Learning a second language can save your life!

It was a wonderful day - AGAIN! I took tons of pictures, but not much to share with you. It was all for the two classes and the UFO club this weekend. The two presentations are totally prepped. I give the groups until 6 AM the day of the class to submit their pictures. I had an issue getting back to sleep at one point, so I was up in the middle of the night. Everything is DONE for today. Nothing new came in, so nothing new to add this morning! 

I will have to share the homework for Colour My World tomorrow because it's incredible. I'm overwhelmed by the response. Many people who were behind have caught up! A couple of people have reached out to me, saying they are struggling or have time crunches because of moving, but there are still over 40 active participants in the class. That's crazy!!!!

But the quilt is gorgeous, so how can the participants not want to get it done! Our final reveal will be in June, and I can't wait! This is a very doable quilt for anyone, but you must take your time!!! And while this is a pattern, it's incredible how different each quilt looks!!! 

Colour My World by Wendy Williams

Instead of waiting for all the pictures to come in for the UFO Club, I've been loading as they came in. And I'll continue to do that today. That means tomorrow morning won't be a mad scramble to load everything. See? My new relaxed schedule gives me much more flexibility!! 

I was browsing through some emails and came across this: A guide to batting. I have lots of information on batting, but I bet most of it isn't relevant anymore, since batting materials and types have changed. So if you are in the market for batting, check out this guide. You do NOT need to buy the batting there, but gathering information online is free!

There's even a chart with the sizes of each batting if you buy it in a bag. The more information you have in your back pocket, the easier it is to go shopping or do anything! So get educated! Speaking of education, I signed up for an online course on ChatGPT. Not that I want to use it, but I want to know what it can do for me. The online class isn't too long, and when I went to the classroom, I realized that I've signed up for a couple of other courses with this company. So now that I have more time, I need to schedule some online learning!

It is definitely a winter wonderland outside, and all this came one night! The sidewalk plow finally came last night - two days after the snow storm, but we never used to have that plow, so I'm OK if he comes late, as long as he comes. While most neighbors had shoveled their sidewalks, some didn't. Or perhaps they have issues with why they can't. But if they can shovel their driveway, they should be able to shovel the sidewalk. 

Winter wonderland

The girls got to go for their walks yesterday, and everyone was happy! I didn't go for a walk in the afternoon; instead, I went out and tidied up the driveway, which got me bonus steps, so I managed to get my 10 KM. Those two girls were happy as clams (are clams really happy?) and had fun lying outside on the deck. If only they would stay there for hours on end - quiet! 

The girls are enjoying the cool snow

Miss Lexi is shedding like mad. I've taken to brushing her daily, but only one brushful. If I do more, she may end up naked! Where is all this hair coming from? I don't brush her near the house, so we do it on the walk. That way, any loose hair on her is hopefully gone by the time we get home, and the loose hair stays in the forest. 

Since I don't have any other pictures to share, I found two things in my email inbox this morning that I wanted to share with you. Michael's is having a BIG sale on yarn, and I got all excited, but then I remembered that I do NOT need to buy more yarn. But look at this chart!!! Isn't that cool! 

I don't remember yarn being sold by this kind of weight—we had names: fingerling, baby, knitted worsted, etc. I suppose they still do - I'm not a big knitter, so I'm not really up on the details. 

But I am a sewing machine person, and these two things in an email from PFAFF are really, really important: change your needles after 6 - 8 hours of sewing/machine embroidery/quilting, and use the CORRECT presser foot. 

Do you know that many of our tension and stitch quality issues can be resolved by us? The right foot can make sewing any project so much easier. Yes - they cost money, but so does everything else. If in doubt, browse the online catalogues to see if a new (to you) presser foot can make life easier for you! And once you get it, don't be shy about experimenting so you know exactly how to make it work for you. Don't forget the machine settings - moving your needle to the left or right, changing the tension, stitch length, and width, etc., all of that can make a world of difference!! 

I'm now using the Bi-Level TopStitch foot to sew the binding to the fronts of my quilts, and it's a game-changer! I LOVE it!!! There's also a Right Edge Bi-Level Foot. These are both PFAFF feet, but I'm sure all sewing machine brands offer the Bi-Level TopStitch Foot. I don't use the Right Edge foot very often. Remember that presser feet are NOT interchangeable between brands! 

Why is that foot important? Because of how the foot is designed, it helps keep the presser foot FLAT, preventing skipped stitches and producing a more even stitch. Both things are essential when topstitching! Essentially, you are topstitching your binding in place by bringing it to the front and stitching it down. 

Speaking of learning, someone just sent me this, and I have to share it with you. I think it's important to know a second language - which one you choose is up to you. So check out this blog and watch the short video - it's hilarious! Learning a second language can save your life! 

Did I mention that my abs are a tad tender? Because I keep shoveling, they aren't getting a chance to recover. Let's say that I'll take it easy today!

And there is no fear of ever running out of books to read. Between getting recommendations from my friends, both those I see regularly and those online, my reading list is getting longer by the day!!! Not complaining! I must hang around with good people, because only one or two have been duds! 

So it's going to be a good day - every day is a great day because we get to be here! 

Well, I'm off to walk the girls, and then it's going to be a busy morning with two classes. Then I can finalize my stuff for tomorrow, and then you get to see all that I've been doing! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!