A pop of orange

I think travel and age are creeping up on me. I would like to be totally in denial, but I guess I can't deny any longer. I was so tired yesterday, and I think I had two naps. That's OK. The travel of the last three weeks, the carrying of heavy luggage, setting up machines, traveling in different time zones -- it's getting harder and harder! 

While I did tidy everything off the floor in Studio B, I did NOT get everything done. I simply moved some of it onto a table so it was easier to access. However, I did manage to get a lot done. 

I am about half-prepped for the second presentation, have dealt with some urgent emails, and quickly got answers in two instances, so that is all taken care of. Then I have most of the second presentation done as well. So it wasn't a total loss of a day. 

However, I found an ebook somewhere along the line last week, and, well, I started reading it on the plane, and I NEED to finish it. That consumed a bit of my day yesterday while I was lying in bed, relaxing! I have 80 pages left, and I guess it will have to wait until the dogs have their walk! Too bad it wasn't an audiobook -- I would have stayed up and listened while working! 

I also got distracted last night and was looking at house listings. Some of these pictures came from houses in another province, but what's the deal with the pop of orange? 

I suspect the orange in the first one is actually wood, but that can't be—it looks orange, not wood tones. At least the walls are beige! Most pictures of house interiors, including the furniture, are black, white, and grey. 

An orange dining room set

This is definitely a pop of orange in an otherwise neutral environment. 

An orange sofa

And the same with this one. 

An orange chair

And here we have a pop of orange and deep blue. 

Two orange accent chairs

I sometimes look at houses in my neighborhood or random houses that pop up for sale. Not that we are selling, but just for the fun of it. 

The houses are all so sterile. Can you imagine feeling comfortable in that room above? Nothing on the walls, just places to sit. It looks so uninviting. 

I know the houses are staged for the photos, but seriously—these people need to stage differently. Stage it so it looks inviting to live in, not just to eliminate all the clutter. I get it—get rid of the clutter, but then make it look pretty. I will struggle with the real estate agent when it comes time to sell our house. 

Speaking of houses for sale, there are now THREE houses for sale on our street. How did that happen? I suspect they will be on the market for quite some time, as the market is slow and two houses are overpriced. And there are two other houses that I suspect will go up for sale in the near future. Or maybe not. The people living on the street are aging out, and who needs to live by themselves in a huge house? 

I remember when we sold our last house. The price the neighbors got was incredible for that time. I suggested we put our house on the market as well. I don't think I'll do that here. I like it too much. 

Here are a couple of reasons why my suitcase weighed more than 50 lbs. This is the puzzle that I purchased at McNally Robinson. Lots of puzzles have been designed with a puzzle in the picture. Apparently, this one has clues to all of the books in the Miss Marple series! I may just have to reread Miss Marple, as it has been years. 

Miss Marple puzzle

A hardcover book that weighs a lot, and I also found this at McNally Robinson. 

A new addition to the bookcase

There are a few other things that I bought, but I'll share with you in a bit. This canvas fabric was bought at Quilt Canada from Emmaline Bags. So many cool things to make with stuff like this! 

Canvas for a tote bag

At one point during the day, I spied Miss Lexi lying outside DH's office. She is his protector, to be sure, and she is on guard for a good part of the day. I almost feel like I should put a mat in front of the door, but then DH will trip over it. She doesn't want to sleep in the office, as she is NOT good in a room, but prefers wide-open spaces. 

MOM - I am on duty - no pictures please!

We had a tremendous thunder and lightning show last night. Murphy was pretty upset and hung around upstairs all night, which is something she hasn't done in a very long time. 

I spotted this online a while back and keep forgetting to post it. 

It's a tip that you can add to your big bottle of glue to get a fine tip. 

A fine tip for a big glue bottle

This is way smarter than the one that came out originally on glue bottles for quilters. That tip was super long - someone said it was a medical needle? I don't know, but I guess that's what we had available to us at the time. The glue just clogs in those long skinny tips -- this shorter one makes a whole lot more sense.

