That's "interesting!"

Hmm -- some interesting comments on the blog. Some of us joke that when someone says "interesting," it can have a negative connotation, as in - you see someone wearing something you don't like or think is inappropriate. You politely say, "Oh, that's an interesting outfit!"

But that is not the case for the comments. Someone mentioned going to a one-car family that I would be giving up my independence. Hmm --- that is NOT the case at our house. 

Both of us work from home and have for years. I walk to EVERYTHING in my neighborhood - the doctor, the dentist, the hospital (if I needed to go there), the grocery store, the dry cleaner, the library, the mall, and so many other places. It's how I get my second walk in the day, the first being with the girls and the boy. And YES -- I carry everything home in my current tote bag. When it wears, I'll find another in the basement storage area for tote bags. 

So, I would maintain my independence to get to where I want. If DH needs the car one day or vice versa, getting the occasional UBER is much cheaper than owning a second car. Case in point -- I can get to the airport with a $40 Uber charge. 

It's not so much the insurance -- I don't think we barely pay any on DH's car since it's an antique, but we do have 3rd party liability. Nope -- it's just we do NOT need two cars. Trust me, we talked about it, and the car will likely be registered in my name since I did all the work. DH never even came to the dealer with me to look at it, test drive it, or buy it! But it might be easier to have both names on it for identification purposes, or should one of us die during the ownership of it. 

The other thing is maintenance. I had to get the brakes redone on a pretty brand-new car because they had rusted out with NO USAGE during the pandemic. Remember that we live smack in the center of a vast city, although our house is on a beautiful street. We get total peace and quiet but are strategically placed to have foot access to everything I need. So maintaining two cars that are hardly used is not a good economic situation. My car has less than 44,000 KM on it, and it's five years old. And part of that driving was pre-COVID when I wasn't so fanatical about walking. 

I also have four bicycles in the garage if I need to go further afield, and the car is not home that day. 

Anyway --- all that to say that we've thought long and hard about this, and we both feel it's the right thing to do. DH and I get along pretty well and need to coordinate our air travel schedules for when we are away from home, so if we can do that, we can arrange a schedule for a car. Thanks for the reminder; as women, we do not want to give up our independence; mine is just not based on owning a car!

Yesterday was positively dull compared to the previous day. I got the EPIC 3 set up but decided to watch a movie with the whole gang on the sofa. Our last evening all together, well M will be here tonight. 

She is currently visiting a friend for the weekend, and it was hilarious because guess who I ran into on my walk? M and her friend!! I decided to go to Homesense, which I have not done in YEARS, and I ran into the two of them! Too funny!

I got my two Zooms done, and both were action-packed and full of questions. I felt totally wiped after that and didn't get much else done in the day!

I will pay a price for that later today when, after my two Zooms this morning, I'll run around like an idiot to get everything done!

While sorting the fusible fleece the other day, I came across this. Some Shape-Flex mixed in with the fusible fleece scraps. So, that is now in the right spot. One of the biggest issues I find in the sewing world is the need for more knowledge between interfacings, fusible web, and stabilizers. It's HUGE. 

Shape Flex is in the wrong place! 

And there's the bag of thicker fusible fleece pieces. 

Thicker fusible fleece scraps

Even though Studio B is in bad shape and getting worse every day, things have a home, making clearing up so much easier and faster. All that time of sorting and decluttering has paid off. Now, I need some time to make that happen. December and January should be relatively quiet (says I, weeks before), and we all know that chaos is par for the course at our house. 

I still have some follow-up e-mails to send. You do not want to see the office floor as it's strewn with paperwork I must do! The timing of everything in November is off --- I have travel, samples to make, the new machine to learn, a new car to deal with! And a 7-day quilting retreat because November is supposed to be a "quiet" month. Why I thought that, when it's the month after the convention, I'll never know. Let's say that the final quilt retreat for next year is already booked for December!

