A Whirlwind of Activity...and then Not

Saturday was filled with family, food, and fun. We opened presents, ate too much, and listened to the grandkids squeal and laugh as they played throughout the house after gifts were finally all opened. We played cards, caught up on life, and even talked to Caleb and Lia in Germany for a bit. 

The house was abuzz from 9:00am to 9:30pm and we were pooped once everybody headed home. Oddly enough, neither Jim nor I had a good nights sleep afterwards. Yesterday, which is our norm anyway, was spent just chilling in the living room while listening to it rain and freeze some more while watching holiday movies.

Here are a few things I received from "Santa" this year...

ACORN! A whole gallon!

A new kit to work

That's all the quilting things I received. I'm so thankful to have family remember me during the giving season but I I love to see the faces of others that I gift/give special things do. 

Here's the B family rounded up quickly on the couch...

The B's

The A's are supposed to be up today for their Christmas (post influenza A), but after all the rain/freeze yesterday, and today we have snow/high winds, they may not make it up until tomorrow. Mom doesn't really want to venture over here in the weather today. 

I'll probably be trying to work today since I've got a customer quilt that needs to get finished on Bernie. I may also work some more on DW (Produce Section) or piecing some more on AWAT. 

A Few Favorite Things

Next to working in the studio, I love to also work in my little kitchen. Yesterday was the actual Christmas day, but our Christmas with the family is both tomorrow and again either Monday or Tuesday. My two eldest boys can't seem to get along/get dates together due to schedules and the flu this year. 

It's a good thing they're not coming up today though...

Since last night

We are in the middle of an ice storm right now. It's been raining with temps in the high 20's so everything is coated in a layer of ice. And, it's still raining and it's still below freezing, so not sure how much of this we're going to continue to receive.

After we got back from moms around 5:00 yesterday I couldn't settle on doing anything. Until a fire finally lit up under my behind and I pulled out a new project to start (since the Alaska quilt is now done). I remember bringing all of the supplies back from Shipshewana last month and am excited to be working on this for the next?

I've already done the first AWAT so now I'm doing the second

I have all the fabrics and started cutting out for the first block...

Have to make 12 of these

This looks like a simple block, but after cutting, sewing, sub-cutting and organizing, I've only gotten this far...

Everything always takes longer

I'll be in and out of the studio today. I have to make cookies, deviled eggs, fudge, and Jim is working on the ham for tomorrow. With any luck, this rain will either a)turn to snow or b)get above freezing to melt all the ice before people have to head up this way. 

Merry Christmas Eve

Today is a play day. I was actually planning on making Christmas cookies today but we have one family who is currently fighting Influenza A and it looks like we may have to postpone our family Christmas to Monday or Tuesday next week. They are keeping us posted. 

Here's some of the quilting going into the Produce Section quilt...

Background work

I've only started the borders and the background and hope to work on this later today. But for now, my goal is to finish the Alaska quilt. I'm changing the borders the author instructed us to do and simplifying things a bit...

I'm going to do a 4-patch rather than a "v" like she instructs. I need to build the borders first before I can get any of them on. 

Jim is going out to his workshop to continue on with the memory boxes for the grandkids. We spent most of yesterday running the roads to pick up parts/supplies/mail/ in two different towns. Why does traveling wear one out so much?

Stick to What You Know

These projects were labeled "easy" and I guess sewing just isn't my thing. I'm glad to have taken the day out to construct these, because it literally took me until 3:00 yesterday to get them done. 

Ready for under the tree

They are cute, and they turned out nice, but they were NOT easy. And, I was not having fun doing them.

After I cleaned up from that project, I headed in the direction I'm most comfortable to head in...

Produce Section

Remember this quilt top from about a year ago? It's time to get it quilted! I love, love, love this quilt top and am sparing no expense in getting it finished. I purchased a good quality backing from MSQC and am putting bamboo batting into it. It will most likely get used during the summer months and bamboo is a little thinner than the wool.

I've already started in on it. The pics on-line have an E2E in it with just a lot of straight lines, but I want to be able to change threads and give each piece of fruit individualized attention; the attention they deserve because putting them together was a bear.

I'm going to work on Bernie this morning, I'll wrap some gifts after lunch, and then I'll be on DW playing for the rest of the day. It's what I love to do and aside from piecing together blocks, it's my favorite quilting activity. It's probably a good thing since I have three machines to do it with. Merry Christmas Eve, Eve. 

Visits and Christmas

We have people popping in and out all during the holiday season. Yesterday, Santa visited and dropped some gifts under the tree. I didn't do much else yesterday except visit and knit. 

Here's a scarf going to the DIL..

