A trip down memory lane

I LOVE hearing all your stories of repurposing projects, prepping for upcoming surgeries (good luck), and ideas for my Prince challenge. It's a process to be sure, but when you have a plan, or whatever you want to call it, life is good. I know the times I find hardest are when I have something (or multiple things) to do and no plan. Sometimes that is as simple as writing things down. 

I had several computer tasks to do, and I kept reviewing them in my head. That was taking up a lot of energy to keep track of them. I wrote them on a piece of paper (I KNOW - I should have put them in the computer to-do list), but this way they were right in front of me, and all of them were URGENT. This was motivation for me to get them done. 

Of those 9, I got 6½ done yesterday, which is great. The rest I can get done this morning. Writing the list down set my mind at ease, letting my subconscious work on something else without wasting energy trying to remember those nine things!

I had a chat with HP yesterday, and my computer is now up to date, and I know how to periodically check that all updates are up to date! It doesn't happen automatically! Who knew that? I'm ready for my fourth session with Microsoft this morning. BTW -- I asked the HP support person where he was located - Mumbai, India! Very nice person and very helpful. 

A LOT of things happened yesterday. It was Monday Sewing, and while we chatted, I was busy working. 

I pulled some "easy" things out of the UFO blue bin to work on. The first one was to deal with the leftovers from the soccer quilt that you saw last week. The leftover strips from the mitered border were too large to be considered a scrap. So instead of putting a mitered border on that square of fabric in the center, I did the opposite. I made the mitered borders and then cut the center to fit! And I got a 27" square table topper from those leftovers. 

The soccer table topper from leftover border prints

And there was enough fabric to make the backing. I used a solid black for the binding, and this one is ready to be quilted. I want to get it quilted this week, so I can finish it and then find a home for the two quilts. 

Ready to be quilted

I have THREE projects like this that were put in the UFO blue bin. I'll give you a better idea of what I started with and what I did on this next one. I think I remember what quilt this border fabric came from. It's in the "to be quilted" pile and has been for years! Anyway, I had a piece of floral yardage (top left), the eight cut-off pieces from applying the mitered border, and a length of the border print. Not shown are some leftovers from the border print. 

What I started with

Wait -- I took a picture of the leftovers from the border print.

The leftover border prints bits

 And here's a better view of the yardage. 

The yardage

This is called reverse engineering because I laid out the fabric to see what I had and to determine what sizes everything needed to be cut or where it could be used. 

Visually designing a table runner

YES -- I could make a decent-sized table runner out of this. I started by assembling the two short end borders. And then I constructed the long borders. I ensured that the two short and the two long borders were the same length, but honestly, I didn't really have to trim anything. They were equal! Good planning. 

Ensuring the long borders are the same length

And I laid it on the floor. It looks AWESOME!!! The tricky part is cutting the center to match the borders. I'm still working on that formula. 

That is going to look amazing.

But the MINUTE that was on the floor after I cut the center to fit, guess who came downstairs and guess where she went. She immediately went to that table runner and STOPPED. 

MOM -- is this for me?

Then she lay down! 

MOM - it's a bit small!

I have to say that when I went downstairs this morning, I half expected her to be lying on it, but nope - she was on her mat under the table. Good girl Murphy!!! And see that mat is plenty big enough for us to have a good cuddle.

Mat - I needed the extra thickness of my mat last night

I didn't finish the table runner yesterday, so I'll work on it this morning. And there is ONE more similar project in the UFO box. I'm going to get that one done this week as well, and then I need to set aside the UFO box for a bit. What is nice is that these small projects that have cluttered up the table tops are finally being done! I'm super excited!!!!

Oh my—sometimes we need to keep quiet. Remember the lady I ran into in the grocery store? Well, I took pictures of the project I had started for her and sent them to her yesterday. She didn't even remember the project!!!! ACK -- I could have just repurposed everything, and no one would be the wiser. But the guilt would gnaw at me, so we're going to discuss on Friday what to do about it. 

