A road trip

I'm going back to QUILTsocial for a minute. In addition to searching for articles about the machine, the links at the top provide free projects, tutorials, etc. 

However, you can also search. The search button is on the extreme right at the top, and you can type in topics. Let's say you want to know about blog posts I've written on piping. Search for piping and add my name, Elaine Theriault, and posts will come up! 

The amount of information in those posts will blow you away. I would love to have a website that cross-references my blog posts. Wouldn't that be super handy? I have several handouts that I've compiled on some of the topics—so there's one for all the posts on binding quilts, one for machine quilting, etc. 

I'm in the process of compiling a couple more - one on accessories, and I think I may have already done a list on machine embroidery. 

At this point, I can't remember!!! Again, if I were smart, I would put those compiled lists on my blog at the top under one of the tabs. I'll see what I can do about that. Once I have that done, I'll let you know that it's there. But in the meantime, you can search QUILTsocial for information. 

That's one of the issues with the internet - it's too big!!! And everyone wants to share their version of everything with you. As I learned yesterday (well, I already knew it), just because you can share information on the internet DOES NOT make it the correct information. 

Someone may have an entirely different slant on a product or technique. If they don't like the technique or product, they won't give it a good (and sometimes fair) review. However, the next person might rave about that technique or product, and the review will be quite different. 

That's why you should NEVER look at only one resource. Look at different ones to see what possibilities exist and what different viewpoints there are. Then, most importantly, you need to do your samples and make your own opinion about that technique or product!!

Yesterday, in the pouring rain, I had to drive down to Windsor. Thankfully, the traffic behaved itself and wasn't too heavy, so that was good. About halfway down, the skies lightened, and then the sun came out, and the day ended beautifully. 

It was a very long day with the drive and then two 3-hour lectures, so I was happy when we finished at 9 PM. By the time I got into bed, it was 10 PM, and let's say that I was glad to "sleep in" this morning. I was going to go for a walk, but I was too lazy to get out of bed. I'm back at the store this morning for a hands-on event - we're making more monsters!!!

I need a shower, something to eat, and get my butt on the road. This is my view from the hotel room, and NO, I'm not in Detroit, but it's right across the river on the other side of the hotel. 

The view from my room

That would be beautiful with the bridges and the skyline, but I'm assuming that would have cost a lot more, so I got the Windsor city view!!!

I only have that one photo to share for several reasons. I forgot to bring my phone charger, so I'm hoping someone at the store today will have one. I could have gone downstairs and asked at the desk, as this is the one thing many people leave behind, but I was too tired to go back down once I realized. I can charge the phone in the car on the way home. 

Speaking of the car, I LOVE the navigation system, the screen, or Android Car Play—whatever you want to call it. I listened to my audiobook, which was right there on the screen, so it was easy to manipulate the controls. My map was always on the screen, which is handy even if you know where you are going. 

You can see the distance, expected arrival time, traffic, etc. I just love it. I don't understand how it knows that there is a speed trap ahead, and exactly where it said there was one, there was a car. At one point, I was told there was a stalled car on the road, and yes, there it was, although it was a truck. So how does it know that? If people put that information in, how are they doing that while driving? 

The two events yesterday were a complete success!!! I just threw tons of samples in the car because I could—big quilts that I can't travel with, little quilts, samples of techniques and tools, and so much more. In a way, it was a bad thing because, as a teacher, I want to share my information, and while I've done great things on Zoom, perhaps I should be doing some teaching in person? In the machine embroidery world? I need to take some time and contemplate what is happening in the fall and then go from there!

I also have some live Facebook events coming up in the next six weeks, so I'll be madly prepping for them. 

There is so much to do and so little time, but I wouldn't have it any other way!!!!

Have a great day

Ciao!!!

Bear gets a haircut!

Oh, what a tangled web I weave in the technology world. Yesterday, I attempted to download some documents, and somehow, I downloaded another web browser, and then BitDefender got in the way. So I managed to delete the web browser, and I thought I had solved the BitDefender issue, but apparently not. I'll deal with that later. In the meantime, things work, just different from how they used to!

I've alerted the website that caused the issue, and hopefully, they can fix it!

I had a reasonably productive day, but I'm not ready to share it with you, so you must wait! I have other stuff to share! 

As you know, DH and I have gotten hooked on these EXIT Games. We've been working on the Advent Calendars from past years, of which I think there are three. We've solved two of them and are now working on the third. 

We are trying to solve one a day, but only when we're both home for dinner. At the rate we're going, we might finish it in time to start the 2024 Advent Calendar on December 1. 

We started this one on April 1 and are on day 8! That's sad, considering it's the 19th today!

While the game is rated BEGINNER, I still think we're pretty clever for figuring out the puzzles without looking at the clues. We looked at one clue AFTER we solved the puzzle because we didn't understand the logic. Nothing is random, and we just missed the logic. I don't consider that "cheating." Instead, that's learning! 

