Gotta Be A Little Flexible

I was working on the quilt on Bernie yesterday morning. I took my lunch and while chowing down [another] rice bowl, received a text from Ann V. and she asked if she could come up today or tomorrow and drop off a few more quilts. 

Well, the previous one I did on Marty (Shop Hop) was for her and I was done frame ironing the backing for her QOV and asked if she could come Friday since that would give me today to quilt her quilt and get it ready for pick up.

I decided to flex a bit and just dive right into it yesterday. 

QOV

I didn't know what I was going to do in here and one never knows how long it's going to take to complete a project. It always seems like it should take less time and then before ya know it, hours have passed and you're only half-way through the project.

Here's what I decided to put into it...

Loopy Stars

Remember, my encoder is down in DW so I could not do any digital work on him and had to drive myself. Honestly, I'm twice as fast as the computer and I don't have to fiddle with realignment with every roll. It turned out beautifully and I was completely done just before 4:30 and frame ironing for the next one on Marty. I moved back over to Bernie and worked that quilt until I reached the half-way point and I was getting pretty fuzzy-eyed since I'd already been up for 13 hours. 

I have a short day today; guild meeting up in Hale and I need to attend because I have a block to turn in as well as getting information regarding our retreat in two weeks. 

I worked on my second BOM block for the second 'month' and finished that. I dove into starting the stand mixer cover and am pleased with patterns by Annie. Very complete. Very visual. 

Happy Autumn day today! Hasn't the weather here been beautiful? Summer-like temps in the day. Fall-like temps in the evening. Great campfire weather. Low bug level. Lots of sun since our rains have yet to show themselves. It's almost like we're living back in AZ. 

Ya Never Know

I hadn't expected anybody over yesterday, but lo and behold, a customer called right before lunch and asked if she could come get her quilts. Well, of course! 

Good thing I don't dress in my "play" clothes during the week while I'm open.

Wow, am I tired this morning. It's that time of the year. The time when all the rodents think our house is open for their wintering over. I had one scrabbling/chewing in the wall at the foot of my bed since about 4:15 this morning. For some reason they always end up there. 

I mentioned to Jim a few weeks back that traps had probably get set because they were going to start infiltrating the house. See how that went?

I'm going to try to function today. I'm so fuzzy headed and lethargic and I'm not a napper. If I nap, it's going to be for a few hours, not just 10 or 15 minutes or I feel worse. Actually, I feel worse no matter the length of the nap I take. 

Here's some of the quilting going into the one on Bernie...

All straight lines

After I got done working for the day, I headed outside to talk to the neighbors. Joe came down and welded the angle iron back onto the end of the dock to keep those boards in. Wayne came down and visited for a bit while they were working. Jim ended up grinding down the rough spots after a short lesson on how to weld from Joe. They also inserted some weep holes into the two main pipes holding up the dock since ice likes to form in there and push up and then break our dock boards. Which is what started all of this in the first place. 

Once that was finished and we gave generous hugs all around for the efforts, I headed back in to start on my next set of BOM's (month two). Here is the first one. That took a lot longer than I had anticipated. I'll work on the second one maybe tonight. 

OMG, that mouse is in that wall right now just chewing away having his own little party. Meanwhile, he's in there pooping and peeing all over in my house. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Something New

I was removing the quilt from Marty's bed yesterday and I kind of hit my thread scissors moving from the back to the front. Maybe cedar wood wasn't a good idea?

I probably couldn't ever do this again

They must have went flying for them to stand there so upright. 

I decided, since I had already started it, to finish Ann's quilt on Marty. It wasn't as big of a pain as I had experienced in the past moving a quilt from one machine to the next. Maybe I'm getting better at it? The reason I was going to do this quilt on DW was for some digitized work in the big squares, but I think I got it covered....

In the main panel

Sashing and the first big block

The second big block

I didn't get a pic of the third big block, but I simply did some water meander like I did in the Tilda swimming girl. 

I was pretty tired yesterday (???) so I knocked off long arming around 4:45 and moved over to working on a new kit I picked up on Saturday for the new baby we're expecting. It's pretty easy and I've added it to the tote going to retreat; all cut up and ready to assemble. 

