Give Away

This quilt will be traveling all the way to Washington state to be donated to a kiddo who has a parent currently over seas. Caleb will receive it and disperse it accordingly. But this was our PQ challenge for the last week. Make something and give it away.

PQ Challenge Give Away

I finished and captured the pic on Friday. Did I remember to post it? Nope. Nice weather and yard work beckoned as did some major spring cleaning and household rearranging. I remembered Sunday at around 2:30.

But at least I'm doing something good and I hope the recipient appreciates the warmth and hug of love it will give.

Triple Play

This is kind of the quilt I'm working on three of. What?

Luann dropped off three of these pretty similar quilt tops Sunday. I've got two done and today will work the third.

Number 3

These are a Missouri Star Quilt Company patterns in case you're wondering. Each top is being quilted differently and NOT edge-to-edge.

I received what I thought was a robocall last night/this morning (2:38). I didn't pay it much attention because it was already a rough hot flash kinda night. Upon awaking this morning, found out it was our local hospital with reports that mom was taken in again, by ambulance, for chest pains. Again.

Jim took her home around 5:30 this morning and she has multiple appointments today and the rest of the week to try to get some of this straightened out. The physicians feel it was the new meds they put her on Saturday and have altered them accordingly. She doesn't want me to cart her around (mom is very independent) and be a burden. She insists doing this herself. I'll let her for a while. A very little while.

I've also finished my PQ top. Maybe today I can slip it in between customer tops and get it quickly quilted. I was planning on doing some custom work in it, but it's a charity quilt and the kiddo who receives it won't know the difference.

PQ Give Away Challenge

March is Here. Spring is Here.

Or is it? While we have beautiful weather predicted for the next few days, I'm not going to count on it lasting too awful long. It is only the first week of March. But I'll hear all about it at the store tomorrow from customers I'm sure; "Looks like spring is finally here." "I'm so ready for winter to be over." "Oh what a lovely day and soon the flowers will be blooming."

Despite being at the hospital with my mom nearly all weekend (Friday and Saturday anyway), and after cleaning the house top to bottom yesterday (see, nice weather promotes spring cleaning) I did manage to get my PQ challenge figured out, pulled fabrics, cut fabrics, and started piecing.

PQ Challenge started

Once this is completed, I'm going to send this out to Caleb in Washington to have him give to one of his soldier friends for one of their kids. They are being deployed next month to help deal with the Corona Virus and it would be nice to have a hug of love surrounding them while mom/dad are away.

I did also manage to get the Buddy Bear Quilt done after flitting in and out of the house. I can't just spend a day at the hospital and not come home and sew.

Love the back almost as much as the front

I used a green Minky on the back and the quilting always shows up so nice back there. This is for our fifth grandchild due about a month from now.

Haven't did a Hazel update in a while. She was glad we were back home yesterday and celebrated by chasing a few of the neighbors' cars. Needless to say, she just bought herself some invisible fence this spring.

I'm so damn cute.

Birds in the Air

I talked about friendship yesterday. The PQ challenge this week is based on the block Birds in the Air. I don't have much time this week to work on anything extremely difficult since I have work for three days and long arm the huge Dresden for my new customer.

And...we are leaving Friday morning for Detroit to attend the Garth Brooks concert on Saturday. We won't be returning home until Sunday afternoon.

I found this friendship flannel fabric in my stash and I need a new pillow to use when reading at night for our bed.

I put a wool batt in the first layer to give the pillow breathability. Hot flashes and all.

Doing some straight line quilting

This would have went much quicker on the long arm, but it's occupied.

Here's the finished pillow casing. I'm washing my old pillow to use the stuffing inside and once that gets done, I'll debone it and reuse what I can.

Birds in the Air Pillow

I feel like each of the PQ challenges come out on the cusp of a week where I'm so busy with outside obligations. Darn it all. I'd like to really dig in and do something more creative but at least I'm doing something, right?

Hearts a Flutter

The PQ Challenge beginning last Sunday was something with hearts. Since making quilts is my passion (as is cake) I decided to show my love like this:

My Heart belong to a Machine

This was free motion quilted on my domestic sewing machine, not the long arm. I love to do sit down quilting. But only on these small pieces. And had DW not been otherwise occupied, I would have did it on him; but he had the Fair top on him at the time.

Working on the king-size giant top today for Carol P. Here is some of what's going in her very large border.

14" Trees

I'll be working on this most of today.

