Progress on the hexagon quilt

You guys are the best!! Did I say that yesterday? Anyway, I'm working through the comments, and yes—the apple didn't fall far from the tree. We didn't mention the clothes yesterday, but I have three days, so I'll mention the decluttering again today. I had a peek, and there are stacks of clothes on the dresser because I suspect it's full, as is the closet.  

I don't get out here that often, so I don't see the day-to-day nuances. But I asked my mom why he doesn't use her walker for short trips. AH --- her knees. NO Mom --- that is not your knees. Yes -- they ache because of arthritis, but because you did not do your exercises and barely used your legs, you no longer have the muscles to walk. "Oh -- maybe, but I think it's my knees." Of course, I'm not a doctor, so I know nothing about that. Sigh.........

All I can say for the rest of you --- stand up and sit down and then do it forty times in a day. If you do not, you will reach a point where you can no longer get to the toilet. And we all know what happens then. I didn't quiz her on how she makes it to the washroom but I strongly suspect she doesn't drink much in a day and we all know what happens then. UTI, and god knows what else. 

I can't be the babysitter, and god forbid I suggest a change. My Dad has a morbid fear of change! Deathly afraid of change and NEEDS to see everything before it's purchased. He struggles with me telling him things and then remembering what I told him. He can't repeat anything I tell him to Mom. He doesn't understand it. BUT if you asked him how many teeth you needed to put on a hunk of metal to make a gear for an engine? In seconds, he has the answer and remembers it. 

I don't think he's forgetful at all. Just extremely selective!!!! It's funny, and yet it's not. Like he brought home a puzzle I purchased online from the Museum a couple of months ago, and he can't remember where he put it! I must poke around to see if I can find it. It's probably still in the truck. 

Let's see how I make out today. Sometimes, it's just better not to say anything. 

I had a visit with the people he works with at the Museum. They are all excited because some "new to them" equipment is being returned to that shop. And it frustrates me to no end when people say they are not "smart", yet the stuff they do is remarkable. All of them are extremely knowledgeable about machines and engineering. They just didn't go to school to learn it, which, in my mind, makes them even smarter! And some of them are new volunteers and are eager to learn. 

I puttered around the hotel for a bit in the morning to get some work done, and I don't need to be at the apartment the entire time I'm here. So I'm going through some of the documents that I transferred to my new hard disk, which I brought with me. Good lord—why do I have ideas for quilt classes from 2012? 

LOTS of digital clutter

I don't even want or need the ideas -- I'm so done with teaching a ton of classes, and I'm going to stick to my formula of one new sew-along quilt a year and one technique- or general-topic style. That works for me and gives me plenty of time to enjoy teaching the class and to sew some of my own stuff. I have no problem doing extra ones here and there, but the bulk of my teaching days are done! 

I will still do my gig with the sewing machines. I enjoy the learning that provides me and won't give that up for a while. 

It was a decent morning yesterday and I went for a long walk. There is a decent paved path around most of the city, and I managed to walk about 1/3 of the trail. It was a nice brisk walk and good to get out. No one else was out, but I don't see many people walking back home. I was fine with that. 

The walking trail

It's a bit quieter here at the hotel and not as busy because of the holiday. Can you spot my wee car? It's red. It looks like a dwarf amongst all those white trucks. 

My wee red car was dwarfed by the white trucks.

I notice that these Saskatchewan people are tough. It was cloudy, zero degrees Celsius yesterday, and the number of people walking around without a jacket is crazy. So I walked around with no jacket as well. Not for my walk—I was properly dressed with a hat, but for the short trips to and from the car, no jacket. Yikes --- it's a DRY cold - remember, and that makes it warmer than our damp cold back home! 

I had to chuckle because you cannot fault the bank personnel for being loyal to THEIR customers. I sent an email on Dad's behalf about a transfer that needed to be made. One that I could not do with online banking. She responded via email and said, "We can do that transfer no problem, but I need to talk to you first!" It's frustrating because Dad will NOT call her, but will have to go in person to see her. He only goes first thing in the morning, which messes up his museum schedule, and parking is an issue. And he won't remember what he is supposed to ask anyway. Again, so adverse to doing business on the phone. And she will not do anything without his verbal directions. I get it—so many scams, but sad that we have come to this. 

I will just have to keep reminding him to get this done. We missed the window for me to go in with him because of the holiday. At least, his banker knows he needs it done and will hopefully follow up with him. I may ask him to add me to that account so he doesn't have to worry about making this happen. It's only going to get worse as he gets older. 

I finally finished the knife-edge finish on the hexagon quilt. It took me one day to get that complete, as there was one full side that needed to be done. Yeah—but the quilt still isn't finished. 

Finishing off the knife-edge

I now have to run a line of stitches around that outer edge to make it look better and to just help hold things in place. I got about 1/4 done yesterday. I had woken up early, and I was tired, so I didn't get a whole lot done. 

