Fun day at the quilt retreat

I really must learn the parts of the body! A quick update on Dad. He's been discharged without emergency surgery. The blockage is (was) in his neck. I don't know the details, but I will find out more later today, since I've been running around the house getting ready to get on a plane in a couple of hours!

But wait - let's back up! 

I decided to go to the quilt retreat as I had stuff to drop off to others. One must keep that Pony Express alive. I don't think I brought anything home. Wait - that's a lie - I have a small gift, but no time to take a photo. 

For the life of me, I had forgotten the door code, but we got it resolved fairly quickly. I had grabbed some handwork, and it was a good thing; that's what I planned to do all along. 

Unpacking wasn't without its mishaps. I had grabbed my wool pressing mat from this bag for the Michaels event and didn't realize it was open. So—the contents of the bag fell out on the front step! Of course they did! 

Oops - the contents of my project bag on the front step

But then I got myself set up - two other participants were also doing handwork, so we didn't need to set up another table. It worked very well. 

My workstation

Look how neat that all is!! And I managed to get everything done that I could with what I had brought. OH -- did you notice the Singer iron? 

I made myself some notes, and when I got home, I packed up the missing component and put it in the same bag. I hope to get back for the final day of the retreat. It will be a good way to decompress from the week. While DH is a good listener, it's not the same thing! But a lot has to happen before that final retreat day!

My project is packed and ready to go back to the retreat.

This project is my Many Blocks project, which is on my Visual To-Do list, and my goal is to get three quilt tops done by the end of the year. I still have a few, maybe 30, blocks to make before I can start to assemble the tops. And in keeping with my "nagging" at everyone else to get work done, I need to make a serious commitment to this project. It was started MANY years ago, and I want it done. 

Planning on taking only handwork was a good thing.  

But a good part of the day was consumed with phone calls. Extra home care, Meals on Wheels, respite bed - all of that was coming together perfectly until Mom called to say that Dad was being released from the hospital. Sigh............... I'm sure the Home Care worker was ticked off, but what could I do? It didn't make sense to put Mom in respite when Dad was coming home. 

However, I have asked for an assessment for the two of them living in that apartment, and I hope to get that scheduled while I'm there. 

I have no idea what to face when I get there later today. 

Here's one of the girls and the boy, sleeping while I wrote the blog yesterday morning! The little guy flew home last night, and he looked so sleepy!

Bear and Murphy sleeping.

OK -- so here's a bit of levity to the day. WAIT --- that is totally wrong. I had so much fun with just the one day at the retreat. I shall miss all the fun and frivolity over the next couple of days, but family comes first. But there is NOTHING more therapeutic and fun than spending the day with some friends and just having FUN!!!! It was a great day, and thanks to all of you at the retreat! I'm already missing you!!!!!

Well, you know that I've become a certified jigsaw puzzle nut! And I'm learning about all the brands and styles and types and whatever. Well, one of my favorite puzzle brands is Villager Puzzles. They are Canadian, relatively new, and Kelly (the owner) only hires Canadian women artists for the artwork. And oh my—some of the potential new puzzles for 2027 are amazing! Many of the options are local locations, like Kelowna, Chilliwack, and others. 

Kelly announced something new for 2026: a puzzle Advent Calendar. Yep - I totally get that puzzle Advent Calendars are NOT new, but this is a first for her company. The release day was yesterday. Of course, I had it marked in my calendar, but no alarm - just an event. I checked online in the morning and realized the release time was 9 AM PT, which is noon my time. 

I set the event to noon, and then we got caught up in all the phone calls and whatnot, and it wasn't until 2:15 that I remembered the puzzle release. I quickly connected to the internet, only to find out the puzzle was SOLD OUT!!!!! Drat—while I had set the event, I had forgotten to set a five-minute warning. 

Later, I learned that the puzzle sold out in 1 hour and 38 minutes. I have no idea how many she had. BUT when I got home, I realized that the puzzle sold out on the VILLAGER website, but it was still available at some shops!!! OK --- so let's have a look. I managed to locate the puzzle at a shop in St. Albert, Alberta. Now I have my copy of the puzzle Advent Calendar. How fun - I can't wait to see it. 

I bought mine at a shop called Sweet Boutique. I have no idea how many they have left. 

OK—the clock is ticking; Murphy is a bit agitated, although she has settled down now, and I'm packed. And yeah, me - because of the lateness of booking this ticket, I'm relegated to a middle seat. I can hardly wait! And there will be no upgrade for me - I tried, but I'm too far down the list. Sigh................

