Happy Halloween

And it's 66 degrees outside. I remember Halloweens where we were handing out candy in full winter garb. This year it'll be full costumes instead of those obscured by coats, hats, and mittens. 

We don't get trick-or-treaters here. Too off the beaten path I suppose. The next quilt is on Bernie...

Can you see it?

This is a secret quilt. Here's what I can tell you about it: It's next years Shop Hop quilt and the fabrics are pretty nice. It's finishing at a decent twin-sized measurement and I'm quilting this one a little loose so in case others want theirs quilted the same way, I'm not having to put in six days worth of work. I'll be working on this today and probably tomorrow. But I can't show you what I'm doing per the customer/creator of next years pattern.

In the meantime, I'll feed pics of other stuff I'm working on. Here's a small project I completed last night...

A crochet hook pouch

I'm getting back into crocheting now that I've watched a couple of dozen videos getting my head on straight about how to turn and make the rows consistent. I love to crochet. It's a lot better than playing mind-numbing games on my iPad at night. And, there are so many beautiful yarns out there! I made up this pattern based on another pouch I gave away a while ago that Jims aunt made. Turned out pretty nice considering I don't really sew-sew. Ya know?

Something is going on down the road from us a little way and it's very loud. Sounds like they are either dumping gravel or chipping up brush. I can't tell which since it's back in the woods a bit. Or, at least I think it is. 

Another One Done

Elleens quilt is finished. It's still on the frame, but the quilting is complete. 

Rays from the center star

Can you even see the quilting?

I'll off load this morning and then get the next one started while I'm trimming/billing this one. See, this is the benefit of having two long arms. I would be working on DW while frame ironing the back for what's going on Bernie next. I'm spoiled I guess.

I did work on Bee Happy last night, but the next block is a big one and I've still got four circles left to blanket stitch. Circles take forever! Another unseasonably warm day expected today (mid to high 70's), so I'm back in my summer clothes. I thought we were done with all of that for the year!?

Lunch With a Friend

I have a pretty regular customer who came to drop off yesterday. She is also becoming quite a nice friend and she treated me to a wonderful lunch yesterday. What a pleasure to spend some time away from the studio for a few hours with great company. 

She also has a long arm but doesn't find it very enjoyable. So, I reap the benefits. When she arrived she brought me presents...

Look at this!

A pretty nice thread haul, some of which I use everyday. Some of them I've never tried (Wonderfil), and she even included some prewound bobbins for both the long arm and the DSM's. I don't have a lot of friends (I'm not easy to earn trust), but what friends I do have are pretty great!

I'll be working on Elleens quilt most of the day today. I am about a quarter of the way through it but, as I've said before, getting the rhythm and the feel of what needs to get put into it is always the biggest hurdle. Once that's established, things move along rather quickly. 

A Little Pile

After we got home Saturday and then again yesterday morning, I worked on more of the Bee Happy blocks. I'm getting quite a little pile of blocks ready to go into a top. There are still a LOT more to make, but like eating an elephant, it's tackled one block at a time.

Bee Happy blocks

Since I'm down to one long arm machine at the moment, it'll be that machine (Bernie) I'll be working on this week. I still have to plan the quilting though. Not like I haven't been thinking on it all weekend, because I have. 

Customer coming either today or tomorrow to drop off. She said she'd call first but didn't know which day would work best for her. 

This IS NOT Cool

Both big machines sitting on the floor at my dealer waiting to get in to be fixed. 

In the waiting room

The sad thing about this is that they won't even get looked at until Thursday. At the earliest. My tech is on vacation until then. But we had to run them down during a non-work day because now that I'm down to one machine, I can not take any time off of the studio to deal with this. 

And then we went over to visit the B's. Alicia and Hannah scooted off to a baby shower upon our arrival, leaving only the boys. They are in the middle of landscaping their yard and the rock pile is a great place to play?

Jacob has new glasses and Elijah likes to hide

Love these kids to death!

Going to Lansing

DW and Foster are headed south to get themselves back to rights. We are leaving as soon as the dryer is done.

Here's what's on Bernie for Monday...

Elleens Christmas Mesiah

Still working through how to quilt this one. Meanwhile, we'll be on the road all day and then Spartan Football when we get home (well, Jim will be watching Spartan football. I'll be working on Bee Happy). 

Unexpected Visitors

I was quilting along yesterday thinking I'd have Maggies first quilt done at the end of the day and at just about public studio closing time an SUV pulled up into the drive. This happens occasionally where retreaters from down the road come and visit the studio thinking I'm a quilt shop. Because it was 4:00 the sun was shining in my eyes as I greeted them asking, "What can I do for you ladies today?". 

