A PRODUCTIVE day

I hate when I wake up and realize the answer to a problem, and it's too late to fix it! I was doing machine embroidery last night and couldn't get the third hooping to match up. It was close but not exact, but I went ahead anyway. This morning, I'm pretty sure I know what happened. I do not have any way to verify that, but it irks me that I didn't think of it last night. 

The good news is that if I didn't tell you there was an issue, you'll never know, and I'm leaving it at that! 

I was exhausted last night when I went to bed. Almost 15 KM -- no wonder! Good grief -- I averaged nearly 13.5 KM a day in January! How did that happen? Thanks to Helen Anne for keeping me on track while we were at the retreat. 

However, I got the binding completed for BOHO Heart. 

Cutting the strips for bias binding

And here it is all done and ready to be put on when the quilt is quilted. 

BOHO Heart ready for quilting

Has anyone been to the Vancouver Airport (BC) and thought about how those bathroom tiles would make a good quilt? Thanks to my friend Pauline for the picture. I couldn't find mine, and she happened to be in Vancouver when I needed it! 

The tiles in the Vancouver Airport washroom

Here's my interpretation of the tiles into a quilt. I had to change it up to make it work as a quilt, and YES -- I eliminated the orange. I used the tiles as an INSPIRATION, not to copy it exactly. 

My interpretation of the tiles

Where is the pattern? You'll find it in Issue 61 of A Needle Pulling Thread. The theme of this issue is TILES, and there are some pretty cool tile-inspired projects in there. Go to the website and click on the cover to see some pages of what's inside. 

I managed to get TWO quilts quilted, but since they were small and loaded back to back, it wasn't a huge deal to do both. 

Back-to-back quilts on the long arm

And here they are - so adorable. The maker decided to leave the four sections as smaller baby quilts rather than sew them together to get the large one. I LOVE this quilt and should get my own top together one day. 

Customer quilts - DONE

And then I'm off on an adventure next week, so I've started packing. This is what I got so far. 

Packing for next week

Yep, another sewing adventure. But I have a ton of things to finish this week, so there is no time to slack off! 

I found a new marking tool for machine embroidery. I should wait and save this tip for the club, but I'll share it with you. In our Advent Box from Watergirl Quilt Co., we got this hera marker locally made from wood. I was trying to figure out what to do with it. But then I also HATE marking my fabric with a wash away pen, especially if I need to press during the embroidery stitch-out. So I decided to try the marker. And it WORKED beautifully through all five hoopings. 

Wooden hear marker

I like its shape and feel, and this type of tool (handmade of wood) is becoming a huge deal. Check out this link if you want to buy one. I'm very happy with it and will definitely use it again! 

And here's a sneak peek at what I was embroidering. I'm thrilled with the results. Again -- I shouldn't be spilling the beans before my clubs see it, but I have to share. I created the font to match the pattern. I did some sneaky stuff (can't share yet) in the embroidery software to change the font and then more sneaky stuff to get it stitched out. I haven't had a chance to clean it up yet and press it, but I'm over the moon with my newfound abilities in the embroidery software and machine embroidery, except for that ONE tiny mistake. 

What I was stitching

But you know -- making that mistake (I've only made it once before), but hopefully, it's solidified in my mind what to check should it happen again! And I'll take lots of pictures to share with the clubs. Oh -- it was a happy day when that was finished!!!!

Here's my new phone, all charged up and ready to go. Well, I should put in the date and all that stuff, but it was nice to have a conversation without someone saying they couldn't hear me. No time to deal with technical support yet with the cell phone. I hope this one has a speaker, as it's a pain to try and take notes with one hand!

My new phone

I started my new Virtual Challenge -- the Fellowship of the Rings. I'm doing the long route, so I'll be there for about three months. 

Starting a new challenge

Although the Lord of the Rings series is great, I'm not fond of the hand-drawn map. It's not as exciting as Google Maps, but the medals are supposed to be worth it. I don't really care -- I just walk. 

This drives me nuts. We have garbage furniture -- let's just dump it onto the side of the street. Who cares about the snow. This will be here all winter, and it's an eyesore. 

An eyesore on the side of the road

Oh boy -- my memory could be better with books I've read or not read. I snagged a copy of Atomic Habits yesterday, and to my surprise, when I popped it open in Libby, it said that I'd already read 32% of it. Really? I didn't remember that. I started back at the beginning. 