I had this border done, but it needs stitching in bright colors to really stand out from the background. And I have a ton of photos transferred to fabric, as well as a hand-drawn diagram of the direction we were going. 

The borders for the quilt

But as I was looking in the box, I spotted this! Notice the date - 2002! We weren't even living in this house at the time! And we've lived here for 23 years!  

Keepsake Quilting catalogue

For anyone who remembers that catalogue, it was the equivalent of being 6 years old again, and getting the Sears Wish Book, or the Eaton's one. The Wish Book was published from the mid-50s to the mid-70s, although I think the regular Sears catalogue continued for a few more years. 

The Christmas Wish Book

I browsed the catalogue while eating lunch, and what a trip down memory lane!! Here are some highlights that I found interesting. It was BIG -- 126 pages!!!!

EQ4 was the computer design software of choice. It's still going strong today with EQ8 being the current version. 

EQ4 for $110. CDN

OH MY -- the bugs in a jar quilt. This was a very popular pattern, and novelty prints were all the rage. Some people filled the jars with fruit and veggie-themed fabrics. I don't think I ever made this pattern (I'm sure I have it), but I have boxes and boxes of all kinds of novelty prints that are used for I Spy quilts. 

Bugs in a jar quilt pattern

There were many fabric clubs you could subscribe to, and of course, in 2002, there were NO PRE-CUTS. GASP!!! How did people survive? Well, you could buy collections like this one of 10" squares. I think this one was curated to make the jar quilt above. I may or may not have purchased some of these. 

10" squares of novelty prints

There's the pattern for Rosewood Cottage. Oh my!!! I taught that as an ongoing class in 2008 at The Hobby Horse, and again in 2013 at Ruti's Needlebed. My quilt is in the "to be quilted" pile. What fun we had with that quilt. If you click the link above, you can see the final show-and-tell. I don't have anything on the blog for the 2008 version. I was just starting to write my blog that year. 

Rosewood Cottage

And the final picture I'll share is Moonglow by Jinny Beyer. I made this quilt, and it is quilted and bound, though I'd like to add more quilting with metallic thread. WAIT --- this would be the perfect thing to do with the embroidery machine!!! Lightbulb moment!!!! This pattern was released again, but I'm not sure of the year. 

Moonglow pattern

I remember sitting in the Hobby Horse, and Gail was contemplating bringing in the pattern. So I quietly said, "I can make the sample." I had no clue what I was doing, but I LOVE the quilt. It was challenging, but the quilt is beautiful!! I don't seem to have any pictures of it on the blog either. 

WOW WOW WOW --- what a trip down memory lane. The catalogue is now in the recycling bin, except for the one page I wanted for that customer project - it was an idea for a family tree. Funny, how we keep the entire catalogue for one picture. 

WAIT --- I did this last night as well. 

Machine embroidery on tulle

I'm still designing the central feature for the bridal veil, but she also wanted Zodiac constellations on it. I managed to find those on Etsy, and they turned out pretty darn good. That is stitched on bridal tulle. Cutting away the excess water-soluble stabilizer was a challenge, and I managed to NOT cut the tulle. It's going to be on a plane tomorrow, so she can evaluate it. 

The only thing that needs to be changed, if possible, is that it's a bit scratchy on the back, which could be because it was quickly rinsed rather than fully washed. I will have to make another sample, or I could wash this more thoroughly today and let it dry. But amazing that you can stitch on see-through tulle and it's pretty strong. 

It was a jam-packed day, and I'm making progress in many areas. I will have to settle down later this week and start getting back to focusing on one or two things, not flitting around as I did yesterday. Some of the things done yesterday were just to see if we would go ahead with the project. If the answer is yes, then it needs to be scheduled in. 

My knee did just fine at spin class. Being clipped into the pedals helps keep the knee straight, and as long as it stays straight, it's happy. Try to twist it even one tiny bit, and it's not happy! So I'm extremely careful. It was fine all day, but it bothered me quite a bit last night, so I'm not sure what's going on. Slow and careful -- that's my motto. I only cycled for 30 minutes, with little pressure - I can crank out the equivalent of 30 KM in 60 minutes. Yesterday, I cycled 12 km in 30 minutes, so you can see I'm being responsible. I need to keep the knee moving. 

