Take One!

I'm excited that I'm on my way home today, and my event for tomorrow got moved, so I, in fact, have an entire day off on Friday! However, I have to prep for three classes on the weekend, including one on Saturday, which I had forgotten to put in my calendar. But the critical thing here is that I won't have the same amount of pressure I've had for the last couple of weeks. I can actually take a few minutes off and relax - hopefully in the gazebo!

However, the pressure of prepping for this event was well worth all the hassle, as I was told I was extremely well prepared! And that makes me a very happy camper!

So what was the big event of the day? 

I was picked up at 7:15 and off to a place where I've sent many quilts. 

Golden Peak Media

This is the home of Golden Peak Media -- the people that publish Quiltmaker, McCalls Quilting, Fons and Porter - Love of Quilting, Quilting Arts, Fons, and Porter Quick & Easy Quilts. They also publish Creative Machine Embroidery and Sew News. They have others, but these are the ones that I'm most familiar with. 

I haven't submitted anything recently because of my schedule, and I promised to get back to it! I have a few ideas in my head and need to sit down and do some research. So -- if there is any topic or quilt style that you'd love to see in a magazine, let me know. I got the contacts and the talent, so who knows where we can take it!

So did this have something to do with a magazine? Not exactly, as they are also the creator of the Fon's and Porter Love of Quilting TV series, which appears on PBS. I had the opportunity to be a guest on the show, and how could I turn that down? The timing could not have been worse, but I couldn't let the opportunity slip away. 

The day started with make-up and checking the wardrobe. I know -- me with make-up. 

Make-up

Thanks to my recent haircut, they didn't need to do much. It's a pretty basic cut; not much can be done, but it still looks great. I remember the days when I hated my hair, but no longer. I LOVE it, and the lady who cut my hair called it SILVER. It's not quite silver, but it's getting there! 

The day was a whirlwind -- how to take the elements I had prepared and put them into a sequence that made sense. I learned many things, and it was loads of fun, even if it was a lot of work. The prep almost killed me! Since I'm always into learning new things, this was right up my alley. Could I dare ask them to invite me back? (I did - I couldn't help myself!) I know so much now - the next time would be much easier! And the entire crew was so sweet and patient! 

Here's a shot of me behind the scenes, and that's all I'm sharing with you. You'll have to wait until the show airs to see more. Sara was the host and is good at keeping her guests on track! I LOVE the overhead camera!

Behind the scenes

What I had NOT planned on was leaving some stuff behind. DRAT --- that means I have ROOM in my suitcase, I could have bought more books, and there was no time to return to the Museum. OK -- they have to invite me back! 

When I returned to the hotel, I was wiped, so I did something I hadn't done in a long time. I just lay down, didn't nap, read, or just relaxed. Wow! That's what it feels like, and I could get used to that! 

I finally decided to stop being a couch potato and went and got something to eat. I did NOT go for a walk. I was too tired, and I find the air very cool here, even though the temperature is not cold. Why is that? It must be the mountain air - the same as I saw in Calgary. People are walking around in shorts and short sleeves, and I have my jacket on, and I'm cold. OH -- I know why -- I need a scarf! When my neck is cold - I'm cold!

But here's a better picture of the mountains. The Rockies are around here but not visible from here! Colorado makes me think of John Denver, who I had a crush on when I was younger, and I loved his music - still do. So tragic when he died. Gosh -- he died in 1997! 

The Colorado Rockies

Here's my walking status -- I'm a little behind, but I still have 19 days, so I should be able to make up the distance and finish on time. 

My Virtual Challenge

My calendar is quite open for the next three weeks, so I'll have loads of time with only two car trips (one day each) and four or five Zoom calls on the weekends. And hopefully, the weather is going to be much warmer as well. 

I do NOT have a geocaching badge from Colorado, so I need to get my butt out and get one. There are two very close to the hotel, and no excuses -- I must find them before I catch my ride to the airport. 

Travel days are always long, and with the time change NOT in my favor, it'll be late afternoon when I get home. I'm Ok with that. I'll just chill! You have to love all the apps for travel. I've checked in and did my border stuff while lounging in bed this morning! I'm good to go!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Quilts and magazines

Here's a question to contemplate today. Are shopping trends set by the consumers or by the retailers? I read an article yesterday about it. The retailers said that consumers are planning better (really?) for the holidays and want to get their shopping out of the way earlier. Therefore, they put Christmas decorations out earlier and earlier. Black Friday sales are no longer for Black Friday - it's Black Friday every day for a month! 

