Travel Day - Part One

Well that was a “fun” travel day.

Everything was pretty much packed the night before which is not usual at my house. My flight was at 7:40 AM and we don’t live far from the airport. I had heard that there had been a bad accident the night before and the 401 was still closed. The exit mentioned didn’t bother my route to the airport so we left at our usual time.

We take the HOV (high occupancy vehicles) lane so we never worry about traffic. However, there was an accident on that first highway that did slow us down and as we approached the 401, the main on-ramp was closed. So we were going to take the on-ramp to the collectors - that was closed. Oh boy - that is NOT good.

We ended up going to the airport through a back way which wound around the perimeter of the airport only to arrive and find the place a total zoo. Of course, my bag tags wouldn’t print at the kiosk and by the time I made it to the cashier, the flight was closed. It takes 45 minutes for the bags to get to the plane. ACK!!!!!  In all my years of flying that has never happened. Mind you, I don’t normally fly with checked luggage, but I have from time to time and never had an issue.

The only option was to get on the next flight which was at noon. What can you do? Nothing!!!  Thankfully there was a spot available. I had to cough up $170 for the flight change which burned me, but again - what can you do? And I paid $50 for my second suitcase, but ended up not paying for the first one which was supposed to be $25. Even though I have a pass for the trusted traveler security line, that was also total chaos. I would have been running to board that original flight.

The silver lining in all this??? I happened to have a pass to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge in my travel bag. I happily went to the lounge with my pass and spent four hours with my portable office. I pulled out the laptop and did some e-mail. I barely scratched the surface. Why do we get so many e-mails?? Some stuff very interesting and some not so much. I was able to FaceTime a colleague so she could show me something that I didn’t know how to do and I also downloaded (compliments of AirCAnada) some quilting magazines for future reading.
Oh yes, I was a busy little beaver the entire four hours.

Finally got on the flight in row 39 so I could have an aisle seat. I slept and read and things were good. When I arrived in Saskatoon and went to pick up my car, the car said - I don’t think we still have your car. I don’t care - I just want a car! So I got a car and I was fine. That delay threw my entire planning for the day out the window so I headed over to The Sewing Machine store which just recently moved and their new store is AMAZING!!!!!!!  It’s huge and I can’t wait to get there on Thursday for the first class.

Yes, I’m currently on my iPad so this is a two parter blog post.

Much too heavy!!!

This is the FIRST time this has ever happened to me. I have room in my suitcase, but it's overweight. Not by one pound or two pounds but I think I was about 10 lbs over. ACK!!!  I do have one of those travel scales but for the life of me, I don't know where it is. Actually, it might be with the camping stuff. I should take a quick peek. No luck in the camping gear - that means it's in the office. Not going to find that this morning!

I had to start by unpacking the stuff that was still in there from the last trip (June). It's all sample stuff but most of it wasn't appropriate to take on this trip. The samples are all safely stowed back in their spot.

Unpack the suitcase

 Then the task of repacking. The first stuff to pack was all the quilts that I'm taking home and won't come back with me. Yikes - there's a lot. Labels are printed, sleeves are made, the pocket is made for the map and hand sewing supplies are in the suitcase.

Repacking the suitcase

I literally ran around the house the entire day (well, not really) but a good part of the day making some small samples, assembling presser feet and other supplies. I found a couple of books that I'm taking with me and even had time to cut the remainder of the quilt for the magazine.

As I was scrambling to find stuff, I realized that I don't know where my UFO project is. ACK!!!  There's work to be done on it before the end of September. I've searched high and low, but obviously not in the right spot. Well - I'll have a month to find that when I get back. Hmm - where could I have hidden it?

But I did find the remainder of the rose flannel scraps. Now they are all together in one spot. That stack of fabric for community project use is getting HUGE. We'd better start working faster! But I think most of the stuff is now in one spot and we've got a day scheduled next week so we should make some headway there.

Rose flannel scraps are all together now

I had someone come and pick up the rest of the boxes that were unpacked. Yeah!!! That clears a nice spot in the basement, but there are still more to be unpacked but those have to wait. The two boxes of clothing patterns are also gone.

