Prepping the film studio

 Wow, someone mentioned another brand of socks, and they can make the left and the right in different weaves! I'm off to spin class this morning, so no time to post the link. I should do a recap of socks, but if you are willing to buy quality that lasts, there are many brands. There will be no more cheap brands in the future. 

Speaking of cheap, I didn't pay a lot for that extra camcorder, and it shows! But since I have two other pretty decent ones, I set the new one where I need it the least. I'm tempted to buy the new one, but it's so expensive, and I won't use it much. So—just say no!!

I purchased something the other day, and when I arrived home from my walk, the box was on the front step. Yes - as you can see, I purchased it from my favorite online store. I needed it TODAY, and since it's a bit of a specialty item, I decided to bite the bullet and buy it. 

My package arrived

I took it downstairs and opened the box. Good grief—another box. Why could they not have put a shipping label on the original box and called it a day? Oh, because the original box wasn't a standard size for them, and it would likely have caused all kinds of issues in the automated system to get it from the shelf to the truck. Sigh.

A box within a box

I opened the second box, and with some assembly required, it was together. 

A saddle chair

It's a saddle stool with an optional back, but I didn't have a chance to track down a wrench to make that happen. Perhaps there was one in the box? I don't remember seeing one.

Why did I need this? I've been wanting one for at least a year. When I do my live presentations (not a PowerPoint), I use multiple cameras in multiple locations in my film area. There's NO room for a bulky chair, so I've been using a couple of small orange stools, which are challenging because you physically have to move them. I've only fallen off once and whacked my head on the table, but that was during a virtual retreat, so no big deal. 

This small stool will allow me to scoot from table to table easily and quickly. The base isn't huge, so I must be careful not to tip it over, but I can grab any table and use that to assist in the scooting. I tried it yesterday, and it works like a charm. I should have purchased one long before now. 

It took almost all day to get things set up the way I wanted. I did not want to buy any new cables, and I managed to connect all the cameras to the switch box and to power without doing that! The main table is clear, and the samples are piled on the small orange stools under the table, so all is good. 

The film studio is set up for today

I still have a couple of samples to make this morning, and all will be good to go. 

I went for a manicure yesterday. That was an experience. I went to one of the nail places that seem to be a dime a dozen. I didn't have an appointment, but they could take me immediately. The place was pretty busy, and the staff spoke very little English, if any at all. But I got what I wanted - clear polish and nails cleaned up! I should go more regularly to keep the nails neat and tidy since it's not something I like to do myself. Yes - I walked there! 

Did I mention that Miss Muprhy was there helping me? I put this tablecloth on the table, and she just lay there with it covering her face! What a goof!!!

MOM - I can't see! 

I completed some paperwork in the morning, but there is still more to do. After this Facebook Live today, my focus turns to Quilt Canada and anything that needs to be done for that. But I laughed when I walked into the office this morning. This corner looks like a tornado went through. Drawers are open, paper is on the floor (there is only one, so that's good), and the desktop? It's a total disaster! 

My office this morning

At one point, I was looking for a ruler. I couldn't find one in the drawer, although I swear it's there, tucked along the edge. I was about to walk downstairs and get one, and then I glanced at my mouse pad. Good grief—it has an amazing ruler in metric and imperial. Perfect—I measured what I needed, and all was good. That's one of those examples of not seeing the forest for the trees! 

Measuring tools on my mouse pad

A while back, we got some landscaping done in the backyard - just replacing some dying shrubs. We also got a new tap for the water and a new hose reel. It's pretty spiffy, but there is one slight problem. I can't hear the water rushing through the pipe where the tap is located to remind me that it's on! The pond needed topping up, and I turned the water on and then forgot about it. An hour later, I remembered. Thankfully, the pond was relatively low, and all was good. I had tried to set Alexa to set a timer (the ONLY reason we have one in the kitchen), and she didn't understand me as the kettle was boiling. 

The new hose reel

Does anyone use Alexa anymore? It was such a rage when it came out, and I used it for the radio and a couple of other things - answering questions just for fun. The radio sucked and kept cutting out, so I use an app on my phone now, which is so much more stable. And well, Alexa is now used as a timer in our house, and that's it! 

This was my quote from yesterday's tea bag. Am I the only one who saves my tea bag to make more than one cup of tea? I doubt that. I can't tell the difference between the first and second cups. 

