Day One at Retreat at the Farm

In case anyone thought I was too harsh yesterday about my comments about the planet, I want to clarify that slightly. Yes, people visit these places to learn about them, and then they can be protected, but there are two types of people. OK -- so I'm generalizing there -- there are many types of people, but to keep this train of thought somewhat simple. There are two types of tourists -- those who just want to conquer the place/event so they can check that item off their to-do list. Get to the end as quick as possible, get to the top as quick as possible, be the oldest, the youngest, the one with the most times doing the attraction. These people are there just for the "likes," and most couldn't tell you anything about the place when they are done. 

Then some will respect and admire the work, the trip, the spiritual reason, or whatever, for that place. There is so much history in the world, and many people are totally ignoring that. 

I don't have time to fully format my thoughts on this, but it's well known that, whether you are a careful tourist or not, the mere act of visiting damages those areas! Erosion (by the very walking of your feet) and hands, etc. At least if we are going to visit, we should be respectful, and I know many are! But just as many are not! The amount of toilet paper left on the Camino is disgusting. 

Everyone talks about how exciting it is to go on a safari. We did two different safaris in Africa, and thankfully, they were short - the first one was one day, the second was only a couple of hours. I felt awful as the jeep roared around the habitat of these wild animals, trying to find them. There were many other jeeps. It was intrusive, and what a waste of fuel and pollution to this beautiful environment. 

I would NOT do a safari in an animal reserve again! I shouldn't say never, but it was hard, even for me, to keep up the enthusiasm of aimlessly driving around so I could get a picture of a lion! Seriously? 

I thoroughly enjoyed the balloon ride over the park. It was still disruptive to the animals, but not nearly as much. 

Thanks so much for the comments, because 1000% this is "progress," but all progress has done is remove some beautiful countryside around the world. It's very sad and disruptive. So I'm not against progress because we need it, but our politicians and corporations all over the world are not in tune with our environment - they just think of money! 

As for being a tourist in your own country? I'm right in there! Some people have never been outside their province (our provinces are huge), but still. They have never been to the West or East Coast. Yet they have zero qualms about hopping in the car and heading south, or hopping on a plane. What about our beautiful country? I can happily report that I've been to all provinces and territories, EXCEPT for Nunavut. I need to get there. And there are many places where I would love to go back, and of course, many places that I haven't explored yet. 

As I drove up yesterday, I was thinking about what to do for the remainder of the summer. Instead of going anywhere big, I think I'll stay in my home province and take day or multi-day trips within it! I haven't explored many areas of Ontario, and there is loads to do. I could stay home, but seriously—it's fun to get out and just explore. I wonder how DH will cope. And I need to get Murphy to the lake! 

Enough about that! Let's talk about the retreat. 

My plan was to leave my house at 8:45, and I was right on the money. It is so easy to keep to a schedule when you travel alone. The girls were not happy because there were fewer opportunities to sniff, but I had a plan! The girls each got a fancy cookie for being good girls on their walks. 

Leaving right on time

I didn't take a picture of the car once it was packed, but it took a few trips to get everything from the car to the house! And there were still four bags of books in the car!!! 

What I brought to the retreat

Wait -- there's more. I brought a cutting mat, a lightbox for someone to use, and a box of fleece scraps. Don't worry -- I did NOT overpack. Wait, and you'll see what I mean. 

More stuff that I brought

Then I set up the sewing room for the six of us and got myself ready to cut. I raised the table so I could cut. The cutting table at this retreat is in a different room, and it's hard to chat when you are not in the same room, so I came prepared. 

My cutting table

I had brought two lidded tubs of fleece scraps. One of them contained squares of fleece that had been cut to 6 1/2". The second tub was filled with odds and ends of fleece scraps that had accumulated over the years. One of the pieces of fleece was from a pea pod costume I made for M when she was two!! There was a round laundry basket and a small open tub (on the table) filled with scraps. Good grief!!! I was determined to deal with this once and for all. 

Prepping to cut fleece scraps

I emptied the laundry basket onto the table and then started sorting. I cut 6 1/2" squares where I could. Then I cut pieces that were 6 1/2" wide, but not long enough to make a square. Those pieces will be joined and then cut to size. That's the bits on the right, and the bits on the left are smaller squares that I'll join to make very scrappy squares. Don't worry -- it's my time, and it makes me happy to do this, so I don't mind one bit. 