Which reminds me that when I was at Quilt Canada, I had to be in the classroom to help the students with their machines. It's surprising how some teachers work. One of the teachers had a cap that you could put on a tube of glue to make the wider glue top smaller, making it more useful for quilters. 

They are glue precision tips. Someone asked the instructor where she bought the tip. She refused to tell them, so, of course, within seconds, someone googled it. You can buy them at multiple places, and you can also find a file to have them printed on a 3-D printer. I believe this is the one the instructor was using. 

I think she wanted to be a "hero" and email them the information, but as mentioned, it is easy to find this stuff online. If you have the right information or even half the information, or even a photo, Google will find it for you! 

I probably mentioned this before, but I certainly wasn't impressed with some of the teachers at Quilt Canada. 

Anyway -- it's time to get the day started. And I have a lot to do since I didn't get quite as much done yesterday as I would have liked. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

On excelling at EXCEL!

I often wonder how many people no longer have a computer and simply use their tablet or iPad to connect with the world. Well, tablets seem to be merely a connection to the world, although they are changing and now have programs (excuse me - apps) that actually allow you to do things. Impressive things like a lite version of Photoshop and the Creativate embroidery software, to name two. 

But I am surrounded (almost) by people who use EXCEL to run their lives. Yep -- a bunch of EXCEL geeks!!! Who knew? Books read, budgets, and MANY other things. I'm kind of out of the loop since I only use EXCEL to prepare my expense reports, and now I have that list of QUILTsocial articles. I am way behind the times. And here's something else - did you know there are ESPORTS? Yep --- there was a tournament in Vegas (of course) for EXCEL!!!! I am not making this up!!! Here's an article about it. You won't get rich winning one of these tournaments, but you get some money and a BELT!!! Oh my --- I must up my game for sure! 

Plus, I learned about an app that I can use to track my books instead of the two I currently use. Hmmm -- that might allow me to get my books off that online one. They do NOT need to know which books I read. I'll see how that works, but guess what? It likely means I have to convert the data to an Excel spreadsheet and download it into the app. 

I guess I'll be adding learning EXCEL to my list of things to learn! The learning never ends. 

I learn so much from others when I'm at the retreat! Well, it's not just at retreat. It's also the 30 minutes before our Zoom session, virtual retreats, and whenever I have the opportunity to ask questions. But who knew so many people use EXCEL, or I'm just amongst a bunch of geeks! 

The other thing I learned is that I can edit my pictures on this silly computer. To do a quick edit, I can RIGHT CLICK, and that allows me to rotate the images. But there is a limit. Somewhere in the settings, I need to change the default photo editor. So that's a joyless job for later today!! 

We saw the moon the other day. What about the sun? This was sunrise yesterday. It was beautiful, and while the day was cold, we still went for a walk. 

Sunrise on the farm

It was more pleasant than the previous day because there was no wind!!! We always stop at the creek to see what's new!! I tell you - looking at the creek is fascinating, and we both have a similar curiosity about the world, so that is great. I spotted this set of tracks right down the middle of the creek. The ice wasn't thick, but thick enough for a fox or a coyote to walk down the middle. And there was a section of cracked ice, so he must have taken a quick exit! 

A set of tracks on the creek

Helen Anne spotted this one. The wind (afternoon) was moving this grass around like it was drawing in the snow. Sadly, many people are in too much of a hurry to observe anything these days. Pole Pole!!! Remember --- life will pass you by before you know - so slow down and enjoy!!

Grass sketching in the snow

Sadly, the right-click photo rotate did NOT save them that way, so they are wonky again today. 

What did I work on yesterday? Well, it was a day for ORANGE scraps. I had started a scrappy orange project a few years back. ONE block was completed, which you can see in the top-left corner. And the rest sat on a mini design board for a long time. A while back, when I was cleaning up, I grabbed all the loose bits and threw them into a bag. That bag went into the retreat bag, and it surfaced yesterday. 

The orange scraps

This is the type of thing that makes me happy. Playing with scraps. Yes - working with new yardage is fun, but scraps? Well, that excitement!!! 

