Dressing in layers

OH -- I got a chuckle from an email someone sent me about dressing in layers. We all know that dressing in layers outdoors is a huge factor in staying warm. The extra air pockets between layers, as well as the extra layer, hold the warm. If you need ventilation, open a zipper and get some air. Then zip up when you need to. 

But what about in your house? This is hilarious, and yet it's not. There are people, and I will NOT name names here, that feel it's OK to just crank up the heat in your house on a cold day while they continue to walk around in shorts and a T-shirt. Are they the ones that pay the bill? I don't think so. 

There are a lot of factors to consider about how your house works to maintain a temperature. I'm finding that on the colder days, our thermostat struggles to keep the heat at the set level. But I also believe that the heating company can control our thermostat centrally, and they may lower the temperature by one degree to conserve energy. The same way they do with the air-conditioning in the summer. 

Even though our thermostat is set to 21, it goes as high as 20 during these cold days and sometimes drops to 19. I can FEEL that drop in temperature. There is no sun to affect the thermostat, and it's not in the sun anyway. It's only on really cold days when I notice this. Our house is also a bit big, and the one furnace isn't the most energy-efficient, although it is new. To be adequately heated, we should have a second furnace. 

What's with the temperature?

Should I crank up the heat? NO -- because that's not going to solve the problem. Guess what? I dress in layers! I have an extra sweatshirt that I can put on that makes me toasty. I curl up in a chair with a quilt, and I get out my hand warmers. I've worn these for years in the winter if my hands are cold, and I have a few pairs to choose from. 

My hand warmer collection

I even have a dollar store pair of gloves that I cut the fingertips off (when they got holes), and I can wear those. 

Gloves turned hand warmers

Someone knitted these for me years ago, and I thought I had lost one several years back, but all is good -- I have both and use them. Thanks - you know who you are! 

Hand-knit hand warmers

The other thing I find about being cold is that you will get cold if you are sitting around, on the computer, or reading. You need to get up and get that circulation going to warm up! 

How we can teach this concept to the younger generations is beyond me. I guess we just have to wait until they start to pay their bills to see. And I wonder if we are seeing a further drain on our electricity grid because of the number of electric cars that need to be charged in our neighborhoods overnight? What would you choose - heat? Or power for your vehicle? 

DH was away all week, and our car sat in the garage for almost the entire week. I went to the gym twice and once for a massage. It's 4 KM one way, so it's a bit far to walk. But I walked to the mall several times and to the doctor, and well, I haven't lost any independence or gained a desire to use the car since we went to one car. It's been almost two months, and so far, so good! 

I was a busy little beaver yesterday, and it felt GOOD! I got one of the writing assignments out of the way in the morning as I had plans for the afternoon. 

Yep -- it was National Popcorn Day, and you could get a free small popcorn when you went to the movies with your Scene Card. So I did! I went for the 1:30 showing and used Scene points for a free ticket. Then, free popcorn, but can you believe I paid $6 for a small drink? That's outrageous, and I don't usually buy anything, but since the rest was free, why not! 

The empty theatre when I arrived

I get that the theaters have to make money, but don't they think more people would buy if they dropped the price? The movie I wanted to see (The Beekeeper) wasn't showing at this theatre, and I wasn't going to drive to another theatre - I'm flexible. I saw a rom-com (Anyone but You) instead. It was a silly movie, but it was funny, and well, it was just a fun afternoon out. 

I do NOT need to do things with someone else. If I waited for someone, I would NEVER do anything. So, as an independent person, I just do what I want, when I want, and guess what? I LOVE it. When I was younger, the thought of doing anything by myself was terrifying. Sitting in a restaurant or going to a movie. But, seriously -- who cares if you're alone. People probably don't even notice; many do things alone these days. Yep --- I wait for no one! 

Then I walked back home and got to work. At the end of the day, I had walked almost 15 KM. Not only did I walk to the theatre, but I spent a couple of hours tidying up, cleaning, and sewing. Yeah!!! It was a FUN day, and sometimes, you just need that. It was glorious. 

