Having a Helper

Having Jim in the studio has been a humungous help. I can concentrate on the custom side while he's working on the digitized end of things. We are still figuring out the logistics of him being in there since he's so big, but I'm not going to complain. At all!

I'm done with retreat for four days before having to head back up on Monday, and yesterday was a very productive day. I had one customer pick up. I finished the Halloween quilt. Jim stitched out a Shop Hop quilt and then we reloaded.

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

A classy table runner

Here's what's on DW for today...

Another Shop Hop top

And then I started quilting on the table runner while Jim was off to the eye doctor for his annual check up...

Feathers, swirls, and snow flakes

After working past 'quitting time' I started piecing the double rows into rows of four on the strip quilt top. However, Ellie is out in the truck for retreat (no reason to bring her in for four days) so decided to piece on Mike. I hate piecing on Mike. He's my most expensive sewing machine and he's the worst piecer. Great for blanket stitching and binding, but bad, bad, bad on piecing. 

After struggling through two or three rows, decided to get Jay out of mothballs and piece on him. I mean, he's a duplicate of Ellie only in Janome form rather than Elna form. It seems like every sewing machine manufacturer has the same machine (straight stitch only) but with their name on it. So, while I was talking to Andrew, I took off his free motion stuff and put him back to a straight stitch set up. 

I thought he was having some issues, but as I look at him more closely this morning, it seems he's just mad I left him over on his little table a little too long. I'll give him some extra TLC later and he should be fine. 

I have nails first thing this morning and I have lunch with two customers at noon. I'll finish the table runner when I return from nails, and then move over to Marty later this afternoon once I return from lunch. I can't believe it's Friday already!

Not a Quick Project

The sewing machine is constructed in three parts. Some of these parts are tiny, tiny, tiny. Between Saturday afternoon and yesterday morning, I was able to get 2/3's of the first three machines assembled. There are 12 machines in all and these are the easier blocks to make (according to the pattern writer). 

That's okay, I'll just keep chipping away at it a little at a time. I'm in no hurry. 

So not my colors but I'm loving them regardless

More work on Patty's quilt today. It may be a done situation before close of business if I really hunker down. I need to get it finished before leaving on Thursday.

Oh, did I mention that? Our second annual Cincinnati pilgrimage is Thursday. Mom and I go visit my brother instead of him having to come up here all the time for the weekend. We are cutting it a day short this year because of her pacemaker appointment a week from today.

So, logistically it's my Wednesday this week. But Happy Cinco de Mayo if you celebrate it!

ALL SIX!!!

I wondered how long it would take me to have a day using all six of the machines set up in the studio. Yesterday was that day so obviously it wasn't that long.

DW: Quilted Gwen's first quilt.

Bernie: Had a quilt back frame ironed only to discover the previous quilt [owner] had two in my queue. First back off, second back on and her quilt is fully loaded. 

Foster: Removed Dream Big and had the Amish with a Twist loaded and quilted on.

Ellie: Made binding for the Dream Big off Foster

Mike: Attached binding to the Dream Big

Jay: Did seven or so blocks last night for sit-down work.

Yep...all six machines. 

Here's what Gwens first quilt received yesterday...

Swirls

Bernie was wearing this before my discovery of two for Rae in the queue...

Nope

Now he's wearing this...

Rae's second quilt

Foster is wearing this...

Amish with a Twist

This one will be on Foster for a while. It's a big quilt and this was started on DW about 2 1/2 years ago. It was taken off to make room for customer quilts and hasn't been touched since.

DW is now wearing this...

Another huge quilt

This is Gwens second quilt and is also getting an E2E today. I have to purchase and then download the motif from Urban Elements first before getting started but it's all basted in and ready to go once I get there.

Just wanted to "show off" the Dream Big quilt before closing...

Ain't it purdy?

I actually snuggled under this last night (it'll be the summer quilt) and washed/put away the wool quilt that's usually on the couch. Aaannndddd, that's a wrap. 

Thunder Boomers

Just after waking this morning I heard thunder off in the distance. By 8:30 this morning it looked like it was 8:30 in the evening. Even the mercury and solar lights in the neighborhood were lit. Thankfully, it passed through rather quickly and now it's just really cloudy. Jim called and said there was a rainbow in the NW.

Huge rainbow

I don't long arm during thunder storms. I can't chance the machines getting hit. 

Here's what's on DW this morning...

We've seen one of these before haven't we?

This will be on the frame for the next four days, which is how long it takes me to do one of these Dream Bigger panels. 

The small piece on Bernie is still on Bernie. I've got it about half-way completed and am just putting swirls in there to get a feel for the buttons, machine weight, the performance, and how to handle rolling. 

Jim's been working on the new Elna location. He's modifying the HQ 210 Stitch table to accommodate the more robust machine for me. 

The new machines name will be Ellie

He worked until almost dark on this and said he still has some more stuff to do to on it . He's such a great husband!

One last pic of the quilt I took off yesterday. Eye Candy!

Happy Saturday

I did manage to get a little quilting in yesterday between customer visits, all my errands, and the inevitable weekly trip to Midland. Here's a little detail on what is going into Joni's quilt...

