Sorting and decluttering

So --- did you give any thought to those almost completed UFOs that could be done in 60 minutes or less? 

I stared around Studio B, and oh boy—the number of projects I found in that category would blow my mind. I'm not even tempted at this point to group them. So this is what I started with. Two pet mats were sitting beside the serger; all they needed was one seam to close them up and tuck the ends in. 

Two pet mats - DONE

And now they are done and sitting in the Pony Express area. Seriously? That took less than five minutes! I wonder what I'll work on today. But what a nice feeling and a quick win! How many more quick wins can I get? I have no idea, but I must remember to tackle one daily! 

The other thing I tackled yesterday was the drawers of beads. There were four of them, and they were a mess. So while we had Monday Sewing, I started sorting them. OH MY GOODNESS—what an eye-opener. 

The mess of bead stuff

Then I started to sort. I'm not ready to get rid of the beads yet, and now that they are sorted, I may actually find a use for them. There is one drawer for seed beads, one for funky beads, one for kits (those I should probably find a new home for), and one for tools. How many pairs of jewelry pliers does one person need? Wait! Don't you buy another when you can't find the first pair? I honestly do NOT know what went on in my head sometimes!

Sorting the bead stuff

And now the beads are all neatly stowed back where they were. 

The bead drawers are sorted

Should I need something (like sequins), I know exactly where they are. I have many sequins and want to keep them as I need them occasionally. Did I get rid of anything? I found many larger beads, and someone mentioned they could use them for fidget quilts, so that bag is on the Pony Express. 

Beads that were donated

I also found this fabric. Oh gosh—it was designed by Mark Lipinski and the collection was called Katmandu by Troy Corporation. I remember buying it to bead it. I can't remember if it was made for that, but I found lots in the drawer. I will never put beads on that, so the fabric went into the stash—or it will later today. Yep—the cutting table needs to be cleared again! 

The fabric that I was going to bead

Here's the thing -- you can't yell at me for continuing to mess up the cutting table. Anything that has a home and needs to be put away goes on the cutting table, and it then becomes a quick task to put it away. If something doesn't have a home, it sometimes doesn't make it to the cutting table, as I need to think of where to store it. 

Now, something amusing happened at Monday Sewing. One of the ladies asked if anyone knew of a Lori Holt pattern called Bee Happy. It's a cute pattern and YES - I know of it. She bought the book at her thrift shop for less than $2. But you need the templates to make the quilt, which I think is a real money grab by the designer. Sorry, but true. At some point in my life, I found the templates or bought them for some reason, but didn't buy the book. So between the two of us, we could easily make the quilt. 

The big question is where I stored those templates. I'm going to start looking later today. The bag would have gone into a basket or box of other odd things. Hmmmm—that could be anywhere. I know exactly what the bag looks like! 

While I have made a lot of clothing in my time, I've never done much with changing a pattern. But now, I'm trying to eliminate a bust dart. Oh yeah!! I've got it figured out, but I need to redo it today as I wasn't 100% happy with how it turned out. Well, it turned out, but my pattern is too flimsy, so I need to start with a piece of paper, not the pattern I had originally traced onto a lightweight stabilizer. 

Eliminating a bust dart

I think I mentioned that the deadline for the Cherrywood Challenge was this past week. I got mine in 20 hours before the deadline. Carla (the owner of Cherrywood Fabrics) posted a short video the other day about the number of quilts they received. The first year, when Wicked was the theme, they had 114 entries, and the number of entries has varied over the years. Last year (Poppy theme) was a record at 465 or something like that, and this year, that number was blown out of the water! I figured the number of submissions would be high based on the theme, Abyss. 

Do you want to hazard a guess? Sit down, as the number is insane!!!

Number of Cherrywood challenge entries

That's incredible!!!! The colors were fun to work with, and the theme was fun, so I could see why people wanted to enter. Now, the crazy job of three mystery jurors is to select 225 of the 570, which will form the official traveling show and the book. I've seen a few of the entries on IG, and none of them look like mine, nor did anyone use the techniques I used. But what are the chances of getting selected? It all depends on those three jurors and what they are looking for. 

