What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Today, Christine and I attended a Barn Quilt Block class in Palmyra, Ontario at the Crazy 8 Barn.  I have wanted to make a Barn Quilt for our backyard for ages.  There were two blocks available to choose from and we each chose a different one.  The class started at 9am and we left for home around 5pm so it was an all day project.  

There were lots of paint colours to choose from and we all did some mixing as well to get just the right colours for our blocks. 

Here I am, hard at work, taping off the ...

Sometimes it's great to run away! And that's essentially what I did yesterday. I was the guest speaker for the Goderich Quilter's Guild. I've been to Goderich before, and it's a quaint little town right on the shores of Lake Huron. I knew I had to visit the beach before I left. 

Before I show you the photos, I wanted to say how beautiful those small Ontario towns are. The houses are so far apart - that I could swing a golf club and not hit the house next to me. Of course, that is in ...

The best part of going away is coming home! My plan was to be packed up and on the road by 2:00 PM. I was the last one to leave, and it was 1:45 -- perfect. 

OH -- before I forget, I checked the app on my phone, and my Sonos speaker works with my Alexa app. I know -- it belongs to that online conglomerate. More on that another day, but it works! I just need to connect it. So many little things, and it's hard to keep on top of it all. 

It took me forever to get ...

 I caved! I turned on the laptop to watch a couple of The Great British Baking Show episodes. But I was productive while I watched and got a couple of the tasks done that needed to get done. I wish I could have done more, but that's the way it is. We always think we can do more than is possible in a day. 

For me -- it's the darn admin work that kills me. I did get one homework assignment finished up, and there's one more follow-up handout to work on. At least it's less time-consuming ...

 Happy New Year!! 

It will be another great year of decluttering, sewing, decluttering, sewing, maintaining our new uncluttered spaces, then sewing, sewing, sewing!

I want to outline a few guidelines because this decluttering business is hard work. Not only is it a physical job, but the emotional side is going to be challenging, and you need to be prepared. This can work for your house, in general, or your sewing space specifically. 

1. You will likely feel overwhelmed, ashamed, embarrassed, or all three as you go through your sewing room. That's OK. You can cry and leave the cluttered space ...

What a great day!! I'm taking a couple of extra days to goof around, and then I need to buckle down as some significant deadlines are looming, and I won't be as free as I am now. That's OK -- play hard, work hard!

I started the morning off with some geocaching. I need to get 6,190 points by Monday, and I started the day with zero. 

Here's the thing with geocaching. Those little containers are EVERYWHERE, and most are so small that you wouldn't know they were there unless they are pointed out to ...

Super day alert!!! I accomplished a lot yesterday! OK -- not everything I should be working on, but that's OK - all progress is good!  

I tried printing something, and of course, my printer wouldn't work. So I'm going to attempt that again today! I swear, there are days when technology crashes on me, just to keep me humble! 

I am determined to NOT let any of those year-long classes become a UFO so let's see what happened. One of the projects is done, which you'll see when I post the show and tell. But one down ...

Over the years, I've heard of several people who have created Stitch-Out books for their sewing machines. It's a great idea that allows you to see all the stitches that you have available to play with. It would be great to have the original stitch and perhaps the settings at the maximum and minimum. You can check out the SewingMastery video on what she did for a stitch-out book. 

Has anyone done such a book? And if so, what format did you use? I like the idea of the stitches in the business card pages that she shows ...

 Well, I seem to have accomplished a lot yesterday, yet I have nothing to share with you. That's not entirely true, as I have one thing to share. I'm participating in the Barn Quilt project with Thimbles and Things, and once a month, we have to make a block. 

Yes -- the class is this Friday, and I always seem to be right at the last minute to get the block done, and this month was a super simple block. I took some time yesterday to make the block, and the task for the extra points is also done ...

 Oh my gosh -- I almost made my goal yesterday! And I would have except that this had to happen first. 