A great quote

I love this quote. Yes, we must love and respect who we are today, but I don't want to be the same person tomorrow. I want to learn, grow, and experience life each and every day, which will change me in some small fashion. 

And Miss Muprhy is standing guard at the pond while it is filling up! She is so annoying when I try to relax in the backyard that I've had to come into the house just to escape her nonsense! The barking for attention wears thin after a while. 

Mom - I'm trying to help!

And there she is with her friend, Lulu! She has reached the point where she can meet this dog without barking her head off. Not a peep from her yesterday. I feel bad for Lulu, as her dog parents don't realize how dogs play. They dress her up in ridiculous outfits when it rains. She always had gunk on her nose—stuff that they must put there. And she's always super happy to see me for some love! They take very good care of her - she's meticulously groomed, unlike Murphy, and goes for many walks during the day, but she's treated like a baby! 

Lulu and Murphy

I've been reading this book, which is set in England (Slow Horses by Mick Herron), and I've found it challenging to read. The book's writing makes it hard to understand, the plot just bounced around with no plan, but I persevered, and now I have 9 hours left and 75 pages to go. How will I manage that when I have samples to make? OH - I'll read while they are stitching out. I'll read during breakfast and lunch, and hopefully, I can finish in nine hours. I'm so close, I'd hate to have that ebook disappear right at the end! 

If you want to watch the Facebook Live, it's at 3:00 EDT TODAY. Here's the link to get connected. It's all about decorative stitches in embroidery, but even if you do not have an embroidery machine, I'll be chatting about decorative stitches in sewing mode to get started! There will be lots of fun and hopefully inspiring ideas for you to see. You'll have to copy and paste that—I can't seem to make it live. 

https://www.facebook.com/events/1228663985563387

On that note, I'd better get myself organized for spin class. 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

Do you sew?

And just like that - the quiet and calm is shattered in a million pieces, just like my patio tabletop!

I was doing so well until I received two emails announcing two short (2-hour) events near me. With travel time, each event will consume a lot more time. I don't need to attend these events, but I want to. OH—and they are both this week when I'm supposed to be prepping for a couple of events and my blog posts. 

I signed up for both events, meaning I will have to forego the leisurely tea on the front patio, work late to catch up, and probably only two quilts will get done this week. Technically, only one has a deadline, but the community project quilt is already loaded, and I will only take that off the long arm when it's quilted. 

Don't worry. I have time, but it will make things a bit tight. It's nothing I can't handle. And those deadlines can't be pushed. I have to be on a plane next week. 

Thank goodness I decided to set the Cabin in the Woods applique aside for a bit; otherwise, I would have no choice this week. The break is good anyway, and the project is NOT forgotten!

I made excellent progress on one of the projects and the blog posts yesterday. It was a slow and methodical day. It was an audiobook day, although I didn't finish it. I'm not sure why some days I work better with an audiobook and others without. I rarely have the radio on any longer. I used to use Alexa to listen to the radio, but that doesn't work well at my house. The connection keeps cutting out, and it's very frustrating, so I end up yelling at Alexa to play the radio. I finally gave up. 

Now I use my external speaker (I love my SONOS Roam) and the app on my phone, which also works through the internet when I'm in the house, but it never cuts out. Can you tell me why? 

I now have three Alexa Dots in the house that we don't use, so if anyone is interested in an Alexa Dot, they are up for grabs. I'll never use them, and they are collecting dust. Some people love them, but me? Not so much. I really don't have things for her to do, but she does a lot! We have one in the kitchen, and DH uses it as a timer. That's the extent of Alexa's usefulness for us. 

I broke down and bought this book the other day. I've wanted the book for quite some time, and I ordered it on my birthday, which arrived yesterday. I'm sure it's a very interesting story, as she accomplished much in her lifetime, wrote a ton of books, and filmed countless hours of TV. 

New book to read

How is the decluttering coming along? I may have to set it aside for the moment with the extra time those events will consume. I'll attend one of the events today and share it with you tomorrow. It's so easy to grab a drawer or a shelf and just look at what's on it. What's amazing is how the little things - mostly things we do not know what to do with, get tossed aside and become clutter. That's the hardest for me. The pioneer spirit in me wants to make use of everything, and that's not possible. So, it's OK to throw something out if it can't be used, but try to find the proper place for what you are tossing. Recycling, can someone else use it, electronic waste, and finally, the landfill if no other place. 