If mine doesn't get in, I'm not worried. I'm just thrilled that it actually got done and I LOVE it. This is the kind of thing I'd like to spend more time doing! And I could potentially use those seed beads on something like this, but there was no time! 

Apparently, they got many entries in the last 24 hours (mine included) and many in the final hour. I wouldn't leave an online entry submission to the last hour! That would tempt the fate of technology, which would fail for me! 

I'm reading an ebook and listening to an audiobook, and both flip back and forth in the timeline. They're quite different, so they're easy to keep separate. But I'm reading to the point in both where I NEED to know what is happening or what is going to happen. Hmmm—how do I manage to squeeze that into my day? 

So while I was curled up in my chair last night, guess who was trying to entertain me. Her ball had been hidden earlier in the day, and she had fun unwrapping it, but she didn't succeed in getting it out of the stuffie! You are not done, Murphy!

MOM -- are you watching me? 

We've had some rain, but enough to generate this growth? This is growing on a section of a tree chopped down several months ago. It's crazy that the fungi grew that much! 

Fungi on a log

So what is with this weather? It's crazy and cold. DH is away again and sent me a picture of the temperature where he is. It's 35 Celsius there, and it's 3 Celsius here! I bet he's glad he's away again! 

It's a pretty wide-open week, but I have writing to do and some prep for the weekend classes—only two. What will I do with all my free time? Don't worry—I have quilts to quilt, that writing to finish, and trying to find those templates! 

Plus, I will try hard to work on one 60-minute or less project daily! That is more of a memory thing than a time thing! That would clear up a huge amount of space! How about you? Are you onboard? Just think how much you will appreciate it, and it's not a big deal to get those done. Even if you do nothing else in the day, get one of those done each day, and you'll be way ahead of the game. 

And I don't mean that my memory is bad—it's just that until it becomes a habit, things like that tend to get sidelined by other things! 

On that happy note, I'm out of here! It will be a silly day, and I might as well get it started. 

Have a super day!

Ciao!!

Decluttering is so much fun!! (for real!)

Now you see why I'm not a gardener! I got the names of these flowers wrong. These are hyacinths, not hibiscus. Why did I do that? I know these flowers, but obviously had a moment. Oh yes - flowers - love them, but not my thing! I just enjoy the beauty! Thanks for catching that! I went back and changed it! 

Hyacinths! 

And I spotted another TREE that's in bloom. What kind of tree? No clue! And I don't really care - it's just pretty! 

A blooming tree in the neighborhood

A lot of things happened yesterday! If you remember, as I was writing the blog, I moved several boxes from the office to the kitchen counter. It looked like this. 

A mess of things to tidy!

And what usually happens when I do that is that it stays that way for days. I get all fired up and then - I get distracted, lose interest, and it all goes back to where I pulled it from. 

BUT not this time. By 9:20, after walking the girls, it looked like this. 

It's almost all dealt with

And by lunchtime, this was all gone! Yes — this decluttering is going to happen, and then I won't have to worry about it. I'll just need to stay on top of it! It makes me so happy and I can literally feel my life lengthening by dealing with my crap!

There are a few extra boxes at the door to be dropped off - one to be shredded, and a few for the thrift store. 

Now that all the items designated to go somewhere have been taken care of, it's time to find more things to get rid of. 

No danger of that - here's what the table in the office looks like. 

The table in the office

Yes -- we can actually see the edges of that table, which is good. Now that the other stuff is gone, my head is clear to deal with this stuff. And the best part is that there isn't really anything left on the floor that could go on the table. So when I clear a spot, it'll stay clear. Or so I hope! Remember, you MUST deal with everything! 

I'm happy to report that I'm not shuffling most of this stuff. In other words, I'm not putting things in the basement or the garage. I'm getting it out of the house! 

This is the top of the buffet, which has a few items to deal with. 

The top of the buffet

And there's the desk - still a disaster, but its turn will come! 

