Reconsidering the importance of value!

Oh dear --- I may have to switch out the grass on my blocks for Down on the Farm. I will evaluate it this morning and make a decision. I am going to redo the turtle block as well. This quilt is darn cute!!! And I am on the final block!!! This one also has grass in it, and well, maybe I can switch out the green, and if I like it, then I'll have to remake that section of the rooster block. It wouldn't be a lot of work. Maybe that's why I stopped at that point last night in cutting out the next block? 

Cutting out the last block.

 

But here is the eleventh block. It's a dog!!! 

The eleventh block

The dog has a blue eye and a red collar, just like someone I know. Wait - that could be Lexi with the mottled black fur! 

The final block awaits—what animal is it? Do you remember? Once this final block is done, I'll go back to reworking the couple of sections I need to revise. Hmmm -- let's have another look at that rooster block. 

The rooster and chicken

Yes -- I guess I could go back and find something different, as that grass does blend in in spots. I won't change the grass part that fits on the post - well, let me think about it, but now is the time to change for the final block. And do you notice how those teeny tiny flower centers stand out because I switched out that yellow after sewing just one of the flowers? Value does count!

While I have enjoyed working on this quilt, I will be glad to see it end. It has consumed my sewing time for the last two weeks, and I need to move on! So once the final block is done, I'll set it aside while I finish prepping new samples for my travels next week. Then anything that needs to be redone will get redone. Thankfully, the grasses are easy enough to cut and sew. 

Some of the boxes in the kitchen got flattened and are in the garage. I must make it a priority before the nice weather is over to take a load of crap out of the garage. It's not that bad, but a few things have accumulated, and I would like the garage to be a bit neater. I have loads of recycling, but I'm happy to fill our bin and put it out gradually rather than leave unsightly piles of recycling in the driveway. Loads of people do that. They don't break down boxes; they don't separate the garbage from the recycling. It drives me mad.

I packed another box for my SIL and plan to ship those two boxes today. I still have two boxes in the upstairs hallway to bring down. Everything in the main hallway needs to be dealt with today, so the hallway is clear for the cleaning people tomorrow. Worst case, they all get moved to the office as the cleaning staff doesn't come in here. It's too messy. 

Let's just say that "adulting" is hard work. Just keeping up with the cleaning and tidying of daily life is constant, and the minute you stop? You have clutter! 

The poor office has become the dumping ground for things that have yet to be dealt with. We all know that - I've mentioned it oodles of times. But boy - it would be nice to get the final dregs of the clutter out of this room. All the rooms are now clear of the clutter from the first decluttering round, which took about 15 years! Then it would be easy to start at the top and work my way down again. Let's face reality - I'll never be done. This is a constant part of life and one that some people just can't handle - like my Mom. But that's OK. We're working our way through that. 

I'm afraid that my Mom's days of living in their apartment are numbered. Her mobility is getting less and less, and soon, she will need more help than can be provided in the apartment. My Mom is overweight and hasn't been active for many years. She was happy to sit in her chair with minimal walking and zero exercise, even though she swears to us that she does them every day. 

As a result, she has lost muscle mass and thus mobility. You do NOT want to face this issue, and we are all smart. So, if you can, get up and do something! Chair squats, step-ups, or whatever, but do NOT lose your mobility and hence your independence!! The biggest issue is the use of the washroom - when you can no longer deal with that, you are toast! 

With all the moisture we've been having, the forest is exploding with fungi!! I grabbed a photo of these the other day. 

Fungi in the forest

It would be neat to have a time-lapse of their lifespan. I bet it's fast!

I like to read every day - it's a way to escape to new worlds, learn new things, and well, a good old murder mystery just gets the heart racing! I also read non-fiction, which I love. I have a long list of books on my waitlist in the Libby app, and sometimes, when a book comes up, I wonder who recommended it to me? 

I also get my recommendations from The Globe and Mail review. I think it's once a month and usually reviews 8 murder mysteries. Of course, I put all of them on my list! Although some of them are not out yet, I think all of them were this time. Thankfully, there are some LONG wait times on some of the books, and I'm OK with that. There's no need to be the first to read a new book. I'm past that point in my life where I want everything right NOW. 

The Globe and Mail monthly book review

My walk yesterday took me past the bookstore, so I had to wander in. They have a big puzzle section, but I did not buy any. I still have puzzles to pick up at Puzzles Canada, and they sent me a reminder over the weekend. I need to puzzle faster!! 

