Table decor rods are the best!

Although it was a busy day, I don't have much to show for it. 

But I do have something to show you about my table decor rod. I bought these a while back (IKEA). They were brought to my attention because someone used bungee cords attached to the rod and then to their quilt to prevent the entire weight of the quilt from causing issues with the arm on the embroidery unit. They can also be used for free-motion quilting to prevent the quilt from falling off the table. Both are excellent places to use that rod. 

I liked it because I could hang decorations on it. 

But the real reason I bought it was for this! 

A backdrop!!!!

I now have a backdrop to take pictures of anything! The light grey fabric I purchased is polyester and a bit heavy, so it hangs perfectly straight without a ripple or a crease. I'm in heaven!!! The fabric is wide enough that it just hangs over the other side, and I don't need to worry about pinning it in place. 

The back of the backdrop

I can very quickly hide the mess in my studio and have an excellent backdrop for anything. So the next time I have to do a Facebook live, I have THREE of those rods, so I can create a "room" and hang what I want on the fabric. Exciting!!!!!

I can even hang a piece of fabric in the opposite orientation to hide the table, and have a seamless backdrop with no join where the backdrop meets the table. Thanks again to Becky for bringing that to my attention. 

Some quilts were trimmed, some prep work was done on the presentations, and lots of stuff was prepared for the next writing assignment. So, a lot of things got done - just nothing I can share at the moment! 

I went out to lunch with a friend, which was great, and I really need to do that more often! 

When I come home and I see my Canadian flag proudly flying on the garage, it makes me feel good! Americans have always been patriotic, and lots have flags or bunting on their houses. Why don't we do the same in Canada? Then I counted, and six houses on my street have some size of Canadian flag on their homes. Way to go! Be proud of your nationality, whatever it is! This is where we live! 

My Canadian flag

I also have a small one still on my light fixture. Notice the bulldog clip to hold it in place! 

My small Canadian flag

I found my flagpole and flag at InSeason, a shop located way out in the country (St. Clements), but you can also buy them at Canadian Tire, I believe. 

So much for the deck being clear of leaves, it was - I swear I took the broom to it the other day and it was spotless. Now look! With all the snow and the leaves still falling, it's a wet mess! I doubt a leaf blower would do much good, but I need to get a new broom. Mine is a bit sad. 

The deck is covered with leaves

When I returned from Saskatchewan, I had a bag of items that needed to be put away. The old me would have winged it into a corner, hoping the tidy-up fairy would do a good job. Perhaps that's why we often can't find things. The tidy-up fairy is too good or too logical! 

My bag of goodies from Saskatchewan

These are a few items that I purchased at Fabricland in North Battleford. Remember that the store is not a corporate store, so it features a quilt store within its premises. 

This panel with letters on it was on sale, and how could I resist - oranges, letters, and on sale! It will be good for a collage, a title, or whatever. 

A panel of letters

They also have gorgeous birch fabric, which I just had to have. I don't buy a ton these days and certainly not a lot of any one fabric, but can you imagine some red cardinals on this? 

Birch fabric

At the Saskatoon Quilt Show, I purchased an "Oh Canada" panel. This is tucked into my retreat bag because I have a bag of Oh Canada fabric scraps, and I may need the panel to make the quilt large enough. It's still in the bag - I'm not unfolding it! 

An Oh Canada panel

This year, I attended several quilt retreats. Two were not planned as new houses opened up, and we got the opportunity to rent the house. Three or four others were planned by me. Going into 2026, I have only three events planned for the entire year. BUT in light of wanting to stay in touch with friends, why couldn't I host a small retreat at my house? No one can stay over, but I could clear enough tables to host three people. Hmmm -- I'll have to think about that. I do like the concentrated days to get stuff done. While I could do that myself and I often do, it's more fun with other people around. 

Something to contemplate as I walk the girls and the boy! 