The desktop

And this is all that remains on the floor in the office. 

What's left on the floor

Those boxes are empty, and I use them for my sorting. I could technically put them in the garage so it looks neater in the house, and as I need a box, I can pull one from the shelf in the garage. I might do that today. That will leave three things behind the boxes, and I might just deal with them today. Oh yes - the more you get into decluttering, the more you want to get rid of! Just gone! It's been hanging around way too long. 

Then I can tackle the table, the top of the buffet, and that darn desk. All that will remain is what's on the bookcases. I'm getting there. Slow and steady - that's me! I'm also very methodical and need to go through everything. And you can't even yell at me for that because it's happening. If nothing was being done, then yes, you could yell. But I'm making progress, albeit in a roundabout way. 

The difference from a few years ago is a miracle! And I feel so much better about the space. I can't wait for the day when it's all clear. But that won't happen for a year or two at my pace. And the best part? When I bring the mail into the house, I deal with it right away. I don't think anything hits a surface unless it's supposed to! 

Wait -- I have this, which is currently at the front door, ready to be thrifted. If anyone wants it, it's yours. It's not functional - purely decorative. But it's been sitting in the office for a while, waiting for its turn to find a new home. 

Up for grabs

And I will NEVER knowingly buy anything that comes in these "decorative" boxes. These were sheets or something, and what a ridiculous packing system. I'll buy sheets that come in those zippered bags, but I'll never buy one in a stupid box like this again. I don't even know if they are recyclable, but I put them in the cart anyway. 

Stupid packaging!

WAIT -- I should write to the company to tell them how silly these boxes are! The ridiculous thing was, these weren't even on the shelf at Sleep Country. The staff had to go to the back to get the boxes, and then they wanted to give me a huge bag to carry the stuff home in. I refused the bag several times, as I already had my own shopping bag. Hey, people -- we're trying to reduce packaging. Cell phones and iPads are another item that comes in ridiculous boxes that never see the light of day on the shelf. Well, cell phones for sure. 

Something bad happened this morning. I have three Zoom sessions today, and I've been working on the presentations. Everything was going just fine. Except when I needed to grab some slides from one to put into another, and WHAT? One of the presentations with the changes was not there. I'm using autosave, and the files are stored on my OneDrive, but it reverted to the files from last month. NOOOOOOOOOOO

Thankfully, with the help of my handy filing system, I was able to recreate the presentation in about 20 minutes, but it was still a pain! I was all excited about how well everything was going. It could have been me, it could have been a gremlin. We'll never know, but let's hope that it doesn't happen again. 

OH -- here's a flower that I do know. The trillium, which is just about to bloom. 

Almost-in-bloom trillium

I am certainly not about fuss, especially in the kitchen. We had some Calphalon pots and pans, which were supposed to last forever, or something like that. Even though we used wooden or plastic spoons, the inside of two of them is disgusting. We've probably ingested a ton of metal. Anyway, time to replace them, so I went to Homesense and found two inexpensive Cuisinart pots. If they crap out - no worries. 

But while I was there, I wandered around for a bit, and here's all the stuff I didn't buy, but would have in a past life. 

The plastic Buddhas would look cool in the garden! But not bright enough! 

Plastic Buddhas for the garden

The miniature 3-D kits, which are $10 cheaper than at Indigo. I already have one that I haven't done yet, I don't need another. 

Miniature 3-D kits

Markers - who doesn't need a new set of markers? I don't, so they stayed in the store, but I wonder if they work on the digital cutters? 

Markets -- lots of markers!

Funky reading glasses, but alas, they did not have my strength (1.25), so I didn't buy them. 

Funky reading glasses

And let's not forget these large letters. I don't know how many I've purchased over the years. I don't need more! 

The letter E

So yes, I only bought what I went for and I'm pretty proud of myself for that! 

However, I went to the library to pick up a book that I ordered, and I came home with three. At least they are free to borrow, and they do have to be returned! I also took pictures of about five other books that looked interesting and will add them to my list to read. That list is enormous and seems to grow almost exponentially!

