Forest bathing - literally!

Oh my—what a treat yesterday was! I had nothing on the agenda, and I could do what I wanted when I wanted. I certainly needed that mental break. I haven't even cleared up the tables in the film area yet. 

A bit of tidying needs to be done

I'll do that later today, or maybe I'll do it during Monday's Sewing and set up for the final presentation. Yeah! Then, I think April will be very quiet except for my "personal" classes and a couple of challenges I must work on. A few quilts need to be quilted, so I'll keep myself busy, but I'll be on my schedule! Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed each presentation, but it was a crazy schedule, and a break is very welcome. 

I also managed to clear a tiny bit of the cutting table. Some items on the floor are gone, but I hope to tackle more today. 

A little bit of room on the cutting table

Except when I went for a walk and had a nap, I sewed all day, and it was glorious. I hadn't done that in months, and it felt great. Will I share what I did? Oh, you can see part of it. 

I was able to finish this little sample. Hmm - the colors are quite mixed, and the pattern doesn't really show, but that's OK. I may try to find a quilt pattern that might rescue it. 

My small sample

Here is one of the alternate blocks for Chatsworth. It's a row of flying geese. Some of the fabrics were cut, and some were partially cut. I had used fat quarters, so I didn't have enough background to finish each block, but I'm perfectly fine with using other fabrics to finish the blocks. 

Alternate block for Chatsworth

I returned to working on my braids as an ender/leader project. It feels nice to work on this project, as I can see progress. There's a box brimming with those precut pieces. Let's see what happens to it over the next while. While I have piecing to do, I also have embellishments to make and quilts to quilt, so I won't need enders and leaders. 

Progress on the braid

I tackled some paperwork. I also pile things that need to be done on the desk, and these two glue bottles have been sitting here for some time. The tips were filled with glue, and there was a mass of glue all along the outside of one of them. It was a mess, and it was solid! I took a cue from Brenda (a retired elementary school teacher) and used vinegar. I think I had tried before, but they were still a mess. This time, I heated the vinegar and put the two tips in it. 

Unsticking the glue using vinegar

At last, after TWO hot vinegar baths, the tips were completely clear of glue on the inside and the outside. I got glue from one; the other may have too much air inside the container. While I LOVE the concept of this glue bottle, those tips were way too long. I'd be tempted to take the wire cutters and snip the tips off, but I'm afraid I would crush the opening, and then no glue would come out. Well, no worries, I have a couple of small plastic containers to which I can move the glue, and the tip is plastic and about ½" long. I just needed to clear those tips for my sanity! And they were on the desk. Now, they are back where they belong. 

I have the next set of paperwork sitting here, and I'll keep plugging away at it a little each day. The important thing will be to keep up with the daily stuff, which I've done an OK job at. Then, I need to delve into some older stuff. Keep, toss, or action. I'm getting better with the toss! 

Our area was very fortunate with the weekend storm. We had some ice in the morning, but it was only on some surfaces, like certain trees. There was no damage and no power outages. Other areas in the province were severely affected, and I hope their power is restored. We are left with fog. 

It was interesting that the ice remained on a tree like this. 

Ice

But these trees were completely free of ice. They were about ten feet apart. 

No ice

There was still ice on these kind of branches as well. 

More ice

You cannot see it in this picture, but water (melting ice) was dripping down this tree. It reminded me of being in a rainforest and was quite interesting to watch. 

Water was dripping down the tree trunk

But the most astounding part of the walk was when I entered the forest. It was NOT raining, yet the melting ice dripping off the trees was LOUD! It sounded like it was pouring rain, but it was just the ice melting. I honestly felt like I was in the rainforest. It was so cool. I took a video of it, but I've not successfully loaded videos on the blog. 

Forest bathing was almost a literal term yesterday as I was getting wet, but the moment I exited the forest, it was dead silent, and no more "rain"! 

Look at this sweet girl! She looks so demure! Why is that expression so popular these days? It sounds silly! 

Mom - I'm trying to be good

Look at her while I was reading my book in the evening. 

Mom - do you want to play with me?

She has been doing so well with her bladder issues, but then, the last couple of days, she has not been so good. Two accidents, and they are not her fault. She just leaks! I try to ensure that she goes out regularly, but because I was focused on sewing, I might have missed her signals. I feel so badly for her as she doesn't understand what is happening. So, I must be better on my toes and put her outside at the appropriate times. She needs to build up her core muscles! She is on medication for her weak sphincter. 

