Back to work!

In all aspects - it was back to work.   Back to the gym - I had also missed the gym for a few days prior to going to the retreat and I was starting to feel like a slug. Then it rained for a good part of our retreat which was good for sewing, not so good for taking a walk outside.  So yes - I needed to get back to the gym and it felt good! Nothing beats a good work out and then sitting in the steam room.

Then off to Monday Mania group. It was funny as we left the retreat - some of us won't see each other for the next six months until the next retreat and others - it was "see you tomorrow!"  Which was good because then you didn't have tons of questions about the retreat - because some of them were there.  I did more cutting - not that I need to prep any more projects, but this one has been sitting around for a long time waiting to be cut.  Time to get er done!!!!

And I have to say that I was excited to get to work!  I know - that is just wild. And as much as I wanted to sew all day - that didn't happen.  A meeting for a couple of hours in the morning and then e-mail and paperwork in the afternoon and the next thing I knew - the day was gone. And at last the two patterns that I had been editing are now done!  Well almost - there is ONE line on each to be added and then they can be uploaded. Wow - that was a task!

Today however I hope to get some sewing done. Although I do have a lot of action items from the meeting. I also started going through my box of stuff from Market as that has to be done and I need to do some follow up e-mails.

At last back home.  I left the office at 5:30 PM and was home by 6:05 PM - no stress - no stopping and starting - no bumper to bumper.   Oh yes - the 407 costs money, but it is so worth every penny. I think I have at last worked out the most time efficient route that also doesn't cost a crazy amount of money per day. Works for me!

I did manage to get everything unpacked - at least unpacked from the car.  There was tons of stuff hanging out in the car from the summer and I just crammed the retreat stuff on top.  Sadly there was a casuality. This is my favourite umbrella. I've had this umbrella for years - I mean years - I bought it when I lived in Montreal which was over 25 years ago. I loved the wooden handle and the cord so you could sling it over your shoulder instead of carrying it.  I took the bus and subway many times in Montreal and never lost it - obviously!!!

My favourite umbrella

However I don't think it was closed properly and something heavy sat on it and one of the metal pieces broke. But it was getting tired anyway.  It sure doesn't owe me a thing. So sadly it goes in the garbage today.

Broken umbrella

I am NOT a good consumer.  I keep things forever - well I don't just toss things because the color is out of style (it's an umbrella after all) or because I get tired of it. I keep things until they are worn out. OK - not everything. But you know what I mean. Well I hope you do!  But I am still in my pitching and purging mood - just not a lot of time - so have to keep that energy going because once and for all - I want ALL this mess gone away. Except the studio of course - that is sacred territory and NOTHING gets thrown away - yet. Once the house is dealt with - then perhaps I will still have some energy to cope with the sewing stuff.

While I managed to get everything into the house from the car, it sat in the hallway.  However I did also manage to take one bag at a time to the studio and more or less unloaded it and tried to put it away.

The car is emptied - the hallway is full

 Now some of that stuff is NOT from the car - just the stuff to the end of those double doors. The rest is the stuff to be donated which is still siting in the hall.   Now I have THREE bags of stuff to carry back and forth to work until those projects get done!!!!!!

The shear volume of stuff is my biggest problem.  If I could only put everything away and only focus on ONE thing - my head would be clear, my work space would be clear and I could actually get something done - the same way I do when I am at a retreat. The problem is all these deadlines - this needs to be prepped for a class, this needs to be done for a customer!   I am way better than I ever was, but still a long way to go.  I'm working on it.

The good news is that I finished the checkerboard border on this customer quilt.   I love the way it looks. Now I have one more border and then it is ready for quilting.  I am not sure what to put.  I thought an eight pointed star (on point), but the blocks are going to be too small - way too much work and I don't think it will add anything. I am tending towards a piano key border.  Nancy and I discussed it this summer in PEI and we had it all worked out but did I write down that last border idea????   Nope - but I am certain we talked about piano key.  So it is off to EQ7 to reconfigure this quilt to see what I can come up with.

Border done on customer quilt

Ronda - you will be happy to know that I have now surpassed the 100 page mark in my book!!!   However I am certain that I have read this book - but I can't remember how it ends so I will keep reading!

On that note - I am out of here.  Got to get ready for work!

Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ciao!!!!