Slow and steady!!

I will post the information on the textile recycler when I have the specifics. I have two potential contacts, and once I firm up, I'll share. That might be an incentive to go through the remaining three blue bags of scraps. 

Something profound is happening to me, and I'm so excited. But it's not really exciting, it doesn't involve anything exciting, and most people would say that I've become a very boring person. 

I have found the BEAUTY of downtime! I have a few classes to finish off the summer, but I booked myself off for August and a significantly reduced schedule in July and September. June was relatively quiet. I'm NOT running around trying to fill that time. Instead, I booked that time for ME!!! 

Do you know what? I'm learning so much about myself because I have time for ME!!! The intent was to finish up some decluttering and just enjoy life. Now, I'm not out of the woods because my enjoyment of life is (self) restricted to being in Studio B and listening to audiobooks, but that defines enjoying life for me at this point in time. And I'll confess that I've become a bit obsessed!!

Despite passing that Swiffer multiple times a week, look what I discovered this morning!

Where does all the dust and lint come from?

I cannot imagine a sewing room with carpet. Not only would I be inhaling all the fabric fumes, but the dust bunnies? I'd be coughing and choking! Not everyone has the luxury of a hard surface, but I wouldn't be without it! We have ZERO carpets in our house. It's the first thing we do when we move - if there's carpet, it's gone! 

Then I serged up those pet mats, and I've set them aside. Finishing off the threads is a great thing to do on a Zoom call, which will be tomorrow since we have a Virtual Retreat. 

The pet mats are almost complete

Once I was finished in that area, I unplugged the serger, brought up the foot pedal, and put it in the basket for the accessories. I know—I'm totally obsessed—but this gets the foot pedal off the floor, and it takes two seconds to plug it in. Everything is right there!

The secondary work tables - clear!

I need to make a dust cover for that machine! The other machine in the background is my personal sewing machine, and it has a nice dust cover that I made. Three half-square triangles on the ironing board need to be pressed. 

I can't tell you how exciting it is to have all those table surfaces clear. Yes, Mount Projects is in the room, and plenty more projects waiting in the various closets and storage tubs. But I've become so disciplined at working on what is out that I've shocked myself. I am ENJOYING this entire process. 

I used to "love" working in total chaos. I told myself I thrive in a messy space, but I've learned. I am a Virgo so that probably helps me love what I've done. 

So here's what I love about the new space and how I'm working: 

• The mess is controlled to ONE area—Mount Projects—with the intent that it won't get that way again once it's clear. I need to work on that. 
• All my machines that I want or need to work on, have a work space so they are easy to access. 
• Everything has a home, so putting things away is a snap. If it doesn't have a home, then it needs to go! Fortunately, I have a lot of space, but I am at capacity and have some openings on shelves that will NEVER be filled! 
• Working on one project (more or less) at a time allows me to see progress. Yes, I'm still decluttering, sorting, and trimming HSTs, but I'm only working on one main project. 
• The floor is clear, so it's easy to pass the Swiffer. 
• I have no deadlines at the moment, and that makes me very happy. 
• I have a good set of noise-canceling headphones, so I can buzz around the house and not miss a part of my audiobook. 
• Slow and steady is key! There is no need to rush—quilting is my hobby while I'm in downtime!
• I don't care about perfection. I'm enjoying making stuff to the best of my abilities and resources. 
• Lastly, I'm not looking to fill that downtime. I'm happy to putter alone all day with some breaks here and there. But I don't need to work on the latest sew-along. Trust me, I get emails daily, as I'm sure you do, with invitations to join the newest sew-along. Why would I do that when I have perfectly good and AMAZING projects to work on right now? I also will NOT be influenced by what others are sewing!  
• I will NOT let M deal with my disaster. It's coming along nicely, and because I'm dealing with the emotions of letting go right now, it's going to be so much easier when I really need to let go. 

WOW -- who knew that was coming today. But honestly, I've never felt better about my situation!

