Questions about the puzzle

Let's start with the puzzle stores - actually, there are many sources of puzzles, but here are the main ones that I know of. 

Puzzles Canada - Georgetown. A warehouse of puzzles that is open to the public, and they sell MANY brands, sizes, and offer free shipping over a certain amount. You also get 10% back in reward points, which you can apply to any future purchase. They also sell The Occurrence puzzles, which are made in Merrickville, Ontario. HIGHLY recommend visiting the store or the website. Check the website for hours as they do NOT open until NOON. 

Puzzle Nerds - Toronto. I have NOT been to this shop, but they sell many Canadian-based puzzles and have an amazing feature on their website listing where the puzzle companies are located and where the puzzles are made. So if that is important to you (I like to support Canadian brands), then it's easy to find a brand that works for you. 

The Occurrence - This is a shop in Merrickville, Ontario that sells and manufactures puzzles. Lots with Canadian artists! I believe they only sell what they make, and you can also find their puzzles for sale at Puzzles Canada. 

Someone told me about a puzzle store in another location—I think it was Smith Falls, but I can't remember. I'll ask her to provide me with the details again. 

There are loads of places to buy puzzles -- they seem to be popping up all over, and puzzles are a great form of entertainment. Many new puzzles cost around $33 for a 1000-piece puzzle; the entertainment (per hour) for that $33 is well worth it. You can also check out your local thrift shop for deals, though you are at the mercy of what's in the store. Most used puzzles I buy are $7.99, and with the 30% senior discount on Tuesday, they become quite affordable. 

Mix the new and used together, and that evens out the price. Why not find a group of people in your area and create your own puzzle swap? 

And now, let's get on to what happened yesterday. It was a super productive day, and I love it when that happens. 

OH -- before I start, I have to say something about the books on my reading list. I'm now into the third book about women back in the day (1700s and 1800s) when they had zero rights and were their husbands' or fathers' possessions. I need to move out of this genre and FAST!!!! The third, and hopefully last for a while, is "The Secret Book Society" by Madeline Martin, which is quite uplifting and shows there was some hope for these women. But the other two? Anyway, I'm not here to do book reviews this morning. But I need a good old-fashioned murder mystery!

So I don't like to waste supplies and keep pretty much everything that still has some life to it. Like the almost-empty bobbins of bobbin-weight thread, which may not be appropriate for embroidery (too tightly wound), but they work just fine for appliqué. I emptied two such bobbins yesterday. Why let that thread go to waste? I get it that it's a small amount, but I finished all my appliqué yesterday using those bobbins. 

YES -- I know the bobbin thread is low!

The same for stabilizer. I was doing some satin stitch, and that requires tear-away stabilizer on the back. I have a bucket of odds and ends of stabilizer pieces, and I grabbed some. 

The scraps of the tear-away stabilizer

Shoot -- you know what I didn't take a picture of? The two completed blocks! So yes, the appliqué is completed. I'll take pictures this morning. 

Then I forged on to the next two appliqué blocks. I had to piece the background first, and they are done! 

The next two backgrounds for appliqué

The shapes are traced onto the fusible, so I hope to tackle this later today. 

PLUS, while listening to the audiobook this morning, I managed to get the squares cut for the next two blocks. 

The next blocks are prepped.

So that's pretty exciting progress on these two quits. I still have a bit of hand embroidery to do on two of the blocks (technically four, since there are two quilts), and I should try to do it today. Perhaps it's something I can do outside because hallelujah - we had a warm day yesterday!

But when I took Murphy out at 7:30, it was only 7 degrees C. So I had my orange jacket on, and I wore mitts because I hate having cold hands. The sun was out, and it was warming up fast. So at one point, I undid the jacket and took off the mitts. When I took Lexi for a walk, I left the jacket and the mitts at home. Later in the afternoon, as I went to the grocery store, I was now wearing shorts. 

As I passed one of my neighbors, she said she had now seen me three different times that day, and each time I had fewer clothes on! I said, "Let's hope we don't see each other again!"

The backing and batting for the 4th (of 11) community project quilts were made, and I forged ahead, pulling fabric (bits and pieces) that will make the backings for the next seven. 

The fabric is ready to make more backings.