I put those pills in the cupboard with the gummy multivitamins, but I needed a post-it note to mark the day of the week. I'll have to investigate when it is best to take the Vitamin D and joint supplements and all that fun stuff. I think I could go around in circles, but it's good to check it out. Someone mentioned that in the comments. I need to go back and reread that. 

My meager collection of pills

I gave away all the open packages of Post-it notes but knew there was an open one in Studio B. There was an open pad, and I found an entire package of the darn things. So they are all in the same spot in the drawer in the office. The same thing has happened with erasers. How many erasers does one person need? I'll have a few more things to donate once I round more stuff up around the house. 

MORE Post-it notes

Here's my bag of reading material! Yes -- it's full, but I like variety! So when I sit down to read, I can choose. I finished a book on organizing ideas for creative studios, and now I can choose something else today. I think the biggest thing for me is that the stuff has to be in a container that is easy to move around. If it's in piles, something else gets piled on top, and then it's lost. So, containers it is, and these little bags work well. 

My reading bag

My desktop by the computer is a total mess, and it drives me crazy. The desk is NOT the most efficient for a right-handed person. So, I did a clean sweep yesterday. 

My desktop got a clean sweep

And all the stuff got put into the basket, which is back on the floor. That basket is overflowing with things that need to be addressed. I MUST remove several things every day from it and deal with them. I have a few "urgent" things to deal with today, which are on the desktop. Tonight, I'll choose something exciting for tomorrow. Having too much in the basket is overwhelming, so I hope taking a couple of things out at a time will help. I've tried before and failed. But unless I keep trying and refining the process, I'll never find a solution that works for me. 

Bear is protecting the basket of crap! 

I got into tidy-up mode in Studio B. I had put some stuff on the cutting table and now had to put it away. I'm happy to report that ALL of this is put away! I know --- I was a busy bee!!! But it didn't end there. 

Crap on the cutting table to put away

Here's the "after" of the cutting table, and I managed to cut some projects this morning, ready for sewing later today - I hope! 

The cutting table this morning

I cleaned up the kitchen and washed (by hand) the few things that wouldn't go in the dishwasher. DH came home very late last night, and I wanted him to see that I wasn't a slob (which I'm not) while he was away. Everything is neat and tidy, and the counters are clean. The table is ready to play an EXIT game later tonight or tomorrow. 

A neat and tidy kitchen

Oh god --- I even cleaned the knobs on the stove. What was wrong with me? Some were pretty grungy on the outside and pretty gross on the inside (see the one on the left)!

Cleaning the front of the stove

With the help of a bit of elbow grease and my Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, they are spotless now. 

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

Oh -- I didn't take a picture of the knobs back on, but they are on. That's the one thing about DH. He's willing to clean up, but he just washes the dishes. He doesn't notice if stuff like the stove knobs are dirty. 

The stove front is clean now

But who designs all this stuff? Yes -- I know it's a panel that fits together, but these crevices? They are DIRT COLLECTORS. And don't even get me started on those bowl sinks for the bathroom that sit on a counter. How do you clean where the bowl sits on the counter? 

A nasty groove to keep clean

And that's about HALF of what I cleaned and tidied in the afternoon when I got back from the theater! Maybe I need to take a Friday afternoon off more often! I sure came home energized!!!

As I was walking to the theatre, it made me think of a couple that used to live on our street. They sold their house several years ago and moved to a snobbier town nearby. HEY -- everyone says it's a snobbier town! They were unhappy living beside the rental house with the neighbors from hell, but they said their new house was close to places where they could walk - 20 minutes to do things. I wonder how many times they have walked? Or was that just an excuse! 

I love my neighborhood, and while I appreciate the solitude some people have living in the country, I LOVE where I live, and I take advantage of the fact that I can walk to almost ALL conveniences. The gym is my biggest issue, but I see they are putting in a bike path, so that might become an option in the summertime. There is a gym within walking distance, and well --- who knows - maybe I'll check it out. 

Well, it's time to go. It's freezing out there again this morning! Oh yeah!! Lots of layers! 