It was Jims aunt and his cousin from another aunt and I recognized the aunts voice immediately. What a pleasant surprise to have them come by for a visit.

They stayed until about 6:00-ish and by then I was past working on customer quilts and moved over to Foster. I have all the black done and only have the bottom half of the colored areas to do.

Here's Maggie's first quilt...

I love these subtle colors

The thread I'm using in this is So Fine! 50 and talk about hard to see. I know there are areas I have overstitched some of the motif I'm putting into the center section, but as long as I do it more than once, then it's a design choice, right?

While the furnace ran a couple of times yesterday I worked on my acrylic sleeve for the SewEZ table and finally finished this...

A sleeve for Jay/Ellies acrylic

You're wondering why I can't long arm when the furnace is running. We knew this would be an issue when we built the studio, and honestly, once the room gets up to temp, it only runs about five minutes at a stretch. The blower for the hot air is at the bottom of the unit (if you look close you can see it behind Maggies quilt) and I don't want my machine or the customer quilt to be exposed to direct heat. I get it up out of the way when I hear the furnace "click" telling me it's going to fire in a minute or so. 

And, I don't want me to be in front of it because I'll get all warm and toasty and think the rest of the room is too cold. 

I'll be finishing Maggies quilt today, frame ironing the next back, and hopefully finish the quilt on Foster so he and DW can head down to Lansing for their PM's and timing issues. We finally received some rain today (we were very dry which, for autumn is odd) and are expecting more later this morning. Happy Friday!

Trusted Internet Sales

I purchased three packages of needles for Bernie a couple of months ago, as well as some oil. The oil and one package of needles showed up. Two were backordered and a hand written note came with the packing slip indicating they'd send the rest when they arrived at their shop.

I received a phone call from them a few weeks later indicating the needles are back in stock and I can come pick up my other two packages. They are in Iowa. 

I called. Several times. I'm not in Iowa and they needed to ship them to me. Nothing. Yesterday I had had enough (because I'm already in a jolly mood from my machine issues this week) so I called again. All the times I've tried to call this company I get a dumb voicemail. And I have left messages but yesterdays message was not a very nice one. 

I received a call back in the late afternoon telling me my order had gotten buried and that they would get the needles right out to me via mail. What was interesting is that he needed to verify my address. What? Don't you have the order right in front of you with my address already on it? 

I'm not going to divulge the company yet because I'm going to wait and see if these needles do indeed show up in the next few days. 

Meanwhile. here's some the quilting that went into Diane's quilt...

Some of the border treatment

From the back...

Love this!

It's probably over the top quilting for this informal flannel quilt, but I couldn't resist. And, since I'm down to one machine, I clearly have time to play.

The other suck about one machine is that I have to wait to frame iron the next back before I can do anything. The next one in line is a kind of large (for Bernie) top and it's taking forever to get that back wrinkle free. I have one more roll before I can even load it. Clean the studio maybe?

The Hits Just Keep Coming

The good thing about yesterday was the new acrylic insert that arrived for Jay and my SewEZ table. Now I can take him to retreat(s) and work on sit-down quilting instead of making [more] tops that I don't really need.

The bad news is that my tech and shop owners are on vacation until the 31st. Meaning, DW won't be worked on any time soon. I thought maybe if I called HQ directly I could be walked through something that may just be a simple fix. Nope. The machine is totally out of alignment and needs to be split since it sounds like not a very simple alignment.

While on the phone with HQ I also asked about Foster and his little issues (I won't go into all of them here), and again, I was told that machine is also out of severe alignment and needs to be split as well. Foster is workable, but I'm not sure how much longer he'll hold out. 

Well, shoot.

I'm down to nearly one machine!

When life gives you lemons and all that happy crap. At least I have one machine to do customer work from, but Bernie will only facilitate a small to medium-sized quilt so those who have brought me those will get theirs done sooner anyway.

Here's what we have on Bernie today...

Dianes Flannel throw

Quilting detail to follow tomorrow. I've had an influx of people in and out since Monday and it's a wonder I've gotten anything done but with all the machine trouble shooting, it's probably a good thing I wasn't really focusing on getting much quilting accomplished. 

Monday's Are Not My Friend

I had two calls yesterday from customers; both men. One of them stopped by later in the afternoon with his wife wanting a custom quilt (or three) done so it was an initial consultation. I don't normally build quilts for people, but I may make an exception here. 

That was the good part of the day. More business. The start was the news of Scotts passing and then just when I thought the day was ironing out, DW did something he's never done before...

Doesn't look like much, right?