One doesn't need to read both habit books, as I find this one duplicates much of what was in The Power of Habit, referred to in this book. But the more one understands habits, I guess the better it is. I have to say that my mind wanders a lot in this book. I was so busy running from the embroidery machine to the long arm that I wasn't really paying attention, which is probably why I didn't remember reading the first part last time! 

It doesn't matter, and after a while, I stopped listening. It was too distracting. I find that it's OK to listen when sewing or doing one thing, but two things and listening? That's too much. 

Well, it's time to be off to spin class. Yeah!! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

On forming habits

Pat --- thanks for the most interesting comment yesterday about ambassadors versus staff versus free-lance educators. We are different! 

First -- I'm a freelance educator working with SVP Canada, the parent company for the PFAFF, Husqvarna Viking, and Singer brands. We do not get a salary but are "contract" people. To my knowledge, ambassadors do NOT get paid EVER but get the use of equipment or product. And then you have paid staff members. This scenario is probably the same for all industries. 

I do freelance work for others, but it's all sewing related! I write blog posts and design/write patterns, and I do a lot of teaching. As for a website -- yep -- I should have one, but I don't! Not enough time or skill. Yes -- I could hire someone, and then I have to update it. OK -- so it's a good idea. 

I'm currently teaching quilt classes at TWO stores in Canada, but since they are on Zoom, it doesn't really matter where you live. Those two stores are The Hobby Horse and Thimbles and Things. Get on their mailing lists, as that is how you learn about classes. I'm also teaching machine embroidery software at two stores, and again, you'll find more information by being on the mailing list of the stores. The stores are Stitch by Stitch in Kingston and Brampton Sew and Serge. The topics for each store are different. I'm teaching a software club privately that is focusing on the abilities of embroidery software and covers multiple brands, but I'm using mySewnet for my demos.  

There are some CLUBS that I'm running privately, and those were on my blog a while back. I'm at full capacity on those at the moment, and the way things are going, no one wants to drop out! But we're having a blast. 

Now back to your question about the ambassadors. YES -- SVP has ambassadors. You can check out the list of people and follow them on Social Media. And YES -- I agree -- we NEED to be posting more to beat the competition. The way most ambassador programs work is you need to apply, and that usually happens once a year. Then the company reviews the applications, selects the people, and sends them the equipment. 

Shoot --- I can't find the link to the ambassadors. I'll get that for tomorrow. But in the meantime, get connected to all the Social Media for your brand. Check out the very bottom of the Husqvarna Viking and PFAFF websites to see links to all their social media groups. There is so MUCH information out there it'll scare you! Get on their newsletters and the newsletter for mySewnet. mySewnet also has social media platforms! There's so much information!

As I've never been an ambassador, I'm not sure what the requirements are, but it would vary between companies. Each month/week, you must make X number of posts. Some ambassadors are better than others; of course, some already have a huge following, so their posts appear more frequently. 

To get more from your machine, check out Facebook and Youtube, as SVP has numerous US full-time educators who post some amazing tutorials and videos. Get in that loop, as the inspiration will blow you away. I believe they also do tutorials on mySewnet, with one coming next week. You'll find the event on the mySewnet Facebook page. 

So there are many social media connections for SVP -- you're just not connected to those people. Wow --- that was a lot to say about that! 

But again, ambassadors are SLAVE labor in a way. They do NOT get paid in cash, only in the equipment loan. But since most do it for love and having access to sewing and embroidery machines that they might be able to afford, they do it for FREE. 

I'm like you --- I LOVE my machines and wouldn't trade that large screen and the abilities for the world. Give me an EPIC 2 or an ICON 2, and I'm a very happy girl! 

Yesterday was Monday's sewing, and we had a great day! Hey -- any day spent sewing is a great day! Did I get much done? Well, yes and no. It doesn't look like it, but there are now EIGHT rows of 14 sewn together. The rows are together but not sewn to each other. 

Progress on the 150 Canadian Women quilt

So that is huge, and I must keep going as I have a deadline for this. But I also had to stop and get some photos ready for a class this weekend, and there are still homework assignments to finish. I'm realizing that I MUST clear one of the two surfaces in my office. I think I'll pick the table. I need a place for the assignments and other paperwork to rest, or it'll get lost. Hmm --- how am I going to clear that table quickly? It's garbage today! NO --- I can't just dump it, but I'll do something quickly. I need the space. 

