What constitutes expensive?

 LOL --- I have entered a couple of things into my electronic to-do list, but it's going to take some work to get started to make it truly useful. Baby steps. Meanwhile, I had made a paper list of 12 things I wanted to accomplish in Studio B this week, and I crossed two off yesterday and almost completed 3 more! These are all small things - not actually piecing a quilt, but finishing off bags, or other small items. But all is good!

I get a daily email from the to-do app listing my tasks. I'll have to check it out later as I'm away this morning. Yep -- finally off to the adventure that I thought was last week! 

Yes - more shoveling yesterday, but the driveway is clear, and I heard the plow and the sidewalk plow in the night, so all should be good. Even though the sidewalk plow had done most of the sidewalks right after the storm, there was so much snow, and the banks were higher than the plow could reach, so the sidewalks were not in great shape, and we ended up walking on the road. Hopefully, today will be better. 

But seriously, I am shocked by what people in this neighborhood do. This house is right on the corner, near a high school, and this sidewalk is very frequently used. What? You can see the sidewalk behind that huge mound of snow. They literally shoveled the snow from their driveway onto the sidewalk, and not just a little pile - that is about four feet high! Seriously? 

There is a sidewalk under that snowbank!

Are they so car-centric that they don't even realize there is a sidewalk there? Do they not care? I'd love for the city to hire me, and I'll walk around and slap everyone with a fine that does something stupid like this. It's annoying and just shows how entitled people are! These are drivers who probably don't even watch out for pedestrians. 

I see the girls are making their trails in the backyard, but the snow is so deep that they haven't made many! But Lexi had fun romping around and hopping through the snow. The Husky side of her is finally showing in the snow. Look at her face - she is positively beaming in the snow!

MOM - I LOVE the snow - sometimes! 

Although Murphy is truly the one who is spending the most time in the snow. She is in and out of the house many times in a day. Not because she needs to go, but just to plop in the snowbank on the deck!

MOM- I LOVE the snow - it cools me down!

We had a pretty sunny day yesterday, and there are actually bare patches in the driveway!

Here is one of two tote bags that needed finishing. I mean, why do we let this stuff just sit around and never get done? The second one is almost finished. They are a bit narrow for the depth, but they would be great as a shoe bag! I made the bottom a bit too square, but it's OK. 

Completed tote bag

And I finally got the second sleeve of my sweatshirt done! Again - how long did that take? Not long to finish. Most of the tasks on that list for this week are finishing up small projects, so I hope to get through them and add more! Remember - I CAN, and I WILL -- WATCH ME!!!!

The sleeve for my sweatshirt

And there's one more spool of thread that bites the dust!! I have zero qualms about using up thread -- that's why we buy it! 

One more spool of thread gone!

Speaking of buying things, here's something to contemplate. Remember, I mentioned buying the expensive bras the other day and how much they cost per year? Someone on our Monday call lamented the high cost of purchasing a new rotary cutting mat to replace her THIRTY-YEAR-old one. 

Let's just contemplate that for a second. This existing mat has lasted 30 years -- and yes, so has mine, although mine should be replaced. It still works, even though it looks terrible. 

Here are some properties of the mat that I'd look for: 

• Minimum size (provided I have room): 24" by 36".
• Folding mat - NO!!!!!!
• Mat larger than 24" by 36"? Unless I'm cutting garments, I do NOT need a larger mat than 24" by 36". When have you cut a piece of fabric larger than that for a quilt? Bigger does not always mean better! 

Now let's do the math. Let's say that the mat (24" by 36") costs $150 CDN. WOW -- that's a lot of money. But is it? If you keep that mat for thirty years, and probably the last one you'll buy at our age, then that mat costs you $5 PER YEAR to own. Is that a lot of money? Heck - that's the price of two coffees! STOP looking at the cost of the item and look at the cost per year, per usage, per whatever --- then the cost is not huge at all. It's all about how you look at it --- glass half full, or glass half empty! 

$150 CDN for a 24" by 36" mat is CHEAP, and I'd be rushing out to buy a new one if I needed it. I have three pretty much brand-new mats in my house, so I will never have to buy another one. I need to just move the new one to where the old one is! You can't just look at the cost—you need to consider the price over the projected use period. If you buy a cheaper mat because it's cheaper and then you have to replace it - that isn't a bargain. Buy QUALITY. Buy something that was made for this purpose - not a cheap substitute!

