Conquering technology one step at a time

OH MY ---- shipping to Canada. I didn't even think of that, as some companies won't ship to Canada and vice versa because of high shipping costs. Isn't that just the silliest thing, considering we are next-door neighbors? 

I have found a solution: an account with a cross-border shipping company. If I want something from the US and the shipping is high, I send it to my "address" in the US. Then I pay about $10 to have it shipped from the warehouse to Canada, and that warehouse is about a ten-minute drive from my house. 

I recently ordered something, and it came back undelivered. Hmmmmm --- after some investigation, I realized I had two addresses for the warehouse. The old and the new. Let's just say that the old address is now in the recycling. Why would I hang onto the old one when it had been replaced? I am my own worst enemy sometimes. So when that package finally arrives in Canada, I'll share it with you. Obviously, I don't order much from the US. 

However, if you want one of those fine tips for the glue bottles, check out the dollar store. Yep -- I found some of those applicators with the short needle at the dollar store. It was a smaller, lesser-known store. The tips I bought were on plastic bottles, so you can put the glue in and all is good. 

I believe someone mentioned you can buy them at Michael's in the cake-decorating department as well. 

Here's the thing -- as soon as someone discovers a tool, and it becomes a useful one for quilters, the price goes up! I'll try to take pictures of what I have and share tomorrow, although that might be a challenge since I'll be on the road. I'll see what I can do. 

I'm happy to report that the two presentations for today are DONE! It took a lot of work to make that happen, and I could still fuss with them, but they are as good as they are going to get! 

I can't believe how hard everyone worked over the last couple of days to complete the quilts for Color My World! Of the 50-some people in the class, many have completed (or almost completed) quilt tops. I can't wait to share those with you. 

Here are a couple more items I bought while I was away. This is a cute highland cow, digitally printed, and would be perfect for experimenting with thread painting. 

Highland Cow digital panel

And here's another panel that I didn't really need, but it looked like something fun to play with. It would be good for the sides of a bag? 

A sewing-themed panel

I have learned what causes me great angst in my life. It's when I am not in control of things. And by that, I mean, I may have tons of stuff rolling in my head, and they need to be written down. I have to prep something, and I'm pressed for time, or I haven't even started. Or it can be a technology issue that needs to be resolved because I need the technology to do whatever I need to do. 

Yesterday was no exception, but I'm happy to say that as the day went on, my stress level decreased. The thing that I have to combat is that I'm a stress eater, so when I'm stressed, I want to eat chocolate. In particular, milk chocolate, so I won't even allow it in the house! 

I don't think I mentioned this the other day, but when I went to the gym, I stepped on the scale. OH, and that's all I'm going to say. I know it's only a number, but I can't afford to let things get out of hand. I have worn-out tendons in both knees, and I can't afford to be carrying any extra weight. Let's say that I ate a few too many donuts over the past couple of weeks. I was not happy. 

I know what the culprit is - SUGAR. I might as well tape anything with sugar in it to my hips, as that is where it goes. And when I cut sugar completely out of my diet about 12 years ago, I weighed the least I have weighed in a long time. I don't want to become anorexic, and that will never happen in my life. But I'm starting to cut out sugar again. 

I do like my small bits of chocolate every day, and I won't eliminate that. I have decided to halve the quantity—from four Ritter bar squares to two. Guess what? I'm OK with that, and with my high stress level yesterday, I was able to talk myself out of eating more. I don't need it - it's a crutch. No alcohol, which is easy to eliminate, I barely have anything to drink. No pop, which I don't drink much of anyway. It's the desserts -- those are the killers in my world. So there will be no more desserts. 

Nope—not even a taste, because I don't need it. I don't want it, so why should I eat it? That will be tough, but I should be able to manage it - we don't have desserts in our house, and it's easy to just say no. But I've become lax in that department, and the scale shows it! 

Just say NO!!!! I'm a big girl, and I need to think about my mobility! Someone recently told me that the majority (I've forgotten the percentage) of fire department jobs involve picking up people who have fallen in their homes!!! And if you are heavy, it becomes an even greater issue. I refuse to let that be me. 

Now back to the technology woes. I needed to scan a document, but my printer wouldn't connect. Nope - it was offline, and I struggled to get it back. However, I managed to make that happen and scan what I needed. But why? Can you tell me why the printer was offline when I had no issues printing something the day before? 