It's a combination of both, but I say the retailers are behind the trends. And before the retailers get their hands on the products, the marketing departments of the various companies are trying to gain an inch of competitive advantage. 

My philosophy is to buy what you need when you need it and can afford it. Who cares what the trends are - I don't care about what everyone else is buying (OK -- I cave from time to time - at least in the quilting area), but it's mostly about what I need/want. 

OK -- so I'm making slow progress in the vortex of paperwork. Progress is good - I wish it could be faster, but hey -- it'll get done. And seriously?? I need a second monitor, so my calendar is always handy. For whatever reason, I plug things in the calendar and then don't translate the correct date or time in e-mails. What is that all about? That requires a wee bit of jiggling today to fix that small detail! 

I was looking for a magazine that had one of my quilts in it. After a lengthy and thorough search, I could not find the magazine. I have tried to keep all the magazines and all the paperwork in the same box, but obviously, I haven't. Actually, there was a period during the pandemic when we didn't or couldn't get print copies of various magazines.  

My magazine box

However, I did find this quilt which I love. 

My Sweater quilt in a publication

But alas, it is now washed and destined to be gifted later this week. I hope they like it. 

Sweater Season!

It's in this issue if you want the pattern, and it's made from Maywood Flannels, which are gorgeous!! That's the December/January 2021 issue of Quick and Easy Quilts. 

Quick and Easy Quilts

I will contact the publisher to see if I can find the one I want right now. There were so many changes in publications for a while, and editors have come and gone; I've no idea how they keep their records. I don't even know what publication the one I'm looking for was in! 

It was made with precuts, and I wanted to share the pattern (hey -- it no longer belongs to the magazine) with my precut group! I found the EQ8 diagram, but that's all. 

Let me know if you recognize this quilt and have the magazine. 

One of my precut quilts

It would have been around 2019, and initially, it was to go in Quickly Quilting, but I don't know if that publication ever got off the ground. I LOVE the quilt, and I could write the pattern for the group. But I'll wait to see how many want the pattern. 

We had an excellent precut class. So many great ideas and so much inspiration; who knew there was so much to learn about precuts! The goal is to make at least ONE quilt from the precuts over the course of the class. My goal is three - the first is cut and ready to sew!

Then we had our scrap class. Oh my -- so much that one can do with scraps, and it all depends on your definition of a scrap. Here's a block I quickly threw together yesterday morning. There will be a few more like that coming. 

Scrap block from orange batiks

And the table runner class focused on free motion quilting was a HUGE hit. I can't tell you how excited I was when I saw the homework and how everyone thought about their designs and then found a way to execute them. That's what it's all about -- how to solve a problem and get it done! And they excelled at that! I might share them later this week. 

There are two more sessions this morning, and all the presentations are ready! The next customer quilt is on the long arm and ready for this afternoon. And yes, there is an e-mail or two that has to go out today. The first priority will be to get those darn dates in order. How the heck did I mess myself up like that?

OK -- I'm printing off that introductory e-mail to all the groups so I can see the darn dates when plugging into my calendar, and I'll keep it in my book as a reference. 

Are you watching the world cup soccer? It's been on in our house since the beginning, and Miss Lexi is getting pretty comfortable as she watches the matches. Although, I wonder if she can see anything with that table in the way. Seriously -- she now sleeps on either side of it and couldn't care less. 

The Princess 

Oh -- my call for the soccer? Morroco versus Croatia, and Croatia takes it all! What do I know about the game? Nothing! 

Murphy, on the other hand, is the outdoors girl. That's a total lie as she also likes to be in the house with Mom and Dad, but boy - does she love to go for a walk. Chasing leaves is her favorite thing, so windy days are NOT fun! And yesterday, she climbed up this dead tree. 

Mom -- Look at me -- I'm a dog in a tree! 

Hmm -- what happened to the birds? I don't have the right kind of feed? I spotted a mommy cardinal yesterday, but it's been pretty quiet. 

The bird feeders are quiet

Well, that's it for me. I've got two girls to walk, and then the day starts!

