Springhouse Retreat - Chores!

Oh my --- you know what they say - what happens at the retreat, stays at the retreat, but I have a couple of things to share. The first is all about the water. Yes, we had a considerable discussion about drinking water - how much is too much? How do you test it? Do you need salt? All kinds of things. 

And this might be too much information for you, but here's the scoop. In the past, I would have been lucky if I had drank one of my water bottles daily. (sip, sip!). My water coach was only here for half the retreat, and she left yesterday, but I still drank 2 1/2 bottles, so that is good. Although it helped that someone had a timer set for 30 minutes, and we had sips throughout the day. 

I'm on my own now, and I've already drank 1/2 a bottle. So let's hope all is good, and I'll remember to drink when I'm home! 

Has it made a difference? By that, I mean—do I feel different? No, but my urine is clear even first thing in the morning. I think I'm drinking all that I need to. I aim to drink 2 1/2 containers of water, equivalent to 8 glasses of water a day. Any more than that would significantly disrupt my day with bathroom trips! 

With soup and oatmeal, I have enough to compensate for my cup of tea, which is often herbal. I'm good. I will put the water thing to bed, so to speak! But thanks to everyone for the comments and suggestions. Staying healthy is a full-time job!

The other thing we talked about is mental health, which I think affects all of us to a certain degree. I hope none of the retreat-goers take this in the wrong way. But I think my brain is overloaded! I primarily work at home, and I'm not used to all the stimuli here! Now, part of that is that I'm still writing articles (hopefully, the last one will be done today - NO - the last one has to be done today!) And I've had numerous calls to make or take for work and lots of other stuff. 

By about 5 p.m. last night, I was brain-dead! So I puttered in the sewing room and didn't sew after dinner—I don't think that has ever happened at a retreat. But I was done! The other factor is that we are not getting out to walk as regularly as I would like or as I do at home because the roads have been pretty slippery. Plus, the sewing I'm now doing is challenging. 

However, it has finally stopped blowing and snowing, so they got the plow out again and cleared everything. Plowing has been a daily occurrence since we arrived, but now the driveway is plowed back, and it looks great. 

Clearing snow once again

We moved all the cars to the bottom of the circle drive so they could clean it right up! That will be great when we need to load the cars when we leave in a few days. 

Those chairs seem to be getting buried deeper and deeper! I can't convince anyone to go out and sit in one so I can take a picture. Party poopers!!!

The fire pit gets more buried every day

 I did go out for a walk in the afternoon and borrowed walking sticks. They weren't necessary, but they were good to have on the walk to the road, as some spots still have ice. It's a country laneway—that's how it is. I've become a city girl with bare sidewalks most of the time. But there's proof that I was out, and it felt good to get out! The road past the house is gravel, so they can't get down to the bare ground. 

The roads are still covered with snow

A small creek runs through the property and crosses under the road to the house. It has running water, but it's been completely covered with snow. The creek also crosses the main road, and I walked there to see if the running water was exposed. Nope—it's totally snow-covered. However, if you look closely, one spot might be exposed on a warm day, as the snow cover looks thinner in that one spot.  

The creek 

You can see the creek's path here, but nothing is exposed. The weather hasn't been that cold, so I doubt it has frozen, but you never know. 

The creek path

Here was the sunrise yesterday. My picture does NOT do it justice! It was brilliant and beautiful. 

Sunrise

When I went into the kitchen in the morning, I felt like I was home. It was a different brand, and the error message was different, but deja vu!

Error message on the dishwasher

A quick Google search told me nothing, but I was confident this was a drain issue. Something was clogging the drain. I opened the dishwasher and removed the bottom rack. I manually drained the excess water, and then I found the strainer. I cleaned it, and bits of lettuce and other debris were caught in it. But there wasn't a little valve like the one I have. So I put it all back together, and we turned it on, and it seemed OK. Yeah!!!!! 

Then I had to clean the iron last night because it was a mess. I'm not sure how it happened, but it happened, and it was smelling pretty bad! A little elbow grease and the iron was shiny clean!