Then, when I tried to print, the page was entirely blank. But it worked just fine the day before. I didn't have time to fix that issue. 

The biggest issue was that I had to update some software that I needed. I kept getting reminders that an update was available, but every time I checked, it said that all was OK. I knew it wasn't because I was missing a couple of features. Sigh....... Yesterday was the day to fix that - of course it was, when I was under the gun for time!

I sent a note to the support team, and then I thought, all I have to do is uninstall the software and reinstall it. That leads to signing in and passwords, which are a struggle for me, but guess what? It worked, and the new features are there. That was a long overdue update! 

I sent another note to the support team, and can you believe I got a response a few hours after I sent the original? Yep!!!! That was impressive. And they essentially told me that uninstalling and reinstalling was the only way to solve the problem. I should have done that months ago!

Anyway, this is the result of my messing around. I'm experimenting, and while it didn't work quite as I wanted, getting all the technology to work was huge. 

The results of my experimentation

I'll mess around with it later today and see what I can do to improve it. It's interesting to see how the different fabric (green) was much more successful than the red. It's the type of fabric (batik versus regular cotton), and it's also the size of the letters and the fonts! So much room for experimentation. There is NO fusible on the back of this, and those pieces are very tiny! 

So much for a guard dog!! Lexi was sleeping on the job! I guess that is why she was stretched full length so that anyone had to step over her to get into DH's office. 

Mom - I'm on the job - privacy please!

And Murphy? She likes making a mess! Her blankets are now strewn across the floor! 

Mom - just doing a little housekeeping and fluffing the blankets!

Bob Ross is still going strong! It's hard to believe, but I spotted this magazine at the drug store. 

Bob Ross - still going strong.

Well, I need to get myself going. I have to walk the girls, then head off to do the two presentations. Then I'll spend the afternoon prepping for my three-day road trip. It's by car, so that should be easier than the plane? OH -- I just checked -- it's only 2½ hour drive, not three as I thought. That half hour makes a huge difference! 

If you are in the Petrolia area, be sure to check out the events on Monday and Tuesday. Lots of stuff about quilting and embroidery software. It's going to be super fun!!! The store is Stitcherie in Petrolia. 

Here is the link to one of their events. You can find the others on their Facebook page. 

Have a great day!

Ciao!!!!

 

Who am I going to blame this time?

We had our Zoom session on digital cutters, and just when you think there is not much more to learn—oh, who am I kidding? I've only scratched the surface. But here is something that I made a while ago. Now that the recipient has received it and the group has seen it, I can share it with you. 

I have several digital cutters and used the Singer Momento to make this one. I found a project on the mySewnet website and modified it slightly to suit my needs. 

I hate giving a gift card. Well, it's not that I hate gift cards - I love them, but it's not original or fun to open. So, using the cutter, I spelled out the gift onto individual tags. The digital cutter did all the writing. You have to love that since my handwriting sucks! 

Printing and cutting out the gift tags

Then, I created an envelope for each one. See what I mean by not knowing what supplies I have? I would have preferred for all that to be coordinated, but I thought the pack of paper was all brown, but it was not. I must get that paper organized. The envelopes were scored and cut on the digital cutter as well. I inserted a small ribbon through the end of each tag since the envelope was a bit deep. 

The envelopes with their tags

Then I made a bigger envelope and printed their name on it using different paper. I had fun with my glue stick and need to find my other ones. They are all in one container, but where?

The front of the envelope

The envelope even has a liner. All of this was super simple to do, and while it's technically not my first paper project on the digital cutter, it's my first "complex" one. I grabbed ideas from several projects, added my personal touch, and had loads of fun!

The lined envelope

Then, how do I seal the envelopes? I happened to check out the dollar store and found these cute stickers, so I used those to seal the envelopes. 

Stickers to seal the envelopes

I wrapped it all up with raffia, and it was done! 

The final gift - front

Back

Then I bundled it into a box, along with some other odds and ends we had for them. They loved opening the gift and had so much fun with it. I loved making it. Now, what else can I do? 

I can see myself making more paper crafts with the digital cutter, and I have the paper to make it happen!

