What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

The sun was out in all its glory yesterday, and I took full advantage of it! I moved a sewing machine upstairs to Studio U. And after I finished my project for work (on the laptop), I moved over to the sewing machine. I can't share what I'm sewing with you - well, not yet, but what fun to sew in the sun! 

It was so warm in that room, I thought it was summer! I finished the one quilt block that I was working on and even cut out and sewed part of the next one! How about ...

This week it's all about "Show and Tell." I'm trying to get the last details of the year tidied up! 

Speaking of Microsoft and all the woes of that software, here's one more thing I need to check. I seem to be paying an exorbitant amount (over $300) for the annual subscription. Yet, when I checked yesterday for plan options, I don't think I need to be paying this much. I could be wrong on that price - I need to check. 

So one of the "to do" tasks for the coming year is to check out ...

I finished my last two presentations for the week yesterday. It's so much fun to chat with the ladies from across the country. I get to hear what's happening, and it sounds like Winnipeg is going to shut down starting Monday - similar rules to what we have in the Ontario hot spots. 

I just won't go there as I'm so frustrated with the entire picture. We went out to dinner last night. We were so far apart from other people, plexiglass between the booths, people wearing masks and handwashing - that it's crazy to think that ...

The air in our house is much calmer! Why? I was on Zoom for about 5 hours yesterday, and I had no issues. Again, the lag time for my slides was ZERO. Could it have been our original crappy line that caused some lag and some instability? And now the new line is PERFECT? I almost feel let down (NOT!) that the presentations go so smoothly! My Logitech camera works amazingly well for live demos on the sewing machine or close-ups. I wish that I had a second Logitech camera, but the price has gone up significantly, and I'm ...

Another GREAT day! I don't care what the rules are - having people to talk to is important! Whether that talking is via Zoom, on the phone, or in person. If you're NOT getting out or connecting with people, you NEED to do that. It's important for your mental health. And it's going to be even more important as winter arrives and people tend to cocoon inside their homes. 

I've found a good way to multi-task. I plug my headphones in, and I make calls while I'm on my afternoon walk. I have to laugh ...

Sigh...............................

I am very frustrated. My newly upgraded internet connection is CRAP. I'm so frustrated with the whole thing. I'll be in the middle of a presentation, and then I'm not. It takes about 3 minutes to get it back up, and then I have to reconnect things. It's not pretty at my house when that connection drops. I think the internet dropped about 5 times yesterday that I was aware of, and two of those times, I was on Zoom. 

Let's just say that I'm calling my provider yet again. I wonder what ...

Like many people, I would say that I use the internet a lot. Lately, I've been using it for Zoom and have been known to run 12-hour Zoom sewing sessions. I've never had an issue with the internet - my calls never dropped, I rarely experienced lag time for the video. I did get a couple of "your internet connection is unstable" from time to time, but it's been excellent. 

Someone in our house, who shall remain nameless, has been bugging me to upgrade the internet speed. "Hey - there are advertisements that you can get this amazing download ...

It was another great day! We had fun at our mini Sit and Sew. I call it a mini Sit and Sew because it's a very small group! And yesterday, it was just Lynn and me. We're trying to do our part about keeping our bubbles small. But it never fails; I seem to be in a whirlwind on every sew day. Or maybe I just notice it more because someone else is in the room. 

Murphy was having an issue in the backyard. She would NOT stop barking. I checked twice and couldn't see anything. But ...

I was chatting with someone yesterday whom I knew is a teacher, and of course, she is madly getting ready for the school season. I thought she taught elementary school, but NO - she teaches at the university level. Who knew? So I had to ask what she taught. Guess what?? Archealogolgy!! Oh my - I love it! I've always thought that it would be something fun to do. Digging through the dirt to find artifacts.

That's just what I'm doing in that pile of stuff at the bottom of the stairs. I'm making progress - slow but steady ...

Things are under control! Barely!

Last night we had our Zoom presentation for the Aviatrix Medallion class. This is the one that was to be hosted at Oh Look Fabric in Milton. We were lucky enough to have ONE in-person class, but since then, the classes have been held on Zoom.