Here's my portable office! I got some bad news yesterday. I had to update my iPad Pro, which I should have done a while ago. 

My portable office

The bad news is that I have reached the limit of updates. My iPad is a 2nd Generation - I bought it at the end of 2017. Yikes --- that is the large iPad Pro, so it will cost a little bit to replace it. For now, I'm OK, but I know it's likely that new apps will NOT work on that generation. Yikes - better start saving! 

I spent much time doing work-related things yesterday and only managed to sew ONE block for the 365 quilt. I still have six or seven blocks that have to be done before I leave. I hope today will be a better day. 

Here are the five blocks that I've made so far. 

Anyway -- I'd better organize myself to get those blocks done and write the article. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Springhouse Retreat - Power!

WAIT—do I need to absorb the water I'm drinking? I need to get more information on that! Thanks, Linda, for that tip. I will check it out. Yesterday, I drank three containers, equivalent to 12 glasses of water. 

I think I can get into the habit, and I think I'm good with three containers a day. I just looked at the salt thing online and must do more research. How does one determine if you retain (and how much) that water to stay hydrated or just need to be in your body to flush stuff out? Questions - questions!

The weather is a bit crazy, but that's the new norm! And besides that, this is winter in Canada! Yes, we're going to get snow and wind! But I confess that I did not step outside yesterday. OK, so I need different boots when I'm in the country. I'll have to schedule the retreats at other times, or I will buy new boots! 

OK -- so the city girls were entertained again! There was a planned power outage yesterday, but we were assured they had a plan as there isn't a generator. They hooked this little thing behind the tractor, and voila, when the power was shut off, we still had power. 

Our power source for an hour

It took them about an hour to switch out the transformer at the road, and then we were back on the grid. There was zero issue. I love how farmers are so self-sufficient. They know what to do to fix pretty much anything. This is not something that you'll find in a city. Yes - I'm generalizing - I know that. But you know what I mean. Living on a farm makes you highly creative as you constantly solve problems! 

The hydro workers

Look at the outdoor seating area - if the weather keeps up, those chairs will be buried. 

Weiner roast anyone? 

Yeah - I finished my mittens!! Except for embellishing some of them. Those snowmen and Santas need faces!!!

My mittens are all sewn!!!

Now, I'm working on my next project, my 365-day project. I finished three blocks but forgot to take a picture, so you'll see them tomorrow. I seem to chuckle a lot these days. I was reading my 5-year journal and noticed I started the 365-day project four years ago—almost to the day!! I should be done four months out of 12 by the end of this retreat! So, another eight years, and I should have a quilt!

I may have mostly fixed my sewing machine issues by putting the proper spool cap on! I'm using up some almost empty spools of thread, but I watched this time! It was a non-issue day!

Another empty spool!

I'm back to writing and making phone calls today. I plan to get that out of the way today to focus on the sewing for the rest of the retreat. 

I also forgot to take a picture yesterday of the great giveaway. After dinner, when everyone was here, I laid out all the stuff I brought from Diane's, and I'm happy to report that a good part of it is gone! Yeah, my car will be slightly emptier than when I came!!

Well, it has to be short and sweet this morning. 

Have a super day!

Ciao!!!

Springhouse Retreat - Measure Twice, Cut Once

Yesterday was a bit of a crazy day. It seemed like I spent a lot of time on my phone—yes, my cell phone, which does not work at my house. It actually doesn't work well in my neighborhood, but it works just fine elsewhere. 

This means it's the connection to the tower, which I was told a while back. I need to be persistent in getting my provider to fix the connection. But sometimes, it's nice not to have a working phone! It's a good excuse not to talk to people—not that I don't want to, but it can kill time. 

But I must be responsible and call them next week to try to resolve the issue. It's only been five years or so now. Good grief!!

So, what happened at the retreat? Well, you know what they say - what happens at the retreat stays at the retreat, but a few things are noteworthy. OK - One thing in particular. I have my water bottle, which is 32 oz, and I try to drink a full one each day, which I know is NOT enough water. But I'm on a mission now. I'm trying to drink MORE. And one of the retreat participants, who shall remain nameless, but she's encouraging me to get my butt in gear and drink more. 

