Monday, October 11, 2021

We should have been enjoying the day and the dinner with Elizabeth and family but that didn’t work out so well for us. Instead we had a nice chat and we’ll be eating our turkey dinners in separate provinces. Fingers crossed for Christmas.

I got my baking done this morning – a “regular” pumpkin pie and a Fireball Whiskey Pumpkin Pie. I already know which one I’m having.

While things baked and cooled and baked again I’ve been working on my new daily cross stitch-along. I don’t have the first clue finished yet but it is quite easy going – mainly grid lines. I might get enough grids done that I can try one of the small blocks.

I’m planning on adding a cross stitching day to my calendar. I’ve got two new patterns coming to me as well as a few others that I’ve got kitted up and ready to go. Quilting can still happen on the other six days of the week.

Sunday, October 10, 2021

It’s been a long time since we celebrated Thanksgiving on Monday rather than Sunday but that’s what we are doing this year. Pat has very few and very short breaks in his workshop; he barely has time to eat let alone appreciate a turkey dinner.

I started my quilting last night and finished it up just now. It was a fairly small quilt and a very simple quilting design so I shouldn’t be surprised that it is done but I’m always thrilled when something is a quick finish. I have another quilt lined up for quilting. I’ll get it done and then do the binding for both quilts at the same time.

I may have stopped downloading quilt patterns just because I like them because I know there is no chance they will ever get done. I wish I could say the same about cross stitch projects. I signed up for another stitch-along. I’m keeping up to date so well with my weekly Peppermint Purple that I’ve started a daily stitch-along. I’m already ten days behind but, except for the first day, each day is stitched within a 15×15 grid and a lot of it is blank space so I should be able to keep up. I’d been looking at the progress online and couldn’t resist any longer. I have the fabric and threads kitted up and I can’t wait to get started.

I feel like I should finish outlining my quilt block cross stitch squares before starting something new so I’m off to get that done now – there aren’t many left. I have all evening (while Pat is busy with his workshop) so I may get a start on the new stitchery and/or finish my book.

Saturday, October 9, 2021

It feels like I’m having a lazy day but I’ve actually accomplished a lot – it must be because I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve been doing.

I was out early to get groceries and home before the wind and rain hit. I had a bit of a problem at the grocery store but it was “user-error” and I figured it out before embarrassing myself too much. A few months ago I stopped to get gas; when I prepaid at the pump the number pad wouldn’t accept my pin number, although I was certain I had entered it correctly. When I went to the bank to sort it out they told me that others had had problems at that particular gas station too. I changed my pin and I have been using it ever since with no problem.

When I went to pay for my groceries I put my card into the machine, entered my pin but it wasn’t accepted. I tried again but still no luck; I got a warning that I only had one more chance to get it right. The clerk suggested we cancel the transaction; she would suspend the order and I could take a minute to remember what my number was. I knew what my number was supposed to be but was afraid to try again and be locked out. I decided to pay for the groceries with my debit card and that’s when I realized what I had done wrong. I used my credit card pin with my debit card – and that isn’t ever going to work!

When the groceries were put away I decided that I’d start cutting fabric. My thought was that cutting a bit every day would be easier on my wrists and, eventually, my cutting table would be cleared again. I have a 3-Yard quilt packaged up and ready to go.

I wanted to get at some quilting today but decided my quilting machine should be cleaned and oiled before I started. And while I had everything out I thought I should do my piecing machine as well. Had you asked me I’d have said my quilting machine had seen the most use; that may be true but it was the piecing machine that needed cleaning the most. I was ready to vacuum the floors but since Pat is online with this workshop I didn’t want to be making too much noise.

By the time he took a break and I was able to get the vacuuming finished I had run out of steam. I poured myself a cup of coffee and did some reading. I’ve since come upstairs and I’m working on my Peppermint Purple project. I’ll continue with that until it is done or until it is time for me to get supper ready.

Pat’s workshop goes on for most of the evening so I might just find the energy to get started on my quilting.

Friday, October 8, 2021

The meeting last night went well; it was so nice to see everyone. We were all masked but I wasn’t happy with the distancing. I was at the membership table so only near to one person and we were at opposite ends of the table. I understand that someone else is taking over the 50-50 next month and the membership rush is pretty much done; at the next meeting I’ll be certain to spread out from everyone else. The big news, although I already knew it, was the move. Several of the ladies had already sorted out cupboards into what we were taking and what we had to get rid of. We were asked to see if there was anything on the “free” table that we wanted and that there were bundles of donated fabric for Community Quilts that we could take. I had donated our Tassimo coffee maker to the Guild when we stopped using it and I said I would take it back.

I came home without the coffee pot but with a bundle of fabrics – like I need more to do. Our first sewing weekend together will be for Community Quilts so I’ll get some cutting done and have something to work on. I have five CQ ready for sandwiching so I’ll take them along and have someone do that for me.

This morning, when I was making our coffee, I realized I had come home without the Tassimo. I contacted a couple of people who I thought might have keys and met Kathleen at the Church late in the morning. I brought the coffee maker home, along with two more fabric bundles. I am definitely crazy.

By the time I finished visiting with Kathleen, dropped a bag at the thrift shop and did a bottle return the morning was pretty much gone. And my clean cutting table from yesterday was again covered in fabric. I managed to sort out the bundles so they will work with my 3-Yard quilt patterns – for one of them I added some of my own fabrics.

It was such a nice day that I wanted to get outside to sandwich the two quilts I have ready. I was low on basting spray but I managed to get one of them sandwiched before running out; I pinned it a little more than I usually would but I’ll work on it right away so I’m pretty sure it will hold together.

Pat is involved in an online workshop tomorrow and Sunday; the instructors for the workshop are putting on a concert tonight so we’ll be watching.