National Dog Day!

Guess what today is?  It's National Dog Day!

In honor of that, I thought I would post a picture of my two looney tune girls.

Lexi and Murphy

These two girls are so much fun despite the fact that they could drive you crazy with all their naughty behaviors!  Taking them to the dog park is like going for a therapy session.  They just love it and I wish I could take them more often. I know Lexi has been bugging me to let her blog - it's been a while. I'll see if we can work it out soon.

I came home yesterday and my brain was so muddled that I literally did NOTHING.  NOTHING - that doesn't happen often. I have the entire weekend stretched ahead of me with NOTHING to do (which is good since my brain isn't working properly).  As I've said before, while I have nothing to do - that really means, nothing urgent  on the list. I will never have nothing to do.

I'm going to load one more of the construction quilts today and try to get it quilted. The backing for the last quilt had to be pieced and that is already done.  The other two are trimmed.  Yes - I actually saw an empty laundry basket at one point this morning where all that stuff is stashed.  There truly is hope that this project is going to get finished and I can move onto the next UFO.

On that note, I'm off to get something done today.

Have a super day!

Ciao!

No stopping me NOW!

Here's one way to cure that insomnia.  Don't go to bed!  It was a bit of a late night - well later than usual for me, but I accomplished a whole pile and I'm feeling pretty good about it. When I did get to sleep, there was NO danger of waking up!

I started off by finishing the customer quilt.  It turned out super. A LARGE quilt with pieced minky backing.  Not my favorite, but it's done!  Customer is picking it up today. 

Customer quilt  - DONE

Then I turned into paper piecing mode. I had three blocks to finish paper piecing. There are 12 sections per block and three different fabrics per block.  I got myself organized and then I just went crazy.  I got everything completed and even got some of the block sections put together.

Normally I'm pretty neat when I sew, but not this time.

A mess!

It could have been worse as I did try to contain the mess. There were two complete circles to piece once the sections were together.  I'm happy to report that all FOUR blocks are now DONE!!!! They just need to be trimmed down to the appropriate size.

Now to cut some sashing and add some borders and this one is done!

The quilt is actually quite nice.

I found this picture so you can see what it looks like. You're just not going to see my version of it.

Eye on the Sky Quilt by Reeze Hanson

Like I said - thankfully I'm only doing FOUR blocks!

And now, let's get back to cutting and sewing!

Have a super day!!!!


Ciao!!!

I did it again!

I can't believe it!  Wide awake at 1:30 AM!!!!   What is going on?

This time after waiting 20 minutes and no sign of sleep, I tiptoed to the studio. Fortunately, I'm the kind of person who doesn't need the lights on to find my way around my house. Besides, we live in the city and there is always light from outside coming through the windows. Don't worry - I use a death grip on the hand rails on the stair case (well not a death grip) and I always test the top and bottom step - always!

I decided to do some cutting. The black/white fabrics from the pixel quilt were staring at me so I cut strips - a bunch of 1 1/2" strips. I'm not sure how many I need, but I should have enough.  I need to cut a LOT of red strips. When I laid out the third block, I pretty much used up all the red squares that I had. I did have some with black in them and I decided to nix those and keep it pure reds. Then I felt tired enough to go back to bed, but NO - sleep still eluded me.

Bottom line - I slept in again, but not as bad as the other day. It's just very frustrating and I need to get this resolved as I can't afford to be losing sleep!  I know there's a lot of stuff going on and perhaps I just need to write it all out and I'll be good.  I'll try that.

Last night, I had a customer quilt to quilt.  I knew it had a minky backing, which takes a bit of time to load properly, but when I measured the quilt - this is WIDER than normal minky.  ACK!  It's a T-shirt quilt to boot.  So I had to cut and piece the minky which I hate to do, but I did. Serged everything together and loaded it on the long arm. The backing alone is HEAVY as the quilt is 70 by 80. Then I loaded the top. Should I keep going?  Why not - it has to be done by Friday. So I loaded the pattern, tacked the three pieces together and away I went. I was a bit hesitant - not because I haven't done this before, but if the T-shirts aren't properly secured, it can be a nightmare. Everything was FINE!  The quilt is quilting beautifully!

The old me would have taken two days to piece that backing, but there is no time for procrastinating. Just get it done!  And I did. I'll finish it off tonight, trim it and have it ready for pickup tomorrow.  Yeah!

