Sunshine!

 

The sun was out in all its glory yesterday, and I took full advantage of it! I moved a sewing machine upstairs to Studio U. And after I finished my project for work (on the laptop), I moved over to the sewing machine. I can't share what I'm sewing with you - well, not yet, but what fun to sew in the sun! 

It was so warm in that room, I thought it was summer! I finished the one quilt block that I was working on and even cut out and sewed part of the next one! How about that? I just took one project up - no sense in bringing up more than I can handle. 

Besides, if I wanted to stay there, I could always work on sorting out those bags of scraps, and that's exactly what I did!

I went through that entire huge box. Some of the scraps were a bit large, but I didn't care - I just stuffed the pet mats and didn't keep ONE thing! Shocking! But we have to get over this hoarding thing. 

I filled 10 pet mats. 

Ten pet mats ready to be sewed shut

The serger is in Studio B, so I trundled them all downstairs to serge them up at some point. Seriously?? Why not do it now? So I did. I serged them all up and then trundled them back upstairs to my cozy spot so I could finish off the serged seams by inserting the thread back inside the seam. 

I know - you think that's a lot of up and down the stairs. I'm OK with that. I have a very aggressive walking goal this year - I need an average of 11.5 KM each day for 365 days to make the goal. That's a total of 4,200 KM (walking) for this year. Call me crazy - but I want to finish my virtual walk across Canada. 

I'm happy to find steps any way I can! That means - I've already walked over 100 KM this year! Yep - I can't get behind, and with the weather the way it is? I'm taking full advantage of walking outside, but my two walks each day are not enough to get the 11.5 KM, so I need steps in the house. 

Two more things I HAVE to change. I need to stretch EVERY DAY, and I need to eat more protein EVERY DAY. 

Anyway - after dinner, I finished off the pet mats, and they are ready for delivery. I'm going to have to do that soon as there is now a bit of a pile in the living room, and I need to get them out of here. 

There are still a few scraps in Studio U that need to be dealt with, but I'm making good progress so far. I just wonder what the heck am I going to do with all my "free" time when I no longer have to manage my possessions (mostly junk!). Oh - I'm sure I'll find something to keep me entertained. 

Here's the status of the table in the office. OH MY GOD - there's an actual surface under all the garbage that's been languishing there for years! I need to go through this stuff. I might just walk it upstairs today and do it there. I think it will be another sunny day, and I'm taking advantage of the light in that room. It makes me feel happy. 

There is an actual surface to the table

I did get a bit of work done in Studio B this morning. I'm making progress on the Christmas Fig quilt. The top half is now together, so that's a good thing. Just need to sew the bottom half together and add a border—my goal for later today. 

Progress on Christmas Fig

And I started to sew the binding (by hand) on one of my quilts. This has been sitting around long enough - it's time to get it done. I got about half of one side done. That's OK - I'm slow at hand stitching - the big thing is progress is being made!! Just so you know, this is the ONLY quilt of mine that doesn't have the binding on. Oh - I lie. That modern scrap quilt I just quilted needs the binding on as well. 

Hand stitching the binding

What I need to do right NOW - is to stop pulling anything further from cupboards or piles. This is what happens. I find a new book to read, and the one that I'm currently reading gets abandoned. Not with novels, but with non-fiction. As I mentioned, I'm browsing through the one on machine embroidery. I must NOT start another one until I'm done with that. This is what gets me into trouble!!!

Speaking of reading, Linda asked how many books I read last year. I set my goal at 50 as I had no idea how many books I could read in a year. I read 72. I might have forgotten one or two non-fiction books in that count. That's both audiobooks and physical books. I would love to read more, but I don't have time with work stuff, and there are times when I just don't want to listen to an audiobook or don't have to sit with a real book. And I HATE to listen to anything when I walk. That's just FREE time to do nothing but walk. 

It's important that we give our brains a rest and just use our imagination and think about stuff. I solve a LOT of problems and deal with many issues when I'm working away, not listening to anything. So I only listen to audiobooks about half the time when I'm sewing. I'm pleased about that. 

I did set my goal for 2021 at 75. That'll be a stretch, but I've already read four this year, so I guess I'm well on my way to reaching that goal!!!

Speaking of goals - I came across this quote the other day. Perfect. 

I've got a couple of finishes to share with you. The first one is from Aviatrix Medallion - a quilt that we did last year with Oh Look Fabric. This quilt belongs to Gisele. She quilted it herself, and now it's bound and on the bed!!!!

