Detective work!

It is incredible what technology can do, and YOU are amazing as well. 

Do you remember the pictures I posted from the McNally Robinson bookstore? Here is the first one—the double wedding ring quilt. 

Double Wedding Ring quilt

Soon after posting the picture, I got an email from Tammy, who did a Google Image search and found that the pattern came from the American Quilter Magazine in July 2015. The link she saw was on Etsy. Of course, this got me thinking about why someone was selling this pattern when it wasn't theirs, but when I clicked the link, I saw that American Quilter was selling it. Copyright crisis averted!

Then I got another email from Cathy saying that she thought that pattern came from a Judy Martin book. Not only did Cathy mention Judy Martin's name, but also the pattern's name— Monet's Wedding Ring. 

Keep those two thoughts in mind. 

Well, I was now home and had some time to "kill" while chatting with the Monday group, so I did a PHYSICAL search in my reference library. Because I had moved the tables away from the bookcase, it was so much easier to search them. The magazines are sorted by title and in chronological order (for the most part). Anyway, it took me all of three minutes to find that particular issue of the American Quilter magazine. And it took that long because I was only looking at those in 2015, NOT July 2015. 

The American Quilter Magazines

And VOILA --- there was the pattern in the magazine. This is only 45" square, so I think the maker of the version I saw made it larger. 

The pattern in the magazine

My first search was for the Judy Martin book, but for whatever reason, I was looking for Judy's Log Cabin book. After I searched the titles, I asked myself: Why would there be a Double Wedding Ring book in a log cabin book? 

So I went back and quickly found Scraps by Judy Martin —look at that quilt on the cover! 

Scraps by Judy Martin

I quickly opened it up and OH MY GOD --- Cathy was right (not that I ever doubted her). Judy's quilt is called Monet's Wedding Ring. I have emailed Cathy to find out how she knew the name of that double wedding ring quilt. Notice that the center blocks in the one I saw are different from both patterns. 

Monet's Wedding Ring by Judy Martin

This one is 90" square, and I don't remember the one in Saskatoon being so big, but it was hanging up, so it's quite likely it was that size. It looks like a double wedding ring quilt in this picture, but in real life, with the coloring, it doesn't look like one at all. 

And here are the two of them side by side. 

Two double wedding ring patterns

WOW—collectively, we are a brilliant and resourceful group. Now that I have the pattern, what do I do with it? Do I add it to my pile? Do I set it aside for my scrap quilts? It's NOT an easy quilt to cut, especially if you want the rings in colors as in the magazine. 

WAIT --- in case you are wondering how the magazine reprinted Judy's pattern, Judy is mentioned in the article, so I think they just republished it in the magazine, but changed the size. I haven't read the story that came with it. 

The second quilt I spotted was this plaid quilt. 

A plaid quilt

And I got TWO responses from people. Susan and Ellen gave me the links to Kitchen Table Quilting. The quilt is called Plaid-ish. 

I think you can download the tutorial from her blog. But there is also a MINI version of the pattern for sale. 

Apparently, there was a Plaid-Ish quilt at the Buckhorn Quilt Show, but I didn't take a picture of it. 

A HUGE thank you to everyone who came to my rescue! Those are very cool patterns, and well, I can see myself perhaps making both! I do NOT need another project on my plate, though—at least not yet. I need to be responsible and keep working on clearing those tables. 

Speaking of getting some work done—look what I accomplished yesterday. After Monday Sewing, where I wasn't too productive, I grabbed my headphones and my Nancy Drew book and listened to the entire book while I worked. 

TWELVE quilts bound! 

Yep—all 12 of those quilts are completely bound. They are DONE!!! That was a huge job, but it cleared a lot of space. 

They are now bagged with the four that were already completed, and I'll need to contact the Project Linus lady for a pickup! 

Project Linus quilts - ready for pickup

What a relief to get those things done! 

And I even swept the floor, vacuumed up the dirt the Swifter misses, and prepped the cutting table for today's projects. 

