Working to quote on my dog quilts

Lol --- yes --- depending on the time of year you were here at Springhouse Retreat -- many of us have watched the corn grow! There never seems to be a lack of entertainment in the form of the fancy equipment moving in and out of that massive driving shed! I find it fascinating!

I've done pretty well at my goal of making those eight quilt tops from the dog fabric. Here is number one. 

Dog quilt number one!

I want to keep them simple and easy to piece. I want them to be approximately 60 inches by 72 inches, and I would like to primarily use the fabric I brought with me. The two that I worked on yesterday both had the same panel. I could have cut the panel apart, but that would have made things way too complicated for my task. So I added two strips of fabric to the top of the panel, then one narrower strip to the sides of all that. The final step was one border around the entire thing. Easy peasy!!! And it looks cute. 

I don't have enough of any fabric to make bindings, so I'll probably use solid black for all the bindings. That's going to be a lot of binding! I don't have any here, so while the quilts are being quilted, I can work on making the binding. 

Here's the second one. 

Dog quilt number two

They look the same, and in fact, they are the same, except the fabric for the outer border is different. 

When I did the initial sort through the bags of dog fabric, I set aside three larger pieces that would work for a quilt back. And you know what? They were exactly the size I needed for one of these quilts. So the backing of one of them is made!

The backing of one of the dog quilts - DONE

So while that one is being quilted, I can work on the other backings, or I might get some of them done here, as I have the backing fabric for the rest with me. We'll just see how it goes. 

I've already started to work on the next two, which are also from panels, and I happen to have two more identical panels. I needed a fabric to add an extra border, and we went shopping yesterday, and I got a solid grey. That was at Heart and Home in New Hamburg. 

The solid grey for a border

It's not a perfect match, but it's going to work! Then we went to a second quilt store (Ye Olde Fabric Shoppe) that is very crammed with fabric. I bought a couple of patterns - I didn't take pictures, but I'll share them another day. I had to laugh when I spotted this. I remember people saying they would not go back to Ruti's Needlebed in Mississauga (now retired), because it was so jammed with fabric. 

A fabric jam!

Well, this path was completely blocked. But as we were there, one of the staff came by and mentioned that she had to remove it from the shelf to let someone do some work. I don't know where it came from, but she was busy putting it back on the shelves. 

I had another quilt top with me that I needed to find a border for. It's an odd teal color, and I knew I might struggle to find something. I managed to find something at the first shop. We hadn't planned to go to the second shop, where they had a larger variety, but I'm happy with this. Not perfect, but close enough! I hope to get those borders on while I'm here as well. I have lofty plans — simple, yet ambitious. 

Border for a quilt

I had a troubled sleep last night. Not sure why, but I tossed and turned and then finally fell asleep. But when I got up, my brain must have been muddled because I started to calculate the borders for the next two quilts on a piece of paper. 

But seriously, I have EQ8 on my computer, so I fired that up and within a few minutes I had the measurements for the three borders. DUH!!!!

Designing the borders for the panel

And yes --- even here, the leaves are starting to turn!!! 

ACK --- fall is approaching

I did another bad thing yesterday besides going shopping, which cut into my sewing time. But it was a successful trip, so I don't begrudge that time. However, I found a 1000-piece puzzle at the house that had quilts on it. Actually, there are two. I did one a couple of times ago, so I pulled the other one. Hmm -- should I attempt this? It sat for the first day, and then I broke down and put all the pieces on the table. 

Working on the jigsaw puzzle

It's not the best trying to put a puzzle together on a round table, so I'm working from the top down. Typically, I work on the border and then fill it in!! I'm not sure where I'll go with it today, but it's a pleasant diversion!!!!

There is something to be said for coming to a quilt retreat. It's such a great place to build friendships - both with new people and people you've known for a while. Of course, I can't share anything that happens, but you know what? We are here for each other, and that's all that counts! There are fewer retreats scheduled for next year, and I'm OK with that. I will always treasure our time at quilt retreats because they are special times! Since there are fewer retreat days, I'm going to try to remember to schedule some retreat days at home. I'll be sewing - just for me!!