The pieces that will be joined to become squares

Some larger pieces will be perfect for sewing together to make quilt backings. Yeah --- more backings! I probably have enough to make two backings. 

Larger pieces to make backings

OH MY _- look at the cutting mat. I knew this was going to happen, so that's why I brought my own. I didn't bring my mat cleaner, but I don't plan on cutting anything else on it, so I'll take it home like this and then clean it. 

A wee bit of a mess on the cutting mat

There's the box of cut squares. My plan was to sew them together and make some fleece blankets (quilts). Then I thought I would donate them to a group that makes fidget quilts for a texture block. Once I see how many I have, I might do a bit of both. 

The cut squares

A couple more pieces got added to the yardage bucket this morning. 

The larger pieces

Here's the bucket of scraps, which I will probably stuff a couple of pet mats with. Nothing goes to waste! Just a reminder that texture waste is one of the biggest fillers in the landfills! Fast fashion and all!!

Very small scraps of fleece

And this is the basket with the bits that need to be sewn together! Yikes!!!! But I would rather focus on this and get it out of my house. Those bins have been taking up a ton of space, and I was tired of moving them. Once I'm finished cutting this morning, I will put this back in the car, and then I can work on other stuff. This basket can come back to the next retreat, or I'll schedule a couple of "at-home" retreat days and work on it. 

The bits to make blogs

This is all that remains to be cut once I finish writing the blog!!! Yep—I'm pretty excited about that, and then I can move FOUR bins back to the car. Then I'll set up the sewing machine, lower the table to the regular height, and pick something to sew, although I have some hand sewing and knitting with me as well. Since there are very experienced knitters in this group, I had better use my time wisely, as I have a small issue, and I bet one of them can help me. 

All that remains to be cut.

Once this fleece and the flannel are used up, I vow never to buy either material again!!! That is my goal - use up the flannel and use up the fleece. I brought a flannel quilt (squares) with me to sew together. It's one of MY community project quilts. The blocks are made from cut-offs left over after trimming quilts. 

I love the sewing room at this retreat house because three sides of the room are windows, and the sun pours in. It's so bright, you don't need to turn on the lights until later in the day. While there are blinds on the windows, the top part isn't covered, so at some point in the day, it's a challenge for one of the sewing spots because of the sun. 

However, the person who picked that spot happened to have sunglasses AND a hat. It worked perfectly, so she was able to keep sewing. But she looked so much like those cowboys back in the day with their heads bowed. She wasn't sleeping -- she was sewing!!! 

Who is that masked sewist?

Some people absolutely LOVE those clips! This person is making napkins and has everything clipped and ready to sew!!!!

That's a lot of clips.

And what a clever idea to wrap spools of thread in!!! That is an elastic bandage. NO -- it's not an elastic bandage, but one of those with a sticky surface so it sticks to itself. What a brilliant idea for taming threads!!!!!

WAIT -- I just Googled it and found it. It's just called a wrap (made by 3M - at least the brand I spotted) and is used to secure splints, ice packs, dressings, etc. Did you know that you can buy a 1" by 5-yard roll for $3.25? That's way cheaper than buying a roll of the clear plastic tape made for quilters. WOW!!!!! 

I went for a short walk to the end of the driveway, but I still got loads of steps with all the loading and unloading of the car. 

WAIT -- for anyone who has a Fitbit and uses the app, it changed to Google Health last night!!! Oh dear—the information looks different, but it's the same information. I'll have to investigate that later today. 

Well, let's see what today brings, and it's time to finish cutting and get to work on something else!!!!! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

When your dog takes her bath into her own hands

 We had a lot of rain yesterday, which was the aftermath of the latest storm. The forecast said we should expect buckets of rain the entire day. Well, it was a bizarre day, to say the least. It poured, then the sun came out and dried everything up—OK—maybe just the sidewalks. Then it poured again, then the sun came out. I managed to walk the dogs and my afternoon walk with no rain! 

Now, I get that we had nothing compared to those when it was a real storm, but it was a very bizarre weather day. DH flew home from New York last night, and he said it was like being on a roller coaster. There was loads of turbulence as they literally dodged the thunderclouds. I'm glad it was him and not me. 

