bulk. 

The bulky seam

How do I achieve that? I stand up for one when I'm pressing. I can put my entire weight into the process. It sounds silly, but it's true! You just get way more leverage standing than sitting. That goes for rotary cutting, as well as pressing. Besides, it's essential to change your position from time to time. It helps to ease the aches and pains. I pressed to the side with fewer seams, which helped a lot. Once I had manipulated that seam flat with my fingers, I applied steam to it—not lots, but enough to flatten it. I did NOT use anything else—no clapper, no hand tool, nothing but my finger and iron with steam. 

You can do that as well! I'll give a "live" demo (on Zoom) of pressing in the new year and will let you know when it happens. 

Speaking of which, the SECOND binding class has been posted on The Hobby Horse website, so get yourself over there and sign up! 

My cutting table is in a bit of disarray at the moment, and there is barely any room to cut. But I'm trying to focus on this UFO, and once I'm over that, I'll clear the stuff on the table. I have plenty of room to work and use my small table and cutting mat beside the sewing machine. But I GET UP - I have to. I'm keeping my posture super straight, well, straighter than before, and keeping my leg loosened up! 

The disarray on the cutting table

I unpacked a little bit more of the stuff from the retreat. Oh gosh, I opened the bag with the Oh Canada fabric, and I barely remember what my plans were. So, I need to take care of that this week as well. 

But here's my crocheted dishcloth! Thanks, Diana! I love these, but I've never had a crocheted one before. 

Crocheted dishcloth

I'm still playing around with my Dear Jen blocks and tried a diagonal setting. 

The diagonal setting for Dear Jen

That will not work, as some blocks are directional, which would drive me mad. 

So, it's back to the straight set. 

Straight set for Dear Jen

I like this much better. I need to stop fussing with it and just get to work. The blocks on the right-hand side are rejects, so I'll remake them. I'm not happy with a couple of the backgrounds, so two fabrics and possibly more will be returned to the basket of black and white fabrics. I need high contrast, but some are just too muddy! 

But the overall look is OK. I will switch that setting up a bit and have two blocks of dark and then two blocks of light. I did that this morning, and it looks much better. 

Let's say the girls were in fine form yesterday. MOM, there's snow outside, and we love snow. 

Murphy just went out and plopped herself down. 

MOM - I love the snow on my bare tummy!

Lexi has this awkward pose but was happy to be out. 

MOM - I LOVE the snow - I'm a Husky!

And the two ripped around the backyard, chasing each other like puppies. 

MOM - can you see us? Can you HEAR us? 

But boy, is Murphy clingy! She NEEDS to be close, but only when I'm at the table. She doesn't bother me downstairs or when I'm in the office. But at the table? She's my best friend, not begging for food (I wasn't eating), just for attention and petting! 

MOMO - I LOVE YOU!

Lexi is happy that Murphy ripped up that dog bed. She hated it and wouldn't lie in it. I wonder if she remembered Sammy, and it made her sad. So I moved the pile of blankets from the living room to the family room, and LOOK!!!!

MOM - thank god these are back. I had no choice but to sleep on the sofa! 

I came home from my walk to find a naughty girl in our house. Of course, she had to find the mud in the backyard. I don't even know why we bother to clean! I told Murphy we would sell our house and live in a yurt, and she was thrilled! 

MOM - I was chasing rabbits! 

I was reading through a storage magazine again. I'm trying to get rid of all this stuff, and while I don't have to read the magazines or even browse them, it's fun. I bought them, so I might enjoy them if possible. 

But seriously, some of the solutions are not practical. They're all about prettiness, not usefulness. Who would have a cabinet like this with only a few towels in it? And who (OK—sorry to those OCD people) would stack them with that line lined up? Wait—who would fold them so that happened? 

A pretty but impractical way to store towels

I don't even have matching towels! Granted, these storage magazines are all about storage, but they don't mention getting rid of stuff. They just show you places to shove the clutter out of sight, which doesn't help. What's the point of storing things that you'll never use? I laugh when everyone says they need more storage. What they really need is less stuff! 

Anyway, I'm going to play hooky from the world again today, and I'm going to work on my UFO. I want that thing done, and there's no reason why I can't get close. Let's see what the day brings!

I see I brought the colder weather with me. While it's warming up in Saskatchewan, it's getting colder here. Oops! But it's only for the weekend; it'll be fine next week! 

Remember, as you are madly trying to think of a gift for someone, why not ask them what they want? Lunch with a friend (you), help in their house to declutter, maybe a tank of gas, or a bag of groceries? No one needs another candle or box of chocolates. Give a gift that is going to make a difference!!! 

On that happy note, I'm out of here!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!


PS - in case anyone thinks I'm losing my marbles for almost missing that plane, this is NOT the first time I messed up the departure time. It happened about 10 years ago, and I got a notification that the gate had changed, and I was in the house sewing! Another time to be thankful for carry-on luggage and living close to the airport. It's not a memory thing - I just get in my head the wrong time!