But she is like a little kid. You put her out and tell her to have a pee. She looks at you and says, "I don't have to pee." After I told her she was NOT coming until she did her business, she finally went and had a long pee. Then she came in all happy—just like a kid!

I shared that small sewing machine with you a couple of weeks ago, or it might have been another brand. I found a picture of it in an older magazine. It has been thirty years since PFAFF came out with its first embroidery machine. Can you believe that machine embroidery is so young? Notice that the embroidery arm for the small one is inside the harp. The largest hoop would be 4" by 4". Now look at the creative icon 2! It's HUGE! 

PFAFF - 30 years of embroidery

I hope to work on machine embroidery today, but we'll see how the day goes. I don't want to make lists—I'm going to try to clear those two work tables, but that could take weeks! 

AHA -- we are down to the final 100 pages in The Sequel. What will happen? I now have a better idea of the villain. But when I think about it, who is the villain in this story? I was thinking about authors on one of my recent walks. The really vicious characters in the books I've read recently are women. Men just shoot and move on. Women are vicious. And it's usually a female author who writes about the vicious women villains. Why is that? 

I know it will be a glorious day and a glorious week. I have things on the agenda this week, but one item a day is my kind of pace. And I'm off to spin class this morning. 

OH, something bad happened, and I'm almost embarrassed to tell you about it. I was working on digitizing that chicken I shared the other day. All was good, and I was on to the last step. I went downstairs to do the final step, only to find that my *&^% laptop rebooted, and I FORGOT to save the file. So, instead of being at the end, I must return almost to the beginning. Silly me --- I should have saved that file! Oh well, it's good to go back and repeat that exercise multiple times so I don't forget. Things like this keep me humble! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Update on Chatsworth

Dare I say that I'm out of the woods? Or that I can finally see the trees in the forest? I am almost finished with this crazy workload that overtook my February and March. 

I want to acknowledge your comments about that "opinion" I mentioned yesterday. This was not the only instance. I saw a different person post something similar to someone else. The gist was, "Why are you voicing an opinion about our country?" Well, I couldn't help myself - I had to respond. But seriously? Do people not realize what is happening? Some people seem to be in a vacuum and have no concept of what is happening outside their borders. That is very sad but also a perilous situation. 

You guys get it - let's hope we can continue to educate and spread the word. 

With an almost entire day in front of me yesterday, I could not focus and was lost for what to do! OK—not quite, but what a different feeling to have some flexibility in the schedule. I was practically giddy! I have one Zoom workshop this morning, but since it's the fourth of four and I haven't watched the others yet, I think I'll pass. And that means I get to sew! 

I got through a couple more magazines. This one was from 1999, so I was a newbie. It's surprising what I highlighted that I wanted to make. I was clueless then and had no idea that I would end up with many UFOs and still have so many items I want to make. It was like being a kid in a candy store. 

Looking back, there is NOTHING in here that I wish to make, so the magazine was tossed. 

My Post-It note for items to make! 

Our tastes and styles change, and I'm glad none of those ended up as UFOs. 

And there's more good news! I'm making significant progress on the Chatsworth quilt. As I finish the blocks, I'm putting them on my design wall. I gave up trying to keep pretty quilts up there for the presentations. I need the space and no time to keep switching things around. I had many questions about those blocks - what pattern are they? Well, it's Chatsworth by Doug Lecko! I taught it at the Hobby Horse Quilt Shoppe. Our final reveal is supposed to be on April 5, but I don't think I will make it. Some others won't either, so I gave them (and myself) an extension until May 3. I hope I don't need it, but we'll see how this week goes. 

I completed several blocks yesterday, which is good considering I had to cut the background for the outer section of each block. 

Blocks for the Chatsworth Quilt

And I got one more done this morning. 

One more block

That leaves three blocks to do. I could push for the weekend—let's see what happens. There are some classes next weekend, so technically, I'm supposed to work on the homework. I may go under the radar on this, and you'll have to wait to see what happens! There are other blocks to make as well. I only have one of the twelve completed. 

I also managed to get more of the pink and green quilt together. 