Quilting around the edges of the hexagon quilt

I NEED to finish this before I leave, and I have three days in which to complete the other three sides. I hope to finish it quicker than in three days as I have a few other handwork projects (small ones) with me that I need to work on for Wednesday. But if I don't, I'm sure I can talk my way around what I didn't get done! We are a good family of talkers—we don't always remember stuff, but we can talk. 

I also had a good visit with my Aunt Irene—the quilting aunt. She is lucky and gets to quilt three days a week with her group, and yesterday just happened to be one of those days. They were all working on interesting projects, including Elizabeth Hartman's Fab Farm. I remember making that tone, and it's so darn cute!!! I hope to be as mobile and as interested in quilting as she is when I'm her age. 

I did a wee bit of shopping, trying to find a few things that need to be replaced or things that they need. I like the idea of a light on a timer, but I'm not sure that will be approved. It's so hard when you lose your mobility and are at the mercy of the sun rising to see something. And the sad thing is, there is no one but herself to blame for that. If you don't move, you'll lose the ability to do anything. 

OK—there is always a story about this hotel. Remember the time I had a tub with a shower, and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to get the shower head to work? After pulling and pushing everything, and even after asking, I had to have the desk person come into the room to show me. OH MY GOD --- some small ring right at the tub spout. I had never seen that before. 

This time? I got a shower only, but the darn doors don't stay shut. The shower seems to be on an angle, and the doors slide shut to the far side of the shower. So if you have a shower with the door open, the water will go everywhere!!!! How to fix this? And both doors slide away from the shower head. So I pulled the door shut and used my foot to hold the door in place. Yes --- I thought about slipping, and there was no danger of that, so I proceeded. Just very weird - how could an entire shower be so slanted that the doors won't shut? They aggressively roll to the far side!!!! 

Dad was talking about magnets as he showed me what he was working on: cutting away part of the metal and inserting some plastic to help with the magnet situation. It's complicated. Anyway, that got me thinking about my magnet situation at home. I'll tell you all about it later. But between that chance conversation and an epiphany in the car, I think I might have solved the problem. 

The knowledge he has about engineering and terms I've never heard about is absolutely fascinating. Never made it past grade school, but the mind of a steel trap for all things engineering and mechanical. How does that happen? 

All I need now is to find one more thing, and I'm good. That's one thing I inherited from my parents, especially Dad: the ability to recognize an opportunity, work through the problem, and think creatively to come up with a solution. I love it!!!!! I'm very lucky, or maybe it was all that brain rest on the walk in the fresh air that opened my mind up to a new solution. 

On that note, I'm out of here!!! I still have more stuff to share, but I'll save it for tomorrow. I have more visiting on the agenda for today, and I need to get to work on that quilt. 

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!

Now that's OLD!!!!

It was one of those days! I got some machine embroidery done, and it turned out amazing. I need to get some more done for my upcoming Facebook Live (April 8), but I just couldn't get my head around it. And I'm supposed to be making another jacket for an upcoming wedding, and I can't wrap my head around that one either. I might just buy pink Lulu lemon pants and go with that! I am NOT one to dress up - ever, and especially not when traveling! 

I did get some binding on some quilts, which was great! The day was not a total loss. 

I only needed one more strip for the black binding, and now both of those table runners are done! Yep—two projects that were in the "to be quilted" pile for a very long time are now done. I quilted them both with the embroidery machine, and once you get the hang of that, it's a snap to do small projects. Yes -- I could have quilted them on the long arm as well, and I could have done it in free-motion sewing mode, but it's good to have samples of all kinds of stitching. 

Two table runners are done!

I made those as part of a series of table runners that I taught at Ruti's Needlebed (now closed) in 2012 or thereabouts!

Then I got to work on this small project, which also needed the binding. It also needed a sleeve in the event I want to hang it up. I made the sleeve for it and will hand-stitch the loose side down later today. 

The hanger is hiding under the binding.

Can you believe that I also needed more binding for this one? What is wrong with my math these days? If you look at the top right-hand corner, I was short about four inches of binding. I'll pin this to my design wall once the hand stitching is complete. 

My word of the year is complete.

But one more project is almost done, and that works for me. I have one last project to put the binding on, and I might work on that today, or I'd better get organized for the machine-embroidery sample I need as soon as I get back from my trip. 

Having gotten reinspired by Margareta's book, I decided to tackle some of the paperwork that has been sitting out for a while. OH MY!!!! This was on the front of the folder. I don't even know where the folder has been stored for all these years. 

A label on the folder of paperwork

And as Margareta mentions in her books, when you are Swedish Death Cleaning, enjoy your things, enjoy the memories, but then get rid of the stuff that you don't need. And boy oh boy, did this folder bring back some memories. 

The oldest bill I found was dated 1993. Yikes!!!!! What the heck is wrong with me? This folder obviously got shoved way back in some drawer and has not seen the light of day for a very long time. That's over 30 years old! 