It wasn't the day you wanted to park far away from the gym, so I got wet on the way to the car. But it was a "warm" wet, so it wasn't a big deal. 

A long walk in the rain without an umbrella

Speaking of wetness, Murphy adores the pond, while Lexi keeps a wide birth and couldn't care less about it. I love throwing Murphy's ball into that low bush behind the pond and letting her search for it. It can sometimes keep her occupied for 15 minutes, as she puzzles where it is and then how to get it. To my knowledge, she has never fallen in the pond. But she sometimes gets so excited that she slips. She does this on the stairs as well (going up), and I'm getting worried that she's going to really hurt herself. 

By the way, after she found the ball, she was soaking wet because those branches were wet. 

MOM -- I've got this!!

This tree branch was so heavy with water that it appeared to be falling onto the table. The gardener is coming next week so he can deal with it then. I don't want to trim it, but if some branches aren't removed, it will fall, which would be bad.  

The water-logged tree branch

I was busy working in the house, and I could hear Lexi giving off her "hot on the heels of something" yips. Oh NO!!! There's a rabbit under the gazebo AGAIN! and the two of them are bound and determined they will get it. Lexi is under the deck trying to flush it out, and Murphy is digging on the outside. YES -- think about that one for a minute. Digging - rain - yep - you've got mud! 

I ran into the house to get my camera. Remember when we didn't have easy-access cameras and would just scold? Now we watch first and enjoy, then we can scold!! Oh boy—she was a huge mess and must have heard me. 

Mom -- I need a bath - are you prepared to give me one? 

The next thing I knew, she cozied up to the pond and slipped her front paws into the water. Then she moved further and further into the pond. 

MOM -- no worries, I can have a bath in the pond! 

It happened so fast that I didn't have time to switch to video. But yep—her hind legs are still on the stones, for the moment! 

Mom - the water is excellent! 

She went entirely into the pond and grabbed some mouthfuls of water because chasing rabbits is a hot, dirty job. 

There is a ledge in the pond at that point, so she didn't get her back wet, but she had a bit of fun messing around and then got out and immediately ran back to the gazebo. She didn't even have time to shake herself off. Oh, Murphy!!!! I posted the video on Facebook. I should try and post it here. What a goof. 

Lexi was better (different fur) but was still dirty and seemed quite happy about it. 

Mom -- all is good. We didn't get the rabbit - YET!

Oh, Lexi -- what a naughty girl!!!

MOM - it's just dirt!

Thankfully, the cleaning lady is coming today, not yesterday, as planned. The floors are a mess. I tried to wipe the girls down as best I could, but seriously—they were two mud pits!!! But I love them! 

MOM -- it's so cool to play in the mud! 

We must install a dog wash if we ever renovate the laundry room. The floors will be wet, but at least they will be clean and wet, not muddy and wet!

I got two articles sent out yesterday and am working on the third, so I'm a little behind, but I'm still on target. But I struggled with my computer - well, how things work. I finally got Google back as my default browser. What a hassle, and WHY does it keep changing? I honestly think that sometimes we open a website, and it's "rigged" to use a particular browser, which resets the default. I have a hard enough time finding that command, so I know it's not me changing it by accident. 

And then my grammar checker got all muddled up, and it was a hassle trying to get it back to where it was supposed to be. I shut the computer completely down—not restarting it, but completely shutting it down—and the grammar checking was back in place when it booted up. Why? Why does that happen? It drives me crazy. 

Last night, I tackled this pile of fleece while I watched another episode of The Quilt Show. 

Fleece scraps to deal with

Before I could do that, I had to tidy up some stuff that had accumulated on the cutting table. All of this had a home, so within five minutes, it was gone. Things aren't quite as tidy as I would like them in Studio B, but I'm in work mode at the moment, and as soon as I'm done with the blog posts, I'll regroup and get everything back to normal! 

Things on the cutting table that needed to be put away

I'm cutting 6½" squares, which are going into this tub. 

The tub of cut squares

I have some oddball pieces, which I'm not sure what to do with at the moment. I might cut smaller squares from them, or I might join the pieces together and then cut 6½" squares. I'm not sure yet. 

