The gamble paid off!

I received a very exciting text and email early this morning. I only saw them while making my breakfast, and I rarely looked at my phone until 9 a.m. However, I'm UPGRADED to business class for my trip! At least the way there—I still don't have a ticket home yet. Yeah, the flight is late at night, and I get a flatbed. Life is good! Now, what will I do with the $1,200 I saved? 

I finished the binding on the 10th donation quilt. Yeah! That goal is done. 

The last binding is on!!!

All ten quilts are now in the Pony Express staging area, and arrangements for a drop-off have been made. There is one last item that I need to get ready: the books for donating to the book sale. The drop-off is on Tuesday, so I still have a day or two. 

The Pony Express staging area

Yeah -- this is a great system, and we've done very well as we learn to make it work! There's so much coming and going at my house that I needed an area, and this works like a charm. Lexi is happy to donate the top of her kennel to the cause. And she gets a few treats because she's such a good girl!

I was sorting a bucket of paper yesterday and came across this book. Oh yes -- this is one of the BEST half-square triangle books around. It's OLD - published in 1995 or something like that. I'm putting it with my buckets of trimmed HSTs so when I want some ideas for patterns, I won't have to look far! I swear that the older books are the best! 

A book on half-square triangles

I have figured out why I've been tired lately. I'm pushing the envelope as to when I go to bed. I need eight hours of sleep, and I haven't been getting that much, so of course, I'm tired! I had a nice nap in the gazebo yesterday, and it was glorious! The surroundings, the waterfall, the gentle breeze—you can't beat that! And for being in the city, it's pretty darn quiet! 

The view from the gazebo

Then, it was time for another task. I finally brought all the components for this shelf upstairs from the garage, where it's been sitting in pieces for a couple of months. Well, maybe not quite that long, but it's been a while. The shelf is 48" wide by 18" deep and if you have ever put one of these together, it's a two-person job. However, I did it myself. 

My unassembled shelf

Let's say there were a few "moments," like when half of one clip flew off the shelf and over the railing or the shelf got askew and was now jammed in place. The lower shelves are the hardest, and it gets easier as you get closer to the top. 

The bottom shelf in place

But soon enough, the shelf unit was assembled. And the BEST news? It fits through the doorway. I didn't think it would, but that was a super bonus. It's on wheels, so I can move it wherever needed!

The shelf fits through the doorway

Now, what's going on the shelf? You have to wait and see. I started, but I didn't finish yesterday. 

I got a lot of paperwork done in the morning, so that was good. There are still a few emails to write, and I should have just enough time to do that. Can you believe that I'm actually excited about doing paperwork now? Exciting might be too strong, but I don't resent it like I used to. 

We had a Virtual Retreat last night. What the heck was I going to work on? I decided I better get to work on my UFO. It's not due until September, but we all know that time flies!!!

I managed to finish the stitching around the bear. There are a lot of bumps on its perimeter! 

The applique bear

Here's a close-up of the stitching. I used my double blanket stitch, which I love, but it takes a bit more thought to avoid messing up the stitching. It wasn't a good thing to do while talking, but it looks just fine. 

Detail of the stitching

Then the question was - do I keep working on the one wall hanging, or go to the other one and do the same thing on it. Since my thread was chosen, I decided to go for the second bear. So it's also done. If you don't believe me, look at the purple paw prints - they are different!!!! 

The second bear applique

Of course, I had a helper. I discovered a huge hunk of Murphy's hair by my foot pedal. I probably dislodged it as I tried to sew, and she was trying to lick my feet. That dog has a thing for feet. 

A clump of Murphy's hair

Without having a quilt to load or prep for the long arm, I need something to do! So I have a project for the digital cutter and I  managed to cut out two blocks this morning. 

Cutting applique shapes with the digital cutter

Cutting out the shapes is as easy as pie if the SVG files already exist. I could do it blindfolded - well, maybe not, since having the fabric in the correct position is essential. You have to love the scanner to make that happen. I would like to get the remaining nine blocks cut, so let's see what happens. I also have a LOT of applique on those two quilt tops, and I said I would have them both done for the next UFO session. Hmm - I might have to rethink that! 

Let's hope that today will be as good a day as yesterday. Well, technically, the upgrade news came today. 