I have to say that I kind of like the Zoom delivery method. Why? Well, one of the ladies was on her way to the cottage, and she (as a passenger) was able to participate in the call. Now, how cool is that? And 15 minutes before the call ...

We had a wee bit of excitement at our house last night. I had just come back from my walk and was sitting on the deck, enjoying the last of my refreshing beverage. Don't worry - by this time, it was too dark to read, so I didn't walk in the heat. The girls are lying on the deck, enjoying themselves. All of a sudden, there was some rustling in the bushes behind the fence, and they went ballistic. 

This wasn't your typical barking session, and raccoons don't make that much noise. Yikes - so like the femme ...

Last night when I needed some extra light as I worked on the computer, I realized that my Ott-Lite bulb finally gave up and died. So I need to get a new one. I know that stores were allowed to reopen yesterday. I didn't go out, and I didn't even check it out on my walk since my walk with the girls is a bit shorter these days. I wonder if Micheal's is open? It's the only place to get this bulb, and it is NOT cheap.

All shops have different rules so I'll check ...

It was nice to get an e-mail yesterday from an online store that had to shut down their ordering process while they caught up on the backlog of orders! That's amazing! I know that some quilt stores are still "open" and doing a thriving business by taking web or phone orders and arranging for shipping or curbside pick-up.

Some have gotten very creative in that process - either by sending out daily or weekly e-mails with the latest offerings or a tip or a video. Others are posting new products or ideas on Facebook and IG daily. It seems to ...

Please forgive me but my brain is going a hundred miles a minute. I'm finding this self-isolation thing so stimulating. I know I'm probably the only one, but there's so much happening and so much to do and I've now got the time. I also have the time to dream up new things. This is BAD!!

I know that some people are struggling with the self-isolation thing and I know it's hard to be stuck in the house and can't go anywhere. I can only hope that has provided people with some time to ...

Slow and steady - everything gets done when you work slow and steady. And a bit of focus helps a whole lot.

I'm hosting two sew-along groups and I send out the homework on a Friday. Fortunately and through NO planning on my part, the Fridays have alternated. I send the homework every second Friday to one group and the first Friday of the month to the other group. I'm sure at some point that those dates will end up in the same week, but that's OK. What I'm impressing myself to death with is that I ...

Hmm - I'm listening to and reading news about the current situation. What will we call this period when it's over? This time? The current situation? We'll have to come up with a name because it's pretty serious and is something that'll be remembered and its effects will be felt for years to come.

I see the library sent out a note that if you're looking for recommendations that they have lists of recommendations. NO - I am NOT going to check that list. I don't need any more books to read at the moment ...

If you're not familiar with this app on your smartphone, you should be. It allows a group to stay connected with each other. I now have two groups - one for my Monday sewing and we get to see what each other is working on. Not everyone is on the app - that's their loss because it's a lot of fun. The second is our virtual retreat group. I can't wait for the virtual retreat to start! I need to finish getting prepped. I have a week!

And NOW I have a third group. Our little family! When ...

What do you do when you can't sleep? Head to the gym of course. The darn thing opens at 4 AM and while I wasn't there at 4, I was there earlier than usual. I'm feeling great these days and my energy level seems to be way up there. Of course at the end of the day when I'm done - I'm done!

I don't have time today to show you what I did yesterday, but it was a pretty productive day as well. It's funny how our brains work. I remember years ago ...

NO -- I did not do an hour of tidy up in the office. I looked for a couple of things which I did find but that didn't really constitute tidying up. I swear I'll get it done this week. I did a few computer clean-ups but nothing that you can visually see. I'm only failing myself - I get that. I'll just try to do better. But I don't feel bad about it at all! And I'm further along in my book than I was in the morning!

It's also time to evaluate the ...

Thank goodness, I'm not a rigid planner. I have loads to do and as much as I'd like to get loads done in a day - it doesn't always work out that way and for a variety of reasons. I've loads sitting on the work tables in Studio B and nothing is holding me back other than time.

But I had a dentist appointment yesterday. I walked down - it's a fifteen-minute walk. And even in the snow, it was an awesome way to start the day. So when both the dentist and the hygienist asked me ...