Tradeschool or university?

 Although yesterday was our Monday sewing day, I didn't spend much time with the group. I had a doctor's appointment. Why? 

Well, I think I cracked/dislocated/broke a rib. I know—what a silly thing to happen. But the way it happened really worried me. I was at the physio, and I was on my tummy and getting some compressions on my back and POP - I heard something, and I felt something so strong that my leg flew up in the air as a reflex. 

I thought nothing of it until later, when the pain would NOT go away. I totally get that there is nothing to be done about rib issues - you just take meds and wait for it to heal. BUT I am worried that if it was a break or a crack, my bone density is suffering. 

I had an X-ray yesterday and will get results tomorrow. Then I'll book a physical, and I'll get a new bone density test to see if I'm improving with the dreaded medication! I feel OK, but then I'm on Tylenol 3 twice a day, and it's still painful at times. Sleeping is the worst - how do you get yourself up without pain? I have figured it out, so I'm good. 

I tried to book a physical with my doctor yesterday, but I'm not really free until November. I am, but I don't want to deal with it until November. She said it's way too early, and they always have room within days of calling. How many patients does our doctor have? 

The second thing that happened yesterday was this. 

The Odyssey - IMAX 70mm

DH has wanted to go to this movie ever since it was released, and it was extremely challenging to get tickets, especially in IMAX and even harder in IMAX 70 mm. Movies aren't my thing, but with Dillon's help, I got the IMAX 70 mm tickets. I just needed to know when to book them because once they are released, they go quickly, and I am NOT sitting in the second row from this giant screen. The movie is almost 3 hours long, and I was worried. Would I fall asleep? Would I be able to follow the storyline? 

At some point in my life, I read The Odyssey, and I thought they did a great job of portraying the story. The theatre was full, and everyone kept their phones on silent or dark. WHAT????? At one point, I thought I heard the person next to me's phone vibrate, but it wasn't a big deal. There was no pre-show entertainment as with other movies. There was ONE trailer for Dune (we already have tickets in IMAX 70 mm for Christmas Day), and that was it. The movie started. I think some people expected it to start a bit later because a few stragglers arrived after the movie started. 

I have to say that I was OK with the movie. Would it be my first choice? No, but it was a much better experience than I expected. And I think we convinced M to go, as Dillon wants to see the movie again! 

I'm leaving again today and have finalized the rest of my plans for this month - thank goodness for that, and I have a breather between trips. I was so worried about getting home from this trip next week and then taking off immediately. This way, I can space out my homework prep!!! 

I'm sure my groups just roll their eyes - I have dates scheduled, and then I have to change them because my work events change things. I swear scheduling dates, and such is NOT my forte. However, what I had to move were NOT classes people paid for; they are really just opportunities to touch base, so I'm not worried about that. I try very hard to NEVER change a class that they have paid for, but sometimes it happens. 

The two groups involved have already been notified, so if you didn't get a notification, then don't worry. 

Fall is definitely coming. The forest floor is even more littered with acorns. Not all of them seem to be empty -- did the squirrels leave some goodies behind? I spotted a couple of squirrels trying to take some small leafy branches up a tree. Perhaps they felt they needed more insulation in their nest for winter! Wouldn't you love to see one of the squirrel nuteries? 

The ground is littered with acorns.

I am not a fan of squirrels and chipmunks, and I find them becoming quite aggressive. They are crawling all over the roofs of houses trying to find a cheap way to live this winter! They're even more aggressive in our backyard. However, Miss Murphy was on duty yesterday trying to keep them away. 

Mr. Squirrel --- STOP right there! 

She might not be able to run as much as she wants after them, but one big bark should do the trick! I'm very happy to report that we have all settled into a new routine with her. Shorter, more frequent walks, helping her up the stairs, and so on—it's all working out, and hopefully she will continue to be herself for a few more years. Nothing has changed her enthusiasm for life! 

