Check your subscriptions!

Thanks for the suggestions on computers—I'll look into them because I'd love to get the old computer off the second desk! It takes up a lot of room! 

There was a lot of trepidation in the house as I unboxed the second HP printer. This time, I took pictures as I unboxed it. There's that heavy paper strap around the shrink-wrapped printer. And it worked like a charm. No need to bend deep to pull the printer out of the box. I was very impressed. 

Pull on the heavy cardboard strip to remove the printer

Then I started the set-up process, which meant I had to run between the kitchen (printer's current location) and the office (computer location) to make that happen. As it passed each step with a green checkmark, I was getting excited, but would it pass the "insert ink cartridges" test? 

Setting up the new printer

And within about ten minutes, this is what appeared on the screen. YEAH!!!! It worked!!! I may seem like a bumbling idiot when it comes to technology, but I know how to set up a printer! I mean - how hard can it be? And most companies these days have it so automated that it's almost idiot proof. Not quite, but almost! 

YES -- we are in business! 

And then I did a very brave thing. I printed the alignment page. OK, so that part wasn't very brave. I just printed it. But the next thing I printed was the reason I bought the printer. OK -- it wasn't the only reason - the old printer was becoming very costly for ink (more on that in a second), and I needed to print a photograph on fabric. I couldn't scan on the old printer from the new computer, so it really was time to retire the thing, and me drying up the print heads and the cartridges was the straw that broke the camel's back! 

Instead of printing a test page for the photo, I shoved the fabric sheet into the paper tray and pressed OK. And then we waited. Oh shoot - I need to press PRINT as well, and then it started to print. OH MY -- I can't share the photo with you yet, but the quality of the print? STUNNING!!!!! 

 

Waiting for the photo to print

Now here's the thing with printers. Our old printer was an OfficeJet with four ink cartridges. We had signed up for the InstaInk program, which monitors our ink usage and sends us new cartridges when we need them. It worked for us. I didn't realize that we were paying almost $20 a month for that. DH set it up when we got the old printer, and we used to print more then, but we don't print nearly as much now. 

I set up a new plan that costs less than $10 a month. And this printer uses only two cartridges (the colors are combined in a single cartridge). This printer is also a photo printer, so I'm not sure how that works differently. Anyway, we have a new printer; it works like a charm. I did NOT test the scanning, but I'm sure it's fine. It prints amazing color photographs on fabric, and the ink is cheaper. The new plan is also to print fewer sheets, which also accounts for the cheaper ink cost. 

It should be obvious, yet it isn't. But you MUST check the details of any and all subscriptions you have, because we were overpaying on the ink by double! And if we need to change the subscription level, it's easy to do online! 

After the two very successful presentations in the morning and YES - I got everything done in time, I decided to do a bit of tidy-up work. This is my basket of fabric for Color My World by Wendy Williams. It's a beautiful quilt, and I decided to put away the fabrics that I no longer need. I kept out the backing, the background, and two potential candidates for the binding. 

Sorting out the fabrics for Color My World

So, do you want to see the quilt? 

My almost complete Color My World

I still need to add the outer border, which will be the background. But it's mostly done, and that outer circle fits the inner black circle like a glove! OK -- I had to ease a tiny bit here and there, but it fit amazingly well. I am thrilled to death with it!!! I made two blocks - the grain elevator and the CN Tower, both on the left. 

But what stunned me was the level of creativity that the participants put into their quilts. They left me speechless with the workmanship, the creativity, and the willingness to take a leap of faith and try something most had never done before - design their own blocks. And it was a very odd-shaped block to boot! I am very proud of that group - they've all done a spectacular job. I will be sharing the show-and-tell after the June meeting on the 27th of June, so you have to wait until then, but the wait will be well worth it! 

There is one thing that drives me CRAZY!!! I encouraged this group of participants, as well as anyone in my classes, to step outside their comfort zones and try something new. Many people designed their own CN Tower, and each is unique. Last night during the virtual retreat, we were chatting with someone who made this quilt several years ago. She also designed a CN Tower block. When she showed her quilt to a "friend," they said, "Your CN Tower has a flat bottom," or something to that effect. 