The pink and green quilt

The pieces for the remaining sections are cut and ready to sew. 

The next blocks are ready to sew

I'm going to leave it as two blocks by two blocks. Then, I think I'll custom quilt it with the embroidery machine. Making small samples for those projects is good. They are easy to carry in a suitcase, show on a camera, and don't take much time to make, so I'll have fun finishing this. Maybe I can start the embroidery this week? 

I'll look at my schedule and prioritize what needs to happen. 

I also need to get Studio B back in order. Someone mentioned that the machines should be on moveable tables. It's not going to happen, and it's only during this crazy time that they need to be in the demo area. I was moving them, but it got to be too crazy. So I put them on the floor when not needed. It's not a big deal, as I had little time to sew. But now that I'm ending with that, they can both be set up for sewing again. One will be set up for machine embroidery and the other for sewing. 

And YES—I usually keep those work tables clean, but when you need extra tables for filming, and samples must be made quickly, there is not much time to deal with the excess. So, my goal is to work on those two tables I shared yesterday. I don't just want to put things away; I want to finish them first! Wish me luck on that one! 

My ironing board became a flat surface to store a few extra samples. That needs to be tidied up, and the ironing board needs to be moved. Again, part of that came about because of the number of electrical plugs I required in that film area. So all my power bars are there! The good news is that I can do whatever I want on Tuesday morning and move things how I want. There will be no more restrictions for space and plugs until early June, when I have a Facebook Live! All the cameras, monitors, and extra stuff need to be plugged in, and it depends on the length of the cords. Before dismantling everything, I will take stock of what I could do differently. 

The ironing board needs to be cleared

And there's the cutting table. Yes, those are samples on the floor that need to be sorted and put away. I've started the process—it looked much worse than this. It's going to take a bit of time to make it all happen. I could stop everything and only focus on tidying, but I won't. I want to sew—I need to sew, as I'm far behind. 

More spaces to tidy!

Yesterday afternoon, I walked to the grocery store. It was raining a bit—more of a steady drizzle. Thankfully, it wasn't raining when I left, but it started up before I got to the store. As I was leaving, someone asked me if I wanted a ride home. It was one of my neighbors! "No, thank you," I said as I popped open my umbrella and walked home. I appreciated the offer, but there was no need. 

I remember many days riding in the rain on my bicycle trips. I had zero problems stopping to put rain gear on while out, but to start in the rain? That was depressing! 

After we returned from the restaurant last night, I decided it was the perfect night to snuggle under the bedcovers and read my book. Of course, Miss Murphy had to join me. And she was pretty bold and settled down in the middle of the bed instead of at the foot. What was hilarious was that DH was sending me pictures of Miss Lexi as she snuggled up to him on the sofa in the living room! Not only was she on the couch, but she had her head on his leg, which she NEVER does. Does she know that her sleeping arrangements might be disturbed in the future? 

DH will never understand that I'm not a good candidate for watching a movie at night. I'd be in bed before the darn thing was half over! And that book (The Sequel) is getting nasty! I can only hope that justice is served! And where do some of these authors come up with the storylines? This one is nasty! But intriguing! 

I see some ice on the trees this morning, but there are no issues like some of the areas just north of us, where there are power outages. I'm not sure how much ice is on the ground, but hopefully, it won't be an issue for walking today. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Fun at the post office

Thankfully, the predicted ice storm didn't hit our area, and I hope no one else was severely affected by it. They had forecast significant ice, power outages, etc. I don't think our area was ever in the eye of that storm. 

Oh, the TV and surround sound system are gone! The guy came a little late but was happy to get the TV and thought it was a good deal. I'm not sure about the other stuff, but that's not my problem. That TV is heavy, but the guy picked it up from the front step like it weighed nothing and shoved it into the back seat of his car! 

The official week is almost over; I have one presentation later today. But there are no classes this weekend. The final day of the Etobicoke Quilt Show is today, but I've decided not to go. It's not that I don't want to support the guild, and I always looked forward to that first show of the year. 

I've decided that some downtime for ME is more important. My brain just needs a break from talking, and I have to be back by 1:30, so I'd feel rushed. I need to be selfish with my time; having most of the day free is a luxury, and I need to learn not to fill every moment with something.  

So, I will spend the day puttering, tidying, and putting things away since I can put almost everything away now. 