Yesterday, I drank almost THREE of those containers. Thanks for the push!!!

My water bottle

It wasn't that big of a deal, but if I needed the washroom - it's right here! I've already drank almost one full container! My biggest problem is remembering to drink. Isn't that sad? That bottle can be sitting right in front of me, and I can just ignore it! But I will try and make a considerable effort to continue this habit. Can one develop a habit in 5 days? Well, we'll see what happens. 

I'm dehydrated, which is not good, so drinking water should be part of my "new" healthy regime!

I had a lot of trouble with my sewing machine yesterday. It's older, so it no longer has a sensor for low-bobbin thread. Yep - I sewed almost an entire border on a quilt before I realized. So I got that fixed, and then, I ran out of thread on top. I didn't see that because the lid on the machine was closed. When I went to the washroom, I returned to find this on my machine!!! LOL

HA HA --- Happiness!

But the good news is that I am getting some things done. I aim to finish or advance one thing each day. Here is my Bargello quilt top. It's a little smaller than I would like for a lap quilt, but it's all good. 

My bargello quilt top

The binding and the backing are also done! 

This one is ready to be quilted

And now, back to the elephant in the room. Since more people are coming to the retreat today, I had to cut that quilted fabric down to the appropriate size. So I moved the lamps to the floor and spread the HUGE piece of fabric out. 

Preparing to trim

It was huge, as I had the extra fabric for the quilted pillow shams. I intended to trim it like that, but I cut it about two inches larger to remove the excess fabric and make it easier to move around. 

Once the excess was removed, it was much more manageable. I used many rulers, a tape measure, and a laser square. 

Checking the corners

Oh my goodness, what a job! It seemed every time I measured it, it was a different measurement. I got it all set up to cut last night and then went to bed. I had only one shot at it and did not want to screw it up! So first thing this morning, I measured again - MANY times and checked the corners for 90 degrees. Then I bit the bullet and cut. 

Cutting the top

Then, I turned the quilt and cut in the opposite direction. I tested it by folding and refolding it to see if it was square and the correct size. It might be out by 1/8" along the sides, but I'm happy with that, so it's done!!! Yeah!!!!

I chuckled when I looked at some of the cords on the tables. I asked what type of cable this was. Do you know? 

This is MY cord - do not touch

It was a cord that someone had covered with a macrame sleeve to prevent her peeps from "stealing" cords when they left her house. That's a clever idea! 

We have picked a very snowy week, and the winds are gusting like crazy! So, there were a few drifts in the yard. It's fascinating to watch the equipment in action. I'm sure the family thinks we are all city folk who have never seen this stuff. And we don't see it regularly, but I love watching the equipment work. Let's say the young operator was having a blast, as he had snow flying through the air! 

Plowing the yard

Then, he cleaned out the driveway and went down to the house's garage. Yep -- there we were with a front-row seat! 

Clearing the snow

We had a chuckle later in the day when someone needed a little boost to get their car out of a snowbank. That required a different tractor, but the vehicle was out! I do not miss my low car in these snowy conditions! 

Getting the car out of the snowbank

Oh, I finished another project last night. The top for my Trendtex challenge for Quilt Canada is together! I lost a piece of fabric somewhere, but I found a solution with the pieces I had. I must get it quilted and move on to the next part. I must keep at it, or the piece will not get done. 

I have the next project out, and I should be able to finish it this morning. There are many projects I can work on—this will NOT be like the last retreat, where I got to work on everything I brought. I did go a bit overboard, but that's OK. 

I will have to attempt to schedule an in-house (my house) solo retreat day at least once or twice a month. That would be a day without interruptions from Zoom, class prep, or anything similar. I likely will not be able to get that done in the next two months, but there's always April!

We walked to the road and back, but even with my boots, the driveway was slippery. I was careful, so there were no accidents. Today is going to be warmer, but it's still very windy! So we'll see what happens. I may focus on stretching (and drinking water) this week instead of walking. 

