Walking challenges update

It's a great day today! It's my birthday, and while we don't want to be reminded of how old we are getting, it's a huge reason to celebrate because we're here to talk about the birthday and look forward to many more! I am one of the lucky ones!!

I have a quiet day planned by myself, and I can't wait! DH is sick in bed, so I told him to stay away from me -- I don't have time for that! Since my previous list of things to do was almost complete, I set up another one this morning to help me keep on track. If I do the same thing day in and day out, I don't need a list. But now that the ten quilts are done, I have time to focus on other stuff that NEEDS to be done. So, the list has been created, and I'm not sure how much I'll get done today, but if anything gets done, that's a bonus. The serious work starts tomorrow. 

So, the applique quota was completed yesterday. I will say that having committed to finish it has been a godsend. It might take me all day, but I manage to complete my goal. Am I done? No! Am I nearly done? No! But I'm making progress, and all I can say is thank goodness I didn't leave this until later because I'd be scrambling and not feeling good about the entire process. So yes --- breaking that up into small segments and sticking with my commitment has been great. I will NOT miss that daily commitment when it's done! But I'll have other UFOs that will also require breaking it down into doable segments. We were off for three months, so the commitment was extra big! 

For those in the UFO club or any part of your life, if there's something that you are procrastinating about - get to it! The darn thing will not get done on its own, and think how great you'll feel when you reach the end. I think it's the end game that is motivating me these days. I want the projects done to clear space, use more batting bits and fabric for the backing, or cross it off a list. The finished object has no meaning to me! That just blows my mind, but it's true. 

We had a great time sewing on Monday, and I always learned something from the group. Together, we are a formidable source of information. 

I put this picture here for Cathy, who is working on a fabric clock. This picture is from the QUILT magazine, Winter 1998. It's a kit to make a fabric clock. The clock is paper pieced or fused and fits into a quilting hoop. How cool is that! I should ask Cathy if I can share her fabric clock when it's done. 

Fabric clock kit from 1998

This kit cost $24.99 in 1998!!! Plus, $3.49 shipping from Seremar Fabrics in Yonkers, NY!!!

I decided it was time to make some quilt backs. The first one I focused on was for the next community project quilt, which will be quilted this weekend, as I have three customer quilts to work on this week. The backing is serged together, and the batting bits are fused. It's ready to go!!!

The top, backing, and batting for a quilt

The binding is not made for this series of flannel quilts, as I have this great fabric that I wanted to use. It's flannel with a diagonal strip—yep—the strip is printed diagonally, so it'll look like bias binding when it's attached. I'm unsure how many quilts I can bind with my yardage, but I'll go as far as the fabric allows. I cut enough strips to bind this quilt. 

My binding fabric for the community project quilts

One other quilt backing was assembled as well. I had to hunt through the backings and the bolts to find something that was at least in the same color range. It's not a perfect match, but it's close enough!!! 

A second quilt backing is done!

Seeing the end of this bolt may not tell you anything, but I know from the packaging that this fabric is OLD. I checked on Northcott's website and it was current in 2012!!!! So, it's time to get it used up! Yes, it's all about using up and clearing out!!! I refuse to waste my time amassing more things like I did in the past. Remember how we all say that we bought all this fabric to use in our retirement? I'm not retired, but it's time to get it used up! NOTHING is sacred! 

Empty bolt of fabric

Here's a little update on my walking challenges. I have three of them currently on the go, and before you say, "Isn't that double dipping?" It is NOT. This first one is a three-year challenge that I did just for fun. I do not get a medal for it; there is no reward except for seeing myself progress on the map. I started in Cairo at the beginning of 2022 and am now in South Africa. The squiggly blue line is where I've "walked." I mapped this out myself. It was easy to do. 

Map of my walking challenge through Africa

As you can imagine, much of Africa is NOT mapped like we see on most Google maps. I've seen the landscape in the northern part of Africa, and I see that all of South Africa has pictures, which makes the finish line much more interesting. I just have to remember to check back daily now that it's back to visuals. 

