Cleaning up UFOs

 Oh dear -- I got in trouble AGAIN.

I saw my neighbor -you know the one, walking down the street towards me as I walked home with Murphy. I decided to say "Good morning" as I do to so many people that I pass along the street. HEY -- for some people, it might be the only interaction with someone else during the day. And it's fun as we've got to "know" others in the neighborhood. 

I must admit that I said "good morning" rather enthusiastically to her as we passed, and I did add on "neighbor", as the last time I passed her, she totally ignored me. Well, I had barely passed her when she started shouting at me. What the bleep does she want now? I finally turned around, and she rips her earbuds out and proceeds to ream me out for saying "good morning" to her. 

What was so strange is that she said "We've had issues, and I'm trying to make amends and BLAH BLAH BLAH." I tuned out. I'm not supposed to say "good morning" to her. It was hard to hear her, she almost sounded incoherent with her yelling, but if I'm going to say "good morning", I should be prepared to stop and talk? What's this all about? I offered to talk to her, and she gives me that swirling hand motion and walks away. 

I know it bothers her, and I'll continue to say "good morning." She started off by being so rude to me and she must have some issues. And if she is making amends - where are the cookies? or the wine? 

I suspect that she's a bully, and she is NOT happy unless she is in control of the situation. The next time, I'll just continue to walk AFTER I say "good morning.". Or maybe I'll invite her to chat? Hmm - I could do that. Maybe she just needs a friend? 

Anyway -- I think the entire thing is pretty amusing now, especially when she has let me know how much it bothers her. Gosh -- I'm a "bad" person!

Off to the dentist yesterday and well -- what's going on here? I told the hygienist how often I brush and floss and all that. And I sort of got a gold star. She said, I was doing great, but I need to do a bit better. They never say that -- they always focus completely on the negative - what you're not doing versus what you are doing! I love that -- that makes me want to do better! I should have gotten her name and ask for her always in the future!

I have a tooth that needs repair - SIGH. I wish taking better care of my teeth had been something I did when I was younger, but it wasn't an important thing taught at our house. We just won't go there. 

I did get some work done yesterday, but not any great amount -- what the heck did I do all day? Oh yes - I was on the phone with Ronda all day, or so it seemed! I must say that I do NOT like the fact that my new phone doesn't have a jack for earbuds! I would have to run and get the wireless ones, and they are not paired yet - I must do that. 

I thought we could have a look at the UFO progress from last weekend. 

You've already seen the double wedding ring quilt. I'm slowly getting the binding done. I sat outside a bit last night and got a bit more done. I'm not even halfway! 

The double wedding ring quilt

Here's the one maple leaf block that I had completed for the other project. Only 17 to stitch in place!

One of my maple leaf blocks

Colleen had finished three quilt tops - notice they all have a different fabric for the border - you can see that at the top of the picture. 

Colleen's quilt tops

Here is one of the tops. 

One of the three quilt tops

And she's going gangbusters with some applique. 

Applique blocks

Diane - who only wanted to make ONE block, got the entire quilt done! That's Diane for you! 

Diane's quilt top

Elaine got the borders on her gingerbread quilt. 

Elaine's gingerbread quilt

And the binding on this quilt that is being gifted to a grandson. 

Elaine's finished quilt

Nancy finished up the LAST of her Stonehenge blocks. I know that some of the Monday ladies amassed MANY kits of those blocks. 

Stonehenge block #1

Stonehenge block #2

Stonehenge block #3

Stonehenge block #4

Katheleen got several quilt tops together. This small Halloween table topper. 

Halloween table topper

This one which I LOVE. 

Antelope Canyon quilt

And her Circle of Life is now completely done!

Circle of Life

And she did more quilting on this giant quilt.

More quilting on the giant quilt

Linda assembled all her blocks for Vintage Christmas. 

Vintage Christmas blocks are together

Lynne finished her Canada-themed table topper. 

Canada themed table topper

Morgan made a wallet. 

The Necessary Clutch - inside

The Necessary Clutch - outside

Rose finished a community project quilt for me!

Community project quilt

And got her own quilt top finished. 

Rose's quilt top

Sharon got the binding on this quilt. 