On that note - I'm out of here to do some sewing!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Springhouse Retreat - Day One

Oh my gosh -- two excellent stories about using the good stuff or getting rid of it - read the comments from yesterday! And yes - it was a thing to pick that china pattern! But so much of it never got used. I'm excited to see Tammy using it every day, and I bet you think of your grandmother! 

So here I am in the big room at Springhouse Retreat and blog writing. I've been up for a while but haven't started sewing yet as I have some work to get done. That was a challenge as I'm using a new computer, and Grammarly wasn't installed. That took some work to figure out, but all is good. Of course, it's NOT the same with a smaller screen and a different look (Windows 11, not Windows 10). But change is good -- I keep telling myself that! It's more a habit of getting used to something different. I'll be fine!

After walking the dogs, it was time to get the car loaded, and the front hall was jammed with stuff. As I took the first couple of loads out, I thought - this is NOT all going to fit! 

And I was right—these two things did not make the cut, but that's OK because the machine inside the white case already has a new home and doesn't need to be at the retreat. I emptied the contents of the green shelf unit and brought it with me, but the shelf unit itself? I could have put it on the front seat! 

No room for these items

And yes - after several emails, I found a home for two more things in the stash room. I have a Babylock Embellisher and a stretcher frame. Both are going to a good home at Sheridan College, where they will be used! I'm so excited! So my front hall didn't even get completely empty, and it's already filling up again! 

And I will look at my box of roving, and some of that might go with the Embellisher. Oh, my -- when you put your mind to it -- a lot of stuff will go from the stash room!! 

Anyway -- this was the back of the car! It was packed so high that I could NOT see out the back window. The front seat was filled to the bottom of the window. It took almost 30 minutes to get it all in, and then at the retreat house, it took a long time to get it all out! 

The back of the car

I filled the hallway with stuff, but then I had to move it out of the way, and then I went back to get the remainder of the stuff! I've already handed off some things, but there is more to do tomorrow. Of course, there is some extra stuff due to the panic packing, but that's OK - I'll be able to handle it! 

The hallway is filled!

I took advantage of the small number of people and spread out over the extra tables. I've since gotten that under control! I hope to trim that large quilt today before others arrive. 

I took over!

I had several conference calls during the day, but that was OK. Then I got to work. A basket of brown scraps had been sitting on one of those current project tables, and it needed to be cut into specific sizes. I brought that because I thought it would be a mindless task and it was. I didn't think I was going to finish, but I did. 

 

Cutting the brown scraps

I cut 2 1/2" by 4 1/2" rectangles to make a potato chip quilt. I also cut 2 1/2 "squares, but I have no idea what my intent was with those, and I can't find the patterns I had set aside. I also cut 2" by 5" rectangles and 2" squares. That was also for some specific pattern, but I have no idea, so I need to find something to do with those pieces. 

Some larger scraps and strips remained intact. Everything is bagged (I brought my bag of bags), and everything is good!! 

Then, I pulled out my UFO for February. It's an autumn-themed bargello, and the center section is done. I think the intent was to make leaf applique for a border along one side. NOPE -- not doing that. If I add two borders, the quilt will be lap-sized, which is good enough for me!!!

My UFO for February

I found all kinds of scraps in the bag. I have sorted them and put them in a bag that will go into the scrap boxes when I get home. 

Scraps

And where did that blue scrap come from? 

The blue? 

I had a chuckle as I installed Grammarly on this laptop. Oh my—there are MANY settings you can select to help fix problems. I have them all turned on—no wonder it doesn't like my writing sometimes!!! I left them all on—that works for me, and I'm learning how to use Grammarly much better than before. 

Settings for Grammarly

Well, that's it for today!!!! I've got a lot to accomplish today!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

The elephant in the room

Before I get into today, I want to clarify one point. In all the decluttering, I have perhaps "strongly" advised everyone to stop buying, which is undeniably true. 

