Sorting scraps is my therapy

 For those not aware of the Magic Bags, they are bags of grain (not sure what kind) that you throw in the microwave to heat up - like a heating pad. However, Jill's comment is chilling!!! The smell was quite bad, and I can still smell it on my PJs because I held the bag to me for a bit. The smell is still very much in the bag, and I suspect that when I get home, I'll be shopping for another bag, because the moment it goes in the microwave, it will stink up the place. 

As for microwaves? I don't know what it is about this one, but it is POWERFUL!!! I tried oatmeal this morning for one minute at power 2. No problem. The second one minute was still at power 2, and I had a huge mess to clean up. What is it doing to the food? 

Anyway --- we are on our way home this afternoon, so I can cook my oatmeal safely tomorrow!!!

Do I have a lot to show for this retreat? I certainly don't have a quilt top, since I didn't bring a machine, but it's amazing how time-consuming these non-sewing-machine jobs are. I managed to get as much as I could done on the one jacket. Both shoulder/sleeve seams are hand-stitched in place, and that feels amazing. 

This is what the seams look like before. 

The seams after they were stitched by machine

And this is what they look like when the excess has been cut away and hand-stitched in place. 

The seam allowances are finished.

This is the Tamarack Jacket I'm working on. Now I have to resew the sides and sleeves together and finish those seams. The last thing will be to hem the sleeves. And this jacket will be done!!! Did you guess that I want it done for my jacket class, but it's also on my visual To-Do list!!!!

My Tamarack Jacket

Then I got out the second jacket I brought with me, and it also needed those shoulder sleeve seams cut down so I could finish the edge. That one is being stitched in place on the sewing machine, but I managed to get one completely pinned and ready to sew. I started on the other one and realized the two seam allowances aren't quite as well lined up as I would like, so I ripped that part out and will resew it when I get home. Then I'll finish prepping the sleeve seam. 

Here is the seam allowance on the other jacket before. 

The "before" on the second jacket

And now it's pinned and ready to be stitched. All is good. This one is also on the visual To-Do list, so there is a push to get these done. 

The seam is pinned and ready to stitch down on the machine.

This jacket is stitched together differently from the other one, so once these two sleeve seams are done, I still have to hand-stitch the facing in place. I could have done that here, but forgot to bring the thread. And I need to put snaps on it. Before I do that, I want to buy one of those table presses for putting snaps on. I did a bit of research yesterday and found what I want - now I just need to find a place to buy it. I could buy it at my "favorite" online store, but seriously? I'm not buying from them unless it is the last place on earth to buy something. I won't get into how many people buy from them because of the convenience, and ignore the fact that their dollars support some unsavory things. But I won't go there. 

Then it was onto a couple of other projects. I finished this cushion cover a while back, but I was never happy with how I put the invisible zipper in. So it's now apart, and I'll redo it. That's why it takes me so long to make things—I must learn to do it right the first time! I'm getting there!

The cushion cover is apart.

Then I spent the rest of the day fondling my scraps. I have several containers of batik scraps leftover from making the 4th of July quilt. I mentioned that yesterday. Well, I was back at it. I know -- most of you would have tossed those scraps years ago, but I couldn't. 

The first box wasn't so bad to go through, but the second box? I think I just scooped up what was left on my mat after trimming, including loads of iddy-bitty bits. So I had to clean all that up!!!

Sorting a mess of scraps

When I dumped the second box, it looked like a cube. The scraps were not crammed in the space, but they had settled over time. 

A cube of scraps

OH MY --- I am not a fan of this touch pad on the computer. The right click to get PASTE is crap. WAIT ---- I can just hear my computer friends --- use the shortcut keys. Hmmmm --- I may have to resort to that. Now what the heck are they? 

And then when you fluff the scraps up a bit, they explode!!!! Scraps are like mushrooms!

The scrap cube exploded.

OH --- when I did manage to get the pop-up screen from the right-click -- it's CTL+C for copy and CTL+V for paste. I might try that. Those friends of mine may convert me yet!!!!

And then I sorted. 

