Ten quilts - ten days!

Thanks for all the suggestions on taking the pill! Well, not THE pill, but my weekly pill. I will try my new alarm and see what happens. Quite frankly, I'm a dunce, and why did I do what I did? Well, there are wonders in this world, and that was one of them. It's not my most brilliant move, to be sure. If that doesn't work, I like the idea of these other medications that don't require a weekly pill. I'll definitely look into those. 

So there is some GREAT news this morning. The last quilt in the ten-quilt marathon was pulled off the long arm just before lunch. That was a great feeling, and even though those quilts aren't huge, there was a lot of pressure to get one done daily. It'll be easier now that I'm down to one a week. And I'm excited to get started on that group. I have pulled enough backing and batting to prepare the first one later today. I have to make the binding for all those quilts, and you'll see the progress as the week goes on. 

Community project quilt - DONE

Then to really say that I finished ten quilts in ten days, I needed to get my butt in gear and finish the bindings. And here they are -- all ten quilts now have the binding on them. I probably won't arrange for delivery at this point; they are hanging out on a quilt rack, and closer to the end of the year, when there are more, I'll arrange to get them delivered. 

Binding number 7

Binding number 8

Binding number 9

Binding number 10

Finishing those quilts took a fair amount of my afternoon, as I'm much slower when I'm chatting on Zoom. However, I then moved on to the applique. I refuse to let myself down on that commitment. This has nothing to do with the financial commitment to the UFO Club, it has nothing to do with peer pressure, it has to do with myself and what I want to get done. So I persevered, even though I was getting tired and I completed my daily quota for applique. 

By that time, I was getting pretty tired, and there were only three of us on the call, so I shut the retreat down early—well, after 7 PM. 

So yes, this new focus in my life is pretty amazing. I'm getting so much done, yet I'm not working all day. I still get in my walks, I'm still reading—more than I ever have in the last couple of years—and I'm enjoying my cup of tea on the front patio in the mornings. 

The other day, I removed the remainder of the "junk" magnets from the fridge. That left these as the ones I want to keep, which are all keepsakes from some trip. 

The keepsake magnets

I've since rearranged them so they look like this. 

The magnets are now arranged in one corner

Our fridge feels positively empty, but I like the new look. I have yet to finish sorting the items I took off the fridge to see what works to give away and what needs to be thrown out. That is a job for later today. That is one area where I could improve at finishing the job. But I'll get there. 

Someone gave me a book the other day, and rather than just throwing it on my bookshelf, I looked at my lists to see where it belonged. Since there wasn't any room where it needed to go, I found a book that was next in a series and pulled it out to make room. Because I had taken the time to sort and organize, that task was fairly simple. It's all about keeping things organized, and I have to say that I love it!!

Keeping the bookshelf organized

I am supposed to be sorting through my boxes of novelty prints to find something for a friend. The boxes are still strewn on the floor, and I need to get that accomplished today so I can put the boxes back in the room and close the door. 

Sorting through novelty prints

When Miss Murphy and I went for our walk two days ago, we spotted this fairly large tree that had "fallen" overnight. No—the tree did not fall, but it was hit by a car. It was hit so hard that it pulled the roots partially out of the ground. The tree was more forgiving than the concrete light post the car barely missed. But how can the car (in a 60 zone) go so fast that it jumps the curb and mows down a tree? We won't go there. 

MOM -- someone pushed down this tree!!!!

When we went by yesterday, this was all that remained. The tree is gone, and the stump is a huge mess. 

MOM -- where did the tree go?

Speaking of Miss Murphy, I think she was trying to tell me something yesterday as I was sewing. 

MOM -- STOP sewing and play with me!!!!

And Lexi? Soon, there won't be much left of her. I'm trying to keep her brushed, but it doesn't matter how much hair I take off each day; there is more the next day. I swear it's like her hair multiplies, and I can do nothing to keep on top of it. 

Lexi getting her daily grooming in the forest

See, I've just removed three huge brushes full of hair, and she doesn't look neat at all. Her fur is a train wreck!!

MOM -- enough - let's get walking!!! 

Here's the Pony Express Depot at my house. It's looking pretty empty at this moment, which is a good thing. I've since added another item to the pile, and all will get picked up or delivered in due time. 