I'm running out of time, so I'll have to share another story about the knee tomorrow. 

Have a superb day!!!

Ciao!!!

A GOOD NEWS day!

Oh my goodness — everyone was in such a chatty mood last night, it was hard to get a word in edgewise! But that is great! We had some fantastic discussions, and I always learn a great deal from them. Remember, the Virtual Retreat starts today at 3 PM. Pushing back that start time is another way for me to recover some time for myself! I can always open the call earlier if people want, but I won't be there until three. 

I'm getting back into the swing of things, only to have my schedule turned upside down again in the coming days. But that's OK - the important thing is to work when I'm motivated and relax guilt-free when I'm not! 

I laughed when I wrote today's blog title. I mean MY good news. Is there ever any good news in the real news of the world these days? I'm not sure. 

But let's have a look at my good news. OK - my socks look very geeky at that height, but you can see my new hiking shoes. I LOVE them. They were a bit roomy when I first put them on, which is good because I'll be wearing thicker socks and possibly double socks in them on the hike. But as my feet warmed up, they were just fine! 

Hoka hiking shoes

It just goes to show that your feet expand, and I'll never wear shoes that are too tight again! A big lesson was learned on the Camino. I should have known better, but I digress. 

The other thing I LOVE about those shoes is the Quick-Toggle lacing system. At first, the shoes felt very loose, but then I tightened them up using the elastic laces, and oh my goodness, this is amazing. Everything that I was skeptical about proved me wrong. 

Would it be easy to get my foot in the shoe? YES -- just slide the slider down, the shoe opens up as if it had laces, and my foot went in like Cinderella's glass slipper. Then pull up the laces and slide up the slider; voilà — nice and tight. I LOVE the system and will definitely incorporate that into all my shoes going forward! I will see if I can find the lacing system online and buy a couple to put in my other shoes. 

And they said "old" dogs can't learn new tricks!!!!

Speaking of old dogs, I don't consider my dogs old, but they are certainly older. And it's hot, but not unbearable in the house, although the humidity level is high due to the rain yesterday. Murphy is good to sleep downstairs, where the dehumidifier is working effectively. But poor Lexi, with her big fur coat that I am constantly brushing off her, has some issues. 

Here is a dog who is very skittish about anything, and look at her. I think we need to turn on the AC to remove the humidity for her. Last night, when DH went to bed, he turned her small black fan off! Why??? I turned it on, and that's where I found her this morning. I'm not even going there! 

MOM - that black fan is mine - right? 

Even though it's hot outside, they are never lacking in enthusiasm when it's time for a walk. They both want to go at the same time, and that isn't happening at our house! 

MOM - I'm first, right? 

And can you tell me why Miss Lexi loves bushes? It's not enough to sniff them from afar, but she has to get right into the bush to get a good sniff. I suspect she likes the feeling of the leaves on her coat and might love a rubbing post! 

MOM - I love walking in the bushes! 

And when DH leaves, they flock to the window to see the action! Silly girls. 

MOM - where's Dad going? 

Yesterday was a day of finding things. First, here is the thing I saw at the hardware store that I didn't know I needed. A pantry moth trap! Yes -- we have an infestation of the pests, and I've cleaned and washed the pantry and kitchen shelves and drawers; thankfully, the infestation has lessened considerably. But we still get them occasionally, and it drives me mad. I just checked and there isn't a single moth in either trap, but I haven't seen one flying around or stuck on the wall either. 

Pantry moth traps

Then I needed to find my new fitness tracker. I knew I bought one and I put it in a safe place, but where was that? Then at last, I spotted it under the small shelf right beside the computer, so I must get that organized. Now, why couldn't I see that small box on the bottom right when I was looking for it before? I think I was looking for a larger box. But no worries - I have it, and all I need to do now is pair my current FitBit to the new phone, grab the data, and then switch over. 