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!

What's your Plan B?

Yesterday my house was busier than an Amazon distribution hub! There was stuff being picked up and dropped off the ENTIRE day, and I was trying to work!!

I started to assemble the quilt top and had two rows together before the first interruption. I thought I was doing great. 

Lynn was first, and she couldn't pick up the stuff any earlier as I had to make a pick-up from somewhere else, and I only did that the night before. 

Back to work. 

Then Emily stopped by to pick up something, and we hadn't seen each other in a while, so we had things to talk about. 

Then I spotted my neighbor out walking her dog, so I had to chat with her to see if she would help with the girls. I tried talking with her several times, but it never worked out. See -- things work best for me at the last minute. 

OK -- back to work. 

Then Kathi called me, and she was at the door with ONE of my Plan Bs. More on that in a minute. 

Back to work. 

Then the neighbor came over so I could show her around. I still have to write out a list of instructions for her. She's a sweetheart, and I need to make them quilts. They are FIVE in the family. 

Back to work. It might have been around this time that I realized I had turned some of the blocks upside down when I started to sew the rows together. NO!!!!! 

I got a call from a random person (or so it seemed), and he's the blind installer for my Hunter Douglas blinds that had to be repaired. They had been off the windows in Studio U since we had the windows replaced. Blinds to Go did NOT charge me to fix the blinds. Yeah, Blinds to Go. The installer arrived, and within minutes, he had the blinds back up. It's a shame that we can no longer get these bottom-up blinds. Since May 1, they can no longer sell blinds with cords attached to them. 

So someone needs to invent a tracking system along the sides of the window. Maybe more money but cleaner and I'd buy them for the front window. Hunter Douglas??? Where are you??? I love them because they give you privacy, yet the entire window is not covered. Pella used to see built-in bottom-up blinds, but they discontinued this feature due to too many repairs. 

The blinds are back in Studio U

Back to work. Let's say that the top was finished shortly after 3 PM. I had already made the backing earlier in the day, and it was loaded on the long arm. 

I was just about to start quilting when Mary stopped by to drop something off and pick something up! Nice new car - Mary! 

Back to work!

Then my boss called to chat briefly. 

Back to work. 

Around 6 PM, I was working on the binding, and DH called me and said something has been delivered. WHAT???? I immediately dropped what I was doing to check that out. More on that in a minute. 

Then I walked to Diane's to drop off some fabric sitting here for a week and pick up quilts. When I got back, there was another package on the front step. WHAT???? And that is SIX full quilts that I got from Diane!! She's a machine! 

Six more community project quilts

All in all, it was the craziest day ever at our house. Of course, just the day when I needed to be focused. DH shook his head and said, "you do this to yourself every time!". HEY -- I did NOT plan for all those pick-ups and drop-offs on the same day. The blind installer called out of the blue, although that was on my list of things to follow up on. 

So do you have a Plan B when Plan A may not work out? I try, and sometimes my Plan B is real, and sometimes, I just pretend I have a Plan B. 

In 2010, I took my first extended bicycle trip from Vancouver, BC, to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories through some fantastic wilderness and unpaved highways, which was glorious. 

However, I did NOT have fenders for my bike. I could have bought them, but I didn't. You know what happens if you have ever ridden in the rain or the mud. You get mud all up your back, wet and dirty. 

There was nowhere to buy a fender, so we improvised with Plan B. Do you know what we did? Do you know what this is? 

My bike rack

I had a rack on my bike to carry a small pack for food and rain gear. I found a pair of rigid swimming flippers at a dollar store, and someone had electrical tape so that flipper got taped to the rack. It's still there and still working! It was hilarious, but we all had a good chuckle. It was dubbed the "flender!"

The flender

So between DH and I, four things got ordered at the last minute. OK -- so it was ordered on Friday, but when you leave on Wednesday and things need to ship, that's last minute. My quick-dry undies came on Monday with the other three items ordered from Amazon (notice I even said their name out loud TWICE today) not scheduled to arrive until Friday. When we placed the order, did I want to proceed? 

You know me -- let's wing it and see what happens. Last night at dinner time, a package arrived, and this was in it. 