Here are some of the clues so you can appreciate the "skills" involved. This one involved a bell, a list of Christmas carols (three of which I had never heard of), three rows of bells and dashes, and some kind of code in the box for that day. We did not get this one the first day. 

A clue to the EXIT Game

Sometimes, by the time we get to the puzzle, it's late, and my brain is tired. So the next day, while having lunch, I worked it out! Oh -- it's so easy when you know what you're doing. I think I was thinking about the clues when out walking the dogs. 

The next day, this is what the clues looked like. It involved cutting out all those clues and "pinning" them to the memo board. Then, with three additional pieces of information in the box for the day, that was enough to solve the code. Each day, we're looking for a three-digit code. Again, on the first try, my brain just wasn't functioning. But while I had lunch, I worked it out. 

An EXIT Game clue

The next day, all we had for clues was a riddle on two cards. And we managed to solve that one last night! 

Another clue

Because of our travel schedules, I'm not sure how much we'll get done in the next month, but when we're together for dinner, we'll give the next clue a whirl. 

So, with the new car and navigation system, previous trips pop up. I know it checks out your Google calendar, and for some reason, these SEWING stores popped up the other day. I was going to a quilt store, but none of these!!!

We picked up the car at the end of November and just crossed the 4,000 KM threshold. There is no need for us to have two cars! 

Little Bear looked scruffy, and it was time to head to the groomer. He did not want me to leave him there, but look at him! What a mess! His mother was a bit appalled at his condition! He looked like the Shaggy Dog!

Grandma -- I'm FINE

When I picked him up, he looked like a brand-new dog! He was pretty happy to see me! Now, if he could just stay somewhat clean before he goes home. 

Grandma -- I'm clean, but NOT happy

He even got a little bandana with his name on it! How cute!!! Of course, Lexi and Murphy were all over him when he got in the house. Demanding to know where he had been and why he smelled of other dogs on him. Everyone settled down quickly, and the house was back to normal if there could be a normal situation with three dogs. 

My new bandana!!!

Oh my gosh- he is adorable, and I have to say that we've bonded, so it's going to be equally difficult for him to give up. I keep reminding myself that he is HIGH-MAINTENANCE and how much I will get done daily without him! Yes -- I'll gain at least an hour! He's a very slow walker!

Just look at that sass and attitude as he walked all over my vinyl that I'm waiting to cut! 

Mr. Tough Guy

I was buzzing around getting things organized last night, and I needed something in the bobbin drawer. YES -- how can one have so many bobbin-related things? There are many pre-wound bobbins in that drawer, bobbins for sewing, bobbin thread to wind my own bobbins for embroidery, and, well, there's just a lot of bobbin stuff! 

The bobbin drawer

I have everything packed and ready to put in the car this morning. I should have gotten a third suitcase out, but I packed the stuff into bags instead, and it'll be fine! I'm going to need to make minis of some of these quilts. I'm driving to my events in Windsor (Thimble Quilts and Sewing), but if I were flying? That would be a whole different story! 

Ready to pack the car,

Last night, I searched my quilt tops for a particular quilt. I couldn't find it. Then, when I was about to go to sleep, I remembered that the quilt was quilted, so it was in a different pile. As a matter of fact, that quilt was about three feet from where I was sleeping! It's now packed!

On that note, I'm out of here!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

You'll get a charge!

 A travel day -- always my favorite day of any trip. Well, only when things go well, and yesterday was a great travel day. 

My flight was at 10 AM, so I left the house at 8:30 AM and was at the airport by 9. You have to love Uber and HOV lanes, which make it super easy to get there even in rush hour. Since I was already checked in and had only carry-on luggage, I zipped to security. There were no lines, but I still went through the NEXUS line. 

The biggest challenge was a couple who seemed to have never traveled before, although they were young and looked like they would have traveled. They took forever to empty weird stuff from their carry-on, including a clock radio! Go figure. 

But soon, I was on my way to the gate. Oh -- should I mention that I got through security even with my tiny little box cutter. I had thrown it in my bag, and as I stood there and watched so many bags get pulled for a secondary check, mine did not. Despite everything, that couple took out -- their bags still got pulled for a hand check. 

OH -- and I should mention that the Air Canada staff was making people put their carry-on into that rack and tagging it for carry-on. My bag is so small it fell into that rack, so there is no danger of it being too big. However, I noticed that several people did NOT check, which means, of course, that their bags are too big! I hate that -- if you want a larger bag -- then check the darn thing!

And so when I got on the plane, even though I was fairly near the front, there was no room for my little suitcase. But it fit under the seat, and the steward put my backpack up top, which was fine. That loading by zone is a pain since I was in Zone 5. But it's all about status and who pays what fare on the plane, not where you sit! 