Better yet -- STOP accumulating those junky little things. I think the worst thing is the marketing crap that stores and events hand out. You know -- the FREE stuff that we COVET, as if these things were gold. Why? I've no idea. But swag bags at events are one of the worst. Going to a trade show (quilt show) and picking up all the crap with a name on it. In all the stuff I'm in the process of decluttering in the office, there's a lot of swag stuff, and don't get me started on quilting swag. Most of what is in those bags is garbage or stuff that you'll never use. Save the planet and just say NO. 

Don't start with how many people on social media will offer giveaways. Most of what's in the giveaway is something that you will never use; you have to tag your friends to quality (please do NOT tag me - I hate that, and it's very intrusive and rude), and the person giving the item away is just trying to increase their reach. Just say NO!!!! 

We must learn to get over the "it's free or on sale or cheap" mentality because we're just going to end up having to get rid of it later. Gift baskets are another clutter accumulator!! Or gifts, period—just don't bother giving a gift if you don't know what to buy someone. It's just clutter and often ends up being regifted or thrown out. Find a better way (gift card to their favorite store or NO gift) - maybe write them a letter or send a card, but don't waste your money on something just because it's the "right" thing to do. 

Wow -- where did that come from? 

I'm learning so much in the decluttering process. One thing I've learned is to NEVER save the good stuff. There is no reason to save it; use it now, or that special day may never come. That special day may come, but you won't be around for it! 

That's like my two bone-china teacups. I purchased them many years ago, and they were still in their boxes in the cupboard. They were expensive, and well, I was saving them. Then, a number of years ago, when I was decluttering the cup section of the cupboards, I happened upon them and decided to use them. I use one or the other every day—well, every day I have tea at home, which is most days. 

One of my SPECIAL tea cups

I bet they weren't meant to go in the dishwasher, but I put them in. If the paint fades, then that's the patina of that cup. I'd rather drink from a faded, well-used, and loved cup every day than die with a brand-new cup in a box in the cupboard. Thankfully, we have no china or silverware to deal with in our house. We have some crystal, and I'm tempted to get on DH's case and get rid of what's there. There's not much, but we don't use most of it. It's all wine glasses. 

But use the good stuff—put those gold-rimmed dishes in the dishwasher—wear the gold off. Who cares? You can't sell the stuff, so you might as well enjoy it. Get out the new sheets or towels or whatever else you are saving. Stop saving it and use it or give it away. 

I walk past Tim's almost every day, and there are days when I think I deserve a treat because you can't just buy tea; you must also buy a cookie. Then, I tell myself that I do not need that treat. I have healthy snacks in the house, and I'm saving money. Yes, I pick up Tim's from time to time if I'm on the road, but it's not something I need every day. 

So the other day, when I was at the drugstore, I spotted the brand of tea I like (Yogi), and they had two different flavors, so I decided to buy them. I looked at the price - $7.99 for 16 bags. I thought it was a bit expensive, but then I got to thinking. If I had bought tea - that would have cost almost $2.00. The Yogi tea costs 50 cents. OK -- looking at it that way, the tea I buy is cheap!!

I also get a nice quote on each teabag. I wish they were not individually wrapped, but I guess that keeps them fresh. The sachet can be recycled, and with my china cup, there is NO waste. 

The quote from the Yogi teabag

It really is how you look at anything. Expensive or cheap, it needs to be used. Nothing is sacred at my house any longer. I am happy to use everything and anything. Sometimes, it takes a minute for me to remember that, and then I use it!!! 

Speaking of tea, this is the face that I see when I'm sitting outside. She stays there for a while and then leaves. I've brought her out a couple of times (on her leash), but then she gets bored and wants back in the house. She can stay in the house by herself for an hour!

MOM -- can I come out to play?

I had a thread emergency and needed to go to Fabricland for thread and more zippers. As I was browsing the notions wall (just looking and taking two pictures), a lady was browsing the needles and asked me, "Do you sew?" LOL --- she had a question about needles and which one to buy, so she got a mini-lecture in the store about needles. It was her lucky day. I hope it worked out for her! I ONLY bought what I went for, despite looking at other things. 