My water bottle clips

These are clips for disposable water bottles (many people use them for hiking but refill as they go), and they are attached to a carabiner so they can hang off anywhere on your backpack. I'm not sure I will like the swinging motion, but I now have them and will take one or two with me and test them out. Nothing like trial by fire. 

I was sure we would NOT see the other two packages until today, and I would be gone by then. So imagine my surprise when I got home from Diane's to discover another package on the doorstep. OK -- so the Amazon driver either missed that and had to come back, or there was a second truck in the neighborhood. Not super efficient, but I didn't care!

This time, the package contained the mesh water bottle holder that attaches to the backpack strap. This is the one that I REALLY wanted to arrive in time, and it did. This fits a SMART (it's a disposable water bottle branded SMARTwater) water bottle, and I'll buy one on the other side of security later today. It has a strap on the back to secure it, so it doesn't swing. 

The second water bottle holder

Maybe I'll like them, maybe I'll hate them, but at least I have them. I've heard good reviews from other hikers about how much they like them and the no hassle of filling and keeping the water bladder clean. 

The last item that hasn't arrived yet was a waist belt. But Kathi came to the rescue on that one. She was at the CAA store (and I had checked online the night before). She delivered it at Noon. Thank you, Kathi!!!!

The waist belt

I took it for a test walk last night on the way to Diane's, and it's PERFECT. When the other one comes, I'll have two, but these are things I will use ALL the time. It's like a fanny pack, but it's super FLAT as it's only meant to hold your phone, money, and ID. I should have investigated this years ago for my daily walks in the summer. Now the cell phone is right handy in front! 

My waist belt

I also have a chest wallet, so I'll be splitting up my valuables amongst the various places and have some cash in several places. I MUST photocopy all that documentation. All that documentation -- there are four things, two of which are debit and credit cards! OH DH -- needs to pick up my cash today -- I wonder if he forgot? 

Did I have a Plan B for the water bottles and the phone? Not really -- I can hold them in my hands as I'm walking. I might be able to buy those products when I arrive. Thankfully the Amazon gods were looking down on me! See --- I have no issues buying from them when I have no other choice! 

I know you're curious if anything got done yesterday. I was shocked, but the quilt was DONE before bed. It's quilted, bound, and ready to be shoved into a box and walked to the post office today. The fourth writing assignment was edited and sent last night. That leaves one more writing assignment for this morning. The sewing machines are off and unplugged! 

Have I packed yet? Nope -- the tags are still on the clothes. And I can't just throw stuff willy-nilly in and hope it works out on the other end. I had to be very aware of the weight. That's the plan for this afternoon. I still have a few e-mails to send, and I have NO IDEA how to set an OUT OF OFFICE notice on my e-mail. I have looked in the past, and on this version of Outlook, it just doesn't exist. Trust me -- I've Googled it several times. It should be a big box, but I don't have that big box on my e-mail. Sigh...........................

There were two blog posts yesterday, one with my usual ramblings and one with classes. Hopefully, you didn't miss the one on the classes as it's important and has all the classes/clubs I'm teaching over the next while. Here's the link in case you didn't see it. 

OH -- I had fun sewing my patch onto my backpack. I had to go from the left and then from the right because the rigid structure of the pack would NOT fit under the arm. 

Sewing my patch onto the backpack

But there it is!!! People will know I'm from Canada! It doesn't look like it's completely stitched down in that photo, but it is!

My Camino patch

And do you think we've had a lot of rain lately??? I saw these little fungi growing in my front yard. 

Fungi in the front yard

Well, that about wraps up today. There should be NO interruptions today - thankfully. It should be quiet, and I can get the last of my stuff done as there's no option for -- "I'll send that e-mail when I arrive." I do NOT want to be doing that so if it doesn't get done - it doesn't get done! 

I'm off to spin class -- yep, more torture session (OK -- I like it) before I go, and I'm bursting with energy this morning. Then laundry to get rid of all the stinky clothes and pack. I'm checked in -- you have to love the Air Canada app. So far, so good; the flight is on time. Keeping my fingers crossed. I just need to book an Uber as it will not make sense for DH to take me to the airport at that time of day. It will take mere minutes to get there with the HOV lanes, but coming back in the traffic? It will take hours! and I'm a big girl! 