So, my girls, especially Murphy, are pretty excited about their walks. I swear it is the highlight of their day, even though they both have free rein in the backyard. I think they prefer their walk to the dog park, which is partially why we no longer go. 

This is a picture of the two of them after our walk. Lexi is alert and sitting down, watching the outdoors. 

Mom - cool stuff outside!

Murphy is lying down. She gets so hot that she has to cool herself off on the tile floor. 

Mom - I need to cool down

I felt bad the day before when I was leaving for my walk, and they were in the house. I can't take both together, as they are so different that walking them together is frustrating. Lexi was sleeping in the family room, so I thought I could sneak Murphy out of the house. Apparently NOT. The second the door was closed, Miss Lexi was at the window watching us.  

But Murphy loves to jump up on things, and she was at the library jumping up on the big stone seats. 

MOM - I can see so far away!

Then this happened. Yes, this is the same leash that broke before. Her leash, which she came to us with, is a fabulous leash. It has a clasp at one end to attach to the dog, and the other end also has a clasp with several holes, so you can make a loop to tie the dog up or use it as a handle. 

The metal clasp broke from the dog end of the leash several years ago, and I've been meaning to get it fixed. Instead, I turned the leash around and used the handle side to attach it to Murphy's collar. Both ends have broken, as the metal clasp just wore down and slipped out of the bracket. 

MOM - My leash is broken!

Thankfully, we were in the library park area when it broke, so it was easy to get her to stop. It didn't happen when she was attempting to bark her head off at some dog! One small loop at the end attaches to the dog, so I looped that through her collar, and away we went. 

This is NOT a shoddy leash. It has happened because of the constant pulling on it, and she literally wore the metal down by slowly grinding it away. I have new clasps, which I'm going to have the shoemaker attach. It is getting harder and harder to find a shoemaker, though!! And I wonder about the quality of those new clasps. 

Then, when we walked through the school park, she never forgets that bench. I really think she would have benefited from agility, but there is no place close enough to us to make it work. 

MOM - I love jumping on this bench

When I got home, Lexi was standing at the door waiting for me to take her. I had not planned to take her, so I didn't—not at first. But how could I not also take the sweet thing for a walk? So I caved later and took her out! 

MOM - what about me? 

We pass this interesting stump in the forest. It's from a recently cut-down tree. You wonder what happened to this tree to cause it so much trauma? It's in the forest, so it's likely never been hit by a car, like some of the other trees in our neighborhood. 

An interesting stump

Now, let's fast-forward to yesterday's walk. I have a leather leash that I'm using until I can get the other one fixed. I'm not a fan because it also needs the loop restitched on the end, but it works. So Murphy got walked, and then Lexi got walked. 

When I arrived back in the house, I saw this on Murphy. What the heck? 

Murphy - what did you do?

NOOOOOOOOOO --- when I came back into the house from her walk, I forgot to take the harness off. I always take her harness off, but that different leash threw me, and I only removed the leash and not the harness. She distracted me with all her shenanigans as we arrived at the house. 

So, yep --- she doesn't like the harness, so she chewed it off! But only one of the three straps, the other two, were still hooked around her belly and neck. I bet she was in a tizzy over that! 

Goodbye harness

For the record, this is the THIRD harness that she has destroyed. The first one was within a week of arriving at our house when she had her harness on in the back of the car coming back from the dog park and chewed it off. Hmm, this must be the FOURTH harness that she's broken. I don't remember the second one, but the third one was bigger, and some parts came undone. I didn't like it anyway, so we went to the skinny strap ones. And now that is gone!

I can't even blame her since I was the one that left it on her! Sigh!

On my walk yesterday, I stopped at the local pet store and got her a new harness. There was not a lot of choice, and I couldn't figure out how to unbuckle it, but let's see how long this one lasts! The clip is on her back, not under her chin, so now she's going to think she's a working dog and pull more? We'll have to wait and see, but she hates her harness. 

I also bought her a fish toy that she could play with outside! Lexi gets nothing as she will not play with toys and hates chewy bones. 

The girls enjoying the nice day

I spent part of the afternoon in the gazebo as it was such a beautiful day. I was doing hand work, so it's not like I was just napping!

And now I'm off to spin class. 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

Can you stop the ageing process?

