It's time for Show and Tell!!!

I'm so glad to see that it wasn't just me who saved their autograph book. I wish I had more autographs, but I wasn't the most popular girl at school, and being painfully shy, I wasn't about to ask people to write in the book. 

I was going to say that those books can likely be tossed upon our death. But WAIT --- I would hope that M would value the handwritten notes from the family at least. Maybe not my friends, but family? I'm not sure that my mom or dad wrote in it, but I have lots of their handwriting. I should take it and get them to write something in it. 

Yep -- handwriting - cursive. That secret code language of the "old" people!!

Speaking of relatives, I'm having some great conversations (via messenger) with my second cousin once removed (I think that is the relationship) about our upcoming trip and her side of the family. My grandfather is her great-uncle, making them brothers. So I think she is one generation below me. 

I think there might be some black sheep in the family, but strictly on her side!! WAIT -- there might be some on my side, but I don't know! I may have to have a chat with Mom! 

I love how sharing a problem with friends can often lead to a solution. I have one class next Saturday, and then I need to be downtown ASAP. We don't have teleporters yet! But someone suggested I go downtown BEFORE the presentation and do it there, so I'm in the right spot at the right time with zero stress!!! Well, why didn't I think of that? So I can easily make that happen. 

Thanks for the suggestion - you know who you are!

Unfortunately, Miss Murphy cannot come to the quilt retreat. How many times have all the dog owners lamented that fact! But she had a great day yesterday!! Even tried to chase the squirrels out of the backyard. They were NOT pleased with that development! 

The three classes went off beautifully yesterday, and I sent all the follow-up stuff last night. Yeah!!!! I have two presentations this morning; one is finished, and the second is pretty much done as well. Then I decided I have a ton of pictures I took over the summer that I want to sort through, so I've sent them to myself and will hopefully cull a few to add to the presentation. I'm just waiting for them to come through. 

Before I share the homework, I have a couple of other things to share. 

Speaking of class show and tell, we did Dear Jen a while back, and it was a crazy quilt. The instructions were crazy, and many of the blocks were a challenge. I must have missed this photo, but it was from one of the students, and she finished all the blocks, and her quilt top is together!!!!! That is so awesome!! I love the coloring she chose. That is one thing about that quilt; I just couldn't wrap my head around the colors. Why? No idea. 

Karen's Dear Jen quilt top!

I charged my new noise-canceling headphones, and they were super easy to pair, which is great, since I always have to find the instructions. They paired as soon as I turned them on. I LOVE that. But the creepy thing? The name of the headphones came up as Elaine's (model of headphone). Seriously? How did it know they were mine? 

My new noise-canceling headphones

I can hear the audiobook so much better, so that is good, but I have to have them just right, or they poke the ends of my earrings into my head! 

And DH had to order a microwave for his Mom through Canadian Tire. That was about 2 PM. Around 4 PM, when I was sitting in the gazebo, I got a feed on Facebook from Canadian Tire about microwaves. I guess it reads our IP address and sends stuff. But we already bought - I don't need ads! 

I had some car errands to do, and on my way home, I stopped at Fabricland. 

Oh my—this is a fabric you can buy! Doesn't it look like crochet? I see a nice warm woolly jacket made from that! NO - I did not buy any. 

Crochet-like woolly fabric

But I spotted mousepads - only one style. I need a new mousepad. So I bought one of these. 

My new mouse pad

The mouse pad I'm currently using is a hard one that I confiscated from the farm when I was searching through Dad's old crap. It's not very good because the surface is too smooth. I can now retire that one and use the pretty one! 

My current crappy mouse pad

There is an IG account called "art_dailydose," and I LOVE some of the artwork they post. They recently had a post about putting things in order! They had things like flowers, people, and other crazy things, all sorted. What about cars? 

The top is unsorted, and the bottom is sorted! 

Sorting cars?

I wonder where this was taken - certainly not in North America, because have you ever seen a yellow car? I haven't seen one in ages! And I think white would certainly outstrip any other color. I have no idea why people buy a white car. Cooler in summer? They all have windows that bring in the heat. No clue! And you sure can't see them in the wintertime! No white car for this household. 