And I get ready to leave this morning, the cutting table in Studio B is nice and clean and ready for the Sit n Sew day and for me to trim quilts when I get back. Just the bits from the magazine quilt are there as it will urgently need to be quilted when I get home.

The cutting table is clear

The books and magazines are unpacked and I'm happy to report that ALL of them have been consolidated onto those two big shelves. That's a LOT of books. But I was able to find two specific books that I wanted to take with me. Found a couple more that I want to read when I get back. So all is good. Yes - there's a lot. I'm slowly working my way through them. I bought them to read and enjoy and I plan on doing that until the time comes when I need to downsize.

Books and magazines are unpacked

Oh, my overweight suitcase?? I decided that I have to take two checked bags, plus a backpack that I'll carry and a tote bag. It better all fit and I'm off to make that happen. It was much cheaper to check a second suitcase ($33) than to pay $100 for an overweight bag!

Have a great day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

The final countdown

Yes - I know I should have a checklist. I don't. My mind is my checklist and as I've been thinking of things, they got stacked near the suitcase. Today is the last day - what doesn't get done today - well, I'll just have to make it up!!!  The bottom line, the most important stuff is done. Well, there's ONE more tool that I need to learn today. I'll share that with you when I get a chance.

I had a glorious bike ride yesterday. A bit of a headwind as I went out, but my legs are strong and it was easy. Got all the hills out of the way in the first half of the ride with the headwind and then a nice tailwind to bring me home. Just so nice to get out. I was going to go this morning, but on second thought, I'd better make sure that everything is done and packed. That's more important. I can relax later today.

I still have two labels to print - they are written up and just waiting for a sheet of fabric to run through the printer. The sleeve for the last quilt is cut and needs to be sewn. The binding is on the T-shirt quilt. I added a tag from one of the T-shirts besides my own label. Oh yes - I also need to make a little envelope/pouch for the map for the Hot Guy quilt. I had an idea and it didn't work out because I couldn't find what I was looking for. No worries - plan B is already in place.

I love that when the timing gets tight how plans fall into place in my head. I still have that magazine quilt to finish piecing and my goal was to get it done before I leave but that's not going to happen. I still have two blocks and the border to piece. Hmm - I just thought of the perfect place to sew that quilt together when I'm on vacation. I've already sent a message and if she says YES - it's going to be PERFECT. And so appropriate - you'll have to wait for that. Giving you a hint would spoil the fun.

I had received a coupon from Michaels stating that after 1 PM you could get 40% off TWO items. Hmm - there's a couple of things I'm looking for so I'll go. Matter of fact, there were four things I would have bought. I found two of them. I needed a large square ruler. I already have a 15" one which I'm using in Studio U, but then I would need it in Studio B and I had to run up and get it or vice versa. That's nuts. So I bought a 12 ½" ruler. Now I can have a large square in both studios. No duplicates. With 40% off, it was a reasonable price.

12 ½" square ruler

I went to a different Michaels in the event they would have that Clover Mini Flower Loom - nope - they have the big one, but not the small one. No worries - I have a couple of shopping excursions coming up - I'll find the darn thing. I'm also looking for an envelope cutter but Micheals didn't have that either.

However, they did have the Ott Light bulb that I've been searching for. Yikes - it wasn't cheap. $42!!!!!  I guess that's because it's an OTT light bulb.

OTT light bulb

So I approach the cash with my two fairly expensive items, it's after 1 PM. I check the app for the coupon. Not there!!!  It was sent in an e-mail for members. ACK!!  I had already deleted that e-mail, but thankfully, I knew how to get to deleted e-mails on my phone, pulled up the e-mail and snagged the coupon. When she rang me through, only ONE item was discounted. Why???  Hmm - one item must be the Everyday Value item???  Seriously???  How would I know that? And you can't tell me that a $42 light bulb is an everyday value item. Thankfully, the supervisor came over and gave me a discount on both items. Thank you, Michaels.

I only bought what was on my list. I didn't look at anything else. I know that's not how they want me to shop. They want me to be enticed to buy something spontaneously, but I didn't need anything else and I've so much to cope with already, I don't need more.

