Scored on the road (shopping) trip!!!

From the comments, I see I shouldn't save any emails with attachments. And YES -- I agree 100%. However, I have been lax about that, and now I'm paying the price. Well, it just means that I have to do a lot of deleting. 

DH and I chatted about it last night. Why are companies doing this? Changing our phones so we have things like auto-backups, and they don't tell us? Because most people will be lazy and just add more storage (for a price). I refuse to be that person. 

DELETE DELETE DELETE is the new motto!! And it's something that has to be done CONSTANTLY. 

What a road trip that was! I picked up my passenger shortly after 9 AM, and we didn't get home until 5 PM. It took a bit longer than I planned, but boy oh boy—the trip was a total success, and I scored on so many counts!

Our first stop was to drop off a quilt that I had quilted for someone. Her house was along our route, so it was easy. She wasn't home, but that worked out OK. We called her and dropped the quilt off in the garage. We also saved her bacon by turning off the water for their new lawn so her husband didn't think she left it on!

Back on the road, we arrived at our first destination about 11:30. I would not normally drive that far to a quilt shop, but I had left some things behind when I was there a couple of weeks ago. Where were we? Heather Bell's Sewing Studio. She doesn't have a super online presence, but she is a PFAFF dealer, and she also has BATIKS. Lots and lots of batiks! 

A small sampling of the batiks at Heather Bell's Sewing Studio

Except for a few bundles, she sells only batiks! And if you are looking for LIGHT batiks, this is the place to go! 

The cream/white batiks!

The store is attached to her house, and it's not huge, but spread out over several rooms. There were a lot of cars when we arrived, and oh my - we were not expecting that! However, it was all good news since there was a SALE!!!!! A good sale - so that was even better. 

I took the bucket of batiks I sorted the previous night, and with the MUCH APPRECIATED bundles of swatches from my other friend, I found some beautiful batiks to fill the gaps. 

My bucket of sorted batiks

The swatches of batiks

What I added to my collection

OH MY --- doesn't that bundle look yummy! I was so excited that I wanted to dive right in and start sewing last night. But I didn't have time. I had to get dinner ready for the little guy, then have dinner myself, then walk the dogs, take a phone call (while walking all three dogs), and then work on the puzzle. But I'm going too fast. Let's backtrack. 

What am I going to do with all those batiks? I have been a fan of Jacqueline de Jonge patterns for years. I have several that were done before her new cover style. By the way - I bought one meter of each color, except for the remnant. It seems I mostly have stuff from her Rainbow pattern collection. But as I quickly browsed her site, so many patterns are reminiscent of other paper piecing designs!!! I have a lot of that other designer as well. We won't go there! 

My collection of Jacqueline de Jonge patterns

I should have checked the date on the one on the bottom right, but it is definitely one of her earlier patterns. As is the one in the top left. They are also easier than some of the others. The second from the left in the bottom row is the one that I am searching for. Obviously, not the pattern, but the project box. I swear I started it - I remember teaching it, but where is the project box? I'll likely find it and find TONS of batiks. But that's OK. 

Anyway, I would LOVE to start one of these, and two of them are very easy. I know - I know! I said I wouldn't start anything new, but those two are pretty basic and would be fun to have as a new project. Just to "test" out the batiks! I'll see how it goes, as I still have a LOT of sorting to do. And basic things to catch up on. 

With all the commotion and people, we were at that shop much longer than we had planned. I hope to get back and run some classes for Heather. We didn't have time to chat yesterday, so we'll do that on the phone. 

We stopped at Tim's for something quick as we were now running behind. Here's a better picture of the SNITCH (Harry Potter) that you can fill with Timbits. 

The SNITCH box at Tim's

OH MY—the special Timbits you can buy have a golden sprinkle on them. It may not be readily visible in the picture! I must say I splurged and had a tea in the morning, which isn't a big deal, but I ended up eating two of their cookies. OK -- loads of sugar, but it was one day. I can live with one day. 

Golden Snitch TimBits

Our next stop was Ye Olde Fabric Shoppe in Stratford. I had several things that I was looking for, and this is a big shop, so I was hoping we would find what we needed. I knew they had a wide variety of stuff. 