Oh yes -- don't forget the Virtual Retreat this weekend. Here are the links for Saturday and Sunday. There are scheduled blog posts for the remainder of this week with those links. And there will be a Virtual Retreat in September, and I must also get those links up. It's the same link, so if something screws up, just check back in the blog for the links. You have to love technology!!!

Saturday, August 27 --- starts at 6 PM EST

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

Sunday, August 28 - starts at NOON.

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

I have no idea how quickly I'll get back to blogging, but keep in mind my schedule will be six hours off. I hope to blog in the afternoon, so it'll be there the following day for those who read it during your coffee. Just know that it might be a bit irregular as I get myself organized. But I hope to be posting pictures on Facebook as well. 

Have a super day!!!! Or I should be saying this   -- que tengas un buen día

Ciao!!!

Silence is golden

While I'm not a big fan of TV -- it's been so many years since I watched TV that I don't think of it as a form of entertainment. The radio used to be my entertainment, but for the last couple of years, we've had such turnover in our morning crews that I'm just not into that anymore. I enjoy playlists on Spotify, but mainly at the retreats. I love audiobooks, but lately, I'm happy to listen to NOTHING. 

Perhaps my brain isn't able to sort out the background noise from what I'm doing? But I also spend so much time alone (a positive thing for me) that I'm just enjoying my own company and don't need anyone or anything (noise) to fill that gap!

It's so weird because I know there are people that have the TV on all day for background noise, and I just love the sound of silence (I also love the song!). Our windows are open, and I can hear nature (birds, water, trees rustling), which makes me very happy. 

A friend of mine goes on silent retreats where there is NO TALKING. At first, that sounded strange to me -- how could people go all day without talking, but I really think it's a great thing. If we shut off all those external verbal sounds in our life and really get to know ourselves -- I think that's a good thing! The same goes for our phones, but I'm not going there today!

And it doesn't help that I started a physical book the other day, and want to get to the end of it. More on that book when I'm done!

The latest issue (Number 59) of A Needle Pulling Thread is out. 

Issue 59 of A Needle Pulling Thread

I have a project in the magazine. This is an exciting project, and while it looks simple, there are a lot of firsts in it for me. I designed the flower in EQ8. The flower components were cut out on the Brother Scan and Cut. If I had time, I would have digitized the applique stitches around the flower and done that part on the embroidery machine, but I did the stitching by hand -- well, on the sewing machine, but not digitized. 

Flower Power by me! 

So it's cute, simple, and uses scraps - the entire background is pieced with leftovers, and it was made so those flowers can be removed, and you could insert a new mini quilt in each of the three spots. So check out the magazine and my pattern if you get a chance! 

I didn't get any decluttering done yesterday. I had my two Zoom show and tell classes in the morning (no idea why I thought one of them was in the afternoon), and I had not prepped either presentation, so there was a little less chit-chat time for me as I assembled the pictures. Oops!!! I need to look at that calendar! I did miss a few pictures, but that's OK. I did have something from everyone who sent me pictures. 

I'm just blown away by the creativity the Out of the Box class has shown. Where do their ideas come from? Everyone of the projects was so creative, and we had fun learning how they were made and what materials they used. 

My naughty girls. When are they not naughty? If Murphy is in the backyard and needs to come in, she barks. We usually keep the screen door open enough for her to get in. Miss Lexi, on the other hand, is a princess and barking is too much effort for her, so she paws at the door. And over several years, she had put holes in the screen door. It's now to the point where they can escape through the hole she has created. Sigh..................

Me? I'm a princes and I can do no wrong

I did NOT make that hole in the screen door - somebody did, but not me

MOM -- it wasn't me -- I know how to open the door!

OK -- I know the price of groceries is going through the roof, and we have always stuck to the basics, but I swear it will be slim pickings for us. I especially love fresh fruit, but when I saw the price of cherries a while back (9.99 per KG) -- I refused to buy them. Seriously??

The other day, I spotted them for 5.99 per KG, and decided to treat myself. This bag cost $15.00!!!!! There are not many cherries in that bag -- well enough for several snacks, but YIKES! However, while I was in spin class this morning and thinking about it -- that would be about $2 per snack which is the same price as the granola bar I eat! Hmmm!!! 

Cherries are expensive!