It's kind of like dealing with aging parents. Once you get over the shock that their physical capabilities have changed, then you learn to adapt and move on!!!!

One more sign that fall is close is the trees changing color. I love watching these trees change color, and these ones will become brilliant red. 

Leaves are changing color.

Oh - back to the movie. I splurged on a large bag of popcorn, which I didn't finish because it got very salty toward the end. And I had a bottle of water, which I didn't drink all of so I wouldn't have to go to the bathroom. 

Snacks for the movie

Speaking of the bathroom, here are the tiles at the theatre, just in case you were wondering what they looked like! That could become a quilt, but it has a bit too much black for me; it could be changed!

Tiles in the movie theatre bathroom

Oh my gosh—I spotted this on my social media, and I haven't stopped laughing! Yep—that pretty much sums up my life: I solve all my problems with quilting! 

Too funny!

I seem to be getting a lot of words-of-wisdom-type posts these days, and I'm OK with that. I love this one, which was focused on sewing. 

Mistakes are your friend!!!

I cannot stress enough that almost everything I have learned comes from experimenting (which people are afraid of) and making mistakes (which people are terrified of!). You need to put those emotions away and embrace experimenting and making mistakes. The materials cost for both is minimal. Have you ever thrown out a cake that flopped? What about a plant that died? 

It's kind of like going to university. I think university wasn't about learning facts. It was about learning skills. You learned how to research, write, manage your time, and many other things. YES -- you learned facts, but none of them are relevant today. But knowing how to research and write are lifelong skills. 

EXCEPT in the face of AI, those skills matter less. So why do we go to university? Personally, I think trade school is a far better choice, and while AI can assist in the trades, it cannot take over. Job security? I'd go with a trade! 

Imagine going to school and getting a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in marketing. Hmmm—where do you even begin to find a job? And the chances of you keeping that job are likely slim. So then you spend more time looking for another job. 

But let's say you go to school to become a plumber. You are always a plumber! You join the union, you apprentice, and then you are a plumber for life. It doesn't mean you are a big, uneducated oaf, which some people associate with tradespeople. These trade skills are changing because of technology, and the technology they deal with is often more sophisticated than what people who went to university use. 

Do NOT underestimate the power of the trades, nor their knowledge. They are smart—and they earn a very decent salary. If you have someone in your life looking for something in life -- encourage them to learn a trade! For the average person, which most of us are, they will be much better off. 

Office jobs are more likely to be taken over by AI, while trades will be assisted by AI but won't completely disappear. 

It's funny, I was talking to someone who has worked in logistics for many years, and they said that unloading a truck, sorting the packages, getting them on the beltways in the warehouse is NOT something that AI can do. I forgot to ask how big the crew was, but they have up to 30 trailers to unload in a night. Can you imagine? Those are 53-foot-long trailers, by the way! 

Yeah -- the day has come!!!! The Villager puzzle company, which seems to be pumping out puzzles faster than you can count, has released this new one. This puzzle will only be sold on the Villager website OR the gift shop on the BC Ferries. I am so tempted to take the ferry on my next trip just to buy the puzzle that way. I still have time to decide, and you know what? I may do that. It just takes a lot of time to take that darn ferry! 

Cynthia's latest puzzle with Villager

Even better news: this puzzle is artwork by Cynthia Frenette. Cynthia drew the puzzle for M's wedding. I love what she creates, and this puzzle is called Coastal Hiking. How cool is that? I swear - jigsaw puzzling is booming right now!! 

I spotted this a couple of days ago. While I consider myself lucky and have a lot of people around me that I trust, there are a few people in my circle that I do NOT trust. 

I don't need to reveal who they are, but I know who they are, and I take what they tell me with a grain of salt. What people don't realize is that if you think keeping your information "secret" is good, then you can think that. But other people know of your story, and that gets back to me! Don't worry—it doesn't involve anyone who reads my blog—well, maybe that person does! That would be hilarious! 