The missing fitness tracker

However, something unusual happened with the Fitbit. Although it hasn't synced with the phone for the fitness numbers, I'm still receiving notifications from my phone on it. Could you please explain why that is happening? It just started sending me notifications while I was away last week. Speaking of notifications, I've turned almost all of them off on my phone. Good grief - I don't need to hear that constant pinging! People are too addicted to that ping, and it drives me mad! 

The other thing I found yesterday was the cell phone holder for the tripod. I had taken it off for some reason, but do you think I could find it? Nope -- gone. I searched where it should have been, and it wasn't there. And not on any of the three tripods. That sucks, and I was going to buy a new one. Then, as I sat at my computer last night during the Virtual Retreat, I glanced to the left and there it was. Black, like the stand my laptop sits on, and I couldn't see it! Yeah!!!!! It's now on the tripod! 

Cell phone holder for the tripod!

I still haven't found the plastic templates I'm looking for, and I really thought I should give it a try last night, but I didn't. Perhaps, today, I'll look in the two other spots where I think it might be. 

Speaking of being efficient with errands, I had a list of things I needed from the drugstore and some questions for the pharmacist. I got my questions answered. While they can supply and administer the two remaining shots I want, I have to get a prescription for both. Crap -- maybe if I can call the doctor on Monday, it can be done on Friday. I hate that we have to VISIT the doctor for something like that, and hopefully I can persuade her to do it even if I don't come in. 

I got the other items on my list and came home, only to realize that I missed buying one thing! Crap! I should have made a list, but I didn't think I needed a list. Obviously, I did. But then I already had five things on the list, and DH added one more, and that bumped one thing from my head. FARCE!!!!!

I spotted this detergent while waiting to pay! Everything is an inspiration for a quilt. Actually, this reminded me of the Postcards from Sweden quilt. 

Laundry detergent inspiration

We have lucked out with our backyard. There seems to be something blooming constantly. Here are the two flowering shrubs that are currently in bloom. 

Pink morning glory

White morning glory

I'm not sure if there is anything else to bloom. I think this is it. Our lilies in the pond didn't seem to last too long this year, or maybe I missed it all. Next year, I want to stay home and enjoy the backyard more! 

I finally got this quilt quilted. It's been in the "to be quilted" pile for probably 20 years or more! I know. It's not dated at all, and I have kept pulling this quilt out to use for trunk shows. I won't have to do that any longer. I've crossed it off my master list of "to be quilted" quilts, and it needs to be trimmed and have the binding put on. This is NOT the panel. I cut and pieced that thing! Which got me started on a long and costly journey of collecting novelty prints. 

My I Spy quilt - quilted! 

I have another UFO that I'm working on. These are not official UFOs for the UFO club, but I might substitute these ones for what I put on the list. Anyway, there's a long story behind this quilt. It was a group quilt, and I had shuffled it around for eons. I had the top done, but I wanted to do more with the top, but it never happened. It's going to be at the Buckhorn show in September, so I figured I had better get to work on it. Some of the quilts at the show will be new, and some will not. But you need to come and see WHY I chose those quilts for the show. There is a theme!!

Thankfully, after meeting my friend last week, who participated in this group project, I remembered that I had made a book for the quilt, and I remembered during our discussion where the book was. It was right where it was supposed to be, but I had forgotten about the book. But I laughed when I saw the cover. There are TWO notes on saying, "the finished quilt pix goes here!"

I suppose a picture of the finished quilt would be appropriate here. 

I took a look at the book to determine the date we worked on this. OMG!!!!!

OHHHHHHH

TWENTY-FIVE years ago!!! That's bad!!! The quilt is still current (no dated fabrics), and I'm anxious to complete it. I even found a label in the book with the signature of each participant. WOW!!!!! 

I was about to press the quilt top when I remembered the temporary hangers on the quilt. For anyone who remembers this far back, I really wanted this quilt to hang in the Mississauga Quilters' Guild quilt show many years ago. I would say that was 2004 or 2005 when I was the show convener. The quilt never got quilted, but I hung the quilt top. I'm sure many guild members were mortified! I didn't care. 