I spotted this one with pictures of windows!! 

A puzzle with different-style windows

Which made me laugh because this is my next puzzle. 

My new puzzle - DOORS!

Yep -- those are doors!! I wonder how difficult this one will be? It should be easy, but when I opened the box last night, I noticed the pieces are tiny! 

I also spotted this puzzle. You may or may not know that there is a movie out about The Odyssey. DH wants to go and wants me to come with him. That man just can't go to a movie on his own. The darn thing is 3 hours long, and so we have to go in the afternoon. My body will not deal with a three-hour movie at night. I'll be bored and asleep before the opening credits happen. 

But I spotted this puzzle and asked him if putting it together would substitute for the movie. If looks could kill!!! LOL. 

The Odyssey Puzzle

Good heavens - they even had glow-in-the-dark puzzles. 

Glow-in-the-dark puzzle

And the community puzzle was together! I don't get to the bookstore often, so I miss putting pieces in. But that's OK since I always have one on the go at my house. 

The puzzle at the bookstore was done!

The monthly theme for August was Wild Animals, and I just happened to have this one in the puzzle pile. It was a 500-piece puzzle and actually quite easy. 

The August-themed puzzle

I found the missing border piece - it was upside down and under another piece. I did a little bit of work on it in the morning and then finished it last night. This is much better than scrolling! And I noticed that Kilimanjaro is in the background! It's about this time last year that I was getting ready for my hike up that mountain! That was such a great trip!!!

I have to find the theme list for the remainder of the year and see if I have something that works. One of them was a destination, I'm sure, and I have a couple of puzzles for that. 

On my walk, I also hit the mall as I had something to pick up. On my way out, I saw this kiosk. You can PRINT your custom phone case with a picture. All from a kiosk. 

Print your custom phone case from a kiosk.

This next picture will make you think. 

YES --- it's hard to believe, but there are some sounds we no longer hear. I'm sure most are related to technology, but who remembers dial-up for the internet? And I'm sure there are a ton of other sounds we no longer hear. I haven't checked out the website, but here's the link. WAIT --- I don't think I found the link - I'll find it and post tomorrow. 

One sound I'd love to go away is the whine of motorcycles late at night. While we are far enough from the highway not to hear the daily traffic, when it's late at night and the sky is clear, we can hear the whine of a motorcycle for 30 KM or so, it seems. Why? Why do they have to make it whine like that at night? 

On that note, I'm off to the gym. I need to keep mobile, and it's helping my legs. I've had no issues or very little with walking in the last week. That could just be a fluke, but it doesn't matter. I'm going to keep going strong for as long as I can. 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!!

Why is value so important?

OH MY --- I had to finish that book (Grounds for Murder by Betty Ternier Daniels) last night. I think it was 8 hours in total, but since I was busy sewing this intense quilt block, I had to turn it off each time I needed to find pieces to sew. There are so many similar sizes, and obviously you are sewing two different fabrics together - I had to do a wee bit of unripping from time to time. 

But you are NOT going to believe this. At one point in the book, the main character mentions a small village in Saskatchewan, and can you believe that she said, "Baljennie?" This is the tiny wee village nearest to where I grew up. No one lives there any longer, but this book was written in 2024, and yes - if you Google Baljennie, it's still on the map!! I wonder why she chose that hamlet - I wonder if she has any connection to that area. I must ask!

I found an aerial view of Baljennie in its heyday. Well, maybe not quite - I think the church had burnt down when this was taken. But there are the two grain elevators and the post office, the general store, the garage (cars), and, about the middle of the photo, the community center and the curling rink that my grandfather helped build and then helped build a thriving curling community. But there is another building up there, and I don't know what that is. I must ask. 

The railroad came into town, and it ended there! Just past the elevator on the right. 

The town of Baljennie

I almost fell over when I heard Bety mention Baljennie in her book!! Not that it was on the map, but that she included it in the book. I haven't heard back from her yet, but I had mentioned that that is where I was from, even though I hadn't come across that part of the book yet. 

Anyway - it was an interesting read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks to whoever recommended the book. 

|And now there are only two audiobooks on my shelf. 

My plan was to have TWO blocks completed for the Down on the Farm quilt, but alas, that was not to be. Remember, both blocks were cut out. I managed to get one block completely done. There are a LOT of little pieces and lots of room to go amiss. 