And information is golden! If something goes wrong, I go straight to the right people and let them know something awkward/bad happened, like the iron and Maureen. If that got back to my boss, she likely wouldn't care, but by letting her know immediately, no one can hold that over me!! And I think everyone had a laugh about it. I'm laughing about it - such a silly little detail, and I never thought of it! That's what bugs me more than Maureen outing me on it! 

Well, the laundry is done, my bags are packed, and I just have to finish off the blog and walk the girls, and then I'm off to Montreal for Salon Quebec. It is held in St. Hyacinthe, which is about 45 minutes east of Montreal, so if you are in the area, be sure to stop by our booth. And yes—I'll lift that silly suitcase carefully. I can lift - I just have to be careful. 

It's going to be a beautiful day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Let your gut instinct be your quilting teacher and don't forget to experiment!

Goals are such a wonderful thing or not! I'm using BMI as a relative indicator, rather than fixating on my weight. Let's just say that I want to convert some fat to muscle or lose it altogether. While I can use my waistband as an indicator, I prefer to use BMI. I like goal-setting and numbers. 

The big reason for this is the creep! You know— you know your weight was X ten years ago, and now it's X PLUS. I don't like the plus, but I also know that I might gain as I get older, but there's reason to! 

My annual creep is about 1.5 pounds over the last 7 years. Not a big deal, but imagine if I let that continue? I do NOT, so I'm taking charge! The bottom line is that we have to find something to guide us if we wish to go down that path! 

And I might add that I've seen some very healthy and fit "overweight" people! 

The good news for yesterday was that I got my sewing mojo back! Yeah! And I finished quilting a quilt, but you need to wait a couple of days before I can share it with you. 

I finally accomplished the three things on my priority list, and I've started a new list. Let's see how far I get today. But that visual "to-do" stares at me every day and dares me to let it go unnoticed. 

Not to worry, I'm working very hard on my goals, and well, I'll be able to share more after this weekend. 

I set up the old computer in the kitchen, where there is loads of clear space, and I deactivated EQ8. I was able to use my distribution lists, and all is good. Except that I need to get those lists on the new computer. Not my priority this weekend. 

The old computer in the kitchen

 Then I got out the EQ8 package to access my license and password, and reactivated it on the new computer. That was easy, since I knew exactly where the box with the information was, and it didn't take long. Yeah!!!! When one is organized, it can sure make life that much easier! I need to do more, but I'm already miles ahead of where I was, and I can't get lax now! I still have to download the Creativate Embroidery Software, but I think that's it. I have very simple needs, and NO files reside on my computer's hard drive. 

My EQ8 box

I managed to get a few more half-square triangles sewn and trimmed. 

More half-square triangles

I will say that making your space inviting to work makes it a whole lot easier to work there. Look at this tray of triangles. 

My tray of triangles

When it was a jumbled mess in a drawer, I never touched it, except to add to the mess. NOW? I keep that tray organized, and if I add to it, then I sort the triangles by color. Then I match up two sets and place them on the sewing machine. Then it's easy to sew and trim. And before I know it, I'll be digging out one of the boxes of triangles that I have stored away. We are not going there!!

Enders and leaders - ready to sew

This morning, I needed to find some yellow batik. Hmm -- I have two boxes and two baskets of batik fabric. I don't store these by color as I don't have space. But imagine that I found four or five choices in the top basket. It's obscene how much fabric is there, but it's also nice to find exactly what I want, when I want. OK - so that one looks green! 

The yellow batiks I found

And here's the basket they were sitting in. 

A basket of batiks

Here's something I promised a couple of days back, but I needed to find it. I often get asked about thread colors and thread weights. So what do I do? I experiment! I made these samples a while back. By the way, I had used these for a presentation, and they did NOT get put back in the correct spot. They were in the dumping ground that I call Studio U. They are NOW in the right place. They were all quilted on the long arm. 