Sharon's finished quilt

Sheila got the binding on her quilt. 

Sheila's finished quilt

Susan got her quilt top together - it now has a border on it as well, but this was the picture I had. 

Lexi quilt

Oh, and Jane got the border on her T-shirt quilt. 

Jane's T-shirt quilt

No money was riding on the assignments over the summer, but come September, we're back to potentially losing $10 per month. While the money is an incentive -- it's the commitment to themselves to get the work done. If you don't get it done, are you saying that this project isn't that important? And each person sets the assignment based on how much time they have. I'm just the facilitator!!! 

I love our UFO Club, and it sure has made me think long and hard about how I set goals, how to achieve them, and how to prioritize!!! I'm fired up!!!

Oh my gosh -- I just popped over to Facebook and saw this mug that my cousin made. She makes tons of things with her digital cutter and vinyl. I might have to order a Christmas present for my neighbour!

What a great mug!

Oh, something amusing happened yesterday with my Virtual Challenges.  I am virtually walking across Canada and I'm nearing the end. OK -- I'm at 83%, but that's nearing the end, I guess. Anyway, yesterday, I was on the ferry going from PEI to Nova Scotia. Sorry -- that writing is in French, but you get the picture. 

On the ferry crossing into Nova Scotia from PEI

And then on Facebook, this picture popped up from my REAL cross Canada cycle trip eight years ago. I was riding my bike into Nova Scotia from New Brunswick. 

Welcome to Nova Scotia

Now, what are the chances of that happening?? I got a chuckle from it. 

By 9 AM, I had walked 7.6 KM yesterday meaning that I'm technically done the Appalachian Trail, although I haven't received the final message yet. Now which one to choose from next?? 

All the Conqueror Virtual Challenges

There are quite a few to choose from, and some of them are much shorter distances than the ones that I've done so far. The two that I've completed are on the bottom row -- Route 66 and the Appalachian Trail. I may walk the Pacific Crest Trail - it's very long at 4,000 KM. That way, I get these long ones out of the way now. I could probably do most of the shorter ones in one year at the rate I'm going, so I'll save them. 

Well, it's almost time to hit the spin class. So I'd better get myself organized for that. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Zoom sewing is the BEST

OH --- I LOVE Terri's idea about the shoebox. I intended to take the images of quilting designs and patterns and put them in an inspiration book. She says that doesn't work for her. Instead, she keeps ONE small box with loose pages from magazines, etc. Periodically she goes through and cleans up. Hmm -- that might work. I need to empty a box to try that out! 

That method will be faster  -- I like that idea! Thanks, Terri. I love that we can all learn from each other. I'll see how the day goes, but I might have a filing session later on today, but if I do, I have a feeling that I'm going to have to start culling what's in that filing cabinet. I don't think there's room for everything. And see how one thing leads to another? 

So you all know that I have a lot of UFOs. More than -- well, it's hard to know where or how they all came about. OK -- I'm in denial in that - I know how they came about. Well, I've been making a list of 12 major ones each year for the last five years. Putting those 60 UFOs on the list hasn't made a dent in the total list. Well, maybe a wee bit. 

I've gotten some BIG projects done - at least the top, backing, and binding are ready to be quilted. But there are more! And sometimes, I'm not focusing on them. That's where the UFO Club comes into play. I know some people use the UFO Club to complete a current project, and that's OK. But for me -- I want to use it to complete those major UFOs on those lists. 

This month, I set TWO HUGE goals. I had to make those 18 raw-edge applique maple leaves. Well, they are now ready to be stitched; I pressed them in place yesterday. That was huge to get to that point. I had made a mess of the iron the day before, so that had to be cleaned. 

The iron got a bit messy 

 I also added a second task this month: finishing the sashings for the Farmer's Wife quilt. I wanted the name of all the blocks stitched on the sashing. The stitching was finished last week. Yesterday, I removed all the excess stabilizer from the back, and all 111 sashings are trimmed. They still need to be cut to the proper length, but this is HUGE. 

Trimming the sashing

I have to say that I did a great job with my marking as there was only a narrow strip left between the sashings. 