I had two projects to get prepped for the classes next week at The Sewing Machine Store in Saskatoon. The first one was easy as I'd already made it on the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC, but I needed to make the same item (my Gecko) on the PFAFF Creative icon. That was done and packed up in a bag ready to go in the suitcase.

Now onto the last one. I'm not sure why I left the "worst" until last. I had visions of this being a nightmare. Actually, it was fun!! Once I got myself straightened out. I didn't start off well because I reversed the order of the colors (didn't READ) the pattern very well as it clearly stated which was which.

And now to insert a ZIPPER in the hoop with the embroidery machine. ACK!!! I've never done that before. Thanks to Karen's great skill in creating the project, it was super easy!!!!  Thanks, Karen.

Inserting a zipper in the hoop

Next up was to trim the project - looks like a big pancake!!!!

Project is now trimmed

But when you turn it inside out, it's a great little zippered pouch!!!!  Hey - if you want to make this, check out the classes at The Sewing Machine Store in Saskatoon or get your local PFAFF dealer to book a class.

Zippered accessory case

Now that I know how it works, I want to make more!!!!  Why do I anticipate things to be hard? I need to just get off my butt and make them happen.

The customer quilt? That'll have to wait. I just didn't want to add to my day!

I'm going to have some downtime on the plane tomorrow. I need to be planning for the next month. Figure out what didn't quite get finished this time and then plan what more needs to be done for the next events. It's a constant creative process. I'm trying to figure out how to incorporate all those decorative stitches into some projects.

On that note, I'm out of here. Got loads of little things to finish up and pack and then that's it! What I don't have, I'll beg, borrow, steal, or buy! And I can talk my way through a LOT of situations. I'm going to be just fine!!!! Just do NOT forget to pack that little quilt for my MOM!!!!

Have a super day!!!!!

Ciao!!!!

The clock is ticking

I've got two days to get the rest of the stuff done that I need to accomplish. I'm in pretty good shape, but there are still things that need to be done. Hopefully, most of them can be cleared up today?? I doubt it - it's going to take the two full days.

I made four labels yesterday and they are trimmed and pressed. I'll sew them on the quilts when I get out west. Yes - I've packed scissors and threads. I was going to do a photo transfer of the original map for the Hot Guy quilt, but the photocopy didn't turn out great so I'm going to make a fabric envelope for the back of the quilt and put the original in the envelope. Got to do that today! Made the binding for the T-shirt quilt. That has to be put on today. That covers all the personal stuff that has to go.

Then back to sample making. I'm done with the stitch-out samples. Well, I'm done all the stitching that going to happen before this trip. There's a few that still need to be trimmed and sewn back to back. That's also a job for later today.

They look amazing on the vinyl and I'm really happy with them.

These first two (they are double-sided but you're only seeing one side) are from the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC.

Sequin stitches 

Applique stitches

See - those applique stitches look awesome when they're all trimmed down.


This one is from the PFAFF Creative ICON.

Stacking stitches

I'll be teaching a class at The Hobby Horse in November on using decorative stitches. I know most of you don't have these high-end machines, but we're going to try using ANY and ALL of the decorative stitches on your own machine to make some cool things. That's on the agenda for when I get back home.

Four blocks on the magazine quilt are on the design wall. Five to go. The next three are mostly cut and partially assembled.  I'll get as much done as I can before I leave and the rest will be a cram day when I'm back as the quilt will need to be quilted as well. And it's due on August 28th. That one sort of snuck on me. Oh well - I'm still doing pretty good compared to what I used to do.

I got another customer quilt done yesterday. This one is gorgeous - I love the colors. It's waiting to be trimmed. I have to sew the binding on (one side only) however the customer is on vacation so there's no rush. It will be trimmed and bound after I return. See - I should be sewing the magazine quilt instead of quilting, but I have a commitment and I'm sticking to it!!!

Customer quilt - DONE

 That leaves two projects to embroider and a couple of demos to prepare and then pack. That's going to be the crazy thing - This is my suitcase. I can load 50 pounds in it and not pay extra (other than the normal baggage fee). I have a feeling that I'll be taking two suitcases for check-in. It's just not all going to fit into one. I'll share with you what I'll be taking.