I hope to schedule that scrap session in the new year on Zoom, so I can share some of the fun with anyone who wants to join. I'm home soon and won't be going anywhere until perhaps the end of March, so I will actually have some time to get myself organized. Here's a tip for working with scraps - divide and conquer!!!! 

Making scrap blocks

I went through a process; the strips in the back are the pieces I could add to the "blocks." The pieces in front are ready to sew. Because I'm making blocks that I'll trim down, I could rip through them with the sewing machine. It's so satisfying and fun!!

Preparing to sew

As I neared the end of the process, I realized I could finish this task in one day! And I wasn't going to bed until it was done. 

I put the blocks on a design wall as I sewed, and when I was having dinner, I got to see them from a distance. OH MY --- I'm loving them. Of course, the debate for me was how big would I make this? Would I use it as a background for some applique, and if so, what kind of applique could I use? Lots of questions. 

After the count, I was missing ONE block to achieve a 9-by-6 configuration. The blocks are 6 inches finished, and I was thinking of a wall hanging. No need to make a big project. 

I looked at the table and found these scraps that I was hoping I could eke out one more block form. 

Making a block from nothing!

And voila -- the last block. I had found several tiny triangles - well, small, not tiny. 

They were too small to go in the HST box, but one of them was perfect for the corner of this block. 

The final block

This is what was left. Some of the pieces didn't make the cut, primarily because of the color. I think I did pretty amazing with the bag of scraps. 

The leftovers

So what did it look like when I was finished? This is not the final configuration - it's just how big the design wall was. But I LOVE it!!!! I think it's busy enough and doesn't need anything else. 

My orange scrappy blocks

Here are the last two blocks that didn't fit on the design wall. 

The last two scrap blocks

And there's the bag of scraps that will become a pet mat. Before you attempt those, be sure you have a home for them. Not all places will accept that style of pet mat. 

A bag of scraps

I'm running into an issue, though. I have now emptied the two partial spools of thread I brought with me. The only thing I have left to sew with is that tray of partial bobbins. I think there are 17 of them, and some are fuller than others. Working with the scraps uses up the thread faster than sewing something you have to cut and sew. I have a different project for today, so that will slow me down a bit. 

My last spool of thread is done! 

I should be fine for one more day, and I will get those bobbins used up!!! But I must restock that retreat box with thread, or I'll be in big trouble at the next retreat. 

I also managed to sew a few half-square triangles. I doubt I'll finish that bag, but I might!!! No worries - there are still more bags of them. 

Half-square triangles

And for fun, I grabbed one of the house puzzles to have a diversion from the intense sewing of the scraps. The puzzle had only 350 pieces and was labeled "family." What does that mean? Oh my -- when I opened it, I got a laugh. There are three sizes of pieces—huge, medium, and regular!!! I only put the large and the small in this photo. Look at the size!!!!

Puzzle pieces from a family puzzle

With minimal effort, I got the big and medium pieces together. How does it work? The puzzle is split into thirds. One-third is giant pieces, the center is medium, and the right side is small. It's pretty clever how they go from big to small!!! My goal is to finish that later today. 

Two-thirds of the puzzle is done

And that's all the "mutterings" for today!!! I heard that from someone yesterday, and I got a chuckle over it!!!

The temperature is much warmer today, so we'll definitely be out walking. We actually went for a second walk in the afternoon, and it was glorious. I get it that walking isn't for everyone, but what a change in mindset it can be to get out in the fresh air!!! And it doesn't have to be for long. 

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!

No rest for those who can't schedule properly!

It was up early yesterday, had breakfast with my brother and SIL and then I hit the road. I needed to get to the airport to see if I could get on an earlier flight. It would appear that there is no such thing as standby anymore (on Air Canada), at least in the smaller airports. For a fee (of course), you can make a "same-day" change and you'll get a guaranteed seat (if available).

