It's all about the magazines

I've been truly blessed with the response to my designs in the magazine world. I'm not even sure how many designs have been published and I haven't always had a chance to blog about the where, when and so on.

But this time - here I am! On the COVER. This is the current issue of McCall's Quilting. That's the January/February 2020 issue. It's made with Banyan Batiks - the Baralla collection (pink slate colorway).

My quilt on the cover!

I'm super excited to make the cover. And this quilt is so simple - you could make it in a day. That's my favorite kind of quilt these days. Simple and easy. It's all about using up our stashes!

Speaking of stashes, I read a comment the other day - about why do we need to use up our stashes? The comment alluded to the fact that painters aren't required to use up their paints. I get it! But people - a fabric stash takes up a whole lot of space. It's heavy, it gets dirty and for god's sake - it gets DATED!!!!!  Tubes of paint are timeless. So be a responsible quilter and start to use up some of that stash.

I picked up three more quilts to add to the customer quilting queue, with three more to arrive. I think I'm good until the end of the year! So whatever else comes in, unless I'm totally free, will have to wait until January. That gives me a wee bit of time to do some decluttering, and get a few of my community project quilts done as well as maybe one or two of my own.

We had Monday sewing yesterday and I made good progress on the next block of hand applique. Actually, I finished the applique on a small project. I was so busy running around with iPads, sewing machines, phones, and cameras last night and very early this morning, that I totally forgot to take a picture of my work. It's all about pictures for the blog. You're going to love the blog posts.

I started reading the book from Oprah's book club. Oh boy - a heavy subject and the first chapter was just weird. But I persevered and I think it's going to be a good book. But could not just once, she pick a subject that is not heavy and depressing. This book is about a slave in the south.

Today, I have to write a letter of dissatisfaction. I got my winter tires put on yesterday. When I booked the appointment several weeks ago, I was told it would take about 1 ½ hours for the tires to be changed. I was informed when I arrived that they were running late. My tires are on rims so I would expect it to be more like 1 hour, but OK - I'm good with 1 ½. Well it took 2 hours and 15 minutes. This is the SECOND time. I was furious. I kept my calm and totally expressed my complete dissatisfaction with the service at this dealer. Seriously???  Can they not figure out how to book appointments? They're as bad as doctors  - not my doctor, but other doctors.

On top of it, there was water leaking into the lounge area and for 2 hours and 15 minutes, I heard DRIP, DRIP, DRIP. Very loud and very constant. I was very annoyed. But I'm good today. I had a good sleep and my head is clear and I don't have time to waste being grumpy. But I'm going to write that letter and I'm going to have my tires taken out of storage (I didn't have room in the car to take them yesterday) and move them to another place for future tire changes.

Just another annoyance in life in a first-world country. Seriously!

On that note, I'm out of here. This has to be short because I realized upon waking this morning, that there was a deadline yesterday for a quilt submission. I forgot to send in my design so I had to get that prepped this morning. It's gone. Wish me luck!!!

Have a super day!!!!!


Ciao!!!!

Machine quilting is so much fun!!!!

What an amazing day yesterday! We had the best show and tell from the two ongoing classes. The level of creativity of the students in the class never ceases to amaze me. I don't have time to post the pictures this morning, but later today, I'll be editing and loading so I can get those up.

Then a class on machine quilting. There's so much to tell the students in that class. It's my favorite class to teach. This one is the basics - somewhat in-depth on needles and threads and setting up your sewing machine. We talk tension, thread colors, exercises to improve and a whole lot more. I get so wound up in that class. With TEN people in the class, it was busy!!!

If you haven't taken a machine quilting class from me, you should. You'll learn so much. I think the biggest hurdle to machine quilting for anyone is the lack of confidence and the lack of sewing machine knowledge. NO ONE wants to touch the tension on their machine. It's a dial! It can be reset to the same tension that you started with.

So any takers for machine quilting?