The suitcase that needs to be packed

I was at the library the other day and picked up the latest copy of Sew News  (August/September). There's an excellent article on sewing machine needles. I learned a few things that I never knew. If you get a chance to review the magazine, check out that article.

Not that I need this, but it's so darn cute. Of course, we all know about Row by Row which is certainly declined in the last couple of years. They went too big too fast and no one wants to collect tons of rows year after year. But this COLLABORATIVE quilt is so cute. And Chicago is not that far away. I give Row by Row one more year - two at the most. I wonder what the quality of the pattern/kits is like?? The kits are laser cut so it would make sense to buy but at what price???

Thanks to you all - I now know what kind of running shoes to buy (cross-trainers with leather uppers) and that the Tony Hillerman books do get better. I just need to persevere. Thanks so much for the info!!!!

So here's another question for you. Where the heck can I buy SINGLE measuring spoons or cups?  I may just need the tablespoon for instance and I don't want to buy an entire set just to get the tablespoon - same thing for the measuring cups. Any ideas????

And I'm looking for something that seems to be quite elusive. It's a Clover product called the Mini Flower Loom. 

Clover Mini Flower Loom

I would prefer to NOT purchase this from the big on-line shopping store. I HATE them and refuse to buy unless it's a last resort. Our Canadian Micheal's doesn't have them. If you've seen them in a local store or your local quilt shop - let me know. I'd rather support them than that other place.

Now here is something so very cool and we need to find a way to make this happen and sort of fits in with the above comment about shopping. I'd be happy to take on someone - I don't know anyone but if you do and they are local???   Hey - I should contact that Mom who brought those two girls to the store the other day. Basically - I need to find someone to mentor in the quilting world. What a cool thing to do.

On that note, I want to get out on my bike this morning and then it'll be pedal to the metal for the rest of the day.

Have a super day!!!!


Ciao!!!

They should know better..............

Another interesting day. I made excellent work on my stitch out samples and started to assemble them into the finished product. I didn't get any pictures but I'll try to get them for you tomorrow.

If you were a new sewist and needed fabric, where would you go? You'd probably Google it and in my neighborhood, you'd likely get the fabric chain which I won't mention. You'd walk in and ask someone for help. One would think they would ask questions like "are you a new sewist?" (especially if you're very young and with your mother) and "what are you making?" Right???  Well - I'm not sure what the heck happened, but here's a very shocking story.

I had another pillowcase class yesterday at Oh Look Fabric. I knew the students were two young girls with NO sewing experience. They were 9 and 12. I'm OK with teaching kids as that's how we're going to keep the world sewing. They were cousins and both were so sweet.

Imagine the look on my face when I saw the sewing machine they brought to class. OH.

Portable sewing machine

To give you an idea of the size of that machine, here's a rotary cutter for reference.

Rotary cutter for reference

It was the cutest little thing. It had all the "bells and whistles" needed to sew. It even had multiple stitches - straight and zig-zag. It was battery operated. We decided it was best to not use this machine and they would share the rented machine.

The young girl hadn't been able to sew on it at home and I have a feeling that she had not lowered the presser foot. It sewed a pretty decent seam when we tried it. Where would you buy this??? They got it at Mastermind for $40.00. Oh dear - the reviews were NOT good on the poor little thing. I wonder why????

I think it would be best to NOT buy this kind of a machine for someone wanting to sew. Spend $100 and buy one of the low-end units that you get at the department store. A much better deal. Andi got the machine working (it does sew a pretty decent stitch) and the young girl tried it after she had sewed on the electric machine. She said: "I like the sound of that one (the electric one) better!" The toy machine also had a needle guard and she wanted that taken off. She even knew that it was just a screw holding it in place. BUY her a better sewing machine!!!! The older girl asked for a recommendation - she wanted a machine for her birthday!!!

But these are parents who know nothing about sewing. Anyway - we got over the sewing machine thing, but it was just the cutest little thing.

