Quilted jacket must watch videos!!

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

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

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

The binding is on this lap quilt.

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

The details of the felted snowflakes

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

My personalized label

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

The underside of the label

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

The binding is on the Dear Jen wall hanging.

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

The back of the Dear Jen quilt

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

Barely had enough binding.

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

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

The binding is on the mitered table runner.

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

The back of the table runner

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

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

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

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

Sewing the seam allowance down by machine

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

A challenging seam to sew

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

The wrong thread color!!!

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

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

R&R for everyone!!!

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

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

My Tamarack Jacket

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

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

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

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

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!

Sorting scraps is my therapy

 For those not aware of the Magic Bags, they are bags of grain (not sure what kind) that you throw in the microwave to heat up - like a heating pad. However, Jill's comment is chilling!!! The smell was quite bad, and I can still smell it on my PJs because I held the bag to me for a bit. The smell is still very much in the bag, and I suspect that when I get home, I'll be shopping for another bag, because the moment it goes in the microwave, it will stink up the place. 

As for microwaves? I don't know what it is about this one, but it is POWERFUL!!! I tried oatmeal this morning for one minute at power 2. No problem. The second one minute was still at power 2, and I had a huge mess to clean up. What is it doing to the food? 

Anyway --- we are on our way home this afternoon, so I can cook my oatmeal safely tomorrow!!!

Do I have a lot to show for this retreat? I certainly don't have a quilt top, since I didn't bring a machine, but it's amazing how time-consuming these non-sewing-machine jobs are. I managed to get as much as I could done on the one jacket. Both shoulder/sleeve seams are hand-stitched in place, and that feels amazing. 

This is what the seams look like before. 

The seams after they were stitched by machine

And this is what they look like when the excess has been cut away and hand-stitched in place. 

The seam allowances are finished.

This is the Tamarack Jacket I'm working on. Now I have to resew the sides and sleeves together and finish those seams. The last thing will be to hem the sleeves. And this jacket will be done!!! Did you guess that I want it done for my jacket class, but it's also on my visual To-Do list!!!!

My Tamarack Jacket

Then I got out the second jacket I brought with me, and it also needed those shoulder sleeve seams cut down so I could finish the edge. That one is being stitched in place on the sewing machine, but I managed to get one completely pinned and ready to sew. I started on the other one and realized the two seam allowances aren't quite as well lined up as I would like, so I ripped that part out and will resew it when I get home. Then I'll finish prepping the sleeve seam. 

Here is the seam allowance on the other jacket before. 

The "before" on the second jacket

And now it's pinned and ready to be stitched. All is good. This one is also on the visual To-Do list, so there is a push to get these done. 

The seam is pinned and ready to stitch down on the machine.

This jacket is stitched together differently from the other one, so once these two sleeve seams are done, I still have to hand-stitch the facing in place. I could have done that here, but forgot to bring the thread. And I need to put snaps on it. Before I do that, I want to buy one of those table presses for putting snaps on. I did a bit of research yesterday and found what I want - now I just need to find a place to buy it. I could buy it at my "favorite" online store, but seriously? I'm not buying from them unless it is the last place on earth to buy something. I won't get into how many people buy from them because of the convenience, and ignore the fact that their dollars support some unsavory things. But I won't go there. 

Then it was onto a couple of other projects. I finished this cushion cover a while back, but I was never happy with how I put the invisible zipper in. So it's now apart, and I'll redo it. That's why it takes me so long to make things—I must learn to do it right the first time! I'm getting there!

The cushion cover is apart.

Then I spent the rest of the day fondling my scraps. I have several containers of batik scraps leftover from making the 4th of July quilt. I mentioned that yesterday. Well, I was back at it. I know -- most of you would have tossed those scraps years ago, but I couldn't. 

The first box wasn't so bad to go through, but the second box? I think I just scooped up what was left on my mat after trimming, including loads of iddy-bitty bits. So I had to clean all that up!!!

