Fireside Retreat - Day Three

Why does time pass so quickly when you're having fun? We still have one more full day, and then there's no reason to rush home tomorrow, so I should be able to get a lot more done.

I can see the bottom of the laundry basket, but that doesn't mean that I'll get everything finished. And remember that a couple of projects that are "done" while I'm here, are in fact, not done as I didn't have the thread for the applique and so on. But most of the stuff that went into the "done" bag here is pretty much done.

I'm loving being this organized.

A HUGE thank you goes to Nina this morning. I'm trying to get that darn backpack of mine done. I wanted to change the straps on the back. Why??  Well, this is the way the straps are made according to the pattern. They are made from webbing that has been covered with fabric.

The straps on the original backpack

It's not that I use straps a lot, but sometimes, it's just very convenient to have them, and I intend to put my laptop in the new backpack, so I want something way more substantial than webbing for the strap. I also don't like the way the strap gets attached to the backpack. Essentially, it's attached to the back pocket. That doesn't make sense to me.

The straps are attached to the pocket

Even the handle. Can you tell me why the handle is attached to the pocket and not the seam between the back and the gusset? I'll have to rethink where my handles go.

Anyway, there's another bag called the Out and About bag. It's much smaller, but the straps are so substantial and padded, and I thought I would take the straps from that bag and apply them to this bag. For whatever reason, the instructions had me totally lost. There weren't good pictures in the pattern, and there were tons of pieces. A good diagram would have gone a long way. I thought I had it figured out, and then I remembered that Nina had made the Out and About bag. If she could take the time to send me some pictures, that would be awesome.

And she did!!!!

This is the link to her blog (which I must start to read!!!), where she made the same backpack that I'm currently making.

And this is the link where she posted pictures of the Out and About bag, including very detailed shots of the straps.

There is no pocket on the back of this Out and About backpack, so the straps and the handle are attached into the seam at the very top, which makes more sense to me. But the straps are padded and then also have the webbing attached to the padded part, so they are more substantial and probably way more comfortable.

I wonder why the pattern designer doesn't use the padded straps on the bigger backpack???  Oh well - this is where one takes a pattern and makes it their own!!!! 

Again -- thanks Nina -- those pictures are perfect, and now I have enough info to make the necessary changes.

I didn't get started at the sewing machine until almost lunchtime. I went out for a bike ride in the morning—an easy 34 KM. I stopped a couple of times to take pictures. NO - not because there was a hill. Just to take some photos. That's part of what a bike ride is - enjoy the scenery around you and not just ride and ride.

This is my flower photo of the day. I actually took this one while I was out walking. I've no idea what it is, but it was pretty, and I only saw one grouping of them along the entire walk.

My flower photo of the day

Don't you just hate when you open your camera, and there's your face because the camera lens got turned around? I thought - oh well - just take a selfie and move on! So here I am, after about 20 KM. I thought my face would have been a bit redder and more sweaty, but I look pretty chilled out!

A selfie while cycling

I was stopped when I took that picture. But this is why I stopped. This property had a big long stone fence, and this bike was permanently attached to the rocks, which I thought was kind of neat.

A bike attached to the stone fence

I found another route where I still have a hill to climb, but it's much shorter and only 7% incline, not 10% like the other hill. The only problem was that I then took that road all the way to the end, it landed me right on Highway 11, which is a pretty busy highway. II don't mind the traffic, and I was NOT going to turn around and bypass that part. I simply sucked it up and rode on the highway until the next turn off - a couple of KM. It was fine, and all the big trucks were very accommodating and moved over.

I was on lunch duty, so I had to run to the grocery store to get supplies. Then after lunch, I was finally able to get myself organized and back to work.

I wanted to make some progress on that darn backpack. There were still loads of pieces that needed to be sewn on, and I wanted to go home with a bit more work done than I had accomplished so far.

I got the gusset completed! Actually, it's called the zipper insert or something like that. The front and back of the backpack get sewn into this circle. The zipper (on the right) is the top of the backpack.

The zipper insert

There are two side pockets on the backpack. I made mine with the quilted fabric, but I think next time, I'll be using a mesh which will not add a whole lot of bulk.