Sorting scraps

And I trimmed, and I'm happy to say that I've almost completed the second box. 

More trimming

A lot of the scraps went into those two boxes, and I have another project in mind that I'll be working on later today. I hope to get stuff for my new project, and then the rest will be tossed!!!! I must not put those back on the shelf. 

The third and final box of those scraps contains much larger pieces, which is good because I need some squares about 2" or something like that. So after writing the blog, I'll be back downstairs to see what I come up with. 

So while it's a very time-consuming task, it's so therapeutic and calming. Not that I need that at the moment, but why are we in such a rush? Sewing and quilting are our hobbies, and we should be enjoying the PROCESS, not the results. There's no need to rush, and this is teaching me so much patience and focus. This is a good thing, and I'll feel a ton of satisfaction when it's done. 

Here are the other two mini-quilts that I donated to the My Quilt Retreat. The website isn't up yet, but when it is, I'll let you know. 

Mini quilt

Second mini-quilt

This is an amazing house, all set up nicely for sewing, with lots of places to sit, chill, or converse as a group. The layout of the house is weird, with loads of storage places around. The only caveat is that the sewing room is downstairs, but you can drive around to the back of the house and unload your car for your sewing stuff, and the kitchen is on the main floor. It's a bungalow with a walkout basement. So if stairs are not your thing, it may not be the house for you. Just wanted to let you know that in case you get excited.

I went out for a walk in the morning and found another geocache. I didn't do any searching in the afternoon, and I think I found everything within walking distance of the house. OH -- there are others I could go for, but I don't want to spend all my time out walking. I almost didn't find this one, as it had blown off that post and was lying in the ditch! 

Another geocache

I spotted these two giant nutcrackers in a yard nearby. 

Giant nutcrackers

And spring must be coming as the pussy willows are starting to bloom!!!!

Pussy willows in bloom

That's it for today! I want to get that third box under control, and I have one more box of other batiks that I'd like to sort. I did not get to cutting the fleece scraps, the binding on my mom's quilt, my knitting, or cutting some more blocks for the 365-day quilt. No worries - I can take the knitting and my mom's quilt when I go visit them next week. The other two projects can come to my May quilt retreat. 

I feel like I have accomplished so much, yet I don't have much to show for it, but the progress I made is huge. I would never have stuck to those projects at home. Sewing? I can sew like a fiend at home, but to stick to these fiddly cutting-and-sorting projects? They are best done at a retreat!!! No sewing machine required!!! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Quilted jacket must watch videos!!

LOL --- communal sleeping, as in at a retreat, is not for everyone. I have very few issues, although I like it when my roommates are quiet! Even sleeping in my own bed doesn't preclude me from getting a good night's sleep. The night before, I slept like a log. Last night? I was tired at 8 PM, but by the time I got into bed, I was wide awake and couldn't fall asleep. Sigh......

Now that I'm back home and have access to a sewing machine, the big question is where to start? I decided to get some of those bindings out of the way since they are taking up a lot of room. 

I'm happy to say that I have the binding on this quilt, which was the largest and heaviest of the seven projects waiting to be bound.  

The binding is on this lap quilt.

I'm not sure how much of this quilt I shared with you, but it was one I made while working on samples for my Facebook Live on felting with the embroidery machine. The blocks are made from denim that has been felted, using snowflake patterns. I put Fireside Fleece on the back, so it's nice and heavy. I put it on my bed last night, but even that weight didn't help me sleep. 

The details of the felted snowflakes

And there is my lovely tag on the back of the quilt. This is the side that shows. 

My personalized label

And this is the underside. While it's not a full-blown quilt label with all the information, it works for information purposes. Yes, it could be easily cut off, but it works for me. 

The underside of the label

Next on the list was to get the binding on Dear Jen, or should I say my abbreviated version of Dear Jen. 

The binding is on the Dear Jen wall hanging.

And there is the back with the little white tag. This one will become a cover for one of my sewing machines. 

The back of the Dear Jen quilt

I got lucky because this was all the binding that was left! About one inch! 

Barely had enough binding.