Sorting a mess of scraps

When I dumped the second box, it looked like a cube. The scraps were not crammed in the space, but they had settled over time. 

A cube of scraps

OH MY --- I am not a fan of this touch pad on the computer. The right click to get PASTE is crap. WAIT ---- I can just hear my computer friends --- use the shortcut keys. Hmmmm --- I may have to resort to that. Now what the heck are they? 

And then when you fluff the scraps up a bit, they explode!!!! Scraps are like mushrooms!

The scrap cube exploded.

OH --- when I did manage to get the pop-up screen from the right-click -- it's CTL+C for copy and CTL+V for paste. I might try that. Those friends of mine may convert me yet!!!!

And then I sorted. 

Sorting scraps

And I trimmed, and I'm happy to say that I've almost completed the second box. 

More trimming

A lot of the scraps went into those two boxes, and I have another project in mind that I'll be working on later today. I hope to get stuff for my new project, and then the rest will be tossed!!!! I must not put those back on the shelf. 

The third and final box of those scraps contains much larger pieces, which is good because I need some squares about 2" or something like that. So after writing the blog, I'll be back downstairs to see what I come up with. 

So while it's a very time-consuming task, it's so therapeutic and calming. Not that I need that at the moment, but why are we in such a rush? Sewing and quilting are our hobbies, and we should be enjoying the PROCESS, not the results. There's no need to rush, and this is teaching me so much patience and focus. This is a good thing, and I'll feel a ton of satisfaction when it's done. 

Here are the other two mini-quilts that I donated to the My Quilt Retreat. The website isn't up yet, but when it is, I'll let you know. 

Mini quilt

Second mini-quilt

This is an amazing house, all set up nicely for sewing, with lots of places to sit, chill, or converse as a group. The layout of the house is weird, with loads of storage places around. The only caveat is that the sewing room is downstairs, but you can drive around to the back of the house and unload your car for your sewing stuff, and the kitchen is on the main floor. It's a bungalow with a walkout basement. So if stairs are not your thing, it may not be the house for you. Just wanted to let you know that in case you get excited.

I went out for a walk in the morning and found another geocache. I didn't do any searching in the afternoon, and I think I found everything within walking distance of the house. OH -- there are others I could go for, but I don't want to spend all my time out walking. I almost didn't find this one, as it had blown off that post and was lying in the ditch! 

Another geocache

I spotted these two giant nutcrackers in a yard nearby. 

Giant nutcrackers

And spring must be coming as the pussy willows are starting to bloom!!!!

Pussy willows in bloom

That's it for today! I want to get that third box under control, and I have one more box of other batiks that I'd like to sort. I did not get to cutting the fleece scraps, the binding on my mom's quilt, my knitting, or cutting some more blocks for the 365-day quilt. No worries - I can take the knitting and my mom's quilt when I go visit them next week. The other two projects can come to my May quilt retreat. 

I feel like I have accomplished so much, yet I don't have much to show for it, but the progress I made is huge. I would never have stuck to those projects at home. Sewing? I can sew like a fiend at home, but to stick to these fiddly cutting-and-sorting projects? They are best done at a retreat!!! No sewing machine required!!! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Show n Tell

In case they missed it in the comments (the two post-op knee people are now chatting to each other), and we have a retired orthopedic nurse amongst the readers—get an icing machine. I've heard that from other people as well. I hope I never need one, but apparently, they are the best thing since sliced bread for recovery! 

Thanks to Elle for the suggestion, and good luck to Torri and Shirley! 

I had fun at the two classes in the morning. So much creativity! I will only share my Colour My World with you—the others are still in bits and pieces, and I'll save the big show-and-tell for June. I still have to complete the stitching on the four houses in the middle of each row, but otherwise - I'm up to date!