Scarf for a gift

I have another scarf in the works and will chip away at that some more today/tonight between "working" and working. It's the week before Christmas and all the holiday deadline quilts are done and picked up, so it's time for me to work on my stuff for the holidays.

Today will be the pencil pouches for the grandkids and me. 😀

Veering off the Path

Jim surprised me yesterday and took us to Frankenmuth for a holiday day. We ate how we wanted (no diet) and we just took in all the holiday festivities. The place was unsurprisingly busy. Once of the shops we visited was the Woolens shop and I was able to find two wide backs at a very reasonable price. 

We actually got home before dark and I then finished the binding on the cathedral window quilt.

All finished!

I pulled and started prepping for the pencil cases for the grandkids. 

Getting ready to put together

I'm making three. Two for each family and then another for me since I think these are so stinking cute. 

Mom stopped by already this morning dropping off some of the bigger presents for under the tree. Our Christmas here with the family won't be until Saturday. We'll head over to moms on Christmas day and make pizzas and visit for a while. 

I have scarves to work on all afternoon today while we watch holiday movies and relax. It's already been a crazy busy weekend and I'm ready to unwind a bit to gear up for the week ahead. 

Changing up the Day

I didn't get out into the studio until well after lunch yesterday. We did shopping for food and then by the time we came home and unloaded everything and made and ate lunch, it was well after noon. Jim brought me home a gingerbread house kit from his earlier trip to Lansing on Monday and I constructed that while he was out removing giant chunks of ice from our eaves...

Once that was all constructed and cleanup of said house was finished, I headed out to the studio. Finally.

Here's what I'll be working on today...

Look at all those HST's!!!

I have an idea on how the HST's are going to be quilted in my head. I have to get my preview paper out this morning to make sure it's going to flow correctly before I start this though. This quilt was made by a LQS to honor our country's 250th birthday. How cool is that?

Once I fiddled around on Bernie and got this on, I moved over to DW and removed the table runner quilted the previous night, made the binding and got it finished. It's ready to head to under the tree.

I did not feel like working on the Alaska quilt and DW had an empty frame. I noticed something I gridded out earlier this fall and decided to find a back for it (and I did), pieced said back, and started loading for the project I've been wanting to do for some time now. Do these look familiar?

Petals for the upcoming DW project

If (and this is a big if) this works out, it's going to be pretty cool. I got the idea from another long armer out there who not only quilts quilts on her machine, but uses it in other useful ways as well. I'm thinking, if she can do it, I can too. 

One customer expected today for pick up and Christmas is less than a week away. I have a LOT to do around here for gifting so I better get to work. 

Reset Day

I had totally planned on long arming yesterday afternoon, but after decorating the tree,

and attending the virtual baby shower for Caleb and Lia, it was time for lunch and it still need to be made.

And then Christmas movies just kept queueing up so we spent the afternoon snuggling with the girls and relaxing. I was just still. Enjoying the down time and resetting my head and body. I know this week is going to be killer, as is next week. 

I think it's important to take time out to be still. Just relax and enjoy what you have, like the dogs and a warm place to live.

Today I'll be working on DW (of course) and looking out my window at the beautiful snow and be thankful I'm in a place where it's not 0 degrees (that's what we woke up to this morning) all while doing what I love to do. 

Not Much To Share

Jim got the lights on the tree and I worked on DW for about four hours yesterday. Our neighbors came over for a visit. MSU lost their b-ball game. I did get the new bow tied to the top of the studio tree. Not much else happening in the studio.

When Jim was digging out the Snow Village from under the stairs earlier this week he found this in the closet... 

Newly hung thread rack

I'm not sure what it was doing in the closet, but fat lot of good it does me in there. He hung it up for me and any spare threads we have are on it. BUT I need to make better use of it and add more "odd" threads hanging around that I only use on occasion. 

Thankfully I have a good duster to go over these when needed. 

I have a virtual baby shower to attend for the little kids later this morning and don't know if mom will remember to come or not. It's been snowing a little bit so she may not try to venture out. Hair cuts already occurred and we have to trim the tree as well so we have a busy Sunday planned. 

I've Discovered...

...I can not long arm until I do my daily blogging. I've also discovered, after getting my nails taken off (can no longer afford with Jim retiring) that cracks near the side of the nail are very painful. I have two right now.

If you wonder why it takes long armers so long to work on your quilts, here are all the tools I'm currently using in the Judy Niemeyer quilt...

Just some of what I have available to work a quilt

Here is some more quilting going into the quilt...

After working very late last night (again), I started this and then finished just now this cute bow...

I put this on my little Christmas tree in the studio

And this is what Jim and I went and did this morning after 'doctoring' Lucy (she has developed a cyst on her behind)...