The flight actually left the airport 10 minutes early and we were off. Of course, we lost those 10 minutes when we arrived in Toronto, but that's OK. I think I actually like that flight time better than the one that I normally take. I arrived home around 4 PM and had time to unpack and relax. The other flight lands two hours later and the entire day is shot by then.

Got myself prepped for my class that started at 6:30 PM. Oh yes - I wasn't looking at my entire schedule the day that I booked my flight. That's why I had to get on that earlier flight. It all worked - we won't go there!

We had such a fun time at class. They were a very chatty group but everyone finished their pillowcase before the end of the class. Great fabric combinations!

Results of the pillowcase class

It's so nice to see people digging out their sewing machines and "learning" to sew again. Two of the ladies hadn't sewed for years. It's also great to see the younger ones learning to sew. One of the girls bought a sewing machine much to her future husband's dismay. However, he changed his tune when he saw some of the stuff she has made! Awesome! He's even named her sewing machine (Taylor or would that be Tailor? and her serger is called Sergio!)  Great job everyone!!!!!   Looking forward to seeing them in a future class and maybe one day, they'll become quilters!!!

I got home to a surprise when I picked up the mail. I found not one, but TWO magazines with my projects in them.

The first one is Quilter's Connection - the Fall 2018 issue. It may not be in the stores yet. It's all about sewing with non-quilting cotton.

Fall 2018 Quilter's Connection

Here's my project - a messenger bag made from corduroy! Didn't even have to go out and buy that corduroy - it was in the stash!

Messenger bag by ME

You don't have to make it with corduroy - you could make it with quilting cotton if you like. It's very cute, it's not very big, but perfect for zipping around town and being totally hands-free. I want to make one for the dog park so I can put my keys, phone, and poop bags all in one spot where I won't lose them.

I have a couple of extra issues. I'm going to do a giveaway. So leave a comment by Sunday, September 9 and I'll do some random draws.

The second magazine was the September/October 2018 issue of Quilty.

September/October issue of Quilty

 That one should be in stores - I never know when they hit the newsstand as I don't always get to the newsstand on a regular basis anymore. 

Here's my project.

My quilt project

 It's like a tessalting design (sort of). Anyway - pretty cool and I had fun quilting it.

As you know, my favorite color is orange. I was in fine form yesterday for the plane with my orange running shoes and a brand new pair of bright orange pants. And yes - there's a hole in the toe of one of those fairly new running shoes. I must have a way with walking that makes my big toe stick up and poke out the end of the shoes. Very annoying since the shoes aren't old but now they look old. Although Lynn told me that holes in the toes are in style!

Orange pants to match the orange shoes

I'm rarely coordinated like that. As I was on the escalator leaving the airport a man commented on my matching outfit and then said - Oh and it matches the flowers in my hair! But of course!!! I've had so many comments on those flowers in my hair that I'm sticking with them. If nothing else, people will remember me. So the day I decide to do something illegal, I'd better remove the flowers or I'm in trouble!!!

Speaking of flowers on the hairband, look at this GORGEOUS handmade silk flower that Andrea made me. I LOVE it. Now I have to fashion a hair band from it. Then I can switch up my flowers.

New handmade ORANGE flower

Let's just say that it was a wee bit of a temperature change from the morning to the evening. There was frost on the ground (a very light frost) in the morning and the temperature was zero. When I got off the plane - it was something like 33 with a humidex so it felt like 43 or something ridiculous.

Feels much better this morning, but still a a bit humid. I've already hit the studio and got the binding on a quilt. I just need to sew a label on RIGHT NOW and that will be another finish for this year. I'll show you a picture of that one tomorrow.

I think I'll be having a nap this afternoon. For whatever reason, I did NOT sleep well last night at all. It wasn't the heat - just a lot of things I guess. Oh well - that's life. Some days are great, some days not so great.

On that note, I'm out of here.

OH - wait - don't forget to check out that link for the Meet and Greet bloggers. Here's the link again.

And don't forget to leave a comment if you want to be entered into the draw for the Quilter's Connection magazine.

Have a super day!!!!!


Ciao!!!!

