Take control of YOUR life

Do you ever feel super content and just happy? For many years, I sometimes thought I didn't want everything to be perfect because then something bad would happen. That's a pretty common thought. People feel they are not worthy of such happiness. 

Well, I have my unhappy moments, trust me! But overall, I have lots to be thankful for; I have loads to look forward to each day, and I actually look forward to my routine, knowing that at such a time, I can enjoy reading my book, or working on the puzzle, or whatever is on the schedule. 

I even received a somewhat snarky email the other day, and at first I was angry because there was NO NEED for that person to respond that way. I did NOT respond immediately, but thought I would take a couple of days to process the information. I even typed out a response, and then I reworded that response in my head multiple times over the weekend while walking. 

And today? Seriously! If that person wants to lash out like they did, that is their problem, not mine. I have my way of dealing with the situation: I do nothing. I will delete my draft. I'll have a few different choices to make in the future, but it really doesn't affect me at all. 

Life is not what people send to you; it's how you react to what they have sent! I choose to let it go! And you know what? I'm pretty proud of myself! 

Well, Miss Murphy is up to her old tricks! She ventured downstairs yesterday and settled herself EXACTLY where my chair is supposed to go. I'm trying to do a Zoom call! Oh, Murphy!!! I know you are needy, but can't it wait? 

MOM - I need you NOW!!!!

And at one point, I went upstairs, and the two of them were just watching! It's like they are having a staring contest to see who blinks first! It's funny how they love to play together, but they never sleep close together. 

MOM - she's looking at me!!!!!

OH -- I have two things to share, and before I forget them again, here they are. First—when I woke up Sunday morning, I felt a bit hungry. WAIT --- you can't eat - you must take that pill, wait 30 minutes, and then you can eat. So yes—I managed to remember that pill. Yeah me!!! But if I wasn't hungry, I would have surely forgotten. 

The second thing is I was at Fabricland the other day. I swear that is NOT a good place for me to go, as they have some amazing non-cotton fabrics and I don't need any! On the counter, I spotted a rack with packs of this on it. 

Yes—that is a small pack of Mending Wool, and it came in a ton of colors. Yes - I bought one because I have a couple of pairs of wool socks to mend. More on that in a second. 

Mending Wool

I mentioned it to the person checking me out. Yep—apparently, the new thing in the world is for the youth (or anyone) to shun AI by doing hand sewing!! WOW --- and also, they are turning to crafts in general. That is awesome!! The Michaels store that I am teaching at this coming weekend (Teach the World to Sew Day) is right downtown, where I never would have expected a Michaels. I wonder who their clientele is? 

It's going to be a challenge to get down there, even early in the morning, because of the film festival and traffic in general. I need to do some research and make some calls. 

Anyway—let's hope crafts, sewing, handwork, whatever comes back. I think it's something that's really missing from daily life. And when your hands are busy? You can't scroll!! I find doing things with my hands is the most soothing thing I can do. 

I haven't really cleaned up Studio B after the Facebook Live, and there are still loads of things on the floor. I really don't want to go back to having those two tables heaped with stuff, and my plan is to sort through it and prioritize. Hopefully, I can also conceal some of it in the various storage areas. Wouldn't it be nice to have one free table as a clear workspace? 

I'm going on a quilt retreat next week, and I have decided NOT to take a sewing machine. So I have rounded up those socks and my new thread that need mending. I've also tucked all the supplies for my Many Blocks project into a bag, and it's waiting to be packed in the car. I won't be sewing any blocks, but I'll be prepping all the remaining blocks - appliqué, cutting the pieces, etc. So all that will be left is sewing on the machine. 

The Many Blocks project

I did that with my Spice Market quilt, too. That is one I didn't finish in class, and my plan is to go through it and get all the cutting and appliqué prep done. That should keep me busy for a while, and I found some other handwork and craft projects, too. 

The thing that drives me mad, and I'm very good at this -- I get started on a task, and then I can drop that in a heartbeat. And in my case, it's not to start a new project, but to work on something else that is more urgent. And many of those projects set aside will take less than one hour to finish. I am determined to get all those small projects done! This is just ridiculous!

I found a basket and put all the fabric for the 40 Shades of Grey quilt in it. Yes—it's 40 shades of purple and green. 

Fabrics for the 40 Shades of Grey quilt

I also had to "shop" for some red fabric, and I emptied the basket and started my search. I am DETERMINED to only use stuff from my stash. Oh my goodness, there are so many fabrics that I'm likely never to use. I'd better start cutting up for scrap quilts!!! 

Shopping for red fabrics

Speaking of scrap quilts, I'll be sending out the confirmation for the SECOND scrap quilt class later today. There are quite a few people in that one, too. There is so much to share, and I've been thinking about how to organize the information so it makes logistical sense. I think I have a plan, but I'll start assembling the slides tomorrow and see how it goes. 

I found this fabric in the red basket and wouldn't that make a nice mini quilt? That's the first thought that crossed my mind. 

Double Wedding Ring fabric

Some of you have wanted to know how the Visual To Do list is coming along. This morning, I'll share two categories with you. One is UFO and the other is Many Blocks. 

Part of the Visual To Do List

Only one project remains under Many Blocks, and my goal is to have THREE quilt tops ready to quilt (if they aren't already quilted by then) by the end of the year. That is one of the projects packed for the retreat. I've forgotten how many blocks need to be prepped for the final push, maybe 30? And if I can get all of them prepped, then it should be easy to accomplish my goal. 