Back to the EXIT game last night. Oh boy—we were stumped on one puzzle, and despite our mutterings out loud and the "discussion" about what we were really saying, we figured out the clue. But not before we had to peek at the first clue (there are three per puzzle). And it was DH's eagle eyes who spotted it. I can barely see it with my glasses on. 

But do you see something written on these? They are small - about the size of a thumbnail. 

Pieces for the EXIT game

These puzzles are going to drive us to drink! But they're so much fun. We're almost done with this one—it's one of the games, not the Advent Calendar, so there are ten puzzles in each box. Well, I've got more! And there are many more that we still need to purchase - but we are using them! 

On that note, I'm off to spin class. And then the merry-go-round starts, and it won't stop until the middle of October! Yeah!!! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

The mystery is solved!

I see Torry is ripping through the fifth book of The Seven Sisters series while I'm still on number three. OK -- so neither of us really liked one of the sisters, but perhaps she will grow on us. I was surprised this morning to see that I'm almost 50% through the third one, and the historical fiction part and the character-building just pull you in. Yep -- they are romantic, no doubt about it, and that's OK. It's very healthy to read outside your usual genre. 

And here's some GOOD news. I just checked, and the FINAL book will be released on May 11, 2023. Lucida Riley died in 2021 before she could finish the final book about the father, but her son took over, and the book is done! The theory of the secret driving force behind the series has been in all the books? OK -- I need to put my puzzle-solving hat on for that one. I couldn't put the new book on hold at the library, so it's yet to be available for ordering, and I imagine there'll be a long wait for it. I still have FOUR books to read! 

I can see where book three is going, but I'll just have to wait and see how right I am!

So to keep up with my goals, I got the binding on TWO quilts yesterday. This first one is my quilt - The Among the Stars Again. 

The binding on one of my quilts

The second one is a quilt for Quilts of Valour. Yeah! That leaves ONE more for Quilts of Valour to bind. I'd need to make arrangements for the huge stack to be delivered. I want them out of the house by the end of the year!

The binding on a Quilts of Valour quilt

And the stack is getting smaller by the day! It will be a super exciting day when that entire table is clear! But that will only happen after the end of the year as there are some sleeves to make, and well -- that will take some time. But it's all progress. 

The pile of quilts to finish gets smaller

Here's a bit of a shock! I mentioned on my blog that I wanted to teach a class called The Barn Star Sampler. 

Barn Star Sampler book

 It looks like an amazing and fun quilt, and I know several of you have already purchased the book. Just before Christmas, I was told we couldn't proceed with the class because the book was SOLD OUT. Seriously?? How can a book that is released in August be sold out? Well, we now have the answer. The book was published by Martingale, who I'm sure many of you are familiar with, as they have been a dominant force in the quilt book publishing industry for 40+ years. Well, guess what? They are closing! Yep --- mid-2023! 

The publisher did two short runs of that book, and both sold out, and they decided not to tempt fate and run a third printing due to money issues. HOLY!!!!

If enough people are interested, we can TRY to find time to make this quilt. The book will be available soon directly from the author. 

All industries are changing rapidly, and who knows what 2023 will bring. If anyone is interested in this quilt or bought the book after my initial announcement, send me an email so I can see the interest. elaineteheriault@gmail.com.

OK -- so I will have to start shopping in disguise. I went to the drugstore yesterday to buy some hard candies for my throat after I decimated the box of lozenges. Besides, Werther's taste is way better than those lozenges! Many of you know that David's Tea stores closed during the pandemic. Well, this is the first time I have noticed this, but there is a mini David's Tea in the Rexall drug stores. They even sell empty tea bags if you have loose tea! I was wondering where to buy them!

Mini David's Tea

So while I was taking this picture and studying the offerings, an employee sauntered past me, and she wasn't stocking the shelves! I'm in my bright orange coat, red scarf, and hat. Hardly trying to be incognito! So that was a good find, and I bought some tea to try - a nutty tea. I also snagged some honey as per my nurse friend Diane, who says it's good for a dry and raspy throat. 

It was another 16+ KM day yesterday, and the weather is still somewhat nasty. Well, it's not bad, but it's below zero, and we still have wind, although it is way warmer than it was a couple of days ago. However, it keeps getting warmer each day, and starting tomorrow, we're supposed to have an entire week with NO temperatures below zero. Now that is just weird! I should have no problem getting my last 94.2 KM before the end of the year!

