Running on empty

 

My bobbin ran out this morning, my headphones are almost out of juice, and my Fitbit needed to be charged! But that's all good - it means that I'm using all of those things. What I need to remember is to attach the Fitbit to my arm before I walk the girls. Last week, I forgot, and I missed counting 5 KM. GRRR! 

Hey -- every step counts, and as I do the countdown to the end of the year, I still have a couple of challenges that I'm closely monitoring. I need to be at 50% for my personal cross-Canada virtual walk - I'm currently at 48%. One more personal challenge needs less than 80 K to finish, and we need to keep on track to get to 60% on our group walk across the country. All is good - just don't forget to put the Fitbit on!!!

I'm happy to report that I made good progress quilting the customer quilt and working on my Cherrywood challenge. For the challenge, I have many components to make before I can start assembling the final project. All is going as planned, so that's a good thing. I figure another couple of hours, and the components will be finished. Then assemble and finally quilting. 

But I have to put that away as I have a customer quilt to make and quilt before Christmas. I know - don't go there! It's a T-shirt quilt, so it doesn't require a lot of intricate piecing. That's going to be my focus over the weekend. 

Yes, I know I'm a wee bit late, but some of my Christmas cards are in the mail, more are going in the mailbox this morning. 

I got these photos from someone who watched one of my video presentations, and with her permission, I'm sharing them with you. 

An expensive kitty hammock

OH MYG OD -- that's hilarious! Those kitty cats love the long arm! Thankfully Murphy is a bit too large for that, but she'd be up there if she could. 

And one of them just had to check out what I was saying on the video! It must have been something inspiring - that cat looks mesmerized. 

Cat checking me out on video!

I did manage to eke out a bit of handwork the other day. The eyes went on the toy soldiers and the snowman. Santa got eyes and cheeks, and the smoke got done on the house. 

Hand embroidery FINISHED on these blocks.

These are blocks from the Vintage Christmas quilt. 

Vintage Christmas book

Here's my box of blocks! 

41 of 42 blocks - DONE

I have one more that needs some hand stitching - the choo-choo train. As well, there is some hand stitching for the Quilter's Patch butterfly blocks. I hope to get that done at the Virtual Retreat this weekend. I do have a big tub of handwork that needs to be addressed, and perhaps I'll dig out one of the projects this weekend and try to get it done! There are so many things that are very close to being finished, but not finished! It's so sad!! I'm making inroads, so there is no need to be sad - let's just get it done!

Hand stitching waiting to be done

I managed to get the sashing cut for one of my Christmas Fig quilts. So that's cut - I wasn't sure if I would have enough sparkly white fabric left. I did, but just enough. I didn't have to piece any of the sashings, but I would have had to piece if I had needed one more. Now I need to find some more white to finish off the second quilt. 

Leftover background fabric from Christmas Fig

The sashing and cornerstones for Christmas Fig

Here are my stacks of prepped work. However, I just looked at the calendar - Christmas is next Friday. Yikes!!! OK -- let's kick this focus thing into high gear. I have one complete quilt to make and three quilts to quilt and bind. All MUST be done as they are Christmas gifts. Guess what I'll be focusing on in the next couple of days!

Prepped work

Here's the situation in Studio B this morning. The big tubs of samples are packed up and ready to move out today. As well as a couple of sewing machines. And in the middle of that string of stuff is the rest of what needs to be put away after I sort through it. By tonight, this area will look much better. BUT the sorting will have to wait a day or two. 

Space in Studio B

So speaking of bobbins running low, I have to share this story with you. Here's the message that pops up on the PFAFF creative icon. Note the second sentence, "It is possible to continue to sew without closing the pop-up.".  If you close the pop-up, you'll just get the same message over and over again. It's annoying, so you leave the pop-up open. 

On one of the forums I belong to, I saw that a lady was complaining that she was wasting a lot of bobbin thread as her machine gave her this pop-up, and so she changed the bobbin. Well, the purpose of the pop-up is to let you know that you're running low, but you can keep sewing. I can't believe that she didn't try to continue sewing. Nope - she had a whole stack of almost empty bobbins and was complaining. Have you ever noticed that most complaints result from operator error? I know - it's happened to me. 

 Oh well - it was good for a laugh. 

Speaking of the PFAFF creative icon, guess what? There's a NEW PFAFF creative icon 2 scheduled to hit stores in May. Here's a video to see a sneak peek of what it's all about. I can't wait to get my hands on it!!! Just scroll down to see the video. Oh my - the things it can do!! 