And here's the other thing that drives me mad. We are among the fortunate people who still have a Fabricland (somewhat similar to Joann's) in our city, which sells home decor, garments, and quilting fabrics. It sells yarn and lots and lots of notions. Many do not like to shop there because they feel the items are overpriced. And yes, they have a funky pricing system that really tries to get you to buy a membership, so you save on all the prices. I believe a one-year membership costs $25. I usually save that $25 on the first trip after renewal. 

Here's the thing -- if you do NOT shop at Fabricland, it will close, like MANY of their other stores in Ontario have over the last couple of years, and they are NOT reopening. If there is no Fabricland, then where the heck am I going to buy a 22" burgundy invisible zipper when I want it? 

I can't go to my local quilt shop—they don't stock that kind of thing. Where will I buy those random notions? Again, the local quilt shop doesn't sell that kind of stuff. It's like everything else - buyer beware. Don't just run in and buy willy-nilly. Check things out -- I have never felt price-gouged buying at Fabricland because I look first. 

I do NOT even consider buying many of these things at that online store. As I've mentioned many times, Jeff does not need my money, which is most likely supporting things that I disagree with - NUFF SAID!!! Personally, I think we need to boycott that online store for 24 hours to show that the power is in the consumer - NOT the owner! And while Wal-Mart tries to have basic notions, it wouldn't have a 22" burgundy invisible zipper. 

Do you not find that there is an annoying habit going around these days? People do NOT LISTEN when you are talking. Twice, if not three times, yesterday, I asked questions on our Monday Zoom call, and every time, the person I was asking responded with an answer that did NOT answer my particular question. The answer was related, but it did not answer my question. And one of them was somewhat snarky about it. I rudely interrupted their snarkiness and said -- MY QUESTION IS THIS!!! Sheesh --- what is wrong with people? 

And I know that everyone wants to be helpful, but people -- on a ZOOM call, do NOT take over a conversation because you think you know better than the person who is being asked the question! I target specific people to get them talking!!!!!! 

The other day, I was chatting about the 150 Canadian Women quilt, and Judy sent me pictures of what she has done with hers. She gave the quilt a modern twist and even made it reversible to accommodate all the blocks. 

A modern version of the 150 Canadian Women quilt

The second side to accommodate all the blocks

And she put this dedication to the most important Canadian woman in her life, her mother, on the quilt! That is a very touching addition! 

A dedication to a mother!

Well, there you have it -- another crazy day at my house. No decluttering got done, but that's OK. OH - I did have a long nap. I had lunch and then realized it was one of those "I need a nap, and I need it NOW" moments, so I went to bed. I typically set the timer, which I did, but I was still exhausted, so I went back to sleep for a double nap. I got up and felt so much better. All that shoveling did me in! I had zero trouble sleeping last night, except for when I heard the backup beeper on the front-end loader! 

Have a fabulous day!!!

Ciao!!

The elephant in the room

Before I get into today, I want to clarify one point. In all the decluttering, I have perhaps "strongly" advised everyone to stop buying, which is undeniably true. 

Here's the thing—we live in a bizarre world where our wants are dictated by marketing people, who are motivated by CEOs who want more profit on the bottom line. This goes for any industry. Did you know that marketing and research people intentionally make products that appeal to our want mentality? 

We have wants that must be fulfilled, so we buy, buy, buy. Sometimes, we buy and bring home a bag of stuff that never gets opened! So, who benefited from that transaction? 

It's OK to buy, but you should buy for your needs, not your wants. We still need to support the local economy and small quilt shops—I totally get that. But why should I be the one to end up with the problem? By that, I mean I'm the one with the massive fabric stash or gadget I will never use. And how much does all this cost me?

What we need to do with our buying power is to tell the shops, the fabric, and the notion companies that we want GOOD quality stuff that is useful to us. Don't be selling us crap for the sake of their making a more considerable profit margin. Hell will freeze over before that happens because we are conditioned from a VERY young age that we must buy those WANTS!

Sadly, in our "first-world" countries, everything is driven by money and power. Most companies don't care what happens to this stuff (it becomes fodder for landfills) as long as they get their money from it. It's a vicious model, and while I'm happy to support the local shops, I won't go broke doing it. 