Before I put a quilt in the "to be quilted" pile, I always make the binding, and sometimes I worry I haven't made enough. There was a lot left over from the snowflake quilt, and barely any for this one. If I actually run out of binding for any that have been put away, I'm sure I'll figure something out. 

Then it was on to the next project: the mitered-border print table runner. 

The binding is on the mitered table runner.

I decided not to put the white tag on the back of this one. I may or may not keep it, and if someone wants to use both sides, they won't have to worry about the tag. 

The back of the table runner

I got three of seven quilts bound. Well, I should say projects since there was only one quilt and the rest were small. I have to deal with a sleeve for two of them, and I don't think I have anything prepped for that, so I hope to get at least one or two more projects finished today. 

I needed to take a break. I stood for two days at the retreat, cut itty bits of fabric, and had no issues with fatigue. I sewed three bindings on, and my back was tired! Go figure!

Later in the day, I went back to the sewing machine and decided to work on one of the two jackets that needed some machine stitching. 

Sewing the seam allowance down with the sewing machine was NOT an easy feat, but it was doable, and I was happy to have my PFAFF creative icon 2 handy to deal with all the layers. 

Sewing the seam allowance down by machine

This was my view as I sewed. I had to sew from the inside of the jacket to make sure I caught the seam. 

A challenging seam to sew

Then I turned it right side out and realized I had used BLUE thread on the red fabric. Good grief!!!! What a silly person I am, so I'm in the process of ripping that out and will redo it with blue thread on the inside and red on the outside. And there's another reason why things take so long! I repinned the seam before I started unpicking, then it shouldn't be so hard to redo. I have to finish grading the second seam before I can sew it down. Then all that will be left is to add the snaps, but I need to get a table press first, and there is some hand stitching to tack the facing in place. 

The wrong thread color!!!

Not a super productive day compared to what it could have been, but I'm happy I got those three bindings on. 

It was sunny, and the girls spent a lot of time outside, even though it was chilly. The two of them can handle a bit of cool weather. 

R&R for everyone!!!

I know a lot of people poo-poo YouTube as a time-waster, and it sure can be, because there is a lot of silly stuff on it. And just because people can make an educational video doesn't mean it's worth watching. However, I happened upon this series of videos, which, if you are in any way thinking of making a jacket, you NEED to watch this series. Grainline Studio, the design company of the Tamarack Jacket (the pink-and-purple one I'm making), has made a 15-video sew-along. Jen starts with an extremely detailed list of everything you need, then moves on to printing and assembling a PDF pattern together, sizing, and so on. 

Yep --- I should have watched them BEFORE making the jacket, but I have managed just fine. BUT even if you are making ANY jacket from quilted fabric, you will find those videos amazing!! In just 2 videos and part of the third, I have learned so much that I want to remake the Tamarack Jacket, or I'll likely make a different style, but I'm fired up to try out a few things. I'm not a fan of the curved bottom of this jacket and would like to change the pattern to make it square. I wonder why she designed the bottom that way? 

My Tamarack Jacket

You can't see it in the pictures, but it's curved along the side seams, which, to me, is just a lot of extra work for no gain. Maybe it sits better when you sit down? 

Anyway, here is the link to the first video; the following ones appear automatically, in order. They are very well done. Hopefully, that will introduce you to YouTube's educational side. As I've said many times, my dad spends an enormous amount of time on YouTube learning how to rebuild parts for stationary engines. 

If you have ANY inkling of making a quilted jacket, please watch those videos—the techniques she talks about apply to ANY quilted fabric jacket. They are well worth your time. 

And on that note, I'm out of here as I want to get a lot done today, and we'll see what happens. 

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!

Spell check!!

Where is the time going? It seems like it was January 1, not so long ago, and now it's May 15. 

And where did the warm weather go? I started out in shorts and had to change to long pants as it was cool. 

We had two great presentations in the morning, and while I love all the classes, I love the machine embroidery and software one. So many creative ideas, and people are using their machines and software in so many creative ways. Well, that goes for the digital cutters as well. 

But I had created this large embroidery and even stitched it out, and one of the attendees mentioned that there was a SPELLING MISTAKE in it. You have got to be kidding me!!! But yes -- there is was -- plain as day. 

