Take control of YOUR life

Do you ever feel super content and just happy? For many years, I sometimes thought I didn't want everything to be perfect because then something bad would happen. That's a pretty common thought. People feel they are not worthy of such happiness. 

Well, I have my unhappy moments, trust me! But overall, I have lots to be thankful for; I have loads to look forward to each day, and I actually look forward to my routine, knowing that at such a time, I can enjoy reading my book, or working on the puzzle, or whatever is on the schedule. 

I even received a somewhat snarky email the other day, and at first I was angry because there was NO NEED for that person to respond that way. I did NOT respond immediately, but thought I would take a couple of days to process the information. I even typed out a response, and then I reworded that response in my head multiple times over the weekend while walking. 

And today? Seriously! If that person wants to lash out like they did, that is their problem, not mine. I have my way of dealing with the situation: I do nothing. I will delete my draft. I'll have a few different choices to make in the future, but it really doesn't affect me at all. 

Life is not what people send to you; it's how you react to what they have sent! I choose to let it go! And you know what? I'm pretty proud of myself! 

Well, Miss Murphy is up to her old tricks! She ventured downstairs yesterday and settled herself EXACTLY where my chair is supposed to go. I'm trying to do a Zoom call! Oh, Murphy!!! I know you are needy, but can't it wait? 

MOM - I need you NOW!!!!

And at one point, I went upstairs, and the two of them were just watching! It's like they are having a staring contest to see who blinks first! It's funny how they love to play together, but they never sleep close together. 

MOM - she's looking at me!!!!!

OH -- I have two things to share, and before I forget them again, here they are. First—when I woke up Sunday morning, I felt a bit hungry. WAIT --- you can't eat - you must take that pill, wait 30 minutes, and then you can eat. So yes—I managed to remember that pill. Yeah me!!! But if I wasn't hungry, I would have surely forgotten. 

The second thing is I was at Fabricland the other day. I swear that is NOT a good place for me to go, as they have some amazing non-cotton fabrics and I don't need any! On the counter, I spotted a rack with packs of this on it. 

Yes—that is a small pack of Mending Wool, and it came in a ton of colors. Yes - I bought one because I have a couple of pairs of wool socks to mend. More on that in a second. 

Mending Wool

I mentioned it to the person checking me out. Yep—apparently, the new thing in the world is for the youth (or anyone) to shun AI by doing hand sewing!! WOW --- and also, they are turning to crafts in general. That is awesome!! The Michaels store that I am teaching at this coming weekend (Teach the World to Sew Day) is right downtown, where I never would have expected a Michaels. I wonder who their clientele is? 

It's going to be a challenge to get down there, even early in the morning, because of the film festival and traffic in general. I need to do some research and make some calls. 

Anyway—let's hope crafts, sewing, handwork, whatever comes back. I think it's something that's really missing from daily life. And when your hands are busy? You can't scroll!! I find doing things with my hands is the most soothing thing I can do. 

I haven't really cleaned up Studio B after the Facebook Live, and there are still loads of things on the floor. I really don't want to go back to having those two tables heaped with stuff, and my plan is to sort through it and prioritize. Hopefully, I can also conceal some of it in the various storage areas. Wouldn't it be nice to have one free table as a clear workspace? 

I'm going on a quilt retreat next week, and I have decided NOT to take a sewing machine. So I have rounded up those socks and my new thread that need mending. I've also tucked all the supplies for my Many Blocks project into a bag, and it's waiting to be packed in the car. I won't be sewing any blocks, but I'll be prepping all the remaining blocks - appliqué, cutting the pieces, etc. So all that will be left is sewing on the machine. 

The Many Blocks project

I did that with my Spice Market quilt, too. That is one I didn't finish in class, and my plan is to go through it and get all the cutting and appliqué prep done. That should keep me busy for a while, and I found some other handwork and craft projects, too. 

The thing that drives me mad, and I'm very good at this -- I get started on a task, and then I can drop that in a heartbeat. And in my case, it's not to start a new project, but to work on something else that is more urgent. And many of those projects set aside will take less than one hour to finish. I am determined to get all those small projects done! This is just ridiculous!

I found a basket and put all the fabric for the 40 Shades of Grey quilt in it. Yes—it's 40 shades of purple and green. 

Fabrics for the 40 Shades of Grey quilt

I also had to "shop" for some red fabric, and I emptied the basket and started my search. I am DETERMINED to only use stuff from my stash. Oh my goodness, there are so many fabrics that I'm likely never to use. I'd better start cutting up for scrap quilts!!! 

Shopping for red fabrics

Speaking of scrap quilts, I'll be sending out the confirmation for the SECOND scrap quilt class later today. There are quite a few people in that one, too. There is so much to share, and I've been thinking about how to organize the information so it makes logistical sense. I think I have a plan, but I'll start assembling the slides tomorrow and see how it goes. 