Someone asked where I'm starting this year. For the past two years, I've flown to Paris and taken the train to Saint Jean Pied de Porte, near the French/Spanish border. Let's just say that this year, that is not happening. I cannot imagine flying into Paris at this time. The security and whatnot would be insane. So I'm not flying to Paris! Hence, I'm starting somewhere else; you'll just have to wait to see where! It won't be long now! 

On that note, I should make a list of everything that needs to be done so I don't forget anything. I sort of have a list, but I might be missing a couple of things. I just remembered two things that need to be added. 

I've been walking up a storm, and my new daily required average is 12.5 km, down from 12.7 on July 17. That is great news. Yep, I continue to walk in the afternoon even if it's hot. Did you know that a wide-brimmed hat can make you feel cooler? Yes, it keeps the sun off your face and neck, so you can actually see instead of squinting. I used to think hats were overrated, but now I wish I had started wearing one sooner! 

If you didn't spot it yesterday, I put out the list of what I'm teaching in the fall. You must wait for the stores to put out their lists, and that's OK. You at least know of one project. My little experiment worked, but I had to open Outlook to trigger the rule that sends the acknowledgment. I hope that opening Outlook on my phone will trigger the rule. Oh - you'll get an acknowledgment when I'm back and open my desktop version. Outlook works in mysterious ways. 

Remember, we have a Virtual Retreat today starting at Noon. 

Here is the link. 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82983517671?pwd=ODdsa1FJenQwdFNaQWFTNGd4bEhPZz09

Meeting ID: 829 8351 7671
Passcode: 117636

See you there!!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Guilty as charged!

Here's an update! I could take a picture like this where you can't see what's inside, and it looks good! At least nothing is spilling out of the top, but it's not empty!

The basket of scraps

I'm definitely making a dent in that basket and watching some episodes of The Quilt Show. So all is good. 

I've made a dent!

I can do about 30 minutes before I get tired of standing. Hey, I can be moving all day, but I'm not good when I stand in one spot. It's boring, I suppose! 

But my shoulder was throbbing, and I needed to lie down to settle it. I have an ultrasound on the 24th or something like that, so let's see what happens. There are days when I think a sling would be good so the weight of my arm doesn't put pressure on the shoulder. 

I'm not sure how gracefully my body is going to age. I feel arthritis in multiple spots. That darn left leg is not a happy camper, and I suppose my knees are not all that happy, either. Getting old sucks! But I'll do what I can, and I refuse to stand still just because I have aches and pains. How positively boring that would make life! 

Let's focus on the shoulder for the moment. The new shoes seem to put the left leg in check, but I know that's only a placebo effect because I can feel it twinging in the background. 

But let's move on to happier things. 

I seem to spend a lot of time managing my scraps. I'm using up the batting leftovers to make them large enough to put in a quilt. At the maximum, I have to join four pieces to create a batting, so I don't deal with small scraps here. I'll use the smaller stuff for smaller wall hangings or table runners. 

Joining batting

Another flannel quilt is done. I've trimmed this one and will put the binding on it later. 

Community projects quilt - DONE

For the life of me, I could not find that binding. I searched Mount Projects and couldn't find it there, but I got a good overview of what's on the table. I finally found the binding in the laundry basket designated for these quilts, so all is right in the world. 

The next quilt is loaded on the long arm. I will finish this one, and then I need to take a break for one day to catch up on all the trimming and binding. Then, I can get back to customer quilts on Monday. 

At one point, I returned to the long arm, and the thread had run out. I checked the bobbin thread, and it was OK. Oh, great. I forgot that I had put an almost empty spool of thread on the machine. I totally forgot to watch that. 

Top thread --- DONE!

Speaking of small bits, as I mentioned, I seem to spend my entire day dealing with the small bits I save. I made good progress in my bag of fusible fleece scraps, joining them together to make squares that I use on the back of projects instead of stabilizer or batting. 

Making bigger squares

There is something therapeutic in doing this. I don't know what it is, but I'm guessing it's twofold. First, I'm excited about NOT adding to the landfill issue. Yes -- it takes time to deal with the small bits, but guess what? Am I in a rush to make more quilts? Nope! Do I have deadlines? Nope! Working like this helps me learn about patience and perseverance. Many of you would never consider this, but you should try it!! 

