A big ball of string

I've had more productive days in the past! And there are days when it doesn't take much to make me unproductive. For the last week, I've been quietly searching for a piece of paper - a paper on which I handwrote some things. It was timely that I find this paper. I searched through my e-mail trying to recreate what was on the paper, but I could only get part of the information. So I read all afternoon because I was mad at myself for losing that paper.

Then right after dinner, I came back to the computer desk and VOILA - I found the paper. It had slipped behind the tray on which the keyboard sits. I was a happy camper for the remainder of the day!!!

But that just goes to show you that I need to do some serious cleaning up in here. My plan is to try for 15 minutes a day to "undo" the piles of crap. I will get there. And by spending the mornings doing paperwork, I know that will happen.

Keep that thought in mind as I talk about another piece of paper I found a couple of months ago and have been saving it for today. It was a HAND WRITTEN list of the family's resolutions for 2005. YES - 2005!!!!!! 

Here's my list:

1. Lose 15 pounds
2. Finish M's room
3. Finish the wedding ring quilt
4. Organize the dining room!

Isn't that hilarious???? 

OK - so for the update. Yes - I lost the 15 pounds but only this past year. Thankfully though, it wasn't more than 15 that I needed to lose - in other words, I didn't gain any in those 13 years. M's room was professionally painted years ago so I was off the hook for that. I finished the wedding ring quilt - well I turned the quilt into 3 quilts which I finished piecing a couple of months ago and hopefully, they'll be quilted by March. Organize the dining room? HA - Oh my!!!!! 

In my defense, a lot of stuff has come in here and then has been taken out. But there's a lot of stuff that's still here after 13 years. It would be great if I could once and for all get it done. I went through a pile of stuff yesterday and I believe that 90% of it went into the recycling. There's another pile on the kitchen table (no room on the dining room table to work) and I would bet that 100% of that small pile is going to be recycled.

So do I have new resolutions? Nope - just complete another 100 projects for the year. Oh - and maybe get the dining room in order!

I found this quote when I was cleaning up. I love it!!!!  It's amazing how good you feel after a brisk walk - YES - even in winter. It's good for you and helps reduce your carbon footprint (more on that tomorrow). I can walk to the grocery store, the mall, the bank, the dentist, the hardware store - well, I can get a lot of my errands done by walking. So it takes a bit more time. But when you factor in parking and then walking from the car to the venue - it doesn't really save a whole lot of time. I'll be off to the library and the bank later today. Perhaps even the post office which is in the mall.

Quote about walking!!!!

What's important is to MAKE the time to be able to walk. We get so caught up in the craziness of life that we forget about the important things. I'm going to try and keep my schedule "light" so that I have the time to walk somewhere at least 3 or 4 times a week. I don't take the girls when I walk on my errands. Don't want to leave them unattended outside and they just slow me down. I'm a very fast walker!!

Speaking of those 100 projects, here's what got accomplished yesterday.

Remember that green bucket of mess from yesterday????  See - this is the kind of thing that I'm trying to get rid of in my 100 projects mission. If someone were to come in and look at this mess - what would they say? TOSS!!!!!  I guess my ultimate goal in all this is that I don't want anything to be tossed!

Bucket of string

I started by sorting out the cord. I don't think this is clothesline cord but it could be. It seems a bit heavy. There were three separate pieces. What was it for? I've no idea. No - that's not right - I think I know what I was using it for. I have to dig something else out and check.

Three balls of cording

Then there was this mess. I'm not even sure what I was going to do with it, but it was about 1/3 complete. I had joined a LOT of strips together and they were sewn into a tube with right sides together. I was inserting the large piping into the cording as the tubing got turned inside out. Don't ask - it was a tough job. I finished off the 1/3 that was almost done. Hey - that wasn't so bad, so I started on the second 1/3. I managed to get that done as well. Then I rolled it all into a big ball. 

Big ball of covered cording

 But wait - the fun doesn't stop there! I still have 1/3 of the strips to deal with. But I had run out of cord. So I'm off to Fabricland today to get more cording and I'll get it all inserted in the fabric tubes.