I found this fabric in the red basket and wouldn't that make a nice mini quilt? That's the first thought that crossed my mind. 

Double Wedding Ring fabric

Some of you have wanted to know how the Visual To Do list is coming along. This morning, I'll share two categories with you. One is UFO and the other is Many Blocks. 

Part of the Visual To Do List

Only one project remains under Many Blocks, and my goal is to have THREE quilt tops ready to quilt (if they aren't already quilted by then) by the end of the year. That is one of the projects packed for the retreat. I've forgotten how many blocks need to be prepped for the final push, maybe 30? And if I can get all of them prepped, then it should be easy to accomplish my goal. 

On the UFO side, starting from the bottom is Tequila Lime. That quilt top is together, and I have pulled fabric for the binding and backing. Today, I hope to get that ready to be quilted. Since I might try custom quilting, that may not get done this year. 

Next is Spice Market, which is also packed for the retreat, and it is doable to finish this year. 

Next is Tula Pink Butterfly, and that one just needs to be quilted, which is very doable. 

The one above that is a quilt I started years ago, and it's called All About Me. It needs a lot of work, and it likely won't get completed, but I hope to have a plan on how to finish it. I need to make more blocks. 

The top one is the two winter quilts. And I'm happy to report that I made significant progress on that one. If those two aren't completely done, I'm in big trouble. I have a wee bit to share with you. 

Here are all the leftover flying geese. I can't believe I made such a silly mistake, but let's move on. Now, once I knew how many I needed, the rest was dealt with. The flying geese units went into the orphan block box, and the rectangles went into the appropriate scrap box. 

The leftover flying geese

Now what else could make me very happy? 

Having four flying geese stitched together and they lie perfectly flat, even when pressing one seam back over the point! 

Beautifully pieced and pressed flying geese

Let's look at it from the back. Yep -- those seams are twirled. 

With twirled seams on the back

I totally get it that people want to buy gadgets, and there are all kinds of pressing gadgets out there. There are also fancy irons. But guess what? You don't need any of that. I have never used gadgets for pressing - I just learned how to press well! 

Here are a few tips

• Press the just-sewn seam from the back to soften the fibers and make them more malleable. 
• Use your finger before pressing the seam to get the fabrics going in the correct direction. 
• Use STEAM WISELY (I ALWAYS press with steam). 
• I put a towel on my ironing board for better grip. 
• Press from the FRONT, never the back. 
• I use a regular inexpensive iron. 

My current iron

I trimmed the flying geese before I sewed them, and I only trimmed a few threads, but it makes a difference. 

Now what could make me even happier? 

The flying geese section

Having the entire section together!!!

And yes—I twirled all the seams. 

Twirled seams

Pressing correctly can make a massive difference in the look and accuracy of your quilt blocks. For those who finger-press while sewing? You are doing a great disservice to the quality of your quilts - well, at least in my opinion. If you are going to do something, do it right. Just because someone on the internet (OK—that could be me) says it's OK to finger-press until the end doesn't make it the best way. 

Look at the quality of the block and then make another where you press with steam on every seam. Which one do you prefer? 

A small sash goes on the sides. And I'm happy to report that one block is completely done and the second just needs the sashing on. 

The sashing on the blocks

but WAIT -- there's more. I was trying to finish my audiobook last night, so I plugged away, and I got one top, minus borders, together!!!!  Now how exciting is that? OH wait—that's not the picture of the top together, but all the blocks are there. I did have to trim a few things that I hadn't trimmed properly when I made the blocks, but all is good. 

All the blocks for one winter quilt are done!

And now you know why I was digging through the basket of red fabric because I wanted to find some reds for the two borders. 

I buzzed around and did more tidying, and it feels good to take control of the mess. Here is my tray of triangles to sew HSTs. While it looks messy, they are sorted by color and on a tray, so if I need to move them, it's easy. 

My ender/leader tray of triangles

Sometimes the smallest things make us content. I don't need a fancy car; I just want a clean floor! Did you know how satisfying it is to use the Swiffer or the vacuum? I'm not a big fan of house cleaning, but I love sweeping the floors!!! 

I even had time to work on the puzzle last night. Oh my—this one is tough!!!!

Progress is slow

I managed a few more pieces after I took the picture, but it's going to take a while. I need to get this done by the end of the month, which means I really only have this week. 

So slow and steady is the name of the game. But even more important is staying in CONTROL. If you aren't in control, you are wandering like a lost soul. At least that's how I feel, and that's why, even though we like to keep those lists in our heads, writing them down is better. With a list, we are in total control.  

And by that, I don't mean being in charge, but taking control. I think we all know someone who has struggled, or is still struggling, with clutter. They don't know where to start or even how to tackle it, and that seems silly, but it is true. When they finally make a decision to take charge and tidy up, declutter, and find homes for everything, life becomes so much more manageable! 