The Pony Express Depot at my house

I've had this cordless iron for eons. For some reason, I stopped using it, and then I resurrected it again. But now, it's totally done. I finally gave up on it the other day. It's in the electronic waste pile, and the plastic cover is in the garbage. It would no longer heat, so I guess that means the end! It's not like this is a huge issue, as I have six or seven more irons in the house, and I believe two of them are brand new. But like a true pioneer, I'm "struggling" with the almost-dead ones. I need to give my head a shake and move on. 

My cordless iron has bit the dust

I have a few other items like this that must be thoroughly evaluated and tossed. I think—OH—I might get a little more use out of that, but I need to be more realistic. 

Here's my tip for the day: When you sew, make sure that you use the proper stitch length. If your stitch is too long, the threads will start to pull out at the end of a seam, which looks ugly and can affect the integrity of that seam. 

The threads are pulling out at the end of a seam

Your seams should look like this!!!

Good stitching all the way to the end

People say they use a longer stitch length, so it's easier to rip out. Well, that is just wrong in so many ways. What is the correct stitch length? It's about 2.0. But you can easily test. Sew a seam right to the end. Then, gently try to pull that seam apart at the end. If nothing happens, the stitch length is excellent. If several stitches come undone, the stitch length is MUCH TOO LOOSE. Fix it!!!!!

FYI- the next Virtual Retreat is set for September 21 and 22. 

And now it's time for spin class, so I've got to get myself organized, and then there's an exciting day ahead. Not only is it Monday sewing, but I don't have to quilt a quilt. I have quilts to quilt this week, but I might just load the next one and wait to quilt it tomorrow. I must also work on my projects for the upcoming filming session, continue with the applique, work on the blog posts, and I cannot forget my Many Blocks homework! Good grief -- that applique just seems to go on forever, BUT there is a light at the end of the tunnel!!!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Things that IRK in the night!

People are much more relaxed about getting Zoom links, but seriously? Certain people need to relax or STOP making a nuisance of themselves, and if they read my blog -- they know who they are. It's FREAKING ANNOYING! 

Some instructors will send out the Zoom link several days before the class. People are comforted to know they have the link and won't miss the class. I do NOT send the link out several days in advance because many people lose them, which results in more emails. People are WAY BETTER than they used to be, so issues are rare these days. 

One participant said she created a folder in her inbox to store all her current Zoom links. This works exceptionally well if the class is multi-part and the Zoom links are the same, which mine are. I think it's a brilliant idea. So once they receive the Zoom link for the entire series of classes, they can store that email in such a folder. That way, they ALWAYS have access to the Zoom link. 

To make life easy for my students, I have emailed the night (or sometimes the morning) before the class so they wouldn't have to hunt for the Zoom link. I don't have to do that, but it's a courtesy, and I appreciate it when any class I take has the link sent shortly before the class. 

I had put in my notes for one class that I would email before midnight. I have two classes today, and last night, I sent one link and forgot the other. Imagine my "surprise" this morning when I got an email at 11:58 PM asking for the Zoom link! Seriously???? Did they stay up intentionally? That irks me to no end. I sent the darn thing before 5 AM this morning - the class is at 10 AM. And they already HAVE the Zoom link, so it's not like they didn't have it. 

Why do people have to be so petty? Do petty people realize how much they tick people off? I know I'm ranting about this, but I'm very irked! And sometimes I think people do it just to get a rise out of me, and well, this time they did! And do these people realize that if they need something from me, I'm much less likely to answer the email if they do silly things? 

And then what happens when you send out that Zoom link to a group you do not own. This happened the other day - I had created a new Zoom link and sent it to my contact at a store. Thirty minutes before the class was to open, I got a notification that the Zoom link was invalid. NO WAY!!! So, after a few phone calls and emails, the link was resent, and the class started 8 minutes later than it was supposed to. 

See? There is NO NEED TO PANIC about the Zoom link. 

Next time, in my email, I'll say they'll get the Zoom link no later than 60 minutes before the class starts, and let's see what happens. OK -- I'm done with that topic! Thanks for listening. 

I got the final medal for The Lord of the Rings Virtual Challenge. There were five segments for a total distance of 2,920 KM. I "walked" the extended version. 

The medals are well done; each medal comes in a nice box. 

The box with my medal

And the medal itself is HEAVY!!! 

The medal

AH -- there's the place for the ring we got on the first medal. This part lifts out of the Mountain of Doom and is the equivalent of throwing (destroying) the ring. 

A spot to hold the ring

This is the back of the medal. They are beautiful, but I've no idea what I'll do with them. I'll stockpile them in the pretty boxes, I suppose. 