Oh gosh -- if you search for an answer, there is one. Light reflection (seriously - I can't believe it makes that much of a difference), better resale value because it's neutral and shows up better at night, but not in winter. And easier upkeep for keeping the paint job intact. None of those reasons appeal to me - I want a car that is appealing to me from a color perspective! 

OK—let's look at the show and tell. 

The first quilt we are starting is called Show and Tell by Elizabeth Hartman. Here is a picture of Elizabeth's quilt. 

The original Show and Tell quilt.

I'm changing up the colors, and we started with some of the small quilts. 

Stacked Coin quilt

Mixed Tape quilt

Half Square Triangle quilt

Then it was on to Forty Shades of Grey by Wendy Williams. 

Forty Shades of Grey by Wendy Williams - the original

And here are my blocks for this month. I have chosen a green and purple color palette! This is where I managed to make all those flying geese by using them as enders and leaders! 

Pineapple block

And the final quilt yesterday was My Kinda Town, and this one --- well, I absolutely adore it. I had purchased the pattern years ago, and it just sat there. I'm so glad we are working on this one. 

My Kinda Town by Peggy Larsen for Fibreworks

I mean -- how adorable is that? I've been trying to find a home for those white with multi-colored designs for years. No quilt was suitable, but this one? It's perfect. 

My first block

I'm going to try and use a different sky for each block. There are eight blocks in total. I think I have six fabrics, and I also have a stripe in those colors, but it might be too dense. I'm not sure I'll use it. So now I'm on the hunt for a few more. I love having a specific task to achieve, especially when it comes to buying fabric. 

My sky backgrounds for My Kinda Town

And I need them before the end of the year! So if anyone has seen anything like this, let me know. It is NOT a single-color polka dot, but multi-color polka dots or small designs like the flowers. 

Murphy and I went for a walk in the evening. Hmmm - we need to do that more often. There is a different crowd in the evening! One neighbor and I chatted for quite a while, and Murphy lay down; she was bored. Then she moved along a bit and lay down again. Then she got really impatient and decided it was time to get home! Silly girl!!!

OH MY - I'm running a bit late now because I just downloaded all those pictures and sorted out what I want to present today. It was a very busy summer for machine embroidery for me!

And on that note, it's going to be a wonderful day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Quilted jacket must watch videos!!

LOL --- communal sleeping, as in at a retreat, is not for everyone. I have very few issues, although I like it when my roommates are quiet! Even sleeping in my own bed doesn't preclude me from getting a good night's sleep. The night before, I slept like a log. Last night? I was tired at 8 PM, but by the time I got into bed, I was wide awake and couldn't fall asleep. Sigh......

Now that I'm back home and have access to a sewing machine, the big question is where to start? I decided to get some of those bindings out of the way since they are taking up a lot of room. 

I'm happy to say that I have the binding on this quilt, which was the largest and heaviest of the seven projects waiting to be bound.  

The binding is on this lap quilt.

I'm not sure how much of this quilt I shared with you, but it was one I made while working on samples for my Facebook Live on felting with the embroidery machine. The blocks are made from denim that has been felted, using snowflake patterns. I put Fireside Fleece on the back, so it's nice and heavy. I put it on my bed last night, but even that weight didn't help me sleep. 

The details of the felted snowflakes

And there is my lovely tag on the back of the quilt. This is the side that shows. 

My personalized label

And this is the underside. While it's not a full-blown quilt label with all the information, it works for information purposes. Yes, it could be easily cut off, but it works for me. 

The underside of the label

Next on the list was to get the binding on Dear Jen, or should I say my abbreviated version of Dear Jen. 

The binding is on the Dear Jen wall hanging.

And there is the back with the little white tag. This one will become a cover for one of my sewing machines. 

The back of the Dear Jen quilt

I got lucky because this was all the binding that was left! About one inch! 

Barely had enough binding.

Before I put a quilt in the "to be quilted" pile, I always make the binding, and sometimes I worry I haven't made enough. There was a lot left over from the snowflake quilt, and barely any for this one. If I actually run out of binding for any that have been put away, I'm sure I'll figure something out. 

Then it was on to the next project: the mitered-border print table runner. 

The binding is on the mitered table runner.

I decided not to put the white tag on the back of this one. I may or may not keep it, and if someone wants to use both sides, they won't have to worry about the tag. 