So when you go to your sewing space today, and I don't care if it's huge or small, take a look around. Is the space inviting? Is it ready at a moment's notice for you to sew, or do you have to clean off the sewing tables, the ironing board, or the cutting table? How can you change that? What about those smaller projects that can be completed quickly? 

You would be surprised at how much better you will feel. It's like my office. I feel so much better because of what I have done so far. Imagine how high I'll be when I finish it. I'll be flying higher than a kite!!

Here is a picture of the surprise guest. He arrived late last night, and we haven't really had a chance to visit with him. 

The girls and the boy

He was just staring out the front window, and I spotted that large truck and trailer pass by, and they had two pallets of what looked like paving stones. NO -- that could not be possible; they are not going to put paving stones on that hill. That's what I've been saying all along. But WAIT -- I'm getting ahead of myself -- I have no idea what's going to happen. 

On that note, it's Monday sewing. I did not go to the gym this morning - I'll go tomorrow. I wanted to make sure all the girls and the boy were fine this morning and get them into a wee bit of a routine. 

It's going to be a glorious day today!!

Ciao!!!

Getting back to the routine!

The good news is that with shorter and slower walks and lots of ice, I'm doing OK. Better than OK, and that makes me happy. 

However, someone is very unhappy with the short walks and is protesting. Every time I was near the front door, guess who was there? Demanding that I take her for another walk. How does she know her walk was shortchanged? Lexi is just happy to get out and doesn't care how long the walk is. 

However, the morning walk with Murphy was bizarre. I think I had mentioned that we had some lightning and thunder -- one of each, and that was it. But it had started to rain, or since it was so cold, it almost resembled sleet. I bundled up for the cold, wet walk. As I walked, I could see the clouds dissipating, and by the time I got home, the sun was out. And the sky was completely blue. That happened in the space of 20 minutes! Go figure!

Oh my --- I decided to work on the jigsaw puzzle. Shoot - I didn't take a picture of the puzzle, nor did I take a picture of my progress. It's a hand-painted scene of New York, and it's quite fun! I believe a Canadian artist, or at least a Canadian company, created the puzzle. And I know I've said it before, but this little puzzle station I carved out of space in Studio B is amazing!! I love those felt boards. 

The border for the next puzzle

To avoid getting totally distracted, I put the felt boards over the puzzle to keep my wandering eyes off it! I'll work on it in the evenings as I listen to audiobooks. And oh my --- I seem to have quite a few books in the queue at the moment. That's how it happens -- you have many books on the hold list with long lead times and then - poof --- they all seem to come in at once. And yes—I know I can suspend those holds. But I think I have it under control. 

I got this cordless vacuum at some kind of charity event. Or DH got it - I really don't remember, but we didn't pay for it. I love it for Studio B. Have you noticed how clear the floor is? Getting those books back on the shelves was great, and now it's time to finish cleaning up the dirt, lint, and dog hair. I thought the vacuum was on the fritz because after charging it a couple of months ago, it wouldn't work. 

But I gave it one more chance yesterday, and after recharging it, it works like a charm. OK—now I have two cordless vacuums. Perhaps one can stay on the main floor. 

My cordless Rowenta vacuum is working again!!!

After seeing how much crap I clean off the floor every time I pass the Swifter or the vacuum, it boggles my mind how anyone would want carpet in their house. Never mind the dog hair - it's the dirt and the lint and the dust that is insane!! No wonder so many people have breathing problems. The first thing we do in any house is get rid of the carpet! And the stairs? It is a nightmare to have carpet on them. Thankfully, we have no carpet on our stairs either! 

I managed to get more half-square triangles trimmed. It's a mindless task, and I'm OK with that kind of task at the moment. 

Trimming half-square triangles

I even got a few more trimmed this morning. Slow and steady is the name of the game. 

More half-square triangles

And yes—I will tackle those little bits one day. I have already sewn several projects from the half-square triangles. I should dig those out and share again. Think of them as making fabric! Once you have the fabric, you can make anything. Zippered pouches, quilts, tote bags - whatever your heart desires. But I have the goal of making a larger scrap quilt, and I'd better get organized for my upcoming scrap class in the fall. 

I started prepping for the upcoming Zoom session on the Grainline Studio Tamarack jacket that I'm going to host on May 23 and June 27. I'm rewatching the videos and taking notes to discuss with the attendees. There are great things about the videos that I want to emphasize, some things I want to clarify (or add my two cents), and a couple of things I'd do totally differently. 

Either way, if you are interested in making a quilted jacket from ANY pattern, I highly recommend watching those videos (you'll find them on YouTube). They are thorough, and what is discussed applies to ANY quilted jacket pattern. Dare I even say that after watching those videos, you should NEVER have to take a quilted jacket class ever again? Except if you want the social aspect of taking a class. They are that good and that thorough. 