Don't forget the Virtual Retreat this weekend. 

Saturday, December 19   - from 6 PM  - 9 PM. 

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82830374208?pwd=NFA2d1hOaFFwcEdhNFoveWlWeCs3QT09 Meeting ID: 828 3037 4208 Passcode: 150354

Sunday, December 20 - from 10 AM - 8 PM

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83501535963?pwd=aXNvRXdzZG02NllIenB3V0M5NUpxUT09 Meeting ID: 835 0153 5963 Passcode: 032336

On that note, I'm out of here!!!

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!

I got your back!

So did you sign up for the Canadian Quilter's Association Mini Swap??  It's going to be so much fun!! Hey - quilting is our hobby - we'd better be having fun with it or we need to find a new hobby. How many quilts can you make for you or your family?? This is something new and you get to make a new friend. I hope you signed up!!! 

I know that Nine did as she sent me an e-mail. Good morning Nina!!  She also sent me a link to her blog where she sewed the same backpack (well - the slightly larger one). She made some changes - we did not, but the next time we will.

Yesterday was a wild day! Ronda and I were determined to get our backpacks DONE. There will be no (or little) creating new UFOs when there is so much that needs to be finished already. She arrived bright and early and we set up the sewing machines. She was sewing on the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC and I was sewing on the PFAFF creative icon. This will become important in a minute.

As usual, there were lots of learning moments and I'll share a couple of them with you. I'll also say that it's a good thing we weren't live streaming our sessions because there were a few times when - let's just say the air was blue! And it wasn't from cigarette smoke!

When we had gotten together the last time (you can read about it here), we managed to get all the pieces prepped. Oh - we had high hopes to make the backpacks in one day! HA - what foolish girls we were to think that!

So the appropriate color threads got loaded onto the sewing machines and we were off. We pinned the pattern to that stack of quilts (which are still waiting to be trimmed) and started to make the backpack back. Ronda did NOT put straps on her back - only the carry handle at the very top and she did NOT put any inside pockets in hers either!

This part of the bag went together fairly easily - it's the back of the backpack with a handle, shoulder straps (and the tabs for the straps at the bottom) as well as an outside zippered pocket.

The backpack back

You'll notice that the backpack is no longer a rectangle but has been shaped. That was an interesting task, but we made out just fine. There is a slip pocket on the other side.

Then we moved onto the front. A little finagling and we managed to get the fronts made as well. We also had to shape the backpack front and that was a task cutting it with the rotary cutter. Next time - we'd better put in a new blade. That's a LOT of layers to cut through. Just wait until we get to the sewing part!  I also would change the position of the magnetic snap on that flap.

Many, many layers!

There they are - the front and the back!! Shoot - I should have taken pictures of the insides with their many pockets as you can't really see them once the backpack is assembled. 

The front and the back of the backpack

Next up was making the gusset. This included another zipper. Oh no - I remember the zipper experience from last time. I couldn't get the zipper slide on the zipper tape if my life depended on it. Thank goodness Ronda was here and helped me out.

We learned two things yesterday about zippers. If you have a buddy, then one person can get the zipper slide on the zipper tape and the other person pulls the zipper slide to make the zipper. 

One way to add the zipper slide

But if you happen to be alone, it's a pain in the butt. So I gently put the zipper slide onto the zipper tape. Then I VERY CAREFULLY pinned it to the ironing board. 

The zipper tape is pinned to the ironing board

Then VERY SECURELY hold both sides of the zipper tape with one hand and gently pull the zipper slide with the other. This was FAST, FAST, FAST.  I'm not afraid to make my own zippers in the future. Notice how the ends are perfectly lined up? I find that if I do it in my hands that one side is off. No more wonky zippers!!!!

A perfect end to the zipper

I shall not tell you what happened to Ronda's zipper but we had to redo her zipper slide. Let's just say that there are NO STOPPERS on either end of the zipper. Ooops!!!!  In fact, we made a two-way sliding zipper so the zippers meet in the middle of the backpack rather than start at one side. Oh yes - we're good!!!

