What's your plan B?

What a day! I got out my bucket of cables and other supplies as I was setting up the cameras for today's Facebook Live. No fear of losing a tripod since they are relatively large, and I keep the two video cameras attached to them. The third tripod is for my cell phone or the iPad since I now have a holder for it. 

Tripods and cameras - check!

There's the bucket of cables and one more camera. 

Bucket of cables and document camera - check!

And then there is the swtichbox. As I was sorting through the cables (I keep saying I will label them, but I can figure it out), I realized that I did NOT have the power cord to the switchbox. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? 

Switchbox - check! Switchbox power cord - FAIL!!!!

I have been so diligent about putting things back where they belong, and I have no other place to use this power cord. I would not have stolen it for another device - it's pretty specific. I searched everywhere, but obviously, I didn't because I couldn't find it, and without that power cord, nothing will work. 

I looked online, and NOPE—I can't get one until later in the week. So I was off to the camera shop, and no, they do not sell these, but the staff member I chatted with said he had a box like it, and I asked if I could borrow his cord. I told him I'd call him back if I needed it. He seemed reluctant - I guess he has never been desperate before! 

I stopped at Best Buy and spotted something I thought would work, but after asking the staff there, they said NO. Seriously??? How come I can't find a power cord? Back home and a bit more research online, and while I can get one, I can't get one quick enough. 

I called the camera shop back to see if I could really borrow that guy's cable. I was willing to give him some cash for it, and then I scoured around the studio to see if anything else had that kind of connection. Oh my—let's try this cord. It was the power cord to my Cricut digital cutter, and it worked!!!!! I stayed on hold with the camera shop until the guy came on and I explained what happened. 

The Cricut cord is the white one in the mess above. 

It was funny because he seemed to think I was trying to borrow it through the shop. NO - I'll pay YOU, just loan it to me. Fortunately, we didn't need to go that route. 

Then it was time to move the tables and set up the backdrop and all that other fun stuff. The excess cables got put back in the bucket. I was testing all the cameras at this point and making sure they were charged, although I do NOT run them without a power source. Can you imagine, in the middle of the presentation, one camera losing battery power? Not happening!

Testing the cameras for connectivity

Thankfully, I've done this a few times, so I got the whole mess down pat, but here's where you would love to have a LOT of power bars and extension cords running all over the place, because getting power to all the devices is sometimes the hardest thing. I'm not sure how I ever did this the first time! While the embroidery machine is madly stitching in the background!

Testing the connectivity

 

At last, everything has power and is connected to the switch box. And the lights are out, although I could use more light. All the while, I had my embroidery machine working away in the back! I still have a couple more samples to run this morning, and I have to run to Staples to print out two things because our printer is acting up. Yippee!!!!

Lights, cameras, action!

When I was out, it was close to lunch time, so I stopped at Harvey's for a treat. It's funny how people do things on autopilot. They ask when I'm at the window, "Do you want ketchup?" and I reply, "NO." When I open the bag, this is what I see. EVERY single time!

What you get when you say, NO KETCHUP!!

But then I didn't feel well in the afternoon. DH also had lunch from there, but it only hit me. I wasn't sick, but I just didn't feel well. So I lost a couple of hours as I went to bed. And poor Lexi had tummy issues overnight and had to go out TWICE!! Thankfully, she makes a huge racket, although I didn't hear her the first time. DH did that run. But I heard the alarm system say, "Back door closed," which only says when the back door closes. I hadn't heard anything else, so I went to investigate. DH was sitting in the family room waiting for her to come back in. Of course, she isn't one to run out and do her business and then come back in. Nope -- she has to explore a bit. 

Well, I heard her the second time, and now she's back in and settled in her bed. Hopefully, she feels better. I feel better, but I'm tired this morning. However, I'm still going to spin class. 

And this was Murphy's take on the whole day. I had left the backdoor open in the afternoon because it was so warm. I didn't even get to enjoy a walk in the warm weather because I was in bed. But the girls are so happy that they have had a couple of days to come and go as they want. The door will be closed today because it's much cooler, but still above freezing. 