I guess it's no worse than paying $2 per peach or apple. Things are becoming very expensive, and I told DH that we better not be wasting a single morsel of food. At that price, we'll have to watch our food budget a bit more. We don't waste food, and we don't overbuy. Imagine if we were a family of four with growing kids? 

We finally had rain last night. It had been forecast all day, and areas to the north got rain, but we got nothing, so I sat out in the front yard watering everything. I have a sprinkler -- don't worry -- I don't stand there holding the hose. Shoot -- I'll show you pictures of the final yard tomorrow, and it's so lovely to have peace and quiet on that front as well. It's been six weeks with so much coming and going, and it's all pretty much gone, except the porta potty, which leaves today. 

While I would have liked to stay in bed and read that book, I'm off to spin class! Then I have a tiny bit of editing on the last writing assignment, and that will be done. BUT WAIT -- there are a couple of patterns to write, but one project has to be designed first. And I need to get back to the long arm this week. It's incredible how all these little things just keep one hopping. 

How can there be people out there who are bored? That's just not possible as there's so much to do either around the house or in the quilting world. I don't have enough time to do everything I want to do. However I get loads of downtime - walking with the girls, sitting out front watering the grass, and don't forget my eight hours of sleep every night and sometimes a nap or two. I get plenty of downtime and certainly plenty of time for me. I'm probably more selfish with my time than most people!

Anyway -- enough of that -- it's time to get in the car parked in my own driveway!

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!

Published

What a great day I had. I got in the groove and spent the day listening to an audiobook, which I'll tell you about in a second. I made leaps and bounds in progress for the homework this weekend, and I think I should be finished by lunch, which means I won't be running around at the last minute to finish up stuff. Yeah me!! 

I used to live a pretty sheltered life when reading novels. I had a "few" authors that wrote book series (about the same character), and I would read almost exclusively those books. Some of my favorite authors are James Patterson, Lee Child, Louise Penny, Clive Cussler, and well, that's just a couple -- there are MANY more. 

But lately, I've been discovering MANY authors that write standalone books or are perhaps lesser-known (at least in my world). 

I think I discovered this author from a friend's recommendation on Facebook. OH MY GOSH!! I believe that is why I was in the zone yesterday. I had my headphones on, and I was in my own little world. I NEED to finish this book this morning. I have less than one hour. The author? Lisa Jewell. She's a British author, and I'm reading The Family Upstairs. It's a page-turner, to be sure! I see she wrote a sequel to the book  -- hmmm --- I may have to get that one and read it as well, and she has MANY standalone books. 

There isn't enough time to read all the books I want to. But that's OK -- I'll read what I can and enjoy them. So if you are stuck in a rut with your reading --- check out other authors -- there are so many, and what I find with some of the serial stuff --- you get a cookie-cutter book where the same stuff happens, just in a different location to different people. 

Well, some of the plots I've read lately are totally twisted! How does the author's mind work that way? 

I haven't been doing much for the US magazines lately as I really haven't had time. And this magazine has been sitting here for at least a month for me to share with you. 

This is the May/June issue of McCall's Quilting. 

McCall's Quilting - May/June

It's all about pre-cuts, and this is my quilt. I LOVE this quilt, and it's made with a bundle of 10" squares. I LOVE it!!!!!   I worked with a  bundle of squares from Wilmington Fabrics -- a gorgeous collection called Essentials Basics: Royal Nights 10 Karat Gems. It's a blender collection, and the colors are gorgeous!!!! 

My quilt

It's a super easy pattern to make, and you'll love it!!!! 

The second publication is A Needle Pulling Thread -- Issue 58. This time, it's all about landscapes! 

A Needle Pulling Thread

I'm not the best at drawing and making realistic portraits or landscapes (something to work on, perhaps), so I turn to abstract. I love abstract, and I guess we should stick with what we know best! 

My article on Abstract Quilted Landscapes

This article is filled with tips on making your own abstract landscape, and I use a different color than the one shown in that picture!

I haven't submitted anything to the US magazines for MONTHs. They will think I have died, but I just haven't had time to come up with some designs, and I'm cognizant of when the quilt would need to be made. SEE -- I am being responsible. Now that things are somewhat under control, I might think about submitting stuff in the future!

I'll see how it goes. 