I didn't have time to take pictures, but I was looking for a backing, borders, and some background fabrics. And I scored on all THREE counts. I don't have time to share the pictures this morning, but I will take pictures and share tomorrow. Let's just say that it pays to ASK questions when you are in a quilt shop and can't find what you are looking for. A few impulse buys ended up in my basket. Again -- you'll hear all about that tomorrow. 

BUT LOOK WHAT Dede found!!!! 

Adorable mini quilt prints

OH my goodness!!!! There were pinwheels, flying geese, hexagons, stars, log cabins, and probably something else. There were several different colorways, and I wanted one of each! I did not - I got one. I checked my fat quarter to see what collection this is from, and I don't have a selvage edge on my fabric. I quickly tried to find a mini-quilt image on fabric, and all I'm getting is mini quilt patterns. I might have to call the store. 

But imagine what fun you could have with that! The scale might be a tad small for our Show and Tell quilt by Elizabeth Hartman. Those blocks are 12" square, and I'll have to check to see if the scale would be correct. It might work! 

Show and Tell my Elizabeth Hartman

Don't yell at me - I just had an epiphany. I have tried to delete emails in the past, and I never see any of my storage free up. I empty my trash regularly and get rid of spam and that silly Important folder. But I never touch one folder: the SENT folder. Imagine how many attachments are in that folder? I feel protective of that folder and don't want to empty it in case I need to go back and find something, which I have had to do. But imagine if I went in and deleted every email with an attachment? That might quickly free up a lot of space. 

Hmm -- let me check that out. OK -- I just sorted them, and there are MANY. I'll go in later and delete all the class stuff I sent before 2026. That should help. Then I'll keep deleting stuff from my file structure. I'm working on 2025 right now, and everything before 2025 is already deleted. 

Sometimes people come back in a current class and ask me to resend because they can't find the stuff, so I don't want to get rid of everything. Just keep the current one and delete the rest. 

I went to bed a little bit later than usual because I was listening to that darn audiobook! Oh my --- the plot twists keep coming. There was even one point when I gasped audibly at the plot twist. 

And all the while I was working on my jigsaw puzzle. At last—I got over the hurdle, and I made excellent progress last night. 

Excellent progress on the jigsaw puzzle

I now have two windows and a door of books to complete. I love when that happens. And don't worry—the next one is already sitting on the table, waiting to be put together!

Oh my --- too much running around and looking for things this morning, and I need to get to the gym for 6 AM to meet with Brooke. I am feeling much stronger these days. I wish I was a bit leaner, but that will come. Anyway, I think I'm becoming a gym rat again, which I am happy about. I will get to the point where I can easily do 10 push-ups with 90-degree elbow bends from my toes. Hey -- it's nice to have a goal!!! I know -- you are saying - who cares? Well, I care. Because should I slip and fall, I need to get myself back up!

Lots of computer work and phone calls today. As we were driving yesterday, I must have said at least ten times - NOTE TO SELF - you need to do this. I hope I remember everything! I need to take a notebook and have my passenger take notes. I suppose I could do that through the Notes app and hands-free, but then I will forget the note, so that doesn't help me one bit. 

It's going to be an AWESOME day!!!

Ciao!!!

I'm PUZZLED!!!!

Creative block!!! Where do I start this morning? 

Just kidding! All I need to do is write one word, and then the rest just follows. I have more to write about The Artist's Way, but I'm leaving that until tomorrow. 

Lots of things happened yesterday, and they were very exciting. Let's take a look. I recently went through my pending folder, which was exploding, and I did quite a bit of checking things off the list yesterday morning. So that was a positive way to get some paperwork done. There are a few more papers on the floor from that folder that I need to check to make sure things got done, and then I can file/toss the paperwork. It's all good. 

On my Visual To-Do list is a category called "quilts for others," which means that it's a quilt I want to make for others, or someone asked me to make them a quilt. This is the most embarrassing category on the list because I got stuck in a rut. I'll work up my courage and explain them one at a time, preferably with time in between, so I can get over my embarrassment. 

The reason I'm sharing the stories is that you likely have similar projects, and I want to share how I dealt with them. And I might need your advice on some of it, but slow and steady - let's just deal with them one at a time. 