It was time to tackle those puzzles within the jigsaw puzzle. I managed to identify all eight puzzles without too much difficulty. Then it was time to get some paper and a pen to solve them. Many didn't need paper -- just some thought. 

Solving puzzles

And I ended up with seven answers corresponding to some specific border pieces. I couldn't figure out the answer to the final puzzles and looked up a support page on the internet. I went through all the puzzles to ensure that my logic was correct, and yes, it was for all seven. When I looked at the first clue for the 8th answer, I went, OH!! I should have figured that out. It wasn't hard, but it was unusual. Next time, QUESTION everything. 

The answers correspond to specific border pieces

Then it was time to find the FINAL solution to the mystery. OK -- so my theory didn't work, and I ended up guessing. Then I looked at the final clue. OK -- so I get where they were going with it, and I suppose I should have questioned one of the positions of the eight puzzle pieces that would have proved my theory wrong, but seriously -- I thought their solution was a bit lame. They could have made it much more interesting, which is what I thought it should have been. I'm way ahead of my time! 

I bought one of these puzzles myself when I was at the puzzle store, and I wonder how different each one is from the other? Once you understand how to find the puzzles, once the jigsaw is together, that shouldn't be hard, and the eight puzzles were relatively evident in this one. They have 6 or 8 puzzles in each, and that final answer. Will it be the same process? I can't wait to find out!!!

Here's the final puzzle. I really enjoyed the entire process. And although I shouldn't, I might crack open another puzzle to finish off this week. Not one of these -- just an ordinary puzzle. 

The final puzzle

And this dog - I mean this princess is taking total liberty of the couch. DH moved the cushions out of the way, and now she thinks it is her place to snuggle right into the corner of the sofa. ARRRRGGG  -- the dog hair is everywhere, and I am NOT vacuuming that couch. I didn't let her up; not my responsibility. Just before I snapped this picture, she had the tip of her nose poking up as if to say -- hey honey -- can you bring me a biscuit! 

MOM -- get me a beer! 

The worst part is that DH says -- she takes all the room. DUH! Make her move, but she has him wrapped around her finger. This is not good for discipline measures -- she thinks she can do whatever she wants when she wants. I told her sleeping on the couch is a privilege, NOT a right, and that she is NOT allowed on the sofa at night. Only when her dad is there! Murphy couldn't care about that couch, but if someone leaves a basket off the sofa or chair in the front room? Murphy has no qualms about curling up there! Sigh............. Our house has gone to the dogs! 

Oh gosh -- I dreamt about the Camino de Santiago last night. Yep -- I'm going back. This time with cheap BIG shoes and cheap socks! I'll put more thought into it than that, but I'll be back!

I did some other sewing yesterday but didn't take a picture, so you will see it tomorrow. I have to start a writing project today, so that will be the day's focus. Holiday sewing is over, and it's time to get back to work!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Everywhere a sign

A day for piddly little things, but it was a good day.

I still had to make the label for the mini-quilt that I made for my swap partner. I knew she wasn't completed my mini quilt, so I wasn't in a rush. Then I saw a note from her asking for my address - she was ready to send. Yikes - so I dashed off a label and sewed it to the back of the quilt. I had the mini-quilt for my Mom and a couple of other things to mail, so I was off to the post office.

Those things are all out of the house, and that was good to cross those items off the list. And then it's on to other stuff!

I'm getting in a lot of walking these days. Since I don't walk through the forest with the dogs - there is just too much temptation for Murphy, I decided to walk through the woods on the way home from the post office. We have two types of garbage bins in the parks. One for recycling and one for garbage. 

Waste bins in the forest

What surprises me is that they have to label "no dog waste" on the recycling bins. And even then, the amount of garbage that goes into the recycling bins is obscene. Do people not read? Do they not care? Do they not know what is recyclable? I don't get it - where is the pride of living in a nice neighborhood and caring for the environment? 

So we live in a neighborhood where our compost is picked up every week, recyclables are picked up every two weeks, and garbage is picked every two weeks. I've said before that I can't believe how much waste some households produce. We put our carts out once a month (except the compost). We buy stuff - not much, but it's shocking at how much waste some households put out EACH WEEK. 

