Published!

 Oh my --- I should check the source of my photos before I post them! That photo of the quilt on the runway? According to M in a conversation later in the day -- that was the MOST FAMOUS couple in the world at the moment. OH  -- I could sit beside the most popular person in the world on a plane and not even realize. That's how much I don't really care about celebrities. They are people just like us, and really - do they deserve more attention? I don't have time!

Here's a link for the Met Gala. They wore all kinds of outrageous outfits, including Rihanna in Balenciaga Couture, Maria Tash, Thelma West, and BVLGARI jewelry A$AP Rocky in ERL. I stole this photo from the website. But if it happens to be pulled, scroll down that link to near the bottom. 

The most famous couple in the world

I think that's hysterical!!!!  

And here's a link to the story behind that jacket - er - I mean quilt that A$AP wore. Oh, my--- will the wonders of the world will never cease! I completely do NOT get the memory quilt thing. This is NOT a memory quilt. The writing in that article is atrocious, and I don't think anyone (the designer, the writer) knows diddly squat about quilts. That is NOT a scrappy quilt - well, maybe a coordinated scrap quilt, but that is NOT made from bits of other quilts and the bathrobe? I doubt it. 

Why or why do I not sleep well on Tuesday nights? Well, I know why I didn't sleep well yesterday. I was mad enough to SPIT! I sent a package via UPS on September 3. Normally it takes 5 business days, and I've never had an issue with UPS. The service has been exemplary. Well, they have screwed up big-time - enough to make up for all the good service, and I shall be writing them a letter to that effect. 

In a nutshell, the package went without a commercial invoice. That was my fault. The tracking states SEVERAL times that they have initiated contact with the sender (ME) to correct this issue. Never received a phone call or an email ONCE. I called on September 9 once I realized there was an issue. The package sat in the warehouse for FOUR days before an exception e-mail was even sent. FOUR DAYS!!!

To make matters worse, I sent the commercial invoice on the 9th. Then yesterday (now the 13th), I made FOUR different phone calls. Yes, we have the invoice; things should move. Yes, we have the invoice. OH NO -- that was not the right e-mail; it needs to be this. And a half-hour later I called again because despite repeating the e-mail at least 10 times because I didn't believe the customer service agent, I was told that none of the e-mails I was told to use was the right one because the package was going to the US, not Canada. 

You have to be KIDDING ME!! It should have been pretty clear to anyone as this package was stopped because all shipments to the US require a commercial invoice. In Canada, that's not required. UPS --- you may be good at shipping stuff, but your customer service agents are NOT WELL trained at all. 

I'm about to call again, and I'm afraid. Actually, I'll check the tracking service first. No change meaning that no one processed the invoice overnight. It would have been faster to drive to the depot to pick up the box and reship it. Good grief --- I wonder if this quilt will even make it. I'm a tad upset, to say the least!

On top of that, I was tired. But I remained polite -- angry but polite. I had done three intense presentations in the day. The software one is always intense, and my mouse was not behaving like it should, so that was a challenge. The afternoon presentation went well, and then a French one in the evening. My brain was a bit taxed during that one -- loads of questions. It's one thing to blather on yourself, but quite another to comprehend and answer questions! But we muddled through. 

OH MY GOSH  -- a eureka moment. I thought I had two presentations today, and one of them was at 10 AM. But no -- that one is tomorrow which is good because I'm off to spin class this morning. 

In my own little celebrity world, this is the latest issue of A Needle Pulling Thread. I believe it's issue 56.  Support Canadian designers!!! 

A Needle Pulling Thread

The theme was Neutral with a POP of color, and this is my project. Those blocks were SCRAPS from some other project which I still do not know where they came from. Shoot -- I cannot find the blog post - but I'll find it for tomorrow. I had enough blocks to make TWO runners. So I added a pop of color to both of them. 

My table runners

Check it out, and how about that cover quilt? It's gorgeous! 