I put on shorts this morning when I got up, but I've since put on pants. It's a bit cool even though the temperature is 13 - it's cloudy and I think it's going to rain. 

My sad, faded shorts

So the only fast fashion that happens at my house is running shoes. I've had those shorts for eons! And they still fit (a bit big, if I might add!), but there's nothing wrong with them, except that they've faded big time on the legs! They are no longer black but have faded to a brown color. I'm sure DH is mortified when I wear them, which is probably why I keep wearing them! But they are still functional, with no holes or tears! I have sweatshirts in the same condition. They are faded, but why should they be replaced? 

I'm not into shopping for clothes at all. The most boring thing in the world, and such a waste of money to buy new, when the old still works. 

On the other hand, I replace my running shoes several times a year as they wear out. As you saw last week, the treads were entirely gone on the previous pair, which means they were long overdue for replacement. I wonder what we could do about recycling them? 

Anyway, I noticed that on this pair of HOKAs, they have changed something. They have reinforced the second hole at the top. I bet lots of people are using those little holes. I do! 

Reinforcement at the top

You loop the laces through that hole and then use that loop as a hole. It helps prevent your feet from sliding into the toe box and causing lost toenails. Especially handy if you have a lot of downhill to do. I learned that from walking the Camino! Of course - AFTER I had issues the first time. 

Creating a second loop

Oh, one last thing, and speaking of the mail. We got this letter in the mail yesterday. 

A letter from the government!

You all know what that is for - jury duty, but who got the letter? Apparently, DH has something in writing (he insists he has a picture of it) that he will never be called for jury duty again, so it wasn't him. I've been called twice and had to stay for one day the first time. The second time, I was interviewed to be on the jury, but I was rejected because of what I do. A bit too artsy fartsy for the lawyer. And I've never been called back. Drat - I like going! 

Nope - this was addressed to my 87-year-old MIL, who, well, as far as I'm concerned, needs to be in assisted living, but DH is in denial. I'm not going there! Of all the people to be called, and this is not the first time - her name seems to come up very frequently! 

Here are the links for the Virtual Retreat this weekend. I forgot to post them yesterday. 

Saturday, April 26 - starts at 6 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82693702241?pwd=QpQkm8Ppppy1XwCPOqva1bcgJCWKdP.1

Meeting ID: 826 9370 2241
Passcode: 795071

Sunday, April 27 - starts at Noon

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

Meeting ID: 810 7353 6036
Passcode: 596838

And on that funny note, I'm out of here! Hopefully, the presentations won't glitch out, and everything will be fine! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

The apples did not fall far from the tree

I've been totally lazing in bed this morning and not getting my butt up to write the blog! It's OK to be lazy every once in a while. 

My presentations went well yesterday, except that I brought the WRONG cable for the projector, so I had to run out at lunch time to buy a new one. That irks me as I have plenty of these cables at home. So it's a lesson, don't just grab and put in the bag - double check the ends! I have no one to blame but myself. 

At the end of the day, I literally threw everything into the suitcase and now it's a bit mess, so I'll have to sort it out before the next presentation. So many samples cross various topics - it's not just a clear cut preocess. And sometimes, you're not sure what you are going to need. 

OK -- so you all know about my Mom and her hoarding tendancies. Actually my Dad is probably up there as well. 

I have struggled with hoarding, but never in a huge way. Or am I kidding myself on that one? Anyway, I recognized it a number of years ago for two reasons. One, we had the water leak (the first one) in the basement, where we were super lucky as nothing was damaged. We had a second leak and again, nothing was damaged, but we are on our third floor in that space. 

The second wake-up call ws when we had to start moving the parents and cleaning house. 

I wasn't sure when I started this entire decluttering/organizing thing, but it's been a while. At least ten years. 

Last night, I was chatting with my brother and his wife and we were talking about the purging thing. They asked if I had seen their dressing rooms. WHAT???? I did NOT take pictures to protect them -- LOL. But seriously -- they have converted TWO of their bedrooms into dressing rooms - his and hers. Let's just say that my jaw dropped when I saw that. It is beyond my comprehension. 