The cutting table is ready to go for today!

I have one quilt to trim, a backing and binding to make, and then the rest of the stuff on my radar is in the blue tub, which is easy to put on the floor if I need more space. So far, this new setup is working like a charm. The work tables are clear, and I want to keep them that way. Well, that's not entirely true, since four machine embroidery projects need to be finished —those are beside the embroidery machine —and my Mom's quilt is also on the table. 

But all is good, and I am resisting the urge to grab something new and put it on the cutting table until I am ready to work on it. 

I also did a whole lot more yesterday, but I've run out of time! 

I struggled a little bit to get all those bindings done. I was only going to do four, then I thought I'd do one more, and then one more. I grouped them by the color of the backing and binding threads, and the next thing I knew, I was done! But it was almost 8 PM. 

OH -- I think I mentioned this before, but my new favorite foot for putting the bindings on is the PFAFF Bi-Level Foot. It's so amazing, and with the stronger PFAFF creative icon 2, it went through all those layers of flannel like butter. And being able to use the IDT (built-in walking foot) is a dream! 

The PFAFF Bi-Level Topstitch Foot

And here's the front and back of one of the bindings. 

The front and back of one binding

Do you remember that I was worried about the blue quilts and whether that rainbow-striped fabric would work? Well, I think it's perfect for both. 

One of the blue quilts

One more blueish quilt

And on that note, I'm off to walk the girls, then paperwork, and then I can get back downstairs! I am DETERMINED to make this new system work, and I want those THREE tables clear! Only I can make that happen. PRIORITIZE, FOCUS, WIN!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!

Revenge on the skunk

It was a decent day, but I've been feeling tired lately. Perhaps the heat, although we've had hotter days. I know I'll need a nap today, as I was awake for part of the night. I'm off to spin class but think I'll nap when I return. I hate when that happens, but it's life!

The last blog post needs one last quick read-through, and it's gone, so that is good. I need to take one more picture, but I should have that out of the way by noon—even with a nap. 

Then, a couple of unexpected things plopped on my plate, and I'll have to deal with them over the next couple of days, including organizing my fall class schedule. But I have time, so that's OK. I have two more quilts on the board, and then it's time to take a break from the long arm.  

At one point, I was all excited about decluttering the office, so I moved a few things up to Studio U. There was loads of light, and it was more inviting and had lots of space. When I was up there the other day, I brought a bucket down to empty it. Oh, the things I found, but it's much easier to deal with them this time. The office supply cabinet is neat, so that makes putting away any further supplies I find a snap. I might get to finish that bucket later today. 

However, I found a bag. What's in the bag? Keys! What are the keys for? NO IDEA!!! 

Keys to what?

So they went in the bag with all the other keys that I've accumulated! As time goes on and I can't find a key for something, I'll check the bag, which I know exactly where it is. But we do NOT use keys for anything. Wait -- we do use a key for the mailbox. I have two keys on my key ring, one for the mailbox, and I need to figure out what the other one is for. We do NOT carry keyrings around any longer! I haven't for years. 

More odd keys

We need a key fob for the car, but as long as it's on my person, the car starts. So it stays in my small pouch, and I grab it when I want to drive. The insurance and registration are also in the pouch. It sure beats hauling around a huge purse! 

I made and stitched on two quilt labels. Now, the quilts can be washed, packaged, and mailed to their recipients. They are going to M's niece and nephew—well, her fiancé's niece and nephew, so they get to be the good aunt and uncle! I hope the kids like them. But it's two more quilts out of my house! 

Hand-stitching a label

A few things have accumulated on the cutting table that need to be put away. I didn't have time yesterday, so hopefully, today will be the day. 

I did get to the long arm, and I got my quilt quilted, but not before I had a learning curve to tackle. It was a double wedding ring quilt, and it was easy as pie to set the block design in the big white section. But when it came to putting the small design in the melons, I was stumped. 

The quilting on my double wedding ring

However, when I posted a question to the Facebook group, I got an answer within minutes. Then, I had to translate their answer into my software, but I figured it out. 