I think we all know the answer to that question. The aging process can't be stopped, but it can be slowed. Even though I was and always have been very active, there were certain things I was NOT doing for my body, and it was starting to show—big time. This was not just because of aging but also the issue with my leg/back—whatever it is. 

So I decided to take back my life! I started stretching more—not enough, but way more than before. I started lifting weights (I'm never going to have a six-pack, and I'm OK with that). And you know what? I've never felt better, especially in the last couple of years. Things just start sliding, and we're not even aware of it, and then one day, you wake up, and you're not independent anymore. 

Everyone can stretch! You don't have to get down on the floor - you can stretch in your chair. You could stretch in bed, but you need to stretch to maintain flexibility in your body. And that flexibility will help with balance (no one wants to fall!). Find a routine that works for you! 

As for weight training, I get that not everyone can go to the gym, but you can get resistance bands and use those at home. Again, this can be done from your chair or just standing up next to a counter for support. You can do it while watching TV, so you don't even have to miss out on anything. But seriously, it can help turn the clock back! 

My legs feel stronger and definitely more reliable. There are times when the issue in my leg/back is gone, like this morning. I feel so much better after that workout yesterday. I know it won't sustain that, but it is getting better. The best news? No medication! 

Yes - it's easy to take a pill for any ailment, but at what cost? And I don't mean monetary costs! Living better means better mobility, mental health, independence, and hopefully, a longer and happier life! Trust me, I have issues -- two knees with torn meniscus or other tendon issues, a shoulder, and an elbow that are not happy. A neck tighter than a bow string on a violin, but thankfully, no headaches. And that leg/back issue. But you know what? I work around it because my independence is important to me. 

If one exercise at the gym hurts, then we try another one that doesn't. It's easy! 

To change topics, here's something simple, but we don't always figure it out! It's about remembering to do things. If that thing is not in a location that works for you, you will never make it happen. A case in point is that silly bone density medication, which I am committed to taking for the next year to see what happens. My goal is to get off that medication because I don't want to take it if I don't need to. I'm hoping that with weight training, I can eliminate the problem. So, the medication is now in my vitamin tray, and when I get out of the daily vitamins, I can remember to take that pill on Sunday morning. 

The same is true for the podcast. It's in the same folder as my audiobook app, so it's easy to remember to open that up and listen to two podcasts a day. Before that, I would forget because the app wasn't in the right spot. 

If something isn't working, try a new place, routine, or whatever to make that a part of your daily life! It has made a massive difference for me. 

I am very productive in the early morning and have resented giving it up (three days a week) to go to the gym. But I'm over that; getting back in good shape is more important than sewing. GASP!!! Hey -- if I'm not mobile, I will have difficulty sewing! 

I had fun playing with my digital cutters yesterday! There are so many things I want to make and so little time! I will share what I made with you after tomorrow, as I want to share it with the digital cutter group FIRST. 

Cutting stuff on the Momento

But I learned something while doing that project. I NEED to sort through all my papers. Oh my -- I have a lot of paper, but is it organized? Nope! So, I need to spend some time sorting through it so it's easy to find when I want something. I've got colored paper, plain cardstock, and so much more! All different sizes, and it's on shelves, but not neatly. I don't think I've ever shown you that area, and I'm not sure I want to. It's a bit of a mess!

Paper to sort

As I searched, the old part of me said, "Just go to the store and get exactly what you want." The new me said, "No. You have something here that will work," and the new me was right! 

Yesterday, I had several errands to run, so that was the basis for my walk. I'm so glad I'm able to incorporate the errands into my daily walk. For almost everything, I have stores or services close to me to satisfy almost all my needs. On occasion, I need to take the car. Bookstores, doctors, hospitals, dentists, post offices, grocery stores, furniture stores, clothing stores, thrift stores, etc. are all within walking distance. 

However, I will say something about that. I think I seriously started walking in 2020 or 2019. I'm not sure, but before that, walking to Tim's (less than 1 km) away was a BIG deal. It was a special day when I walked there and back. Actually, I think it was when we got these two crazy dogs that I started to walk more seriously. That would be about 8 years ago. Walking only to Tim's now would be a piece of cake. 

