Wow, how many distractions can one day bring?

I had a plan for today, I've got a to do list and everything. I knew it would be a slow start as I needed to go and retrieve my big industrial machine from FB-FX where I was working last week, but I cleverly took some hand sewing with me in case I needed to wait for someone to help me. I did wait and I did get quite a bit of sewing done, yay for me. Hauling the machine back to my storage unit gave me a chance to chat to my boss at FB-FX which was nice, I like the chance to get to know the people I work for. It is also interesting to have the chance to pick the brains of someone else who has not only set up their own business, but quite a strange business. The machine mission went well and I picked up not only my payment but contact details of several other peoople there, so far pretty good.

Home for lunch, and sending out lots of emails. I don't think I will ever get used to the amount of communication a business requires. I never understood why it takes people time to reply to email, I do now. It only takes a second for one, but when you need to send 10+ it really adds up and you have to start actually scheduling it. Still I cleared most of my backlog and called DHL to arrange the correct pre-alert for my MQS quilts. I have to email two separate people every time to make sure I don't get customs charges on my temporary exports. Still at least I know and I remembered to do it.

While I had been networking earlier in the day I had noticed I was out of business cards with me. The box at home turned out to be almost empty too, so back to the storage unit again. It isn't the closest or the cheapest unit but they are so good to deal with. They remember me and are friendly, it's worth a lot. So as I was buying yet more boxes (I am going to have to make a custom box for the rolled quilts going to MQS) I thought I would give him a couple of my pencils, which I collected at the same time as the card. He was pleased but said a gift deserves a gift and gave me two pens in exchange. See why I like them, real people.

Then back home for the world to go crazy. I just wanted to choose my new quilting threads, not too much to ask is it? The gas meter reader appeared, which requires me to clear my under stairs cupboard. Then the phone rang, before I could deal with that the door went again, my next set of Makower fabrics, I almost got the door shut before the phone went. Boy this is not the way to have a productive day. Still somehow it worked. The two phone calls meant I needed to go an check on a friend and I would have company to do it. The friend has managed to trip and do something nasty to his back so couldn't get to his phone or his computer and had been unable to contact anyone for over a week. So after checking he was OK, taking the mickey out of him and then buying him dinner I have finally made it back to my desk. I think I will leave quilting until tomorrow.

On the subject of quilting threads, I have been using a lot of Madeira Tanne 50 when I want matching thread for things like my nudes. They work beautifully, and I love the colours, but they only seem to come on small cops, about 1100m. I am dangerously close to running out of the dark blue I am using on the background of 'Nude with Rope'. I am pleased to find I can still get the threads though in this country at a reasonable price. However I have wholesale accounts for buying my business thread (which this is) and they don't offer this particular thread. If I swapped to using Superior Masterpiece it would work out a lot cheaper and I would have it in big cones, so less risk of running out, but I would need to buy the whole range of colours again. So to the question, do any of you use a 50 weight cotton thread for your quilting, in a large range of colours? If so which ones and where do you get it? Does anyone know if Madeira have a web site? I can't find one. I will check the next magazine that comes in as I am sure they advertise in all the American ones. I am so torn between sticking with the Tanne or moving over to the Masterpiece entirely. I do like Masterpiece very much and I often use it in my quilting now. I just don't keep the huge range of colours I need for the more arty work. I suppose having the big cones in lots of colours would make finding the perfect bobbin thread for customer quilts a lot easier too. Oh this is too complicated to decide at this time of night. I'll think about it tomorrow.