We all know there is a Studio B, but there's also a Studio U, and it hasn't been used in a while. It became a bit of a dumping ground for some of my samples, so yesterday, I was up there dealing with it. 

Stuff that I need to put away today

While this may look bad, it's actually not. Many HSTs need to be put into the appropriate bag according to size. Some of that stuff needs to go in the closet, and I'm sure I can have that all tidied up within an hour. Remember—if things have a home, putting them away is easy!!! I got a bit lax!

Then I did something I've wanted to do for a long time - sorted my samples. This pile is everything that is NOT a quilt - cushion covers, journal covers, etc. I'll sort through them further and pull out what I always use as a sample and then what could be let go. The question will be --- how do I get rid of the stuff I no longer need? 

Non-quilt samples

Then I sorted the small quilts—one pile is all my Trend-Tex challenges. I think I counted 15, but I might have to count again. The other pile is all my wall hangings, and I need to sort through them, pick out those that I use as samples, and then decide what to do with the rest. There's a pile behind with table runners. 

My small wall hangings

I now have a home for them, so that's exciting and I'll share that with you another day. That'll free up several tables in that space, so I could go up there and work. The shades are drawn now, but it's a glorious space to work. The only issue is I can't Zoom from there and if I'm quilting a quilt, I don't want to be way up there. But on the days when I'm just puttering for myself? I could get a lot done in an excellent space. It's a complete studio with an ironing board, cutting table, and workspace! All that's missing is a project to work on and ME!

Speaking of quilting, I finished a customer quilt, and the next one is loaded on the long arm. It's all trimmed! 

Customer quilt - DONE

Then it was back to trimming HSTs. I finished the second pile that I had pressed the other day, leaving one more stack. That's great progress!!!

More HSTs trimmed! 

I've trimmed some of the ones leftover from the dust cover I'm making, and I've been contemplating what to do with them. I think I've come up with an idea, and I might just make that my next project—it's something that I could use right now! 

The leftovers from the dust cover

I'm so obsessed that when I passed the Swiffer in the serger area, I put the chair on the table and cleaned off the dust. I noticed that one leg was missing a felt pad, so I dug the felt pads out (readily available in the storage closet), and that is now done. The old rushed me might have left it for another day. 

The chair got a new felt pad

Throughout the day, the cutting table had stuff on it, and then it didn't, and this is how it looks this morning. 

The cutting table is super inviting!

The few things on it are what I need to cut for the dust cover and the remaining groups of HSTs. Do you know how exciting it is to go downstairs and see all this wide open space? It boggles my mind and I think I'm having trouble sleeping because I want to be in that space sewing! 

The center panel of the dust cover is together. It's a trade-off between random and planned!! Now I can add the sides, get it quilted, and finish it off. I'm practically giddy about getting to choose something else from Mount Projects, but I'll wait until this is complete before I even touch a thing on that table. Patience! 

The center panel of the dust cover

And look at that Sweet Lexi -- what the heck is she doing? It looks like she is in the corner and being punished for something, but nope -- she just likes to sit against that wall. She's a leaner! 

Mom - just hanging out!

I had a massage yesterday, and for the first time, I wanted to cry out in pain—serious pain. I've been making an effort, but not enough. My shoulders, my legs, my upper back—everything is tight, and it hurts! So, more stretching is needed. 

I'm trying to get my slow, methodical way out to the garden to weed, and I attacked a small area last night. I'll be back out tonight to finish that area, and then I need to get some mulch, so once the weeds are gone, the mulch can go in. Slow and steady!

On that note, I'm out of here to enjoy my S L O W day. Honestly, I can't believe how amazing it is. I know it won't last beyond the summer, but that's OK—having almost three months of quiet downtime will allow me to get my space organized, and hopefully, when it does get busy, I'll have learned new habits, and it won't be so bad!!