I used to feel that it was my job to support the local quilt shops, and guess what happened? I bought WAY more than I would ever want or use. I also purchased a lot based on guilt. But why should you feel guilty about buying something in a small shop when you don't feel guilty going into a clothing shop and not buying anything? 

So yes, continue to buy, but buy smart! If you must sneak your fabric into the house or hide it, we can safely say you have a problem! I'd seek help because you are NOT doing yourself or your family any good. You have a disease (hoarding) and need to stop buying! 

And how do I know this or feel qualified to talk about it? I've been there, done that, and am trying to dig myself out of a decade of want! It was not uncommon for me to walk into a quilt shop and easily spend $300 on stuff I never needed. I would bet that most of it is still unused in my house. That is wasteful, and I think of what family experiences we could have enjoyed with that $300 and all the other $300 I spent. 

And now, onto something different. 

I will confess that I accomplished a significant task yesterday, which resulted in panic-packing last night for the retreat this week. I have work to do and didn't get it all done, so I'm taking it with me. Oh yeah - at least there is lots of room to work, so I'll tuck myself in a corner for an hour a day to finish the writing. 

As a result, this must be loaded into the car this morning. 

What I'm taking

And there's one more sewing machine to add. Good grief - I'll get a full day of steps just doing loading and unloading the car. There's stuff for the Pony Express, my "office" work, and my sewing work. There's also a lot of Diane's stuff that is up for grabs to the retreat attendees. 

While quilting on the long arm, I brought in the bags of Diane's stuff one by one and went through all the bags from the most recent trip. The bags of fabric are still in the garage, and I'll deal with them another day. 

I know—I was shocked that I could go through it so quickly, but I'm learning. Not much went into the garbage. Any paper that was GOOS went into my printing pile. Anything with printing on both sides went into the recycling. Patterns went into the giveaway box. Rulers and templates are also in the giveaway box. Oh, and I found some sewing machine bits, so they went into a bag, and I'll sort that out when I get the machines. 

There were some notions, and they are in the giveaway box. And so on, until I even had a chance to go through some project boxes. Hmmm - not much in the way of UFOs, but I am bringing them with me, and we'll have time to explore them further. I will wait until everyone is there, which I think is Wednesday, then I will lay it all out, and they can have a go. But there will be VERY STRICT instructions - they are NOT to take anything unless they do NOT have one already and that they will use it! I'm happy to bring it back home and take it to the thrift store rather than clutter up someone else's home. 

Those project boxes contain cut and labeled fabric but no pattern or pattern name! That might all just have to go in a scrap bin! 

What did I learn from this? If you have small things - binder clips, paper clips, pens, and pencils, PUT THE LIKE ITEMS in a plastic bag. Good grief -- I had some plastic bags and was sorting, so it made more sense. I found little bits of paper - get rid of them. OK - I'm guilty of that. 

I'm glad that part is over. I was not looking forward to it, and having the retreat people entertain me was the perfect opportunity. I had ZERO desire to take anything. I kept one thing—the curved-tip hemostats! Sorry, I didn't take a picture. I had several pairs of straight tips, but I didn't know you could get curved ones!!! 

I may take on this task for my non-fabric stash for the next virtual retreat. It's a great way to purge my stuff mindlessly! 

OK, so Miss Lexi alerted me to the following picture. We were walking in the forest, and she stopped dead to look. I thought it was a squirrel, but NO—it was a crow or raven standing on top of a wasp nest and pecking madly away, so bits of the nest were flying. It was pretty entertaining. Lexi didn't care, but I thank her for showing me. 

A crow or a raven attacking a wasp nest

And I don't know what Murphy's problem was. I was sitting at the computer, and she was over by some embroidery machine hoops I had put on the floor so I could take a picture. She had her paw on one of the boxes at one point, but I wasn't quick enough to get a picture. What a silly girl. What was she trying to tell me? 

MOM -- LOOK at me! 

And now for the elephant in the room. I had a large quilt to get quilted. It is actually more of a decorative item than a quilt. An interior decorator hired me to do this project. She had ordered yards of digitally printed sateen from Spoonflower—enough for the front and the back. Yes, the front and back are the same, just one large piece of fabric. 

I had cut the backing, which I loaded on the long arm the previous night. So, I cut the front, loaded it, and then added the batting. That was a long piece of batting, as I'm making the coverlet and two pillow shams, and I might as well quilt them simultaneously. 