Mixed up

I'm not sure what happened, but I swear we had a meeting last night about the leash free parks in our city. On the way there, I picked up a hot chocolate - I know I shouldn't have, but I did. When I arrived at the meeting location, I was certain that I recognized another lady walking to her car. Was the date switched to next week and I didn't know?  Yep, when I walked in, that was the case. I'm glad it wasn't only myself or I would have been a wee bit ticked. However, I was excited that I could go back home and relax although I did waste 40 minutes in the car on the way there and back.

But, I'm thinking I shouldn't have had that hot chocolate as I was wide awake in the middle of the night. After lying in bed for one hour, I decided to get up and move more stuff in the studio and make some lists of things that have to be done. Needless to say, that messed up my morning routine as I slept in!

I got the binding done on TWO quilts yesterday. And here is the picture of that navy blue backing with the yellow thread.

Yellow thread on navy quilt back

I got the sleeve made and pinned on and I was going to hand stitch it last night at the meeting because I'd like it to be in a box this afternoon. I guess I'll do that this morning instead of paperwork. Have to be flexible with the schedule!

I did make good progress in the studio though. I'm very happy with that and because I moved things around in that storage room, I'm in really good shape. Now the trick is going to be remembering how nice it is with things put away and NOT buy more because there is room! CODEWORD - CLUTTER!  We have a garage sale at our guild meeting tonight. I don't mind to buy stuff, I just want to make sure that I really need it and can use it! I already have a kit set aside for me!

While I was puttering around in the middle of the night, I was working on NEXT week's list of items for The Task Master. YES -  that is correct, I had a bunch of stuff to write down as I've made very good progress on this week's tasks and there were things I didn't want to get forgotten and didn't want to wait until Saturday when I normally sit down to make that task list. I needed backing for two quilts. I wanted solids in very particular colors and wouldn't you know when I went searching through my bolts of fabrics, I found BOTH exact colors. I might be a wee bit short on one, but I'm going to find out later today. Now, that's how it's supposed to work. Shop Chez Elaine FIRST - then make a list to shop elsewhere! I'm super excited about that!

Today, I hope to finish TWO of the 7 quilts that need to be done ASAP, and just got another one assigned yesterday and I must remember to write these items in a finished list for 2018. And take pictures!

I have a couple of random pictures to share with you since most of what I did yesterday, I can't share with you. Not yet!

I got a new orange teapot from M.

Orange teapot

 It's much brighter and a wee bit bigger than the one that I currently have. So when we have "sit n sew" next week, we can have tea from the orange teapots!

Two orange teapots

 I do have lots of room in my kitchen cabinets so no problem there.


When I was at Len's Mill a couple of weeks ago. Oh - I didn't share with you what I bought there. I'll have to one of these days - it wasn't very much that I bought. But I saw this at the cash and I couldn't help myself to buy it.

Cute little boot

I have a thing for small shoes. No idea why - I just like them. So when I got home, I added it to my hiking backpack. Why? Because the rest of my small shoes are attached to the backpack.

HIking backpack

I know - you're thinking who in their right mind would ADD unnecessary weight to their hiking backpack?  Only me and that girl from the book WILD!  Now that there are four shoes, I may take them off, but I had started with the hiking boot and it looked cute on the backpack!

One of the things that I hate are these very elaborate and beautiful paper gift bags. This one came with my gift that DH bought me. Not only did I get one of these bags, but I got TWO. It really burns me that they make all these fancy bags (the name is on the other side) for marketing purposes. What about the environment?  It's such a waste and the bag is so small that you can't really reuse it for anything.

Check out this article to see how huge the problem is. It's disgusting!! We've always reused gift bags and even the tissue paper (especially if it was just for us). I still have bags and boxes and tins that we used from when M was a baby!  We didn't use any of it this year and even M is taking her gift bag home so it can be reused next year! Good girl!

Laura, whose son works at CBC, is going to see if any information can be found on that quilt I mentioned yesterday and I have two offers for a VCR. No, I don't judge!!  Shelley!  I'll be down when I need to buy that extra fabric!