The back of the medal

I'm onto the Wall of China and have walked 143 km since I started on January 29. I notice there are NO GOOGLE street views. And not even a single picture was posted by anyone. I just checked, and yes, there are some photos posted by others, just not where I am now. And I've almost walked 500 km since the beginning of the year! 

I'm not sure what is happening with the weather, but yesterday? That was a glorious day. I went for my afternoon walk in my sweatshirt, and when I arrived home, I was sweating! It was a stunning day!!

I had to swing by the post office to put something in the mail, and I also checked on this. Earlier in the week, I received a notice for a parcel, which I went and picked up. Then I got a card in the mail - FINAL NOTICE. Wait- can this be the same parcel? 

I checked the tracking number, and it's the same parcel -- they just didn't register that I picked it up. Seriously? I had to sign for it!!!

Final Notice for a package I already had

While there, I spotted this. Seriously?? Why would Canada Post sell this kind of envelope? I can imagine why people would want it. For selling drugs and shipping them across provincial or international borders - but isn't that illegal? So why would our government postal service sell envelopes, allowing that to happen? Oh - perhaps I'm missing something here. Good grief -- I just checked -- it's so that if you mail something smelly - the smell won't contaminate other mail items. 

A scent-blocking mailer

Murphy is DETERMINED to get the end off of that toy. It's surprising because she ignored this toy for many years, and suddenly, she needs to get that end off. She's not worried about the other end -- just the one. She's almost succeeded. 

MOM -- I've almost got the end off

And the little guy was just hanging out. I think he was mad at me as I gave him a semi-bath. He's a very messy eater with his disgusting (in my opinion) canned dog food and no teeth. But the sun was out, and this was a nice warm place to dry off. 

Just chilling and missing my MOM!!!

Murphy is back at her antics with the pond. There are no balls to throw in the pond, so the teddy bear got tossed in. The ice in the pond is almost gone, and I had to fish the darn bear out so he wouldn't freeze in the ice. I will have to fence around that small planter as she thinks it's HER outdoor bed. 

MOM -- oops - the bear fell in

I was busy sewing yesterday -- yes -- me -- actually sewing! And I was making significant progress on a paper-pieced pattern. Then, I spotted this box in the stash room. It's a wine bottle box and FILLED with paper-pieced quilt patterns. I'd better sew faster! 

MORE paper-pieced patterns

Both presentations are done for today, and the Zoom links are SENT! I just need to find a pair of reading glasses, and I'll be ready. 

Well, it's time to get ready for the day. It's still warm outside - this is pretty freaky weather, and while we can enjoy it now, what are the consequences of this for the summer? 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

Quilt Show alert!

OH, GOSH  - There are quilt shows this weekend, and I haven't had time to think about them. But there's the Region of York show today and tomorrow!!!! Here's the link to their website. I don't know if I can sneak that in because of my classes, but maybe tomorrow? 

There's also a quilt show in Cornwall. The first day was yesterday, and it ends TODAY. 

I have three Zoom classes today and am happy to say that all three presentations are ready! Just made that deadline in the nick of time! The homework for one class still needs to be completed, but it's as done as it needs to be!

I had lots to prep yesterday and had an excellent Zoom session with a store about sergers, particularly the cover stitch! Yes --- this is fast becoming one of my favorite machines, and I'm tempted to go to my upcoming sewing retreat and ONLY take a serger. GASP!! We'll see how it goes -- I may take a sewing machine because, while many things can be done on a serger, not all that needs to be done can be. 

Yes --- in 16 days, I'm off to another quilt retreat. And this time, there is absolutely NOTHING work related scheduled during the retreat. I can go and sit and do absolutely nothing, prepare nothing - just veg out. While I'll be a busy bee, it's nice knowing there will be no work interruptions. 

We had our remedial Jen Kingwell last night (I had to prep for that, too), and I don't have time to chat about it this morning, but I'll share what's been happening! So much exciting stuff going on! 

OK -- raise your hand if you own (or owned) this book. It's The Vogue Sewing Book, and it was my bible for sewing when I was learning MANY years ago. There's so much valuable information in there. I mean - how many ways are there to sew on a button? And interfacing is interfacing! 

The Vogue Sewing Book

So -- I have a LOT of reading to catch up on, and I need to locate my sergers books. I have put some of them in a safe place for reading, and do I know where they are? Nope -- as a matter of fact, I bought a very good one last year, and I haven't had a chance to read it, and it went to a very safe place because I haven't seen it since the day I bought it! It's time to have a concerted effort to locate it. 

