Show n tell

We've all had them - days that just do go wrong from the moment you get up. That seemed to be yesterday. However, that was yesterday, today is a brand new day and it's going to be a good day! Why? Because I'm going to make it a good day!

I didn't get as much done as I would have liked yesterday, but that's OK. I learned some lessons so, from that perspective, it was a good day.

One quick note about our Virtual Challenges. Ronda had mentioned that it would be nice if we could see places of interest along the way. It doesn't need to be every point of interest, but just a few to make the trip a bit more realistic. 

Well, I got a postcard in my e-mail yesterday. I'm currently in Springfield, Illinois and I got a postcard with information about Springfield. That was interesting. I wonder if the others will get the same postcard when they pass through?

My Virtual Postcard

Can you believe that January is almost over? Where the heck did this month go?

I did manage to get to Monday sewing, although I was doing computer work. But I was OK with that.

I snagged some show n tell photos from the group. This is Summer Moon, made by Diane. This is the quilt that we'll be starting in March at The Hobby Horse. I'll be providing loads of tips as we go through this book so you should get yourself signed up! The store is closed for holidays right now so I'll remind you again.

Summer Moon

Sheila was a wee bit behind with her blocks for North Star. This is her owl block. It's adorable and I love that busy print she used for the background. I need to break out of my shell and make a quilt with a busy background.

Owen the Owl

Heather has been working on this Block of the Month for a while and it's now together! The colors are totally stunning. She can no longer call herself a beginner quilter!!!

Heather's Block of the Month

OK --- so I learned something about zippers. The zipper number refers to the width across the coils. AHA -- I never knew that. I found this site with incredible amounts of zippers, but don't forget - if you're local, you can find all kinds of zippers at Nova Sewing Center in Hamilton. And I have still to check out Len's Designer Fabrics in Toronto. I learned from chatting to people yesterday that when Designer Fabrics (Parkdale) closed its doors in 2018, Len's bought some of the stock and converted their traditional store on Orfus Road into only sewing (garments, quilting, home dec.) and craft store. That's ONLY for that one location. Hence the new name - Len's Designer Fabric Store. Boy - I'm totally out of the loop. I've visited both of those stores on numerous occasions, but just not lately. And by lately - I mean NOT in the last 4 years!

Since neither of those stores was a quilt store (although they both sold quilt fabrics), I didn't keep up. Hey - you CANNOT keep up with everything. So, if you know of something important happening in the garment/sewing world, send me a note so I can keep up and I can share.

I've been doing some research on this whole slow fashion, slow quilting, slow sewing movement. It's all about sustainability. Buying less of everything, but buying better quality. Using decorative stitching for mending rather than discarding. I think it's fabulous and it's about time that we started to take a better interest in this as the landfills are overflowing with textiles of all kinds. 

I also noticed that several designers are bringing their manufacturing process back to Canada. Yeah!!! There's a lot of information on the internet that discusses all that. It's fascinating and it means there is hope.

I started to read another book last night (The Warehouse by Rob Hart) and I found this quote in the front of the book.

"I pity the man who wants a coat so cheap that the man or woman who produces the cloth or shapes it into a garment will starve in the process."   U.S. President Benjamin Harrison, 1891.


HOLY --- doesn't that speak volumes!!! I can't wait to read the book - it's kind of a spoof on that big internet retailer and how it becomes an entity that DICTATES our entire lives.

Don't forget to check out QUILTsocial as I explore the PREMIER ECQ (Embroidery Cut Quilt) software. Just wait until you see what I've created with it. It'll blow your socks off.

On that note, I've got loads to get done today. I'm supposed to be working on community project stuff - like making pet mats and cutting more fleece. I might do that this afternoon after I get my two deadline projects completed. Oh, shoot - I'll move the community projects to tomorrow so I'm not stressing myself.

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Sustainable sewing

Oh boy - I think I've gone crazy. Not that I wasn't crazy before, but this has really tipped the scales.

I should mention that my eyelid has turned many shades of purple. Since it's mostly my eyelid, you can't really see the damage! It would appear that I really fell on my left side as my chest felt a bit sore yesterday and still does this morning. But I'm recovering!

I have an event in Cochrane (November 13) and one in Timmins (November 14). The topics are what's new from Husqvarna Viking, and will be heavily geared towards quilting. If you're in the area on either of those days, call the Needle Works store to get yourself signed up. I hear the seats are going fast.

I should be making new samples for those events. Actually, there are two events each day and the content will be pretty much the same for each event. Am I making samples? In my head I am. Instead, this is what happened yesterday.