The seventh block

I think this and the beach-themed quilt she also just finished would make very good quilts for a class. So many little details to watch out for. The other thing, and I believe I mentioned it the other day, is that I am using my iPad to follow along with the pattern. There are pros and cons. The pro is that you can enlarge the pattern to see diagrams of the teeny-tiny areas, but you can't check off the sections as you sew them. WAIT -- I think you can do that on the iPad. I must try that later today. 

In the next block there are three sheep (done), two cows (done), and one horse (in progress). Then I can sew that block together. 

Then I'm going to go back and fix my turtle block. Why? What do you see, or I should ask, what don't you see? 

My turtle block

The turtle's face is very hard to distinguish from the pond. Even his legs on the grey rocks are sort of hard to see, but it's mostly his face. 

And that brings me to the topic of the day - VALUE. Value is a very important component of art and quilting, and it's highly dependent on what surrounds it. Here's a very good example. As I was sewing the HSTs together, this happened. 

I was sewing the ones on the right until I ran out of the dark green. In that case, the floral is the light. I happened to have some beige triangles, so I sewed them to the remaining pieces of that floral fabric. In this instance, that floral is the dark! 

One fabric - two completely different values

Pick a random fabric and ask if it's a dark, medium, or a light, and the answer is impossible to determine until you decide what is going next to that random fabric. Sometimes the colors are strong enough to stand out, making the color the contrast, but not so with my turtle head. The value of the turtle head and the water are the same, and the intensity of the colors is so close that the turtle head is lost. I found a much lighter fabric that I can use, but I'll also look for a darker one. Then I'll decide. That is the only spot I have miscalculated so far. I should have put the two fabrics on the design wall and stepped back to see the contrast. 

I almost goofed again. This time I had pulled a gold for the flower centers. They are teeny-tiny pieces, and when I sewed the flower section, I knew the gold would get lost. So back to the stash bin, and I found a BRIGHT yellow that will hold its own against the pink. 

Two yellows - one works, one does not!

I hope that you can see what I mean when I chat about value. It's so important, and you also need to consider how busy your prints are. If there is enough contrast, most times it won't matter, but if both the light and the dark are busy, then that contrast may just disappear into a bird's nest! Beware!

Many of the pieces in this quilt are assembled using a stitch-and-flip method. And here's the cutting mat after almost two blocks. That's a lot of teeny pieces that are cut off. I will NOT be saving these! 

The cut-offs from sewing two blocks of stitch-and-flip

As mentioned, I should be able to finish block 8, and then I'll have to decide - do I fix the turtle, or do I move on to the final row? I might at least cut for the final row. I had hoped to be done by today, but that's not the case. Each block has a lot of pieces, and each requires a clear head to work. I'm enjoying the process, though, and trying very hard to catch any mistakes, which means I have to pay a lot more attention than just looking at the pictures and winging it! 

The pile of HSTs on the ironing board continues to grow. I even took the time to sort the triangles on that tray by color! I'm so darn anal about stuff like that. I need color sorting!!!! 

The stack of HSTs continues to grow.

Now I can grab a color and pull a light and a dark, and away I go. Not that I need them to be by color, but it works for me. 

I spotted this on Facebook and thought it was hilarious. First - I want to say that I was so focused yesterday that it would have taken an alarm to break me out of my sewing trance!! 

But I did scroll a bit after I was so exhausted that I had to stop sewing. 

OMG -- that is me!!! I made some progress on the puzzle last night, but I'm down to green pieces now. I know some people who avoid puzzles with lots of green or blue. Not me - I'm going to get this thing together even if I have to try each piece one at a time! I doubt it will come to that, but it might in some areas. 

And YES -- an old cutting mat would make the perfect place to work on a puzzle. I have one of those felt roll-up mats which I have never used. I don't think I will. I guess I'll have to donate it unless someone wants it!

I have to give you an update on the girls. Someone had mentioned in the comments that only purebred dogs sleep like frogs. I don't think that is true. It's called a sploot, by the way, and it's just a way for them to stretch out, get their tummy directly on the floor (as in Murphy's situation), and it's comfortable for some dogs. I have never seen Lexi sleep this way. 