Piecing another quilt for work - paper piecing. My office looked like a sweat shop yesterday!  Paper piecing isn't exactly neat and tidy and there were bits of fabric all over the carpet. All is good, but I'm going to have another round of it today. My goal was to have the top finished by tomorrow, but I'm not sure that is going to happen. While it isn't big, there is curved piecing, removing the paper and a couple of borders.  Looks like I'll finish on the weekend.

The first thing I did when I got home last night was to finish the latest Jack Reacher book.  When I start to read those - well, nothing else gets done!  That's not true - the day I worked from home, I was extremely disciplined and did NOT touch the book until I was technically on my own time.

Anyway - there is a ton of stuff waiting to get done today and I had better get started.

Have a super day!

Ciao!

I'm here!

What happens when you have the best of intentions?  Everything is in place. A lot of work is lined up and then POOF!  I couldn't sleep. I was wide awake at 2 AM. Wide awake with zero inclination to go back to sleep. GRRRR!!!!   I tried reading for a bit. Ah - I feel sleepy. Nope - not enough to actually go to sleep. Oh well. 

I finally did go to sleep but then I didn't wake up until really really late. I slept in!  That never happens to me. Fortunately it was a day when I was working (sewing) from home, but still. I missed two and a half hours of my PERSONAL time. I got up and went right to "work".  I was ticked! 

That's what happened yesterday and why there was no blog!  It was a LONG but productive day!

I got an entire quilt top cut and pieced yesterday. I can't show it - it's for work. At some point, you'll see it. Amazing how much of what I sew, I can't show you!

However, after 5 PM, I relaxed a bit and took a break from sewing to quilting on the long arm. I really really wanted to get those construction quilts off.  And I did!!!!   I have to say that I pinned the edges as I went this time and that worked a whole lot better. So two rows of quilting, 15-minutes of sewing until I was done both!

The two quilts loaded on the take-up roller were BIG!

Two quilts rolled up!

And here is one of the construction quilts!

My quilt - DONE

And just so you don't' think I'm posting the same quilt twice, here is the second one.

Another one of my quilts - DONE!

I say done, but technically they are just quilted. I'll have to trim them and put the bindings on.  Oh my - I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel for this UFO project.  Only two more quilts to quilt!  I can't believe it - I may actually get these out of the house!  See how my UFO projects are not ONE quilt but two or three or four!  I'm an idiot!


While I was sewing, I needed a small ender and leader project and my pixel quilt happened to be right by the sewing machine so I got the second block DONE!

Two blocks for the pixel quilt - DONE

Yes - even with those silly twirled seams on the back.  A bit more work, but seriously  - it makes the front so much flatter.  Well worth the effort. And notice those busy black/white prints.  Despite good intentions and lots of variety, I noticed TWO identical fabrics side by side!   Always happens. I should start with the like fabrics together and then they won't be when I finish!

Twirled seams

And then let's not forget the emergency pattern that had to be written.  I thought it was due on Friday, but NO - it was due yesterday at 1 PM.  I found out at 10 AM.  That put a bit of panic in me, but I got it done and even had time to make ONE block.

The pattern will get posted on the Northcott website at some time and I'll share it with you.  Despite this looking really complex, it's super simple to make and very forgiving to match up all those intersections.

Sample block made for free download

I love to work in my bare feet, but over the years, I find that I'm less comfortable so I usually start the day with shoes or sandals.  It was interesting because while I was away on vacation, I wore running shoes almost the entire time. Then one day I wore these flip flops and noticed a pain in my foot. Oh - could those flip flops be the source of my minor foot pain?   It's very possible.

Anyway, at some point in the day, I realized that I had no shoes and for some reason, I seemed to have "lost" this one in the middle of the floor!!!!   How did that happen?  No idea.

A lost shoe!

Well - I had a great night's sleep and I'm ready to rock n roll today.

Thank goodness because when I look at my schedule - it's crazy!!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Motivational Monday - progress report

I love WORDS.   And if you love words, check out this cute short video on words.  It's amazing. They only forgot one thing - the total eclipse of the sun which would be pretty cool depicted in words. 

Speaking of the eclipse, I heard on the radio this morning a small clip by Walter Cronkite.  He was reporting on the solar eclipse in 1979. He said in his report that the next eclipse is in 2017. That date would have seemed so far in the future at that time. A lot has happened since that date!