What are my options? This will be on display at Quilt Canada next month and needs to leave my house soon, but there was no way I could send it with a mistake in it. So Plan B was to redo it. OK -- I learned another valuable lesson yesterday. I EXPORTED the file but did NOT save the original file - at least not the final version of it, so I had to recreate part of it. CRAP

However, the more that one does a particular function, the easier it becomes, and it was no big deal to recreate it, although it still took over a half hour to do that. But there were parts of it that I didn't like, so I fixed those as well. At last, I was ready to restitch it out. 

Back to square one with the embroidery

There were even some thread colors that I wasn't happy with, so that spelling mistake was probably meant to be. I'm not quite finished, but I'm much happier with the design. The third time stitching it out is a charm. The first time was a total disaster as I had made a huge mistake when designing it and didn't realize it until I went to stitch it out.

I'm learning so much by doing, and it shocks me that people are so afraid of making mistakes. I don't know how to get it through their heads that the ONLY way to learn and remember is to make mistakes. Oh well --- that's their loss.

Thread ends!

While that was working, I needed something to do, and I would like to get my jacket done by Thursday. So I was back to that. Everything was now cut and ready to sew. I decided to put the WELT pockets in the jacket. There are way more steps to making those pockets than the jacket itself. 

There are the jacket fronts. YES -- that pink is bright! Did I mention this jacket is for Shelly? Just kidding -- she hates pink and wouldn't likely be seen with me wearing this jacket!

The jacket fronts

And here are the welts stitched in place. Ah -- those terms -- grading seams - I haven't seen that in a while. The instructions were to make ONE pocket, and then it said to go back and do the second one. I got this far and decided I better do only one and see how it goes. My original plan was to do all steps to both pockets, and I chickened out when it came time to slice through the fabric. 

The welts are in place

But I'm happy to report that ONE pocket is done. Well, it's not entirely done; I still have to hand-stitch the pocket to the lining. This pocket was well explained, but you had to have your project in front of you to make sense of the pictures in the pattern. Just reading it on its own was confusing. 

The almost completed pocket

And this is what the pocket looks like on the inside of the jacket. AHA -- you can't see the pocket, but if you look close, you can see the pins holding it in place. I finished the pocket seam with seam binding, and I'll hand-stitch the pocket to the lining. Now that I've made one, I have to do the other, but in the future? I won't put pockets on the jacket. 

The pocket on the inside of the jacket

This is the Tamarack jacket, and I see other people put patch pockets on the outside. I HATE pockets on a jacket -- well, that's not true. Pockets can be practical, but NOT when people use them to put their hands in. They look terrible. I went ahead with the welt pockets for the experience and to show my classes, but in the future -- NO pockets. Then the jacket could be together in about two hours. 

I have so much work to do today -- I'm behind in writing, so I'll need to focus on that, but I also have some quilting that needs to be done, so I'll be jumping between a machine and the computer! 

It's hard to see in this photo, but two woodpeckers were trying to find a good spot to peck on this tree. They were hopping around and around. I usually see one, but never two. 

Woodpeckers on a tree

And look at this tree -- it practically covers the front of the house with its beautiful blossoms. 

Where did the house go? 

And what's with Murphy? Is she into towel folding for her bed? What a dog! 

Murphy's attempt at towel folding

But she is ever persistent with that ball. She always carries the darn thing with her in hopes that someone (me) will throw it for her. I need to take a few more minutes today to keep her happy. 

MOM -- -play ball with me

It amazes me what people do when they leave. I suspect this house was recently vacated, and whatever they didn't want was dumped at the curb. There was more furniture in the driveway. What a mess, and why do people think it's OK to leave that for the city to clean up? I don't get that. Call a dumpster to do it -- wait, that would cost money, and why pay for a dumpster when the city will do it for free. Meanwhile, it sits on the curb, looking like a huge mess for a week or more. 