If you are interested in attending my sessions as we discuss the video content, send me an email, and I'll add you to the list. elainetheriault@gmail.com

By discussing the process of making a quilted jacket with our peers, we're going to solidify this information in our heads, get answers to any niggling details that we don't understand, and perhaps come up with a new tip or two. I'm looking forward to it. Before you get all excited about attending my sessions, I strongly encourage you to watch the videos (Graneline Studio), as my discussion is based on them. If you don't watch them, our discussion will be meaningless. And my sessions are NOT being recorded!!!

I decided it was time to fire up the long arm, which has sat idle for quite some time. I have a couple of customer quilts that I need to get done, and there are those eleven community project quilts that I promised to do for someone that also need to be done. I'd like to get those done because the quilt tops and the basket of flannel for the backing are taking up visual space in Studio B. 

Here is the first of the eleven -- it's done and trimmed, and I do not have to put the binding on. 

Community project quilt - Number One

I thought I might as well get the backing for the next one done, although I'll work on a couple of customer quilts. Actually, I'll alternate - community project, customer, etc., until I get through both piles. 

I happened to have just enough of this fabric to make a backing for the next quilt. While you can't see it in the picture, there are a few seams along the edges to make it large enough to load on the long arm. 

The backing for the next quilt

This is the last of my Canadian Idol fabric!!! 

Canadian Idol flannel

And when I was done, this is all I have left!!! A teeny scrap which is now in the scrap box for the pet mats. When I trim this quilt, there won't be much of anything left. It's a tight fit, and I'm OK with that because the quilt is on the small side (52 by 52). Having the backing this tight on a customer quilt is NOT acceptable, in case you were wondering whether you could get away with it! I tolerate it because the quilt is small, and I'll have to babysit the loose pattern. 

All that remains

I pulled the backing fabric for the next quilt, and I'll attempt to get that done in the next day or so. I need to whip through and make all the backings so I can put the baskets of flannel away. 

Then, onto fixing those pants. Hmm -- the edges of the pieces were serged, but the seam was only stitched on its own. What's crazy is that this seam was also topstitched, and both rows of stitching came out. It was fiddly to repair, but it's done, and I even re-topstitched the seam. 

Mending pants

But if you think you are buying quality when you buy something expensive, you are not! The seams were quickly and cheaply sewn. I'm sure I'll be repairing some other part of the pants at some point. Now I still have that fancy shirt to repair. I'm not looking forward to that one because - well, how does one fix the elbow in a dress shirt? I swear he has dragged himself along the ground on his elbows because both are faded and thin. I'll have to ask how old the shirt is. 

I am setting aside time every day to work through some reading material. It's a question of staying consistent with that if I want to see any change in the quantity. The only problem is that there is so much literature, podcasts, and things I want to learn/read, and I have to make choices, and I'm not good at prioritizing. But I'll get there. 

I do not know why we tend to sit back when we are having issues, whether with our health, our skills, or whatever it is. We are all good at becoming complacent and thinking, "Oh, it's not that bad - it can wait." And how often have we put ourselves on the back burner while we bust our butts to help someone else? I do not know why we do that, but it's time we stopped. We are important, and if you are a caregiver to someone else, it's even more important that you take care of yourself, or you'll be needing a caregiver as well. 

And as soon as we are pain-free, we think — OH, I'm good now. No, you are not good; you still require attention. That's kind of me, as I know that taking it easy will ease the pain, but it doesn't eliminate it! And the instability of that leg is what bothers me the most. There is NO way that I would ever consider running - I'll be flat on my face before I take a handful of steps. 

If you are waiting for a sunny day to make hay, stop—make the hay today, because you need to get it done or get the situation looked after, whatever that situation is. 

On that happy note, I'm out of here. I must prepare for my short walks, and I'll take the girls out later in the afternoon for another short walk. I did that yesterday, and it worked just fine. No waking up in the night, and that works for me. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Mending is such joy!!!

I love the stories of people's post op knee surgery! I love that people are PREPARED for the recovery and their reduced mobility. That's what I call sanity!! Good luck with the recoveries - I know there are two of you who very recently had knee replacements! Probably about a week apart! 

My two presentations for today are done! I need to stop tweaking them! My brain just goes on and on, not stopping as I dream up more examples and do more research to help the students. I can only hope that they watch the presentation, get inspired, and then get to work! Actually, in Colour My World, the number of quilts we'll have for our final reveal is going to be amazing. So many creative ideas! 