A 33-year-old receipt

I found several receipts from Consumers Distributing. Remember that store? You ordered from the catalogue, and then they went into the back to pick up the items for you? Well, by the look of two of the items, I was preparing for M's arrival as I had ordered a mobile and a nursery lamp - whatever that is. I bought this on January 20, and she was born on March 1. She's now 30!

A 30-year-old receipt

I rented my maternity clothes and found the bills for that as well. Good lord -- I can't believe how deep this file got buried. 

Invoice for renting maternity clothes

What's even worse is that I found the change-of-address and the moving bill from two moves ago!! And we lived in that one house for 6 years, and we've been living in this one for 23. Oh boy!!!!! 

Change of address from two moves ago!

Can you imagine if I had saddled someone else with dealing with that folder? It would have been quite embarrassing to say the least. I found bills for golf clubs, which DH says were mine. They were? I remember having clubs, but not that those specific ones were mine. 

Anyway, it was fun sorting through it. I'm not quite done, and I'll try to finish it off this morning. I think that's the oldest paperwork in the house. There are still folders sitting on the floor in the office, but as mentioned, slow and steady is my style, and that's all I can say about that. 

I walked to the mall yesterday and saw this beautiful display in a shop window. I didn't get a close-up, but all those flowers are crocheted! They are not for sale - it's a window display. What will happen to them when they change the window display? 

Crocheted flowers in a window display

I also bought a new carry-on piece of luggage, which I brought home. YES -- I carried it home (only 6 pounds), and I didn't want to wear out the wheels on the 15-minute walk home! DH has been wanting a new carry-on for a while, and, of course, he wanted a fancy name-brand one. I decided to buy this one for me ($90 on sale), but the minute he saw it, he wanted to use it! So he is going to test it out today as he flies somewhere. 

And there is that Murphy dog. She is obsessed with her ball, and it's too wet and cool to throw outside, so I throw it in the house, which probably isn't a good thing. The floors are slippery, and she just goes full tilt. Which is not good for her back legs. Thankfully, the weather is warming up, but she is relentless in asking to play ball. I put her ball and her stuffed toy back in her toy box, and within minutes, she was there. Not only did she grab the ball, but she also grabbed the stuffed toy and brought both of them into the family room. 

MOM - I NEED to play ball!

I just missed getting the shot of her with both of them in her mouth. 

OK -- I'm leading up to some very bad news. I'm in total denial. No one got hurt, no one will get hurt, and of course, it's related to technology. 

I have been diligently transferring data from the hard disk I said was going to fail. The way it's been acting up, I knew something bad was going to happen. Last night, I was trying to save some files for my Monday sewing group presentation, and I should have just saved them to the new hard disk. 

Then I got this message. 

NOOOOOOOOOOOO

Sigh --- it was just after dinner, and I gave up. I shut down the computer and went to watch a YouTube video, but even that was too much for my brain. So I went to bed and had the best sleep ever. Over 8 hours, including almost two hours of deep sleep! 

I don't think the disk is completely fried yet, and I will continue to migrate data off it as best I can. But I have a feeling I'm going to have to pay to recover data from the darn thing. I should have been doing the migration faster!! 

I have most of the documents off, but there are still a lot of pictures on that hard disk, and while I need to clean them up, a lot could go; there are many that I want. Sigh........................    I have only myself to blame for not getting it off when I knew it was going. 

How did I know that? When the disk becomes sluggish, the computer doesn't want to recognize it as quickly as it should. That's a sign. I could try a defrag, but it's too late for that. 

Well, live and learn—it's not the first time a hard disk has failed. I need to take note. This disk was over 7 years old and probably older. They have a shelf life—I'm going to start migrating the data over after five years, and, more importantly, I'm going to clean up the darn data and back it up. Thankfully, some of the data is sitting on OneDrive, but there is still a lot that isn't. 

Well, that's a happy thought to start the day!

Here's another happy thought. DH and I were chatting about the new S26 smartphone. I was curious to see what the difference was between S25 and S26. Of course, there is NO change in the phone capabilities -- those have remained the same for years. But the ability to do more AI stuff is HUGE. Sigh --- so our smartphones are now driven by social media since the only place people are using AI is on social media. And these phones are getting more and more expensive every year! 

Well, on that note, I'm out of here and on my way to the gym for spin class. I have a lot of stuff to accomplish today, and we'll see how I make out after my amazing sleep. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

When you run out of binding........

I got sidetracked big time yesterday!! I was supposed to be downstairs sewing, but the night before, I started reading a thriller, and well, I needed to know what happened. So while I did get some things done, I finished my book before I went to bed last night! 

And you know what? Every once in a while, we need to do that! The book was called "A Death at the Party" by Amy Stuart. Oh boy --- an interesting concept! Now today, I need to get some work done!

I grabbed a few pieces of paper from the floor beside the computer and dealt with them. Oh my --- an article from the east coast in 2013 (Saltscapes - November/December) that chatted about quilting in Nova Scotia and in particular a guild called La Gulde Acadienne de Clare.

An old article resurfaced

I'm going to finish reading the article today, and then I don't need to keep it - it goes in the recycling. I'm sure I have many more articles such as this one to get rid of. I love the article's subtitle!!