Loading the quilt

The required pattern was purchased - you have to love downloading stuff rather than waiting for it to arrive in the mail. It was to be relatively dense - thank goodness, because it was 140" long and 94 " wide. 

The loose pattern

I was pleased to see the bottom of the fabric at about 7 PM last night. 

At last - the bottom

You can't tell, as the lighting isn't good, but here is the quilted fabric. I'm taking it to the retreat, where there is loads of room, and I'll spread it out and trim it. There are NO reference lines or marks for trimming. That should be fun!! 

The quilted fabric

I finished all the quilts except two before leaving for the retreat, so I'm pretty pleased about that. I'm not happy that two remain, but it was a big push. Those two will be done as soon as I return. 

Yesterday, my stairs were very busy. I had various piles up the side—they were sorted, and as I went up and down, I grabbed something and dealt with it. Nothing is left to be done! That is a bit of a first for me, but once something is sorted, I'm very good at finding a home for it. 

The stairs as a sorting station

By bedtime, they looked like this: Everything but one sewing machine was by the front door, and as soon as I finished here, I was off to load the car! 

The stairs are clear

After going through Diane's stuff, I feel qualified to offer my services to help anyone who wants it. I can objectively look at almost anything and tell you it's a keeper, thrower, or seller! And if I were standing in your house with something in my hand that you shouldn't be keeping, I would be mean and NOT let you have it! OK - we might negotiate a bit, but still. I'm getting very good at this! And I'll be tackling some of the non-fabric areas in Studio B, but not at the moment. I've got other things that need to be done first. 

Thanks to everyone who came to the Virtual Retreat. I wish I could have spent more time talking, but I enjoyed listening to all the conversations as I worked! The next one is on February 15 and 16. I know it can't be helped, but I'm away on the weekend, we usually hold it. 

Well, that's it for me today! 

I can't wait to get to the retreat house. I think I will unpack all that stuff and spend the entire day sewing. Then tomorrow, I'll get to work. I have a ton of phone calls to make, articles to write, photos to take, and so on. I can hardly wait!!! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

The internet made me do it!

I got a chuckle from Elle's comment. Tiny home living is for those without "space-required" hobbies! Oh my! I did say that I would have all my sewing stuff in another space! What a hoot! But seriously - that should be something everyone needs to be told upfront. If you are going to quilt, you need SPACE. I know some people (Paula Neidlestern comes to mind) sew in tiny spaces, but where do they store stuff? OH - they don't buy a ton of things! 

BTW - Paula lives in a small apartment in New York City. She used to sew on her kitchen table. ACK! I think she has more room now that her kids are long gone.  

I'll blame it on the internet, and that's the truth! I must run the online diagnostic for the internet because lately? Our internet is crap! We never had good reach in parts of the house, but it seems to have gotten worse. I think our boosters are offline, and well, last evening, when I wanted to send emails, it just wouldn't work. 

Yes - I rebooted my PC SEVERAL times yesterday and even rebooted my phone at least twice to try and clear up stuff, but it worked temporarily, and then POOF - back to crappy internet. 

All that to say, this happened. 

The puzzle is done!

I have been very good with my time and set aside my break time (maximum 60 minutes) to work on the puzzle. This was a tough one, and after my break in the afternoon, the puzzle looked like this. 

Earlier in the day

It's strange how some puzzles come together so quickly. And what sections are left is also interesting - some have a big section remaining and are scattered, like this one. 

Anyway, when I couldn't work on my presentations any longer because I couldn't send pictures to myself, I gave up and finished the puzzle. Yes - the light sucks in that room at night, but I persevered! It took about 30 minutes to finish it. 

The city? It's Frankenmuth! 

Yes, I dug out another puzzle. How could I not? I love the 500-piece ones, and I can finish one in about three days with my limited time. The larger ones will have to wait. 

I was busy cutting and sewing for some classes this weekend and had a huge laugh when I spotted this. We always talk about our fabric and how much we have. Well, I have a basket of Kansas Troubles. Yes, an entire basket is devoted to this brand! That basket probably has enough fabric to make six or seven, or even more quilts. What's this all about? 