I see it's rather foggy or misty in the corn field this morning. But it's time to get back to work on those panels - I hope to finish the remaining two quilts from panels today. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

A thief amongst us

I love when I have a deadline but it's not knocking on my door. I was able to get a lot done yesterday and worked towards the two projects with imminent deadlines, but I was relaxed, and it was a great day! 

Almost all the embellishments for the Cherrywood Challenge are done. I still have some work on the two final pieces, and both will be a bit fiddly, but I'm putting that on the back burner because I have something else that needs to be done first. I also made significant progress on that, and the first part is complete. There are three bits left to finish on that project. 

To finish the bits, I'm learning more about technology! Now that my Scan and Cut is sitting out, I'm determined to make that thing work! I have a goal, and I accomplished part of that goal this morning. A lot more experimenting to do.  

I started out in EQ8 to design a block. I'm using the applique tools, and WOW -- that's so much fun. I was "afraid" of that tool in the past. Seriously??? What is wrong with me? So I played around with the tool. Wouldn't it be great fun if the Scan and Cut could cut my shapes? Well, it can. 

I printed the templates and played with various options to make the shape BOLD, and then I loaded that paper into the scan and cut and SCANNED the images. In mere seconds, I had SVG files of my project. YES!!!  I mean -- it's not rocket science, and it's just a matter of knowing your way around the super simple cutter functions. That two-hour class I took a couple of weeks ago was AMAZING. 

Scanning my EQ8 templates

I used my handy dandy scraper I bought last week to ensure that the paper was well secured before scanning. 

My scrapper for digital cutting

Then I took a piece of fabric and put Heat n Bond on the back. I loaded that onto the cutting mat, and it went into the Scan and Cut. 

The fabric is loaded onto the cutting mat

So, while the fabric didn't cut as clean as I would like it -- I used the auto settings, and I may have missed something, it did cut. What's most important is that the fabric didn't budge! It was solid, and I had to peel it off. There's a learning curve ahead to make this work perfectly, but I'm confident that it WILL work. It's like our sewing machines; just because it says AUTO doesn't mean that we don't have to tweak things! 

And my fusible didn't seem to be well stuck in some places. But here's the thing --- let's say that I'm OK with manually cutting that shape. How much time will I save by having the Scan and Cut TRACE the image onto the fabric? OH YES --- I can see where I will be using this. I want it to cut, so I'll be experimenting this morning as I finish my projects. I'll try cutting and tracing -- just because I can, and I KNOW how to make it happen. 

I may increase the cutting pressure by 1 and see what happens!!

WOW --- that just opened up a TON of options! This will work for English Paper Piecing if you have a lot to do with the same fabric. You could, at minimum, trace all the shapes onto the fabric and cut them by hand. Or if you were really good -- you could cut using the cutter. I wonder if I missed a setting where I was using a bonded fabric?? Oh -- that was a command for a different brand. I think I need to change the pressure or the blade depth slightly. 

I would NOT use it for cutting shapes where I could use my rotary cutter -- NO cutting device will ever be as fast as the rotary cutter!

I do have one problem with the cutter. My power bar in that area is not large enough, and I have to unplug something to plug it in. 

An octopus of power cords!

OK -- we need to start our SVG club NOW. I want to get feedback from the other group members. I have things to share!!!!

So I was sitting at the computer in the morning, and I heard Murphy moving around, and then I heard something that wasn't quite right. I ignored it for a few seconds and then thought I'd better check. Having Murphy in the house is like having a naughty toddler. 

Murphy! Bad doggy!!!

Murphy! What are you eating?

What does she have in her paws? 

Mom -- I was trying to help by getting the label off!

That would be a ball of yarn that I recently purchased and hadn't put in the box where it belongs. There were two balls, and I guess she liked the orange one best. Oh, Murphy!!!!  She didn't cut the yarn, which is good -- not like when she stole a spool of thread and, with one bite, cut the spool into lengths of about 12 inches! But she was trying to take the label off! 

She stole the yarn from here!