So Murphy is on medication for inflammation and pain, and it causes drowsiness. Well, it can cause drowsiness. She gets one of those in her evening meal. The other night, I noticed some white residue on the mats beside the back door. I didn't give it a second thought. Last night, I noticed residue again, and WAIT --- she bit open the capsule and didn't get all the medication inside. I grabbed a pill pocket and shoved the remaining contents of the capsule into it. She wasn't happy, but she ate it. 

Then Lexi came over to the mats and cleaned up all the residue! Sigh............ I bet she slept well!

MOM - I'm cleaning up Murphy's mess

Somewhere in Murphy's recent adventures, she has developed something BAD. Before the first slip, she was a typical dog who would wake when she heard a noise, and then go back to sleep, unless it was something worthy of barking at. In Murphy's case, that would be noises, particularly those outside, between 11 PM and 7 AM. 

The first night after her slip, she was restless and would not settle. It was a sleepless night at our house - for her and for me. I tried everything to settle her down and thought it was because of her being in pain. Then we got pain meds, and that seemed to help. Then she had another slight slip, and that has thrown her into a tizzy. 

She is ONLY comfortable and will fall asleep immediately if she is OUTSIDE. This is not good when your dog is known to bark at things in the night. Thankfully, the raccoons and coyotes are in another part of the forest. 

Last night, I attempted to bring her in the house and get her settled for the night. I have now discovered what her problem is. Well, part of it anyway. She might still have pain, but I can't see how - she has her pill, which she gets once a day (at night). 

It is the NOISES in the house. She has developed a NOISE PHOBIA, which is bad because when she hears something, she gets frantic and wants to climb on things that she has never climbed before; she paces, she pants, and she is in quite a bit of distress. When my SIL went to bed at 12:30 and turned on an upstairs water tap, Murphy just about blew a gasket. 

And then the dishwasher started. Needless to say, I put her outside. I brought her in at 5 AM, and she is peacefully sleeping in the basement. She can go downstairs (on the leash), but I have to help her upstairs with a towel under her tummy, which works just fine and puts no strain on me. For any of you who are caregivers to a family member, it's not quite the same, but equally traumatizing to be a caregiver for a senior dog, especially one who is crazy!

This isn't just at night - it's during the day as well. She wants to spend 100% of her time outside. It was raining yesterday, and she has zero issues with sleeping in the rain. The poor dog is just WET. There are a couple of spots she knows of where she can sleep without getting wet, but if it rains too hard, she will get wet. 

We are lucky that we are not going anywhere this month and that it is summertime, but what the heck are we going to do in the fall? I've got to try some anxiety medication for her, and there are other products that you can get to try and calm a dog down. But why did she become so sensitive to any kind of noise overnight? 

I will make another appointment with the vet. I would just buy an OTC product, but since she is on the anti-inflammatory, I want to see what will work best with that. The vet mentioned another medication, and perhaps it will have a more calming effect on her. The poor thing - we are all stressed in our house, but I bet she has a worse case of it than we do. At least we understand what the issue is. 

Remember that we have class signups happening now. And someone mentioned that if you are taking part in the Show and Tell class, you can buy the pattern at Country Concessions, and they have FREE shipping, but only today!!!!!  

Here is the link to the classes again, and be sure to let your friends know. 

And on that happy note, it's Monday sewing today!!!! I'll be heads down working on my blocks! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Book recommendations

Thanks for all the comments. YES --- most of those exercises can be done while waiting for oatmeal to cook! I just need to remember to do them. The alternative will not be pretty, so it is a priority. I did some at the dinner table to demonstrate to DH how easy they are. I even told him that he should be doing them as well. He's in much worse shape than I, and it's simply because he does nothing. 

Brooke will definitely be part of this "recovery" mission, and I'll share with her next week. 

As for dentists, optometrists, and everyone else selling their practices, I don't know how we can fight back, but we need to speak out. Or probably insurance has made it next to impossible for a single practitioner to practice and still make money. I LOVE our dentist, and I sure hope he never retires. But since he's about the same age as myself, that is not going to be a reality. 

On the reading front, I get recommendations from everywhere - it might be one of you, it might be an in-person meeting, review online or in a newspaper, but they come in from everywhere. And I typically go to Libby and request a copy of the book - either audio or ebook. I just finished reading Game of Crowns, which was quite an interesting read, and it is so hard to tell what is true or not in the world of the Royals, but OH MY GOODNESS -- none of the Royal women was put in a super positive light. There is a lot of posturing, and they are ruthless! 