I liked the fabric and bought some whenever I saw it because if I don't buy it now, it'll be gone forever. Wrong! Kansas Troubles has been around for a long time and is still around. Someone needs to educate new quilters on how to buy fabric—what will stick around and what will disappear quickly. Maybe I'll keep working on quilts with this basket until it's gone. I mean my ongoing classes. It would make the selection process simple! 

Anyway -- here's where I got my chuckle. Look at the price!!!! This is in Canadian dollars. Why is that funny? The cost today is close to $6!!!!

Look at that price!

OH - this one must have been purchased a year or more later - the price is now $3.75. But here's the sad part -- NEITHER of those fat quarters had been used. NEVER!! Shame on me! And these two were not alone. 

OH -- a price increase!

I'm behind, but I'm working hard to finish everything, and I'll do what I can! 

Oh my goodness, here's another laugh. This came from the 2008 Organizing magazine. Seriously?? Did we do that as recently as 2008? Mind you, that's 16 years ago now. NO ONE would consider leaving their phone by the front door to charge overnight, although some of us should! I spotted this more than once in those organizing magazines. 

Is it cold outside? It's not cold, at least not according to Lexi. I put them both out at some point in the day, and when Murphy wanted in, I looked around for Lexi. Oh no—she was not ready to come in. She was content to sit in her favorite spot and survey the neighborhood! 

Mom - this is Husky weather!

I had to list all the computer tasks I had to take care of—and there were definitely more than three! I'm working through that list, and I still have the REAL things that need to be done—slow and steady! There's no point in getting into a flap about any of it—this is NOT rocket science, and no one will die, so I'm not going to stress. If I start to worry, then it's time to retire! 

I don't usually mention world events on the blog, but the fires in California are shocking. I can't imagine how helpless the firefighters (and the residents are) are to see massive walls of flames racing along hillsides and through neighborhoods, devouring everything in their wake. Where would you even start?

The world is changing, and while some say the Earth has experienced climate change before (and it has), today's Earth is very different from the Earth years ago. 

My thoughts are with those in the affected areas. If you have family in those areas, let's pray they are safe. 

I'm off for another busy day. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!

How to shop for fabric!

It feels like I'm on a treadmill, and it's speeding up with no chance of getting off! But there's no need to panic - everything is fine. Just a tad busy. This is temporary, as December will be pretty much dead. DO NOT LAUGH! How do people do this all the time? 

The second day of training went well, and I think everyone walked out of the room filled with excitement, a bit of trepidation to remember it all, and so much work ahead of them to make samples!

I had all these plans when I got home that I'd turn on the machines and start making more samples, and well, I was tired! So, I made some samples this morning. 

But back to yesterday. I went for a walk in the morning. It was like a spring day -- warm but cloudy and windy. The perfect day for a walk. Nothing was too exciting to see in that neighborhood, but I grabbed a couple of geocaches. This first one was easy to spot - there's a small container right by the black post. 

Easy to spot geocache

I can imagine in the summer, with all the leaves on the trees, that this would NOT be so easy to spot. There are advantages to doing some geocaching in the fall!

The area around the geocache

OK -- so what do you think these are? Art? Bike racks? Benches without a place to sit? I've no idea, and they were on a street corner, so not exactly a place to park a bike!

Art?

And this guy was at our hotel. I'm not into selfies, but he was about my height. 

That's a BIG duck!

While I was out walking, I passed two Tim's. I didn't bother to stop, even though I was getting hungry as I had looked, and Tim's was very close to the hotel. However, when I arrived, it was one of those in the gas station, so there was no place to sit down. CRAP! 

I decided to go to the hotel to see what they had for breakfast options. No buffet, no complimentary breakfast. You ordered from an order desk, and they brought the food to you. Hmm! Not what I wanted, but I had no choice. 

I ordered steel-cut oats, which cost $10 plus tax. It better be good because I can buy TWO containers of steel-cut oats for $10. 

The bowl was HUGE. It came with a few blueberries and a small jug of maple syrup. Yes --- it was excellent, and I wasn't grumbling about the $10. If the food is good, I'm OK with the price (most times), but if the food is crappy, then I'm not so happy. This was great!

My morning oatmeal

I wasn't needed for the first part of the meeting, and I needed some fabric. Northcott wasn't too far away, and I still have an account with them. So off I went. I spoke to the warehouse manager when I got there, and before I knew it, a few people came to the back to say HI. It's like they put it on a loudspeaker in the front -- Elaine has returned! I haven't been back since my services were no longer required in 2017! I don't even remember if that is the correct year. 