That Little Bear is sneaky! It was drizzly yesterday morning, so he has his raincoat on. We got to the forest, and he went partway in, then looked at me and said, "Let's go home. I hate the rain, and I want to be warm and snuggly." This is from a dog that lives in Vancouver! So we came home. 

In the forest, in the drizzle

And then there's the princess. What's with the leaf, Lexi? That's a very interesting look! 

Mom -- I'm busy!!!

Then there are the guard dogs on duty! 

MOM -- Little Bear and I are doing a good job!!! 

He loves to sit in that dog bed, but he's noisy! I had to move my Zoom call upstairs as we had a bad connection in the morning. So, I used my phone as a hotspot and came to the kitchen to do the presentation. Little Bear decided we needed to know people were walking on the street, and he was quite disruptive with all his barking!

The time change is such a non-event in our house. Everything except the microwave and store gets changed automatically, so I wouldn't even notice! Except that at 7 AM, it's much lighter than it was yesterday at the same time. 

Well, I'm off; there is much to do and little time to complete it. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

How to write a novel

I often wonder what it would be like to write a novel, as I can quickly crank out words - I do it daily for the blog, but each entry is completely unrelated. There's no character development to manage (well, maybe Murphy and Lexi), but there's no plot line to abide by and no details to pay attention to. 

I'm also good at writing blog posts for QUILTsocial, but they probably don't make sense to anyone. At least the first draft! I cranked out 1,600 words this morning, but it needs significant editing before I can hit send! That could be how the novelists do it -- they write out a lot of gibberish and hope that something transpires from it all, and after so many days - they have a book! 

The bottom line is that I'm progressing on those commitments and deadlines. I will have to find a way to get them done. They cannot slip, so I'll have to find the time to complete them. I have a relatively easy day today -- only one Zoom call this evening, and I believe the presentation is ready. I'll check it this morning to make sure. But that leaves the entire day to write and sew. 

And here's one thing to note as it came up in my memories last night on Facebook. I've been wondering about my current desktop computer. It's getting old, but how old? Apparently, it's NINE years old -- it's practically an antique in the world of computers. But I love it. I was thinking of taking it in for a tune-up and to check the memory. But I don't have time for that right now, so maybe in a couple of weeks. I know -- it's best to do it while I'm away, but who has time to do that when prepping is of the utmost urgency. 

My computer was bought nine years ago

There is no "computer" - just a screen, and I LOVE it. I still think I need two monitors, but this desk has no room. One day, the office will be clean enough to rearrange the furniture, but that's NOT a priority right now. 

I was off to speak at a guild last night. And I should have mentioned the name of the guild. DRAT --- Anyway -- it was the Niagara Heritage Quilt Guild. Oh my goodness, they were a very helpful group, and they had my suitcases in and out of the car before I could even say boo! Thanks so much to Pat and all the helpers!!!

But first, I had to pack. A certain someone was NOT happy to see those suitcases out. She plunked herself right in the middle of the packing, and I swear she would jump in if she could fit! She was very happy when I returned last night. 

MOM -- are you leaving again? Don't go!

But there I am with two giant suitcases and a bag of quilts. It was so much fun to get out and speak in front of a guild, and they had to cancel their last two meetings because of the weather, so we were all happy to be out. 

Thanks again to the Niagara Heritage Quilt Guild for hosting me! I had a blast. 

Packed for a guild presentation

As I was waiting for the meeting to begin, I always take a peek around the room. Oh my -- a FREE table and I spotted this giant bag of half-square triangles. I took a picture and chuckled, but I wasn't tempted -- not one bit. I noticed someone picked up the bag! 

Free half-square triangles

I spotted a bunch of AQ magazines from the last couple of years, so I grabbed a couple and browsed while waiting for the meeting to start. Oops - one of them got slipped into my bag! 

Free magazines!

But this brought back memories. Does anyone remember the liquid embroidery paints? Yep -- Tri-Chem and Artex! Holy!!! Who knew this stuff was still around. 