I've already been to the gym to work out with Brooke. I swear, she must look at me in the morning and say - Your glutes look tight, so let's work on those. She kills me!

Well, I'm off to get the crazy day started. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Quilt Retreat - Day Three

OK -- so what happened to the weather? It's only 19°C this morning, cloudy, with rain expected. If it were me, I'd have all the AC units off, but I'm not alone in the house. I've turned the temperature up (or down), turned the fans off, and I'm still cold. I'd get my jacket, except my roommate is still sleeping! 

We are leaving today, and I'm glad that this retreat is a short one. OH - not because I haven't enjoyed myself. I've done a lot of sewing and met new friends, and it's all been great. However, I have a lot to accomplish in July, and with barely any time between Quilt Canada and this retreat, I really need some time to regroup.

I've been watching the timer on my sewing machine - strictly for fun. It shows how many hours and minutes I've been sewing. I've been pretty busy sewing for three days, yet the actual amount of time the machine has been working? Not even three hours! That's insane!!!!

I went for a walk in the morning and chose a different direction as I thought I might locate a geocache or two. Well, my head was so turned around with the directions. When I got to the road, I turned, and my first thought was - mosquitoes and bugs. Hmm - let's not forget ticks. I keep forgetting them because they're not on my radar, but they should be! 

Do I really want to walk down that road? 

I turned around, and oh my goodness, they are laying fresh gravel. It didn't seem to need new gravel, but that didn't stop the trucks and the grader from working. 

Fresh gravel 

I don't know how many big trucks passed me. I stopped and stood on the side of the road, and all was good. 

The massive gravel trucks

I managed to find one geocache, but not before I carefully went into the ditch (checking for water) and searched a tree. Gosh - I sure hope there are no snakes around here! I didn't find the next one, so I decided to continue walking and forget about the geocaches. 

A cache hidden in plain sight

And then it was back to the house and back to work. I got the borders (4) on this small quilt, and it will make a perfect quilt for a child. 

Quilt top - DONE

The others went into town for lunch, where they met other members of their sewing group who didn't come to the retreat. I stayed at the house and sewed. I had lots of large pieces left in the kit and decided to make the backing for the quilt. 

The backing for the quilt

And now we know why kits are so expensive!! YES --- plenty of fabric in the leftovers for the backing, and I still have about 1 yard of fabric leftover! That's OBSCENE!!!

The binding strips were cut, so I sewed them together and pressed them. It's ready to go in the "to be quilted" pile when I get home! That is always very exciting!!!

Ready to be quilted

Here's a picture of the sewing room. There is plenty of room for six people to sew. It's all very modern, lovely tables and chairs, ironing stations, and cutting tables. This is looking towards the kitchen. 

The sewing room 

And this is looking into the room. There is plenty of natural light, but also pot lights overhead that provide good light even at night. Although we sat around the kitchen table last night and talked. I did NOT sew after dinner, which is very unusual for me. 

Lots of natural light

The retreat house is called The Fabric Loft Retreat House. 

After lunch, one of the ladies came and got me as we were going to a quilt store that was 4 KM away. WOW!!! But when we arrived, it was closed as they were preparing for a GARAGE SALE today! Oh boy --- it's only 4 KM away. I suppose we'll go and take a look this morning. It's called Bobbins and Bolts. They also raise Clydesdale horses on their farm!! 

Bolts and Bobbins

Karen (the retreat owner) also has fabric in the loft over her garage, so we went over before dinner and had a look. OK - I bought a pattern and some fabric which I didn't need, but it was pretty! 

I'm now working on the last project in my bag, but it's a doozy!! It's a bag of Oh Canada fabric - some yardage and lots of scraps. I'll bet there's enough fabric in the bag for four lap quilts and possibly five! 

I worked out the measurements in the afternoon, and I've been spending my time cutting, which I never do at retreat, but it's working. 