Here's the thing—we live in a bizarre world where our wants are dictated by marketing people, who are motivated by CEOs who want more profit on the bottom line. This goes for any industry. Did you know that marketing and research people intentionally make products that appeal to our want mentality? 

We have wants that must be fulfilled, so we buy, buy, buy. Sometimes, we buy and bring home a bag of stuff that never gets opened! So, who benefited from that transaction? 

It's OK to buy, but you should buy for your needs, not your wants. We still need to support the local economy and small quilt shops—I totally get that. But why should I be the one to end up with the problem? By that, I mean I'm the one with the massive fabric stash or gadget I will never use. And how much does all this cost me?

What we need to do with our buying power is to tell the shops, the fabric, and the notion companies that we want GOOD quality stuff that is useful to us. Don't be selling us crap for the sake of their making a more considerable profit margin. Hell will freeze over before that happens because we are conditioned from a VERY young age that we must buy those WANTS!

Sadly, in our "first-world" countries, everything is driven by money and power. Most companies don't care what happens to this stuff (it becomes fodder for landfills) as long as they get their money from it. It's a vicious model, and while I'm happy to support the local shops, I won't go broke doing it. 

I used to feel that it was my job to support the local quilt shops, and guess what happened? I bought WAY more than I would ever want or use. I also purchased a lot based on guilt. But why should you feel guilty about buying something in a small shop when you don't feel guilty going into a clothing shop and not buying anything? 

So yes, continue to buy, but buy smart! If you must sneak your fabric into the house or hide it, we can safely say you have a problem! I'd seek help because you are NOT doing yourself or your family any good. You have a disease (hoarding) and need to stop buying! 

And how do I know this or feel qualified to talk about it? I've been there, done that, and am trying to dig myself out of a decade of want! It was not uncommon for me to walk into a quilt shop and easily spend $300 on stuff I never needed. I would bet that most of it is still unused in my house. That is wasteful, and I think of what family experiences we could have enjoyed with that $300 and all the other $300 I spent. 

And now, onto something different. 

I will confess that I accomplished a significant task yesterday, which resulted in panic-packing last night for the retreat this week. I have work to do and didn't get it all done, so I'm taking it with me. Oh yeah - at least there is lots of room to work, so I'll tuck myself in a corner for an hour a day to finish the writing. 

As a result, this must be loaded into the car this morning. 

What I'm taking

And there's one more sewing machine to add. Good grief - I'll get a full day of steps just doing loading and unloading the car. There's stuff for the Pony Express, my "office" work, and my sewing work. There's also a lot of Diane's stuff that is up for grabs to the retreat attendees. 

While quilting on the long arm, I brought in the bags of Diane's stuff one by one and went through all the bags from the most recent trip. The bags of fabric are still in the garage, and I'll deal with them another day. 

I know—I was shocked that I could go through it so quickly, but I'm learning. Not much went into the garbage. Any paper that was GOOS went into my printing pile. Anything with printing on both sides went into the recycling. Patterns went into the giveaway box. Rulers and templates are also in the giveaway box. Oh, and I found some sewing machine bits, so they went into a bag, and I'll sort that out when I get the machines. 

There were some notions, and they are in the giveaway box. And so on, until I even had a chance to go through some project boxes. Hmmm - not much in the way of UFOs, but I am bringing them with me, and we'll have time to explore them further. I will wait until everyone is there, which I think is Wednesday, then I will lay it all out, and they can have a go. But there will be VERY STRICT instructions - they are NOT to take anything unless they do NOT have one already and that they will use it! I'm happy to bring it back home and take it to the thrift store rather than clutter up someone else's home. 

Those project boxes contain cut and labeled fabric but no pattern or pattern name! That might all just have to go in a scrap bin! 

What did I learn from this? If you have small things - binder clips, paper clips, pens, and pencils, PUT THE LIKE ITEMS in a plastic bag. Good grief -- I had some plastic bags and was sorting, so it made more sense. I found little bits of paper - get rid of them. OK - I'm guilty of that. 