Both skeins of yarn are safely put away!

Murphy, this is what you are supposed to be playing with. And she is so persistent with that ball. She will sit and whine if it goes under the furniture. A note for future furniture buying --- the pieces will go RIGHT to the floor or be very high off the floor, so no balls can get stuck. Guess who has to get on their hands and knees to rescue the ball? 

MOM -- this is my favorite toy!

And all she wants is to play ball. Throw it for me! Mom -- throw it for me!! Throw it NOW!!!

I had to make some bias tape the other day, and I discovered something. There are two kinds of tape makers -- the one with fusible tape on the back and one without. 

¼The front of the bias strips

The back of the bias strips

While they were both made with the ¼" tape maker, I find that the one without the tape is slightly narrower. 

One version is slightly narrower than the other

And why is that important? I once made yards and yards (about 50 yards) of bias tape using the tape, and it was slightly too wide to go around the tight bends of my project. I should dig that project out again and see if I can enlarge the pattern to make it. It was gorgeous!!!

Use the bias tape maker with NO fusible tape to get a narrow bias

I got to one of the sewing machines late in the afternoon, and YES -- there was the update. 

The Designer EPIC 2 downloading the update

I love how the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC 2 keeps track of how many hours of sewing and embroidery it's done. It doesn't seem like much, but this is the amount of time the needle has been in motion. And we do a ton of other stuff when the needle isn't moving. Plus, I work on MANY sewing and embroidery machines, so this one doesn't get used all the time. 

My time spent with the Designer EPIC 2

Once the update was downloaded, I got the message to install or wait.

Install now or wait

I decided to install it at that moment. It took about 15 minutes to do the update, which was great. And I didn't have to leave the house. 

Updating the embroidery machine

This update now allows me to use the new metal hoop, and I downloaded the new designs for the metal hoop as well. I didn't have time to look for that info, but I'll try later today. 

The pond is now open, and the sound of the water falling is glorious. 

The pond is open

There are three waterfalls in it. You can bet that Murphy will be in there like a dirty shirt -- playing on the rocks and in the water. OH, MOM --- this is fun!! I can hear her now!

One of the waterfalls

 I have to try and get a few more leaves out of the pond. They did a fast job of opening -- basically just connected the pump. I don't want all those leaves accumulating over the summer, so out they come! And I need to do it before the lily pads start to grow. 

I'm progressing on the Pacific Crest Trail, and I am at 75% of the way and currently in Oregon. As a quilter, do you all know what's in Oregon???  Well, look where I am. 

Close to Sisters, Oregon

Yes --- I'm as close to Sisters, Oregan as I could get on the PCT. I might have to go to their outdoor quilt show and then spend a day or two hiking the trail. One more trip for the bucket list. I'm going to have to quit my day jobs!!!

Speaking of going forward, I think this tire is toast. Thankfully, it's NOT my tire. I spotted this on my walk yesterday morning. Hmm -- you think they came home on that tire? It sure looks like it, and the back tire on the same side was flat. It wasn't shredded, but it was flat. 

The tire is tired

The car was one that a somewhat experienced person had tried to fix up. A bad paint job in places and no logos on it. You get the picture, but good grief --- could they not change the tire? I wonder how far they went on that shredded tire? 

Well, that's it for today. I'm off to finish off that project -- it's simple, but it's cute. It's for a magazine and well, if you make something too complicated, people don't want to make it. This is a quick project that you could do over a weekend. That's my kind of project -- at least right now!

So if you have a digital cutter -- get it OUT!!! You just need to play with it to make it work. I have lots of plans for my cutter, and I'm going to try marking the design for the next shape rather than having the cutter cut it. Just because I can. It's all about learning. 

And then, if I really wanted to, I could take that SAME file from EQ8 and bring that into mySewnet machine embroidery software and create the embroidery file to do the stitching! That is my ULTIMATE goal, but not for this project. I will do it for the embroidery club (I hope I have enough time). WOW --- endless possibilities!!!!