Once I finished that I cut out for the next BOM block in the kit I received at Creative Escapes retreat last January. I was going to sew it together but at that point it was nearly 7:30 and I was just too tired. 

I have the last panel and border/sashings to do on Anns quilt and I'll move over to Bernie while I'm frame ironing for Anns second quilt which is a QOV. DW should be stitching this one out honestly, but I don't have a new encoder yet, so I'll just have to put something in there myself. 

To Redo, or Not To Redo, That is the Question

While Jim was out giving the girls their haircuts, I was working on cutting out and making the next block in our BOW. 

I turned it 90 degrees

I'm debating on whether to redo this block, or maybe just rip out the center and reinstall it? It's been on my mind, which means it bugs me, so maybe today at lunch, I'll have to take it out. I don't know. Is it going to matter to anybody except me? Probably not.

Trimming up Cindy's quilt this morning and getting it ready to be picked up. I have to move Anns quilt over from DW to Marty since DW is down for the foreseeable future. I may continue on with Anns quilt or work on the one on Bernie. 

Don't ya love how indecisive I am this morning? I'm not usually like this, but I just found out my dads cancer has returned and I guess I'm preoccupied with that right now in my head space. Happy Monday. 

Not Much Studio Work Yesterday

I mentioned in a previous post the permanent dock situation and how the ice and weather have beaten it up. Jim pulled the boards a few weeks ago and we finally picked up the new boards yesterday. Prior to that we headed over to Pieces to pick up the background and frame/sashing fabrics for the Alaskan BOM. 

Here are the fabrics I picked up from Alaska to compliment...

Blues, green, turquoise, and a little red for a pop of color

I had every intention of working in the studio while he was down there getting those new boards in, but I ended up at the lake helping him out. The bugs were practically non-existent and it was a gorgeous weather day (mid 80's) so we took advantage before the crappy (but I love) weather hits in a few weeks. 

Here's the new dock...

20' of new lumber

Per the usual, the pic doesn't do it justice. I was taking it from the top of the hill on our deck. We had our struggles and also per the usual, it took us to get half-way through the project to figure out how to make things go a bit more smooth. 

Even though today is supposed to be a repeat of yesterday (weather wise) we are only planning on working around the place in the morning. We need a day of rest. I will be in the studio this morning working this weeks BOW (Santa's belly) and still need to cut everything out while Jim is doing Pestie, giving the dogs a trim, and hopefully, replacing the water filter under the house. 

A BOM x 2?

I have several projects (five) cut out for upcoming retreats. We picked up a retreat tote last night so I could put everybody in there along with all the extra fabric and directions. Now I can work on something here a little more complex. I have one BOM I started...

A little more traditional than my usual

I picked up this kit at a white elephant auction at The Springs last January and decided I could start this. I have my BOW to work today and then should I start another BOM? I have a book and fabric I picked up in Alaska just for that purpose. I probably need background fabric though? 

I'll also be starting to get together the stand mixer. But first, we have to run to the lumber yard to get boards for that dock Jim tore out last weekend and I have to at least pick up background fabric for the Alaskan BOM even if I don't start it today.

A New Encoder

We got Jason on the phone yesterday and he talked us through some things we could check for the encoder issue DW is having. Hey, the machine is nearing 109 million stitches. I'm frankly surprised it's lasted this long given the trips back and forth to Lansing (and Grand Rapids, and Utah) jarring the thing. 

As it turns out, we need a new one. Everything we tried wasn't working and it's still stuttering going from up to down. So, he's down until that arrives from Handi Quilter, in Utah, because Jason doesn't have one in stock. A few weeks probably.

Moving on. I starting Cindy's Grandmothers Flower Garden yesterday and will continue on with that today. Here's some the quilting going in...

The "flowers"

The border

I should be able to finish this one today and I'll have to move over to Bernie. I'm going to end up taking Anns quilt off DW and moving it over to Marty I'm afraid, which is a pain with the Minky on the back. 