Gisele's Aviatrix Matrix

HEre's a detail of the quilting that she did on her domestic machine. I love it when the students tackle their own quilts!!! 

The quilting on Gisele's Aviatrix Medallion

This next one is Jana's Summer Moon quilt top. The quilt top is DONE!! I love the color on this one - very unique. 

Summer Moon quilt top by Jana

Cathy sent me pictures of her Summer Moon, and they were ones that got lost in the e-mail fiasco. I must ask her to resend them. 

So if you were in one of my classes and managed to finish a quilt or the quilt top, send it to me. It's never too late to ooh and aah over them!!

On that note, I must buckle down and get the last of my group e-mails organized today. No more slacking off, and I need to start the homework planning. Sadly, my free time will be gone this next week as I buckle down to work, but that's OK - I had a nice couple of weeks off, and I'm looking forward to classes again!

Have a super day and if the sun is out in your area - get out!! Even for a few minutes or a walk down the block and back. It's so important in this crazy time. We need to get outside - if for no other reason than to change your view!!

Ciao!!!

Aviatrix Medallion Show and Tell

 

This week it's all about "Show and Tell." I'm trying to get the last details of the year tidied up! 

Speaking of Microsoft and all the woes of that software, here's one more thing I need to check. I seem to be paying an exorbitant amount (over $300) for the annual subscription. Yet, when I checked yesterday for plan options, I don't think I need to be paying this much. I could be wrong on that price - I need to check. 

So one of the "to do" tasks for the coming year is to check out all subscriptions that we pay for and figure out if we need them or reduce the service level. If it means I get to save some money, I'm all for it.

It's probably not a bad idea for all of you to do the same thing. If you subscribe to a streaming service, do you really get your money's worth from it? If you only watch one show and you absolutely can't live without that show - then it's worth it. If you signed up just because, then maybe you don't need it any longer. I tell you - I expect to save about $200 a month once I get through all my investigation, and it may even be more. That's HUGE. 

As we were chatting about some of the crazy stuff that Microsoft seems to have changed in their software, one of them was the Move function. Thanks to Linda, I now have some information on that, and I will check it out when I've got some downtime. Don't laugh - it will come!

Let's get on with the Aviatrix Medallion homework. This class was run through Oh Look Fabric. We were eight in the class, and many quilt tops got finished or will be finished shortly. 

Here's the original pattern by Elizabeth Hartman if you're not familiar with it. 

Aviatrix Medallion by Elizabeth Hartman

I'll be sending links to the blog posts for these finished quilts to the designers. I think it's fun for them to see what the group has created.

Let's get started. 

We started this quilt in person at the store and then had to switch to Zoom. I've decided that going forward, it doesn't make sense for the students or me to attend a one-hour lecture at the store. Yes - I know that it's great to get people in the store to buy stuff, which is why they were started many years ago. But I have a couple of other ideas on that front. I've got the "to do" list beside me these days, and stuff gets added while other stuff gets crossed off. It's a busy list. 

Remember that some of the students work full-time, others are retired. Some of them are dealing with small children at home while they work. Everyone is dealing with staying home in a totally different way. 

First up is Dana's quilt. She's working on the last two rows, which won't take long. I love the coloring in this one and that grey in the two larger grey borders sets it off nicely. Notice she was brave enough to make the complicated center block. 

Dana

Deb is a newbie, and work got in the way, so she is now trying to finish it off. I have confidence in her that it will happen. This is a gorgeous colorway. I love the teal and purple colors together. 

Deb

This is Marie's quilt. I swear I have a picture with the final border on. I don't have it handy, but you get the idea. She followed the coloring of the original pattern. And she also chose to make the complicated center. For some reason, that center just never did it for me. PERSONALLY, I find it very complex for the rest of the quilt. But that's me - I applaud Maria and Dana for making that center happen. The rest of us took the easy way out!

Marie

This is Cathy's quilt. She decided that it was large enough at this point and did NOT put the final butterfly border on. It looks great, and the patterning of the blue and yellow blocks in the final row is awesome. Same pattern, but all the quilts look so different. 

Cathy

Corrie is working on her log cabin border. The jewel-tone coloring of this one is spectacular. 

Corrie

Gisele picked an unusual colorway of grey, yellow and purple. I love it, and although there's a lot of yellow in this quilt, it's very well balanced with the other colors. 

Gisele

Here's the rebel in the class - Rita. She made her version very modern and put splashes of black, yellow, and grey through the quilt. All I can say is that Rita has a VERY artistic eye, and it shows in her quilt. 

