A lucky day!

I didn't win the huge lotto jackpot (which is huge for Canada), but I had a very lucky day! 

As I mentioned yesterday, my printer started working from my desktop computer. Why? I have no idea. Was it a one-time thing? I have no idea. 

Then, I got myself organized and ready to leave. I stopped at Tim's to get tea, which is a treat for me when I'm on the road. Yes, I could make tea and put it in a travel mug, but I chose to buy tea. It's unusual that I do that for five days in a row! I've also decided to set up my app (which collects points) so that I can pay and collect points with one swipe. 

I had tried the day before, and while I had it set up, I didn't realize I could turn the payment feature on or off. It was off. So there I was yesterday, with my app armed and ready to scan for points and PAY. When I arrived at the window, I was told the person in front had paid for my order! 

I was happy but had to wait until today to see if I had set the app up correctly!

That hasn't happened in a long time, but I remember some days when that chain of paying for the person behind went on for many cars! Someone mentioned that on Smile Cookie Day, they would buy six cookies that were handed out to the six cars behind. 

I arrived at the meeting, which went very well. There are LOTS of changes (updates, changes, and more new) coming down the pipeline, including a new top-of-the-line sewing machine called the Husqvarna Viking Epic Quilt 97. It's pretty much like the Designer Epic 3, but only for sewing. 

There are more things coming, but I'm not at liberty to say at the moment. So that was an exciting day. 

There are many decorative stitches on the Husqvarna Viking sewing machines, and sometimes, people struggle with what to do with them. So we went down that road a bit yesterday, and it's incredible what can happen when you think outside the box. I'm not at liberty to share that with you, but I had a WOW moment. 

I know—it's very unfair of me to say that and then not be able to share, but that's just the way it is.

I spent the afternoon, helping the dealers work through their projects and cutting fabric for the kits they were using. I'm back to the dealer meeting today. 

It's tough to be "trapped" for an entire day in a meeting or a training session. How did I survive for years when I had a full-time office day job? I'm exhausted, and I haven't been doing anything!

Well, I had a perfect trifecta day on the lucky side. In the afternoon, I checked my messages and got a notification that I was upgraded to Business Class on my flight to Vancouver next week. Yeah! It's a lie-flat bed, so that will be good as I have a bit of a drive once I land. 

So yes -- it was a great day, even though I didn't win the lotto!

And here's the other thing about being tied up in a meeting all day—there's not a whole lot to talk about! That's a first for me! My walking is suffering—I'm still cranking out about 6 to 7 km a day, but nowhere near what I usually do. And I see a pile of little bits of paper that need attention lined up at the bottom of my computer screen. 

This full day of work in an office is for the birds!! No wonder people don't want to return to the office full-time. 

The commute isn't too long (40 minutes one way), but it's costing me as I'm taking the toll highway back and forth. If I didn't, that commute would be double. If I look at it this morning, it's an extra ten minutes, but that is at 6 AM, with NO traffic. So, the distance is the same, but the traffic will get worse, and the time will double. I'll pay the toll and save the time. 

Here's a picture of the two crazies! Lexi likes to jump up on the sofa—make that HER sofa—it's such a disaster at this moment. Murphy can jump up but doesn't like to. It's hilarious to watch them!!! Their noses are out of joint as well because they are NOT getting their usual walk, yet Mom's home. What's the deal there? 

MOM -- can you see us?

On that note, I'd better get moving. I have stuff to accomplish before I leave, and I'm so tired when I get home! So, not much is getting done these days. I haven't turned on the sewing machine in days. My Epic isn't even home as it went to the meeting with me, but I hope to bring it home tonight. 

Have a super day, and let's hope my luck continues!

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!!!

Building a T-shirt

 I'm here at the retreat! We're back at Retreat at the Farm in Shelbourne. I arrived at 7 PM, and it's good to be back even if I have to work most of the week. Hey -- I have presentations to prep and samples to sew, but I can have more fun doing that while visiting with friends than being at home. 

I brought most things I need, and whatever I'm missing, then we'll make it up! There is one thing that I have a big issue with my phone charger. I have two, but again, I've misplaced the spare one. Now, how the heck can I do that? So I threw the main one in my bag, only to discover this morning that it was the charger for my headphones. Are you kidding me? 

However, I brought my data cable for connecting the phone to the computer, and with the block from the headphone charger, I'm in business. OK -- so this is ridiculous, and when I'm back home, I'm finding that spare charger, and it's going in my office backpack, and it will stay there. I'm also labeling the darn thing. It's a pain with all these chargers, and those ends look so similar, but they are not! 