Instructions for using liquid embroidery

Anyway, FIVE large tablecloths were waiting for someone to pick them up. They were still waiting on the table when I left. This is a reminder that if you have stuff like this around --- you had better think of getting rid of it or using it! Are those paints still around? 

Liquid embroidery tablecloth

Those paints were a total pain because the tubes would dry up around the tips and were horrible to unclog. 

I'm trying very hard to clear my space and hope to find some fabric to walk to Diane's house, as I know she has run out. I hate to do anything quickly, but I might need a mental break later today. Too bad I couldn't go to the Etobicoke Quilt Show today! 

Anyway --- remember the Etobicoke Quilt Show is happening this weekend. March 24 and 25. It's always a great show, and there is loads of stuff there. Good thing I can't go -- they have thousands of used books (OK -- so about ONE thousand), and I'd be in there like a dirty shirt, and I do NOT need more books. But some older books that most people do not want are the BEST. 

There are NO new techniques -- just old ones revised, and sometimes the older books are better as the technique is better explained -- not some crazy way of doing the old stuff, just to make it new. 

And it's Virtual Retreat this weekend. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to participate as I have so much work to do, and some of it involves being in front of a computer. I'm good, but I can't do Zoom and make presentations simultaneously! But I'll be there as much as possible. 

Here are the links

Saturday, March 25  -- Starts at 6 PM EST

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89254233911?pwd=VGQrTnFybW1HMWpleHA4M2Q2NGVwZz09 Meeting ID: 892 5423 3911 Passcode: 982797

Sunday, March 26 -- Starts at NOON EST

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86119598156?pwd=ZDFxcElxS0NmeTRjczdSR2FXd3N2Zz09

Meeting ID: 861 1959 8156
Passcode: 053861

I had a great drive to and from the event last night. Oh boy --- I can see that I don't get out much in the car! I see changes in my neighborhood, outside my walking range! But I don't care! And when I got home, it was warm and dry -- almost like a summer night! Yeah!!! Could the worst be over? Where's that egg chair? 

I'm off to walk the dogs and then hit the computer to start a major rewrite of that blog post!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

And then there are the birds!

I have to laugh as I looked at the title of yesterday's post -- The eleventh quilt is done! The deadline for this particular push on the Quilts of Valour quilts is November 11. Yet the date yesterday was October 1? How is it that I finished something more than a month in advance? You know --- finishing the last quilt at the 11th hour? I think the old Elaine is still walking the Camino! However, I want to do a second grouping of 11 quilts, and that one may be down to the wire!

Anyway -- something has changed in me. This past month, I could focus on only what I wanted to do -- I didn't have to multitask, although I did throw other stuff into my quilting routine. But next weekend, the treadmill starts, and I hope that I can keep ahead of it. I should be able to as I still have lots of down times and not too much new stuff that needs to be made. OK -- -who am I kidding -- it might not be new, but it needs to be finished!

I've got so much to share today -- I may not have time for it all. Let's get a move on!!!

First, thanks to friends (Gwen), here's a picture of the orange quilt from the Brant Heritage Quilt Show. The maker started with the center block way back in 1976. 

The orange quilt

I don't know why I like it -- OK -- so the maker was bold enough to make an orange quilt - back in 1976! Orange is still not a popular color, and to make an entire quilt in that color -- I just love it!! Here's what the back of the quilt looks like.  

The back of the orange quilt

Hey -- if you don't have enough of one color, use another! I think this might have to be my next colorway for a quilt. I don't really have an orange and neutral quilt, and I've got loads of fabric in that color! I guess I didn't win anything as I never got a call. The money went to a good cause, and I didn't need any of the stuff anyway! 

Let's get the quilting stuff out of the way first, and then I have a couple of funny stories to share. 

I was back at the long-arm yesterday, but it's time to move to customer quilts. This was a larger quilt, but it is quilted and trimmed, and I need to contact the customer for pick-up. It's an unusual colorway -- grey and orange, with a neutral!