Scraps from the cutting

I managed to get about half of the cutting done, so that was good. This will take less time than those green scraps!

This is what's left to cut

While tidying up some stuff in the office, I found this quote, and it's perfect for where I am! I never want to go back! 

Quote of the day

I also used my crappy cutting mat for the fleece and look at the mess. I'll clean it up once I'm done. And that's another project from Mount Projects! 

A mess on the cutting mat

Do not call me an enabler! I'm working on organizing my classes for the fall and limiting the number of new projects to TWO. A good portion of what I'm teaching are techniques, tips, and tricks to get you working on your UFOs. But we need to have some fun. This is a quick preview of one of the patterns for the fall. It's called Spice Market by Wendy Williams. 

Spice Market pattern

I ordered the pattern from Hyggeligt.ca. The shipping was free, and look at that pretty packaging!! 

The shipping package

You'll sign up for this class with me, but I must organize the dates and cost. I need to get my writing out of the way to focus on stuff for the fall. I aim to have all the classes/lectures/demos listed on my blog by the end of July, so stay tuned for that. 

While cleaning, I happened upon a page I ripped from a magazine - McCall's Quilting/Quilt Quilts - May 2002. This is in the letter from the editor (Beth Hayes). 

These are words of advice for beginning quilters:

1. Take a hands-on beginning class at a local shop

2. Master your ¼" seam

3. Begin with 12" blocks

4. Hook up with experienced quilters

5. Buy 100% cotton fabric

6. For a first project, start with something small and simple

7. Buy a really good ruler

8. Learn to do it correctly from the start. Take a class or learn from a professional. If you start right, you can't go wrong. 

My favorite is number 8! Even more experienced quilters could use this, especially with the "new" techniques today, which don't make sense. There are better, faster, and more logical ways to do things! But people reach out and grasp any straws, hoping it'll help them. My goal with my tips and tricks demos is to make life easier for you. Let me know if you have any problem areas you'd like me to cover, and I'll see how I can work them into the lectures. 

Some of the events are in-person, but many are online. 

On that note, I'm out of here!! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Happy New Year 2020

It's a new year and a new decade! How the heck did that happen? I still remember back to the new millennium and how everyone expected computers around the world to die at midnight!

I had a quick peek back at what I did last year - not much exciting - quilting - same old thing! But it makes me happy and I'm OK with that!

Last year, I was also madly trying to finish up those 100 projects in the year. I didn't keep a list this year. I did start, although I got busy and forgot to keep track.

Will I make resolutions? I don't think so. Why? Resolutions are hard to keep. BUT as I mentioned last week, I'm going to make these commitments to myself. Is a resolution the same as a commitment?

I think if you look at the two definitions, commitment is a much better phrase to use.

Here are my commitments. Remember - these are to me - not to anyone else and only I can make these happen or continue to make them happen.

1. I did an amazing job on decluttering this past year. Not only in the Studios but in the house in general. OK - so that wasn't my intention when the year started, but that darn water leak made me do it! I needed a kick in the butt and now I'm on a roll! I'll continue and I would hope that by the end of this year that the office will be in much better shape and that Studio B will also be in better shape.

2. I did an amazing job of loosening control of my stash. Lots of fabrics got donated to our community projects group. And as that pile goes down, I hope to donate lots more. I want to continue to have fun with my stash and that's exactly what I'm doing. We had the pillowcase making day for Ryan's Case for Smiles and the once a month day where we have worked on an amazing amount of quilts and we're nowhere near depleting the fabric bins.

3. I did an amazing job at flossing. WAIT A MINUTE!!  WHAT? Me - flossing? I know. I went to the dentist at the beginning of December. I got the usual lecture about flossing and the week before I went to the dentist, my gums started to bleed quite badly one night when I was brushing my teeth. I think this scared me and I started to floss after that dental visit. I now floss ONCE a day - come on - more than that would be too much! It takes a minute. Guess what? My gums haven't bled once since I started. Not even a hint of blood! I still have a LONG time to live and the last thing I want is to spend my money on getting my teeth fixed when I'm much older. So floss now to prevent gum disease! I had better get a glowing report the next time I visit the dentist!