The needle is barely going into the throat plate and then it hits the race. The piece the bobbin goes into. And just all of a sudden while taking the last line of stitching into Patty's quilt it banged, had a motor error, and severely bent the needle. And, of course, this all happened after my dealer was closed. After doing some of my own investigating I realized this wasn't something simple. I think he'll be heading to Lansing in the next few days. Looks like his timing is WAY off, or, let's just hope that's all it is. 

I'll be working on Bernie for the foreseeable future now so I have to get Diane's quilt off that's been hanging out there since Thursday and reload with her next one. But I still need to trim and prepare Patty's quilt for pick up. Thankfully, the weather has been cheerful because so far the week isn't starting out very well. 

Life...and Death

We were privileged to have a weekend with family starting on Friday afternoon. Life is precious and surrounding yourself with family and friends who love you is important. 

A fun lunch

Beautiful autumn day

And then Monday comes and I learn about a fellow Handi Quilter Inspiration Squad member who passed away last night. That's two from our small group in five years. Both from cancer. Both too young!

Wrap yourself around splendors and good things. Cherish each and every moment. Be thankful every morning when you awake somebody isn't hurting because you have left this earth. Overlook the small things and embrace them instead. 

RIP Scott Hayes for you shall be missed dearly. 

Taking Today Off

The nice thing about being self employed is the ability to cherish moments presented to us. Caleb is leaving tomorrow for Ft. Sill for his officers training. We are meeting them, and two of Jims cousins, for lunch downstate a bit. The cousins are coming back home with us and spending the weekend. I'll have my [work] phone on me, but won't be doing any long arming today.

Diane's first quilt is finished. Here's some of the quilting going into it...

Love how this turned out

Kathi came and picked up her three quilts yesterday and loved them. For Monday I'll be working on this piece for a new customer (Patty)...

Wait! We've seen this before

This was the shop hop sample for Bittersweet Quilt Shop. Patty did hers identically and wants me to quilt it nearly identically. Due Date: November 20th. 

I'm feeling a little pinched for time on some of these, and yet, here I am today, taking another day off. I won't miss any deadlines but it just means more long hours for me in the future. Family is worth it!

Beautiful Autumn Weather

There's that crispness in the air in autumn that can only be felt a few weeks of out of the year. When the leaves are changed and rustle as they fall to the ground, or as you walk through them. Apple cider, pumpkins, hardy mums, and Spartan football. If I could freeze time, this week would be the one I'd want to live in the rest of my life. 

But alas, time marches on. Kathi's quilt is done! Once it was off the frame and trimmed, I started loading the next deadline quilt onto DW and worked Diane S.'s quilt on Bernie while frame ironing Patty's back. 

God Bless America!

This one should be finished today despite the ridiculous amount of time I'm taking on this. Here's some of the quilting detail going into it...

Stars and Stripes forever

The quilting shows up particularly well because the fabric is flannel, which shows a bit more definition than a traditional cotton. I went from this quilt over to work on Bee Happy for a bit and then once I got the blocks built I shifted over to Foster. I want to get that quilt done on him. It's been on there too long and it's time to hunker down and get it off. 

Hump Day

Happy Wednesday. It's a beautiful autumn day here today. Very cool temps, the sun is shining brightly, and the leaves are at peak. It's gorgeous looking out the new living room windows. I do miss that in the new studio since the Catalpa tree obstructs most of it. But I love that tree and it provides much needed shade in the summer.

Kathi's quilt will be done today; I have another couple of hours of work on it this morning. Here's some of the quilting going into it...

Some straight lines

Some scallops and feathers

I didn't think this would be a "wow" one for me, but it's turning out better than I expected. 

Enjoy the color while you can. It doesn't stick around for very long. 

Isn't Starting a New Project Fun?

I think this may be why we have so many projects going at once. Starting a new one is always thrilling. Even with my "job" the new quilt top I load onto the long arm is a new project and it's fun to see how the quilt "reads" and what exactly I'm going to put into it. 

Here's Kathis third top I loaded yesterday...

Again, the lighting isn't doing this any favors

This is a purple and green quilt despite it looking mauve-ish here. Quilting detail to follow tomorrow. 

After working yesterday I moved over to the Bee Happy piece and made the next two blocks (spools of thread). I wanted to long arm some more so after finishing the two blocks for the day on Bee Happy I moved over to Foster to work on the Leah Day BOM. I have all the black done on that roll I'm on and have rethreaded to do all the colored blocks for that section. 

Much of the same today. Nothing earth shattering for my birthday. I received calls from all three of the boys. Texts from family and friends. IM's from acquaintances, and two cards and some Skittles from Jim. He knows I love, love, love Skittles! He's so wonderful. 