And I got some mail yesterday!! I received my medal for walking the Appalachian Trail! I really need to get my holder on the wall so I can admire them all! This is all through The Conquer Virtual Challenges, and it's the best motivator in the world to get off my butt and get out and walk. Even if I'm busy, even if I'm tired, even if the weather is crap. I see so many people who make their grandchildren, their own children, neighbors, husbands, or anything else but themselves a priority. Hey -- if you are constantly running for others -- where's the enjoyment of life? Take pride in yourself and do things for YOU!!!!

The Appalachian Trail medal

And I had to laugh yesterday as I was walking Lexi down a busy street. Shoulders back (smaller muffin top), nose breathing (easy to wear a little smile), head held high (taller), and carrying a little blue bag of poop! It was hilarious, and I hope people wondered what was going on!

Phew -- I've got time when I get back from the gym to regroup, call UPS, and follow up with stuff from yesterday before I start work! I did get some writing done yesterday, took pictures, but I don't think I even turned the sewing machine on. Well, not to sew - it was on for my presentations!

On that note, have a super day!

Ciao!!!

Keeping fit - Virtually!

 I'm all set -- I finished the Appalachian Trail and confirmed the address for my medal. I started the Pacific Crest Trail. Why not just dive right in? While I will always walk the dogs in the morning, there are some days when I wonder if I need that second walk. But the aggressive goals I've set for the virtual challenges get me off my butt and onto the road. 

And here's the thing -- while it's called a Virtual Challenge, I still have to WALK the miles to make that happen. It's not like I just plunk in random numbers - everything comes from the Fitbit. But here's the thing I need to check out. My Fitbit does NOT register my cycling at the spin class, which I'm good with -- I don't want to log those miles. The Fitbit doesn't recognize the spinning motion. It seems to clock steps, but NOT KM, and I'm using KM these days, not steps. Weird -- I wonder how it works. 

I went for my walk after dinner last night. I know that it's hot outside, but you'd be surprised at the breeze that is out. That little breeze is perfect for keeping you on the cool side, and it sure helps a lot that I've acclimatized to the darn heat. We still haven't turned on the A/C in the house. It's warm but not unbearable. And it's all in how you look at it. We didn't have A/C when I was a kid, and we didn't have windows that opened, and well, I've just learned to live with adverse things. I'm good with that. 

Here's the other thing when I'm walking. I'm TRYING very hard to get my posture back in check. So I try to walk with my shoulders squared, and to make it interesting, I try to keep a smile on my face. That way, it makes people who see you wonder what's going on!!!!  I have to say that the shoulder thing? It's exhausting - until I build up some strength in my shoulders and upper back. 

Everyone was SUPER friendly yesterday; even the two men chatting on their cell phones acknowledged me, and I acknowledged them. It was a great walk!!!

The only negative in the day - well, I need to figure out the eating thing when I do the spin class. By the time I got home and walked the dogs, it was time to take Lexi to the vet, and I was starving. I did have a protein bar and some almonds, but that's not enough for me. I have no idea how people manage to not eat until lunch. I'd be dead. I had my oatmeal for an afternoon snack!

So, Miss Lexi got to go in the car. She never was a super fan of the car, but she was quite good yesterday and didn't go bouncing all over like she normally does. 

Lexi on a car ride

Of course, you know who was MAD. Oh yes - she was at the door when we were leaving, and she was ready to bolt. Then she ran outside to the side gate and barked. And when we arrived back home, she was waiting at the front window. You know Murphy -- it's all about HER. 

Where have you been?

Lexi got her shots, and now she's good until next year. Since I couldn't go in with her, I decided it was a good time to connect the new phone to the car. And I got it figured out! Now, I haven't connected the navigation system, but I'll try that later today. 

At least the phone and all my contacts are there, and that's all I care about..... for the moment. 

Contacts are back in the car communication system

I had to laugh as I was trolling Facebook yesterday; I spotted this picture of my cousin's dog. So if you ever wondered what Murphy and Lexi would look like if they were morphed into one dog - this is it. 

What Murphy and Lexi would look like if they were one dog

Look at those eyes!!!! That's very weird!!!

Here's my finisher badge for The Appalachian Trail. I averaged just under 11.5 KM per day for 276 days. Regardless of the weather -- rain, snow, heat, humidity, and most of the mileage is outdoor walking.  That was a total of 3,168 KM. 