Love the wool batt to give it some pop

MSU basketball today. When Jim gets home, and while he's watching his game, I'll continue on with Joni's quilt. It should be finished today I would think. Although, DW was being a weiner yesterday. He was being a weiner during some of Linda's quilt too and I'm contributing it all to the So Fine! thread. He was fine until I started putting that through him. 

I cleaned out his bobbin area to include removing his needle plate and cleaning under there. It seems to have made things a bit better, but I'll (once again) change his needle and see how he behaves. He is overdue for a spa day and the large amount of seams in a completely paper pieced top may have just thrown him a bit out of time. 

Chores and a phone call with my mom found me way behind this morning. And, to be honest, I was being a little lazy given it's a Saturday and I've been busting fanny all week. But the rice is cooking, the shower head is (once again) descaled, the laundry is done, the floors are washed, and the sun is out!

While I was working on chores, this showed up on my deck...

Lilo's new SewEZ table for retreats...and other places

This will give me something else (I'm sure) to squirrel about today. Too many fun things to do and just not enough time. 

Finished!

Sunday:

The huge quilt is finished. Even though we played outside in the snow for a while yesterday afternoon with the neighbors, I was able, during the abysmal MSU basketball game, to get DW to stitch out the last 12 sunflower motifs. Completed at about 7:00pm.

While DW was stitching out, I cut for the rail fence blocks and started/finished piecing out all the reds. There were a few pinks and purples to do and then moved along to the blues. 

Getting a few stacked up

Jim moved the leaders to a new rail position on DW. I found that with these giant quilts, having no clamps on the one end was becoming a situation.

More centered

Monday:

Calls made to: 

Gall. Sewing machine done and Ben will pick up. 

Becky. About her quilt top/backing. 

Tina About the cancer quilt being done and when that was going to be picked up. 

Cleaned long arm and then loaded this top.

Becky's Teapot Top

The reason I had to contact Becky about her backing is because it is nearly as nice as the top.

There are even two embroidered teapots under here somewhere

I don't know if Linda is going to stop by this morning to pick up Paulette's quilts or not. We received another bit of snow last night and I think the east side of the state is still getting some. 

Another (Nearly) Week

 Yep, it seems like the weekly thing in the summer is what the blog posts run. 

Getting Ready for a Quilt-Along

This is a nine patch I'm making for a quilt-along with Natalia Bonner beginning in September. A panel could have been purchased instead of having to make the actual quilt top, but I'm a rebel and am choosing to make my own top. Not to mention, the panel is VERY expensive. And, I'm making it bigger; more usable!

Hey! This is actually one of mine!

The Angela Walters Build-A-Quilt from 2018-19 is now complete. Two years? That's not bad, right?

Small Project Sunday

A cover for Lilo was needed and Pieces of Thyme had just the project when I shopped on Saturday. Isn't this just one of the cutest machine covers?  

On to customer quilts. 

Linda's Hockey Quilt for her 7-Year old grandson. 

Pat's Charm Square Nightmare (her words, not mine). :-)

Pat's will be completed today. I have another few on their way, but until they show, maybe (just maybe), I'll get to throw another one of mine onto the frame. HA! As soon as I utter the words, I'll jinx myself. 

Haven't posted Hazels cute face in a while. She says, "Good morning everybody." 

Still kinda sleepy this morning

Coincidence and Eureka!

The bookcase quilt I'm doing for Jims cousin recently made her relationship official. They've been living together for 24 years, but finally went to the courthouse this winter and legalized it. Their last names are Miller. Look what I found in my selvedge stash.

A Miller Selvedge

Lol!

The Row by Row with Sugaridoo is complete for the month!

Month Six

And yesterday was discovery day. Long story (Katie's already heard this). This is my main piecing machine. I do about 80% of my work on this machine because of the built-in quarter inch foot and how well it stitches.

Jay

With what Katie calls the Covidbribe check we received this week, I was pondering getting a sit-down quilting machine. The other Janome (Mike) I have just doesn't cut it as described in yesterdays post. The Handi Quilter sit downs were financially out of the bribe check amount received. I looked at some Juki's on-line (because many of the instructors out there swear by them) and was planning on potentially purchasing one of those. Then I remembered I had a free motion/darning foot for Jay. Somewhere. In. Here.

After much searching, I finally found the thing and put it on. That was a royal pain: Unscrew this, unscrew that, remove this plate, line this up, turn this dial, screw this and that back in, put plate back on. BUT...it's on.

Jays new foot

I wanted to give it a spin before quitting for the night (it was already past 9:00) so whatever thread I had in it (Aurofil piecing thread) decided to give it a go. GORGEOUS, BEAUTIFUL, LOVELY stitches came out of this machine. Better even than DW!

While I just saved $1,000 not having to purchase another machine, I've just dug a little hole here. This was my main piecing machine. Except, the HQ Stitch (Lilo) we received in Utah last year pieces very nicely too. I've done some paper piecing on it and I quite like how it performs. I was just putting it on the return side of Jay that is on hinges, but can't put it there permanently since I own a big dog who, when playing with dad at night, could easily knock the feet out from underneath of it.

Rearranging my studio may ensue to accommodate another small table for Lilo if Jay continues to positively perform through more testing today.

I'm so excited to finally have a sit down machine at my disposal. Just when I thought my life could't get any more perfect! See...wishes do come true. If only the damn virus thing would settle down in everybody's head both of yesterday's wishes would have been granted.