Happy 60th!

Today is my 60th birthday. Never thought I would see 60 given my personal history, but here I am. Living every day like it may be my last. 

Good news for all of the folks who have been waiting for the M-30 bridge to reopen. Here she is!

It's Open!

And higher than it was before

They raised the height of the bridge so boats could go under without any issues. If the lake ever comes back that is.

Jim took me on a fabric shopping trip Saturday and all the fat quarters for my Produce Section quilt are now in hand. We bummed around also trying to locate him a hunting jacket. Wow, the selection at some of the stores we ventured into was very disappointing. We ended up at Jays and found a steller 4-in-1 coat for him 40% off so now he's all set for hunting season. 

Kathi's second quilt is done and now I'm loading the back for her third top. I'll be working that one today and however long it takes to get that one done. I have a little one on Bernie for Diane S that I was going to start today, but the backing for Kathis is nearly done so don't know how much of that I'll actually get into. 

Just A Little Left

I have this much left to quilt in Kathi's quilt...

Another couple of hours

But I have a customer coming this morning to pick up and I also have a nail appointment first thing. By the end of the day?

Had a scare yesterday. I had two customers call last week whilst at retreat. One about a check that I hadn't cashed (I had, but the C.U. changed some rules and some of the checks weren't going through) and another to come and pick up today.

I inadvertently switched who was doing what and was feverishly running around here trying to find a quilt that didn't exist any longer in the pick up area. Then I re-checked my messages and got myself straightened out.

A few of the retreat people asked about the new studio and I showed them the pick I posted on TikTok a while ago. Wow, things have already changed since then. I reshot a video this morning without even picking anything up or tidying the space.

It's funny how the transfer to my phone onto the blog changes the lighting. Full day ahead so I best be heading to it. 

Post-Retreat

So. Much. Fun! Laugh, laugh, laugh is just some of what happened during the week. Sew, sew, sew, talk, talk, talk, eat, eat, eat. That was the rest of the retreat. But glad to be getting back to a regular routine.

Here are some of the tops I completed in the three full days I was there...

Day #1

This was a "surprise" gift Jim brought back from downstate last Saturday. 

Day #2

These blocks were being constructed earlier this summer, but I don't have space enough to lay them all out here so I take advantage of the larger space at retreat.

Day #3 (yesterday)

This was started at the last retreat a year ago. I had completed all the cutting and assembly of the center of the spools prior to coming this week to retreat. 

Here are a couple more tops other people completed. Two "twirly" (Radiant Suns) tops from the class I taught two months ago...

Virginia's top

Terri's top

And one from Bernadette from a pattern by Elizabeth Hartman called Dog Park that actually came home with me to be quilted...

Dog Park

Isn't this absolutely adorable?

Well, back to it. I'm still working on Kathi's Flower Felicity quilt today. I don't think I'll get it completed since there is still a third of it to go, but I'm going to try my hardest. 

Quilt Retreat

I'll be out of the studio from today through at least Wednesday night attending the biannual QQQG retreat. So excited, but tired too. I never sleep the night before retreat because I'm so excited.

Jim and I visited mom yesterday and I had mentioned to her a while back that if she ever wanted to get rid of her dining room table, I'd gladly take it off her hands since we have room for one now.

The "new" dining room...

A little more filled

It was pretty empty there for a month or two, but it seems to be filling. The computer is now in the corner by the stairs (where I'm typing now) but will have to move at Christmas time when the tree comes in. 

Whelp. The laundry is almost done and them I'm outta here for a few days. I'll be spending the nights here, but will be off and running early each morning. 

Today Seems Like Saturday

Because Jim was gone all day and I worked on DW all day, yesterday felt like a Friday and today seems Saturday-ish. We had to give the girls a bath this morning and then we're off to visit my mother. After we return and eat lunch, I'll be packing for retreat. 

While I was quilting yesterday, I encountered this...

Hole

Saying "Hole" in a quilt is like saying "Squirrel" to the dogs. I get super focused on it until I can get it repaired. Here's the thing about holes. I see more of them in quilts that have their seams pressed open than I do in those with seams pressed to one side. Especially where a bulky seam meets. Like here. 

Retreat Rediness

Yep, it's that time of year again. The QQQG quilt retreat is coming up on Monday. After working all day on Kathis quilt...

More quilting detail

And even more

I switched over to cutting out and sorting what exactly I was going to take to this months retreat. Kathis quilt still has a long ways to go. Jim is at a funeral downstate today and I'm going to be heading into the studio to actually work some more on Kathis piece. This is to make up for the three days I'm going to miss in there this upcoming week.