Love the subtitle!

And there's a large picture of all the quilts at one of their quilt shows. 

The guild quilts are on display in the church.

Great article to reread, but I do NOT need to keep this. And then I found a document listing all the shops that participated in Row by Row in Ontario. This was probably from 2015 or thereabouts. Again, I do NOT need to keep this!!!

Ontario shops for Row by Row in 2015

I'm reading the book "The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly" by Margareta Magnusson. Yes -- the author of "The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning." It's a short audiobook read by Margareta, and it's funny. She talks about being a senior - she was in her late 80s when she wrote the book. It's a quick listen, and it's so interesting to hear her perspective on senior living. There are so many funny stories and subtle messages about enjoying your old age, even if you are old! 

Sadly, this wonderful lady passed away on March 12, 2026. But if you get a chance to read this one and the one about Death Cleaning, they are both good. 

At the beginning of this book, she talks a bit about Death Cleaning, and there was one sentence I wanted to capture, but it's an audiobook, and it's hard to do. But it was something like, "Who do you think you are to saddle your children with cleaning out your crap. Why should they take their precious time from their schedule to do a job that you should have done yourself?"  Something to that effect -- my words, not Margareta's. And I agree 100%. This is our crap, and we alone should be responsible for getting rid of it. I believe the exact sentence she used is in her obit, which is linked above. 

I'll be sharing several other books about cleaning and decluttering in the next couple of weeks as they come into my reader. Yes --- I know I should be working a wee bit faster, but slow and steady is better than nothing at all. 

As I read that thriller book yesterday, I moved around the house, first in the family room, then into the living room. It was too cold to sit outside. But after a bit, I finally had to give up. Murphy was relentless in her request to play. I stopped to play ball with her, give her cuddles, but it was never enough. Finally, to escape her, I had to go to Studio B to get some work done! 

I finished ripping out the topstitching I had done the day before with the wrong thread color. And now that sleeve is redone with the correct thread color. 

The seam is much better with red thread.

But not before I managed to catch the back of the jacket in the seam. Sigh..........  But that is fixed. 

Oh crap - I caught the back of the jacket in the seam.

Then I got busy and completed the second sleeve as well. So all that remains on this jacket is some hand stitching on the facing and dealing with the front closures. I could make buttons, but I want snaps. I like to change up what I do, so I always have samples of all types of things. I know it's hard to see in this picture, but those are both sleeves from inside the jacket, and all seam allowances are finished. 

The last of the seam finishes are complete!

Then I went back to reading my book! Thankfully, Murphy had calmed down by this time. She is relentless in asking to play ball. It just doesn't stop, but it was evening now, and she was quiet. 

I thought I should attempt to get the binding on two more items. And everything went smoothly for the first one, although I only got the binding stitched to the back, and will get the topstitching done later today. 

Remember what I said yesterday about not having enough binding? 

Well, there are two table runners, and they are identical. You know how it is -- why make one when you can make two? Everything is the same, except the color of the thread that I used for the quilting. Yep --- another sample! But I was short by this much binding. What the heck was I thinking when I made the binding? 

ACK -- not enough binding

Hmmm—do I have more of that fabric? Some of these items were made years ago, so there's a good chance they're gone. I went to the stash room and started pulling out some black fabrics, and OH MY— the third one I grabbed from the basket was the one for this table runner! The fabric gods were with me this morning. I've cut the extra strip needed and will get to it later today. 

I still have that fabric!!!!

I love it when I get lucky like that!!!! 

This was Murphy this morning. She just has to be everywhere! That is stuff that I'm taking to my parents later this coming week, and how convenient for her to use it as a pillow. Oh Murphy!!!!

MOM -- is this for me? 

I managed to do a bit of sorting and organizing of my quilts, but I must continue to do that every day. I need to pull quilts for an upcoming trunk show at the Thames Valley Quilt Guild - that's on April 8. The topic is Modern Quilts and will be fun!!!! 

It's going to be a busy day because then I have to scoot home, where I'll be doing a Facebook Live on the NEW Large Magnetic Hoop for the Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic 3, as well as chatting about the difference between metal and magnetic hoops. So be sure to listen to that because it's going to be educational (as always) and fun!!!!

I also experimented with the embroidery machine. I'm not ready to share what I did, but it's pretty cool. Now I need to find a place to use what I made! But I always make it a learning experience for myself, and hopefully I can work that into some lesson. I'm sure I can. 

Well, I need to get moving—I want to accomplish lots today, but I'm in a bit of limbo, so I need to put my thinking cap on while walking the girls and prioritize what needs to be done.

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Gazebo time!

Despite this newfound focus, it seems challenging to move ahead. WAIT --- I know that I'm getting things done, but the progress seems slow. I know it's not, when you consider how many hours I actually sew each day. I make the most of the time I spend in Studio B and call it a day. There is NO RUSH to get these things done!