On that note, I'm out of here for the day!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!

Cool things!

I have to laugh whenever I see idea generators for blogs or articles ideas of what to write in a blog. I guess that might be more relevant if you are very topic specific on the blog, but me - I'll write about anything. Well almost!

All I need is a picture!  Then after I edited the pictures this morning, I couldn't even remember what they were until I loaded them. 

Today is an update day and a couple of reflections.  Here are a few cool things that I received last week. 

Row by Row License plate!  From ALBERTA!

A big thanks to the person who gifted that to me!   Tofield apparently is south of Edmonton? I love the phrase. Oh - oh - oh - I feel another story coming on!


This morning I was doing a bit of tidying up. I'm really good at moving things around and compacting the stuff into containers, but not so good at processing the stuff and putting it away!  Well I am, but sometimes I don't want to put it away as I want to make something from it. But here's one thing that needed to be dealt with. I had all the plastic bags from the 2014 license plates.  You can't throw plastic bags away - they are great for sorting things. I removed the paper insert for the license plates and recycled them - all but one. I might add that to the back of my Onoce Upon a Row quilt. I think it will be very appropriate as the story of the Fabric License Plates is on that insert.

Look what else I found as I was going through that stack of bags.

Pattern for 2014 license plate 

One of the stores included this in their packaging. I think this would also be excellent to make and add to the back of the Once Upon a Row quilt.  I don't have the quilt in my possession at this point - it will be on display at Quilts at the Creek today and tomorrow. But when it comes back, I could put that label on before it goes out the door again which it is - hopefully on Monday. Not much time to put two labels on the back.


The other thing I got this past week and this was a barter item is this.  A bright red plastic bag with this package inside.  Hmmmm - what's in the package (notice the color of the ribbon????)   The other thing I have to say is that we quilters are pretty resourceful with the Pony Express method of getting things to each other.  I know someone, who knows someone and then the process happens in reverse.  Thanks to the internet, that is very doable these days!

What's in the package????

OH MY GOD - brilliant orange fabric!!!!  I love it!!!!!   Now I want to say that this wasn't supposed to be a barter - I was giving something away, but she felt the need to do something in return.  Not necessary Sandy, but always appreciated!!!!

Orange fabric - brilliant!!!!

 And there was this beautiful card in the bag as well.  I love the card. I'm hanging that one up on my bulletin board where I can admire it.  Do you see the quilt???

Beautiful card

 Gosh - this card reminds me that I have a ton of cards downstairs. I NEED to be sending those cards out.  There is no reason to hoard the darn things. Otherwise after I'm gone, someone will go through my stuff and say - why didn't she use these????  OK - who wants a card?    Wait - you had better have a good reason to get a card. Oh heck - at our age - everyday we get up is a day to celebrate!!!!

Which brings me to think about age. Do you remember when you were a kid and you thought that 30 was OLD.  Then 40, then 50 and so on.  Well, I won't reveal my age, but sometimes when I think of how old I am, I kind of shock myself.  Really???  I'm that old?  I don't feel that old.  I don't act that old. And I guess that is a good thing. Hopefully all the exercise, joie de vie and sense of humor will keep me young at heart for many years to come and if I go - please take me quickly.

Which brings me to this photograph that I saw on Facebook earlier this week. The grandma of the lady who posted this picture had passed away and this is how they paid tribute to her quilting career.  Now isn't that just the best ever!!!!  The lady who posted was Christina Tollman.

A beautiful display of quilts at a funeral

So yes - this is how I envision my funeral. Well celebration of life.  What an absolutely cool idea and then I would let everyone take a quilt (or as Nancy says - a quilt TOP) home.  Of course, by the time I die - well how many friends will I have?  That's something very weird to think about!  Enough of that.