Now onto the fabric. Oh boy - why or why did they end up with FLEECE and MINKY to sew their pillowcases????  Seriously? Someone at that fabric store wasn't listening. A PILLOWCASE for a bed????  How many people have Minky for their pillowcase???  Or even fleece? And the band was cotton. Will this even work??? Let's go for it.

So I cut the fabric - I wasn't even sure I would have let them cut the cotton, but they sure weren't cutting Minky and fleece. And if we had time, they wanted to make scrunchies. And NO that fabric wasn't cotton either!!!  Let's just say that I did sew part of the pillowcase for the younger girl - she was the one with the Minky.

Look what we made..........................

Pillowcase made with fleece and a scrunchie

And here's the pillowcase made with Minky.

Pillowcase made with Minky

OK -- we're going to make a new rule. ALL pillowcases MUST be from cotton. Even if the staff at the fabric store (and they bought from TWO different stores) thought they were making a cushion cover (rather than a pillowcase), they should have recommended cotton for the new sewists. This is why quilt stores with KNOWLEDGEABLE staff are the BEST place to buy fabric.

The girls were happy and the mom of one of the girls was happy (the other mom wasn't there). That's what counts and they had a pretty positive first experience with the sewing machine. But the mom was thinking that her kid (9-year-old) was going to make scrunchies on her own at home on that portable machine. Not going to happen!!!!

I was having a very lucky day yesterday. I took one cup of each of my four ingredients for the oatmeal topping and put it into the container I had purchased the day before. Doesn't it look pretty? Chia seeds on the bottom, then hemp hearts, flax seeds and lastly oat bran cereal. I know that Nancy used one other different ingredient, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember the name. Anyway - doesn't it look pretty. As I was putting in the last cup, I thought that the jar might be too full to mix up.

Ingredients for oatmeal topping

However, once I secured the lid, there was just enough room to give it a very good shake and now it's all mixed up. I tried it this morning and it's very yummy. I really can't believe that I didn't think to premix the ingredients before. Oh well - the kitchen just isn't my creative place!!!

Oatmeal topping  - ready to go

The luck didn't end there - I loaded and quilted another customer quilt. I love this penguin panel - it's cute and happy. She added several borders to make it larger.

Customer quilt - DONE

But where the luck came in, the backing was a width of fabric with two borders on either side. In an ideal world, the quilt would be centered on that backing. The two borders were so closely matched, you'd have to get out a ruler to see if there truly was a difference. Luck or skill?? Pure guesswork because it's very difficult to make this happen.

The side borders on the back are perfectly lined up

I've got three of nine blocks completed for the magazine quilt. I hope to get all the blocks made before I leave, but I'm thinking that's not going to happen.

If you know me, you know that I'm ALWAYS going through the toes of my running shoes. It's a pain in the butt because the shoe isn't worn out, but the toes are gone. I noticed on this fairly new pair that a hole was starting to form. Seriously?????  I keep my toenails short.

A hole is starting in the toe

I took some shiny duct tape and put a patch on the inside to help prevent it from getting worse. But here's an article on why that's happening. Hmm - OK - I think I'm going to have to look for shoes with reinforced toes or NOT running shoes with that thin mesh in the toes. And can you tell me why manufacturers don't fix this problem????  I'm not sure how to fix my walking so it doesn't happen.

Here's another question that I got in the comments. What's the difference between distilled water and filtered water for your iron?  Distilled water has all the minerals removed. Those minerals can cause built up in an iron. Filtered water has all the impurities removed but the minerals remain. Can you drink distilled water? Yes, but your body needs those minerals so filtered water is better to drink, distilled is better for the iron. Hope that helps.

Hey - if you've got questions, hopefully, I have the answers!!!

And if you think I'm working too hard? I did something BAD last night. I was flipping through Facebook and happened upon a link to The Amazing Race Canada. I love this show although I haven't watched it forever. I binge-watched three episodes on my computer last night. Now you know why I don't watch TV - I'm obsessed with most things and I so easily get sucked in and waste time, but I figured I earned a wee break. Besides, I know my family watches the show and I might as well be up to date when I get there. Only four more episodes to watch before I leave. See how obsessive I am?????  BTW -- that Dave and Irina couple???  Seriously??? They are SO ANNOYING. I wonder what happens.