Customer quilt - DONE

I don't have a huge pile of customer quilts, but I want to get moving on them. So it was onto the next one, which was small. 

Customer quilt - DONE

And she made a pieced backing for it, which is super cute!

The backing for the whale quilt

That one is also quilted, trimmed, and ready to be picked up!

Not to be a slacker, but the next quilt is already loaded and ready to go later this morning. Today is technically the LAST day of my downtime, so I'm going to focus on getting ONE quilt done a day this week, which will put me in good shape with customer quilts. 

I'm booked for October, but if you want a quilt quilted for Christmas, now is the time to get your name on the list, or the time will be slated for something else! More community project quilts, or maybe even one or two of mine!

Since I didn't have to rush around and make the backing for the next quilt, I got to the sewing machine to work on the bindings of those Quilts of Valour quilts. 

Binding number one!

Not only did I manage to get one done, but I got three done. 

Binding number two!

Binding number three!

That leaves ONE quilt left of the eleven that needs to have the binding put on. And the sewing machine is all set up to make that happen this morning. I know -- that work table is still covered with stuff. There is some serging to do (for pet mats), and I found two small projects of my own that need binding, so they got moved from the current project table to the work table. Since I'm in the mood for binding, I might as well forage ahead. And there is the first group of the small quilts that must have the binding finished! I'm on a roll and almost hate to stop the momentum, so I could work on samples! 

Getting ready to attach a binding

While sewing the binding to the quilt (not the top stitching), I'm using up those partially empty bobbins. I'm going through them like mad but I still have a few to go. 

Using up partially filled bobbins

And so it was with a bit of dismay this morning when I realized that my Halloween quilt -- the embroidered one is beneath this pile of quilts. It was placed there so I could make a hanging sleeve for it. If I were good, I could grab the end of it and WHIP it out while not moving anything on top? Could it be done? And then I remembered that I have a hanger in the family room with CLIPS, so technically, I don't have to put a hanging sleeve on it. I'll dig it out and hang it up later today. 

My Halloween quilt is under all those other quilts

So things are under control in Studio B -- more or less. But later today, I MUST look at the calendar for next weekend, see what needs to be prepped this week, and get to work. 

It was such a nice day, and I needed to get out for my walk. I also needed a couple of geocaches to get the required points for this month, as tomorrow is the deadline! OK --- so if you ever spot anyone along the side of the street, the road, or anywhere for that matter, and they are doing something ridiculous, they are likely geocaching. I swear people must have thought this grown woman crawling under some junipers in a public place was a bit of a looney toon. 

There is a geocache in this photo, but where? 

A cleverly disguised geocache in this photo

I almost gave up on this one, but I persisted and found it. So I sat on that curb and logged the cache, trying to look calm and collected! I still had to find one more, so off I went, only to discover that I now had bits of juniper in my underwear, which was a tad uncomfortable. So I don't know which was worse, me trying to get the bits of juniper out or crawling under them, which got the bits there in the first place! 

Needless to say, I had a good laugh over it, and that probably makes people think I'm very strange when you're walking by yourself and having a good chuckle!

The second cache, which happened to have bonus points was also in a very public place, but standing nonchalantly along a very busy street and waiting for the lights to hold up traffic, I managed to get the second one. And VOILA -- I got my 500 points for this month. 

I made my 500 points! 

The counter resets on Monday, so I get to do it all over again! There are quite a few in my neighborhood that I haven't found, so I could attempt to do one a day on my walk. Speaking of which, I did end up at the mall and have now realized that the new theatre is some new concept of theater. Cineplex Junxion. The theater itself isn't that huge -- only 6 screens, but apparently lots of other exciting things to entertain us, including an outdoor (on the roof) place to watch movies. I guess that will be next summer. 

