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.