Normally I would have been reading, but the book that I'm reading right now is SLOW and so hard to understand. It was written in 1970 and I searched high and low in the used book stores to find it. I hope the rest of the series isn't like the first one. It's called The Blessed Way by Tony Hillerman.

On that note, I'm out of here. Today is the last day I can work on those stitch out samples, then I have other stuff to work on. And the next customer quilt is loaded and ready to go later today.

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!

Just keep sewing....................

I fixed those seams this morning - you know the ones I showed yesterday. I literally pulled the threads out - it was not a good seam. My "new" bobbin is working like a charm. There's one thing I should mention - we know how important our eyes are to sewing. While it is possible to sew with limited vision or total blindness in Diane's case, one would tend to think that hearing isn't all that important. I beg to differ. It doesn't matter whether I'm at the long arm, the embroidery machine or the sewing machine - listening to your machine is important. Very important. 

Without even looking at the seam, I could hear that something wasn't right. I can hear issues with the embroidery machine way before the machine registers that the thread broke and I can hear the bobbin rattling in the bobbin case on the long arm signaling that the bobbin is almost empty. If something doesn't sound right - stop what you're doing and check it out. 

I was back at the embroidery machine yesterday. I finished up the samples I've got slated for the moment on the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC. PHEW - just a bit more trimming and then to neaten up the pieces and sew two of them back to back so they look super pretty. I hope to finish those off today. 

Then it was on to the PFAFF Creative Icon where I have more samples to make. I had once asked someone (in the industry) that if you had to steer a customer to the EPIC or the ICON, how would you know where to send them. Both machines are top of the line embroidery/sewing machines and both have somewhat similar features. Of course, I'm much more familiar with the Husqvarna Viking line. They had responded to me that the EPIC is more user-friendly. And after my little learning experience yesterday, I would agree 100%. 

It's not that one is better than the other. Oh no - they both have amazing features, they are just different and yes - I would agree that the EPIC is more user-friendly. So yes - it was another day of learning! I'm getting to be a very good student. This is what I was working on yesterday. 

The Creative Icon has different styles of built-in stitches. There is a group of stitches called Stacking Stitches. They are very cool and allow you to use two different threads in a row of stitching. I brought all the stitches into the embroidery unit which is way easier than trying to stick them out in a straight line in regular sewing mode. 

Stitching the stacking stitches on the Creative Icon

This is the best photo I got of the stitches, but there are 15 of them in total. Some super cute ones and I want to try them out on something. They would be super to decorate a bag or a garment. 

Stacking stitches

I need to do some tidying of those stitches. I'm good, but I still have so much to learn, especially with embroidery. Here's the thing - I don't think you can ever stop learning with an embroidery machine around. It's one thing to buy a design from somewhere and plunk it in, but to bring in the stitches and mess around with lettering - all stuff that's built into the machine - well that's different. Let's just say that I'm having fun. It's way more fun when you're not pressured for time!!! 

I've noticed that in any given day, I think I'm using about 3 if not 4 different sewing/quilting machines!  I'm loving my current set-up. 

I have a few more samples to work on today but I'm almost at the end of what I want to have done for the moment. There'll always be more samples to make. 

Then I moved to my small Husqvarna Viking Opal 690Q so I could do the quilting on the wall hanging for my Mom. If nothing else gets done - this MUST get done!!!!  It was so small (16" square) that I used the walking foot and pivoted the heck out of the quilt as I stitched in the ditch around the blocks and around the motifs. 

Small wallhanging - quilted

I did some free motion in the border. You can't see the stitching from the front. I'm happy with it. It's trimmed and ready for the binding.

The back of the small wall hanging

 I still need to get some labels printed so I can hand stitch them when I'm away. Here's the binding on that Dresden plate for my Mom. I asked her about the details. Turns out she made it in 1956 (or thereabouts!!!!)  Her first quilt. Likely made with scraps of clothing fabric from BOTH of my grandmothers and the background is bleached flour sacks. So that needs to be put on the label. I'm tempted to wash the quilt as well to get that soft, aged look. Hmmm - if I have time, I might do that.