This is what the terrain looks like north of Johannesburg. I still have a few days before I reach that city, but the terrain is pretty wide open. 

Terrain north of Johannesburg

Here are the stats for this "mission," as they are called within The Conqueror community. Look at that obscene total number of km. My annual goal for walking is about 4,500 km, and if you do the math, it doesn't work out. So, in year one, I supplemented by adding some of my indoor cycle rides. In year Two, I didn't add any cycling. In Year 3, I was behind a bit, but I caught up with the extra km on the Camino. I have to supplement with some cycling to reach my goal by the end of the year. I couldn't extend it for another year as I had reached the maximum number of days allowed for this online adventure. 

My stats for my 3-year challenge

I will receive a medal for the other two challenges, but they are not double-dipping. One of the measures is my total km for the year, and that goal is 4,500 km. I'm slightly ahead of schedule and will stay on track if I walk my daily goal of 11.5 km. I only need to walk 10.5 km daily, but why not keep that goal of 11.5 km? 

The last of the three challenges is specific—I'm currently walking the Great Wall of China. These are the company-created walks, with postcards and a preplanned map. 

My three challenges

Technically, they all use the same steps but do not measure the same thing. I don't care about the medals—another "collection," and what will I do with them all? But it's fun to see the goal on the map and keep track of the number of steps walked daily. I need that—it's how my brain works. 

I have some computer work that needs to be done this morning, and then the day is free for me to do as I wish!! I LOVE not having any commitments. Hmmm—retirement is looking better and better all the time! But I would miss the classes and other fun things, so I'm not ready to retire yet. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Working smarter, not harder!

I am not alone in the decision to keep that "wet" bag of scraps! And I've found a fun way to tackle what's left in it. 

I have a subscription to The Quilt Show, but I'm so far behind in watching the episodes. I'm way back in the 700 series. We were chatting about this at Monday Sewing, and it's hard for me to "watch" TV when I'm in Studio B. I'm back and forth between the long arm, the stash room, the cutting table, or whatever, and I can't follow along. 

Then it hit me; I could move the laptop beside the ironing board and press scraps while I watched. 

Watching The Quilt Show while pressing scraps

The way the tables are positioned makes it easy to move the laptop. Since it's on its own table, I just rotated the laptop and pulled the table close to the ironing board. I must look at that rolling cart so I'm not dragging the legs on the floor. 

I filled the shoebox with scraps and got out the last empty box. 

One shoebox filled with green scraps

Does it look like I made a dent?

The status of the scraps last night

Well, if you look at the photo from the day before, it doesn't, but I know I did. And I'm also finding lots of pieces large enough to throw in the 365 Challenge quilt basket. So when I cut blocks, the fabric will be WAY more accessible and hopefully more inviting to tackle. 

The status of the scraps from the previous day

And guess what? The quilt backing is DONE! 

The quilt backing for the community projects quilt

I managed to use all of the same-colored material for the backing except one large piece. I still have lots of fabric left over, but no large pieces, so that got put away in the storage room along with the rest of my flannel scraps. 

The leftovers

I just need to join some batting bits for this quilt, and it can go on the long arm. Yeah -- that would NEVER have happened without my "new" system. One thing at a time comes off Mount Projects, and I focus on it. 

I have the next project on the cutting table, which I want to work on today. Then, I'm going to have to take a break and work on my blog posts for QUILTsocial, which are also on the cutting table. 

The status of the cutting table

So, YES—my "new" system seems to be working, but it requires much discipline on my part not to drop everything and move to something else. I get enough variety in my day that I don't feel like I'm working on the same project for eons. I don't even feel tempted to break out something new. Some projects on Mount Projects take up room but won't take long to complete. Those will be welcoming tasks!

I found this pillowcase when I went through the blue bag last week. It's a cool pattern, and I ripped it apart yesterday. It's one long piece of fabric that was folded and sewn with two seams to make an envelope-style cushion cover. I'm not sure what I'll do with it yet, but I put it in the bin with words because it reminds me of writing.  