While I had tons of stuff to be working on, I figured that I'm not doing so well on my UFO projects and if I don't start making a dent, the end of the year is going to be here and I'll be lamenting that I didn't get anything done. 

SO with that in mind, here's what I did yesterday. 

I sew the final border on one of the construction quilts. 

Final border on one of the construction quilts

I should say that the strips for the border were cut and joined together, but not pressed and as a matter of fact, they were sadly messed up in a bundle so I had to press everything!

Then I decided to keep plowing on and got the borders on the second of the construction quilts.

Final border on the second construction quilt

I wasn't sure if I had finished one or two of these quilts, but it looks like only one top had been finished so I plowed on to get the border on the last construction quilt. And yes - there are three DIFFERENT quilts - it's not the same quilt three times.

Final border on the third construction quilt

By this time, my allergies were driving me crazy and I needed a break.  Does anyone else find that a snack and a nap seem to clear up the allergies?  Boy - I was thinking retirement would be great so I could snack and nap all the time!

Now some of my UFOs are OK if only the tops get done. At least a quilt top is something that someone could easily take and finish. That is my goal for ALL my projects.  Ah - what a dreamer! But there are some projects that I want to completely finish and these construction quilts are one of those projects.

The backing is fleece - remember that huge laundry basket full of fleece?  One of the pieces was long enough for two quilts so I loaded the entire piece. It was a tad bulky around one of the rollers, but it worked. Just wait until the second quilt gets finished. I had to join three pieces of batting - ugg.  I have to say that my pieces of batting are finally getting depleted!  I'll show you pictures some time.

And one of the quilts got quilted!

One construction quilt - DONE

It's still on the long arm as I will just load another top, add some batting and get the second one quilted. Then I can take it off the long arm. 

Let's just say that I don't like fleece for the backing. It's a pain. The fleece is about 3 inches wider than the quilt, but it sort of shrank up and well - I was glad to get it done, and I'm not excited that there is one more to go!  Perhaps having that much backing wasn't such a good idea?

I also got the binding done for one of the quilts.  I was going to do all four, but when I calculated that I needed to cut 27 strips of fabric, I decided to do one at a time!

Binding for one of the quilts

Amazing how you can put all things work related to the back burner while on vacation and as the weekend progressed, I got to thinking more and more about what had to be done. Yikes - it's going to be a busy week. 

I had a date with my Task Master last night. Checked off a few things that had gotten completed but not marked off. Added the items for this week. A few more that I should add based on the book of deadlines. And here's where the Book of Deadlines (note the capitals - it's now an official name!) comes in handy. I checked that book, saw what needed to be done and I could write the tasks in the Task Master. And there is a quilt that I want to make for next summer. I'll design it. It will go in the Book of Deadlines and then when I review the book weekly, this quilt won't get forgotten and won't get done at the last-minute!  

How is everyone else doing?  I know that it's hard to keep on schedule. Look at me - I'm way off track, but I hope to get back up to date soon and at least I have a list of those projects that I wanted to work on so they will not be forgotten. Let's just hope that some of them take less time than the ones that I've been working on.  Of course, a few minutes here and there will not finish these quilts - a full day will!  Plan and schedule accordingly!

On that note, I'm out of here. 

Ciao!!!

A wee bit of improvement

I did it!  I spent the entire day (well minus time spent with two visiters - which was very welcome!) cleaning up that office. Let's just say that I'm far from done, but I did make a dent in the room and that's really what the purpose of the day was. Try to get enough done to keep me excited and want to continue on.

So - we're NOT allowed to make comments. Are we allowed to call me a hoarder?  No - I don't think I'm a hoarder. I'm lazy when it comes to dealing with paper. Very lazy and I'd rather pile it than file it.  My goal wasn't to deal with the bits as much as it was to file some of the paper and then I'll deal with groups of things later.  Hm - that doesn't sound right - I threw away a LOT of paper, but things that I may want to keep - I just filed those for the moment and once the room is all super tidy, then I can take a file at a time and sort through it. I was going for maximum effect yesterday.

Here are a couple of before shots. Yes - there is a table in the center of the room and then a desk under the window and another computer desk in the corner.

A before picture of the mess

Another before

Yep - this is where I work! (or not!)