 Remember to keep plugging away at those drawers! HEY --- DH commented last night on how much nicer it was to use the spices with the organized spice drawer, and I'm so in awe of the organized utensil drawer. Both of those took little time, but the result is AMAZING. And the rest of the house can be the same!!!!

Here's the information for the Virtual Retreat: 

Saturday, June 29 - starts at 6 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89816483795?pwd=Mjc3M3pvVmZPdjdsQzlHS3Zhck52dz09

Meeting ID: 898 1648 3795
Passcode: 248667

Sunday, June 30 - starts at Noon

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

Meeting ID: 829 8351 7671
Passcode: 117636

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Mount Projects!!

Mount Projects! Elle -- I love it -- that's the new name for that ridiculously piled table of stuff! Yes -- there is ONE cluttered table, but it's better to have all that stuff on one table than to have little bits all over the place. I may have to resolve the fact that I will always have Mount Projects, but I'm OK - at least for now. 

But it's shocking how much you think you can get done in a day, and when you survey the place at the end, you didn't even touch a thing that was on Mount Projects! 

The last (for the moment) of those community project quilts has the binding on them, so it's now with the other pile on the quilt rack. It feels good to get those done. I have one more wall hanging (mine) that needs the binding put on, and it's on that table, so I'll get to it. However, I'm focusing on something else at the moment. 

One more binding is done!

I spent the morning doing paperwork and accomplished two things, so it was a super bonus that both were done. That's the urgent stuff, and I can leisurely chip away at the rest, although I forgot one receipt for my expense report. I don't have time to deal with it right now, and we have no electricity later this morning, so I'll have to look at it this afternoon. 

Despite having all those projects to choose from, I decided to work on something new. I brought it back from Quilt Canada, and rather than shelve it, I decided to tackle it. Margaret used the Momento (large digital cutter) to cut squares during Quilt Canada. She gave me some of the squares, and I decided it was a good start to make a dust cover for the cutter. I realize now that the squares were not the right size for that project, but no worries - I figured it out before I went too far. She just cut squares, but not for this specific project. 

Here are the squares I cut the other day, including those that Margaret gave me. 

My project status from the previous day

I needed 2½" half-square triangles (one of my favorites!), and my squares were cut to 2½". Yikes—I needed 3" squares! So, I had to stitch down the center of each pair to get the size of HST needed. I could have made the HSTs smaller, but the scale would have been off. I could have cut larger squares, but I decided to use what I had already started. 

From each pair of squares, I got one 2½" half-square triangle and one 1½" HST. However, I needed more squares since I needed 121 HSTs of the larger size. Even when I cut more, I still messed up and had to cut an additional 60 squares. I guess math isn't my strong point at the moment. 

The status of my project last night

However, I'm happy to report that all 121 HSTs are made and pressed. I'll check them for size this morning when we have no electricity. This method of making them doesn't allow for extra for trimming, but they will work for my project. I've pulled the extra fabrics required for the project, and I'll see how far I can get today. I now have a pile of enders and leaders to sew. They are bagged and in the pile, waiting for their turn. 

I love having a laser on the sewing machine, so ZERO marking is required to make those HSTs. 

Then, it was time to work on the pet mats. I got a box of decorator fabric swatches a while back, and I'm using those. I sorted them into piles by size - I found that nine swatches sewn together and then cut will make eight pet mats. I used the serger and did one group, so I now have eight additional bags to put the scraps in. It would be nice to forge ahead and make all the pet mats, but I'm OK with prepping them when needed. There are still about six groups of nine to deal with. I may have a moment or two to work on that, but it's not a priority. 

BUT -- it was so exciting to lay the GIANT square out on the cutting mat, so I could then sub-cut it. 

Sub-cutting the giant square

And I didn't have to move a thing to do this. Oh yes—I love having this clean space, and it's worth it to have Mount Projects in the room to deal with the overflow. I hope once I get it down to Hill Projects size, it'll never get to Mount size again! 