So much to learn, so little time. But I love being able to take all my tools and software and marry them!! WOW  --- my brain is about to go into overload! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Tidy up time

 

I had a great day! I got most of the writing done - a wee bit more to finish off this morning. And two e-mails that should be sent today with homework assignments, and then I'm up to date for the moment. The more I write, the easier it becomes, and I'm having fun with it. When my students signed up for a class, they never expected to get a "book" after each class. But all my pictures are there, and it can make or break the class for some. 

And I've been getting some interesting pictures back from the students which are hilarious. I won't share now, but some students have a great sense of humor!

It's a bit more work to do those write-ups, but I look at it this way. I don't have travel time - now I have writing time. I'm OK with it and actually prefer it because I don't have to have half-assembled blocks to show techniques, and I now have a couple of master documents, and I can just send those out. Yeah!!!! Plus, everyone in the class gets a front-row seat and the handout? Why would they want to go back to an in-person class?? I sure don't want to. 

Once the writing is done today, I need to get into planning mode for next week, and that's what I'll be doing for the remainder of the week. 

I doubt that I'll get a chance to get to the sewing machine, but I did get some cutting done, and my goal is to get ALL the cutting done for all the homework before the weekend. Then during the Virtual Retreat, I can sit and sew all day and not have to worry about cutting. Then I write up the documents, and I'll be done for the month. Then I can focus on other things.  WOW -- amazing what can happen when you have a plan!

And I'm so motivated to get the time management thing under control, and it appears that the office is starting to "bother" me. I now poke into a bucket or folder each day and find something easy to deal with. Here's what I found yesterday. 

While it may take longer to do the tidy up this way, at least I'm doing something every day, whereas before, I wasn't doing anything. It doesn't become a HUGE job on any given day. So as long as I keep at it - it's going to happen, and then you are all going to be so jealous. OH - maybe you don't have a messy pile of paperwork like I do. 

Anyway, there is a blue tub in the office that I knew was filled with fabric. I know - MORE fabric. It actually came upstairs a while back. It had been languishing beneath the stairs. I knew that I had a tub of sweaters - more on that in a second, and I was curious to see if there were any sweaters in here. Nope - but I found an ENTIRE Tub filled with silk. Yikes - seriously???  

A tub of silk

OK -- so this needs to be dealt with. It'll be awesome for making samples for machine embroidery. So I need to find a decent box to put it in, and it's going to go under the long-arm - I might just be able to find a spot for ONE more box. Then all the wild fabrics for experimenting and making will be together. Well, not exactly, but it's all in the same place - sort of. That area is going to need a bit more tidy up. 

I also heard that the recycling center is still open and so next week, that might be my errand. Get rid of the stuff in the house that can be dropped there. 

Now - I mentioned sweaters. Who doesn't want a pair of inauguration sweater mittens? I don't have any wool sweaters that I can felt up. OH wait - I might have a box in the stash room. I'll have to check later. But I thought I'd share the fleece mittens that I made a while ago, and I wear them every day. 

I had made them years ago when I first got my embroidery machine. Well, that's not entirely true. I finished ONE of the mittens. The second one was embroidered, but I never finished it. So when I started getting my act together a couple of years ago, I finished the second mitten. They are made of fleece and lined with fleece. I wear a thin pair of gloves inside them, and my hands are toasty warm for walking the dogs. Mine are fancy as they have elastic in the cuffs!!

Polar fleece mittens

Polar bear embroidery

Now I want a pair of sweater mittens, and well - we can't get to the thrift store to buy a sweater. Perhaps, I'll just stick with my fleece mitts. My friend Karen, who lives in Vermont, has some great tips on making mittens. You can check it out here. 

I mentioned junk drawers yesterday. OK - so technically, I don't have a junk drawer, but I have junk containers. I unearthed this one this morning. Good grief. There are all kinds of stuff in there. Some things that just need to be put away and some things that well need to be junked. It was also filled with a bunch of paper, but that got put in a pile of paper to deal with tomorrow or whenever I decided to poke through the piles of paper. Don't worry - those manuals are all gone. The computers and printers they belonged to are long gone. 