Here's another reason why I can't hand these quilts off to someone. As I trim the excess from one quilt, it often gets used (or could be used) as part of the backing for the next one. So while I appreciate the two offers I had a while back, it won't work for me. Once I start on a batch, it's a rolling progression. And I'm OK with that. I love slow and methodical, which is what happens when I assemble the backings and batting from leftovers. 

I had a few extra moments this morning, so I tackled that pile of HSTs. I had to laugh as I neared the end of the stack. Would it work out to even groups of four? And the answer is yes and no! I discovered two pairs that had not been sewn, so they got set aside. That resulted in the groups of four working out just fine! 

The last group of four HSTs in this group

And here is the last stack of trimmed HSTs for this grouping. 

Trimmed HSTs

And that leaves three groups still to press and trim. But I'll work away at them, and they will be done before I know it. 

HSTs still to trim

I will have to start focusing on my classes for next weekend, as I have the jacket class, which is actually a review of the Grainline Studio videos, and the last assignment for Color My World! It shouldn't take long, but we all know what that means. Instead of one day for each, it'll likely be three days, so I had better get started now so I don't have to rush. I hate rushing! And we have the UFO Club that same weekend, and I want to get some fiddly little things done. 

Is anyone familiar with this book? It's an oldie, published in 1989. Mary Ellen Hopkins was quite the character, and she wasn't shy about telling you how to make a quilt. She had a thing for PPMs, Personal Private Measurement, which was used if you just could not get that ¼" seam right! 

A great quilt book

It's a GREAT book for learning to quilt and for expanding your horizons. Someone asked me if I had the book, and I did. I haven't used it in eons, and I'm letting it go! GASP!!!!! I know!!! I also found two of her other books and was going to offer those as well, but I've decided to keep them, as they will be good reference books for the upcoming scrap class in the fall. 

This one is the first one, then there are #2 and #4. OH -- and 4½, 4¾, and 4 11/12, but I don't think there ever was a three. I can't find it in my books, nor online. 

Yes—I could have kept it, but you know what? I have many other books to keep me entertained, and if this book can bring joy to someone else, then I'm happy to part with it. 

Another quilt was completed yesterday, but I can't share it with you at this point. BUT, it was another example of cutting it close and using up what you have. The quilt top was 60 inches wide, the backing (Minky) was 62" wide. And sometimes that shrinks in a wee bit on the long arm. Let's just say that it was a tight squeeze. 

This is all that was available on one side. 

The excess backing on one side

And here's what was left from the two sides and the top! Not much! 

The excess from the two sides and the top of the backing

I highly recommend that you NEVER do this to your long-arm quilter! They will kill you for it and most likely refuse to do the quilt. Yes, I could have added a waste cloth to both sides, but I was too lazy for that, and besides, I know with a bit of extra time, I can make it work.

All quilts that have been quilted are trimmed, and all the bits are put away. That in itself is a time-consuming task, but it's best to keep on top of it, or the bits will pile up! 

Because it was finally nice, I was able to sit outside in the gazebo. The fish are still feeling their way around the pond, and I did spot three or four of them brave enough to come to the surface to enjoy the sun. But with Murphy looming over them, they didn't feel too comfortable. 

I don't know how much I'll be able to enjoy the backyard this year. Murphy has become a total pain. She loves to clamber over the rocks, although I saw her slip a couple of times. Her legs, like mine, just aren't what they used to be. So we will have to be careful and may eventually have to block access to the pond. 

MOM -- this is my jungle gym!

BUT, she was darn insistent about playing ball, and at one time, she had tossed THREE balls into the pond. They are pretty much in a row from each other in the picture. What is annoying is that she doesn't give up and keeps barking if she doesn't get attention! LOUDLY. 

Three balls in the pond

I guess I'll have to play ball with her and then stop so she can rest, or take the balls away when I'm outside. I was on a phone call with a store yesterday, and I was throwing the ball for her. She is relentless! 

It's amazing to watch the leaves on the trees as they grow. This is a maple leaf, and as it unfurls, the leaf is cone-shaped. As it gets stronger, it opens up flat. It's pretty amazing to watch day by day! 

The maple leaves as they unfurl.

Well, it's time to get started on the day. My knees, thankfully, have been decent. Not perfect by any means, but decent. Slow and steady and shorter walks. It kills me mentally, but I feel so much better physically. And getting a good night's sleep can also make a huge difference in how the day unfolds. I had an amazing and long sleep last night, so it's going to be a good day!

And on that happy note, have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!