WHY? Can you tell me why people think they have the RIGHT to make nasty comments like that? If you are thinking something negative -- just keep it to yourself. There is NO RIGHT or WRONG --- we design to our abilities and skill levels, and we all perceive things differently. 

NO ONE has the RIGHT to criticize my quilts or anyone else's. If you don't like it -- keep quiet! In case you don't know, you are making yourself look like a crotchety old lady from my mother's era, and guess what? It's not attractive!!! 

You know who you are—so next time? Just say -- wow -- you did a great job and leave it like that. You do NOT get a medal at the Pearly Gates for being overly critical! There are ways to provide feedback if you feel it's necessary. 

Harsh -- I totally get that, but so many quilters have fragile egos, and for them to create a quilt block and then be criticized for it? They will likely never try it again! 

Sorry to harp on this, but negativity seems to stick in our heads way more than positivity does. I don't know why. But imagine speaking to your children and grandchildren with that constant negativity. How will they learn to keep their heads up, be proud of what they have accomplished (even if they made massive mistakes), and build their confidence? You don't agree with what they designed? So be it—have a good laugh with the person, ask if they need help or support, and then move on! 

I could go on and on about this. Are you a fixer or an interrogator? And so many other things. I'm not perfect by a long shot - I am quick to respond, have anger management issues at times, and am slowly learning to back off and to apologize if I screw up. Be humble!!! Read The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield. It's an eye-opener about our behavior toward others. 

KU and I headed off to Fabricland in the afternoon to pick up some supplies. I have three small things to make/alter for the wedding, and I need to get moving! But I needed a couple of things. Now that I have the stuff, I'll start working. 

Once we got back and set up the printer, I really didn't feel like sewing. I was going to go for a walk, but it poured all day, so I sat down with the jigsaw puzzle and started working on it. 

It was a challenge right to the end. I had this hole in the puzzle and these remaining pieces. The issue was that some holes were filled with TWO pieces, making it challenging to find the right spot. 

The final challenge

And there it is --- done!!! That was probably the most challenging puzzle I've done recently. My puzzle artist friend (Cynthia Frenette) says she has received feedback that her puzzles are challenging, which is good, since I have a few! I paid $6.99 at the thrift store and likely got a discount. A very good value for the money, and it helps offset the cost of the new ones. No pieces missing. 

The puzzle is together

The next puzzle is pulled from the closet and follows the theme (Canadian Jigsaw Puzzle Association) for the June puzzle-along. I won't open it until I'm back from the quilting retreat. But yes -- I snuck a 500-piece puzzle into my retreat bag! OH - the theme is Colors, Gradients, Rainbows!

My stuff for the retreat is sitting in the garage because the cleaning service came this past week, and I needed to get it out of the living room. It will take little time to wing it in the car. I have ONE last-minute packing bag downstairs, and as the day goes on, I'll wing stuff into it that I think I might want to work on! It's ONE bag, and I can always leave it in the car! 

My panic-packed bag for the retreat

Speaking of wedding things, as we chatted on the Virtual Retreat last night, I pressed the lace I had removed from the pinafore and removed all the loose threads. It's rolled up and ready to go. 

The trim is ready for the bouquet.

I didn't get much done during the Virtual Retreat. But I managed to get the pieces cut for another scrappy backing for the next community project quilt. You can't really tell, but the mottled fabric is made up of many vertical strips. I'll sew them together today and then add that to the snowflake fabric. And there will be another scrappy backing. I don't waste anything, and when I set out fabrics for the backing, I'm generous. I've had to put half the stuff I pulled away because of my ingenious piecing; I didn't need nearly as much as I originally thought. My goal is to use up all the blue flannel for the backing of these quilts. 

The backing is ready to piece

And I can't tell you how excited that backing makes me. I love solving puzzles, and figuring out how to use scraps to make something is just that - a puzzle. This exercise helps build many skill sets. It may take time and not be easy, but it's worth it to me! I don't make notes, and measure - I go by eye and gut feel. My gut feel is getting a good workout, and it's highly tuned because of all the experience I've gone through! 