On this sample, I used a regular weight (probably a 50-weight matte polyester thread) on the top that matches the fabric color. See how it all blends in, and you see the texture, but not really the stitching. 

Quilting thread matches the fabric

Now look at this one. I used the same thread weight but in a high-contrast color. It's pretty visible and that's the first thing you see - the stitching, which is probably not the most important thing on a quilt. 

High contrast thread

So let's suppose you have a quilt with light and dark elements. A light background, but black for some of the blocks. What color thread will you use so that it doesn't jar you when you look at it? If you choose a dark thread, it'll show like mad on the lighter bits and disappear into the dark fabric. The same if you choose a light thread, it'll show like mad on the darker bits, and disappear into the lighter fabric. 

What should you do? 

Well, look at this sample. This is quilted with the SAME color as the previous example. But what's the difference? 

Sample quilted with white thread

The difference? The thread weight!! Yes -- this is a 60-weight bobbin thread, and while visible, it's not in your face. Also, picking a medium neutral color - khaki, tan, taupe, beige, all work well and will blend into almost any color you have and allow you to see the quilt, not the quilting!!

I wrote an article about it in Issue 64 (The Texture Issue) of A Needle Pulling Thread. 

By the way, did you know that you can purchase individual patterns that I've written for the magazine? Yep --- check this link out. 

Oh dear—where are my pictures this morning? I sent them to myself a bit late, and they are taking forever to sync. Now what's going on? Well, obviously, the pictures came through - I don't know what happened, but when I went to move them to today's folder, which already had some images I hadn't used over the last couple of days, I proceeded to delete the entire folder. Sigh..............  I had highlighted the incorrect folder and selected DELETE. GONE - POOF - just like that! So, those pictures I hadn't used yet? They are gone! 

Poor Murphy - she is having lots of bad hair days! Look at the top of her head! 

Mom - I've got a fuzzy head! 

But then, she was outside in the wind, and everything was blowing like mad. She doesn't care! She's just like me!!!! She was pretty insistent when the wind blew the BBQ cover off. She wouldn't stop barking until I fixed it! Good girl Murphy!!!

MOM - I like the fresh breeze!

But the big question of the day is what is happening to Miss Lexi? While I doubt she will ever do the stairs, she is becoming much more curious about what's downstairs. Why? She'll stand at the top of the stairs and peer down, where, before, she wouldn't go near them. And she will stand in front of the dog bed in the front window, but have no interest in jumping up. Yesterday, I invited her to jump up, and she did! WAIT!!!!! Get the camera!!! So we had a little cuddle to show her it was OK to be there, and then she even stayed while I went to find my camera!

MOM -- Look, I'm up, and Murphy is down!

After yesterday's weather, our snow is almost gone, except for the piles at the bottom sides of the driveway. It was 15 degrees C at one point, very windy, and, let's say, one didn't need hats, mitts, or even jackets for walking! It's cooler today, but still above zero! What's this all about? It almost felt like spring. 

And here is the final post from this past week for QUILTsocial. Another small project that started with a button. I know I'm repeating what I said in the article, but I LOVE working on these small pieces. They can teach so much - let your hands do the work and let your brain take a rest. Make a background, and then play with anything on the quilt. Move things around - what do you like, what do you not like? How are you going to attach those items? What about color? We all have many doodads around the house that we can use to experiment with. 

The day I allowed myself to start these kinds of projects is the day I let my creativity out of the box and run wild. Yes, you can learn that from making a quilt, but it's much harder. I'm lazy and go for the small projects that let you learn quickly. And if you don't like something, guess what? You haven't wasted much time or fabric. 

So the next time you want to take a class to learn something new, why not let your hands and gut instinct be the teacher? If the project is hideous—oh, did I mention you need to check your ego outside your sewing space ?—then it's hideous. Who cares!!!! That's your opinion, but I bet someone else would love it!