I had a small sewing job and was in a rush, so I didn't even add the extension table. I had a small item that needed topstitching! It's done. More on that in a second. 

My sewing machine is back in place

This is my main sewing area. The serger hides under that cover on one side and the sewing machine on the other. The amount of crap on the tables isn't so bad, but they are supposed to be empty except for the machines! My goal is to attempt to deal with the mess. I don't want to set things on another table. My preference would be to deal with it and then put it away. The cutting table and the ironing board are the same! It's time to make some changes; today feels like that day. Then I also have all day tomorrow. It will take a little while to make all that happen, but slow and steady! 

The main work tables are a mess

I also need to do some computer work, so I'll do that. I have two urgent things to accomplish. 

I did a lot of work using the Singer Momento (digital cutter). It's so easy to use, and now I feel like I've unleashed a tornado! Yes - one more toy to play with. I love that you can put the pen and a cutter in the two holders, and it'll write and then cut. I had a little "issue" with that and had to recut since I forgot to put the cutter in! But I learned how to recover from that little error, and all is good! 

Writing and cutting with the digital cutter

But I was able to make exactly what I wanted, and it all looks amazing. Unfortunately, it's a gift, so I can't share it yet. 

Then I grabbed the small item I had sewn, everything I created with the digital cutter, plus a few things in the Pony Express staging area, and I was off to the post office. I love how we no longer need to find boxes to mail things. You just select the appropriate size box from the post office, fill it, and pay for it. 

What I also love about this one post office is the manager LOVES to fill those boxes. I now just ask her what size she thinks will work, and she's pretty amazing. She even offered to help shove everything in! It's hilarious - I wish I could film what she does! But she is like a Tetris queen. Everything but one item fit in the box, and the next size up would have been way too large. That one item will have to wait for the next box. This one is expected to arrive on Thursday. 

Mailing the box

On my way home, I decided to stop at Indigo to check things out. They moved the quilting magazines to the front side of the magazine rack in front of the craft books. I did not buy anything, but on my way home, my brain got to thinking. 

The magazine section

I know some people refuse to use self-checkouts at any store because it's the loss of a cashier's job. And they are right. But how do you deal with some of the other areas where automation has taken away jobs, although they are less noticeable. Do people refuse to download digital media (books, whether purchased or from the library) because fewer cashiers and shelf stockers are needed to deal with the physical versions? 

A programmer or data entry person is required to deal with that stuff, and much of it becomes automated. I think if we look at many other instances, we'll find that the jobs are shifting—not necessarily going away—just shifting. 

However, I will not criticize you if you choose to use the cashier rather than the self-checkout. We live in a free country, and you can do what you wish within the long arm of the law. Did you know that that expression was started MANY years ago—in the 18th century! 

I have to post this because I'm stunned. I won't put the context because I don't want to make a big deal out of it, but this is a comment (in response to a repost I made) from someone I met many years ago. WOW—that's all I can say.  

Should I feel glad or sad? It truly is a strange world in which we live these days. 

Well, I'm off to have a wonderfully quiet day, except for two hours this afternoon! I feel blessed, happy, and giddy that I have "nothing" to do! 

Have a super day! 

Ciao!!!

Fun fur blanket - would you buy it?

I laugh about the subwoofer! It would be in my STASH room if it was bolted to the floor beneath the family room. It's going to stay where it is - behind the sofa. But it makes sense - it's a SUB woofer, and it's just an ugly-looking box. I've no idea why, for 20 years - it had to sit front and center in our family room. But that's a thing of the past. 

And if all goes well, the old TV and surround sound will be picked up in an hour! I have a few other things to sell on Facebook Marketplace, and I should just keep on a roll and get them out the door. Well, they are in the garage!

I managed to get some more sewing done. Not much, but it's a start. One of the biggest issues is that my preferred sewing machines sit in the broadcast area. It became too much to keep switching them from one place to another. Now I'm finished with one brand - yes - the end is in sight, so I think I'll bring that one back into the sewing area, and then I can sew like mad. 

Here's one more block for the Chatsworth quilt. 

A block for the Chatsworth quilt

And I have one block of my ender/leader done as well. The four sections are not stitched together yet, but it's a start. I will need to cut more triangles, but I'll figure that out when I need them. For the moment, I'm OK. 