Oh Tannenbam

We have to let it dry out (it was covered in snow) and rest for a day before we get to decorate. We decided on a skinnier tree this year since we both are having back issues. To get a larger tree in the house would have been pushing our physical boundaries. 

Why Jim is watching MSU basketball, I'll be working on the Judy quilt on DW. It's not getting any further away from the holiday and I have three quilts to finish before Christmas arrives. Onward Ho, Ho, Ho!

What a Difference a Day Makes

The way our weather is in Michigan is astounding sometimes. Here was our view off the deck yesterday morning...

Yesterday morning

Here's the view this morning...

What a difference

It's so pretty. While I was waiting for this pic to download, I noticed my downloads file was getting pretty messy, so I just deleted off about 500 pics from there. I'll empty the trash when I log out in a bit. 

No long arming yesterday because I got all of these done...

The big dipper

Not sure about the name of this one

The BOW is now a top!

I have two more blocks to work in the Alaska top before I can start the next phase. I have the first block already cut out and will make that this morning. Jim is out cleaning off snow from the drive so I have a few hours to amuse myself in here. 

And these pics were snagged from IG this morning...

Don't they look happy?

Grandbaby (daughter) due in January

This will be number seven for us and the kids are over the moon excited! Wait until they can't sleep anymore because little one is up wanting attention at all hours. Then they may not be as excited. LOL. 

Tech 0, Colette 2

When we got our new router last week I had a LOT of trouble trying to get the printer back up and running. After two days of monkeying around with it, FINALLY got it back up and running yesterday. Then, for some reason, our Apple Music Library decided it didn't want to have our music anymore and deleted ALL our playlists.

I'm not too worried about the general music as we have an extensive library backed up on the external hard drive but the Christmas library was gone. I've spent years cultivating this library and it was just...gone!

I fiddled with it for an hour or so and decided technology was NOT going to win this weekend and managed to get most of the holiday music back into the library. I had to sift through duplicates and unwanted arrangements yesterday and this morning but I think I've got it nearly all set. 

Meanwhile, I was able to make my last BOW block in the afternoon...

The last block

I was sweating this one. I had JUST enough white background left over to finish it. And I stumbled upon the last two 3 1/2" blocks by accident while filing away all the left over fabric not needed any further. 
Whew!

I laid them all out to get a feel for what I needed to do next...

Figuring out what to do next

They haven't given out finishing instructions yet, but that doesn't stop me anymore. I auditioned fabric from the pic, and I checked what I had left over and think it'll be good on what I come up with today. 

We have the house all decorated (which prompted the discovery of the music library disappearing) because who can decorate without holiday music playing in the background? I know I can't.

This morning we were warned via the Ring app we have a winter storm on its way around the early evening. The skies were red this morning and while the sun was rising I managed to get a great pick of our first ice skim on the lake...

I may do some long arming today. I miss being on the machines and Christmas isn't getting any further away for those customer deadlines I have looming over my head. But first, the BOW finish. 

Decorating Without Help

It's been a tradition in our family, since the grandkids were very little, to have them help decorate the house after our post-meal Thanksgiving walk. The weather was atrocious yesterday so no walk. The grandkids weren't here so no decorating. And Jim and I were up very early in the morning and it was nearly dark when mom did leave so no decorations were even brought in. 

While I'm technically "open" today I'm not long arming quilts. I'll field calls (if I even get any) while we are doing the decorating.

While Jim was watching MSU basketball, I did get these trees finished after mom left last night...

Another block in the Alaska quilt

I have my last BOW to make this afternoon after we are done spreading Christmas cheer throughout the house. And since it's the last, I'll also start constructing the top and maybe have it completed by nights end. These blocks are pretty big (21 1/2" square) meaning it's going to take some time. 

A New Retreat

I was in a couple of meetings yesterday. One was with my co-pilot on the retreat we are trying to springboard. The second was with the folks at Riverwalk Place to discuss and view the logistics of our pending retreat, and the third was here to discuss quilting on a HUGE Judy Niemeyer quilt due for the holiday. 

I only got a few hours of long arming in but will be finishing up the 'Tis the Season quilt today. Here's some of the quilting going into it...

This looks familiar

I made one of these myself a few years back and she wanted it quilted pretty much the same way I quilted mine, making things easier all around.

Meetings wear me out and at about 6:30 I was done long arming and moved over to do some paper piecing. That requires very little brain power or energy, so here is the next block in the Alaska quilt...

Alaskan Cache

I've gotta get the quilt on DW done in the next day or so. The large quilt just dropped off needs to be put onto DW just for throat space reasons. Meaning, I'll be moving over to that one next. 

Meetings and Such

I have a meeting this morning with Linda (Lakeview Quilting) and Selena (Riverwalk Place) to discuss the retreat we're trying to get together for early next spring. But that isn't until late morning. In the meantime, I'll be working on the top on Marty.

