Monsters, Inc.

Happy Halloween...if you're one of those people who get into it. We used to. We don't anymore simply because we live out here in the boonies and we get zero trick-or-treat traffic. So, what's the point?

Had to call Gall Sewing yesterday morning as I started out long arming. I changed DW's needle and he started being naughty. Jason suggested a few things, but it didn't work. I changed a few things (tightened the tension and moved the needle position back to about 6:29) and he started working just fine. And then the customers starting showing up. In droves. 

I thought picking up completed quilts was all that was happening but five new tops came to join me here by noon. Mom and I had to get pizza in the afternoon so only evening quilting was accomplished, which was minimal. 

Today is the MSU/UofM football game (despite the Covid crap) and I hope to get more done on The Monster during all of that since I was only able to get row two completed before I got too tired (there are eight rows total BTW). 

I did get another River Rock month done last night after long arming.

River Rock Blocks

These are going together easily, yet labor intensive enough. They are pretty, even though this isn't my color palette. Mom and are on the total opposite end of the value spectrum. I like brights and stark contrast. Mom likes these...muted earthy tones done with batiks. 

Nearly Halloween and I have a Monster

This is the monster...

Tina's Monster

This top measure 110 1/2" square. And I'm quilting custom throughout. 

Mostly ruler work with some free motion thrown in the larger negative spaces. The black border and the black running through the middle are getting feathers with channels running on both sides of the inside black sections. And I'm fairly certain it's going to take a full week to get this one done. Unless I have minimal interruptions, then maybe only five days. Let's see how I do.

 

Yesterday...Seemed So Far Away...

I love that song. But yesterday was a long time ago it seems. Did a lot in and out of the studio.  

But since this is a blog about quilting and golden doodles, I'll stick to that. 

Two of Four

These are Pat P.'s adorable table runners. These weren't completed until late yesterday afternoon since the morning was pretty well shot playing with the neighbor. 

The early evening was spent working on moms River Rock blocks and loading a new 110" square top for Tina at Bittersweet Quilt Shop. Tina's mom usually does her quilting, but mom has a bad shoulder and Tina wants custom into the piece she gave me to do. The backing was very wrinkled so while I would spray, advance, spray, advance, I was cutting out the pieces for the second set of blocks on River Rock.

The evening found me doing something very cathartic and something I've learned, but have completely forgotten how to do. Knit.

I started this about a week ago, so I'm not very far into it. I'm just doing a knit stitch for now and will introduce more stitches as more scarves come into the picture. I love scarves and living within a state that is cold half the year lends itself to having selections.

My evening activity

And, while playing on the iPad is fun, it's not productive. And quite honestly, I'm bored with most of my games and have no desire to look/start any new ones. My time here on earth is limited and I've decided to make the best of it. Why not get a bucket list item learned/tried? Finding something you enjoy more than beating level 10,000 is a bonus!  

Winter's Knocking

I'm one of those weird people that can't wait for winter. I don't do any wintery type of sports or activities, but can certainly appreciate the beauty of a new fallen snow; and no bugs. 

Hazel likes the winter as well and seems to be waiting patiently for its arrival.

Waiting for winter. And relaxing with mom in the morning.

With winter comes the freedom to work inside without something outside hollering at you to work on it: The yard, the flowers, the garden. And, with the trip downstate on Monday, picked up even more projects to work on during those long winter days.

Bunny's Wooly Arbor Day Trees

Meanwhile, another customer top came in yesterday, another was completed on the frame since DW is being super good after his spa day, and I've started a new project for my mom for Christmas. It's a block of the month called River Rock and holy cow, the pattern writer made it way more complicated than needed.

Today, DW and I are tackling four table runners all at the same time for another customer. This could be interesting.

Down and Back

My long arm, DW, goes downstate every year for a spa day. Yesterday was that day. The dealership where he was purchased (thanks a million Gall Sewing and Vac) will slot me in for the day so two four-hour trips aren't necessary. 

Mom and I found plenty to do while the long arm was being tuned up. We are from Lansing after all and know where to go and how to get there. 

I did warn mom shop hopping was in my plans and if she didn't want to tag along I would understand. She was a trooper and never complained about my lingering and gabbing with long time friends.