As for the jacket class? We are getting some jackets made, but many have not started! And after today, there is one more class. And so I'll never run another jacket class! I have learned so much from this class, and well, you just have to wait and see! I must admit that it's the class I spend the least time on; however, I have four jackets that are very close to completion, so I had better get organized and make that happen. Maybe there are only three, and the fourth is my prototype. OH -- but I have to put buttonholes on another jacket. I might have to change my focus a wee bit!

This basket holds the components of a jacket I've been working on since 2023, so it's not that old! But notice that the basket is much emptier than it was? I'll explain more later this week. As mentioned, I'm not taking a sewing machine with me to the quilting retreat, but I'll have some time when I get back to clean this all up. WAIT -- I have this weekend to work on stuff! 

A basket with jacket supplies is much emptier than it was!

I seem to be doing a lot of mending for DH. What the heck is happening here? And why is my machine agreeing to do this mending? Oh, wait --- we won't go there. I get to play while he works, so I guess I can mend an item or two. The string thing came out of the waistband, and after looking at it, I didn't like how the wide elastic was attached on one side but not the other. That's just the way all waistbands are done. So I straightened out the elastic and zigzagged the top edge. Now - it will never twist - the waistband will fold down, but the elastic will never twist. 

The elastic is stitched in place!

And I got to use my elastic threader to put the cord back in the waistband. I did not stitch it down because that would defeat the purpose, so I imagine I'll have to do it again. I still have a shirt and a pair of shorts to fix. Sigh.............

My elastic threader!

OH MY—I forgot to mention our walk in the morning. It was raining hard, not monsoon rain, but hard enough. I had on two jackets to keep the chill off, and the outer one was my rain jacket. OK -- I will say that the rain jacket is almost 35 years old (but I LOVE IT) and it was washed with a water repellent solution, but I think its days are coming to an end. By the time I got both dogs walked, I was soaked right through. Well, my thick fleece kept the water out, but everything else was wet! I could have wrung water out of my gloves and my pants! Perhaps it's time to get a new rain jacket. I have a brand new one that I use for hiking - it's not substantial enough for walking the dogs. Well, maybe it is - I should try it one day. 

Then I went for a massage in the afternoon. OH MY — that, on top of the upper body workout the day before, and I was a bit sore when I first got up this morning, but all is good now. Drink lots of water!!!! 

It was a pretty darn productive day, and I learned a ton, and I'll be passing that along to the students this morning. I'm super excited - more about what I learned than the fact that I'm passing it along to them! 

But here's something else I learned. OK -- so the jigsaw puzzle got finished last night. I got around to it about 7:45 and gave myself until 9 PM to finish. I was done 20 minutes before that. 

The puzzle is DONE!!!

I LOVE my puzzle assembly setup. Look at what I can do with those felt-covered design boards!!!!

My felt-covered design boards

Yep -- as the number of pieces reduced, I moved them to one board. Tactile -- I'm a tactile girl, and the methodical, repetitive process of moving pieces is good for your brain!!! BUT do you see that I can tip that board to almost a vertical angle, and the pieces don't budge. Not a single piece fell off the board. So if you have glare --- change the angle. I'll never lay pieces out on a table again! And I will never use those puzzle trays. 

But here's the other thing. The puzzle is set up at the end of the table, and I'm using a rolling chair. So if I need to see closer on either side, I simply swing my chair to that side. It's brilliant. There's none of that back/neck-breaking searching for a piece. There's never a piece that gets dropped on the floor or attached to my clothing because I keep ALL the pieces on the felt boards. Yes --- I have the legs of the table to deal with, but I don't even notice them, and if I did? The setup is worth the slight inconvenience. 

My puzzle assembly station

It was a very happy accident that I discovered this, and I'll never go back. I'm excited to put this one in the box, and I'll take it to my parents and donate it to the seniors in their building, who always have a puzzle on the go. And I can't wait to crack the next one open! It's an exciting one!!!

I have not been very responsible with paper for a very long time! That's why there's such a mess in the office, but as you know, I'm slowly working at it, and the paper is almost under control. If I were to compare photos from 8 years ago with photos from now, what would I see? You could barely get into the office because of all the boxes of stuff that had to be dealt with. Today, almost all the boxes are gone, and the last dregs of crap that came from upstairs are now here. 

As I was doing research for one of the classes, I was digging through my Threads magazines. I love these magazines and wish I would buckle down and read more of them. There is some amazing information in there. Anyway, the PREMIER ISSUE (October/November 1985) popped into my hands. And oh my—there's an envelope being used as a bookmark. The envelope was never opened! 

An unopened envelope used as a bookmark

Now, wouldn't it be nice to open that up and find money? Well, if it were a cheque, that would be bad because it would be stale dated by now, but cash would be fine. Nope -- I didn't find cash, but the letter was dated 2005!!!! It was information about the 2005 fundraiser for The Quilt, including a list of the committee members. The Quilt was a fundraising effort (breast cancer) started by Carol Miller way, way back!!! It is since defunk, but I did a lot of volunteer work for them. I do NOT need to keep the letter, and so it's gone. 