Strips of fabric tubing waiting to be turned and stuffed

I can't remember how I started the first 1/3 of the insertion process. So I did the second 1/3 a different way. Let's just say that my upper body got a good workout yesterday!!!!  DO NOT do this. It's a hugely physical job and there are other ways of getting stuffing inside a fabric tube. But since I'm this far along - I'm going to finish. Yes - I'm determined to clean up this mess.

I simply plugged in my earbuds and listened to an audiobook. It was pretty neat - the book took place in Australia and was read by an Australian. Love the accent and it made the time go by fast. I finished a physical book and an audiobook yesterday and I see that a new audiobook came in and was downloaded. Something to listen to today while I finish off that other 1/3.

Now that the Christmas break is over, it's time to buckle down and get back to work. The Monday sewing basket is filled with the fabric, pattern, and necessary tools for some applique prep. That was great to get that done. And then back to the delinquent list of UFOs.

I'm back working on Misty Pines by Patti Carey. I have two columns sewn and the third one is on the wall. There are 8 columns in total.

3 columns of Misty Pines

Progress is a bit slow at the moment because I'm sewing up the "tree" blocks as I need them. This is my stack of LABELED blocks. You need to label EVERYTHING on this quilt or you simply can't make it. 

Labeled blocks

Here are the components to make the remaining 11 tree blocks. I think that's how many are left to sew together. Then the last bit of the quilt will go together fast.

Components of the Misty Pines blocks

Oh - could I get it together today? I might, but I also have to get started on class samples and blog posts. I do NOT want to get myself into a bind where I'm rushed and no time for those walks. I'm going to be much more mindful of my calendar this year. I hope - it's only day two of the new year!

I have 14 projects with deadlines on my list for the year so far. As some get completed, I'm sure there'll be others that will take their place. The trick is going to be to get it all done without getting caught in a time crunch.

The other thing I'm learning - WRITE EVERYTHING in a notebook. It's a lot harder to lose a notebook than it is a piece of paper. I was getting much better at that, but somehow that stupid piece of paper slipped off the tray. But all is good.

Hopefully, you're all making progress (however small) in your areas that you want to clean up/organize. I can't wait for the day that I walk into the office and there is an inviting space to work and when I want a certain paper that I could run over and put my hands on it immediately. I can do that in my sewing space, just not in the office - not yet!!!!

Have a super day!!!!!


Ciao!!!!

Hell has frozen over!

Or so it feels like. It's a wee bit cool this morning and even the girls were quite happy to be back in the house after about 2 minutes outside! I'm guessing we won't be going to the dog park this morning.

Which is great - more time for sewing! It's the last day of the year and time to review that list of UFOs for 2017. I told you, I'm not throwing in the towel until midnight tonight!

I did NOT get any quilts quilted yesterday. I went to the gym for a class - I never go there on Saturday. Anyway, it was a good class and I came home all relaxed and fired up to sew!

I decided to start with Amish with a Twist II. This was a class that I taught in 2015 so not too old, but old enough! I cut most of the little squares for the second to last border the previous day. I randomly sewed the squares together and when I was pressing the last border, I had a good chuckle. What are the odds that I would end up with TWO squares in the exact order and the exact same position as two pieces in the quilt? That was weird!

Two squares in the border in the same place as the fabrics in the quilt

Hey - that wasn't so bad. Let's move onto the last border which was pretty easy. Big hunks of fabric that only needed one join and cornerstones.

I'm a pretty neat presser, but what the heck happened here? My mind must have wandered, to say the least.

A badly pressed sam

 And it looks even uglier on the back.

Oops - let's try that pressing again!

 Even though I normally join my border strips on the diagonal, I joined these with a straight seam. It meant that I could get away with just two strips for each border and the border is 9 inches wide. It would have been a big waste of fabric.

Squirrel! Oh - I needed an ender and leader project while I was working and I just happened to have two of these blocks cut out. This is the block (designed by me) that appeared in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 16. But now those two blocks are done!