Not much waste

And here they are --- the sashing with the name (it's subtle, and it's supposed to be) are done and just need to be trimmed down to 6½". And this UFO Club and getting motivated? It's not about the $10 - it's about MAKING stuff happen! I need goals and deadlines to keep myself on track. 

Almost completed sashings

I'm learning that I can sew on my own at any old time. I like to sew, and it doesn't take much motivation to get me at the sewing machine, although I haven't turned the darn thing on in a couple of days. So I will try and use the Virtual Retreats and Monday sewing as days to do prep or trimming. Stuff that I'm not that keen on doing on my own. It's a perfect solution. At least it works for me. 

I did make a bit of progress on the binding of the double wedding ring quilt. You know me -- slow as a turtle. I'll throw on some video or something and get to work later today. A little bit every day, and it'll get done!!!

So now that I've figured out that little trick, I've got to evaluate my UFO lists to make sure that I'm optimizing my time!! Now that makes me feel great. It only took 20 years to figure that one out! 

Don't forget that there are TWO Virtual Retreats in September. The first is September 5 and 6 (Sunday/Monday), and the second is September 25 and 26 (Saturday/Sunday). 

I told the ladies yesterday that I will be hard-pressed to go back to a regular in-person sewing day. Why? Let me count the ways...............

1. Zero travel time
2. Zero packing and unpacking time
3. Zero set-up time and dealing with people who leave early, so they don't have to tear down tables - Oh yes -- it happens and WEEKLY by the same people. And you thought we didn't notice!!!
4. Zero waiting for the iron
5. Zero issues with the temperature of the room
6. Zero issues with not having a hot lunch
7. Zero issues with forgetting a supply or part of the project at home
8. Zero issues with traffic
9. Zero issues with the weather and snow days
10. Zero issues with cliques forming
11. Zero issues about money 
12. Zero issues about finding a space or sharing said space with another group
13. Zero issues with organizing times

And here are some other benefits:

• You get to talk to EVERYONE, not just those at your table -- this happens all the time, and since we tend to get there at the same time every week, it's always the same people we chat with. I MUCH prefer being able to talk to everyone.
• You can ramble on about some random thing, and if no one cares - you don't feel like an idiot! You're just talking to a screen!
• Everyone can participate from wherever they live.
• Everyone can participate in the same topic, and we have some regulars regardless of which "table" you're at. 
• We get to see the show and tell even if it's been given away. I just need people to send me those pictures!
• We can look things up instantly on the internet if we need to and share them with the others on our screens.
• We have Wi-Fi.

So what's the negative. Hmmm - NOTHING -- there's nothing negative about the Zoom calls. I really don't need to see these people in person. I'm not a hugger, and we never hugged at sewing, so nothing was lost there. I need human contact, but it definitely does NOT need to be in the flesh!!! I've lived far from family for years, and you get used to not being in direct contact with people - the contact is, but I don't need to see them. Yes - it would be nice, but it's not going to happen. Move on!

After we shut the call down, I got a quilt quilted. I'll need to trim that today. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I've been walking even though it's "hot". Yes, it's hot, but it's really not that bad. And look --- TODAY is my last day on the Appalachian Trail. I have 7.6 KM to get to the summit. I've already been to the gym this morning to walk a couple of KM on the treadmill, and after I walk the dogs, I suspect that I'll be very close to the end. By the end of the day, I'll have hit that mark for sure. It's kind of sad, but let's move on --- what will the next adventure be???? 

7.6 KM from the summit

I didn't get a note about getting my medal. Last time, as I approached the finish line, I got a note asking to confirm my address. Perhaps, they just send it. We'll see. 

Here's a picture that someone took of the summit!!! How cool it would be to walk part of that trail. One day, but it better be soon, before I'm not able to! Well - that's 20 years ago at least, so I'm good. 

The summit of Mount Katahdin

The view from the top is spectacular. I was able to see it on Google maps this morning. Gorgeous!!!!

And that's it for me. I've got sewing and quilting to do today and perhaps some more tidying up!! I'll be glad when all this tidy-up is done, but I'll be starting at the top of the house and working my way down again! This time, it won't take as long as there isn't nearly as much stuff. But I've got clothes that need to be given away. There are linens in the closet that need to be dealt with. Oh yes --- more stuff, but it will go much quicker!!! Yeah!! And when I hit the office, well, it'll be empty by then!

