The gamble paid off!

I received a very exciting text and email early this morning. I only saw them while making my breakfast, and I rarely looked at my phone until 9 a.m. However, I'm UPGRADED to business class for my trip! At least the way there—I still don't have a ticket home yet. Yeah, the flight is late at night, and I get a flatbed. Life is good! Now, what will I do with the $1,200 I saved? 

I finished the binding on the 10th donation quilt. Yeah! That goal is done. 

The last binding is on!!!

All ten quilts are now in the Pony Express staging area, and arrangements for a drop-off have been made. There is one last item that I need to get ready: the books for donating to the book sale. The drop-off is on Tuesday, so I still have a day or two. 

The Pony Express staging area

Yeah -- this is a great system, and we've done very well as we learn to make it work! There's so much coming and going at my house that I needed an area, and this works like a charm. Lexi is happy to donate the top of her kennel to the cause. And she gets a few treats because she's such a good girl!

I was sorting a bucket of paper yesterday and came across this book. Oh yes -- this is one of the BEST half-square triangle books around. It's OLD - published in 1995 or something like that. I'm putting it with my buckets of trimmed HSTs so when I want some ideas for patterns, I won't have to look far! I swear that the older books are the best! 

A book on half-square triangles

I have figured out why I've been tired lately. I'm pushing the envelope as to when I go to bed. I need eight hours of sleep, and I haven't been getting that much, so of course, I'm tired! I had a nice nap in the gazebo yesterday, and it was glorious! The surroundings, the waterfall, the gentle breeze—you can't beat that! And for being in the city, it's pretty darn quiet! 

The view from the gazebo

Then, it was time for another task. I finally brought all the components for this shelf upstairs from the garage, where it's been sitting in pieces for a couple of months. Well, maybe not quite that long, but it's been a while. The shelf is 48" wide by 18" deep and if you have ever put one of these together, it's a two-person job. However, I did it myself. 

My unassembled shelf

Let's say there were a few "moments," like when half of one clip flew off the shelf and over the railing or the shelf got askew and was now jammed in place. The lower shelves are the hardest, and it gets easier as you get closer to the top. 

The bottom shelf in place

But soon enough, the shelf unit was assembled. And the BEST news? It fits through the doorway. I didn't think it would, but that was a super bonus. It's on wheels, so I can move it wherever needed!

The shelf fits through the doorway

Now, what's going on the shelf? You have to wait and see. I started, but I didn't finish yesterday. 

I got a lot of paperwork done in the morning, so that was good. There are still a few emails to write, and I should have just enough time to do that. Can you believe that I'm actually excited about doing paperwork now? Exciting might be too strong, but I don't resent it like I used to. 

We had a Virtual Retreat last night. What the heck was I going to work on? I decided I better get to work on my UFO. It's not due until September, but we all know that time flies!!!

I managed to finish the stitching around the bear. There are a lot of bumps on its perimeter! 

The applique bear

Here's a close-up of the stitching. I used my double blanket stitch, which I love, but it takes a bit more thought to avoid messing up the stitching. It wasn't a good thing to do while talking, but it looks just fine. 

Detail of the stitching

Then the question was - do I keep working on the one wall hanging, or go to the other one and do the same thing on it. Since my thread was chosen, I decided to go for the second bear. So it's also done. If you don't believe me, look at the purple paw prints - they are different!!!! 

The second bear applique

Of course, I had a helper. I discovered a huge hunk of Murphy's hair by my foot pedal. I probably dislodged it as I tried to sew, and she was trying to lick my feet. That dog has a thing for feet. 

A clump of Murphy's hair

Without having a quilt to load or prep for the long arm, I need something to do! So I have a project for the digital cutter and I  managed to cut out two blocks this morning. 

Cutting applique shapes with the digital cutter

Cutting out the shapes is as easy as pie if the SVG files already exist. I could do it blindfolded - well, maybe not, since having the fabric in the correct position is essential. You have to love the scanner to make that happen. I would like to get the remaining nine blocks cut, so let's see what happens. I also have a LOT of applique on those two quilt tops, and I said I would have them both done for the next UFO session. Hmm - I might have to rethink that! 

Let's hope that today will be as good a day as yesterday. Well, technically, the upgrade news came today. 