Finisher badge for The Appalachian Trail

The Pacific Crest Trail, which goes up the west coast of the US, is 4,000 KM. I gave myself ONE YEAR to make that happen. 

WAIT -- before you think that there are only long distances, I'm starting with all the long ones. Some are only 42 KM. There's a NINETY-year-old woman who is walking about 2.5 KM a day using her walker. This was a woman who, months ago, could barely make it up the stairs. Now she's outside walking 2.5 KM a day!!! That's impressive. I want to be like her when I grow up!

And on our group walk across Canada, we are at 20%. We started in Vitoria, BC, and are walking north through BC to Whitehorse in the Yukon, then we head east. We're almost at the Yukon border. Imagine that --- we've walked 2,000 KM and haven't even left one province!!! We are only four people, we started July 1, but we are a mighty team. Some people are rushing across - they are almost at 70%. There are 16 people in that group. What's the point? It's not a race; there's no prize at the end. 

Our first milestone for our cross-Canada walk

At our pace, we should finish the walk in 10 months, and that's perfectly fine by me. I get more value from my entry fee!!! 

And yes, I was back at the long arm yesterday. I got one more quilt done. The next one is loaded and ready to go this morning. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I also did a bit of sewing, but nothing I can share! Gosh -- how does that happen? Well, it'll be shareable at some point, just not now. I desperately need to fire up the embroidery machine - I have a few things that need to be done soon. 

I know that some people are not that fond of Facebook and find it intrusive. But I LOVE the GROUP function. There is a group for the software on my long arm. I had an issue that I just couldn't figure out, and I got an answer within minutes. Hmm -- that's why I couldn't figure it out - that little function is NOT intuitive as far as I'm concerned. I see their logic, but it doesn't match my logic, and the error message doesn't give you enough detail to figure it out. 

The person who gave me the answer must have had the same issue because she went one step further than the error message, which was all I needed. 

There's paperwork to do today, but I have a long errand, and I need to get that quilt done. So I might get to some paperwork tonight. Sigh --- why is there so much paperwork to do? However, I'm happy to report that the binding on the double wedding ring quilt is half done!

Don't forget to say hello to someone you see regularly but have never said hello! Why not - most people will say hello back, and it makes you feel good! 

Have a super day!!!! 

Ciao!!!!

Cleaning up UFOs

 Oh dear -- I got in trouble AGAIN.

I saw my neighbor -you know the one, walking down the street towards me as I walked home with Murphy. I decided to say "Good morning" as I do to so many people that I pass along the street. HEY -- for some people, it might be the only interaction with someone else during the day. And it's fun as we've got to "know" others in the neighborhood. 

I must admit that I said "good morning" rather enthusiastically to her as we passed, and I did add on "neighbor", as the last time I passed her, she totally ignored me. Well, I had barely passed her when she started shouting at me. What the bleep does she want now? I finally turned around, and she rips her earbuds out and proceeds to ream me out for saying "good morning" to her. 

What was so strange is that she said "We've had issues, and I'm trying to make amends and BLAH BLAH BLAH." I tuned out. I'm not supposed to say "good morning" to her. It was hard to hear her, she almost sounded incoherent with her yelling, but if I'm going to say "good morning", I should be prepared to stop and talk? What's this all about? I offered to talk to her, and she gives me that swirling hand motion and walks away. 

I know it bothers her, and I'll continue to say "good morning." She started off by being so rude to me and she must have some issues. And if she is making amends - where are the cookies? or the wine? 

I suspect that she's a bully, and she is NOT happy unless she is in control of the situation. The next time, I'll just continue to walk AFTER I say "good morning.". Or maybe I'll invite her to chat? Hmm - I could do that. Maybe she just needs a friend? 

Anyway -- I think the entire thing is pretty amusing now, especially when she has let me know how much it bothers her. Gosh -- I'm a "bad" person!

Off to the dentist yesterday and well -- what's going on here? I told the hygienist how often I brush and floss and all that. And I sort of got a gold star. She said, I was doing great, but I need to do a bit better. They never say that -- they always focus completely on the negative - what you're not doing versus what you are doing! I love that -- that makes me want to do better! I should have gotten her name and ask for her always in the future!