Pockets on the side of the backpack

OK -- let's forge ahead and try to get more done. This is the front of the backpack. There's a LOT of work in this. The flap has a magnetic snap, which needed to be placed just so or the snap wouldn't close, and you want that flap to lie perfectly flat. A wee bit of jiggling, and it was done to my satisfaction. This was the part that I goofed up previously, but with a little bit of engineering, I got it to work.

The front of the backpack

Inside the flap are some little pockets where you could put a credit card or room key or whatever. If you didn't have those small pockets, whatever you put in there would drop to the bottom of the pocket. A lot of work and it all adds bulk, but I think they are worth it.

Card slots inside the front flap

Then there's another pocket on the inside of the front. That pocket has a zipper and is made with just fabric—no extra support.  I used one of my big zippers (zipper tape), but next time, I'd probably use just a regular zipper and mesh. Mesh was suggested in the pattern for the side pocket and the inside pocket, but I went with the fabric instead.

The inside of the front of the backpack

So those were two major components of the backpack - DONE. That leaves the straps and the back. Now that I have more information from Nina, I think I should be able to do a bit more work before we have to leave tomorrow. I thought I was missing some fabric but then realized that I had already cut fabric to make the original fabric covered webbing straps, and I'll just reuse that to add the webbing to the padded straps. I think I can almost get it completed this weekend. That would be great!!!


Then it was time to move onto the yoga bag. I know -- why all these bags? Quilts are so MUCH easier to make. All these pockets and zippered pockets and topstitching - it's a tremendous amount of work. Don't even think about asking for one unless you're prepared to make it yourself!!!

Both of these bag patterns are from byAnnie.com.  I do love her patterns and the end results are very professional looking - but I'm a bit ticked about things like the straps and the lack of pictures in some cases. And why should I have to pay $5 to watch a video on her website or buy a NEW version of the same pattern because she changed the instructions? Oh well --- let's move on.

Here is one side of the yoga bag with ONE pocket on it.

Side one of the yoga bag

And here's the second side of the yoga bag. This one has two zippered pockets (which we doctored at the last retreat as I didn't feel the zippers were inserted with enough stability) and there's one slip pocket.

The other side of the yoga bag

 The handle is also made and that's what I get to work on this morning.

It's definitely been a retreat filled with lots of bag making. Ronda made her backpack and then tons of zippered pouches and bags. She made a Crafty Tote, Laura made a Crafty Tote as well and several small Everyday Baskets. I'll try to get photos of it all today so you can see what we've been up to.

Claudette is making the Professional Bag. She was hoping to get it done this weekend and we all laughed at her! That's another very fiddly bag with loads of pockets, trim and other details. It's a very time-consuming bag.

She's using webbing for the handles and she dressed it up with some fabric that I LOVE. This is a super creative way to use webbing for a handle and not have it look like webbing.

Dressed up webbing for a handle

Then Katheleen blew us all out of the water. She made each of us a Junque Journal.

A junque journal

 It's a journal that's essentially made out of bits and bobs of stuff. I'm so excited about it. She also customized it with the topics of our group exchange a while back. Every time I look through it, I find something new.

Inside the junque journal

 She spent an enormous amount of time on the journals, and they are GORGEOUS. I'm going to start putting bits of stuff in the journal from our retreats. It's just the best. THANK YOU, Katheleen!!!

OMG -- we just had a chat about journals and I'm so inspired to get home and start a very cool project. It's so amazing to chat with each other and offer up suggestions.

Ronda is our entertainment coordinator. She's been wanting to have a movie night for a while. I brought along a projector and she somehow brought a movie.

I didn't even know what was going on with the setup. And I'm not good at watching movies late at night so I wasn't sure that I would last. This is the set-up for the movie. I had to laugh - there's a big sheet hung up and honestly - it worked like a charm.

Movie night at the retreat

 We had snacks that I ate too much of! And I wasn't going to sleep so that was good. We were watching the movie inside the screened-in porch which has a tin roof. Then the rain started and it started to pour. We had to stop watching the movie.  To be resumed later today!!!!

Rain pouring off the roof

What can I say? Retreats are just the best!!!  Good friends are even better and when you combine the two - well, it's heaven!!! 