As I mentioned, I ran into a lady in the grocery store the other day, and she was on my list of people to call because there was a box with a partially completed quilt in it for her. 

The UFO quilt I promised to make for someone else

I sent her pictures of what had been completed so far and a diagram of where we were going with it. She had already received a quilt I made for her Mom. I called her yesterday, and we discussed it. I had phototransferred 30 pictures onto fabric and fused some lettering, which was to be the top and bottom borders. Here's what I learned in that conversation. First -- she didn't even remember the project when I sent her the photos. OH!!!! To be clear, this project was started in 2002 or 2003? So it's been many years - I don't blame her for not remembering, but I remembered, and it has been a weight on my back for all those years. 

Secondly, she mentioned numerous times that the pictures were very dated. Yep—some of the people in the photos were probably no longer around, and all the children? Well, some of them have children of their own. She felt bad for all the work I had done, but then didn't want to add to my workload. 

Bottom line? We ditched the project. Guilt gone and the next time I see her around, we can just catch up - I don't need to mention the quilt every again!!!

I'm not taking that project off the list yet. I need to sort through the box first, and when it's completely dealt with, then I can take it off the list. 

There was a stack of paper - that's now in the recycling. There were a couple of patterns, which are also in their appropriate place. I found some fabrics, and those are back on the shelf. 

Sorting through the UFO

Look at this gorgeous maple leaf neutral I found!!!

Look at the gorgeous fabric.

And THREE spools of machine embroidery thread, which is now back with the rest of the orange threads. I swear, if I could find all the threads that are in the project boxes, I'd have to buy many more containers! Don't yell at me --- I'm working on this mess!!! Are you working on yours? 

Three found spools of thread.

I also found two oraganmi boats that I made with fabric. I'm not sure why they were in the box - perhaps there was a lake behind the tree, and this boat was going on it. I know I made these as samples for another quilt, where I made an origami boat. Hmmm -- I should take a picture of that quilt. It's finished and hangs over my front door. I'm not sure where to put those, but I'll find a home for them, perhaps with my fusible supplies, because I needed a fusible to attach the two pieces of fabric. This technique would work a whole lot better these days with the much thinner fusibles!!

Two origami boats made from double-sided fabric

The stitching had NOT been done on the two borders, and I decided to try to rescue the fabric and perhaps the letters. I know—it's the pioneer spirit within me, and trust me—I LOVE doing this recovery work. I almost find it more satisfying than making something from new stuff. Plus, I have two YouTube Videos (informative) that I want to finish watching, so I can pull letters off while doing that. 

Oh shoot—I didn't seem to take any pictures of that process, but it's working. Some of the fused appliqué is stuck pretty well, but I'm persistent and have been able to remove about 1/3 of one border. That's pretty good considering I wasn't home yesterday afternoon. 

The moral of this story is- if you commit to making a project for someone, do NOT abandon it. I seemed to have gone through a period when I just couldn't wrap my head around finishing things, which has left a few things sitting here. I'm all grown up now and facing those awkward situations. Get it over -- live guilt-free! 

And the bonus lesson is that if you have a UFO, you do NOT need to finish every one of them. Abandon the project, shelve the material, cross it off your list, and call it a day. DO NOT leave it sitting around. MAKE A DECISION about it. 

Then we got ourselves ready because KU and I were going on a road trip. My brain kicked in, and I realized that while we were on our mission, we could drop some things off for the Pony Express. This is what we dropped off. Two quilts and three pet mats were dropped off at the first stop, and I picked up one quilt for quilting. The second stop involved dropping off some odds and ends for someone, and I didn't pick up anything. 

Items to be delivered on the Pony Express

The second stop was to the Springhouse Retreat house, where the person was currently enjoying a retreat. So, of course, I had to snap a picture of the red lawn chairs. 

The red lawn chairs at Springhouse Retreat

They were just not as nicely arranged as when we took our "famous" picture in them. I don't know where that picture is at the moment, but I'll find it for tomorrow. 

This is what remains on the Pony Express at the moment, which is not too bad. I'll try to drop that bag off today if the weather is nice. Two of the three remaining items are for me to drop off on my travels, and the bag of cars is for someone to pick up! All is good! 