"Found" fabric from the scrap bags

I also managed to quilt a customer quilt. I will show you the back first because if ever there was a backing perfect for the front, it's this one. 

The back of the quilt

And now let's look at the front. 

Customer quilt - DONE

It was a great match! I need to get this trimmed today so it can be picked up. The next quilt is HUGE, so it will take most of the day to finish. 

My days are so full that I'm exhausted at the end of them. I walked a ridiculous amount of kilometers—over 16 km. Yes, that involved two main walks and a shorter walk, but also walking around my Studio, which is why I'm not a good candidate to "watch" a show on the computer because I'm never in one place long enough! 

I stopped at Indigo on my way to the dollar store—you'll see why tomorrow (hopefully)—and I looked at the craft book section. OH MY!! There might be one or two books on quilting, but quilt books in a bookstore are a thing of the past. It's all about knitting and crochet, and tons of books on making amigurumi exist. 

The meagre craft book section

There wasn't much on mixed media either, which was the rage for a while as well. It's knitting and crocheting! 

Before I go, have you figured out a system where you are making a dent in your old projects? Or figuring out a better way to work? It's all about making changes and working smarter, not harder or longer. But it takes a LONG time to realize that. It took me a long time to figure that out and I see the odd thing or two sitting on the cutting table that shouldn't be there. I'm evaluating how I work to see how I can improve and become more efficient with my time. 

Putting things on Mount Projects, into a big tub, or whatever has really been an eye-opener and has given me the space that I want to work in—a space where nothing is sitting around to distract me or to inhibit my work. I don't think it matters how big or how small your space is; you need to try that to see how it is. But it requires a lot of discipline. 

And for all the organizing I've done in the office, I did a bad thing. I had a library book that I've now lost. I had it just a few days ago, and where did I put it? My account is now so overdue that I'm blocked, and I can't renew or take out new materials. So I must find that book. But where did I place it? 

More happened at the house, but I don't have time as I'm on my way to spin class. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

A well organized quilt studio!

 No quilts got bound yesterday! I swear - I had everything ready to go, and other things got in the way! How does that happen? At least I got lots done, so I was happy at the end of the day, and the number of quilts to quilt before Christmas is getting smaller every day. I hope to be done by the weekend!

I want to ensure that if there is stuff on the cutting table, I focus on that! That is how my system is supposed to work. So two quilts were sitting there that needed me to find border fabric. 

These are quilts for Diane to finish up, and I had ZERO qualms about going into my stash to find something. Nothing -- not even a twinge, and you know what? That felt amazing! I am FREE of this huge stash of mine! Technically, it's still there, but I'm free to use it all instead of keeping it for a special quilt! That is huge. 

I pulled out a basket of bright fabrics, rifled through it, and found several candidates. 

A basket of bright fabrics

I settled on the one I liked best. 

The border fabric

While going through the basket, I found six fabrics that were at least three meters each. They got pulled for backing. Oh yes -- I'm dead serious about using this stuff up! They all got measured and labeled. Notice how uniform they are? That's just eyeballing it! There's no need to put a ruler or anything else in there (unless you want it to stand up). By this time, I just eyeball many things, and everything works fine. 

Six more backings folded and labeled

Of course, there was no room on the shelf, so I piled them up where the excess backings go. 

Excess backings 

Then I looked at the backing shelf and found a few holes for the smaller pieces. It feels good to have a few spots here and there. 

A smaller pile of excess backing fabric

And now the backing shelf is full! Once I make a few more holes, and those loose pieces have found a way there, I'll go through another basket. I'll keep doing that until I have gotten all the large pieces out of those baskets! 

The backing fabric shelf

I found the border for the other quilt in my other storage area, so that was a task done. And it cleared two things off the cutting table. I walked both quilts over to Diane so she could put the border on and make the binding! Job well done!

At one point during the day, the cutting table looked like this. But that is OK -- this is what this surface is for. It's my cutting table and my work table. So now I have a clear space to sort things. It looks pretty clean this morning. Not completely clear, but close. Oh, so close! 