Now I noticed a new sign on the waste bins in the parks. 

A new sign on the waste bins

Yep -- I've seen people get out of their cars and dump their garbage bags in these park bins. Why? Garbage pickup is included in our city taxes, and you pay regardless of how much or how little you put out. I just think it's sad that we're not looking at ways to reduce the amount of waste we each generate. Changing our buying habits and sending messages back to the supply companies about packaging - I don't know the answer, but we need to figure something out. 

Speaking of walking, here's an article of some seniors in Calgary that are getting creative with their walking. I love the idea of mapping the steps. This is somewhat similar to what I do, and it's fun!!! It costs a bit to do it the way I do, but that's OK. 

I just heard a message on the radio above COVID that was sponsored by the Government of Alberta! Hmm - I think someone hit the wrong button!

I'm determined to get stuff cleaned out of our house and use up what we have before I buy more. I'm on a tea kick. We have odds and ends of different kinds of tea, so I'm experimenting. I'm making up my own tea bags using tea bag filters. Hmmm - sometimes, I fold that thing tight and other times not so much. 

Tea filter that opened

It's not such a huge deal, but I hate when the tea leaves leak out! I'm sure someone has a YouTube video to help me figure out the right way to fold the filter, so it doesn't pop open. While I used to think that I liked fruity teas, I'm not so sure. I seem to like others instead. Like I said, I'm experimenting and when I'm done, then hopefully, I'll know which ones I enjoy the most. 

Tea leaves left in the bottom of the cup

Hmm - do those tea leaves say anything about me???  I doubt it! 

  

I should have posted this sooner, but I did not. If anyone is still making masks and is using t-shirt material for the ties, here's an entire "skein" of t-shirt yarn that could be used. 

A skein of t-shirt yarn

 It was to make this crocheted basket. I started the basket - not happy with it, and well, it's time to move on! So if anyone wants it and is close enough for pickup - it's yours. I'll also mail it if you're going to pay for postage. 

The pattern for the crocheted basket

I had to go shopping for fabric yesterday. It was as simple as walking into the stash room and pulling one of the baskets of orange fabric off the shelf. I walked the basket to a table and dumped it. Now it's time to shop. This is such an easy way to shop. I can touch the fabric and lay the stuff I'm trying to match beside it. And nothing gets unfolded. It goes back in the basket, the same way it came out. Such a simple system! And I get a visual reminder of all the fabrics I have. 

Shopping in the basket of orange fabric

I pulled out a variety of prints that will potentially work. I pulled the one that worked the best for the scenario at hand. The rest got put into the project box so I won't have to shop next month. Yes - this is for one of my ongoing projects. 

The fabrics I "bought"

I got one more customer quilt done. I've started trimming the quilted quilts - the pile was getting too big! I hope to finish trimming the rest of the quilts later today. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I did make it out to the backyard late in the afternoon. The only problem is that late afternoon is the time when the sun hits the gazebo. No worries. I have another shady spot to relax in!!!

Another relaxing spot in the backyard

I love it when I get mail on my PFAFF creative icon!  It was a small project that involved embroidery. I looked at the project, but I have other things to do!!

You've got MAIL

Here are the two blocks that I completed for the homework for our Vintage Christmas sew-along.

The first one is the Happy Puppy block. He's cute, and I used a stitch on the sewing machine to create his eyes.

Happy Puppy block

The second was the Vintage Ornament block. The hanger was also stitched on with the sewing machine. Two more blocks are done!!! I think we have 18 to go and we're done! We're over halfway!!!

Vintage Ornament block

On that note, I'm out of here! More e-mails to answer today - it just seems like there is no end to e-mails! And my little stack of paperwork never seems to have an end! If I don't keep on top of it - well, I'm in trouble.

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!

Virtual Sewing Retreat - Day Three

H MY GOD -- we had so much fun yesterday at the Virtual Sewing Retreat. Fran from Sudbury poped in, Mary from Scarborough, Carol from Parry Sound, Susan from London, and many others more local and are too numerous to mention. Sorry!!!  But what a fun time. OK - so I didn't get a lot of sewing done, and I'm perfectly OK with that. 

It was great to actually have a NORMAL conversation with a group. I love it!!!!