Another great end to the zipper

Once that gusset was made and that involved more trimming and the insertion of the zipper, it was time to do the final assembly. We started by sewing the gusset to the backpack back. The seams were finished with bias binding. I thought it was going to look terrible, but it actually looks pretty neat. I didn't get any pictures of it. Why? Too focused on getting those seams done. I did have to redo the bottom two corners when I sewed the last part of the bias binding down as it didn't sit right. And if Shelly happens to look inside - well, we wanted our bags to be Shelly worthy. You see, Shelly is a bag maker extraordinaire and we're trying to get into her league! I think we did a pretty good job yesterday!

The gusset is sewn to the back

Then came the final seams. Sewing the gusset to the front. This is where the air turned blue pretty quickly. That was a challenging seam to sew, although I noticed that Ronda was not having the same issues as I was. Perhaps, she's just not as vocal. But I had extra layers with pockets and straps and it was "fun".

Not only were we going through many, many layers of foam and binding and fabrics, but the curves were tight and the backpack is stiff. But not so stiff that we couldn't manipulate it. My arms were getting tired as I manhandled that bag.

Challenging curves to sew

Trying to get that last binding seam around the curves. 

One last challenge around the curves

Now here's the thing. Ronda sewed on the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC and I sewed on the PFAFF creative icon. Those are both top of the line sewing machines with HUGE penetration power (they both can sew through 14 layers of heavy denim or basically whatever thickness you can actually put under the foot). They both have significantly more space between the bed of the machine and the head of the sewing machine - it's about 3 - 4 inches than a traditional sewing machine.

Since I had more straps and pockets and therefore more layers, the PFAFF creative icon at times, said - "you have too much fabric under the needle". But I talked gently to it and it agreed to continue sewing with no skipped stitches. How could one ever sew this on a traditional sewing machine? I've no idea. I'm sure that people do, but those last parts were a challenge. I wonder what kind of sewing machines they use at byAnnie.com???  They must use industrial machines?

Anyway - I think the thread broke only once or twice for each of us which is amazing and that's thanks to these high-end machines. We didn't even use topstitch needles which we should have done for the assembly part. And there were NO broken needles. And once or twice the extra penetration power kicked in on the PFAFF creative icon and scared me to death with the noise!

Bottom line - we are done!!!!! The excitement was building as we approached the finish line. I guess you can tell which one belongs to me and which one belongs to Ronda.

Backpacks are DONE

The front of my backpack.

The front of the backpack

Here's the back of my backpack.

The back of the backpack

Here's Ronda's.

The front of Ronda's backpack

It was an awesome day! I highly recommend that if you've got a challenging project to make and you know someone who wants to make the same thing - do it together. There are a couple of spots where I would have taken a break, but because we egged each other on - we kept going and there is NO UFO.

I should mention that the pattern we used is from byAnnie.com. It's called Back at Ya. Now we used the original version of the pattern which was released in 2014. I believe there was another version released in 2018 (called Back at Ya 2.0) and this latest release is Back at Ya 2.1. I wonder how many of the issues we had have been revolved in the subsequent releases. Personally, I think that anyone who bought the original Back at Ya should get the Back at Ya 2.1. I shouldn't have to buy a new pattern just because the original was badly written. I'll be sending some pictures and thoughts. Here's a video so you can see some of the insides of the bag.   And if you check out this video - you get to see the other versions of the pattern. 

I'm super excited and I pulled out my yoga bag (also byAnnie.com pattern) so I could start on that. However, I have a ton of admin stuff to get done today and hopefully work on another sample because I hit the road tomorrow for meetings and training for a week. It's all about sewing and serging so it's going to be fun and to spend the week immersed in new stuff that coming down the pipeline of which I cannot breathe a word - you'll have to wait!!! 

This is my FIRST FINISH of 2020. There's going to be a whole lot more as well. I'm pumped, I'm committed to myself and I will make this happen.

As for my virtual challenge? We had sat around Studio B for most of the day so I was about 7,500 steps at dinner time. That's not good enough - I need to hit 10,000 steps for the day or I'm going to be behind the pace for the challenge. I took the girls out for a walk last night - they were thrilled. The weather was gorgeous. I see from the stats this morning - that I'm .9 of a mile behind the pace. No big deal. I could make that up today. It's going to be a challenge next week sitting in the meeting room, but last year, I went for a long walk in the morning and I see the weather is going to be good so I plan on doing that again!!!

On that note, I'm out of here!!!

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!

Inspiration

Yesterday was a fabulous day! The weather was perfect for driving however, I did run into some pretty heavy fog on my way to Orillia. But soon I was out of that and on my way through the gorgeous sunlight.