Positive/negative quilt block

I have a few minor things to finish, and then I can get my gift in the mail. It's so long overdue, but I will make it happen today. 

If you are wondering what's in those doors in the TV stand, this is what's in there. And, of course, Murphy had to photobomb the picture! 

What's behind the doors

Three of the units hold PHOTOS. I know -- I don't even want to go there. But with my newly found skills in decluttering, I think the first part will be easy. Cull anything that is crap, duplicates, faded, and shows no people. That should be easy. Then I need to further sort, and I will make a couple of digital books or scan the photos and store them digitally. How many pictures of a lifetime does one need? A few highlights will suffice!

The fourth section is games. It's been culled already but could be culled again. I could probably eliminate it all since we no longer play board games. 

Board games

I popped into the thrift store yesterday and spotted something interesting. I did not buy it, but I was tempted. 

A fun fur blanket

Yep - -that's a huge blanket made with fun fur. Can you imagine that made as a jacket? How fun would that be? There was an open seam along the side, and I checked. Yes, the entire thing was hand-pieced with a whip stitch. I wasn't sure if it was a commercial item or handmade. Where the heck did they get such a variety of fun fur? 

The hand-pieced seams

If I bought it, I would take it apart and reassemble it with a serger, but it seemed to be holding up very well! The big thing is that all this stuff is back in vogue! 

There are a few more tables set up downstairs than I would like, and when I realized I needed something, I could spot it, but it was near the floor, two tables away. So I had to crawl under two tables to get it. Only to realize that while it held what I knew was in there, it wouldn't serve my purpose. I need to crawl back and put it back. I know -- one of the first things I need to work on is getting rid of all the excess stuff accumulated in Studio B over the past few months. 

Crawling under the tables!

When I returned from my walk, I sat outside for a bit. It was cool with the wind, but I needed some downtime. Of course, the girls were with me. 

Relaxing in the gazebo

I had stopped to buy muffins and spotted some apple-flavored dog treats. Murphy just chowed hers down like it was nothing. Lexi -- so delicate. She eyed her treat but wouldn't touch it. Then, when I broke off a piece, she gobbled it up. And Murphy stared her down the entire time she ate. Gosh - what a bully and a pain - you know where. Murphy thinks everything is for HER. 

MOM -- that should be for ME!

As I mentioned, it was windy, so the whirlygig and the two wind chimes worked overtime. Even the cowbell, which is heavy, clanked a couple of times. We didn't stay out too long, but hopefully, we'll get more warm weather soon. 

Just daydreaming in the wind!

I've been dreaming a lot lately, or at least remembering them. Some weird ones, for sure! I don't have much lined up for this weekend, which will be the most exciting thing in my world. NO classes, but two Zoom calls - one I'm hosting and one I'm a participant in. I'm debating going to the Etobicoke Quilt Show on Saturday. That might be dependent on the weather since they are forecasting ice excretions. Can we not just say sleet? Why all these new words? 

Anyway, I'd better get this edited and hope the guy comes to pick up the TV. 

OH -- here are the last two posts from QUILTsocial. 

Thursday - all about applique

Friday - all about binding

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

And now back to sewing!

Yesterday was like a "vacation" with only one presentation, but I can't say I accomplished much. I did, but it wasn't what I wanted. However, I'm thrilled with what I made. Unfortunately, it's a gift for someone, so I can't share it yet, but I will. And it involved paper, not fabric. Imagine that! 

Wait - I took one picture to share with you. 

Cutting paper on the Singer Momento

Yes, that is the Singer Momento digital cutter, and I love it! I had fun manipulating an already-made design in the software and using some cool accessories. Everything worked according to plan! I need to use it more! 

WAIT -- I did use it more. I had several sessions on the Momento last week, and I was cutting fabric, which it does like a knife through butter. The beauty of that digital cutter is that it's 24" long, so it will cut a fat quarter if you are using the larger square mat. 

Fabric on the Momemto 12" by 24" mat

During my demo, I cut a lot of triangles, so I'm using them as enders and leaders as I sew. Yes, I know—I have several ender/leader projects, but this one is small, and I might as well get it together. 

Oh, and I found a picture of when I cut the fabric, so you can see that long mat in there! 