I have a tooth that needs repair - SIGH. I wish taking better care of my teeth had been something I did when I was younger, but it wasn't an important thing taught at our house. We just won't go there. 

I did get some work done yesterday, but not any great amount -- what the heck did I do all day? Oh yes - I was on the phone with Ronda all day, or so it seemed! I must say that I do NOT like the fact that my new phone doesn't have a jack for earbuds! I would have to run and get the wireless ones, and they are not paired yet - I must do that. 

I thought we could have a look at the UFO progress from last weekend. 

You've already seen the double wedding ring quilt. I'm slowly getting the binding done. I sat outside a bit last night and got a bit more done. I'm not even halfway! 

The double wedding ring quilt

Here's the one maple leaf block that I had completed for the other project. Only 17 to stitch in place!

One of my maple leaf blocks

Colleen had finished three quilt tops - notice they all have a different fabric for the border - you can see that at the top of the picture. 

Colleen's quilt tops

Here is one of the tops. 

One of the three quilt tops

And she's going gangbusters with some applique. 

Applique blocks

Diane - who only wanted to make ONE block, got the entire quilt done! That's Diane for you! 

Diane's quilt top

Elaine got the borders on her gingerbread quilt. 

Elaine's gingerbread quilt

And the binding on this quilt that is being gifted to a grandson. 

Elaine's finished quilt

Nancy finished up the LAST of her Stonehenge blocks. I know that some of the Monday ladies amassed MANY kits of those blocks. 

Stonehenge block #1

Stonehenge block #2

Stonehenge block #3

Stonehenge block #4

Katheleen got several quilt tops together. This small Halloween table topper. 

Halloween table topper

This one which I LOVE. 

Antelope Canyon quilt

And her Circle of Life is now completely done!

Circle of Life

And she did more quilting on this giant quilt.

More quilting on the giant quilt

Linda assembled all her blocks for Vintage Christmas. 

Vintage Christmas blocks are together

Lynne finished her Canada-themed table topper. 

Canada themed table topper

Morgan made a wallet. 

The Necessary Clutch - inside

The Necessary Clutch - outside

Rose finished a community project quilt for me!

Community project quilt

And got her own quilt top finished. 

Rose's quilt top

Sharon got the binding on this quilt. 

Sharon's finished quilt

Sheila got the binding on her quilt. 

Sheila's finished quilt

Susan got her quilt top together - it now has a border on it as well, but this was the picture I had. 

Lexi quilt

Oh, and Jane got the border on her T-shirt quilt. 

Jane's T-shirt quilt

No money was riding on the assignments over the summer, but come September, we're back to potentially losing $10 per month. While the money is an incentive -- it's the commitment to themselves to get the work done. If you don't get it done, are you saying that this project isn't that important? And each person sets the assignment based on how much time they have. I'm just the facilitator!!! 

I love our UFO Club, and it sure has made me think long and hard about how I set goals, how to achieve them, and how to prioritize!!! I'm fired up!!!

Oh my gosh -- I just popped over to Facebook and saw this mug that my cousin made. She makes tons of things with her digital cutter and vinyl. I might have to order a Christmas present for my neighbour!

What a great mug!

Oh, something amusing happened yesterday with my Virtual Challenges.  I am virtually walking across Canada and I'm nearing the end. OK -- I'm at 83%, but that's nearing the end, I guess. Anyway, yesterday, I was on the ferry going from PEI to Nova Scotia. Sorry -- that writing is in French, but you get the picture. 

On the ferry crossing into Nova Scotia from PEI

And then on Facebook, this picture popped up from my REAL cross Canada cycle trip eight years ago. I was riding my bike into Nova Scotia from New Brunswick. 

Welcome to Nova Scotia

Now, what are the chances of that happening?? I got a chuckle from it. 

By 9 AM, I had walked 7.6 KM yesterday meaning that I'm technically done the Appalachian Trail, although I haven't received the final message yet. Now which one to choose from next?? 