After Gall Sewing, we headed to Country Stitches. After lunch we went down to Charlotte to The Hen House. Purchases were made from all of three; we have to keep these people in business or it'll come down to just few choices rather than the plethora of choices we have now. The virus thing isn't helping so I think our contributions are key. 

Today I'll take DW for a test drive on something small and get him ready for the six or so customer tops sitting here waiting patiently. 

Weather Permitting

What a great couple of quilting days. The quilt finished two days ago should have taken about four to six hours. It took 11. But that's okay, I had fun working on it. 

Yesterday's quilt shouldn't have taken nine hours, but it did, and it turned out just beautiful.

Carla's Sample Christmas Tree

I started rummaging through all my scrap buckets and realized they are getting pretty full. I think I need to maybe do something about it. I'll be thinking through this situation while I'm loading the next quilt up in the queue. 

Which may be one of my quilts since the next few days look sketchy for time. DW will have to be torn apart on Sunday night to load the long arm for travel Monday morning for his spa day. That only leaves a partial day today (the afternoon is shot running errands) and tomorrow only. Hmmm???

Hard To Get Motivated

When the weather is cold. Gloomy. Rainy. Windy. The body just wants to lay around and read and eat Jelly Belly's.  I had to really power through yesterday to get over this autumn hurdle. Once I power through for a few days, my body seems to adjust and we're off and running again. 

Today will prove to be day two since the weather is a duplicate of yesterday.

Ghost stitching and piano keys

Linda's Heart Quilt

This was worked on yesterday. And, despite my lack luster motivation, was completed last night. 

This is on the machine today.

Linda's Sunshine top

This is the third "kind" of these I've done in the past, oh, two months. The panels have all been the same, but each top has come in with different exterior portions outside of the panel. Which makes it kinda the same, but kinda different.

While checking e-mails this morning, AQS put out a blog on a lady who did a really cool spider web table topper and offered the pattern up free. I checked into it and it doesn't look too awfully daunting. I may end up starting that after my work day wraps up in here. We'll see how I feel about it as the day progresses. 

Nova Star. Check.

Here it is. Fully completed and already put onto the pile of completed quilts upstairs. Some day, my poor kids are going to have fun sorting through all the quilts I've made.

Nova Star

Each of these blocks were quilted individually. There are two to three repeats of each 17 scenarios I worked up on my iPad. 

How I chose to quilt 2-3 of the blocks

This is a little app I down loaded called Sketches. I have paid for the premium version ($5.99), but the lite (free) version works pretty well also. 

This did two things for me: It gave me a reference to look at when I moved from one section of the block to another, and, it saved me from having to think about 'what am I going to put into this block that's different from the previous block' during the time it/I was on the frame. 

It also gave me the opportunity to change the quilting as I went along without having to rip out any stitches. I had decided, early on, the center star points weren't to be quilted, at all, in any of the blocks; unlike what this drawing depicts. The app gave me permission to make that decision after doing only a few of the blocks on the frame by showing me there was already enough thread going into this block. 

Much of my quilting time used to be spent thinking about 'What Next'? Now I  grab a pic of the customers quilt the night before I'm going to quilt it. Or, at least as much as I can grab (some of them are obviously too big) and draw on the iPad what my plan will be for tomorrow. It gives me permission to change and play with their quilts without having to unpick stitches on something that just doesn't look right once the thread goes down. And I DO NOT like unpicking. 

It goes back to the "those who fail to plan" scenario. It took me a while to learn but I'm finally getting to understand how powerful and useful technology can be with this age old craft. 

Lazy Day

Every opportunity posed itself for me to work in the studio yesterday. This is all I actually accomplished.

Here pig, pig, pig

We spent the day together, without neighbors or family, just lounging, eating, and watching movies. Sometimes a battery recharge is needed before gearing up for another busy week. 

I did get my Addresses top together on Saturday. And the Nova Star is completely finished. 

Addresses Top

I don't have a pic of Nova Star. I wanted to grab one this morning, but Jack Frost visited heavily last night and it hasn't burned off yet this morning. And I'd like a nice pic to post on Instagram.

Jim has a dentist appointment down in Howell today and I'm going to tag along with him. There's a quilt shop on the way we've been trying to visit each time he goes down, but the owner was remodeling the place the better part of the last six months. She has a the 60wt. Glide thread I love to use and I am getting low on a few colors. Stocking up for the winter seems like the right thing to do.