It's all about baby steps. You don't just decide to run a marathon—you need to train for it. So, smaller walks to build up your stamina, both physical and mental, are so important! 

And those crazy dogs of ours are—well, they are just crazy. Murphy just loves to play with her bear, and she ALMOST got this one out of the house. As Lexi was coming in, and the door was open, she grabbed that bear and made a beeline for the door. I managed to get the door shut with the bear still inside! But once the warmer weather hits, that bear will be outside! 

MOM - my bear needs fresh air!

Lexi is learning to love her bed. She spends more and more time in it. She's just not happy with any change, and I spotted her on the floor beside DH's chair last night rather than in the bed. Gosh, she needs to be brushed! She's one big ball of fluff. I must remember to take her brush with me and brush her in the forest! 

MOM - just chilling! 

I'm looking for a small table to replace the rickety TV table in the family room, and I spied these footstools. They are made in India and cost $50. WOW --- so lovely - I wouldn't want to sit or put my feet on them! I found various tables, but I need to measure them for height, so I'll go back. If I buy one, I'll need to pick it up with the car. They are a bit heavy to carry home. I don't want a repeat of that watermelon incident! That almost killed me. 

Beautiful footstool

But it reminds me of an incident years ago in Montreal. Does anyone remember Consumer Distributors? They were a catalog store. You would look through the catalog and write the product SKUs on paper, and the staff would go into the back and pull the items. I worked in Old Montreal and took the Metro to work every day. I bought a set of dumbbells! Hand weights. I don't remember their weight, but I had to carry those silly things MANY blocks from the store to work! Then I took them home one at a time! What an idiot!!! 

I needed to take some photos of things with a lot of shine on them and figure out how to hold my reflector screen. I could have placed the screen on its stand, but I was lazy. So I improvised, using the tables to hold the screen and putting the items on the floor. Then, I used the voice commands for my phone to take the picture. It worked for me! 

Taking pictures

The podcast I'm listening to is so entertaining and makes me laugh so many times that I forget what I'm doing, which is quilting a small piece that has been sitting here forever. It needs to be done NOW. The quilting has taken me 1½ hours, and I probably have one more hour. Like, why didn't I do it before? 

A little bit of piecing was done before I put the quilting thread on the machine. All is good!

All is good, and there are no Zooms today, so I've got the entire day to myself, which is good because I have a lot I want to accomplish!! 

Remember, look at something in your life today that isn't working. How can you arrange things differently so that it becomes part of your life? And don't forget those stand-up/sit-down exercises. They are so important! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

And now back to sewing!

Yesterday was like a "vacation" with only one presentation, but I can't say I accomplished much. I did, but it wasn't what I wanted. However, I'm thrilled with what I made. Unfortunately, it's a gift for someone, so I can't share it yet, but I will. And it involved paper, not fabric. Imagine that! 

Wait - I took one picture to share with you. 

Cutting paper on the Singer Momento

Yes, that is the Singer Momento digital cutter, and I love it! I had fun manipulating an already-made design in the software and using some cool accessories. Everything worked according to plan! I need to use it more! 

WAIT -- I did use it more. I had several sessions on the Momento last week, and I was cutting fabric, which it does like a knife through butter. The beauty of that digital cutter is that it's 24" long, so it will cut a fat quarter if you are using the larger square mat. 

Fabric on the Momemto 12" by 24" mat

During my demo, I cut a lot of triangles, so I'm using them as enders and leaders as I sew. Yes, I know—I have several ender/leader projects, but this one is small, and I might as well get it together. 

Oh, and I found a picture of when I cut the fabric, so you can see that long mat in there! 

Cutting the fabric on the 24" long mat

Here are the triangles I cut. 

Triangles of fabric cut on the Momento

I had no specific plan when I started, so I may have to cut some more. But I sewed the triangles together and got a 6½" unfinished square. That was cut into quarters, and now I'm making this. How big? It won't be very big, but I hope to get two or three blocks square. This is half of one block. 

Half a block of my "new" project

I need to start a project in the mySewnet Quilting Software, cut it on the Momento, and quilt it on my embroidery machine. I'm doing that, but it wasn't planned, so that's another project on the list. 

You know what - it doesn't matter what I sew - it's just the fact that I actually got some sewing done! 