And before I knew it, I had eight additional pet mats - well, at least the bag to put the scraps in. 

Eight new bags for pet mats

I just need to turn them inside out. But here's something else - the serger was on its own table - with all the accessories in a basket beside it. I plugged it in, and away I went. There is no need to dig out the serger and find the bits, so the way I have things set up now is how I want to keep them as long as I have the space! And since I love the space so much, I will be more inclined to keep it neat and tidy. YES -- there will be times in a mad rush when things look bad, but for the most part, it will stay this way. I'm HIGHLY motivated to keep it like this. 

It doesn't matter which part of the room I choose to work in; Murphy has to be right there! Case in point: I was walking between the serger (where my orange water bottle is in the photo) and the cutting table behind me. Guess who is in the way? Oh, Murphy!!!

MOM -- can you see me? 

Oh --- I should say that I got a chuckle as I chatted with people when I was in Edmonton! And THANKS to those who stopped by to say hi. It was great to put some faces to names and also to meet new people. I appreciate that you read my blog; however, I got a lot of comments about the girls! YES -- I know—they are way more entertaining than I am!!!

And here's another example of Miss Murphy and her antics. It doesn't matter how many times I pass the vacuum or the Swiffer in a day; when she goes out and lays in the backyard, she proceeds to bring it into the house. And YES—I found dead leaves downstairs. We know 100% where those leaves came from—don't we, Murphy?!!

MOM - I LOVE watching you use the Swiffer!

I had my little can of ant spray in my hand and decided to put it in one of the kitchen cupboards that had been cleaned eons ago. Hmm—it appears that it was a LONG time ago—look at the dust!!! This is not a cupboard that we use often, as you can see, and there isn't much in it. But I do need to give it a quick look, but that's not happening today. 

Hmm - a bit of dust in an unused cupboard

So, I've got stuff organized for this morning. Although I could easily have grabbed some paperwork from the office to sort, NO, I have to trim HSTs and sort scraps. I'll see how it goes when I get back from spin class, but at least I'm prepared.

On that note, I'm out of here! Have a super day, and remember those drawers. Someone e-mailed me that they found SEVEN drawers in their living room. How do those drawers magically appear? The big question she didn't answer was, what was in them? She mentioned she found a LIFE magazine in one drawer from the summer of 1984 - Summer Olympics! Oh yes -- we are all culprits of clutter. But it's the summer Olympics again this year, so a quick browse, and then it's going to a new home!

I feel so blessed to know I'm not alone in my quilting and decluttering quest, and we have Murphy and Lexi to entertain us while we enjoy our adventures!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

A special day

 OK --- so how many of you are saving the "good" stuff for a special day? Don't use the good china - that's for a special day? Or the linens, the new shirt, or whatever item you save for a special day?

I hear so many stories of people going into their parent's home to clean it out and finding so many items that are brand new and were being saved for a special day. A friend gave some nice embroidered kitchen towels to some friends, and they all said they were too nice to be used daily. So she made some with applique so they would use those. GRRRR!!!

We will have to start giving gifts that look used -- maybe we spread a bit of kitchen grit on the kitchen towels before we gift them. We may need to throw the quilt on the floor as we give it to them and stomp on it! 

Well, guess what? TODAY is that special day! Dig through your house,; some of you may not have to dig too far and get out an item you've been saving for a special day. USE IT NOW! 

I used to have that philosophy. That fabric is too pretty to cut up, that shirt is for a special occasion, and that mug is too pretty to use. Now -- -I don't care! If that mug gets broken, I'll buy another, or that fabric will soon be replaced by something equally as nice. 

I do not have china, crystal, or silver. Thank goodness for that. Our kitchen dishes are OK, but not a set by a long shot, and there's such a mix of stuff that, well if something breaks, it's super easy to find a replacement. 