MOM -- I'm watching you!!!!!

I didn't even eat dinner last night. I just wasn't up to it. I had my snack before spin class, so let's hope that all is good. Again, I didn't need the washroom; I just had a lot of discomfort. But all seems to be good this morning. 

After "dinner", I went back to my jigsaw puzzle to see if I could finish it, and VOILA -- it's done. 

The 1000-piece puzzle is done!

I continued taking a handful of pieces at a time and tried to find a home for them without using the box, and by this time, I was getting pretty good at it. And before I knew it, the puzzle was complete! Yep - even the missing border piece was found. It's weird how that one piece was missing until almost the end. I've left it up, but I will dismantle it later today as I want to take this one with me at the end of the month to give to the fellow at my parents' apartment. I think he'll have fun with it. 

And I have another one that I'll open later tonight. 

OK—so if you want to watch the presentation live today, here's what you do. 

Go to the main Husqvarna Viking North America page on Facebook. Here is the link. 

You can have that window open as you wait for the presentation to start. It WILL NOT start until precisely 3 PM EDT. Now here's the trick: at 3 PM EDT, you must REFRESH that window to get the live feed working. The pages do not refresh on their own. The same applies to YouTube if you plan to watch the presentation there. If you have the page open BEFORE 3 PM, you must REFRESH the page to get into the live feed. It is supposed to start automatically. So if you open either page at 3:01, it should already be broadcasting the live presentation. 

Here's the link to the YouTube page. 

So you can watch in either spot—just be sure to REFRESH the page. I'll be there at 3 PM, but I'll hold back a minute or two before I really get started. The presentation will be recorded if you miss the beginning. 

Oh --- I have some advice for you! If you are a Facebook scroller, and I confess, since I wasn't feeling well yesterday, I did a bit more scrolling than I would typically in a day, but it wasn't for long—it's so boring!!! 

Anyway, my advice to you is: if you spot some information that looks REAL on Facebook, go to a web browser or a news source and fact-check it. There is so much FAKE stuff on Facebook that it's disgusting. You'll see lots of things you wish had happened, but when you fact-check, they did not. Or you have loads of people reporting on things that seem legit, but they didn't quite happen the way that person makes them appear. FACT CHECK from another legitimate source. 

What I think I need to do is subscribe to a legitimate news source, but which one? 

On that note, I'd better get myself moving. I have a ton of things to do this morning, and I need every second. Well, it's not that bad, but I'll be running samples, getting pictures printed, and well, that's it. I was hoping for a manicure, but I might have to settle for a home-based one! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Singing in the rain!

 Oh --- another bonus about the TruEarth laundry strips—they are Canadian (Port Moody, BC). I remember seeing that on a website, but I forgot. Thanks for the reminder! I'm excited to give them a try!

I'm almost embarrassed to show you what I did for my 60-minute-or-less challenge, but as I said, it doesn't matter what you do, and if it takes only 60 seconds but gets done, that's perfectly OK. This item had been sitting near my computer in Studio B for months—probably close to a year. I finally tackled it yesterday. 

I have this cheap whirly thing in the backyard. Last year, the string broke, and it sat beside my computer waiting for me to fix it. So I grabbed some invisible thread and attached a new string. It's now hanging back outside. I know—why did I leave it so long? I have no idea, but my 60-minute-or-less challenge has me fired up! I should have used a thicker thread, like fishing line, but I don't have any. So I used my crappy invisible thread that I don't like and it seems to work. How long will it last? 

My whirly ornament is back outside

I have this basket of "crap" on the table beside the computer in Studio B, and I need to go through it. I've been ignoring it, but yesterday, I picked up a bag in the basket and peeked inside. Good grief—this is a school project from 25 years ago. 