I don't think I'll be riding my bike today. It's raining a bit now and it's going to rain most of the day. That's OK - we desperately need the rain and I didn't bring any rain gear. My knees and feet would be happy for a day off.

And I'll get my yoga bag done or almost!

Have a super day!!!!


Ciao!!!!

Retreat - Day Two

Another day at Fireside Retreat and another hot day outside. Not so hot that we didn't sit out on the deck for quite a bit yesterday afternoon (in the shade of course) and not so hot that we didn't eat lunch and dinner in the screened-in porch. And not so hot that I didn't take a bike ride in the morning and then a walk in the evening. YES - we're totally crazy, but if you're just sitting around on the deck, the heat and humidity are not so bad.

The other saving grace with the heat and humidity is the trees. There are lots of trees surrounding the property, and that's what helps to cool off the air—same thing at home. Trees will help to beat the heat. Become a tree hugger today!!

I don't have a whole lot to show for finishing yesterday, but I did get some work done. I can't even remember what I was working on in the morning. Isn't that awful?

Anyway - I got my bike out first thing when it wasn't too hot and went for a 32 KM ride. It's so beautiful up here and not a whole lot of traffic, and that really makes it pleasant. A wee bit of gravel on one road near the quarry, and it wasn't a lot of fun to ride on the gravel as it's quite loose. After riding 800KM on the Dempster Highway in 2010, gravel isn't really a problem.

There's a large hill right by the house, and if you go down that hill, you have to come back up it. There's no way to get around it. I thought if I went far enough in one direction that perhaps the hill would be less. NOT! I think the hill coming back up was even steeper. But I did get a great view as my reward for struggling up the hill. 

The view from the hill

You can see the lake from the top of this hill. So hard to capture the actual essence of the land with a camera. I guess you have to be there.

OK - I confess, I had to stop on that hill. I'm not used to riding up steep (over 10% grade) hills, and I stopped for a few seconds. I did NOT walk up but just stopped. I could say that I stopped to take this picture (which I did), but that wasn't the entire truth! I'm OK with stopping.

Tiger lily

Here's my flower of the day picture. The poor flower looks a bit beat up - probably from the heat.

Then it was back to the house to have a well-deserved shower and back to work.

Actually, I wanted to finish the secret project that I started at the last retreat.

That Ronda - she finds things, gets an idea that we need to work on it, and well - we had another project. Actually, yesterday was all about Ronda! So when she was shopping online, she came across a panel. She showed me the panel and said we should make this for Katheleen. Hmm - that seemed like a great idea at the time. So she bought the panel and gave it to me. It was my job to make up the panel.

So what was the panel??

Aunt Flossy and Phyllis

A mommy cow and a calf!!!! I know - totally crazy. Katheleen loves cows like I like bikes. And it was her birthday while we were here, so she got two cows for her birthday. I wasn't going to sew those buttons on for eyes, and she happened to have some glue, so I borrowed glue from her to glue on the eyes on HER cows.

I had to sit upstairs in the dining room while I finished the work on the cows since Katheleen was sewing in the main sewing room.

The cow even has an udder that was a total pain to hand stitch on. We won't look too closely at that. And the poor cow needs a good lint rolling. I used a different kind of stuffing, and it was very fine and a good producer of lint!

The cow's udder

Those cows have pretty red ribbons, each with an appropriately sized bell and not a jingle bell either. Oh no - I was given strict instructions - no jingle bells allowed. Fortunately, I have a small stash of bells and found what I needed. So if you remember that picture of the day, I went shopping in my stash for ribbons and bells? It was not for a Christmas project - it was for Aunt Flossie and Phyllis.

I have to say that they are cute, now that they are done!!!  Happy Birthday, Katheleen!!!

The cows

Then I had no choice but to get back to that darn backpack. I don't know why it's such an issue. The backpack itself isn't that huge of a deal. Loads of pieces, but doable. Ronda took the easy route and made her backpack with no inside pockets, no straps. That cut out a whole lot of issues.

We were supposed to be working on them together, but well - my mind just wasn't into making backpacks. So Ronda got hers finished last night.