However, when that was done, I needed to move to the next book. I think there were three audiobooks in my inbasket for me to choose from. A bit too many for my liking, but I'm good with three. So I picked one because it was a novel and I needed a break from non-fiction. 

I know someone recommended this book to me, but I don't remember whom, but OH MY --- what a hoot. It's called Grounds for Murder by Betty Ternier Daniels. The book is based in the North Battleford area (where I grew up), and it's hilarious. What they say, what they do, how they act -- it's all so familiar! I'm guessing the main character is about my age or a little older, and lives on a farm, so it's very familiar. And they visit North Battleford, and yep - I know all those places! I LOVE the book!!!

A huge thank you to whoever you are for the recommendation. It's a fun read, and who is the murderer? 

AHA—here are our NEW fire hydrants. As we had discussed a week or so ago, they are repainting them, and the base coat was grey. I guess they tidied them up, slapped on the base coat, and came back to paint them red. Notice the top and the caps are grey. So bright and shiny! I think our entire city (or at least my neighborhood) is getting a minor facelift. Fire hydrant, new road lines, etc. 

Spiffed up fire hydrant

I had a book to pick up at the library. OK -- so I have a thing with books and puzzles. OK -- and quilt fabric. I'm obsessive about all those things! I cannot just go to the library to get one book. Instead, I found another one and also brought that home. It's not that bad of a walk to the temporary location - about 30 minutes there and 25 back. It all depends on whether I have to wait for lights. I'm glad my regular branch is not that far away -we are very lucky to have 18 branches in this city!

I stopped to look at the puzzle, and it's the same one as last time, but nothing is together. I'm not sure whether it was ever completed and then they tore it apart, or it never got completed. But as mentioned before, I am NOT a fan of the green felt. If I bought one of those boards, I'd be ripping that felt off. Plus I think I like my design boards as I can easily move them around and get a good look. The drawers are handy, but not easy to look into. I know you can also purchase the boards without the felt. 

Not a fan of the felt backing

I made progress on my puzzle last night. I think all the "easy" stuff is done, and now the rest will be a test of patience, size, and very slight color changes. After this one, it'll be time to do the monthly themed puzzle, which is wild animals! Yep -- I found one at the thrift store, so I can't wait to work on it. 

Status of the current puzzle

I got one more block done for Down on the Farm. OK - that block humbled me. I was working away, everything was fine, and then I went to sew the bigger sections together — and BAM—we have a major problem. I double-checked my fabric pieces, and everything seemed OK, but it still wasn't working. 

Then I took part of one section apart and OH MY -- I did miscut one of the pieces. And it's funny because as I was sewing that piece onto the others, I thought to myself, "This piece is too big." It was the diagonal strip of green on the turtle shell. My brain knew it was wrong, but did I investigate it? I did NOT. Which goes to show that you need to trust your gut!!! And then listen and act upon those instincts. 

So putting this together took a little longer than I anticipated, but this block is done. That makes six blocks done and six more to sew. Yes - I know the contrast in the turtle's face isn't the best. Too late to change it!

Block six

I spent a good chunk of this morning cutting out the next two blocks. All the pieces are on this board, and I still have a few more pieces to cut. There are a LOT of little bitty pieces in these next two blocks. 

The pieces are cut for Blocks 7 and 8

Instead of getting out a new design board, I just overlapped the pieces! Of course I did! I don't label anything - of course I don't! I have a ruler on the front of my sewing machine, and I can pretty much tell the difference in size by eye. But to double-check, I use that ruler, and so far, so good except for that miscut shape in the turtle. 

My goal is to get those two blocks done today. I was hoping to have all the blocks done by today, but that isn't going to happen. Plus, I spent the morning doing paperwork, so I am going to skip it today. 

The mystery book was so interesting that I wanted to finish the chapter before shutting things down for the night. Since I had a few minutes to kill (pun intended), I decided to trim a few half-square triangles. As I was trimming, I noticed that the yellow on the side has a hole in it. CRUD - so that goes! 

Trimming half-square triangles

Someone asked why I don't stop making them and start making stuff with them. I have made several quilts from half-square triangles and a pencil case. I could stop, but then what do I do for enders and leaders? Nope -- I'll continue to make them, but I do need to start sewing them together. I have several plans for the ones that are trimmed. 