Before closing up last night (we finished the Virtual Retreat at 9 PM), I managed to trim this group of HSTs. Yeah!!!!!

Another group of HSTs trimmed.

That leaves this pile that I just stitched this past week. So I'm pretty current, and I should be able to get those done later today? 

The last pile of HSTs to trim

I got the two UFO presentations ready this morning - I am so darn productive in the morning, and while going through emails for something, I spotted this picture. Oh my—these are signature quilt blocks from an exchange I participated in years ago. This is not my quilt, but I have my set of blocks!!! 

A signature quilt from years ago

There are tons of exchanges going on these days, and I really don't care about them. I think they are wonderful things to participate in, but I remember one year that I spent most of my time working strictly on these exchanges. I was probably working on at least two Block of the Months, then many blocks or fabric swaps, and that was all I did that year. I've done so many different styles of exchanges and group quilts that I'm done! I now want to finish my UFOs. 

They were fun to participate in,  but so many of the exchanges sit as UFOs today. 

And what day goes by that Murphy doesn't do something silly? She seems pretty agitated these days - well, that's not a good word, but she is just constantly moving. Well, that's not true -- I'm not sure how to pinpoint it, but she seems different. It might be my imagination. The girls had a few days of freedom to come in and out as they pleased, but with the plummeting temperatures, the doors and windows are tightly shut. I'm tempted to turn the furnace back on, but instead piled on two sweatshirts! 

Anyway, as mentioned, it was pouring rain yesterday, and she saw fit to go outside and just stand on the deck! 

MOM - it's raining!

I need to alter this bowtie for the wedding, and it has Bear's scent on it. Murphy almost ate the bowtie in her eagerness to sniff it!!

MOM - where's Bear? 

I managed to go through all the emails from people giving their thoughts on what quilt to pick for the fall sew-along. OH -- could I be tempted to do more than one? ACK!!!! Be strong!!!! I'll take the list with me to the retreat and try to figure out what's going to happen for the fall. 

I'll be sure to share with you. 

Have a wonderful day. Stay warm and dry!!!

Ciao!!!

Here's the link for the Virtual Retreat today. We start at 3 PM. It's a perfect type of day to stay inside and sew! Come join us!

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

Meeting ID: 898 6900 1291
Passcode: 136711

Updates and bad news

I'll get the bad news out of the way first thing, so you don't have to wonder what's going on. I've been extremely careful on the sidewalks all year. I'm watching for ice patches and have had a few minor slips. Yesterday? I was walking Miss Lexi, so I can't blame powerful Murphy for this one. But I slipped. I didn't break anything - PHEW!! But my left leg (of course!) went out in front, and I swear I looked like I had just thrown a curling rock, which isn't bad, but I seem to have twisted/wrenched my knee in some fashion, and it's not happy. 

I felt and still feel that pain all the way from the glutes to the ankle. I am not at spin class this morning, which is very unusual for me. I'm going to cancel my appointment with Brooke for tomorrow. And I'm contemplating NOT walking the girls this morning. It feels better this morning, but do I want to make it worse? That just sucks, but it's not the end of the world, and nothing is broken. I just have to take it easy for a day or two, and I should be OK. 

The good news about it is that I didn't fall! And even in that awkward position, I think I only likely touched the ground with one hand. Good balance! LOL 

OK - I know this was silly of me, but I decided to walk to the library yesterday afternoon. I was also going to pop by the thrift shop. The walk to the library was plenty long enough for me! Even I have limits!

Here's the update on Outlook. I didn't get a chance to call Microsoft yesterday, but I did speak with someone who uses Excel for their distribution lists. AHA --- I get it now. They have a list of people in Excel, and when they want to send a message, they copy the email addresses from Excel and enter them in the TO, CC, or BCC fields. They are NOT having two distribution lists. That makes sense, but it feels like an extra step, and the names in Excel need to be formatted (not a big deal) to make it work. 