Wait—I did more! This is another block for the Chatsworth quilt. I managed to get some of the components together, and it's ready to assemble. I hoped to do that this morning, but since I didn't have anything pressing, I decided to spend a few more minutes in bed, just contemplating life—a luxury I haven't had in quite a while. 

A Chatsworth quilt block

So, it was a pretty productive day, but more happened in the house. 

Here's our TV and that *&^ subwoofer (NOT Murphy - she's a BIG WOOFER!) in front, which I've told DH numerous times doesn't need to be there. It could be in a more discreet position. I was informed that it needs to be in front. And when they came to install our modem years ago, they didn't bother to fish the wires behind the shelving unit, so all kinds of cords were hanging in front, and it looked awful! 

The bookcase looks like a mess with wires

Last week, DH splurged on himself and bought a new TV and sound system. It's about time because I hated those floor speakers and all those wires. Yesterday was set-up day. The Geek Squad arrived around noon, giving us time to dismantle the massive mess of wires. 

Of course, I came to the rescue of untrapping the caught wires under and behind the bookcase. We're not going there. There was loads of dust in the back behind the bookcases. The cleaning lady happened to be here, and he said, "Let's get her to clean the dust." Good grief—I can get a dustcloth and make quick work of it. I swear that man is unable to do anything! 

A little dusty back there

All the unnecessary equipment is gone. The shelves on top were built around the equipment we had at the time—a DVD player and whatever. I don't profess to know—I don't really care. It's not my thing. Then, we struggled to figure out what to do with the modem. I wanted it moved from where it was (in front of the books on a shelf), but those top shelves were too short. When the guys came to set it up, we realized that the shelves were moveable. DUH!!! 

Getting ready for the new

So now I have a 46" plasma TV on my kitchen counter, and the surround sound stuff is also hanging out there. Does anyone want a TV? There are no offers on Facebook Marketplace. Although the sound system can be trashed, it works fine, but I'm sure someone would want the TV. Apparently, they do not make plasma TVs anymore. We only need ONE TV in our house, so this goes! 

The old plasma TV 

And now look at the bookcase. There are no wires and no subwoofer. It's just the way I want it—nice and clean! That only took 20+ years to solve! It looked so messy before - it was embarrassing, even to me! 

No wires! 

When the guys asked where we wanted the new subwoofer, DH said, "Put it in front of the bookcase." The guys said, "OH NO - you need that in the back!" Nuff said! They meant where we wanted it, at the back of the room! The shelves have been moved so the modem sits on top, the large floor speakers are gone, and I LOVE the clean look. 

This has got me thinking about this entire room, and well, who knows—there could be more changes coming. I may need to call the junk people, but not before I scour the house to see what else can go. I want to make it worthwhile if I call for a bin. It's spring cleaning time, after all! 

Hmmmm - this next picture. Are those numbers for the day? Or average for the week? What good is a metric if you don't know the time frame? I'm not surprised by Libby, as I listened to an audiobook and read an ebook this week. But the other two? I can't be spending that much time in one day. This must be the week? No - those numbers do NOT make sense at all. But I try to keep my screen time on my phone down. I have other things to do! 

Screen time on my phone

Well, today will be a bit crazy with more presentations, and I booked a massage as well for some reason. That was dumb! 

Don't forget to check out the QUILTsocial posts on the Husqvarna Viking Jade 20. 

Day Three - 

The Etobicoke Quilt Show is on Friday and Saturday, so if you are around, be sure to check it out. And BLAST—the weather forecast is not good! Let's hope the water people were just throwing darts again! 

On that note, I'm out of here!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Hidden in PLAIN view

Oh, FARCE!!!!! If you read yesterday's post, I mentioned how men overlook little details. So imagine my dilemma when I couldn't see a box of fabric if it hit me in the head! 

I was looking for a new UFO to work on. I knew where the project was, so I dug out the basket with the supplies. My goal for this month was to get myself organized, so I went for this project: Farm Girl Vintage. 

The basket for the Farm Girl Vintage project

I had some free time yesterday afternoon, so I decided to get organized and start early on the UFO. 

According to my list, I taught this twice as a class, and the blocks are in the well-used book. 