A junk container

Actually, I realized that we still have one of the printers, but I think I'm tossing that one in the electronic waste. It's a photo printer, and I'll never use it. I don't even know if it works. 

So this is the desk. I may or may not have shared it with you. This is the worse area in the office. But hey - it's just the TOP of ONE desk. That's very manageable. 

The biggest are of junk in the office

Or does it look better in black and white? Somehow I took this photo this morning. Oh dear - I need to learn how to properly use my phone and all the stuff that I can do with it. 

It looks better in black and white

And there are smaller piles of stuff, like this on top of the filing cabinet. What is all that stuff? No idea, but today is not the day to find out. 

Another area of clutter

I checked out something on the bookcase and discovered some older keys, a ring, and some twine! Good grief. This is clutter!!!!!

Clutter on the bookcase

But WAIT A MINTUE. Look at what else I found. MORE add-ons for Electric Quilt. Are you kidding me??? OK -- so my goal for this month (before the next EQClub meeting) is to figure out whether any of this is still useable or do I have to toss it. 

More Electric Quilt add-ons

So now, I have this entire stack of EQ related products. Good grief, and the manuals I have for the latest products are downstairs. Oh boy -- I think someone is a bit obsessive here!!!!

Electric Quilt products

But this is how clutter accumulates. You buy something because you think it's great. Then it gets put away, and you don't even remember that you have it. And then you buy the next thing, and the same thing happens. By knowing what you have, you stop buying, and you also learn how to deal with this old stuff. That's the hardest - do we just toss it in the garbage? Well, if that's where it's going, I'll recycle what I can. 

That's for another day to deal with it. Today, it's going to be all about e-mail. I'm now well over 1,000 e-mails, and I can't let it get out of control again. 

I got this small customer quilt done. I hope to get it trimmed later today and ready for pickup. 

Customer quilt

So we had a HUGE dump of snow yesterday. However, that didn't stop me from trekking to the library to return a book. That was an experience as there was a biting wind, and the snow was deep and slippery. I should get double mileage for that trip. Then I was home to shovel the driveway. I have to shovel again this morning, but it won't take long as the snow had mostly stopped when I shoveled yesterday. 

I see the plow passed in the night, and I was anxious to see what they had done. You see, we have a neighbor who insists on putting the snow from her driveway into the street. 

Snow ON the street

I get it that she doesn't have a lot of space on one side of her driveway, but she has a whole front yard on the other. And if I have to get a shovel and LIFT the damn snow out of my driveway, I see no reason why she can't do the same thing or hire someone to do it. What usually happens is that the plow then comes by and distributes all that snow that she dumps in the street into the next two driveways, and mine is one of them. It's because we're all on a curve.  

Well, I see the plow driver has decided to just leave her snow outside her driveway and ignore it. Thank you, Mr. Plow Driver. So we don't have much at the end of our driveway. HEY -- I just shoveled, and it was still too deep for the car to drive through without damaging the front. 

Our driveway this morning

Hey - I'm a good neighbor; not only do I not put snow in the street, which we are NOT supposed to do, but I shovel the sidewalks for both neighbors on either side of me, despite them having a young male in each household. I noticed the one guy did shovel my sidewalk yesterday. The other one? He lives alone at the moment and never even shovels. Oh well - I won't go there. 

On that note, I'm out of here. I've got to walk the dogs, then shovel that drive, and then get back to writing. I want all the writing done by lunch so I can move onto e-mail this afternoon. 

How are you making out on the tidying up??? I'm going to give you a break today. It's a day to catch up on something you didn't get a chance to do before. So - that means under the bathroom sink, the cutlery drawer, the junk drawers, your embroidery software or EQ software, the ironing board, the cutting mat, and the sewing table. I'm sure there are loads of other places, so let's get this junk out of the way. Your mind will be clearer, you'll be more focused, and you'll spend a whole lot less time looking for stuff. 

I'm honestly at the point where I think about what I'll need to use or want to use for the rest of my life (I still have a LOT of life left), but why do I want to hang onto things I will never use again? I'm all about taking pictures and then letting them go. I could really live with very little, and I'm about to make that happen, but it's not going to happen overnight. 