Rita

And the last quilt for today is mine. I chose to use ONE colorway - orange for this one. I"m always on the lookout for new colorways. I've made so many quilts that sometimes it a challenge to come up with something new. I used MANY oranges in this quilt, and it was so easy to find them after I reorganized the orange stash buckets. I should have done that years ago! But the quilt is done, including the last border, and just needs to be quilted. 

My quilt

And that's it - one more of our projects is finished for the year. I still have "Show and Tell" from two more projects, but we won't be meeting until mid-December, so you'll get to see the quilts then. 

Later this week, I'll be sharing the new projects for 2021. Remember they will be on Zoom for the entire length of the project, so anyone can participate. Yesterday, if you followed the link, you could see the new classes held through The Hobby Horse, and I forgot to mention that if you want to sign up, all you have to do is call the store to sign up. 

Don't forget that today, there's another blog post on QUILTsocial about the Husqvarna Viking EPIC 95Q. Be sure to check out all the other cool features on this sewing only machine. Today, it's all about applique, so check it out!

On that note, I'm out of here!

As usual, another busy day, and well, let's get it started. Oh - before I go, Last night, I dreamt that I was going for a job interview. For what job? A pilot! Seriously? I'm not fond of heights! But then we got talking about how I could increase the distribution for my blog! You can help that dream by forwarding the link to my blog to ONE other person. That would help tons. And I will say that there's some NEW stuff coming in the new year. Yep - secret stuff, but I have to wait for my "day jobs" to quiet down. It's coming!! 

Have a great day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Putter, putter, putter

 

I finished my last two presentations for the week yesterday. It's so much fun to chat with the ladies from across the country. I get to hear what's happening, and it sounds like Winnipeg is going to shut down starting Monday - similar rules to what we have in the Ontario hot spots. 

I just won't go there as I'm so frustrated with the entire picture. We went out to dinner last night. We were so far apart from other people, plexiglass between the booths, people wearing masks and handwashing - that it's crazy to think that you could get anything, including the common cold under those conditions. And tell me why I need a flu shot when I'm not in contact with ANYONE???? I don't believe restaurants are the cause of the spread, yet they and their customers are being punished because some people cause problems. GRRRRR!!!!!!!!!  It's just fearmongering! 

We must learn to LIVE WITH this pandemic; that doesn't mean we need to HIDE in our houses. 

Now that I have that out of my system, I feel better. Not really, but it does help to voice the frustration. 

Anyway - after my presentations and this morning, I got a chance to putter in Studio B, and I feel like I accomplished a LOT, which is great. 

I'll start with a couple of pictures from my walk. I notice fewer people out walking these days now that the weather is cooler. Bundle up! One lady I pass walks this very short walkway beside her house, just outside the forest. I swear she is bundled up so well that she can barely see. But you know what? She's out there, and who cares if she walks up and down that walkway five times or fifty times - she is OUTSIDE, getting some fresh air and some exercise. 

I have the usual people that I see most days, and we say hi (from our 6-feet apart), and we continue on. I do NOT wear a mask when I walk. 

But I was intrigued by the squirrel nests. Now that the leaves are mostly gone, all the squirrel nests are exposed. You wonder how they keep the leaves from falling out. They must use squirrel spit to hold them together. And where do they put the nuts? And how many squirrels live in each nest? Some of them are very small and stick out on some small branches. 

A small squirrel nest

Others are condos in comparison. This one at least has some support and protection against the tree trunk. 

A squirrel condo

But let's just say that they are out in full force in the morning. The forest is like a squirrel convention, and Murphy goes nuts!!

I got more of the double wedding ring arcs trimmed. 

Trimming the double wedding ring arcs

The stack of those to be trimmed is going down, but it's taking a long time. I may finish today. That stack of trimmed ones is ones that I trimmed yesterday. As I finish for the day, I put them in a bag in the project box, so none go missing. 

What's still to be trimmed

I got the backing and the binding made for Aviatrix Medallion, so that quilt went into the "to be quilted" pile. 

Aviatrix Medallion goes to the "to be quilted" pile

A quick note about my UFO lists: I started them in 2017, and I've added 12 UFOs to a yearly list. These are NOT projects or kits that I want to start. These are UFOs that had been abandoned. I've finished all the projects on the 2017 list. YEAH!!! No rolling projects over for me! I keep adding because I WILL get caught up! Now that I've got the hang of focusing on them, I'm making huge leaps and bounds. 

Three projects remain on the 2018 list. One of them is my current monthly UFO homework. One more is in the retreat bag to be worked on, and I haven't touched one of them. That's OK - great progress is being made, and that's all that counts. 