What is currently waiting to be delivered/pick-up

After we did our two drop-offs, we were on our way to the Ye Old Fabric Shoppe. We found a fabric in the theme we wanted, but it was not suitable for our needs. So we looked at other things, and we got what we needed. I even picked up a few things which I'll share tomorrow. Oh boy -- I have a lot to share tomorrow!

WAIT -- there was one thing that I spotted. I did NOT buy it, but I took a picture of it. 

Ways to keep track of your pieces

Remember my picture from yesterday? 

Ways to keep track of your pieces

And that's all I'm going to say about that. 

I had wanted to check out the dollar store to see if they had any of those felt folders or laptop cases. And oh my—there was a thrift store and a Michael's right beside it. So we parked the car and went to Michael's first. The goal was to see if they had gotten their fabric aisle yet. Nope --- just the small pieces that they've always had. I first spotted the fabric aisle in North Vancouver in the fall. Nothing here yet, but I know that feature has also been implemented in part of Atlantic Canada. I don't know about my local stores. Too bad there isn't a Michaels within walking distance! It's within cycling distance, so once the weather is nicer, I must get that bike out! 

We checked out the dollar store, and they did not have the felt cases. BUT I scored big time at the thrift shop. We went in simply to check for jigsaw puzzles. I KNOW—I don't need any more, but just to check. OK — I checked the other departments but found nothing of interest, and we had a deadline to meet. 

Look what jumped into my shopping bag. 

WAIT --- first look what I spotted on the way to the puzzle section. Who remembers these tins? I was not a smoker --- EVER, but my Dad bought tobacco in these tins. He stopped smoking years ago. 

That brings back memories.

And doesn't this look nice? As Julia would say in The Artist's Way, inspiration can come from anywhere. Look at all the different reds, and they all look amazing together!!!

A display in the thrift store

OK -- so I have a thing for Dowdle puzzles. I have no idea why, but I like them. So I scored TWO of the bigger puzzles, and KU picked up a Diane Phalen quilt puzzle. 

THREE new puzzles

And then I found FIVE of the Dowdle FolkArt puzzles. 

OH -- five Dowdle FolkArt puzzles

And what the heck --- I bought them all! Eight puzzles for $40 inlcuding tax, because I had a 20% coupon with me. It's time to make another donation to get another coupon!

After we got back from dinner, I decided to tackle one of the small puzzles. It's so easy to lay out 300 pieces. Why does it seem to take forever when there are 500 or 1000 pieces? 

Laying out the pieces

Then I sorted out the border pieces. 

Sorting out the borders

I worked from the top down, and even with that, I was finished by 9:45 PM. You know what? I really enjoyed making that puzzle. It was fast, yet not super easy, and the pieces are small like a regular-sized puzzle. No missing pieces!

The puzzle is complete!

What was interesting was that the last one of the Folk Art series I did, the entire box cover was the picture, including the border on the box, and the name. I expected the same thing here, but nope—it was just the picture. Then I realized that the remaining four puzzles are the four seasons—one for spring, summer, fall, and winter. It was cheap entertainment for the evening. I might just do one a day until those are done. Then I'll let KU do them, and then they go in the donation box. I certainly do not want to keep them. 


We stopped for a snack at Tim's, and I won a coffee!!!

Winner!!!

OK --- this was Murp[hy yesterday morning -- back to lying on the pond. 

MOM --- something is here!

 I just let them out, and they were both by the pond. Murphy almost went on the pond, but the ice is almost gone. There must be something in the pond that is making them curious. Now I have to look, but I'm afraid of what I'll find. It's likely a rabbit or something. 

Look at Lexi! She is soaking up that attention like no tomorrow. 

I LOVE KU!!!!

This is why she hangs out with DH, although I don't know why, because he never gives her an ear rub like that! But KU knows where to hit all the good spots. It was hilarious. 

Today is going to be my last day —no, wait —Sunday will be my last day of goofing around with my projects, then I need to get heads down on stuff for my upcoming Facebook Live. WAIT --- they have the date as March 18!!!! 

Oh well—I'll evaluate my schedule and then move on to other projects on Monday. 

On that note, I'm out of here. So much to do! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

A road trip

I'm going back to QUILTsocial for a minute. In addition to searching for articles about the machine, the links at the top provide free projects, tutorials, etc. 