An abandoned school project

It was a project where we were to make a 3-D object using something as the structure, in this case, wire mesh. The blue around the edges is embroidery floss. I never finished it, and even if I did, what would I do with it? 

It's supposed to be a box

I rescued the floss and the picture frame wire; the rest went in the garbage. I had many good intentions, but never finished many of them, hence the proliferation of UFOs. This was a cute concept, but the edges of the mesh were a bit rough, even turned back and covered with the floss. So out it goes. 

Then I found a bag within that bag and spotted these two things. Why? The issue is—these are perfectly good nuts, but what do you do with them? They need some hardware recycling place where you can send rogue screws and nuts. I've got lots to contribute. 

Rogue nuts! 

This is the table beside the computer. During February and March, it was completely clean. Now, it's a work table of sorts, but it does have a few things to sort on it! These are on my list of things to deal with, some of which will fit into the 60-minutes-or-less category. And it's this kind of stuff that we need to be dealing with. Imagine having to deal with someone else's crap like this? NO - take responsibility and deal with it. Most of it can be thrown away, so why aren't we doing that? I'm trying to get there! As silly as this sounds, throwing that wire mesh project away took a lot of mental effort. Why? I'll never finish it. 

Table of crap to sort

In preparation for a weekend machine embroidery retreat, I went into Diane's scrap tubs looking for something. I found tons of binding, so I pulled out what I saw and piled it onto that table. 

Strips of binding that need to be sorted and bagged

I measured the binding width, sorted it into three bags, and put them in the storage room. I'll use them to bind some of the community project quilts. 

Premade binding for community projects

I mentioned the upgrade to my cell phone's Android OS. I decided that if I was going to get comfortable with it, I needed to play. Well, I found a super addition to the camera. My camera (S23) has three lenses—wide, standard, and macro. There is also a 30X optical zoom on it. To use the Zoom feature, you needed two fingers to zoom in on the screen. 

When you select the macro setting, you get three zoom settings (10, 20, 30), and I can easily choose the one I want with one finger, which is AMAZING. If you're wondering where one would use that, I could have used it when I took that picture of the ducks the other day. I couldn't zoom in because I had Murphy's leash in the other hand. 

Check it out if you have an Android phone!!! Look at this picture I took of the girls from my office, and they were playing outside. 

MOM - we need you!!!

And what about this? Looks like a robin, which was on a tree at the neighbor's house several doors down. I snapped it from my front step, with ONE hand! 

Using 30X zoom on my phone camera

I also found the watermark feature, which is easy to use. Did you notice that in the photo above? I must go in and, if nothing else, learn how to use ALL the features on the camera. 

We had a virtual retreat in the afternoon, and it was a slow day! I think I might start the summer ones a bit later. We don't need to be on all day! But we did have loads of fun. I'm still struggling with some sort of interference with my microphones. Oh yes - I need to reboot the router and ALL computers this morning. I don't know what is causing the interference, but I need to get it fixed as it's super annoying. My Shokz over-earbuds work fine for a while, then my voice becomes garbled. It's so irritating!

While on the retreat, one of the ladies' husbands gave me some tips on solving my computer storage problem, so I need to investigate that later this week. But what I really need to do is DELETE all the crap I don't want, ensure the filing system is set up (which is mostly is - it's mostly sorting a bunch of stuff that doesn't have a home yet) and then go from there. That's a slow and steady job, and I'm chipping away at it, but it takes time. I'm going away to a short retreat this weekend, perhaps I could do that in the morning before everyone gets up! I likely will not be taking a sewing machine as I'm teaching and trying to cut down on what I take. 

I went for a walk in the afternoon, and because I don't have windows in Studio B, I didn't realize it was getting cloudy.. When I left the house, the sky looked threatening, but did I turn around and grab an umbrella? I did not. As I walked, there were a few sprinkles of rain, but nothing serious. When I reached a potential turnaround in my walk, I asked myself if I should turn back. I decided there wasn't enough rain to warrant that, and all was good. 