Oh my gosh --- what am I complaining about - I still accomplished a LOT. The abbreviated "Dear Jen" is now quilted. I was hoping to get it trimmed, but that didn't happen. A job for today. 

The Dear Jen quilt is quilted.

I actually like this quilt (love that setting), and I think if I had continued, I would have loved the larger size as well. But it just wasn't speaking to me, and instead of making a lap quilt or a larger one, I ended up making a cover for my embroidery machine. So I'm learning that if I don't like a project, it's OK to stop, make it smaller, but get it done! That is HUGE for me! This self-awareness journey of the last ten years has taught me so much about myself, and I'm still learning. 

The placemat is trimmed and bound. 

The placemat is done!

The soccer quiltlet is also bound. 

The mini-soccer quilt is done!

I love that both of these items were created from scraps that would otherwise have languished in my stash. DONE!!!! 

The placemat is in my pile of other placemats that will be donated later this year. I have an outlet for them. I've decided to donate the soccer quilt to a NICU, but I need to reach out to see if anyone has a connection, rather than taking it myself. Does anyone in my area donate to the hospital? 

This machine embroidery postcard was on my Visual To-Do list. I had a small category of NEW things to do. They were small things that I had left on the cutting table at the end of the year. It's nice to do something new every once in a while. I decided that yesterday was the day, and I was also experimenting with this project, so I could use it in my machine embroidery class this coming weekend. It's not quite finished, so that's on the agenda for today. 

Machine embroidered postcard or rug mug!

Let's say that this small project is not without its challenges!!!! 

Then I made the binding for my denim quilt, but it's waiting for those labels. I see someone left an email address in the comments. I'm assuming it's for the label company. I also sent them a message from their Etsy account, which I need to check. 

I made the binding for the denim quilt, and it's waiting for the labels to arrive before I put it on. 

The binding for the denim quilt

Now I've have a stack of quilts - well, one quilt and the rest are small projects that are waiting for the labels. And when I trim Dear Jen, it's going in the same pile. I want these done!!!! 

The pile of projects that need the binding attached

I've sent them another message this morning, and will use the email that someone posted. I had received confirmation of my order and a tracking number when the order was initially placed. However, the email is a NON-reply email, and the tracking number is for packages traveling from Europe. Which mail/courier service? 

I had an optometrist appointment at 10:20. OK -- at this office (inside a LensCrafters), the three women (I've met two) are kids! Are they even old enough to be an optimist? But I'm OK with that. It's within walking distance of the house, and I'm not getting in my car for an appointment if I don't have to.  

I had time to stop at the thrift store before the appointment. HEY -- I wasn't going to let someone scoop my jigaw puzzles. Have you noticed the new obsessive behavior? 

The two I wanted were still there, and I threw in the colorful one at the bottom because it's so colorful. It just caught my eye. Three puzzles for $18, including tax. The one in the top left is brand new, still in the cellophane! 

Three new puzzles

And yes - I completed the fifth and final one of the DowdleFolkArt puzzles that I purchased last week. Imagine that - I purchased them last Friday, and all five are now done. I've given them to KU to do, and then they will be going back to the thrift store unless someone near me wants them. There are 300 pieces in each, and they are easy enough to do in an evening. 

The last of the Dowdle FolkArt puzzles

It amazes me how quickly one can turn over 300 pieces, but 500 pieces take forever. OK - it seems to take forever! This one was a bit trickier, and I suspect the pieces are identically cut. OK -- I don't suspect, I recognized the pattern, but that didn't help me assemble the pieces. I started with the sky and then the house, and then built out from there. Interesting how different they all went together based on the picture. 

I have to clear off a table in Studio B to work on the next one, which is 1000 pieces, and I can't leave that on the kitchen table. UNLESS -- I clear off either the desk or the table in the office and work there. Hmmm --- but the light is much better at night downstairs. 

When I came downstairs, Miss Murphy was surveying the puzzles I had laid out so I could take a picture. 

MOM - I'm guarding the puzzles for you!

I didn't go for a walk in the afternoon since I had walked a lot in the morning. But I still needed to be outside, and oh my—how could you not want to be outside? The weather is stunning. Since there was no snow left in the gazebo, I got my lawn chair out and slipped my orange jacket on, and I sat out there and listened to my audiobook for a bit. 

It's gazebo time!!!

Murphy was beyond herself with joy, and Lexi, the cuddler, was right in there for some close encounters. 

MOM - I need some attention

But seriously? I always wonder if Murphy understands boundaries, and yes, she does, but only on her terms. She was standing on the edge of the pond and tossed the ball on the ice multiple times. Each time, she looked tentatively at the ice surface, deemed it solid enough for her, and went on. 

MOM - the ice is thick enough to hold me!

She is careful not go to the other end, as that is where the heater is, and the ice is open there. It's too bad she doesn't identify with the length of her leash!!!!

As the weather warms up this week, I suspect I'll be out there a lot! It's beautiful and close enough to the forest that I call it forest bathing. You really do NOT understand how amazing that is for mental health. I have no issues these days, but just taking a few minutes each day to relax in the peace and quiet—priceless. 