I'm a piler, not a filer

Yes, you can call me out for critizing my Mom for keeping things. And you're probably wondering why I let it get so bad. Do I even see the mess?  Oh yes - I see it and I know it's there and I'm frustrated that I can't find things. But obviously not enough to do anything about it. And there was a time when I hired a professional organizer to help me with this room.  It was neat and tidy and well - I'm not good with maintaining things.

I did find this bunch of quilter's tape.  Any takers??  Otherwise - it's being tossed. It's been sitting here because I didn't want it downstairs, but I don't use this and can't imagine where I would use it so it goes.

Quilter's tape - to be tossed

 I also found a collection of bicycle shaped paper clips. Now why did I buy so many?  They were on sale (those words that often get us in trouble! - right Ronda and Laura?)  and they were cute. I'm sure they are impractical to use, but I'm going to open them up and as I find the need for a paperclip, I'm going to use these ones.  There is ZERO sense in buying something that is cute and special and NEVER using it.  I'm going to stop that habit NOW.

Cute paper clips

I sorted, I filed and I moved stuff and I actually did more than I thought I would.  But at one point my back was so tired that I had to have a nap!  I think that was more from getting in late the previous night.

I have a box of electronics that needs to go to the recycling place. I tossed a clock that I thought just needed a new battery, but after charging up the battery in the clock, it appears that the clock is toast. I found a few things that I took pictures of and will post them in a bit and the items are gone. I found the embroidery that I was going to take with me on vacation. I have several big things in the giveaway pile and I have two more boxes of stuff that I'd like to go through today if possible. I also have another pile of things that I would like to address. Could be an address or phone number that needs to be into my phone or something that requires further attention. I wasn't doing that yesterday.  I really must make an effort to grab two or three things from that box every day and deal with them.

I must admit that the room which is a decent size feels a whole lot bigger today.  I was only planning to clear off the surfaces of the table and one desk, but I ended up cleaning up a lot of stuff that was on the floor as well. It positively feels open concept!!!

I'm far from done, but here's what it looks like now. I hung up my thimble collection that has been sitting on the table for years.  Whacked a nail in the wall and put up the letter press drawer and all the thimbles are on it. I moved the computer desk to the corner on a different angle to maximize space.

The computer desk

I have this white shelf that I put on the desk, but I'm not sure I'm going to keep that. I'll see. But now both computers are in the same spot, it's way easier to type on the laptop on that lower surface and well - this isn't in too bad of shape.

I removed all the stuff from the other corner and it's gone so I could move the other desk into the opposite corner. So the two desks are side by side. It was completely clean but then I sat there last night looking through some books that I want to make a couple of notes on, take a couple of pictures and then those books are gone!

The desk top - yes - there actually is a desk top!

It was fun to sit at that desk last night and actually do some work and not fight to have a spot to work in. I know all the good points to keeping things organized. I just can't get myself to completely buy into that!

And here is the table. It looks like an island at the moment. There is NOTHING around the table so you could actually run around in circles (which the girls do!).  I did pile as much on the table as I could so I could clear off the other surfaces. Don't worry, I did get rid of a lot of stuff but no time to deal with this mess.

The table with crap on it!

There are two boxes of stuff in the kitchen that I hope to get through today and there is more in the office but you don't see it in the pictures.  I figure that it will take about two or three more days to get through the bulk of the mess and find homes for the stuff.  Are you kidding me?   What a HUGE waste of time, but the end result will be so muchh better.

Going forward what am I going to do?

Well - I need to process one or two or hopefully three pieces of paper in the "must address pile" and that pile will grow as I continue to go through the rest of the stuff.  Oh - I found $30 yesterday in an envelope!

Let me put them in points so my brain can process it.

1. Two or three items in the "to be addressed" pile must be dealt with every day
2. Spend about 1/2 hour every day to go through more stuff - like the pile on the table
3. Deal with all new paperwork in a timely manner. In other words - NO more piling! Try filing!
4. Do NOT accept anything from anyone that wasn't already prearranged.


That is going to be a bit hard as there are things that we get and we're not ready or not able to process them that day. I must find a way or this place is going to be right back where it was! And hopefully the more I do it, the easier it will be to keep on top of it all.

On that note, I'm out of here to try and get some sewing done today.

Have a great day!!

Ciao!!

A rude awakening

Ooops --- I knew I missed the post on Friday, but what happened to Thursday?  Oh - I guess I missed that one too. Well - there is a good reason.