I'll be teaching that scrap quilt session starting in September, and trust me -- we will be exploring this kind of thing, along with many other types of scraps. The first rule is WHAT size makes you happy! Remember that I am NOT expecting anyone to make a project each month. But I will be offering suggestions as to what you can do with your scraps. It is up to you to decide what you want to make. And then we'll see how all those HSTs will come together! 

So you know Miss Murphy has been banned from going up or down the stairs. And she seems to know that she isn't able, as she doesn't even bother or whine to come down. It's a bit sad for me since I know how much she loved being downstairs. It wasn't even to be with me, but she loved the coolness of the basement. However, life changes, and so do our abilities, and thankfully she knows that. 

However, I don't trust her not to attempt to come down and run into problems, so we have the stairs barricaded. What am I using? 

Well, every bag maker should have some of these - election signs!!!! 

We had to barricade the stairs at one point years ago, and I don't remember why, but I tucked those signs behind the bookcase in my office. And so when I needed them, they were there! 

What is hilarious is that Bonnie was our mayor from 2014 to 2024. These signs were probably from her first run for mayor, so they are at least 10 years old. 

Barricade to the basement

Guess what? She is going to run for mayor again! I told DH that I could just put the sign out on the lawn and he said NO. I was just kidding. 

And this sign was for a school trustee, probably from the same era.  

Barricade to the upstairs

I just sent Betty (the author of Grounds for Murder) a note to say how much I connected with her character and surroundings. If I were an author, I would love to get feedback from my readers. Again -- thank you to whoever recommended that book, and I wonder how they found out about it? 

I see that we have a nice gentle rain this morning, but do I feel like going out with the girls? Murphy couldn't care less about the rain and is happy to go outside and lie in the rain. That must be great for the muscles! But Miss Lexi is another story. Although Murphy gets saturated, the wet just lies on top of Lexi's fur. 

I must get myself organized and decide whether we wait or I get back downstairs to find out what happens to the character in that book!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Packaging puzzles!

Oh my --- what a crazy day! And I learned something. The Puzzles Canada store, which looks like a warehouse, is NOT the warehouse. There's another location that is the warehouse, and that is where I was supposed to be yesterday morning, NOT where I went. So after a bit of a wait because I was early, I figured it out! I arrived a bit later than I had planned and, of course, was annoyed with myself. I SHOULD have looked at the information sheet in the morning, which included the address. 

Who knew that a warehouse store would have a warehouse?

The other volunteers who were there were amazing! The day was super well organized, and the moment I arrived, I was given a task, and it didn't stop until everything was wrapped and in a shipping box ready to be shipped!

I don't know how many puzzles we wrapped, but if there are 11 events and a maximum of 100 in each, more like 90, that makes a total of 990, so around 1,000 puzzles. I didn't see the puzzles that will be in the events I'm in, but even if i saw them, we saw each one so quickly, that I barely remember what the picture was. I only wrapped two of the eleven puzzles. 

There isn't a lot of room to work in the warehouse, so we spilled out into the parking lot. And there were boxes and boxes of puzzles everywhere!

Boxes of puzzles

Each puzzle was put inside a shipping bag, and a label was put on it with the date and number of the event. That is very important, and of course, all the puzzles come in different-sized boxes!! Of course, they do! 

After all the puzzles were in their shipping bags, which also prevented the recipient from seeing the puzzles, it was time to group them by order for delivery. Some people only had one puzzle, some two, three, up to 14 puzzles, which is more than the 11 events, but some are pairs and they ordered the puzzles together.

I got on box assembly duty. They have a special way they want the boxes taped, which works for me, and I was instructed on how to do that. Then it was making boxes for several hours! I had two packers to keep up with. Mission accomplished! 

We had a blast as we started on a new grouping of puzzles. The groups were by the number of puzzles in the order. Since the puzzles are NOT all the same size as I mentioned, it was a challenge to figure out how to fit them in the boxes. Well, that was, once we figured out which box size that number of puzzles would fit into. One lady was extremely Tetris-oriented, and she could figure out how to put the puzzles into a box no problem!

At the end of the process, this is what we had accomplished. 

Boxes and boxes of puzzles ready to be shipped

And even more boxes!

That is a LOT of puzzles packaged and going out to people! 

I said I would bring my box home, and I was told that was OK, only if I knew where it was. And wouldn't you know it, but as I was getting ready to leave, I spotted my box on the top of one of the pallets. It was easy to grab, and I saved them some postage! 