I could literally take everything in my closet and donate it. I've been through the clothes closet once before. And I need to do it once again. I bet I could get to the point where all my shoes and clothes would fit in one large suitcase! Oh yes --- I don't need a lot of variety!

OH MY GOD  -- I just checked back in the blog. You HAVE to read this ost from 2014!!!!  That's when I cleaned the closet. Wow -- who knew that I was on this decluttering kick way back then. What's even more hilarious is that when you see the clothes hanging in the closet? I bet that they are still in the same order! I hardly wear anything from a hanger. I think it's going to be time once again to go through that stuff. Oh my!!!!!

And then read this post from 2015 when I read THE book. I think I folded my shirts like that once, and that's way too much work. I would never consider doing that. What a waste of time - just have fewer shirts. 

Don't forget that this week is my QUILTsocail blog posts on the Husqvarna Viking Designer Sapphire™ 85. Check it out - loads of fun things to do with your sewing and embroidery machine. 

And here are the links for the Virtual Retreat. Stop by to say hi or stay a while and do some handwork or sew with your machine. It's loads of fun and a great way to get in touch or stay in touch with friends. 

Saturday, January 30, 6 PM - 9 PM

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89254233911?pwd=VGQrTnFybW1HMWpleHA4M2Q2NGVwZz09 Meeting ID: 892 5423 3911 Passcode: 982797

Sunday, January 31, 10 AM - 8 PM

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87246635892?pwd=VGY1cUUyLzRaRi9VUVV2ZWFINXc2dz09 Meeting ID: 872 4663 5892 Passcode: 440473

And that's it for today!!!

Have a great day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Whirlwind weekend

 WHAT A WEEKEND!!!!!!   It was crazy with FIVE different classes or clubs. For a minute, I thought I wasn't going to be ready for all of them, but I was, and everything worked PERFECTLY. That's what happens when you plan. You think I'm outside just walking? Oh no - I'm thinking about staying ahead of the students and planning the upcoming lessons. That walking time is valuable for my brain and for my body!!!

Speaking of which, I'll get the walking update out of the way.  On my Appalachian Trail walk, I'm making amazing progress. I was flipping back and forth between Tennessee and North Carolina, but now I've crossed the border into Virginia. Yeah!!! My third state on this trek. I'm not sure how many states I'll go through; I didn't check. 

I'm now in Virginia

I got a chuckle when I checked for a photo this morning. Because most of this trek is off-road, Google has figured out how to add photos not taken from the Google car. I'm literally on the balcony at some resort overlooking this water. That's a HOOT!!!!

My view this morning on Google

Note that this is not my actual position on the trail; it's the location where I place the little yellow Google marker. It just happened to be on this balcony, as it's hard to get it pinpointed in your exact spot. 

I'm going to get this office cleaned up before I die! When I was prepping for the classes, I knew I had stuff in this buffet related to software. I opened the doors, and OH MY - I don't remember there was this much stuff. But honestly, this would probably take an hour to empty and go through. It's mostly CDs or programs or games. Almost everything is on a CD, and I don't think I need those since I don't even have a CD player. 

The computer software storage

The big question would be - does anyone want that stuff these days? Or does everyone download software, and so all this should be junked??  I should do the responsible thing - buy a CD drive and just look at the CDs (I know - if I don't know what I'm missing - how can I miss it?) I can buy a CD-Drive for $30. I think I can spend that money and get one. I have a LOT of stuff on CD, and having it attached to my computer would make sense to file the stuff I want to keep (embroidery files) and toss the rest. I think I might do that, and I"ll pick it up at the store. That could be my car trip for next week as I have another errand to do this week that requires the car. 

Look at what else I found. Embroidery software - 6D embroidery. Oh boy -- I forgot I even owned that!!

6D Embroidery software

Look at what else I found. Oh my -- I surely didn't remember that I had the 4D software either. Well, now that I have the latest version and as long as I continue to freelance, I'll always have the latest; I don't really need these. So what the heck does one do with this stuff??? 