However, I brought enough stuff to make it work! 

Yesterday was a lot of fun! Dealer training is always an interesting experience, and there are a lot of "COVID" dealers. These people came on board during COVID and have done exceedingly well in getting their businesses off the ground. That is super exciting to see. 

So we went through all the NEW products that are coming. Sorry --- not going to talk about it in more detail, but LOTS of cool new things and some of the exciting things we currently have and that you love are being brought to lower price points, which is VERY exciting. 

And then there is some BRAND new stuff and one of them we chatted about it Ditto. I love it but haven't had time to play with it. In case you don't know what it is -- it's the garment projection system. I won't have time to do much this month as my laptop, and I will have developed quite a relationship by the end of this month. I only use my laptop when I'm away, which should tell you about my schedule. The girls are NOT going to be happy. 

Neither will my steps. Oh boy -- I didn't make my steps yesterday. I still managed about 8 KM, but well below my goal of 12.5 KM or 13 if you go by my current virtual challenge. I'll try to make up some of that today, but it will be hard as I have two presentations to prepare and give. And I have to make a trip to the grocery store. 

However, one of the presentations is almost finished, and the second is well underway. I won't need much more time to make it happen. 

I'll be able to get out bright and early this morning to get in the first walk, so that'll be good. Two months make a big difference in the lightness in the morning, although that will change this coming weekend. 

Back to the dealer meeting. It was great, and hopefully, after they see the samples, the dealers will want us to come to their stores for events! Yep --- it's going to be a fun year. Oh shoot -- I'll have to share a photo of one of our projects. I'll add that to the blog tomorrow, as I'm not downloading another picture this morning. 

This was my car when I left the house. At the last minute, things just randomly got shoved in there. I had stuff for the dealer meeting, so that bag is gone. I have some things to give to others here at the retreat, so I'll have a lot less stuff on the way back and pack a little more carefully! 

Packed for retreat

Even the front seat got filled with stuff. OH -- see that bright turquoise color? That's part of the project that I'll share tomorrow. 

The front seat is also full

Yep -- I was full up. I need a NEW BIGGER car! I wasn't all that happy with all that stuff because I didn't really have a clear view for shoulder checking, so I had to be careful. 

Packed to the top!

When I walked into the sewing room this morning, it was BRIGHT. There's a full moon outside, and it is beautiful. 

The full moon

However, I've no idea what happened to my sewing table. It looks like a hurricane blew threw. I'm not usually that messy ever! But that happens when you randomly pack and then randomly unload the car late at night. I've got a few things to serge, so I'm starting with that. Then I'll put the serger away and dig the sewing machine out of the car. 

My sewing table - a MESS

So what am I serging? I'm finishing off my T-shirt. It was mostly done, but I needed to hem the sleeves and add the band to the top. I added the band last night, and I'll finish the sleeve hems this morning. 

My new T-shirt

I've made T-shirts before, but I'm still learning some of the ins and outs of the serger. I confess that I've had a serger for many years but never a cover stitch, which is new to me. This PFAFF admire air 7000 has a cover stitch, and it's a BREEZE to convert from cover stitch to overlock. And it's a breeze to thread with air threading on all three loopers. 

Plus, I've added the cover stitch hemmer attachment into the mix. But my cover stitch hem on the bottom looks pretty decent. Can you tell that's my first attempt? I know!!!!  OK -- I confess that the hem could be better where I went over the seams (more practice needed), but I learned a ton putting that on. 

The cover stitch hem

Even the neckband got a coverstitch treatment. I see that some commercial t-shirts have a band that covers the back neck seam. I've always wondered why, but it's to cover up the messy start and stop!!! Who knew? Now that's my guess, but it sounds good to me. My back neck seam is a bit messy. 

The cover stitch neckband

You can learn so much by taking things apart -- well, most times, you just need to look at the garments to see how they were constructed. You don't even need to take them apart. 

So it was a great day, and we're still missing one person, who will arrive on Wednesday. It was just a crazy week, but it couldn't be changed. 

On that note, I'm out of here. I need to get out for that morning walk to clear my head, go to the grocery store, and finish the presentations. Then I can sew. I won't get much sewing done today. But I'm OK with that. I knew that was going to happen. Today is probably the only "tough" day, and after that, the presentation prep is much easier or already complete. 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!!