Which buttons do I touch? 

 Oh my, I'm thrilled with the results!! It's a small quilt—well, a wall hanging, really—but it's practice for two lap-sized quilts I have, and I have another double wedding ring wall hanging to quilt as well, so it's good I learned how to do this. NO—none of the wedding ring quilts are for M. I have ZERO intention of making them a quilt as a wedding gift. Unless I'm asked for one, they already have quilts. 

My double wedding ring wall-hanging

I even found a design for the 4-patches at the block centers and figured out how to make that happen. There is no quilting in the dark purple rings; I'm unsure if I'm OK with that. I had to take it off the long arm last night, but it's easy enough to put back on. I will at least stitch in the ditch around the dark purple but after that? It'll come to me. 

It's hard to see the quilting in that picture, but it shows up on the back. See what I mean about those rings? It needs some quilting there. 

The back of the quilt

So, back to Murphy and the skunk story. After posting the story to my Monday Sewing group about what happened to her, someone suggested I wash her with Dawn dish soap. So I got a soapy bucket and took her outside. She knew what was coming, and while that dog likes water, she doesn't like having a bath. She was NOT impressed. 

MOM - WTF????

OMG—she looks hilarious and only got a bath on the front. It's hard because the attack was on her face, not really her body. I left it like that, and she got some treats, and she was OK. However, that sneaky Lexi was all over the treats! That dog lives for treats and couldn't care less about her dog food. Treats, yes; dog food, no!

However, before the dog-washing incident, it was near dinner time, and I looked out the kitchen window and saw this. 

What??????

Oh!!!! I don't know how long it had been there, but the flies were buzzing around. I know that flies and other bugs are very important to determining the time of death—at least that's what happens in the books! Think The Body Farm series by Jefferson Bass—they are all about the bugs! 

Who killed the skunk? Murphy as revenge for spraying her? Lexi, to help out her sister? Both dogs are hunters and not afraid to show it. Oh gosh! The sight of it gave me a fright until I realized it was dead. So I got my handy "wing the dead animal over the fence" tools out and disposed of it! How many animals have gone the same route from our backyard? Thankfully, we have a forest back there and we can do that. I don't think any neighbor would appreciate finding a dead skunk in their backyard. 

Our house doesn't smell of skunk, or perhaps my nose has become accustomed to it. Murphy smells of dish soap rather than skunk! Poor thing. I wonder what the next Murphy adventure is going to be! 

Well, on that note, I need to get moving to get to the gym on time! 

Remember, there is a Virtual Retreat this weekend. It takes place on Saturday evening and Sunday starting at Noon. I'll post the links tomorrow. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

UFO progress

I LOVE all of you! And I truly appreciate your reading my blog, and I've received so many fantastic suggestions. Jan gave me a BRILLIANT suggestion for the two UFO Clubs. I will pick a project to work on in one of the UFO clubs, and the assignment for the second one will be to quilt and bind one of my quilts. That's BRILLIANT. I'm going to have to do that as soon, I'm going to run out of room in those tubs, and I really don't want to buy another one. 

Yippeee!!! I love when a plan comes together. So thank you, Jan! You've made my day. 

And to emphasize that point here's what happened yesterday. 

I dug out some brown embroidery floss, and I did the wee bit of stem stitch embroidery that I had forgotten the previous day. 

The last part of the stem stitch on Enchanted Autumn

The backing, binding, and the top are now in the "to be quilted" pile. I CANNOT wait to follow Jan's advice and start quilting those quilts! 

I was delighted with the fabric I used for the border for that quilt. 

The border fabric for Enchanted Autumn

It has all the colors I used in the quilt and a leaf motif. It was perfect. Not sure where I found it, but it was in the project box, which is now empty and waiting for another project. As I return to decluttering, I know there are projects in plastic bags or no container, and those will get put into the plastic project boxes (Iris containers) that I've been using. 