I was listening to an audiobook. At first, I couldn't get it to work. Well, it was working, but I couldn't hear a thing. Then I remembered that I have to plug the phone into the car to get audio. I'm not sure why that is - it sounds very weird. Then I'm not a fan of the navigation system in that car so it doesn't surprise me. Then I was able to listen to the book. I'm attending a book reading by the author next week and was hoping to have the book finished by then, however, the audiobook expires today. Can I get my hands on the hard copy????  The audiobook is on hold for someone else so I can't renew it. The book is The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman.

I presented two lectures yesterday. The first was Inspiration for embroidery and embellishment, the second was on the Premier +2 Software (machine embroidery). Both events were very well received by the attendees. I always get so much from the group while I give to them. It's a very rewarding experience.

If you're in my neighborhood, I'll be doing two presentations on Friday at Brampton Sew n Serge. One is called Inspiration for quilting and the second is Inspiration for embroidery and embellishment. Even if you don't own the brand of machine that they sell (Husqvarna Viking), it'll be exciting and inspirational to attend.

The event yesterday was at Thimbles and Things which is my ALL-TIME favorite quilt store. Sue, the owner, is just the best shop owner around. She's friendly, she remembers everything and well - I don't know a single person who doesn't love her. Jen runs the PFAFF dealership in the shop. I love her too! They are both super friendly and well - you just want to buy everything in the shop. However, I refrained. I'll be back for our sewing retreat in a couple of weeks and I'll shop then - if I need anything. Oh - I need SOMETHING!

If you're ever in the Orillia area, you MUST stop at this quilt shop. If you're looking for something different, Sue is assembling The Town and Country Quilt as a fundraiser for their local hospice which is just being built. She's sold most of the 365 blocks but there's still a few for sale. Check it out - it's all for a good cause. Just scroll down on the Thimbles and Things web page - the information is near the bottom.

Then I packed my stuff up and I was off. But wait - where's my phone so I can plug it in to listen to the audiobook? Good grief - I couldn't find it and I had been using it all day showing off the sewing apps. Oh well - no audiobook on the way home. I knew the phone was in the car because when I turned the car on, I saw my phone contacts pop up on the navigation screen. So the phone is in the car. That's all I cared about!

I was tired when I home, but I did putter around with the Premier + 2 software a bit as I tried to get some stuff done for Ronda that I was supposed to have done a few months back. The font is converted, the words are set - I just need to shape them. Don't worry - I'll show you so you can understand what the heck we are doing. That Ronda is pretty demanding!!!  (:   And it keeps me on my toes, learning new stuff. That's a good thing.

I did manage to get the third border on the Tonga Rhapsody. Yeah!!!! This one went much smoother than the previous one did.

The third border is on Tonga Rhapsody

That leaves ONE more border to go. It's a plain border so the strips just have to be joined, measured and sewn on. ONE MORE HOUR. The binding is cut and I have to find some backing for it. Good thing as I have a couple more pieces to add to the backing shelves and not sure I'm going to find room.

The last border for Tonga Rhapsody

I have a Sit n Sew tomorrow so I need to do a wee bit of tidying. I had emptied this nice orange bucket and it now houses all the current things I have to work on. It's mostly borders, bindings, and backings. I'll work my way through that tomorrow. Who am I kidding?  I'll work on it, but I won't get to the bottom! Once it's empty, I'll fill it with the next lot of projects. The goal here is to FOCUS so it gets done.

Bucket of work

I have to deal with those 8 items still on my "to do" list. Some of them NEED to be done today and others, I just want to get finished. I'm going to aim for getting a lot done today.

My problem is that I have so much I want/need to do. There's so much I want to learn. I just can't believe there are people aren't there who don't have hobbies or are bored. How can you be bored in this day and age with so much around us to learn and play with???

Yesterday, I did a little demo on the current state of technology in the sewing machine world. I used my cell phone as a hotspot for WiFi. Then I connected the PFAFF Creative Icon to the WiFi. I also connected my laptop to the hotspot so it was also connected to WiFi. Then I was able to transfer embroidery files from the Creative Icon to the Premier +2 software on my computer. I would then be able to make modifications and send it back to the Creative Icon so I could stitch them out. Now isn't that just crazy???  I have more stuff to share with you about the technology, but NOT before I show the group on Friday.