But the state of my house is - well, a lot of tidying needs to happen after those last couple of days. 

The kitchen table is a disaster

And those darn suitcases need to be unpacked AGAIN! 

The suitcases that need to be unpacked - AGAIN!

After the Zoom ended at 2 PM, I decided to go and sit in the gazebo. I usually walk first, but I thought it might be too hot. Within seconds, guess who was outside. The "good" dog, Lexi, was lying peacefully on the deck. Murphy, the "not-so-good" dog, immediately grabbed a ball and threw it in the pond. 

MOM -- that darn ball jumped in the pond

Then she sat and looked at or barked at me until I caved! 

MOM -- a little help here! 

But before I got up, I let her struggle a bit, so she could try to figure out how to get it out of the pond. She tested those logs repeatedly to see if she could step on them, and nope - that wouldn't work! 

MOM -- I need a longer nose! 

I might try putting a string on the ball to help her retrieve it? I doubt that will work because she would prefer I get out of my comfy chair and help her. Meanwhile, Lexi just sits and watches, and I can only imagine what is going through her head! 

I did get out of the chair and walked to the grocery store. I have ten days in which to finish my Virtual Challenge. Usually, I'm way ahead, but this time, it will be tight to make it happen. It WILL happen -- it'll just be tight. And with all the stuff going on in the last couple of weeks, some days it's been hard to get 14 KM in -- I can get 12 KM, but I'll make it up now that things have settled down. 

I have two Zoom tomorrow (and yes -- I haven't done my homework yet), so I'll do that later today, but I'm on track! This coming week will be cooler and quieter, so I can easily make up the distances. 

And I love this weather, but it ends tomorrow evening. Then we are back to normal, cooler temperatures. It doesn't matter -- life goes on despite the weather, but enjoying the hot days has been fun. 

On that note, I'm out of here -- the girls are anxiously waiting for their walk!

Have a great day!

Ciao!!!

The highs and the lows

Do you remember in some magazines way back when they would have set up two rooms? They were basically decorated the same, but one was filled with items that were high priced and the other was normal priced stuff? Could you always guess which was which? There were many times when I preferred the low-end room over the high-end room.

Well, yesterday was a bit like that. I was back at the training and I learned enough tips to make it worth my time to be there. It's one thing to be self-taught. Quite another to have an expert run through the same stuff and you get to see what you missed. That's why I LOVE hands-on classes. You can't beat them for learning everything and being able to ask those niggling little questions.

Yesterday, I showed you the front of the new sewing machine, but I didn't show you the back. Here it is.

The back of the Husqvarna Viking DESIGNER EPIC 2

Remember this colorway is called Vivid Sunset. I wonder why they mixed colors? The other two special colored sewing machines are either blue or green. And the backs of those two are white. This one is BRIGHT PINK. I can't wait to sew in front of Shelly!! She goes to love looking at that pink sewing machine all day.

It's a bit weird, but I love it.

I was doing some embroidery in the hoop. Not just any hoop - this is the Majestic Hoop which is the largest hoop on the market. It's a turnable hoop - so you do one half of the design and then rotate the hoop and do the other half. I have so MANY more samples to make and things to play with. I've got my work cut out for myself.

Embroidering a design in the Majestic Hoop

Here's what the design looks like on the screen.

Design that is being stitched out

After the class was over, I had just enough time to stop at home and grab a bit to eat and rescue the dogs from a day at home by themselves. They were NOT impressed.

Then it was off to teach the pillowcase class at Oh Look Fabric in Milton. Yep - from Markham to Milton. Thank goodness for the toll highway. I just wish it weren't so expensive. But then if it were cheaper, more people would drive on it and it would be congested. So I bite my tongue and pay the price. It's worth it. Thankfully, I don't have to do that every day. And our house is situated just about perfect to take the highway east or west. We lucked out on that.

A lot of beginner sewists end up in the pillowcase class. Most have never sewed before or sewn very little. I never know what they will bring for a sewing machine either. It's always fun to see what gets unearthed. This person was using her Mom's old Bernina. What a difference between the two machines. And this one reeked of sewing machine oil as we fired it up. I think it needs a new needle and a good cleaning.

Old Bernina sewing machine

She had no idea how to thread it, what a bobbin was - basically nothing. Her Mom had tried to teach her at some point, but well - we all know that's never a good idea.