I'm glad that part is over. I was not looking forward to it, and having the retreat people entertain me was the perfect opportunity. I had ZERO desire to take anything. I kept one thing—the curved-tip hemostats! Sorry, I didn't take a picture. I had several pairs of straight tips, but I didn't know you could get curved ones!!! 

I may take on this task for my non-fabric stash for the next virtual retreat. It's a great way to purge my stuff mindlessly! 

OK, so Miss Lexi alerted me to the following picture. We were walking in the forest, and she stopped dead to look. I thought it was a squirrel, but NO—it was a crow or raven standing on top of a wasp nest and pecking madly away, so bits of the nest were flying. It was pretty entertaining. Lexi didn't care, but I thank her for showing me. 

A crow or a raven attacking a wasp nest

And I don't know what Murphy's problem was. I was sitting at the computer, and she was over by some embroidery machine hoops I had put on the floor so I could take a picture. She had her paw on one of the boxes at one point, but I wasn't quick enough to get a picture. What a silly girl. What was she trying to tell me? 

MOM -- LOOK at me! 

And now for the elephant in the room. I had a large quilt to get quilted. It is actually more of a decorative item than a quilt. An interior decorator hired me to do this project. She had ordered yards of digitally printed sateen from Spoonflower—enough for the front and the back. Yes, the front and back are the same, just one large piece of fabric. 

I had cut the backing, which I loaded on the long arm the previous night. So, I cut the front, loaded it, and then added the batting. That was a long piece of batting, as I'm making the coverlet and two pillow shams, and I might as well quilt them simultaneously. 

Loading the quilt

The required pattern was purchased - you have to love downloading stuff rather than waiting for it to arrive in the mail. It was to be relatively dense - thank goodness, because it was 140" long and 94 " wide. 

The loose pattern

I was pleased to see the bottom of the fabric at about 7 PM last night. 

At last - the bottom

You can't tell, as the lighting isn't good, but here is the quilted fabric. I'm taking it to the retreat, where there is loads of room, and I'll spread it out and trim it. There are NO reference lines or marks for trimming. That should be fun!! 

The quilted fabric

I finished all the quilts except two before leaving for the retreat, so I'm pretty pleased about that. I'm not happy that two remain, but it was a big push. Those two will be done as soon as I return. 

Yesterday, my stairs were very busy. I had various piles up the side—they were sorted, and as I went up and down, I grabbed something and dealt with it. Nothing is left to be done! That is a bit of a first for me, but once something is sorted, I'm very good at finding a home for it. 

The stairs as a sorting station

By bedtime, they looked like this: Everything but one sewing machine was by the front door, and as soon as I finished here, I was off to load the car! 

The stairs are clear

After going through Diane's stuff, I feel qualified to offer my services to help anyone who wants it. I can objectively look at almost anything and tell you it's a keeper, thrower, or seller! And if I were standing in your house with something in my hand that you shouldn't be keeping, I would be mean and NOT let you have it! OK - we might negotiate a bit, but still. I'm getting very good at this! And I'll be tackling some of the non-fabric areas in Studio B, but not at the moment. I've got other things that need to be done first. 

Thanks to everyone who came to the Virtual Retreat. I wish I could have spent more time talking, but I enjoyed listening to all the conversations as I worked! The next one is on February 15 and 16. I know it can't be helped, but I'm away on the weekend, we usually hold it. 

Well, that's it for me today! 

I can't wait to get to the retreat house. I think I will unpack all that stuff and spend the entire day sewing. Then tomorrow, I'll get to work. I have a ton of phone calls to make, articles to write, photos to take, and so on. I can hardly wait!!! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Lexi and her boyfriend

 It was Lexi's lucky day! Not only does she have a new leash, but she got to spend time with her boyfriend Wednesday. 

Lexi and Wednesday

Yes, he is a Husky, and they love each other. The minute they spotted each other, it was like that scene in the movie where the two people ran into each other's arms. Both were running to each other. Of course, they remained on their leashes, but they had so much fun jumping, smelling, and doing what dogs do! 