Here are my three puzzles. 

My three event puzzles

One of the events happens on Halloween, so I suspect that puzzle's theme will be Halloween. That event is also a friends and family event, so now I have to rope someone into coming here that day to work on it with me. Any volunteers? It is a speed event, but since I've never done a speed event before, I think we will just be working on the puzzle! 

As a thank-you, we got to pick a puzzle, and I spotted this wooden one in the box. Of course, I'll take that. 

My new wooden puzzle

Of course, it comes in a wooden box, and the pieces are in a small cloth bag. 

The puzzle pieces are in a cloth bag.

I opened it when I got home and spotted some "whimsies," which are pieces that are shaped into something specific. I think I shared that when I did the puzzle at the hotel in Tofino. 

I was exhausted, but happy! It was a great day, and we really worked like a well-oiled machine! And I made new friends in the puzzle world!

I was asked to come again the next time, so I guess I passed. I need to rearrange something in my schedule, but I'll be back. Whether I'll do a speed-puzzling event again remains to be seen! The first one is in October. 

I'm leaving the wrapped puzzles on my puzzle table, so they don't get lost. That would be my luck - I would have to miss because I couldn't find the darn puzzles. 

Amanda took a video of us working - I didn't even notice. I have tried to forward the link to people, but it just doesn't work. I will try to link it here, and if you look real close, you can spot me in the background as I'm madly taping boxes!!! Here is the link to the FACEBOOK page. Scroll down, and you'll see the video. 

Last night, I worked on the pattern testing and have completed the second block. The 3rd and 4th blocks are on my list of things to do today. It's an easy enough pattern to put together, but with the number of pieces, it can be tricky, and it's only when you start sewing that you realize this piece is too long or too short. For the most part, the sizes are right on. 

If you have never written a pattern before, it can be very tricky. Trust me -- I've written lots, and you have to check, double-check, and even triple-check. 

Yep -- Studio B looks like a tornado has gone through, but I'm back in work mode, and that pattern testing is my focus! Amazing what can happen - everything is wide open, and the schedule is clear, and then BAM -- I'm testing a pattern. But I love being able to say yes!!! I love pattern testing. 

Oh my -- when I went out yesterday to walk the girls, there was burned debris all over the neighborhood from the house fire. We even had some in our driveway. 

Fire debris from the house fire - four streets away

But the park was filled even though you can't really see it in this photo. The house was two streets over. 

A lot of fire debris in the park

The street was still blocked, even to pedestrians, so we had to turn around. Apparently, five houses were affected by the fire. Yikes!! That's a pretty serious fire, and it got out of control so quickly, with huge flames. 

As I was walking and with all the fires in this neighborhood, it got me thinking. I believe I said four, but I remembered another one. I have a thing about house fires. I've never been affected, but it was a nightmare for me when I was a child. I have no idea why. 

Several houses in our area are getting "metal" roofs installed. 

A house with a metal roof

These metal roofs are essentially pieces of tin that they cover the existing roof with. What would happen if a house with that kind of roof caught fire? That tin would bubble and make a huge mess from the heat. 

Well, it's going to be a super busy day as we have Monday sewing, and I realized that I don't have a presentation ready for them, and OH DEAR - what photos can I pull from a hat? No worries - I just found some photos, so I need to plug them in and we're good to go!!!

There's also a solution! I have no idea where my optimism came from; it exudes from my body in leaps and bounds!

And on that positive note, I'm out of here. 

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Progress with only one SNAFU

It was another good day in Studio B. And Brenda, I'm so excited that you are messing around with the Qult Block Wizard! I did NOT accomplish all I wanted. I knew there was going to be a snag somewhere. Things just take longer than planned, but that's OK. However, I had a very humbling moment. I was all excited about one of the samples - this is going to be perfect. And then BAM! It wasn't perfect. I am not sure I will camouflage what happened. I'm going to finish what I did by binding it, but let's just say that it was a humbling moment. 

Remember all those tools that I said were amazing? They are, but only if the operator doesn't go in and try to do something silly. You see, I had everything lined up perfectly, and then I accidentally touched one of the designs and moved it, thinking I was moving everything, but I was only moving one design, not four. Alas, it stitched out but was not lined up!

However, it was another learning moment, and since we learn from our mistakes, I think I've made all I can with those tools. I'm done now!