All the Conqueror Virtual Challenges

There are quite a few to choose from, and some of them are much shorter distances than the ones that I've done so far. The two that I've completed are on the bottom row -- Route 66 and the Appalachian Trail. I may walk the Pacific Crest Trail - it's very long at 4,000 KM. That way, I get these long ones out of the way now. I could probably do most of the shorter ones in one year at the rate I'm going, so I'll save them. 

Well, it's almost time to hit the spin class. So I'd better get myself organized for that. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Zoom sewing is the BEST

OH --- I LOVE Terri's idea about the shoebox. I intended to take the images of quilting designs and patterns and put them in an inspiration book. She says that doesn't work for her. Instead, she keeps ONE small box with loose pages from magazines, etc. Periodically she goes through and cleans up. Hmm -- that might work. I need to empty a box to try that out! 

That method will be faster  -- I like that idea! Thanks, Terri. I love that we can all learn from each other. I'll see how the day goes, but I might have a filing session later on today, but if I do, I have a feeling that I'm going to have to start culling what's in that filing cabinet. I don't think there's room for everything. And see how one thing leads to another? 

So you all know that I have a lot of UFOs. More than -- well, it's hard to know where or how they all came about. OK -- I'm in denial in that - I know how they came about. Well, I've been making a list of 12 major ones each year for the last five years. Putting those 60 UFOs on the list hasn't made a dent in the total list. Well, maybe a wee bit. 

I've gotten some BIG projects done - at least the top, backing, and binding are ready to be quilted. But there are more! And sometimes, I'm not focusing on them. That's where the UFO Club comes into play. I know some people use the UFO Club to complete a current project, and that's OK. But for me -- I want to use it to complete those major UFOs on those lists. 

This month, I set TWO HUGE goals. I had to make those 18 raw-edge applique maple leaves. Well, they are now ready to be stitched; I pressed them in place yesterday. That was huge to get to that point. I had made a mess of the iron the day before, so that had to be cleaned. 

The iron got a bit messy 

 I also added a second task this month: finishing the sashings for the Farmer's Wife quilt. I wanted the name of all the blocks stitched on the sashing. The stitching was finished last week. Yesterday, I removed all the excess stabilizer from the back, and all 111 sashings are trimmed. They still need to be cut to the proper length, but this is HUGE. 

Trimming the sashing

I have to say that I did a great job with my marking as there was only a narrow strip left between the sashings. 

Not much waste

And here they are --- the sashing with the name (it's subtle, and it's supposed to be) are done and just need to be trimmed down to 6½". And this UFO Club and getting motivated? It's not about the $10 - it's about MAKING stuff happen! I need goals and deadlines to keep myself on track. 

Almost completed sashings

I'm learning that I can sew on my own at any old time. I like to sew, and it doesn't take much motivation to get me at the sewing machine, although I haven't turned the darn thing on in a couple of days. So I will try and use the Virtual Retreats and Monday sewing as days to do prep or trimming. Stuff that I'm not that keen on doing on my own. It's a perfect solution. At least it works for me. 

I did make a bit of progress on the binding of the double wedding ring quilt. You know me -- slow as a turtle. I'll throw on some video or something and get to work later today. A little bit every day, and it'll get done!!!

So now that I've figured out that little trick, I've got to evaluate my UFO lists to make sure that I'm optimizing my time!! Now that makes me feel great. It only took 20 years to figure that one out! 

Don't forget that there are TWO Virtual Retreats in September. The first is September 5 and 6 (Sunday/Monday), and the second is September 25 and 26 (Saturday/Sunday). 

I told the ladies yesterday that I will be hard-pressed to go back to a regular in-person sewing day. Why? Let me count the ways...............