Well, on that note, I'm fired up and have nothing on the agenda today but to work towards my sewing and embroidery goals! The presentations for tomorrow are mostly done - just waiting on any more pictures to add. They have until 6 AM tomorrow morning to send them to me. 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

You need space to bind a quilt

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The binding on the quilt

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

You need SPACE to bind a quilt

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

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

The quilting on my secret quilt

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

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

How do I find three numbers in this?

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

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

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

The Trendtex Challenge

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

A fabric ticket from years ago!

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

My irons and supplies

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

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

Generating steam!

There was a lot of junk in it. 

ICKY!!!!

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

Nice and shiny

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

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

Mending pants

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

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

This tree doesn't know it's fall

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

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

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

Endless grooming

And so the marathon starts. Actually, it starts tomorrow, and there won't be much of a break until October 9th. So, yep - one month of total chaos and running around like an idiot! But it's all going to be fun, and there are lots of different things happening, so stay tuned. 

As for the trip preparations that need to be done by tomorrow for my 7 AM flight? I made progress - perhaps not as much as I would have liked, but as I was working, I thought that if I finished all the samples I had started the day before, that was overkill. The other decision was how far along to take the step-outs. So, I made progress yesterday, and I have a plan for today, and I'm sure I will be good. 

I also made progress on the blog posts, although there is one small thing I would like to get done today. NO - I have yet to figure out where the dish of sequins got put, so I must open a new pack. DARN!!! 

The quilt is quilted and off the long arm! Because of the pattern, it was easy to babysit, and all was good. It's a gift for someone, so I'm only going to show you the edge, but it turned out better than I expected. I'll trim it and put the binding on on Thursday when I'm back because that has to be ready for another early morning flight on Friday. I told you it was a marathon!

The edge of the quilt was easy to babysit

I even put a few things away, but then I trimmed some parts of my project and undid all the tidiness! But that's OK - it's my space, and if it needs to be messy for a month, then it stays that way. It won't take long to tidy it up when I get to it. And there will be opportunities along the way - I'm not away for that entire time - just the days are filled with events. 

While babysitting the long arm, I didn't get much chance to do anything else, as the rows were short. But I got the sawtooth hanger on the picture. The nails were so tiny that I had to get my needle-nose pliers out to hold the nail to attach the hanger. I was going to hang it up, but DH was hanging out in the family room, and he asks way too many questions when I do stuff, so I'll do it another time. WAIT -- this picture is deceiving. The nail did go into the hanger! 

Using pliers to attach the nail

And this is the state of Lexi. This dog is impossible to groom. Let me rephrase that—she loves being groomed and will stand there for about ten minutes before she says, "Enough—we are in the forest, and there are smells!" So she's patient, and her standing there is not the problem. 

It's the amount of hair. Some days, I'm almost afraid to keep going because if I do get the loose hair off, there will just be a skinny, hairless dog left. OH -- no fear of that. 

This is both sides of her after I took three brushes of hair off one side only. Can you tell which side it came from? 

MOM - let's go!!!! 

And NO—she is NOT a two-colored dog—it was the lighting in the forest. It was the second picture, but it's barely noticeable. I'll keep brushing, and one day! She is also NOT a black dog—she's mottled. 

I must update you on the Bob, Sue, and King story. Remember? That is the lady who fell in the forest. I spotted Bob and King the other day and asked how Sue was. She had a hair fracture on her elbow! Yikes! I didn't stop to get too many details as we were across the street, and there was traffic. 

But then I ran into Bob and Sue with King yesterday morning. We were practically face-to-face before seeing each other, so Sue and I had a conversation. Yep—a hairline fracture in a cast, and her other hand was badly scraped. 

She said she was glad to see the city "fixed" the sides with dirt, but I don't see it making a big difference since the soil is soft. But she admitted she wasn't paying attention to where she was walking! I asked if they called the city, and they did not!

And so there's the update! 