What is worse is that many of the clothes they no longer wear or won't fit and yet, it's difficult to get rid of them. I was speechless. So that prompted me to find the blog post where I purged my closet at home. That was in 2014. Here is the link if you want to see that exercise.   OH -- dare I say that they have already given away some of their clothes. Yep --- they have a LOT of clothes. 

After that conversation, I am itching to get home and repeat that process as there are a lot of clothes in the closet that I'm not wearing. Yes -- it's time for a complete overhaul on what clothes are remaining. I'd like to get it down so the amount of clothes will fit into one suitcase. I know that sounds a bit harsh, but I mostly wear the same thing day in and day out, so I don't really need much variety! 

Around home, I'm usually in a t-shirt with a bicycle on it. Sadly, some of them are starting to show their wear and I really want to make a t-shirt quilt from them. So it's time to retire them. And there are some t-shirts in the drawer that I constantly pass over, so those need to be culled. Yep --- I feel a purge coming on, but I won't have time until October to make that happen. I have ZERO issues to keep stuff if I'm using it. And I've noticed brand new clothes in my closet still with price tags on. So I either get rid of them or I start using them or they are gone!!!

So during our upbringing, those apples fell right at the trunk of the tree. Now if I were to rank the siblings in order of who has the worse hoarding tendancies - older brother first, younger brother, and then me. Based on what I've seen over the last couple of years, I'm miles ahead of them in getting rid of stuff and how much stuff is in my house. It will take them a long time to catch up to me!!! I might just even tackle that office. 

I have to be home in the month of October as DH is having some surgery and will need some assistance, so I have an entire month in which to get things tidied up!!! Phew -- that makes me feel so good and knowing that I'm going to be getting rid of more stuff? I'm practically chomping at the bit to get home. 

Yes -- it's time to get realistic about what is left and I bet I can reduce what I have by 50% or more. So I'm going to use that blog post as my guide and go through. I reread that post and I think there are some things that got put into those baskets in the closet and have NOT been touched since I put them there ten years ago. That is NOT good. 

WHOA -- that was a bit of an eye-opener!!!!!

However, one thing that my SIL kept was this. 

One of my first quilts

This is a quilt that I made for their first born - back in 1999. It was one of my first quilts and they kept it! I had always wondered if they kept it and once you give it away, you can't ask. It looks like it has been used and hopefully they will give it to their son when he has kids. Of course, he may not want it, but you never know. OH -- and it's hand-quilted!!! Not a lot of quilting, but still!

Here's the label. Hand decorated and written!!!

The quilt label

This is one of the samples in the store (Black Rabbit) and it's an embroidered Halloween quilt. It's so adorable. I need to get home and get out all the rest of my Halloween stuff!!! I need to hang up my Haloween quilt that took so long to do!!! I need to get home - I'm motiavated and I'm not home for days!!! 

Halloween quilt

Now here's a cool idea that the local (to here) teacher made to protect the screen on her Designer Epic. She made a quilted wrap. I love it!!!  I need this as I'm not one to put the machine back in the box for transport, and I use a quilt to wrap it in. This would be a lot easier!1!!

Screen protector

OK -- so here is my task to you! Get prepared because (if I can remember) we're going to have the second edition of the great clothes purge! And it's going to happen in Otober. It means you're going to have to empty all your dressers, closets, under-the-bed-storage tubs and wherever you have squirreled clothes away. 

We are going to sort them and then decide what stays and what goes. This is something that has to be done for almost all of us. I'm going to compare pictures from this time to ten yeas ago. Hopefully that initial pile in the middle of the floor will be a lot less that it was ten years ago!! I also need to buy a new pair of jeans because the ones I'm wearing now have a big hole in the knee - yes - I kow it's the style these days, but the rest of them are becoming a tad too thread bear for me. So new jeans are in order. 

Get prepared!!!! 