Cutting the fabric on the 24" long mat

Here are the triangles I cut. 

Triangles of fabric cut on the Momento

I had no specific plan when I started, so I may have to cut some more. But I sewed the triangles together and got a 6½" unfinished square. That was cut into quarters, and now I'm making this. How big? It won't be very big, but I hope to get two or three blocks square. This is half of one block. 

Half a block of my "new" project

I need to start a project in the mySewnet Quilting Software, cut it on the Momento, and quilt it on my embroidery machine. I'm doing that, but it wasn't planned, so that's another project on the list. 

You know what - it doesn't matter what I sew - it's just the fact that I actually got some sewing done! 

Wait—I did more! This is another block for the Chatsworth quilt. I managed to get some of the components together, and it's ready to assemble. I hoped to do that this morning, but since I didn't have anything pressing, I decided to spend a few more minutes in bed, just contemplating life—a luxury I haven't had in quite a while. 

A Chatsworth quilt block

So, it was a pretty productive day, but more happened in the house. 

Here's our TV and that *&^ subwoofer (NOT Murphy - she's a BIG WOOFER!) in front, which I've told DH numerous times doesn't need to be there. It could be in a more discreet position. I was informed that it needs to be in front. And when they came to install our modem years ago, they didn't bother to fish the wires behind the shelving unit, so all kinds of cords were hanging in front, and it looked awful! 

The bookcase looks like a mess with wires

Last week, DH splurged on himself and bought a new TV and sound system. It's about time because I hated those floor speakers and all those wires. Yesterday was set-up day. The Geek Squad arrived around noon, giving us time to dismantle the massive mess of wires. 

Of course, I came to the rescue of untrapping the caught wires under and behind the bookcase. We're not going there. There was loads of dust in the back behind the bookcases. The cleaning lady happened to be here, and he said, "Let's get her to clean the dust." Good grief—I can get a dustcloth and make quick work of it. I swear that man is unable to do anything! 

A little dusty back there

All the unnecessary equipment is gone. The shelves on top were built around the equipment we had at the time—a DVD player and whatever. I don't profess to know—I don't really care. It's not my thing. Then, we struggled to figure out what to do with the modem. I wanted it moved from where it was (in front of the books on a shelf), but those top shelves were too short. When the guys came to set it up, we realized that the shelves were moveable. DUH!!! 

Getting ready for the new

So now I have a 46" plasma TV on my kitchen counter, and the surround sound stuff is also hanging out there. Does anyone want a TV? There are no offers on Facebook Marketplace. Although the sound system can be trashed, it works fine, but I'm sure someone would want the TV. Apparently, they do not make plasma TVs anymore. We only need ONE TV in our house, so this goes! 

The old plasma TV 

And now look at the bookcase. There are no wires and no subwoofer. It's just the way I want it—nice and clean! That only took 20+ years to solve! It looked so messy before - it was embarrassing, even to me! 

No wires! 

When the guys asked where we wanted the new subwoofer, DH said, "Put it in front of the bookcase." The guys said, "OH NO - you need that in the back!" Nuff said! They meant where we wanted it, at the back of the room! The shelves have been moved so the modem sits on top, the large floor speakers are gone, and I LOVE the clean look. 

This has got me thinking about this entire room, and well, who knows—there could be more changes coming. I may need to call the junk people, but not before I scour the house to see what else can go. I want to make it worthwhile if I call for a bin. It's spring cleaning time, after all! 

Hmmmm - this next picture. Are those numbers for the day? Or average for the week? What good is a metric if you don't know the time frame? I'm not surprised by Libby, as I listened to an audiobook and read an ebook this week. But the other two? I can't be spending that much time in one day. This must be the week? No - those numbers do NOT make sense at all. But I try to keep my screen time on my phone down. I have other things to do! 

Screen time on my phone

Well, today will be a bit crazy with more presentations, and I booked a massage as well for some reason. That was dumb! 

Don't forget to check out the QUILTsocial posts on the Husqvarna Viking Jade 20. 

Day Three - 

The Etobicoke Quilt Show is on Friday and Saturday, so if you are around, be sure to check it out. And BLAST—the weather forecast is not good! Let's hope the water people were just throwing darts again! 

On that note, I'm out of here!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Is it time for new furniture?