Yesterday, before heading off to work, I completed a top for a coworker who commissioned me to make a quilt for her. So, step one of four is now complete. You don't know the steps?
1. Make top
2. Quilt top
3. Trim and Square quilt
4. Bind quilt

Do you notice I refer to both "tops" and "quilts"? It's not a quilt until all three layers are together. Otherwise, in my little world, it's only a top until the quilting is accomplished.

Call of the Wild Cardinals

And, yes, those are my three (well, you can only see 2 1/2 of them) boys. They were hanging out at a Michigan State University football game a few years ago. Wait, I think that was actually five years ago. Maybe even longer now that I think about it. WOW!

Wedding Stuff, Small Projects, and More

The taxes are done. Jim did them on Saturday while I was chipping away at The Fairest top on DW. It's coming out pretty cute. Hopefully today I'll be able to finish it and show it out here.

After long arming most of Saturday morning and afternoon, I decided I needed a change. This has been in my Pinterest file for a while and decided to free-piece to make this little project. Still needs binding, but what fun.

Caught in the Rain

Sunday started out on DW and then mom came over to work on booking flights for a few trips she's taking this year. Jim is great at finding flights and working into her requests. After lunch, Caleb and Lia called and the three of us found a nice Save the Date announcement the kids liked. Moving on.

When mom left, I was not in a long arming zen place and, while Jim made cookies and blueberry cobbler, I decided to make this for the next PQ challenge. This weeks prompt was Hearts a Flutter...or something like that.

PQ Challenge Week #3

I have a new customer coming over later this morning to discuss her king-sized top. I'll get working on DW so I can clear the frame and prepare for her quilt should she decide to have me work this one for her. And...work may call me in to unload truck but my phone may be "disabled" for a while this afternoon. Wink, wink.

Notably Numeric

That's the Project Quilting prompt for this week.

My eldest son loves numbers; he started taking college calculus as a Sophomore in high school. As an adult, he has his doctorate as an Astrophysicist but crunches data and numbers for Goodyear Tire.

I have his TI-83 calculator just to figure out the cost of a customer's quilt after I quilt them. Needless to say, I'm not good with numbers.

But I am good with time management. The basis? DON'T WATCH TV!

Here's something to think about and this is what was created for the challenge this week.

Hand embroidered, machine quilted.
Time...What's your choice? Waste? Spend? Invest?

I have had this written out in permanent pen on my pressing table but it's beginning to fade after so many ironings and I wanted to get it more prominently placed in my studio. Customers comment on how much I get accomplished and I will use this as a reminder to both them and myself.

Project Quilting

Katie and I participated in this fun and challenging experience last year. Kim Lapasek hosts an annual challenge meant to spread your skills and creativity with fabric. We are, once again, participating this year.

Requirements are minimal and we don't HAVE to make every other weeks' prompt. Just what we want to and what is convenient for us to tackle. Since we have now officially entered into the doldrums of winter, we mostly have the time and the resources to create some interesting and fun quilt-y pieces.

This weeks prompt is something with numbers. Here's mine so far in progress.

Sorry about the sideways photo

I would like to continue on with this today, but I have some long arming pieces to work for customers. Yesterday the wind was too strong to fire up DW so I have to take advantage of the long arm-able weather today while I can, and then, maybe, I can get back to this tonight if all goes well on the machine today.

Chocolate Challenge

This is our last challenge, and frankly, I wasn't going to participate. I have too many other things going on in the studio right now, but, thanks to my good friend Katie, she kept after me to think about something to do. And, with her encouragement, came up with a quick little something to hang on the fridge for Easter.

I would include photos on how I did this, but really, who reads all my posts about my creations? If you want to know what I did, here it is:

1) Draw design on fabric using a water soluble pen. Layer top fabric with batting and a backing.
2) Outline the sandwiched design with black thread on your home sewing machine using your darning foot.
3) Color in the design with whatever colors you choose. Spritz to remove markings. Dry.
4) Zig-Zag stitch around the edges and trim close to the zig-zag to finish.

And while this looks simple enough, it still took me about four hours to complete.

C is for Colette

I collect C's in my studio. I have them nearly every where.

But I found a wall that didn't have a C on it, and decided to do something saved in my "projects" bag for this challenge. The first step was to get out the selvedge bag. These selvedges have been being collected for a few years now. Members of my guild downstate found out I needed/wanted them and started bringing them in by the bags full.