 Take some time to focus on what's important to you!!! How do you want to be remembered? I'll be remembered as someone who was constantly sorting and reorganizing! But at least I won't be leaving a legacy of paper and hoarding behind me! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

I got so MUCH DONE!!!!

 WOW --- we had such a riot at the Virtual Retreat. As usual, they kept me up later than I normally do, and after sewing all day, I was exhausted. I had to FORCE myself to stay awake to finish up the last of my project. But so much fun and so much more interesting to sew with others than to sew alone. Thanks to everyone who stopped in to sew or just to say hi!!!

Over and over, I heard the same thing, "I got SO MUCH done!" And that was the same for me - just wait for it. 

But here's the "bad" thing that happened. As we were getting ready to sign off, we checked the dates for the next Virtual Retreat, which are September 25 and 26. That's a LONG way off, so we decided that we could have a Virtual Retreat pretty much any day that we wanted! So we're going to have another one on Labor Day Weekend. It will be SUNDAY night (September 5) from 6 - 9 and MONDAY (all day from 10 - 8). 

YES -- this will overlap on my regular Monday sewing group, but a lot of Monday people come to the Virtual Retreat, and they can stay longer if they want. It's all becoming one big happy family!

I'm just going to say that I have the best sewing friends around!!! What fun!!! I can't wait to do it again. Well, I get to this morning as I sew with the Monday group. 

The other "bad" thing that happened yesterday was discussing what's coming up that I'm teaching. Everyone wants to know what I'm teaching. I'll be doing two bigger projects starting in January, and I'll share those with you in a few days, but I have other projects that people want to make!!! Oh boy!! So if there's something you'd like to learn and it's not on my schedule, let me know, and we'll add it to the mix!!!

And YES -- I got stuff done yesterday that I would NOT have gotten done without the distraction of the conversations. 

My scrap box was getting a tad full - it's time to do something about that. 

The overflowing scrap box

So I was able to fill three more pet mats. 

Three more pet mats - DONE

Yeah -- I'll be seeing my contact later this week, so those are going to her. Then it was time to buckle down and work on the remainder of my UFO commitment for this month. It's not due until September 19, but I'm working on it now. What???? 

The second half of my goal is to make EIGHTEEN maple leaf applique blocks. Complete - with all the stitching. The fusible product was in the container with the fabric. So I got out a pencil and started to trace. 

My traced maple leaf shapes

I cut them out from the fusible web with my crappy scissors, but I had to get the Goo Gone out at one point because those scissors were pretty gooey!!! It's all about the type of fusible you're using and this one, which is at least 7 years old, was pretty gooey. That's one thing I've found with fusible products - at least some of them. The longer they sit, the gooier they get. That happened with the Wonder Tape that I used on my T-shirt. 

Goopy scissors

Each of the leaves requires a stem, so those got traced as well. 

My stems for the leaves

Now the fusible that I used was a heavier product - but I want it used up! So I then had to cut a window out of the center of each leaf. 

The window is cut from the fusible shapes

And then I was ready to fuse the leaves to the wrong side of my fabric. 

Fusing the leaves to the wrong side of the fabric

At some point during the day, I cut the backgrounds for the blocks. One of the blocks is already completely finished, so I only need to do 17 blocks. Then I sat and cut out the leaves and the stems. I wasn't going to finish last night as I was getting tired, but my trusty companions kept me going until ALL the leaves were cut. 

All seventeen leaves are ready to fuse to the background

WOW!!!!!   Thanks to everyone who "helped" that happen. It's huge! And today, I'll fuse the leaves and stems to the backgrounds. I'm not sure whether I'll start the stitching - I'll see how it goes. I really need to work on that binding!

Let's just say that I had a bag of stuff prepped for the upcoming two-day in-person retreat, and I unpacked all that this morning and repacked it with something else. You'll need to wait to see what that's all about. Let's just say that I'm psyched to get to work!!!