Be sure to keep plugging away at your decluttering. Have you tackled any drawers in your sewing room? Those can be the worst! If you are still working on the drawers, it's the little junky things that are the hardest to deal with. You know what I mean - the free stuff, the swag from quilt shows, and the gadget you thought was a good idea. Be strong - leave them out so you can decide what to do with them, but not too long. And if you have to think for too long, there's a good chance it's junk and can be tossed into the garbage. 

If you are cleaning up because you have no choice (imminent move) or you get someone else to do the cleaning, you miss the exercise of learning how to prevent this from happening again. You NEED to appreciate all the junk you've collected over the years and realize how much you DID NOT need that stuff. Now you will think twice about collecting that kind of stuff again. 

But you got this! I know you do, and you will get there!!!! I'll be back at it in October, and I can visualize myself going through that massive amount of "important" paper that needs to be sorted. Once I start visualizing it, I know it's going to happen. Remember that chipping constantly is better than not touching it at all!

I'm off to spin class this morning, and I'd better get moving! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

This is how I roll..................

It was a totally crazy day. Not chaotic crazy, just lots to do in a very controlled way. The girls are LOVING the virtual challenge. They get to walk for miles every day. It doesn't mean they are better at walking on the leash (OK - maybe just a wee bit better), but they love being outside. So do I. Fresh air - every day for a couple of hours. No wonder I'm sleeping like a log. Just wait until summer - you'll never get me to stay inside.

We were off to the library and the grocery store which are NOT in the same direction. No worries - we got in lots of steps and it's kind of fun to do all those errands on foot. I LOVE my Longo's backpack. I'm sure, people give me crazy looks and DH even questions my sanity on that one, but seriously - why not? I'm at that age that I don't care!

However, I must have had bicycles on the brain yesterday as well. I did get my quilt quilted and this was the pattern.

You can't see the quilt - not yet. But then I had a dream about cycling down some crazy hill (most likely the Coquihalla Highway) in the pouring rain. Where did that thought come from???

When I wasn't walking, I was messing with the embroidery machine and the computer. I was proofreading some pattern instructions. As a result, I now have several journal covers. They aren't quite finished, but the instructions are proofed. I love proofing patterns - it's one of the ways that I learn so much. It can be a tough job as not everyone writes the same way so how much do you change in the pattern? Change the grammar? Change the style? Change just what doesn't make sense?

There are loads of people who are afraid to make comments or suggestions when they are asked to proofread instructions. Not me. I go through it with a fine-toothed comb. If it doesn't make sense to me, it won't make sense to someone else. I'm ruthless. I leave it up to the writer to make whatever changes they want, but I don't shy away from making suggestions.

Where or where do I get these ideas? Quilt Canada 2020 is coming up later this year. Actually, that would be June 17 - 20 in Edmonton. I'll be going and I'm trying to think of awesome new samples for the booth that uses the technology that we have available to us. So now I have a couple of new things to do! Oh boy!!!  Actually, I got some input from a colleague and now I'm going to sit down and think about what exactly I'd like to contribute and then get it on the list.

Speaking of Quilt Canada, the class registration is now open (for members) so if you're planning on going, it might be best to get yourself registered. If you're not a member and would like to take classes, registration starts February 3. Unfortunately, we won't be able to take classes as we're working the booth all day, every day. But that's OK. If you're coming to Quilt Canada, you must stop by the Husqvarna Viking and/or PFAFF booth to say hello.

Here's something that you can add to your list of things to do. Quilt Canada is having a postcard challenge. There are other challenges, but let's just focus on the postcard challenge for today.
This is the link to the instructions for the challenge. All the information you need is on that link. But here's the thing. Postcards are small. It's a great place to try out a new technique. It's a great place to get creative - they are only 4" by 6" so it won't take long to finish them either. There is a theme - Inspired by Nature, but that can mean ANYTHING!!!!