Someone asked where I'm starting this year. For the past two years, I've flown to Paris and taken the train to Saint Jean Pied de Porte, near the French/Spanish border. Let's just say that this year, that is not happening. I cannot imagine flying into Paris at this time. The security and whatnot would be insane. So I'm not flying to Paris! Hence, I'm starting somewhere else; you'll just have to wait to see where! It won't be long now! 

On that note, I should make a list of everything that needs to be done so I don't forget anything. I sort of have a list, but I might be missing a couple of things. I just remembered two things that need to be added. 

I've been walking up a storm, and my new daily required average is 12.5 km, down from 12.7 on July 17. That is great news. Yep, I continue to walk in the afternoon even if it's hot. Did you know that a wide-brimmed hat can make you feel cooler? Yes, it keeps the sun off your face and neck, so you can actually see instead of squinting. I used to think hats were overrated, but now I wish I had started wearing one sooner! 

If you didn't spot it yesterday, I put out the list of what I'm teaching in the fall. You must wait for the stores to put out their lists, and that's OK. You at least know of one project. My little experiment worked, but I had to open Outlook to trigger the rule that sends the acknowledgment. I hope that opening Outlook on my phone will trigger the rule. Oh - you'll get an acknowledgment when I'm back and open my desktop version. Outlook works in mysterious ways. 

Remember, we have a Virtual Retreat today starting at Noon. 

Here is the link. 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82983517671?pwd=ODdsa1FJenQwdFNaQWFTNGd4bEhPZz09

Meeting ID: 829 8351 7671
Passcode: 117636

See you there!!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Misses at the thrift store!

Oh my goodness --- I guess I'm not alone in getting mail for the previous owners of our houses. What surprises me is how much of this stuff there is around and what that is costing the world in general. In terms of postage, paper, and resources, it's insane. There must be a way for these companies to write a small program and run it annually to find mailings to the same address with different names. A quick follow-up would eliminate the duplication. I may never get it resolved. And YES - years ago, I sent the letters back, with MOVED. To no avail! 

As for that thread? Even when it was brand new, I could NOT use it without the thread shredding. I bought three huge spools before I realized I had an issue. I've tried it on the long arm, the embroidery machine, and regular sewing. The problem was the size of the needle. Once I went to a size 16 needle, the thread worked like a charm, and hasn't broken once. (Knock on wood!) I started this project for QUILTsocial and ran out of time to get it done that week. QUILTsocial and ran out of time to get it done that week. 

Eight-inch quilt block

It's not easy to see on this quilt block, but it's variegated in primary colors, and I love it! Now that I have that issue resolved, I'm making significant progress on finishing this quilt. And I'm playing with machine embroidery software (mySewnet) to "design" new quilt patterns. It's so simple to do that by clicking a few buttons. I should have done 30 different patterns, but I did 5 blocks in each of the 6 patterns. I have 7 blocks left to quilt, and I see no reason why I shouldn't be able to quickly finish. I lacked time to create 30 different patterns, so I only made 6. 

Even though the quilt is small, it's bulky, so I'm being very careful to prevent it from falling off the table. A good part of it is resting on the chair, and I really should move the machine over a bit to have more space on the left to support the quilt. But progress is being made, and I'm very happy with the results. The back feels soft and looks fantastic!

Quilting with the embroidery machine

Wait -- I should clarify that. I see many places where improvement is needed, but since this is the first time I'm doing this, I fully expect there will be a few issues. I'm learning!!! I want to do another one, and this time, I'll do a separate pattern in each block, and hopefully, all the issues will be worked out! 

My score for yesterday on the to-do list was 4 of 10 items completed. Actually, I faired a bit better than that as I'm waiting on a response for two of the items. I'm not adding anything to the list until those are taken care of, as I have some travel coming up, and I'm off to teach in person this afternoon. 

However, I did accomplish something that took over two hours! I found another wire shelf—one that was the size I wanted. Although it's a bit taller than I wanted, I can live with that, as it has an extra shelf. So I had to find a van to rent and then pick it up. I tell you—renting a van from the lumber companies (Rona, Home Depot) is becoming a challenge. The demand has increased significantly because they are cheaper than renting a U-Haul. 

I arrived at the warehouse to pick up the shelving, which a nice lady wheeled across the loading dock area. There are so many of these shelves for sale. 

I paid $100 for this with six shelves, including wheels. A new one would cost at least $500, and the rental van was $32. So I'm happy to have "wasted" two hours getting it. I think this is the LAST organization tool I need to get things in order. 