1. Zero travel time
2. Zero packing and unpacking time
3. Zero set-up time and dealing with people who leave early, so they don't have to tear down tables - Oh yes -- it happens and WEEKLY by the same people. And you thought we didn't notice!!!
4. Zero waiting for the iron
5. Zero issues with the temperature of the room
6. Zero issues with not having a hot lunch
7. Zero issues with forgetting a supply or part of the project at home
8. Zero issues with traffic
9. Zero issues with the weather and snow days
10. Zero issues with cliques forming
11. Zero issues about money 
12. Zero issues about finding a space or sharing said space with another group
13. Zero issues with organizing times

And here are some other benefits:

• You get to talk to EVERYONE, not just those at your table -- this happens all the time, and since we tend to get there at the same time every week, it's always the same people we chat with. I MUCH prefer being able to talk to everyone.
• You can ramble on about some random thing, and if no one cares - you don't feel like an idiot! You're just talking to a screen!
• Everyone can participate from wherever they live.
• Everyone can participate in the same topic, and we have some regulars regardless of which "table" you're at. 
• We get to see the show and tell even if it's been given away. I just need people to send me those pictures!
• We can look things up instantly on the internet if we need to and share them with the others on our screens.
• We have Wi-Fi.

So what's the negative. Hmmm - NOTHING -- there's nothing negative about the Zoom calls. I really don't need to see these people in person. I'm not a hugger, and we never hugged at sewing, so nothing was lost there. I need human contact, but it definitely does NOT need to be in the flesh!!! I've lived far from family for years, and you get used to not being in direct contact with people - the contact is, but I don't need to see them. Yes - it would be nice, but it's not going to happen. Move on!

After we shut the call down, I got a quilt quilted. I'll need to trim that today. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I've been walking even though it's "hot". Yes, it's hot, but it's really not that bad. And look --- TODAY is my last day on the Appalachian Trail. I have 7.6 KM to get to the summit. I've already been to the gym this morning to walk a couple of KM on the treadmill, and after I walk the dogs, I suspect that I'll be very close to the end. By the end of the day, I'll have hit that mark for sure. It's kind of sad, but let's move on --- what will the next adventure be???? 

7.6 KM from the summit

I didn't get a note about getting my medal. Last time, as I approached the finish line, I got a note asking to confirm my address. Perhaps, they just send it. We'll see. 

Here's a picture that someone took of the summit!!! How cool it would be to walk part of that trail. One day, but it better be soon, before I'm not able to! Well - that's 20 years ago at least, so I'm good. 

The summit of Mount Katahdin

The view from the top is spectacular. I was able to see it on Google maps this morning. Gorgeous!!!!

And that's it for me. I've got sewing and quilting to do today and perhaps some more tidying up!! I'll be glad when all this tidy-up is done, but I'll be starting at the top of the house and working my way down again! This time, it won't take as long as there isn't nearly as much stuff. But I've got clothes that need to be given away. There are linens in the closet that need to be dealt with. Oh yes --- more stuff, but it will go much quicker!!! Yeah!! And when I hit the office, well, it'll be empty by then!

 Take some time to focus on what's important to you!!! How do you want to be remembered? I'll be remembered as someone who was constantly sorting and reorganizing! But at least I won't be leaving a legacy of paper and hoarding behind me! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

THE double wedding ring quilt

 Oh gosh -- while I was out walking Murphy, I remembered my other thought! When I returned from the gym, I drove past Tim's, as I always do. And I didn't give it one thought of stopping in to get breakfast like I would have in the past. I haven't been in quite a while and would certainly not classify myself as a regular any longer. Amazing how quickly I gained that habit and amazing how long it took to break it!

It's not tea weather right now anyway!!!  September is coming. 

It's amazing what you can get done when you put your mind to it. It was Monday sewing, and yes - we chatted a lot, but I was also focused on a project, and I'm happy to say that it's complete!! Well, one part of it. I wanted to add the names of all 111 blocks of the Farmer's Wife quilt to the sashing that will be sewn to each block. I used the built-in fonts on the sewing machine. 

Let's just say that it took a couple of false starts to get going. The first time, I forgot to program a STOP into the line of letters. Then I realized that the previous lettering had been done with a 7mm machine, and I was now using a 9mm machine, so I had to reduce the lettering to match the others. I also had to find out where I had stopped as I last worked on this in 2019. The blocks, however, had been made a few years before that. Ooops  -- I actually taught this class in 2012. OK -- so it's time to get working on it. Besides, it's on the UFO list for 2019, and we MUST be clearing those projects up!

I had made 70 of the sashings, which left 41 to finish, and I'm happy to report that ALL of them are done!!!

I'll try to get a close-up picture of that sashing so you can see what I mean. 