I was looking at the sale fabric, and I heard that if I buy 25 bolts, I can get it even cheaper. NEVER say that to a quilter. So I looked around, and I evaluated the car space, and I calculated the budget, and well, this happened. 

Oops -- so much for sticking to the budget

I was curious to see if everything would fit in the car on the way home. But I'm good! This was the back of the car. My sample suitcase is on top of the embroidery unit for the Designer EPIC 3. NO -- I could NOT see out the window, but I'm OK with that. 

The back of the car

The side behind the driver's seat was jammed with bolts of fabric and thread. 

Behind the driver's seat

The other side was also jammed with more bolts and the Designer EPIC 3. Notice that it was protected with the cover AND a quilt. You do NOT want to damage or scratch that screen. Thank goodness I did NOT take the box!

The other side of the car

And the front seat was also full! I don't need a bigger car -- I can fit a lot into this one. 

The front seat

Knowing that there are MANY quilts to be quilted for Quilts of Valour, I picked up 11 bolts to help with the backings. I had better get myself organized and get some of those quilts done! That's a job for December and January. 

Bolts for Quilts of Valour quilt backings

And then, I got a few bolts that were not on sale, but I needed some neutral backgrounds to stitch embroidery on. 

Stock up on neutrals

And then, I got a variety of blenders, also to be used for embroidery backgrounds. 

My new blender cache

So that was a great haul! My credit card went OUCH when I checked out, but we had a talk on the way back to the meeting! It's OK! 

I must say that it felt good to be back in the warehouse! But would I still want to be working there? I don't think so. I much prefer what I'm doing now, and there are WAY MORE toys to play with! Yep -- I'm in my happy place. 

I went back to the meeting, and I helped out with the rest of the morning session and then the afternoon. OH MY -- there is so much new on this embroidery/sewing machine. My mind was blown about one hour into the first day! And now I have to pack all that into three hours! Even if you are NOT in the market for a new embroidery machine, why not attend one of the events -- we are going to have FUN!

Hamilton Sewing, Hamilton, Ontario - November 9 - Thursday

K&A Sewing Studio, Ingersol, Ontario - November 10 - Friday

Gem Sewing - North Bay, Ontario - November 15 - Wednesday

Gem Sewing - Sudbury, Ontario (part of a retreat) - November 17 - Friday

Brampton Sew and Serge, Brampton, Ontario- November 24 - Friday (905) 874-1564

Carellen Sewing, Winnipeg, Manitoba - November 27

I couldn't sleep last night. Of course - I'm tired, but I can't sleep. So, I got up and started sorting and prepping all the samples for this morning. That takes oodles of time -- do I have fabric, stabilizer, bobbin threads, top threads? What about the design? Is that ready? Lots of things to get organized. But when I went to sleep on the couch with Lexi, everything was done. 

This morning, I had one embroidery machine working while I stitched on another, and wouldn't you know it --- BOTH machines had issues simultaneously! Of course, they did, because I was in a hurry!

However, I got both fixed and back working and completed almost everything I wanted to get done. The rest will be used for demos! I know -- how clever is that? 

Everything is now back at the front door -- the sample suitcase is rejigged. The machine is by the door, along with the bags of projects and supplies and several bags of technology. WAIT -- do not forget to pack a few clothes. That's always the last bag and the least important! As long as I have something on, I don't really care, but I do want to clean up a bit for the presentations. 

M and Bear made it home safely, and Dillon picked them up. Nothing is sweeter than seeing such a big, happy smile on your kid's face. OK -- Dillon brought flowers - I'd smile as well! And Little Bear was on the floor --- dancing around like a madman! So cute!

On that note, I'm out of here. I'm off to a seven-day quilt retreat. I know -- don't ask. It's going to be weird as I'll be working, and well -- it's just going to be weird. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

The great thread sort continues

We all love to shop --- lots of goodies -- patterns, threads, fabric, and whatever else there is to buy! I started quilting in 1998, and I had no problems buying stuff. Or even worse -- getting freebies from various places. I see so many people winning things they will NEVER use -- why do they even bother to sign up for it? It's all a big marketing ploy. Sure -- they will sell or give it away, but then it will sit in someone else's house. We are KEYED to want free stuff! 