My Colour My World quilt - close to being finished

I'm so happy with the progress. I love the bright colors, and I've pretty much kept the pattern to the original, except for changing the color of the trees. The four corners are the areas where many others before our class have changed the four distinct buildings in the original: Big Ben, Eiffel Tower, One World Trade Center (NY), and Centrepoint Tower (Sydney, Australia). 

The original quilt

Some of the ladies want to switch up the buildings and make them more representative of Canada or places they have seen around the world. I'm going to swap two of them -- CN Tower for Centrepoint Tower, and a grain elevator for One World. I have no clue how to draw, but I got out my pencil and a ruler (and an eraser - thank goodness) and took a very logical approach to drawing the CN Tower, which I shared with the class. And I made it into a paper pieced pattern! And it took about 20 minutes in total!!! 

I love the group's creativity, and they are now creating some amazing buildings for the corners. However, I have one frustrating situation in the class. As a polite Canadian, I might not mention this, but I am downright annoyed, and I'm allowed to speak up! If we don't voice these kinds of things, they'll keep happening, and I'm tired of keeping the crap inside. 

 Every month since the beginning, a question has come up about the alternate (NON-existent, personal choice) patterns. Would they be offered for free (there was an offer to buy them)? This was way before we even started to work on designing them. I get it -- I don't draw, but I'm working to the best of my abilities and willing to give it a try. 

I have no problem if people ask, and I explained my stance that as a teacher, I am there to teach them how to create these patterns that I don't even need to, because the original pattern comes with FOUR PERFECTLY GOOD BUILDINGS! I get it and would be most willing to share my patterns, but the constant whining has made me dig my heels in. Why should I or someone design a building that is special to them and then just hand it over to someone else? 

Besides, these patterns are large, so they are not easy to scan and send to someone else. And my pattern, once I'm done with it, will be scraps of paper! All anyone has to do is follow my detailed diagrams, and they, too, can achieve the same pattern in mere minutes!

Enough said about that --- the bottom line is if you want the redesigned patterns, then try and if you don't succeed, perhaps we can work out an arrangement, but I DO NOT hand out free gifts on a platter without some effort. I probably would have shared what I've done, but the behavior got my back up right at the start of the class, and because of the constant whining about it, I have dug my heels in. I hope no one in the class shares either - I know that is completely un-Christian-like - but there are principles to be upheld! 

I'm also very happy to report that the Tamarack Jacket is almost complete! I have sewn in the sleeves, and I need to finish off the seam allowances before I continue, but I basted the side seams just to see how it fits, and I LOVE IT!!! I still need to bind the sleeves, but that is the last thing after the side seams are finished. So lots of handwork. I might get some of this completed tonight at the virtual retreat, or I'll take it this week. I need to get some of these almost-finished things done! 

The front of the Tamarack jacket

The back ends a good steaming because it's been crumpled in a basket for a long, long time. While it may seem a bit large in the back, I don't have a ton of excess room, and I certainly want it so tight that I can't move. I'm happy with it. 

The back of the jacket

I accomplished quite a bit after the Zooms were over. What should I work on? All this free time is beyond my comprehension—where do I even begin to get everything done? At least I have the time, now I need to keep my focus and motivation. The pile on the current projects table is motivation enough, but there is so much that it's hard to know where to start. 

I decided to grab the bag of black-and-white scraps and see what could be done. This was on the current projects table, and I was going to toss it in with the retreat stuff, but decided it was a good task for yesterday. 

My scrap box of black and white fabric

I'm not going to give you the blow-by-blow of how I did what I did, as I've decided to teach my scrap class in the fall. I'm enjoying my free time too much to fill it up with classes. Here's my plan - I'm going to run a scrap class in the fall through Thimbles and Things (SH -- I have finalized the details with Paula yet), and it'll likely start in October (maybe September) and run for hmmmmm ---- how many months? About 7, I think, so I need to look at my calendar. Perhaps I could get that organized later today. 

I know that someone else does scrappy classes with that store, but I have a different take on it! As a result, I'm saving the process I did yesterday, but I'll share a few things with you. 