Oh my -- I love the quote of the day from my Yogi tea. I have to laugh at this, though—if you enter it with grace, is it OK if you fall out of it in a mess? 

Quote of the day

I'm not good with change, but I'm also not going to be left in the dust because I'm afraid of the unknown. That's where the adventures begin, and I'm still way too young to enjoy adventures from my armchair!

I also finished an audiobook yesterday, which is good because another one came in. I have quite a few on hold, but many of the books are weeks away from coming in. I really must get my new headphones up and running and throw the old ones away. HEY -- they are on that table I need to clear up, so that will be something to accomplish today. 

I'm off to spin class. My knee is feeling pretty good these days, but it doesn't like the prone position. Even though I have my knee elevated at night (a flat knee is bad), it has its good and bad moments. But for walking? Oh my—it's doing pretty well. I'm still careful, as if I twist it, it's not happy. Even the pulling I get when walking Murphy isn't good for it, so I try to keep her under control, which is no small feat. But it's coming along. I might try a bit more pressure in spin class today. Trust me -- I'm not going to go too far to mess it up. I do NOT need to be a hero. But I need to keep my body moving!

And on that happy note, I'm out of here. 

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!

PLUS ONE!!!! It's going to be PLUS ONE!!!

I love all your comments about being busy in retirement! I will always be busy, but I guess my point is that I see retired people constantly signing up for commitments. They head up a committee, take tons of classes, or make themselves accountable to SOMETHING or SOMEONE, and that accountability fills their day. It's almost like working again. 

You need to be busy, but if you decide to take a day off from quilting, who will care? I want to be busy, but free of deadlines and headaches! And being accountable to others. While I still have responsibilities, I don't have the same level of commitment to others, so my time is now spent on what I want to do, not what I have to do for others. 

That might be a better way of explaining it!

And YES --- getting yourself organized the night before makes it so much easier to tackle any job in the morning. That might be threading the sewing machine, doing a bit of cutting or trimming, or simply planning the steps in your head. Whatever it takes!! And that's also why I like to leave my sewing and work areas neat and tidy before I close down for the night. If not, you'll be dealing with an unappealing mess in the morning, and it's not so fun to deal with that BEFORE you start work. 

I'm also pretty diligent about putting things away when I am finished with them, which also helps. 

As for the files? Don't get me started! I am pecking away at the mess, and I think I have almost everything in two of the three external drives where it should be. Of course, some of those folders might be a download dump from my phone camera, which encompasses thousands of photos, but at least all the photos (most of them) are in one spot! 

And YES - I know I must do some sort of backup because I'd be devastated if anything happened at this point. I promise to work on that. And hard disks fail - the ones in your computer are more vulnerable, in my opinion, but that's probably not true. I'm sure I mentioned this before: I had an external hard drive I used for photos, and it failed! YEP  - it failed, and it cost a LOT of money (four figures) to recover the files. That hard disk is long gone. 

USBs and CDs are disasters waiting to happen. They are TEMPORARY storage and NOT meant for long-term storage. I have had MANY USBs fail, and thankfully, it was nothing of importance, or was it? Since I can't access them, I have no idea! NOTHING in the digital world is long-term. So get that stuff on a hard disk, back it up, and REPLACE those hard disks regularly -- every three to five years. I'm sure no one needs three disks—I don't need three disks—that's a ton of storage, but it's how I'm working at the moment. 

And the main one I've been using is due to be replaced. It's been there for years, and the last thing I want is for it to fail. 

It's all baby steps, and we each need to find what works for us! I'm just taking you along on my journey, and you need to find a route that gets you where you want to go. BUT WAIT -- first, you need to want to go somewhere. Sometimes we get derailed, or we are reluctant to get started. That is each person's choice! 

For several reasons, I've decided to get on the highway and keep rolling along, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. It took a long time to get to that point, and by the time I'm done, I think my highway will have stretched to the moon and back - it's a long journey. But every step forward is one more step. 

My motivations are strong—I do NOT want to leave a legacy that forces others to deal with my mess. Why should I saddle someone else with dealing with stuff that was my responsibility? That is so irresponsible!! Nope -- this is my mess, and I shall deal with it the best I can. And by the time I need to downsize, there won't be much to deal with. That's my plan, and I'm getting there - slowly. 

I also have ZERO desire to start a new project. NONE!! That euphoric feeling is now coming from starting "NEW" UFO projects each month. That's hilarious, but I look at the current project table and get excited about finishing off more small things each month. It's so silly, and it's like a game to me, and it's working, so I'm going to continue. How much stuff can be cleared off those tables by the end of the year? 

Speaking of photos, OH MY GOSH!!!! I was mentioning something to the Monday group, and I found the pictures this morning!!! What are the chances of that? And can you believe it? They were in a folder with a very descriptive name! It was just buried within other folders! I'll share it another day as I want to surprise them next week!

