Sooooo SSSLLLOOOWWW

I worked, off and on yesterday afternoon, on these flying geese units. OMG! They take a long time to make.

Nova Star geese units

It took the better part of the afternoon and early evening to complete just 10 of these. I'll have to chip away at them throughout the week. AND, these aren't the only flying geese units in the blocks. There is another set further into the block so there will be another single 168 units to make after these  double 168 units. Isn't the quilt like just so darn drama filled. LOL!

The new studio set up is working out well so far. We put the iron chord behind the table and put a rug over the chord running across the floor so I won't trip over it...which I'm notorious for doing. I'm going to long arm this morning and we'll see what happens over there and how that worked out in the move. 

A Quick Decision

I had started to clean the studio a bit yesterday morning. And then I cleaned some more. And then I began slightly organizing. I realized, I really, (really) needed to organize way more than I had started. 

After our lunch yesterday, and our traditional Saturday afternoon movie, we started tearing into the studio. It received a thorough scrubbing, dusting, vacuuming, dissecting, purging, organizing, and yes, rearranging! The only thing that didn't get cleaned were the windows themselves (although the sills certainly did). 

My new layout!

Getting Ready for the Camera

The reason all of this was done was twofold: 1) It just needed it. I hadn't spent any time actually getting my elbows dirty in there and it was time. 2) Handi Quilter is coming in about three weeks to film. They would have been appalled at the condition had they looked close enough to all the dust bunnies I was raising in there. 

Funnily enough, I do run the dust buster in here nearly everyday. But those dumb bunnies like to travel and hide in the most ridiculously weird places. And, this is the room where Hazel goes in and out to her pen. She drags in a little bit of stuff too.

I'm excited to be working in here today to see how everything pans out. The only concern we really have is the iron cord running from anywhere in the room now to the middle of it, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

I do actually have a quilt on the frame (which I started in the morning before all of this). Here's Paulettes little whale of a whale top.

Just keep swimming!

So now the long arm faces east instead of north and I'll have a grand view of our "lake" once the trees start to lose their leaves. We continue to try to new layouts every once in a while to make the most of a room that actually needs to be about four feet wider and longer. But I am NOT complaining! I know of quilters who make magnificent tops and quilts in a postage stamp-sized room. I'm thankful for everything I have here and don't take this marvelous space for granted. A HUGE thank you for my man for helping in a project he simply detests to do. Without him, I'd still probably be working on this. 

Happy Saturday

There is a fall-like feel to the air. A few of the trees are starting to shed leaves, and we see color coming in on our mid-yard Maple tree. Autumn is my favorite time of the year. Mostly because I get to start wearing my sweatshirts again and don't have to suck my gut in to hide my middle-aged pooch. 

Quilt-alongs are fun! I started losing a little of my mojo over the summer. Primarily because we were 100 mph with our hair on fire. I think our mini vacation revved my engine back up because I'm sewing and piecing and cutting with a vengeance. (Katie...take a vacation. It helps!). 

My chosen fabrics

This is what will be put into the Nova Star quilt. It's a little more low volume than I normally like to work with, but beautiful nonetheless. And soothing. These colors are very relaxing. 

Here they are all cut and ready to sew.

I don't even know how many pieces are here

Mickey's quilt was completed yesterday morning before we had to do some errands. I failed to snap a pic of it, but it was another one of her Kaffee fabric pieces. 

I'll be loading a quilt top Paulette had Pat and Joanie drop off last week. It's a cute whale and has a lot of real estate for me to quilt into. Should be fun.

Meanwhile, I'll be making HST's after Paulette's quilt is worked for a while. I have another customer coming over to drop off and then who knows where the wind will take us afterwards on this lovely Saturday. 

After a Little Mini Vacation

It's back into the studio I go. I looked forward to getting away for a few days, but it seems after the first day away, I'm already longing to get back into the thread, needles, and designs. 

This was an "emergency" quilt that came in yesterday. The customer called when we were on Mackinaw Island and said she had a wedding this weekend (the call came in on Monday). 

Jill's Chickens

Not only did it need to be quilted, but bound as well. While fighting a near-migraine headache, I was able to complete the quilt and can call the customer this morning to let her know it's completed. 

After we returned on Tuesday evening, Katie sent a text about a quilt-along. Sometimes these quilt-alongs get rather tedious and supply lacking on my part, so I choose to pass. This one, however, looks pretty cool. It's called the Nova Star. Here is my first test block after working through the pattern Tuesday night and yesterday morning (while waiting for said quilt top above to arrive).

Nova Star Test Block

I plan on doing this with a fat quarter bundle I have in my stash and will only need to add about 14 more to round it out. Shopping at Pieces tomorrow will definitely be on my radar. 

My new friends from the Quirky Quilters Quilt Guild in Oscoda recommended we take the time to visit Paradise, Michigan to a quilt shop up there. We were supposed to take a road trip up earlier this month (the guild members and me), but life got in the way of our plans. 

