A puzzling day!!

Happy Mother's Day

I must say, it feels great to get back to sewing, and, well, I just picked a "random" project to work on. Actually, it's on my Visual To-Do list under UFO, so I'm allowed to work on it! I had picked five projects under the UFO category, and my plan is to finish them all this year. They are in various states of completion. 

When I first started the sew-along quilts, in year two (2004), we did something different. Instead of choosing one large quilt, we picked two small quilts from a four-season collection. The fall and spring quilts (two of each) are waiting to be quilted. I have no idea if I started the summer one or even where it would be. But I knew that the winter one was not done. WAIT -- I will confess that at the time, I NEEDED to make two of everything. Why? Because I'd have one ready to show and the other was in bits and pieces to show the progress, or at least that was my plan. 

Well, neither of the winter ones got done! Here's what's in the box! There are some completed blocks and some embellishments, though I don't think all of those embellishments belong to this quilt, so I'll do some investigating later today. 

What was in the box

I put the completed blocks on the design wall for both quilts. 

Progress on both quilts

Some of the fabrics (larger pieces for backgrounds) were pulled, but lots of fabric is missing. So as I watched a presentation, I was sorting through my blue scraps. You don't know how handy those scrap bins are, and because they are sorted by color, it's easy to find what I need. And can you believe I found some scraps for the fabric I was working with? Yep—this quilt was started in 2004, and I still had some scraps. That fabric is now history!

Digging through the scraps

As I was putting the scraps back in the container, I wasn't paying attention, and OH— the darn thing fell on the floor. So the scraps were put back in the container, but the lid doesn't fit as well as it did when I started. 

Oopsy!

However, I got all the pieces cut for my two cardinal blocks. 

Ready to sew the cardinal block

These four seasonal quilts are made with the stitch-and-flip method, which requires extensive marking of diagonal sewing lines. BUT, now that I have a projection line on my sewing machine, I no longer have to draw lines. That speeds up the process a wee bit. 

The projection line on the sewing machine!

While I was working, I was sewing the scrappy half-square triangles as enders and leaders. I came across these in the tray. Hmmm -- the minimal size I work on now is the one in the bottom right. The ones on the left are far too small, and I do not know why I even considered sewing them. 

Srappy triangles to sew or throw!

In addition to rifling through the scrap bins, I had to dig through the blue yardage bin to attempt to find more of that one background fabric. Shoot—I don't have any more. And if I had been paying attention and not made several miscuts, I would probably have had enough. But I fixed it, which you'll see in a moment. 

Rifling through the blue yardage basket

Those two cardinal blocks were major puzzles, and I had to pause the audiobook several times to read the pattern and figure out the order of partial seams and flipped corners. And then my two blocks were done!!! I believe the legs have to be embroidered, but otherwise - done!

The cardinal blocks are done!

Here's what I did to address the fabric shortage. 

A wee "patch."

There are six more blocks to make for each quilt. I might as well keep at it, as I was on a roll and enjoying the process, and I'd like to get one more UFO done and one more thing off the current project table. 

So last night, before shutting off the lights, I pulled fabrics for the next set of blocks, which are some log cabin blocks. 

Fabric pulled for the log cabin blocks.

And this morning, I cut all the pieces to make 8 blocks - four for each quilt. 

The log cabin blocks are ready to sew.

I still had some time, so I decided to prep the next block, which has some piecing and appliqué. 

Prepping the next block

My goal, though it might be a stretch, is to get all the piecing done for both blocks today. And I hope to trace all the appliqué. I feel much better and seem to have my sewjo back, which is great since I have a lot to do. And it's good to take a rest from it every once in a while. 

I also got a lot done on the jigsaw puzzle. Oh shoot - I did look at the artist's name, and I've forgotten it, but they are Canadian. (Malika Pannek - a German-Canadian illustrator who lives in Canada). Oh, shoot—I just saw on her website (The Paperhood) that she has two new jigsaw puzzles. 

For the longest time, that building on the left was just floating, but now it's attached to the side, and I'm working on the building on the right, as well as the big tree. I'm not nearly as neat as when I worked on some of the others. There are pieces everywhere, but all is good. 

Good progress

Here are a couple of things I discovered on my morning walk. The for-rent e-scooters are back on the sidewalks, although they seem to be different models from last year. I noticed this sign on them that you can't really miss while riding. Do you see what it says? "No riding on sidewalks," and yet every one of them is ridden on a sidewalk. It's a disaster waiting to happen. 