Two blocks - done!

Very versatile block as it can be turned in many different directions.

Another way to position the blocks

 Then it was onto the telephone for hours (or so it seemed) chatting with family members. Oh - can we please get this quilt top done?  So one more push and voila - the top for Amish with a Twist II is DONE!

Amish with a Twist II - top is done!

 It's actually a very nice quilt - I really like it and can't wait to get it quilted! I've resolved that if I'm going to be finishing more quilt tops this year, I had better get my butt in gear and get some of them quilted as I do not want to add to those tubs of tops that are currently sitting there waiting to be done.

Here's a bit better picture of the top - well a quarter of it. It's so big and it was dark by the time I got it finished, it was hard to get a decent picture with just the camera flash.

A quarter of the top - Amish with a Twist II

 Oh, let's take a few minutes to finish trimming those green/white half square triangles which if you were observant came from the blocks that were in the magazine. And that's all I'm saying about for the moment.

Bag of squared up half square triangles

As I was putting on those last two borders, I did have a wee bit of a panic attack. Hmm, all the border fabric appears to be here, but what about the binding? I couldn't find any binding fabric. And I REFUSE to buy any. Well - it was getting late in the day and I knew I wouldn't find what I was looking for. And I was determined to cross this item off my list.

After cutting the big outer border, I had this much fabric left over. I must have intended to use that for the binding! Sound goods to me. I needed 11 strips at 2 ½" wide.

Enough fabric for the binding

 I think the original color was supposed to be purple or something like that, but I think this will work just fine.

Cut, cut, cut and voila - 11 strips. It must have been meant to be because there was just a small scrap leftover.

Eleven strips and a wee bit leftover

 The top and the binding are done! Yeah!

Binding and top - done!

 Time to clean up the project box. We had bought these fusible appliques to go on the back. I seemed to have ended up with a few extra. Anyone want to buy a fusible horse and buggy? And I have a kit (no pattern) that was part of the row by row a couple of years ago that came with two horse and buggy appliques.

Extra fusible appliques of Amish horse and buggy

Now I have added my fusible applique of the horse and buggy to the mix.

Are we done yet?

 Then it was time for me and The Task Master to have a little bit of review and to set the goals for this coming week. For those of you not in the know, The Task Master is simply a plain notebook where I dedicate one page per week to write down the things that I need to get done that week. I'll go into more detail in another post. My list of 12 UFOs for the current year are listed on their own page and the list for 2018 are also listed.

I like to post quotes in my book - something fun to do, but not necessary. I had an extra of this book of positive quotes so I keep it with my Task Master.

The Task Master tools

 While I was very excited with my progress, The Task Master reminded me that I could NOT cross that item off my list just yet because - yep - I still had to make the piping for this quilt. I know - PIPING! I'm not sure why the designer chose piping since that's kind of a fussy thing and the Amish are known for simplicity. Not too worry - I want to make the piping.

I need 11 - 1" strips. Good thing I didn't need more because I had 12" of fabric.

Just enough to get the required amount to make the piping

 Oh yes, forgot to mention that I started a new ender and leader project. When I was tidying up one storage area, I came across this bag of cut bits. Notice that I seemed to be very focused on NOT working on that quilt! Anyway, all the bits were shoved into a bag (very neatly labeled), but I couldn't sew it all crammed up in the bag so I found these containers. They are way too big - I need to find something smaller.

New ender and leader project

 And the bits are small! But I do believe that the entire quilt is cut out.

Small bits - perfect for enders and leaders

 Back to the piping. I had this much leftover after cutting my 11 strips.

Leftover strip from the piping fabric

Then I had to join the strips together and press it in half. Yes - a horrid job since it was only 1" wide. But it got done. And guess what?  YEP -- the binding, the piping, and the top are DONE!!!!   The backing is coming later so I can't get that prepped at this time.

Amish with a Twist II - DONE!

 Didn't you hear that cheer? I'm sure my entire neighborhood heard it! OK - so it was silent cheer - didn't want my family to think I'm off my rocker - well any more than I'm currently off it!