The cutting table as a workspace

Here are a couple more things from the shopping bag. I know -- you're just dying to jump in and empty those bags - I know you are! I'm almost done! This is a large piece of swimsuit mesh. I've got an idea of what to do with that! It's now in the appropriate spot for this kind of fabric. 

Swimsuit mesh

Two spools of metallic thread are now in the box with all the other metallic threads. 

More metallic thread

Speaking of thread, as I was sorting through a box of stack and whack (one block wonder) stuff, I came across a spool of the Bottom Line Thread. Oh yes -- I bet that is one I thought I was missing. 

A spool of thread

And so I bought a new one when I had the chance. Sigh.............. The problem with keeping threads in the project box. I have no idea how much more thread I'll find, but this won't be the last spool I find. I need to finish the stitching and put the thread back in the thread box. That quilt isn't even on my UFO radar at the moment. 

A brand new spool of the same thread

Speaking of UFOs, I'm also working on this project that is not on my deadline list of UFOs. I still had three more hoopings to embroider, and there's no time like now to make that happen. Each one takes over two hours to stitch, and that's at the fastest speed. 

One more embroidery stitch-out

And as the day ended, I was tearing the stabilizer out of the other piece I had done. What a job! But I watched the baking show while the other one was stitched, and I was happy. I need something to do while I watch those shows. 

Ripping and stitching

Since I have quite a bit of stabilizer to remove, I have lots to do for a while. You can tell where I've removed the stabilizer from the top left, as it no longer has this white shadow behind. 

The front of the huge label!

And it's evident on the back, as you can see in the top right. 

The back of the huge label

Then I need to embroider the project's title, and I've got a spot for it. And I wanted to use the SAME font that Kat did in her book. This is going to be easy. I have 245 fonts in mySewnet Embroidery Software, and drat -- that particular font is not there. 

The title of the quilt

WAIT --  I went into QuickFont and created my own! That took all of about 10 seconds to do that. The font is called Algerian. And now I have to design that title in the software (easy peasy), figure out the sizing, and then get it and finish off the last two hoopings! Can I finish that this week? I hope so!! 

The font was recreated in mySewnet embroidery software.

And this is one more hooping done - only two more hoops of names and then the title. The last thing is to assemble the quilt. 

The embroidery is complete

All the names were supposed to be on ONE piece of fabric, but I miscalculated, so there will be a join. No one will know that! 

I should mention that I picked up three more quilt tops from Diane. I'm so happy to see this flannel used up! She said she got 17 tops from it or something like that! Now when would I have had time to make seventeen tops? 

Three flannel quilt tops

But that's not all. One more customer quilt is done! And the next quilt is loaded on the long arm, ready for later today. 

Customer quilt - DONE

Yep -- as I mentioned, while no bindings got put on, I accomplished a lot, and let's hope that one or two bindings can be put on today. I swear that managing this stash is almost a full-time job! Well, I only found and folded six backings! But I am so happy with the way things are organized! 

Oh yes -- we had a software class in the morning for the mySewnet Embroidery Software. Oh -- I just love teaching the software. It's capable of doing so much!!! And I'm learning so much every time I touch it! If only the students would touch it more! 

On that note, I'm off to spin class this morning! Yeah!

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!

No fabric is safe at my house!

OH  --- Elle mentioned in the comments about waiting to see the BIG totals at the end of the year. The number of quilts made, donated, the fabric used, etc. 

I am NOT good with that kind of stuff! Well, I am, sort of. I do have some tallies, but I doubt I've captured everything. I have a folder called "year-end review," and I think I put pictures in it at the beginning of the year, but it's missing lots. However, even the stuff I remember from the last couple of months will be impressive. 