On that note, I'm out of here!!!!! The blog will likely be a bit later than usual for the next couple of days because of the time difference. I'll keep you up to date - writing it down is a bit of a release for me. And I will confess that my brother has stepped up and things are going smoothly. I hope to accomplish a lot while I'm there. 

It's going to be a WONDERFUL day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

A state of flux!

All the Zooms are done for a few days, and ALL the follow-up is done!! That's a first for me. Cleaning up the presentations, writing out the email, double-checking distribution lists, and so much more! 

But it's done! I wish I could say the same for my state of mind! I'm in a bit of a flux this morning. No news on Dad - well, the news is he hasn't had surgery yet, and I'm not sure if they will deem it safe to do that surgery on him at his age. 

Hopefully we will get some answers today. 

In the meantime, I'm supposed to head out to a quilt retreat today because I have things to drop off, and it will be nice to have a relaxing day, but I'm also contemplating heading out to Saskatchewan tomorrow. The ticket price has me second-guessing, and I want to make sure it will be worth my time and money. 

So hopefully, with a few phone calls, I can decide. Since I'll be away next week and the week after that, I don't think DH wants to be with the dogs by himself for that long, so I may make it a short week and just stay home. Like I said - I'm in a bit of a state of flux! 

After our two scrap sessions, I hope the students are madly asking themselves questions and wondering how to proceed. They have a lot to consider, and if they go with it, there is a lot of work to do. I hope they are up to the challenge, and I'll follow up with them later this month to make sure they're on the right track. 

I chuckled because at the end of the session, one participant said, "Those are wise words, and we need a reminder once a year."  Oh no -- you are not getting off this easy, my response? This is a lifestyle change, and you will be living and breathing the answers to these decisions for the rest of your quilting career. You won't need a reminder! 

One thing to say about making all those presentations: I am constantly thinking about the flow and the logical order of the process. It doesn't always work, but I think I've got a good handle on it by now! Making a presentation is just like being a storyteller, but with pictures instead of words! 

If you ever need to communicate something to someone, practice out loud at home. I don't stand in front of the mirror to do it. I do often "present" when walking the dogs, so they are quite knowledgeable about quilting! But it's amazing how your communication skills can improve by thinking through what you are going to say, practicing saying it OUT LOUD (especially introductions), and then going for it! Do you know that most people "hate" their voice? Especially on tape. But the more you listen to yourself delivering a speech, the more comfortable you get. I don't think it's our voice we hate, but the thought that you are in charge of this conversation!

Here is the status of my two winter quilts. The borders were supposed to be on both for UFO Club yesterday, but my Friday threw me for a loop. I'm close!!

The inner border on this quilt

I hope things will quiet down—seriously? Why do I even say that? I know it's never going to happen. Even with my personal stuff - things just go haywire! This blue outer border is one of the prints I picked up last week. 

Adding the outer border

I had help while I was on Zoom. Murphy is not happy that she doesn't have the freedom to come and go as she used to, but that is a life change. She's getting used to it. The girls and the boy are NOT happy that the backdoor isn't open as much as it used to be. The temperature is getting a wee bit chilly, and so they don't have the same freedom! 

MOM - I'm here for you!

As I look at that picture, I see my Singer iron on the little ironing station, my two blocks for 40 shades of grey on the wall, and a mess of projects I am currently working on. 

I've been thinking about buying one of those rolling carts you can get at Michaels, but I don't know if it is big enough. Perhaps if I got two, I could remove a table? Hmmmm --- thoughts on that? 

I just checked online, and they have quite a variety. Maybe I should try it. Two people I chatted with yesterday have some sort of cart, and they like it. Hmmm -- might work for my class projects. And maybe one for samples. I will need a four-tier cart!

This was the mess that I have been facing since the Facebook Live. I managed to get some stuff put away yesterday and certainly did NO sewing. 

The mess in Studio B

I also inherited (OK - I bought) some supplies from someone who was getting out of quilting and embroidery. Here is the thread haul I got. 

My thread haul!

You can never have too much thread. There were a LOT of other things in the bundle she dropped off at my door (how lucky can you get), and I'm happy to report that it's all put away. Yep—there are maybe three things I don't want, and I'll take them to the retreat; if no one wants them there, I'll post on the blog. It's all about making decisions, having homes, and then getting rid of what you no longer want. 

I will say that my thread bins are full! There is NO need to buy more thread until some of the bins are a bit emptier. Lots of machine embroidery on the horizon. 