A bit dated! 

That was the year they requested celebrity signatures, and some of us made quilts. I think I made three quilts that year with celebrity signatures! I believe I showed them on the blog once. AHA --- I made two quilts, and you can see them at this link. WAIT -- I made a third one as well. Here's the link to the third one. 

I also found some handwritten notes about a project on the back—maybe it was for one of the celebrity quilts!!! It's also gone. 

Well, on that happy note, I'm out of here! Don't forget we have a Virtual Retreat tonight, and I found another container of scraps to cut. I was going to add it to the pile I'm putting in the car, but decided that would be a great job to do on the call. By the way, someone wanted to know what sizes I cut scraps. I don't randomly cut scraps. I only cut when I have a project in mind, and the two I am cutting my batik scraps for are a doozy—you'll have to wait until after the retreat. What I cut tonight, I'll share tomorrow. I might even just take a break and start cutting this afternoon, although I do have some tidying up to do in Studio B. 

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!! 

Virtual Retreat - Saturday, March 21 - Starts at 6 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89610782501?pwd=7dCrhiL5t8Xa4TVwZPvhL6cOymbcjK.1

Meeting ID: 896 1078 2501
Passcode: 148311

Virtual Retreat - Sunday - March 22 - Starts at 3 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89869001291?pwd=h57kT9axwTnd2xtJvuO0z2UOmUo45w.1

Meeting ID: 898 6900 1291
Passcode: 136711

You need space to bind a quilt

I thought about the stride thing yesterday with my KMs, and it's NOT the stride. I did measure that way back when I got a FitBit. I tried to verify it last night, but do you think I could find that in the app? Nope! 

The big issue is the translation from my FitBit records to the data on the Virtual Challenge site. It's sporadic, and I have no idea what's happening, but have a look and see what I mean. 

The data from the Virtual Challenge website for the last two days

For comparison, my FitBit for yesterday says 12.23 KM (instead of 11.68 - so close), but what's with the number of steps? I had 17,702 steps, not 4,986. 

And for the day before, I had 11.9 KM (not 9.99), and the steps were 15,472, not 12,116.

So why is that all cockeyed? THAT IS NOT CONSISTENT!!

Look at the difference in the steps versus the KM for those two days. Does that make sense to you? It doesn't to me. I will be short if this continues, and who knows how long it's been going on. I've not been this close to the end and being slightly behind, so I never paid attention to it before. I will calculate the KMs that Virtual Challenge calculated and then count what my FitBit collected. Then, I'll add the difference to the Virtual Challenge, and hopefully, that will bring me closer to my goal. OR I can enter the data manually, which I might do for the rest of the year; both will take a bit more time, but I'm OK with that. 

Why am I fussing? I'm sure a few of you are saying, "Get over it and move on." And yes, I could, but it's the principle of the thing. If my FitBit says 10 KM, but I'm only getting credit for 9, I want that extra K. I set my goal based on the FitBit numbers, and I'm being cheated!!!

I'll check with others to see if they have the same issue. 

I promised my binding class that I would make a video to show them how I do some of the techniques in detail. That got done this morning—FINALLY. Now, I need to edit it and remove some spots where things went awry. I've not done much video editing, so that will be my learning curve today. 

The quilt I chose was tough to do for the video as it was a flannel quilt, front and back, with a flannel binding. But why not show them the most difficult one rather than the easy one? The thing is—the technique is the SAME! 

The binding on the quilt

But here's ONE TIP that I'll share with everyone. If you are putting a binding on a quilt, and I don't care if you are planning to hand stitch it or to sew the entire thing by machine, do yourself a favor and USE AN EXTENSION table and have loads of room to support the quilt to the left of your machine. I can't imagine attempting it without somewhere for that quilt to rest while manhandling it through the machine. 

You need SPACE to bind a quilt

I do not sew on a fancy table. This is a $50 wooden banquet table that I've used for over twenty years. It is the BEST investment for my sewing room. It's hard to find wooden tables these days, but there are options. Even for sewing, a larger workspace is IMPORTANT—I would almost say critical to the success of your sewing. 

The quilt got quilted, but I had run out of steam by then, so it will get bound and in the mail today. There's a potential mail strike, so it might have to go by UPS. I can't share the front, but the quilting pattern is so perfect for it!!!!

The quilting on my secret quilt

So DH and I are getting back into the EXIT Game with one of the small games—only ten puzzles. We need to be warmed up for December 1 when we crack open the Advent Calendar. We've done pretty well on this game, looking at the clue only once and only the first of the three parts of that clue. We knew what we should have done; we just didn't do it. DRAT!!!