But I'm back home now having arrived late last night and while it was nice to be away, it's super nice to be home! The girls and I had a great time at the park and now it's time to get to work. But wait - there's a story here. A story that is dirty, disgusting and well - a very rude awakening.

You see my Mother is a hoarder. There is no question in our minds - she NEVER EVER threw anything away. There are two houses on the farm. Both are filled with stuff. And they have an apartment which has stuff - but I'm not going to deal with the apartment. Not today and not until, well not until she isn't around. It's just better that way.

Since they moved, my Dad will go out with a list of things to get. Thankfully he's going out less and each time, it appears that there is less to bring in. But what to do with all the stuff that is still there?

My brother and I had (finally) free rein to roam the houses to take assessment of the situation. Let's suffice it to say that it would be way easier to just leave everything and let it go than to figure out how to deal with it.  I'm not kidding when I say that. The responsible part of me says - it should be cleaned up but as no one will likely ever like in either house again - what's the point? Well one of them for sure. Box after box of stuff. Bundles of old papers, bundles of book catalogues, books, knick knacks - you name it - it's there.

We looked in the kitchen cupboards of the older house which no one has lived in for thirty years so you can well imagine what it looks like inside the house. An old farmhouse empty for thirty years - need I say more?Well, the kitchen cupboards are filled to the hilt with dishes. Why? Where did the dishes come from?  I've no idea  - I can imagine, but seriously it's a serious mess. No - she has a serious addiction and there were several well meaning friends who went to garage sales to "help" her.

Never mind the dead bat that I found in the newer house. ICK ICK ICK!!!!

I know how I would solve the problem, but I won't put that to pen and paper!

I did take pictures and I could go on forever, but here is the thing. I learned some lessons and I'm going to share them with you.

1. NEVER EVER let someone give you their crap. Unless it is something you will absolutely use. I mean like books you WILL read or dishes you WILL use or whatever. It's for this reason that I will NOT give or sell my fabric and craft supplies to an experienced quilter. They already have their own mess to deal with.  I do have a couple of bundles here that I need to get in touch with my "new" quilters.

2. USE your garbage or recycling bins often!  Look at the paper as it comes in - why are you keeping this - does it have a home? If you don't have a good home or a good reason to keep it - get rid of it! Old bills, receipts - there is absolutely no need to keep most of it. At least get in the habit of getting rid of what comes in so you're not adding to the problem. I can't even begin to tell you what we found that should have been tossed years ago - god - it should never have been saved in the first place. Our only saving grace is that she was an organized hoarder. Like things are stored together.

3. Pick a spot in your house and go through it. Like the cup cupboard or the pantry or whatever. Do it once a year. once you get rid of the bulk of the stuff, the second time around won't be so bad provided you haven't filled it up again. I'm happy to note that there is a lot of space in the apartment kitchen cupboards. Why? Neither of them can reach the space!!!!

4. Think twice before you buy ANYTHING!  Do you need another shirt?  Do you need that new kitchen gadget?  If not, don't pawn it off on someone else. I really really hate to say this, but throw it out!

5. Get over the sentiment of things.  I mean - get over it!  Take a picture - that's all you need to evoke the memory. And it you have something that you treasure - then get it out in plain view. I retrieved a painting for my mom that had a note on it as to how precious it was to her and it had been in the newer house for the last two years, tucked way back in a corner that she would never have seen the painting when they lived there. If you love something - put it on display!

While I was there, I made a vow to myself. I will get my house in order and trust me - it looks empty compared to what we saw. BTW since I know that you will all be thinking of my studio - I'm going to get the rest of my house in order first and then deal with the studio.  Yes - it would be amazingly overwhelming for anyone and I realize that a lot of it would be thrown out.

So I'm taking today off!  I'm going to tackle the office. I took a couple of before pictures and I'm going to get the recyling bins outs and have fun. I know I'll feel better, but I just never got around to it or there was something way more fun to do.  But after seeing that - well - it would make you sick!

Look around you - is there some area of your house that you would like to tackle. Take a couple of hours and get it done. Think about if you didn't come home today and how overwhelming that space would be to someone else to clean up. We found three boxes in the house - one was labeled pens, the second was labelled pens and the third was labelled MORE PENS. I  mean - seriously????  And I bet that all of them were dried up!

On that note, I'm going to tackle this area and see what I can accomplish by the end of the day!

Have a super day!!!!!


Ciao!!!