Sadly, I learned a bit too late about accumulating stuff. And for many years, I ignored it. But somewhere along the line, I came to my senses and knew I was in trouble if I kept accumulating like I was. That was about ten years ago, and I'm still trying to dig myself out of the mess. 

Yes -- I am pretty organized, but more organization or culling needs to happen within each group. I'm currently working on the thread. Diane has sewn hundreds of quilt tops for me and has yet to make a dent in the stash. OK -- that's not entirely true, as I see empty spaces, but the quantity of fabric in that stash room would make THOUSANDS of quilt tops. I'm not kidding when I say that! 

What I dislike at this point is the amount of time it's taking to manage the quantity of stuff. While I'm pretty organized, things didn't jump into place by themselves. And now I'm dealing with all those threads, which takes more hours. More hours sorting and organizing and tidying. Hours that I would LOVE to spend sewing. 

So do yourself a favor. If you are new or newish to quilting - STOP!! Before going into a quilt shop - make a list. What do you specifically need to finish or advance a project? Did you see a new technique online that you want to try? Think before you go down that road -- if a time slot is NOT on your radar, then don't go there. Otherwise, you'll find that new technique waiting for you 15 years later! 

And please stop signing up for these giveaways. This is not out of the kindness of the heart of the designer or store --- they are collecting data on you and BRIBING you to spread the word about their products. Giving away products (that they paid wholesale for) is an extremely CHEAP way of promoting their business, and guess who does all the work? Not the store or the designer -- that would be you. Just because you want to win something for free! 

I refuse to participate as I certainly do not need anything, and I am NOT tagging my friends as they certainly do not need free stuff that they won't use either. So - never tag me on anything because I ignore or delete it. That is, if I even see it, which is rare, as I am NOT a big social media user. It's a huge time waster, and I spend all my spare time organizing the crap I already have! As for the reels -- I'm cured. I see them and move on. Who needs to waste their time with someone else's stupid mini-videos?

People still ask me if I watched or liked a particular TV show. I do NOT watch TV. I returned from a three-week bicycle trip in Northern Canada in August of 2010. I have NOT watched TV since. OH -- I've watched a few highly curated shows on my laptop through YouTube or a streaming service, but I have NOT watched TV just because. I don't even miss it, and I never consider watching, just for the sake of watching. 

Boy -- do I sound like a party pooper! I'm not -- I'm just being realistic in light of my situation and the amount of time and space. I know if the mess happened to me, it'll happen to others! 

And now, let's look at what happened yesterday. 

Thank goodness I didn't have the time to shorten this shopping bag, as I see it's got a hole in the bottom. And I bet I know why that happened. The handles are too long, and occasionally, when I return from my errands, it skims the sidewalk! I could quickly shorten the handles by an inch or two, as carrying that bag with shorter handles would be much easier! 

A hole in my shopping bag

Look at this if you think I'm exaggerating or being a Debbie Downer with my comments above. I found a small bag of various threads that came from Superior. I opened it up and discovered it was a bag of various threads I received when I got my long arm! OH -- that would be how many years ago? Something like 17 or 18 years ago? None of them have been used. 

A variety pack of threads from Superior when I got my long arm

And I found a receipt for $83 for some thread I purchased in 2003, and NONE of it has been used. Can you imagine how much money I've spent and how many hours I've spent moving that thread around? If that doesn't drive home the point I was making, spend away as you are missing the point! 

A receipt for the thread

Here's the latest customer quilt. It's a bit crooked in the pictures, but it's done. Another of the Tula Pink Butterfly quilts! It's always a challenge to figure out what color thread to use, but I used a THIN black that I found when sorting, and it works just fine! 

Customer quilt - DONE

The next quilt is almost loaded on the long arm, and I only have three short (hopefully) things on the calendar, so I should have no problem getting it quilted. 

I  managed to sew and trim some half-square triangles, which was good! The first time I've had time to sew in many days. Why? Too busy cleaning up crap! 

Trimming half-square triangles

I walked to Diane's, dropped off the brown fabric kits, and picked up more quilt tops from her. These were made from OODLES of fabric squares I amassed during fabric swaps -- YEARS ago. I hadn't used them, so I "donated" them. I had NEVER opened up the bags, and there were hundreds of them. Well, not hundreds, but probably close to 100, if not more! 