With my vast knowledge of sewing machines, I was able to get the bobbin wound and the machine threaded. Most ALL sewing machines work the same way. They thread the same way - it's just a matter of following the thread path. Bobbins may be wound slightly different from each other, but there are basically two different styles of bobbin - the top load where the bobbin drops in on the bed of the sewing machine or the front load where the bobbin gets inserted into a removable bobbin case. Sewing machines have one system or the other and once you understand both - it's easy to make them work.

All machines have controls for the stitch length, tension dials, reverse - it's just a question of finding where. This one had a few oddities to it, but I got it figured out.

She did a couple of test runs on fabric and then she was off sewing.

And by the end of the class, both participants had finished their pillowcase. Yep - both of them had directional fabric! Directional fabric is always a bit more of a challenge to work with, but once you get it cut, then no big deal. What I love is how happy people are when they leave with that finished pillowcase. We should have a pillowcase wall with pictures of very happy people!!

Pillowcases!!!!

We missed our dressmaking class last week as the instructor was ill. I had better get my homework done today! I have to make my samples of the seam finishes and to prep my lining fabrics. Yes - I've had two weeks to do that! But I just seem to be a last-minute person on all this stuff. I've no idea why although I'm getting better.

I still haven't touched the postcard basket to see exactly what's in there. With M here for the weekend and then right into two days of training, that sort of ate into my time. I've got loads to get done and I hope that today might be the day that I get into that basket. Although I do have a bit of admin work to do, make a sample for the freelance classes, do the homework for the dressmaking class and well - I'd like to quilt a quilt as well.

It doesn't matter what gets done as long as progress is made and keeping all deadlines in mind.

So while I did lose some mileage over the last two days as I wasn't able to get out for my afternoon walk, I still managed to average 6 miles of walking on each of the two days. Not bad considering that I spent most of the day in a chair or in the car. I feel the urge to get out and move today! I've got dogs to walk and errands to do.

I have three audiobooks on hold at the library and I'm not requesting anything else until those come in which should be soon. You know how it is - you download a book and then BAM - the three audiobooks will come in at the same time. So I'm being patient. But here's something else to consider - make sure that you check out ALL the resources that your library has for you. Our library system used Libby by OverDrive which I love. But we can also access titles at FreeGal, Hoopla, RB Digital, and PressReader. I'm going to check those out and see what I can find in there for FREE entertainment. All that's required is a library card. I swear the library is the BEST thing in the entire world. If you don't have a library card - you should. There are movies, books, magazines and probably a whole lot of other stuff that you can get for free.

No need to buy the magazine and then wonder what to do with it - you can either get the hard copy or browse the digital version. It's not so much the money, it's the "what do you do with the material when you are done with it" that bugs me. Elle made a comment earlier this week that at one point, she was spending over $1,000 a YEAR on books. She now uses the resources at the library and has saved a ton of money and no worries about how to dispose of those books that are mostly read ONCE.

She started tracking how she spent her money. Oh boy - that would be an interesting exercise, but I think it's one that most of us should take on. How much do we spend on a certain thing? Once we know - then we can better evaluate whether we can afford to spend that much money. And I don't care if I don't read a book the minute it gets released. What's the fun in that? Anticipation and waiting is part of life. I still haven't read the last two Harry Potter books and I'm surviving just fine. I've got loads of releases to read in several series. I am never compelled to be first in the reading department. I read what I want when I want.

The other thing about books is that some people will reread the same book (sometimes more than once or twice). OK - I get it - you like the book, but I can't deal with that. As I read the book, the whole thing comes back to me. I'd rather be reading something new. There's so much new out there - why bother with the old.

Anyway - it's time to get moving on the day!!

Have a super day!!!!   Get working on your postcard or check out the resources at your library!

Ciao!!!

When you're with friends!

Ronda came over bright and early yesterday and we quickly got to work.

While most of the stuff was cut and prepped, it still took a while to get ourselves completely organized. I manned the embroidery machine which she did the tidy up work at the end.

She went out for an errand while the embroidery machine worked away. When she came back, she realized that I had goofed on the fabric choices. OH NO!!! So more cutting was involved and let's just say that we made TWO more of the items than originally planned. All because of operator errors! All of the items turned out nice, just not in the exact colors that we had originally chosen!!!

It was a long day. We used zippers. Lots of different colors of zippers. Some we had bought and then because of the errors, we raided my meager stash of long zippers. I got lots of zippers, just not lots of long ones!

Zippers used

And we used a LOT of thread. Different kinds of thread - not just embroidery thread.