On the UFO side, starting from the bottom is Tequila Lime. That quilt top is together, and I have pulled fabric for the binding and backing. Today, I hope to get that ready to be quilted. Since I might try custom quilting, that may not get done this year. 

Next is Spice Market, which is also packed for the retreat, and it is doable to finish this year. 

Next is Tula Pink Butterfly, and that one just needs to be quilted, which is very doable. 

The one above that is a quilt I started years ago, and it's called All About Me. It needs a lot of work, and it likely won't get completed, but I hope to have a plan on how to finish it. I need to make more blocks. 

The top one is the two winter quilts. And I'm happy to report that I made significant progress on that one. If those two aren't completely done, I'm in big trouble. I have a wee bit to share with you. 

Here are all the leftover flying geese. I can't believe I made such a silly mistake, but let's move on. Now, once I knew how many I needed, the rest was dealt with. The flying geese units went into the orphan block box, and the rectangles went into the appropriate scrap box. 

The leftover flying geese

Now what else could make me very happy? 

Having four flying geese stitched together and they lie perfectly flat, even when pressing one seam back over the point! 

Beautifully pieced and pressed flying geese

Let's look at it from the back. Yep -- those seams are twirled. 

With twirled seams on the back

I totally get it that people want to buy gadgets, and there are all kinds of pressing gadgets out there. There are also fancy irons. But guess what? You don't need any of that. I have never used gadgets for pressing - I just learned how to press well! 

Here are a few tips

• Press the just-sewn seam from the back to soften the fibers and make them more malleable. 
• Use your finger before pressing the seam to get the fabrics going in the correct direction. 
• Use STEAM WISELY (I ALWAYS press with steam). 
• I put a towel on my ironing board for better grip. 
• Press from the FRONT, never the back. 
• I use a regular inexpensive iron. 

My current iron

I trimmed the flying geese before I sewed them, and I only trimmed a few threads, but it makes a difference. 

Now what could make me even happier? 

The flying geese section

Having the entire section together!!!

And yes—I twirled all the seams. 

Twirled seams

Pressing correctly can make a massive difference in the look and accuracy of your quilt blocks. For those who finger-press while sewing? You are doing a great disservice to the quality of your quilts - well, at least in my opinion. If you are going to do something, do it right. Just because someone on the internet (OK—that could be me) says it's OK to finger-press until the end doesn't make it the best way. 

Look at the quality of the block and then make another where you press with steam on every seam. Which one do you prefer? 

A small sash goes on the sides. And I'm happy to report that one block is completely done and the second just needs the sashing on. 

The sashing on the blocks

but WAIT -- there's more. I was trying to finish my audiobook last night, so I plugged away, and I got one top, minus borders, together!!!!  Now how exciting is that? OH wait—that's not the picture of the top together, but all the blocks are there. I did have to trim a few things that I hadn't trimmed properly when I made the blocks, but all is good. 

All the blocks for one winter quilt are done!

And now you know why I was digging through the basket of red fabric because I wanted to find some reds for the two borders. 

I buzzed around and did more tidying, and it feels good to take control of the mess. Here is my tray of triangles to sew HSTs. While it looks messy, they are sorted by color and on a tray, so if I need to move them, it's easy. 

My ender/leader tray of triangles

Sometimes the smallest things make us content. I don't need a fancy car; I just want a clean floor! Did you know how satisfying it is to use the Swiffer or the vacuum? I'm not a big fan of house cleaning, but I love sweeping the floors!!! 

I even had time to work on the puzzle last night. Oh my—this one is tough!!!!

Progress is slow

I managed a few more pieces after I took the picture, but it's going to take a while. I need to get this done by the end of the month, which means I really only have this week. 

So slow and steady is the name of the game. But even more important is staying in CONTROL. If you aren't in control, you are wandering like a lost soul. At least that's how I feel, and that's why, even though we like to keep those lists in our heads, writing them down is better. With a list, we are in total control.  

And by that, I don't mean being in charge, but taking control. I think we all know someone who has struggled, or is still struggling, with clutter. They don't know where to start or even how to tackle it, and that seems silly, but it is true. When they finally make a decision to take charge and tidy up, declutter, and find homes for everything, life becomes so much more manageable! 

So when you go to your sewing space today, and I don't care if it's huge or small, take a look around. Is the space inviting? Is it ready at a moment's notice for you to sew, or do you have to clean off the sewing tables, the ironing board, or the cutting table? How can you change that? What about those smaller projects that can be completed quickly? 

You would be surprised at how much better you will feel. It's like my office. I feel so much better because of what I have done so far. Imagine how high I'll be when I finish it. I'll be flying higher than a kite!!

Here is a picture of the surprise guest. He arrived late last night, and we haven't really had a chance to visit with him. 

The girls and the boy

He was just staring out the front window, and I spotted that large truck and trailer pass by, and they had two pallets of what looked like paving stones. NO -- that could not be possible; they are not going to put paving stones on that hill. That's what I've been saying all along. But WAIT -- I'm getting ahead of myself -- I have no idea what's going to happen. 

On that note, it's Monday sewing. I did not go to the gym this morning - I'll go tomorrow. I wanted to make sure all the girls and the boy were fine this morning and get them into a wee bit of a routine. 

It's going to be a glorious day today!!

Ciao!!!