I also need to remove and reload Bernie. And maybe I'll sneak over to DW and do some work on that quilt. Time dependent. 

Here is the next block in the Alaska quilt top...

Can't even really see the error

I've been doing some cross stitching on Sundays to make some more ornaments for the tree that goes into the studio. I made these two yesterday...

I don't know if I like these two as much as I like the previous two I made...

Kind of small

My favorite thus far

This one is cute too

These are from different pattern writers, so that's the reason for the difference. I may have to search out some more patterns and see if I can come up with better ones.

Just Can't Do It

I loaded up Christmas music this morning instead of the usual 'favorites' playlist because I'm working on Christmas quilts for customers. One half of one song and I had to change it. I feel like Thanksgiving gets buried. 

I'm thankful every day for what I have; the customers who are currently keeping our lights on and the roof over our head. For the warmth our furnace provides and for the love of my husband and for our dogs. I'm thankful for our family, even though, sometimes, they drive us nuts. I'm thankful I'm not hungry or thirsty and I'm just hoping others appreciate what Thanksgiving stands for instead of getting caught up in the commercialism Christmas has provoked. 

I love (love, love) Christmas, but too much of a good thing starts losing its luster. Just like ice cream or cupcakes. 

Back to quilting things. Here's some of the quilting going into Rae's quilt body...

Peppermints

Swirly Holly

I had a customer drop off late yesterday afternoon so pulled off that table runner that was on DW and started frame ironing the new backing. Another holiday gift for a lucky granddaughter. 

Today I have one customer coming to pick up and I'm hoping to get this quilt on Bernie nearly finished. I may work tomorrow morning to get it finished up.

After working on the big guys until well after dark, I got the borders made for the quilt top sitting on the chair that I didn't get done the previous night only to discover it wasn't even a top yet. Sashing needed to be added to the rows and the rows needed to be joined. 

Not quite together yet

I'll be tackling this at some point throughout the weekend. I'm starting to see a dent in my cluttered studio. Yay!

The Older I Get...

...the more the messy studio bugs me. I have projects laying around all over; binding that Jim is working on, my two BOW's, a top I didn't get borders on, a Laura Heine I'm working on for my brother, and the petals for the quilt I want to make entirely on DW. I'm sure there are more, but this is just off the top of my head. 

I think once the BOW's are done, I'll have to start getting things completed. 

This just arrived yesterday...

A challenge for next year

The girls in the Wisteria Room at Shipshewana had three of these hanging. Two were complete, and one came home with me to be quilted. Then they said they were having a challenge for next year to bring one of these completed. Challenge accepted! Because, you know, given what I'm complaining about, need something else to do. Lol!

After getting (not Rae's) but Sue S.'s quilt off Marty I found the next holiday quilt that needed to be loaded and got started right away in frame ironing. 

After getting that going I worked a little on the table runner on DW. I put this into the center rather than what I did in the previous customers' quilt...

A little more 'controlled'

I still have the outer border on the table runner to do, but the rest is complete. I moved over to the sewing table and worked on my BOW's. I actually cut for the remaining four barns/houses around the pieced block, which is why these didn't get done last night...

Aren't they cute?

Hopefully tonight I can finish those two up because on Friday there is another one to be delivered. Today I'll be working on this holiday quilt on Bernie...

This is actually Rae's

While this isn't a huge quilt, the notes I took when she delivered it for quilting are pretty extensive. Code for time consuming. Meh, it's what I love and that's okay. 

For a Monday...

...things went pretty well considering I hadn't turned on a long arm in eight days. It felt so good to get back onto the boys.

Before I started anything, I had to find a quilt to load onto DW for Jim to work on. However, EVERYTHING in the queue is custom work. I did find one customer quilt Jim could have did some mark and quilted by block work on, but when I made the backing for it (she asked I do so), it was about four inches too short. I decided to get on Marty instead because I was so frustrated.

Sometimes less is more

Since I could not load a quilt for Jim to do I instead taught him how to hand bind. My hand just isn't liking the process and since Jim can't quilt, he can do this. Here's his little work station in the studio...

After working until around 5:00 on Marty, I moved over to DW and loaded this...

Look familiar? The customer I did this for had an extra kit and we exchanged quilting for the kit since I thought this would make a nice gift for my DIL in Ohio. It's basted in and the ditching has been started.  

When I got done on DW I cut and started the two BOW blocks I missed while in Shipshe. I didn't want to take all the fabric with me to have to sort through while there so I'll get caught up this week after 'work' when I can here. 

Today I should be finishing up the quilt on Marty while Jim works binding before he goes back out hunting later this afternoon.