A Happy Ending

I am ending 2019 on a positive note.  I had another go at getting my Gracie long arm working again and, yahoo, it is fixed.  I have only done a test piece but it seems to be humming along quite nicely.  So, although it is really embarrassing, I will tell you what may have been the cause.  I did recheck timing, the pressure foot level, threading, and gave everything a good cleaning and one of those things may have helped.  However, when I checked the bobbin spring, I noticed it was not centered.  I corrected that and it is now working.  So, never overlook the minor things.  The first time I had a bad problem was when I missed the thread hole above the needle.  These  are the kind of things that are so easy to overlook.  It is rather like those word quizzes when all the vowels are removed from a sentence but you hardly notice the difference when reading it.
Tomorrow we are going to a neighbour friends for New Year's dinner.  I have made some peanut butter banana chocolate balls to take.  The one lady is gluten free as I am and her mother and my husband are both lactate sensitive so these will be good for both.
Many people have requested the UFO list document that I made and I hope you will all find it helpful and help you get started on a year of organization and accomplishment.  Any further requests, will have to be sent to my email address and I will send the doc. to you.
arkangelcreations@gmail.com.

I will be putting together another file a bit later so keep reading.  This one will help you list your goals for the year.  I am listing the ideas/projects I have for Christmas as well as the fall fair on mine.
Happy New Year to you and your family from my husband and I.  Thank you for your support and encouragement.
Blessings,

Slipping and Sliding

Our local quilt group, Burk's Falls Village Quilter's cancelled our meeting today because of the weather.  We had freezing rain and heavy winds so definitely not a day to go out if you didn't have to.  I got some more sorting done in the quilt room.  I have two drawers in my cutting table cabinet that were crammed full.  One contained fabric for dressmaking.  I put that in the tote that contains some clothing that needs finishing or altering.  The other drawer was for items that were for gift giving or to sell at craft sales.  I took everything out, sorted and divided things into piles of saleable, needs work and donate.  Saleable went back into the drawer, needs work went in the fabric drawer which also contains craft supplies.  Give away's are slated for a donation shop and the library.
And that is pretty much the last of what I have to do.  I could continue on with patterns and the stuff in the cabinet that is used for ironing but I won't-well, maybe the latter.  Tomorrow, I want to have another go at fixing the long arm and if I still don't have any luck, I will start on some of the UFO kits.  If I can, I will get started on the tops.
I have had quite a response to the free UFO List document I made.  It is available to anyone and is great for listing all the projects that need finishing.  You can send me an email:  arkangelcreations@gmail.com and I will forward or click on the link below:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kOQLWKYES5klb17AJWgxJG8ydAswAfdA

Let me know what you think.  Does it work for you?
Blessings,

Getting Organized.

A new year is typically when we look at setting goals.  As quilters, those goals usually are focused on finishing projects, organizing or learning.  A quilt planner can help with some of those plans but I find that they are often more detailed than I want.
I have made a simple page that will allow you to list your UFO's and the date you finished them.  If you do want something more complicated, you can take a look at:  www.patchworkposse.com.  They have a number of free download pages.  You will be taken to a page where you order but if you put in the discount word you will get them free.  The word is on the page but if you don't see it right away, it is sampleset.  You can download and then chose which ones you want to print.


https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kOQLWKYES5klb17AJWgxJG8ydAswAfdA

If you have trouble with the link let me know and I will send the file to your directly.

I am just about ready to start quilting after the Christmas season but first I am going to list all my UFO's.  I have a number of tops that need finishing as well as some kits I put together.  I find it is easy to forget what you have so I think seeing them on a list will help get them finished.
I think it is fitting at 2020 is the year I am trying to see what I have got and what I need to do.
Blessings

Christmas and Eating

I am at the 'try not to be overwhelmed' stage of pre-Christmas.  I still have not been able to get my long arm working properly so will be doing my customer quilt on the domestic machine.  I pinned the layers at quilt group today after volunteering one of the ladies to help.  It is crib size so it shouldn't take to long to finish-longer than on Gracie but certainly quicker than by hand.
We had our Christmas dinner at quilt group and it was a lovely time with 14 out of our 15 members attending.  The other lady is dealing with some serious health issues so she was very much on our thoughts.  One more get together before the big day and that is with three friends will have lunch and exchange some silly gifts and then on Sunday it is the church lunch and gift exchange.  Sure is a lot of eating at Christmas.