4D embroidery software

I notice that I always went for the cheapest option. Thank god I didn't buy the full software and then let it sit - I'd be furious at myself for that!

Oh - speaking of walking, remember how I wanted a rack for my medals? Pat left me a link yesterday, and the owner and I had a great chat, and I've got a rack ordered. I can't wait to get it. It did cost more than buying it online, but I'm supporting an artisan like myself, and I'm 100% thrilled to be able to do that. He has a Facebook page called Twisted Wrench, and you should check it out. I LOVE metal stuff like this, and well - I want more. I love the firepits. He lives near Orillia, so I can go and pick it up when it's ready. Another road trip! Besides - we are supposed to be running our vehicles about once a week, and so I save up the car errands for such occurrences. 

Let's see - oh my - I found a bunch more stuff in that cupboard, which I pulled out, and I'm leaving out until it gets dealt with. These are add-ons for EQ (Electric Quilt). So - why would I want to install a Stash library of fabric from 2000??? And I have to confess that a couple of them are not even opened. Why?? What was going on in my life that I would WANT something this bad to spend good money on it and then never use it?? What is wrong with our brains??? 

EQ Stash libraries

Helen Anne said that they will not even work on Windows 10, so she's going to do some investigating whether the individual files are there or this just goes in the garbage. What a waste -I hang my head in shame. BUT - I won't do that again. 

I also have some block add-ons that I've never used. Well, I might have used one or two of them. 

Add-ons for EQ

And then there is Dear Jane. I did use this a lot as I taught a class, and this came in very handy. I only made one Dear Jane block, but I think I'd like to make the quilt someday!!!!

Dear Jane add-on

I quickly went through that cupboard. Oh my -- I'm going to share with you tomorrow what I found. Amazing!!!!!!  BUT all the software stuff is in ONE place, and that's a good thing. 

Not only was it a whirlwind weekend of classes, but it was crazy trying to get the distribution lists finalized and to get the written assignments out to everyone. And people are still signing up!!!! That's awesome - I appreciate the support of everyone and hope that they are enjoying the classes. I have two more assignments to write up - one will take a bit of time, but the other will not. And I have three blog posts that NEED to be done ASAP. And it's Monday sewing. So it's going to be an insane day, but that's OK. I really thrive in this kind of environment. Why? I've no idea!! When I stop teaching, it's going to be hard to focus on anything. 

I've decided to start prepping for the next round of classes in February, so I'll be cutting today while we sew on Zoom. 

We had an amazing UFO session yesterday, and everyone is madly finishing UFOs. Not advancing them, but FINISHING them. There are a couple of new EXTREMELY keen people who joined the group. They are putting the rest of us to shame! I'll be sharing that with you, hopefully, tomorrow. 

Oh - it's Monday, and so time to get back to organizing. Well, how about that kitchen junk drawer? I have to confess that we don't have a junk drawer. Well, we have a draw with odds and ends, but I cleaned it up a couple of years ago, and it's still exactly how it was when I was done. Oh - we use the stuff in the drawer, but NO junk goes in the drawer. That's what ends up in the office. So get busy and empty that junk drawer. I'll take pictures to show you!!

WAIT  --- you should clean something else. Save the junk drawer for tomorrow. Today - IF you have ANY EQ (Electric Quilt) products, get them out!!!  You are going to go through the same agonies that I am. So dig out any EQ products, whether that is software, books, add-ons, or whatever. We're going to get this cleaned up! So stay tuned - today is all about gathering. While we're at it - get out ANY embroidery software that you have as well. What are you waiting for???  Go and get all that stuff out. I want reports --- who has what - we're going to deal with this stuff. 

I learned something yesterday. Well, I knew this was going to happen, but I didn't care. I walked to the grocery store. Well, that's not true. On my walk, I stopped at the grocery store. I saw some apple crumbles in a box and decided to buy one. I knew it would get messed up on the way home as I had to tip it on its side in my backpack! Hey - it's apple crumble - it's all a jumble anyway! It wasn't too bad, but I probably shouldn't do that again! 

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

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!