Now I'm in the process of trying to find something that I've lost. Yep -- a book and a pattern that I NEED now. Where or where did I put them? 

However, I found several other things while looking for those two items. Remember that list of codes for my Conquerer challenges? Yep -- I found that paper, and I think everything is good. But at least I found it! 

And I found this. It's a small kit with precut shapes to do some hand stitching. 

A Sue Spargo kit

And I found all the thread I bought to use with it. 

Thread for the handwork kit

Sadly, there is ZERO time to even think about working on it. I must start these classes/clubs, and then maybe I'll have some downtime. I doubt it!

I also found this cute little monster that I embroidered a while back! So cute!

Mini monster

And I also found a container for my pens and the happiness book. It's not ideal, but it sits on my bedside table, and I'm happy with the arrangement. And OMG -- it's hilarious to go back and read the entries from the same day, but ten years ago. On January 9, 2012, I walked 11.2 KM on a hike with some friends, and I was EXHAUSTED at the end of the day. My quote, "I'm not used to that distance or pace." That is hilarious since I now average over 12 KM a day and think nothing of it! 

A container for my pens and the happiness book

And then, on January 9, 2013, my comment was about tidying up the sewing space. "There is no place to put the rest of the stuff." OK --- so that was also hilarious! I found room either by storing things better or getting rid of them! 

Yes -- I think I'm committed to writing daily in this book. It's fun and takes just a few minutes. Not sure what I'll do when traveling - I might just take the book and ONE pen. I'll see how it goes. It's really not that big. 

So I'm listening to that book on habits. Oh boy! I see why habits are hard to break or easy to keep, depending on how you look at them. Habits are formed because of rewards! I believe that almost all stores and marketing companies rely on HABITS to sell you their products! So when you answer those marketing surveys or put your name in for FREE Stuff, they collect data to determine your habits. What time did you place that order? Perhaps we must send e-mails about one hour before to trigger you to order more stuff? 

Oh yes --- these marketing companies are not stupid (for the most part), and mining data is HUGE. 

But I'm a very habitual person, and it's mostly for convenience, so I don't have to waste time thinking. I eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch EVERY DAY. Why? because it's easy to make, and it's not junk food, although my lunch could be slightly healthier (I could make soup instead of opening a can). When I go grocery shopping, I don't have to think about what to buy, and when I want to eat, I don't have to think about what am I going to eat. I know, and so I just make it. It's so easy. 

I eat a variety of snacks in the afternoon, but that snack is a REWARD for my walk. I can't eat the snack until I've gone for a walk! I hadn't thought about my habits that way, but almost all have a reward. The endorphins from the spin class and having a nice luxurious shower in the fancy locker room (even though we have showers in our house!) are a reward. Isn't that just the weirdest thing? 

If I could keep all my class material in one place, I wouldn't be looking for that pattern and book! Hence, that table needs to be cleared of crap, and it needs to be cleared TODAY! 

Keeping the cutting and sewing tables and ironing boards clear are also habits. The reward is starting the day with a nice clean surface. Who knew? 

Of course, there are bad habits. I can't think of any at the moment! Oh -- who am I kidding. I'm sure there are some! 

Here's one of the baskets currently sitting on the cutting table. It's the basket with all the pre-cut sashing for that red and white quilt. I randomly cut pieces, and I hope I have enough!

My basket of sashing

The book is called The Power of Habit, and it's an interesting read! Oh my -- I see another audiobook just came to my shelf. I had better listen more each day! 

Oh my -- I don't have time to write! I have a table to clear, girls that need their daily walk (a habit), sewing, more writing, and, well, there's no time to waste! 

Here's what you need to contemplate today. What habits do you have, and do you like them? What are the rewards for each of the habits you have? There's always a reward. Think hard! 

As I'm writing this, I think habits are one of the reasons I can get so much done in a day. I do so much of the same thing that I don't need to think about it -- I just do! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!

The elephant in the room

 You know how life is -- there are good days and bad days. Yesterday fell into the bad day category. It wasn't a BAD day, but I barely got anything done. I spent the morning on the computer getting the class/club distribution lists in order and getting e-mails to the various groups. I have ONE more to do for Saturday morning, and then this weekend is finished -- I just have to prepare the presentations, which should be quick as I've been sorting e-mails and saving pictures as they come in. 