Why is everyone in such a rush? Just slow down, and you'll be amazed at what can happen. I created seven squares, so I have enough to work with this coming week. I certainly do NOT sew for the sake of sewing. I couldn't care less if I ever made another quilt. I certainly do NOT care about the latest sew-along or fabric collection, and I have zero FOMO for what others are doing. I sew for ME. And I honestly think if I didn't have such a large pile of crap to fill up, I'd stop sewing. NO -- that's not true. I'd still sew, but it's no longer my focus. I'm having way more fun dealing with the bits.  

I have to sew because it's my job, but if I didn't have to sew for work, I'd probably never start anything new and only work on what I have. GASP!!!! Don't worry - I won't give it up, and I look forward to starting the two new projects in the fall! 

Today, I must get started on my projects for QUILTsocial. I have everything laid out, so things look messy, and I'm OK with that. As I finish, it'll get put away. 

I also noticed my Fitbit was dead yesterday, as I had forgotten to charge it. Imagine my surprise when I went to plug it in. I used my power tower, and WHAT?????? I've had those towers for several years, and only yesterday did I realize they are NOT the same. 

A square design

An octagon design

That is hilarious and shows that if you make a mistake in something, how many people will notice? I cannot believe I didn't see the difference. I use both of them, but this was the first time I had plugged USBs into the second one! 

Both of my boxes arrived. One of them is still sitting, as I didn't have time to unpack it. I turned it backward, so you can't see the picture on the box! What do you think it is? 

A mystery box

The second box was filled with books. I know -- I do not need more books, but these are books for the Scan and Cut. I had purchased a book before and found it extremely useful, so I decided to buy more from the same author. Yes, there is YouTube, but I have to say that NOTHING beats a good old-fashioned book with pages. These were printed on demand from my favorite online store, so I had to buy there. You can't buy them anywhere else. I have to say I LOVE print on demand, and the quality is pretty darn good! 

Books for the Scan and Cut

Now I have a LOT of learning to do!!! 

I hope to get to some of that later today. No garden work happened yesterday as it was raining in the evening, and I wasn't excited to weed in the rain. This is a job that I can tackle later today. 

OH MY GOSH --- I'm also reading another hilarious book. 

Declutter your Data

The book isn't that long (150 pages), and the author spends time at the beginning describing what she will tell us and what digital clutter is. The author is Canadian!!!

The book was written in 2018, and at that time, she estimated that the average US household had 41.5 Terabytes of digital clutter. Can you imagine what that number is now? 

Before you go - that's ridiculous, think about it. How many camera cards do you have? USBs? Online storage or storage on your devices - smartphones, tablets, computers. Don't forget all the apps you use or have downloaded. 

I laughed when she said that most people tackle the problem by buying more storage—guilty!! And that only the truly diligent delete as they go. What is in the digital clutter? Email, photos, videos, presentations. Guilty—guilty—guilty—guilty!!! 

Thankfully, the book is short, so I should be able to breeze through it. And I hope to learn new strategies for controlling this mess. DELETE DELETE DELETE

Angela Crocker has also written another book, which I want to get. It's called the Digital Legacy Plan. Click on that link to read about it. Here's a sobering thought: She predicts that in 100 years, there will be 1 billion dead people on Facebook! I doubt Facebook will still be around, but you get the idea. What happens to your digital presence on the internet when you die? 

I get notifications of someone's birthday on Facebook, and they have been dead for years. That's something to think about, so I'll get the book and read it. 

They have the book at my local branch, which might be my errand today. I also saw the new library catalog, which isn't new but came up to alert me the old one won't be around forever. I have to log into the new one and will do it later. I need to verify the status of my account before I waltz in there and try to borrow a book—just in case!

I got part of one of my car errands done yesterday! CRAP!!! But that's OK; it just means I have to do both by Monday or Tuesday at the latest. Let's say we are one step closer to firming up my fall schedule!! Yeah!!! It has to be nailed down soon, and as soon as I know, I'll tell you. I'm trying to focus on things that will help you work smarter, not harder, and there are only TWO new projects should you choose to go that route. 

That's it for today. I have one Zoom this morning, and then I'll be hard at work! I sincerely hope you continue to work on cleaning out those drawers. OH -- remember that person who told me about the seven drawers she found in her living room? Tomorrow, I'll share with you what she found. I got a good chuckle!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

How small is too small?

Some of that euphoria popped out of me yesterday as I attempted to play with some technology! I almost gave up technology at that moment! 

So I have a couple of digital cutters and I needed to cut a file using one specific one. I turned it on and went to connect it and NOTHING, despite the fact that it said it was connected to a network. Why??? I was frustrated! 