Jim is home today and I reminded him I have to work today. He has a bunch of projects he wants to do (?????) but isn't conveying to me exactly what those are. I didn't even know he was staying home until I got up. Why do men not communicate????????? So frustrating!

Reset Day

After pulling off Karen's quilt on Marty, I started frame ironing for the next one up on him; Cindy's Grandmothers Flower Garden. I finished Janice's on Bernie and started frame ironing for the next one on him; Marge's Southwest. I stitched out the rest of the baby quilt that I had to add more back to and started frame ironing for the next one on him; a customer quilt actually because I'm going to use the Pro Stitcher to do some of the blocks. This is Ann's Shop Hop quilt. So here was the studio in the morning...

All three machines are getting backs frame ironed

While working through the frame ironing I trimmed the two quilts off of Bernie and DW. I pulled batting for all three. I got threads ready for the first one I was going to work, because DW's backing was Minky and I didn't have to frame iron it at all. 

Here's what he's wearing...

For a neighbor

BUT, DW is being a goof ball. His Y-axis encoder is acting a little off. As I was quilting along, it started acting more off. I fiddled with his ribbons, checked his wheel, cleaned the rails on the carriage and the frame, yet he was still not right. Jim will be on the phone with Jason tonight to talk through two other things we can adjust to see if we can get it right. Otherwise, this quilt will have to be put onto which ever I finish first on the other two machines and I'll have to free motion something myself in those big blocks.

The backing on Marty was ready first and so got this set onto the frame ready for me to baste in today...

Grandmothers Flower Garden

I already know how I'm going to quilt this one so that saves a little time. This is the quilt I'm going to start with first since I want to wait to talk to Jason on DW's issue. 

The backing on Bernie isn't quite done yet, but this is what will be set on him later today...

Marge's Southwest themed quilt for baby

After fiddling with DW for a spell last night, and working through these backings/tops, I cut the next pattern out for retreat. That didn't take nearly as long as I had anticipated, so I started on the other one I had in mind to take. Remember, I'm going to three retreats. So far I only have four cut out. I'd like to have five or six since a few of them are pretty easy to do. 

A First For Me and The Quilts Are Gone

I had the backing all frame ironed. I had the batting laid on top and let it rest all day (packaged batts have to rest to pull the wrinkles out). And, then, I proceeded to lay the top out to see what I was working with. I played and played with this top trying to get it to "smooth" out. Here's the quilt in question...

A giant 108" to custom quilt

But here's the issue...

All the corners were pulling in

And the final issue...

That's all the extra backing I was given

Since the quilt was pulling in on the corners, I can guarantee the middle is going to flare out and this little bit of backing wouldn't be enough once I got down to that point. Even though the backing was telescoping (as you can see by my ring finger), the quilt 'fell' over the sides; it was beyond my Red Snappers and that told me I'd run into [more] problems mid-way through quilting. 

I had to call the customer and let her know I would not be able to quilt this quilt. I have never, never, ever called a customer to take their top back. Thankfully, the customer knew there was an issue and she even stated she had intended to call me a couple of times over the summer to tell me not to quilt it because she knew it was going to be a problem.

She'll be up here (she lives downstate) in a few weeks for a retreat and will pick it up then. I'll unload everything this morning and get ready for the next one to go on Marty.

I had two visitors yesterday. One to pick up her finished quilts and the other to pick up the rest of the Rayola donated quilts. Wow, that was very emotional for me once they left. I broke down into tears and just prayed one little kiddo would find comfort in all my efforts. 

Meanwhile, I would have gotten Janice's quilt on Bernie done, but the neighbors a couple of doors down, were up and we have to visit with them when we can. They are always so busy working down there and they don't come over (they live right in town) during the winter months. I only have the border to go and then I'll have to see what's up next.

Meanwhile, these two were hanging around yesterday morning and looking less than enthused.

Ho Hum. But we love our chair. 

Lots to do today. Is it already Wednesday?

Music and Quilting

Having zero music in my studio is uncommon. In fact, I found that I become frustrated and tense when there isn't music in the background. Or people talking. Sometimes I listen to a podcast or YouTube video when working. But there has to be some kind of noise. Isn't that weird?