And those precious mugs for tea? I paid a lot of money for each of these bone china mugs a few years back, and during one of my cupboard raids, I spotted them still in the box. Seriously??? I barely remembered that I had them, so I made the "tough" decision to start using them. I checked if they could be put in the dishwasher (GASP!), and there was no issue, so in they go. 

My china tea mugs

Yep -- the paint has faded a wee bit, but do I care? Not one bit. I alternate those mugs for tea every day, and they get washed in the dishwasher and, the odd time, in the microwave. If one of them breaks or the paint completely fades -- I will have enjoyed them for years. I'm sure I'll easily find something to replace them when the time comes. They are tea mugs, for heaven's sake! They are worth NOTHING to anyone but me, so if I'm not enjoying them now, I'm only "hurting" myself. 

So think long and hard about anything you have set aside for that special day. If you do not find EACH DAY OF YOUR LIFE special, you should have a long meditative thought about your life. Each day is precious to me and whether I'm learning, sewing, visiting with friends, or simply sitting in a chair doing nothing -- that time is precious, and I need to use it wisely and to use the things I bought that will give me pleasure. Otherwise -- don't buy anything for a special day. 

And if you receive a gift -- USE it. Who cares if it gets dirty? It can be washed. And if it gets tattered and worn, it means that you appreciate the gift someone made for you to enjoy. If you put it in a closet for that special day --- what was the purpose of someone giving it to you? RUN and get it out NOW! Yep -- we use those "nice" kitchen towels that I bought and thought were too special too use. We have no sets of brand-new sheets in the closet. 

Yesterday was a bit of a marathon. Two clubs in the morning and so much creativity. I'll tell you about them another day. Then we had Virtual Retreat all afternoon, and I closed it down at 8 PM. I still had things to do before I leave this morning. The pictures got taken, the file got edited, and it's sent. Phew! Slide presentations got edited, and homework assignments got sent. I realize there were two more e-mails I wanted to send, but they may have to wait until I get back. 

The car is packed. And it was sitting in the garage, so while there was a bit of snow outside, it was easy to pack the car in the garage. 

Packing the car

I needed the serger for something, so I serged up two more pet mats while that was on. 

Two more pet mats

I'm a wee bit behind, but only by a little! Lots of commitments ahead, but slow and steady is the game. It'll get done! Panicking is counterproductive. OH and for that are interested in the Barn Star Sampler, we will be having a class --- I'll get that fixed up next week. 

Do you remember the game we played as children called telephone wire or something like that? One person would whisper something to the person beside them, and that whispered message would pass down the line, and at the end, it was always a hoot to see how the message had been changed. Well, what do you think these birds were saying to each other? 

Birds on a wire

Yep --- those solid dark lines are birds! Why do they flock to the wires like that? A few swooped down into the trees (probably to chirp) and then back up to the wires. When I went for my walk in the afternoon, it was a glorious day. No hat, a wee bit of snow was coming down, and I removed my mitts at one point. 

We have some snow, but nothing like this time last year. The day before we were to leave on retreat (same week as last year), we had a massive snowstorm and had to delay departure by an entire day. Even though my driveway was clear, there was at least 8 inches in the street, and even though the plow had passed, there was no way I could make it from my driveway across the big patch of unplowed snow. I live on a curve, and the plow doesn't do the curve. We have to wait for some other equipment to clear that. And I have practically no clearance on my car, so we didn't go far that day!

It was Lunar New Year yesterday, and one of my neighbors had their decorations out. They always have something out, which is nice to see on my walks. 

Chinese New Year!

And this is the scene at my house when DH is in the kitchen, and the girls think he's making food for them. That's probably why Murphy needs to lose weight, and he has formed nasty habits with them and can't see it. 

DAD -- -is that for us?

And this is our Murphy. She is panting like mad after a walk. Yes - a WALK. We did not run, and we did not even walk fast, but she gets into such a state by needing to see everything that she is panting heavily by the time we get home. And while it wasn't cold, it was hovering around zero. I think this dog needs to go north -- way north. Sigh.....................