Then I was back home to try and get some more embroidery done. DH suggested watching a movie. Sure, I was going to do other things, but I could watch a movie. So while we sat and watched the movie, I was monitoring the progress of the embroidery on the mySewMonitor app on my phone which showed me EXACTLY where I was in the stitch out process and the few times I had to change the bobbin or change color or attend to a broken top thread, I got the message on the phone. We simply paused the movie, I fixed the problem and then restarted the embroidery machine and the movie. How brilliant is that!!!! 

Now, this is possible because the embroidery machine I'm using is WiFi-enabled. That's the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC. Oh yes - it's amazing and I was loving that app last night. If you have a WiFi-enabled embroidery machine and you're NOT using that app - you need to download it from your app store. It's totally free. I should have taken a picture of the app when it was in progress. I will today and then you can see for yourself. By the way, the NEW Designer EPIC 2 is on its way. Guess what that means??? You can get the Designer EPIC for a very good price. It's not a whole lot more than what I paid for my Designer 1 back in 1998.

I've got more embroidery for later today. I'm working on a sample for the upcoming convention. We have an Educator's Challenge. My idea which of course, I can't share with you is quite unique (I hope). The fabric is unique, the idea is unique and in total, it's well over 200,000 stitches. I know - go big or go home! But it's mostly stitched out and then to assemble it which is a job for tonight hopefully.

This is a tub that I unearthed when I was cleaning up one of the corners in Studio B. It contains things from highschool. Mementos, yearbooks, etc. I'm afraid (almost) to open it up. I'm not going to do it until later this month as I don't have time to go down that rabbit hole. But it'll be good for an afternoon of memories.

Memory box from highschool

Actually, it's not just high school - it's memory stuff from when I was a kid. Nothing from my adult life!

I also found these micron pens. I can't remember where I found them, but there were four pens. I didn't even try them, but they now reside in the drawer with other pens and quilt marking devices. I will never have to buy another marking device in my quilting lifetime. 

Marking pens

I also found two rolls of this plastic for making your own quilting stencils. I remember reading about this in a magazine and searching for a very long time to get my hands on it. Guess what? I've never used it!!! Does anyone want it??? If not, I'm going to cut it up and use it in my machine quilting classes.

Stencil making plastic

I also found these rolls of preprinted quilting designs. What the heck?? Oh yes - I bought everything and anything when I first started out. They have never been used. I was going to give them away, but I've decided that they will work with my free motion class so I'm keeping them and they have found a new home in the machine quilting box.

Paper for marking free motion quilting patterns

That's so exciting that I found stuff and can find a new home for it! Or better yet that I'm finally using it up. Amazing what we buy because we desperately NEED it and then we never use it. I swear it's the product acquisition more than product consumption that is more important. Why is that? Some psych major should do some research on quilters.

Thanks to Laura, I found out that Oprah is starting a new book club. I just signed up! I'm sure her books are going to be way out of my reading league, but I'll try one or two. I've already put the first one on hold at my library!

Today is UFO day. I would have been finishing up my homework last night while the embroidery machine was working. Instead, I'll be finishing it up this morning. I have until 11 AM to be finished! Only a few more backgrounds to quilt so I should be good.

Here's something to think about. Want to try a new technique? Why not make a postcard for the Canadian Quilter's Association Quilt Canada in 2020 in Edmonton. Check out the details here. I'm going to make one!

On that note, I'm out of here!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

On buying magazines

Things slowed down in the decluttering process a wee bit yesterday. I did go to the recycling depot again! I got rid of stuff at the Donation center which is located in the building outside the depot. It's all part of the same complex. And they took everything except the silly calendar holder that I forgot to give them. That will go back maybe today.

The car was full of wood and a couple of plexiglass items. I merrily tossed them in their respective bins. One for the wood and the plexiglass items went in the garbage. This time I had to pay. They weigh your car when you go in and then when you leave. Apparently, I unloaded 60 K of stuff. Seriously????  I wouldn't have believed it, but wood is heavy. I gladly paid my $6 and I was on my way.