Empty spools of thread

At one point, I needed to find a small bag of stuff that I had acquired at QuiltCon in February. NO - it hasn't been sorted and unpacked. I located the bag within a matter of seconds. How cool is that! And guess what I also found? The missing homework that I need to get finished for the end of this month. Phew - all is good!!!!!

I'll share what we made later this week. It's for a special thing to do with our road trip. I hope they like them!!!! If not, more for me and Ronda!!! The pictures are already edited and loaded so no excuse to get those to you.

Whoever thinks that you can just whip up a project - think again! You're all sewists and quilters - you know that. But to anyone who says - can you just whip that up? Tell them to learn to sew!!!  But we had a fun day and loads of good laughs!

I will say that whenever Ronda took a break, it took her a long time to get back in the groove. I wonder if her boss lets her take lunch at work? Just kidding - we both had our issues yesterday. Mine was choosing colors!!

When I was tidying up earlier in the week, I found this ruler. I thought it was a sticker. I have one attached to the cutting table downstairs and I love it. I can have one upstairs or so I thought. I pulled it from the paper backing to find that it's printed on vinyl so friction is what makes it stick. Well, we couldn't find any surface to make it stick properly without stretching the heck out of it which defeats the purpose of a ruler.

Vinyl ruler

While it seemed like a good idea, it's NOT. It's now in the garbage.

George hung out with us all day and now he's hanging out in my purse. He's beyond excited. A road trip!!!!

George just hanging out

George has been on some pretty exotic vacations. He's been all over Europe, he's been to Hong Kong, a cruise or two and many places in between. While this road trip isn't exotic, it's going to be fun and George likes fun!

I checked the weather of part of our trip and everything looks perfect. So unless Dorian takes a totally different path in the next day or so, we should be good. You just have to watch the blog to see where we're actually going to end up. And it's not so much a destination that we have in mind - it's a journey with no one destination.

I'm happy to say that I'm packed. These girls don't appreciate lateness. We have a schedule to adhere to - at least for Day One and I'm good with that. The rest of the trip is totally loosey-goosey. Well sort of - we do have a destination for each night, but we're going to be totally flexible. I like being flexible.

On that note, I'd better get myself ready, walk the girls and be waiting when the van arrives. I don't want to be blamed for slowing up the process today. Besides, I can't wait to get to our destination for tonight. I've never been there before and looking forward to it. Watch for updates!!!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

What a day!!!

If you read my blog yesterday, you know that I was sequestered at home in my studio with a pile of sewing and pressing.  I started at my normal time of 5 AM or shortly thereafter. It was a LONG, LONG day. Probably the most intense sewing day in my life!  

It would have been one of those days when a camera that periodically takes shots would have been fun. Instead, I grabbed the camera and took a couple of shots. 

This is what the sewing table looked like when I went for breakfast. 

A few things to sew

And the cutting table looked like this.

Cutting table is a tad messy but functional

I had visions that the fronts of the bags would be done by lunch.  HA HA HA HA !!!!!   What an optimist I am!!!

Sewing table at lunchtime

Cut, press, trim, cut, press, trim......................
Oh god - are you kidding me????   How long is all this going to take?????

This is what the table looked like at dinner

AT LAST   - the last one got done about 8 PM.   There were 40 covers in total to do!  And all of them got done. Some parts were together, some were not. So not only did I have to fuse the fusible fleece on the bags, but I had to sew some part of all 40 of them. Perhaps a wee bit more planning was in order! Once the fleece was on, they all had to be trimmed to size.

At last - all done!

40 covers for the tote bag

Then I got out the AccuQuilt and started cutting something else.  While I had never used an AccuQuilt, I've not been a fan, but I have to say that it was very slick to cut what I wanted!!  I'm not sure I would want to cut blocks with it - but who knows.  The applique worked like a charm.

AccuQuilt - worked like a charm for cutting!

Cutting table is in not so bad of shape

There was a lot of trimming so I had to move the garbage right to the cutting table!!!

BIG garbage for all the trimming

I was up early again this morning and got the next project lined up for sewing!

Next project

And the cutting table is looking real good at this point.

The cutting table is in good shape!

I'm not sure how I remained focused for the entire day. But I did.  I managed to sneak outside for a few minutes to soak up a bit of the sun and see that the girls were up to.  But it was an intense day!  Thankfully it's done and onto today!

On that note, I'm out of here.

Have a great day!!!!

Ciao!