Here are a couple of postcards that I either made or received in various swaps over the years.

Postcard made by Mary VD

Hey Mary - do you remember making me that postcard???

Postcard made using a playing card

This is one that I made. I used a stamp, a metal charm, fabric and thread to make the card.

A postcard that I made

Here's a book that I keep some of my postcards in. It's exploding as some of those postcards are thick.

My postcard album

The postcards need to be received by May 1 so you need to get your act together. The postcards become the property of the Canadian Quilter's Association and will be auctioned off as a fundraiser for the Glenrose Paediatric Brain Injury Unit in Edmonton. So if you really, really like your postcard, make TWO. One to donate and one to keep.

What to do for the postcard? Think anything!  Try a mini collage. Try using up some of those scraps of fabric that you were saving for a crazy patch quilt. Make a tribute to someone by starting with an old photograph and adding bits of lace or buttons. Make it modern, try big stitching or Sashiko stitching. Or random embroidery seed stitch over a background of patches. Remember - the size - it's small - 4" by 6" or 6" by 4". I know that you can do that.

If you go to the bottom of the link above for the postcard information, there are some videos to perhaps tweak your inspiration.

It's open to anyone to donate a postcard. If you make one, send me a picture and I'd be happy to post it. I've got to put my thinking cap on and see what I can come up with. It's not for lack of supplies. Oh - I'm going to get out my supplies later today and we can chat a wee bit more about making the postcards.

I can't wait, but not until I get two quilts bound today and a bit more proofing, finishing off some projects. It was going to be a community project workday (just for me), but I have to postpone that until next week. I don't like doing that, but I don't have a choice. I seem to be moving in slow motion these days.

And I HAVE to get my seam finish samples done for tonight and let's not forget those darts! That shouldn't take too long, but well, we all know that everything takes longer than you plan.

Don't forget to check out QUILTsocial today!!!

On that note, Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

One more bites the dust

I didn't get nearly as much completed as I would have liked, but we had company for a good part of the day so it was all for a good reason!

I did manage to get that Redwork Embroidery UFO - DONE!!!  It's now sitting in the "to be quilted" pile and I'm thrilled to death about that. There remain three items on the 2017 list, five on the 2018 list, and nine still on the list for 2019. As I mentioned, I am being very optimistic and putting 12 new items on the list for 2020. I've scheduled THREE more days before the end of this year to work on those UFOs so I hope that those numbers will be even less by midnight on the 31st.

Don't look at it as 17 items still on the list. That's the pessimist who would do that. Look at it as there are TWENTY items (BIG UFOS) that are done!  That's HUGE.

The plan for next year is to SCHEDULE days to work on those things. The Task Master would list what I would like to get done each week, but if I don't schedule a time to work on them, it doesn't happen at my house. That's what I'm finding.

I had JUST enough of that red and white fabric for the backing. This is what was leftover. I had to put three seams in the backing - no big deal.

Leftover from making the backing for the redwork quilt

I also moved the long arm back into position and loaded the next project. It's thirty-two inches square so it didn't take long at all. I love to have those scraps of batting as I found a piece that was the perfect size for this.

Table topper - quilted

Then I quickly loaded the next quilt, which was one of the ones that I pulled out the previous day when I was looking for something in the "to be quilted" pile. I LOVE this quilt and I want to use it for my trunk shows. It meant that I had to dig through the "to be quilted" tubs and then leave a mess until I could get the quilt top back in the tubs. NOW - I don't have to worry about it. It goes in the finished quilt pile (s).

My quilt - quilted!

I pulled one more out that I'd like to get done before the next trunk show (end of January) so I'm going to try and get that quilted in the next couple of days. In the meantime, I loaded that giant quilt with the flying geese - remember - the ones that are no longer dimensional. That quilt is 90 by 100 or something like that. It'll take a while, but I want it done. Remember - PROCRASTINATION doesn't exist in this house. You want it done - get it done NOW.