We got to see other people's sewing rooms, projects, pets, and a whole lot of stuff. We got to sew some blast from the past projects. Shoot - I didn't ask Carol to send me pictures of her stuff. I'll do that today! Oh, what fun!!!!

Fran has been working like mad during the shutdown, and her stuff is gorgeous. She sent me some pictures to share with you.

I love this one. It's made with hexies that are "floating" on the surface and get tacked down during the quilting process. I'd like to make one of these quilts someday!!!  Did you notice that it's quilted and bound??? I don't think she has any UFOs.

Fran's hexie quilt

This is a paper pieced project. I CANNOT remember the name, but I believe it was a sew-along. Look at the colors. This is just stunning. You know me and scrap quilts - I love them.

Fran's scrap paper pieced quilt

And then she showed us her Dream Big panel. It's gorgeous. This was done FREEHAND on a domestic machine. We saw her quilting at her sewing machine, so we know this for a fact. The quilting is fabulous! I bet one of the hardest parts was choosing the design to go in each petal. Oh, shoot - I didn't ask how many thread colors she used.

Fran's Dream Big panel

I have a couple more of her quilts to share, but they need to be rotated, and I don't have time for that this morning. Fran -- it was so lovely to chat yesterday, and thanks for sharing!!!!

I started my day off by making up some tea bags for the week. It made me think of people who rolled their own cigarettes. I dumped the bag of loose tea into a bowl, got out the tea bag filters and the spoon. Soon enough, I had a stash of tea bags to put in my small tea chest.

Making tea bags

I don't usually make tea bags, but I have no problem doing it. We have a "few" small containers of loose tea. Now for the tea snobs amongst us, they would probably tell me that the tea is too old and stale. My palette is NOT sophisticated enough for that, and the tea tastes just fine by me. The trick for most of these teas - DO NOT use boiling water. I love the taste of the teas, and I'm using up the stuff in the cupboard. I'm happy. It won't take much to keep me happy in that nursing home.

 Then it was down to work. I was determined to finish those bags if it killed me. I started off by going on a shopping spree. I have THREE boxes of accessories for bags. Clasps, handles, and other stuff.

Three boxes of bag accessories

What is nice is that now that everything has a home (more or less), I feel confident that when I shop through these boxes, that I see everything I have in this department. Just like in a real store!!!

Oh - the things that I found! I found another set of beige handles that will work perfectly. So I scooped those up before anyone else could!

A stash of handles

I even found handles with the bill still attached. Note the date on the receipt - April 4, 2009. I just shake my head! BUT it's all good because I have handles to use for my bag, although I could have made handles from fabric. I did NOT use the handles attached to this receipt.

A receipt for bag handles from 2009!!!!!!

This is a view inside the other two boxes of handles. Holy - there's a lot of stuff in there. A while back, I did put like items in plastic bags, but a few more bits have been added since. It would take about five minutes to dump all three boxes and make sure that everything is in the appropriate plastic bag. Then it would be even faster to shop.

Inside the other two boxes of bag accessories

Look what else I found in there. These are the plastic bag bottoms that were designed for the company whose pattern I'm using. Well - I might as well use those. I had one already with the unfinished bags, and I found one more in the right size. The two smaller ones went back into my supply box.

Plastic bag bottoms

I did have to make one more bottom out of corrugated plastic. Now here's the thing. I much prefer the corrugated plastic over the purchased bottoms. Why? For one thing - they are much LIGHTER. Second, I found the bag bottoms could have been ½" longer to fit perfectly in the bottom of the bag. I find they shift around because they are slightly too small. And I find they are very slippery, so when you make the fabric envelope to cover the bottom, it's too slippery. That doesn't happen with the corrugated plastic.

I'm so glad I found that solution, and it's free - I just walked to the garage store and selected a piece of corrugated plastic and cut it up to make my own. Now, I made it the SAME size as the purchased ones, and I could kick myself that I didn't measure. Live and learn!!!

By the way, those purchased bottoms were $11 EACH!!!!  My corrugated plastic? Free!

The price of the plastic bottom

While I was searching, I also found two packages of interfacing, specially designed for bag handles. Hmmm - those packages were $9 each!!! The old me would have put them back in the box, and I decided NO - it's time to use them.