And look at this! These were my running shoes back in 2016 (date on the photo). Yes -- both toes were blown out! I have learned that I cannot wear "running" shoes with the mesh toe. My HOKAs have never had that problem. So I'm a HOKA loyal fan now. 

Typical running shoes back in the day

I accomplished some sewing yesterday and at last got this invisible zipper into my cushion cover. Good grief—it doesn't matter what color invisible zipper you use; you can't see the darn thing!!! You can see the end of the zipper on the right, but even with the light and dark of the two sides, the zipper is invisible. Now to finish the edges with the serger! Invisible zippers are also very easy to insert!! Two seams and you are done. Super easy, especially with an invisible zipper foot. 

Invisible zippers are INVISIBLE.

The bias binding was put on these table mats, and now, because of the bias edges, I'll hand-stitch it in place. 

Bias binding stitched in place

And the Dear Jen top is in one piece. Now to work on the back. I cannot tell you how much more exciting it is to finish some of these things than to start something new. As I mentioned, I have ZERO, absolutely ZERO interest in starting something new. 

My abbreviated Dear Jen quilt top

I even got a few half-square triangles trimmed. 

Half-square triangles trimmed

And YES -- I did some work on the Cherrywood Challenge. I didn't get as much done as I thought, because I decided to switch out some elements, but all the quilting is designed, and all the appliqué is finished. Today, it's all about machine embroidery on the piece, and that is going to take some time. What I'm stitching is designed, but the placement might take a bit of time. However, I have some amazing placement tools on the Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic 3, and I'm going to use them all!!!

Then more hand stitching tomorrow, and then quilting and binding! 

I'm still on track to get it done, hopefully a day or two before the due date, which is Sunday. Yes - I still have a few deadlines, but they are of my choosing, and that works for me! Plus, working on a challenge quilt is an extremely good way to incorporate all my skills - hand and machine embroidery, hand and machine stitching, and creativity!!! 

I finished a project for someone else (yes—I still work for others, but not as much), and it went out this morning. So I'll be able to remove another item from the Visual To-Do List later today! Yippeee!!!!

As I was out walking yesterday, I noticed many houses in the area have ice-dam issues. So far, our ice dam is very small, and I hope it stays that way!

Ice dams!

More ice dams

This is Miss Muirphy, who insists on going outside and plunking herself in the snow. I'm going to have to make her a jacket with pockets to hold ice packs and keep her cool! 

MOM - I love the cold weather

So there was one house on our street that had not been dug out of the snow. I'm guessing the owners were away, and there was no need. The house is on the curve, and the sidewalk plow struggled to get through the snow. Anyway, it was a mess. Last night, I saw a truck and a large snowblower clearing the mess. Was that the city? Or a private contractor? I've no idea, but it was an unusual sight, and the equipment was narrow enough to blow out the sidewalk. Hmmmmm --- I guess I get to check it out this morning on our walk. 

Snowblowing a neighbor's driveway

And guess what? It says PLUS ONE for this afternoono! Maybe tomorrow does come after all!!

Plus ONE!!!!!

I'm not sure I can cope with just minus 5 this morning. What about my double jackets and mitts? My fleece-lined pants? I'm going to feel positively underdressed out there! And we barely see double digits in the next two weeks. Although -- as we know - that can change in a heartbeat. It will be a pleasure to walk - that's for sure!

We had an interesting discussion at Monday Sewing. Well, multiple discussions. I think we are about 16 people who attend regularly, and you know what? That group gets along so well. Most everyone has met one another in person, though not all. But the discussions, the level of comfort and security everyone feels, make me feel extremely happy. So, thanks to everyone in the group— together, we can conquer the world!! 

But what happens at Monday Sewing, stays at Monday Sewing!!!

And on that happy note, I'm out of here. WAIT -- I have an extra ten minutes since I don't need to get layered up to go outside! LOL!!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

The Olympics have officially begun!

FOCUS --- it's a tricky thing! But I have my visual list and my blue UFO bin, and I refuse to let anything get in the way of finishing those projects. Oh -- there are loads of things to do, but I know I can't do them all, so I picked a few, and that's my goal! It has taken me a very long time to get to that point, but I refuse to get sidetracked!

Just a teaser: this is the project Dede and I worked on. Wait—soon you'll get to see it yourself. Absolutely stunning and totally worth all the time!

Some assembly required! 

As part of my goal for this year, I was back at the computer, trying to sort the THOUSANDS, dare I even venture HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of files that need to be sorted. OH my --- what the heck is this? It's a picture of a letter A, but for what purpose? Let's just say that I've found a few other odd things, but this is gone, as are many others. 

A picture of a letter A behind bars!!

What I don't understand is why my brain was so muddled that I didn't create a folder, and then when I needed that file, it would be easy to locate. I had the resources and most of the knowledge. No - I went and downloaded the files again, and again, and again! And each time, they went somewhere different. It is a massive mess, but I have to say that once I got over that first day, it's getting easier. 