The new cinema

This is the little shopping bag that I take to the grocery store or anywhere I need to shop. I used to use my backpack for the grocery store, but I can usually fit everything in this small tote bag. The bag came from Stonehenge in England and, of course, is NOT that great of quality. I see that it is wearing thin in some spots. NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My handy tote is wearing thin

It's funny that it's wearing along that bottom edge because it hardly ever sits on the floor. I guess the fibers are just breaking down. I may have to cut the sides off with the Stonehenge logo and applique them onto something else. The handles are fine, and they are made out of that same fabric. 

A hole in the bottom of the bag

I may have to take the car to the grocery store today. I see Loblaw's has watermelon on sale for $3. But I learned my lesson the hard way -- even the small ones are HEAVY and not to be carried home on foot. 

You know you have a problem when you're obsessed with the Swifter. I can't help it; I'm constantly sweeping the floor in Studio B. It's not that Lexi ever goes there, and Murphy is rarely there, but you would be shocked at how quickly the dust and lint accumulate. I can't imagine having carpet in a sewing space. Anyway, I was running into all the nooks and crannies and trying to keep the floor clean, so when I cut batting or whatever, it doesn't get covered in lint and dust! Look at all the lint from that black flannel, and this is after sweeping about four times! 

The Swifter gets well used

OH --- I rarely pass the broom on the main floor. Why? It's only in the important places that I dust and sweep!

So our girls are pretty funny. While Lexi likes to sleep on the sofa with her Dad, Murphy likes to be close to me when it suits her. And even though there is a HUGE floor space for her to sleep on, she has to be as close to me as possible. I was afraid of backing up and running her over! 

MOM -- I need to be close to you!

And this is the two of them yesterday morning. We have a small swimming pool for the dogs, which hasn't got put away yet. The two of them were running around, and Lexi must have thought the empty pool was the time-out zone? The "don't touch me" zone? 

I'm safe -- no one can touch me!

It didn't matter; Murphy attacked her anyway. Seriously, Murphy has issues! But it was so cute!!!!

Hey Lexi -- there is NO safe zone in the backyard!

And then what's with the neck gnawing thing? Murphy LOVES to chew on Lexi's neck. 

Hey Lexi -- let me gnaw on your neck!

They do this while I'm putting my shoes on in the morning to take them for their walk. 

Neck gnawing -- yum!

So what does this picture tell you? Murphy was complaining that Lexi didn't want to play fair! 

Mom -- Lexi won't play with me! 

But Murphy is JEALOUS. I put this mat on the floor so Lexi would feel welcome in the office. And up until yesterday, she was the only one to lay on it. But when Lexi wanted to come in yesterday, someone had already plopped themselves down! 

Mom --- Lexi can sleep somewhere else -- I got here FIRST

On my walk, I spotted this. The ground is covered with acorns. It was interesting to see that some trees along that street were very prolific in nut production and others not so much. I think there's a thing with male and female trees? 

Tons of fallen acorns

But the Canada geese seemed to be having fun with the nuts. Do they even eat the nuts? It seemed like they were. 

Canada geese eating the nuts

Wait --- what is this I spot? A heron, you say? Yep --- that pesky heron is back, although I don't think he ever really went away. They know we have fish in our pond, and this is the perfect vantage point to peer down and see what's on the menu. 

One of the neighborhood herons

DH captured the heron sitting on the neighbor's roof from our bathroom window. I know there are in the area as I see them flying around from time to time, but this is the first time in a long time that we've seen it perched -- watching! 

We have had them fly into our backyard and help themselves to fish, although that was years ago. The trees have grown in quite a bit since then, and their wingspan is pretty large, so I don't know that they would feel comfortable coming in, but for food? You never know. 

And where were our "guard" dogs? They may have been in the house waiting to go for their walk!

Well, that wraps up another great day!!!! And I've got a lot more work to get done today --- I'm amazed at how motivated I am these days, so let's hope that continues. I'm very goal-oriented, and that keeps me going. Getting rid of all that fabric or finishing those projects is a HUGE motivator at the moment, and that makes me happy!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!!