Bag-O-Selvedges

Straightening the Selvedges

I needed to sort through them and find ones long enough for this project, as well as iron them, since they clearly weren't kept neat.

Sewing them down on a scrap piece of fabric

I drew a few registration lines on my scrap fabric to make sure I was staying relatively straight while sewing the selvedges down. Selvedges of length have a tendency to bow and this is a way to keep things a little more under control.

A finished piece of fabric

Once I had my selvedge "fabric" done, I had to make the letter. And I suck at free hand drawing. I mean, I can barely trace anything. And of course, the letter I found to make was not a closed letter, but one of several pieces. Once that was constructed last night, I started right back in this morning.

Slap-La-Quilt

I have a friend downstate that calls quilting, while doing appliqué, Slaplaquilt. I didn't just rely on my appliqué work to hold the whole thing together, but added some more straight lines over the already pieced selvedges.

And here's the finished 14"x14" end result.

C is for Colette

This was fun. It's something I've been wanting to do for some time now, and it was quick, which is good since I have three customer quilts to get done before leaving a week from tomorrow to head to Utah (hello Handi Quilter!). 

864 Pieces

Our newest project quilting challenge was a pixelation-type piece.

Here is this years.

Too big to get it all on the thumbnail for our submission

I'm kind of familiar with the process of making these types of quilts.

I made this one last year:

Zebra completed in 2018

This was a full-sized quilt and I remember just how long it took me to complete it. My girlfriend, Kathy, made a tiger that is astonishing! If you're ever in the Charlotte, Michigan area, look for her truck. She had it duplicated and skinned it over her Avalanche.

Moving along...

...I have a newly spayed puppy. I knew she'd require a lot of attention this week so I didn't want to commit to anything huge since time was a huge consideration for this challenge.

I sketched this out with the help of my Alphabet Letter book.

Sorry for the sideways pic

The way Kathy and I completed our two quilts were using the same method one would use to make a Mondo Bag. I started gridding out my fusible on Sunday night so Jim could keep an eye on Hazel.

Monday morning I started to work the letters. Hazel was still pretty sleepy and lethargic from her surgery, so I made hay while the sun shone into the studio windows.

Starting to get everything together

I pondered filling in those bigger spaces with larger cuts of squares, but didn't feel like that would have:
a) Achieved the correct look I was going for, and
b) Didn't feel like that was true pixelation.

In the afternoon, the puppy started regaining her senses and started testing her boundaries. I had to put the brakes on major construction for the afternoon, but did sneak in a few cuts/blocks when I could. When Jim got home I was able to finish placing the cut pieces and quickly sew the columns together.

An accordion

Tuesday brought a more adventuresome dog and even less time to work. But between taking her out to potty, and dealing with her clinginess, I would sneak in sew time to get the rows of the together.  The evening provided me the ability to get the piece at least loaded onto the long arm.

Finally on the long arm

Today didn't start out well. The pup had started to scratch and lick her incision and she has figured out how to get the cone of shame off in about 3-5 seconds when she's out of her crate. Constant supervision was required this morning. 

And then this afternoon, she crashed and decided to take a long, long nap! Let's go!!!!

Here's the finished piece! 864 pieces. I reworked the original design because as I've said before, the last thing I need around here is another stinking wall hanging. This will be displayed in the corner of my studio, just above the east and south windows, right over the pressing table.

12 1/2" by 72". 864 1" finished squares. 

Panel Quilt

I didn't know if I would be able to participate in this weeks challenge. Here in central, northern Michigan we have received quite the weather situation. Not that weather directly impacts a quilter, but it does have factors affecting how much cam be accomplished when power is lost.

I was a little leery to begin anything because after having severe storms to include sleet, then freezing rain, and then a dump in temps, and then 40 mph winds, we were certainly going to lose power. We live on a dead-end road and our power would have been one of the last restored in the area should this situation have happened.

But yesterday, after an almost three-day ugly weather event, the sun came out again. The winds started to calm, and the race was on to get something done. What I had planned in my head just wasn't going to happen in two days. Now the search for a project.

I found a panel in my stash while rifling through to locate some quick inspiration. I've had it for a while and never really had any plans for it. Because I was in such a rush to complete everything I didn't even take time to get many pics while feverishly wielding the rotary cutter, the iron, and the long arm.

Here was the panel roughly being created into something.