On that note, I'm out of here. It's a travel (by car) day and so I'm hanging out here in the mountains until lunch time. Hopefully I can remember to get some pictures of the view!!!! And I might stop and take a few pictures on the drive. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Slow and steady wins the race

FREEDOM!!!

OK -- so I'm not entirely off the hook as I have urgent paperwork to do this morning, but I spent most of yesterday just puttering and doing what I wanted, and it felt glorious! 

I am determined to keep things under control - OK - until the next crisis hits, but if I keep myself organized, those deadlines shouldn't be an issue? Perhaps I'm deluding myself. That's OK - I can live in a dream world. 

But the biggest issue for me is keeping the space clear. Why is that so hard? I seem to need a table, which is a total disaster. I aim to work on this table until nothing is left on it. I must NOT add anything to the table unless it's absolutely necessary. 

My goal is to clear this table

I took everything off the sewing tables (there wasn't much) and the other table, where there were a few projects to be cut, and put everything on ONE table. Everything else is clear. Project by project, I must find a home, complete it, or move it along to the "to be quilted" pile. 

I can only imagine how long this will take me—probably months! But I was working on it yesterday and accomplished a few things, so it's all good. 

I decided I needed to get those bindings on the community project quilts. 

I got one binding on. 

Binding number one

Then I got the second binding on. 

Binding number two

And I finished the third binding this morning. 

Binding number three

Yeah -- that feels great because those three quilts took up a lot of room. They will reside near the "to be quilted" pile on this quilt rack. 

Completed community project quilts

When I have ten done, I'll arrange delivery. This morning, I trimmed one more quilt, and I'll put the binding on it later today. 

I purchased a pair of children's shorts and wanted to dress them up using a decorative stitch. I had already added a stitch but wasn't happy with it, so I ripped the stitching out and redid it with a matching bobbin thread. 

Decorated child's shorts

This is what it looks like, and I'm much happier. I need to do it right the first time so I don't have to backtrack and redo my work, but I'm so happy to putter that I don't care. Adding decorative stitching to anything is so easy, but I think it's best to use a matching bobbin. I don't know why I didn't in the first place. 

The decorative stitches

We got a notification last week that our power will be out for several hours tomorrow morning. So - no paperwork and no sewing. I'm trying to figure out what to do with no electricity. As if that was a problem. I looked around Studio B and decided that these four bags of crap need to be sorted. 

Four bags of scraps to sort

Many years ago, I had this brilliant idea of collecting scraps and making pet mats. It wasn't enough that I had my own scraps, but I also wanted other people's. I do not know where these "brilliant" ideas came from. I ended up with boxes and bags of scraps that consumed a considerable space in my house. The bags and boxes were initially stored under the long arm, then moved to the cold room under the front steps. But I did deal with them, or should I say I dealt with everything but these four bags. 

I have two of them set aside. I'll bring them up tomorrow, put them in the kitchen, and start sorting. I might have to make more bags to put the scraps in for the pet mats, so I might do that today. It would be nice to get rid of these last bags. And then NOTHING will go in that corner—it'll be empty. 

I also decided that I could trim half-square triangles, and I have a small container of them on the ironing board that needs to be pressed and trimmed. 

HSTs that need to be pressed and trimmed

So I pressed a number of them yesterday, and I can bring those up and trim them as well. Yep - with no lights, it will be hard to work downstairs. 

HSTs waiting to be trimmed

That's plenty to trim in one day, so the rest will wait for later. There's no rush. 

I also prepped another project that requires half-square triangles, and that is all cut. I'll sew the HSTs today so I can trim them tomorrow. Again, with all my scraps sorted by color, it was easy to find what I wanted. There was loads of room on the cutting mat, and once I got what I needed, everything returned to its respective home. 

Cutting

While half of the cutting table has always been clear - more or less, the entire table is now clear, which is exciting. 

Another project is ready to sew

Having that space as clean and tidy as it is is perfect for me. I must say that I'm swiffering, vacuuming, and mopping. What is wrong with me? I've become obsessive!!! 