I was about 20 minutes from the house when the rain picked up. Still not super bad, and I was only getting slightly damp. However, I was about 10 minutes from the house, and it started to RAIN! At one point, I thought it might turn to hail. You know - those big white drops, but not hail. Needless to say, I got wet. You know it's wet when you feel water sloshing in your shoes! Shoot -- I hope they are dry this morning, as I forgot to stuff newspaper in them yesterday. 

Pouring rain

I changed into my pajamas, and I was just fine. Everything else went into the washing machine, but I used my old stock of pods—I need to use them up! I didn't run—what's the point? I just kept my usual pace, and all was good! It's one thing to get caught in the rain; it's another to go out when it's raining. 

During the virtual retreat, I managed to finish this giant quilt. It was fine when my microphone worked from the earbuds because I could chat with everyone while I worked on the quilt. But when I had to switch microphones, I could only listen! 

Customer quilt - DONE

It will be a super busy day as I have loads to get done, and I'll miss part of Monday Sewing to accomplish what I should have done yesterday! It shouldn't take too long. It's an editing job, and someone suggested I ask AI to edit overnight. Now that might have been a handy thing if I knew how! I know how to make AI assist me, but I don't want it to do the job without me. I like editing, so I'm OK and getting much faster at editing my rough drafts. It'll all work out! 

On that note, I'm off to spin class, and I'm certain I will need a nap today as I struggled to fall asleep. I had several things on my mind (all good), and I should have gotten up and edited last night.

Do you have a basket of 60-minute-or-less things to do? It could be so simple, like tying a string on an ornament, but it qualifies if it's something that has been languishing and you haven't done it. One a day -- imagine how many little things we can clear up, if we do one a day! And if you're on a roll, maybe you could do two! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Clean Sweep!

OH --- someone mentioned that it was funny I went to the bank to deposit that $20 bill! Well, I was pretty sure it wouldn't go through the ATM, and I asked the teller, and he said NO. I thought this polymer bill was introduced years ago. I was a bit surprised that it was in September of 2015. Seriously? I thought it was older than that. AHA --- a bit more research and it was, in fact, introduced in November 2012. A commemorative note in honor of Queen Elizabeth was introduced in September 2015. 

I could have spent that $20, but I figured that many people would not know what it was and wouldn't accept it, and I don't use cash anymore. So I thought it best to go to the bank where they would know what it was! Although I bet that teller showed it around the office saying -- can you believe that someone still has this old bill? 

I bet my mother has MANY old bills, and she's probably not alone. 

It's Friday, and although there are still three days in the week, I'm making decent progress through the events. There are four Zooms left and an in-person event on Machine Quilting. If you want to learn to machine quilt or improve your techniques, sign up for the in-person class at The Hobby Horse. WAIT -- -you can't sign up -- it's sold out!!

And if you have the mySewnet embroidery software (you could get some help if you have Premier Plus2 - the previous version), I'm running a seminar tonight on the PLATINUM level. I did one last night, and it was amazing!! So, to check out what you can do at that top level, contact Stitch by Stitch today to get the link. I had a lot of fun prepping for it, and I discovered something cool after closing the call. I need to stitch it out today!

I downloaded all the photos from my phone to the computer to free up some storage space. 

No more pictures on my phone

That did NOT seem to help. Why is this happening? I may have to reboot my computer, but the server says it's still full. I do NOT get it. Unless the photos it's talking about are the photos on the blog. Grrrrr --- I just want answers!!! 

But after I moved the photos, I noticed there were still photos on my phone. Yep -- those would be photos from What's Up, IG, Facebook, and Messenger. So, I have deleted most of those as they are the ones people send me- there is no need to keep most of those. It's still a learning curve, and while deleting files, I have yet to free up some storage space. Obviously, more research is needed to clean up this mess. 

I have another storage area, Dropbox, that I need to move the files out of and close my account as I no longer use it. What a storage nightmare!

Speaking of nightmares, this was Studio B when I closed down last night. Yikes -- that is scary. 