I spent the entire day making pet mats! I know!! I was happy as a clam. Honestly, I had a lot of fun. I plugged in my audiobook and away I went. I did finish A House without Windows. It was a great book. Very sad but just goes to show how lucky women are in our country!

The two big blue pieces in this photo were pieces that had been quilted at the CreativFestival on our frame. I simply serged the edges and two very quilt pet mats.

Pet mats

Not sure if you remember, but a while back, I took apart a quilt (more like a comforter) that I had made years ago. The blocks on the front were painted with liquid embroidery. Some of the blocks had deteriorated badly and I wanted to remake it using only the good blocks that remain. On one of our road trips, I sat in the back and took out all the quilting. The blocks have been washed and need to be processed. Not at the moment. The backing will be chopped up into squares to make pet mats - I was hoping to do that yesterday, but I was exhausted at the end of the day and just couldn't bring myself to do that.

The thick and compressed polyester batting would make an excellent filler for pet mats. Among the donations that I had received a few years back was a big box of upholstery samples. I dug through the box and found pieces that would work to make the outer part. I serged the pieces together, cut the batting to fit and voila - I had a whole pile of pet mats. I did throw some extra stitches on those mats so the polyester batting wouldn't shift if the mats get washed.

I was on a roll. It was only this morning when I was finishing up the mats, I realized that the fabrics used in these samples would have made great samples for my quilting and embroidery. Oh well - too late now! I'll check through the box a bit more carefully and sort out things that would be appropriate for me to use in my samples.

These mats have a really nice fabric in them!!

But I wasn't finished. I had bags of scraps and so I made up 9 mats using the fabric scraps as filler and upholstery samples as the outer part. I had some of those made the previous day. And I had an afghan that was in bad shape so it became the filler for the two mats on the right. Nothing to go in the landfill.

More pet mats

I get it that at some point, this stuff will end up in the landfill, but at least it's been given a second life. All this stuff that we buy that has one use and then in the landfill? Drives me crazy. I know not everyone is on board with sustainable sewing. They can't be bothered. Why not? It's OK to just throw good stuff away?? Oh well - each to their own.

I know that some of my readers are as conscientious as I am. Judith was busy on the weekend doing some mending (which is becoming very popular again - yeah!) and saved some garments from being tossed. Apparently, she also very good at removing stains. Speaking of stains - did you know that your dryer sheets are made from petroleum? Guess what happens when they get hot (as they do in the dryer?) The oil leaks from them. Don't believe me? Get one of your dryer sheets and put it on some paper towel and iron it. Yeck!! We stopped using dryer sheets years ago. A total waste of money.

We don't use any product in our dryer and when I washed all that yardage the other day for the pillowcases? No tangles. Everything came out just fine.

Elle is also very conscientious about her scraps. She has a couple of friends who will take her scraps and make string quilts or pet mats from them. The bottom line is that if you won't use the scraps, find someone who will. All it takes is a bag or two on your cutting table. Sort as you go. It's super easy,

I take the leftover batting strips and cut them into 2 ½" strips. Those will go into rugs and the remainder goes in the pet mats.

We currently have a medium-sized garbage cart, but I'm very tempted to move down to the smallest one. Yes - it's tiny, but we have greatly reduced our garbage output and we only put the cart out once a month. I'm trying to reduce the amount of space the cart takes up in the garage. It just means we'll have to put it out every two weeks. I have to think about that for a bit.

I still had three bags of scraps to go through. But by this point, I had run out of steam. So the three bags are sitting on the cutting table waiting for me to deal with them later today. The outer part of the pet mats are made and just need to be filled. What will I find in those bags? Proper scraps or garbage? I opened the first one and it looks OK.

Supplies to make more pet mats

In total, I'm delivering 26 pet mats today!!!! Plus two rugs that we no longer use. I tell you, nothing is sacred in this house anymore. Clocks, radios - GONE! I'm not even leaving myself a chance to think about them. They go in the box and I drop it off.

Now here's the sad part, I can't even look at my kitchen counter (which is pretty clean) without thinking how I can part with the stuff that's there. There a clock under the counter - that's going when I remember to bring up the screwdriver. The phone which I'm seriously thinking of canceling. Two trays (I use those several times a month so they stay). The kettle and Alexis which we use every day so they get to stay. A small craft project made by M (hmm - for the moment that stays), the canisters which are in bad shape - they need to go. The toaster oven and Vitamix. They stay. The set of knives - that stays. The bowl for fruit on the island - that stays. There is NOTHING else and we like it that way.

The rest of the house will get the same treatment as time goes on! Watch out things - become useful or you're gone!

Here's the bag partially filled with the fabrics that I found in the scrap bags. I'll wait until it's filled and then it also has a home.