Throwing them into a presentation takes no time; finding and saving pictures takes time. Hopefully, I'll be good! 

And after I walked the girls together, I realized that my FitBit died, so I didn't get that 2 - 3 KM. Sigh --- But all is good now, and I'll easily make up that distance. YES - I could enter it manually, but I won't. I still got almost 10 KM, so it was an OK day in that area. 

After I returned from the mall from my combined errands and walk, I was on the phone for the rest of the day. And not necessarily accomplishing anything but calls that needed to happen. I'm happy to report that my phone is working fine! 

I was in Walmart, walked past the children's section, and saw TWO cute dresses with ZERO adornment. WHAT?? That never happens -- I was tempted to buy them and embroider something on them! Try to find a T-shirt with nothing on it.  

Yes -- for those of you who live near me -- I went to the mall in the rain. I don't care! It wasn't raining hard enough for an umbrella, although I had one with me. Here's the thing about the weather. There is NO BAD weather, only bad clothing choices. I have jackets for freezing cold days and regular temperature days. I have jackets for rain, and I put a vest underneath if needed. I have a variety, so I'm always prepared for any temperature. Fleece lined jeans for those freezing days, my Tiley hat, and my red scarf. 

I've various pairs of mittens, depending on the temperature. So there is NEVER a BAD weather day at my house. Oh -- I have a pair of rain boots that I wear if it's raining or wet. I have winter boots, but I rarely wear them; I'm mostly in running shoes. And I might add that those New Balance shoes are starting to look a bit dirty, but they are holding up very nicely. I bought them at the end of September - I'll have to check the date when I started to wear them, but I've put a LOT of KM on them, and the mesh toes are still intact. I'm impressed! It'll soon be time to buy another pair. 

The heels, the soles, and the inserts start to break down after about 800 KM and then become harmful to your knees, back, and feet. So for those trying to eek 10 years from running shoes --- it's not a good idea! Of course, it depends on how much you walk; those shoes have over 1,000 KM on them in three months. 

I won't show you my cutting table this morning. It's bad, but hopefully, everyone has their ironing board in tip-top shape. Oh shoot -- I was going to share those before and after pictures with you, and Let me find them. 

I LOVE this space -- it looks cozy and has LOTS of windows!!!! The issue wasn't so much what was on the ironing board but that it needed to be in the right place. See how it's covering part of the cutting table? 

A before picture

Also before picture

And now that some things have been put away and moved -- the space is much more useable!! I love it!!!! Thanks, Anne, for sharing the before and after! And I bet that didn't take very long. Hmm -- What quilt is on the wall? It looks neat!

The after

Here's my public service announcement to you. If you use an electronic calendar, like Google or Yahoo, or an app on your phone, mark these dates. 

October 1 --- book your furnace maintenance and BOOK dates when you want to clean or change your furnace filter. 

October 2 -- time to shop for advent calendars (if that's your thing). We found that some popular ones were sold out when we finally thought about buying them. Or if you're into the quilting ones, those get ordered in March. 

Check the expiry date on IMPORTANT documents, like your passport, your NEXUS card, driver's license, or whatever. Put a note SIX months in advance in your calendar, so you have time to act. I know people who lost their NEXUS card because they didn't renew in time and tried to use it, at which point it was confiscated. 

And as you think of important dates or reminders -- put them in the calendar, and DO NOT IGNORE them when they pop up! 

OH MY GOSH --- this is hilarious, but remember I said I KNEW where that little blue book was? The  Happiness Project? Well, after spin class, I had a more thorough search in that area and NO BLUE book. Darn, where the heck could I have put it. And then I'm standing at the computer desk, and NO WAY!!!! That little blue book has been sitting less than two feet from my head every time I sat down. 

See --- the book with the blue cover and the yellow pages --- that was the one I was looking for, and it was right beside the computer! Well, I laughed, and the original place I looked was where it USED to be stored. 

The blue book beside the computer

Oh my -- -when I opened it up, I saw that I started to use it in 2012. Over ten years ago, I noticed that I wrote some stuff in 2013. It's mainly used near the beginning of the year and sporadically throughout. I can still use the book, so I will try and make that a habit. It's ONE sentence per day; how hard can that be? 