But I'm OK with that. I know it won't stay as neat and tidy as it is, although I hope to get that table top down to nothing. But part of that mess is trying to clean up more odds and ends, so once that is done, there shouldn't be anything huge that goes on that table. 

I know there will be times when I'm inundated with work on multiple projects at once, but for the moment, I'm going to enjoy the moment and the space and try my best to learn some new habits!!

I see we now have scooters for rent in our neighborhood! I told DH he should take one to the train in the morning, but I doubt that will ever happen.

Scooters for rent

I love checking my calendar and seeing NOTHING on it! How fun is that? However, I have loads to do but no time commitments. I'll be quilting today and trying to make a dent in that pile of stuff on that table. Wish me luck! Getting it done will be a slow and steady slog, but I can do it! I feel very motivated and can't wait for the day when I don't have this stupid backlog of almost-finished projects. I've made giant leaps and bounds in correcting that bad habit, and I figure it will take me a little more discipline to kill it!

I've got an excellent audiobook to listen to and Murphy to entertain me, and I'm good to go!!

So --- let me ask you how you are doing? I know this can be one of the most boring things in the world. We all have loads of stuff to clean up, but it's tedious, lengthy, and overwhelming, especially if you're just starting. But I've learned to jump in and do one small thing daily. Learn to say NO to new things, and learn to say YES to get rid of things, and you'll be amazed at how much easier it gets the more you do!!

OH -- I used to come home from any trade show with tons of crap to deal with. Papers, stickers, patterns, fabric, or whatever. I'm happy to report that I brought barely anything home, and it's all gone! I found a home for it all, even if it meant going in the recycling or the garbage. 

On that happy note, I have most of the day to spend on what I want to do once I get that little bit of urgent paperwork dealt with! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Quilt Retreat packing list

 I think my neighbor heard me! While my lights came on at dusk, her house was dark! Maybe they are not on a timer. Or perhaps she only turns them on when she has company coming? Either way, I hope we don't get to see them often. I've spoken to the neighbor between us, and she hates them also as they shine into her house. Hopefully, we'll all be neighborly and get along, but the people living there are pretty elusive. You rarely see them. Actually, I think it's just one person who lives there. 

But I was moving my car last night, and she pulled into the driveway seconds before I got out of my car and didn't stop to say hello - just went into the house. But then she has a big dog, and I think the dog is cooped up all day, so it probably needed a bathroom run. 

Why did I move my car? It was windy, and I had visions of the porta potty falling onto it. 

Moved my car from near the porta-potty

The sky was very stormy, and I'm not sure if we got rain or not. 

Stormy sky

We turned on the AC in the morning, but by the end of the day, it was off, and the windows were open. I HATE it, and the basement was so cold; I had a blanket on my lap and was wearing a sweatshirt. Listening to the wind in the trees, the wind chime, and the waterfall, as well as letting the dogs have complete freedom in and out, is much better. And the heat is NOT that bad -- it's not like we're exercising in the house. Thankfully, we both agree on that situation. 

Look at that Murphy making herself at home in front of my quilt on the design wall. I made sure that her butt wasn't touching the quilt. Look at how dirty the wall is to the left of the quilt. That's because of her. I'm not sure why it's dirty so high -- does dirt migrate? 

Nap time

And then I turned around, and there she was hanging on a wall that I was working on. Oh, Murphy! 

MOM -- it's on the floor -- it's a mat, and mats are for dogs! 

I have more writing to do - I wish I could make faster progress, but I'm slow at editing, and that's OK. But I have the urge to purge and sort today, and I'm working in Studio U. It had become a dumping ground for several things. I've moved and culled and sorted, so there's not much left to do, and it would be nice to get that room under control and all the junk gone and all the batting back into the closet. 

I might sneak a break from the writing to do that! 

So, let's take a peek at my retreat toolbox. There's nothing worse than getting to a retreat and realizing you forgot a tool at home. OK -- at least you could likely borrow a tool from someone, but if you forget your foot pedal? That's a whole different story. 