Anyway, I managed to get all the stitching done using the Embellishment Attachment and used up three sample stitchouts that were hanging around. Despite my error, the one I goofed on is cute. And it's a teaching moment. Yep -- I'm going to take it to Nashville with me. 

I still have two to clean up, one to bind, and one is done. So worst-case scenario, I can clean up those pieces on the move if I have to. But they are stitched. Actually, I think I need about two hours to completely finish the last three samples. 

It's time to move on to another hoop, and I haven't decided which one. 

Here's the sample that I finished yesterday. And YES -- that is entirely done on an embroidery machine, including the fuzzy bits.

My completed sample

I have to laugh when I look at this one. The fuzzy stuff for the sheep is a tad fuzzier than I thought it would be, and his face and one ear are obliterated. But that sort of fits with the quote. I might trim it slightly, but otherwise - it's done. 

This is another sample I was stitching out, and it is the one that went haywire. 

So cute and before the "storm" hit

But when it was done, I went back to the screen to see what had happened, and that's when I discovered what I had done. It's not enough to make a mistake, but figure out WHY that happened, and then you can move on. Get over it! And never do it again!

I love the project system even in sewing mode. Those projected lines are great for sewing diagonal lines, too. Why mark when you don't have to? I am sewing on the PFAFF creative icon 2.

Projection lines in sewing mode

OH MY -- I may have spoken too soon about the colorways of the 70s and how they would never come back. Look what I spotted on IG yesterday. This is from a fabric company introducing a new line. Doesn't that remind you of the fabrics from the 70s? 

Reminds me of colors from the 70s

Instead of completing the items yesterday, I did something else. I lost a bit of steam when I screwed up, but that's OK. It's good to take a break. And making mistakes is hard work! 

This is the latest puzzle I'm working on. This is another great brand (Villager Puzzles), and guess what? They are also Canadian and use only artwork by Canadian women artists! They make a lot of Canadian landscape puzzles, and I've suggested some for the prairies. Hey, the owner was looking for suggestions! I just realized that this company is based in Comox, BC. 

My current puzzle

You can buy from them online or from Puzzles Canada, and there are many other shops where you can find them. This is the company that Cynthia submitted artwork to and won! It was for a puzzle that will be sold exclusively on the BC Ferries. You will also be able to buy it online at the Villager website. I'm not sure when that one will come out.

And this is what it looks like when you open the box. There's a poster inside, which I never use, and the pieces are already in a bag. That is good -- all puzzles should come with the pieces in a bag. It's a zippered top bag so you can reuse it! That's even better. Hey, the company was founded by a woman! 

Inside the box

She appeared on Dragon's Den, and you can watch it here. The quality of the puzzles is amazing. Check them out next time you're in the market for a puzzle. 

Here's my progress so far. That was HARD, and it took almost an hour just to do that small part. I wonder how easy the rest of the puzzle will be? 

A challenge to do the lettering

I also spent some time weeding in the backyard. It's a mess. This is the before picture. 

Before

And here's the after. I only started with a small section, but already it looks much better. It's hard to see because of the sun and shade, but it looks much better - trust me. 

After

And you will NOT believe this, but when I was digging through that sample drawer, look what I found. I thought I only had one of these Dream Big panels, but NO - I have two. Of course, I have two. 

Two Dream Big panels

I have stitched a teal-colored panel, but I want to stitch another one because with my newfound skills and new tools on the embroidery machine, I think I can do a better job than I did the first time. So—that is something I can attempt to make happen this summer. Nothing like trying to get some of this embroidery done. 

At some point, I need to stop and work on quilt UFOs, not just embroidery stuff! 

This is a quilt that a reader sent to me. It's made from a quilt pattern by a Canadian designer. YES --- we have some great Canadian designers, and we need to make sure that we support them.

A pattern by Sew Fresh Quilts

The company is called Sew Fresh Quilts, and the designer is Lorna. Check out her website, as she has some amazing designs. The link for the fox is here. You cannot beat $5 for a very cool pattern. 

OH - I'm running out of time before I meet Brooke. I have a question to ask about Lorna's patterns. Perhaps we need to do one of these as a sew-along, but NOT for this year. But next. The price is definitely right!!! Which one is your favorite? 

And on that note, I'm out of here!

Have a wonderful day, and hopefully it will be filled with joyful moments, even if it requires some tough love and learning! 

Ciao!!!!