Jim and I did visit there, but purchased nothing. However, the shop in Sault Ste. Marie (owner Chris) and Indian River (owner Barbara) were worth the trip entirely. Planning on going back to both of them in the future! Purchased some backs and a new chunk of fabric for the pressing table, which we promptly put on yesterday. 

Have another customer quilt to load this morning and another waiting to get on the frame today. I may start pulling more fabrics from my stash (or trying to anyway) for the Quilt-Along after working on Mickey's quilt today.  

 

Jinx I Did

RIGHT AFTER! Right after I posted an update on the blog earlier this week, I received a call from a new customer. And then a regular customer. And then a text from another regular and I now have nine tops to work on. And I think there's another coming today. 

Jim is off for a bit with a torn muscle in his right shoulder. We had to run around yesterday and get screenings done (required when getting hurt on the job), and did some other errands. Mom happened to be over and she tagged along in our travels. 

Today I have to start the new customers tops and get something done before we leave for a mini vacation we're taking across the U.P. of Michigan. Jim has never seen the Soo Locks and neither of us have seen Tequanamen Falls or Pictured Rocks along Lake Superiors' southern shore. There is a quilt shop up there in little town called Paradise that I'm told by the Oscoda girls is a great place to do some quilt shopping. That's on our list. And then there's always a day at Mackinac Island. But first, a visit to Jim's mom in Traverse City.

Here's what I'll be working on today.

Patricia's Wall Hangings

This one was already brought in and picked up from earlier on this week. 

Linda's Grandson's Hockey Quilt

And this one is being picked up today.

Pat calls this the "Quilt from Hell"

It was only ditch quilted, but still took two days to complete as it was kind of a large piece to work on.

Another (Nearly) Week

 Yep, it seems like the weekly thing in the summer is what the blog posts run. 

Getting Ready for a Quilt-Along

This is a nine patch I'm making for a quilt-along with Natalia Bonner beginning in September. A panel could have been purchased instead of having to make the actual quilt top, but I'm a rebel and am choosing to make my own top. Not to mention, the panel is VERY expensive. And, I'm making it bigger; more usable!

Hey! This is actually one of mine!

The Angela Walters Build-A-Quilt from 2018-19 is now complete. Two years? That's not bad, right?

Small Project Sunday

A cover for Lilo was needed and Pieces of Thyme had just the project when I shopped on Saturday. Isn't this just one of the cutest machine covers?  

On to customer quilts. 

Linda's Hockey Quilt for her 7-Year old grandson. 

Pat's Charm Square Nightmare (her words, not mine). :-)

Pat's will be completed today. I have another few on their way, but until they show, maybe (just maybe), I'll get to throw another one of mine onto the frame. HA! As soon as I utter the words, I'll jinx myself. 

Haven't posted Hazels cute face in a while. She says, "Good morning everybody." 

Still kinda sleepy this morning

Apparently...

 ...I should only blog once a week during the summer. Nice weather does it.

Here is what has been happening around the studio.

Paulettes top for photo op

I had to snap a pic of her whole quilt to get an idea of what was going to be put into it. After loading it though, I changed my mind...imagine that? Her quilt was completed yesterday. 

After Paulette's was completed, this top was loaded. It's the Angela Walter Build a Quilt from 2018-19.

Some of the quilting detail being put in

Chipping away at this top

After a day on the long arm, it's nice to be able to sit down and just work on some piecing. This top has been in the works now for a good month. And there's still a lot to do with it yet. Primarily the borders.  

Nice Days, Less Quilting

I did do some quilting yesterday, but it was minimal. 

Emily's Yellow Brick Road

This is receiving an edge-to-edge wandering flower motif, as well as binding once the quilting is completed. 

Today is another beautiful weather day; not too hot, not rainy, not too cold. I spent a better part of yesterday afternoon and evening working outside in the flower beds and rock garden. I don't know if I'll repeat that again today. I'm kinda sore and need to work in here today. 

It Has NOT Been A Week!

My last post WAS indeed a week ago. I have been quilting. Honest. I have. 

Ummm...problem?

I can see from the first couple of passes we are going to have some issues

T-Shirt quilts are different beast altogether. This particular one did not have stabilizer on the back of either the t-shirts nor the border. But it's finished and being delivered downstate today. Hopefully she'll understand the four tucks and the finagling I had to do with it. 

A Cute Little Double Wedding Ring Wallhanging

This is actually one of mine. I haven't a clue what exactly I'm going to do with it, but I was waiting for a specialty thread to arrive for one quilt, my new iPad to arrive for another (I'm going to customize the top instead of quilting the individual blocks and need my iPad to sketch my plan before starting to mark the quilt top itself), and so found the time to slip this little cutie in between those. 

The one below came in yesterday and because I'm still waiting for the iPad, and, of course, the specialty thread came in yesterday after this one was loaded, will quickly do this for Emily before loading Cathy's specialty thread piece. The iPad won't be here until Thursday.

Emily's Yellow Brick Road which will get a wandering flower motif throughout

We have to head downstate later today for another one of Jims dentist appointments. So quilting much today isn't going to happen, but I can get a little started before we actually have to leave.