I have other work to do, but now with the end of the year so close, I'm trying to reduce the number of UFOs as much as I can manage. What is wrong with me? Why couldn't I be focusing a bit more during the year? No worries -- I made fantastic progress this year, and I had other things to do during the year. 

I had to give the Double Wedding Ring bed runner a good press as I had not done that in my haste to finish it at the last sewing retreat. So I got that pressed, switched a couple of seams, so everything twirled nicely on the back, and I found one small seam at the edge that I had not sewn. So that top is done! This one is on the 2019 UFO list. 

Then it was onto the bias binding. It's always challenging to know exactly how much bias binding is required for a quilt with a curved edge, so I made lots! But the binding is also done. 

Making continuous bias binding

Then I searched the backings and couldn't find anything I really liked. I went through my boxes of batik fabric and found a couple of candidates, but not enough without some piecing to be done. 

Then I remembered that I had some green striped fabric that I desperately NEEDED many years ago. It was in the striped fabric bin, and IT WAS SUPER EASY TO FIND since I knew exactly where that was. The color is a bit bright, but no worries -- it's going to be just fine. 

The backing for the double wedding ring bed runner

And so this project got moved to the "to be quilted" pile as well and one more project off the UFO lists. 

Double Wedding Ring bed runner - waiting to be quilted

There are still a couple of days before the end of the year, and well, this next project won't take that long. Not nearly as long as those other two I just completed. I've put off finishing the yoga bag for some time, and this one is on the 2019 UFO list. And all that remains was to add the seam binding to the two end seams. 

One of the seams to be bound

I knew the job would be fiddly - that's why I was procrastinating. So I put on my big girl panties and got to work. It would probably have been better if I had made bias binding, but I did not, and those corners were "fun" to go around. 

Attaching the binding by machine

The pattern designer (byAnnie.com) likely recommended sewing the binding by machine front and back; I was NOT going to do that. It's a HUGE challenge - I did that with my backpack, and it was a hassle. 

So once the first side of the binding was stitched in place, I dug out a needle and thread and did the hand stitching. It allowed me to watch a couple more episodes of The Great British Baking Show. And I wonder why my Mom is more interested in watching "her" shows than she is in talking to me!! Since we were kids, she has been that way -- god forbid if she missed an episode of "The Edge of Night" or "Another World."  Can you believe that after 40+ years, the names of those are embedded in my brain?

Hand stitching and watching The Great British Baking Show

That hand stitching was fiddly. It was hard to hold the bag, there were four tight corners to go around, and it was bulky. BUT the good news -- one end is done!

The binding looks amazing before I turned that half of the bag inside out. 

One side of the binding stitched in place

And there's the other side. With my tiny little stitches, I doubt that stitching will come undone. 

The other side of the binding

And there it is, turned inside out, and the binding looks fantastic. 

The binding inside the bag

And now I get the fun task of doing that all over again on the other end. But I'm motivated right now, and I MUST get that done. I WANT that project off the UFO list by the end of this year!

I'm perusing the list to see what else can get done before the end of the year. I have one project in mind, and I'll see how it goes later today if I pull that one out. Some of those projects just need to be sewn together. So the blocks are done, the sashings (if any) are cut -- they just need to be assembled. That won't take a lot of time. However, it may take time to lay the blocks out. While I'm fussy, the actual block placement isn't supercritical in most cases. I throw them on the wall, make a couple of changes and then start sewing!

But I have a couple of quilts that I would like to get quilted before the end of the year, and I do have a project that I need to spend some time learning and one more project that I need to write instructions for. Hmmm -- what to do? And I have a sewing machine to start reviewing for QUILTsocial. Plus, some paperwork for the class registrations should be done. Hmmm -- what to do first?? 

I won't be lacking things to do. 

OH -- I also embroidered one more block for the Kimberbell Candy Cane Lane. There were no issues with this one, but lots of fiddling trimming for that tree with foam beneath to make it extra puffy!