Temporary quilt hangers for a quilt top!

So I made the backing yesterday and loaded it on the long arm. When I went to press the quilt top, I discovered that several appliqués were fused on, but not stitched. Hmmm - can I live with those appliqués not stitched in place? I could have, but I didn't want to, so last night during the virtual retreat, I appliquéed two shapes. I found another smaller one, so I did that as well. 

Stitching the appliqué in place

As I scoured the quilt top, I discovered FIVE more appliqués with no stitching. DRAT!!!!! So last night, I grabbed the five thread colors I would need and left them out. I've already stitched two of the shapes this morning, while the other machine did embroidery, and all is good. I'll easily complete the remaining three this morning, and I might even get it quilted today. I'll share the top with you, but you'll hear a lot more about this quilt later on. 

Thread colors for appliqué

Between the embroidery and the appliqué, I have many boxes of thread piled on the table. I LOVE these storage boxes for thread. When I want a color, I grab a box. I can't imagine having my thread in a drawer or cabinet where it couldn't be removed. That's not efficient in my books. But we each work to our own agenda. 

Some of my thread boxes

The big topic of discussion last night was the towel on the ironing surface! When I first spotted that at a quilt retreat on their ironing surfaces, I thought the owner was trying to protect her ironing covers. But NO --- this is the best discovery in the pressing world! 

A beach towel on an ironing surface

You want a beach towel with no ribbing or fancy stuff on it! I would love to find a plainer one because I often take pictures on the ironing board, but no worries! Bright it is! And it looks way more cheerful than the stained one that was there. However, I think I'll try to wash that stained one today. Just to see what happens. It is just a canvas cover that is NOT attached to the pad. 

At some point, I'd like to add elastic to the corners of the towel to prevent it from curling up when ironing large items, such as my quilt backing or a quilt top. But otherwise? I wouldn't press anything without it! Try it and see!!!!

Additionally, I completed one writing assignment and began the second. Yep -- I'm on a roll and this one should be much faster. 

On that happy note, I'm fired up and have already had two machines up and working this morning. I have laundry to do and a lot of work to complete before the Virtual Retreat starts at 3 PM. See you then!!!! There were many interesting discussions and a lot of fun!

Sunday, July 27 - Starts at 3 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81073536036?pwd=uxRqMnK1aSKrmrcSO78w8QQs5g44eA.1

Meeting ID: 810 7353 6036
Passcode: 596838

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Quilting UFOs

As I look back on when I started quilting, there are many things that I wish someone had told me. But there is one thing in particular I wish someone had drilled into me. I wish they had embarrassed me, harassed me, or taken whatever means to instill this message into my being. What is it? 

NEVER, and I mean NEVER, take on more than you can do! I'm talking about UFOs. 

Here's a piece of advice for any of you out there (not Elle, of course, as she's on top of it! and I'm darn jealous!) 

Whenever you think you want to start a new project, don't. Look at what you already have for UFOs, as well as those projects that you thought were stunning and bought the pattern, kit, or fabric for. That alone should be the deterrent. Never ask me if you should start a new project, because I'll just tell you you're an idiot - OK, I might say it a bit more politely than that. I think it's one of the reasons I don't follow any influencers on social media or belong to any guilds. Why? Because they are always trying to get you involved in THEIR current project. Fellow quilters? I have so many projects, it would make your head spin. I do NOT need another one. 

I know you are all like the teenagers we once were, and our children were, and you will NOT listen to me. That's OK, but please don't have your husband call me when you can no longer sew. I'm so done with being the person to clean up someone else's mess. I'm DONE and DONE. So, that advice once again — because this is important — do not start a new project. There will always be another cute pattern, project, or kit. They get more adorable by the year. Do NOT get sucked in! Be strong! 

Having said all that, I finished the second day of sorting and organizing my UFOS, and I've barely started. That's why I'm talking about this. You do NOT want to be me. Never!!! I'd much rather be sewing than sorting UFOs. 