Where do I begin on yesterday? I removed the Tilda Sampler from Marty and did everything I need to do with a customer quilt and then went to the queue to find the next 'deadline' to get it started. The back is being frame ironed...it's a big one.

I moved over to DW to remove the panel I quilted on Sunday so I could get the next Rayola quilt back started.

See all the candy?

The backing I found was long and skinny; a leftover from something done previously, but there was enough there to piece together the small 40" square quilt going on so I quickly did some piecing to get something onto DW (a naked long arm is almost as frustrating as not having music) and then loaded that up on the machine. 

I decided my class wasn't going to result in a positive deadline for what's on Bernie so decided to just start Janice's quilt and do my own thing on this one. While I was basting in, mom stopped by for a little visit and then Jim was home for lunch. 

Doing my own thing

I'm incorporating as many curves as I can since this is such an angular quilt. And, we're using a very flat batting so I need to get as much in the white space as possible.

I worked on that until after 'closing' time and then moved over to DW since that back was ready. I got the ProStitcher fired up and decided to get some flowers in there...

I'm giving away a Kaffe quilt?

Yep, this is done with Kaffe fabric. I know, crazy! I received a call in the afternoon from Yolanda from Rayola, who I talked to at the quilt show. She's stopping by later this afternoon to get all those quilts still sitting here waiting to be picked up. I was hoping to get the one above finished so she could take it too, but I messed up the backing.

I made it too small (see, I'm human too). I quilted as much as I could, pulled it off the machine, added more back to it and then reloaded. I'll finish that one tonight. 

Once I was done with that, I started cutting for more retreat projects. Cubby the Raven is cut out and ready to go and am now working on project number four. Remember, I have three retreats in seven weeks starting mid-October. But this is how I'm going to work it. I'm going to work here in the morning before heading over to The Springs and then retreat all afternoon and evening. 

I can't do that while I'm in Shipshewana, obviously, but I can with the two here and will make the most of both worlds as long as I can. 

I'll be working on Janices quilt on Bernie all day, and if time permits, I'll jump on Marty and get Karen's started. But that all depends on how long I'm fiddling with the Rayola quilts this afternoon. 

A New Week

Well, the quilts that were washed/repaired have made it to Germany. A huge thank-you to Tim and Julie for hand delivering these for us! They were able to spend six or so hours with the kids and it looks like our newest granddaughter is growing well...

They look so happy!

While we were talking to the kids, Caleb wanted to see the new screen door and I needed to get an updated picture of the house anyway so here's the back as you pull into the drive (on a lake, the front of the house is actually the lakeside of the house)...

I love my new screen door!

On to quilting studio things. Yesterday I was able to get the second block set inside the log cabin...

Number Two

After that was finished I moved over to DW and selected a motif, while probably not the best one to select, was one that I love to quilt out and suits me perfectly (I have a terrible sweet tooth)...

Candy, candy, candy!

Hershey kisses, lollipops, candy canes, gum drops, popsicles, ribbon candy...you name it, it's probably in there. 

This panel is for the stand mixer cover I want to make for our rarely used stand mixer in the kitchen. I'm tired of dusting it and with the cover, I can just take it out and give it a shake every few weeks. 

Todays work includes getting the Tilda Sampler off Marty and getting a new backing started. The quilt on Bernie may or may not be started because I'm kind of hoping to get through my new class (Quilters Groove Academy) before I start, BUT, I'm weeks away from being able to design and fill the negative spaces, so maybe not?

I have another October deadline that will be heading onto Marty once I get the back frame ironed. Actually, I have a lot of odds and ends to tidy up out there before actually starting on any of the machines, so I better get out there and get to it. 

Catching Up

I didn't blog yesterday because I was busy, busy, busy and it actually slipped my mind. That's what happens when the routine is skewed. 

I left for the quilt show up in Oscoda as soon as morning chores were done and left Jim here to his own devices. He canned, broke a jar of salsa, burned the stump by the barn, and hung my screen door. He was busy.