I emptied the small storage room - I'm going to call it the puzzle room for the sake of clarity. Well, I didn't empty it, but I removed all the tools and everything related to fabric dying. I found tubs of EMPTY jars. Then I went for a walk to the local hardware store to see what I could find for shelves. NO - I wasn't going to carry a shelf home as DH thought I was going to do. I had a few other errands and I'm always looking for an excuse to go for a walk. It was a 17,000 + step day. I found the perfect shelf that fits that space. Except it was out of stock. I'm going to check a couple other Ronas to see if I can find it at another store. I'll do that online so I'm not driving around like an idiot.

That was it for the cleaning session. The mess is laying on the floor beside the long arm but doesn't interfere with the long arm. I'm going to sweep the floor in preparation for the new shelf. Maybe I can find it today. I hope so - I want to get that room tidied up!

Then I looked in the furnace room (which is pretty clean as I had already been through that room when we had our water issue). ACK - I found three more pieces of baseboard! I might take another load to the depot today and I'll have to take some junk with me to fill the car. I'm OK with that. It's just so fulfilling to get rid of this stuff.

Think of all the free time I'll have once this is all done. And as I'm getting rid of this stuff, I'm envisioning myself doing the same thing with the office. That'll take a bit longer since there's a lot of small stuff, but I see it happening. Yes - bring it on!!!!  And not one single thank-you to any of the stuff from yesterday for bringing me joy! All I've been getting from anything I've gotten rid of so far is a pain in the neck from thinking about it. My brain is going to be clutter-free soon!!

When I was on my way back home from the depot, I decided to take a detour to visit Indigo. Hmm - this used to be the location to hit when I wanted a magazine fix. Now look..........

I've never seen the shelves so bare. The top section is knitting, the middle is crochet and the bottom is quilting. Pretty sparse.

A sparse looking shelf

The papercrafts section was jammed as was the puzzle section.

Papercrafts section was jammed

I went looking for this magazine called Love Patchwork and Quilting. It's a British magazine. First - do you see what I see???

British magazine

It's in a stupid plastic bag. I bought the magazine so that's why the plastic is ripped. I can't see a thing about what's in the magazine. There's a big blue sticker on the outside "How to Guide Inside". How to for what??? I HATE HATE HATE these plastic bags. I won't rip them open in the store so I don't normally buy them.

And look at this one from the US. No plastic cover which allows me to see read and see what's inside. Thank you to American Quilter Society for that.

No plastic bag

OH - now that I've wrestled the magazine from its plastic sheath, I can see what's inside. Why can't I see that to start with???

Cover of the magazine

Here's another reason I don't buy this magazine often. Look at the price!!!  $15.99 CANADIAN. For those of you in the US, the price is $15.99 US. That's totally crazy!!!!!! Why I would be willing to fork over $16 for MYSTERY content????  The magazine has a more modern flair. I think it used to be called British Patchwork and Quilting or just Patchwork and Quilting and was a bit more traditional. I could be totally wrong on that point. But there was a Patchwork and Quilting. I'll check my shelves for tomorrow to let you know the scoop. Bottom line - this magazine is modern which isn't a bad thing - you just need to know that since you can't see inside!

Expensive!!!!!

OH - I get a freebie. Seven quilting stencils by Karlee Porter. What if I don't want or use stencils? Or hexie papers or a ruler as I've seen in previous issues????  I don't want CRAP with my magazines. So that's another reason to NOT buy this one. On top of it all, the article that I was looking for wasn't in this issue because of the time delay in getting this magazine to North America. The next issue is on sale August 7. Oh well.

Quilting Senstils as the freebie

Don't get me started with freebies. Too late!  Here's the thing. Free things are NOT FREE. Those little prizes in kids meals, the free fat quarter at your guild meeting, the secret sister parcels, the grab bags from anywhere are usually filled with things that we DO NOT WANT. Guess what - that stuff becomes clutter in your house. Yet we COVET winning or getting this stuff. Can you tell me WHY????  I do not want anything like that EVER. Maybe not until I've worked my way out from under what I've got.