My new shelf

I think I might be able to use a rubber mallet to take this one apart. The shelves are sitting on those black clips, unlike the other one I bought, which had some sort of rubbery thing. These shelves should pop off. 

So, if anyone in my area wants shelving, this particular warehouse (in Oakville) has more for sale. She wanted to know if I only wanted one! I found these shelves on Facebook Marketplace. I got a note from the other person with a new shelf. I didn't even respond. They were so rude! 

This next picture was again a reminder to tell you a story. I'm walking on the sidewalk beside a multi-use path, which is used by cyclists, walkers, skateboarders, e-bikes, etc. That street is a very busy street, being one of the main exits off the highway, and it was rush hour. 

The multi-purpose path beside the main street

So, can you tell me why a cyclist was riding his bicycle in the street? This path goes all the way to the next highway. Cyclists like him give a bad name to the cycling world. And no -- it was not a road rider, it was some casual guy. I was so stunned that I didn't yell at him, but I wish I had! If I were a car, I'd be honking my horn -- what he was doing was adding to an already congested morning and potentially dangerous situation when there was no need for either. Just stupidity on the part of the cyclist. 

Speaking of waste, I stopped by Harvey's to grab a very late lunch after I retrieved my car and was on my way home. At the window, I was asked if I needed ketchup in the bag. No, thank you. I can only imagine what I would have gotten if I had said yes. Who eats this stuff? It's so gross! Sorry to all the ketchup lovers out there. 

I said NO!

There's a thrift store near where I rented the van, so I threw the ironing board and that box into the car and dropped it off. I got my 20% coupon, so I stopped in to buy a few things on my walk. SOMEONE in my neighborhood likes the same things as I do. I spotted a bunch of Quilter's Newsletters magazines the other day. I took a picture so I could check to see if I had those issues or not. I'm not blindly buying them. 

I forgot to check and it wasn't long before those magazines were gone. I stop by the thrift store about once a week. 

Last weekend, I spotted a tablecloth that I wanted, so I went on the day that bedding and lines were 30% off (the day after I spotted the tablecloth). When I got there in the afternoon, the tablecloth was gone!! 

So it wasn't surprising yesterday when I went to use my 20% coupon to pick up three puzzles. I know—I shouldn't—but these are ones of Canadian cities. There were three, but when I got there yesterday, only one remained, and it was tucked away in a corner on the bottom shelf, so they must have missed it! It was only 500 pieces, but I bought it anyway. 

Banff jigsaw puzzle

I'm not familiar with this puzzle brand, but they have some amazing puzzles. There's an entire series of cities and parks, both Canadian and US. I'm "collecting" the Canadian cities. I actually have a puzzle sitting out that I want to start. 

Check out this link to see the others - they are very cool. Check out this link to see the others - they are very cool. And next time I see another Canadian city, I won't cheap out and I'll buy it immediately. 

I got a kick from this plate I spotted in the collector's section. That is the Montrose Covered Bridge near Guelph. I hosted a car rally for some quilting friends many years ago, and this was one of the spots—and one of the more memorable spots as well! I'll have to tell you the story one day. 

The Montrose Covered Bridge

And I managed to get another quilt quilted. I had JUST enough backing again for this one, so it needed some babysitting. But all was good. I've got a bit of trimming and binding to get done. Perhaps later today. 

A community projects quilt - DONE

I have three things I MUST complete before I leave on Tuesday, and one thing I'd like to do, so wish me luck in achieving those. I've made good progress on the items. I'm more or less in the final assembly stages, but I haven't started on the one item! 

I have a small quilt on the machine today—it's one of mine. For whatever reason, it seemed that long ago, I would make TWO of the same thing. One was probably made as a sample, and the other was used to show how to put it together. So it's a great opportunity to quilt them differently to show how they look. I'm going for the quick pantograph quilting today, and when I'm back, I'm going to custom quilt the second one. 

There are just over 4 1/2 hours left in this Harry Potter novel. ACK --- I won't be able to listen much today, but I should be able to finish tomorrow after my class. 

Well, that's it for today. I've got to complete my UFO homework for tomorrow. I'm tired of working on these two quilts (yes -- two identical quilts!), and if I want to move on to something else, I need to finish the tops. I'm positioning applique shapes and fusing. How hard can that be? I was at it for an hour this morning and made some progress, but I'm nowhere near done! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!