My cut pieces for the Oh Canada quilt

I started sewing this morning, and I'll continue to work until we leave shortly after lunch. Checkout time isn't until 4 PM, but I think I only stayed right up until the checkout time once. That was a 3 PM checkout time. I have a two-hour drive home, and while I could take the toll highway, I wasn't planning to, although I might consider it. It isn't cheap, but it saves a lot of time. I think most of the others are planning to leave around noon. I'll see how it goes. 

I got a chuckle this morning as this is the condition of the room! The tables are covered with fabric and stuff. My table is not too bad, but compared to some of the other retreats, it's a bit messy. But that's OK - we're allowed! 

The sewing room is a tad messy!

It's been great fun, and I'm looking forward to the next retreat. Oh, you don't want to know about that one. All is good, but let's just say that July is a busy month! Not with deadlines - OK, there are a couple of deadlines, but with travel, retreats, and those couple of deadlines, it's going to be jam-packed. And people are eager to finalize plans for September! A couple of phone calls and a few hours should have everything organized! 

And you won't believe this. I was on a call yesterday, and guess what happened? They couldn't hear me a couple of times. And I thought it was only my cell tower back home. Sgh....  I must try to get that fixed as it's annoying as everything! 

On that happy note, I'm off to continue sewing on my quilt top, which will be donated to Quilts of Valour. Y p - I spend my retreats sewing on everything but my projects. O  - the occasional oe gets thrown in. But it all has to be done, so let's just pick one and move on! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

The sorting queen!

Thanks for the vote of confidence on my split 9-patch! I'm going to cut more strips and continue! 

The last day of the retreat is always sad because everyone has to go home. But it's also exciting because you get to come home, unpack, and see everything you did! 

Before I came home, I was determined to go through that bag of Oh Canada scraps and sort it out. This is what happened. 

I found several bags with pieces from various projects, but it was a hodgepodge. I unsewed any pieces that were sewn together. I also found scraps from a quilt I designed and made in 2017. Oh boy! 

Pressing the last of the scraps

This is what I found. The pile of non-Oh Canada fabric wasn't huge, and now it's together. There were quite a few components for making half-square triangles, so all that went in one bag. I found a few blocks (lower right) and some other colors that were part of the Sesquicentennial collection, which are also separate. And some Oh Canada bits would NOT work for the log cabin. 

The sorted Oh Canada fabric

Then, there was the pile of fabric that would work for the log cabin. While the last ladies packed up, I cut the pieces for ten blocks. As the blocks are 14", two more rows of blocks will make a decent-sized quilt. I'll have to sew a few pieces together to get some of what I need, but my sewing machine had been packed away by then. 

Pieces to finish the log cabin quilt

I guess I'll get three quilt tops from that bag of scraps, and I'll be quite glad to get rid of them!

And then the room was empty. There are a lot of garbage bins in the house, and I know I got them all except for the one in the laundry room. It was a great retreat—one of my most productive, and I was thrilled. I think it was pretty productive for the others as well, as we saw embroidered items finished, pillows, quilts, and so much more!!

The sewing room

Thanks to everyone who came! Loading the car wasn't a huge thing since I had most of my stuff in it. Once I'm done with something, I try to put it in the car to make packing up easy. It took some people a bit of time to pack up, and there was some snow falling, so I was glad I did it gradually. I swear I took a picture, but I did not. 

The roads were wet, but they were fine. There was a lot of traffic, but everyone seemed to be driving according to the conditions, so it was not a big deal. I wanted to get home, as sitting in the car is not one of my favorite spots these days! 

But I was soon home and had everything in the house in six trips! I don't waste time. Of course, I had help, and the minute she was out the door, she was in the back of the car. I hate to disappoint her, but she seemed happy enough to come back into the house. 

MOM -- where were you? I was worried! 

I had bought a snack to eat when I got home, but you could tell there was an expectation in them both that they wanted a walk, and they were not too patient about it. So they each got a walk. Our sidewalks are good in this area, and even if you want to fall backward, it's impossible to do so when you have Murphy pulling on her leash! Lexi thought she had died and gone to heaven! SNOW!!!!