Ronda's backpack

Ronda's backpack

OH - Now I remember what I did in the morning. I had a few things that needed to be fixed on my backpack. Again, Ronda took the easy route, and everything is black. NO - mine has several colors on it, and I didn't like the color of binding on that outside pocket flap - so I had to take that off and redo it. I hate redoing, and I'm slow at it.

This is what my backpack looks like this morning—still a pile of pieces. I hope to get a wee bit more done on it today, and then I'll either finish it at home or bring it back next time. Now that all the pieces (except for those pesky straps) are done, the rest will go fairly quickly. The problem with the straps is that I'm making the straps from a different bag pattern, and there are many pieces to making them. You'll get to see as I go along. And Nina - if you're reading today - can you show me a picture of the straps on your bag? That's what I'm trying to put on this one.

My backpack

The other thing that I made sure got accomplished yesterday was to get the zippers in. While Shelly made us a zipper fork for attaching the zipper pulls to the zipper tape, we just seem to get the job done faster if we're two people. So at dinner, last night, Ronda and I sat there, and within minutes, the last of my zippers were done! As I pulled my chair up, I felt like we were getting ready to play a game.

Making zippers

 It takes a lot of hands to make those zippers. Good thing, Shelly wasn't here so she couldn't see us. But we did it, and the zipper looks fantastic. I got it sewn into the bag pieces last night. The next step required some thinking before I marked and cut, and I wasn't prepared to take that risk when I was tired. That's on the agenda for today. I won't finish the backpack, but I hope to get the pockets attached to the front and back pieces.

It's hard work to make a zipper

The best news about the zippers? We're getting good at it. I love zipper tape now. So if you have zipper tape, you'll never use - let me know.

I have to say, somewhat sheepishly, that I've finally figured out how to cook oatmeal in the microwave here. Isn't that sad that it's taken me how many years? And the saddest part? It's EXACTLY the same way as in my microwave at home. For some reason, I couldn't adjust the power on this one, and when I tried the same sequence of buttons as at home? Well, it worked!!  Sigh...................

Who cares! I figured it out. I will say that for a while, we couldn't get regular oatmeal, and I had to use the flavored ones. Well, we got regular oatmeal back, and oh my - it's a bit bland compared to the flavored ones and in particular this morning when I don't have a banana to add to it.

When I went for a walk last night - after dinner, so I was anticipating it to be slightly cooler - it was NOT. There was no sun, so everything was in the shade, but the air was thick. There were a lot of clouds that potentially looked like storm clouds, and I was ready to walk in the rain and embrace it. At one point, the winds even picked up and whisked all the sweat off my face. There were maybe five drops of rain, and that was it. The winds died down, and I was sweating again!

I came across this little guy on the side of the road. Actually, he wasn't so small. This is the largest turtle that I've seen in real life, and he was about 8 inches across—a positive giant to me. However, I didn't like the fact that he was on the road. I went to pick him up (away from his mouth), and he jumped, which scared me, and I left him alone. I did find a stick along the way so I could prod him off the road on my way back, but when I got back to where he was, he was gone.

A turtle on the road

And that wraps up another day at Fireside Retreat. We did a wee bit of shopping at the quilt store, and I need to get to the grocery store today.

One of the ladies decided to go down to the waterfront to take a walk along the waterfront yesterday afternoon. She was told the parking was $50!!!! It was less if you were a resident, but for out of towners - it was $50. That's a bit much. This is a tourist town, and they should be welcoming the few people that are here to help support their businesses. I get the social distancing thing, but we can social distance just like the locals. Oh well...............  everyone is handling the situation in their own way.

Got to run. The others will be up soon, and I want to get out on that bike before it gets too hot.

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Fireside Retreat - Day One

OK -- so I'm totally spoiled and totally loving it. But yes - we're back at Fireside Retreat. With the whole pandemic thing going on, we had to move some dates around, and well, this retreat and the last one ended up being very close to each other. Couldn't be helped and well - I don't care.

We're a much smaller group than usual, so we're all spaced out in the house, and loving the extra room.

I wasn't sure if I was going to get everything into the car. Not that I had a lot, but when you have a bike, a laundry basket of projects, a bag of food, clothes, a portable office (in my backpack), a projector in case we can arrange an outdoor movie night, and some stuff for the bike. OH - and my big sewing machine, which is hidden under the sweatshirt. God forbid that the bike would shift during the drive and kill the screen or scratch the machine. OH - I forgot - I brought a Keurig coffee maker as well. See - there is LOADS of room still.