Binding on the Dresden plate quilt

 Thanks to Linda for this tip for you! If you left-click on a photo, the photo will open in a separate window. If you right-click on the photo, it will open in a separate window, but it'll be larger and if you right-click again, it'll be even larger. Hmm - I'm not sure if there is a difference - but YES - if you click on the photos, you'll get a larger picture!!!  Sometimes the detail is hard to see in those puny little photos.

Anyway, back to the T-shirt quilt. I did an edge to edge (pantograph) over the entire quilt. I know that some people tend to not do that. But if I can do an edge to edge - I'm in. Here's the pattern that I used. I was tempted to purchase a flame pattern, but I decided to go with what I have.

Edge to edge pattern on the T-shirt quilt

So why do some people say that you shouldn't use an edge to edge pattern? The problem is those large expanses of plastic on the T-shirts. This logo, for instance, has a plastic/rubber feel to it. It's "sticky" if that makes sense. The foot on the long arm isn't that high and you can imagine that that rubbery feel would cause drag which in turn would cause the T-shirt to shift and ripple.

Large logo of rubbery feeling material

These T-shirts were WELL stabilized with a much heavier stabilizer than I normally use. Now that I think of it, there was one spot on the quilt that shifted a wee bit. It's highlighted by the red arrow in the photo below. This T-shirt was one that I stabilized and I used a lighter weight stabilizer. It's a slight shift and no one is going to know!!! 

A slight shift in the T-shirt 

If I see there might be some shifting (I watch when the computer is working), then I manipulate the fabric when the computer is stitching out the pattern. I do this for ANY quilt that has issues. If you don't have the luxury of a computerized machine, then you need to ensure that all the areas are WELL stabilized.  I once received a T-shirt quilt where the maker had added fusible stabilizer to the T-shirts but had NOT fused it in place. That was a wee bit of an issue, but I made it work.

Another tip is to pin the shirts in place (outside of the range of the next line of stitching). Then stitch the row, move the pins to next row and so on.

Then it was off to teach a pillowcase class last night. It was great fun and this lady was excited and she was good!!!  She brought a BRAND NEW sewing machine to class - literally still had the paper beneath the presser foot when she opened it up. That happens a LOT. But she was the most accurate sewer I've ever seen for a beginner. I think she's going to have fun and her pillowcase was amazing!!! I love that fabric!!!

Happy student with her pillowcase

I even popped out on my bike to do my errands and still had time for a quick nap, some paperwork and a few phone calls. All in a fun day's work!!!

I see Miss Lexi has something to say today. 

On that note, I'm out of here. Loads to do today and best to get started. 

Have a great day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Know when tossing is best

On my way back from the gym, they were talking about Lucille Ball (on the radio) who would have celebrated her birthday yesterday. Apparently, she had a saying "put your oxygen mask on first", meaning take care of yourself first.  How true this is!  I see many people who live for their children or their parents and I get it that it's hard to put yourself first, but you must. Children won't be around forever, neither will our parents or our significant others. Then what will you do? I've seen it happen to people - they start to lose touch with their friends or their hobbies. It's hard to recover from that and guess what happens?? Loneliness - Depression!!!

Mind you, I'm probably the total opposite - I take care of me first almost 100%  all of the time and ignore everyone else! I'm a pretty selfish person if you look close enough.

Yesterday was a super productive day - yet again. I'm not really sure where this focus is coming from. I'm loving it and I wish I could have found that focus years ago! I like sewing and I like creating so why was it so hard before?

I know - there were tons of distractions and it was easy to leave things behind. No more!

One of the things I'm working on these days is samples. I have access to two gorgeous sewing machines that are filled with beautiful stitches. The problem with those stitches is that if you don't stitch them out, you've no idea how easy (or challenging) they are and you've no idea where to use them.

These stitches are from the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC. They're called applique stitches. This is what the piece looks like after I've finished stitching.

Applique stitches before trimming

I've started to trim the excess fabric away. I should say that I've programmed these stitches into the embroidery unit so technically they were embroidered, but you can stitch them out like any stitch. The sewing machine is programmed to stop where it needs to stop so you can insert the little piece of fabric. The best part?? It's so darn easy to program the stitches into the embroidery unit or to stitch them out on their own.