As I was cleaning the stove yesterday, I remembered that I was supposed to be cleaning the drawers in the kitchen. Well, I totally got off track on that! I don't have time, so I'm good with what's happening. But I hope you are getting a chance to get something done!! If you're feeling cold in your house, layer up and start cleaning something. You'll be warm in no time!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Cleaning FEVER!

The writing is done! Am I getting better? Or am I better prepared? It seems to take less time than it did in the past - I think my hands are getting faster at getting the thoughts on "paper," and I'm better at editing as my grammar improves. I used to fight with Grammarly to understand what they were telling me. It does NOT like Passive Voice, and I used to struggle with writing in the Active Voice. It's all good -- the writing is done!

And the dates are fixed up. I HOPE! Gosh -- by letting the calendar do autofill, it messed things up, and I swear I double-checked that before I sent out the dates to the classes. They all have the correct dates, but I did not, which isn't good. So the dates for the one-hour discussions were the biggest problem, and it's all fixed now. So the discussion for the digital cutters, EQ8, and embroidery software are all on the same day. It can't be helped -- I don't have enough free weekends to spread it around. We'll get it over and done with on the same day! Check out the blog post to get the new dates, but if you have signed up, I'll send you a link. If you can't attend on those dates but are interested, let me know, and I'll add you to the list. 

After the writing was done, I listened to my online lecture. Did I learn much? I knew a lot of the information, but it was still very informative, and I'm glad I listened. Yes -- I confess that I had my dust cloth in hand for most of it, and I was having a blast. Do NOT tell my mother that! I remember her making me dust her knick-knacks when I was a kid, and I told her that I would NEVER dust in my adult life and that I would have a cleaning lady! I have very few knick-knacks AND a cleaning lady! But she doesn't do Studio B, so I'm on my own.

Before I show you what happened, can you believe FLIP PHONES are back in! But these are not your grandmother's flip phones. They are pretty fancy!!! I think this is a Samsung Galaxy, but I bet all brands have their own version. I haven't seen it in person -- OH shoot -- I was at the mall yesterday, so I should have had a peek. I don't know that this is of interest to me. Darn it -- I might have to go back to the mall today to explore it - just because my inquiring mind wants to know!

A flip phone

When I started clearing, I started with the work tables and cleared everything off my main table where I sew. See my computer? I was listening to the lecture, but since it was a slide presentation, I didn't need my eyes glued to the screen. 

Cleaning the work tables

Then I got ambitious and removed all the sewing machines and sergers from those work tables and dusted them down. I probably should have washed the tables, but I never thought of it - too late! 

Work tables are a clean slate! 

In the process, I decided to deal with this blue box. I keep all the accessories for my Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC 2 in there. It's a nine mm foot, and the rest of my feet are 6 or 7, so I keep the accessories separate. But there's a darn sticky label on the box, and I've tried to remove it in the past, but it's very stuck! 

Sticky label

I ran to get the GooGone and then remembered that the bottle had fallen and broken months ago, so it got thrown out. Hmm -- I have WD-40  - many cans (no idea why - does anyone want some?), and I grabbed that. Its job is to unstick things, so why not a label? 

WD-40

And with a little bit of elbow grease, the label was gone! At last -- it's only been there for how many years? I told you -- I was on a cleaning high, and I might as well tackle silly little jobs while I'm in the mood. 

The label is gone! 

Then I decided to tackle this tray that sits beside the sewing machine. 

A tray of stuff sitting beside the sewing machine

Wait -- first, I cleaned my sewing machine. There was so much dust and lint on it that it was obscene, especially where the thread sits. So it got a thorough cleaning. 

The sewing machine is in need of a cleaning

And while I LOVE this sewing machine, it has a telescopic thread stand, which means the lid is open, and dust gets in that area. I don't like it. So what if I remove the thread at night (I don't sew every day) and close the lid? That could work (not sure I can commit to that, but I'll see). So I need a space to put the thread to keep it clean. And I have that box of stuff that was sitting beside the machine. 