Oh my goodness --- what a coincidence! Someone was in Buenos Aires waiting for that plane that had the onboard death in Sao Paulo! What are the chances! It's sad as that gentleman was on his way to a cruise. I hope his body got back home without too much hassle. It does make you wonder how much hassle the family must go through and at what cost to get a person back who has died while on vacation. 

I've definitely become a slacker when it comes to taking photos. Trust me—I took lots of photos, but not for sharing on this blog. But it was a good day. One writing assignment is over, and now it's time to dive into the next one. I'm going to take a break for the remainder of this week. Then, next week, when the schedule isn't quite so tight, I'll have the flexibility to move things around a bit more. 

I have sewing machine events until next Monday, and then I'm done with this set of Zoom presentations. As I finish with one topic, I put the stuff away. I still need lots of stuff hanging around, though!

I even managed to get more paperwork done. I'm looking at the pile waiting, and I think I could clear it in a couple of hours. I have a presentation much later today and only one, so that's a positive thing, and I should get most of it cleared up. OK—who am I kidding? I'll work for an hour or two, then I want to get to the sewing machine. I NEED to get there, as I'm far behind in multiple projects. 

I have to share something with you that I've been working on in little bits. I'm always trying to learn new things with the mySewnet embroidery software and working on digitizing this chicken. There's an online group, and the administrators are wizards! I'm following a small tutorial designed by one of the administrators. 

The original diagram

Oh shoot—all I see is the original drawing. Now, where did I file my partially digitized chicken? Oh, here it is. This isn't the nice, clean view with all the stitches showing, or should I say this is the version with all the stitches showing, and you don't see the thread! I'll find it later today.  

My version of the chicken

It's looking pretty good so far, and I hope to complete it by the weekend. It's so cute and so easy. I still have so much to learn, and this has been a great exercise. Now, the issue is creating those vector versus raster files. That's still my biggest issue, and I must do more research. I did manage to digitize some frog eyes for someone last night. I started with this: 

Frog eyes to digitize

And I got stitches in a file! I did NOT test it out - OH - I'm realizing that I switched the colors - I put black where it was white and white where black. Oh, that's easy enough to change. 

So, I'll do more research on the vector/raster thing and hopefully figure it out. I know how to digitize with both, but it's much easier to start with vector, but it's harder to get it into that format. 

When I was done for the day, it was time to sit in the living room and read my book. I'm reading The Sequel, which is the sequel to The Plot. Both books are by Jean Hanff Korelitz. The main character? Oh - she's a piece of work! Can and will the past come back to haunt her? Only time will tell. 

Lexi is such a calm dog. However, last night, when both DH and I were busy on calls, I could hear her dancing and howling in her little howling voice. What does she want? ATTENTION! Fortunately, I could take a wee break and put her outside. Murphy just barks loudly! 

But Murphy was begging for attention, and so, to appease her, I let her sit in the chair while I sat on the ottoman. I know—where's the justice in this world? 

Mom - thanks for sharing your chair!

However, we were roughhousing, and she jumped out of the chair, oops! Well, the upholstery is old and faded. I'm not a fan of those chairs, although they are reasonably comfortable. I'll just duct-tape it! Kidding - I'll just flip the cushion over, as the chairs have to last another couple of years. Our goal when we move is to toss all the furniture and buy new to accommodate wherever we end up. I'm trying to remember when we purchased those chairs, but the other set in the living room? I bought them when I lived in Montreal in the 80s! So, none of the furniture in our house owes us anything. It's all destined for the dumpster, but not for another 10 years at least! 

Shhh --- don't tell anyone

However, we may need something in the family room, as what we have is a mess—and that's because of DH and Lexi. Since we don't entertain, we need some media chairs. One for me on the rare occasion I watch a movie. One is for DH, and Lexi can have her own small chair. Yes, that might be a good idea. Media chairs—I must speak to DH about that because our sectional is ugly and dirty! 

And you'll understand more about the media chairs tomorrow!

Now, for some extra entertainment, check out the QUILTsocial blog. I wrote some posts on the Husqvarna Viking Jade 20 sewing-only machine. It's a pretty sleek-looking machine and great for someone who has a smaller space or doesn't sew all the time. I love the case! 

QUILTsocial - Monday post

QUILTsocial - Tuesday post

And on that note, I'm off to spin class! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!