Granted, they have 100% control of the distribution lists and where they are saved, but when I already have access to their emails in Outlook, that just seems like extra work. And often I need to send an individual email to someone on those lists, so if their emails aren't in my contact list, I have to open Excel? So, at least I can say that I explored that route, but it's not for me because it's nowhere near as convenient as just opening Outlook, selecting one group contact, and sending the email. I get it that it's not a big deal to open a spreadsheet and do copy/paste, but my way is simpler. I just have to deal with Outlook!

On the agenda today: call them.  

As for the roof, lots of things happened there. The roof crew was going to call me before they came, and they called at about 1:15. 

This was the state of the roof in the morning. The snow was finally starting to melt as it had been plus 1 overnight. You could finally start to see the rafters through the snow. OK - that sounds ridiculous because we have shingles on our roof, but you could see the impression of the rafters through the snow. Note that you cannot see the rafters through the lower section on the right. That's where the cathedral ceiling is in the house. That's all about insulation, and I'm not going there. I've circled where the ice dam is in blue. 

The state of the roof at 9 AM

Note the clear blue skies! The temperature reached 8 degrees, and when I went out to chat with the crew, I was in a short-sleeved sweater and NOT cold. A good portion of the snow had melted by the time they arrived, including the area where the ice dam was. There was actually space under the gutter that runs along the roof in that area. NO -- that is not causing the ice dam, because my neighbor has the same roofline, and her ice dam is much larger, and she doesn't have a gutter. It might not help, but it's not causing the issue. 

The state of the roof at 3 PM

We decided that it didn't make sense for them to steam off what was left, as Mother Nature was doing a great job all on her own. This was taken about 3 PM, so I'm sure there is even less snow this morning. 

The roofer suggested cleaning the gutters in the fall, then installing heat cables in the gutters and along the roof. A friend of mine who also had water issues with her windows earlier this winter had her son install heated cables, and she was fine through the recent snowfall. I still want to hear what the engineers say, because I would love to have something structural done so it is no longer an issue, but I don't think that will be cost-effective. I had wondered about putting metal in the valleys, but that would cost a lot, and as you'll see about metal on the roof in a minute. 

I'm still waiting for the engineers to get back to me. 

Someone else had suggested that a metal roof would melt the snow faster, and this issue wouldn't exist. Hmmm --- so over the last couple of days, I checked and found FIVE metal roofs in our neighborhood. Sad to say, all of them had ice-dam issues. It seems the problem isn't the roofing material you have, but the valleys in the roof. There are other factors, like whether the roof gets any shade, that can cause that freeze/thaw cycle, which then causes the dam. But one of the houses I spotted had the same view of the sun as our house, no trees, and still had an ice dam. 

Trust me—I took many pictures; I'm sure people were wondering what I was doing. I'll find a couple to share with you. 

This house has a metal roof, and it faces the same direction as my house. It was taken at 3 PM yesterday, so it was bathed in direct hot sun for many hours. I will say that if the roof is plain with no valleys, a metal roof will probably melt quite quickly. But what this tells me is that the valleys are the killer to melting snow quickly from a roof, not the material the roof is made of. There is also a tree in front, which may provide some shade, but I don't think it's a major factor on this roof. 

A metal roof with snow trapped between the valleys

Here's a second house with a metal roof, facing the exact same direction as our house, and it had been exposed to the direct hot sun all day. It also has many valleys, and it is NOT melting quickly. So I would never get a metal roof, hoping I would never have an ice dam. As a matter of fact, if you look closely at the left of the bump out, you can see an ice dam!!! Remember—this picture was taken yesterday at 3 PM. Now, I'd guess the tree is shading that roof, and even though there are no leaves on it, you would be shocked by how much shade those branches provide! 

Another house with a metal roof and ice dams

I'm learning so much about roofs, and all I had to do was walk around my neighborhood, observe, and take pictures. 

Update on the veil. I only have to embroider the veil, which is a plus, though there are a ton of little stars on it. How am I going to do that? My question is: how was this original veil made? I need to check the source, but it's probably a mass-produced fabric in the Orient, then assembled into a veil. I'm in the process of drawing the center moon and the lines, then I'll stitch a sample and send it out next week. I found a pattern with the constellations for zodiac signs, and I'll stitch those, and I guess I had better stitch a couple of lines of stars! Thank goodness, I have all the tools to make that happen!  