I'm now at the point where I'm telling people that my ENTIRE stash is up for grabs. WAIT --- that's not what I mean. The entire stash is in danger of BEING USED! All those beautiful flannels are waiting to be cut up for quilts, and once those are done, there's more where that came from. NOTHING is sacred, and NOTHING is being added. You have no idea how freeing this feels. I have precuts, kits, and scraps, and there will be some fabrics I'll hang onto, but as long as Diane keeps sewing, I'll keep her busy! Everyone needs a Diane!! Thanks again, Diane!!! I appreciate your help so much -- you have NO idea what you have helped me accomplish mentally and physically! 

And honestly, it excites me to know that the amount of stuff is decreasing; even though we can't see any dents, in reality, HUGE dents have been created; you just can't see them yet! I'll try to find the before and after pictures. 

It was a super productive day, although it didn't seem like it at the time. 

I started the day by getting the binding on that quilt for the customer. It was a big quilt and seemed to take forever. However, the good news is that it's done and will be picked up tonight. The favor is repaid, and we are happy! 

Putting the binding on the customer quilt

Here's the finished quilt. 

Finished quilt for a customer

Then it was time to load a quilt I hoped to quilt in the afternoon. But a meeting scheduled for ONE hour led to more than 2 hours, so that didn't happen. The meeting was excellent, so I wasn't going to bow out earlier. 

However, right after dinner, I did this. This is the first of the next group of eleven Quilts of Valour quilts I want to get done by November 11. Not a lot of time! It's trimmed and ready for the binding to be attached. I don't mind if the bindings are NOT on the quilts -- I just want them quilted. 

Quilts of Valour quilt -- Number one of eleven

But back to the afternoon and what I managed to get done. See how easy it is to find a specific color of thread; when the spools are grouped by color, as they should have been much earlier. I don't think I need any red thread for a while. 

My red 50-weight threads

But I managed to empty one more spool of thread in my next adventure for the afternoon. I haven't shown you the threads I bought at Salon Quebec yet, but there's no time to take pictures! 

Empty spool

We always talk about bobbin chicken, and I LOST. I had ONE inch left to sew, and the bobbin ran out! No worries, I found a similar color in the leftover bits on the bobbins, and soon that one inch was done! 

Ran out of bobbin thread

And so the first quilt of the afternoon was finished with the binding completely sewn down. This is one of the four groups of ten quilts for Project Linus, and I think there are 40 or 41 in total. Soon, I'll be halfway through them!

Binding on a Project Linus quilt

Then it was onto the next one. I needed something to keep me busy while the long arm was quilting. 

Binding number two

And the third one that I did. 

Binding number three

I think four of the ten are now bound, so I might get the rest done by the end of the week. I'm away for two days, and today, I have e-mails that NEED to be sent. 

I've got some fabrics set aside for backings in the fabric storage area for community projects. Since this next group of eleven quilts has NO backings, I will start pulling those out. That will use lots of fabric, so I'm excited about that! 

Look at the flaw in this one. The fabric got folded during the printing process! Well, it's not a perfect backing, but it'll have to do. It's already loaded on the long arm with the next quilt and ready to quilt sometime today! I believe I had bought this knowing it had a flaw in it. 

A flaw in the fabric

I have a pretty clear calendar for the remainder of the year. I have lots of classes to teach, and there are four days related to the sewing machine business, but there is time to have some fun and hopefully get caught up on some things that have been set aside! 

And I'm trying to finish The Seven Sisters book by Lucinda Riley. It's an 18-hour audiobook, and it's due in three days. Because of my schedule, I was tardy in listening to it. I believe I listened to a quarter of it yesterday, taking me over 50%, so I should have time to finish it. It's historical fiction, intriguing, and the characters are likable; the narrator is excellent, and I WANT TO KNOW WHAT happened. Hopefully, I can get a few more hours listened to today, but I also have to pack and prep for my events tomorrow and the day after. 

We decided not to hand out candy last night, and I think many of my neighbors did the same thing, as I didn't see many lights on. But we still had someone ring the bell TWICE. Seriously people -- if the lights are NOT on and there are ZERO decorations out (not even a pumpkin), you would think they would know we're not handing out candy. I wonder if there were lots of kids out? I didn't even look out the window. 

Well, it's going to be a busy day, and I've got to start! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!