I may have posted this already, but if not, here it is again. This is the latest DIGITAL issue of QUILTsocial. There is loads of information in this magazine - it's basically some of the tutorials/projects/articles that the bloggers put on QUILTsocial, compiled into a magazine format. I have articles on choosing stabilizers for machine embroidery, repairing a sweater, and sewing on buttons --- all with the sewing machine!

QUILTsocial is a fantastic blog filled with LOADS of tutorials five days a week, so you can learn a ton of stuff from that blog. 

I'm working on two more articles for magazines, and one of them needs to be completed very soon. The other one -- well, it's also due! So that will be on the list of stuff to do. Prepping presentations takes a lot of time -- I'm trying to get smarter, but that has definitely cut into the time allowed for writing. 

I did NOT get anything done on the Cherrywood Challenge, so that NEEDS to be a priority today. I would be so angry (doesn't that word look so -- well, ANGRY), so I'll say that I'll be very disappointed with myself if I don't make it happen. And I'm so close! 

Well, what's going on in the world of the girls at my house? Lexi is now taken to jumping on the couch even when it has furniture on it. Why? So she can get away from Murphy, and DH just stands there watching. NO --- you need to tell her to get off!! The couch -- well, it's a goner for sure! It's just dirty, and I'm not about to clean it. We should have put a blanket or quilt on it BEFORE she started jumping up. Now -- what's the point? 

Lexi jumps even with furniture in the way

So now they can fight with Lexi on the couch and Murphy on the floor. Sigh...................

Let the fighting continue

And then you have this little angel! 

Little Bear -- the angel - NOT!

OK, he has his own issues, but he looks so darn cute!!! This was a professional photo -- apparently, M was doing a photo shoot, and Bear "got in the way!" I think the picture was photoshopped as he's not quite that white in real life!

On that note, I'm out of here. I've got stuff to do, but here are some events to watch for. 

Virtual Retreat 

Saturday, April 30  (6 PM - 9 pm)

Join Zoom Meeting

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

Sunday, May 1 (10 AM -- 8 PM)

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

If you are into art and I do not know what types of art will be displayed, there is a show in Norval, Ontario, and Helen (a member of our Monday group) has a couple of pieces of digital art in the show. These photos are amazing, and she created them in Photoshop.

Here's the information on the show:

Location: Parish Hall, 16 Adamson Street South, Norval, ON L0P 1K0

Dates: May 5 - 29

Hours: Thurs – Sun, holiday Mon, noon – 4:30 pm

 And if you want to read how she created one of the pieces, check out her blog. 

 https://imhalca.blogspot.com/2022/01/growing-as-artist.html?m=1

I see more quilt shows are coming up, and I'll try to post a list in the next couple of days. I've run out of time this morning. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Make a list!

Yesterday was definitely a ying-yang kind of day. I did get some writing done, and I accomplished a lot of prepping for the upcoming weekend. I did an errand after lunch that required the car, and it started to rain while I was away, and you know what? I copped out of the afternoon walk! I haven't done that in a long time. I still walked 8.5 KM but missed my goal of 11.5 KM. And then guess what I did? I had a nap! Yep -- and I had no guilt about any of it -- well, just a wee pang, but that quickly passed. 

Then just before I woke for good this morning, I had a dream. I was off for a cycling adventure, and Little Bear came with me! Oh boy! 

The trip to the quilt store was long overdue, and it was great to see Gail and Heather at The Hobby Horse. I used to be there every day, or so it seemed, and well, I haven't been there much in the last two years. I went to buy some reds for my barn blocks, and I picked two different fabrics. Of course, I didn't take swatches of what I've been using. 

When I got them home and put them on the ironing board, I knew they were the WRONG reds. Sigh.........  I have yet to dig out the barn block box to see, and I'll do that today. But I did get some blues as well, as I needed to supplement what I had for Wanderer's Wife. 

My fabric purchases

The blues are right, but those reds are NOT!! Oh well, I'm sure they'll get used somewhere else. They look positively PINK! And then I realized that I had NOT purchased my background for the Tula Pink Butterfly quilt. So I guess I'll be making another trip and here's a lesson for us all. When you go to the quilt shop -- be sure to take along the swatches of stuff you're matching. And make a LIST! OK -- so I still have a couple of running around errands that I need to do, so I need to list the places I need to go and what I need to buy at each. That's a job for later today. Why wait until later -- I just made a list. Three places! That'll be a job for next week to go and get at least two of those errands done. 