4. I did an amazing job of maintaining my weight and keeping fit. After getting to my optimal weight in 2018, I've been able to maintain that weight - I have my 5-pound buffer zone and I've been very good at staying in that zone. I would like to get to the gym a wee bit more often, but if I can't, I at least aim for 10,000 steps every day. It doesn't happen every day, but I try very hard. And to make that even more fun this year, I've signed up for a virtual challenge. Oh god! Yep - supposed to walk the entire length of Route 66 in the US (2,280.3 miles). That should take me one year at my current daily walking distance, so if I do extra walking and that happens from time to time, I could get there earlier!

5. I did an amazing job at learning! Almost every day there was a learning opportunity of some kind. My intention is to keep that up. My natural curiosity and wanting to do new things - that's what keeps me going. The minute I stop, I fall asleep! BTW - I do get a full 7 - 8 hours of sleep so don't think I'm shortchanging myself in that department!

6. I did an amazing job of reading novels. I read over 60 novels this past year, some via audiobook, some with hard copy. I want to continue that!


Oh my - did you notice that all the things I did great at are involving me personally? So yep - every time you think I'm getting in over my head and way too many deadlines, I do put myself first most of the time. There will always be times when I'm rushed - it can't be helped. But I do think of me first - well most times.



I did make ONE list. That was my list of UFO projects to complete in 2020. I was kind to myself, knowing that there are items from the previous three years that need to be done. I have to say that I had to search around the studio to find projects to put on the list. NOT because there weren't any, but I wanted to choose wisely. I don't think any of them have applique!!!

Here's the list:

Dirty Dozen list for 2020

A couple of those are larger items, one is a bag, one just needs the blocks sewn together. Several of them are the ongoing quilts that I've taught over the years. There is a variety and I'm determined to get myself on track from the previous years so the job doesn't get out of hand. I WILL DO IT. With the help of our UFO club (you can sign for either the real thing or the virtual group), The Monday Motivator sewing group, the Motivational Monday Facebook group, and the Task Master. I'm not alone and that makes me feel great!

Speaking of which, have a look at this. Here is my Stitcher's Garden quilt. Notice that it's ALMOST DONE. I'm jumping up and down - super happy.

Stitcher's Garden

I should say something about the quilt. I do NOT hate this quilt and I do not HATE the fact that I did it. I learned a LOT making this quilt. A LOT. It's just that I let it drag out way too long. The first time I taught, the second time I taught the quilt and then in trying to finish it up as part of the UFO group. I didn't give it the attention and focus that I needed to get it done. As you can see, I've given it that focus the last couple of days and I'm thrilled with it. It's quite pink! So I'm trying to tone it down with green borders which you can see on the right. I'm not sure I'll have time to work on it for a while, as I have some samples that I want to make and those are going to take priority.

Another private lesson yesterday. Here's the thing about teaching anything. Teaching something helps me to confirm the information in my head. OH - I do know more than I thought, but it also shows me where I need to brush up! So that's a good thing, but now I have a bit of work to do to get ready for the next round of private classes.

I managed to get a quilt quilted as well. This is one of the community project quilts that I made several years ago. It got shoved into the "to be quilted" pile and I never got around to quilting it. I sewed the fleece squares on the sewing machine using a stretch overcast stitch. I planned on taking a closeup picture but forgot.

There is fleece on the back of the quilt and so I did NOT put batting in.

Quilting two layers of fleece together

The stitches literally sunk into the pile of the fleece on both sides.

You can't see the stitches

Here's the quilt after it was quilted.

Community Projects quilt - DONE

This one will have a flannel binding. I've now got a HUGE pile of quilts that need to be trimmed and bound. I'll see how the sample making goes. I'm away next week - yep - we start the Educator year off with a bang. So that makes a dent in my January time. No worries - I've been very productive and I feel great about that.

Enjoy your New Year's Day - I'll be downstairs playing with two embroidery machines and whatever else I can get my hands on! I MUST get out for a walk since I have to put miles on every day to get to the end of Route 66 by the end of the year.

Have a super day!!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Side tracked!

I spent the entire afternoon and evening prepping stuff for the QUILTSocial blog. Oh yes - I was focused. The only problem was - I kept finding stuff that I could use as samples and then I decided that I MUST finish those things!!!!  Well the sewing machine was set up, I wanted to try different things so why not!!!