MOM -- -that was fun!

I wanted to say HI to all the new faces (and the familiar ones) who came to the virtual retreat. It is so much fun, and I love chatting to everyone about -- well, we talked about a lot of stuff, and it's a great way to touch base, learn what's new, how people are using certain tools or techniques, or just to pass the time. How did I ever get by without the Virtual Retreats? OH -- we had them in person, but Zoom is way more fun. 

Why? We get to meet people all over, and OH MY -- we get to peek into their sewing rooms. That reminds me of a picture I want to post. If someone only wants to stop in and say hi -- it's not a problem, and if the roads are bad? Who cares? Yep  --- I get my money out of my Zoom account. 

Well, I must get myself organized. There are a few last-minute things to pack and get the girls out for a walk,, and then I'm off! 

Have a super day! 

Ciao!!!!

Sun up to sun down

Thanks, Carolyn, for the offer to bind quilts!!! I will start working on the binding as soon as those quilt backs are DONE! Only three more to make! 

I never get too much done on a Monday, as I seem to chat more than I sew! But I got the next quilt loaded on the long arm, and the next piece of machine embroidery prepped and ready to go. Plus, I cleared up a few things, and those worktables are almost clear! So it was a good day!

Worktables are almost clear!

Oh my -- I have serious allergy issues these days. Itchy eyes, sinus pressure, and a drip. Good grief --- aren't we past that time of year? Have my allergies to dogs returned, or is it just the dust? I've taken a pill this morning, and let's see how it goes. But a real pain! 

But you didn't log in to hear me whine about my sinuses, so let's look at what happened. 

I fired up the serger and made some pet mats. I managed to get two, with a bit left over for a third from what was in the bucket on the cutting table. 

Two pet mats

I was busy working at the cutting table and realized that one of my books had fallen into that scrap bin. Sigh............. I need to finish clearing off that table. 

My book fell into the scrap bin!

I had started making more pet mat bags that have been sitting on the work tables forever. There are now eight new bags waiting for scraps. I won't have to make bags for a long, long time!

Eight new bags for pet mats

And I made these little covers. 

A mysterious little cover

What the heck are they? Well, they are to cover some chains. But what is the chain for? I hope to show you tomorrow. Think storage! 

Fabric covered chain

I have to say that I LOVE that new serger! I hope to use the cover stitch over the winter as I made some T-shirts! And other things, of course!

I also had a floor mat on the worktable that needed the binding to be made and sewn. I got the binding made, and it's sewn to the mat. I didn't get a picture last night, so you'll also see that tomorrow. 

The binding for my mat

I only managed one more quilt for Quilts of Valour yesterday. I knew that would be the case, and I'm still on track to get all eleven done by Thursday evening. There are FOUR left to quilt. 

Quilt for Quilts of Valour

And that pile gets higher! But I hope to start working on binding the Quilts of Valour quilts this week. I also have some writing that NEEDS to be addressed very soon, so that will take priority. After the last of the Quilts of Valour, NO MORE quilts will be quilted that need to be bound until this is cleared up!

Quilts to be bound! 

And one more hooping of the embroidery is done! There are FOUR left. The next hooping is prepped and ready to send to the PFAFF creative icon 2! The next quilt is loaded on the long arm except for the batting, so that is all ready to go later this morning. 

One more hooping of machine embroidery

People keep asking me how I managed to get so much done. Well, I work in Studio B (most days) from sun up to sun down. OK -- that's a total lie since I'm downstairs well before the sun comes up and after the sun goes down. But you get the picture. I do other things during the day but put in some long hours. 

Speaking of sun-up, I managed to change the time on the clock in my car. This used to be a terrible ordeal every time the time changed. It's so easy that it's child's play. If only it were so easy to use the navigation system! 

Time changed in the car!