However, you can also search. The search button is on the extreme right at the top, and you can type in topics. Let's say you want to know about blog posts I've written on piping. Search for piping and add my name, Elaine Theriault, and posts will come up! 

The amount of information in those posts will blow you away. I would love to have a website that cross-references my blog posts. Wouldn't that be super handy? I have several handouts that I've compiled on some of the topics—so there's one for all the posts on binding quilts, one for machine quilting, etc. 

I'm in the process of compiling a couple more - one on accessories, and I think I may have already done a list on machine embroidery. 

At this point, I can't remember!!! Again, if I were smart, I would put those compiled lists on my blog at the top under one of the tabs. I'll see what I can do about that. Once I have that done, I'll let you know that it's there. But in the meantime, you can search QUILTsocial for information. 

That's one of the issues with the internet - it's too big!!! And everyone wants to share their version of everything with you. As I learned yesterday (well, I already knew it), just because you can share information on the internet DOES NOT make it the correct information. 

Someone may have an entirely different slant on a product or technique. If they don't like the technique or product, they won't give it a good (and sometimes fair) review. However, the next person might rave about that technique or product, and the review will be quite different. 

That's why you should NEVER look at only one resource. Look at different ones to see what possibilities exist and what different viewpoints there are. Then, most importantly, you need to do your samples and make your own opinion about that technique or product!!

Yesterday, in the pouring rain, I had to drive down to Windsor. Thankfully, the traffic behaved itself and wasn't too heavy, so that was good. About halfway down, the skies lightened, and then the sun came out, and the day ended beautifully. 

It was a very long day with the drive and then two 3-hour lectures, so I was happy when we finished at 9 PM. By the time I got into bed, it was 10 PM, and let's say that I was glad to "sleep in" this morning. I was going to go for a walk, but I was too lazy to get out of bed. I'm back at the store this morning for a hands-on event - we're making more monsters!!!

I need a shower, something to eat, and get my butt on the road. This is my view from the hotel room, and NO, I'm not in Detroit, but it's right across the river on the other side of the hotel. 

The view from my room

That would be beautiful with the bridges and the skyline, but I'm assuming that would have cost a lot more, so I got the Windsor city view!!!

I only have that one photo to share for several reasons. I forgot to bring my phone charger, so I'm hoping someone at the store today will have one. I could have gone downstairs and asked at the desk, as this is the one thing many people leave behind, but I was too tired to go back down once I realized. I can charge the phone in the car on the way home. 

Speaking of the car, I LOVE the navigation system, the screen, or Android Car Play—whatever you want to call it. I listened to my audiobook, which was right there on the screen, so it was easy to manipulate the controls. My map was always on the screen, which is handy even if you know where you are going. 

You can see the distance, expected arrival time, traffic, etc. I just love it. I don't understand how it knows that there is a speed trap ahead, and exactly where it said there was one, there was a car. At one point, I was told there was a stalled car on the road, and yes, there it was, although it was a truck. So how does it know that? If people put that information in, how are they doing that while driving? 

The two events yesterday were a complete success!!! I just threw tons of samples in the car because I could—big quilts that I can't travel with, little quilts, samples of techniques and tools, and so much more. In a way, it was a bad thing because, as a teacher, I want to share my information, and while I've done great things on Zoom, perhaps I should be doing some teaching in person? In the machine embroidery world? I need to take some time and contemplate what is happening in the fall and then go from there!

I also have some live Facebook events coming up in the next six weeks, so I'll be madly prepping for them. 

There is so much to do and so little time, but I wouldn't have it any other way!!!!

Have a great day

Ciao!!!

Road Trip

 

OK -- so the timing of the road trip was NOT the best. I have a lot of work to do, and I didn't get back until later in the afternoon. However, that day was the only day that worked for Dede, and we were going for her sake, plus we had a sweet ride - I was in! 

Dede had to pick up some fabric and a book all the way in Seaforth, so we headed out early in the morning. I waved HI to Shelly as we zipped through her neighborhood. 

Let's just say that it's fun to drive with the top down until you're in farm country and the farmer is out fertilizing the field! Thankfully, we were faster than he was, and that didn't last long, but that odor returned from time to time. Hey -- it's farm country - what do you expect. 