Quilt tops from Diane

I found more piecing thread in Studio U and brought it downstairs. 

More piecing thread

Until you get ALL of the like items together, it's hard to know how to organize them. This is ALL (I think) of my 50-weight piecing thread. Lots of neutral for piecing quilts and colors for binding and topstitching. 

My collection of 50-weight thread

I think I will sort out the greys, whites, and blacks and set those aside for piecing. I think I will put them in those 13" square scrapbook boxes. Hmm -- do I need to go and buy some more? I do NOT - I need to empty a couple. I will need two for the piecing thread as there are some large cones, and they all won't fit in one. Now where is my shelf liner? 

Once the thread is sorted and in the boxes, I'll label them and put them on the shelf. 

And look at this -- there are TWO of those scrapbook boxes on the floor that I need to deal with. Now that there is an urgency to use the boxes, I plan to tackle them both today. 

Two scrapbook boxes to empty!

I opened one up to find the mitered Christmas placemat, but why is the other stuff in there? 

You never know what you'll find in a box.

While cleaning out the thread area in the stash room, I discovered a box of large format patterns that hadn't seen the light of the day in YEARS. Oh boy -- when I went through that box, there are many patterns, some of which are paper piecing and very expensive - one was almost $100! I have no idea what the value of those patterns is, but probably close to $1,000 - if NOT more! OK --- have you got my point yet? About buying and NOT doing? 

A box of patterns

I'm getting closer to having all those threads sorted by weight, but it's an ugly job. Here are the embroidery threads that must be sorted by color into the appropriate boxes. 

Embroidery threads to sort

Here are my metallic and sparkly threads, plus my Wonderfil thin threads that need to find a new home. That thread box, a freebie from Missouri Star if you BOUGHT a certain amount of goodies (and I had to have the thread box!), doesn't fit properly in my cabinet, so it's up for grabs. I like the box -- it just doesn't fit my space. OH -- I need to empty another scrapbook box! 

More sorted thread that needs a home

This is what I still have on the table to deal with. It's mostly the 12, 30, and 40-weight threads, and I found more spools of elastic thread and fusible thread. How many spools does one person need? Especially if you don't use it? 

What still needs to be sorted

The work tables and the ironing board are clear, so that's a bonus. 

My work tables are pretty clear

The cutting table is an EVOLVING piece of art! Yes -- I'm going to call it art! It will change every day, but what's important is that it is NOT a storage area. I need to wrap my head around the fact that this is a working table, and it will likely never be clean. As it gets some space, I put something else there that I will work on. I would LOVE one day with nothing else to do but tackle that table once and for all. And then I'll move something from the current projects table, and it'll be messy again! 

The cutting table is a piece of evolving art!

I'm packing stuff for the retreat, and it's all stacked at the bottom of the stairs. Do NOT yell at me -- I'm cautious on the stairs and NEVER go down without hanging onto the handrail! After Wednesday, I'll start moving it up. Thankfully, some of that will not be coming home with me, so I'll have to pack it, but I won't have to unpack it when I return! 

Packing for the retreat

And it's official --- I finished the Virtual Challenge for the Fellowship of the Ring yesterday!!!

It was definitely a challenge considering the distance and the time frame; I had a blister to heal in there, much travel, and cold days! But I'm a trooper, and nothing will stop me when I set my mind to something. And it shows that ANYTHING is possible if you really want it! 

It's like the organization thing -- I REALLY want that space to be super organized, and I will make it happen. It's just challenging to try to work at the same time. 

I'm away at a quilt retreat next week, and there's a shop hop at the four stores closest to the house. I was going to take my bike and bike to each, but the weather will not be that great. So I've decided I do NOT need to go to any of them. There's an art show nearby, and that'll be my entertainment. 

On that happy note -- I"m out of here! It will be another glorious day, and even if I get one thing organized, it's one thing more than I had organized yesterday! I'll start the next challenge in the Lord of the Rings series, but it's only 75 KM or something like that, so I may start it next Monday and aim to finish it while on retreat. 

Remember that this coming weekend is Virtual Retreat!! I'll post the links tomorrow but put it in your calendar. It's Saturday evening, starting at 6 PM, and Sunday, starting at NOON; all times are EST. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!!