I ran to The Task Master and with her permission, I happily crossed that project off - which was actually two projects because the item also included Amish with a Twist I. I did a count - there were 13 items on that list - one for each month of 2017 and one for December 2016. BUT in total, there were 20 quilts as some of the quilts had been grouped together. What the heck was I thinking??  Obviously, I was new to this goal setting thing and had no clue! Let's hang onto that thought!

When I went to Fabricland earlier this week, it was to buy 25 meters of cording. This is all that remains.

Leftover piping cord

That's what I like - buy something and use it up right away!  I'm going to try and make that my new motto for this year. I'm not sure how successful I'll be, but I'm going to try. We need to have something in our wallets or our heads or attached to our VISA cards that will remind us that we don't need more stuff unless we have an immediate plan for it. I was at the mall the other day with M. We went into a tea place and I ALMOST bought a cute little teapot for using loose tea. I even took it to the cash and then thought that I didn't need it. I put it back on the shelf! We need a code word to make us think before we buy. Hmm - what kind of code word?

 I have a small project in mind where I can use that leftover piping cord so I'm going to dig that out - well, it's already out. Something small that needs to have binding put on it.

I'm close, really close to completing the projects that I committed to in my blog yesterday. There are still TWO quilts that need to have the binding stitched to the front. Let's push and get this done! I got one done this morning.

Binding on construction quilt #3

 That leaves ONE more quilt to put the binding on today. I have all day to do it and it only takes about ½ hour.  If I can't get it done, well, I've no one to disappoint but myself and The Task Master of course!

Let's go back to that UFO list for 2017.  While there were a total of 13 items on the list, in fact, there were 20 quilts on that list. TWENTY! And some of them had to be started almost from scratch. I obviously had dilusions of grandeur! While I completed 6 of the 13 items on the list, in fact, I finished 11 of 20 quilts. Including the one that I'm going to finsih today!  I feel pretty good about that! No I feel FABULOUS and I wouldn't have done it without The Task Master to keep reminding me of what had to be done.

I forgot to post the link to the last QUILTsocial post that I did last Friday. In case you haven't seen it - check it out. There is some really good stuff in how to design a quilt.

I didn't post pictures of the quilting of my table topper, but here's a better look. I'm super happy with it! And if you want to learn machine quilting and free motion quilting, in particular, I'm teaching an awesome class. More details on that in the new year when I post my class listing.

Quilting on the table topper

The back of the table topper

And there you have it - a very successful year in the quilting world for me!

Tomorrow is Monday and I'll be back with more details about The Task Master as I believe there are new people who have joined the Facebook group! I've got some great plans on what to do with my time in 2018 and I can't wait to share them with you. We're all in this together!

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!

Not throwing in the towel yet

At the beginning of last year, I created the Dirty Dozen list. Twelve UFOs that I wanted to get done this year. Things didn't progress quite as nicely as I would like and of course, I'm not done them all. BUT there are still three days left in the year and I'm doing what I can to get as much done as possible. Oh, that's a bunch of crock! I don't sew after dinner so I can't be too motivated to get them all done! Whatever I don't get done is getting rolled over to 2018 PLUS an additional new 12 UFOs.

I think it's important as we work on those UFOs to evaluate why it became a UFO. If this became a UFO for a specific reason, perhaps that reason will cause another project to become another UFO. Let's say, you don't like applique and that's why you stopped working on the project. Then I'm pretty sure that if you come across another applique project that that project has a high likelihood of becoming a UFO as well. Perhaps it would be best to NOT start another applique project.

I was thinking of that yesterday as I was working away. NO - I didn't get any quilting done. I had a couple of interruptions and well, I just didn't get to it. BUT I did get two of those small tops done for the magazine. They are done and waiting to be quilted.

And then I thought I had better plunge right in because the end of the year is fast approaching. YES -- I finally got ONE of the Amish quilts done! The top anyway! Why did this become a UFO? It's huge, it had applique and it wasn't a priority.

Amish with a Twist I  - Top is done!