Well, last night, we got lucky! But I'm sure we would have figured it out the correct way. This scenario required us to find three numbers from these materials. 

How do I find three numbers in this?

It takes a moment for your brain to trigger what you need to do. We did it, and I looked up the answer, and the code was correct. But it bugged DH because he thought our logic was too random, and we've learned that NOTHING is random in these EXIT Games. I looked at the clue to see if our logic was correct. Oops --- we screwed up in two of the three numbers, but both of them gave the same number, so we were good! He wasn't impressed because I came up with obscure words, which still worked. Well, it's tough to explain, but the logic was there, and we had the correct reasoning, but not quite the same way! 

This goes to show that there is more than one way to do anything! The bottom line is that we solved the puzzle without looking at the clues! 

I got my Trendtex challenge the other day! I've known what I will do with it for a while. So yesterday, I designed the quilt and got the measurements, and all I need to do is start sewing! I cannot leave this until the last minute! There is a solid beige at the bottom of the pile. I would NOT have chosen those colors, but this is what they came up with this year. If you're not aware, the Trendtex Challenge is part of the CQA (Canadian Quilter's Association) annual show. 

The Trendtex Challenge

As I was looking through the basket of flannel that is the backing for the next group of community project quilts, look what I found. A ticket from when Wal-Mart sold fabric. The date is 2008!!! I bought four meters of flannel for a total of $17.08. 

A fabric ticket from years ago!

With all the talk about irons lately, I decided to clean up my irons. I have four that are in good working condition, two of which are brand new. I'm saving them until I need them. 

My irons and supplies

It was time to clean this iron, which I was going to use. It's a great iron, but the darn thing has these bursts of steam that drive me crazy. So I poured a whole lot of vinegar into it, as it desperately needed to be cleaned. 

It's a steam generator. I sat it on the kitchen sink, and it continuously generated steam for 20 minutes! All by itself. 

Generating steam!

There was a lot of junk in it. 

ICKY!!!!

Then I cleaned it off, and it seems to be working OK. 

Nice and shiny

I can't find the manual, so I'm going to try to find it online. But one very important thing about this iron—DO NOT use it until it has heated up! Oh yes, if not, it just gushes steam when it's not supposed to. Follow the guidelines for proper iron usage! 

Most of us say that our sewing machines do not mend clothes, but I fixed a small hole in the back of a pair of pants. The seam had originally been serged with a 5-thread safety, so there were two lines of stitching, but now it's fixed. 

Mending pants

I felt good that I'm not part of this fast-fashion craze. I will fix my clothes rather than throw them out. I wore my socks and gloves that I repaired the other day, and you would NEVER know they had been mended. They are comfortable to wear, meaning you can't feel the mended spots. I felt good that I was repairing it instead of throwing it out. 

With all the wind we had in the last couple of days, not many leaves are left on the trees, although it's still pretty to walk through the forest and see the leaves falling all around. However, this tree did NOT get the memo that it's fall! I don't think any of the leaves have dropped. 

This tree doesn't know it's fall

Well, there are loads on the agenda again today. I do what I can in a day, and if it doesn't get done, it doesn't get done. I'm just keeping up with the priorities and working from there. There is no rush, and there are no deadlines, although I have to think about what's on the agenda for next week. It is nice not to have a single commitment this weekend! 

On that happy note, I'm off to edit and figure out why the KMs do not translate well. 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

A stitch in time saves nine!

Well, it appears that another friend has those open earbuds. I need to encourage my friends to tell me about NEW things when they get them! I'm behind the times. I wore them for the four hours of Monday sewing, and I thought I might be bothered a bit by the band at the back, but all was good. They were very comfortable - they could hear me well, I could listen to them, and I could move around the house without losing the connection. YEP -- I'm glad I bought them. 

DH will be testing mine out today. He needs something new because he's also having issues with his earbuds. 

Yesterday was all about clearing off that table behind my sewing machine. So, in my silly style, I piled everything on it: stuff draped on the digital cutters, languishing on the floor, and a few things from the cutting table. Studio B looked messy, and I wasn't coping well with it. 

The mess is in one spot

Oh, there's our presentation on my new monitor. I still have to figure this out, and I might need technical assistance to use the monitor for the presentation, as what the group saw was my laptop in presentation mode, NOT the screen. So, I must figure out how that works. I need to share screen 2, not screen 1. 

The screen works well!

One of our wooden vent covers had been damaged, so I put it back together using wood glue. 

Fixing the wood vent

Then I had two socks and a pair of gloves that needed mending. The gloves were inexpensive and could have been tossed, but why? A few stitches, and they were as good as new. 