On a very sad note, a memory just popped up in Facebook and today marks the three year anniversary of visiting the Terry Fox Memorial in Northern Ontario.  It's also the day that two cyclists in my group as we rode across Canada were struck by a careless driver and instantly killed. They were less than 10 KM away from where we were to camp that evening. I wasn't that far ahead of them that day and I remember seeing and hearing the sirens of fire trucks and police and ambulance as they screamed down the opposite side of the road as I approached the camp site.  I shall always remember Bob and Irene - they were so much in love.  I shall also remember the folks in Nipigon who came to our rescue with food and shelter and support that evening.  It was a terrible day.


On a happier note, I was digging through my zipper box this morning and my fabric stash to find some fabric to make a small zippered tote.  That's a project for later today and tomorrow.

Supplies for a zippered tote

I think that Miss Lexi has a story to tell this morning. I could tell you, but I think she is much better at it than I am.

Have a great day and don't forget to come out to Quilts at the Creek today. 2:30 is the time that I'm hosting the walk about!

Ciao!!!!

Orange - glorious orange!

It's been one of those mornings.  Didn't make it to the gym, but I've been prepping for my class tomorrow - you know how it is when you KNOW you have made a quilt, but can't find it.  Happiness comes when you are walking the dogs and realizing that the quilt is not in the pile that needs a border and backing. Nor is it in the pile of quilts to be quilted. Nope - this one was a FINISHED quilt draped wrong side down (to protect it from light!) on the upstairs railing!

Got the oil changed in the car this morning in preparation for my trip next week and at my desk shortly after 9 AM.

Now I feel like Santa Claus as I'm madly shipping out boxes of stuff to people.  BTW - if anyone wants a little research assignment that involves messing around with some fabric and is willing to provide honest feedback - none of this - "Oh yes - I like this product".  No - I want honest opinions, I still have one or two packages to send out. E-mail me at
 elaine.theriault@northcott.net and we can chat about the specifics. The deadline for the feedback (NOT a finished project) is April 1.


I'm doing my "keep up with the industry research" this morning and I came across this article which you MUST read. And you'll see why orange is my favourite color!!!!!




And if you are a cat lover - well you have to check out Lorna's blog today  (Sew Fresh Quilts).   A very cute cat quilt.

On that note - I'm out of here to ship more stuff out!

Have a great day!!!


Ciao!

Road trip anyone?????

So how does one travel around the province cheap and fast to get license plates???   How about a motorcycle?  A helicopter?   A drone????    I have several days planned to get some more plates in Ontario and well - it is crazy.

I managed to get a couple more in Ontario yesterday - Guelph, Fergus and Georgetown.  What I need is a "friend" in Northern Ontario.

Anyway - here is the recap for Vermont so I can get onto the rest of my life.


A Quilter's Garden - Montpelier      - got TWO plates and the pattern












Stitched - Shelburne - got the pattern and the plate

Yankee Pride - Essex Junction   - got TWO plates and the pattern














Sunny Laurel Sisters - Colchester   - got the plate and the pattern for 2015.  Loved the 2014 pattern so much - I picked it up as well.  Not sure what it has to do with water - but cute country scenes.

And there you have it - all the plates I picked up on my way home.   BUT - there are other provinces.   The Nova Scotia plates are in the mail, the NB plates are taken care of thanks to Marie and Shelley, the Manitoba plates are all picked up and waiting to be mailed (thanks to my longtime NON quilter friend Jen), ALL the Saskatchewan plates are waiting to be picked up  (thanks to Susan), Salt Spring Island (thanks to my aunt Yvonne), Burnaby store (thanks to my non-quilting sister-in-laws), Penicton area covered (again - another non-quilting sister-in-law - Donna), Canmore - thanks to Pauline, Calgary (thanks to Facebook friend Kathy and neighbour - Rhonda), St. Albert (biking buddy - Neil).   Now some of these may fall through - it is hard when on vacation to get stuff, especially if you don't have a car so don't worry Rhonda.  But you can see the coordination needed to make all this happen. Oh - I think Liz was going to try and pick up something as well - haven't heard from her yet. I am also swapping about 25 more plates with various culprits and hope to get some more from the US.  That is a whole co-ordination nightmare in itself.   And if I end up with duplicates - that is OK as I have people I am trading with. 