While there are days when technology is not my friend, I totally embrace it and try to max it out which is why I think I end up in trouble sometimes. However, I'm learning so much and I'm not going to let any of this defeat me!!!!!

If you're in the Oakville area, there's a fiber art show that I think will be wonderful. Here's the information. Last time, I went to this Cultural Centre, I was pleasantly surprised by other displays that I found in the gallery and along the halls. This time, it won't be teeming with summer camps.

Here's a link to the center so you can get the address. I'm not a big fan of their web site as it provides information on the center, but never on what's happening there or am I missing something??

On that note, I'm out of here. Got a crazy day again - but I love it. It wouldn't be a fun day if something wasn't happening! I can only deal with calm for so long. Imagine what it's going to be like for me when I hit the retirement home. I might get evicted!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stitching the stacking stitches on the Creative Icon

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

Stacking stitches

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

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

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

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

Small wallhanging - quilted

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

The back of the small wall hanging

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

Binding on the Dresden plate quilt

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

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

Edge to edge pattern on the T-shirt quilt

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

Large logo of rubbery feeling material

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

A slight shift in the T-shirt 

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

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

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

Happy student with her pillowcase

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

I see Miss Lexi has something to say today. 

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

Have a great day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Sit n Sew day!!!

What a crazy day! We had a Sit n Sew day scheduled, but was the weather going to cooperate? Well, it did and it didn't. We didn't get nearly the amount of snow that was forecast but it was cold. I left it up to the ladies to decide. Three die-hards showed up! Lynn, Linda, and Ronda and we had a blast. We almost (but didn't) say that we should have small groups for future sit n sew days!  NO - that's not going to happen, but it was a calm day, to say the least.

Took me about one hour to shovel the driveway clear of snow. It really wasn't that bad despite the fact that we have a wide driveway. It was great to get out and get some exercise and it wasn't as cold as they say on the radio. Mind you there wasn't any wind. Don't you love the doom and gloom the weather station is always talking about? OK - today it's cold. It's minus 20 with no wind chill.

We were chatting about the snow plows. I knew from past experiences, that our street wouldn't get plowed until late or the next day. Well, I know that at 11:06 PM when I was sound asleep that Murphy and Lexi were greeting the tractor that cleans our cul-de-sac. They were barking their heads off. But the tractor is noisy and bright so I can see why they were freaking out.  He did a great job with the windrow at the end of the drive. It's pretty small. I can drive over it this morning to get to sewing.

I didn't have time yesterday to walk the girls and I think it's a tad too cold this morning. Not for them - oh no. But for me! Up to minus 10, no problem. Minus 10 - 19 - double layers of clothes. Minus 20 and below - let's stay in the house! They are NOT happy. However, when your Husky is standing at the door with paws lifted, you know it's cold!

So what happened yesterday at Sit n Sew? We did some crazy stuff - as usual.

Ronda and I are taking a class on Friday - quilting with your walking foot. Hey - it's a good idea to take classes even if you already know how to do something. I want to learn more and I don't have the time to do it on my own. This is the fast way to gain some knowledge.

We need quilt sandwiches so we have something to practice on. Yep - I had forgotten. But Ronda reminded me and I got out scraps of batting from the batting closet and made the batting pieces that we need for the class. Five 20" squares for her and five for me.

Batting squares for our upcoming class on walking foot quilting

I always forget, but Ronda's Mom has a birthday today and so does mine. Happy Birthday to Mom and to Ronda's Mom. Gosh - I don't know her name! Oh - it's Karen. Happy Birthday Karen!!!!  Karen wanted a rope bowl in PINK so Ronda made this for her yesterday. I think Ronda has the rope bowl technique down pat. I love the shape of the bowl!

A PINK rope bowl

Linda was working on some zippered pouches. She managed to get THREE of them done yesterday. I love these pouches or bags. They're so cute. Great job Linda!!!

Linda's zippered pouches

Lynn was working on adding sashing to some blocks. I didn't get a picture of that.

I flitted around the room trying to focus although I did get a lot done. I started off by finishing a pet mat. I had a bag of scraps that needed to be dealt with. I added that pet mat to the one that I had rescued from my car and now I've got two to deliver this morning. I started the third one and there's still two bags of scraps in the laundry basket. That'll have to wait as I have a totally crazy week this week.