A jumbled mess

And this is what it looks like this morning. 

Look at all that room!

Yep -- a few changes. I have someone coming over today to work on the embroidery machines, and it was a tripping hazard! I know the timing is not good, but we have delayed this play date for months. Well, let's just do it!!!

I have some small folding tables, and all of them have been called into action to hold the stuff rather than dumping it on the floor. Some stuff got shoved against a table in the right-hand corner, and some of it is in the area where the long arm sits. 

All the technology got shoved into this corner. 

The technology corner

I'm OK with all that. It needed to be done—it was getting very crowded. I hope to get all the samples and accessories/tools set out for the next two weeks, and as I use them, they can be put away. I have a plan, and I'm not worried. 

I had to clear the cutting table off so we could have a space to work. That got sorted onto one of the spare folding tables. I've lost count of how many tables are currently in use! 

That leaves me with the dilemma of what to do with this crappy cutting mat. 

The front

The back

It's the one I cut on all the time, yet I have THREE almost brand-new mats of the same size. I was going to toss this, but I decided to keep it for cutting batting and trimming quilts, which can make a mess on a good cutting mat. 

All I had to do was switch the mats on the cutting table. The cutting table is again covered, but with the supplies we need for our play date. I also wanted to experiment with something to help us with the project. Of course, this morning, as part of the mad cleanup, I got out the appropriate tools and a quick video on YouTube, and I was on my way to success!! I love it when things work like I want them! But why leave it until the last minute? 

Here's the thing about experimenting. Because I knew how to use this tool, it only required a little effort to try my experiment. The more we experiment and play, the easier things get! 

I also completed a few more blocks for the Heartfelt Sampler quilt. These two blocks complete the third last block set. 

Two more blocks for the Heartfelt Sampler

I still had a bit of time, so I got two blocks done on the second-last block set. There are still seven blocks to sew, but they don't take a lot of time. There are eight blocks in the final set, but I realized this morning that I'm missing two squares for each block. DRAT!!! Back to the cutting board for that. 

Two more blocks for the Heartfelt Sampler

I have to say that I'm getting pretty handy at setting up videos and camera equipment. Perhaps I should start a serious YouTube channel with all my wealth of information? I don't know—I really do not have the time to do the editing required. But I have all the equipment, and I LOVE this switchbox. I can connect FOUR cameras to it, and now that I know how to work it with Zoom, it's a breeze to switch from camera to camera. 

My BlackMagic switch box

And yes, there was a learning curve with the darn thing, but I've got it now, so I want to get lots of use out of it. 

I'm thrilled that I learned how to use the iPad to file the files in the way that I want. Yesterday, I downloaded more files, which are safely stored in their appropriate folders. I see I have to remove the ones I read from iBooks, but that's OK. I keep the darn thing powered up now, which I never did because I wasn't using it regularly! 

The iPad gets constant use

Last night, I downloaded the instructions for the project we're working on today! No paper, printing, or losing the documents because I know we won't finish today!!! 

I spotted these flowers on the counter this morning. I suspect they came from the event that DH attended last night in honor of International Women's Day, so we get to enjoy those for a few days!!

Flowers!!!

There are no pictures of the girls and the boy, although I guess you can see Miss Murphy in the corner. Her favorite spot to lie is next to the fence. Then she can see into the forest and the backyard! If anything moves, she can bark at it! 

A beautiful day in the backyard

She is like a naughty child with the barking. She knows she is not supposed to bark because she usually stops when you tell her. And I've seen her turn her back to me, bark at the forest, then turn around to see if I'm watching her!!! That girl!!!!

Is it too early to announce the projects that will start in October? Yep --- I got some feedback from people, chatted with the store (Thimbles and Things), and I think it's set! That was easy!! I have two other projects I'd like to run, but it means I'll have to run them myself. ACK ---I said I wouldn't do that!! But it's a way to get them done. I'll post pictures of the two I want to do, and let's see what your response is about doing them. Don't lecture me!!! 