Bear was hanging out in the bed in the front window! The silly guy—he loves to sleep there so he can keep an eye on everything happening in the neighborhood. Sadly, he goes home today!!! 

GRANDMA -- I'm on my break from guard duty!

And here's my "official" puzzle picture for September. I might be OK with spacing and order in verbalizing things, but in the written world? I start too big and have no room! 

The puzzle is officially entered in the monthly contest.

I doubt I'll get another puzzle done this month, but it depends on what happens this week. I think I'm averaging about two a month, which works for me. 

I've had this window open for a couple of weeks to alert everyone to the new Canadian postage stamps honoring antique quilts. Check it out. These quilts are from the Royal Ontario Museum collection, and they were on display a while back. Well, it's almost two years since that exhibit was on, and can you believe I did NOT post a single picture. 

However, the collection is online, and you can check it out here. I believe the duck quilt is on the third page. 

OH - so I sent my follow-up emails yesterday, with BIG attachments. I'm sure my Google Drive is having a heart attack this morning. Email is really the biggest culprit for the space, and I was messing around in it yesterday. They really need to make this stuff more user-friendly, but then people would actually delete stuff instead of just buying more storage. OH—those hi-tech companies are very clever and know we are willing to cough up more money instead of time!

I refuse to do that, so I am going to keep investigating and plugging away at getting rid of stuff. But I still haven't hit that magic button yet. I am having to go ONLINE to delete stuff, and of course, they start you with the most recent. I want the old stuff! Sigh.................

I know that some of you want to dive in and help. I know how to do it - I know how to search, and I'm pretty darn competent. It's just finding out how their systems work and how my Windows systems work and how to make the two of them talk to each other and how to decipher the BEHIND THE SCENES small delete button. I'll get there - it really just requires a concentrated effort on my part. 

I should just take my laptop to the retreat and spend the entire time deleting crap! I could - it would be easy! 

On that note, I'm off. Who knows where I'll end up tomorrow, but hopefully we'll have some answers and know how to proceed. 

It is going to be an AMAZING day!!!! Why? Because I say so!! And as Captain Jean-Luc Picard would say - MAKE IT SO!!!!

Ciao!!!

A day of mysteries!

Today, all is revealed, as there were several mysteries at play. 

First—the fabric with the quilt blocks I bought the other day is part of an Anna Marie Textile (division of Northcott) collection. It's called Piecework, and it's not new - it's from 2025. See how often I get out? 

Here's a reminder of the fabrics; you can check the link above for the rest. As mentioned, Ye Olde Fabric Shoppe had all or most of them. 

Piecework collection by Anna Marie Textiles

Second mystery—the darn storage for my email. While I didn't get a chance to delete all the attachments in the SENT folder, I managed to get rid of some; there was ZERO change to the amount of storage. OK -- maybe this morning, the storage will be different. NO!!! How can that be? There has to be something that is even more hidden? This is NOT the first time this has happened. I've deleted huge files from all the classes in the past, and there's still no change in the amount of storage. 

Hmmmm—what could be the issue? Well, that's still a mystery to be solved. 

Speaking of mysteries -- that book - My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney? Oh my -- plot twist after plot twist. Who knew that was coming? It's insane, yet the plot twists are plausible! I still have about 50 minutes, and how many more plot twists can there be? 

But here's the FUN mystery that is now solved. Remember I shared this logic puzzle book I bought a couple of weeks ago. It has 50 puzzles, and they are fairly easy, so I can sit down and do one or two with no trouble. I'm on number 25! 

Puzzle Book

However, one puzzle just didn't make sense. One clue was one of those either/or clues, but it can't be both. Well, the clue wasn't happening for me. I checked with a friend whose son is an EXPERT at this kind of thing to see if I was messing up. Nope—it didn't make sense to him either. 

I tried to find the book online to see if there was a correction. Nothing. After looking at the fine print in the back of the book, I discovered the book was "written" by Dr. Garth Moore and Laura Jayne Ayres. Well, I know who Dr. Garth Moore is! I have watched some of his online videos for solving problems - especially in the EXIT Game series. 

Well, let's just reach out and see what he has to say. We emailed back and forth multiple times yesterday, and it appears this book was NOT supposed to be released in North America. But I'm not going there. 

Anyway, he agreed with me that the clue was not well written. He explained how to interpret the clue, and with that hint, I was able to solve the logic problem with ease. He has offered me a free subscription to one of his puzzle websites for a year. Hmmm—I don't need more distraction, but I'm going to take him up on his offer. 

