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

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.