MOM - I missed the smells!

Right after the walk, we went to the restaurant for dinner. I was good for the first part, but soon, I wasn't happy sitting in that booth. Imagine a grown woman spread over the bench, trying to get comfortable. It's not a pretty sight, but DH insisted on having a second beer, so it's all his fault!!!

When I got home, I went to bed immediately—it was 6:30!!! It's the only way I can relieve the pressure on that spot. And I slept for four hours. Hmm—what does one do when you are no longer tired? I went downstairs to see if I could sort some of the stuff out. 

I took one of the quilt tops out of the bag, which happened to be a flannel one. I put the quilt top and the binding in the appropriate pile, and then I put the scraps in the pile in that basket. While I'm here, I could grab some scraps for the next retreat. 

You know where this is going. One thing led to another, and soon, the entire basket was on the work table. 

Sorting the flannels

I sorted things as best I could in color families and got some plastic bags so they would stay neat and tidy. 

The flannels are sorted

The bags went into that basket, and everything returned to the same spot. The next bag of scraps went into the retreat box. I found a tub where I could put the squares I created as they await to be sorted into groups to make new quilts. 

The flannel scraps

That job was going to have to be done soon, as 2025 is the year to deal with all the flannel at my house. It's done, and as I add to the basket (cut-offs from the backings that I'll be quilting), it'll be easy to keep it all in order. So yes, the great flannel depletion of 2025 is going to happen!!

I finally finished reading a very bizarre book. It was about a teacher who had an affair with a student. The book was set in the UK. I knew the character was based on a real story, but it was only this morning that I found the name of the person it was based upon: Mary Kay Letourneau. She sounds like quite the person and ended up marrying the student. I don't get it!! But both her bio and the book - the character was pretty messed up. 

Anyway - that's done, and I can move on to another book. I'll take a mystery! 

I have two Zooms this morning, which are almost ready. Then, I'll have the afternoon free to unpack and finish a quilt. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

A plan is needed

As of this morning, at 6 AM, I have not touched ONE project I brought with me. WOW—can you believe how well I packed? It was another very successful day, and I'm excited. However, I'm also learning (well, I know this) that having a plan is vital! 

In the past - long, long ago - I would flit from project to project. In my "new" life, I'm pretty good at sticking to one thing. I don't get distracted by what others are doing. I'm focused. There has to be a plan, or I will never get close to finishing these UFOs. Now, with my year-long projects, I work until my monthly assignment is complete - I don't have to work on JUST one project until it's done. 

That means that when I'm at a retreat or even at home, I work on a project until it's done, or I can't go further. I've got two projects laid out over the tables—no one needs them anymore, and there's still that one left, which I may touch before I leave after lunch. Just for the sake of bragging rights! 

Let's see what happened yesterday. 

I worked on this quilt and sewed as much as I could. It's the same pattern as the one with the orange and gold sashings. The fabrics in the center are black-on-white. A section of it was already completed at another retreat. This time, when sewing it together, I started by making it wider—10 blocks. It was only eight blocks wide. 

The start of another quilt top

At this stage - it's 10 blocks wide by 8 rows. I want it to be 12 rows long to make a lap quilt. I had some extra pieces of the white and black, so I pieced what I could. 

Then, I pulled out the next project, which used the same fabric. So, I stole from that one and got the center of the 40 remaining blocks together. I added as much sashing as I had. I now need sashing for 36 more blocks, and then I can sew the top together. 

Partially completed blocks

I'll dig that out when I get home, and it can come back to the next retreat. It's a simple, mindless project. My counting skills were not good when I cut the extra rectangles to make the blocks. I had extras. That's because I forgot that I had some blocks already together. DUH!!! These will go in the box of black-and-white scraps. 