I took so many pictures yesterday, and it's such a mess, I don't even know where to start! Yes -- it's that bad, and I'm sad and very disappointed that I didn't have a friend to shake me up many years ago and make me realize what I was doing to myself. I am SHAKING you all -- don't do it! It's not worth it! 

OK - let's try to make sense of what happened. 

I found this project for a Mariner's Compass, and I think it was a class taken at Quilt Canada in 2000. Good grief - only this much was done, and what an awkward way to do a Mariner's Compass. The fabric is back on the shelf. I'm not touching this one with a ten-foot pole. In case you are wondering, I'm ripping that center apart and keeping some of the pieces. 

A dead UFO

Oh, God — I found another tool. A ruler for foundation piecing. Thankfully, it is one of the old-style rulers, but still. 

Another lost tool

I found some bookmarks for two guild shows in a paper pieced project, both dated from 2015. Yikes!!!

Quilt show advertising

This is one of the blocks from the project. It was a class I taught in 2015 (most likely), and I remember Linda W taking that class. I have no idea why I remember that! Linda? Is your Christmas Pickle complete?

Christmas Pickle block

A considerable amount of fabric has been set aside for that project. And it doesn't fit nicely into my "one-project-one-box" theme. I've left it out to see if I can figure out how to reduce the fabric stash. I may even take it to the quilt retreat next week. Shhhhh -- yes, another quilt retreat. 

Fabric for the Christmas Pickle quilt

Let's say that with all the fabric I've put back on the shelves, it's as if I just went fabric shopping and bought hoards of fabric. What a silly, silly girl I've been! I believe that the space I'm sorting through now is one of the last places to sort, and it's a mess. However, I still need to review all the UFOs in the other areas. But I might wait until the fall, so I can at least do some sewing. This is time-consuming and exhausting, both mentally and physically. 

I found bins of fabric that had been sorted by type. NO --- this is wrong. That fabric is now organized by color in the fabric baskets. 

A collection of polka dot fabric

You know what they say when you are decluttering: the mess is only going to get worse! And it did. I started the day off with this pile of empty containers. I hadn't had time the day before to deal with them. 

Empty containers

And the ironing board was also covered with empty containers. Empty containers are good! 

More empty containers

Now let's see what we can do with some of those containers. I bought this suitcase-style container years ago, and it has sat on top of one of those shelves for years - EMPTY. It's time to use it. So I ditched the round cookie tin and paper bag that my scraps of binding were in, and they now reside in the suitcase! It looks much more fun. But there isn't a lot of room in here, so I'd better make a scrappy binding or two soon. 

My suitcase is filled with binding scraps

This next picture is embarrassing. It's downright indicative that I had some mental health issues at one point. It's about totally irresponsible behavior with no regard for money. This is ONE of many areas in my house that houses my UFOs. 

Pizza boxes filled with UFOs

However, they are neat, tidy, and labeled. And if you're counting, there are 75 boxes on that shelf, and some boxes contain two projects each. Even if I could manage one a week, that would take over ONE year to clear that shelf unit. Just that one shelf unit. 

WAIT --- in case you think I'm beating myself up, I'm not. I'm verbalizing it here because I want you to see the severity of the situation. I'm OK (sort of) with this mess - I knew it was there, but now I want to deal with it! I'm ready to tackle it and make progress on completing some of it. The first step was to clear my schedule for the future, which I've done and must continue to be diligent about what I take on. 

At one point in the day, as I was nearly done with finding a home on those two shelf units for the UFOs, I glanced up at the window and spotted this. 

A watcher? 

Wait - here's a closer look. 

MOM -- are you OK? I'm checking in!

Yes, that is Murphy spying on me. Just checking to see I haven't got killed by the deluge of crap in that space. 

But it also reminded me that along the top of that bookcase are more UFOs. I swear they are hiding everywhere in my spaces. It's somewhat overwhelming, to say the least. So I pulled them down and put them with the rest to see if I could find a home for them. 

Projects are still looking for a home

Wait -- this is the more recent picture with the stuff from the top of the shelf. My goal is to keep the top shelf in the stash room and the bookcase clear of items. 