The back of the table runner

I got three of seven quilts bound. Well, I should say projects since there was only one quilt and the rest were small. I have to deal with a sleeve for two of them, and I don't think I have anything prepped for that, so I hope to get at least one or two more projects finished today. 

I needed to take a break. I stood for two days at the retreat, cut itty bits of fabric, and had no issues with fatigue. I sewed three bindings on, and my back was tired! Go figure!

Later in the day, I went back to the sewing machine and decided to work on one of the two jackets that needed some machine stitching. 

Sewing the seam allowance down with the sewing machine was NOT an easy feat, but it was doable, and I was happy to have my PFAFF creative icon 2 handy to deal with all the layers. 

Sewing the seam allowance down by machine

This was my view as I sewed. I had to sew from the inside of the jacket to make sure I caught the seam. 

A challenging seam to sew

Then I turned it right side out and realized I had used BLUE thread on the red fabric. Good grief!!!! What a silly person I am, so I'm in the process of ripping that out and will redo it with blue thread on the inside and red on the outside. And there's another reason why things take so long! I repinned the seam before I started unpicking, then it shouldn't be so hard to redo. I have to finish grading the second seam before I can sew it down. Then all that will be left is to add the snaps, but I need to get a table press first, and there is some hand stitching to tack the facing in place. 

The wrong thread color!!!

Not a super productive day compared to what it could have been, but I'm happy I got those three bindings on. 

It was sunny, and the girls spent a lot of time outside, even though it was chilly. The two of them can handle a bit of cool weather. 

R&R for everyone!!!

I know a lot of people poo-poo YouTube as a time-waster, and it sure can be, because there is a lot of silly stuff on it. And just because people can make an educational video doesn't mean it's worth watching. However, I happened upon this series of videos, which, if you are in any way thinking of making a jacket, you NEED to watch this series. Grainline Studio, the design company of the Tamarack Jacket (the pink-and-purple one I'm making), has made a 15-video sew-along. Jen starts with an extremely detailed list of everything you need, then moves on to printing and assembling a PDF pattern together, sizing, and so on. 

Yep --- I should have watched them BEFORE making the jacket, but I have managed just fine. BUT even if you are making ANY jacket from quilted fabric, you will find those videos amazing!! In just 2 videos and part of the third, I have learned so much that I want to remake the Tamarack Jacket, or I'll likely make a different style, but I'm fired up to try out a few things. I'm not a fan of the curved bottom of this jacket and would like to change the pattern to make it square. I wonder why she designed the bottom that way? 

My Tamarack Jacket

You can't see it in the pictures, but it's curved along the side seams, which, to me, is just a lot of extra work for no gain. Maybe it sits better when you sit down? 

Anyway, here is the link to the first video; the following ones appear automatically, in order. They are very well done. Hopefully, that will introduce you to YouTube's educational side. As I've said many times, my dad spends an enormous amount of time on YouTube learning how to rebuild parts for stationary engines. 

If you have ANY inkling of making a quilted jacket, please watch those videos—the techniques she talks about apply to ANY quilted fabric jacket. They are well worth your time. 

And on that note, I'm out of here as I want to get a lot done today, and we'll see what happens. 

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!

Gazebo time!

Despite this newfound focus, it seems challenging to move ahead. WAIT --- I know that I'm getting things done, but the progress seems slow. I know it's not, when you consider how many hours I actually sew each day. I make the most of the time I spend in Studio B and call it a day. There is NO RUSH to get these things done!

Oh my gosh --- what am I complaining about - I still accomplished a LOT. The abbreviated "Dear Jen" is now quilted. I was hoping to get it trimmed, but that didn't happen. A job for today. 

The Dear Jen quilt is quilted.

I actually like this quilt (love that setting), and I think if I had continued, I would have loved the larger size as well. But it just wasn't speaking to me, and instead of making a lap quilt or a larger one, I ended up making a cover for my embroidery machine. So I'm learning that if I don't like a project, it's OK to stop, make it smaller, but get it done! That is HUGE for me! This self-awareness journey of the last ten years has taught me so much about myself, and I'm still learning. 

The placemat is trimmed and bound. 

The placemat is done!

The soccer quiltlet is also bound. 

The mini-soccer quilt is done!