Packed for retreat

I'm happy to report that it all fit into the car, and I'm sure I could have easily squeezed more stuff in if I wanted. The laundry basket thing is working out very well. However, I looked in it last night and had a small panic attack. There doesn't seem to be a lot of stuff in it, but the stuff that is in there will take a couple of days. There's no danger that I'm going to run out of stuff to do. It's all a mindset.

The laundry basket

So what did I get done? I finished off my tote bag made with Oh Canada fabric. I had brought this to the last retreat and wasn't able to finish it because I had no Decor-Bond for the handles. The handles got made, the insert to support the bottom got made, the button got sewn on, and the bag was assembled. Project Number One - DONE.

Tote bag made with Northcott Oh Canada fabric

I have to say that because all the projects are safely stored in their own containers, it makes it a whole lot easier to pull a new project. The supplies (thread and other stuff) are also stored in bags within the project bag, so when I pull something out, everything is there. So that's only taken me how many years to figure out?  It doesn't matter - I've got it down to a science now, and that's all that counts.

Then I got to "shop" in the laundry basket for the next project. Hmm - this next one has a due date, so I'd better get to work on that. It's my Trendtex challenge. It was supposed to be done sometime in May, but with Quilt Canada being canceled this year, that project got shelved. It was half completed. I had forgotten to bring my applique scissors (I'm not perfect), but I managed to borrow a pair from Claudette, and I was good to go.

I didn't bring the threads I need to finish this off, so that will have to wait until I'm home. But the bottom line, it's pretty much together. I LOVE it, and I'm considering NOT sending it in because I like it so much. I could always send it in and then buy it back. I might do that just because I really like it and the money would go to a good cause. I'll see how I feel once it's completely done. It has to arrive at its destination by July 22, so that might be a bit tight. But that's just for getting it into the judging. I don't think it's prize-worthy, but still, it would be nice to get it in. So that becomes a priority this coming week.

Back to the laundry basket to pull out the next project. I seem to have brought a LOT of zippered pouches with me. I had some leftover fabric bits when I was cutting out my backpack, so I decided to work on those. I had to quilt the outside of this one, but the lining was prepped with the Decor-Bond, and so that took all of a few minutes to do the quilting. I know - I shouldn't have cut the bottom quite so large as the bicycle is sitting a wee bit low. Doesn't matter - the zipper pouch is now done, and that's one more project off the list.

A zippered pouch made with Banyan Batik Ride On fabric

Zippered pouches ready for the last part of the assembly

Then I had some pre-quilted bits and some extra zippers. So I proceeded with these two small zippered pouches until they both look like this. Because the seams will be exposed on the inside, I want to finish them off with the serger. I could have brought one with me, but I didn't. No big deal - those can easily and quickly be finished off when I get back home. I know - I know - a lot to do when I get home. Worse case, I'll bring a serger to the next retreat and get them done then.

That was it for the day!  We were very laid back and sat outside for quite a bit in the afternoon, just relaxing and chatting. That's what retreats are all about. Just taking it easy - it's like a vacation after all and no sense killing oneself to get stuff done. Besides, if I work too fast - what if I finish all the projects in the laundry basket? HA - that would be the day!!!!


At one point, there wasn't anyone sewing. Can you believe that? That's because we do have other interests (chatting) than sewing.

The sewing space with no one sewing

Or we could be having a nap. I did have a nap outside in the deck chairs. Not as comfortable as my lounge chair at home, but hey - I didn't care. I was tired.

The relaxing side of the great room at Fireside Retreat

After dinner, I went for a walk. It wasn't as hot as I was anticipating, and most of the walk was in the shade. I call it a walk, most would call it a forced march. Four miles in one hour, and that included going up a large hill. But I'm OK with that. I should have stopped along the way to fix my sock as I could feel that something wasn't right, and of course, when I arrived at the house, I've got a hot spot on the underside of one toe. Well, a bit of a blister. I knew that was going o happen, but do I listen to my body? It appears not!!!!