A note on the for-rent e-scooters

I also spotted the little white e-car again. The driver must live in the retirement home down the street, and there is a multi-purpose path (right beside the sidewalk) that connects the retirement home to the gas station. He always parks in the handicap parking, which looks ridiculous since his car is so tiny, but it's close to the entrance. I have never seen the gentleman outside the car, so I wonder if he drives there and gets them to bring out what he is buying? Or does he just park there to have a rest? 

He has followed me several times down the multi-purpose path (I typically walk on the sidewalk), but he comes up slow behind me, until I hear him, and then he zips past. Now, if only we could get the e-scooters to do the same thing. 

Talk about gas prices jumping. When I walked Murphy past this station before 8 AM, the price was 190.0. Half an hour later, when I walked Lexi past the station, the price had dropped by 18 cents! Please note that our prices are per liter, not per gallon, if you are reading from the US. There must have been some good news about the supply to cause it to drop that much! 

Fill up the car!!!!!

Then, as Miss Lexi and I were forest bathing, we turned the corner, and I spotted something white high in a tree. So we went to investigate, and OH MY—there was a cat in the tree. It didn't seem stressed and was as quiet as a mouse, so I guess it didn't need rescuing. 

Cat in the tree

While you can't see the cat in this picture, it was quite high up!

The trees where the cat was sitting

And Miss Murphy—well, she is not happy these days. Because the weather is still quite cool, and I wasn't outside. However, she can see me sitting in the kitchen while I ice my knee, she decided that we should play ball. She grabs the ball, throws it in the pond, then gives a sharp bark, and stares at me!!!!

MOM - Let's play ball

And when I didn't go out, she sulked. I felt so bad that I went and threw the ball a couple of times for her. She is 10 or 11 and shows no signs of slowing down, although I think she is having a bit of trouble with her back legs. That is a common issue for this breed and this age of dog. I must consult the vet or check online to get her something to help with her joints. I probably should have done that a long time ago. 

MOM - I'm so sad....... come play with me!!!!

But then we had quite the storm later in the afternoon, and she was frantic. I finally had to put her thunder shirt on her to try and calm her down, but it didn't seem to be working. 

MOM - I'm scared!!!!!

She was trying to find a quiet, dark place to hide. I opened all the doors to the closets and rooms in hopes she would go into one of the spaces and settle down, but that didn't happen. And what's wrong with the stash room? When the lights are off, that room is dark, and she hides behind the shelf. But dogs can feel the storm in the air, and that was not making her happy. 

MOM - it's so scary!!!!

Thankfully, the storm didn't last long, and she was back to her happy self. 

I also got a customer quilt loaded on the long arm, but by the time things settled down at the house, it was getting too late in the day to start, so I'll be at work on that today. 

And I took KU out to lunch as it was her birthday. We went to the crepe place in the mall and OH MY --- the crepes are to die for!! They have sweet and savory options, and it's so hard to choose which to have. And they are super filling. If you're ever looking for something different and are near the mall, you should try this place. I only go there for special occasions because it is way too decadent to eat often. It is also busy and slow as they cook each crepe to perfection. 

While I was at the doctor's, I asked for a renewal of my medication (bone density), and I got a call that it was ready for pickup at the original drug store, which I changed at least a year ago. And the pills are not the same. I checked this morning, and they are the original ones she gave me that must be taken 30 minutes before eating. Sigh...................   I have to call her and get her to give me the other drug, which allows me to take it with a meal. 

The sad thing is, there was NO warning on the drug packets that the drug needed to be taken 30 minutes before eating, and that you are not allowed to lie down for 30 minutes. 

On that happy note, I'm out of here! There's a lot on the agenda today, including Mother's Day brunch, so I must get things happening! 

Have a super 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!!!

The creep

How quickly the clutter returns to the desktop! I must set aside a few minutes each day to deal with the stuff! 

How quickly the days are flying by!!!! Can you believe that we are almost two weeks into this year? ACK!!

How quickly has our snow come and gone! Here are a couple of pictures from that folder that I accidentally deleted. The little plow came by very early in the morning and cleared the sidewalk. While we still have to shovel - well, some people think they don't have to - we still need to shovel the snow out of the driveway. If this is how people treat their outside, imagine how the inside looks? Not even going there! This photo was from January 7, and today, there is no snow except for a mound where I shoveled the driveway. 

The sidewalks are plowed

And here's the article from A Needle Pulling Thread on quilting and texture. It is NOT an article you can purchase on its own. I should chat with the editor to see how many of those articles aren't published separately and whether it makes sense to put some of them together. Anyway, it's a great article. I've written MANY articles over the years! 

My article on texture in quilting

Here's the issue cover in case you might already have it. But get it out and read that! 