The veil I'm trying to recreate

And I finished the appliqué for the final block of the quilt backing. 

The last block is appliqued.

Then I moved on to the weekend's homework. I didn't quite accomplish as much as I would have liked because I was dealing with the roof and helping KU finish something. Today will be heads down to make this all happen. I have a goal for today, and it's going to be a lot of work. I'm keeping the PowerPoint presentations updated as pictures come in and as I complete sections, so it won't be a mad rush to get them done. That saves a TON of time at the end. 

I also fired up the embroidery machine and ran close to 250,000 stitches yesterday, which ate up a lot of time. I suppose I could share the pictures with you, but it's for a Facebook Live in a couple of weeks, and I need to get the quilt made to advertise the event. I should be able to finish that off later today. 

And in the midst of all this, I want to start a jigsaw puzzle!! OK -- I confess that I went to the Puzzle's Canada Warehouse last week. I had to pick up some prewound bobbins for the long arm, and that place is just around the corner from the warehouse. It's a warehouse where the public can shop inperson or order online. Free shipping in Canada with orders over a certain amount. 

I got six neutral thread colors, and so I should be good. I have ordered one more, and it's on backorder. I need to open these and see if I got what I wanted. I thought I had ordered more colors, but it doesn't matter - this will get me started. 

Prewound bobbins for the long arm

When I arrived at the puzzle warehouse, there were huge banks of snow (I was standing on them when I took the picture) and this huge pile of puzzles in the parking lot. That was going to be an interesting afternoon for the staff! And it was starting to snow!

Oh my -- what's in the boxes?

This is what it looks like inside! I'm standing in a corner and looking toward the front. It is floor-to-ceiling puzzles! Sorted by brand, and you just want to say -- I'll take one of everything! They have some of the giant puzzles, but the biggest one I have is 4000 pieces, which I've been carrying around since I left home. By home, I mean the farm MANY years ago. I need to crack that thing open!

Inside the Puzzles Canada warehouse

I went to the puzzle place with a specific mission in mind. I follow an artist, Cynthia Frenette. She is an amazing artist who paints and creates graphic designs used for many things, like cards, puzzles, mugs, pins, etc. You name it --- her designs go on a lot of things. She painted a picture for us when Sparky and Sammy were crossing the rainbow bridge. I should share that with you. And I have some bead artwork that hangs in Studio B. I should take a picture of that as well. 

I saw on Facebook that she was designing jigsaw puzzles, and well, I caved. So this is what followed me home. Not one, not two, but THREE new puzzles. Two are 2000 pieces each, and one is 1500. What was I thinking? She also has a sewing room and an art studio, but they were sold out. 

Number One

Number Two

Number Three

You can check out her puzzles at this link. This is what she has designed for the company Pieces and Peace. She's done puzzle artwork for a couple of other companies as well. One of them, I think, will be available at Wal-Mart Canada, but I haven't made it there, and I certainly won't be walking there today. 

We were chatting about storing fabric the other day, and I wanted to remind everyone how I store my quilt backings. They are folded freehand (no rulers involved), and they look pretty even. But the most important part is that they are labeled with how much is there! 

My quilt backings

Without that simple little label, finding something appropriate would be a disaster. I'd have to open each one up to see if there are 4½ yards or 5 yards. And I try to go for as close as I can to what I need. As you can see from my quilts, sometimes the backing is skimpy to load onto the long arm!! This labeling (also for batting scraps) is one storage idea I would NEVER shortchange myself on. I save a huge amount of time by having things labelled. 

I just put the girls out in the backyard, and what do I hear? Freezing rain is falling. We will NOT be walking this morning. I was contemplating going to the end of the street and back, but I can't afford to slip with this knee. They will just have to be patient, and we'll go for extra walks when the weather and my knee are in better shape. 