I didn't get a lot of pictures because I was driving. I know - lucky me! And let's just say that car GPSs are just weird. But between the car GPS and our phones, we didn't get lost, although we ended up on a gravel road at one time. 

Since we were headed out that way, we decided to stop at K&A Quilt Studio in Ingersol. OH MY  -- they moved to a new location in January, and it's right off the highway. It's HUGH, and the classroom?  Oh yes -- I could take a class there - it's huge, and the tables are AMAZING. I want those tables. Yep - they are IKEA. They also have loads of Kimberbell stuff if you're into that, including the fabrics. Yes -- I wanted one of everything since Kimberbell stuff is just cute! 

I did pick up a few things, but I also left a LOT for the next person! If you're in that neighborhood, it's definitely worth the trip. 

There's loads of room to move around. The only thing - both owners were away on well-deserved breaks. But wouldn't it be fun to have a sew day there? The classroom is on the ground level,  hmmm -- perhaps we could have a two-day retreat, but we have to go home at night? They have a lot of property - I could take my tent! I wonder.........  

I know they do have open studio days - OK -- let's ask. Who wants to drive to Ingersoll??

Then we zipped off to Seaforth to visit with Trina at Cotton Harvest Quilt Shop. Amazing how many small communities have their downtown ripped up. I guess it isn't quite downtown, but we had to take a detour. I've never been to this shop before, although I've seen them at quilt shows, and of course, they have hosted the Cherrywood Challenge three times. She remembered me! Yikes --- that's scary as I haven't seen her in a couple of years. 

It's a super shop if you want wool, Sue Spargo stuff, and Cherrywood Fabrics. Tons of wool kits and primitive style quilts, hand embroidery, etc. There was one lady in the store when we arrived, and she was like a kid in a candy store! I'm not sure if she had ever been there before, but she was awestruck. 

Time for a quick bite - it was getting late in the day by this time, and we needed to be heading home as I did have a bit of work that needed to be done. 

The car just happened to drive past E&E Cloth & Creations in Newton. They have loads of fabrics and excellent prices. 

Yes - I brought a few things home, but I didn't go too crazy. Almost everything I purchased has a reason. Only one thing I bought that I didn't really need. I'll take a picture for tomorrow. I couldn't resist. 

So back home where I had a quick bite to eat, and then I hit the computer. I got everything organized for a couple of the presentations. I'm not done, but I'm as done as I'm going to be. It'll be OK - we're not talking rocket science here. I once taught an entire quilt top and never made one block, so I'm sure I can make this happen. BUT -- I won't let this time management issue happen again. I'll start on the August homework NOW. 

After the classes this morning, it's going to be heads-down this afternoon to get that writing finished and off my plate. I'll be trimming quilts during the Virtual Retreat tonight. But that's OK. Then I need to regroup so I can figure out how to get caught up!

Here's something to contemplate today.  I'm looking at my Tula Pink quilt, and I'm in a quandary. 

I love it; however, do you see what I see? Or should I say, "do you see what I don't see?" 

Something is missing. I wasn't sure what to do about it, but now that I see the picture, I think I know what needs to be done. I'll give you a day to contemplate it. Leave me a comment if you see what needs to be changed. Here's a hint -- it does NOT involve switching blocks, so don't suggest that I move A to B, etc. 

Here are the Zoom links for the Virtual Retreat. It's TONIGHT and tomorrow. Be sure to stop by and say hello. You don't have to stay and sew - just say HI! Now that things are opening up, it'll be interesting to see if the numbers go up or down. Me -- I'm ready to sew anytime!

Here's the Zoom link for Saturday, July 24, from 6 PM - 9 PM

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

And here's the link for Sunday, July 25, from 10 AM - 8 PM

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

Also, let me know if you would be interested in having a sewing retreat at K&A. I haven't even asked them yet, but I don't think it would be a problem. I'm not sure how many could fit in the room and keep social distancing, but it's huge. And maybe a couple of other people could sew in the hallway, which is also huge! I'm thinking two days in August, and we could have a catered lunch. And see - just like that - I'm organizing another event. 