Then I went for a walk, and when I came back, I realized that this cutter had never been used by me! It appeared to be connected to the last network it was connected to. I've no idea, but that's what it said. Once I got it connected to my network, it worked like a charm. 

When troubles hit, take a walk! 

I finished my project last night while chatting on the Virtual Retreat. I'll share it tomorrow, and it involves more learning. Why is there always something new to learn? 

Remember that little bag of HSTs that I unearthed? Well, look at their size. And a couple of them are sewn. 

MICRO HSTs

I opened up one of the sewn ones. Seriously? What was I thinking? That entire bag is now in the pet mat scrap bin! 

How small is too small?

In chatting with others last night, I found what people keep and throw away amazing. I know we may not want something, but it seems a shame to throw good stuff away. I do NOT want to become a broker for scraps, but if you have scraps that you don't want and they are of a reasonable size, PLEASE let me know. I'm sure there is a reader who would be interested. School groups love scraps (although this is the wrong time of the year), and I bet there are people on fixed incomes who would LOVE to get a bag of scraps. 

DO NOT fill the landfill with your "good" scraps! Someone would love to have them. OR -- they can be recycled through a textile recycling program, which I'll share once I do some research. 

Also, as you are sorting through your stuff and finding homes for everything, be sure to check if that tool/supply is still useful! Look at this dried-up glue stick! It's a good thing it's dried up because I know I have a spot for glue sticks, but I wasn't sure yesterday. This is now in the garbage!

Dried-up glue stick

What was the new project that I could finally remove from Mount Projects? It's the backing for a Quilts of Valour quilt. These are leftovers from other backings, and in total, I think there'll be enough to make a new backing. YES—there are people who would throw this away because it's too time-consuming. Good grief—I have all the time in the world, and to me, it's like a puzzle. 

The bits to make a pieced backing

I pressed all the pieces and squared them up. Now, I need some quiet time to match up the pieces and sew them together. I will NOT be doing that today during the Virtual Retreat. 

The pieces are pressed and trimmed

I had several things sitting on another table (I'm going to call this one the Puzzle Table because I have a jigsaw on it that I want to work on). But in the meantime, I had put stuff on it that I could easily do without thinking or making a mistake during the Virtual Retreat. 

My project table for the Virtual Retreat

I got all the threads on the pet mats taken care of. Those took up a lot of visual space, and I completed my project, which involved HAND STITCHING. 

Pet mats ready for delivery

There is more stuff on that table, which I'll tackle today. My goal is to have it clear so I can open the puzzle. 

This was the cutting mat in the morning. There's the quilt that needs the backing, some stuff for the digital cutter, which is gone, and some bits I'm collecting for the next blog posts for QUILTsocial, which I hope to write next week. 

The cutting table is exactly how I want it!

I needed to look for a zipper, and it's your lucky day when you open the box and find the color and size you want right on top. 

My zipper box

Once I got that digital cutter working, I had to update it, which happened with zero issues. I LOVE technology, but only when it works. In this case, it was not connecting, and it was a total operator error! 

Updating the digital cutter software

I showed this before, but it's time to let it go. Is anyone interested in locker hooking? I have books and supplies. If not, they're going in the giveaway box. 

Locker hooking books

Locker hooking supplies

Something shocking happened yesterday, and well, I'm still stunned. I know for most of you, this would NEVER be an issue, but for me, it's always an issue. I got a reminder email the previous day to renew my driver's license. It expires at the end of August, so it's a bit early, and I would leave it. Sometimes, I renew it in mid-September. But NO—because I'm on the ball, I renewed it yesterday! WHAT? 

And I responded to all the emails that needed to be sent. WHAT? I probably missed one or two, but I was making invoices and responding to emails, and well, it was a good morning! Actually, there are two people to whom I need to send a message!

There is usually something in the day that makes me chuckle. A sense of humor is a precious thing, but some people think they are funny, but it falls flat. I hope people think I'm somewhat entertaining, but no worries. At least I can see that humor is a lot of things, and that's entertainment for me. 

When I work on the long arm, I need tape as a marker. In some instances, I need to remove the marker before I start the machine, so I stick it on the bar. How many times have I returned to the long arm to find the tape missing? I've learned that if it's missing from the long arm, it's on MY ARM!!! 