Package of bag handle interfacing

So while it was super easy to use, there were a couple of things that I did NOT like. Of course - I'm such an old dog - you do NOT want to try and teach me a new trick. Unless I'm the one who wants to learn the new trick. I"m just like my MOM!!!   😃😃


There must have been 6 feet of interfacing in each package. So you fused it to the wrong side of the 2" wide strap for your handle. Big red flag - two inches is NOT wide enough for a decent bag strap. But I was following the directions. Then I folded the long edges in. I will admit that it was a HUGE time saver. But then what???  There were two raw edges down the entire length of the handle. That is NOT a sturdy handle. Nothing gets me going like a WIMPY handle on a bag. Oh - I should do an entire blog post about wimpy bag handles. Here's a heads up - I'm going to do an online class on making bags. But I digress.

You're supposed to sew some trim over the two raw edges. Well, I don't have trim -well, I might have trim that would have worked, but I didn't want that. So instead, I took another 2" strip and created another handle and topstitched the two pieces together. One package was NOT enough to do the two widths of fabric. I was short by this much, so I dug into the other package of bag handle interfacing.

Making handles with bag handle interfacing

I have enough for one more pair of shorter handles, and that's it - I won't buy that stuff again!!!  Great concept, but not practical. And I like a wee bit wider strap and MORE substantial than I got even with doubling it like I did.

Look what else I found in the accessory box - a gorgeous orange shoulder step that matched the fabric, but I wasn't going to use that strap on those bags. That's for another project!!!!

Orange leather strap matches the fabric perfectly

So what did actually get accomplished amidst all the chatter? 

Here are my three bag bottoms.

Three bag bottoms - DONE!

I topstitched the tabs for the purchased handles for two of the bags.

Topstitching tabs for the purchased handles

I'm sewed the tabs on the bag. Yikes - that is a LOT of layers to go through. But the PFAFF creative icon went through with no problem. That's something like 24 layers of fabric at the highest point. I might rethink how those tabs fit on the next time. I may have used a WEE bit too much interfacing.

Stitching the tabs in place

I don't know how many times I had to sew on the tabs or the handles. I sewed them to the inside of the bag when they should have been on the outside. And then one of the handles was twisted. Oh yes- it wasn't fun, but I was chatting so much, it didn't surprise me!!!

Honestly, I was OK with not getting a lot done. Quilting is a social hobby, and well - we've been missing the social part of it. I'm in catch up mode!!!!

Here are my THREE almost completed bags.

Bag number one with purchased handles

Bag number two with fabric handles

Bag number three with purchased handles

And what was I thinking because I already had a finished bag kicking around!!!!

Bag number four with purchased handles

I mean - I had some serious issues back then. One was never enough. I needed MULTIPLES of everything!! Thank goodness those days are behind me.

So what didn't get done? The flap on the bag that you can see above. The Velcro is already in place on the other three tote bags, so it's not like I can leave the flap off. But when I went to my box where the Velcro is stored, I couldn't find the box of beige Velcro. It looks like this one, but this one is for the black Velcro. That means the box of beige Velcro is in the house somewhere. I did search last night but haven't found it yet, so I'm going to do a wee bit of searching today to see if I can unearth it. It's likely in a box with another bag project. GRRRRRRR   - why did I do that????  I also have a box of white Velcro, and it's also missing.

Box of black Velcro

This is the pattern I used for the bags - The Miranda Bag by Lazy Girl. It's a great bag.

The Miranda Day Bag

A bunch of us were yakking past 8 PM last night, and I finally had to shut the call down at 8:30, so I could get my steps in. I got a little over 6 miles in for the day. I'm behind, but I'll make it up next week.

Here's the shot of Highway 16 east of the Battlefords.

Highway 16 east of the Battlefords

 And here's the map view. I'm making progress. It's a long road!!!

My position on the map

Phew - well, I see I'd better run. I can't wait to see who pops into the Zoom Virtual Sewing Retreat today. Remember, it's open for ANYONE. I love meeting new people, and I was so glad to see some new faces. Quilting is all about socializing, and since we're social distancing, this is a GREAT alternative.

Here's the link for today - SATURDAY, May 30.

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82735643607?pwd=NGw5YmxPRkxsUWpuLzBadjJDeERNQT09 Meeting ID: 827 3564 3607 Password: 277672


Have a super day, and see you on ZOOM.


Ciao!!!!!