A bag filled with fabric to be donated

I tell you this is so exciting. I almost couldn't care if I sewed another quilt in my life! But I will and I want to. But not only is quilting expensive, but it's extremely wasteful unless you take steps to make it not so wasteful. There are people out there who want your scraps. You just have to ask around to find them.

My car is filled with stuff to be dropped off today.

Now here's a couple more dates that you need to keep in mind.


In case you don't have these cards yet, here's the information for the Bob Ross (CherryWood Challenge) quilt show later this month in Seaforth. It's being hosted by The Cotton Harvest Quilt Shop. Oh, shoot - they didn't rotate. I managed to get one rotated, but not the other as you can see.

Cherrywood Quilt Show flyer

The back of the Cherrywood Quilt show flyer

Seriously, this will make a nice outing with friends. Get yourself organized and we'll see you there!!!!

Now here's something else. I happened to be trolling the internet and guess what I found???  Check out this website and SAVE THE DATE for the end of July. It's a quilt show!!!!!!  I'll be providing the details as more information becomes available.

On that note, it's Monday sewing and I'd better get myself organized!

Have a super day!!!!


Ciao!!!

Sustainability in the sewing world

ACK!!!  So my perfect system? I FORGOT ONE THING! I forgot about my Dirty Dozen projects - my UFOs!!!  I've been so focused on everything else that I forgot them. Well sort of - I'm still plugging away at that Gingerbread quilt which is on the list.

And here I am wondering what the heck I'm going to sew tomorrow. I'm such a dolt!  OK - I'm not sure where all those projects are but I'm going to try and find one for tomorrow. And I'm going to put ONE of them on my wire rack. So I don't forget the UFOs. Holy - I just get so dang focused that if I don't have lists - well - I'm toast!!!


There's been a series of articles in the Sew News magazine (borrowed from the library in case you're thinking I'm still adding to that stack of magazines!) about sustainability in the sewing world. I think I've shared one or two of them with you. There's a third article in the June/July issue.

It's really quite an interesting topic. Many of us think that cotton and other natural fibers are better than the man-made ones, but are they? You have to look at the entire process - how the fibre was made or grown, then the processing of it and finally what happens to it when we're done with it. All of these steps impact the environment in some way.

There's no right or wrong answer as to what is best. But I love this quote which came from Vivienne Westwood, "buy less, choose well, make it last."  That goes for fabrics, clothes and anything else that we should choose to buy. We've become a throw-away society and it's a very bad image that we leave for our children. I know - I'm as guilty as the next person.

I'm trying to do my part. I have no issues repairing things and there I was the other day with my super glue fixing my earbuds and my rice cooker. So far, so good. Yep - I could have thrown them away, but why would I?

There's another article in that same magazine that talks about the impacts of our crafting and sewing. Should you make your clothes, should you buy them??? Should you keep them and mend them???  All very interesting questions. That second article was written by Katrina Rodabaugh. She has several books on the market including Mending Matters.

Again, there is NO right or wrong in how we do this, but the important is to be MINDFUL. Do you really need that item? Are you going to use it once and then throw it away? Are you going to stash it away??

I do have one regret in life. I wish that I had this mindset when M was little. I know that we bought so much because it was "fun". And as I survey stuff in the basement, I see many craft items that were NEVER used. Still with price tags on them. I will be packing up all the craft stuff and finding a good home for that. Not sure what all that entails at the moment.

I'm not a granola girl. I think it's just my country roots showing through. I still have (and wear) clothes that I wore 30 years ago. OK - so they are my run around the house shorts, but still. I hardly buy new clothes and if I do, I try to make sure that it's something classic that I'll get a lot of wear out of.

Oh dear - I do sound like a granola girl. But honestly, I hate to see waste and there's so much waste in this world. Waste of money (government), waste of time (screen and social media), waste of resources (doing things over and over by the same people). and I could go on and on. But I won't. I think you get the picture.

On that note, I'm out of here. I've got a busy day and I'm not sure how I'm going to get everything done. But I'll do my best.

Have a super day!!!!


Ciao!!!

On sustainability

I've come to the realization that I do NOT need more fabric. I'll buy what I need to fill in the gaps, but I do not need to buy anything "just because" ever again.

Did you notice that when I was in Vancouver that I did NOT visit the quilt store that was downtown? Nope! No desire, but I did go to the used book store. That has become my new destination store whenever I visit a different location.

Keep in mind, I do NOT buy willy-nilly. I have a very specific list. It's books that I can't get access to at my local library. Currently, there are 22 books on DH's list and there are 6 on my list. The thrill of the hunt is what makes it exciting to visit a new used book store. Also checking out the condition of the used book store is another source of excitement. I know - I don't get out much!!!