After taking stock of what I needed, I had to cut almost 1,000 rectangles at 1½" by 2½". 

Taking stock of what I had

That was a long and boring afternoon, but I was listening to a great audiobook, so I didn't mind. After the workout and the massage, and then standing to do all this cutting, my back was tired at one point, so I sat down for a while. 

MANY rectangles cut

The bottom line is that everything got cut, labelled, and back in the project bag. 

The project is ready to sew!

The remaining bits of black-and-white fabric are neatly organized in the black-and-white scrap box, and I'm a happy camper. YES - I made a dent in the scrap box! 

The scrap box now!

I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to get back to working on this, but it is a good ender/leader project, and I might keep that out and work on it instead of my half-square triangles. But that is one thing off the current project table - well, technically it's still there, but much more advanced than it was. 

Then it was onto the next thing. As mentioned, there are so many small things that are almost complete but aren't, and I'm trying to get them done. I have these little mitten ornaments that are mostly done, but a few need a few fiddly finishing details. Last night, during the Virtual Retreat call, I decided to get more of that done. 

I had one mitten that required crystals. 

This mitten requires crystals.

I set up the supplies, which probably took longer than applying the remaining crystals. 

Getting ready to work on the crystals

The mitten now has crystals and is complete. I put everything away once the crystal tool cooled down. 

Crystals on the mitten

I have six Santa mittens that required theappliquée pieces to be cut and fused in place. I did that the other day, but now a bell has to be stitched to each hat. 

Three Santa mittens

I have three of six bells sewn on, and all six faces have theappliquéé complete. I believe I still have to mark eyes with a pen and something else, I can't remember at the moment. I should be able to finish those tonight. 

I also cut out the fusibleappliquéé and fused the pieces for the four snowman blocks in place. There is still a face to draw on. The pattern calls for seed beads, but why? I think I'll get the Pigma pen out and mark dots. 

The four snowman mittens

I get an email anytime a house is listed in our area, or there's a price change or whatever. OH MY GOODNESS -- we all know that prices are nowhere near what they were several years ago, but I got a notification this morning of a house that has a price drop of 35%. That equates to over $500K. Either that was a big mistake, or they are desperate to sell. So, for less than $1M, you can get a pretty nice house in a great neighborhood!! The house has been renovated as well! 

The girls and I had some long walks (yes - that is plural) yesterday. I took this picture of the creek in the forest behind the house. 

The creek behind our house

What's interesting, and I probably say this every year, is that the creek ends in a city sewer drain! And it only has water in the spring. How sad that the creek ends in a drain. I know other areas around here typically have water in the spring, but they just plop houses onto the land. 

When I went for a walk in the afternoon, I had no errands and didn't really want to walk alone, so I grabbed both girls, and we went out. Good grief—though Miss Murphy was fast asleep and is getting up in age, the minute you put a leash on her, she is a different dog. For the first part of the walk, she goes full tilt, then, once she has calmed down, she slows down somewhat. Lexi is just happy to be out!

Walking the dogs

While they are fun to walk together, I wouldn't do it regularly. They would kill me with all the pulling and twisting and turning they do. But they are MUCH better on leashes together than they used to be. They would get all twisted up and pull suddenly at full speed, and it was a nightmare. My only fear about walking both of them is having an e-scooter pass us, because Murphy HATES them. She even gives motorcycles the evil eye when they pass us! I have no idea where that came from! I would not be able to control both dogs in that situation. 

I spent time in Studio B this morning tidying up! Machines were on the floor, needing cleaning, and stuff was everywhere. I still have a lot to do today, but I'm making good progress. Vacuuming floors, dusting, etc. And putting things away and getting out what to work on today. I have nothing except the Virtual Retreat. Sorry—I had to check my schedule again to confirm that. It just feels bizarre to not have to prep for something or host a Zoom class. 

WAIT—other than Monday Sewing, I have NOTHING on my calendar for the remainder of the month. NOTHING!!!! 