Oh, I should make you guess which quilts they are. Both are designed by Wendy Williams. Can you guess which two I want to make? One is in the list on that website, and the other is in the Pattern Book category (you can find it through the link above). Actually, when I look at the quilts, I see that there are way more than two I want to make. 

Well, there's a lot of follow-up and e-mails to be sent, but I won't have time until much later today. Thankfully, I don't have to prepare for the Zoom tonight, so that saves some time. I might just get all my blocks for Heartfelt completed. 

On that note, I'm out of here! I know I should be writing today instead of having a play date, but I'll be writing tomorrow, Sunday, and all next week. No more messing around with errands—it's time to get serious!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

What is your PURPOSE in life?

I didn't think I was going to make it this morning! I mean getting my presentations ready. I went to bed relatively late for me, but I got up when the PILL alarm rang! I notice that's my last one, so I must go to the drugstore to get more. 

But the presentations are ready. Yesterday, I wondered if I had enough content for one of them, but after putting all the pictures together, I wonder if I'll get a chance to talk! This whole business of sharing in the Zoom format is fantastic, and I've learned so much. Not only have I learned the techniques (talking digital cutters), but we are accountable to each other, and I want to be an active participant!! Yikes --- it's a crazy world, but I LOVE it. 

While walking, I remembered seeing some videotapes on the camera shelf. No idea what's on them, so I should deal with that now. When I got home, I discovered TWO new tapes, which went in the giveaway box. Two empty cases went into the garbage, and one tape went to the store to get transferred to a DVD. It's super easy to deal with a few things at a time, but this was only after a somewhat major sort through the contents of that shelf. 

More camera supplies were dealt with

The little tripod (I've got several - some I will never use - I must dig them out) went into my retreat bag. I often forget to take the big tripod to put the phone on to take a picture and then have to try to rig something up. This one weighs nothing and will be perfect to place the camera against. The legs are very bendy! It might be an excellent tripod to throw in my backpack for hiking!

I was pretty happy with my production level yesterday. I got a customer quilt done. 

Customer quilt - DONE

Then, I went to work on the Tequila Lime quilt. Those darn paper pieces were long and caused me no end of grief! Rip - rip - rip!!!

Paper piecing

But I persevered and finished the units for Group B!!!!

Paper piecing is DONE!

After sewing ALL the B sections, this is the scrap that I had. If I had cut the shapes per the pattern, I would have had MUCH more than this. It's all about learning to do things right, or in this case, economically!!! 

Scraps from paper piecing

While it was a bit chilly yesterday, the sun was out, and it was a glorious day!! When I returned from my afternoon walk, Little Bear and I sat in the gazebo for a few minutes! He's so cute, but I wish his tongue didn't hang out. Oh well, that's what happens when you have no teeth. 

Hanging out in the gazebo

And Murphy has taken to bringing the outdoors indoors. There were leaves all over, and Lexi left a nice pile of mud, which was now dirt so that all got swept up!

Leaves in the house

We are making significant progress on the EXIT Game, as we are now on Day 13 -- halfway! And we've only looked at those two clues. Yeah us!!!! But it's teamwork -- neither of us would make it on our own! Yesterday, we had to cut the top of the box in two! 

Progress on the EXIT Game

OK -- this quote screams ME!!!!

Super quote

Yep --- when I discovered quilting, I found my PASSION. Well, not exactly. It's hard to say if the passion is quilting or teaching! But let's say, in my case, it's a good mix. 

I finished reading Viktor E. Frankl's book - "Man's Search for Meaning". Holy smokes!!! That was a fascinating read. He was a psychiatrist who ended up in the concentration camps during the war. He has MANY insights into the world and why it's going the way it is - mental health issues, depression, suicide, etc. I'm not sure that I could wrap it up in a nutshell, but here is an article about the book. 

Guess what? This book was written in 1946, and the last part was revised in 1983, so what he says is NOT new, but our society refuses to change. 