Farm Girl Vintage

I have bought backing for the quilt several times over. Why? Because I spotted a farm-themed fabric that was just PERFECT for it. I think it's time to make the quilt so this doesn't happen again! 

Several backings for the quilt

I also found a large tractor block and one of the pinwheels in the basket. Will I make this quilt? I don't know, but I have made ONE pinwheel block. Remember, I aimed to check out everything in the basket to get organized. The book has multiple quilts, not just the one on the front cover. 

Part of another quilt from the book

However, there seemed to be one major component missing. Where was the rest of the fabrics? Not all the blocks are made, so I need the fabric to make more blocks. Sigh - I taught this quilt twice, and not all the blocks are made? How did that happen?

I swear it must be back in the tubs of UFOs under the long arm. So I dug through three of them, looking for the box of fabric. We won't even go there. Let's hope I start sewing faster on the UFOs and always finish what I'm working on so it doesn't get added to the UFO pile. However, the good news is that I should never have to start or buy another project in my lifetime! And these are all lovely projects that I still like today!

A tub of projects - one of several

But yikes -- thank goodness I have faux wooden floors. I cannot imagine removing the dust and dirt with carpet on the floor. It's so easy to whip the Swifter in there to get rid of the mess. 

Dust and dirt! 

Alas, I did not find that box of fabric. Now, where the heck could it be? So I grabbed the clipboard with the list of items in those tubs, and it showed the fabric box was in one of them. But I couldn't find it. Hmm -- I must have removed it when I pulled out the basket with the other items for this quilt. That was a few years ago, and it's been sitting under a table in the corner for a while. 

The list of projects

I found another Lori Holt project ready to be assembled, so I may have to substitute Farm Girl Vintage for Vintage Christmas. I'll keep that on the back burner to see what happens in my quest. Yesterday, I got a small "lecture" about some of the projects I'm working on, and you know -- they are absolutely right. More on that another day, so these two projects may come in handy for fulfilling that need. 

Blocks for Vintage Christmas

I found a great project to use as an ender/leader. I'm mostly sewing those little half-square triangles together for enders and leaders, but then I see Linda, who shared her ender and leader quilt for 2025, and she has already finished the top! Now - how can that be? She sews a second project together as her ender and leader instead of making units like I do. 

So when I spotted this in one of the tubs, I knew it was PERFECT, so I pulled it out. Yesterday afternoon, I experimented, and it will work perfectly. I'm not sharing it yet - I'll wait until I get some of it together. The fabric strips on the left are hideous, but they'll look pretty good in this project. But if someone were going through my tubs of UFOs, they would NEVER have associated the box of fabric with the bag of fabric. Good thing I found it first! 

An ender and leader project to sew

Well, I've got a substitute UFO project and an ender/leader, so that quest wasn't so bad. But where the heck could that box with the fabric be hiding? I decided to leave it, and perhaps it would come to me. 

Then, I needed to prep for one of my classes later today. I had the Momento (digital cutter) working, and I needed to move the power bar out of the way of the mat. OH MY GOD!!!!! There's the missing box of fabric!!!!!

The Momento

Good grief -- it was exactly where it was supposed to be. I had lifted it onto the table as I was digging deeper for the basket with the books and I guess in my mind I assumed everything was in one container, forgetting that the fabric was in fact in its own container. I have NOT gone through the box yet, and I'm not sure what I'll find. That's a job for later today. But sheesh --- how can I "complain" about men not seeing things when I had the darn box in my hand and still couldn't see it! FARCE!!!!! 

The missing box of fabric

This so reminds me of the Calvin and Hobbs cartoon. I have one of them on the bulletin board above my cutting table about a FARCE and it makes me smile every time I think of it. Oh great - I just checked, and the strip is about CHANGE, not the farce one. But that got me thinking, and I just dug out my Calvin and Hobbes books. I LOVE them, and I should reread them. This looks like an interesting read about Calvin and Hobbes. Such a fantastic cartoon series. 

Let's hope that today goes better in terms of finding things! But it wasn't all in vain - I discovered that ender and leader project and ended up finding what I needed, so all is good!!

I'm off to spin class this morning. I can feel a productive week ahead of me, although I have presentations all week, but lots to prep for, and there's a virtual retreat this coming weekend, and I have lots set aside for that. 

Have a super day!

Ciao!!!!