A very nice person and someone who cares about their customers! But you should check him out - he is the KING of puzzles (at least in Britain) and has books (yep -- even at our local library), puzzles, and videos. He writes for kids and adults, and I see our library has a lot of his ebooks. 

Now what about the mystery in the forest? They spent THREE days, and I don't know how much material was brought in along with all the equipment. 

They brought in many truckloads of fine and coarse gravel and dumped them at the end of the street, along with a load of larger rocks. 

Piles of gravel to repair the path

More gravel

They also brought in a couple of pallets of what I thought were paving stones, but they were actually large plastic grates used to control erosion. 

Compacting the gravel

They had a roller to pack the gravel, a backhoe, and something else. I didn't really pay attention, but many people were involved, and as mentioned, it took three days. 

I also noticed they broke the end section of the sidewalk with the heavy equipment, but when we walked there yesterday, they had even removed the broken piece of concrete and installed a new one. WOW!!!! 

They repaired the broken sidewalk the same day!

In some instances, they have made the path very thick. 

That's a very thick path.

In a couple of areas with a grade, they installed the larger rocks along the sides. I wonder if they graded that path so the water runs to the sides and then through the rocks? Hmmm - more mysteries. 

Murphy enjoying the new path.

So this is the transition between the new part and the old part. 

The transition

I still prefer the old path, but this section didn't erode. 

What the original parts still look like

This is the spot with the biggest erosion issue. I notice that you can see the path of a bicycle, so how compacted is that earth? I almost wish we could have a violent downpour to see how this stands up. I totally get that the plastic landscape material will hold the soil in place, but what about the layers on top of that material? 

The new downhill!

See, those rocks are pretty substantial. 

Grandma -- BIG ROCKS!

I still think they should check out how the Spanish deal with steep hills and water erosion. Either tile/pave it over as they have done in other sections of this area, OR grade the path slightly to one side and then put channels (ditches) along to handle the water. In some instances in Spain, I saw the channel cut diagonally across the path. 

Let's see what happens. I may still dig out those pictures of the paths in Spain and send them to the city if we run into more issues!

OH MY -- I realize this is the weekend for the Virtual Retreat and I'm strapped for time! But we can have one on Sunday afternoon from (3 - 9). I'll post the link tomorrow. I have a very busy day tomorrow and YES - I'll be hosting my scrap class (the first one) from downtown Toronto!!

Here's a sneak peek at my purchases from the day before. I found the perfect fabric for the borders and binding that I needed. I have ZERO issue buying new stuff if I don't have it in my stash. But if I can make do with what's in the stash, then I'll go with that. I had reached the point on THREE projects where I needed to buy something. 

The border and binding fabric for two quilts

Then for the My Kinda Town quilt, I'm using these prints as the background. I think I mentioned that I have tried to use these for multiple quilts, and none of them worked. 

My backgrounds for My Kinda Town

But for My Kinda Town, the backgrounds are perfect. 

A block from My Kinda Town

However, I only had six of those fabrics, and I needed two more! 

I managed to find one more in the kids section of the store. I had checked out, and Dede and I were chatting with the store employee. I then asked her if they had the Tula Pink fairy frost, which someone suggested on my blog. No, but then she asked what I was looking for. OH -- we have some of those in the far corner by the pink fabric. So we trotted over there and sure enough -- they had a variety. I eliminated some of them and found three that will work. 

Three new fabrics

Silly me - I should have asked as soon as I got there, but I did not. I'm glad I asked because now my search for those prints is over. 

I also spotted this vinyl, which is to die for! It's so soft and beautiful. 

Soft vinyl

I found something in the sale area that makes more sense than anything I had in my stash for this quilt backing. It's a nice quilt I want to keep, so I was happy about that. 

Backing for my quilt

And I had the urge to buy something Halloween. Don't ask me why - so this is what I got! 

A Halloween pattern and a mini-charm pack

I am NOT a fan of Tilda fabrics, but these buttons were to die for. Yes - an impulse purchase, which is why I shouldn't go shopping!

Tilda buttons

Because it's going to be an insanely busy weekend, I went to the used book sale last night. I had one goal in mind, and I grabbed some cash. Not much cash, but enough to make the trip worthwhile. 

Oh my --- the sale is on the lower level of a mall; they used to be on the main level, but this is actually better. It was crowded, and the line-ups were long. 