I had to laugh when I was at the cash at Indigo. If you bought the latest Margaret Atwood book - you got a free tote bag! NOOOOOOOOOOOO.   I'm getting rid of the LAST (hopefully) of my reusable tote bags. Jane is picking them up and they are going to the food bank.

Don't get me wrong, I've got a lot of nice little gifts and freebies over the years. But many were thoughtfully chosen specifically for me! And I appreciate them all. It's the random stuff that I don't want.

I did more work on that blog post which just doesn't seem to want to be finished. I had a bit more sewing to do and then more pictures. I should be done very shortly this morning. Then onto the last two posts which are partially completed.

I managed to get a customer quilt done. I love this quilt - it's flannel and very cozy looking.

Customer quilt is done

I finally found a seam ripper so I could rip out that corner of my Tonga Rhapsody quilt and fix it. It looks much better. It's for this very reason that we measure, measure and measure the borders on our quilts. Can you imagine what would have happened if I had of just sewed on fabric???  That quilt would have a very ruffled outer edge once I was done all four borders.

The corner is fixed!!!

And why when we're ripping, do we not remove all the threads before we sew it back together? I see that on customer quilts sometimes. Sorry - but I'm NOT picking your threads out!!!

Threads that didn't get picked out!!!

I see there were no takers or ideas for my lattice from yesterday. That might go to the donation center today.

Today I've got pieces of cork. There are 7 squares here - 12 inches square. What the heck to do with them???  I guess I could glue them to some board and make a corkboard, but I don't have room. I guess they'll go in the donation box as well. Now how long has this been kicking around the house???

Cork squares

And I have this gorgeous container. It's like a hatbox although I don't know that it's officially a hatbox. It's about 15" in diameter. Maybe 10" high?  Well - that was a pretty good guess. I just measured it - it's 14" in diameter and 10" high!!!  It's made of wood and covered with fabric.

Hatbox

This is the inside of the hatbox. I love it, but I have no use for it.

The inside of the hatbox

In case you're thinking that the kitchen table is piled with junk because it's my staging area. It actually looks pretty good. There's a pile of my reading material at the end and a few other things. Some day, the table in the dining room will be the staging area. I'm getting close!

The kitchen table is not in bad shape

My local library branch has a book club. I used to belong to the book club, but then for some reason, I didn't attend. I would look at the list of books and often read some or all of the selections. That's how I move away from my usual genre of books. I decided to join again this year. I finished the first book mere minutes before I walked to the library for the meeting. It was called The Spy by Paulo Coelho.

The Spy by Paulo Coelho

The book is based on a true story. Hmm - EVERYONE HATED THE BOOK. That's hilarious!!!  It wasn't my favorite - the writing style was very confusing, although I didn't mind it. Obviously, my brain is not wired the way the rest of the members are!!!  We spent a good part of the time chatting about other books. I know why I don't like this book club. I think the lady leading it could be more engaging!!!  We should have chatted about stuff in the book rather than abandon it! Oh well - I'll go for some of the books and others I won't. It'll all depend on my schedule.

Speaking of schedules, can you believe that my 2020 calendar with all the MAJOR events is already booked. I did that yesterday. Well, the weeks for certain events, my sit n sew days, the charity sewing days, and my ongoing quilting clubs - it's all booked!!!  That's totally insane, but it needed to be done.

On that note, I'm out of here. Got to find that shelf today!

Have a great day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Don't worry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday was one of those days where I seemed to be busy all day, but at the end of the day - I asked myself  "what did you do all day?"

I did have a class in the morning and then a bit of shopping in the afternoon, a dentist appointment, Linda picked up her quilt and well - next thing you know - we were eating dinner at 8 PM and I really got nothing concrete done in the day!!!!!   DRAT - I hate those days, but that is life!