I love that both of these items were created from scraps that would otherwise have languished in my stash. DONE!!!! 

The placemat is in my pile of other placemats that will be donated later this year. I have an outlet for them. I've decided to donate the soccer quilt to a NICU, but I need to reach out to see if anyone has a connection, rather than taking it myself. Does anyone in my area donate to the hospital? 

This machine embroidery postcard was on my Visual To-Do list. I had a small category of NEW things to do. They were small things that I had left on the cutting table at the end of the year. It's nice to do something new every once in a while. I decided that yesterday was the day, and I was also experimenting with this project, so I could use it in my machine embroidery class this coming weekend. It's not quite finished, so that's on the agenda for today. 

Machine embroidered postcard or rug mug!

Let's say that this small project is not without its challenges!!!! 

Then I made the binding for my denim quilt, but it's waiting for those labels. I see someone left an email address in the comments. I'm assuming it's for the label company. I also sent them a message from their Etsy account, which I need to check. 

I made the binding for the denim quilt, and it's waiting for the labels to arrive before I put it on. 

The binding for the denim quilt

Now I've have a stack of quilts - well, one quilt and the rest are small projects that are waiting for the labels. And when I trim Dear Jen, it's going in the same pile. I want these done!!!! 

The pile of projects that need the binding attached

I've sent them another message this morning, and will use the email that someone posted. I had received confirmation of my order and a tracking number when the order was initially placed. However, the email is a NON-reply email, and the tracking number is for packages traveling from Europe. Which mail/courier service? 

I had an optometrist appointment at 10:20. OK -- at this office (inside a LensCrafters), the three women (I've met two) are kids! Are they even old enough to be an optimist? But I'm OK with that. It's within walking distance of the house, and I'm not getting in my car for an appointment if I don't have to.  

I had time to stop at the thrift store before the appointment. HEY -- I wasn't going to let someone scoop my jigaw puzzles. Have you noticed the new obsessive behavior? 

The two I wanted were still there, and I threw in the colorful one at the bottom because it's so colorful. It just caught my eye. Three puzzles for $18, including tax. The one in the top left is brand new, still in the cellophane! 

Three new puzzles

And yes - I completed the fifth and final one of the DowdleFolkArt puzzles that I purchased last week. Imagine that - I purchased them last Friday, and all five are now done. I've given them to KU to do, and then they will be going back to the thrift store unless someone near me wants them. There are 300 pieces in each, and they are easy enough to do in an evening. 

The last of the Dowdle FolkArt puzzles

It amazes me how quickly one can turn over 300 pieces, but 500 pieces take forever. OK - it seems to take forever! This one was a bit trickier, and I suspect the pieces are identically cut. OK -- I don't suspect, I recognized the pattern, but that didn't help me assemble the pieces. I started with the sky and then the house, and then built out from there. Interesting how different they all went together based on the picture. 

I have to clear off a table in Studio B to work on the next one, which is 1000 pieces, and I can't leave that on the kitchen table. UNLESS -- I clear off either the desk or the table in the office and work there. Hmmm --- but the light is much better at night downstairs. 

When I came downstairs, Miss Murphy was surveying the puzzles I had laid out so I could take a picture. 

MOM - I'm guarding the puzzles for you!

I didn't go for a walk in the afternoon since I had walked a lot in the morning. But I still needed to be outside, and oh my—how could you not want to be outside? The weather is stunning. Since there was no snow left in the gazebo, I got my lawn chair out and slipped my orange jacket on, and I sat out there and listened to my audiobook for a bit. 

It's gazebo time!!!

Murphy was beyond herself with joy, and Lexi, the cuddler, was right in there for some close encounters. 

MOM - I need some attention

But seriously? I always wonder if Murphy understands boundaries, and yes, she does, but only on her terms. She was standing on the edge of the pond and tossed the ball on the ice multiple times. Each time, she looked tentatively at the ice surface, deemed it solid enough for her, and went on. 

MOM - the ice is thick enough to hold me!

She is careful not go to the other end, as that is where the heater is, and the ice is open there. It's too bad she doesn't identify with the length of her leash!!!!

As the weather warms up this week, I suspect I'll be out there a lot! It's beautiful and close enough to the forest that I call it forest bathing. You really do NOT understand how amazing that is for mental health. I have no issues these days, but just taking a few minutes each day to relax in the peace and quiet—priceless. 