Let's just say that it's way more entertaining than clicking on an online site to buy the books from a certain bookseller who shall remain nameless because I do NOT want to be promoting them. Yes - I know they are a front for a lot of smaller book stores. Doesn't matter - since I have the opportunity to visit these stores in person - that's what I'll continue to do until there are no longer any books on those lists.

And why aren't the books available in the library? Well, the one I finished yesterday was published in 1964. I'm not surprised that the library no longer has that book. I bought it at the bookstore in Orillia and I'll return it to them to get some store credit. I'm good with that. I'm not buying these books to add to my shelf. I'm buying them to read and then I want it gone. With everything I want to read, I don't have time to reread a book! When I was a kid, I didn't have many goals, but one of them was to read every book in the world. What a dreamer!!!

I still have to respond to an e-mail that someone sent me about buying books. They buy books to keep and reread. I do not. Why? I think because all of the used books that I buy are fiction - murder/mystery/suspense and why would I want to reread them? So I'm not saying to not buy books - I just buy what I can't find at the library and then I get rid of them.

By the way that book published in 1964? It was called "From Doon with Death" by Ruth Rendell. It is the first in the Inspector Wexford series. Helen gave me some Ruth Rendell books a while back and of course, I have to read them in order! Now that I'm on a kick to make that happen, I'm having a blast looking for the missing books. Sometimes, I may appear not very organized, but that reading list is extremely well organized.

I was reading an article on sustainability in the textile industry. It's in the Feb/March issue of Sew News (that I borrowed from the library). Here are some interesting stats about clothing. In 2014, the average North American purchased 35 pounds of clothing - that's the equivalent of 16 pairs of jeans. Hmm - someone else bought a whole bunch because I rarely buy any clothes. And this is shocking, but in the UK - about 30% of the clothing donated to charity shops can be resold. In Australia, it's about 15% and in the US, it's 10%.  That's awful!!!! That means that most of our clothing gets trashed!

It doesn't surprise me though with the quality of what is being made and purchased. It's obscene and how many clothes does one person need???  I need to go through my closet one more time and get rid of more stuff that I no longer wear. I also need to buy one or two more pair of pants that fit me. I put on a pair this morning and well, let's just say that they are a tad too big!!!

But here's some good sewing advice, whether you're a garment sewer or a quilter and this is from the same article.

• Buy the best quality fabrics you can afford. (we all know that garbage in is garbage out. Why do people buy just because it's a sale???  Even if they don't need or can't afford something?)
• Use your sewing skills to mend, alter or refashion clothes. (as quilters, we all laugh and say that we don't hem pants, etc. But why don't we? We're perfectly capable of doing that!)
• ENJOY the process of sewing/quilting. (why are we always in such a hurry to finish something and start the next thing? Unless you have a deadline, take your time! Do the project well and enjoy the process. 

Sustainability is also about using up everything! It doesn't mean that we should make a garment or quilt and throw the scraps in the garbage. Find a use for them. Make a matching bag or tote, or use as trim on another garment or use in a quilt. Find a student or new sewist who can't afford to buy fabric. Sewing can be very wasteful - we need to be more responsible. 

All that to tell you that I had a super productive day yesterday. I got two quilts done. I'm going to trim them this morning and today I'll be in Studio U - I've got some upcoming classes that need to be prepped and quilts to make with deadlines. I did manage to get out to the library yesterday - that's my new thing. I'm trying to get a walk in every day in addition to the walk with the girls in the morning.

OK - here's the two quilts I quilted yesterday. My back was so tired at the end of the day since I spent most of it standing.

Customer quilt - one - done!

Customer quilt - two - done!!!

Oh, let's not forget that I was at physio yesterday. Gosh - I have two knotted muscles in my left shoulder/neck that will just not release. We've tried massage, pulling, manipulation and still locked tight. They tried a wee bit of accupuncture yesteacupunctureI have more movement in my neck today, it's still pretty painful.

As I was leavning my physio appointment, I was waiting at the stop light to turn left. The light turns green but I have to wait for a couple of cars to come through the intersection. They were waiting - why??  Because they could see some idiot barreling down the street and sailed right through the red light. I couldn't see him because of a bus to my left. If those cars had not of been there, I would have been in the intersection. Do people no longer care?????  This car never even slowed down and probably had no idea they blew through the red light.

I wanted to share this picture with you. There's now a quilting fairy that resides at Fireside Retreat!! So cute - it was tucked into one of the exposed support beams in the great room!

The Quilting Fairy

On that note, I'm out of here.

Have a super day!!!!


Ciao!