One more machine embroidered block

And I had a helper. Well, not really a helper, but I was snacking on some hummus and cucumber. Since DH feeds the girls veggie bits when he cooks, they think they can get veggie bits from me as well. OK -- I caved and gave her some veggie bits. I mean, she was begging but trying to be very discrete! How could you not surrender? 

MOM -- can I have some veggie bits?

And that's a wrap on yesterday. I just pulled up my UFO presentation to save a copy for January as I will start putting it together. I need to choose one of my quilts to quilt and bind for January! Oh, what fun I will have today as I peruse the pile to see which one screams the loudest! Oh -- I just took a quick tour downstairs, and I already know which quilt it will be. I'm super excited!!!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Quilt Retreat - Day Three - Some progress is made

 Here it is - -the morning of the 4th day of our retreat, and I'm making significant progress. I can't believe how quickly these days are passing. WOW!!!  We're settling comfortably into our "new" retreat house. It's close to us, and as we become more familiar with it, we're learning to like it as much as the old one. If you want to check it out -- it's called retreat at the Farm. Please note that our five days here are very unusual and were granted because of COVID and a few other minor details. Usually, you can book Monday to Thursday or Friday to Sunday. 

Thankfully, I was very reasonable when I packed my projects as I'm still working on that double wedding ring quilt, and I suspect that unless the pace picks up today, I'll still be sewing on it tomorrow. I love the results. Perhaps when I come to the next sewing retreat, I should bring that last double wedding ring quilt (the second one that belonged to Paula) and just get it done. It's pretty boring to do the same thing over and over for days, but I'm getting it done. 

Oh my -- I'm just looking in my UFO book, and I have a list of all the current projects I put on that table back home. I'm afraid to really look at the list because I bet many of them are still there. OH OH! I do see that some of them are gone, but I would suspect a few more got added!

A quick peek at the UFO list. I started this in 2017 and made a list of 12 substantial UFOs that have been around for a while. All the quilts in 2017 are done. Although there were only 12 projects on that first list, it resulted in 22 quilts!!

Regarding the 2018 list, there is ONE project on it: Enchanted Autumn, which I'm working on at home and am making excellent progress. 

Let's move to 2019. There are still six projects on that list, and one of them is this double wedding ring quilt. And there's one other one that I've advanced a lot, and I might be able to get done before the end of the year. That's my goal anyway. 

We won't chat about the 2020 or the 2021 lists as they are not in good shape, but once I put myself in gear, a lot of them would be easy enough to finish up. Let's see how it goes. 

I seem to be slow in making the double wedding ring quilt blocks, and it's very confusing to layout each section. This is what it looked like last night before bed. That is all sewn together in ONE piece. 

The double wedding ring quilt last night

When I got up this morning, I laid out the next section -- it's pieced on the diagonal. 

The next section is laid out and ready to sew

Yes, one block is missing because it's sitting at the sewing machine waiting to be pieced. Laying out the pieces went a lot smoother this morning, so hopefully, the sewing will as well. You cannot sew this together without laying it out. 

I still have a lot of components. In total, I have to make 42 blocks, and I'm almost half done. 

More components to sew together

I decided to leave this part of the paper on, and I'll remove it when I watch a baking show at home. But the rest of the paper has to be removed to sew it together. 

Paper to be removed later

Speaking of sewing, I'm going to be very sad to go home. This is my view at the moment, and I LOVE all the natural light. Yes  - my back is to everyone, but I'm in the same room, and we can chat no problem. 

Sewing with a view

I'm making good progress on the enders and leaders for Katheleen. I can't believe I didn't bring any of my own! But no worries -- it's all good. 

Katheleen's enders and leaders

It's the season of advent calendars. And I know two people participating in the Missouri Star Quilting Co advent calendar. Gwen sent me a couple of pictures from the first couple of days. Here is a charm pack that was in one of the packages. 

Charm pack from the MSQC advent calendar

Laura is into INK, and she is opening her Inkvent Calendar. Good grief -- there's an advent calendar for every interest. And Gwen made one for her husband, so they each have something to open every day. That's so thoughtful!!!