 This was a project that Joann at Cockadoodle Quilts ran as a block of the month. She even had these cute little labels made for us. Notice the date - April 2013. That's not bad - four years!

Label for Amish with a Twist

 Actually, it was a label for our kit bag - it's a plastic laminated one so can't be used as a label on the quilt. But I intend to transfer that to fabric and use it on the label. Sadly, Joann and Cockadoodle are gone. Miss that store - we had a lot of fun there! And the store closed half way through the block of the month and thanks to Marlene, who got us geared up, we were able to get the remainder of the missing fabrics to finish the quilt. And the top is DONE, DONE, DONE!!!!!

But that's wasn't just the end of the process. Oh no - I had to make binding and lots of it because the quilt is huge. By the way, this quilt measures 88 by 104. That's TEN strips of fabric for the binding! Not only did it have the binding, but this quilt has piping in the binding. I know that I didn't have to make the piping, but I figure, what the heck - I might as well. I've never done it before. Besides, that is why I went to Fabricland the previous day - to get 25 meters of piping cord.

Piping is made!

 And yes - I had to make piping to fit in TEN strips of fabric - that was a lot of piping.

Amish with a Twist top with piping, binding and a fusible Amish buggy for the back

 I'm waiting for something very cool for the backing so I can't consider it completely done, but as much as is going to happen for the moment.

In case you're wondering what piping looks like in the binding, here's a sample. It's not finished. I hope to give it a whirl on a smaller project.

Piping in the binding

 Speaking of binding, I had better get a move on for those three remaining construction quilts. I got one more binding done this morning.

Construction quilt - DONE

 That makes two construction quilts completely done and two more that need about a half hour each. I do have a couple of errands today, but I could potentially get out of them and keep my head down and focused today. Yes, I know that sewing and quilting are supposed to be fun and that I need to do other things. Honestly, if I wasn't quilting, I have no idea what I would do. I can't read all day. I can't do puzzles all day - I would be bored out of my mind. So sewing keeps me busy and happy.

Although I did work on that list of UFOs yesterday and made good progress, I can't cross anything off the list as these are part of MULTIPLE quilts in the list, so I have to be completely finished the multiple items before they get crossed off!  Stupid me to have done that!!!!

I'm just super excited as the new year looms ahead - how can I tackle this mess and get it under control? The big thing will be to NOT start anything new that I have no intention of finishing! I'm thinking of all sorts of plans and ideas and I'm going to outline them on New Year's Day or maybe New Year's Eve. Depending on when I can remember!

So this is what remains of my 2017 UFO projects. Plus the two construction quilts. I - well - let's just see what happens. I can't get them all done, but I will do what I can!

UFOs from 2017 that are not completed

The other day I was at the grocery store to get stocked up. I was in the water aisle and remembered that I was getting low on distilled water for my iron. So I stocked up on water. The lady at the cash asked what I was doing with all that water and I said it was going to be used in my iron! She probably thought I was one of those kooks who irons underwear and sheets. Not in this house!

Distilled water stocked up

 I go through that darn stuff pretty quickly - well, this will last a couple of months!

I'm not a big user of pins, but I was pinning like crazy yesterday. Almost everything I worked on required me to use pins - joining strips for borders, bindings or piping or adding borders to quilts. All fiddly stuff. I like to keep one pin cushion on the cutting table where I do the pinning and the other one is by the sewing machine where I put the pins when I'm sewing. As one empties, I swap them. It works for me!

Two pincushions are very useful!

Oh yes - I should say that in 24 hours and ONE minute, I received the e-mail from Apple with the link to reset the password. What's with that? Most other places, you get the reset password e-mail in minutes.  I've no idea and we didn't get the e-mail that will allow me to get rid of that old e-mail address. I'm going to try and figure that out today. Maybe!

On that note, I'm out of here. My most productive time is early in the morning. I'm trying to decide if I should take the girls out. I'll wait until it's minus 10 - it's minus 14 right now. A wee bit cool for me, not them!

Have a great day!


Ciao!