Oh my -- I love the quote of the day from my Yogi tea. I have to laugh at this, though—if you enter it with grace, is it OK if you fall out of it in a mess? 

Quote of the day

I'm not good with change, but I'm also not going to be left in the dust because I'm afraid of the unknown. That's where the adventures begin, and I'm still way too young to enjoy adventures from my armchair!

I also finished an audiobook yesterday, which is good because another one came in. I have quite a few on hold, but many of the books are weeks away from coming in. I really must get my new headphones up and running and throw the old ones away. HEY -- they are on that table I need to clear up, so that will be something to accomplish today. 

I'm off to spin class. My knee is feeling pretty good these days, but it doesn't like the prone position. Even though I have my knee elevated at night (a flat knee is bad), it has its good and bad moments. But for walking? Oh my—it's doing pretty well. I'm still careful, as if I twist it, it's not happy. Even the pulling I get when walking Murphy isn't good for it, so I try to keep her under control, which is no small feat. But it's coming along. I might try a bit more pressure in spin class today. Trust me -- I'm not going to go too far to mess it up. I do NOT need to be a hero. But I need to keep my body moving!

And on that happy note, I'm out of here. 

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!

Good old-fashioned progress

It's DONE, and I had a small ceremony as I removed this project from the Visual To-Do List. I LOVE that list, and it's so motivating to me!!! 

One project is removed from the Visual To-Do list.

YES -- this is the quilt that I was going to make for someone, and we decided to abandon the project for several reasons. Making quilts for others is the largest category on that list with NINE quilts. One down, and eight to go! 

But getting to the point of removing the project from the list involved dealing with everything in the box. I'm happy to say that I've removed all the fused letters from the two borders. For the most part, all of the letters came off pretty clean. I think six letters in total were destroyed, but lots were still intact, which I've saved (do not yell at me) and put in my fusible box. They can be used as samples when someone wants to practice their applique stitches, or I'll make some words from the letters. 

The second border is clean of letters.

And YES -- I cut up the photos, and they are in the scrap box. 

The photos are cut and in the scrap box.

I have a couple more projects on that Visual To-Do List that are almost ready to be removed, so I need to take a day and focus on completing those. I have many small things almost completed, and hopefully, I can get a lot of them done in one day. 

I am accumulating a lot of stuff that needs to be bound as I'm waiting on those labels. I sent a note via Facebook to them, but I see they don't update their page often, so I don't think it is going anywhere. They do NOT have an email that I can find - only a phone number. I'll try searching again. I thought I saw a contact on Etsy, so I will try there today. 

I managed to trim all the stitched half-square triangles. Oh my -- I'm actually keeping on top of things. I feel a bit discombobulated with all the togetherness, but I'm sure I'll get used to it pretty quickly. And then I'll wonder how I managed to survive in a total mess. 

More half-square triangles trimmed.

Then it was on to finishing the backing for the Dear Jen quilt, and that is now done. It doesn't look that bad with all those different colors of black, and it could actually be a great example of a scrappy backing with multiple colors of black. While it is scrappy, it certainly still looks very cohesive. 

The scrappy backing for Dear Jen

I also made the binding, and it's ready to be quilted. 

The Dear Jen quilt is ready to be quilted.

Now it's loaded on the long arm, minus the batting. I pulled out some scraps of black batting this morning and just need to fuse the pieces together to make one large enough. 

Dear Jen, loaded on the long arm.

There is no stopping me!!! I love working on these small projects. And also those that are almost finished, rather than working on a very large one that I just couldn't wrap my head around. I'm doing an amazing job, and I LOVE doing what I'm doing! The time will come to work on larger projects, but it's not yet. 

This is the small bundle of black scraps I had leftover. I'm thrilled to reduce that random pile of black, and going forward, I will try to buy only one brand, although I know that different dyelots can still result in different shades of black. But they will be more similar. 

The leftovers from the Dear Jen backing

As if that weren't enough excitement for one day, I also quilted the placemat using a walking foot and free-motion techniques.

The placemat is quilted.