I tackled the Fabric Download folder yesterday, and I'm happy to say it's done! I kept two folders of fabric, as I still have yardage of those and can use the photos to create something in EQ8. The rest - gone! BUT it's a good thing I went through the files one by one, because I found more embroidery files in that folder, as well as stuff for the longarm. Do not ask - I don't have answers!!!

But the sorting process continues, and I try to do a little bit each day. It seems that within each high-level folder, I find one or two subfolders that are titled "to file" or "to sort," and I'm tackling those. My goal was to get all the embroidery files in one folder this month. I still have the old computer to grab files from, and then I'm done! Hopefully, it won't be too bad, but if memory serves, the download folder is filled with stuff!

OH - I got the binding on that quilt, and it was hilarious because I was also listening to my audiobook while doing it. I can tell you that the quilt has some words on it, and can you believe that the SAME WORDS were put together in a very similar way on that audiobook? I actually had to stop for a moment to appreciate that coincidence!!! What are the chances? 

Speaking of audiobooks, I know why this Canadian author (Carley Fortune), who was on the top ten most circulated library books list that I happened upon recently, wasn't on my list. It's a steamy summer romance, and well, they aren't my go-to books. But now I want to know what happens, so I have to keep reading. The book is due tomorrow, and I have about 3 hours left. I should be able to make that happen. This book is set by a lake near Barry's Bay, Ontario. 

While I was sewing the binding on, I used up another spool of thread! 

Another spool of thread - gone!

I also got some binding made. And I could kick myself. I measured and cut the three strips, only to realize I needed bias binding, not straight-grain binding. Good grief, so I had to cut a square and make bias binding. DUH!!!!! But it's ready to sew on, so maybe later today. 

The bias binding is made

Then it was time to stop procrastinating on the next project. The clock is ticking, and I don't have a lot of time. It's the Cherrywood Challenge, which is due February 15, and it's the 7th today!! Don't ask!! I like the last-minute pressure, and this is my sole focus for the next week. The theme is StoryTime. 

Fabrics from the Cherrywood Challenge

I'm happy to say I made good progress on it yesterday. I hope to have the top completely done by tonight. No excuses, no distractions!! The top has to be done! 

There is a lot of appliqué, and I want it all in place by the end of today. And then I have to figure out a couple of components for the border - that also needs to be done TODAY! The embroidery (machine and hand) and other embellishments will be the focus of the next couple of days. 

And while I traced and cut, I watched the Olympics!! Well, the opening ceremony, which lasted almost four hours!! It was amazing, and they did a great job at incorporating all four sites. Although the athlete parade was almost over before I realized there were FOUR locations, not two like I initially thought. I was totally confused by that!! Go Team Canada!!!!!

Streaming the Olympics on my computer

I have to say that I was highly impressed by the Olympic Cauldron. WOW --- that is pretty spectacular, and there are two of them!!!! In case you missed it, here is the lighting of the TWO cauldrons. Stunning, and I find that ceremony emotional. Why? No idea!!!!

So what's this all about? My two girls are hanging out at the back door. One is ready to pounce on the door, demanding to come in; the other has snow on her face and lies in the snow. 

And what's with the weather? Last night when we went out, the temperature was minus 2. This morning, it's minus 20!!!

I have to say our house is ideally situated on the street and gets the most from the sun. However, that doesn't mean that our roof is clear of snow yet. Nope --- we had so much that it's going to take a while for all the snow to melt. Because of the crazy roof line, this is the house two doors down from us. We have the same roof line, but ours is pretty clear. I thought I took a picture, but I can't find it this morning. We have a few small icicles, but nothing like this. 

Nasty ice build-up

We've had ice like this on both sides of that peak in the past, and it's not good. The interior walls are damaged, and the drywall tape has come loose. It's a mess, but until we get the roof issue fixed, I'm not touching the inside. I bet there is water damage behind the drywall, and well, it's going to be a job to fix! So I'm thankful this year that we haven't got to this stage, and I hope we don't. 

Why do we have barely any ice, and two doors down, they have this mess? We are on a curve, and there is a big tree close to the front of that house. So the slightly different angle and the shade from the tree don't allow the ice and snow to melt as fast as on our roof. Thank goodness we are where we are. Our driveway dries much quicker, and we just get more sun! We love the sun!

Well, I'm off to brave that cold temperature, and looking at the forecast, this is the last (LOL) cold day for two weeks? I'll believe that when it happens! The girls will be happy, they are frisky when the temperature drops!

I have two short documents to finish writing for the quilt I am delivering today. One is almost written; it just needs proofing, and the other should be pretty simple. I must get those done this morning. Then one more thing can come off that visual To-do list. While it's not directly in my face, I can see that list whenever I'm downstairs, and I go over to look at it occasionally, and from that, I pick the next thing to work on. My blue bin for UFOs is also a daily reminder of what I need to be working on. It's better to get four things completely done than advance 8 things, and nothing is complete!!

OH -- and here is the final post about the newly released Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic 3 Nordic Frost Edition. It's all about yarn couching. I LOVE this design and need to do some more work on it!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!