Dumping on the street

I don't know about your area, but during the pandemic, many Starbucks closed. Actually, Starbucks used to be in bookstores. Well, that has changed, and they are now setting up smaller shops in the grocery stores. My grocery store got a Starbucks, and when I stopped at another store last night to get bananas, I saw that a new Starbucks kiosk was going in where the book and magazine rack used to be. This shows the back of the kiosk with eye-height windows to ENTICE you! 

The back of the new Starbucks kiosk

I guess there is MUCH more foot traffic in a grocery store than in a bookstore these days. But having a coffee in the bookstore was much more relaxing than at the grocery store. The entire store is undergoing a massive renovation as the floor was ripped up, and many areas had plastic blocking them. I'll have to go back in a couple of weeks to see what's happening. 

I'm lucky to have two grocery stores within walking distance of the house. I mainly go to one, but if I need something and happen to be in the opposite direction, I'll go to the other. 

And since I took myself out for Mother's Day, I was in the opposite direction and stopped by this store on my way home. Yep -- I was going to go out on Friday, our usual night out. But there was a hockey game, and I thought it would be crazy. Then Saturday, I was listening to the audiobook, so that left last night. It was fun to go by myself. The server wondered where DH was since we are always together. And I got to walk there and back!!!

And now, a new week is starting, and there's so much to do. For the life of me, I can't figure out why there's always so much to do. ALWAYS!!! It's those darn sample-making that is causing the problem!

Anyway, I'm off to spin class this morning and Monday sewing and then heads down!!

Remember, I'm in Kingston this week (Thursday and Friday) at Stitch by Stitch if you still need to sign up!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Be OPEN!!!!

I can breathe a huge sigh of relief this morning. There are two one-hour Zooms to do this morning, and everything is prepped - even the follow-up emails. Well, they are as prepped as they can be until after the class. My jacket is done - as much as is needed to wear it. We won't tell anyone! And there are 9 items left on my to-do list. I've been on fire this morning!! 

But let's start with yesterday. We started the day with the Color My World class. Here is my quilt so far. 

My version of Color My World

I still have a bit of appliqué in those center blocks along the edges, and there are two more blocks to stitch for the left-side corners. I made the Big Ben block in the top right as per the pattern, and can you believe I still have loads of millennium fabric, and I found a clock face there. That was suggested by Barbara Black when she ran this quilt as a Block of the Month for The Quilt Show. Otherwise, I'm not sure I would have remembered those fabrics. 

My Big Ben clock face

OK -- I confessed, and it's not the first time, that I was MAD to collect every piece of Y2K fabric I could get my hands on. I've used a very small portion for the backing of a quilt, and the rest sits in the basket. I may have an idea for that fabric! Oh yes --- I must dig it out and put it with the rest of the fabric I'm amassing for an upcoming project! 

However, it sure came in handy for this project!! But I could always have made a clock face, used a flower, or something else equally creative! No need to HOARD Y2K fabric just to have a clock face 26 years later! 

One of the blocks in the Color My World quilt was the One World Trade Center in New York. I have not seen the building in person, so it doesn't mean anything to me. I choose to substitute that block for the CN Tower. There is no pattern for the CN Tower, so I drafted my own. And I wasn't certain what color to make it, since the rest of the quilt is bright. We all know they light up the CN Tower, and I even took liberty with that color. 

The top of my CN Tower block

And yes, the right side looks a bit wonky as I think some of the lines weren't quite as straight as the left. Who cares --- it's done! I'm just darn proud of myself for "building" the pattern so I could paper piece it. 

Here are my two corner blocks. 

Big Ben

I just looked this up online because I thought it was called The Clock Tower with Big Ben being the bell inside the tower. Not so. Apparently, in 2012, Queen Elizabeth renamed the Clock Tower to Elizabeth Tower. 

My CN Tower block 

WOW --- I cannot believe how creative the participants have become with their quilts. Their corner blocks, which they have been working on for months, are so creative, and some blocks are so personalized to their lives. I'm blown away and can't wait to share their finished tops in June. Great job to everyone working on the Color My World quilt. 