For 2019, there are still eight on the list. One of them is almost done, and one more is in the current pile of stuff that I'm working on. The other six are waiting to be touched. 

And on the 2020 list, there are still 10 projects. One should be finished very soon, and I'll be picking from that list to get another project to work on. Keeping these lists and adding more projects is so these projects don't get forgotten! It's so easy to start something new and forget that all these UFOs exist. 

I don't think I'll run out of UFOs for a few more years. 😀😀😀The important thing is that NO UFOs are being added to the stack. I try to finish the project in the year I start. I don't start something if I don't have time to finish it. It's as simple as that!

And I'll be making a new list for 2021. I haven't picked anything yet, but I'll be scouring the shelves for something to add. I can't wait! If I didn't have those lists and the UFO club, I would NEVER have touched most of the UFOs that I got done. It's a motivator for me, to be sure. And I still have a spot or two in the second UFO club for 2021. 

I dug out the serger this morning and closed up a pet mat that was languishing on the cutting table. 

Serging a pet mat

I just have to tuck the thread ends in, and this is ready to be delivered. I'm not headed that way for a couple of weeks, so I hope to have one or two more to add to the pile. 

Finished pet mat

I searched through my bookcases the other day for a book that I didn't think I had, but I checked anyway. Nope - couldn't find the book - unless it's a UFO and I've forgotten that I started this quilt. Hmm - I should check the UFO piles. 

Anyway, I found these titles scattered throughout the bookcases, so they are now all together! Gosh - I have to laugh when I see those GREAT quilts from 1987. 

Great American Quilts

As I was cleaning up the cutting table, I found this pair of gardening gloves. Hmm - why are they on the cutting table? I could move them to the shed, but there's a wee problem with them. 

Gardening gloves

I think at one point, they got washed, and oh my - they are a tad too small!!!!

Child-sized gardening gloves

Anyone with a child who needs gardening gloves???

I've been cutting up my samples to put in my sample book. I had to tear away the stabilizer and then trim the samples. I could make stuff out of the samples, but why? I don't need to have extra stuff to carry around. I will make a few finished items, but I don't need a finished item for each technique. And if I do make a finished item, because it would be nice to see what you can do with each technique, I'll do that as time permits. Hmm - as I'm looking at this sample, this would be amazing to put on a sweater. Imagine a plain sweater with this design stitched randomly on it? See, now that I have the technique samples, it's easier to visualize how I would use it. I've got to find a plain sweater! 

My sample book

I still have more samples to clean up and trim to put in the book. I will need several books, and I need to start writing up the pages to go with each. I can't do everything at once. December is going to be my planning month, so it'll likely get done then. 

This is what the cutting table looks like now. It's still a mess, but a LOT of progress has been made, and that's a good thing. And as space permits, I've added more to it. This is the LAST of the current stuff to be dealt with. That's a GREAT feeling. 

The current situation on the cutting table

And I figure I'd better start dealing with all those half square triangles that I've been sewing as enders and leaders. The pile has gotten a wee bit out of control!

The stack of half-square triangles to press and trim

I pressed a few this morning, and it's something, along with the double wedding ring arcs that I can trim when I have a spare minute or two. 

Half-square triangles pressed and ready to trim

So it was a great day! I love having great days! I have two classes to teach today, not presentations but classes, and everything is prepped, so that's great. But the two of them will consume most of the day and then my walk. I know - you can all say it, but YES, I'm obsessed with getting in that double-digit KM every day. I'm OK with that. Besides some Halloween candy snuck into our house - I did NOT buy it, and now that I've eaten most of it, I have to get out to walk off the chocolate!

On that note, I'm out of here!!!

Have a great day, and stay safe!!

Ciao!

Can life get any better?

 

The air in our house is much calmer! Why? I was on Zoom for about 5 hours yesterday, and I had no issues. Again, the lag time for my slides was ZERO. Could it have been our original crappy line that caused some lag and some instability? And now the new line is PERFECT? I almost feel let down (NOT!) that the presentations go so smoothly! My Logitech camera works amazingly well for live demos on the sewing machine or close-ups. I wish that I had a second Logitech camera, but the price has gone up significantly, and I'm not going to shell out the extra money. I still do lots on PowerPoint, and the new mic works like a charm as well. And I'm good to go when I need to use my phone as a camera or share what's on my phone with the class. I'm a happy camper!!!