And then we get to Ontario. Don't even ask.  There are 77 plates in total in this province.  I physically have 10 in my hands.  Six I picked up myself and four thanks to Lois, Ruth and Marilyn.  BUT at last count, there are 29 that have been ordered/picked up by friends who live in those areas or who have travelled there to pick them up.  BIG BIG thanks to   Elaine (not me!), Pat, Maureen, Maria, Joyce, Laurraine, Nancy, Claire, Mary, Carol and Shelley. They are just feeding my frenzy!!!!!!

I have a couple of days planned to get some more and so that leaves 10 that need a warm body to pick them up!   Those are the ones in the outer reaches of our great province.    OK - back to the planning table.  Yikes!!!!   There must be a circular loop that one could do to make that happen. 

Here are the ones that I don't have  

Creekbank Sewing - Mount Forest

Diane's Creative Elements - Sturgeon Falls

Life's a Stitch - Sault Ste. Marie

Mother's Fabric - Wiarton  (2 plates)

Needleworks Studio - Cochrane

The Cottage Quilter - Corbeil

The Needlebox - Little Current

The Quilting Barn - New Liskeard

Homespun Designs - Stouffville   (Carol or Elaine may have picked this up)

By George - I think you could go across Manitoulin Island and a "short" detour north and yes - you could get those all in one trip.  Anyone up for a LONG road trip????   2 days!!!   You only live once and wouldn't it be exciting to get ALL the plates from Ontario!!!!!   Well - let's see what Liz came up with on her trip and well..........

BUT where does one keep all these things when you are collecting them?????    In your Plate and Pin Pal of course!!!!!   I went to Undercover Quilts and More yesterday. The store is located  in Fergus and Betty Gormack designed this little holder.  I met Betty in PEI and her, Robin and I went out for dinner one night. I bought the kit so maybe that is what I will do today so I can easily keep all these collectibles in one place. I wonder how many plates it will hold????

Plate and Pin Pal

My plates that I physically have in my hands!!!!

On top of that - the month of July is also the Soutern Ontario Shop Hop. There are 15 stores in that shop hop. I snagged three of them yesterday.  Not sure if I will get them all, but there is a free kit to pick up in each store - the theme is blue and white.   It is doable - 15 stores in one month!!!   Heck - I've done 9 in one day!!!!!

Kits for the July Shop Hop

Last night was a perfect night to test out the new Radler beer in a can.  It really is like a cooler - very refreshing.  Now you remember me saying that I could only find TWO cans in my local Beer Store. 

The ONLY two cans in my beer store

Look at the display in one of the New Brunswick stores!!!!   And there is that ORANGE bike!!!!!  Marie checked and the date of the draw is July 26th!!!!   I can't wait that long to see if Marie wins!!!!!   She put in another entry. 

The ORANGE Radler bike!!!!

And if you can't win an orange bike - you can always make your bike orange.   I heard through the grapevine that Connie (a friend of Marie's) is going to paint her bike orange.  I think she needs to come to NB and enter that contest a LOT so she is pretty much guaranteed to win. Or she should be sending Marie to the Beer Store everyday to put in another ballot.  Hey - that is what friends are for!!!!!   Marie - if you would like us to come and drink that beer for you - well just say the word!!!!

There is to be absolutely NO LAUGHING or SHAKING of the head as how silly we are.  This row by row is like school for adults.  Geography!  Oh yes - I have learned the geography of many states and provinces over the last month and I am sure not done. Budgeting - well that went out the window in the first week. Scheduling - oh yes - that is a huge component - god forbid that you arrive at a store that has already closed for the day. Logistics - how to minimize the driving distance and maximum the number of plates or patterns acquired in one day.   Coordination - how to swap plates with 5 different people and have no one end up with duplciates. So technically I look at the Row by Row as a way of keeping our minds FREE of mental illness that hit as you age.   We are all going live LONG LONG lives - which is good because we will need that long to use up our stashes!!!!!


On that note - enough of my day has been consumed by Row by Row stuff.  I need to get to work.

Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!