A funny thing happened at the dentist office. I see the same hygienist every time. Rose is very nice and gentle, although she keeps telling me that my gums are NOT happy. Good grief - brushing, flossing, massaging the gums - I have to do MORE. Anyway, we got to talking about cycling and she mentioned the area where she lived which is a popular area for cyclists. Then she was telling me about her sister getting a speeding ticket. I guessed EXACTLY where she got the ticket. Is that freaky or what??????    I didn't even know that her sister lived in the same area as Rose, but I was driving this road on Monday (Not my usual route, but took the road to avoid construction) and lo and behold, someone was getting a speeding ticket. I know because the cop had the radar gun in his hand. We had a good chuckle over that!!!!!!!!!!!    But that didn't stop her from lecturing me about my flossing habits!!!!

I did make  stop at the Salvation Army Thrift Store and bought pillow cases.

My pillow case collection

Now before you roll your eyes and wonder if I have gone crazy like the two people I told yesterday what I had bought and where. There is a good reason I bought these and I hope to put them to good use today. I have washed them and they are ready for action! And can you believe - I had to pay double for the orange pillow cases!!!!!!!!!!!    $2 instead of $1. Stay tuned tomorrow to see what I do with them. Oh - it is quilt related.


I was at the library a week ago and I always have a good look around. I LOVE the library. I noticed that they have a book club and it is on a night when I am free. Hmmmmmm - looked at the list of books. Of course - there is NOTHING that I recognize. Nope - they don't put James Patterson and Clive Cussler on the book club lists.

Just so happened that day that the regular librarians were not at the library and staff from another branch were covering for them. One of them is a friend and fellow quilter - another Elaine!!!!   I asked her about the book club and she went looking for the book for me. She gave me a copy that she found in the manager's office. This is the book................

Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende

The book was originally written in Spanish and translated. Not my kind of book - it takes place in the 1770s in the Caribbean.  A totally different style of book than I am used to, but I am enjoying it. But the women - well they are either swooning and sick or they are turning tricks. I guess that is why they were treated as second class citizens!!!!!!!!!!!   And a huge part of the book is about slavery. I hope to get it done by the date in October. Not a fast read, but interesting. It should be fun to discuss it with the others. I did notice in the catalogue that there is a rather lengthy wait list for this book. I am thinking that I got bumped to the top of the list because my friend grabbed a copy that may have been destined for someone else?


Last night, while we had our late dinner, my camera was sitting on the table and look what my kid took pictures of...........................

Little Sammy who is just the CUTEST dog in the world. I can't believe that someone didn't want her!!!   She is so adorable and a super personality!!!!  Cuddly and well just the best little dog ever!!!!

And big Sparky who was just hoping that some food would fall under the table. 

 I have been working on a project that I could not show you. I won these blocks at the June meeting at Halton Hills Guild. Anne challenged me to have something to show in September!!!   I think she meant a quilt and I was hoping, but that didn't happen. However, I did make the three additional blocks needed (I won 27 - made 3 more). Auditioned sashing (many colours) and finally agreed that purple would work best. Got the sashing in and got one of the borders on. I got another one on this morning and still have one more to add. Then make the binding and backing (which are already chosen) and it will be done. Maybe I will make an exception and try and get this one quilted.

Block of the month - blocks I won

This is a note to all parents who worry about their children. What they eat, how they dress, how they act, etc etc. As my kid was growing up - we had issues. She could never get up in the morning, she ate JUNK food all the time, she wouldn't listen, wouldn't eat breakfast and so on. There were days when I wanted to give her away. Heck - I would have paid to have someone take her away!    However things have changed - Now I am getting complaints because we do not have PROTEIN in the house for breakfast. Not that there isn't food - but NOT PROTEIN. And this morning - she was up at 6:30 AM (on her own), and off for her driving training AFTER she ate her breakfast (including the PROTEIN). Then she will get dropped off at school. Now doesn't that warm your heart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     There is hope!!!!!    She has found a PASSION - her love of fashion. I am very PROUD of her. And just goes to show that you can't push your life on your kid - you have to let them do their thing. I think everyone is happier because she found what she wanted rather than what we wanted!!!!!    This time next year, my baby will be in university!!!!!!!!    ACK!!!!!  


On that note - got stuff (real stuff to do today) so better get started. Got more of that darn paper work to clear up before I hit the long arm.

Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!! which