I also picked up some batting and more thread for the long arm. That wasn't at The Hobby Horse but at the distribution center. I suspect prices will be going up at some point, and I decided to get more batting even though I don't need it now. It's amazing how much thread is on backorder. All the neutrals that we regularly use -- backorder! Things like black, grey, and light brown -- it's totally crazy. I'm not out, but I don't want to run out. 

More thread for the long-arm

This magazine has been sitting on my desk for a long time, and well -- I'm trying to clear the desktop, which is NEVER going to happen. 

This is McCall's Quilting from July/August last year. Yikes  -- just a wee bit behind on putting this one out. 

McCall's Quilting from July/August 2021

Here's the quilt -- the theme was travel, and I used Northcott Oh Canada flannel and made an inukshuk quilt. 

My quilt in the McCall's magazine

This is the latest issue of McCall's Quilting, and yes -- there's another one of my quilts. This has been out for a month, but I only recently got my copy, and it's become hard to find these in the stores. It's the March/April issue. 

McCall's Quilting March/April

Here's my quilt made with a fabric collection from the Daisy Delight collection by Kanvas Studio for Benartex Fabrics. It was a fun collection to work with. This is also the quilt that got caught in the trap of UPS and wouldn't get released for almost a month! I should take a close-up of the border because the border print is pretty amazing. 

My storm at sea quilt

I haven't been doing a lot for the US magazines lately. I see the submissions and just let them go! But I see one came in yesterday, so I'll put my thinking cap on and see if I can come up with something. 

I had to pay for something online the other day, and this is how they indicated the payment method. A plastic card! I thought it was funny!

Paid with a PLASTIC card

I had sent a card a while back, and the darn thing got returned to me. We couldn't figure out why - I originally thought the address was wrong. It turns out the stamp was gone! I still have a few of those non-denomination stamps, and I guess the glue has pretty much gone. So when I used the second to last stamp from that roll the other day, I taped the stamp in place. Hopefully, it got to its destination!

My stamp had to be taped

I swear we have more dog beds around the house than we have real beds. Besides Lexi's kennel in the living room, there are three other dog beds in that room. Two in the family room, one in the office, and my crochet rugs in the basement for Murphy. Those girls sure take up a lot of real estate in the house, and they love to sleep in all the beds. 

Those eyes are watching!

Murphy will sleep on any of them. Lexi is a bit more particular. She will only sleep in the big bed in the family room, never downstairs or upstairs, not in the office, and her kennel and two of the three beds in the living room. She's such a princess!!

I have to share this photo with you. Kelly at Thimbles and Things has been running some scrap quilt and orphan block classes. They've been hugely popular. Since I'm not in the classes, I haven't really seen any of the results of what the students have done. But I know they are madly using up their blocks and scraps. Here's a quilt made from one person's orphan blocks, which I have to share with you as it is STUNNING. 

Linda's quilt from orphan blocks

Linda had to make TWO small filler blocks. Isn't that wild?? I love this quilt, and it makes me want to get out my orphan blocks and have a different look at them. I've done that several times but always approached the quilt in a totally different way. Now that I see this, I want to have a second look. 

OK -- I was intrigued. I dug out the box and added my courthouse step blocks. 

My exploding orphan block box

So I have lots of blocks to work with. It's time to get working on a quilt or two!  Not that I have time, but it's something that can go on the design wall and be played with. I'll start by sorting the blocks into color themes. As I mentioned, that is NOT how I looked at the blocks before, and well, now I see them much differently. 

Well, I'm off to spin class today. The sidewalks were awful yesterday -- everywhere. I would imagine they will be just as bad today, although we did have a lot of melting yesterday. I'll walk the girls and then - well, we'll see how the day goes. 

Here are the links to the Virtual Retreat on the weekend. Remember that it's free for anyone to stop in and say hi. You can sew while you chat or just pop in to say hi. That's your choice, but certainly more fun than sitting at home alone. 

Saturday, February 26 - starts at 6 PM EST

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

Sunday, February 27 -- Start at 11:30 AM EST

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

Be sure to pop by -- it's always loads of fun!!!

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

Have a super day!

Ciao!