The missing painter's tape

Do you see the green painter's tape on  my red shirt? Yep --- that's where it was. I had to look hard for it yesterday as it was really stuck and on the back side of my sleeve. I guess as I'm working, it grabs my clothes and sticks! 

We have a cardinal in our backyard who is pretty insistent. He's loud, and I guess he's saying that he wants me to fill the bird feeders. He's pretty cheeky!

Hey LADY! Fill the ^&^% feeder - I'm hungry! 

It was raining when I walked the girls, so I had boots and an umbrella, and we survived. But look at the deep rut in the path. OK, so they need to resolve this once and for all instead of coming back with the SAME methodology to fix it. I might do some research and send it to the city. Or they pave it! 

A deep rut!

You couldn't miss me in my bright pink umbrella. 

My bright pink umbrella in the rain

It's hilarious because Lexi often lies outside DH's office, and I caught Murphy lying outside mine! The better to keep an eye on my movements!!! Those girls are so silly!

MOM -- just doing my guard dog duties!

I have two presentations this morning, and they are mostly ready. I have one more picture to take and then rearrange a few slides. I've got loads of time! 

Here's the link to the Virtual Retreat today. Oh boy -- we had some interesting conversations yesterday. We recapped Quilt Canada, driving trips across Canada, how guilds handle Zooms, and much more!! Be sure to stop by. 

The times are EASTERN, in case you didn't know that. I know some people tried to log in early, but I was busy, and perhaps they got the time zone mixed up. 

Sunday, June 30 - STARTS at NOON EASTERN

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82983517671?pwd=ODdsa1FJenQwdFNaQWFTNGd4bEhPZz09

Meeting ID: 829 8351 7671
Passcode: 117636


On that note, have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!








 

It's all about TEAMWORK

I'm going to confess right up front- this will not be a pretty blog post. 

I'm having one of those days—a pity day, perhaps, but I'm so frustrated that I feel like throwing in the towel, ditching all the technology and people. Curling up in a chair and reading—not just for today but forever—is tempting! I told you it wasn't going to be pretty!

OK, I feel better having written my frustrations out and then deleted it! 

I feel that there is too much of everything in this world, and people are trying to do it all, watch it all, or do it all, and let's face it—we CANNOT!!! For example, I came across a disturbing post on Instagram yesterday. 

I've met the person who posted, but I don't know her that well. She is a wonderful lady who posts about her life on her farm. I do not expect to see regular posts from her, and I see her posts occasionally, but I don't dwell on how often she posts. But from this particular post, it sounds like people do. She said that she is not a content creator and finds it challenging to keep up with social media - she was almost in tears. 

This is a problem. How many other people out there are in this same boat? They spend so much time creating content to get those likes or views that they ignore the things they love. Then, they get a plaque or some other recognition. Why are they spending their entire lives living to create content? For the little bit of photography that I do, styling photos can be a tremendous amount of work. Doing videos is even worse! 

How many people have multiple social platforms? I do not - I refuse to bow down and let other people's lives dictate how I spend my time or view the world. I have my own struggles. 

Everyone wants a piece of the pie and to claim their 15 (or more) minutes of fame, but at what cost? And at what cost do we follow along? I'm so tired of it that, as I mentioned, I don't post any longer (not that I posted much), but I'm trying to unfollow so many. I don't need more of anything in my life!

I search for information if needed, but I do not watch anyone religiously. Where's the "fun" learning if you always watch and learn from someone else? What happened to the "fun" of figuring it out ourselves? OH GOD—that's why I'm stressed! Let me clarify that I'm not stressed from learning; I'm stressed because my device is not working properly. Is it me, or is it the machine? 

Oops, that's another sentence I wrote and deleted. Yes, there are things I want to tell certain people about how they make me feel, and I should direct that to them, not in a blog post! So I wrote it and then deleted it! 

Let's put it this way -- I cannot wait for my three-month hiatus this summer. I want to get away from Zoom calls, emails, and requests. I want to leave it all behind. I may even figure out how to set an "out of office" on my email and shut it down for three months! I know how to do it, so don't be surprised! People who walk the Camino become obsessed with it. I don't think it's the walking or the location. I think it's the ability to leave everything they know behind without worrying about their daily life. 

So, how can we create that lifestyle here at home? SIMPLIFY --- stop taking (and giving) so many classes, trying to do it all, trying to make and read content online, go back to what YOU LIKE to do, and have fun with that. 