Extra rectangles

Then, I pulled out another project I inherited from that donation. It's a small table topper, but I discovered there wasn't enough fabric to make it. I thought it was partially completed. So this went in the bag to take home, and that fabric will get put on the shelf in the appropriate place. The pattern will be recycled, and it's done! Getting something done does not always mean making it! 

A non-complete kit

I went back to working on the second black-and-white project. What was I thinking when I started this? I think it was a project to use up the strips from the other two. Anyway, I had begun to cut the shapes, so I soldered on. After I stole from this one to finish the other, I cut as many pieces as possible. There are only scraps left. 

Cutting for the next project

It's a split 9-patch block. I love the look. But some fabrics just don't fit on either side, like the one at the bottom of the photo, although it looks darker than lighter here. 

The split 9-patch block

I managed to complete 13 blocks with the fabric I had. I'm using the Easy Angle ruler to cut half-square triangles from these 2 1/2" strips. It works super easy!

13 blocks of split 9-patch

Getting enough contrast with these fabrics is tricky! After I took this picture, I thought I should have put a pop of color in the offset half-square triangle. Hmmm --- what do you think? I've done thirteen blocks, and all of them would have to be completely disassembled to put the pop in. It's a donation quilt, and I think it looks OK. It would be BETTER with the color, but it seems OK like this. 

I'll cut more strips, and it'll come back to the next retreat. 

By this time, I had rescued the bag of 6" novelty squares from the car and laid out the quilt top. 

Adding the final row to the I Spy quilt

It didn't take long to add that extra row; this one is ready to be quilted. It's now 8 squares by 10, which improves the proportion. 

A novelty quilt top - DONE

At some point in the day, I heard a crunch and flipped open the lid of my machine to find this! 

ACK - I ran out of thread!

It doesn't surprise me—I've been sewing like mad! Thankfully, someone beside me came to my rescue, and I am good to go. I made a note to return the thread when we leave! 

Then, I pulled out another project. OK—seriously—what the heck am I thinking? This was a kit I had prepared when teaching a paper piecing class many years ago. I had one extra kit. I do NOT need to make this. 

A paper piecing kit

It's a small snowman. What would I do with it? So it all went in the bag to go home. The fabrics will go in the appropriate scrap boxes, and the paper will be recycled. As mentioned, a project does NOT have to be done! If it's started, I'll likely finish it, but if it's not started, I'm thinking long and hard (OK—only a little of either is required). Let's move on!

I did have a small kit for a snowman with me, and all the pieces were precut. That might as well be done - it's pretty easy. I just need to applique the wool felt on for the nose and hat or something like that. It won't take long to finish, and it's cute. I might be able to finish that one this morning. 

A LONG snowman wall hanging

Then I pulled out the big bag of scraps I brought. It's all the leftover Canada-themed fabric from the Quilts of Valour quilts Diane had made. The bag has sat on those tables at home for a long, long time, and it's time to make a plan. 

Just like anything, if you don't know what's there, it can be daunting. So I emptied the bag on the table. No one is going to need those tables! I found two rows of log cabin blocks sewn together. 

What was in the bag of scraps

The rest was a pile of scraps. Oh boy, so I started sorting and found these pieces left over from the Northcott panels from 2017. 

Canada-themed panels

And all these Canadian flags. 

Canada flag blocks

There were two provinces like this. Is anyone from Nova Scotia interested in this, or can anyone use it? 

Nova Scotia theme

I also found this one, and there is a lady here from NFLD, so I'm giving her first dibs on it whether she wants it or not. 

Newfoundland theme

I'm in the process of ironing and sorting the remainder of the scraps. I have three piles: fabric that would work to finish that log cabin quilt, one of non-Northcott Canada-themed fabric, and one of the scraps of Northcott fabric. My focus will be the log cabin quilt, and it may come back to the retreat because once I have everything sorted and ready to go, finishing that quilt top will be easy as pie!!!

