Saturday we ran a few errands and then went to pick apples. Our "local" orchard is over an hour away. Coming from Michigan, where orchards are abundant, it's really difficult to find anything similar here in south central Indiana. So once a year we drive and pick apples.
After we finished at the orchard, we drove another hour to the north side of Indianapolis so that I could buy an external bobbin winder. The cost was hard to swallow, but I tried quilting with bobbins wound on it yesterday, and wow! What a huge difference. Testing with the Towa gauge was very even. A quilt that I would normally have planned using 4-6 bobbins on only took a little more than two. Just wow.
Here is the winder I bought. In case you wondered, I chose this one simply because I didn't have to pay shipping and could get it right away. Well, other than the lengthy drive to get it. Plus, I could double-check that my bobbins actually worked with it prior to purchase. We did run into a bit of an issue during assembly--the screws very easily stripped out the threads, so my husband changed out the screws and added some nuts since the threads were trashed. That was a pain, but otherwise things went well.
So. I have been busy working on projects and have completed some of them. But I cannot yet share.
Here are a few sneak peeks.
I'm working on a binding tutorial and that should be available next week. I'll try to set it up as a download as well as a post.
I did manage to get the applesauce made.
Meanwhile, I am trying to teach my son beginning algebra. He's picking it up quickly, but it's hard to find time right now to fit it in. The other morning he announced that I should quiz him on the two letter state abbreviations. I asked him if they were studying that in school. His reply was, "No. It just seems like fun." I find it weird that they haven't studied states and capitals. Apparently that, like cursive, has gone by the wayside. :(
I still need to do a lot of work on finally finishing off my quilting service website. My father in law is coming down this weekend to bring our Murphy bed frame. We are not even close to being ready. And it's FLL season and our team is not yet prepared for competition, which is about six weeks out. I know it will all get done, maybe not perfectly, but at least finished. It can still be overwhelming and stressful until that point though.
Oh, I finally finished the John Urschel book. It was really interesting and made me feel unintelligent at times. But that's okay. I learned a lot and also ruminated on how much math I've forgotten. I was never anywhere near Urschel's level, but I sure was a lot better in my 20s than I am now. If you don't use it, you lose it, for sure.
I am currently reading this classic. It's hard to adjust to the older writing style. I got about 1/3 of the way through during fencing practice the other night. Do you know the differences between mean, median, and mode and how they affect reporting?
And I just finished this one that my friend lent me. So many interesting ideas. We could do so much more.
I really enjoy reading. I usually read several books a week, along with a few newspapers a day and some magazines. Most of the time I prefer light-hearted romances or mysteries that I can get for free on my Kindle. Things that I can read for enjoyment that I don't have to think hard about. Sometimes I switch it up and read more serious things. :) What do you like to read?
We're heading into gift season. Do you need something quilted? Head over to my sister website, Quilting by Anne-Marie, for convenient online ordering. I take quilts in person and via mail. Sign up for my newsletter for special savings. Facebook your thing? I'll be honest, it's not really mine, but I do have a Quilting by Anne-Marie page there. It even has photos. Stop by and like my page. Love Instagram? Follow me @just_anne_marie. It's a mishmash of both my blog and my business.
As always, thanks for reading.