But here's the thing -- I was planning on going away in August for a couple of weeks. I've decided NOT to go. Instead, I'm planning day trips to various places, and this would be a perfect two-day outing. I'm thinking of a couple of days in August. 

Text me, e-mail, and I'll work out details with the owners IF it's even possible.  

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

A road trip

A road trip! Imagine that! I didn't really need to make the road trip, but what the heck - it was pouring rain and why not!

Actually, I wanted to get that sewing machine to Karen and I had an order to pick up at Thimbles and Things. Both are in the same town and I had been holding off until our retreat at the end of this month. That retreat got canceled and well - I just wanted to cross those two tasks off my list.

Karen is like me - when you get an idea - you want to make it happen. It poured rain most of the way so it wasn't the most pleasant road trip I've driven. The rain, along with the lane switches in the on-going construction zones and well - I was glad to arrive at my destination.

Here's the other thing - I'm not used to sitting for long periods and I'm not in my own car. My legs, my knees, lower back, and butt were PROTESTING. I hate it when that happens. I think part of it is contributed to all the walking but NO STRETCHING. That's totally my fault. I also think that excessive walking has caused a few overuse flareups so I need to tone the walking down a bit. Of course, it doesn't help that I have two crazy dogs on the leash. So less walking with them and more walking by myself. It sucks to get old! But I shall be sucking up the glucosamine to try and get rid of this!

I had a nice physical distancing visit with Karen. I haven't seen her in TEN years, but we keep in touch via social media. I met her on my first long-distance bike trip which was from Vancouver to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories (yes - we biked north of the Arctic Circle!). If you think I'm a cyclist? Karen is an extreme cyclist!

Then I popped over to Thimbles and Things. I gave them a call and my order got put on the bench on the porch. It was a bit weird to not be able to go into the shop, but we must practice physical distancing!

Picking up my order from Thimbles and Things in Orillia

Since I was so close, I had to drive by the retreat house (Fireside Retreat) and pretend that I was going to be there soon. Well, I have another retreat booked in June. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that one.

The new block by the front door

That's pretty bright!!!  Do you know the name of the block?

And now there's a barn trail in Simcoe County. Since there is no barn on the property, Emma has a block on her garage. Anyone know the name of that block? I've seen this block before, but I don't know the name of it.

Block for the Simcoe County Barn Trail

When I find the information for the Barn Trail, I'll post it for you. So what did I go all that way to pick up???

My Storybook Princess and the Pea panel of course!!! And then I had to spread it out on THE bed for the princess. I LOVE IT!!! It's going to be a perfect cover for that mound of quilts.

The Princess and the Pea panel

I also got a coordinating fabric for a border and I got a package of Chenille-It. I did NOT realize that the panel was designed by the Erin Dahl for Chenille-It. But I saw a sample that had used the chenille product on the long curtains. It's perfect and adds a fun touch to the project. The sample is on the web site - it actually uses a LOT of Chenille-It.

The border and the package of Chenille-It

I had forgotten to take something to eat and I was getting hungry by this time. Hmm - I wonder if any of the Service Ontario stations are open because I'd sure like to make a pit stop as well. And yes - they were open. Hardly anyone was there. And all the seating areas were gone. The tables and chairs were stacked up in a corner and whatever couldn't be stacked was cordoned off. It looks very odd.

Oh - I was at Boston Pizza the other night to pick up a take-out order. They had a sign - TOUCH NOTHING but what you need to touch. No leaning on counters, doors, etc. The biggest thing is to touch the least amount of things possible. So you can go to the washroom without touching much. And this was the situation at the sinks.

Every second sink was closed.

The washroom situation

It's darn eerie, to say the least.


So that was the second time that I breezed across a normally very busy highway with little traffic. OH - there's traffic, but a lot less. I saw a LOT of traffic heading north on the way to cottage country, with boats and watercraft.

Someone is hopeful

I just realized that when I took this picture, I was at the service center going SOUTH, not north. Maybe this guy got partway up and decided to head back.

Tim's had NO cookies, so I had to buy a muffin and tea. It had stopped raining by this point so it was dry when I walked in to use the facilities. I got back in the car and get to the order kiosk and it starts to pour. Of course, the person behind the scenes, says "one moment please". So I'm trying to keep the window partially open so I can hear her when she comes back and trying at the same time to avoid a flood in the car.