Not only in the film studio area am I a happy camper, but in the sewing studio as well. I feel like I'm actually getting ahead of the game. Phew! I haven't had anything to get ready for magazines for a while. I just didn't have time to submit anything, but I see new calls for submissions, so I might get busy and dream something up!

Last night was our Aviatrix Medallion class. I got the final border on this quilt! Yeah! It's hard to see in the picture because the last border is cream. I sorted out the backing last night and had JUST enough in the piece that I had pulled out from the stack of yardage for backings. It's so nice to be able to quickly locate something appropriate. There were two pieces, and I seamed them together. Now to cut that very long piece in half and sew back together (side by side) to make the backing. That will make sense to you, but not to someone who doesn't sew. I need to find some fabric for the binding, and then this one can get put into the "to be quilted" pile. Which seems to be getting bigger and bigger! December is when I can get back to my own stuff. 

Aviatrix Medallion quilt top is DONE

I don't have a show and tell from the class as I'm letting some of them catch up, and there'll be one more show and tell next month. 

However, something happened last night that made me appreciate the NEW format for class delivery. About 6:30 (about the time I would be heading out to the shop), it started to POUR rain. And it's DARK - very DARK. I just laughed and went downstairs and opened up the Zoom meeting. We discussed that and the others were just as happy as I was. Ten minutes after the call was over, I was in bed reading my book! 

Do I love Zoom? You bet!! Do I feel isolated? Not in the least. There are some days when I'm happy to shut the Zoom down - simply because I'm talked OUT! If you can believe that! And then I chat on the phone while I'm walking as well. So I NEVER feel alone or lonely. I couldn't chat long yesterday as that wind was howling, and when I turned the corner and was walking into the wind, the person on the other end couldn't hear me!!!

I have two more lectures today on Zoom and a meeting later this afternoon. I think I Zoom pretty much every day now, and I LOVE it. I've got way more than my money's worth from my subscription!

So if you are reading this blog and you feel isolated at home and need someone to talk to  - why not join our Virtual Retreat. The next one is scheduled for November 21 and 22nd. With the way the numbers are going, the restrictions are NOT going to be loosening anytime soon. And I might open up another day or two, but it won't be until December as I'm booked almost every day with something. It's totally FREE to you, and it's been a LIFE-SAVER for many of us, and we've been able to stay in touch and meet new friends as well. 

Actually, my schedule got changed around a wee bit, and I had a few things canceled, so that's good - well and bad! The next two weeks are crammed, and then it tapers off! 

My goal when I started this year was to stay somewhat organized. It was often a challenge to find the project boxes for these ongoing classes. AND the book where I write all the assignments. This year, I made myself keep everything in ONE spot! And I followed my own advice. I NEVER once had to search for something, and that felt great. It's a bit overflowing right now, as I transition from this year to the new round of projects. But it's all in one spot, and I love it!!! 

The pile of ongoing projects

I LOVE my little system with the five bobbins. I had to clean the machine and wind the five bobbins at the last retreat, or was that Monday sewing? I don't remember. Anyway, the bobbin ran out this morning, and I just popped in a new one. I keep the bobbins on the spare spool pin on the Designer EPIC 2. Obviously, the fifth bobbin is in the machine!

My five-bobbin system

One other thing that I LOVE about this machine, and it's so simple that it's ridiculous. I LOVE the clock. I can easily glance at the screen to see how much time I have until I move upstairs to write the blog! I know - I told you it's ridiculous, but if I'm sewing on another machine, I keep glancing at the screen and miss the clock. I'm so spoiled - it silly! Yes - I have a FitBit with the time, but this is easier. 

The clock on the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC 2

Here are my trays of stuff that's cut and ready to sew. I'm now down to a small one and one big one. There isn't much left in the way of sewing, and that's a good thing! That means I can move onto something else soon. Ooops - not before those UFOs get done, and they MUST be done by tomorrow at 10:30 when I need to take a picture and slip them into the presentation! 

My stack of sewing

Thanks to Rose, who bound these placemats that I had made a while back. I had found a panel and some Christmas fabric. I ended up ignoring the panel and cut them using the front fabric. Now they are ready for Christmas. They will be donated to the local Food Bank, who is willing to take them, and I feel great that we've found a home for them. 

Placemats to be donated

I snapped a couple of pictures of curious stuff on my walk yesterday. 

So what is this? An article of clothing, I guess, and someone dropped it, and then someone else stuck it in a tree! Amazing how much stuff people lose along the way. 

A lost thing in the forest

This photo just doesn't do justice to the color of this tree. It's stunning. However, after the rain and wind yesterday, I wonder how many leaves are left today? Although these trees are the LAST ones in the neighborhood to lose their leaves. 