The biggest issue is that both dogs are friendly. Except that they are overexcited to play, and other dogs (and more dog owners) freak out and call them aggressive. They are NOT aggressive—they just want to play!!! So they had a great time, and I hope we can get them together for a good run session! In the summer, I'll offer to host a play date for the two. Murphy will have her nose out of joint, but it's not about her! 

I must say that Wednesday is always impeccably groomed, Lexi, not so much!! 

At last, my desk area is back to normal. There is clear space to work, and that makes me happy. I have two more follow-ups to send out this afternoon; after our UFO Club meeting this morning, there will be two more. The three presentations went well, and that's all that counts. The two for this morning are also ready! 

The mostly clear desk area

You've heard people say that dogs have short memories. The dogs are hoping their peeps also have short memories. Murphy always goes for the walk first. Lexi is not happy about it, but if I take Lexi first, Murphy barks. DH does not like barking dogs. However, I've noticed that when I return with Lexi, Murphy is standing at the door. Are you expecting another walk? I don't think so!!! I should switch the walking order and see what happens. 

MOM - what about me? I need a walk! 

I popped over to Diane's and picked up another carload of stuff! I didn't get any additional fabric as Diane's stepdaughter is taking what's left. Well, that's good for me, and I hope it all goes to good use. 

One more carload of Diane's stuff

This was mainly the detritus that hangs out in our spaces. Binders with photocopied paper, rulers, crap off the cutting table, and gosh knows what else came home in those bags. 

This is the kind of stuff we should eliminate from our sewing rooms, as it is GARBAGE!!!! I managed to go through some stuff yesterday afternoon and will go through a bit more today. There are some small drawer units filled with crap - is any of it useful? No idea. 

I found this quote amongst the stuff, and it's so true -- get those good dishes out and enjoy them, as I enjoy my bone chine tea mugs every day. And yes -- I put them in the dishwasher. I'd rather they fade from use than be found in a box when I'm gone. And what about the memories of people saying - I remember those cups - she always used them. I'd rather that than no one knows about them. 

Get the dishes out!

I found a couple more handouts prepared by me. The paper is either in the GOOS (good on one side) pile or the recycling bin. 

More handouts written by me

And this brought the whole thing home rather sadly. There were notes that Diane had made for the quilts she was making for me. I did not keep the notes -- there's no need, but it's such a sad affair. But her husband is so grateful, and how could I leave him to clean up the crap in those drawers. I literally grabbed everything and shoved it into IKEA bags, and I'll deal with it here. It's much easier anyway and would take eons to do at her house. 

Notes for the quilts Diane made for me

The two sewing machines are the only remaining items in her sewing room; I will deal with them another day. There is no rush; I will provide the details when I have the information. 

Then, I was on to the next project, that box that had arrived a while back. I took it to Studio U, where there was plenty of room to work. 

What's in the box? 

Inside the box is a huge roll of 114" wide fabric. 

A roll of fabric

It came from Spoonflower. Look at the pretty stickers on it. 

Sticker from the Spoonflower fabric

I need to cut two long pieces of it and quilt them. The backing is on the long arm, and I'll cut the front later this afternoon. It must be quilted by tonight. I have a few other things that need to be done today, so I'll pop in and out of the Virtual Retreat to ensure they get done. By the way, this roll of fabric is for a customer, not me. 

It wouldn't be such a rush, except I'm away next week and don't want to wait until February to finish these things. Some of them need to be completed NOW. The bottom line is that the list is getting shorter, but there's no time to slack off. 

I had a chuckle during one of yesterday's classes. I talked about the Olfa Circle Cutter, which many in the class said they had but had never used! I made a video on how to use it. Here's the link if you want to check it out. 

Don't forget that we have a Virtual Retreat today. Here's the information. 

Sunday, January 26 -- Starts at NOON EST

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81073536036?pwd=uxRqMnK1aSKrmrcSO78w8QQs5g44eA.1

Meeting ID: 810 7353 6036
Passcode: 596838

On that note - -I'm out of here!!! 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!