The Inkvent CAlendar

Each day, she gets a new color of ink!

Mini ink bottles

Back out for my walk. I didn't quite make my goal of 11.5 KM, as I was short by .3 KM, and I wasn't going to walk around the house or go down the driveway in the dark! The weather was brisk but beautiful. It may have been cool to stand around, but for walking, it was perfect. I wore my running shoes as the roads were pretty much dry. 

Running shoes for the walk

And there is virtually no traffic on this particular road, but when I go on the highways, there are many cars. But the shoulders are significant, and I walk right on the edge of the ditch, so I'm OK. 

The roads are dry

OK -- so we are going to have to cave. The trend of quilted clothing is back!! I wonder if I kept the gorgeous quilted duster coat I made years ago?? It was blues, purples, and black. 

I saw this on Instagram last night. Oh yes -- we must get out our coat patterns and get to work!! 

Quilted coat

Actually, I have two quilted coats and one I wear and the other I haven't. I should dig that out. It's probably gigantic on me, but it's nice, just the same. It can't be that big???? I'll check it out when I get home. 

On that note, many of the gang is now up. They are quietly chatting in the living room. I'm in the kitchen and going back to the sewing room to try and get that darn quilt done. It would be nice to work on one other project while I'm here. But my goal now is to finish this top. 

OH -- our entertainment director (Ronda) set up a movie for us last night - Red Notice. A comedy, and we all managed to stay awake. The quiet room is now also known as the movie theatre as it had the best place to put up the screen. So I got to watch the movie from my bed!!

Watching a movie from bed

The last presentation for the week got done. All that remains is next week - I have one a day. Three of them are the same presentation in the same language - English, and the other two are the same, and they are in French. How did that happen? 

So all is good in that area, and then I have a massive project to do with a steep learning curve. It's more the learning curve that makes it huge, and the deadline just got moved up by one week! ACK!!! 

OK -- I'm off to enjoy the day and keep on sewing!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Take a long breath

 Good morning! Oh boy  -- it's been a super busy morning and well, OK - so I got up early. But that's simply because I went to bed early. I did get my required hours of sleep. But as I lay in bed this morning contemplating what I have to do - well, there's ZERO time for laying around! 

I have to say this mouth breathing versus nose breathing has me in a tizzy. I'm so conscious of it now that I'm not sure I was ever a mouth breathing. WAIT -- that's a total lie. I think that I do mouth breathing when I go for a walk. And probably when I'm on the bike. Sometimes when I'm walking, I don't feel like I'm getting enough air, and that's probably why I might be a mouth breather when I'm walking. 

This book (Breath by James Nestor) is quite interesting, and I bet the moms of today would have a fit. There is an indigenous tribe somewhere that would lay their babies to sleep with a small pillow under their heads. Did you know that if you sleep on your back with no pillow that you have a tendency to breathe through your mouth? 

Well, the entire thing is too complicated to get into here -- you should give the book a read. But slow breathing and nose breathing seem to be the way to go. Lots of added benefits -- lower blood pressure, weight loss, less stress, and many other benefits. 

What I don't understand is why people with respiratory issues aren't being told about these techniques? The nose breathing and slow breathing will NOT cure those issues but rather help the sufferers breathe better. I remember having asthma as a kid and ended up visiting the ER at least once a year. I got the scar from a tracheotomy to show for one of those episodes. 

And all that they did was prescribe drugs and more drugs! It wasn't until later, and I don't honestly remember how many years it's been now, but NO issues. I don't even have medication any longer. The transition from carrying medication to not carrying it because I didn't need it was interesting. It's like taking your child out for the first time without a diaper! What happened? I equate it to exercise. But lots of athletes have asthma. Perhaps my breathing changed? I don't know, but I don't ever want to go back there. 

Here's one last tidbit about the book. You have lots of little scrubbing hairs and whatnot in your nose that basically scrub the air you breathe of crap. That crap ends up in your stomach where it's killed by the acid. If you mouth breath - guess what?? All that crap ends up in your lungs!! That alone makes you want to breathe through your nose ALWAYS!!! 