Making something out of a found panel

My husband delivers propane and is on-call for the next week. He had to head to bed rather early last night because he was scheduled to work again today. I certainly could not long arm while he was in the loft catching some Z's. So the long arming commenced today.

Some of the quilting detail

Despite having to have to finish my grandsons Fire Engine quilt (the rule is to get the binding on the quilt just taken off the long arm before another can be loaded)...

Tristan's Fire Engine quilt (had to be finished before getting this one put on the frame).

...and despite having to chop 1" of ice off all of our decks, I was able to get the quilt off and on the long arm before the sun set today. I machine bound it during the Spartan basketball game (a great husband babysitter) and here's the finished project.

The finished piece. Still haven't named it yet.

It measures 59" x 70" so the size requirements are certainly met. 

Red, White, and Blue Around the World

Since it was mentioned in our challenge about how most of the flags in the world have either red, white, or blue in them, I took that as my springboard for this challenge.

Long arming the starting point

It seems weird that this project began with long arming. Usually that's the end point, right?

Just getting going and proving this IS a blue fabric-not black like it shows in some of the other pics

Most of last night was spent doing the what is shown above. We have some very little islands out there in our oceans and some of them were just too darn small to snip around.

Africa is born

I started with one large continent just to boost my motivation. I knew cutting into the fabric around the smaller locations was going to be a challenge and needed something to keep looking at to encourage me.

Once all the discernible locations were cut out, I had to decide what exactly to do with what it was that was created.

Now what to do?

The last thing I need in this house are more wall hangings. Really! I have them hanging in the closets, stored in totes, and hung throughout the house. I slept on it last night, canvassed Katie for suggestions, (who asked her husband), I asked my husband, and came up with this...

A pillow of the world

The oceans are swirl quilted and the continents are quilted around using two layers of top fabric. Then, the upper most fabric was cut away from the fabric below it (which is called reverse appliqué). This will be a gift for my youngest son and his future wife for their new home. They are both history teachers and geography is a big part of what they teach. And, the youngest son is in the military and will probably continue to travel around the world much as he and his bride-to-be have already done. 

Lotsa Projects

Most of yesterday morning was spent getting Antelope Canyon off the long arm. I have one rule about the long arm. Before putting anything else on it, the previous project has to be completed (which means, usually, binding).

Here is Antelope Canyon completed.

My Version of Antelope Canyon

Now that that was done, I started working on Project Quilting 10.2. Here's a quick glimpse of it.

Well, this makes no sense

Ha! Ya have to wait until I finish it to see what it's going to turn out to be.

Meanwhile, after quilting the above piece, I wanted to work on the placemats some more, but my little Janome (Mike) is being rather fiddle-y about free motion quilting. I then made some extra borders for the placemats and loaded them on the long arm to get around Mike's new attitude issue. Yep, I know, the previous project wasn't completed yet, but there are always exceptions to the rules.

Rules were meant to be broken in this instance since I wanted to do a lot of long arm work yesterday. I needed to be on my feet since I feel like my butt is getting bigger by the day. Too much sit-down work lately.

Today is very snowy so I won't be going anywhere. Not that I have anyway...with the exception of taking the Dream Big panel over to the quilt shop, I haven't been out and about in nearly two weeks. I'll make the best of it and relish in the variety of projects going on in here.

20 Weeks Today!

I can't imagine our lives without this not-so-little girl in it anymore. It amazes me how quickly a dog can worm their way into your heart and your life.

Hello Everybody!

This pic is actually from yesterday, but it's close enough to her 20-week birthday (since that's today).

Nearly 20-Weeks Old 

On to quilting things...

Project Quilting 10.2 was released Sunday night. The theme for this week is red, white, and blue colors. And ONLY those colors. Nothing else is to be incorporated into the project.

Katie is already working on hers. I started thinking about mine while I was long arming Antelope Canyon, and then thought some more about it while piecing section 1 of 9 on Tristan's Fire Engine quilt.

Once Jim started watching the basketball game last night, I had found my background fabric; pressed that. Found my foreground fabric; pressed that. Found and transferred a map of the world onto overhead projector plastic. Transferred the world onto the blue fabric with quilt chalk and am now ready to actually start my project today. Well, after I get Antelope Canyon off the long arm and get it bound.

The gal sponsoring the Project Quilting challenge said most of the flags of the world have red, white, or blue in them. This is what prompted my direction in which I traveled with my thought process. We'll see where I head with this today and decide whether it was a good direction to travel.