Then I'll take stock of what's left and maybe make a quilt from non-Northcott Canada fabric - if there is enough. I think I'll create a scrappy frame around the Canada flags and add a cream sashing (I've got loads of strips of cream). The one thing that I didn't like when Diane made those Canada quilts was that she cut up the neutral (cream) and made binding out of it! ACK!!!!! I would never have done that. So I didn't use that for the binding, and now I have yards of 2 1/2" strips. But it would make good sashing between those Canada flags. 

WOW --- see how much easier it will be to tackle that bag and get rid of it when you have a plan? OH MY GOSH -- I feel so much better about that bag now, and I KNOW I can get it done. That's one more thing off those tables in Studio B!!! 

So, if you are overwhelmed, I bet many times it's because you have no idea how to tackle the problem. Lay it out—see what you have, and then go from there!!!

Three people left yesterday, so we are down to seven. When I entered the sewing room this morning, I saw that half the group was packed, so they will likely leave early! I'm leaving after lunch as I'm on a roll. Hey, I have one more project to work on!

Speaking of that, I had better get going - I'm super excited to finish the ironing and sorting. Again, guess what? They are tedious, methodical jobs, but honestly, those are the BEST parts of quilting. And to me - that is what quilting is all about. It's not about ramming fabric through the machine at breakneck speed to make the latest and greatest quilt. It's about letting the fabric talk to you and letting quilting be your therapy. It's our hobby, after all, and if we aren't happy with what's happening, then maybe we need to find a new hobby!

I'm all about cleaning up; slow and methodical is the way to go. I'm thrilled to death about all I accomplished during this retreat, and hopefully, that means I'll be more thoughtful about packing in the future. I get an A+++ for packing this time!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

A quiet day

 I felt absolutely lost (NOT!) with no presentations yesterday. I did have a couple of Zoom meetings but no prep involved. I listened to a webinar that was a bit over my head. I'm so not there yet! But I created some new embroidery projects, ordered some thread, ordered some fabric online, and, well, all around it was a great day!

The last of the packing got done, and I'm not taking much. There was no last-minute panic packing; however, I almost forgot to put some rulers in the box. Now I'm ready and just have to put the last things in the car. 

It's amazing how much OTHER stuff that one takes. The bag with the portable office in it, the bag with the projector to watch movies, the bag with clothes, and an extra pillow. I don't know how some people can get on a plane and go to a retreat with what they have in their suitcase. And to carry a sewing machine? Not going to happen at my house. 

I got the last urgent (for now) document written, and I should be good for the next couple of days, although my intention is to get some planning done - lists of samples to make, lists of classes that I should or want to teach. I know a number of you have sent suggestions, and I'll be taking those into consideration. I think on Zoom, this is the perfect opportunity to perfect our sewing techniques. Get some UFOs done - not necessarily starting a new project. 

Oh - for anyone looking for that Northcott panel, which is now ready for me to do curbside pickup, I found it at The Quilt Store.   Actually, I stand corrected; Maria found it for me. There were five, now there are four!! If you want one, hurry!!!  And thanks again, Maria --  I appreciate your eagle eye!

I have to say that we Canadians are a patriotic group! Do you know how hard it is to find ANY Canadian fabric these days?? The Northcott warehouse doesn't even have any! I'm now on the hunt for a flannel plaid fabric. I actually need five fabrics in the collection. I found three yesterday and ordered them, but still missing two. I'm working my way through the list of stores, but if anyone has either of these two and wants to part with them or you know where it is, let me know. 

I'm sure I'll find both - I hope! Otherwise, plan B. 

Well, it's got to be short and sweet this morning. I still have to put everything in the car and walk the girls. It's going to be a small group this time and well, we'll already planning to make as much noise and mess (and fun!!!!) as if the house were full!!

I MUST remember to pack a jacket, mitts, and a hat. It's warm this morning, but this is the last day. The temperature starts to drop today. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!