But speaking of the girls, they are just silly. Why does Murphy insist on sleeping in this bed that is way too small for her? Typically, she curls up in a tight ball, but I guess she was too hot, so the back half of her was on the floor! 

MOM - -I'm comfortable!

And then when I went to read last night in the living room, the two of them came in because they thought they could share my grapes, and then they had to rough house and finally just lay down together on the blanket. Not side by side -- OH NO -- that will never do, as they need to be able to see each other! 

MOM -- we're here for you!

Well, I don't feel so bad about the rain, knowing that the gutters are clear and water is flowing. I'll get myself to work a bit earlier this morning—OH—I have to create two distribution lists —wait—FOUR distribution lists for the weekend. Perhaps I'll do that instead. And then go to work at 9, which is my usual time. 

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!

Do It NOW!!!

 And just like that -- it's a new week. So many ideas and so little time, but the important thing is just to do! 

Speaking of batting bits, it's amazing how many quilts you can quilt with those bits! I've pulled a few pieces from that stack I brought downstairs, and it doesn't seem to have made a dent. I calculate there is enough batting here for about 20 quilts! That should cover the remainder of my dog quilts, and the ten for the favour, and a couple more! This is the last favor job I do! This batting will NOT go back to the closet. 

There is a lot of batting bits

But here's another reason I prefer not to have someone else do the community project quilts for me. Sometimes, there just isn't quite enough batting, and a quick repair is required. Can you imagine having to pay 100% attention to that for someone else? It's not going to happen. And can you imagine what they would think of me? I would not be happy if this were someone else's quilt! 

A quick repair job

In this instance, I was a wee bit short on only one section, but it was easy for me to fix and continue. 

And just like that, another dog quilt is done. 

Dog quilt - Number four

The backing for the fifth one is complete, but not before I had to get somewhat creative with the pieces I had set aside. 

The backing for number five

The batting is made for that one as well, and I'll quilt it today. I need to get these done. But I have to chuckle when I finished piecing this backing. You see, I had set aside pieces from my basket of dog fabric to make a backing for each of them. This is all the brown I had left. Three small pieces -- that was a pretty good calculation! And of course, that's all the blackish fabric I have, but I have one quilt to trim, so there might be a bit more to add; however, it certainly won't be enough for binding. That will have to be Plan B - hit the stash. I had never really thought of the binding when I set aside the fabric for the backings.

The leftovers from my backing calculations

The fourth quilt is trimmed, and I have the components set aside to work on for the sixth one. Can I complete them, minus binding, by Friday? That is the goal! Then I need to work on some customer quilts, and I can bind these while the customer ones are on the long arm. 

The backing for the remaining three should not require as much work, so that's good. I want to get back to the items in the blue box. But can you imagine if I had started to refill that box? I haven't even emptied it yet! Slow and steady! And I knew that these quilts would take precedence over the items in the blue box. 

While piecing the backs, I'm whittling away at the tray of bits to make half-square triangles. I have a bunch to press and trim today. It's always a good idea to have something to use as enders and leaders. These are the cutoffs, resulting from making bindings or borders. And it seems the tray will never be empty! I believe there is a basket, or perhaps two, upstairs in Studio U. However, there is no need to dig into those when I still have these bits to sew. 

The tray of bits for half-square triangles

I pulled out another EXIT Game for some entertainment last night. It is a three-star puzzle, so will it be too much of a challenge for us? 

The latest EXIT Game

I quickly found the answer to the first puzzle, and we decided to forge ahead with the second one. I found something unique, and then DH ran with it and we quickly got the answer to that one as well. Two down and eight to go. That was it for my brain for the evening. 

Walking Bear is a challenge! He is so slow, and he has a lot of pee-mail to catch up on! But all three got walked, but not before this spider gave me a fright! Good grief! 

EKE!!!!! A giant spider on the lawn

But the three amigos are together and happy! One of them found something to sniff in the backyard, and of course, the other two had to check it out as well!

WAIT -- let me get in there! 

It is almost impossible to get all three of them posed for a picture. This is the best I've ever gotten. Murphy was not impressed. For that matter, neither was Lexi! But they are all together! It reminds me of family photos -- no one wants them, so they all have grumpy faces!