The used book sale

But I found the table with the puzzles and selected a few. I only spent 2/3 of what I took. I had an IKEA bag with me, and they fit in there like a glove. I was there and back within an hour! This is not the first rodeo for the volunteers from the Mississauga Symphony. They know how to process piles of books and take the cash! 

Oh my—look at Murphy and Bear. Bear sure keeps the older dogs on their toes. Murphy used to like sleeping up there, but she doesn't anymore. I'm keeping it around because I know Bear likes it too. He spends many hours watching the activity on the street. But at some point, I'll move it to the garage. It does take up a lot of space. Thank goodness I bought the stairs because he can go up and down at his leisure! 

The neighborhood watchers!

I think the girls like the two walks a day instead of one long one, and I'm getting pretty handy at managing three dogs. I wouldn't do it forever, but the occasional walk with Bear is fine. He's only here for a couple more days. It'll be good when it's just the two girls. Murphy is still attempting to define herself as the Alpha in our house! 

I had so many emails come in yesterday, and I was trying to respond as they came in, so if you sent an email yesterday, I got it, just no time to process!

I compiled the distribution lists for the second scrap class. If you are considering signing up, I'd appreciate it if you do that today. Otherwise, it's a ton of logistical work to keep sending welcome emails to the stragglers. 

Well, I have a lot to get done today, so I'd better get started!!!

It's going to be a wonderful day!!!!

Ciao!!!

It's a BIG news kind of day!

 ACK --- that's why pictures tell a thousand words! To clarify the pressing, here are the tips again. 

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 (with the steam) to get the fabric 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. 

Step one is to warm up the fabric, so take the two pieces you just stitched together and place the iron on the seam. Since you haven't unfolded the fabric, you are technically "pressing" from the back, but really, you're just heating the fabric to make it softer and easier to fold over when you press. This is especially important for those hard-to-press areas, like the tips of flying geese. So even when you have to press back against a lot of seams, pre-warming the fabric can make a huge difference. 

Sorry for that confusion. I should actually clarify all those steps. Let me attempt to take some photos today because pressing is very important. 

It's amazing how things cross your path when you are in the midst of some situation. Read number three!! Isn't that what I talked about yesterday? I didn't even write my email in anger because what is the point? It was sent to me in anger, but if I retaliate in anger, that gets us nowhere. Then, as I thought about it over the weekend, it became such a trivial thing, and I had the choice to let it go, which I did. No regrets about that, and I should try to do that more often! 

Number Three is VERY important.

Here is another word of wisdom which fits in with my retreat planning. While numbers 7 and 8 are very valid, number nine is too. I have a few small things in a container that need to be fixed - some sewing and some not. So those are going with me to the retreat to fix. 

Number nine—make a list and get fixing!

Our big news of the day is this. Bear was back to sitting in the window guarding the house. And he did a great job. The other dogs were running to his side every time he barked, which was about every 20 minutes. DH was on the phone, and I was trying to keep the girls quiet. Let's just say that it was a crazy day with the new guard on duty! 

GIRLS -- be alert! People are walking outside the house!!!

And when I got up this morning, I had a bit of a panic attack. I could NOT find him. Where the heck did he go? Because he usually sleeps on top of the duvet. OH -- here he was, right in the middle of the bed, UNDER the duvet. That little devil!!!

And when he wasn't in the window, he was in DH's office, asleep in his bed. 

Grandma -- I'm supervising Grandpa!

Typically, our girls don't care what's happening outside these days. But both were quite alert to what was happening outside because of Bear!

Lexi -- you are not standing up tall enough! 

And Lexi is NOT leaving anything in her dish because if she does, Bear will eat it. And of course, Murphy has to inspect all food dishes once they are empty and make sure they're actually empty!

Mom - just to confirm - Lexi ate all her food. I licked the empty bowl to ensure no crumbs remained.

These girls and the boy are very helpful in getting things done in the house! I swear, with all their antics last night and trying to get them all fed, it took me at least an hour to eat my salad!

There are now two things that I am missing in Studio B. One is a bright project (Jackqueline de Jonge)  -- I have the pattern, but where is the project box? And there is a small cushion that I embroidered. I was going to change the way it went together, and can I find that? Nope! We need a search intervention! I have a couple of other spots to check. 

But while I was checking, I did discover TWO relatively large areas in the storage closets, and I'm going to fill them with things that were on those current project tables. 

While I was looking for that, I spotted this box. It's another vintage jigsaw puzzle from my Grandmother. 