But that doesn't mean I'm not cognizant of what needs to be done for April, and with several trips in April, I need to be strategic with my time. I dug out this block to work on this morning. That is going to be a doozy to sew, and I can hardly wait. 

My "homework" for today

I'm trying really hard to finish up those piddly and fiddly little things that are half done. There's a lot of that kind of stuff on the current projects table. I'm making progress, but I have a few too many things on the go. It's time to refocus and just get them done! That includes the cutting and handwork I'm taking to this quilting retreat! 

On that happy note, I'm out of here! The link for the Virtual Retreat is below. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!




Virtual Retreat - Sunday, March 22 --- starts at 3 PM.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89869001291?pwd=h57kT9axwTnd2xtJvuO0z2UOmUo45w.1

Meeting ID: 898 6900 1291
Passcode: 136711

Things to make from collaged fabric!

Dang it—why do we get embarrassed when we do something silly? Especially when an acknowledgement of our slight accident and a kind word would make everything better! We are all guilty of that! Thankfully, my landing was soft, and I had no bruises, nothing. BUT it's going to be dicey out there this morning, so I may wait. I'll see how it goes. The problem is that when you get either of the girls out the door to test, it's very hard to get them back in! 

The day of puzzling continues. WAIT -- I'll start with the sewing first. 

No wait -- I'll start with updates on those niggling little things in my life. I had one last call with Microsoft, and the case is officially closed. Yeah! Although the support person was very good at calling back, it was a window, so I sometimes had to wait. But all is good - I'm very happy with the level of support I got, and I certainly got my money's worth from them!

When I questioned her about the life of Classic Outlook, she was pretty adamant that Microsoft had NOT made an official statement. And YES -- they know that the new version is missing some features. Whether they will do anything about it or not is another story. The bottom line is that I need to get moving and start clearing out the inbox. It's plain and simple. Then if I need to migrate to another interface at some point (I will - let's be honest), it won't be such a big deal. 

Now that Classic is working as it should, I rarely use the New version! But both are pinned to my taskbar in the event I need the new one. 

My package is "in transit." I know it arrived in Montreal, and that is all I see in the updates. At least it is in the Canada Post system, so if it doesn't arrive, they can do something from their end. Hopefully by Friday! 

Did I mention the engineers want the house plans to further inspect that beam? So I must try to track those down through the city. But first, I will ask the engineers if there is anything else they want. Are they trying to put me off because they don't want to look at the issue? Why didn't they say from the start what they would need? All the back-and-forth is just silly.  

OK—now let's get to the sewing. I have my jacket class this weekend, and I need to get something done! I have this Tamarack Jacket that I started a few years ago, and I need to finish it. I decided to put welt pockets in the jacket. One pocket was done, and the other was not. I thought I had not started it, but when I pulled it out, it was partially complete. The trick was to find out where I had left off. 

The welt pocket in progress

The pattern is very detailed with reasonably good diagrams, and soon I was on my way. Last night, I sat down and did all the hand-stitching required to finish the pocket. Instead of leaving the pocket loose inside the jacket to flap, I've hand-stitched it in place. It's hard to see the pocket!  

The jacket lining has "invisible" pockets.

And there are the two fronts of the jacket! All that is left to sew are the shoulders, the side seams, the sleeves, and to bind the edges. That shouldn't take long, and YES—this jacket is on the Visual To-Do list! The big question is: can I get it completed by Saturday? 

The jacket fronts

And just for fun, read this post dated May 15, 2023. It's when I did the first welt pocket. 

Last night, after sewing all afternoon, I pulled all the puzzle pieces with yellow on them and put them on the table. It's a bit awkward to work because of all the floating sections I assembled the night before. And there were so many pieces with yellow on them. It looked impossible! However, after organizing myself and studying the picture in great detail, I managed to find a home for everything with yellow in it! I love working by color, and I'm not sure there is any other way with this one. The two tape measures were interesting to assemble! Still missing two border pieces!