I went to my cupboard of empty containers and found this cute tin box. 

A cute storage tin

The thread from the top of the machine, the items sitting in front of the sewing machine (three tools), and the few necessary items in that tray beside the machine are now in the tin. 

Tools are stored in a tin

There's a bit more stuff in this tin now, and I'll put a few things in plastic bags to keep the like items together and make it easier to find what I want. The tray is on the cutting table and will be dealt with later. It's primarily little triangles waiting to be stitched into half-square triangles. OK -- I get that, but it doesn't need to be sitting out all the time collecting dust, and I only need a handful at a time. 

So now I can close the lid of my sewing machine, and I want to make covers for all my machines.

Shiny and clean

I need four covers -- two large machines, one regular-sized machine, and a large serger. And I'll need another cover when I finally unpack the skid in the garage! I'd better get myself busy! I remember starting a cover with fancy embroidery, and it took me a few minutes to find it, but I pulled it out, and I might work on that during the retreat. I want these machines protected from dust. 

Some people have fancy aprons with pockets to put under their machines. I've tried using them, but I only need THREE tools when I sew, so I don't need an apron to hold those. And the other stuff will sit in those tins, and it'll be super easy to dust!!

Here's what the table looked like when I was done. Yes, by this time, the lecture was done. There are a lot of cords on that table, and I need them! 

The workspace looks spiffy

Now I'm thinking if I had that IKEA Alex table, I could get rid of those three boxes altogether and keep all the stuff in the two drawers, and there's a tray along the back of the table where I could put the cords. My friend Michele has several of them, and she loves them; the legs are metal, so they are sturdy enough for machine embroidery. I really should buy ONE to see if I like it. Hmm -- I could drive out today and get one. 

IKEA Alex table

Well, I didn't stop there. I cleaned the PFAFF creative icon 2 and put it back in its place, including the embroidery unit, as I need to do some embroidery. And the serger got cleaned and back on the table as well. There was a fourth machine on the table, but since I'm done with it, it's back in the box. 

Ready to sew, embroider and serge! 

I have three small projects prepped, and they are sitting on the worktables, but I need to keep these tables clear of everything but the immediate items to be serged, sewn, or embroidered!!! I'm pretty good about keeping this area clear, so I didn't have to remove much. 

Over the holidays, I'm going to try and clear the cutting table -- once and for all! As well as the current project table (find a home in a closet for the stuff) and the remaining mess on the floor -- again, find a home in a closet for it! I have the room, and it just looks ugly when stuff is out. It's hard to sew around a mess (how did I ever sew before when I had clutter everywhere?)  And the clean surfaces make it super easy to keep lint-free! As best as I can!! 

Would I ever be this conscientious in the rest of my house? Probably not, but I am aware of keeping the number of knick-knacks at a minimum and removing what we no longer need or want! 

I found a box (actually, an empty drawer) where I put all the paper on the floor in the office. It's a huge mess, but at least it's contained in one spot that is easy to move, and Murphy can no longer lay amidst the papers! 

Before I went to bed, I also cleared off the kitchen table. Not that there was much there, but a few things, and I had to glue the heat register back together after Miss Murphy stomped on it, and it broke. This is the second time she's done that - the register is in front of the window, and she gets excited. I put a small table over the vent, so I've no idea how this happened. It doesn't matter- I got my wood glue and glued it together. It's sat under something heavy all night, so it should be good as new. 

Gluing the register back together

I saw a pair of cardinals visit the bird feeders the other day. I've been remiss in keeping them filled, so that was done yesterday. I see I need to find some sunflower-only seeds as they ate all the sunflowers from one feeder and left the smaller seed. The smaller birds can't reach through the openings and get the seed as it's still there. 

I've said many times how different our girls are. When Murphy wants in, she sits at the door and barks. Lexi is more "ladylike" and will tap on the door with her paw!

MOM -- can I come in?

However, I've also seen her throw herself at the door and bang like she's being chased by a pack of wolves! But she won't bark to come in! Oh, my silly girls -- how would I be entertained without them? 