The bottom line is that we need a PURPOSE in life. We need to have a reason to get out of bed each day. And WE alone have the choice to make those decisions that make us get through life meaningfully to each of us. Our purpose CANNOT be the same as someone else's! And SUFFERING is part of the purpose of life! It makes us stronger, and there is NOT enough meaningful suffering today. 

I listened to the audiobook (5 hours); if you get a chance, you should read it. It was fascinating. Thanks to someone on the blog who mentioned it. 

On that note, it's time to get the girls and the boy out for their walks. There are two Zooms this morning and a Virtual Retreat this afternoon. We had so much fun last night and some GREAT conversations. I was impressed, and when you want to know something, there's usually someone on the call with the answer!!!!

Here's the link for today. 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82983517671?pwd=ODdsa1FJenQwdFNaQWFTNGd4bEhPZz09

Meeting ID: 829 8351 7671
Passcode: 117636

We're supposed to start at NOON, but my prior presentation may go over, so don't despair. Just come back!!!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

The aftermath

Phew -- so doing that Facebook Live was quite an adventure! I didn't go back and watch it, but I know a few areas where I could do things differently. But I'm OK with that. What am I always telling people? It'll never be perfect the first time -- gosh -- it'll probably never be perfect! However, one learns from experience, and I spent the morning walking through the presentation, moving from chair to chair, standing up to hold the quilts, and prepping fabric or whatever I needed as I did the walk-through. 

I had an agenda on a small whiteboard to help me along, and I'm happy with the results. 

Needless to say, I had help while I was working. First, Murphy was there as Little Bear was upstairs. 

Why is the gaffer asleep on the floor?

Then Little Bear wanted to be downstairs, so he got moved. 

The replacement is no better than the original!

Then, they were both there to help out. Lexi? She would NEVER come downstairs. That's beneath a Princess to take the stairs. 

MOM -- we want to be TALENT, not behind-the-scenes stuff!

During the actual presentation, Little Bear stayed on the floor. I could hear Murphy barking at one point, but nothing I could do about it!! 

I was messing around taking pictures, and here's the view from my primary camera. 

The view from the primary camera

And this is what my table looked like. 

Behind the scenes

My tiny little set-up gives you some appreciation for what happens in a real filming studio. It reminded me of the day when the Property Brothers (Drew and Linda) descended upon Studio B to film a segment for their show. I could see myself on the laptop screen, but I was not using the laptop camera, which was unnerving. I was looking into a camera about 10 feet away. Yet all the questions came on the laptop. Oh well -- it was OK, but remember to look at the camera, NOT the computer!

In case you're wondering, this is what my screen looked like. 

What I saw! 

I had to laugh because, after the presentation, this is what the floor looked like. 

Everything got tossed to the floor

Everything got tossed to the floor. There was no time to tidy it up, and that's OK!!!

Anyway, I had a blast! So help me, but I volunteered to do it again! Hey -- if I went to all that trouble to make this happen, I should at least get to do it again! 

Someone asked about my jacket (not during the presentation, but after). Here's a picture of the back. 

My jacket

This was the first time I wore it. Where did it come from? I wish I could say I made it, but I did not. When M was in Turkey in the fall, she was browsing some of the local markets and spotted a shop selling this kind of work. It is called Kashmiri Embroidery. 

The shop she was in had hundreds of brilliantly colored items, so I went shopping through her phone. We settled on this one. When it came to size, she tried on one, and we went one size larger. Anyway, I got the jacket when she stopped in on her way home. I tried it on, and it fits like a glove! It's beautiful. 

I suspect this type of embroidery is similar to the MOLAS from the Panama Canal area. Do they make "cheap knock-offs" for tourists? I don't know what the story is, but it's beautiful! I'm not sure how much she paid. I should ask her if she remembers. 

When I finished yesterday, I was EXHAUSTED. My brain and body protested that I needed a break, so I did. The girls, the boy, and I cuddled up in the living room and had a long nap. But only after they all entertained me!