A tree in full fall bloom

And this is my front yard. We have mulch in the open spaces, and the ENTIRE space is filled with little holes. Is it the skunks? Rabbits? Squirrels? that are digging for stuff? There are no bulbs in this area, and I suspect that the planter near the house where there were some bulbs is now empty. The entire area has been picked over. What are they digging for? Grubs? Worms? Hiding nuts? I have no idea. 

Little holes in the mulch

My Dad and I had a grand conversation about speed and bandwidth! I know - it's silly, and he had never really thought about it, so he was going to do some research and ask his computer guys! I love it! I LOVE being curious about how stuff works, and then I get to share it with you!

So we have one house on our street, and these people have NO CLUE about how to deal with their garbage. A stove has been sitting in their driveway for weeks. At least it's not at the curb. But now, they think it's OK to just dump their cardboard boxes at the curb. There are now FOUR of them. They don't break them down; they don't bundle them and put them in their recycling cart. With all the rain we've had this week, it's a mess. I was going to place them on their recycling cart, which is also in the driveway, with a BIG note. But I don't think they would get it. They are renting, and it shows!!!

Well, that's it for me today! It's brisk outside today, and that's a good thing. Get bundled up with a good coat and mitts and get some fresh air. Think about that nice cup of hot tea or coffee or hot chocolate when you get back in the house!! Oh yes - just because it's colder doesn't give you the right to sit in the house. Just walk to the end of your street and back. You MUST get outside!

Have a SUPER day!!!!!

Ciao!!!

On pins and needles

 

Another GREAT day! I don't care what the rules are - having people to talk to is important! Whether that talking is via Zoom, on the phone, or in person. If you're NOT getting out or connecting with people, you NEED to do that. It's important for your mental health. And it's going to be even more important as winter arrives and people tend to cocoon inside their homes. 

I've found a good way to multi-task. I plug my headphones in, and I make calls while I'm on my afternoon walk. I have to laugh as this has TWICE resulted in a much longer walk for me! I went to the grocery store earlier this week and yesterday. I took the long way to get there, but when I arrived, the conversation wasn't over, so I went around the block, and by the time I arrived at the store, the conversation was finished! That's hilarious! But guess what? I accomplished two things - talked to a customer and got in my walk, and both are important to me. When time is at a premium, why not? 

So go for a walk, take your phone and a set of earbuds and get on the phone and yak to someone. It works!! Call someone you've wanted to call for a while but haven't got around to it. Call someone you haven't talked to in a while. Trust me - there are people out there that need this connection! 

I'm making great progress on all of my Virtual Walking challenges, and I'll share that in a few days! But the excitement is building for the grand finale!

Yesterday was another GOOD news day. I had one presentation last night and ZERO issues with the internet. As a matter of fact, when I did my slideshow, there was ZERO lag on the slides. The second that I changed the slide, it changed for the participants. Are we out of the woods? No idea, but things are looking up! And all it took was a new wire! I almost felt "let-down" after the presentation because things went so smoothly! And I got some feedback that I'm much more comfortable with all the camera switching. Oh yes -- I even did a LIVE demo of ruler work last night. I'm good, and I LOVE IT!

I did get some serious sewing done yesterday, but I don't have much to share with you as I was working on homework, and it's only fair that the class sees the work FIRST. Can you believe that I'm working on the LAST blocks of ALL the new projects that I undertook this year? The last ones!! I'm so impressed that I was able to keep up. 

I was putting the last border on Aviatrix Medallion this morning. I had JUST enough fabric for the border. Yeah!   Two of the borders are on the quilt. The other two are pinned in place. I had sewn the second to last border on, but I didn't pin it very well, so I'm in the process of ripping it out. It won't take long to get those two side borders sewn on, then onto the backing and the binding, and this one will get put to bed BEFORE the end of the class, which is next month! 

The piece on the right is all that was left after the border was cut

I did finish this block from Summer Moon. This is from the homework for last month, and yes, there is a LOT of little pieces in this block. The half-square triangle section is 5" unfinished. So that's teeny. The rest of the blocks are now cut and ready to sew, and some of them are done! 

Summer Moon block

I also got my barn block sewn for this month. I think I might have to dig out a slightly darker grey. That one is a bit wimpy, but I'm not changing it! And now to buy the ingredients to make the cookies! I know - me baking cookies?? 

Barn quilt block

I still have a couple of blocks cut out and ready to go, and I hope to get the blocks on the bottom tray done later today. I've got three events today, so I'll have to work around that, and I MUST not forget my UFO homework, which is due on Sunday. 