I took these next pictures a while back and just haven't had time to share them with you. We have no grass in our backyard, and I like to dress up the fence with backyard art. As I've been cleaning, I've found a few things that I bought that had never got hung up. Well - I think that everything that needs to be hung up is now hung up.

In particular, I wanted to share these barn quilts with you. Obviously, we don't have a barn in our backyard and not enough space to put one either. BUT we have these smaller versions. They are ADORABLE. This first one is on my side gate. You can see it when you drive up to the house. I LOVE it. They are made to be weatherproof in our Canadian winters and we'll see how it stands up.

Yard quilt hanging on the gate

I can't remember how I came across this company. OH - I think it was on Instagram. Anyway, when we were in Saskatoon, we had a chance to visit with Brenda in person. I ordered my blocks and they sat in the basement for a while.

To hang the second one - oh yes - you can't just buy one! I had to move some art to the side fence. Of course, Miss Murphy just has to be in the picture. I swear that dog wants to be the center of attention ALL the time.

The side fence with one piece of art

Shoot - these pictures are so small. Anyway, here's one side of the back of the yard. I think there are four big flowers along there. That last one was sitting in the garage forever and when I was cleaning earlier this year, it got hung up! I don't care if it fades. I'm using it and enjoying it! I'm calling this installation my flower garden!

The backyard art

Here's a wider angle of the flowers.

The backyard fence

Here's what the other side looks like.

The other side of the backyard fence

Wait!! What's that? Another quilt block?

The quilt block

Yep - this is the second one that I bought. It was hard to choose so I went with the bright one on black. I love the contrast and this is a color scheme that I would use. I love how it pops.

The quilt block on the fence

 Where can you get these? Check out Quilt Designs in the Yard. 

I have one more piece that I've added since these pictures were taken and I have ONE piece that needs a repair job. It's metal and I don't think I can glue it. Anyone have a soldering gun? Shelly???  I'm sure she has a soldering gun. And I need a rivet in my wallet. Shelly - I'm coming for a visit.

So I'm learning all about candles as well. I found this poor candle when I was tidying up the other day. It looks very sad and it leaked wax all over the table and floor when I lit it. That meant a trip to the dollar store to find a sturdy glass container to put it in to contain the overflow of wax. However, after I cleaned up the wick - do you see how messy that wick is? The wax no longer flowed over.

Let that be a lesson to you - you MUST take care of your candles and the wicks. If you don't, well - it can get messy. It doesn't matter - getting that dish was an excuse for a walk and it looks pretty as well. I have NOTHING extra in my house that I could have used. I can just see Ronda rolling her eyes as she sees what this wick looked like before I cleaned it up.

A candle in desperate need of attention

I also found this small tin. It must have gotten wet when we had the water leak. I opened the tin and found these little treasures. Why there was a bobbin for the long arm in there - I've no idea. But I took all the thread off the bobbin and used it yesterday. It worked just fine.

Rusted stuff from the water leak

I don't really care about the safety pins, but I like those little folding scissors. I wonder how one gets rid of rust?

Neat folding scissors

In case you're wondering, the list of classes is ALMOST ready to post. I had to check out some information yesterday and I got all the answers. So I'm hoping to work on that right after our morning walk. If all goes well - it'll be posted by noon.

By the way, did you think about what I said yesterday? Making a list of the things that you do well that you want to continue? Get it written out! Then think of ONE thing and one thing only that you'd like to change for next year. You can't say something like, I want to eat healthier. What does that mean? You have to be very specific about any goal. You might start out by saying that I will eat red meat once a week. I'll eat chocolate every day (I do - well most days), but only 2 squares or whatever amount you set for yourself. But make the changes realistic and make them easy to achieve - well somewhat easy and remember NOTHING will change unless you want it to. No one else will take responsibility for your life - be that your physical or mental well being. If you don't want to change, you won't change.

On that note, I'm out of here!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!