I remember when I went to Spain, people were milling around to board, thinking that if they had Zone 5, they would get on before Zone 1. Think again!!! 

I should take a picture of my suitcase. I have an extra pair of shoes, three pairs of pants, five tops, a sweater and what else do I need? I have no idea what people carry in those larger suitcases? Seriously??? Even the taller carry-on? What could possibly be in there? I even have some fabric in my suitcase, and I could still have put a lot more in. And yes -- I have socks and underwear! There's almost no need to bring a ton of toiletries -- most hotels have them, and they are a pain to deal with at security. I bring my toothbrush and toothpaste. It's all about being a minimalist! 

My colleague Michelle picked me up from the airport, and my boss rented a car. It's a long story, and I won't go into it. It was lunchtime, and we stopped for a bite to eat. OH MY --- we are super close to where I used to live, so I made Michelle drive me past the house. 

Did I mention where I am? Montreal!! So the flight is only one hour, and that was nice. Up and down!

Destination - YUL

Here's my house, and good thing I checked it out on Google a couple of months ago because I would have been shocked. I don't have a picture of the original house with me, but of course, when I left 32 years ago, there were NO trees around the house, so it looked pretty bare. The room has been changed to a black metal roof -- that is brand new this year. The window frames are black, which I really like, and the front door has been changed. But what is really different is the addition over the garage. There was NOTHING over the garage when we built it! 

My old house in DDO (Montreal)

We designed the house with an architect, and I HATED her. I wanted that window over the front door to be bigger, but she said NO -- it would throw the symmetry of the house out of whack. I also wanted a room over the garage, and again, she said NO -- that wouldn't be safe with fumes from the car. Well, whose house is this?? Anyway -- it is what it is, but it was also a weird design inside because it was on a corner, but I liked living there even though we only lived there for a couple of years. 

That room right beside the garage on the bottom floor used to be my office, and it had the most amazing view out the window! I loved that room, and it would be my sewing room today! 

Then we were off to get organized for setting up the show. We managed to get in a bit early (the official setup day is today), and we got some of the bigger and fiddlier stuff set up, so I feel good about that. Otherwise, today would be a very long day!

Oh shoot -- I forgot to upload the picture of the center we are in, but we're in St. Hyacinthe, which is east of Montreal, and because there are not a lot of hotels, we're staying in Beloeil, which is about 20 minutes away. Not ideal, but it is what it is. 

Courtepointe Quebec!

This show is a bi-annual show, and because of COVID, it hasn't happened in 4 years. All the quilts were up yesterday, and we ran around the show's perimeter, taking a quick peek. I had just mentioned to my sewing buddies that I'm about done with quilt shows and had no interest in looking at more quilts, but I think I will enjoy this one. There is a wide range of quilts and some interesting displays, and I have four days to view them. 

My boss rented a Ford vehicle, and the navigation system makes me drool. It's this HUGE screen in the car, and it's so easy to connect. I can only sigh that my car just doesn't get it. Why? I will be checking with Toyota when I get back home to see if there is any upgrade that can be done. I NEED Android Carplay in my car. Toyota, at the time, said -- OH -- we only need Apple CarPlay. WHAT????

The navigation system in the car

OK -- with all the traveling, one needs to be careful of what cords you pack. Do you have the laptop and the power cord? The Fitbit charging cord, etc. I have TWO charging cables for my phone, and when I got home from Spain, I couldn't find either, even though I had only taken one of them with me. Hmm -- where could they be? 

I checked all my cords, which are NOT labeled, and found a short one that would work for the phone. I've no idea where that one came from. I didn't even know I had it. Then one day, I had to dig out Murphy's ball from the small cabinet beside my computer in the office. And what did I see in the wall? 

One of the missing chargers!

I do not remember putting it there, as I do NOT normally charge my phone in the office. Oh well, I was happy to find the longer cord. 

Then when I was hit with those new blisters in my running shoes, I decided to try my hiking shoes. And when I went to put one of them on, guess what I found inside? The CHARGING cord that I had taken to Spain, and I had coiled it up and put it in the shoe for safe keeping. So now I was back to my two charging cords, and I had a third short one. 

The missing charge cord for my phone

So can you tell me why I didn't bring it with me to Montreal? I thought I did, but when I went to plug in my phone, I realized that this is the charger for my HEADPHONES. Sigh...........

Fortunately, the front desk had one that I'm borrowing. It's LONG, but it'll save me, at least. And I should label the darn things when I get home. Or wouldn't it be nice if all devices had the same charging end? That would make things way too simple! 

I'm not sure if the girls are impressed or not when they are required to go for a walk together. I was short on time yesterday, so they went together. Maybe they like it -- but I do NOT! While they look so cute together, one wants to go 100 KM a minute, and the other wants to sniff everything. I think you already know which is which!