I participated in the Barn Quilt Block sew-along at Thimbles and Things last year. Each month we listened to a presentation and were assigned a new block. Knowing that barn blocks are random colors depending on what the owners chose, I decided to make my blocks a bit more cohesive in color. I also didn't want to make 18" blocks, so I had to downsize all of them to 9". That was a bit of a challenge, but except ...

 Wow!!!!   We had so much fun at the Virtual Retreat, and we got to meet someone new. Hello to Kathy from Winnipeg. A lot of the usual suspects were present, and so great to chat with everyone! It's canning season, and I'll leave my friends to make their jam and jellies and other preserves. It doesn't make sense for me to make them since I don't eat them. I was tempted the other day when I saw homemade jams for sale, but then, I don't eat bread (or very little) so that the jam would ...

 
I LOVE you guys!!!  Why remake the block with the grey background when I can just position it, so it fits!!!  Super suggestions!!!

If you don't know what they're talking about, here's the picture from a couple of days ago. 

My barn blocks

Yep -- I'll see what we can do for the future, and I think I need 18 blocks for my quilt. Perhaps I start alternating the backgrounds - half white and half grey? Will I remember to do that? 

While I was quilting this afternoon, I sat and contemplated the Tula Pink blocks. I made ...

So far, the day is going great, except that I put SKIM milk on my oatmeal instead of almond milk. I just grabbed the first carton in the fridge and didn't pay attention. No big deal, you say? OH YES -- it is a big deal. The almond milk tastes so much better. I know M is probably running around saying, "I told you so!". She was the one who suggested I drink almond milk, and I balked big time. Now - well, I will use other milk, but almond milk makes such a difference. 

To support our local dairy farmers ...

Well, it was a pretty productive day, but not without a couple of naps - yes, two of them! I guess I'm making up for lost sleep from the retreat? I can't imagine working in an office and not being able to have a nap. I mean, there are times when I need that nap. I can't function without it. Taking a cat nap is such a great idea, as I feel great afterward! And this isn't a question of wanting a nap - it literally needs one as I'm falling asleep. I wonder why that is ...

I'm like a dog with a bone about the windows. I happened to run into my neighbor while walking the dog and their patio door with the integrated blinds/shades? It's a Pella with the "bottom stack." That is what the blinds that open from the bottom up are called. Elle commented that they also have some Pella windows with the same mechanism, which is the same brand that I'm looking at. 

I was back to the showroom yesterday, and GRRRRRRRR   - they no longer make the bottom stack windows. Why not??????  I've spoken to two different ...

I'm all in a flap this morning. My computer is downstairs! I had to bring it down for a presentation - it's a long story. In short, my laptop is struggling with one version of the embroidery software, but that version works fine on the desktop. When I have a software presentation, I bring the desktop downstairs. I had one presentation yesterday, and I have one this morning. So it didn't seem worth it to take it upstairs. 

I NEED to get that laptop working as this is just silly!!!

So have you ever been window shopping? Oh ...

I need to use The Task Master more often. I got a lot done yesterday. YES - in the back of my head, I know what needs to be done, but that doesn't always mean that I focus on that. I'm easily distracted! 

Knowing that I have a list that I can check off and keeping it open on the ironing board makes me focus on what I should be doing, not what I want to do!

So there are 13 items on the list this week - that might be a bit ambitious, but some of them are not ...

 I went on a little shopping trip yesterday. I got to walk amongst bolts of fabric, look at kits, spools of thread, look at samples. It was quite a heady experience. I will NOT mention the name of the store - I don't want them getting into trouble. But I was in the store by myself. I did a little retail shopping, which I'll share with you either today or tomorrow - it depends on how much time I have this morning. 

Initially, I went to do curbside pickup, which went a bit further than the curb. I'm OK ...

 I was off bright and early to see the chiro yesterday morning. I love this guy (well - sort of!). He's not the kind that gets his patients in line and makes a quick adjustment, and you're gone. Oh no - I hardly get any adjustments - he's working on my tight muscles. Since he has released some of the pressure in my low back, my knee is so much better. However, he played around with my knee yesterday, and did you know how many muscles there are in your knee? And did anyone ever manipulate those muscles? Let's ...