I managed to put some things away as well. I recently got THREE new mats for my Scan n Cut, and they are now with the others, and I'd better get myself busy one day and get back to work on that machine. 

Three new mats for the Scan and Cut

I also got two new blades. 

New blades for the Scan and Cut

I'm good for supplies for the Scan n Cut for a while. All I need is to find the time to cut something! 

OK --- so I'm going to throw in the towel on this one. Call me a hypocrite or whatever - I am beyond caring. I have a love/hate relationship with that big online store. And you know that I love to read. I used to keep track of books in a series through another website, but our favorite retailer soon made it difficult for that website to maintain the databases, and they had to shut down. A sad but true fact. 

One of the reasons I hate them so much is that if they find a good thing they can make money on, they shut down the competition. They are that powerful! Alas, I struggled to find a substitute, and there isn't one - at least not that I'm aware of. And every time you pop in the name of a book, Goodreads comes up. YES -- They are owned and operated by that favorite retail store!

I have been using it - I know -- shame on me! Well, I've decided to embrace this part of them. I will use their "want to read" feature, and I will fill it up! I have a lengthy list of series that I want to read or started to read. Now that the other database is gone, it's hard to know where you are. So I'm adding all that information to my Goodreads account. Then when I want to read a book, I'll check that list, and then I can use the library facilities to get it. I will NOT buy from them. They can mine my reading choice data all they want -- I'm beyond caring at this point and going for convenience. 

My "want to read" list

I know someone gave me the name of another list, and I think I started using it, but I can't remember what it is now! I should be firm and resist! 

I'm up to 84 books now, and I've barely skimmed the surface. Perhaps I'm a bit too ambitious with my reading desires since I read about 50- 60 novels in a year. And I'm a sucker for those Book Reviews in the newspapers. As soon as I see them, I want to read them. They are now being added to my "want to read" list! 

So what is with the girls? When I put Murphy's harness on in the morning, you would think I was walking her to something terrible. Head down, sad face, but the minute the door opens, she's the happiest dog on earth! 

MOM, I hate getting dressed!

Lexi just looks at her leash and says, "hurry up!"

MOM -- what's that blue thing? It's scary!

I decided to take them to the dog park again. I have no idea why since they pull and tug so much that I'm sure many of my aches and pains result from that! There was only one dog there, so we didn't stay long -- they are not that excited to play with other dogs there anyway, but it gives Murphy a chance to run and chase leaves without ripping my arms off. 

Happy amongst the leaves

And Lexi made a liar out of me! We put the pumpkin on the back deck, and I thought the squirrels would have fun with it. When DH saw a nibble out of the side, he said the girls were eating it, and I said they would never eat the pumpkin and that it was the squirrels. Imagine my surprise when Miss Lexi stepped to the pumpkin so she could nibble at it. Oh, Lexi! It's not like we don't feed you!

Lexi eating the pumpkin

I MUST remember to bring in that lawn furniture today. It's getting cooler, and before I know it, there will be snow on the ground and freezing temperatures which won't make it fun to bring in the furniture. 

Shoot -- I don't see the event on the website for Stitch by Stitch, but I'm hosting a Zoom event starting Monday all about mySewnet, which includes interfacing with the sewing machine, your computer, your phone, and a whole host of apps and programs. You could call the store to ask about it and get signed up. As I mentioned, even if you don't own the technology, it's great to know what is happening in the sewing/embroidery industry because it will only be developed further! 

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

Have a great and PRODUCTIVE day!!

Ciao!!!

Using up the fabric stash for community project quilts

Wow --- I'm running out of time, and I've just started to write this morning. 

What a fun time we had at the Virtual Retreat last night. When I left at 9 PM, quite a few were still on the call. I was tired and had to get to bed. Then I slept in a wee bit this morning and still had to prepare the last presentation for this morning, so I was a wee bit behind. However, ALL is good. 