RIP Uncle Joe

Yesterday we attended the funeral of Jim's last uncle. Of course, it was downstate, which consumed our whole day. And part of the early evening. 

Once we returned, sewing therapy was needed. It always helps to get fabric and thread together to move through something as sad as a funeral.

The Address blocks are put together

Now I just need to get these into a top. Hopefully sometime today or tomorrow. 

The Nova Star is quilted! It was finished late Thursday night and wow, was my arm tired after working those last 21 blocks. This will need to be bound before Monday since customer quilts are rolling in again. 

Individually quilted by block

I have errands to run this morning but hope to work in here the remainder of the weekend once we return home. 

Happy Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday. We did a little shop hopping to Elm Creek in Farwell and to Keepsake Quilts in Mt. Pleasant. 

A book from Keepsake Quilts

A pattern from Elm Creek

Some background fabric from Elm Creek

And we took a very wonderful color tour in our travels the past two days. This years colors are just breathtaking. But they will be short lived as today is rainy and very windy; which will strip many of our leaves away from their trees.

I did manage to start getting the last borders onto a few Addresses blocks.

The last border sections really make these stand out

Today, with the crappy weather, will be spent mostly in here. Oh Darn (she says sarcastically). There are still some leaves hanging out on the Maples out at the lake and that will make for a nice picture with the gloomy skies as a backdrop when working. 

Nova Star Day #1

I have designed about 17 motifs to work into the individual blocks. Then ruler work into each of the sashing pieces. This is what it's looking like so far.

Nova Star Quilting

There will be duplicate quilting in 13 blocks, which gives me a variety to work from and makes the quilting not as boring. There's nothing worse than having to repeat the quilting over and over and over again. Especially on a larger quilt like this one. 

Once customers were received and long arming was done for the day (1/3 completed), I was able to get the next set of strips onto the Addresses blocks and get them squared up. They are getting too big to have them all fit onto the design wall, so here they are waiting for their next round of strips. 

Addresses blocks waiting for the next step

We had a thunderstorm last night and it brought some high winds and rain with it, but our little Maples are hanging on for another few days. The temps also dropped making the lake steam this morning with the rising sun.

Good morning Smallwood Lake

And the view today will be spectacular as I work in the studio from heaven!

My view today

Four Angles

Here's the completed Dream Big panel done in neutral colors with all four angles photographed. 

The only other thing I've completed over the weekend was purchasing fabric for the Addresses top to get the second borders in on the blocks, and loading the Nova Star top. It was take-advantage-of-the-beautiful-autumn-weather weekend with the neighbors. And...we bought a boat.

Nova Star ready to quilt this week

A what? A boat. A beater, redneck, barely running, pontoon boat. But, with our lake being not a lake right now, we don't want to put a nice boat in the lake because of all the damaging stumps sticking out and hidden just beneath the waters. Jim found a boat for sale on Marketplace, and the three families went together and bought the thing. 

Our new boat "Rows" or "Rose" from Titanic

This was the boys trying to get it loaded on the pontoon trailer to get it home. The seller obviously has a real lake. 

Today I have customers coming and going all day and will be working Nova Star. The kids/grandkids are coming tomorrow evening, and we're having lunch with mom tomorrow afternoon, so I'm not going to have much time in the next few days to long arm. And the weather outside is no longer stellar to complete the perfect machine quilting day. 

Ha Hah!

The phone rang this morning with a new unrecognized number. Hmmm?? Against my better judgement, I answered the thing. Oh, thank goodness, it was my new customer who hadn't been logged into my contacts. Whew.

Because...

I started this on the long arm. Yes, I know. I was doing this on the sit down. But the throat space on the sit down is not stellar and with the two layers of batting, it was creating a lot of drag. I wasn't having fun. 

Now I'm having a riot. It gives me the ability to learn new stitch patterns I didn't want to experiment on with customer quilts, and I'm able to densely quilt this and do some creative work customers don't generally want to pay for. 

These Dream Big panels are so freeing and so not in-the-box. I don't think I could/would ever tire working on them.

And I couldn't ask for a better environment to work in. Look at the view I have today. This will only last a few short weeks, so I work in here as much as possible during that time, despite the weather being awfully nice the past few days. 