Vintage jigsaw box from my grandma

Actually, there are no jigsaw pieces in the box. No idea where they went, but the box contains a cathedral window project my Grandmother started. Alas, I've had it for years, and it's nowhere near finished. 

No traditional puzzle pieces - the bits for a cathedral window quilt instead

There's even more great news. I accomplished a lot of sewing during Monday Sewing, and I won't share it with you until next week. 

And there's even more news! This quilt got quilted. It's been so long since I quilted anything; I wondered if I would remember all the steps. But yes - it all came back! I've done so many with the computer that it's just like riding a bike - you don't forget. The magnets worked just great, but I don't think I loaded the quilt properly - well, the way I put the magnets on. I must watch a video to see how others do it. It felt so loose compared to what I typically do, but it was fine and perfectly even at the bottom. The leader could be rolled tighter, too. But you know what? It works, and I hope to get a customer quilt done today. 

Community project quilt - done

That quilt is part of the 11 quilts I am doing as a favor. I think there are four more, and I dug out the fabric to make the scrappy backing for the next one. Actually, an idea just popped into my head for my scrap class, so I must write that down before I forget it! 

I have a wee technical issue. Of course I do. I was going to get to work on some machine embroidery designs, but they are on a CD, and I need to transfer them to my computer. I dug out my portable CD drive and attached it to my Windows 11 computer. The disk appears in the file directory for a second, then disappears.  

I tried my desktop - no go. I could see the CD drive and tried to open it, but it said it couldn't. Then I dug out my old Windows 10 laptop; it went into hibernation mode, and I couldn't get it working again. 

I have no idea what the problem is, so I'm off to the library this morning to see if they have a CD drive I can use. And this should be a lesson to me—get ALL your files off digital CDs and disks and onto a hard disk. 

Another one of my tasks for the year may have just moved up the priority list! 

External CD drive

We had our very own film premiere at the house last night. By the way, it's the Toronto Film Festival this week, and over 250 films are premiering. M and Yagana came over, and we got to see the wedding video. We had seen the trailer a while back, but not the full video. WOW—the photography crew did an amazing job, and there were so many drone shots. Who knew there was even a drone at the wedding? No clue. 

The premiere of Earth Meets Water.

I hope I got the name correct. I'll try to get a screenshot of the title and more information tomorrow. Running short on time. 

It is so fun to go back and relive that very happy day, and I think M must look at it every day. Which was pretty obvious from Bear's reaction to the video. Bear had a star role in the film, but he didn't care! He looked so handsome in his white shirt and green bow tie that Grandma made for him! 

MOM - not again!! 

And of course, there are tons of photos, so I must go through them and pick out a couple of my favorites. That is going to be a very hard task because there are so many. 

Upon reviewing the photos and watching the video, we all commented on how nice it was to have such a small, intimate wedding. Everyone got to chat to everyone else, and it was so beautiful. The couple is so in love and so happy, which makes me happy. We got to see some behind-the-scenes candid moments with the bride and groom. Things I didn't know happened! But so beautiful. 

And the weather that day? It was literally the most perfect day I could imagine. Never mind that the beach at Wickinnish Inn is absolutely stunning. But then so were the bride and groom!

Here's one last picture - this was how Bear took control of the household pretty much as soon as he got up yesterday. I got his stairs out of the closet so he could go up and down in the big dog bed in the window, and he definitely told the neighborhood that he was back!!!

ATTENTION - I am back, and I am in charge! 

And yes, M is staying with Yagana. It's like when I go home - I no longer stay with my parents, and that's a good thing. While we love our parents, who wants to be with them 100% of the time? So I totally get that she stays with her longtime friend - our adopted daughter! 

I'm going to be a bit late getting to the gym and I even contemplated not going. But I must! I didn't have a great sleep - and definitely not long enough- but when my alarm woke me up, I knew I wasn't going to go back to sleep. So I might as well go and get that done, and I can have a nap this afternoon. 

I see that my Google Drive is FULL, and I have 29 days in which to clear out photos or email, or I'm in big trouble. So I guess I'll be doing that today. Wait—I have to take the car in to get a slow-leaking tire fixed, so if I take my laptop, I could do some cleaning then! Good plan. 

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

I could say, "Have a great day," or I could say, "Today is going to be a wonderful day." But what if I say this? "I choose to make today a wonderful day!!!!"

Which statement is the most powerful and puts me in control? And if something happens, only I can choose how I react to make the day good or bad! 

Ciao!!!!

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!!!