Two pet mats ready for delivery

So we chat about decluttering from time to time. Here's something BAD about decluttering. If you do manage to get everything tidied up, then you freak out when the slightest thing is out of place. Case in point - my kitchen. It wasn't really in bad shape yesterday morning when I got up, but there was stuff around so I put all the stuff away.

When I came up at one point during the day, I saw this "mess". Can you spot it???

The "messy" kitchen

I'm laughing - it was a plastic bag on the island next to that white bowl!!  Someone left it on the counter and threw the feng shui out of whack! No need to worry - I dispensed of the bag and soon we had our tidy kitchen back again.

And now everything is neat

I have to laugh when I look at the kitchen. Do you notice that "bouquet of flowers - right beside the red/white canisters to the left of the microwave??? M made those flowers in kindergarten or something like that. They are full of grease and dirt and grime. But I can't bear to throw the darn thing out! Oh well - it's just one thing and we can live with that! I remember trying to throw it out once but she was here and she begged me not to! How can you argue with that?

And then you go downstairs and see this and you wouldn't know that the two rooms belong in the same house! I'm OK with that!!!

And then there's the studio

But back to the sewing stuff. I decided I was going to put bindings on yesterday. No need to accumulate a pile like I did last year and besides, the two quilts that needed binding have deadlines.

I started with the local guild charity quilt. The guild had given me strips to make the binding so I made the binding and started to sew it on. Oh boy - I'm short - TWO INCHES.

Short of binding by two inches

No worries. I got out my tin of leftover binding and pretty much right at the top, I found some solid black that was very much the same black as the binding I was working on.

My tin of scrappy binding

It's hard to see in the picture, but the blacks match which is a miracle.

A scrap of black binding matches

And now that quilt is DONE and it's ready to be delivered at the next guild meeting. Oh, shoot - I forgot to write that in my book. That is finish Number Two for the year.

Charity quilt - DONE

In case you don't remember or never saw that millennium fabric, here's a closeup. It's the black fabric. There were several prints. I still have all of mine - totally untouched - 19 years later!!!  That quilt has been hanging around my house for a couple of years - not that I didn't have time - it was never a priority. This year, my goal is to get all quilts that do not belong to me out of my house.

Millennium fabrics used in the quilt

After the ladies left, I headed to the long arm. I don't really have time to quilt this week, but there are a couple that I really want to get done so I can deliver them when I go out.

I got this one quilted. This project was dropped off at a local quilt shop as the owner no longer wanted it or the family didn't know what to do with it. I pieced it a couple of Sit n Sews ago. And now it's quilted. It's only been hanging around my house for a couple of months, but the fabric is OLD. I think I saw on the pattern that it was from the early 2000s. I'm donating it to my local guild's community projects.

Community projects quilt - DONE

I couldn't make the binding until the quilt was quilted as I had to use the leftovers from the backing to make the binding. I cut the strips last night and they are ready to sew together. The quilt is trimmed. I'm not sure I'll get time to finish it this week.

As I get to the end of quilting one quilt, I think about what's on the list for the next quilts to be quilted and I choose one. So while the green quilt was being quilted, I got the next one ready to load. And now it's loaded and ready for me to quilt later today - I hope.

Next quilt - ready to be quilted

But wait - there's more! I was on a roll yesterday. I still had one more quilt that needed the binding put on.  I was merrily working on the front of the binding when I felt a tug on the thread. I looked up - oh shoot - I'm playing thread chicken yet again! See where the arrow is pointing? Yep - I was running low. I love using the PFAFF Creative Icon for sewing binding on - that IDT system is awesome.

Sewing the binding on

Phew - I had this much left once the binding was on.

Leftover thread after sewing the binding on

I used the same color to make the sleeve and once the sleeve was sewn, the spool was EMPTY. That was perfect!

Another empty spool

The sleeve is made and pinned on the quilt. It needs some hand stitching. Hopefully, I'll get that done this week. If not, early next week.

Sleeve pinned on and ready for hand stitching

Oh my - I'm having fun with my Vitamix. I see there's a function for making smoothies. I tried it this morning. It sets the timer to 45 seconds. Starts off slow and then kicks into high gear which is very NOISY. Oops - to those trying to sleep at 6 AM.

Still way below my calorie intake for the day. I need to have a second protein shake each day just to make up the calories. With all the exercise of shoveling the driveway, I had an extra almost 500 calories added to my intake. I think I missed almost 700 calories in the day which is NOT a good thing.

On that note, I'm out of here.

Have a great day and stay warm.

Ciao!!!