Leave the Umbrellas at Home For Now

At least it appears that we're high and dry...BUT.....I wasn't home all day, so I don't know when the hubs showered. Last weekend it didn't leak until the second consecutive shower and the water had had a chance to saturate the pressboard subfloor. He just headed out to DC to play softball, so today's waterboarding will have to wait until lunchtime when he returns.

Yesterday I spent the day at the quilt shop in Bernina Guide classes. Not quite as comprehensive as I thought they would be, and there's a separate class in a couple weeks for the BSR, so I have to go back. But I did learn to use a #5, #10 and #3 foot. Those automatic buttonholes are AMAZING! I told the instructor that I was going to hire myself out as a buttonholer.

One of the most important things I learned was that there is a specific way to remove thread from the machine when changing threads....

If removing the top spool, cut your thread and pull the remaining thread out through the needle.
If removing the bobbin, cut your thread and pull the remaining thread out through the top of the bobbin case.

By grasping your thread spool or bobbin and just pulling it through the machine/bobbin case in a reverse threading fashion you risk linting up your top tension disks and damaging your bobbin tension.

While I made a conscious effort to unthread the top of the machine properly, I just couldn't remember to take the bobbins out properly. Must continue to work on that. As we all know, old habits die hard.

The embroidery guide class was rather quick, I was the only student after about 30 minutes, when the other lady in class had a question answered and left, and I had the new ArtDesign software that the instructor wasn't all that familiar with. We did ascertain that my machine was working, and I did embroider a design:

I think I can at least get a start on this embroidery thing, but I'm going to need a lot of playing around to actually become a designer and manipulate those designs in more ways than adding type to them and changing colors, size. Maybe I'll embroider something for real later today. Which reminds me of the instructor's words of wisdom that I'll share with you...

There are embroiderers who do sewouts, and then there are those who wish they did.

Superhubs did 99.8% of the Thanksgiving grocery shopping yesterday. Also, the resulting de-bagging and putting away. Ran and emptied the dishwasher, brought his sweaters up from the basement, moved the clothes to the dryer.....his comment was "somebody had to do some work yesterday". As I came downstairs this morning he steered me into the office where he had ordered a Christmas gift for DD's boyfriend (and one for himself) and all I had to do was approve and click 'checkout'. Now, if only I could figure out how to convince him that ironing is some kind of Zen training for softball.....

Well, I'm off to be productive. Need to get a tree or two done today and a start on the necessary cleaning needed by Thursday, and I need to unpack all my sewing stuff and work on those quilt tops. But first, I hear trouble brewing in the living room....sounds like Bailey's finished his giant rawhide chewy and has started his usual con number on Paco to get his tiny one. Off to referree.