I think I'll be focusing on quilting and binding projects today - at least those I won't put a personal tag on. As for free-motion, I don't do much of it on my domestic machine these days, but it's like riding a bike. You sit down, get the machine ready, and just go! I know people are afraid, and they want stitch regulators. You don't need a stitch regulator—it's just that you haven't been taught how to get that consistent stitch!! 

Here's a hint to learning that trick -- in FREE MOTION mode, stitch STRAIGHT lines, over and over and over and over, until you feel the speed of your machine, which should be set at medium, and keep it constant, and the only thing you now have to learn is how fast to move your hands. It's so simple, it's ridiculous! And practice on small things like a placemat, a table runner, or pet mats. But NOT your king-sized quilt. 

That was some productive day!! But I didn't work all day, and while I know some of you would call me a workaholic, I am NOT. On days (three times a week) when I go to the gym, I don't get to my computer desk to work until almost 10 AM because I have to walk the dogs, have breakfast, write the blog, etc. Those are NOT work things; they are all personal. And it's usually at that time I check my phone for messages. My phone is on SILENT all the time. 

Then I try to do computer work until lunch (11:30), and then I have the afternoon to sew. However, I also take an hour-long walk in the afternoon, and then stop sewing around 5 when I feed the girls. Sewing for four hours a day is NOT a workaholic. I typically spend the evening reading or doing a jigsaw - at least these days. 

Yes—I'm busy, but far from a workaholic. Some people struggle to distinguish between a workaholic and a busy (but happy) person. And not just idle busyness, nope -- this is busyness with all things I love. 

I've been chatting to my aunt, and she reminded me that I started knitting a cowl when I was visiting her. Oops -- I forgot about that, so I pulled it out, and perhaps I can finish the neck! 

I must finish knitting my cowl.

And here is the daily jigsaw puzzle. While it's the same style as the last three I did, I worked this one differently. I did the sky on the others and then the building; this one I worked from top to bottom as best I could. It just worked out better that way. 

One more jigsaw puzzle

That leaves ONE more of the 300-piece ones I purchased the other day. In less than one week, all five will be done, as I plan to do the last one tonight. Then I've pulled out a 1000-piece puzzle that I want to finish before I see my parents at the end of this month. There is always a puzzle set up in the common room of their building, and I stop and chat with the fellow who does them. I want to bring him a puzzle this time. It's a good excuse to get one more done. And I have to say I love doing them; it's a refreshing break from reading, and I can listen to a book while doing the puzzle. 

However, I have learned one thing: sitting at the kitchen table, doing a puzzle, and listening to an audiobook is challenging because people want to talk to me! Thankfully, DH is working outside the house this week. 

Speaking of puzzles, today is seniors' day at the thrift store, and for something to do on my walk yesterday, I scouted out the puzzles. There are TWO I want. So I'm going shortly after they open this morning. HEY -- I am doing the puzzles, I'm allowed to buy more, and I don't keep them. I do them and pass them along or redonate them. 

I spotted this book on the shelf at the thrift store. These are NOT the typical souvenir spoons that we bought at every tourist trap - these are serious collectible spoons, mostly to do with events and such in the US. I did not buy it. I just like to open my mind to new experiences!!!

A book on collectible spoons

Oh, wait—I also had my call with the Microsoft support team. It's the same person who calls me during this escalation process, so that's good. I think we have now discovered the WHY my Outlook isn't syncing, and now she is taking that information back to the team, so they can work on an answer. These calls don't take that long—perhaps ten minutes each time? I'm good with that, and if I can help them, while they help me? I'm good with that. 

There is no rush any longer (OK -- at least for the moment), and a slow pace works for me. I don't need to get everything done today or use up my fabric, but I'm making good progress, and that's all that counts. I want to enjoy the process and have fun, way more than I want to get these things done. 

I don't mind giving fabric away when I downsize, but I'd really like to NOT give away half-finished projects. That just doesn't make sense to me, so they are my focus. 

Even though it was a glorious day yesterday, I contemplated not going for a walk because I was in a groove. However, I told myself that I needed to get outside to clear my head. I was going to take a short walk, but then ended up having a good walk. Why? Because once I got out there, I felt amazing - the sun was out, I didn't need a hat (no wind), and well, I just kept walking. When I got back, I had energy galore and got so much accomplished!!!!

And on that happy note, I'm out of here!! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!!