So I did manage to get a LOT of little things done that have been hanging around for YEARS!!!!!   Oh yes - I was on a roll. I can't share all of it with you at this point, but I will show you some of the end pictures and then the technique stuff will come during the first week of January.

Had to go back to Fabricland - I can't even remember why now, but while I was there I managed to get some fleece (on SALE for $5 a meter) for the backing of that plaid pieced quilt I sewed up the other day.

The pieced plaid throw with the blue/red backing

Then I managed to get the binding sewn on one of the quilts that needed binding. Like I said - you are going to see all kinds of detail about these projects in January!!   Why???   Because of the features on this sewing machine made all of these projects so EASY!!!!

Binding on the community projects quilt and this one is ready to go!!!!  I have several people (HI Ruth!) who bind these quilts for me. I like to quilt - they like to bind. Works out perfectly. 

I am mostly a woven fabric kind of girl, but I have dabbled in knits from time to time. I think my lack of knowledge about sewing with knits has scared me away. However after sewing up that fleece quilt top - I thought - let's see what else this sewing machine can do.  I remembered a T-shirt that needed the sleeves cut off - I don't like long sleeves yet I wanted to keep the T-shirt.

And very quickly - I had my short sleeved T-shirt!!!!   So EASY with that sewing machine!!!!!

Well - my brain is going into overload at this point and I remember a T-shirt that I was going to make for M - YEARS and YEARS ago.  It was all cut out and ready to sew and then something stopped me. Again - probably frightened of the knit fabric.

Here is the project box (I knew exactly where it was!!!)

The pattern - oh so cute!!!!!  Well - I could make it and donate the darn T-shirt, but at least it would be out of my house!!!!

Oh what lovely pins I used back then!!!!!

 The pattern had a weird neck - you interfaced it and then used snaps for a closure on the neck, so I started to do that.

Interfacing the neckline

 The T-shirt also had a pocket on it and while I did the pocket - I wasn't super happy with it.  How the heck do you top stitch on a knit?????   Well I decided to can both the pocket and the snaps on the neckline. Basically I didn't read the pattern and did my own thing. So what else is new????

And as I got sewing - I thought - OH CRAP - this T-shirt will fit her. So she tried it on and of course - I had to tuck in the waist for her!!!   (god forbid that we wear a loose baggy T-shirt!!!)  And I finished it including ribbing (which I had) for the neck.  It is actually quite cute!!!!   We are going to do something else to the T-shirt but you will have to wait for that!!!!

The LONG OVER DUE T-shirt

Wow - sewing that T-shirt was a snap, but I really must figure out how to do top stitching on knits. Well if I want to continue to sew knits!!!!   But I sewed everything -  the hem, the ribbed neckline and the piecing on the sewing machine and it was clean and EASY EASY EASY.

Little Sammy came to visit. Boy  - she is picky - I have to have the dog bed right beside me or she isn't happy!!!!

Little Sammy sleeping!!!!!!!  OK - pretending to sleep. That dog NEVER sleeps. She is always on high alert!!!!

Well since I was on a roll with the knits - I decided to trim up those other wonky fleece squares and I sewed those together as well.

Another wonky pieced fleece quilt top. This one is about 50 inches square. I would like it a bit bigger and after the holidays, I will go through my fleece stash and see what I find

The little bit on the left is all that remains from those two big piles of fleece that Elaine gave me, the new fleece quilt top in the middle and the backing (also on sale at Fabricland)

Wow  - I worked until bedtime!!!!  I was tired but happy!!!!!  I also worked on my MUST finish by Christmas projects and I think I have about two more hours and all three of the remaining URGENT stuff will be done!!!!!

The only urgent thing left is to get the QUILTSocial blog up to date.  I am about three days behind schedule (not for publishing since that will happen in January), but for editing. I took TONS of pictures yesterday and they are all edited this morning and ready to upload as soon as I sign off here.

So on that note - I must go and get that done. It is Christmas Eve, yet it doesn't feel like that!!!   We have embroidery club this morning. I insisted so that I could ensure that I would finish my last block of the Christmas quilt. Oh yes - I have a brilliant idea for that. I may be here by myself - but that is OK!!!!

Have a great Christmas Eve day!!!   Stay safe and dry!

Ciao!!!!!!!