Needless to say, I was drenched by the time I got that order. Oh well - life goes on.

And you know what? The rest of the day was a total wash. I sat outside in the gazebo until the rain drove me inside. I had a nap and just had a lazy day! OH -- but I did get my presentation prepped and it went very well. I'm getting better at these things. I do need to get a new light bulb for this darn light on my desk. I guess an online order to Micheals is in order. It didn't seem to last long and the darn things are expensive. Maybe I should look at another option.

Back to the pet mats. Here are some of the prints. Some of them are OK, but some of them are HIDEOUS. Who would have copious yardage of this stuff in their house? I can't imagine how much dust would collect from large voluminous drapes.

An upholstery sample

Which came in FOUR different colorways

This one is also not bad and came in five different colorways.  I have a friend who likes to make tote bags out of these samples, so I've picked about a dozen for her to play with.

Another nice print in five different colorways

 And there's a peek at another print I gave her.

Another upholstery sample

I took 20 of the samples and cut them up into various shapes to make the pet mats.

Pieces cut to make pet mats

 After I removed the 20 for the pet mats and the dozen to give to my friend, I counted the remainder. OH MY - I must have made a huge mistake when I counted the first time. I thought there were 85 in the pile before I started. NO - there are about 85 still so there was over 100 when I started. I so tempted to take the entire lot and give to my friend, but NO - I don't want to overwhelm her. Technically, she could take the entire lot if she wanted. I know there are some more pillowcases and sheets in those IKEA bags - I just don't know how many. My goal is to have enough bags made to use up those boxes and bags of scraps.

The upholstery samples still to process

The lady that we give the pet mats to is looking for more. NO - you are not going to give me more stuff to deal with. We have a nice little system going and I'm keeping that my secret.

It's all going to work out and I'm good with that.

I dug out the serger this morning and got to work. I serged up 10 pet mats in a few minutes. I know - I just LOVE the serger.

Serging the pet mats

I'm using the Husqvarna Viking Amber Air S|400. It's a phenomenal serger.

Amber Air S|400 bu Husqvarna Viking

Here's one of the main reasons why I love it. I knew that the spool of thread for the upper looper was almost finished. I was hoping to catch it and tie off a new spool. Alas - that did NOT happen.

No worries - this serger has AIR THREADING. Don't look at the dust collected in there. I need to get the vacuum out and suck out all that lint.

Anyway - there's NO need to unthread anything and rethread, right to left or left to right. I simply rethreaded that looper. One WHOOSH with the lever and the looper was threaded. It took less than 10 seconds to get the serger back in operation. You CANNOT beat that.

The air threading inside the serger

All that's required is to shove about ½" of thread in that little hole, operate the lever, and WHOOSH - the looper is threaded.

The air channels for the loopers

And just like that - there are 10 bags ready for scraps. I'll tuck in those thread ends (I know I probably don't have to since they are inside the bag), but I'm OK with that. Remember, my hands and brain need these small therapeutic repetitive projects to keep it calm!

Pet mats almost ready to be filled

I'll serge the smaller pieces together to make pet mats as well. Nothing from those samples will go to waste.

This is the view from the window in front of my computer. There's a couple of birds nesting in it. I saw a robin yesterday carrying a HUGE mound of something in its mouth. I tried to get a picture, but he wouldn't cooperate. However, I did get this bird. And while you can't really see in the photo, he also has grass in his mouth. Birds are so clever!!!

Birds are making nests in that tree

 Don't forget the virtual retreat - May 27 - 31. If you read the blog posts one day later and want to participate, there'll be a link to a ZOOM meeting on each day of the retreat. The first will be May 27. Click on the link anytime from 9 AM EST to 9 PM EST and I'll be there sewing! Along with whomever. You can pop in and out as you wish. So if you want to participate (even for a day, get prepped!!!!) It's amazing how much you can get done if you have things prepped.

I've got more to share, but no time. It's going to be nice and I hear my bike calling. And when I'm back, I have so much work to do. A few deadlines have crept up to the point where they need to be addressed this weekend. Nothing urgent, but going to be if I ignore them much longer.

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!