If you have kids/grandkids and want their pictures taken with Santa, get out there NOW. I walked past Santa in the mall, and he's got a big comfy chair, and there was no one in sight to sit on his knee. 

Santa at the mall

For those of you who live near me -- remember when that area used to be a mini-golf course? And then it became shops, and now it's a community space! 

I see the new cinema will open in 2023, so there is no chance of going there on Christmas Day. Darn --- but I'm not sure what movie we'll see either! DH usually picks the film and is in a conundrum about what to see. I'd go see 80 for Brady, but that only comes out in February! It looks hilarious, and well, why not!!

This is my week for QUILTsocial, so check out the blog post today. And I'll keep posting during the week as I'm very excited about what I made!! 

Don't forget the Virtual Retreat this weekend!!! I'm so excited that I can just sew on whatever I want! And there's so much to choose from! 

Here's the link to Saturday, November 26, starting at 6 PM. 

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89254233911?pwd=VGQrTnFybW1HMWpleHA4M2Q2NGVwZz09 Meeting ID: 892 5423 3911 Passcode: 982797

And here's the link to Sunday, November 27, starting at NOON.

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81693717518?pwd=STNoVVQzbDd4ZnROQndNNlpvcC90QT09 Meeting ID: 816 9371 7518 Passcode: 579285

The dates for the Virtual Retreat in December are the 17th and 18th since the regular date would fall on Christmas Eve, and well, I don't know how many people would attend! I'd be there, but likely by myself!

It's super foggy outside with the warmer temperatures, so if you need to be out -- take care driving. I'm home all day with 'nothing to do! WAIT -- I mean no appointments or commitments. No pick-ups or drop-offs. But I have a stack of quilts to quilt and sewing to do! I won't be wanting for things to do!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!!

STINKING Cute!!!!

I can't believe how focused I've been these last two days. Head down the entire day - no napping in the gazebo and I don't even have a deadline. An imminent one that is.

Having so much fun - it's crazy! I've been listening to an audiobook which I finished yesterday. It's called The Gown by Jennifer Robson. I think someone told me about - probably Helen Anne since she's the only one I know who has read it. It's sad, it's funny, it's uplifting. It's so not my typical style, but I really, really enjoyed the book.

Then after my mentioning Podcasts yesterday, I decided that I should listen to some. I was trying to get into the next audiobook - Good Omens and not sure it's going to work for me. I tried to get the History of the 90s Podcast, but something weird seemed to be happening so I went with The Quilting Company instead. I think I listened to three of them. They were a lot of fun to listen to and what I LOVE about these Podcasts is that they are short (½ hour) so you don't have as much time invested as in an audiobook with 12 or more hours. I'll be listening to more of them today.

Did you at least listen to the trailer of Kathy's History of the 90s Podcast?? Her voice is amazing. I could listen to that voice all day and she's very articulate.

I have an amazing tip to pass along this morning. We have a lady who comes in weekly to clean the house. She uses the plain jane Swiffer to get into hard corners and it appeared that she was using the disposable dry pads at an alarming rate. Do you know how expensive those things are? And she didn't need to be using one a week. Anyway - I decided we needed to do something.

So.................. here's my new Swiffer cloths. Yep - that's a hunk of batting on there. Actually, this one is several small strips (trimmings after a quilt is quilted). I joined four of them together - took a few minutes on the machine with a wide zigzag. VOILA!!!!  FREE Swiffer cloths.

A piece of batting used as a Swiffer cloth

It works just as well as the original, it's free and they can even be washed. OK - I'm in love with these. I'm going to be making some more. The cleaning lady can Swiffer her heart out!!! One of the things I've found with the dry pads is that there is only so much that it can pick up. It doesn't pick up grains of dirt and other debris. It's super for dog hair, dust, and lint. Just like the batting pieces. Then I get my cordless, upright Rowenta vacuum and whisk away the small leftover bits of debris.