Blocks ready to sew

I was the recipient of a Halloween mask! I love the BEWARE across the front. I need to wear that when I'm in a bad mood! Oh - it doesn't show in the picture very well, but they put the elastic on the side with the little toggle, so it's easy to adjust! Thanks so much!!!!

My Halloween mask

You know how we tend to let things slide. Something isn't working just right, and instead of fixing it, we just live with it. Well, I've been living with these horrible pins for months. I'm talking about the red, white, and blue star pins. They are huge and would make horrible holes in my work. They must go. So I'm going to remove them today. I'm not sure what I'll do with them since I do NOT want to use them for any fabric - they are HUGE. But I'm sure I'll find some use for them. If anyone wants them or has a suggestion about what to do with them - let me know. 

My pincushion

Those pins are a good example of FREE stuff. I received those pins when I had reached a certain level of buying at Missouri Star a couple of years ago. So yes, the pins were "free," although I'm sure I bought them several times over with the amount I purchased. But the pins are cheap and horrible. So was this free gift really a free gift? NO - it's useless!!! And that's the story with many free things - they are cheap, they are stuff that we'll never use. So they become clutter in our house! We need to STOP wanting to get free stuff because, in most cases - it becomes clutter!!

M sent me this next picture that she found on Facebook or somewhere. Everyone, at some point in their life, has had one of these. I no longer have one. But I loved them; however, I love my magnetic pincushion much better. 

The Tomato pincushion!

I've been sewing up a storm with enders and leaders. I take the little cut off pieces from bindings or narrow borders and sew them together. Now I have TWO big stacks that are sewn, but I need a serious trimming session. 

Ender and leaders that need to be pressed and trimmed

I have two ironing boards set up, and each one has a pile waiting to be pressed and trimmed. I should add that to the trimming of those double wedding rings arcs, which is going very slowly!!!

More pressing and trimming

So it's official!!! You can now purchase the pattern for the quilt that I designed for Quilts of Valour. Check out their website for all the patterns that you can purchase. My pattern is flexible. You can make the blue/red/cream version on the cover, OR you can save time and put a panel in the center. Very clever!! It's a straightforward pattern to make, and all the proceeds are donated to Quilts of Valour. I did not and will not receive any compensation for the pattern. I'm excited that that project is done! 

I'm still not out of the woods with paperwork - I have some e-mails that need to be sent out this morning and more due soon. I have a busy weekend, but I'll try to fit some of it, so it doesn't become URGENT. That's when it's no longer fun!

Don't forget the CQA Auction of the Trend-Tex challenge pieces. I see many of the pieces have at least an opening bid on them. Will there be fast and furious last minute bidding?? That's the problem with silent auctions. I hate the flurry of activity at the end! And I've been known to threaten people if they want to outbid me! Just kidding - it was a friendly threat!!

That's it for me this morning!! Lots to do, and I'd better get started! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!

Aviatrix Medallion

Sigh...............................

I am very frustrated. My newly upgraded internet connection is CRAP. I'm so frustrated with the whole thing. I'll be in the middle of a presentation, and then I'm not. It takes about 3 minutes to get it back up, and then I have to reconnect things. It's not pretty at my house when that connection drops. I think the internet dropped about 5 times yesterday that I was aware of, and two of those times, I was on Zoom. 

Let's just say that I'm calling my provider yet again. I wonder what excuse I'll get this time. If it doesn't get fixed in two days, I'm switching providers. I can't deal with this, and I'll just pray that the other provider isn't going to have issues either. 

I did cheat a wee bit yesterday, and while I got homework assignments done and made some samples, I also sat in the backyard and read a bit and chatted on the phone. I needed a mental break. I'm not even listening to audiobooks at the moment. I've let THREE books expire and didn't even renew them yet. There are just times when you need to take things slow and let stuff go. That has been the last couple of days. Am I worried? Nope - life goes on. We are talking quilting here, not open-heart surgery!

We went out for dinner, and then I walked back in time for my Zoom call. I LOVE it - no rushing to drive anywhere, no driving home in the dark. I swear that when things return to "normal," whatever that is, that I'm not going to want to go back to the old ways. This is so much more convenient by a mile. For those people that are refusing to embrace this new class/retreat format, you are MISSING a lot and will continue to miss a lot as not only me, but other teachers decide that this method of teaching is way better than in person. Yes - I get it that not everyone is comfortable, but what if this is the new normal?? All I need is a stable internet connection. Are you listening, Bell????? 