Progress on the tool puzzle

I also managed to connect many of the loose red sections. Today - I pick a different color! The entire process is working great for me, and I am happy to work through the day, knowing I have a reward in the evening! It works for me, and guess what? It keeps me off my phone! Not that I was on it a lot, but if I was going to scroll, it would be in the evening. I think putting the puzzle together is a much better use of my time! 

Let's go back to the puzzle fabric that I mentioned yesterday. I didn't have to dig far, and VOILA -- there was the orange fabric I was certain I had purchased. It still had the price tag on it, and I had only purchased a fat quarter. 

My orange collage fabric

Well, I had to unfold the fabric and have a good look at it. OH MY --- what an eclectic mix of orange objects! How fun!!! I don't have enough fabric to check out the repeats. WAIT --- I have a horizontal repeat, so I'll have a look at it later today! 

At least one repeat of the orange fabric! 

Of course, I had to get my orange puzzle out, and yep --- the exact same! What fun to discover that the fabric and the puzzles are the same. YES -- my orange puzzle is still in the plastic wrap, and it will remain that way until I get to it. After the tool puzzle, I have two more that I want to do first. Then I can dig in the closet and pull out the next one to work on!

Orange puzzle

Here is what I mean by old and new versions. Both are produced by Cobble Hill, but the one on the left is the old packaging, while the one on the right is the new packaging. 

Old and new styles of packaging

And there is the artist's name on the back. Shelley Davies. OH MY --- it was not a good idea to search the internet for her artwork! She does a lot of this style of artwork, and I LOVE it. She has one that is all letters and numbers. WAIT --- I need to finish a few before I can buy new ones! It is seniors' day at the thrift store, and I might just wander down to see if anything exciting is there! 

Artwork by Shelley Davies

But Brenda got as excited as I did about these puzzles—hey, she has done all seven of them! But like me, she was intrigued by the fabric. Her favorite color is blue, so she bought some of that and also pink. I laughed when I got back from my walk because there were two items she had made in my inbox!! 

A hat from the blue collage fabric

And she made an iPad case. 

An iPad case from the pink collage fabric

She must love the fabric because I believe she is out of town and happened to have both of these items with her!!!! 

Cathy, from the UFO club, made this quilt using all seven fabrics. 

A quilt from the seven collage fabrics

And I have another friend (Mary) who made a tote bag from the red fabric, and I forgot to ask her for a picture yesterday because I don't think I have one of her bag. WAIT—through my meticulous record-keeping, I have a picture of her bag!!!

Here's a picture of it in progress. 

Mary's bag, in progress

And here's a picture of it complete!!!

An open tote bag from the red collage fabric

So, if you think my pictures aren't organized, I found the last three very quickly. The ones I use are very well organized; it's the others that aren't! Someday I'll get there. It's a challenge to deal with digital and physical stuff at the same time. I have a lot more time on my hands, but not always when I want it. I really need to book a day to make a dent in the paper, but for the moment, I'm happy with my few pieces each day. I certainly don't need to keep all my dentist's bills. 

The sidewalks were beautiful yesterday -- clear and dry, even that icy patch where I fell. Throughout the evening, we had light snow, and the sidewalks are covered this morning. Sigh........ And it's cold!!! But the girls are in their element! 

MOM - we are HAPPY!!!

I'm off to accomplish lots today! And I can't wait! I have no idea why this happens, but when I need to get my act together and create something, I think and think and think, and ideas form, but I'm not excited about them, and so it's hard to get motivated to make them. Then, as the deadline approaches, the idea slams into my head, and I want to sew!!! That happened the other day, and I'm all ready to get started today, while I keep working on the two classes for the weekend, but all of that is pretty much under control. 

WAIT—someone mentioned the Southampton Market and the Puzzle Room!!!! I had a look online, and YES—the puzzle room is huge. I may have to take a day trip this summer!!!! 

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

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!