Yesterday felt like a Thursday to me anyway so working on this Saturday isn't going to be a big deal. 

Gone All Morning

The Hale Country Quilters are such a great group of ladies! They welcomed me so warmly and I had a great, quick presentation about the art quilts I teach. They wanted me to stay for lunch, but I needed to get back and on the long arm. I'm already feeling the autumn/holiday pinch.

Here's some of the quilting detail going into Kathi's second quilt (Floral Felicity)...

Feathers

More feathers and some cross hatching

The very hardest part of starting a quilt is deciding what exactly needs to go into it. The "rules" for this one, given the fabrics in here and the overall message of the quilt is feathers in all the colored pieces, straight lines and rainbows in the background, and crosshatching in the border. Some of the pieced blocks are getting traditional quilting in them (the geese, the single squares, etc.), but once all of this is decided, things should move along faster.

There are already 10 thread changes in this piece, and, LOTS (and lots) of starts and stops. That takes a lot of time!

I worked late last night and my foot told me when to stop. It was dark (and had been for a bit) so it was well after 7:00. More on Kathi's quilt today.

New Tablet

UPS pulled up yesterday while I was out watering the Mum. Hmmm???? I wasn't expecting anything. 

Then I saw the label. Eureka! The new tablet arrived for DW. I mean, why did I need a new tablet? The other one was only 12 years old for heavens sake.

Getting ready for installation

What I thought would take Jim and I hours to get installed only took about 45 minutes. The front handle bars had to be removed as did the old tablet bracket and all the wiring. Initially I put the tablet in upside down and we had to refigure everything, but my amazing man helped me get it all to rights, and after taking a quick test drive, it seems to be working well.

Except, the new tablet is taking a LONG time to power up compared to the old one. I guess if I'm doing any Pro Stitcher work I'll need to get it going sooner than usual.

Janices quilt is done...

Love all the texture!

I'm headed up to Hale, Michigan this morning to give a brief presentation on the art quilts I make and to let them decide if they want to hire me next summer for a class. I'm okay either way of their decision. 

They offered to let me stay for lunch, but I need to get back here and work and start wrapping my head around retreats. I'm going to Shipshewana after all (yay) and was on the phone all morning with folks trying to get rooming/rides/dates squared away.

I'll be working on Kathi's second quilt today; Flower Felicity. When I started ditching in yesterday on DW I felt so at peace. Working on DW is like coming home. I checked his stitch count (in case it went away with the new computer) and I'm at 98+ million. Whew. That's a lot of thread!

Phone Time

Ya know, if the machines aren't running, I'm not making any coin. BUT, talking with customers and quilt groups is a necessary to make sure I have business to keep those machines running. I've been on the phone all morning and hopefully, this will be the last of it for the day.

Janice's quilt is still incomplete. I worked 10 hours on it yesterday and at 8:00 my foot was telling me that was enough. I'll finish that this morning and then start on this quilt later this afternoon...

Kathi M's second quilt

This one is going to be a doozy. It's a large quilt and is going to need a lot of ruler and thread work done. 

Meanwhile, and since we are now in October, I'm starting to wrap my head around the three (yes, three) retreats I'll be attending from October 7 through November 17th. So excited! The first one starts next Monday up at The Springs for the Quirky Quilters Quilt Guild. 

I'm going to have to think about projects I need to cut to get them ready to go. I need to round up projects that are still in progress to finish at retreats, and the logistics of which machines to take when. And then there's my mother. Who decided to not wreck her summer by having foot surgery, but waited until this fall to talk to a doctor about her issues. I'm thinking positive thoughts and praying her surgery doesn't interfere with all of the goings-on this and next month. 

Weekend Shot

I didn't do a thing in the studio this weekend other than demonstrating (on Foster) to my grandkids what I do all day. Yep. That was it.

I made up for it yesterday. Sue S.'s quilt is off Bernie. Janice D.'s quilt got moved over to Bernie...

Shift in Location

Why did I move this one? Oh yeah, because it's small enough to go on Bernie's frame, and the next one to load was a biggie that needed to be put onto DW.

Here's some of the quilting going into Janices quilt...

Border Corner

Setting Triangles and Small Border

Partial Block Completion

I'll be working on this all day today. The one being loaded onto DW is also a custom so the Pro Stitcher can't do his thing while I'm working on another quilt. Which is fine. The Pro Stitcher tablet is going kaput. 

In between working on Janices quilt during the day and then again in the early evening, I had to run to Bittersweet to pick up a quilt from a new customer. She didn't know we don't really do that, but I made an exception. 

No customers expected today, but every time I say that, things change. Maybe I should stop saying it?