My autumn studio view

More Dream Big work this morning and then off to the dentist after lunch. The asphalt guys are supposed to be here sometime today to get that pad laid off the back walk/garage area. The customers will appreciate it and I know I certainly will. Tonight I'll continue with my little addresses blocks.

Disrupted

Thank you virus thing for disrupting my day yesterday. Apparently the SOS (Michigan's version of the DMV), is still not open without appointments and apparently appointments are at a premium. We found a kiosk in Mt. Pleasant to actually do our plate/registration renewal at and so found ourselves on a color tour while doing errands. Meaning...no afternoon long arming.

This looks familiar

I did this same type of quilt for Kathy J. earlier this summer, but Reta surrounded her panel differently. So, it's the same, but it's not, which is always a welcoming thing when it comes to creativity and long arming.

More long arming today to finish this piece for Reta and then who knows? I don't want to jinx myself for what may be coming up so I'm not going to mention anything. Wink, wink. 

Autumn at the Lake

We still don't have a "real" lake, but the splendor out the studio windows this morning is breathtaking.

Autumn at the Lake

This weekend wasn't so beautiful. Rainy. Chilly. Windy. A great day to work on the Addresses top. I've started free motion quilting (and when I refer to free motion I mean on my little sit down machine) the actual houses inside the first white squares and then bordered them out with a thin border.

While they look a little rough, the majority of the work will be done on the long arm. This is just to give me a reference set of parameters for the ruler work and filler that will eventually be put into the blocks. 

The first house

What was completed this weekend

I've discovered doing the addresses is the hardest part of the block. I first tried to just quilt them and not do a "jump" between each. Then I tried hand embroidering them. Jim ripped that out for me because it was awful. I suck at hand work. 

Then Jim suggested I just "jump" between each start/stop and the threads could be snipped later. It still takes a lot of time, but it's a much better solution on getting the words written on each block--and it looks pretty decent. 

Long arming Reta's Christmas tree quilt today between rearranging the living room for the new couch that is expected later on is on the agenda. I may be able to get her Sunshine quilt loaded tonight yet since I've got the quilting plan on the tree already going. That's what takes the longest; planning the quilting and not the actual quilting. Well, maybe not, but close. 

New Addresses Project

I've moved. A lot! If you count the three places I lived between the farm and my high school graduation, it's been over 30. But, the three families that took me in while my mom and I were ironing out our personal situation are going to be put into one block.

Yep, I've started a new project. Something commemorating my various homes and the places I've lived. Thank you Paulette for the project idea. The first step was sitting down and writing/finding/remembering everywhere I've lived. That took a whole day while DW was stitching out rows on Mary Anne's quilt. 

Then I needed to draft a few simple house drawings. I made six. None bigger than about 9". Now to find fabric in the stash. After locating four or five different light background patterned fabrics it was time to cut.

I cut the light-colored blocks into 10" sizes for now. I also cut very thin batting the same size. 

Transfer of the drafted house drawings on each block happened last night.

If you look close, you can see one of the house drawings in the blocks

The next step is to back stitch each block; like I did each of the Stitchers' Garden blocks. Some will be done diagonally, some vertically, and some gridded, each with its own decorative stitch. That's what I'll be doing today. 

Somebody made a comment to me recently that I generally don't take any pics of myself. So I did a selfie of me in my usual state of work. Donning my headphones and cranking up whatever tunes hit my playlist, while quilting customer quilts. I'm usually the one doing the free motion stuff instead of letting the computer do it and need to drown out the noise DW makes when I'm in my quilting Zen place. 

Jamming while working

 

First, the First

I think I need to do some computer maintenance. It's becoming extraordinarily slow. 

Yesterday was the first of the month. That means, cleaning the machines. All four of them. And that usually takes all morning. 

The new Sugaridoo RxR came out a few days ago, so spent all afternoon making that. Then, back to work. This was loaded and started last night.

Reta's Christmas Tree

Today will bring more customer long arming and working on the new project. I got squares cut last night and the night before, drafted about six house models to work from on each of the squares. Thankfully, I was able to grab a pic of what Paulette did to give me some type of a working model. 

Next week is an appointment-loaded week. Dentists, nails, driveway, new couch, just to name the big ones. Knowing this ahead of time is beneficial in time management when it comes to my very precious and important customers.