Some of the applique stitches have been trimmed

Aren't they adorable????  One is candy and the other is a girl with a red skirt!

Two of the applique stitches after trimming

Next up were the sequin stitches. Yes - these were also programmed into the embroidery unit. Super easy to program. The EPIC knows when to stop so you can insert the sequins. I have to say this was a wee bit challenging until I figured out a couple of tricks. Some of the stitches I will probably never use and some of them are so neat that I'm trying to figure out where to put them. On my jean jacket???  I could bling that jacket up with sequins!!!!

Sequin stitches built into the Designer EPIC

I'm stitching on vinyl which complicates some of the stitches especially if the stitching is quite dense. It's all a learning experience and I'm very happy with what I'm learning. I've got more samples to make and having fun doing it.

I always say that anyone with a sewing machine with decorative stitches should do these stitch outs. If you don't, you'll never know what the heck you have and you'll never use those stitches. But once you see what you have and how easy they are to do, well - you're more likely to use them for projects.

In the midst of all this, I have a magazine quilt to sew. My goal is to get it pieced or mostly pieced before I leave. I'm just starting! However, when I went to start sewing, I was having a heck of a time. I'm sewing on my Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby deLuxe. Hmmm - something was terribly wrong.

It's hard to see the stitching in this picture, but the bobbin was bouncing around, making a horrible noise and the stitch quality wasn't so pretty.

The bad seam on the left, good seam on the right

That photo shows the bobbin part of the seam. I cleaned the bobbin case area and inserted a new needle. No difference. Yikes - I can't sew a quilt with that kind of a mess.

I checked the bobbin. It seemed to be OK, but let's try a different one. HOLY - like night and day. This bobbin doesn't look too worn - not like some others that I have, but for whatever reason, it's not happy.

Bobbin 

Needless to say, that bobbin is now history. Know when to get rid of things that aren't working - be that a bobbin, needles, thread or whatever. If it's not working - it might be worn out (those bobbins are plastic after all), it might be damaged - don't bother to waste your time with such a small item.

Bobbin is toast

Speaking of magazine quilts, another magazine (and another one of my quilts) got axed. Easy Quilts is history. That doesn't leave too many quilting magazines from that publisher. Well - I hadn't started that one and I would have had to make it when I got home. What will I do when I get home??? Oh yes - more unpacking, more samples, and clean up more UFOs.

Then I fired up the long arm to get the T-shirt quilt done. If those seams are pressed well, and the T-shirts are well stabilized, T-shirt quilts are a dream to quilt. I had zero issues with this. A huge thanks to Heather for giving me the T-shirts. If my brother doesn't want it, I'll bring it back and find someone who will appreciate it.

T-shirt quilt - DONE

And here's the backing!!!!  I love it!!!!

The backing of the T-shirt quilt

I took a wee bit of time and went to the mall. I got seven bottles of distilled water for the irons. I hate to shop, so I'm stocked for a couple of months.

I also went to the Bulk Barn to look at stuff. I found all kinds of goodies that I can use in my cereal and probably less expensive than my usual grocery store. I even found powdered peanut butter!!! Actually, I was looking for that thanks to a comment by Nancy the day before. That'll be great for smoothies and easier to put the powder in the Vitamix rather than scooping out the real thing.

Good stuff acquired at the Bulk Barn

Oh - there were lots of temptations there. Loads of chocolate and candy. The only decadent thing I bought were yogurt covered cranberries which is my "sweet" snack. I love the darn things.

I found a glass jar that I can use when I mix up my cereal topping and I also found a shaker for the cinnamon which resides beside the cereal. No more cumin in my cereal.

Cinnamon in a shaker

As I was buzzing through the store looking for a few more items, I saw this. Really?????  It's only August and sweltering hot!!!

Winter coats in case you're cold

I also got the binding on that small Dresden Quilt for my Mom. Time to make some labels.

On that note, it's time to get back to work!!!  I wonder what I'm going to learn today????

Have a super day!!!!


Ciao!!