I'm all for the nose breathing, and it's not as bad as you think! I'm going to tape my lips shut tonight to see how that works. Just a small piece of tape perpendicular to your lips will work. If that works, I'm taking the tape to the retreats to help the snorers! 

Anyway -- it's certainly an interesting read. And yes, you could train yourself to go underwater or hold your breath for MINUTES. Imagine!

Here's a couple of pictures from the morning walk with Miss Murphy. It's that time of year - the acorns are falling from the trees. I'm not sure why these nuts are still green - perhaps it's a different kind of tree. Anyway, one must be careful because they are hard and lots of them are flying everywhere. 

Acorns in the trees

Murphy thinks they are for her to eat, but I don't think they taste very good. She scoops them up and then proceeds to spit them out. Will she learn? Nope - because I bet she does it again this morning! AHA  -- these acorns just haven't matured, and apparently, they drop when they are green because the tree says -- enough is enough. I'd rather stay alive than ripen these acorns. And they can be toxic for dogs. Thankfully Murphy spits them out. 

Acorns in the trees

Katheleen came over to visit for a bit, and we sat outside. It was a glorious day. And LOOK  -- I'm almost done with the binding on the double wedding ring quilt. 

The binding on the double wedding ring quilt

Technically, that's a lie. The quilt is done!! I sat outside after she left and finished it. I've contacted the daughter, and she will give me information to put on a quilt label. I hope it'll get picked up next weekend. I have one small thing that I want to add. I was going to share it with you today, but well, I decided it was good enough to put on my blog posts for QUILTsocial later this month, so you'll have to wait to see. 

Let's just say that Murphy is persistent. She loves to play ball, and since we were sitting in the backyard, she tried MANY times to entice one of us to play. Well, when you're doing handwork, you do not want to be touching a goopy dog ball. 

After Katheleen left, I counted THREE balls on the deck. The red one is just at the right edge of the table leg. 

Murphy has left THREE balls on the deck

Then I got busy and loaded this piece of fabric onto the long arm. Well, I wanted to quilt the fabric to a piece of fleece. 

Fabric and fleece on the long arm

It was a bit dicey because the width of the fabric was the same as the width of the fleece. The fleece was stretchy, and there was no backing. But it worked. I had to babysit the piece the entire time. The fleece is a bit fluffier than what I normally use, but this was a good project to use it up. You'll have to wait to see. 

Not much room on the sides

But the best part of all? I knew exactly how to move each individual row on the pattern on the computer. That's all I care about - amazing how missing ONE little step was driving me nuts with this task. Now I don't even need to think about this -- super easy when you know how to do something. I'm glad I learned that. 

Moving individual rows on the long arm pattern

Sorry --- but a couple more dog pictures. Lexi was so lazy that she couldn't even lift her head when I came close to take her picture. She just moves her eyes. It's kind of creepy!

MOM -- I can SEE you!

Murphy is just a busy dog. I swear, she only sleeps at night. Here she is "on guard" against the squirrels driving her nuts in the trees above her head. 

On guard!

Or she is lying in the dirt, eating a stick. Notice that her trusty bear is right beside her. What a big goof!!

Eating sticks in the dirt

Speaking of bears, this is Little Bear. I think he sleeps a lot during the day also. Right up Lexi's alley!! They would get along just fine!

Little Bear is also a sleepy head

The binding got on the magazine project, and that will go in the mail today. I need to write up some instructions for it, but that shouldn't take too long. I've got two classes tomorrow and next weekend is the start of more classes. And there are five presentations this week - two in French, three in English. 

A note about the French. It's one thing when you can prepare, and you're doing the talking. But when I called one store yesterday, they started firing questions at me about something unrelated to my class. Well, it was sort of related to the class. And I managed just fine! Thank goodness, I'm a quick learner!

And on that note, I'm out of here! There's not a minute to waste today to get things prepped. And more learning. There's always learning every day! I love that!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!