I did stop to snap this photo on the walk. Dare I call it a Black Eyed Susan? Since my knowledge of flowers isn't great.

Black eyed Susan 

I had a great sleep, and I'm all set for today. It's relatively cool outside this morning, so I think a bike ride is in order. That way, my callused and blistered toe (it's not that bad - I'm just a drama queen) doesn't have to endure the pounding of my feet.

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Who turned up the heat?

Holy -- this heat is getting even crazier every day. As everyone says, it's not the heat but the humidity. Monday wasn't a very humid day, but yesterday? That was humid. Last night was the first night that I came back from the walk a tad damp. Well, much damper than usual. I honestly don't mind the heat and the humidity - I don't go running a marathon in it by any means, but it's a great excuse to do things slow and steady!

I spent a good part of the day working on the customer quilt, and it's done. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I'm thrilled with the quilting, and it's all trimmed and ready to pick up.

When working with more than one color, it's always a challenge to figure out what thread to put on the back. And when there's high contrast from the front and the back, that's another challenge. 

Here's what the back looks like. 

The back of the quilt

Can you believe that I used WHITE thread in the bobbin when I quilted the white areas?? It was a thin thread, so it doesn't show up at all. Then I switched to a weird blue color when I did the black and the blue on the quilt. And that backing also helped a whole lot. It's a very busy print and hides a lot of the thread. My kind of backing!!!

I was hoping to get another customer quilt done, but I was tired when this quilt was done. I did have to get the straps for my backpack quilted, so I loaded that. A small piece at 20 by 10 inches. So it took no time at all. It always looks ridiculous to put something so small on that 14-foot table. The pattern isn't quite to the same scale as the original quilting, but who cares. These straps are only 2" wide, so I doubt anyone is going to notice. 

Quilting the backpack straps

I didn't cut the foam piece that's in the middle. I just loaded the entire big piece, and I'll trim it later. 

So the laundry basket is packed. And everything fits in the one basket. It's heaping, but it's all in one basket. I loaded my bike INSIDE the car last night. The big question now -  is there enough room for my sewing stuff? That car is small. I'm sure I'll figure it out. 

I downloaded this badge from The Big Canada Run. At first, I thought it was a mistake, but NO - it's not a mistake. This is in honor of us Canadians who are always saying SORRY. 

First badge in The Big Canada Run

Information about various cities is posted as we make progress across the country. When I saw this picture, I had to share it with you.

Do you know where this was taken???

It's part of the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia. What's hilarious is I know this stretch of road - very well. 

I've cycled the Cabot Trail three times, and I feel that I know the road quite well. This particular stretch is the descent on Smokey Mountain. It doesn't look like that big of a deal, but this is a STEEP descent. I took a video of it on one of my descents. Here's the link if you want to watch.   There are THREE mountains on the Cabot Trail. Anyway - it was a "fun" ride - so much fun, I did it three years in a row!!

Well, I've got to run. Walk the dogs, load the car, and I'm out of here!!!

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!

Shopping chez Elaine

We had another great Monday sewing session via Zoom. Honestly, I don't know what we would do without these Zoom session. The fact that we get to see each other and keep up to date with families, solving the world's problems, our projects, and anything else that comes up in the conversation is AMAZING. I can't imagine what it would be like to not have the Zoom sessions. I'd feel so isolated.

While Zooming is NOT the same as seeing each other in person, it's the next best thing, and quite frankly, I feel like we're in the same close contact that we always had. The best thing? No packing up of a project, no hauling the sewing machine around, and we get to see everyone's sewing spaces. I LOVE Zoom.

After that was over, I was back to the long arm. I had to take a customer quilt off last week to get the magazine quilt done. That quilt is back on the long arm, and I made great progress with it. It's a custom job, so that takes a whole lot more work than doing the edge to edge. I did a LOT of ruler work on the quilt, and this is what part of the border looks like.

The border on a customer quilt

Most of the ruler work is done. This part is the most intense, and I have one small part of the border to finish this morning. Then the rest should be relatively easy. To entertain myself once I've figured out how the quilting should go, I listen to an audiobook. That makes the time pass because once you know what you're doing, it's just time to get it done.