We are busy dogs - no time for photos!

The little guy is finally settling down. He didn't want to eat or drink all day and was quite happy in his favorite spot - in the sun in Murphy's bed, watching life happen on our street. He's a bit harder to spot from outside because of the tree in the front of the house, but he makes himself known!

Grandma, please-- I'm busy!

However, I suspect he has an ear infection, which is probably the cause of his not eating, so I need to take him to the vet today. As if I don't have enough money-pit animals in our house! He's better today, but his ear still smells, and he really needs a bath. I almost swear his mom is neglecting him. Isn't that a reason for him to be dognapped? 

Grandma - I need a haircut

Oh well. We do what must be done. 

We had a couple of great show-and-tell sessions yesterday. It's always a delight to see what others are working on, how far they have advanced in their projects, or how much they are learning by using their embroidery machines and software. If only we had an unlimited amount of time!

Speaking of which, here's a story to scare you with. I recently heard of a woman who is a quilter and a teacher. She is a widow and has recently fallen ill. From the gist of the conversation, I suspect she has a limited time and has engaged the help of a friend to help her with the UFOs. 

There is a sense of urgency involved because of the diagnosis (I don't know the details, and I don't want to know). However, it should NOT be a health scare that inspires you to get your UFOs done. 

No, I find that situation a bit selfish (the person they have engaged to help them has her own family and UFOs to work on). This is why you need to work on those UFOs NOW. I've done my share of helping others in the past - cleaning out a sewing room, finishing UFOs, and so on. I am DONE - I will not do it again! Not unless I know you made a valiant effort before you get sick! I will help, but I won't do it alone. 

You need to review your projects and make some decisions - it's called prioritizing what you absolutely want to accomplish. Then you need to stop starting something new (from a class or your kits) and focus on what is a priority. And then do it for the WIN!

Yes - PRIORITIZE - FOCUS - WIN.

Do not expect to drag a friend into the mix when your time is near. That is selfish and totally irresponsible. Do it now! You no longer want something - sell it or give it away now! Clean up the horrible little bits - whatever is necessary, but get it under control NOW! 

This is what I'm doing - it has taken me a long time to come to grips with this, but I'm on a roll now. I don't care how much I get done in a day; I try to tackle some small portion of the overall picture. I do NOT want to spend my last days trying to finish UFOs. I want to spend my last days with family!

Will I ever complete all my UFOs? I'm not sure about that, but the most important thing is that I'm making progress. I've stopped starting new things  - well, there are one or two new things a year, and that's it. That's a massive start and I'm working on completing. I WILL get those current project tables clear!

It's just hard to sew and quilt at the same time! Especially when there is so much prep work for those community project quilts. I'm not complaining - just explaining! But I will do what I can! Thankfully, all of my quilts have the backing and binding done, but I still need to piece the batting. 

On that happy note, I'm out of here - I'm off to spin class. 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!!

I CAN get on top of this!

Well, this message has hit very close to home! 

I'm listening to an audiobook by Oliver Burkeman called "Meditations for Mortals." Oh boy -- it's about trying to do everything in life and not always succeeding. It talks about our busyness, which is me! 

It also mentions how we feel we must read everything that comes into our house—that's me. We must listen to audiobooks/podcasts at double speed (NOT me) and millions of UFOs (OK—that's me). He wasn't talking about quilting but unfinished projects—like painting the living room, fixing the bathroom door, etc. He mentions working shorter but smarter hours. 

Yikes—there is a lot I can learn from this book. But what I love the most is this: "You'll NEVER get on top of it!" Oh my!!! He says we must put down the to-do lists and start making lists of things we've done!

It's a quick listen—four hours, and I'm halfway through. I was going to say that it's the kind of book you could take notes from, but why would I? I would never go back and refer to those notes! Nope, this would be a good book to reread once a year or every couple of months. 

Why are we like this? Primarily because of our upbringing, whether our parents or church or whatever. Remember when they said, "idle hands!" and "stop daydreaming." And the guilt that is inflicted on us if we are idle will kill us, so we work like mad. But are we enjoying everything we do?