Repairing my gloves

The socks were too good to throw out, so they all got mended, and it wasn't such a big job. We are so quick to throw things out with holes, but fixing them only takes a few minutes. So the next time you're tempted to watch a reel, think about mending something while you do it. At least something useful would happen with your time. So many of the reels have no beginning, end, or story, and I would hazard a guess that MANY of those reels are now generated by AI, so what you're watching is NOT real!!! I am back to refusing to watch them. I just tell myself -- keep that 30 seconds for something more meaningful. 

My mending is done

I had two different bits of batting that needed to be sorted and put in the appropriate spot. I accomplished that. 

Sorting the batting

The loose ends of these yarn strands needed to be pulled to the back of the work. DONE! 

The yarn bits got pulled to the back

This container had a label stuck on it. I got out the Goo-Gone, and the label is now history. Does anyone want this container? It would be an excellent box to sort your sewing machine needle types. Otherwise, it's going in the giveaway box. 

The label is removed from the box

The stuff that needed to go upstairs was then put on the stairs. Don't worry—it's all gone and in its appropriate home. 

Stuff to carry upstairs

And the table looked pretty decent. Then I decided that since I had done such a good job, I piled all that stuff on it. That now leaves me TWO tables piled with crap and the rolling cart. I aim to try to clear the two tables by the year's end. I need to focus like I did yesterday. 

The table BEFORE I piled all the crap on it

I have two little repair jobs that require glue. My glue is dried up, or I would have done that yesterday. So the glue is history, and I went to get more glue. 

In the past, I've only seen glue in one tube. 

One tube of glue

But now you can get several tiny tubes. That's the one I bought. I'll fix my two things, and then the one tube will be empty, and I'll have glue for the next job. 

Tiny tubes of glue

We were talking about irons the other day, and YES, I know you can get rid of all water issues by using a dry iron. I tried it for over one month and hated it every time I ironed. I even had a spritzer bottle and used that. Nope—I need steam. 

So, I checked out the irons while I was at the mall. I spotted a cheap iron at $35. 

The cheap iron at $35

But the majority of them are now in the $75 range (that's in CDN) dollars. 

Lots of varieties of irons

I have two brand-new irons, so I don't need to buy one. The one I'm working with right now is fine, but it does need to be cleaned inside, and hopefully, I'll remember that this afternoon. 

I think I mentioned that one of my embroidery machines died last week, and I took it to a technician. Well, I now need to move that machine to a different technician. I thought about that before taking it to the first spot. While they diagnosed the problem, they will not fix this machine. It's a long story, and I won't get into details. OK -- it's not a big deal, but it's all about the ownership of the machine. And it needs to go to a specific technician because of that. I should have anticipated that when I dropped it off, but I did not. So that errand will take several hours this morning. Sigh... But I can blame no one but myself. 

I also emptied the last tub of stuff that had been donated to me. Now, that tub is filled with quilt tops, and the last cardboard box is gone. It looks so much neater, and it's nice to know that this space is no longer being filled with tops. I hope to be emptying it of tops, but I have already pulled enough for this year, so we won't see much difference until next year. 

The last cardboard box is gone

Here's something very important when you are considering decluttering. I give myself 15 years before I think we may need (want) to move from our house. I told that to someone the other day, and they said to use a false deadline—12 years! Anyway, it's easy to let things slide. But as I mentioned at one point, there were 300 community project quilt tops to be quilted. I'm unsure of the number now, but hopefully, it's less than 300. 

So if I quilted one a week, which is doable but aggressive, it would take almost SIX years to complete them all. So I need to attack that pile NOW, which is what I'm doing. 

Until you put all the like things together, count them, and then figure out how to process the quantity, you have NO CLUE. Someone can use those quilts as soon as I finish them rather than donating tubs of quilt tops for someone else to quilt.  

If you do not declutter, there's a good chance you are not even aware of what you own and how much. Many people are unaware of their surroundings or how they affect them! Once you are aware (and I mean really aware), you can make a decision. If you can't see the problem, you don't even know it exists!! I hope that makes sense. But we become complacent about stuff and no longer see it unless we look and become aware. 

And until you start to process your possessions, you have zero concept of the time and labor involved! NONE!!! You think it's easy for your kids to deal with. It is NOT. Never mind the increased mental and physical health benefits of decluttering. It's HUGE!!! 

My laptop was ready for pickup, so I was going to sneak out of the house. Murphy was right by the door, and I thought I could take her for a bit of spin in the car, but the split-second Lexi heard the leash, she was at the door! They got a cookie and stayed home! 

Girls -- not taking you both in the car

I don't know what Murphy's problem was last night. I was in bed reading and had the door partially shut so the light wouldn't disturb anyone. She was a bit panicky about something and tried to jump onto the dresser. What was that all about? 

Well, I have that logistical errand to accomplish this morning, more paperwork (the last two class follow-ups), DH has to go to physio, and then whatever time is left is mine to whittle away at that mess. That one table needs to be clear!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!