A sashing for the Farmer's Wife quilt

But here - they are all done!! I was going to take a break and do something else, but the ladies were chatting away on our call, and well, I said - get er done! And I did!!!!  They need to be trimmed to size and the stabilizer removed. What focus!!! And that set the pace for the remainder of the day. 

All the sashings are done

I finished before we ended our call, so I dug out the double wedding ring quilt and trimmed it. I had been putting it off - who likes to trim a quilt like this? I used my rotary cutter and scissors. It wasn't that hard after all! 

Trimming the double wedding ring quilt

Although I had made the binding before, I, for whatever reason, made REGULAR binding, when in fact, I needed BIAS binding. DUH!!!  Thankfully I had enough fabric to make more binding. So I made a giant square, sliced it, and sewed it back together again to make continuous bias binding. 

Cutting the bias binding

And before I knew it, the binding was made and pressed in half and ready to sew onto the quilt. So I did! Again -- it wasn't that bad when I sat down to do it!

Sewing the binding to the quilt

By this time, the others were gone. So I cranked up my new speaker and opened Spotify to get the playlist that Susan generously shared with me, and I was off. 

Listening to Spotify on my new speaker

A good healthy snack, and what more could one ask for? That's peaches and yogurt, in case you were wondering. My favorite yogurt? OIKOS - Greek yogurt. The vanilla flavor with 0% fat. It's relatively thick and delicious. 

A healthy snack

And there was the computer in the background in the event I needed to check anything! Hmm - it appears that everything in my space is bright. I'm OK with that. Although I noticed that several fluorescent light tubes need to be replaced!!

In my happy place

Well, it was not enough to stop there. After dinner, I got out the hand stitching supplies and started to hand stitch the binding in place. 

The binding is stitched in place by hand

I'm slow when it comes to hand stitching, but my stitches are very nicely done! It's worth the extra time to have a good finish. Normally I do bindings by machine, but I thought I'd do the curves by hand. Just for a change, and I get to listen to my audiobook while I'm doing it. I'm OK with the speed of doing a binding by machine, but NOTHING beats the look of hand stitching!

The neat hand stitches on the back of the binding

After every session, I have to spread the quilt out to see my progress. 

Good progress was made on the binding

I made good work of one corner and will keep plugging away. I wanted it to be done by September 1st when I said I would have it done. Wish me luck!!!!

Here's one of those nasty horse fly bites I got. The darn things are itchy like crazy. I haven't scratched them, but slathering on lots of  Benadryl cream to keep my hands off. 

My horse fly bite

And here we are on the home stretch of the Appalachian Trail Virtual Challenge. I have less than 100 KM to go. The trail's end (or the start) is in northern Maine, which is super remote. Good grief - the only roads in that area seem to be unpaved, but some of them are mapped by Google. 

The end of the line for the Appalachian Trail

Almost at the finish line!!!!

My distance for the challenge

My time for the challenge

I have averaged almost 11.7 KM per day! That's quite an accomplishment. That wasn't the goal I set for myself on this mission, but my cross Canada one is aggressive, and I have to keep up!! 

So I should be able to finish this off in eight days, with 30 days extra! Then what? I need to pick another Virtual Challenge. Which one will it be? A short one? or a long one? 

Oh my -- I think I mentioned this before, but putting your phone into another language? Well, e-mails from the apps or anything are in French!! I even had to reboot one of my Alexa speakers in french! 

All apps are in French!

It's time to finish off the distribution lists for my fall classes. So hopefully, I can get that done today - it's quite the mess, to be honest, but I'm done with the input - now comes the verification process. Did I get everyone in the right class? Then I can send out the first e-mail with the information they need. No rush -- the classes do NOT start for another five weeks. I just want it done!

And I have three classes this weekend, so I must get myself organized and complete that homework!

Lots to do, and I must clean up my calendar and some paperwork on the desk. All in a fun day's work!!!

Remember -- PRIORITIZE, FOCUS, WIN     It really works!!!!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!!

REMINDER - Virtual Retreat this weekend  --- I'll post the links tomorrow. 

Saturday from 6 PM - 9 PM

Sunday from 10 AM - 8 PM.