The girls on their morning walk

I don't think they are too impressed when Mom goes away because they do NOT get walked at all. Not my choice, but they will live. They get out in the backyard, but they are always super excited when I'm home because they know what that means!!!

Well, it's time for me to get out for a walk before the day starts, and we're off to set up! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Best laid plans

The best-laid plans went out the window pretty quickly! I took my car in for servicing and took my laptop to work on a document. However, when I got there to work on my document, I could not find it on Google Drive. Maybe their internet didn't allow that to happen? I checked and found it on Google Drive this morning. Sigh................

However, that didn't matter as I spent the entire time working on a blog post for YOU! Yep --- all the classes I'll teach in the fall and the sew-alongs/clubs for 2023. As usual, I got a bit carried away with all the information. But I had a list of all the stuff I was teaching, and do you think I can find it to verify if my list (in my head) is correct? 

Shoot - shoot- shoot- what did I do with that list? 

There were NOT many cars in the showroom, and the parking lot outside was also pretty empty. 

An empty showroom at the car dealer

I had to laugh because what else could I do? I asked the young girl, who seemed pretty tech savvy when I checked my car in, to show me that darn navigation system connection one more time. So when I was picking up the car, we went outside. The app needed to be updated, and we agreed I'd go back and see how to connect it in October. It was hilarious that it eventually connected, but it takes forever to make that happen. And then I can't be sure it's even working because this was the message I got on the screen. 

Seriously???? This happens when you go cheap and do NOT buy the navigation system and rely on some cobbled-together third party. I asked her if I could upgrade the software, and she didn't know. I'll be pursuing that in the fall. It's just a joke! Sorry, Toyota -- I love your cars but hate your cobbled-together navigation system. I think the entire thing is going to change soon, so I'll make a note to check it all out in October. Plus, I needed to update the Toyota software, so yesterday wasn't the time to fix the problem. 

That list of classes should be published in the next couple of days. Then you'll have a VERY comprehensive document for helping you to sign up for classes. Again -- I went overboard!

I was also going to start showing you what I'm taking with me; however, that isn't happening today either. Did you know you cannot buy safety pins (except small craft ones) or diaper pins? They are now a specialty item, I suppose. No worries -- I got home and picked out seven of the larger pins from my safety pin box. Not huge, but big enough! 

And this is NOT good news, but that darn blister on my right heel wants to come back. So this will be an excellent time to put the "blister healing" bandaids to the test! It's definitely time to retire that current pair of running shoes. YES -- there's no doubt they are now too small. I need to retire them quickly, and since it's ONE week from my departure date, I need to start wearing the new hiking shoes I bought to make sure they are OK. 

OH -- I'm going to save the laces of the running shoes and take those with me. They can double as a clothesline and have a spare pair of laces! The big thing I hear from everyone is everything should have a double duty to make it worth carrying! As for the scarf to cover my head should I need it -- I have a buff (sometimes called a neck gator). That can be a lot of things, including a head scarf! So NO -- I won't need to stretch that sarong from my legs to my head! 

Most of my stuff doesn't match in color, and I'm perfectly OK with that. I really want functional and double duty! Fashion sense is checked when I leave the house!

The next large quilt got loaded on the long arm, and I'll get to it later today. I also got some other sewing done, but I can't share it with you today. 

PHEW --- just found that list. It was exactly where it was supposed to be -- I only looked at the top piece of paper on the clipboard! DUH!!! It's a good thing I found it because there's ONE class I forgot to add to the blog post. 

I'll try to work on that later today and get it out by Friday. 

I walked to the mall in the afternoon and saw the latest construction outside. I'm not sure when this construction started, but this space has been empty for a long time. 

The new structure is being built

What's going to exist in this new space? 

A theatre!!! Yeah --- one more thing that I won't have to drive to! I might try to go a bit more frequently once it opens. Especially on cheap Tuesdays! 

Today -- I'm off to buy the last few remaining items I need. I need to make a list, or I will forget something. Eight things I need, and then I think I'm done. The times I don't find today will have to be bought online, and I hope it gets here in time! Or I buy it once I'm in Europe. I should be able to find all of it at Mountain Equipment Co-op. 

As for the wildfires in Spain, as far as I can tell, they are not on the route - yet! I'm not changing my plans. The only thing I have booked is a flight into and out of Europe. That's it. I'll wing the rest, and if I have to change my route - well, I will. But since my destination is more important than my start point, I hope I won't have to do that. 

So Elle has to be the most organized person I know! And she still keeps finding things to declutter, although I don't know that declutter is the word to use! But it's finding something you will no longer use, and she's good at finding that stuff. I'll be happy when it takes me five minutes to declutter! I'm getting there, but not there yet. 

Well, I'm off to spin class, so I'd better organize myself. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!