I found this container with little compartments in it. I was going to make something out of fabric with vinyl pockets, and I might just do that still, but in the meantime, this is my retreat box. I had several of them, but they have all been consolidated into one. I mean - I only need ONE box. All the excess tools are in their home in my rolling carts. 

My retreat box

Here's the list of what's in the box:

• Rotary cutter
• Ruler (1" by 6") -- the other ones I use get popped in the retreat bag the day I leave
• Measuring tape
• Pins
• Wonder clips
• Snips
• Stiletto
• Seam Ripper
• Scissors
• Various sizes and types of sewing machine needles 
• Container for old needles
• Hand stitch needles (both the needles and the pins are in a small needle holder)
• Screwdriver
• Q-tips and brushes for cleaning bobbin area
• Thread (black and grey)
• Extra bobbins (for both sizes of my sewing machines)
• Paper and Pen
• Marking tools
• Pencil and pencil sharpener
• Reading glasses
• Masking tape
• Point turner
• Hemostats
• Tweezers
• Scrap bag for thread
• Bandaids
• Toothpicks (for applique)
• Glue stick
• Nail file
• Lip balm

I think that covers all the items in my kit. A few things on the list above haven't made it into the box yet, but I might work on that and then figure out how to design a bag that will contain all the stuff without taking up a ton of room. 

Here are a couple of pictures from inside the supply box. I'm not a big user of pins, so I keep the few pins I take (enough to pin on one border) in a needle minder and some hand-stitching needles. 

A few pins

Some brushes and Q-tips if I need to clean the bobbin case while I'm away. 

Cleaning supplies

A few different packs of needles and a film canister to put the used needles in. Someone suggested using an empty needle package and ensuring it is marked OLD needles. Then it's flat and doesn't take up a lot of room. I like that idea. 

A variety of needles

A spool of black and grey piecing thread and at least one empty bobbin of each of the two sizes for my sewing machines. I never know which machine I'll take, so I'm prepared for both scenarios. 

Thread and bobbins

The rotary cutter is in its case (to protect the blade), and there's a spare blade in the case beneath it. 

Rotary cutter

This area is the fullest and, for obvious reasons, the messiest. All the long things like the marking pen (I only take one), the pencil and pen, and the sewing tools. It would be better if that had another divider down the center, but seriously -- it's not a huge deal. 

The long stuff

I've asked at several retreats if there is anything else that should be added to the list and if you think we missed something, let me know, and I'll add it. I should make a list of those items, print it out, and keep it taped to the lid. The most important thing is NEVER to remove anything without putting it back. I don't check this box before I leave, and since I'm the only one who touches the box, all the stuff should always be there. I've been pretty good about that and have never missed anything once it got put in the box. 

I'd love to hear if you have a suggestion for the type of container to use. I know the bag I want to make and think I have a pattern to use as a guide. I thought I took a picture on the weekend, but I can't find it now. 

OK -- this is the type of thing I'm thinking of making, and the inside will have "pages" with vinyl pockets, so everything is easy to see. 

A good bag for retreat supplies

So have you ever worn a garment and hated it. Not because of the garment itself, but because the tag is itchy and scratchy? I pulled out a T-shirt I don't usually wear because it has a V-neck, and I hate V-necks for some reason. I also hate scoop necks, and the only kind I like is the high scoop. Yep -- I'm particular that way, and I have a big scar on my neck, and I'm sure when I was younger, having it exposed bothered me and now the precedent is set! 

V-neck is not my favorite

Well, not only did this thing have a V-neck (I wore it yesterday and survived!), but the tag was itchy. 

So this morning, I removed the tag and resewed the seam. You cannot just cut the label out, as that leaves an even worse itchy mess. 

And when I put it on, the difference is super noticeable. Yeah -- the next time I wear this shirt, I might like it! But I didn't procrastinate -- I fixed it right away! Yeah me!!!

Well, it's time to get moving. I hear we might get our driveway washed and sealed today?  

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!