I started two new sew-alongs yesterday, so that's pretty exciting. I'll share those with you later this week. And we had a great discussion on Good Sewing Habits. Some of the discussion was scripted (from my notes), and a lot of it answered the attendees' questions! It was great fun. 

That lecture was through the Hobby Horse, so if you missed it, you want to make sure you are on their newsletter as that is where the Zoom link was. The next one is March 26, and the topic is tools. I'll demo the proper way to use a seam ripper and use the stiletto instead of pins. I'm going to show you how to get the most out of your rulers and chat about some specialty rulers. So get on their mailing list as the link is published in the newsletter the day before the lecture. 

And if you are struggling with choosing quilting designs, I will host a lecture/demo (with the Hobby Horse) on February 26. We are making small table runners, and then we'll have a good chat about how to quilt them. The quilting is the most critical part of the lesson - the table runner is secondary. I'll cover ruler work, free motion, and walking foot designs. It should be loads of fun. Check it out at The Hobby Horse. 

I'm not even going to apologize for all the dog pictures lately. They are such a huge part of our daily life - well, sometimes, they take over. HA - sometimes -- ALL the time. 

It was a glorious sunny day, and I walked into the living room to see all THREE of them enjoying the sun. Can you spot all three???

Dogs enjoying the sun

And then, at one point, Little Bear was on the sofa with DH. He's a snuggler, to be sure!

Just hanging out with grampa

But from time to time, he needs to go outside for his business. And he's a good dog IF you make sure to put him out. He knows that he has to do it outside, but if no one lets him out? Well, that's another story. And you have to watch him because sometimes, he tried to get back in without doing the business, and I shoo him back. He knows! 

Outside for some business

And M stayed at a friend's last night, so the little guy was a bit lost. Where's my MOM???? I took him upstairs, and this is where I found him. 

DON'T LEAVE without ME

After the classes, I got some work done. Barely! I got two pet mats finished. 

Two pet mats - DONE

And in an effort to clean up some stuff that had been lying around forever, I used up some upholstery samples and made the covers for NINE more pet mats. I think I'm good for a while. 

The covers for NINE more pet mats

While the cutting table is not too messy, extra stuff still needs to be put away. It looks much better than this, but I still have things on it. Mainly from the sew-along, so that's easy enough to put away. 

The cutting table is getting clean

I trimmed and put away more of the hourglass units. Yep, I will have to start sewing those together as the boxes are getting very full. 

More trimmed hourglass blocks

Diane needed some more fabric to finish off some community projects, so I dug through the fabric bins to see what I could find. And I found something for ALL her needs. 

A project for Diane to sew

So FOUR projects are waiting for her when she needs more sewing. 

More community projects to be sewn

And can you tell me why quilts are magnets to animals? I put this quilt on the floor, and Lexi was all over it like it belonged to her! I shooed her away so I could get my picture. Silly girl!!! Of course, Murphy wasn't far behind. 

Quilts are PET magnets

Here's a stab in the dark! Does anyone have the 11th pattern of this quilt? It's The Village Mystery Block of the Month by Pearl Louise Design. I'm asking for a friend -- she has the entire pattern MINUS part 11. So if you have it -- send me a note, and we'll see what we can come up with. elainetheriault@gmail.com. 

I love that while we are all starting new projects, we are also digging out those old UFOs and getting them done. 

I'm going to try and play catch-up this coming week. I have ONE class this coming weekend. It will be interesting -- it's a two-hour, HANDS-ON class for free motion. The class is on Zoom, and it's very full. The rest of the weekend will be mine! What a concept! But it's all good, which means I'll be able to start working on all the homework for February. 

If you get a chance to stop by the Virtual Retreat today, it would be awesome to see you. It starts a wee bit later because of our Out of the Box class this morning. I bet they are all quaking to see what "fun" assignment I have cooked up for them! 

Virtual Retreat  - Sunday, January 30  STARTS at 11:30 AM EST. 

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

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!