My entertainment after the show

I went downstairs this morning to start tidying everything up. It was a disaster, to be sure! I got all the samples put away. The extension cords (I had THREE different power bars) got put away. And I returned the big mic to DH's office. Shoot -- I bought that for me, and then I was using earbuds, so I gave the mic to him. Thankfully, he wasn't home yesterday, so I stole the mic from his office. It worked like a charm! My earbuds haven't been working well for quite some time, so I've been using the mic on the laptop, which is crap! I have a new set of earbuds, and I'll try them for the virtual retreat this weekend. 

Mostly tidied up except for the technology

I need to do some significant labeling before I put everything away. Cords must be labeled; I might pack them with the appropriate camera. That way, when I grab a camera, all its cords are in one place. So I'll work on that later today - bit by bit, but the worst part is done.

Speaking of cameras, I was tidying up the remaining mess on the kitchen table, and imagine my surprise when I realized that TWO of the three cameras were FILM, not digital. I delicately opened it (although that doesn't make a difference if there is an open film in the back) and found a roll that needed to be developed. I suspect this camera belonged to M. Do I even dare get that developed? I may not want to see any of the photos. Perhaps I should give it to her and let her decide. 

An undeveloped film?

This is the second camera, which did not have any film inside. I dug the manual out of the recycling for this camera, as it's a decent camera. The other one is very cheap. This is a Nikon. I have a few rolls of film -- does anyone have a budding photographer in their family who would love to mess with film? Otherwise, it's going to get donated. 

Another film camera

I was sorting through the CDs that I found. Good grief -- I've bought a few Canon products in my time. Notice the version of the software that came with each!! I can download it online, so I don't need these. I don't think anyone uses CDs for multi-media or any other purpose, but I best keep those pouches!!! I have to deal with those today. 

Old CDs for cameras

As part of my cleaning process this morning, I was swiftering around getting rid of dust and decided to move the portable design wall. I simply folded it in on itself. Imagine my surprise when I spotted this block on the back! That's the MISSING block from Barn Star Sampler. I swear I had made all the pinwheels but couldn't find one. So I remade it!!! I got a chuckle!!!

My MISSING block from the Barn Start Sampler quilt

If you wonder why I called my sewing spaces STUDIOs, not sewing rooms, read this quote. It's from a book on organizing your sewing space. I must have read the book years ago, or I just decided that what I do sounds better in a studio than in a sewing room. 

We DESERVE STUDIOS!!!

To add to the circus which is my house, two nights ago, the doorbell rang at 7 PM, and this box was on my step. Good grief -- CanPar was working late!!! Anyway, I've opened the box, and it's filled with goodies that I get to play with for the next blog posts for QUILTsocial. I can't wait!!!! 

A box of goodies!! 

And I think that's enough excitement to last for a while. However, I'm back to work today as I have a presentation on Husqvarna Viking Accessories tonight. It won't take long to assemble, and I'll only use one camera. However, I might use one of my Handi-cams to show off the accessories. And I have a massage booked. Thank goodness, as I can feel how tight my shoulders are, and I've not had a chance to do much about it. She is going to HURT me today - I can already feel it. 

Almost all of our snow is gone. The weather was so warm yesterday, but when I finished at 4:30, I was too tired to go for that second walk. But it's still warm this morning and will get warmer as the day progresses, so it'll be nice to walk the girls and the boy. 

Here are the links for the Virtual Retreat this weekend. 

Saturday, February 24 -- Starts at 6 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89816483795?pwd=Mjc3M3pvVmZPdjdsQzlHS3Zhck52dz09

Meeting ID: 898 1648 3795
Passcode: 248667

Sunday, February 25 - Starts at NOON

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82983517671?pwd=ODdsa1FJenQwdFNaQWFTNGd4bEhPZz09

Meeting ID: 829 8351 7671
Passcode: 117636

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!