More items that need a home

I left two things on top of the bookcase as I knew I wouldn't have room for them. But doesn't that look neater? 

So much neater!

I took some more pictures this morning, but didn't get them transferred to the computer. The two shelf units are now full! Everything is labeled, although when I went to look for a particular box this morning, I couldn't find it! FARCE!!!! 

It doesn't matter, and I've put the jacket-making boxes on those shelves as well. I hope to pull them out before the end of the month so I can work on them. As a result, a few things will need to go back on top of the bookshelf. It can't be helped, and I'm OK with that. I have a few things on the floor and the tables, and I may just load up the top of the bookcase just to get it out of my daily visual sight. 

I finished another customer quilt, which was good. 

Customer quilt - DONE

And of course, I had some assistance. Can you spot her? 

A spy among the sewing debris?

How about now? 

Mom - just a wellness check! 

She's very creepy because when you least expect it, she's watching me! I wonder what is going through her head? Something like, "I think my Mom needs help. She keeps muttering to herself in the dead silence of that sewing space. I'm just going to keep an eye on her to make sure she isn't sick." More likely, she is saying this instead, "MOM - let's play ball!"

Here are the two of them waiting in the hallway - likely because they thought they were going for a walk, which they were not! 

MOM - Are we going for a walk?

Although it's not super hot in the house, I set up a fan for Miss Lexi, and she was quite happy to sleep in front of it. But do NOT turn that up too high because she doesn't like the breeze! Go figure!!!

MOM- I'm OK!!

And when I was reading a quilting magazine on my iPad, I chuckled when they suggested putting a piece of flannel on the ironing surface to get a better grip on what you were pressing. HA --- I love my towel, even though I didn't get a chance to sew anything yesterday. 

I need to switch to my new phone this morning, so I downloaded all the 13,000+ photos to my computer and then deleted them from the old phone. The new phone and the old phone are now charged up. I can't make phone calls from the old phone, nor can I use TEXTING. So that has to be switched this morning. 

And I spent a long time on the phone yesterday with my service provider for other reasons. Well, if you remember, I saved $90 per month on my cell phone bill. I can potentially save over $100 on my internet, cable, and home phone bill as well, with a few changes that I must discuss with DH when he gets home later this week. 

It took forever to chat with the agent, but it was worth it. What will I do with all that extra money? Buy quilt projects? Not on your life! 

I am going to say it one more time. DO NOT - DO NOT buy a new quilt project. Just because your friend signed up for a class doesn't mean you have to. Just because a new pattern was released, doesn't mean you need to buy it! As I mentioned earlier, an equally cute one will be waiting for you when you're ready. 

I'm trying to envision the "FREEDOM of deciding to start a new project and actually having the time to complete that project! 

Now, don't get me wrong - I have no issues with starting a new project, but think about the reason: will you learn something, or is it a social thing? Starting a new project should NEVER be about FOMO (fear of missing out). That is the wrong reason to start something new. 

I have two classes in the fall, and in case you think I'm a hypocrite for offering them, I assure you that I'm not. As mentioned, if you can learn something, have a bit of social interaction (on Zoom), or the class will help you finish a project you already have, and you are committed to completing it, then I say sign up for the classes. But do you sign up just because? That's not good. I'm going to call it MINDFULLY choosing what you want to bring into your house! 

I also have a new strategy for my UFO club, which I should write to the group about, hopefully today. I will focus on those projects that can be cleaned up quickly. I found numerous panels with border fabric. I kept those because they are cute. Guess what? I could make two or three of those in a month and clean up several project boxes. Yes --- I'm going to try that and see if it clears some of the backlog. Those small projects will be donated to Project Linus. I do not need them! However, I also don't want to burden someone else with them, and I enjoy the process of making them. So, fast projects will be on my list of things to do for the fall! 

The hilarious thing is - I don't need to start a new project; I have so many, and many of them are still very new to me. I love all the ones I kept, and I will finish them or die trying! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!