What I can't understand is why it was working very well before we upgraded, and now it drops 4 or 5 or possibly more times in ONE day? What did they do, or what didn't they do???

I'm going to share with you the pictures from our Aviatrix Medallion class last night. We're getting to the end of the quilt. As a matter of fact, a couple of people are done, but we still have a couple of classes and will be chatting about quilting and finishing the quilt up. A luxury we never had before. 

This is the cover of the pattern in case you don't remember what the quilt looks like. 

The pattern for Aviatrix Medallion

This is Deb's quilt. Deb is new, and she hasn't made a lot of progress in the last couple of months. I'm going to suggest that she stop right here and finish it up. It's better to have a small project finished than a large one not finished. It's OK to deviate from the pattern. As a matter of fact, if there is one thing I want to emphasize to all the students and to everyone. It's OK to deviate from the pattern. Why are we compelled to copy exactly what the designer did? 

Deb's quilt

This is Dana's quilt. I LOVE those colors! It's looking great, and she is planning on finished the last two sets of borders. She has some time set aside to keep working on it. It's a challenge when one is working or has small children. 

Dana's quilt

Corrie is working on the log cabin blocks for her next row. I love the JEWEL tones in this quilt. I believe that she is going to add the log cabin row and call it done. The quilt will still be about 70" square at that point, which is a great lap sized quilt. 

Corrie's quilt

Cathy stopped at the log cabin border and added a final border of solid fabric. And it looks fantastic. I love how the blue log cabin blocks in that outer border keep your eyes dancing around the quilt. It's awesome!!!

Cathy's quilt

The next one belongs to Rita. Now that's a totally different take on the original quilt, and it looks awesome! Rita is also going to add the final border, but she hasn't had a chance to get to it yet. I can't wait to see what she does with the coloring. 

Rita's quilt

Maria also got her quilt top done, except for the last border. Hey  - that picture came to me about 30 minutes before the start of the class!! Maria kept true to the colors and layout of the pattern. It looks great! 

Maria's quilt

Gisele's quilt top is DONE! And it looks amazing. This is an excellent example of using yellow in a quilt, but not dominating the quilt. It's not a color combination that I would ever have come up, but I like it, and I'll keep this in mind when picking a new color scheme. 

Gisele's quilt

 

And here's my finished quilt top minus the last border of cream. That will come one day soon and making the binding and the backing as well. I had to laugh as someone commented that they didn't think that I could make the Aviatrix Medallion in two colors. Why not? I just used a lot of different fabrics with different values. I love the end results. 

My version of Aviatrix Medallion

So did we learn stuff in the class? You bet!!! Just because the pattern designer chose one way to do something, there are so many different and sometimes way easier ways to cut and sew a pattern. Take, for instance, that butterfly block in the outer border. Many did NOT want to do it, and neither did I. But I found a quick and easy way to cut that block. That made putting that row together very easy compared to the pattern. 

That's the beauty of my classes and other teachers as well. I'm taking over twenty years of experience and passing it along to the students in hopes that they will look for easier ways to do things, to think outside the pattern, and change it up if something doesn't work. 

I know - I go on and on about Zoom, but here's the thing. I have much better attendance with the Zoom class than in real life. Why? Last night, we had someone traveling up north while they Zoomed (they were the passenger); single parents can put their kids to bed and still participate, others can finish the quilt at the last minute and get the picture to me for show and tell. They would NOT have been able to attend if we were meeting in person!!!

On that happy note, there are FIVE projects that I'll be teaching in this same manner - a one hour lecture each month for a year. It sure breaks down the huge task of some intricate quilts. I'll post all five of them tomorrow as I've decided which ones made the list. I've done this format of class for close to 20 years. I should count up the projects one day, but I bet we're over 50 different quilts now. 

I thought I'd share my Route 66 map (OK - so I'm obsessed - I can't help it). Look, I have so much company on my journey. There are tons of people doing this virtual walking and if for no other reason than it gets us out of the house and moving. Each one of those blue dots represents a certain number of people indicated on the dot. What's nice about these walks - they are NOT a race. You do your own pace so if you want to take two years, you take two years. You want to cram it into 6 months, then that's your choice. The idea is that EACH day you do something. 

A bit of company on Route 66

I'm excited as I near the finish line! I'm estimating about 50 days to get there! 

On that note, that's it for today. I've got the homework done for the two classes this morning - let's pray that the internet doesn't go down. At least the call remains open even if I (the host) drop. Otherwise, it would be a total nightmare. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!