As I said, today has been extremely frustrating so far, so I'll go back to the basics, see what happens, and work my way up from there. Perhaps someone is trying to teach me a lesson—to slow down, to enjoy life!

It doesn't help that I've injured my shoulder and am in constant pain, which doesn't do much to one's morale. Now DH and I are a matched pair—his right shoulder and my left. Let's just say I'm too old to climb trees and leave it at that! 

Anyway -- we all have that kind of day, and I'll get through - I'm strong enough to do that, but it's easy to see how those with less stamina can get bogged down, and I can't imagine dealing with this daily. Hopefully, the machine issue will be resolved by tomorrow. The shoulder is another story!

But let's find something happier to talk about—the EXIT Game Advent Calendar! So we unlocked door 12, and we'll solve that puzzle tonight. What is hilarious is how we solve the puzzles. Last night, we opened up the clues, and there's this diagram that looks like Pac-Man. Two other cards and some diagrams are in the box (room). 

The EXIT Game

I was going to spend time deciphering the drawings in the room. Dh says that so far, we haven't needed what's in the rooms. OK, so then he reads the information and tells me that he solved the puzzle the night before and that it's my turn. I kind of freeze, and then, in a flash, the answer or the methodology comes to me. So, while he's puzzling over the cards, I'm figuring out the numbers. 

Then he looked at me and offered his idea, and I was excited to show him. So I punched in the numbers, and voila -- it worked. But if he had not said, don't worry about the box, I might still be there. I think we would struggle individually, but collectively, we make a good team. SHARING IDEAS -- it's all about sharing ideas!!! 

That's what I want my classes to be—sharing ideas, but so often, I feel that I'm the only one sharing! I know that's not true, but it sure feels like it on some days—until I start asking questions. 

I desperately need to go through my sock drawer and eliminate the ones with holes. I know I get attached to them, and yes, I'll wear the holey ones! So, I made a start yesterday and pulled out a brand-new pair of socks. They're pretty wild colors. I didn't even notice there was a left and a right until I had them on. They look like alien faces! 

My new socks

Looking closely at the green area, you will see an orange letter - left and right! 

I haven't been walking as diligently as I have in the past, which might have something to do with my mood. I admit I'm irritated by many things, and most of those things are small, and it's starting to show in my interaction with others. So I better get my butt back out and walk! I'm not behind on my Virtual Challenges, but I must get outside and walk to blow off that steam! 

I stopped at the dollar store yesterday to look for two things various people mentioned. I found precut parchment shapes, but only rounds and loaf liners, not the cookie sheet ones. I don't need them as I can create the same thing from the boxes of my own parchment paper. 

Pre-cut parchment shapes

I found cotton rope in the craft section. I do not need any more of it, as I have oodles of it here. 

Cotton rope

I also found this: Seriously? That looks like the real thing and look at the price. The brand name is Calvin. 

A weeding tool

I did not buy this as I now have so many scrappers and weeding tools, but I love that there is only one of each. It's simple, and well, you can't beat the price. 

This is a huge problem; how can the dollar store sell something like this? How does $3 cover the material cost, the design cost, the packaging cost, and the shipping cost? And then how do the other brands compete? Paying only $3 becomes an item that we don't care so much about and can easily replace, adding to our throwaway society. 

I think dollar stores have contributed significantly to our society's waste. Because things don't cost much, no one cares about them and throws them away after one use. That's bad. The other day, someone mentioned something (making a photocopy) I shouldn't do because it wasn't environmentally friendly.  I do ALL my errands on foot, I don't buy packaged food, I recycle like mad. HEY—let's just say we are saving the planet each in our own way! And there are days when I see how others treat the planet, and you think - seriously?? A photocopy or two is NOTHING compared to the waste in the corporate world or in some people's houses! 

By the way, I checked the label on the car's side door and saw the vehicle is manufactured in the US. I did further research, and NO CARS are being made in New Zealand, so while I liked all the other information the guy gave me at the Toyota dealership, I think that information was incorrect. 

So, while I have nothing official to do today, I have loads of work. I'm going to allow a certain amount of time to figure out my issue, and then I'm going to walk away from it unless I can get it to work. There is some computer work I can do and then I have many other things that I need to tackle. 

Here's hoping the day goes better than the last four days. And who knows, I may be walking miles and miles today to blow off steam! 