I, on the other hand, was socializing and looking at some beautiful, magnificent quilts. We sure have a lot of talent in that group! So, much to my surprise after walking around the show, was greeted with some ribbons but not surprising, some very missed friends.

Here's a rundown of the ribbons...

First Place, Multiple Technique Large

1st Place, Machine Pieced Large

Award of Merit (Best of Show) For Outstanding Achievement in Quiltmaking

And then non-long arm related...

Domestic Machine Quilted, Small

This was a class I taught earlier this year and about how to piece curves and she did a stunning job with her monochromatic color! 

Once I returned home, I was helping Jim with the last of the screen door installation and then headed to the studio. Have you ever used Acorn Pressing products? OMG. I was looking for some Best Press to fill up my spray bottle that is just about gone, and a few of the guild members, as well as the shop owner (vending at show) sold me on the Acorn stuff.

I had to make my BOW and the surrounding log houses for both last week and this week. While I'm not working with tiny pieces (which do not like to lay nicely) I was impressed at the feel of the fabric and how nicely my seams matched...

Block #1

I pieced the second block but haven't yet made the house surrounding it. There were a number of errors in the second block and so wanted to make sure the directions for the houses were correct before cutting for the next set. 

Sleep Issue Last Night

I. Could. Not. Get. To. Sleep. Last night. At 3:00 I finally got up and took a few baby aspirin (which I hate doing) just to relax a little and give my aching hand (the one with the broken finger) a little pain management. I fell asleep shortly after doing that. So, five hours is good, right?

Yesterday started out with me babysitting DW while stitching out Pats quilt...

Civil War Quilt

I did the research to see what most civil war quilts were quilted with. Pat wanted something simple and as it turns out, during that time period, three motifs were generally used to quilt these. Crosshatching, clamshells, and Baptist Fans. I opted for Baptist Fans because it seemed the simplest to get in there.

See how nice it looks?

That took well into lunch hour because each time (twice) I walked away, DW broke thread. As long as I was standing there, everything was a-okay. 

After lunch I removed Pats quilt and started frame ironing for a small project I need to get done this weekend. More on that later.

It was time to get onto Marty and do some work on the Tilda Sampler. Here are two of the blocks...

The third block was hastily interrupted by a pretty large thunderstorm that rolled through. When a crack of lightning lit and then a thunder was right behind it I had to shut the machine down. Again, surge protectors (no matter how good they are) are no match for 1.21 Gigawatts. 😉

While I was waiting for the thunderstorm to roll through, I did my homework for my Quilters Groove Academy class...

Homework

Just as I was about to get back on Marty a second wave of thunderstorms came through. It was past 5:00 and I thought maybe somebody up there was telling me something. I gave up long arming for the day and instead opted to finish cutting out my second quilt for retreat...

Two all ready to go

Well, the second one is nearly ready. I would like to bunch each block up and clip them so I don't have to spread out and go searching for the correct pieces while I'm on a confined retreat table.

And, it's pretty spread out there on mine already so lets wrangle this thing into a more manageable situation.

I'll be on Marty all day today. I wanted to get more done yesterday and my goal is to have this piece completed by days end. And, here I am blathering on about yesterday and not working. Okay...let's go. 

Congrats Caleb and Lia and Happy Birthday Tristan

First, let's talk about continuing education. As a professional in the teaching and nursing field, we were required to attend a LOT of continuing ed classes throughout the year. It was constant. I didn't understand at the time (hated the term 'best practices') but now that I am in charge of my own business and see how quickly change occurs even in the quilting world, I am more aware of the need for con ed. 

I have not taken a hands-on or on-line long arm class in a long time. Probably at least three years. Okay, I did watch a number of YouTube videos on how to do one motif or how to handle a problem situation, but attending a class on actually working through a quilt was nil.  

I invested in myself (as well as the business) last night and am now attending the Quilters Groove Academy with Lisa Calle. She's a multi award winning long armer and her works are just stunning. I wanted to have the ability to make a quilt go from nice to oh wow! 

I've only delved into the introduction phase and have some homework to do before continuing in the class but I'm so excited to not have to stop and stare at a quilt to decide what goes in, or, better yet, just put in the old standbys to get through it. I have a tendency to do that with my personal quilts.