I'm listening to one of James Patterson's books. It's from the Women's Murder Club. I'm way behind in those books. The thing with these books and I'm going to say ALL audiobooks by James (and his co-authors) is they add sound effects and music. That has scared the crap out of me on more than one occasion. I'm thinking,  what is that noise?" And then I realize it's on the audiobook!! Definitely adds ambiance!

My goal is to get that quilt off the machine today. Well, I have to. I was hoping to get another customer quilt done by tonight, but I'm not sure that's going to happen. That would be really pushing it. And I still have to quilt this piece of fabric.

Cycling fabric to be quilted

So you remember at the last retreat (just a few days ago), that Ronda and I were working on our backpacks. We were both hyped up, and well, it just wasn't a good day to make backpacks. I was waiting for some fabric to arrive so I could quilt some shoulder straps. That fabric came while I was away. Thanks to Fabricland in Vernon, I got my fabric. I wasn't thrilled about the shipping costs. $15 to ship when the actual price was $3.19. Granted, they had to buy the bubble mailer at $3.00. Still - I got my fabric, and let's just move on!

Getting this piece of fabric quilted for the straps is my priority today. Well, after the customer quilt comes off the long arm.

Why the urgency? Well, it appears that we're going on retreat again! YES - we leave tomorrow. We booked this retreat last year. It was the one last week that got shifted around. I know that I should have quilted this fabric before so I wouldn't be rushing around on the day before we leave. I didn't, so I'll just live with the consequences. I may be working on the backpack at the next retreat!

The laundry basket is almost full. I hope to add the backpack and one other small project. Then that's it! I love the laundry basket idea. Thanks, Tish! It's working like a charm and NO panic packing.

Speaking of the laundry baskets, I just hope that one day SOON that I can clear all the projects that are on the work tables in Studio B. Why do I not seem to be getting ahead? I'm not getting behind, but seem to have trouble getting some small stuff finished up. Well, in August, when I have a totally blank schedule, I hope to get some of those projects done.

When I'm back next week, I'll be working on some great ideas for upcoming blog posts, and I can't wait to get started on that. I've got a list, and I've got some supplies stockpiled.

Here's one advantage of having a well-organized studio space. Well, not just the studio itself, but all the supplies. I needed some things to finish up my secret project. You'll get to see the project by the end of the month, so a wee bit more patience is required.

I needed some bells and ribbon. I found those within mere seconds because I knew exactly where they were, and ALL of both items were corraled entirely in their respective containers.

My "purchase" of ribbon and bells

Hmm - could this be a Christmas in July project? You never know..............

Then I needed some buttons. I pulled out the big jar of buttons and started the search. I didn't get through the buttons yet. That's for later today.

Looking for buttons

Here's a wee trip down memory lane. This button came off a couch that I had years ago. MANY years ago.

A button from my old sofa

And this button? It's practically an antique. Well, not really, it's a button I used when I made myself a jacket when I was learning to sew. Now that was MANY, MANY years ago.

A doggie button

OH MY GOD --- Thank god for shoes. I just ran in the house to hide from Murphy. I hit her toy box, full-on with my toes. If I didn't have shoes on, well, that would NOT have been good.

I still have some computer work to get done. More quilts to design - I have THREE quilts that need some work in EQ8. Then to try and track down fabric for some other quilts. Yes - the follow-up for all this takes a LOT of time. This is where an assistant would be excellent. Now that I've cleaned up my filing system, it's a lot easier to keep track of what's missing. But still takes time!

Here are the blocks for Summer Moon. This is one of the ongoing classes that would have been held at The Hobby Horse. There was a TON of flying geese in the homework this month.

Block One

Block Two

Block Three

 Each one of those blocks needs to be made in three different sizes. And then, a frame needs to be added to each of the blocks. We're now halfway through the blocks.

Here are all my large blocks with the framing on. The book says to put framing on four sides. Some of the strips were teeny tiny, so I made them larger and added to only two sides. Works for me.

My summer moon large blocks

These are the medium blocks. There's a white strip around each of those as well. The frame allows all the blocks to become the same size.

My medium blocks

These are the small blocks. They also have a frame around them, but part of the frame is pieced. There are four different framing types. We're working on the first one.