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Learning is HARD WORK

I chuckled this morning when I remembered the title of yesterday's post—Writing Quilt Patterns. During the Virtual Retreat, we discussed how some patterns are good and some are notoriously bad. Why is that? Do these people not have pattern testers? Do they not get feedback from their audience? 

Most designers will have changes (for free) on their websites, but one designer (I won't mention the name) is famous for writing confusing patterns. And then, I guess once they get enough bad feedback, they reissue the pattern with the same name but a different version—i.e., Backpack 2.0. I checked their website. They remove the old patterns, but many patterns have a NEW version. 

What is very irksome is when I contacted them about one of their patterns and how bad the instructions were, they offered me to PURCHASE the new version! The least they could have done was send a free PDF of the new one. 

What is also irksome is that they do not learn from past pattern writing fiascos and test, test, test the instructions BEFORE they get released. Nope—they continue to issue new patterns and then rewrite them and release them as new. OK—so they no longer sell the old version, but quilt stores do! The problem is that I LOVE these patterns, but I HATE the instructions. 

Anyway, we had two great sessions in the morning. As for me staying on track and ending the classes on time, we went over the digital cutter time frame by 30 minutes! It's an exciting class, and there's so much to learn and discuss. And there are so many ways to do everything. You have to learn it all and pick the one you like best!

I have to say that my learning continued into the afternoon, and I was learned out at one point! I was done, and I knew others were still learning in the afternoon, but my brain was maxed out, which doesn't happen often!

I was working on my Scan n Cut until I needed to stop and clean the mat. I pushed the limit on this -- it was covered with threads, and while still sticky, it needed to be cleaned. 

Cleaning the mat for the scan and cut

If anyone out there has a Scan and Cut, NOT in my class, and who has experienced fabric that will NOT stick to their mat, I'd love to hear from you. It's strange, and I want to determine why that is happening. I have some theories and experiments to do later today, but I'm curious about them. Send me a note - elainetheriault@gmail.com

Then, while I let the mat dry and took a walk because my brain needed a break, I moved over to the Momento. Hmm—there were more learning curves here! 

Working with the Momento

I have a few questions about the Momento, so I'm waiting for answers. 

Here's the thing -- if you never use something, you'll never have questions because you won't know what you don't know! But if you start to use it and learn the basics, then you can begin to push the basics, and well, that's when all heck starts to happen. You are headed for murky (but exciting) waters once you push the boundaries of anything. 

If you're not aware, I'm trying to marry the technology of machine embroidery applique (and the software) with digital cutters. This involves working with patterns NOT created for machine embroidery applique, which must be translated or digitized.

While I know that as a quilter, I am very interested in machine embroidery, I'm a minority in the quilt world! Many quilters do not have and will never have an embroidery machine. I get that! But someone in the class was surprised and thought EVERYONE wanted to do what we are doing. Nope- we are a small but mighty group pushing those boundaries. Some people will buy a pattern that has already been digitized. There is room for all of us to play in the sandbox, but I would say that we are the minority!

And I should also say that my class is for DIGITAL CUTTERS! Many in our class do not have an embroidery machine, which is OK as it's NOT specifically for embroidery. It just happens that I'm personally taking it one step further. And I offer advice to the group as I'm not alone. But I need to be clear, or I'll scare away the others. Many in our class do

But I love it enough to persevere through the learning curve! It's more complicated than that, but I'm having fun. But I hit my limit yesterday. 

I love this quote from Steve Jobs:

Steve Jobs Quote: “Learn continually. There's always “one more thing” to learn.”

To counter that, here are some pretty flowers from my walk in the forest. These are tiny little things, and people have mentioned that the trilliums in their area are in bloom. I haven't seen any yet, but I will keep my eye open this morning. 

Flowers in the forest

And look at those girls of mine. Lexi loves to sleep on the couch and is so lazy that she'll follow your every move but won't lift her head! Oh, Lexi -- we love you! But boy, does she need some good brushing! 

MOM -- I'm watching you!

And then there's clingy Murphy. She does NOT want to miss a thing and ensures you can't miss her. I couldn't even pull my chair up to the computer because she was right where my chair should be!

MOM -- I'm here if you need support! 

Well, I have more stuff to do today, and hopefully, there is NO LEARNING involved. My brain is tired!

On that note, I'm off to spin class this morning. I feel like I have missed so many classes because of being away. I MUST try to get to the gym more often. I hate giving up my morning time, but I also hate going to the gym later in the day. I've got some thinking to do about making that happen. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!