 Artic Wolf at Toronto Zoo

                 Grandchildren Striking a Pose.

Blessings

Grandchildren.

We had a lovely few days visiting with our grandchildren and their parents in Toronto.  I hate leaving home so it was hard to focus on the purpose of the trip rather the knowledge I was leaving home.  It is difficult saying good-bye to our dog as well as I insist on believing she has the same feelings as a human.  We are fortunate that we have a neighbour who was staying at the house to look after her and the chickens so I really did know that Heidi was in good hands.
We found the address for our hotel easily but couldn't see the building itself.  We drove around and around the block and finally stopped and phoned them.  We were in the correct place but the hotel name was high up on the building rather than at street level.  Frustrating.  However, our room was clean and comfortable so all was okay. And the kids were waiting for us.
During our stay, we went to the CN Tower, Ripley's Believe It or Not Aquarium and the Zoo as well as Kensington Market.  We walked and walked and walked.  According to my watch, I did an average of 9,000 steps a day.
Of course, being with the children was our main focus and we did spend a good bit of time in our room doing crafts and talking.
I took a ton of photos with my phone but don't have them loaded yet.  Will share them when I do.
The children's flight to the Bahamas left at 4 in the morning so we didn't see them Tues. morning.  All our good-byes had to be said the night before.  We left Toronto at 9.30 and got home 4 hours later.  We were tired, glad to be home and sad to know we wouldn't be seeing the children for another year.
Trying to get into routine and count our blessings for the few days we did have,
Blessings,

Three More Sleeps

I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed today.  There isn't a lot of things to do before we leave for our mini holiday but just enough that my mind keeps running over it.  I have decided to leave the decorating until I get and not worry about getting the sewing machine working either.  My mind is more focused on dear friends who are having a rough time with ill health and other concerns right now.
I did finally get the guest room cleaned up.  Oh, the stuff that had been tossed in there....I now have a new quilt on the bed and all is ready for any guest that might wander by.  I made some chocolate drop cookies to take with us for the grandchildren and want to make something for myself.  The hotel breakfast does not extend to gluten free so I will take my own stuff.  I always take a large bottle of water when I travel as non well water upsets my stomach.  Our tablets will be going so we can keep in touch with everyone and at least one book.  We will have time after the evening meal to relax and unwind.  Our grandparental aging bodies will have to have time to recover each day after walking  everywhere (which I really enjoy).
Tomorrow have a bit of shopping to do to make sure our house and critter sitter has lots to eat.  A few snacks may make there way into the luggage as well.
Three more sleeps.
Blessings,

Pugged Out

Thank you Farm Quilter for your suggestion regarding my machine problems.  I got in touch with the company today and they agree that I probably didn't adjust the timing correctly.  However, I am also going to do your suggestion of cleaning the encoder wheel(s) with rubbing alcohol as it is a good idea.

I imagine most people would guess that when a quilter goes to a quilt group that they quilt.  While that might be true generally, there are other times when it isn't.  I have mentioned our local group, The Burk's Falls Village Quilters previously and what a genuinely fun and caring group they are.  Last week something happened that emphasised that belief.  Many of us, in addition to loving fabric, are also very fond of dogs.  One lady in particular has two pugs that she calls her 'girls'.  Because they are such funny and personable dogs, we are always giving her pug related little gifts.  Our small tokens are forever overshadowed, though,  by what one member did last Monday.

When this woman sashayed-literally, into the room in this pug outfit we all broke out in screams of laughter.  What made it even more special is that this crazy lady, who is always coming up with something fun, had been in a very severe traffic accident a number of years ago.  Her recovery was slow with many set backs.  To see her back to her old self was as big a delight as her crazy stunt.

Our quilting group is, indeed, a bit nutty and a lot of fun.  They are also very talented quilters.  Who could ask for more.

Blessings,