Batting works well as a Swifter cloth

Now back to Studio U where the embroidery machines and a sewing machine reside. I'm happy to report that the magazine quilt has its binding on as well as all the Quilts of Valour quilts. There's also a class sample that has its binding on. For some reason, this class sample just about did me in for machine binding. I have no idea why I struggled with it. The first step of the binding was done several weeks ago and I wasn't happy with it.

Quilts that are bound and ready to leave the house

I ended up taking it off. There was way too much binding on the quilt. Perhaps that's why I didn't like it. When you're sewing on the binding, don't forget to put a little tension on the binding strip as it feeds into the sewing machine. Even if you're using a walking foot. This is what I cut off the binding after it had been reattached to the quilt. No wonder it wasn't working as well as I would have liked.

Extra bits of binding

Doesn't matter - - it's all done now and ready to hang in the store to advertise my upcoming class.

Shoot, the store posted a picture of the quilt but I can't find it. However, here's a link to the upcoming events at The Hobby Horse for September. I've got a couple of free demos - rotary cutting, know your sewing machine, and color/value.  Check out the list - I'm sure you'll find something you'll like and classes are always fun!

I also got the binding on this baby quilt. That's one more off the list. Yeah!!!!  All quilts that need binding are bound. See - I'm really, really trying to stay ahead of the game!!!

Binding on a baby quilt - DONE

Not only have I been doing some sewing, but I've also been busy at the long arm as well.

Here's a customer quilt that got done the other day. It's all trimmed and ready for delivery.

Customer quilt - DONE

I had a Quilts of Valour quilt that needed to be quilted. That's now done and trimmed. Ready to be delivered later today along with the five finished quilts. I'm writing two patterns for Quilts of Valour. The first one is mostly written (not designed by me), but I'm writing the pattern. I hope to get that finished today and then onto the second one.

Quilts of Valour quilt - done!

Remember that bright quilt top that Diane sewed for our community projects? Well, I got the binding made for that quilt. I've put it into the storage area and we'll find backing for it at our next community projects day.

The binding is made for community projects quilt

So if you clicked on the link to the classes at the Hobby Horse, you would have seen that one of them is Bench Buddies by Kimberbell. There are two options, Machine Embroidery or the Sewing Version. There are three patterns in total - the first one is January, February, March, and April. The second one is May, June, July, and August and the third one (which isn't out yet) is for September, October, November, and December. For each month, there is a square pillow and a rectangular pillow.

Bench Buddies patterns by Kimberbell

I've been having a blast making some samples for my class. I know - how often do I actually get my samples made ahead of time???  Not often or never! Look at this pillow. It's STINKING CUTE!!!!   This is the rectangular pillow for January. I found pompoms in my trim stash and I used the glitter vinyl for the snowman body. It glitters like crazy!!!!

Rectangular pillow

I finished the square pillow as well. They are so adorable. They are NOT big, but so very cute. I used the glitter vinyl for the snowflake on the square pillow. Kimberbell has pillow forms (of course) for both of these sizes. Their website seems to be down for some reason.

The two January pillows

We're going to focus on the January rectangular pillow in the class. If you've got an embroidery machine, but not sure what to do, this is going to be a fun class. If you don't have an embroidery machine, you can make the snowman using traditional fusible applique techniques. Both will be covered in the class.

Aren't they so adorable??????

I've been working on some of the others in the first book (January - April). I didn't quite get them finished but will share as they get done.

Oh - I should say that there are different finishing techniques for each. The rectangular pillow was finished in an envelope style, while the square one has binding! And I even hand-stitched the binding in place. I also found a gadget when I was cleaning that I'll actually use. I've already used it several times in the making of those pillows. You might have to come to class to see how to use the gadget. Not sure where I bought it, but it had never been used, but it's very handy!

As I've been sewing and prepping, I've been making a shopping list. I think I've got everything on the list that I need for the next couple of projects lined up. Today is a day of errands and running around. I haven't felt the need to take a break in the last couple of days, but I need a break today.

On that note, I'm out of here. I've got a pattern to finish writing.

Have a super day!!!!


Ciao!!!!