In the meantime, here's some quilting going into the Tilda Sampler I'm currently working...

And we got some good news last night about the grand baby we're expecting in late January. Caleb got out of the field yesterday and Lia waited until she could tell him first, before letting the world know, but we are going to be welcoming a new baby girl into the family. I'm over the moon because I'd been saying it was a boy all along. I was secretly hoping I was wrong. So glad I was! 

A happy birthday to our eldest grandson, Tristan, who turns 12 today. Holy cow. I have a grandkiddo nearing his pre-teens. UGH! 

I never did fire up DW yesterday. I didn't want to listen to him screaming behind me all day (bad headache day) but maybe today I'll get Pat's quilt worked through. 

After working on customer stuff, I started cutting out tops for the retreat I'm attending in about a month. I like to have everything cut out and ready to just sit and sew allowing me the ability to chat with people while I'm doing that. This is a new group and it would be nice to get to know everybody on a more personal level.

I have the first one all ready to go and will work through the second one probably not tonight. I have to get my homework done for the Academy before being able to move along in my "studies". 😊

Frustrated

Do you have that place in your house where you keep all the blank cards so when an event presents itself, you're prepared? I do. And in it are several cards for get well, thank you, holiday, and a few birthdays. But nothing resembling a pre-teen birthday wish for a boy. UGH! How is that possible? 

Our grandson is in sixth grade now and I don't think he'd appreciate a card with kittens or dancing bears on it. 

I'll be working on the Tilda Sampler some more today while DW is possibly stitching out across the room.

Here's some of the quilting going into this sampler...

Here's the first block to be completed

I'm having a bit of trouble with this one. Here's why...

See the problem?

Look along the batting and top and tell me what you see. I'll just have to deal with it as I go along. 

I've been on the phone all morning with a friend and now mom. I had a neighbor stop by last night as I was finishing up so didn't get a long time in the studio. 

Do You Ever Wonder Why?

When I'm long arm quilting, especially those repetitive filler motifs that are automatic for me to do without much planning/thinking, my mind wanders to why things happen. Why do people make quilts? I mean I know why I do it, and I'm sure my reasons parallel with others, but some other people probably do it for perpendicular reasons from mine. 

Jim calls it 'windshield time'; that time to reflect and wonder about life/things.

The Coffee Break table runner is done...

Deb H.'s Coffee Break

Some quilting that went in...

Can you even see anything?

After I finished that I pulled the next October deadline out and started frame ironing it. I also noticed a notation for another quilt that needs to be done soon and it's an E2E on DW (digitized). I worked on Marty on the Tilda Sampler during business hours...

See any difference?

The swimmers leg on top has been ditched. Look how much nicer the fabric and batting lay. The leg on the bottom has not yet been ditched and her legs look like mine; all dimply. 

Ditching takes a LONG time! Maybe that's why these Tilda Samplers take so long because each of those legs needed a start and stop done. I could not just move from one to the other without doing a tie-off to get there. 

Anyway, once I worked on the Tilda Sampler for a while, (well past quitting time), I moved over to DW because he needed to have that background stuff stitched down before I could start frame ironing for Pat's quilt backing. 

It worked out pretty well

Once I got that stitched out/down I pulled it off and started frame ironing the backing for what I need to do on DW for my customer. All three long arms were used yesterday. That's unusual, but kinda cool.

I moved over to my DSM to get those bindings done and here is Rayola quilt #115...

Tula Butterfly

And once that was cataloged, photographed, folded and tagged I started and finished Rayola quilt #116...

Half-square Triangle Baby

While I was working on the above two quilts, Jim was working on getting the old wood removed from our permanent dock since we're supposed to get our lake back next spring/summer. The angle iron on the end needed to be removed first, and then the boards after. Once the new boards are in place the angle iron on the end will need to be welded back on. Welding and water don't mix so this needs to be done before we have water to deal with.

Really unsafe right now

Today I'm working on more frame ironing in both Bernie and DW while I work on the Tilda Sampler on Marty.