I'm learning to let go and am happy to sit in the gazebo and do nothing for as long as I dare! I also walk without listening to anything except nature, so I'm trying hard to back off the quantity of things I do. But to read everything that comes into the house? Oh boy -- I could eliminate a few more things in my decluttering journey by taking that to heart. Perhaps that is the message I will take from this reading -- and see where that takes me. 

OH --- should you choose to read some of his philosophies, check out his website. Many of his blog post topics appear the same as in this book. If I had to sum it up in one sentence, here it is: "STOP -- what are you doing right now? How important is that to where you want to be? What will happen if you don't do that?"  OK - that was more than one sentence, but you get the idea. 

So, to reflect on what I've already accomplished this morning, I fixed the project I made a mess of on the weekend. It didn't take long, but the thought of fixing it wasn't fun. I should never have had to fix it, but it happened. Get over it and move on! 

The mitered corners are beautiful

It's fixed, so I can add the embellishments and get it out of the house! It needs to be gone ASAP. 

Then, I needed to put together a quilt backing. I hate it when I do this. Can you tell me why I would cut the corner out of a piece of fabric? I grabbed two pieces of fabric to make the backing, and both had a big square cut out. I would never do this now. Cut a strip of fabric off, leave the yardage intact, and go from there. I inserted a square into the hole. 

Good grief - who did this? 

Now, take a look at this. 

A very uneven cut

Seriously? That is how the fabric was HACKED off the bolt. I made the backing, but I don't think it's as square as it should be. So help me! What is happening in my Studio these days? Everything I touch seems to get screwed up! But I'll take it upstairs and lay it out properly on the bedroom floor and see what the issue is. I'll be able to see if I can work around the problem, or perhaps I'll have to trim some and then add another piece. 

But all is good. 

Then I also trimmed ONE of the five placemats, which worked out perfectly! YEAH!!!!

One placemat trimmed

When I fold it in half lengthwise and widthwise, it's perfect! There are only four more to go, and then I need to find something to bind them with. At first, I thought black, but I might have a dark green. I'll check later today. This is NOT on my radar screen, but the big piece of those quilted placemats was taking up space, and I needed it cleared up! I'm so far from trying to get that mess cleaned up. It will happen, but when?

I used the 60-degree line on my regular ruler to ensure those lines were at the correct angle. 

Trimming using a regular ruler

It amazes me how people would need a specialty ruler or tool to trim, but we have the most common angles on our regular rulers. We just need to learn how to use them!

And how did the new harness work? Well, look at Murphy. Once that harness goes on and she is waiting by the door, you would think we were trying to kill her! She hates this part, but the second the door opens, all thoughts of the harness disappear. Don't feel sorry for her -- she's a drama queen! 

MOM -- I don't need a harness - it's  uncomfortable

A drama queen who insists on being close! Yes, she is happy to stick her head into the arm of the chair just to get a pat on the head. Do not feel sorry for her - she gets lots of attention during the day, but it's never enough! 

Mom - I need to get closer!

Oh gosh -- this EXIT Game is going to be our death! I had figured out the answer to the next clue, although the storyline wasn't quite where I thought it should go. Then DH did the puzzle and got a similar answer, but he wasn't convinced we were in the right spot. He made me look at the answers, and we were on the money with the first two clues, but how we used the clues was INCORRECT. Oh god --- so I was wrong, and he was right! 

I think the big thing with this particular puzzle is that it's hard to do together because of the nature of the book. We must take time to each read the story and then solve the puzzle together, something that we have not been doing! And we're a good team if we work together!

So I read the following story and figured out what we needed to do—well, I figured out the clues. Now, I'll wait for DH to do the same, and then we'll try to solve the puzzle together. 

Well, I must now figure out what to do in my three most productive hours of the day! I'm back writing and have a lot of prep work to do. That is pretty mindless, so I should be OK. Hopefully, I won't have to go back and redo something! I have several car errands, so I'm unsure how much sewing will get done. 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!