Then it was on to the jacket class, and OH DEAR -- I had so much to say that I went over the hour. I rarely do that, but it happened. We had a lot to discuss, and there was a lot of show-and-tell. I've decided to run an extra (and free) class for the group. It will be open to anyone who wants and will be on Zoom. 

There is a series of videos for making the Tamarack Jacket by Grainline Studio. The videos are amazing, and I learned a ton. But there are some things in the videos that I would do differently, and I wanted to discuss those. So that will be the topic of probably TWO free sessions. If you are interested, hang tight - I'll be posting the information on how to get signed up when I'm back from vacation. 

The dates, if you want to see whether they work for you, are May 23 and June 27. 

Now is that darn jacket done? Well, yes, it is. There are no buttons on it, and the sleeve/shoulder seam isn't finished, but no one will know! It is a cropped jacket with long sleeves. I added embroidery to the sleeve ends and the back. Since this photo was taken, I have top-stitched around the edges, so it lies much flatter. 

The jacket front

OH GOSH—ignore my poor posture. I took this picture myself, and I keep forgetting to stand up straight. Is it any wonder that DH left an article from The Globe and Mail of one person's journey as they attempted to correct their posture? It will make me look like a million dollars if I can get it under control. I'm anxious to read the article. As we age, it's so important that we keep that posture under control. 

The jacket back

I'm very happy with the jacket, and it fits beautifully. It will look better when there isn't a T-shirt rolled up under it! 

The homework involving partially completed or finished jackets in class was amazing. It's crazy how many of us (yes—myself included) are deathly afraid of making garments. Why is that? We used to do it all the time. And then, when we make something, we don't think it's worthy enough to wear. That has to stop. I am encouraging everyone in that class, or even you --- make a jacket and wear it all the time! If you want a comfy jacket to wear in the house, then make a sweatshirt jacket. That is much nicer than wearing a plain sweatshirt!!! 

But the participants in the jacket class came through, and the homework just popped out of the woodwork. Great job to everyone who made a jacket, and we all learned so much from each other. I would not be nearly as smart as I am if I didn't teach. It's amazing what you can learn from others!!! 

I will admit there are times when I "resent" a comment or suggestion from a student. How dare they interrupt my class? But when push comes to shove, those comments and suggestions often turn into wonderful ideas, and all we need to do is keep our minds open and realize they are NOT criticizing but offering a different point of view. We all learn differently, and sometimes their suggestion hits home to another student, where my point of view may fall flat. 

Be open!!!!

I will have the potential list of classes ready for you tomorrow. 

And I want to remind you that there might be a blip in the blog posts while I settle into a new time zone, but since I'm going ahead of you by 5 or 6 hours, that shouldn't be a problem. I have NOT found that darn keyboard, although the minute I woke up this morning, an idea popped into my head. I looked, and it was not there. I've decided to take my iPad. 

I also did something yesterday that I typically do NOT do. But I'm packed! Why so early? That's what DH asked me! I had a few minutes to spare, so I dug out my clothes and threw them in the suitcase -- it's a small carry-on and doesn't weigh much. I don't need a lot—shorts, shoes, underwear, etc. I still have the toiletries to pack, but that won't take long, and I may have to zip to the drugstore as I don't think I have a travel-size toothpaste! 

Most of the remaining tasks for this afternoon involve the computer, so that shouldn't be too bad. I should be able to get everything done, and what doesn't get done can wait. 

I always lament that going on vacation is a pain because of all the prep work I need to do. However, if I look closely at the list of things to do, it all could have been done weeks/months ago, and now the crunch time is here. So I have no one to blame but myself. I'm getting better, and that's all that counts. I'm not stressed - I don't stress about things like this. Just keep moving! 

The girls are going to be in a tizzy when we leave. They were already getting excited when KU and her friends left yesterday. We are on the same flight but one day later. 

Phew -- just took a few minutes and completed one more task. The more I can complete before the UFO group, the less I have to do after! All is good. I sure wish I could find that keyboard, but I'm not going to waste my time looking for it. I'm not hiking on this trip, so the weight isn't a big deal, but I sure hate to take that iPad with me. One expensive thing to lose. 

On that note -- have a wonderful day!!!!

Ciao!!!!