These two entries are from January 31, 2012, and 2013. Look who I went to see in 2013 -- Louise Penny!!! How fun --- she was very popular back then and is even more so now! And look --- NO snow at the end of January 2012. 

January 31 entries in The Happiness Project book

This book is so fun --- you get a snippet of something that happened without much effort. I will leave this by my bed, and before going to bed each night, I'll write the day's highlight. It will be a hoot to go back and read through it later. I may need to put it by the computer -- I'll see what spot works best. 

That is, if I can still read my writing. My handwriting has NEVER been good, and let's say that I was at the top of my typing class. It's so much easier and faster, and less painful! 

And it even looks like I tried different colored inks, but I went shopping yesterday, and look what I found. 

A nice set of gel pens

This was a good lesson in looking at prices before you buy. The set of 10 pens was $22.98. 

The 10-pen set

The set of 14 pens was $19.98. The set of 14 used to be $29.98, so when they did the price drop, they only dropped the higher price item. Check before you buy!

The 14-pen set

My power tower arrived yesterday. There are 14 outlets on it and 4 USB ports. So that is amazing, and you can turn off the power to each segment if you want to shut off the electricity drain to various items. So that is good and something we should get in the habit of doing. Apparently, leaving appliances plugged in to run the little lights, timers, or whatever, consumes electricity. I don't know how much, but every little bit helps. 

The new power tower

Anyway, that tower is going to replace this mess. And I'll be winding up the cords with little holders, so it looks neater. The nice thing about the towers is that if you have bulky blocks (like that big one we see here), you don't lose a plug because of it!

A messy power bar

And for heaven's sake, if you are still putting your power bars on the floor - STOP. Put them on the table where you don't have to crawl around to plug and unplug things! 

So here's a small habit you can change. Let's say you want to take a few more steps each day but are not up for a long walk, then park your car further away from your destination. This is the gym, and I ALWAYS park my car away from the front entrance. But it amazes me, how many people get their cars as close to the entrance as possible. They even wait for someone to pull out. People --- you are at the gym!! A few extra steps will not kill you! Plus, when you park further away, you are less likely to get the side of your car dinged by someone else! 

Park away from the entrance for a few more steps

So I got that sit-down quilting machine, and it's still in the box. I know -- I need to get it up and running. But the big issue was the table, which needed to be level. What to level it with? 

The quilting machine is still in the box

Last night, I searched the house for something wooden that I could put under three legs. Nothing in the garage and nothing in the sewing studio. Then I remembered some old planks from the floor that used to be in Studio B. They were stored in the furnace room. Will they work? I had to put TWO layers under three legs; the table is level at last. Now I need to find someone to cut these pieces, so they are smaller. I'll move the ones in the front so you can sit there. But that job is done! Now I can open the box and get it out! 

The table is level

OK -- so let's think about habits. Have you figured out ONE that you'd like to acquire or change? Make it a manageable habit. Don't start with trying to walk 20 KM every day starting today. That is NOT going to happen. You'll fail after the first day. But if you said something like I want to sew every day. OK --- so that's a general statement, but it works. Now we have to do TWO things to make that happen. We have to carve out a time for that. It could be as little as 15 minutes. Put that in your calendar and try to set the same time every day. Set a timer if you can't sew for more than 15 minutes. 

And then the thing will be to remember to do that! So if you don't have a calendar, make some sticky notes and put them on the bathroom mirror, by the coffee maker, or wherever. You MUST be selfish and carve out this personal time. And you can DO it! Our mothers did so much in one day --- tended gardens, looked after children and/or animals on the farm, made all the meals, cleaned up the dishes, sewed the clothes, etc. Compared to what we do today, we work about 1/10th of what they did! 

I don't care if your husband wants to do everything with you -- then teach him to sew! If you have kids or grandkids, get them entertained with some toys in the sewing space while you sew. EVERYONE needs to know that you have PERSONAL needs and you need time to yourself. I've said before that I'm one of the most selfish (and unselfish) people with my time! And you should be as well! 

I have changed many habits over the years, and I LOVE routine! But I hated computer work and ignored it so I could sew all day. I've since learned that I NEED to spend at least one hour a day at the computer to keep on top of things. Now it's a habit, and I don't resent it! 

I got one of five writing assignments completed. There is much less urgency when there is no immediate deadline! But I did it. I hope to get another done today, but I have a few car errands, which won't take long. 

Have a super day!!! 

Ciao!!!!