And here's how quickly things can happen in Studio B, without you even knowing they happened. It's called the CREEP -- just like our weight! This week, I'm madly prepping or continuing to prep for the three classes this weekend. Well, two classes and UFO Club. So I've been busy working on the projects in that blue tub. I hope I get through them all, but I'm doing my best. 

This was part of yesterday's tasks. Let's just say that I made a lot of binding. 

Binding!

I would have prepped another, except that I realized the cut strips were straight of grain and I needed bias. I hate when that happens! Hopefully, I have enough of that same fabric to cut bias strips instead. DUH!!!! 

What I have decided to do for the UFO Club is to work on the projects on the Current Project tables. Why am I pulling something else out when there is so much there? And while I call them current projects, most of them are old enough or suitable for classification as a UFO. At the moment, instead of working on one big project, I'm trying to get a lot of small things done or almost-completed projects. Hence, making all those bindings. 

You'll get to see the complete UFO completion list after the weekend. I did more, but can't share them with you yet. 

Of course, you know me. Once I emptied that tub onto the cutting table to sort and prioritize how I spend the next couple of days, I had to fill the blue tub with projects for next month! Trust me!! This method of working is so satisfying, but that brings me to the creep!

As I was surveying the two tables, looking for candidates for the next month's UFO, I spotted two things. 

A wild pile of stuff on the current projects table

The blue bucket in the foreground has some thread and yarn that I want to experiment with, but it is technically not a UFO or even a current project. It's supplies to work on when I get there. So that got put away. Then the white basket of yarn behind that. That is also new stuff and not on my radar, so that got put away as well, as did that roll of green organza. All experiments that I'm not ready to tackle, and no project has even started with them. 

Those few items crept onto the table without me even realizing!!! And now this is what the table looks like. OK -- still jammed with stuff, but at least there is one spot clear on the surface!!! And after next month, that spot is going to be even larger! 

An empty spot on the current project table!

So yes—focus for me is the only way, and I'm being so very disciplined with what I'm working on these days. I still get to work on new things while teaching the jacket class and Colour My World. But anything new beyond that? Not happening, unless it's specifically for work, like the projects you saw last week. 

Am I making progress? You bet, and I'm pretty excited about it. Have I removed any of the "todo" from my visual list? No, but I'm working on those in conjunction with UFO Club, and all is coming along nicely. I need to maintain focus and momentum!

I also completed a customer's quilt on the longarm. 

Customer quilt - DONE

The next quilt is loaded, except for the batting. This quilt is mine, and I'll dig out some white batting bits and join them later today. 

I have to say that I had a fantastic workout at the gym. I also have a goal there, and it makes me much more focused. As I cranked up the tension on the bike (I certainly don't overdo it because of my tight muscles), I could feel the power without any discomfort! That's a huge improvement. And when I stretched, I stretched with intent! For twenty minutes! I think my getting off the floor is much more graceful than it has been in a while. 

And we all know how our weight can fluctuate throughout the day and change a lot. But when the scale says three pounds less than last Thursday? I'm going to take that as a turn for the better! I walked out of the gym flying like a kite and prepped for a great day! 

You do NOT need to belong to a gym. The stretching I did for 20 minutes was on the floor, on a mat. No equipment. Which means I could do the same stretching and a bit of abs at home every day! And my abs are getting stronger, which is what I need. They have become flabby, and that doesn't make me happy! 

I went for a walk in the afternoon, and while I didn't need to go very far to meet my daily goal, I went for a long walk anyway. That netted me over 20,000 steps for the day! And cleared my brain, and all was good!

The girls were happy on their walk, and Murphy found a stick to bring home. I threw it in the backyard as I didn't want her chewing on that in the house. 

Mom - I went shopping and got a stick!

And then, the two of them got frisky while DH and I had dinner last night. Ever the entertainers!!!!

MOM - DAD- are you watching us? 

So we have a destination wedding this year. Actually, two weddings, the first is in Italy in April. What to wear? What to wear? The wedding has a fuchsia color scheme, and the events last four days! Good grief! I'm only taking carry-on and will extend my trip by a bit, so I'm madly planning what to wear. I've got it figured out - I just need to make the stuff! 

But as I was trolling the internet for ideas, this popped up!! 

I did NOT even ask for a color, and well, how about those hats! Could that go in my carry-on? 

Which look should I go for? Actually, none of these - you know me - I'm not a dress person. But I could have exposed abs, and if so, I'd better get to work on them! That's not happening either!!!

On that note, I'd better get moving as it's going to be a busy day - a play date is planned, and I can't wait!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!