Here's a clue about what I'm will take to the upcoming retreat. This is one of the cabinets beneath my cutting table. As I was searching for something, I knew the cubby for fusible products was a mess. 

Well, it's not a mess any longer. I emptied it. 

My cubby for the fusible web is empty

I dumped all the fusible on the cutting table. What a huge mess!!! 

My fusible products

I have a demo on fusible products coming up in the fall, so I snapped some pictures and tidied it up and that's all you get to know at this point!!!!

I went for a long walk yesterday even though it was hot out. I really didn't find it that hot, but that's me. I also remembered that I needed bananas for breakfast this morning, so I made a stop at the grocery store. Wait!!! Watermelons are only $3.99. I contemplated that purchase and then said, "yes - I want watermelon." So I lugged that darn thing home on foot. How much does a watermelon weigh? Yes - I know it's based on size. 

Let's just say that if you carry a watermelon around for a couple of KM (it was only 1 KM home from the grocery store), that you seriously think about how much weight you are carrying on your person. It wasn't hard to carry that home, but it wasn't comfortable. Image if we all lost the weight of one watermelon - we'd feel that much lighter on our feet!!!

This is always the way things work. I commented about my gimpy left leg, and since that comment, I've had NO ISSUES!! Perhaps I need to make a comment about the darn thing every day or so, and the gimpiness will stay away! As someone suggested, I should get it checked out. I have been to the chiropractor, and we've discussed it. And with some deep tissue massage, it really seems to be a lack of strength training and stretching based on my walking distances. But yes -- there is arthritis in the knee -- we all know that is a given. It's in my other knee, so it makes sense that it's in this one as well. 

OH -- when I was cleaning out the cubby with the fusible, look what I found. My little ironing guide. Now, why was it with the fusible and not the ironing stuff? I think I ended up purchasing a second one because I couldn't find this one. GRRRRRR!!

My pressing guide for hems

And I did some tidying yesterday. Now that I see the light at the end of the tunnel, this stuff will bother me. And that's a good thing. I decided to get rid of that tray that was almost empty in this cabinet. The tray is in the giveaway box. 

Economizing the space in the closed cabinet

This is the mess that is on the desk. 

The mess on the desk

I grabbed one of the boxes from the top of the pile, shoved the rest of the papers from the tray into it, and put it in the cupboard. YES -- my goal is to get everything into a home or be out the door, whichever is appropriate for the items. It's coming together. There's still a lot of work to be done, but it's coming together. 

More junky stuff is now hidden

I have a pile of stuff on the floor that needs to be dealt with - overflow from that little switcharoo. But not something I can't handle in an hour or two. I'm becoming a "trained" decluttering professional!  😂

Stuff to deal with - yes - even Murphy!

So the desk now looks like this. What I need to do is a day of sorting and filing. There is a LOT of stuff on that table that just needs to be put into the filing cabinet. OH yes -- this is going to happen!!!!

A slightly less messy desk

And someone else is going to have to do some sorting soon. Murphy - do you really need TWO boxes of toys? "YES, MOM - I do! Until you clean up all the stuff in this space, I can have two boxes!"

Murphy and her toy boxes

It's so hard to know which of the toys she plays with. Some of those will go, but I'm not ready to deal with it right now. But look where this bear ended up. I did NOT touch it. Murphy put it there!!! It looks sad that it can't go for a walk. It's by the front door!!!  And YES -- our winter boots are still in the hallway!!!

Can I go for a walk?

On my walk yesterday, I saw this sign on a lawn. Now that sounds a whole lot more exciting than the one I saw the other day. 

Well, I don't know which one is the better sign. All I know is that it doesn't take too long and houses are sold in this area. Mere days! 

OH  --- if you have a great tip on a function on your Android phone, let me know! I'd be happy to share them with everyone. Like using your voice to take pictures and videos - it's so easy - you just click one setting, and you're in business. And the ratio on the camera. But any other tips - let me know!!!

I'd better get going --- it's Monday sewing, and I have lots sitting there to be done!!!! I can't wait to get started and visit with my friends. You know Monday sewing used to be a physical thing, but personally, I'm really like this format. And since we're on Zoom, if anyone wants to join the Monday sewing, let me know, and I can include you on the list. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!