My small blocks

 I love the look of my blocks so far. I'm using scraps from a magazine quilt. I only hope that I have enough fabric. But it's still current, so I should be able to find some if I need some. I think I'll be OK. And I can always find a creative way to add more.

On that note, I'd better get the day going. I've got a lot of paperwork and quilting to do. Thankfully, except the backpack, everything is prepped and ready to go for the retreat.

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

It's a good day!!

I just don't do well with lack of sleep. I had TWO naps yesterday. The first was in the gazebo and lasted a couple of hours. At about 4 PM, the gazebo gets sun, and at about that same time, the lounger on the deck is now in the shade, so my second nap was there. I had a great sleep last night, and I'm ME today! Not Miss Grumpy Pants!

Since I was in the gazebo a bit earlier than usual, I had to turn my chair. It's so protected by trees - it really is a lovely spot. I can't imagine a backyard without a gazebo.

The view from the gazebo

I'm almost caught up with all the stuff that was due for magazines. One last submission to finish off this morning, and then I'm caught up! 

Well sort of. I'm working with a couple of new companies, and I've got some follow up to do. Where's my fabric for the next project, which is due July 23?? It should have been here by now. Thankfully this one is small, but it still needs to be sewn. 

I don't know about you, but I feel that I spend a LOT of time following up with people. Oh well - it's all in a day's work. 

Here's the really good news. The customer quilt is done! And once I got the pattern back the way it was supposed to be with FIVE repeats, not six, it worked like a charm. Can you believe that this is this customer's FIRST quilt? I think she said she has sewed before. The seams were terrific, and the quilt was pretty much square.

Customer quilt

I find that when I'm out shopping - OK -- so I was never much of a shopper, and with the pandemic, we haven't been shopping much, but the couple of times when I have been out lately, I'm so rational that - well, I'm not sure where that came from.

I did buy ONE frivolous thing the other day. I saw this bicycle fabric. I may already have it, but I thought I deserved one small extra thing. I saw loads and loads of other prints that I would have loved to buy. Then I thought of all the fabric that is being transferred to the Community Projects pile and thought that buying more wasn't a good idea. I'm scaring myself!

My bicycle fabric

There were some gorgeous Halloween fabrics. I did not cave in. I already have many Halloween quilts that are finished or need to be completed. And I have a LOT of Halloween fabric. I do NOT need more.

It was Little Bear's birthday on July 4. He was a lucky dog that day and got to go for FOUR walks. The darn little guy is so cute!!!  And he sure looks happy. I wish we lived closer to him. Oh - and then we could see M more often as well!!!  He's now four! My, how time flies.

Little Bear on his birthday

I seem to get all this homework done, and then I never post it. So here are my blocks from the Vintage Christmas quilt that I finished yesterday.

Mitten block

Christmas Star block

These blocks are super cute, and I can't wait to get them all done. We've made 24 blocks of 42. We're going to have to start thinking about how to put the quilt together! I like that we're taking our time to make the blocks. It would get boring if we just zipped through and made all the blocks at once. Besides, it keeps the group guessing as to which blocks I've chosen for that week's assignment.

I don't think I posted the blocks that I've chosen for the homework for Christmas Fig, either.

Tree of Life

Schoolhouse

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with these blocks. There are 20 in total. Only six left to sew. And they are HUGE. I see two quilts for this project.

But the best news? I'm up to date! I think I have one more set of instructions to write up, and then I'm up to date.

You remember that we signed up for The Big Canada Run? It started on July 1. A total of 8,000 KM, and it's a team effort. We're four in the group, but so far, only numbers from three people are logged.

Can you believe how far we've walked so far???






Yes - three of us have already logged 175 KM since July 1!!!  That's how much we've walked in FIVE days. I think I logged 65 KM of that 175 KM. And in this heat? What's wrong with us? Well - you walk before it gets hot, and then you walk once it starts to cool down. It's no big deal.

I see a fair number of people out walking both in the morning and the evening, so that's nice. Some are regulars, and we say Good Morning every day. Others, I don't see every day, but we're a friendly group, and everyone says HI. That's a great thing! We need more community connections!

I see that it's almost time and I'd better get moving. It's Monday sewing today, and I also have another quilt on the long arm that I NEED to get done by tomorrow.

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!