Studio B is looking great!

Yes - I need to get that oven fixed so I can bake my own muffins. We eat more processed foods than I would like, but really it's not a lot. BUT -- I need to be more mindful and be more aware. I didn't have time yesterday to discover how much sugar is in my other two gummies. I'll investigate, and I MUST call about the oven!

I forgot to share this photo with you yesterday. 

The first row of Down on the Farm

During Monday Sewing, I managed to get the top row of Down on the Farm together! And it looks amazing! 

Yesterday, I forged ahead and got all the blocks together. 

The blocks are together for Down on the Farm.

It's an absolutely adorable quilt! A lot of work, but well worth it. In that picture, you can't see my light grass at the bottom that I substituted, but you can certainly see the turtle in the pond! 

Now comes the question of adding the borders, and I was hoping to do that yesterday; however, after searching all my greens, I couldn't find one dark enough that I had enough of. 

Auditioning for a border

Shoot—I really don't want to have to go buy any fabric. I might try a dark brown or even black to see if either of those would work. I have large pieces of both. But it definitely needs something dark between the inner part and the border. It will take a bit to get that outer border together, since I will have to piece it because it's directional and I'm working with two large scrap pieces, but I'm determined to use it up! The binding will be the same color as the inner border. 

The other piece of good news is this. 

The underside of the second table

That second table went together so much faster than the first one. I even took the time to wind up the excess cord and tuck it into the open rail along the bottom of the table. I also attached the control holder to the underside of the table. I did NOT do that on the first one, because I couldn't figure it out upside down. 

DH and I seemed to have a harder time flipping this one, though! It was HEAVY!

Now I have to attach the holder on the first table and tidy up the cords. It was much easier upside down, but I'll manage. If it doesn't get done right away - hmmmm - two thoughts on that. It doesn't really matter, but the tools are out - let's get it done because it will be one of those jobs that is easy to set aside. 

Now there is even more packaging in the garage that needs to be tidied up! I'm working on it, and it was garbage day yesterday, so some of the garbage went. There is a lot of cardboard, and next week is recycling day, so I'll be sure to fill up the bin. I need to do that quickly, as it's hard to maneuver in the garage, as I've been opening the inside door and winging things in! 

Right now, I have three embroidery machines (only two are set up with the embroidery unit attached), the serger, and one more small sewing machine that I need set up later today. So instead of removing two of the original worktables, I only removed one. I set the other one up at the other end of the two new ones. That makes it a bit squishy in that area, but I think it's going to work just fine. It's not permanent because at some point, one of the embroidery machines and the small sewing machine will go away. 

The current setup for the work tables

But oh my goodness—there is so much stuff sitting out that needs to be addressed. By addressed, I mean it needs to be finished! It would be great to have an extra closet to put it away, but there isn't room, so it must be dealt with. The question is: how do I tackle it and get it done? One piece at a time! I need to start working on my UFO, which I haven't touched all summer. That is on the agenda for today!

Now to get the long arm back in action, and then all my tools will be in place and in working order, and I can get down to some serious work. 

I also need to reattach my table decoration rod so I can hang up a few things on it. 

I took a few minutes yesterday to work on my logic puzzles. This book sits on my jigsaw puzzle table, and now that the other table is up, the puzzle table is usable again.

My logic puzzle book

There are 50 logic puzzles in this book, and there is one storyline throughout the book. This style of logic puzzle book has become extremely popular. I think I've done the first 6, which so far are very easy. I can do them in under a minute! But the puzzles will get harder. The first ones in the book use a two-by-two grid - well, that's hard to explain. Here's a picture. And with only four clues, they are pretty easy to figure out what goes where. 

A two by two grid for the logic puzzles

Some of the later ones are in a three-by-three grid, but I didn't check the number of clues. And some of those clues can be very convoluted, and you need to use two or more clues together to figure out what goes where. 

The three-by-three grid

I have some logic puzzle magazines that use many clues and a four-by-four grid! It's a great diversion, and I'm trying to scroll less! 

Although I am consumed by reading these days. Either an audiobook or an ebook, I seem to be constantly reading. I currently have EIGHT books in my active reader, which is NOT good. One is done, so it must be returned today, and four of the others are partially completed - some had to be returned as they couldn't be renewed and ended up back in my inbox. And three are brand new. I hope to get that caught up soon. 

My goal for the year was 52 books - one a week, and included fiction and non-fiction. I'm happy to report that I have read 56 books! So could I possibly make it two books a week? No—I'm not on track for that, but I could be on track for 78 books, which is 1.5 books a week. I don't really need a goal - I just need to keep reading. 

I see M posted something about being anti-competitive, and she is right. We are so quick to compare ourselves to someone else - I need to read more than my neighbor. No, you don't! You read what fits in your schedule. You should be reading for enjoyment, and NOT to keep up with anyone else. The same goes for quilting, jigsaw puzzles, walking, whatever - you have to do what works for you! 

Since the puzzle table is now free again, I decided to open up the next puzzle. Typically,l I just lay out those pieces willy-nilly on my design boards, and I need five of them for a 1000-piece puzzle. 

For whatever reason, I laid them out in rows (more or less), and I only need three boards and a bit! Hmmm --- that's something to remember for speed puzzling, where you are limited to a certain space or working on a giant puzzle. Neither of which I may do, but it's good to learn new techniques. 

The pieces are neatly laid out on the design boards.

Before I closed up shop last night, this is what I got done. There is an American flag in the top corner, and that was easy. I'm still missing some border pieces. 

The border is mostly together.

BUT - I needed to finish my chapter in my book, so I grabbed a few more pieces, and this is how I ended the evening. 

WAIT - I did more!

I definitely put the design boards and the box on this one. I MUST not touch it during the day. If I find myself getting distracted, I may have to relegate myself to using Studio U for puzzles. 

I spotted this on the morning walk. 

The sunbeams through the trees

I'm not sure how much of that was mist or dust, but it was pretty! And I see it's pretty misty/foggy this morning. It was humid yesterday, and it's supposed to be humid today. Then I think it cools off again. Fortunately, our house is pretty decent, and with the new fans, I don't find the heat/humidity in the house an issue at all. 

Very foggy this morning

I also noticed the ground in the forest is littered with acorns and acorn bits. The squirrels are having a grand time in the oak trees.

Acorns and acorn bits litter the ground.

I also got a lot of paperwork done yesterday. The next time I decide to host more than one class at a time, remind me that it's not the teaching of the class, but the paperwork to get all the lists set up! Actually, I don't mind, and I'm happy to report that three of the four classes I'm teaching this fall are pretty much ready to go. I have one more distribution list to put together today. 

If all goes well, I should have everything out by tomorrow. Phew. And I started researching/prepping for the presentations, which start next weekend. NOT this coming weekend, but the weekend after. I can hardly wait, but first, I need to select fabrics for my quilts and get my act together. 

Actually, I should do that today and see if I'm missing anything, like backgrounds; if so, it might be time to make a trip to the quilt store. Then I could get that dark green. But I'll check the brown and black first. 

It's going to be a busy day, and I'm off to the gym as well. My sciatic nerve is doing so much better, and the weakness in my left leg, while I still don't trust it, is so much better as well. I will never get rid of the arthritis in my knees, but if I can make the situation better, then it's worth doing the exercises. 

It is going to be a great day!!!!

Ciao!!!